I don't own these characters/historical figures. I don't even know how that would work.
5: Trusting
The second Angelica and Maria walked through the door, Eliza was on them and hugging them. Eliza embracing Angelica was pleasant, knowing nothing changed between them. But, Angelica's heart soared when Eliza hugged Maria with the same enthusiasm. This was the best possible scenario for her coming out. That gave her hope about Peggy.
The house was quiet without the children there. Angelica missed the little ones. Once this was all over, it would be nice to spend time with her nephew and niece once more. She had not spoken about it with Maria yet, but maybe after this evening, she would see how Maria felt about children. Not that Philip was much of a child thanks to Alexander. Of course, her namesake, little Angelica, was not much of a child either, as she liked to mimic her mother as much as possible. They were a delight and the reason she opted for a two-bedroom condo rather than a single bedroom. She hoped Maria loved them as much as she did.
Eliza's voice brought Angelica out of her revelry. "Peggy is late, as always," Eliza said.
"She never disappoints." Of course, if they had not come to Eliza's house, she would be the late one. Angelica helped Maria out of her jacket, revealing an orange dress with dark leaf designs. Maria called it her "autumn dress." Angelica thought it was cute. She handed the jacket over to Eliza's waiting arms.
They were all dressed somewhat formally. Somehow, it marked the importance of the dinner, but Maria had pointed out earlier that it was a little ridiculous. The more Angelica thought about it, the more she agreed. She, her sisters, and Alexander were as close as close could be, yet whenever they got together like this, they tended to dress as if they were going to an office function. It was normal to them, but from the outside looking in, Maria could not understand why they would not wear the clothes they were most comfortable in when simply hanging around each other.
"Well, of course I planned for it," Eliza said. She had on a powder blue, ankle length dress and high heels. The heels were only a couple of inches, but again, it was ridiculous to wear them in her home with just her sisters and her husband. Why are we like this? Well, she knew why. It was fine.
"Of course you did. We knew that would happen," Angelica replied as she also handed over her jacket, revealing her blush pink dress, quite similar to Eliza's. She also had on high heels.
It was nice to have Peggy's normalcy. And, it was nice to have Eliza's normalcy. The scent of dinner and dessert hung in the air, delicious as always. She had probably been hard at work, cooking through the afternoon for this gathering. There might even be five courses, depending on how Eliza felt as she made the food. It had the air of a celebration. Such effort for this. Angelica would never be able to express how lovely and welcoming this was.
Eliza smiled. "Of course." She moved to hang the jackets. "Alexander's in the living room, going over some notes. He claimed he was justified as it's something for the two of you."
"Oh, yes." Angelica nodded and took Maria by the hand. He was already investigating James Reynolds and looking into the validity of the marriage. They had already learned James had also claimed he and Maria had a common law marriage in several states that recognized common law marriages, which meant New York would recognize it. It was just more documentation to be made and witnesses to track down. He had no plans to go gentle into that good night.
Eliza stared at her for a long moment. "Well, sit with him for now, but…" She put up her index finger and her eyes became stern. "When Peggy shows, we have to have a little sisters' meeting."
With a laugh, Angelica nodded. "When did you get so bossy? I'm the bossy one between us." They were all bossy in their own ways, but she was the leader of the Schuyler sisters.
"Well, don't keep secrets." Eliza wagged her finger.
This was not a battle Angelica could win, so she withdrew. Maria snickered as they made their way to the living room. Angelica pulled her close.
"It's rude to laugh at the person who will take you home at the end of the night," Angelica said in a low voice.
"Then I might have to stay with a friend tonight because I have a feeling that was only the start of your scoldings and my laughing," Maria replied and gave her a squeeze. That was probably not a lie and it made her insides flutter. She looked forward to being scolded out of love and laughed at because it meant Maria was comfortable.
They reached the living room and she embraced Alexander, who was dressed in dark blue slacks with a white button-down and a tie to match his pants. His ponytail was tight, not a hair out of place. He turned to Maria and stepped like he planned to hug her and then thought better of it, so he paused mid-motion. Then he put his hand out, but also thought better of that and once again paused mid-motion. Then, he put his thumb and index finger under his chin, trying to figure out how to approach the problem. Both he and Maria laughed as he scratched the back of his head as he studied her.
