A/N: Hello! I'm so sorry that took forever. I hate to make excuses, but it was the end of the term, and I had severe writers block, so… Also, I am a master procrastinator, so yeah. Anyways, this chapter is… a chapter? Prepare for some minor Mulette! YEEEEEE!

Well then… sorry about that, enjoy!

Oh, and before I start, I'd just like to thank everyone for their kind reviews. It really makes my day!

Lafayette

Lafayette sighed happily. Work was finally over, the sun was shining, and he got to go and visit all of his friends and introduce them to Alexander.

'Speaking of which...' Lafayette glanced at the shorter man, who was trailing nervously behind John and himself. There was something peculiar about Alexander. He was truly a mystery, one that Lafayette wanted to solve. He didn't want to brag, but he was actually very good at reading most people and, within minutes of meeting him, Lafayette could tell Alexander was different. The only problem was, the man was extremely hard to read compared to other people. He hid his emotions well and suppressed his facial expressions. It was all very frustrating.

Of course, there were some things that were obvious about Alexander, which Lafayette had shared with John. He was self-conscious, or at least was scared that people didn't like him and tried not to upset people... something like that. He was smart, scarily smart, and could pick up new skills easily. He was obviously poor, or else very unfashionable, judging by his ratty clothes and beat-up sneakers.

And the last observation had brought Lafayette to a whole new set of questions that he was burning to ask. Where did he live? It was a creepy question, but Lafayette couldn't help but wonder if Alexander had a warm place to sleep, eat, etc. He had seemed very reluctant to go home and change, and Lafayette could only assume that he didn't have any presentable clothes, or he didn't even have a home. After all, he did carry his backpack everywhere. Were all his possessions inside it?

Lafayette thought and thought, his face screwed up in concentration. Or he guessed it was, because John tapped him on the shoulder and said,

"Hello... Earth to Laf..." John waved his hand in front of the Frenchman's face. "You okay, dude?"

"Huh?" Lafayette snapped back to reality. "Oh, yes. Sorry, I must have..." he trailed off and looked at his friend for help.

"Zoned out?" finished John.

"Oui." He didn't make an effort to elaborate, causing John to raise an eyebrow but change the subject.

"So, who are we going to see first. Hercules?"

Lafayette beamed. "Of course, mon ami! He has to be the first to meet Alexander!" John frowned slightly at the mention of Alexander's name, and Lafayette shot him a look.

Lowering his voice, he leaned in towards John. "What is your problem with him? He did nothing to you," he whispered.

"Sorry, Laf. I'm just still warming up to him," John breathed back defensively. "He's kind of a show off, don't you think?"

Lafayette rolled his eyes dramatically at his friend. "In what way is he a show off?"

"Oh, c'mon. You saw him make that coffee," John argued. "Did you see how smug he looked afterward?" he hissed quietly. "Also, he cleaned the place to perfection, which is generally a good thing unless you're doing it to show everyone how much better you are than them."

"That is enough." Lafayette abruptly stopped walking and whipped around to face his friend. "You are being very rude," he said firmly. He had stopped whispering when he said this.

John's mouth fell open. "I can't believe you! You're taking his side and not mine?" He asked, raising his voice, and gesturing in Alexander's direction, who looked slightly frightened.

"Calm down, mon ami. It is not about taking sides, it is about 'ow you are being unfair to 'im. You 'ave barely even spoken to 'im." Lafayette growled in irritation at himself. He always missed the h's when he got frustrated or angry, and he hated it.

"You know what? I'm walking ahead. Have fun with your new best friend." And with that, he turned around and left in the direction they were originally heading.

Lafayette screeched after him in frustration. "You are acting like a child!" John just ignored him. He huffed angrily and turned back to Alexander. "I am sorry about that, Alexander. He is being very rude to you, so I apologize for him."

Alexander waved his hand dismissively in an attempt to be casual. "It's alright," he said, putting his hand back onto his backpack strap, "not everyone likes me that much. It's nothing new."

"It is not alright, Alexander! Do not worry, though. I will make him see sense," he declared.

Alexander's mouth twitched up in a small smile. "Well, thank you," he looked down and paused in thought, shifting his weight from one foot to another. After a moment, he looked back up. "You can call me Alex if you want," he mumbled. Lafayette opened his mouth and closed it again in surprise. He stood there for a moment, not knowing exactly what to say.

'Say something!' he thought. Alexander was looking at him nervously, as if he thought Lafayette would think he was strange or something. Lafayette felt like an idiot, but decided to play it off as if it were nothing. "Of course!" he beamed. "I shall call you Alex, then." The tension in Alex's face disappeared, and he nodded slowly.

"Great," he responded. "So, where are we headed?"

"Non, mon ami. I am not done."

"You're not?" asked Alex.

Lafayette shook his head. "I would just like you to know that you can call me Laf. That is what all of my friends call me."

Alex blinked in shock. "Your-your friends?" he stuttered.

Lafayette chuckled. "Do not be so surprised, mon ami."

