XIV.

After Alexander left, there were a few moments of agonizing silence between Phillip and Angelica. Neither of them knew what to say, as the situation was just so incredibly foreign to them. Breaking the awkwardness, Phillip finally said, "I'm going to get Angie. I think she needs to be down here before Mother comes." Angelica nodded. She was oddly silent, Phillip noted. It wasn't due to the fact that she was uncomfortable around her nephew; she just needed a moment of grieving for herself before she became strong for her sister. Alexander and Eliza's relationship made Angelica believe in love. She didn't have a true love with her own husband, but she once thought she felt it toward her sister's husband. Alexander was now making her question what she believed down to her core, and it was an odd feeling.

Phillip then left her aunt with her head in her hands on the table. He almost looked back, but he was smart enough to realize that she needed her privacy. He hadn't heard the baby cry yet, so he knew for a fact that his mother was still asleep and that he and his sister had some time to talk. With these thoughts in his head, Phillip made his way up the stairs. Through his sister's door he heard muffled sobs, so instead of just walking in like he normally would, he stopped and knocked.

"Angie?" He said quietly.

Suddenly, the crying on the other side of the door stopped and Angie cried out, "One second!" Phillip could no longer take the insanity that everyone was expressing lately. His sister never hid anything from him, and now she felt she had to wipe her eyes before seeing him? In a swift motion he opened the door without her calling him in.

"Angelica," he gasped. The sight of his sister was too much for him to handle. There she was- half dressed with tears streaming down her face. Her whole world had come crashing down when her father published the Pamphlet. It seemed that she was feeling similar to her mother, but didn't express it in the same way. They had been betrayed.

Phillip then said nothing, seeing that words wouldn't make a difference. His mother would have been proud of him; Phillip learning to bite his tongue the way he did. But instead, he stepped forward and embraced his sister and she fell into him. The tears she had been holding back when she entered the room now fell down her face even faster. "You don't have to hide your sadness from me," Phillip muttered into her ear. She held him so tightly that Phillip thought his insides would surely explode. He let her rest there for a moment, but then heard the cry of the baby down the hallway. He then loosened his grip, which made Angelica do so as well. "You don't have to hide from me," Phillip repeated, "But you do have to hide your tears from Mother. We need to be strong for her. Aunt Angelica is here, so she will help us get her to eat again, and maybe even venture outside." Angelica's face lit up at the mention of her aunt. She then stepped away from Phillip, wiped away her tears, and stood up a bit straighter.

"Yes of course, this is about Mother. It was always about Mother," she affirmed. "Can you help me?" She asked, gesturing to the laces of her corset. With quick and delicate motion, he laced her up tightly. Then, Phillip stepped back and allowed her to completely dress herself. As he waited, he kept his eyes on the tree outside of Angie's window. He was no longer mad at his father. It had taken him a great deal of contemplation, but he finally understood why he had written the Pamphlet. He knew he was a lot like his father, but he hoped that when he fell in love that he never fell out of it. He still respected his father immensely and would take his advice in all things except for matters of the heart.

When Angie was done, she pinned up her hair and made her way down the stairs alongside her brother. At the sight of her aunt, Angie ran toward her and did not hesitate to hug her. Angelica smiled, the first time she had done so since she entered the Hamilton household. But, the moment of cheeriness was over when Eliza entered the room with baby John in her hands.

"Angelica!" She said, her eyes lighting up. She was surprised that her sister was there for a moment, but then realized what the occasion was. She placed the baby down in the cradle next to the kitchen table and sighed, looking at his sweet face. "Angelica, you're here for me aren't you?" Eliza asked, silently hoping it wasn't true. She was fine, or so she thought. But, she could see the worry in her children's faces.

"Just for a visit," Angelica lied. "Come, I'll make you breakfast."

Eliza shook her head, "No, no I'm not hungry. But can I make you something?" Angelica ignored her.

"Sit with your children. I will fetch you something," she said. Phillip and Angie gave their mother an assuring smile and she sat down. For some reason she could not say no to her sister. When Angelica returned to the table a moment later with a bit of toast for her sister, Phillip and Angie watched expectantly. Eliza noticed all eyes on her and hesitantly took a bite of toast. Angie audibly sighed out of relief, but Phillip nudged her. Yes, this was the first time they had seen their mother eat all week, but they needed to act as if this was normal. As if their father had never cheated on their mother. Silently they all ate together and enjoyed the moment of peace. But, as always, it was interrupted.

"Eliza," Alexander said, bursting through the door. "Betsey, I'm sorry. I tried to stay away but I could not. I cannot be away from you any longer." His eyes were pleading for her to say something, but Eliza only could stare at the wall, her hands in her lap with a look of displeasure on her face. The mention of her nickname, Betsey, was almost enough to send her over the edge. But she couldn't help this feeling of wanting to run into Alexander's arms and be safe once again.

"Not in front of the children," she whispered, never once thinking of herself. On her own accord, she stood up and made her way to the shared bedroom between the two of them. Alexander did not move, as he was not sure whether or not he was allowed in that room. He hadn't been in awhile. When she opened the door and noticed that her husband was not following her, she stopped, waiting for him to come. She didn't forgive him, not by any means, but she was tired of being sad. Now with her sister in the house she felt she had the strength to go on.

Behind closed doors, she waited for Alexander to say something. She wanted him to beg for her forgiveness. She wanted to know that she was truly the only one for him. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I'm so sorry. I never once loved the other woman," he said, careful not to say her name. Eliza had thought a lot about this moment and what she would say, but suddenly all of those thoughts escaped her. She wanted to be with her husband once again, though being comfortable with him would certainly take time.

"Do you love me?" She asked, needing to hear his confirmation. He had said so a thousand times, but this was the time that truly counted. "I am tired of being lied to, Alexander. If you say you love me you really need to mean it." Alexander was taken aback. Of course he loved his wife. But there was more to the question than that. He realized that by saying I love you, he was also saying that he would stand by her, for better and for worse and that he would never let something such as his affair happen again. He was making a commitment to his family.

Without hesitation, Alexander said, "I love you, Eliza. You are truly the only one for me." Suddenly everything was right in Eliza's world. He had said exactly what she needed to hear and meant it. Alexander leaned in for a kiss, and for the first time in weeks, Eliza did not shy away.

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