The house was full of chatter and laughter. Hamilton helped Eliza serve the guests unashamedly, and he even handed out all of the wine glasses and poured the wine. He was feeling extremely elated, and he did not care for the looks of shock from his guests.

When everyone had settled down, Hamilton ran up the stairs. He could feel Eliza's eyes on the back of his neck as he climbed, and he smiled to himself.

When he came back down, he was lugging a bag full of things no one could identify. He went to his children, who were milling with their cousins and the children of the other guests.

He nodded at Angelica (His daughter) and asked her to help him hold the bag, then he produced gifts for all of them. Alexander Jr. got a ship model, Angelica got a bracelet, Fanny got a set of earrings, John got a ball, James got a wooden horse, and young William got a stuffed bear. They all gasped and giggled, and simultaneously they all cried, "Thank you so much, father!"

Then he turned to his nephews and nieces and gave them toys and jewelry, too, to the sounds of "Thank you, uncle Alexander!"

Then he noticed Theodosia Burr (Burr's daughter) and Martha Jefferson (Jefferson's daughter) watching them, and he smiled at them. "Don't worry." He said, handing them both a small ring each. "I had some backup." and he winked, and they stared up at him with shining eyes.

As Hamilton went around giving his last minute gifts (To the guests he did not know that well, he had candles), Eliza, who looked surprised yet again, asked, "But when did you get these?"

Hamilton smiled deviously. "This morning."

He handed his sister and brother in law matching bracelets. They looked up at him and grinned, and Angelica said, "I don't know what came over you, but I am delighted it happened."

After giving Eliza's father a fancy quill, and her mother some earrings, he put the bag down. He grasped Eliza's hand and pulled her towards him, and whispered, "Close your eyes."

She looked into his excited eyes and did as she was told. Hamilton took out a small box and pulled out the necklace within, and he hung it around his wife's neck.

Eliza opened her eyes and looked down, and her eyes shone. "Alexander, it's beautiful!"

She held it in her palm and observed its intricate patterns. Metal vines and flowers circled a small glass compartment, and inside was a few strands of her husband's auburn hair.

Hamilton felt himself grow warm when she looked up at him with such awe on her face. "I do hope that whenever you wear it, you feel as if I am always with you." And he took her hands in his and whispered, "Because I always will, my Eliza."

Eliza looked up into his eyes, then kissed him.

He smiled and kissed her back.

Some people around them giggled, and on one occasion whistled teasingly, but the couple did not care.

When they finally pulled away, Eliza said, "I love you."

Hamilton broke into a wide grin and kissed her cheek. "I love you, too."

He gently turned away back to his bag to retrieve the last few gifts he had in there, which were three, heavy books. He gripped them tightly and held them behind his back as he scanned the crowd.

Then he spotted them.

He made his way through through the bustle of guests. He felt himself become nervous as he neared them. He swallowed and continued on, until finally he was face to face with Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Aaron Burr.

Dolly Madison, who had been talking to her husband quietly, looked at Hamilton and smiled, saying, "Thank you for the candle." Then left them alone.

Hamilton, who found his eyes were glued to the floor, could feel the three staring at him. It was as if they were unsure of what to do. Finally, Madison coughed politely and said, "Merry Christmas, Alexander."

Hamilton looked up at him gratefully and said, "Merry Christmas, James."

He looked the other two in the eye, then boldy said, "Merry Christmas, Thomas and Aaron."

They returned the greeting with mumbles and forced smiles, looking on at him awkwardly.

Hamilton took a deep breath and picked one of the books from behind him. "I, er, have something for you."

Their eyes widened in unison, and they looked at each other in shock while Hamilton added, "I didn't have time to wrap it, but I.. Hope you like it."

He held up the first book he grabbed, which happened to be "The Odyssey". He handed it to Madison, who gave him a look of utter surprise and pleasure. He blinked at Hamilton, who was watching him, then said, "Thank you." He smiled at the cover. "I.. Have been wanting this for a while."

Hamilton gave a small smirk. "Well, that was quite coincidental and fortunate."

The four of them chuckled. It felt strange, to be laughing together. It was apparent they also felt the same, but Hamilton could tell they were beginning to relax. He beamed, then held up the second book, which was titled, "The Tempest".

Jefferson's eyes widened when he saw it, and Hamilton grinned at his reaction. "I know you are quite fond of Shakespeare, but I really wasn't sure whether you had this already or not."

Jefferson took it slowly, and a grin spread over his face. "I- I don't, actually." He stammered. He shook his head in disbelief. "I've been looking for this for ages!" He beamed, opening it and flipping through the pages. He looked up at Hamilton, and he said sincerely, "Thank you, Alexander."

Hamilton grinned. "You're welcome."

Then he held up the final book, which was titled, "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral" by an African woman named Phillis Wheatley. Hamilton handed it to Burr, who looked quite intrigued. "A book of poems.." He murmured, something tugging at the corners of his lips. He looked up at Hamilton, and he smiled at him, and Hamilton smiled back, both completely silent. He did not have to say thank you; It was already apparent.

The men heartily enjoyed the party then. They talked and joked with each other, and had a good time. They even had a game of chess and teamed up: Hamilton and Burr against Jefferson and Madison. It was a close call, but Jefferson and Madison won the first round.