"I'm sorry," Alexander said. "A handshake seems too formal and business-like, but a hug too intimate."
Maria smiled. "I'm happy you're so welcoming. Let's keep it simple for now." She put her hand out. "It goes with the semi-formal atmosphere you've all managed to set up."
"This is quite true. I promise the conversation will not be as stiff as we appear." Alexander shook Maria's hand with gusto, like he did everything.
Maria smiled through it, like he had endeared himself to her already. He had that ability. Of course, just as quickly someone could love him, they could hate him. It tended to be one or the other, but Angelica hoped it was love. After all, he was very important to her and she would love for Maria to get along with him. Alexander motioned for them to sit on the sofa, near a legal pad he had on the coffee table.
For a moment, Angelica was taken back to that summer night where she and Maria sat in this room, looking at apartments and sharing takeout. She locked eyes with Maria, who smiled and blushed. Maria might be remembering a different part of the evening. Angelica took her hand and gave it a squeeze. She squeezed back.
"So, the ball is already rolling with Mister James Reynolds and his financial crimes," Alexander said.
"That was fast," Angelica replied, not that she expected anything less from Alexander. If he were not moving at a hundred miles an hour on everything, he would probably drop dead. And, of course, had he not married Eliza, he probably would have dropped dead a long time ago as she was the one who forced him to slow down and gather himself again.
"Because it seems he's currently in the middle of a ponzi scheme where he's got people investing in fake insurance policies." Alexander crackled and rubbed his palms together. "He tried to extort more money out of you because he's got to pay off clients. He's scrambling for money."
Angelica frowned. "Then he'll probably try to contact me again soon." He was not getting anything else from her, though, beyond her wrath.
"But, this is good news. He's in the middle of this crime. We could help catch him on a crime Maria's not a part of and we don't have to drag you into this." He grinned at Maria, so pleased with himself that he could hardly sit still.
"So, I wouldn't have to testify to any of this?" Maria asked, looking back and forth between Angelica and Alexander.
"I don't see why. You have absolutely nothing to do with this," Alexander replied. "Did you have any knowledge he was doing this?"
"I haven't seen him in over four months. I have no clue what he's been up to. Of course, even when I was with him, I barely had a clue as to what he was up to. He never got me involved in anything very complicated."
Alexander nodded. "Okay, then, yes, I don't see why you would have to be involved in this at all. Unless Angelica wanted to pursue an extortion case." Alexander glanced at Angelica.
"It's not a charge I'm looking to pursue if this case is solid," Angelica replied. She wanted to remain out of that mess as much as possible.
Alexander nodded and jotted something down on his notepad. "So, what I am worried about is him bringing up the extortion."
"Why would he?" Maria asked.
Angelica frowned. "Deflect blame. Say I set him up. I did threaten him."
"Of course you did," Alexander said.
"Oh, I'm sorry, am I the only person sitting here who has threatened an enemy?" Angelica dared him with her eyes.
He was nonplussed. "Point taken. But, yes, he could use you being closeted in his defense."
"You can't force her to come out!" Maria clutched her hand to the point of pain. Angelica held in a wince, even though she wanted to grin.
Alexander flinched. "I wasn't…" He looked at Angelica for help, giving her the most pathetic eyes he could manage.
Angelica smiled. "I think I'll be out by the time he's arrested." Depending on how Peggy took the news, she would tell her parents soon enough. She patted Maria's hand with her free one. "I'll leave you out of it if you want."
"It doesn't bother me. I'm here, right?" Maria replied.
Angelica's heart fluttered. "And I'm happy you're here." The second the words left her mouth the doorbell chimed. That could only be Peggy.
"We'll leave you Schuyler sisters alone for a moment. I've got divorce business to discuss with Maria, anyway," Alexander said.
"She has a divorce attorney already," Angelica replied and then she shook her head. There was no way that mattered to Alexander once she got him involved. "Dare I even ask what you did?"
Alexander grinned. "Probably not. Just believe me, I have divorce business to discuss with Maria."
