Long story short, I'm Hamiltrash. No shame. This will most likely be finished faster than my other fanfics lmao
Hindsight, Eliza realized, was always 20/20.
How had she not expected it? She'd seen the looks, the letters, the quiet conversations. She considered herself incredibly bright for a woman, how had she convinced herself nothing was worth worrying about?
Because she expected better of her sister and boyfriend.
"Alexander, please." the drawn out moan was like a knife on her soul. She could hear Alexander panting, making little keening noises she liked when they slept together. The bed creaked viciously, and she couldn't take it anymore. She threw open the door, wincing as it bounced off of the wall.
The two scrambled apart immediately, and Eliza felt like someone punched her in the gut. Their lips and faces were flushed, hair mussed. Angelica looked terrified - Alexander looked mortified.
"Eliza..." Angelica started, but faltered, and quieted. There were tears in her eyes, and Eliza wanted to scream at her to wipe them away - there was no crying when Alexander had been inside her. Alexander, the poor soul, was still frozen in mortification - and she wanted to tell him to knock it off as well. She was the one who'd been betrayed. Only her feelings mattered.
"How could you?" Eliza snapped, and both guilty parties flinched. Good. Let them wallow in their own shame. She wiped furiously at her cheeks, but the tears kept coming. Her stomach felt like someone had scooped a hole in it, and she rounded on Alexander. "Of all the women to step out on me with, you choose my sister? Are you out of your mind?"
"Eliza-"
"Shut up!" she screamed, and he did. She heaved a heavy sob, wrapping her arms around herself. "How could you?" she wailed again. "I gave you everything. My support... my love... my body. Was that never enough?"
"Eliza-" he demanded, but she shook her head, turning to face Angelica.
"Angelica, I trusted you." she sobbed. "You're my sister. You're not supposed to do this to me." Some part of her felt bad, thinking about how it's certain that she stole Alexander from right under her sister's nose. If she had loved him so much, why didn't she just say something? Why hand him over, just to sneak around with him?
She felt sick, she had to get out. Stumbling backwards, she ran from the room, ignoring the cries of her name.
It was freezing cold outside, and she had forgotten her jacket. Wrapping her arms around herself, she ground her teeth together to keep them from chattering. Where could she go? Not home, that's where Alex and Angelica were. Not her father's, that would create a bigger mess. Peggy didn't love close enough to walk. She was completely, utterly, alone.
"Excuse me, miss!"
Eliza shrieked as someone grabbed her , pulling her around. It was a man, someone she'd seen before - Lee, that was it. One of Hamilton's classmates.
He smirked down at her, draping his coat around her shoulders. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself. He smelled of smoke and alcohol and cheap coffee, and it made her stomach hurt.
"Now, what's a girl like you wandering the streets alone like this for? Where's Hamilton?"
Eliza looked away. "We aren't s-speaking right now. If you'll excuse me, sir, I must be going-"
"Now, now, no need to run, it's cold out. Come in and warm up a bit."
Eliza didn't like Lee. Not because he was one Alexander's many rivals, though that helped a bit. He was slimy, cocky, and switched sides more often than clothes if it got him what he wanted. She shrugged his jacket off, and he grabbed her arm.
"Hold on, now, don't just walk away from me-!"
"Let go!" Eliza screamed as Lee pulled her towards him, wrapping another arm around her waist. She struggled, but he was stronger. She whimpered as he pressed an open mouth kiss on her cheek.
"Let her go, Lee!"
Lee growled low in his throat, pushing Eliza away from him. She stumbled, falling, scraping her palms on the concrete. There was a man at the door, glaring hard at Lee.
"Fuck off, Thomas. This doesn't concern you."
Thomas Jefferson glided smoothly out of the apartment, helping Eliza off of the ground. "It does now. Fuck off and leave her alone." The men had an intense stare down before Lee took off down the street. Thomas gently dusted off Eliza's shoulders.
"What do you want, Jefferson?" Eliza grumbled.
He scoffed. "You're welcome. Man, you're definitely Hamilton's girl." One eyebrow rose when he saw her wince. "Are you okay?"