Hamilton did not get upset; Far from it. When Burr and Hamilton saw that the two killed their king, Hamilton merely tilted it to its side and said, "You were lucky this time."

Then they switched teams, and this time, Hamilton and Jefferson won. Hamilton looked at his team mate and said, "Why, we aren't so bad as a team after all." Which gained chuckles. Hamilton smirked at his former ally and Burr returned the look, then they all laughed.

Then suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

The chattering of conversation ceased slightly. Hamilton stood up from his fourth round of chest, where Madison was now his teammate. He opened the door and saw the face of a man he hadn't seen in a long time.

Hamilton broke into a grin, and the man said, "I do hope I'm not too late for the party."

Hamilton laughed and shook his head, pulling his friend in from the cold. "Oh Hercules, you're just in time."

Burr stood up and greeted him, their game of chess forgotten. And so did everyone else, shaking his hand and welcoming him warmly. Hamilton introduced him to the people who did not know him yet, then he ushered his friend to the snack table.

"Wait here." Hamilton said, running back up to his study. He went to his drawer and took out the pocketwatch Mulligan had left behind when they last met, and hurried down. He took the last candle from his bag as well, then he held it out to him.

Mulligan chuckled and took the candle gratefully, then widened his eyes at the pocketwatch. "You found it." he said, taking it and giving Hamilton an awed grin.

Hamilton laughed. "Ever since you left it in your tent during the war, I held onto it. I didn't realize it would be so long until we met again."

Mulligan opened it. It was still ticking, and he looked up at Hamilton, then back down at the pocketwatch. Then he closed it and put it back into his friend's hand. "You know what? I want you to keep it."

Hamilton's eyes widened, and he looked down at the beautiful watch with surprise. "But— are you sure? You loved it!"

Mulligan smiled and nodded. "I want this to symbolize our friendship. You kept it even if you had no idea when we would next meet—I never asked you to do that. But you did it anyway."

Hamilton stared at him silently for a moment, then put it into his pocket and said, "Well, what are friends for?"

Mulligan clapped him on the back happily, and they joined Burr, Jefferson, and Madison once again.

When the night had lengthened greatly, so much that the hour hand had reached three o'clock in the morning, the guests finally realized the time and began to disperse.

"Hope to see you again soon, Alexander." Mulligan had said as he waved.

Hamilton had waved back. "Don't worry, we will."

The Schuylers all embraced and kissed him and his family goodbye, and Angelica whispered into Hamilton's ear, "Congratulations." Though he really did not know why. And his confusion only heightened when Eliza gave her sister a suspicious look.

Then as Jefferson, Madison, and Burr left, Jefferson yelled, "Alexander, what would you say to all of us meeting up again sometime? Outside of a cabinet meeting, of course."

Madison and Burr looked expectantly at Hamilton, and he smirked. "I think that would be fun."

The rest thanked the Hamiltons greatly for their service (And the candles), then hurried on home to their families. Finally, they were all gone.

Hamilton closed the door and sighed in relief. The house was quite messy, but he didn't mind. It would be cleaned up soon enough, and he could help his housekeeper clean it. He realized that it was a little unfair for her to have to clean everything all the time, even if it was her job.

He gathered some dropped foods with his foot into a pile and noticed a pile of presents in the corner, under the tree. They had the names of his wife, children, and himself upon them. He eyed them and smiled, then he saw, at the top of a wooden box, three ten dollar bills, with a smooth stone holding them down. There were no names, but Hamilton knew who it was from. He could almost imagine Burr, Jefferson, and Madison all hurrying give him anything he could after what he did.

He helped his wife and children gather the dirty dishes and glasses, then, after agreeing to leaving the presents the guests had left them for tomorrow, they went up to their rooms.

But before Hamilton could, Eliza stopped him and grabbed his arms.

"Alexander, I've been meaning to tell you." She began, looking up at him with bright eyes. "I.. Don't have a present to give you, but—"

"It's okay—" Hamilton already began to say, but his wife held a single finger up to his lips and shushed him.

She smiled and looked down at her stomach, then gently placed her hand on top of it. Hamilton stared at her, then at her stomach, and he almost cried as he gasped, "Oh, Eliza.." And he kissed her.

Afterwards, the couple thought the night was finally over, but while Hamilton and Eliza were getting ready to lay down in bed, their children came in with a rolled up parchment. They smiled at their surprised parents, then gave the parchment to them. They sat beside their parents as they read the letter (Of which its contents stayed a mystery to everyone outside of the Hamilton family, even up to now).

Then Hamilton and Eliza all kissed their children goodnight. They smiled at them and turned to leave.

Hamilton looked around at the bed and thought about everything that had happened to him the other night, and suddenly, he knew that now was the time to share it. He called his children back, beckoning then towards the bed. They grinned excitedly as they joined their parents.

Hamilton looked at his wife then at his children, and began, "Do you want to know what happened to me?" He asked silently.

They all glanced at each other and nodded.

Hamilton smiled, pulling Eliza towards himself so she could lean against him, then he began his tale.

Hamilton could feel the eyes of the spirits on him now, and he could tell they were smiling. Somehow, it did not feel like such a bad thing knowing history has its eyes on you: In fact, it felt like a blessing.