WARNING: Swearing, dark humour.
DISCLAIMER: The musical belongs to Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Here's a sneak-peek of the special. More explained in the ending notes. Enjoy! ^^


Her husband had insisted on cooking dinner for that Christmas' Eve. Against her best judgment, she acceded, feeling exhausted after a tiring year of work. With a heavy sigh, Lu sat on the armchair next to their Christmas tree, which lights turned off and on smoothly, just to sparkle quickly for then alternate from one couple of colours (red and yellow) to the other (blue and green). Lu barely noticed, used to the performance as her husband had decided to put the tree earlier that year, with an enthusiasm more proper of a child than of a man that was 55 years old.

She smiled despite herself, fond at the memories of her marriage and as she heard her husband messing with things in the kitchen. A few curses reached her ears, and Lu could do no more than kept the smile on place and shake her head, with affection. She was about to go there and offer a helping hand, but knew Henry could match her in stubbornness when he wanted to, and she really needed a time to relax. Especially if she'd have to clean the kitchen later, because Henry would fall asleep right after eating and wouldn't wake up until 2 pm at much of the following day.

Instead, Lu got up and went to choose a book from the shelve Henry had on the living room. One of three their new house had. Lu was surprised when they moved and saw he still had a few books with no place to rest. Really, that man was born to open a bookshop, if not to be a writer. Her eyes landed on one book that had clearly been passed from hands to hands, open and re-open time and time again, emanating the clear scent of union and sweet past memories. Lu knew what it was and took it without hesitation.

Despite the hard and cold thinking her job required, Lu never stopped being a sentimental woman. It was a part of herself that she embraced, proud of it, though it sometimes turned her into an overdramatic person.

She took a seat back on the armchair, the photographic album resting on her lap. She opened it as she reclined against the cushions, another warm smile appearing on her face. The first photo was one of their wedding day, more specifically, the one they two had posed for after several ones making faces and simply enjoying their day. They'd come to the conclusion that they needed a 'serious one', even if just one, and so they pretended to be the earnest couple her parents had wanted her and Henry to be. She giggled at the funny gleam that shone in both pairs of eyes of their younger versions, even in the old but well-kept photo.

She passed a few pages, landing on one of Henry in the inauguration of his bookshop, which still stood there with pride, on the same street, with the same intelligent and cultured man in the head, receiving clients and making friends with each new face who stepped in his shop, thirty years later. Lu still remembered how excited and happy her husband had looked, how thankful he showed himself to be for her constant support.

She passed another few pages, starting to get emotional. Feelings hit her in the guts when she found the photo of that Christmas, which happened a long time ago but that she remembered so clearly it was as if it'd happened just yesterday. Her house had been full of college students, the friends Alexander had managed to make in his first year in Columbia (in the span of three months). But Lu wasn't surprised in her day, neither was she nowadays. The kid had no filter. Even when just came and showed himself more reticent to talk, it was evident. But Lu never saw any wick nature within the child, and thought he acted so defensive for being wronged in the past for another amount of people who'd judged him unfairly.

Lu had always felt the lack of shine in Alexander's eyes, how he seemed to avoid both she and Henry during the first weeks of coexistence, and how afraid he looked each time they asked him something, past trauma of unjustified punishments coming through his mind like a flash that obligated him to curl on himself and turn his answers in nothing more than nods or shakes of head. It hurt Lu and Henry deeply. It was something they always knew would most likely happen once the child lived in another household (which ended up being theirs); they were aware that they could take the Fulton away from Alexander, they could erase those bastards' presence from his life for good, but not the memories or the scars they'd gifted his mind and soul with.

They knew all that, but it was a very different thing to live it and feel powerless by how little they could do than simply give Alexander all the time he needed, leave all their doors open for when the kid was in need of help, and be there came what may. Alexander shared their same stubbornness, but also lacked their maturity to comprehend asking for help was not a weakness. Or maybe, more than a childish behaviour that time would eradicate at some point, it was a rooted fear, it was a poisoned, ugly plant that had grown enough until tangling its stalks around Alexander's heart, refusing to let go despite being in a safe place.

What that kid must've lived to be so insecure around people, so afraid of interacting with others, to open up and express something more profound than his beliefs and thoughts… Neither she or Henry wanted to know, it terrified them to just imagine, and made their blood to boil at thinking a kid who had done no wrong had to suffer due to the sick and wicked minds of some…

"Lu, nothing to do with my cooking task, I'm just curious… Did you replace the extinguisher since last time, right?" asked Henry, walking in the room. He stopped abruptly when he saw the thin yet noticeable tear rolling down his wife's cheek. "What's wrong, honey?" he asked, sprinting to her and kneeling right beside her.

Lu gave a shy chuckle. "Nothing, just remembering things" she admitted, wiping away the tears and showing him the album.