Alexander was well-meaning, so Angelica decided to let it go. He would do what he thought was best and generally he was not wrong, unless it was something involving himself. Beyond that, she had other problems in her life right now. So, Angelica nodded and kissed Marie's cheek farewell before going to the door.
Angelica stepped over to the foyer just as Eliza and Peggy embraced as a greeting. She was able to get in on the hug between her sisters and make it a group hug. They all laughed and jumped around. It felt like it had been ages since they had seen each other. It was not supposed to be this way since she moved back to New York, but it was entirely her fault. She had been in her bubble with Maria, but now, she was literally coming out. Hopefully, they would be able to enjoy each other's company more often after this night.
"Let me hang this up," Eliza said as she took Peggy's jacket. Peggy was in a dress much like hers and Eliza's, but in a yellow color.
"I'll go say hi to Alexander." Peggy stepped forward, but Angelica stepped in her path.
"He's handling some business right now. Allow me to monopolize your time, dear sister." Angelica looped their arms together and offered a smile. She moved them toward the kitchen. She wanted to get this out of the way before introducing Peggy to Maria. She needed to know how Peggy would take things before subjecting Maria to Peggy's fire.
Peggy tucked herself closer to Angelica. "Do I smell a conspiracy?" she asked with a laugh. Her eyes danced, ready to create mischief and mayhem.
"Not this time," Eliza said behind them. "Just Angelica thinking poor of us."
Angelica gasped and glared at Eliza. "That's not what happened and you know it."
"That's my version of it," Eliza replied with a smug look. She paused at the closet to hang up Peggy's jacket.
"Such a troublemaker. And to think we always describe you as the nice one," Angelica said, wrinkling her nose at Eliza.
"Nice to who? Not me." Peggy pressed a hand to her chest as they entered the kitchen.
"Of course not. You're the baby sister," Eliza replied with an impish smile, her eyes twinkling in the way they did whenever she got a chance to tease Peggy.
"So, what's going on? Especially since you seem to have told Eliza first as always." Peggy sat down at the counter and folded her arms across her chest. She gave them a hard look, an expression that she perfected growing up to let them know how displeased her was. One day, the look might actually affect them.
"Oh, here we go." Eliza rolled her eyes.
Angelica held up her hand. "Can we not do that? I'd like to just get this out of the way."
Eliza sighed, but they sat down with Peggy. Angelica's heart picked up pace as she looked in Peggy's eyes. She grabbed Peggy's hands and held it with both of hers to fortify herself. Eliza wrapped their hands in hers and gave Angelica a soft smile along with a nod.
"Peggy, I'm a lesbian and I've been in a relationship with a woman for four months now," Angelica said.
"And you told Eliza before me!" Peggy yanked her hand back and glared like she wanted to set the kitchen ablaze. "You always do this!" She slapped the countertop. "Both of you always do this!" She pointed at both of them.
"I told her because Alexander told me to," Angelica replied.
Peggy let loose a guttural groan and threw her hands up. "That's even more typical! You trust Alexander more than you do us and we're your sisters!" Peggy glowered at Angelica like she was the enemy.
Even though Peggy was angry, this was a fury Angelica could deal with. Peggy was not bothered by the fact that Angelica was a lesbian, but by the fact that it seemed she was the last to know. That was something Peggy was often bothered by. She could work with that.
"I told him first because he's not going to judge me! Well, no, he is, but it's not going to matter because he's him," Angelica replied. Something with her and Alexander would keep them on track almost no matter what, as long as he did not hurt her sister.
"We're not going to judge you!" Peggy motioned between herself and Eliza. That line got Eliza to stand next to her.
"You can trust us," Eliza said.
"I know that! I was just…" Angelica broke. Tears burned their way down her cheek. "I couldn't chance losing you!" Did they not understand that? They were her everything and she could not risk being without them!
Eliza and Peggy rushed to her side and they embraced her. She could feel their affection in how tightly they held her, piecing her back together. It was silly to think she could lose this, lose them. They were the Schuyler sisters. Eliza kissed her cheek while Peggy gave her an even tighter squeeze around the waist. They were a trio forever.
"You're our sister, no matter what," Peggy said.
"Yes, I know. I was just so scared," Angelica replied with a sniffle. She could not stop crying, even though they accepted her.
