When Alexander, John, and Philip join James and Thomas the following morning, it is clear that the latter two have slept very pleasantly, which is a surprise given what can be suggested to have taken place the previous night.

"You!" Philip shouts suddenly. "You did this to me! To this whole town!"

"Philip, I-" Thomas begins, and it is evident that Thomas is truly torn up by Phillip's reaction.

"No! I don't want to hear it!" Philip interrupts.

Luckily, Alexander jumps in. "Philip, I promise you, Thomas didn't wish harm on anyone. He has struggled his whole life and done some questionable things. But he has changed now, and I assure you that the only thing he talked about during our trip was you and his love for you as well as sincere remorse for his actions."

This is not, strictly speaking, true, but there is enough truth involved that it serves its purpose.

Philip still looks skeptical, but he clearly decides to trust Alexander and forgive Thomas, likely owing in part to Thomas's genuine concern for him since his adoption.

Philip steps over to hug Thomas and welcome him into their group, and Alexander smiles as he does so. He has been responsible for the birth of an amazing child, but the credit for making him so in terms of raising him definitely goes to Thomas.

Suddenly, there is a loud banging on the doors of City Hall.

Alexander moves to answer it. When he opens the door, several people pause in their banging to view him.

"Oh! Mr Hamilton! The savior! Our savior!" They exclaim.

At that moment, Thomas steps into the entryway to see who is at the door.

Seeing him seems to reignite the anger of the crowd outside the door. "That's him! Get him!"

They struggle against Alexander, who blocks them from entering. He understands why they are angry and subsequently why they are at the door.

"Dear citizens, I assure you that although your mayor may have deceived you, he repents his actions." Alexander begins.

"How can we trust him? Look what he did to us!" The crowd continues shouting.

"I understand. But I promise you, Philip was in danger and Thomas was quick to step up and sacrifice himself for Philip's safety. I trust him completely." Alexander continues.

"Me too." Philip steps up in support of Thomas.

The crowd softens. "Well, you are the savior, Mr Hamilton. So we will take your word for it. Welcome back, Mr Jefferson."

"Thank you all so much. I cannot thank you enough for accepting me back." Thomas enters the hallway in earnest, his arm interlocked with James's.

The public still looks apprehensive, and glances back at Alexander and Philip were still strongly holding the positions that they've made clear before. Reassured that Alexander and Philip don't intend to take back their words, the citizens relax slightly and seem to accept Thomas, although likely not in the leadership capacity of mayor that he possessed before.

Satisfied with this turn of events, Alexander turns back to the crowd and calls one name out loudly.

"Aaron Burr!"

The crowd parts to allow Aaron to step forward, and though Aaron still looks upset at Thomas he is evidently more confused.

"Thank you everyone! Your concern is appreciated! Any further questions can be addressed to us on Wednesday during a City Hall meeting. Have a wonderful day!" Alexander shouts to the rest of the citizens, who grumble a bit before beginning to disperse.

"Please come inside," Alexander offers Aaron, who obliges before Alexander carefully shuts the door behind him.

A/N: Shorter chapter in anticipation of wrapping up. About three chapters to go! Thank you for reading! Reviews are appreciated! Happy Holidays to everyone!

-HamiltonAsparagus