"Alexander Hamilton.".

Alex had never met the Dean, Professor Washington, before and he wished the first meeting could have been on better terms.

"Need I remind you that kidnapping, fraud and identity theft are most certainly not allowed at Columbia?".

"I didn't realise we were kidnapping him, sir.".

"We? As in, you and your roommates? There is no evidence that Mr Lafayette or Mr Mulligan had any idea what you were doing, and although Mr Laurens was certainly involved, you were definitely the instigator. And you snatched a boy out of the street and held him hostage in your apartment!".

"Sir, I am truly and deeply sorry for any hurt Geoffrey Smith feels I have inflicted upon him. I confess to stealing his identity to help my dear friend get into a marine biology class and feel the deepest remorse man can feel...".

"Did Miss Schuyler tell you to say that?" Washington asked, interrupting Alex's heartfelt speech. He was right, of course – Angelica's tip had been to plead guilty and layer it on thick. It had been much more helpful than what his other friends had suggested – Laf's idea had been to pretend to temporarily forget how to speak English, Mulligan had suggested making the Dean a pair of fluffy socks and Laurens offered to get his dad to sue.

"Yes.".

"Alexander, I would like you to write a letter of apology to the injured party with no help from Angelica Schuyler. I would also like you to think about how you would feel if this happened to you. Alexander, I appreciate that you have worked exceptionally hard to get here, but we don't allow the sort of hare-brained schemes that you might have got away with in Nevis. If I were you, I would also remind John Laurens that if he really wants to study marine biology, he can come to see me about switching majors at any point until the end of this semester. You can leave now.".

Alex left, gobsmacked at how lightly he'd got off. Washington was right – he had kidnapped a person and wasn't even in trouble for it. His friends were amazed too – although Washington's punishments were never too harsh, it was unheard of to not punish somebody for something as serious as identity theft.

"It's cause he knew you were trying to help a friend." Angelica told him on the way to her place, where they often went to study. Although her father was often hosting meetings, small parties and gatherings, they could always find a quiet place.

Today, that quiet place happened to be a small room lined with bookshelves next to Eliza's bedroom. After around twenty minutes, she decided to join them as she painted her nails pale blue. It was funny how different to her sister she was. Angelica was smart and focused – a lot like Alex, really. Like him, she wanted to change the world on a huge scale through written words and politics. Eliza had similar values, but strived to change the world for one person at a time, as a teacher or a nurse.

Alex wasn't stupid, he knew that Eliza looked at him the same way Thomas Jefferson looked at James Madison. He just didn't want to acknowledge it.

A/N Yay, Washington! What do you think of Eliza? And there is an 850 word chapter coming up next with some serious JeffMads and Lama will happen - finally! - by chapter 9. Also, do you think Washington let Alex off too lightly or not?

Thank you for reading!

Kitty :)