"We're sorry you felt like that," Eliza said and she kissed Angelica's forehead, a move Angelica usually did for them.
Peggy leaned away and held up a finger. "But, I'm still not forgiving you for telling Eliza first."
Angelica laughed, even though from the look in Peggy's eyes, she was dead serious. Still, she smiled through her tears and rested her forehead against the top of Peggy's head. Peggy hugged her again and the world felt so right it bordered on insane.
"And I'm not forgiving you for telling Alexander first," Eliza said, but she kissed Angelica's cheek again. That was untrue. Angelica told Alexander so many things first and Eliza burned bright for a few seconds, like a firecracker, and then faded back into her lovely self. It would not stop her from teasing Angelica about it, though.
"May I at least explain?" Angelica asked, even though she could tell this was something that would come up for years after this. She could hear the "remember that time…" already, but at least they still loved her. Her soul sighed in relief.
"You may explain, but I'm still going to be pissed at you," Peggy replied. That was probably not a lie.
They all sat down at the little nook this time. Angelica was on one side and her sisters the other. It did not feel like them versus her as some people might see it. This was the best way for her to focus on both of them and tell them the whole story, everything. They listened without interruption, giving her looks the whole time and a couple of gasps. Eliza even put her hand over her mouth a few times.
"You moved in immediately? You are such a lesbian," Peggy said, shaking her head at the end of the tale. A chuckle escaped her as she put her arm on the table and rested her chin in her palm. Her eyes danced. She would use this to taunt Angelica until the end of time.
Angelica arched an eyebrow. "That's all you got from that?"
A devil smile curled onto Peggy's lips. "Oh, I got much more than that. You'll probably be hearing about it all night. Be prepared." That was probably a valid threat.
"What about Maria's husband? He sounds like he plans on being a serious problem. What if he does out you?" Eliza asked with a frown.
"Criminally, I've passed the information along to Alexander and he's already got things that will capture James Reynolds without me having to worry about his threats," Angelica replied.
Peggy nodded. "At least there's that, but he can still out you. Daddy isn't going to take this well."
"I plan to tell Daddy soon," Angelica replied. He would not take things well, but she had her sisters. Daddy never took anything she did well. Even when she graduated from law school, he had an issue with it. She could not think of a single time he did not have a criticism for her actions.
"We should do a family dinner. He'll at least stay calm if we're all there," Eliza said.
"That's true. And I can have our entire family at the condo at least once," Angelica replied. It might be Daddy's first and last time since he did not come to the housewarming, but it would be nice.
Peggy's eyes lit up and she shook her head. "Oh, no. I'm coming to your condo all the time now. I'm bugging the hell out of you. I might live in your spare room. You're never going to tell Eliza something before me again."
Eliza chuckled and pressed her hands together. "I'll be by often as well with the children. I stayed away before thinking you were adjusting back to life here, but you're busy carrying on some great love affair."
"Don't do that," Angelica said.
"Nope, I'm romanticizing it already. It's going to be a fairy tale by the time I get to tell someone. I might use it as a bedtime story for your namesake," Eliza replied. It was actually a nice thought.
"Funny, it'll be a comedy of errors when I tell it," Peggy said.
Angelica smiled. "Tell it however you like. I'll be happy to have you both over. Well, first I have to see if Maria's comfortable with that, but we do need to spend more time together." She missed them, even while wrapped in her cocoon with Maria.
Peggy grabbed her hand and squeezed. "We're going to be here for you no matter what."
Eliza beamed in that way she did whenever she was overjoyed. "No matter what."
"Now, can I meet your girlfriend? We have to tell her all the stories!" Peggy giggled and rubbed her hands together. Devil horns might as well have grown out of her head. This was the price to pay for not having faith in them. "Does she know about your funniest arrests?"
"This is your revenge, isn't it?" Angelica asked with a smile. She did not mind.
Peggy punched her in the shoulder, just enough for it to hurt. "Gotta do something to teach you a lesson."
"Do it in the dining room. The food is out and waiting," Eliza said.
"Of course, it is. The funny thing is you're not even considered the hyper organized one between us," Peggy said.
Eliza gave her a pointed look. "Like you're not considered the aggressive one."
