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Jefferson's p.o.v

James is waiting for me when me and Washington get back.

That's right, I've asked Washington to come back with me to the dorm. If I am going to tell James, I want backup. I don't know why. Maybe I'm just an idiot. I don't know.

"Why were you at the hospital?" he begs as soon as I open the door, launching himself at me. There are the ghosts of tears on his cheeks, and I feel guilty as I hug him back. Washington hangs off to the side. "Why did you lie to me?"

I pull away, looking to the ground. His voice is trembling, and tears come to my eyes as I think of my horrible fate. How will he react? Will he leave me? Washington has come forward now, and I can see him shaking James' hand out of the corner of my eyes. I shut them.

James is leading me into the living room now, sitting me down on the couch. I open my eyes again. James is looking at me with concern, and Washington is standing in front of us. Looking around this dorm I know so well, our double bed, sofa and TV in one room and a microwave, portable cooker and mini-fridge in the other, my mind wanders. It's small and cosy, but I like it. There are books and tissues strewn all over the floor, and I feel embarrassed that Washington had to see the dorm in the such a state.

Washington is talking now, but I'm blocking it out. I know what he's saying. I hear James gasp, and I close my eyes again.

"Tommy? Is this true?" he says. He sounds... broken. Just broken. I hesitate. "Because if this is a joke, I swear I won't speak to you for a week."

"It's true."

My voice is weak and quiet, barely audible, but it's there. Tears fall onto my cheeks, and James' arms are around me, I can hear him crying into my shoulder, Washington's trying to be comforting, it's all too loud, too overwhelming... I push James off of me and run out, all the way down the corridor to the communal bathroom and lock the door, crying the entire time, loud, ugly sobs that are too noticeable to be ignored. A few people have stuck their heads out of their doors, including Alexander Hamiltrash. Great. That's just what I need right now. Publicity.

There's a soft knock at the door. Not James, he knocks hard and loud so he can be heard. The sound is further up, too far for him, or anyone I know, for that matter, to reach. Washington, then. Great. Wonderful. Just fan-diddly-dastic.

"Son, come out," Washington's gentle, deep voice comes. It's soothing, in a way. Maybe that's why he's such a good oncologist. It's all in the voice, isn't it?

"What's wrong with him?" Hamilton calls from the end of the corridor. There are more footsteps, and I hear someone kneel down at the door. I curl into a tighter ball.

"Mon ami," the voice says. It is heavily tinted with a French influence- I'm sure the language gave it away- and I know immediately that it is Lafayette, my French cousin. He's over here to study. "Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas? [What's wrong?]"

"Oh Laf, c'est horrible, tellement horrible, je ne peux pas te le dire ici, mais c'est mauvais, vraiment mauvais! [Oh Laf, it's awful, so awful, I can't tell you here, but it's bad, really bad!]" I sob, finally reaching up and unlocking the door. Laf rushes in and cradles me in his arms, letting me cry myself dry. I can feel everyone's eyes on me, but I'm in too much pain, both emotional and physical to care. Yeah, all this crying is really taking its toll on my chest. It hurts like hell, it's all tight and I'm gasping a little to breathe. Washington helps us up and back into my dorm, waving off the questions from the onlookers. Laf promises his boyfriend, Hercules Mulligan (James' cousin, actually) that he'll be back soon. The door closes.

James is stood in the middle of the living room/bedroom, his face in his hands. He's shaking, I can see. Laf looks from me, to James, to Washington and then back to me again. He seems scared.

"What's going on?" he asks in slightly broken English.

Washington tells him.

His mouth hangs open in shock, much like mine did. He looks just like me, he really does, except his hair is drawn into a messy bun. Herc looks like James, just taller. Much taller.

"Ma cousine... [My cousin...]" he says, his voice hushed. I nod shakily, unable to stop trembling. James shuffles a little in his spot, a little further towards me. "You need to tell Tante [Aunt] Jane and Oncle [Uncle] Peter."

They're my parents. I shake my head, biting my lip. He asks me why. I just shake my head.

"Look, I have to go," Washington says as he checks his watch. He hands me a small piece of card. "Call me if you need anything, anything at all."

And then he's gone. The door closes, and I am alone with my two closest friends, scratch that, closest human beings I know.

"Oh baby," James finally says, bringing his face out of his hands. I take one look at him and burst into tears like a big ol' baby. He comes over and wraps his arms around me, and we just stand like that for a while, savouring each other's touch whilst we still could. Laf is sitting on the couch on his phone, texting someone. Then he puts the phone to his ear.

I get scared again.

James and I let each other go for all of 2 seconds whilst we sit down. My legs are tired, much like the rest of me. Then he pulls me onto his lap and lets me rest my head on his shoulder. I yawn.

Laf holds out his phone. It's on speaker.

"Tommy?"

I almost fall off of James' lap when I hear my mother's soft Virginian accent. She sounds upset, like she's crying.

"Yeah, Ma?" I reply in a small voice.

"Is what your cousin tells me true?" she asks. Her voice is shaking.

"Y-yes."

She lets a small scream slip, and I think I can hear her dropping the phone. There's just sobbing noises for a few seconds before there are hurried footsteps. Muffled voices, and then I hear my father.

"Tom," he manages to say before he starts crying as well. My father never crys. Never. This, actually, is the first time I've heard him cry. It's terrifying, and only reinforces my worst fears. "My son... oh my God, we're coming up to New York as soon as we can. Tonight."

"It's a 7-and-a-half hour drive, Dad," I sniffle. "Come in the morning."

"We're coming now," he answers. "We want to be with you."

That starts me off crying again. Both my mother and my father are shushing me soothingly, telling me that it's all going to be okay. I can hear my 17-year-old sister Martha asking what's going on. I think Randolph, my brother, who's 16, is there as well. Oh look, there's Lucy (22), Peter (15), Elizabeth (Lizzy, 13), Mary (10), Peter (7), Jane (6) and even little 4-year-old Anna. Mum tells Peter to take the younger ones out. She says that she'll tell him and Lizzy later. They're telling my siblings now. They gasp, and there's more crying.

"Hey, little bro," a new voice says. It's Lucy, the only one older than me. Even her voice is sodden with tears.

"Hey, big sis," I reply, wiping my nose on my sleeve.

We talk for a few minutes, recalled the good, the bad, the ugly, all the memories from our childhood together. She's coming up tomorrow. In fact, everyone except Mary, little Peter, Jane and Anna are coming. They're going to Grandma's.

They say they're leaving in an hour. I thank them, wish them a safe journey. Laf takes his phone back, gives me a hug and heads back to his dorm, still looking as if he's in shock.

Me and James lie together on our bed, wondering how we're going to get through this.

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Maybe I'm a mean person. Idk. This is gonna have like 5 or 6 parts, though. Also, I will take requests as break chapters. Go as nice or as angsty as you like, but no smut. I'll do stuff like rape, but it won't be explicit, only suggestive. Hope you enjoyed!