"What now?" she repeated, tilting her head to study Donovan's face as he gazed at her, enclosing her hands in his. "What are you talking about?"

"It's all over, Jack. All of this," he said, gesturing to the now emptied town square where his execution had almost occurred. "I know I've been hesitant and reserved with you, Jack. It wasn't because--you know how much I care about you, and now that I'm not imperiling you because of the Slates any longer...well, I'm sorry, I suppose. Since I've met you, you've been so focused on me and the Slates and everything that I'm afraid that I've disregarded what you want." He stepped closer to her, his hands rising up her arms to her shoulders. "So what is it you want, Jack? I swear to you, anything in the world, and I'll give it to you."

Jack closed her eyes for a long moment, clearing her head of all the distractions of the past few months. She returned to who she was when she and Donovan met, the woman who felt like a girl when he smiled at her. What did she want? She wanted to be with Donovan--that she knew above else. But was there more, could there be more now that the shadow of the Slates had evaporated once and for all?

"I want to travel," she said, her eyes popping open. "I think my job at the munitions factory is nearly over, and I want to go and see everything--I want to see where you lived in Boston. I want to go out west and see everything they show in the newspapers."

"Then we'll go," Donovan said with a nod. "Tomorrow?"

Jack laughed at his words, but his eyes remained sincere. "You're serious?" she asked.

"Entirely."

Jack released a wistful sigh. "Well, as tempting as that is, I'm afraid I can't."

Donovan's eyebrows drew together and he released her arms. "Why not? What's stopping us?"

Jack's eyes skirted the town square and came to rest on the pale girl with dark hair and green eyes. "The war," Jack said. Though it had barely touched her thoughts in the past few weeks, Jack didn't feel right abandoning her town, especially her niece Christina, while the war waged on.

Donovan's eyes clouded, and he looked down. "Yes, I suppose that's a problem."
As much as Jack might have wanted to leave Irvington behind and run off with Donovan, what right did they have to be happy when there was so much suffering? Hannah had lost the man she loved and Christina anxiously awaited her beau who fought overseas. Soka lived alone and waited for her son. As much as Jack might want to revel in their newfound freedom, this was not the time for such gaiety.

"After the war, then?"

"After the war," Donovan said with a smile. "I'll take you anywhere--everywhere--you want to go."

"Well, good. After I pushed you out of a burning building, I rather think you owe me," Jack said with a grin.

"I owe you more than I could repay in a thousand lifetimes," Donovan answered. "Come on, Jack." He took her hand in his arm as if she were some fine lady and smiled down at her. "Let me walk you home."

Julius Booker didn't reappear until late Sunday night, and Jack still hadn't told Donovan what their friend had done for them. Even Minnie, if she suspected, said little about her husband even though Jack and Donovan saw her often since they were all sharing Jack's very small house. Minnie told them Julius was simply gathering supplies so they could rebuild their house as soon as possible, but even Donovan was suspicious as to why Julius hadn't been present for his near execution. Jack wanted to talk to Julius about everything that had happened and her suspicions about his involvement.

Monday morning came and Jack rose from the pallet she slept on in the kitchen near the fire in her house; she had given Minnie and Julius her bedroom, and Donovan slept on the porch despite the weather. Jack cared little what people thought but with everyone watching their every move, she would rather just avoid the gossip for at least a few weeks. She was certain that if Julius permitted a society column as some newspapers did, she and Donovan would have graced the headlines for the past few weeks.

It was still early, but Jack heard the hissing of the teapot as Julius heated water for a cup of coffee, and Jack peeled her eyelids open at the sound. "Julius?" she said, voice hoarse from sleep.

The man stood next to Jack's stove, ancient and slightly wobbly, and smiled at her. She had only caught a glimpse of him the night before as he slipped inside the house, and now he avoided her gaze. Jack lifted herself onto her elbows, twisting her neck to loosen the kinks in her muscles from the rough bed. Then she gingerly got to her feet, the physical exertion of the last few weeks taking its toll on her aging body.

"I think you owe me a conversation," Jack said, sitting on the edge of her kitchen table in a stained blouse and a pair of pants.

Julius kept his back to her and removed the pot from the stove, pouring the steaming liquid into a chipped mug and mixing in the coffee, sugar, and fresh milk left on the front porch in a glass bottle every morning. His movements were slow and methodical, and Jack could sense that he didn't want to talk about everything that happened on Saturday, but she couldn't just ignore it.

"Are you going to tell me, or will I have to pry it out of you?" Jack asked as Julius turned towards her and sat at the kitchen table, blowing on the steaming cup. He said nothing, and Jack fidgeted as she sat down across from him, her eyes on his dark eyes, lined forehead, empty expression. "Come on, Julius. No one's...nobody protested Max's death."

Julius's lips tightened into a line. "Jack, just leave it be. Let sleeping dogs lie."

"Just--let us--"

But she was cut off when Minnie emerged from the bedroom, covering her mouth with a yawn. Her dark hair hung long and lank over her shoulders, and she shuffled forward with the laziness common after the weekend. When she caught sight of Jack and Julius sitting at the table, Julius tightly gripping his mug and Jack staring at him intently, she frowned.

"What's going on?" she said, coming to sit between her husband and her friend. "What are you two fighting about?"

"There's nothing to talk or fight about," Julius said, taking a long sip from his coffee mug. Then he rose and turned away.