Henry relaxed at the explanation. "Ah… You do those things in New Year's Eve, after a few drinks" he laughed, taking the album in his hands and seeing the photo to blame for his wife's sentimental moment. "Oh, I remember this!" he said, nostalgia hanging in his cheerful tone. "That year you went crazy because you wanted 'the perfect Christmas'"

Lu rolled her eyes, though offering her husband a smile. "Oh, come on…"

"Remember the turkey?"

"That entire mess was all you"

"And when you matched Alexander with the wrong person?"

"Excuse me, but they ended up marrying!"

"And the tree! That was awesome!"

"Oh, come on, for one time I…"

"We need a real one" mimicked Henry, even imitating his wife's hand gestures while talking. "We need a real tree if we want a real Christmas!"

"I've never killed another tree in my entire life" defended Lu, raising her chin, solemnly. "It is wise to rectify"

"Sure…" Henry laughed whole-heartedly as he glared at the photo. "I don't think I'll ever forget that Christmas in my entire life" he finally admitted, the same amount of nostalgia his wife was feeling.

"Neither will I" she agreed, nodding. "I don't think I'll ever forget anything we lived with Alex. He really was a turning point in my life"

"Thank you, love of my life" said Henry, though there was no bite in his voice whatsoever.

"Come on, you think the same"

"True, I do… Well, but in the end, the day had a happy ending"

"Of course it did! I was in charge of it" boasted Lu, smiling smugly.

"Oh, please…"

"It's true. Now" she said, taking the album again in her hands. "Go try not to set the kitchen on fire. I don't want a sequel to the memory, as fond as it is"

Henry faked a hurt expression. "Ouch, my dear, ouch"

"Go!" laughed Lu, pushing him in the right direction.

"Try not to flood the house getting too emotional" he teased back.

Lu rolled her eyes, taking another look at the photo. This time, the memories passed in her head clear as water.


Thomas had been receiving a basket or a box full of things from his sister since that day, always with a note attached. He didn't waste a second of his time reading it or looking what she'd tossed in.

James watched him as he grabbed the basket and walked out the front door, as if in auto-pilot, and then threw the basket to the trash can across their house. James frowned at his action, another thing Thomas was more than willing to ignore.

"Thomas…" he began.

"I don't want to hear it" he interrupted, going back to his cooking task.

"You'd have to talk to her at some point" said James, nonetheless.

"No"

"Thomas—"

"She's spent all her fucking life ignoring me and my daughters" he reminded, bitterly. "Now, I don't want to know anything about her"

"Well, she thinks you do"

"Good. Maybe she goes crazy with paranoia"

"Thomas!"

"I don't want to talk about it" he decided, stubbornly.

"Well, what're you planning to do, then?" inquired James, resting against the doorframe. "Throwing baskets and boxes for the rest of your life?"

"Yes. And I hope to see her one day looking inside the trash, damning her life when she sees that shit in there"

James sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna go shopping what I need for dinner"

"If the smell of that spicy shit isn't gone by the end of the night, you leave with her to never return" he warned.

"Sure…" replied James, not believing him.

Adams emerged from his corner, a frown on his face. "Why does your girlfriend get to eat what she wants but I don't?"

"Because she's not a squatter backstabber" answered James right away, without looking at him as he made his way to the front door.

"You're so cocky since you got a girlfriend… Let's see how long she lasts"

"You're the one who's acting cocky despite his wife kicked him out and being unemployed" Thomas told him off from the kitchen.

"Everybody's against me in this house…" muttered the man, saddened.

"Guess why" retorted James.


Washington reclined on his armchair, breathing in the relaxing atmosphere his house was sunken into. Martha had gone to buy the ingredients she needed to prepare the dessert she prepared all Christmases. He took one gulp of his whiskey – fuck it, he was on vacation and he was going to enjoy it, because he deserved it – and looked out the window, seeing the clouds rolling by against a clear sky. The night would fall eventually, maybe too soon for his likings – he really liked summer better for how long the days were – but he'd enjoy the peaceful image nature was presenting him with as long as it lasted.

This was what he waited for all year. Just a relaxing end of the year. Without people wandering around his house, without pretending he liked the intrusion, without faked smiles, without the annoying hurry of preparing more dishes than what's truly necessary. No. Just he and his wife, enjoying their time together and talking peacefully. Maybe he should look for those vinyl's and invite his wife to dance, remember old times. George smiled and sighed happily. Yes, he should really do that. He was a nostalgic and a romantic, what was he going to do about it? He knew Martha liked it deep down, despite her petty protests.

He heard the front door opening and was about to get up to kiss his wife hello, help her with whatever she'd bought, and simply enjoy the day by her side.

God, how much he loved her.

"George, look who I bumped into!" called Martha, as she made her way into the living room, grocery bags in both hands.

Washington's smile fell when he saw the tall and thin man behind his wife, waving at him as if they were still good and close friends. "Merry Christmas, George!" greeted King, with a wide smile.

"I invited him to have dinner with us" explained Martha, cheerfully.

