Another quick note, I may not update this regularly and I'm sort of making this story as I go along. I have ideas of what direction to take this, don't worry, but I'm writing it as I go. Still, I appreciate any reads and reviews! Enjoy!

Chapter Two

A week had gone by, and neither Anna nor Philip thought much more about their quick meeting. Philip went on to study that day as he intended while Anna enjoyed her special day with her parents, her only immediate family since Anna was an only child. They were family that Anna treasured although, like any family, got on her nerves sometimes. Such as today, for example. Her mother, Meredith Clark Lindell, had left just this past weekend to go spend some time with her relatives in the south. She went alone since her husband, Peter Lindell, had to stay in New York for work and Anna didn't want to make the trip. Anna didn't really know the Clark's, her mother's side of the family, all that well due to the long distance between them, and she didn't really care to find out what they were like anytime soon if it was out of her way. Thus, she decided to stay at home for the time being with her father.

The problem with that, however, was that today there were speeches and debates between the candidates running for president, namely Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, happening in the town square. Peter was eager to go and listen so that he could make an informed decision when it came time to vote by the end of the year. He also didn't want to leave Anna home alone, so he insisted that she come along with him. "You may learn a thing or two if you listen," he had told her. Despite her complete lack of interest in the subject matter, especially because she could not vote herself, her father was her father and she ended up being dragged along to the square.

There were large masses of people crowded about the platform where the candidates were either sitting or standing, depending on if they were speaking at the moment or not. While the size of the crowd isn't something that's unheard of in New York City, it certainly isn't common to have so many bodies trying to converge on a single spot like what was occurring today. This made Anna even more annoyed with her predicament; there she stood next to her father in the middle of crowd that was packed together way too tightly, listening to speeches that were all nonsensical in Anna's ears. After an hour of bearing through these conditions with no sign of letting up soon, Anna's irritation and boredom caught up to her.

"Father?" she called. Her voice fell on deaf ears as she saw Peter staring intently over the heads of the people in front of him, focusing on what was happening on the platform in the center of the square. "Father?" she inquired a little louder, this time gently pulling on his coat sleeve to better grab his attention.

Peter turned his head to look at his sixteen year old daughter. "Yes Anna, what is it?"

She looked up at her father with pleading eyes and a frown. "Can we please leave soon? I'm getting tired of standing here all day."

He let out a sigh as his face grew slightly disappointed. "Honey, there's still a lot left to go. I want to be sure I hear everything; I'm sorry if you're getting restless."

Anna's gaze turned to the ground, contemplating her options. After a beat, she looked back up at her father. "Why don't I just head out and hang around town, find something fun to do to keep myself occupied while you finish up here?"

She could immediately tell that Peter wasn't fond of the idea, but to his credit he didn't outright deny her request. Much like his daughter had just done, he weighed his choices before responding. "Alright, you can go. But remember, stay safe, and if I don't see you back at home once I get there, then there will be consequences, so keep track of the time, got it?"

Anna nodded her head as a smile grew on her face. "Got it. I'll see you later father!" She scurried off, pushing her way through the crowd as Peter said his goodbye. Once she breached the edge of the gathering, she took a moment to take a deep breath and enjoy the open space once more. "Much better," she mumbled to herself, closing her eyes.

After a minute or two passed by, she opened her eyes again and began scanning her surroundings, having no real idea of what she wanted to do with this newfound free time. All Anna knew was that she didn't want to return home just yet, and she definitely didn't want to be stuck suffering through long-winded politics any longer. There weren't that many people walking about, most either standing idly around trying to listen to the speeches onstage or somewhere indoors. She began thinking up a list of places she may be interested in going to when a young man walking by caught her eye.

Acting more on instinct, Anna began walking up to the man, sensing that he was familiar but not being able to place just where she had seen or met him before. She didn't really think about what she was doing, her mind was too preoccupied trying to figure out who this man was, and him being the primary subject of her current thoughts compelled her feet to move towards him. It wasn't until she was a couple feet away from him and he turned around to look at her having sensed her presence that Anna snapped out of her reverie.

