For Once We're At Peace

Chapter 12

A couple days after the Q&A session, the cast were starting to see another person amongst the regular spirits that visited them every day. This one, however, was met with a lot of hatred from practically everyone there. At least, the spirits there. The living, on the other hand? Yeah, they were quite confused about why this new spirit was met with so much hatred from the other spirits. What shocked them even more was the fact that the children seemed to know what was going on. You're probably wondering who the new spirit was. Well it was none other than General Charles Lee.

"Say, why do you guys hate Charles so much?" Neil, one of the performers in the pit, asked as he sat with Laurens in the pit one day. Laurens glanced to where Esperanza was playing with Sebastian, Lin's son, before sighing and turning back to Neil.

"It's not really my story to tell, but I know she won't say anything," Laurens said, glaring as Charles tried to get close to Esper before Thomas stepped between them, glaring harshly at the man. "You see, Charles and Ranza don't have a... good past. It was another motivation for the duel Hamilton and I had between him and Burr. Charles, uh, fooled Ranza and it didn't go too well."

"What happened?" murmured the blonde as Madison sat on the other side of him.

"To put it simply, General Charles Lee, in truth, raped Esperanza Washington-Hamilton." Laurens whispered, pulling his knees to his chest as he remembered the look on the girl's face as well as General Washington's after they had found out. Neil gasped with wide eyes before looking back at Esperanza who didn't seem to show any signs of a rape victim. "What makes it worse, is that we can't do anything for her. I've seen her sobbing before, clutching her stomach as memories of what Charles did to her replayed in her mind but I couldn't do anything because I'm dead."

"Laurens, Madison, I promise you that I will help Esperanza where the rest of the founding fathers, mothers, and children cannot physically." Neil promised as he turned to look at them both.

Madison smiled, as did Laurens. "Thank you," they thanked before they got up and headed over to where Hercules was being held back by Washington as he tried to beat up Charles.

Later that night, Neil noticed how, after the show, Esper seemed zoned out. Walking further into the girl's dressing room, he hugged her and pulled the 5'3 girl into his chest. "You're safe, Esper," he murmured, "I promise." Esper nodded, allowing the blonde musician to lead her to the couch she had in the room and just sat there in silence as she slowly fell asleep with her head on his shoulder. Neil smiled, grabbing the lilac blanket from behind them and wrapping it around the girl as Maria and George - Alexander and Esperanza's two youngest children - curled up with them. Maria had her head in her mother's lap whilst George had his in Neil's. slowly but surely the group fell asleep to the sound of calmed breathing.

William S. Hamilton watched from the doorway, a soft smile on his face before he entered and sat next to his mother, her hand finding his almost immediately. His heart swelled with hope that bloomed in his chest that she was able to see them, or at least feel them as she squeezed his hand, using it to pull him closer. "I love you, Mother," he whispered before promptly falling asleep.

"I love you too, my little Will," murmured the tired woman before she, too, lost her battle to sleep.