George eyed them both, his wife especially.

… … … … …

Daughter of a fucking and filthy bitch…

"What the fuck is Maleficent doing in my house?" spat the oldest.

"George!" gasped Martha.

"Can't you let me have a peaceful and happy Christmas, Martha? What's wrong with you?" he complained.

"With me?" gaped Martha. "It was you the one insulting a guest!"

"I told you I don't want any more guests! Did you learn nothing from last year?"

"Hey, if I'm bothering you, I can leave" proposed King, holding one hand up in innocence.

"No, no…" hurried to say Martha.

"Yes, thank you"

"George!"

"Let the man do his good deed of the year so he can still think he's nice"

"George, he's alone at Christmas' Eve" revealed Martha, sternly.

"And what about his boyfriend?"

"He's with the family" explained King. "He doesn't want to introduce me yet"

"The only intelligent thing he's done with you" nodded Washington, in agreement. "Let's see if the blindfold falls completely when he's back"

Martha scrunched up her nose in disgust. "Really, you're so bitter lately. Then, you don't understand why I insist on bringing guests!"

"I was happy and on good vibe, woman! It was you two the ones fucking my whole day up!"

"I won't let anyone spend Christmas alone!" she proclaimed, stubbornly.

"Oh, for God's sake, Martha, everybody wants to spend fucking Christmas alone! Only kids and who suffer from monophobia don't! And I'm neither!"

"No, you've just turned into a grumpy old man!" she shouted, tears prickling in her eyes. She turned around, sobbing loudly as she ran into the kitchen.

"You made your wife cry in Christmas Eve" scolded King.

"The last thing I needed from you!" Washington jumped from his seat at his reprimand. "Get the hell out of here, you've done enough" he instructed, shoving him to the front door.

King fought back. "C'mon, man, it's been ages since we had a peaceful dinner to chat"

"Because we've never had one, with you that's impossible!"

"I can help! Just tell me what you need me to do!"

"To leave!"

The phone rang. King took it as a chance to free himself from the pushes and ran to the table the item was on. George watched in impotence, passing a hand through his face, in annoyance.

"Hell of a life…"

"Georgie, it's your mother" said King, coming back, handing him the loudly phone.

"Fucking hell of a life…"

Washington took the phone with vehemence, marched in the room again and threw it against the cushions to let some rage out.

"Aren't you going to pick it up?" asked King, surprised.

"No"

"Pick it up, man, you must always pick it up when it's your mum!" he scolded again, a frown on his face.

"No, not to this one mum, you must not" he contradicted, shaking his head.

Washington wasn't surprised when King didn't listen to him, but he surely was shocked when he saw the man answering the phone on his behalf.


I swear, at this rate, I'll upload the Christmas special on December of this year. Sweet Jesus... It's not that I'm not interested on it, it's just that there's one plot in there that never leaves me happy. I've started it a million times already... Apart from that, life has been busy right now and I had one of my 'down-periods' in which I simply don't feel up to anything unless it's obligatory. So, I simply got away with some Netflix and chill, as they say. And I also fell ill twice, so, yeah. Busy life indeed XD.

So, don't think this was abandoned if I take longer than usual. I simply don't want to throw any episode in here for the sake of it, I want to enjoy writing and you to enjoy reading it.

BTW, I like to think about this story as an actual series. We have the first 5 episodes of silliness before the shit hit the fan. Then, 9 episodes with angst and actual plots and pasts for the characters, and I think the next 9 episodes, right after the never-coming special, are going to be the final round/season.

Be aware for: failed romantic attempts, Philip Sr trying to be a better man, Eliza growing, Madison and Alexander finally finding something that brings them together again, a lot of craziness (but that's not new), resolution of problems. And a whole chapter that'd be just about family angst, this time, on Alexander's part. Embrace yourselves for that one, I'll make sure to warn you, I'm not that mean.

And also, for the fic that's more Jefferson (and, therefore, their daugthers)-centric fic. I'll be working on that take too and hopefully upload it more oftenly.

And if there are people in here who also read the Avengers Family series, I'll be uploading those too, although they're shorter than this one.

Thank you for dedicating some of your time reading this little silly thing. I hope it entretains you as much as it can help you when serious matters come. Which reminds me this story has over 10K views on this web. Thank you so much! :)

Sursum corda!

ANSWERS:

DeAmonQuEen: *I think I answered you... Sorry if I'm answering you twice with this, I'd rather that than not at all* Please, don't risk your job XD. I love writing them and there'll be more in the future! Thanks!

j'cris ton nom: That's exactly what it was hahaha. These poor objects really have it rough, don't they?

Guest: I guess you're j'cris ton nom? If not, sorry for the confusion XD. I love these quotes chapters. It's something a friend and I started doing on a daily basis and thought it'd be funny to do the same here. I'm planning to also do this on the Avengers series at some point. Sure, go ahead. Even if they're just three stories, it's nice to have them under an alarm or a fav list :)