I don't own The Patriot

A/N: Hello! I want to thank the readers for their reviews on the one-shot fic "Flirtation and Temptation." Just by writing that story, I was inspired on writing a whole new spin-off fanfiction focusing on the Loyalists side of the revolution, specifically on a family and what they had gone through during that time, their involvement with the Dragoons, especially developing my OC from the "Flirtation and Temptation" fic.

If there are any historical inaccuracies, please let me know and I shall make the needed corrections when applicable. Also, writing OC's can be a bit difficult, especially trying to make them fit in into a certain era. If I am going down the "Mary Sue" trail with this one, please don't hesitate and let me know what I can do to change her personality/characteristics.

Enjoy!


Charles Town was quite the diverse town that bought all residents of South Carolina together. One of those residents was Victoria Jones, a twenty-three year old woman that came from a background of wealth. She had lost count of the multiple times that she had been coming to this town with her mother and brothers, one of the many reasons to ensure that their father's business was doing well. Victoria was always curious to see what sort of imported British goods her father had stacked on the shelves. Tea had always been one of her favorites pleasures in enjoying but as of right now, business had not been going well. Not many people were buying from their store anymore and money had been scarce. Coming from a bloodline of wealth and owning land just a couple of miles south of Middleton Place, that did not mean that the Jones family didn't have to work hard to make a living.

As Victoria walked alongside her younger brother, Edward Jones, she looked over at her family store who had no one inside. They had received letters from a post rider concerning the gathering of the General Assembly. Victoria feared of what was to come in the future for all of them, both Patriots and Loyalists alike but a part of her, did not want to believe that it was ever going to happen. Why plunge into chaos when South Carolina was not even at war then say Massachusetts and Virginia? Her father and her older brother, Edmund, had been conversing with one another about the fate of their business and their family if South Carolina was ever to go into war. Neither Victoria, Edward, nor their mother thought that they would go into war, but given the circumstances, their predications were false.

A sigh escaped Victoria's lips when she noticed some of the men from the Sons of Liberty organization hanging and burning a puppet dressed in a redcoat. A shiver ran down her spine and she averted her eyes from seeing such a statement being made. Were they terrorizing only redcoats and Loyalists alike? That was an answer that Victoria didn't want to know the answer to. "Do you think that we will go into war Edward?" Victoria whispered to her brother who was just five years young from Victoria's age.

"If the levy passes," Edward replied to her question. "I heard that if it does, Edmund is going to join against the colonists."

This was news to Victoria. Her eyes widened as she turned her eyes over to her brother. "What?" she gasped. Edmund was never one to discuss such private matters with her, but this was something that needed further discussion. "Does mother know?" she asked and Edward nodded his head to her question. Unbelievable Victoria thought to herself. She had been very close with both of her brothers, but as time passed things had become very distant between her and Edmund and that was something that Victoria had tried to investigate but couldn't find the answer to. "What about you?" she then asked Edward.

Edward replied to her question with a shrug of his shoulders. "I don't know," he said, "I don't want to but if I have to..."

"Good Heavens I hope not," Victoria said as she clutched tightly onto her brother's arm as they passed by a couple of more shops and joined a mass of people that were gathered outside of the General Assembly building. Her eyes wandered about where she noticed familiar faces, some of them her neighbors and other people that she had only been acquainted with when they came to her father's shop.

"Lady Victoria, Sir Edmund," one of the neighbors passed by them and tilted their hat out of respect for the family. Both siblings responded to their greeting with a nod of their heads.

"There's a lot of people here," Victoria said and smiled when she noticed one of her friends walking up to them. "Emma!"

Emma was a lively young girl, only three years younger than Victoria. She had light brown curls that hung just above her shoulders, as opposed to Victoria who kept her hair in a neat bun, and she wore a light blue dress in contrast to the white dress that Victoria wore. She walked up and took a hold of Victoria's hands and looked up at her. "How good it is to see you and you too Edward," she greeted her family friends with a smile. "I cannot believe how many people have gathered here. The moment my father got the letters from the post rider, we immediately had to ride here."

Always wants to be the first one to everything Victoria thought and tried her best not to smile. Emma tended to have that sort of ambition when to came to various events, especially ones that involved those of the opposite gender. It didn't go unnoticed to Victoria when she noticed her friend's eyes bouncing about. "Everything alright, Emma?" Victoria teased.

Emma slowly opened her fan and lightly waved it against herself. "Of course," she replied, "why do you ask?" Her eyes brightened when she noticed one of the boys from the Martin family. "My how much Gabriel Martin had grown!" she exclaimed when a young blond man passed by them. "Good evening Mr. Martin!" Emma greeted him but the young man didn't give her a second glance, thinking that she was probably greeting his father. To her dismay, Emma stopped fanning herself and looked as Gabriel Martin went over to a brunette haired girl with striking blue eyes.

