"Alright, Aaron." Thomas begins, having cottoned on to Alexander's plan.
"I don't want to talk to you. I don't trust you!" Aaron says suddenly.
Thomas sighs, an unimaginable amount of sadness contained in that one sound.
Alexander takes his cue to speak, rightly guessing that Aaron will be more willing to hear him out. "We know that the curse caused you to lose all memory of your family, so we want to reunite you with them."
Thomas privately takes note that Alexander carefully avoids pinning blame for the curse on him specifically, although said fact is well-known among all those present. He appreciates and silently thanks Alexander for this omission.
Alexander is evidently equally aware, and takes a moment to smile at Thomas before continuing the conversation.
"Do you remember them? Remember where they live? Who they are?" Alexander presses.
Aaron places his fingers on his temples in thought, trying very hard to remember.
Suddenly, his face takes on a bright color, as though a lightbulb has lit his face from the inside. "I do!" He exclaims.
"They are both named 'Theodosia' and I love them dearly. I can't place exactly how long it has been since I saw them last." Aaron looks pointedly at Thomas during his last sentence.
Thomas looks slightly wounded, but a small pat on the arm from James brings a weak but clearly effort-using smile to his face.
"Excellent!" John remarks, his first words, to Thomas's knowledge, since awakening from his unconsciousness under the curse the previous afternoon. "Let's go find them, shall we?"
It is evident based on the conversation, but John is making a commendable effort to redirect the topic to one of action to assist Aaron rather than well-placed hurtful words.
Thomas turns backwards and addresses the wall. "James, please….?"
Thomas suddenly clams up, realizing that James is here with him and consequently no longer on the wall to obey his every command.
Alexander calls for a guard instead, since he has seen several guards around the building in the previous two days. The guard comes in quickly, which is further proof that Alexander has gained a position of authority after the curse was broken the previous day.
"Find the home of Theodosia Burr." Alexander commands. "We wish to return Mr Aaron Burr here to his family."
"Right away, sir." The guard agrees before hurrying away to comply with Alexander's request.
"Please have some refreshments." James offers cordially, and both Thomas and Alexander are slightly surprised at how well-tuned James's hosting skills, having been locked in a mirror for many years.
James brushes it away and simply lifts a cup to his lips.
X
A few minutes later, the guard returns with the information requested by Alexander.
He gives them the address and then writes it on a piece of paper as is customary when giving addresses.
Alexander, Thomas, and Aaron thank him profusely before scrambling up to get their coats and scarves.
"Let's go quickly!" Aaron is reasonably impatient given his excitement and the reason for it.
Alexander, John, Thomas, James, and Philip oblige him, and within a couple of minutes, they set out.
X
"Hello?" Aaron knocks politely on the door.
There is no answer, but the house looks reasonably occupied, so Alexander isn't too concerned that they have the wrong address.
After a minute or two, Alexander becomes slightly impatient, more because of the situation's awkwardness than anything else.
He means to knock more heavily, but he missteps while walking to the door and ends up kicking it and then falling into it.
The door falls open, and there's a soft thud from somewhere inside the house.
It is in Alexander's mind that it may have been prudent not to bang the door open as though they are police who have kicked the door down during an investigation, but it is too late now.
As the group nears the room from which a thud was previously heard while trying to appear as non-frightening as possible, since the residents are likely already on edge from the door being banged open, two women appear from inside holding up their hands in surrender.
They drop their guard as soon as their eyes land on Aaron.
"Aaron!" The taller woman, who Alexander presumes to be Theodosia Sr., exclaims, swinging her arms around his neck.
"Daddy!" The younger girl shouts, wrapping her arms around Aaron's knees.
Both of them look unimaginably happy to a degree that Alexander has seen only a few times before.
He glances over at Thomas, who is looking away in shame, a blush crawling up his neck and into his face.
Theodosia Sr. kisses Aaron before walking over and slapping Thomas in the face. Her hand leaves an imprint on his cheek.
Thomas doesn't flinch at all, which only serves to make Alexander even more sorry for him, imagining the abuse that must have placed him in the habit of expecting and receiving pain.
"How dare you show your face here? After what you did to him?" Theodosia shouts at Thomas while gesturing at Aaron.
"Please accept my sincerest apologies. I made a dreadful mistake and I have tried and will continue trying to resolve it." Thomas offers.
"I don't think so! Not after so many years!" Theodosia yells.
Alexander decides that it is time to step in. "Mrs. Burr, I understand how you are feeling. I had my husband and son nearly taken from me recently and I felt much the same as you do. But I promise you that Mr. Jefferson is making a valiant effort to correct his mistake."
The misfortune of John and Philip is also at the hands of Thomas, but Alexander decides that does not serve the purpose or situation and thus opts not to include that information.
Theodosia doesn't look entirely convinced, but she has partially softened. She gets the best final proof possible.
"Mrs. Burr, my father is really sorry. He worked really hard to get me back when I was cursed." Philip chimes in.
Thomas visibly straightens at being mentioned as Philip's father, which is true. Despite Alexander being his birth father, the real childrearing is all Thomas's work. The entire statement Philip has made is correct, not a single bent truth, which is more than can be said for Alexander's part.
It would be almost comical, if the subject at hand was not so serious, that Theodosia's face softens almost like the way it is seen in movies. The tension fades out of her forehead first, followed by her eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, and then chin.
Philip steps forward to embrace her and Theodosia Jr. They lean into the hug, and the tension is officially broken.
Theodosia Sr. seems to find Thomas unobjectionable any further - or at least not in a way displayed through her actions - and she invites the five guests to join her on the sofa. She does not apologize to Thomas, and Thomas simply shrugs at James, understanding that he deserved that slap.
Alexander has noticed that about Thomas. He always knows when he is in the wrong and accepts it, which cannot be said for everyone and therefore earns him some points in Alexander's mind, although not everyone goes around cursing entire towns - or anyone, for that matter.
Following some refreshments and polite conversation, the five guests stand to take their leave, thanking the Theodosias again and apologizing for the inconvenience.
Theodosia even nods civilly at Thomas, which is an improvement, technically speaking.
Aaron thanks them again, and it is undeniably endearing how close he is to his family, even after so many years apart.
John and James steer Alexander and Thomas out the door, as the latter two are extremely awkward and sometimes struggle to keep up their manners.
"Good day!" Alexander calls behind himself as John pushes him gently out the door.
"Come on, darling. Let's go." John encourages, evidently more well-versed in his manners, surprising given his upbringing - as a pirate, funnily enough, not necessarily known for their manners in stealing from others.
Thank you, all of you. I thought that I would never see my family again. This is amazing. Aaron thinks, but by the time he opens his mouth to say so, the five of them are gone.
A/N: Apologies for rambling. I've tried to correct it as much as possible, but I'm sure some of it is still there. Two chapters left. Thank you for reading! Reviews are appreciated!
-HamiltonAsparagus