Hey guys! Thanks for all your lovely reviews on the last chapter :). Sorry this one took so long to finally publish but I had no idea where exactly I wanted to go with this until I had rewritten it about four times. I hope you guys enjoy!

There's no way Heidi had been right about the corset. If anything, Theodosia was having a more difficult time breathing. Although, she thought, maybe that had less to do with the corset and more to do with the devilishly handsome boy who had a hand wrapped around her waist. No, not handsome. Hellish. Sleazy. Inappropriate. Rude. She could think of any number of things that Philip Hamilton was other than handsome.

"For the 'daughter of a prominent politician', Teddy, your steps sure are rusty." Philip taunted, referring to the two times Theodosia had stepped on his feet within the first ten steps of the dance.

"Maybe it's simply that I'm not used to dancing with men who have such big feet." A second later, she quickly added, "And don't call me Teddy. I'm a grown woman."

"Well, I'm sure you know as well as I do what they say about men with big feet," he leaned in and whispered in her ear with hot breath, "Teddy."

Her cheeks immediately inflamed, and she was sure her mouth was hanging open. He flashed her a rather brilliant smile. He knew his effect on her. She tried to step away, but his grasp on her waist was tight. Oh God, her heart was beating fast, and she was sure she was going to faint right there on the dance floor and create her very own scandal. A giant lump formed in her throat and, for a minute, she might have forgotten how to speak.

"You forget yourself, Philip." Her eyes bore holes into his.

"Big shoes." He said simply, before twirling her.

"What?" Now she was truly confused.

"Men with big feet have big shoes. And socks, but I figured that goes without saying. Goodness, Teddy, what were you thinking about?" He made his eyes look as innocent as a child's but his smile was hellish as always.

"The same as you." She replied sheepishly. Then with a renewed sense of confidence she glared back at him. "And I told you not to call me Teddy."

"Why not?" he shrugged. Before Theodosia could grace him with an answer, Philip bent her down in a daring dip. She found all of her breath escaping her and he looked down into her eyes. As rude and rakish as he was, there was no denying that he was handsome. He pulled her back up and pulled her flush against his chest and she could feel the warmth there.

"Because," she said, taking a moment to look around the room. The dance had ended. "I'm not a child anymore. And we are not friends."

"Oh, we're not?" Philip kept his hand resting on the small of her back as he led her to a nearby balcony. Deep down, Theodosia knew she shouldn't go outside alone with him, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. She inhaled deeply the moment she got outside.

"No, we're not." She began to rub her hands up and down her arms. For an August night, it was unusually chilly. Yet, something about Philip Hamilton had her feeling unnaturally warm.

"Perhaps you're right. Maybe we're not. Just friends." he waggled his eyebrows and stepped closer to her. It wasn't until he was nearly on top of her that Theodosia knew what it was about Philip that had her so flustered. His breath reeked of alcohol and he had been trying to charm her all night. Presumably so he could get into bed with her – she'd seen enough scandals to know how he wanted this evening to end. He had hidden it well though – she would have never known had he not gotten so close to her.

"No, you're right, Philip. We're not friends. Nothing of the sort. In fact, I find myself quite repulsed by you at the moment." She spun on her heels and attempted to walk away.

"Oh, come on! Don't be such a prude!" he shouted. She turned back and glared at him, warning him not to make a scene. But he stumbled over to her and she figured all the alcohol he must have drank earlier in the evening was finally catching up to him. She'd seen it happen to her father and his friends – they would begin drinking early in the evening in mass quantities and they would seem normal for a while until the effect of their drinking hit them all at once. Theodosia could leave the room for a minute and come back to a roaring drunk group of men. "Theodosia," he purred once he reached her, "Let me tell you, you are a sight for sore eyes."

"Just not your sore eyes." She deflected. In an attempt to escape, she kept walking backwards towards the ballroom but he kept sauntering after her.

"Come on," he said, "Why are you so tense? Let's say you and I go back to my house - I'd loosen you right up." He winked and quickly slid his arm around her waist.

Her hand came up reflexively, striking his left cheek hard enough so cause a stinging sensation in her own hand.

"What the hell!" he shouted, bringing his hand up to nurse his red cheek.

"You stay away from me, Philip Hamilton!" she shouted back. Her eyes were stinging with tears of anger and embarrassment. He'd been trying to play her this whole night and, like an utter fool, she let him. Like every other little girl in New York, she had almost fallen right into his trap. She turned around to reenter the ballroom only to see half of the guests staring her way and whispering behind their hands. She had caused a scandal. With the most scandalous boy in New York.

.