"Ladies, we are all organized and aggressive in our own ways," Angelica said in a light tone.
That was enough to move the conversation along. Eliza went to fetch Alexander and Maria. Angelica put her hand out for Maria as soon as she was in sight. Maria granted her request, taking her hand and gracing her with a smile. She turned to Peggy and Peggy gasped.
"You could be my doppelgänger!" Peggy pointed at Maria.
"Right!" Maria laughed.
Angelica looked between them and shook her head. "I don't see it."
Eliza examined the pair, squinting as she looked them each in the face. "Me neither."
Peggy sucked her teeth. "You guys are messing with us. She's like my twin." Peggy stood next to Maria. They all studied the pair for a long moment. Peggy scowled at them as the seconds ticked by.
"Nope, don't see it." They all shook their heads.
Peggy turned to Alexander. "Come on, Alexander. You claim to be a genius. Surely you see it." She pointed to her visage and then to Maria.
Alexander held up his hands. "I honestly don't. I'm not sure what you're seeing."
"You guys are crazy." Peggy turned to Maria and offered her quite the friendly grin. It was nice to see her eyes sparkle as she genuinely welcomed Maria. "I'm Peggy. The baby."
Maria chuckled. "I'm Maria. The girlfriend."
"Do we all get titles now?" Alexander asked. "I'm taking 'the Great' if that's the case."
"I've got a few choice titles for you. None to be said in polite company," Angelica replied.
"I can believe that, but really should you talk about your attraction to me in front of your girlfriend like that?" Alexander smiled in a way that showed all his teeth.
"Go to the table." Eliza glared at her husband and then pointed to the dinner table.
Alexander wisely kept his mouth shut. Eliza was probably the only person who could get him to do that. They all sat down with the food in the middle of the long rectangular table with tall, unlit candles. There was a bowl with soup and another with salad. There were dinner rolls, a platter of asparagus on one side and broccoli the other, brown rice, black beans, and garlic butter chicken.
Usually, Eliza would make the plates since it was her table and she enjoyed being the great hostess, but Angelica wanted to serve Maria to let everyone understand what she meant to Angelica. Soon, everyone had food in front of them and Eliza poured wine for them all. There was silence for a short moment.
"So, has Angelica told you about her ridiculous marriage?" Peggy asked, fork in hand, but she did not seem to think about the food in front of her.
"Could you at least pretend to have a normal conversation before you just jump into the most embarrassing aspects of my life?" Angelica groaned.
"Maybe Eliza could have the normal conversation," Peggy replied with a smug pursing of her lips. She then ate a forkful of rice, as if that was an exclamation point on her statement.
"No, I think I'm more curious to find out if Angelica told her about her crush on Alexander since he brought it up," Eliza said with a chuckle.
"Could you blame her?" Alexander grinned and tilted his head.
"Is this our life right now? Can we be the mature Schuyler sisters? I know it's impossible for Alexander, but can we make an attempt and be a good example for him?" Angelica asked, making a circle motion with her finger.
"Of course!" Peggy turned back to Maria, an elfish glint in her eyes. "She eloped with this guy John Carter, whose name we later learned was John Church, just to spite our father."
Angelica groaned. "It wasn't spite. John and I just work better as friends than a couple." Unfortunately, she only learned that after marrying him. Yes, their time together had been lacking, but it had been that way with other men and she just assumed that was how things were. How was she to know she was looking in the wrong places her entire life?
"Maybe because you're a lesbian," Eliza said before cutting her chicken.
Angelica snorted. "Gee, ya think?" She genuinely liked John, but their marriage could not work. She was not attracted to him, but she never wanted to admit to herself. Or maybe she never understood what attraction was and fooled herself into thinking she was attracted to him like she fooled herself into thinking she was in love with Alexander.
Peggy wagged her fork at Angelica as if she had not been taught a single manner in her life. "You say that like a woman who caught hints in her life that she might be a lesbian, but you didn't."
"I see what kind of dinner this will be." Angelica gave up. She owed them their shenanigans for her lack of trust and faith.
Eliza and Peggy ran wild the moment they realized Angelica would not object to anything they said. They told Maria stories about her. Not just her marriage, but her bad habit of getting arrested in protests, which heavily influenced her becoming a civil rights attorney. They also made a point of mentioning Angelica spent a lot of time standing up to bullies throughout her life.