"Just peachy. If you'll excuse me-" she had barely taken a step when thunder cracked overhead, and rain came pouring down. She couldn't help it - she started to cry.
"Whoa, hey!" Eliza didn't fight as Thomas quickly pulled her into the safety and warmth of his apartment building. He lead her up the stairs and into his own apartment, instructing her to take of her shoes. He steered her to the couch, pushing her down and kneeling in front of her. Her sobs continued.
Eliza was surprised at how much better she felt when she was done crying. Thomas said nothing the whole time, only handing her a handkerchief at one point. She nearly snorted. Only Thomas Jefferson would have a handkerchief in his pocket.
"Why are you helping me?" She asked him, dabbing at her eyes again. Thomas smiled gently.
"I don't have a problem with you or your sisters, Miss Schuyler. Only Hamilton."
She could understand that. Alexander was a little insufferable at times (understatement of the year.) Looking down at her hand, she bunched the handkerchief in a tiny ball. What was she going to do? She couldn't go back to their shared apartment, not knowing what Alexander had done there with her sister. Tears pooled in her eyes once more.
"Miss Schuyler, please tell me what's wrong. Did something happen with Hamilton?"
Eliza lifted her head, blinking away her tears. Thomas was regarding her with kind, concerned eyes, and she wanted to tell him... But what if...
"How do I know I can trust you?"
"Pardon?"
"If I tell you this, I need to be certain this will not get out to anyone. For my sake, not Alexander's."
Thomas nodded slowly, lips pursed. Finally, he said, "Do you know James Madison?"
She blinked. "Yes, we take an English course together. Why?"
He didn't answer, instead get up and rushing to the back of the apartment. There was a brief, quiet bout of arguing before Thomas reappeared, James trailing behind him. James greeted her quietly, and she returned it.
"I know you may not trust me very much, but I'm hoping you would feel more comfortable with James here. Besides being my best friend, he's my regulator, and he'd never let me disrespect you in any way by spreading personal information." Thomas took a seat adjacent to her, while James perched on the coffee table. Thomas made a face, but James ignored it.
"When you're ready."
Eliza took a shaky breath, and launched into her story. She told them about the flirty gestures, the letters she read from them to each other. When she told them about catching her sister and lover in the act, both men gasped in horror. James leaned forward, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Miss Schuyler-"
"Please, call me Lizzy." She couldn't go back to being Eliza, not now.
"Lizzy... I'm so sorry."
Hearing him apologize broke her, and she started sobbing again, burying her face in his neck. Thomas came closer and put his arms around both of them. They let her cry, not offering empty platitudes or trying to make her stop. They just held her.
When she was done, she was even more exhausted than before. The men must have noticed, because Thomas said, "I think it would be best if you stayed the night, Miss Schuyler. It's still storming fairly hard, and you've had quite the experience. James will lend you some clothes, and I'll cook some food. We can all sit and watch a movie, and just relax."
Eliza wondered why they were being so kind, but decided not to question it. James helped her up and led her to his room, gave her some clothes, and directed her to the shower in Thomas's room (the other shower had no hot water).
A shower had been just what she needed. James's pant were a little snug on her, however, and she called out to him. He chuckled a little, retrieving a pair of Thomas's pants. Once she was dressed, she retreated into the living room.
She was barely halfway through her bowl of macaroni and cheese before her eyelids were drooping. The shock and adrenaline from the day had worn off completely. Thomas gently took the bowl from her hands, coaxing her onto her feet and to his bedroom. He pulled the blanket back, helping her in, before tucking the blanket under her chin. He turned to go, when she grabbed his wrist.
"Stay. Please?"
Thomas hesitated, then nodded. "Let me say good night to James." He left the room, coming back a short while later. He turned off of the light, and Eliza buried herself in his chest. He was warm, solid, and she couldn't help but sigh in a bit of contentment.
"Thank you Thomas. You're not as bad as Alexander says."
Thomas snorts quietly. "I'm going to take that as a complement. Go to sleep." He waits for her breathing to even out before risking a soft kiss to her hair.