Author's Note: Lol. Never expect a timely update from me, ever. Except for the next chapter. I was going to have that whole thing be in this chapter, but this one ended at a nice spot, so there ya go. Plans change. People change. Change Happens. Get Over It.

Sheesh, I'm tired...

I'm sorry, nothing really happens in this chapter. Stuff will happen in the next one, and then we get into the *PLOT*, yay! As if it didn't take me long enough...

Thank you guys for reading this fic and loving it as much as I do.

Dedicated to Bailey, whose edits are the best thing I could ask for.

Commence Part 2!


The next morning Laurens gave Alex a box. It was relatively small, rectangular, and wrapped in green wrapping paper that matched Laurens' eyes.

"Laurens," Alex said, sensing a scheme.

"Open it," was all Laurens had said.

Alex did, casting questioning glances at Laurens whenever he made a sizable tear in the paper.

"No," Alex said after he saw what it was.

"It's not even new," Laurens protested after Alex had set the box and its contents on the floor, refusing to touch it. "Seriously, I haven't used it in like two years. And you need one."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do. What if you have to go in late to work?"

"They don't care about my hours."

"What if you have an emergency?"

"If I'm bleeding out on the side of the road, someone is bound to notice, otherwise, I was probably doing something stupid anyway and I deserved to die." He quickly realized his mistake but decided it was too late to turn back now.

Laurens shot him a look that was not friendly in the slightest and Alex felt his cheeks flush with shame, though he sat up straighter, trying to give Laurens a stare that would show him that he would not back down about this.

"What if the kids need you?" Laurens asked him, softer now. "What if I need you?"

Alex couldn't say no to that, so now he had a phone.

Well, he had Laurens old phone that had a crack in the corner and a big dent in the case. But it was functional, after they let it sit and charge for several hours. Lafayette and Mulligan's numbers were already in the contacts, and Laurens just updated a few things and deleted the contacts of some people that Alex didn't know, and it was set.

It was just that Alex had never had his own phone before.

Laurens showed him how it worked, even had him send out a few texts to Mulligan, Lafayette, and the Schuylers to let them know that he actually had a, as Laurens put it, "common person's ability to communicate." He set up several group messages that were most definitely a recipe for disaster, as Peggy and Angelica had already started arguing, and Mulligan kept sending accidental one-letter/digit/punctuation texts, one right after the other until Alex's phone felt like it was about to explode.

Pretty soon after, Laurens showed him how to turn it on silent.

The rest of the weekend was theirs, and though it was an amazing feat of human innovation, they were not about to waste it on Candy Crush. (Laurens also made Alex make a Facebook. Alex preferred the candy game to seeing Burr's girlfriend's side-boob selfies every time he opened the app.) Laurens wouldn't accept any thanks for the gift, so Alex tried to do his best to pay him back for it. It wasn't like he had money to buy a gift with, but kisses were free, and Laurens was happy to be on the receiving end of those.

That afternoon Alex took Laurens and all of the kids to the library. He got them all their own card, helped them navigate the tall shelves to find the kids' section (taking a small detour to show them his corner and let them jump on the bean bag), and read Mary and Henry a few pictures books before letting them go to ravage the aisles upon aisles of shelves themselves. Laurens was smiling the whole time. They left with stacks of books in their arms and huge smiles, warm from being together. The rest of the day was too full of laughing children and sugary food and so, so many books and pages and words and kisses that Alex couldn't even really digest it all until it was over.

It was a good weekend.

It took a long while for Alex to actually leave on Sunday, and most of which was Laurens' fault.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then, yeah?" Laurens asked when Alex told him that he really had to go.

"Yeah," Alex said, but it was heavy. Because they had changed and nothing else had. Just thinking of going back made Alex feel like he had just come up for breath, and now was being sucked back under the murky water.

"Hey," Laurens breathed, snatching Alex's hand. "We're fine."

"Damn right," Alex said.

Laurens smiled at him one last time and kissed Alex's wrist before he closed the door and Alex walked home alone.

His room felt the same as it always had, but Alex still couldn't help feeling like something was off.

It took him well into Sunday night to realize that it was him that felt wrong.


Sunday, 2:38 a.m. New Message from John Laurens: You still up?

Alex woke to the buzz of his phone that he forgot to turn off, groaning and rubbing his eyes. Still, a soft smile played at his lips as he squinted at the screen.

