Hi it's me CreamPeach56,

This was transferred off of my friends account. Musicgirl369. Onto my new one!

I have now written the next chapter and I am excited to share it with you all. Sorry it's taken so long. I have been preoccupied with some other stories. Including Alexander's pain. The next chapter for that is nearly done. I would love to say a BIG thank you to those who have hearted and followed! It makes me extremely happy! It gave me the motivation to write this next chapter. I have more ideas planned for this story so when the chapters are out I hope you enjoy! Without further adieu. I give you chapter 2!

Chapter 2

After a while, Alexander finally reached Hercules' shop without slipping on the ice again. He could see a warm glow coming from the hearth in the corner of the store. Alexander pushed open the door and hurried inside. Hercules popped his head from the back.

"Alexander! What can I get you?" he exclaimed.

Alexander smiled and walked over to the counter.

"I need whatever jumper, jacket or coat you have," Alexander replied quickly. Hercules gave him an absurd look as if he was the craziest man alive.

"Is your coat not warm enough?! I would be boiling if I wore what you're wearing!" Hercules exclaimed.

Alexander's jaw dropped. How could he possibly think that this coat is warm enough for this weather!? Hercules rolled his eyes, with a big grin on his face. Alexander watched as Hercules hurried to the back room and returned with three coats. One was grey with a nice set of black buttons. The second coat was a black coat that was wool lined. The third was a plain brown coat, similar to Alexander's newest one. Hercules held them up in the air one at a time.

"Which one?" he asked. Alexander began shaking his head.

"I'll need more than one in this weather. I'll take them all."

Hercules looked confused for a moment before sliding them over the counter. Hercules pointed at the price. Alexander quickly pulled out his leather wallet and grabbed his money. He handed it to Hercules before putting on every coat over the one he was already wearing. Alexander felt slightly warmer wearing all the coats. He looked over at Hercules who exploded into laughter.

"You look like a giant snowball! If you wore that to the battlefield, I don't think any bullet could hit you! Maybe that will be the new fashion!" Hercules joked.

Alexander gave him a blank stare.

"Ha ha… very funny," he replied with much sarcasm. Hercules continued to laugh louder.

"Goodbye Hercules, I'm leaving now…" he sighed.

Alexander walked to the door and pulled it open. A sudden cold blast of air hit his face.

Why so cold… he thought to himself. Alexander walked out of the store, still shivering under four coats. He walked down the street thinking about why New York couldn't have temperatures more like the Caribbean. As he walked down the street he saw the silhouettes of children playing beside the fireplace in their homes, behind closed curtains. I'd love to be warm and cosy, next to a fireplace. But no… Eliza sent me out here. Alexander was snapped out of his thoughts as another cold blast of chilly wind blew into his face. He rubbed his arms for warmth as he trudged on. He walked down many more streets after visiting Hercules' store.

Eventually he came across a news stand. He hadn't read the paper and so he went to buy a copy. If he could busy himself, then maybe he would feel less cold. Alexander knew that if he returned home now, Eliza would be mad and send him out again. He never understood how he is fighting in a war, a place where everything is harsh and you have to be tough to make it through and yet at home, his own wife, his Betsey, scares him when she's mad. She seemed to know all his weak points and would use them when he wouldn't listen to her. Alexander Hamilton had survived a hurricane, yellow-fever, hunger and even a war so far, and yet his wife still scared him if she was angry enough. Alexander walked up to the small stand with a confident stride. His eyes seemed to be too focused on the news stand and didn't realise that there was another nice obvious sheet of ice in front of the news-stand. Once again Alexander felt himself slide forward. He did small circles across the ice, fortunately he was able to remain mostly balanced. Alexander was not one for skating and in his tall black boots stopping seemed impossible. Him crashing again was inevitable.

As Alexander slid across the ice in front of the busy news-stand, out of the corner of his eye he noticed a small crowd forming around him. He felt that he was speeding up. The news-stand was getting awfully close. Alexander managed to find ground without ice, just before the news-stand. There was a small patch of dirt hidden underneath the snow. He stumbled forward into the news stand. A loud bang echoed around the street. He could hear the papers drop onto the ground. As Alexander grabbed onto the tin wall of the front of the news-stand he heard people burst into laughter around him. Alexander pulled himself up off of the ground and stood up, seeing people look at him. He noticed a few people had big grins stretched across their faces. Others just looked concerned.

"This is not how anyone's day should go," he mumbled.

Alexander quickly bought the paper from an old, wrinkly man. The man smiled as he took the paper.

"You must be Colonal Hamilton," the man croaked in his raspy voice as he put the money in a small tin box.

"Yes.. yes I am."

"I see that you're no fan of the winter season then. Everyone born in New York can tell when someone is new to the winters. So where are you from?"

Alexander froze. Not from the chilling winds of the winter cold, but because of the man's specific statement.

"I… I'm from the Caribbean," he answered quickly, not wanting to say much.

The man smiled and handed Alexander a small package wrapped in some old newspaper.

"You might like this then," the man had a twinkle in his eyes as he gave it to Alexander.

"Shouldn't I pay?"

"Keep it, it's yours."

"Thank you," he replied with a warm smile, before leaving. Avoiding the looks he got from everyone, after crashing into the news-stand.

Alexander walked away still freezing and now wet from slipping on the ice for a second time. He could also feel bruises form on his back-side and feel his pride was bruised now too. He had just humiliated himself in front of a whole crowd of people! What a day. He strode down the streets for a while longer, holding on tight to the small box wrapped in the newspaper. Eventually he found a bench underneath a small leafless tree. The seat had frost crystals all over it and so he brushed them away, forgetting that he had no gloves on.

"Cold, cold, cold!" he yelped, as he pulled his hand away.

Alexander looked at his bright red hand. He pushed the small box into his pocket and then cupped both of his hands, blowing hot air from his breath to attempt to warm his freezing hands.

After a while he felt some heat return to his hands. He then pulled out the small box from his pocket. With shivering hands, he fumbled the box around, nearly dropping it in the snow. Slowly, he tore the newspaper off of the box with his stiff hands. It revealed a small cardboard box with a pressed flower inside. As he stared at the flower, hot tears began to well in his eyes. When he saw the flower, memories of old flooded his mind. The happy ones of his childhood. He recognised the small yellow-orange petals of the flower. Each one making a small flower that would have become a small bunch on one stem.

Alexander had grown up playing amongst these flowers with his brother. Before he was sick, before his mother died and before his father had left. He and his brother James, always played hide and seek in the small park not far from their shack of a house. When he was little, he would pick bunches of the flowers and bring them to his mother, Racheal. He remembered when she would hug him so tight after putting them in a small ceramic vase on the table. This flower was called the 'Yellow Cedar'. His childhood favourite. A flower that only grew in the Caribbean. It was also the flower he placed on his mothers grave when she died. He would cherish this gift from the kind man. The shrivelled flower meant so much to him. One of the most precious things he had.

Once again, the cold had taken over his body and he began shaking. He gently put the box in his pocket and stood up. Alexander noticed that the bar wasn't far off and even better, there was a fireplace inside. He could get nice and toasty inside and even get a drink from the bar while he was there. As a treat for his birthday. Every other year he didn't celebrate, but this year Eliza was persistent in doing so. Even if her idea of a birthday was sending her husband out into the freezing winter snow. So a nice sip of some french wine by the fire would be lovely.

Ok, so I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Please Heart, Follow, Review and share if you want more! :D