Minnie looked at Jack with narrowed eyes. "What on earth is going on between the two of you?"

"Just tell me the truth, Julius!" Jack said, standing up and approaching him. "You weren't joking about the roof, were you?"

Minnie scrambled to her feet, pushing the kitchen chair back with a screech as Julius looked out the window. "The roof? Lord have mercy, Julius Booker, what have you done?"

The door swung open and Donovan entered, a heavy horse blanket draped over his shoulders to ward off the cold that blew in behind him. Jack, Julius, and Minnie stood at an impasse, both Jack and Minnie drilling Julius with intent looks.

"Jack? What's going on?" Donovan said, his teeth chattering slightly.

Jack approached Donovan and pulled him inside by the arm, slamming the door shut behind him. "Landsakes, I wish you'd just sleep in here on the floor. Here, have Julius's cup of coffee," she said, snatching it from the older man's hands and putting it into Donovan's. "He's going to talk instead of drink."

Julius's frown deepened as he watched Donovan take a grateful draught from his coffee mug. "Jack, this isn't necessary."

"I think it is," Jack took a seat at the table, and the rest of them joined her.

"Juls, what's going on?" Minnie asked, eying her husband with one eyebrow cocked. "What's she talking about?"

Julius's hands gripped the edge of the table. "I said I don't want to talk about it. What's in the past has to stay there."

Jack eyed him for a long moment, wondering just how much information she should divulge. "Like Earl?"
The words had their intended effect as both Minnie and Julius swiveled to stare at her, their dark eyes wide. "Where'd you hear that name?" Minnie hissed. Jack looked between the couple, hoping her attempt at uncovering the truth had not just infuriated them further. Before she could offer an explanation, Minnie growled, "Did you see him in the picture album? Is that what it is?"

Jack remembered the charred album she'd saved from the wreckage of the burning house. No wonder Minnie had been so grateful for the old keepsake. "No, nothing like that."

"What are you all talking about?" Donovan asked, his eyebrows drawn.

"I told her, Minnie," Julius said, looking to his wife and ignoring Donovan. "I thought--well, I don't know what I thought it would do. Warn her, maybe."

Minnie's eyes widened and she set her jaw. "We swore we'd never talk about it."

Julius rose to his gawking height and slammed his fist on the table, rattling Donovan's coffee mug. "Well maybe we should, Minnie! Maybe we shouldn't just pretend like it never happened!"

Silence overtook the room, and Jack didn't know what to say. She hadn't meant to cause a fight; she only wanted to come to the bottom of the mysterious shooter in the town square, but now she had upset everything.

Julius turned to Donovan. "Minnie and I had a son who was hung for a crime he didn't commit, for stealing something. They hung him, then found out he was innocent, and nobody cared. When you were going to be executed, I had to tell Jack. Someone had to know."

Donovan's face paled, and Jack knew he understood. His own brother had been killed without warrant, and Julius had only been trying to warn Jack. Even though Jack had lived over thirty years, she still wanted to believe that good prevailed. Julius was preparing her for what he saw as the inevitable.

"I'm sorry, Julius, Minnie," Donovan said, and Minnie stood up abruptly, going to stand by the window.

"Why are you dredging this up, Jack?" Minnie asked, back turned and arms crossed. "If I didn't know you, I'd say this was just plain cruel."

Jack looked to Julius and saw that he understood exactly why she had brought up their murdered son. "Julius, you should tell them."
"You don't know anything, Jack."

"I'm right though, aren't I? The roof?"
Jack's eyes steadied on Julius, and she begged him to tell the truth; she needed to thank him for what he'd done, to praise him for his heroism and kindness. She needed to understand the full price of Donovan's salvation.

Donovan's eyes were wide, and Jack didn't have to say anything else. "It...it was you?" he whispered.

Julius looked down at his hands and said nothing as Jack took up the pursuit. "You told me that you would hide on the roof with a gun in case I needed out, but I thought you were joking. You weren't. You...you wanted to do what you never could for your son. You wanted to free Donovan so we wouldn't have to run from Max for the rest of our lives. No one will even know it was you, but I did."

Minnie finally turned from her position at the window, her mouth pressed in a tight line. "You shot Max Slate? What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I had to do something, Minnie." Julius rose to face his wife. "I couldn't see what happened to Earl happen to Donovan. Without Fletcher around, I knew that no one would suspect me, except for Jack." He cast an annoyed glance at Jack, and she smiled.

"Well, you're a fool," Minnie said, stepping closer to her husband. Her swirling eyes were on his and her hand rested on his chest. "But a brave one."

"Thank you," Donovan said from beside Jack. "Julius, I had no idea."

Julius sighed. "That was the point. No one was supposed to know."

Donovan shook his head, his dark hair shining in the sunlight coming through the window. "I don't know what to say."

"I didn't do this for thanks," Julius said, his hands in his hips. "I don't want to talk about this a-"
But his words were cut off as an automobile roared towards Jack's remote house, unaccustomed to visitors except in the recent weeks.

"What in tarnation?" Jack said, running to the door and swinging it open.

Mr. Bricker drove the automobile with Reverend Smalley in the passenger's seat; the preacher stood in the seat as the car jerked to a stop.

"Jack, I have news!"

Jack bounded down the steps towards him as the others followed her out the door. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

A wide smile broke out on the reverend's face. "The war, Jack! It's over!"