You: Now I am.

John Laurens: Sorry for waking you up.

You: Don't be sorry. What's up?

John Laurens: We're not telling anyone, you know, about us, right? I'm not… out. I don't suppose you are.

It took Alex a long time to respond. Suddenly going to school tomorrow felt daunting, heavy on his whole body. Not to mention that he was going to be astoundingly sleep deprived.

You: No, I'm not, explicitly, at least… don't tell me you've been up all night worrying about this.

John Laurens: I'd probably get kicked out of my house if I told my dad.

You: wait WHAT? I didn't realize that was the case.

John Laurens: It's not very good, but I didn't want you to think it was really bad. Which it really isn't, it's just… yeah. I think my siblings are really too young to care or really understand, but, yeah

You: … so what are we going to do?

John Laurens: We're gonna be sneaky bastards. DUH. We're not going to tell anyone, but that's it. We don't have to stop, we just have to… stay under the radar.

You: Okay, then. So that's it?

John Laurens: Yeah, I think so. TBH, being under cover kind of turns me on.

You: Don't tell me what turns you on when I'm trying to sleep. Have some decency, John.

John Laurens: *angry face* *laughing face* goodnight, my tired baby.

You: Goodnight *heart*

John Laurens: That was pretty gay, even for you

You: GO TO BED, JOHN.

John Laurens: GO BACK TO SLEEP, ALEXANDER.


"This looks wrong," Alex whined, flapping his arms to show off the loose sleeves of the suit Mulligan had put him in.

"Oh, shush. I can do alterations like that with both eyes closed, eating a sloppy Joe, and fighting a crocodile. And I still wouldn't get a stain on it," Mulligan grumbled, shooting a withering glance at Laurens, who's own ensemble was already covered with crumbs from the chips he was eating. He looked up, surprised, and then gave Mulligan a wide smile with his stuffed mouth.

Mulligan rolled his eyes and began sticking pins up and down Alex's sleeves. Lafayette strolled over from the changing room, the only one not outfitted in a design from Mulligan's family's suit shop. Alex was more than a little surprised when Mulligan first mentioned it, but for all his large imposing grumbly-ness, he definitely had a graceful way with a needle and thread.

"Hmm," Lafayette studied Alex while snatching up a handful of chips from Laurens, who then held the bag against his chest like a precious child. "Alex looks good in blue. I like. Bravo, Master Mulligan."

"Ish shethend," Laurens agreed through his mouthful, spraying crumbs everywhere.

Mulligan shot him another withering glare. "Laurens. Swallow your goddamn food or get the hell out of my shop."

Laurens gulped exaggeratedly and smiled again at Mulligan before winking at Alex.

"Alex, stop moving unless you want me to stab you, and I will blame and charge you for bleeding on my merchandise."

"Yes, sir," Alex would have saluted, but that would have meant initiating movement. He told himself that the intention is what counted.

"Hey, where's your get-up?" Laurens raised his eyebrows at Lafayette, gesturing to his casual clothes with a chip.

Lafayette strolled through the store, glancing through racks and holding garments up to himself and then posing in the mirror. "Ah, but it is a surprise," Laf winked exaggeratedly at Mulligan, and Alex could have sworn he blushed.

"Aw, c'mooon," Laurens whined, falling back on the crumb covered love seat. "You know how impatient I am."

"Hell yeah, we do," the three said in unison.

"You will just have to wait until the eve of the ball to see me in my fabulous gown," Lafayette teased, darting behind the racks.

"Wait," Laurens, turned, trying to adjust himself so he was speaking in Lafayette's direction. "You're not actually wearing a gown, right? Because if you show up in a ball gown and we're in these lousy-"

"Watch your mouth you insufferable brat."

"Drab-"

"Ehhrrm-"

"Uh-"

"Mmmm-"

"Old-timey-"

"Who you callin'-"

"Unyouthful-"

"Is that even a word?" Alex asked, mostly too himself.

"Son," Mulligan whispered threateningly, "My craft does not appreciate this kind of talk in this holy-"

"I hope there are no holes," Alex mumbled.

"Establishment, and neither do-"

"UNBEDAZZLED."

"…hmph."

"…I'm still not sure that a word…"

"-unbedazzled ensembles, I mean, we'd look like idiots!"