"I'm sorry that your pursuit wasn't accomplishable," Victoria said.

"Oh who cares?" Emma twisted around and fanned herself once more. "There's plenty more around here, better than Gabriel Martin." Her eyes then narrowed over to another man who was much taller than Gabriel, and one whom Victoria recognized as a family friend.

"Emma," Victoria said, "I understand your need to find someone but must you go after poor Mr. Wilkins?"

"My goal is not to remain as an old maid," Emma said, "and from what I know, he is a bachelor. As for you, you best hurry along my dear Victoria before all the good ones are taken." She fluttered her fan against Victoria's shoulder and flounced away in her pursuit.

Victoria stood still as she watched her friend walking away. "Why is it funny that every female friend that I have is sounding like my mother?"

Edward laughed at her choice of words. He was aware of the constant and monotonous conversations that Victoria had with their mother. The same conversation consisted of 'when will you find someone? You cannot keep wasting your life away like this! You're twenty-three, one more year and you'll be an old maid.' Edward didn't have this sort of stress resting upon his shoulders, but he understood what his sister went through. "If you need any help, I heard that Mr. Williams is available."

Victoria playfully gasped and swatted her brother's arm. "Mr. Williams is an old man! Not to mention that he has been a widow five times already and I don't wish to put my life in such a risk."

"Maybe you'll be the one to break that curse," Edward joked, "but you'd better hurry my dear sister, your time is running out." With those words, he pushed away from her and ran into the mass of people before Victoria had the chance to chase after him.

Brothers Victoria thought with a shake of her head as she tried to look around the mass of people and find anyone that she knew of. She took a step back and accidentally collided with someone that walked behind her. "Oh!" Victoria gasped as she turned around and dropped her fan in front of the person's feet. "Pardon me."

The man looked down at his feet and then at the fan that she had dropped. Instead of picking it up and giving it to her, his foot hovered above her fan and stepped on it before going on his way. The ribs of the fan cracked against the foot, causing Victoria to slightly flinch at the sound. That fan was one of her favorites and she couldn't understand why this man had been so keen on stepping on it. "Excuse me, sir?!" Victoria called to him, aghast as he showed this sort of behavior. "What is the meaning of this?"

The man turned around as his hat hid the features of his face. "Not that it's any of your business Lady Victoria," he responded to her complaint, through a tone of mockery at the title that she beheld. With those words, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the midst of the group.

How rude Victoria thought as she knelt to the ground and gathered the fan in her hands. It had served its limited purpose to the point where it had gotten abused by those big intimidating feet.

"Is everything alright Lady Victoria?" a familiar voice asked. Victoria looked up and noticed a hand held out in front of her, which is gratefully took, and rose up to her feet to come face to face with none other than James Wilkins. Seems like Emma was still continuing her pursuit and she couldn't tell whether the man had finally greeted her or had taken the opportunity to make a run for it.

"Yes," Victoria responded with a smile upon her lips, though on the inside, she felt that it was not alright after that encounter. "Just a little clumsy is all." She tried to fold the fan as best as she could and hide the damage that had been done. "How do you do, Mr. Wilkins?"

"Very well thank you," James replied, "how is everyone? I heard that there hasn't been a lot of sales from your father's business."

"Unfortunately no," Victoria replied with a shake of her head, "I'm afraid that we have lost customers due to this whole disagreement that they have with the taxation...but we have been faring well for the most part."

"I am glad to hear that," James replied, "if there is anything that I can do, please don't hesitate."

Victoria smiled at his will to help out her family. He may have been only a family friend but through all the years that he knew them, it seemed like he had already assimilated himself to the Jones family. "Your help is gratefully appreciated Mr. Wilkins," she said. "The same goes for you. I do hope that your plantation has been well throughout all of this."

"It is being tended to for the time that I am away," he said, "I don't know when I will be going back, but I made sure that someone is there to see to things."

Victoria tilted her head to the side as she looked at him curiously. "How do you mean? You're not thinking about going into war, are you?"

That was a debatable question and James just wasn't sure if he was willing to do it or not. There were people that he knew of who were adamant about going into war and then there were those who had second thoughts about it. As for James, he just wasn't too sure. One thing that he did know of was that his loyalties lied with the British and going into war would create such a turmoil for South Carolina, as well as plunging the economy into ruin. "I will see how it turns out at the General Assembly tomorrow," he replied to her question.

The votes were going to be the moment of truth for all of the residents in South Carolina...and Victoria didn't know whether it was going to be for the better, or for the worst.