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A modern AU in which small Philip makes little Theodosia an offer.
A/N: I own nothing. R&R please; feedback is like winning the Hamilton lottery. :)
Theodosia Burr was usually a happy child, with big, bright eyes and a smile that was contagious. Her father was greatly troubled, then, when she came home from kindergarten one day with tears in those eyes and that smile missing.
"What happened, baby?" The girl sniffled and handed him a pamphlet, an announcement for a special Mother's Day ice cream social at school for only mothers and daughters.
"A bunch of other girls said-they said I couldn't have the ice cream, cause-cause I don't got a mom. Why?" Aaron sighed heavily. He'd been trying to keep this conversation at bay for so long, and now here it was.
"Well, sweetheart...some kids have both a mommy and a daddy, and some have only one." And some have none, he had no intention of saying, at least not now. "And that's perfectly fine."
"Where's my mommy?"
"She's up in Heaven, baby." Theodosia lifted her gaze to the ceiling where her father was pointing.
"Oh. Can she come back so we can get ice cream at school?" Aaron shook his head, and he felt tears prick his eyes as his heart broke in two.
"No, but maybe you and me can get some ice cream together after dinner, would you like that?" He had to change the subject. He wasn't sure he'd be able to manage whatever would have come next.
"Yeah!"
"Okay. Now go play. Daddy's got some work to do for a little while." The girl gave her father a kiss on the cheek and left the study. As the sound of the closing door echoed in his ears, Aaron Burr bowed his head and cried for his daughter's heartache. When the tears subsided, he reached for his cell phone. There was only one person he could think of to call.
A few blocks away, Alexander Hamilton was helping his son with his reading homework-or trying to. Philip was distracted. The man could tell that he wasn't quite himself.
"What's up with you, kiddo? Everything okay?" The boy shook his head.
"Some kids made fun of Theo at school today 'cause she doesn't have a mom like I do." Alex frowned.
"I see..." Poor girl.
"They said she can't get ice cream with all the other girls! It made me mad." Philip pulled the crumpled announcement out of his backpack. Alex scanned it, and sighed.
"That's a tough one, bud. But Theo's lucky to have a Daddy who loves her very much, and a friend like you." It was quiet for a moment. Suddenly, Philip had an idea.
"Hey! What if Mom goes to school with Theo to get the ice cream? Then she can go, 'cause she'll have a mom!" Alex smiled. His kid was smart.
"Why don't you go ask her?"
"Okay!" The boy hopped off the chair and ran to find his mother. While he waited for the inevitable verdict, Alex noticed the incoming call to his phone. One glance at the caller ID, and he knew exactly what it was about.
"Mr. Burr, sir. How are ya?...yeah, Philip told me what happened...I agree, total bullshit...just think how bad you and I would've had it...if I were you, I'd write a letter to the principal...maybe-" Alex looked down at Philip, who was pulling on the leg of his jeans. "Just a second, Burr-" He held the phone away from his mouth. "What is it, son?"
"Mama said yes!" the boy announced, jumping up and down. Alex grinned and gave his son a high-five.
"Actually, Aaron," he said, resuming the conversation, "Philip had an idea, and it's a good one. Can he and I drop by and visit for a minute?" More silence. "Oh. Well, ice cream works, too. We'll meet you there. Cool. Bye." Philip couldn't believe it; this was pretty much the best day ever. He got to help his best friend, and get ice cream!
Fifteen minutes later, the Burr and Hamilton families were all sitting outside the local Dairy Queen, enjoying conversation and various treats.
"Tell Mr. Burr all about the idea you had, pal." Alex said suddenly to Philip, patting the boy's back.
"Um...well..." Speaking to grown-ups made the child a bit nervous. So he decided to talk to Theodosia instead. "My mom can go with you to the party, Theo. I know she's not really your Mom, but I wanna share. Cause it's nice to share with your friends." The girl's eyes lit up.
"Thank you, Philip!" she yelled, throwing her arms around him. "You're the bestest friend ever!" He returned the hug happily.
"So are you, Theo!" Aaron tapped his daughter on the shoulder.
"Theodosia, don't forget to thank Mrs. Hamilton."
"Thank you, Mrs. Hamilton." Eliza knelt down to hug her.
"You're very welcome, sweetheart. I'm really excited." The woman turned to Aaron, then.
"And Aaron, just so you know, I'd be more than happy to help Theodosia with anything she needs a Mom for from here on out."
"Thanks, Eliza," Burr said, embracing her. "I can't tell you how much that means to me." She nodded.
"Of course. And anyway, you never know with those two. I could very well end up being her mother-in-law someday." The adults watched the kindergartners for a moment. They sat on a bench, playing a game on Alexander's smart phone. Philip had his arm around Theodosia protectively, and she would occasionally look over at him and smile. Alex laughed and clasped a hand on his colleague's shoulder.
"Y'know, for as much as we disagree about damn near everything, I think it'd be pretty cool if our kids ended up together. Then we'd be bros." The other man scoffed, but smiled in spite of himself.
"One day at a time, Hamilton."
The next day in class, Theodosia walked up to the teacher and handed in the permission slip to attend the event. Up came the same group of girls, then.
"Why you handing in that paper, Theodosia? You still don't have a Mom to go with," one said. The others laughed.
"I do so have a Mom to go with," the girl said indignantly. "I'm going with Philip's Mom." The bullies didn't believe her.
"Yeah right."
"Yeah, I'm sharing my mom with her," Philip added, joining them. He needed to come to her defense this time. "And Theo's gonna come over to my house today after school, and our mom is gonna take us to the movies, maybe." Theodosia smiled. Our Mom. She liked the sound of that; who cared if it was only sort of true?
"Hey, Philip," she said as they walked off together, hand-in-hand.
"Yeah?"
"If something ever happens to your Dad, you can share my Dad!" The boy nodded.
"Okay!" To the two five-year-olds, it was the best plan in the world.