"Sorry," He wrung his hands together and shrugged. "I guess I'm not used to having friends, or used to people wanting to be my friends, for that matter."

"Well, would you be fine with it?" asked Lafayette. "I would be glad to be your friend."

Alexander's face broke into the first sincere smile Lafayette had ever seen from him since he met the man. "Well, yeah. I would definitely be fine with that."

Lafayette, who was delighted, chirped, "Merveilleux! Now, we must go see Hercules! He can help us make John see sense."

Alex nodded, biting his lip nervously. "Hopefully he won't hate me too," he laughed awkwardly. "Well," he said, gesturing vaguely in the direction they were originally headed, "lead on." Lafayette smiled and started walking towards the clothes shop that Hercules worked at.

Herc was a tailor—well, a tailor's apprentice. He was too good to be one though, and Lafayette always told him he would move up very soon, which was very true. The thought of his friend always brought a smile to his face and, often, even more than that. John had always told him that he should ask Herc out, but Lafayette knew that he would be rejected, if he even was able to get the words out. It was better to suffer from unrequited love than to have Hercules hate him and be embarrassed by him.

But still, whenever Lafayette thought about Hercules, his face would heat up and he would act like a lovesick puppy, but only because he loved basically everything about the man. He loved his radiant smile, his unique personality, all his flaws, and his beautiful, chocolate colored eyes. Everything.

Alex and Lafayette walked about three more blocks before they reached the shop that Herc worked at. Lafayette grinned in anticipation at seeing his friend again, even if he saw him every day. He reached for the doorknob opened the door, the sound of a jingling bell going off as he entered ringing in his ears. The people in the shop barely glanced up from what they were doing, and continued their business, paying no attention to the two men who walked in. One of the busy attendants (I mean it's New York, c'mon guys, everyone has to buy costumes for their Broadway shows… wait… that's how New York works, right?) forced a friendly smile and told them she would be with them momentarily, then turned her attention back to a frustrated customer.

The two boys exchanged a look, and Lafayette chuckled. "She is so busy, she didn't recognize me!"

Alex tilted his head to one side. "You come here often?" Lafayette nodded happily. "Well, I guess that makes sense, seeing as your friend works here."

"Not just my friend, mon ami. Herc is one of my best friends in this entire world, and he will love you!" Alex snorted in skepticism, and Lafayette had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. "I promise."

Lafayette strolled up to the front counter and leaned casually against it, waiting for an employee to come up to him. He waited for about five minutes until a hassled-looking young woman that he didn't recognize around his age walked up to him. "Can I help you?" she asked politely, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Lafayette instantly turned on his exaggerated French charm. He couldn't really help it, he just automatically did it around women he didn't know that well or women he was just barely meeting, even if he wasn't attracted to them. He mostly used it to charm women into buying more at the café, or to get what he wanted. It wasn't exactly the most ethical thing to do, but hey, it worked.

He smirked charmingly, and leaned further on the counter. "Oui, Mademoiselle. I am looking for my dear friend Hercules Mulligan. Can you help me?

The girl flushed lightly but pointed to the back. "He's back there. You're friends of his?"

Alex opened his mouth to say no, but Lafayette cut him off before he could. "That's right."

"Go ahead then. He's probably working on his project right now, but he hopefully won't mind if you go in." Ah, yes. The project. Hercules couldn't stop talking about it, but refused to tell Lafayette what it was. Maybe he would get a peek today when he went back.

"Merci, Mademoiselle." The Frenchman winked at the girl and turned his head back to Alexander, who was trying not to laugh. "Come, Alex, it is time for you to meet Hercules." Alex, still suppressing laughter, followed Lafayette into the back, giving a small nod to the employee, who was blushing fiercely and was still looking at Lafayette, who sighed inwardly. He felt a little bad, as usual, but he brushed the guilt away.

As soon as the two were out of sight and out of earshot of the employee, Alex let out a laugh. "What was that?"

"That, mon ami, was the work of a master. It is how I get what I want from other people, specifically women."

"Wow," Alex said in awe. "That's pretty useful. Exploitative, but useful."

He shrugged. "It works, does it not?" Sighing, he made his way further to the back of the room were Hercules was sitting, sketching in his design book. John stood next to him as he excitedly talked about the design[JM1] . "Hercules!"

The large man whipped around in alarm with a hostile look on his face, which disappeared when he realized that it was Lafayette who called his name. "Laf!" he boomed. Alex jumped at the noise and hid a little further behind Lafayette. Hercules noticed him, and jerked his head towards the small man. "Who's that?"

Lafayette stepped aside to give Hercules a clear view of Alex, "This is Alexander, he is new to America from the Caribbean, and a new employee at the Café where John and I work. I have decided to introduce him to all of our friends, and I wanted you to be the first one.

Hercules looked at back at John, who nodded indifferently. The tailor turned back with wide smile on his face and stepped forward to clap Alex on the back. "Awesome! Welcome to our crazy friend group, man!" Alex staggered forward at the force of the touch, but his lips quirked up into a small smile.

"Nice to meet you," he chuckled quietly, straightening up. He had to look up slightly, since all three men were taller than him. "How many more people are we going to go see?"