Alex nodded, then remember the thing with not moving, but he didn't think Mulligan noticed. "Agree. Oh ever so talented tailor Hercules? I'd like a crimson ball gown by day's end, lace on the sleeves, ornate corset, the works."

"One for me as well," Laurens chimed in. "Make it a rich shade of lilac with my family crest over my left bosom."

"You have a bosom?" Alex asked.

"Everyone has a bosom."

"I… I don't think so."

Laurens rolled his eyes and sighed. "Look, I'm not going to go over anatomy with you right now," Laurens paused and glared at him when Alex gave him a look that said so we can go over anatomy later? "Besides, you're the one who specified the corset. Corsets are old-timey-"

"Hhmmm."

"Antiquated bosom holders that are no longer a necessity or a benefit in these modern times." Laurens looked at Alex pointedly. "But they sure as hell make your bosom look damn fine."

He thought for a moment. "Laurens, will you do me the honor of helping me secure my bosom by lacing the strings of my corset?"

"Tis my honor and my duty, Sir Alexander, so long as you will tire yourself in doing mine."

"Ooo, Sir Alexander, I like that. That's how I'll be addressed from now on. I shall be a king among men, a bringer of change, and one day all the children in my loyal land will praise my name, the mighty Sir Alexander."

Laurens laughed until he fell off the couch.

Next to Alex's ear, Mulligan mumbled something that sounded astoundingly like "kinky bastards".


The Legacy Pages was entirely deserted save Angelica in her usual spot, typing away like there would be no tomorrow, her lips moving slightly to the words that she watched appear on the screen, her sight never wavering.

"Hey, Angelica?"

"Hi Alexander. What do you want?" she snapped tiredly, not turning to look at him. Her typing never slowed.

"Uh, why are you here at eight o'clock on Friday when everyone else is gone?"

"Why are you here at eight o'clock on Friday when everyone else is gone save for your mentor, role model, and without a doubt number-one ranked most attractive person in the city, Angelica Schuyler?"

The click-clack of the keys was the only sound in the room.

"Honestly, Alex, if you want the title of the most over-worked person in the Tri-State area, you're going to have to work a little harder at it."

Alex sighed heavily, then tossed his bag to the floor and fell into the swivel chair next to Angelica.

"Tired?" she asked softly.

Alex responded with an obnoxious series of moans that only elicited a condescending snort from Angelica. "That kind of day, huh?"

"No, actually," Alex said, resting his chin in his hands, elbows propped against the desk. "It was a pretty good day."

That finally caught Angelica's attention.

"If you had such a good day, what was that ungodly noise?"

Alex pondered that for a moment. "I don't know. Don't you just want to make ridiculous, loud, disgustingly horrific noises for absolutely no reason every once and awhile?"

"No. Never."

"Hm. Just me, then."

Angelica cocked her chin. "Still," she fixed her stare back on the screen, her fingers dancing expertly across the keyboard. "Something has been up with you these days."

"What? What do you mean by that?"

Angelica paused, leaving her hands to hover before she rubbed them across her face and sighed. "I don't know. You just seem… lighter. Actually, no, that's the wrong way to put it. Not lighter, but less tangled. Less frazzled. You're acting a little more like your shoes fit on your feet, you know?"

"Not exactly, but we can pretend that I do."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, smiling softly. Alex finally noticed that the lights were off, the glow from Angelica's desktop lighting up her face, the dregs of daylight slipping away through the window shades.

"Well, you seem different. I'm just waiting for you to tell me why."

Alex blanched. "Why? Why would there be a why?"

"Because when you answer with a stupid answer like that there's almost always a why."

"I see your point and I think it's stupid."

"Spoken like a true wordsmith."

Alex sighed a laugh and sunk back into his chair. "I can't say you've been acting entirely normal, either."

"My normal is decidedly unnormal."

"…is that a word?"

"The English language is subjected to enormous amounts of change over time due to adaptations in modern innovations as well as developing societies and the different cultures that mingle in these societies and change the nuances of more than just one language, and even if it's not a word now trust me when I say that I could very easily make it one, also, it has a prefix, so does it really matter?"

"… Huh. I guess not."

Alex spun in his chair so that his arms were resting across the back and his knees were bent in the seat, turning to face Angelica. "Still, if there's something that you need to get off your chest…"

Angelica looked at him carefully. Sighed. Clicked off her computer. "I guess. But this is not a discussion to have over an empty stomach." She only could reach for her phone before the little bell that cued the door opening chimed.

