Chapter 2: The Capture Part 1

Alexander Hamilton considered himself a smart man, as would many others. He was also very agile for a twenty-one-year-old and an amazing marksman. He was a great soldier, through and through, so it was easy to imagine how upset he was at being trapped behind a desk. He wanted out on the field so badly, he made the biggest mistake of his life. He yelled at his commanding officer. He challenged General George Washington. It was so stupid. Washington forced him to go home, and for good reason. Alexander would definitely be dead if he stayed. Not only that but when he returned home, he found out his wife, Eliza, was almost two months pregnant. She told him about how she wrote to the General and begged him to send her husband home. He couldn't bring himself to be mad about it. He would have done the same thing.

Eliza was so convinced that she would be happy with him, regardless of what he did or who he became. She was so certain, he almost believed her. He wouldn't stop trying to make his way up in the world, but he felt he could be satisfied with whatever he, Eliza and their child would bring.

Alexander was working at a large newspaper in New York City. He wrote essays and articles about the war and the British. It wasn't the battlefield but seemed to be just as dangerous. The redcoats had gone after several journalists and writers who had openly supported the revolution. He made certain to write under a pseudonym, 'James H.' The last thing he needed was for the redcoats to find him and, by extension, Eliza.

He was in his study working on his latest essay when Eliza knocked on the door and let herself in, "Alexander?"

He smiled and stood to meet her at the door, "Yes, dearest? What is it? Is supper ready?" He took a moment to kiss Eliza's three-month pregnant stomach.

She chuckled and shook her head, "No, I got a letter from Mother. She says that Angelica, her husband, and Peggy are visiting her in Albany and she's sent a carriage. She wants us to make it before they leave."

He frowned slightly, "I'd love to Eliza, but I have wo-"

"I know you do Alexander, but everyone needs a break. Angelica and Peggy haven't seen either of us since our wedding."

He sighed and glanced back at his desk. The essay was mostly done, it just needed to be edited and given to his mail runner to give to the newspaper. He turned back to Eliza, who had a hopeful look in her eyes. He smiled gently at his wife and took her hands in his, "How about this. I'll be done with my essay by tomorrow at noon. You can go ahead tonight because I know how much you miss your sisters, and I'll meet you in Albany tomorrow night at the earliest. Does that sound good?"

Eliza thought it over for a moment before beaming up at Alexander, "It sounds wonderful. Are you sure you can make it by then?"

He chuckled and kissed her forehead, "Of course! I have the love of my wife driving me!"

She chuckled and rolled her eyes, "Well, that's that then. Oh, and supper is ready if you can tear yourself away to join me."

He laughed and closed the door to his office, "Lead the way."

Eliza was really a marvelous cook and Alexander made sure she heard it often. She always got flustered and blushed deeply and it was just so cute to watch. At moments like that, he'd wonder why someone as wonderful as Eliza agreed to marry him.

She left about half an hour after dinner, she didn't need to pack much. With a soft kiss, he helped his wife into the carriage and waved her off. He immediately got back to work on his essay, his wife and her family were waiting for him after all. It cost him a night's sleep, but he did complete his essay in record time, it was only around ten when he bound it up to take to his mail runner.

Using a mail runner may seem overly paranoid, but he didn't want Eliza put in any kind of danger. His mail runner was a young man who was barely starting college named Andrew. He was relatively average looking, other than his blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. He lived alone near the center of New York City and worked as a letter carrier. He was a good man and Alexander appreciated his help.

It only took an hour to arrive at Andrew's house and Alexander was happy with the time he was making. He might be able to make it to Albany before nine. He knocked on the door with a pleased smile on his face. The door cracked open and a pair of bright blue eyes peek out. They widened in shock at seeing him. Andrew whispered from the other side of the door, "M-mr. Hamilton?!"

Alexander blinked in surprise at the young man's behavior, he never acted like this before, "Andrew? What are yo-"

Andrew quickly yanked the door open, pulled Alexander inside and slammed the door shut. He pushed a large dresser in front of it. He turned to him with wide fearful eyes and started speaking a mile a minute.

"Mr. Hamilton, I'm so sorry! I-i don't know how this happened! They f-found out a-and they came h-here and t-they asked about y-you and- oh god! I'm s-so scared, sir! T-they're going t-to come an-"

Alexander grabbed Andrew's shoulders and shook him, "Get a hold of yourself, man!"

The blue-eyed teen swallowed and nodded, "Y-yes sir. My apologies."

"You're forgiven. Now, what on Earth is causing you to rave like a madman?"

"T-the redcoats, sir! They k-know it was y-you! I didn't tell them, I swear it!"

Alexander cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his ponytail, "... Alright. What did they ask and you tell them?"

Andrew nodded and brushed his bangs out of his eyes, "Yes, right, um. They asked where you lived and if I knew where you were now. I said that I didn't and that you wouldn't be at home. They also asked if I delivered any other letters for you. I said now. Then... They started asking about the army and the General and I don't know what they meant by any of that."

Alexander groaned, "This... This is really bad."

"Sir?"

"You're probably in a lot of danger just by me being here. I need to leave."

"But, sir, they sa-"

Andrew was cut off by a loud knock at the door. He rushed over and peaked outside. He yelped and backed away from the door, "I-it's the redcoats!"

Alexander cursed again and grabbed the younger by the arm, "Come on!"

He pulled him to the back of the house and opened a window, "Out."

Andrew eyed the makeshift exit warily, "Umm. I-i don-"

Alexander sighed and pushed Andrew out the window. He jumped out and landed next to him, "Sorry."

Before Andrew could respond, the pounding of footsteps cut him off. Alexander pulled the blonde to his feet and ran. He wasn't paying attention as to where he was going, only that he and his young friend got away. He ran through multiple streets until he saw their saving grace, the newspaper he worked for. He ran inside as quickly as possible and lounged for the nearest paper and quill. He wrote two letters as fast as physically possible. They weren't pretty, but they were legible. He placed them in envelopes, scribbled names on the front and handed both of them to Andrew.

"Listen well, Andrew. I need you to deliver these letters. Get your horse and ride to Albany as fast as possible. Don't stop and don't look back. Go to the port near there and ask around for a 'Hercules Mulligan'. When you find him, say I sent you and give him the one with his name on it. Then head for the Schuyler manor and give the other to my wife, Eliza. Stay there until I come to get you or this blows over. Do you understand?"

Andrew looked very hesitant, but nodded, "A-alright sir. I'll make sure they get where they need to go."

He smiled and patted the young man's shoulder, "Good. Now go. There's no time to lose. Go out the back."

He pushed Andrew toward the back and ran out the front door. He saw the soldiers immediately and ran in the opposite direction. He could hear them thundering after him and ran faster. He ducked into a back alley and stopped for a minute to breathe. He ran out the other side and quickly backtracked when he saw the group of soldiers hanging around. He turned and saw that the first group of soldiers was closing in. He did the only thing he could think of and ran the other way. A total of about seven redcoats tried to subdue him. He took out about three in the tussle before they pinned him down. They tied his hands behind his back and dragged him towards a prison carriage. The redcoats threw him in and locked the door. Through the cage, he saw a familiar head of blonde hair riding by on a tan horse at near top speed. He smiled briefly as the carriage started moving.