Even in his inebriated state, Philip knew he was the biggest idiot this side of New York. Hell, this side of the Atlantic even. What the hell had he been thinking? He rubbed his temples. After years of friendship, be them though in the past, one would have thought that he knew Theodosia better than to insinuate that they "go back to his house". God damn, this evening was not turning out the way he had planned. Not that he planned to seduce Theodosia Burr. Far from it, actually. He had planned to stay sober all night and dance with Theodosia to keep him out of trouble. The plan would have worked wonderfully, he mused, if only he hadn't drank rather profusely beforehand. But, in his defense, he hadn't just been drinking for the hell of it. Just as he entered the ball room, he saw an old flame of his, Margret Rice, dancing with one of his friends from college. They whispered to each other for a bit, before disappearing down a hallway with a look on their faces that Philip knew all too well. That's when he drank. He couldn't remember how many glasses he'd drank when he saw Theodosia across the ballroom, but the alcohol had hit him hard enough already for him to think it would be a good idea to approach her. And then whatever it was that happened on the balcony happened. He needed a drink again. So he drank. Profusely.

He needed to sit down. Just for a little bit. But he needed to finish his whiskey first. The hostess would be so angry if he wasted her alcohol. He just wanted to sit. Where could he find a chair? He couldn't find a chair and all he wanted to do was sit down. He started walking towards the wall. There were always chairs along the wall. Something distracted him from finding a chair, because he never made it. That something was Charlotte Peterson, whose dress showed off her large bosom rather nicely. Philip had cloudy memories of her trying to sink her claws into him for some time now. They would always make eyes at each other and she usually made a point to brush soft touches along his arms and legs when they would pass each other.

"Philip Hamilton," she purred, similar to the tone he took with the ladies, "I've been looking for you."

"I just need a chair I want a chair." he said, falling backwards a bit. She pulled him forward, and he ran his hand clumsily through her hair.

"I know a place where you can… relax." She whispered in his ear, shamelessly fingering the waistband of his trousers right there in the middle of the ballroom. "How does my empty house sound?"

"Mmm," he smiled his age-old smile. He knew exactly where this was going. This was better than sitting down. "I would like that, yes." He swayed a little bit but stayed on his feet. He saw Charlotte's luscious mouth move, but he didn't quite comprehend what she said. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was worried that his family would notice him missing, but when he caught sight of the clock he was relieved to know that they already left. They made their way to Charlotte's coach and rode the short way to her father's house.

"Here we are, Philip." She said, removing herself from his lap after giving him one last kiss. She began to pull Philip up the stairs to her house, but he had to take a moment to breathe, so that he not vomit on her gown. As he bent down to relax, he saw the Burr family coach stop at their house across the street and he watched as Aaron Burr and Theodosia exited ever so calmly. Neither of them saw Philp and Charlotte.

"Come on now, don't keep me waiting." Charlotte purred as she pulled Philip in by the lapels of his coat. The night had only just begun.

There was a hand on his chest. A warm, female hand. On his naked chest. And he was not in his own bed. Normally, that would make Philip ecstatic. But his head was pounding. And he had to vomit. Now. Luckily, he found a bin under the bed just in time. He leaned over the edge of the bed and emptied the contents of his stomach into the bin and the sound of his retching seemed to wake up his female companion. She groaned tiredly and stretched languidly. It was then that Philip turned to see Charlotte Peterson gazing up at him from under hooded lashes. Bits and pieces of memory from the night before began to flood his head. Like a grand ass, he had tried to persuade Theodosia Burr to sleep with him. When she refused, rather violently, he began to drink. Sometime after that he had gone home with Charlotte and slept with her. More than once. His head was spinning and he reached for the bin so he could retch again.

"What happened last night?" He already knew the answer, but it was the only thing he could think to say. He turned toward Charlotte and saw that she was only half wrapped in the sheet, exposing half of her naked body. He quickly turned back around.

"Oh, what," she pouted, "You don't remember? I do." She sat up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing her naked chest to his back. She moved to kiss his neck and he flinched. His head was pounding. He was not about to start out his morning with one more bad decision.

"Oh, Charlotte, you know, I'd really love to, but I have to get home." He nudged her off of him and stood up. He was completely naked. He ran his fingers through his hair and began collecting his wrinkled clothes from the floor and putting them on. Charlotte just sat on her bed, wrapped back up in her sheet.

"Well," he began once he was fully clothed in his suit from the night before, "We should definitely do this again some time." He nodded at her halfheartedly and left her alone in her room.

He remembered her saying last night that her father and mother were in Boston for the week, so he walked down the halls of her house without his usual morning-after caution. It didn't take him long to find her front door, but when he looked at the grand clock in in the corner, he hesitated before going outside. It was half past noon. Half of New York would be out already. If anybody saw him walking out of her house like this, his father would definitely hear about it. Better now than never, though, he thought. He opened the door and stepped outside into the blinding sunlight that did not agree with his hellish hangover. The first thing he saw after stepping outside was Theodosia Burr sitting on her porch with a cup of tea and a book.