"What up?" Jefferson announced himself, hauling in a takeout bag and flicking on the lights.

Shielding himself from the brightness, Alex whispered breathlessly, "Speak of the devil." Angelica, on the other hand, grasped her heart and looked at Jefferson with wide eyes.

Alex stood and took the bag from Jefferson, meeting his tired features with a smile. "Just the man we were hoping to see."


"How did you even know we'd be here?" Angelica questioned through a huge bite of a croissant. They'd formed a triangle on the floor, the food in the middle, not dissimilar to a demon summoning. Alex knew that if that was the actual case, Angelica would be sacrificing both him and Jefferson before the food.

Jefferson leaned back casually, his eyes drooping from exhaustion, even his hair fell flat compared to its usual level of poof. "I just looked at your location on Google+. I'm not a stalker." Jefferson pshawed and reached for another roll.

Angelica's eyebrows shot up and she scrambled for her phone, no doubt clearing out any association with Google.

"Is it really so terrible of me to want to spend time with you guys? I even brought food!"

Neither Alex nor Angelica replied.

"I mean, y'all are my only friends."

There was a moment before Angelica's and Alex's eyes met that was quiet, and then they did, and then their uncontrolled laughter rippled through their bodies until they were rolling around on the floor, leaving Jefferson with his indignant pout.

"I'm going to pretend that you're not laughing at me and that you genuinely care about my life and my problems and concerns."

Alex felt tears in his eyes and found himself unable to sit up or glance at Angelica without bursting into a new fit of seizure-level laughing.

After minutes of this, Jefferson shouted, "WOULD YOU ASSHOLES SHUT UP?!"

They did, though they had to sniffle down a few giggles.

Jefferson was looking down at his shoes that were stretched out in front of him. "I got fired."

"WHAT?!" Angelica shrieked, looking at the scraps of the food as if it were the mangled corpses of her murdered family.

"Once again, I'm going to pretend that you actually care about me right now. Yeah, they just kind of told me. No reason. Just turn in your hat and go."

His voice shook so much that Alex thought he might be crying. Alex wasn't sure he could handle seeing Thomas Jefferson reduced to tears over the Last Supper from his employer, probably the last one that would come to the Legacy Pages. He scooted over and patted Jefferson's back, dragging up words of encouragement from the weary recesses of his brain.

"Hey, it's not like you won't get another job. Didn't you say you used to work at another newspaper? Hell, maybe you'll start working here," Alex did his best to ignore Angelica's sharp intake of breath that most definitely meant "over my dead body". "C'mon. It's not like you had your life set to be a food delivery guy forever. You have goals, right? Dreams? Hopes, desires?"

"Shut up right now," Jefferson croaked.

"Okie dokie," Alex pulled his hand away and scooted back to his spot on the floor.

"It's not like I really cared about getting fired. It's just that, I guess, everyone liked me when I brought them food. And now, what do I got going for me?"

"Definitely not your personality," Angelica murmured.

Alex shot her a look that could rival one of her most deadly ones. We have to be supportive here, he tried to tell her through his facial expressions.

No food, no fucks, she seemed to answer.

"Hey, don't listen to her, she's a bit cranky-"

"GEE I WONDER WHY."

"I was wondering quite the same thing. Anyway, that's not true, I mean, you've got… uh… great hair?" Alex attempted. He could hear Angelica trying to repress her snickers.

Jefferson ran his hands through his hair, poofing it up again like the whole curly mass of it had just inhaled. "Really? Well, thanks. See, you guys really are my friends. You're always there for me." He leaned over and pulled them both into a hug that Alex returned awkwardly and Angelica not at all.

When he finally disentangled them, he was now looking as smug as he usually did but still tired. Not like Alex could blame him. As far as species went, he was more "tired" than "human".

"So," Jefferson drawled. "What's going on with you, Miss Schuyler?"

"What are you talking about, Thomas?"

"Well, you seem positively cranky, as Alexander mentioned previously, and you seem to be completely resisting my hunky charms. What gives?"

Angelica laughed heavily, as if it were forced, unwilling. "Well, whatever charms you do have, they sure as hell aren't hunky. And nothing. Is going. On. Seriously, what's with you guys being all concerned all of a sudden? I'm perfectly capable of handling things myself, thank you very much." She crossed her arms and stared daggers at both of them.

