Hamilton One Shots

Angelica

The clock in the living room chimed, signaling another hour gone. Outside of the closed doors and covered curtains, the world was oddly silent. Not a moment of excitement had even struck the city.

From inside of one home, a melodic tune began playing. Positioned in front of the piano, sat a young girl, just barely a woman. Seventeen years of age, her eyes glowed with every key stroke on the musical object before her.

She was known for playing the piano into the early hours of the morning and never wanting to stop. When her studies seemed to be going wrong, she'd pause and play the piano. The hum of each key calmed her momentarily.

After hitting the final note, she waited for any reaction. A voice behind her said, "That was lovely, Angelica." Eagerly she turned and faced her mother who had been watching her with profound interest the entire time.

Angelica didn't have the time to say thank you, much less give her a smile in return. There was a sudden pounding at the door. Startled, her mother rose to her feet along with her.

Taking her steps quickly, Angelica hurried to answer the door. Her mother followed her closely. The door whooshed open, to introduce a man with a panicked expression his face.

She hadn't ever seen the man before. He could have easily been new in town. But whatever his rank was in the social status of the town, the information he carried with him was vital.

Neither of the women could say anything before he cried out, "Your son has been shot!"

Angelica froze in the doorway, already sensing her mother weakening behind her. Her mother leaned closer to the man, over her daughter's shoulder. "Pardon?"

There was no reason to even repeat it. What the man said was true. But the now terrified mother couldn't accept it.

A door down the hall slammed open. Angelica hurried past her mother, just in time to see her father walking towards them. "Eliza, what-"

"Our son has been shot!" The grief stricken mother flung herself on her husband. He was surprised by both what she had said and her sudden embrace. The man in the doorway rapidly began explaining the situation.

Angelica was frozen in the hallway. Philip. She had warned him to keep his tongue firm and not get in arguments. She knew what her father was like behind closed doors and she never wanted Philip to be the same. Much less get involved in a duel.

Eliza wept on her husband's shoulder, trying to block out what the man was saying. Her cried became desperate, eventually forcing her to pry away from the embrace. She barely made it to the staircase before collapsing on her knees, sobbing more and more.

The man in the doorway impatiently cried to the family, "The bullet is causing him unbearable pain, he needs support at this very moment. A doctor is by his side, but he fears there isn't much time left for your son."

No. Angelica shivered at the words. She glanced over at her father, who had gotten pale in barely seconds. He stumbled forward than backward. There was a gasp that escaped his lips before he crumbled to the floor.

"Father!" She pushed past the man with the message, leaning down to him. To her relief, he had only fainted in shock. She pressed her hands to his chest, sensing a heartbeat.

From her spot on the staircase, Eliza looked up at the sudden thump. Her eyes widened, filling with more tears. "Alexander!" She leaped to her daughter's side, still sobbing into her hands. The one person she needed in this dark time had managed to faint. It only made her cry more, thinking of dealing with all that was to happen on her own.