"Well," started Lafayette, "You still must meet Peggy and Eliza—"

"They're Angelica's younger sisters, so be careful around them. Angelica is very, very protective," cut in Hercules.

Lafayette pretended to glare at Hercules for the interruption, but he didn't really mind. "Yes, and as I was saying, you have to meet them, but… that might be it."

"There are people here who are the greatest ever, but there are some people you're gonna want to stay away from," Hercules instructed.

Lafayette nodded. "Yes, as you know, you should not get in the way of Jefferson—"

"Wait, what happened?"

"I'll tell you later. Also, you should stay away from his friend, James Madison—"

"Oh, yeah. I'm ninety-nine percent sure that Jefferson is in love with Madison, but you never know, because he also flirts with basically every woman his age that he meets."

Alexander quickly looked back and forth at the two when each one spoke, and Lafayette was afraid the man would break his neck if the conversation went on like this. Lafayette lightly smacked Hercules on the shoulder. "Stop interrupting."

"Sorry," Hercules laughed. "Oh, but there is one person you should stay away from, even if there is no chance you'd even see him. Ever."

Lafayette nodded in agreement. "George Fredrick."

Alexander's brow creased in confusion and slight intimidation. "Who's George Fredrick?"

"Only the richest man in New York City! He owns half of the buildings here." explained Herc. "The only way to describe him would be that he's a tyrant. I mean, it's not like he's a king or anything, but he acts like one, and he's Washington's worst enemy. So yeah, don't go messing with him. Even if we could take him down somehow…"

"Also, don't go near Samuel Seabury, the King's assistant, because that will bring trouble."

"I think that's it. Is there anyone we're forgetting?"

John, who had stayed silent for the whole conversation, spoke up. "Horatio Gates and Charles Lee," he said quietly.

Hercules bobbed his head up and down. "Yeah, you wouldn't like those guys, Alex. They're idiots. Wait… don't they work with you Laf?"

"Yes, mon ami, Alex met them today. He—"

"He was pretty friendly towards them today," John muttered.

Lafayette shook his head in disbelief while Alexander and Hercules just stared at John.

"What?" John demanded. "It's true!"

"No… that is not true, John." Lafayette sighed. He glanced over at Alex, who was staring at the ground. "You didn't see what happened today after Jefferson kicked that bucket of water on Alex."

"Wait, what?" yelped Hercules in alarm.

"Not now, mon amou— I mean… Hercules. I will tell you later. 'Did I seriously just almost call Hercules "My love"? Good thing he doesn't understand a word of French.'

Everyone went quiet. John, who had been fiercely scowling, started grinning like a madman. Alex had turned his attention from the floor to the Frenchman and gazed at him, trying to fight down an amused smirk. Hercules, who had apparently noticed the change in atmosphere, madly whipped his head around in confusion, staring at everyone in confusion.

"Wait, what?" Herc stared at Lafayette, whose cheeks turned warm. "What's going on?"

"I-I… nothing! Nothing is happening!"

Lafayette's panic elicited a small snort from Alexander, and Hercules turned his attention to him. "Do you know what just happened?"

"What do you mean?" asked Alex innocently.

"I-I-I," sputtered Hercules, "Everyone was just… everyone was all mad and…"

John snickered. "I think you're going crazy, Herc.

"I am not!" he seethed. Lafayette nervously put his hand on Herc's shoulder, who jumped at the contact.

"It's okay, mon ami," he chirped. "Let's just forget about this, okay?"

Hercules considered for a minute, and then beamed at Lafayette, almost giving him a heart attack from how adorable his smile was. "Yeah, good idea, Laf."

"How about we go visit Peggy and Eliza?"

"Good idea!" Hercules approved. "Let's go!"

The other three nodded and the group made their way out of the back room to the main room, which was mostly empty by now. As they passed the front desk, the girl from earlier tapped Lafayette on the shoulder and handed him a small slip of paper.

"Let's talk some time," she purred.

"Oh, um… of course…" Lafayette said nervously. The girl giggled as he unfolded the paper and read the information written on it. "…Adrienne…" Adrienne giggled again and waved as they walked away, and Lafayette could have sworn he saw Hercules glaring at her as they left. He was probably just being over-protective.

"Are you alright, Herc?" Lafayette asked.

Hercules nodded and smiled, but it seemed strained. "Yep! Let's go see the sisters!"

And with that, the four men made their way to the flower shop where Eliza worked, and Lafayette once again thanked his lucky stars for the almost perfect day.

I know, I know… another cheesy ending. Anyways, I'm really glad that I finally got this chapter out and I promise I'll try to stay on schedule this time. Anyways, I hope I've been using French right throughout this story, because I obviously don't speak it. I take Spanish class, so… Also, whenever Lafayette thinks, it's obviously just supposed to be French, and I know I've been writing it in English, so I guess we'll just have to pretend? Heh… sorry.

I promise this is a Lams story, even if John is being a drama queen right now and even if I put Mulette in there. Okay, bye!