Hold Me

Chapter 19 - They Will Tear Each Other Into Pieces

Laurens woke up and found his dorm room empty. His hangover wasn't as bad as he'd expected. In fact, he hardly even felt it. He figured that his friends might be in the Schuyler dorm since it was the biggest. He quickly changed his clothes. When he was in the bedroom the pain in his gut came back. Hamilton hadn't come back. Laurens understood, he wouldn't want to come back either. Laurens did his best to brush it off of his expression, he didn't want his friends to think he was still upset. As Laurens approached the door he realized that Hamilton would probably be there. He sighed but knew they would have to face each other eventually.

He opened the door and stopped immediately. There were pages taped to the walls in the hallway. Laurens could see that the pages reached all the way to the end of the hall. He stepped forward to read the one in front of his room. He recognized the handwriting.

Cold in my professions, warm in my friendships, I wish, my Dear Laurens, it might be in my power, by action rather than words to convince you that I love you. I shall only tell you that 'til you bade us Adieu, I hardly knew the value you had taught my heart to set upon you. Indeed, my friend, it was not well done. You know the opinion I entertain of mankind, and how much it is my desire to preserve myself free from particular attachments, and to keep my happiness independent of the caprice of others. You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent. But as you have done it,and as we are generally indulgent to those we love, I shall not scruple to pardon the fraud you have committed, on condition that for my sake, if not for your own, you will always continue to merit the partiality, which you have artfully instilled into me.  

Alexander. This was his handwriting. Laurens knew that, even as senseless as Hamilton could be at certain times, this was not his doing. As fast as he could, Laurens rand and pulled all the pages from the walls. He was careful and made sure none of them ripped. He would barely look at them as he pulled them down. Most of them mentioned him somewhere. By the time Laurens had reached the stairs to see if there were more on the other floor, he was crying. 

What had Hamilton gotten himself into?

Laurens stopped just before he reached the second floor to answer his phone. It was Lafayette.

Laurens tried to his the rush in his voice, he didn't really think he had time for this. "Hey, what is it Laf?"

"We were just checking on you, we're on our way back-"

"Yeah, that's great," Laurens could see through the glass doors that separated the hall from the stairs. "Not again. Laf, I've gotta go." He quickly hung up the phone and pushed through the door. 

A large pile of papers sat behind Hamilton. He was standing alone against Jefferson and all his friends. Laurens could finally piece all of this together. It had all been Jefferson. That son of a bitch. 

Laurens gently placed his pages with the others. Hamilton had not yet noticed him. 

"Hamilton, don't you see. This is your problem. You don't know when to stop," Jefferson taunted. "And you don't know when to let go," he sneered at Laurens. Hamilton didn't seem phased at all.

"No, that is not my problem." Hamilton walked closer to Jefferson. "It's yours. You can't accept that maybe, for once, you aren't perfect." Hamilton went on to point out other problematic things in Jefferson's personality. Laurens just stood by and watched. He saw the cane emerge from behind Jefferson. As Hamilton talked he stopped paying too much attention to anything Jefferson was doing. He didn't see Jefferson raise his arm straight out to the side. Laurens was frozen in place. Hamilton didn't see Jefferson swing the cane that collided with the side of his head, throwing the smaller man into the wall. 

"What is your fucking problem?!" Laurens finally snapped. "You can't win at everything Jefferson! Heaven forbid there's other people on this goddamn planet!" Laurens hadn't noticed he was moving, he just knew that now he was in Jefferson's face. "You're just another bitch with a god complex," Laurens shouted. Laurens managed to grab Jefferson's arm before he could swing his cane again. "Not today." Laurens saw Jefferson's face twitch at the grip he had on his arm. "You have until the count of ten to fuck off."

"Or what," Jefferson smirked.

Laurens somehow managed to tighten his grip on Jefferson's arm. "Wouldn't you like to know." Laurens dropped the bigger man's arm and counted from one to ten. Everyone had run away except Jefferson. 

"I'm waiting," Jefferson tapped his foot. 

Laurens ground his teeth together before grabbing Jefferson's collar and giving him four punches in the face.