"Uh, h-hello," Anna stuttered out, suddenly filled with anxiety and panic as she realized she approached a stranger with no idea of what she was going to say to him.

The man looked slightly surprised, though pleasantly so, as he responded to the woman who randomly came up to him. "Hello there miss. Is there something you need of me?"

Anna was frantically searching her thoughts, trying to place how she recognized him. It didn't help that the haze of anxiety settling in her mind made her thoughts run wild, unable to make any progress on figuring out this man's identity and subsequent relation to her. Thus, she started fidgeting with her hands and took a while to respond, causing the man to grow confused. "W-well, I, uh, I just… I recognized you from somewhere, but I can't place where or when that could've been."

He studied her a bit closer, attempting to see if he recognized the woman himself. Anna only became more flustered with his intense stare and silence, making her consider just saying goodbye and initiating a hasty retreat from the uncomfortable moment. But, before she could gather the courage to enact her plan, the man's eyes suddenly lit up with recognition, and his expression turned into a beaming smile.

"Oh, I remember now. It was Ms. Anna Lindell, correct?" He held a hand out to her in greeting, and suddenly Anna's frantic thoughts clicked into place. She knew she remembered that curly hair and those freckles from somewhere.

"Yes, yes it was. Still is, actually." Anna placed her hand in his. "And you are Mr. Philip Hamilton, if I am not mistaken." Her calmed demeanor suddenly became fearful again. "Or am I mistaken? Did I get your name right? Perhaps I'm thinking of someone else."

Philip took her panic in stride, lifting her hand to plant a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "No, you are correct, my name is Philip. I'm sad to say that I momentarily forgot about our encounter last week as well, though now I can't see how that possibly could have happened considering how dazzling you are." As he lowered her hand and returned his own to his side, Anna stood flustered thanks to a combination of her uncertainty, his kiss, and his outright flattery.

Taking a moment to regain her composure, Anna spoke some of her thoughts aloud. "My my Mr. Hamilton, if I didn't know any better I would say that you were desperately trying to court me with all of the flirtatious comments you keep sending my way. However, that couldn't possibly be the case seeing as we have just met."

"Actually, this is the second time we have crossed paths, and I feel like I'm getting to know you better already, Ms. Lindell." Philip flashed Anna a gentle, perhaps even flirty, smile-that is, if Anna was reading the situation correctly. "Besides, what's wrong with trying to court a woman I've just met if I can already tell how kind and considerate she is?"

Anna let out a small laugh. "Mr. Hamilton, do you even hear yourself? Courting a woman you've just met reeks of disaster; you're bound to find out things about each other that you would have no way of figuring out at first glance, and you'd be doomed to either split or suffer a miserable marriage for the rest of your life. You have no idea how 'kind and considerate' I really am just by the mere exchanging of a few words." The small, playful smiles never left either of the adolescents' faces as their conversation continued.

"Well then, why don't I find out? It'd be my honor to accompany you to your destination today, if you'll have me." Philip offered out his arm for Anna to link up with. Meanwhile, she could not believe what was transpiring in front of her. A flirty confrontation with a man she had just met in passing last week, and by bumping straight into each other no less. This was not how she imagined her day going at all, and for a moment she considered how trustworthy this complete stranger was. New York City wasn't necessarily that big, she reasoned, but it most certainly had its fair share of thugs, liars, cheaters, thieves, and murderers. Spending the day walking around with Philip suddenly didn't sound like the safest idea to Anna, but if he was truly a gentleman and man of honor as he appeared to be, then she should have no reason to doubt him. But appearances aren't everything.

Philip began to get disheartened at Anna's hesitance, but finally she made up her mind and linked arms with Philip, hooking her elbow around his outstretched one. "I'd love to spend time with fine company such as yourself today. However, I don't exactly have any destination in mind."

"Then do you mind if I lead the way?"

Anna pushed down any remaining insecurities that bubbled up at the prospect of Philip taking her somewhere she wasn't aware of. "Of course not. After you, Philip Hamilton."