.

The sight of Philip Hamilton stumbling out of Charlotte Peterson's house in last night's suit was unmistakable. Theodosia was immediately filled with contempt at the sight. Of course, since he couldn't get her into bed, he went after the much easier catch. She set her jaw and took a sip of tea, trying not to pay attention to him. But when she looked back up, he was staring right at her. When their eyes met, his face went white and he nervously rubbed the back of his head. By the look on his face, she could tell he remembered what happened between them the night before and he wasn't exactly happy with himself. She lifted her hand and waved at him with a feminine wiggle of her fingers, a grand smile on her face. He offered back a weak smile and shoved his hands in his pockets before hurrying down the street towards his house. Theodosia closed her book and headed inside.

.

There were about five seconds of solitude when Philip came home before his sister appeared in front of him, shouting all kinds of incoherent things and causing his headache to pound harder and harder. He put his hand up in an attempt to silence her for a moment and he slumped down on the chair in the corner.

"Where in the world were you last night?" she asked, eying his disheveled suit.

"I stayed with a friend, Angie." He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she would disappear.

"A friend?" she mused, poking a spot on his neck where he could only assume Charlotte had left a mark.

"Let it go, will you?" he swatted her hand away and stood up. Too fast. He started to sway and black spots began invading his vision. He clutched the back of the chair to steady himself. Before he could make it halfway to the staircase, Angelica called him over again.

"Wait, Philip!" she called, much too loudly, "I'm supposed to go downtown with Theodosia today, but her father can't chaperone anymore and Papa doesn't want us to be alone. Can you come?" She grabbed his sleeve and he looked down to see her big, begging eyes. He sucked in a breath at her request. An entire day with Theodosia was at the very top of his list of activities to avoid at the moment. And he doubted she wanted to see him either.

"Sorry, Angie, I can't. I, uh, I'm really feeling sick." He excused weakly. He started to walk up the stairs.

"Well, hold on," his mother's all-knowing voice floated in from the dining room, "Philip I think an afternoon with the girls is a lovely idea, especially since Mr. Burr can't make it." She looked him up and down with that disapproving look she tended to give him whenever he caused a scandal. As she glanced back up, her eyes caught and narrowed at the sight of the mark that Angelica had noticed only moments before. His hand reflexively flew up to cover it, only causing his mother to raise her eyebrows to a seemingly impossible height. "Plus," she added with a slight smirk, "Some sunlight will help you feel better. Why don't you freshen up and meet your sister back here when you've finished. He opened his mouth to protest but she interrupted him. "And pick up some of that tea I enjoy, will you?" That was his mother's way of saying that the subject was closed. He was accompanying his sister and Theodosia downtown for a "ladies day".

The walk to the Burr home seemed much longer with a hangover. The whole way there, Angelica prattled on about what she planned on doing downtown.

"I really just need some day dresses. I'll be sixteen next month, you know, so I'll need to look like a woman." She placed her hands on her hips and lifted her chin.

"You don't need to look like a woman just yet." He grumbled. The thought of young men vying for his younger sister's attention was not at all appealing to him.

"You're such a hypocrite, Phil." She punched his arm playfully. He knew she was right – the double standard was unfair, but that didn't make him any more at ease with the idea.

When they approached the house, Philip let Angelica walk up the steps first but she turned to look at him, expecting him to knock on the door. He hesitated a moment, but knocked loudly before stepping back quickly. Aaron Burr himself opened the door, offering Angelica a warm smile and giving Philip a hard glance.

"Mr. Burr," Philip greeted.

"Sir." Burr made no movement to invite them, but instead continued to glare at Philip. The harsh reality was that Philip couldn't tell if he knew what had happened last night between him and his daughter; Aaron Burr never seemed to like Philip. If he did know, though, his father surely would as well by the end of the day.

"I, um, I am here to accompany Ms. Theodosia and my sister downtown." When Burr failed to move or make a sound, Philip added, "We can wait outside if you wish."

"No," he looked over at Angelica, "Please come in. Theodosia will be down shortly." Philip hadn't been inside the house in years, so he followed Angelica to the parlor where they sat in silence for a few minutes before they heard Theodosia coming down the stairs.

The very first thing he noticed about her when she entered the parlor was how unhappy she looked to see him. Her eyes narrowed and he noticed her jaw set. After fiddling with her fingernails for a moment, she rubbed her palms along the sides of her dress. He stood when she entered, but she quickly looked away from him and walked over to Angelica and embraced her.

