Hamilton One Shots

Losing Him

Requested by: MichaelaTheWordsmith
OC: Adrianna "Liza" Elizabeth

Late afternoon rolled around, with the sun slowly beginning its descent to the horizon in only a few hours time. From the warmth of their homes, people sat at their windows or talked with their families. It was similar to any other day. But what was coming wasn't the usual routine.

One man found himself on the porch of an unknown home. His fist was raised up against the wood. All he had to do was knock.

He didn't even get a chance, for the door squeaked open and surprised him. Tripping backwards a step, he met eyes with a young woman, who was little shorter in height than him. "I'm here to see-"

She abruptly replied, "Down the hall, two doors to the left." That was all she managed to say before stepping aside to let him in. The second she had opened the door, something inside her had changed. Her heart rate has increased the moment she laid eyes on him.

With his sharp jaw and lightly colored hair, she knew the man had some purpose. She almost forgot that her eyes had been following his every step as he wandered down the hall. The only thing that awoke her from thoughts of possibilities was his voice.

"I'm sorry, did we even have the chance to introduce ourselves?" The woman had no time to reply, for he was suddenly right beside her, reassuringly shaking her hand.

"John Laurens. Your father wanted to speak with me of military arrangements." He didn't let go of her hand right away. There was a sparkle in her eyes that had him mesmerized.

"You fight in the war?" As if in disbelief, she reached forward and touched his shoulder gently. It was with upmost respect for his duty that he had completed for so many. Laurens looked down at her hand and then back up.

He cleared his throat before saying, "Yes, I'm a part of the army. As a soldier, I have a duty to serve, and your father recognized that." She didn't even care to ask how he knew she was the daughter of the man he'd come to see.

"Do you have any stories about your time on he battlefield?"

Before he respond, a door down the hall opened. "Is that you, Laurens? I'd rather we get this done now, then wait for eternity. You know I have other obligations at my feet. We don't have all day."

John shook his head, looking down at the young woman. He whispered, "Many. This shouldn't take long, maybe afterward I can tell you one." He took her hand in his, briefly rubbing the soft skin.

"Pick up the pace, young man!"

Both of them glanced down the hall. John let go of her hand, ignoring her protests. Even though he promised to talk to her again, she felt like he'd forget. After multiple experiences with men, she was used to being left behind.

But again, she found herself without his hand in hers, watching as he walked down the hall.

Almost like he had read her mind, John turned on his heel. "How impolite of me. For a pretty girl, you must have an even lovelier name." His eyes twinkled in a curious way. Although he didn't know it, that was the nicest compliment she had gotten in a very long time.

"Adrianna," she half shouted back at him. A little smile cracked through as she watched him nod his head.

"Liza, it's been a pleasure." John winked knowingly before ducking into the study to follow her father. Momentarily, she felt struck with something unlike anything she'd felt before. He had given her nickname.

And they'd barely even met.

A few hours later, Adrianna found herself on the back porch of her home, sitting directly across from the man she'd only acquainted herself with two hours prior. But time had passed and they had learned more about one another.

Somehow drinking had gotten involved, it always did. Adrianna cheekily smiled as he poured her another glass. She refused to believe that her heart was pounding every time he looked at her. She refused to believe she liked the man.

However, the more Laurens rambled on and on, barely on the topic of war anymore, she felt more attracted to him. Why do you always fall for men like him, her mind sung. Maybe it was because she hadn't felt affection for a man in so long.

Whatever her heart told her, one thing was certain. Barely five minutes after letting that thought cross her mind, she found her lips attatched to the soldier's. And she wasn't really regretting anything.

Things happened almost too quickly after that encounter. One moment she was standing at the altar, the next telling her husband she was pregnant. The woman who once relied on her father for almost everything was now living a life that she had dreamed for.

"Do you have to leave?" Adrianna persisted her husband as he packed up his bags. Two weeks after she discovered they had a baby on the way, Washington had called for him to report immediately. That meant he had to leave behind his wife and unborn child.

Laurens grabbed his rifle from the wall. "Liza, there's nothing I could do to stay. The General needs my assistance. If I stayed then-"

"Our child could have a father." Her eyes filled with tears as she spoke. "Not a single mother who can barely believe the fact she's alone."

He sighed, gripping his wife's shoulders. "You shouldn't think that way. I always come back, without a bruise on me." When she didn't respond or meet his eyes, he whispered, "Look at me, please."

Adrianna crossed her arms. "But what if you don't come back? Think of our child!" He pressed his hand to her cheek, looking deeply into her hazel eyes.

How terrified she looked. Laurens gulped, managing to say, "I promise you nothing will happen to me." He picked up his bag and quickly kissed her forehead. "I love you. Don't keep up waiting for me." And another thing was pulled away from her just like that.

Two months passed. Adrianna hadn't received word from her husband. The baby was growing and it pained her more each day. All she wanted was her husband to come home and be there for her.

One late afternoon, quite like the one when they met, a letter arrived. It was the first letter she had seen in months. Adrianna ripped it open in the doorway, beaming with excitement.

The possibilities were endless. Was he returning home? Had they won? She let the pieces of the package it was carried in fall to the ground.

Skimming over the first couple of lines she suddenly realized that something was very wrong. The world began spinning around her as she read over the sentences. No.

Collapsing to the ground, Adrianna read over the enclosure again. No, her mind persisted. It couldn't be true. She told herself it wasn't.

Dead, her mind whispered. She whimpered, clutching a hand over her mouth. A cold burst of air hit her in the face. It only made her cry even harder than before.

He was gone. Adrianna crumpled up the letter in a ball of nothing, tossing it across the hall from her. She groaned and sobbed at the thought of her husband falling to the ground after being shot. Cries escaped her lips as she covered her face.

It was like nothing she had ever felt. The feeling of losing someone never seemed that significant, not until she actually knew what it felt like. What it felt like to lose someone. To lose someone who was your everything.

And by everything, there was nothing left for her. Now that he was gone, all she could do was pray for her unborn child. Heart broken in two, the new widow knew it would be a very long time before she could recover. A long, long time.

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A/N: Thank you MichaelaTheWordsmith for the request! Sorry for the long wait, that's my fault, but here you go now. There will probably be quite a few one shots up tonight, I'm gonna be posting many, so I hope you guys enjoy them all!