Alex and Jefferson looked at each other.

"What?!" Angelica screeched. "I'm fine! Can't you guys just leave it alone?"

Alex sighed and rubbed his eyes. "If that's what you want. But somethings up. And we both know it."

"Uh huh," Jefferson chimed in. "You got some hit men if you need us to murder someone. But we can't do nothing until you tell us what's going on."

Angelica burst into convulsive laughter, bewildering both of the guys, Jefferson considerably more than Alex.

She sat up, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry, I just, I was imagining you guys as a hit crew." She cackled once more, then sighed. "I don't know. You guys probably won't care, and it's not a big deal anyway."

"Of course it's a big deal," Jefferson explained. Alex was a tad bit frightening of his intensity, but he decided it would be tolerable until Jefferson started throwing things. "We care about you. If somethings troubling you, it's our problem too."

Alex turned to Angelica dumbly. "What he said."

"You shouldn't have to go through anything alone, Angelica."

Her eyes flitted between the two of them. "Alright. I just don't really know how to explain it." She sighed and sat in silence for a moment. "It's John."

"John?!" Jefferson gasped. "What did he do to you?!"

"Whoa, whoa," Angelica held her hands out like she was calming a bucking racehorse. "He didn't do anything to me, okay?" She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Look, this was a bad idea-"

"NO!" Alex and Jefferson shouted at once.

"I – we," Alex corrected, "mean, that you can tell us. We're cool, we're listening."

Jefferson bopped his head, curls flying and bouncing every which way. "We're here for you."

She looked between the two of them. "I guess, I don't know. I'm probably imagining things."

"Baby," Jefferson said, leaning forward. "If you're seeing a problem, there's a problem."

"Well, I wouldn't say it's a problem. Just, I don't really… like him anymore."

They were all quiet.

"I don't suppose this is a, no, you like-like him situation," Alex pondered.

"I just," Angelica pursed her lips and glanced around the room. "I don't like what he does. Who he is."

"Dump his sorry ass," Jefferson stated, as if it were the most obvious thing, like there was a clock on the wall. "You deserve to be happy. Don't waste your time on him if he ain't going to be your bae."

Alex and Angelica looked at each other, not sure which one of them was more shocked. A missed opportunity of hitting on Angelica from Jefferson? It was unheard of.

Angelica faced Jefferson, who was assessing his nails. "But I don't want it to turn into a "it's not you, it's me" kind of thing."

"Don't turn it into one because that's obviously not what it is," Jefferson replied. "It's cuz he's being an ass, right? So it's totally him. Just do it, girl. Not like you can't find another guy." With that, Jefferson scooped up the trash, stuffed it in the can with the rest of the garbage, and opened the door. "And when you need a shoulder to cry on because you realize that despite his less appealing qualities you really did love him and you and him are over forever because of your mistakes, I'll be waiting for your call." Jefferson left them with nothing but a wink and stunned expressions.

Angelica blew her hair out of her face. "I should have expected that."

"He's not wrong, you know," Alex tilted his chin at her, raising his eyebrows. "What are you going to do?"

"Heck if I know." She unfolded herself from the floor, brushing off the crumbs and smoothing out her clothes. Alex only noticed then, but she looked nearly as exhausted as Jefferson. She braced her arms against the desk and took a deep breath.

"C'mon," Alex made a motion for her to follow him. "Let's go home."

Angelica looked at him, shrugged, and nodded, before she gathered her things and locked Legacy up for the night.

"He really is right, 'gelica," Alex said to her again as they made their way to the bus stop, the ends of her scarf hitting him in the face with all the wind. He spoke through the stringy tassels that were stuck in his mouth.

"And you are definitely hiding something from me, Alexander. And I'll find out what sooner or later," she grinned smugly, any trace of tiredness or anxiety that he had seen before had vanished.

Alex sighed. "Is John coming to the thing tomorrow?"

Angelica nodded. "I just hope he doesn't make an ass of himself."

Alex laughed. "With that many people that we know there, no doubt someone will make an ass of themselves."

It was Angelica's turn to laugh, and their warm banter added an extra layer to his thin coat, like a blanket freshly out of the dryer. The two of them were laughing and giggling and snorting the whole bus ride, free of their anxieties and secrets as long as they were together.