"Philip," she said slowly, "I did not expect you to be here." The way she ended the sentence made it seem like she had more to say but she thought better of herself when she noticed Angelica quirk her brow with curiosity.

"Since your father is busy today, Angelica asked me to accompany you both downtown." He placed a hand on Angelica's shoulder in an attempt to ground himself.

"And I see you graciously accepted her invitation. Was no one else available?" Her question was nowhere out of the ordinary, but Philip could tell she was not referring to the afternoon's activities, but rather those from the night before. He knew she had seen him leave Charlotte's house this morning and he was sure she was angry about how he treated her the night before. Why wouldn't she be? Hell, even he knew he'd been an ass. Which was a miracle.

"Yes," he bowed in response, "I was delighted with the invitation." Angelica snorted behind him and he brought his foot back to kick her softly in the shin. "It would be my pleasure to chaperone you ladies."

Theodosia was never one to be dramatic, but the ghost of Philip Hamilton was haunting her. At least, that's what it seemed like by the way he failed to speak a word and walked behind her and Angelica the whole way downtown. Sure, she was angry with him, but his attempts to make things less awkward between them only served to elevate tension between the three of them. Well, perhaps just the two of them – Angelica hardly seemed to notice. She was more interested in buying "womanly" dresses and sought Theodosia's "expertise".

"This is where you go, isn't it Theodosia?" Angelica asked, stopping at the door to the modiste's shop that Theodosia liked to frequent. She was fond of the rich colors and fabric offered there. And the modiste herself, Madame Mesnier, was a magician with dresses. She could make a simple day dress seem like something out of a storybook.

"Yes, shall we go in?" Before she was even done with her question, Angelica flung the door open and raced inside, leaving Theodosia and Philip outside.

"After you." He mumbled, holding the door opened. Theodosia nodded peaceably and walked inside holding her hand on the door to keep it open for Philip as well.

The trio was graciously received at the modiste's shop. Apparently, Madame was an old friend of Elizabeth Schuyler's and she was delighted to see two of her children in her store.

"Ah, bonjour, Theodosia," she greeted, kissing her on both cheeks, "Have you and your friend come for a dress?"

"Non, madame, pas moi. Just my friend, Angelica." She gestured towards Angelica who curtsied in response.

"As lovely as your namesake, you are," Madame Mesnier replied, embracing Angelica and kissing both of her cheeks as well.

The three followed her into the fitting room where Theodosia helped Angelica pick out fabrics and colors that complimented her hair, skin, and eyes. While discussing fabrics and designs, Theodosia noticed a side to Philip that she had never seen before. Ever the doting brother, Philip continued to tell his sister that she would look lovely in any fabric and that "he should know, being very reliable with the ladies". Normally, the statement would have cast a sneer across Theodosia's face, but she couldn't help but smile. She and Philip both took a seat on the couch in the fitting room while Angelica was measured.

"How was college?" Theodosia asked him, looking straight ahead. She hated the thick silence that enveloped the room, but she didn't want to open anything up to too much conversation.

"It was fine." He replied slowly between a fit of surprised coughs. She glanced over at him and saw that he was also staring straight ahead.

"Fine?" she prompted. In front of them, Angelica erupted in a fit of laughs.

"Oh Philip loves to sell himself short." She said in that just-too-loud voice she used when she didn't want to forget to say something. "He did more than fine. He graduated at the top of his class and is a hell of a poet." She lifted her chin and smiled down at them. Anyone in the room could tell just how much she idolized her big brother. But Angelica's glowing praise wasn't what caught Theodosia's attention.

"Poet?" She turned to Philip and saw his cheeks glow red with embarrassment. "You didn't study law?"

"Oh well, no, I-"

"Well Papa wanted him to because that's what he did," Angelica interrupted, "But all Philip wanted to do was write. I mean, he did study law, but that wasn't his primary focus." She sat still for a minute to avoid getting pricked with pins before excitedly adding, "Oh Philip! You should read Theodosia one of your poems!"

Philip choked on the breath he had just taken and was consumed by a series of coughs. Theodosia smiled at his nervousness; this was far from the Philip she had interacted with in the past year. She wondered where this one had been hiding.

"Oh, no, you know, I can't." he said in a strained tone. "I don't have any with me at the moment. I suppose it will have to wait until another time." His attempt to close the subject backfired, though, as Angelica took the initiative to then invite Theodosia over sometime to hear Philip's poetry. "You really don't have to." Philip laughed nervously at Angelica's request.

"Oh, no, that's perfectly fine." Theodosia said, turning to face him with a smile, "I'd love to hear one sometime."

I hope you guys enjoyed :) Expect a little bit of time skip for in the next chapter. Reviews are appreciated :)

~Courteney