"James doesn't stand a chance, huh?" Maria said to Angelica. The stories had gone on long enough that everyone was almost done eating.
"Not against all of us," Angelica replied.
"With some added super power for her divorce," Alexander said.
Angelica knew exactly what that meant and narrowed her gaze on Alexander, the troublemaker. "You told her about Burr?" I knew he was too damn interested in the divorce to stay out of it.
Alexander smiled. "Called him with her right there. He's in." He gave her a thumbs up, even though he was all too aware she wanted to punch him in his handsome face.
"Alexander, you know how Angelica feels about Burr," Eliza said, giving him a reprimanding look that he saw too often in his life for it to have any effect.
"Yes, but Angelica doesn't completely hate Jefferson, so her judgment is impaired," he replied.
"Only you would give your frienemy work," Peggy said.
"Burr isn't even a divorce attorney," Angelica said.
"He dabbles, like I do, and he's good. We all know he's a better lawyer than me," Alexander replied.
"I think it depends," Angelica said, but it did not matter. He already sold Burr to Maria. I really don't want to have to put up with him.
"I don't think it does. I think Alexander just continues to carry around a weird crush over Burr from when he went to Princeton," Peggy said. That was probably true, too, and explained why Alexander could not quit Burr, even though it was more and more apparent that Burr was annoyed with Alexander, and not in the lovable way.
"I don't have a crush on Burr. Can we get back to making fun of Angelica?" Alexander pointed at her with both index fingers.
Peggy clapped her hands together. "You have a point, good sir!" And she started up again.
Despite it all, dinner went well. The food was delicious as was the wine and the dessert. Her sisters got along with Maria and she got along with them. That was perfection.
-8-8-8-8-
It was after midnight when Angelica and Maria entered the condo. Maria was pressed against her and she would not have it any other way, even though it was because Maria was exhausted. She was also happy to help Maria out of her clothes and they fell into bed in their underwear. Maria curled around her as she pulled the sheet over them.
"I like your sisters," Maria said with a yawn.
"I generally like them, but not today," Angelica replied. They had spent all night making fun of her.
Maria laughed. "You're all adorable. Do you know you guys all sing your names? Like you're that happy to see each other, be around each other."
"We do?" Angelica never noticed. "We do enjoy each other's company all the time." She loved them to death and loved them all the more for accepting her.
"That's beautiful. You will spend more time with them, won't you?"
"I will. They want to come over here from now on. Is that all right with you?"
"It's your condo."
Angelica gave her a squeeze around her shoulders. "But, it's our home. You live here as much as I do."
Maria kissed her. "Thank you for that. I don't mind if they come over. They seem nice enough. So, what's your deal with Aaron Burr? Alexander sang his praises."
"He's a great lawyer, but a terrible person. Alexander likes to ignore that sometimes and pretend they're friends. But, if he's willing to handle your divorce, you're probably in good hands. He's not unprofessional and he really is an amazing lawyer."
"That's good. He sounded nice on the phone. He's confident in my divorce."
"And Alexander's confident in James' eventual arrest." Angelica looked forward to that. And, from the way Alexander told it, he did as well. Alexander also believed there was much more to uncover, so it was possible for James to be going away for a long time.
"And we've been able to go outside on dates." Maria sounded elated by that.
"And my sisters know about us and like you." Angelica could not wait to have her sisters around Maria more often.
"Life is pretty good."
"Yes, it is." Angelica kissed Maria's forehead.
Maria relaxed against Angelica and she watched Maria fall asleep with such ease. She wanted to make sure Maria got to sleep that easy as often as possible. And she wanted Maria to fall asleep against her like this every night it seemed like something they would both work for. Angelica looked forward to putting in that work.
-8-8-8-8-
The End.
Thank you to everyone that read this story. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm returning to my padded cell now, but I'll be back in a little while (with a sequel to this). Check me out on Facebook and P treon (SL Kassidy) or on Tumblr (Slunatic). If you want, you can find my books on Amazon, also under SL Kassidy. For now, I'm heading back to my padded room.