Lams One-Shots

7

prepare for some angst :)

It started out as a normal day in the Hamilton-Laurens household. John was making coffee while Alexander ran around shoving papers into his messenger bag. Occasionally, he would scream

"John! Where's my laptop charger?!"

John, who had already packed everything the night before, would yell back "It's plugged in by the sofa!" and exchange an amused glance with Philip, their 9 year old son.

"You got everything packed, kiddo?" John asked, grabbing Philip's empty breakfast dish. Philip nodded and hopped out of his seat to run off into his bedroom. "You have to leave in 10 minutes!" John called after him.

"I know Pa!" Philip called back. Alexander came out of their bedroom, throwing his bag by the hallway. He came up behind John, who was pouring Alexander a cup of coffee, wrapping his arms around John's torso.

"Good morning," he said, putting his face in John's newly washed hair.

"Good morning babygirl," John said and let Alex hug him for a few more seconds before twisting around and handing Alexander the mug. Alexander thanked him and downed it in less than two minutes.

John walked into Philip's room. The boy was reading a comic book on his bed. John sat down next to him. "C'mon kiddo, we've gotta drop you off at school a bit earlier today, Dad has a meeting."

"With Jefferson?" asked Philip, hopefully, he enjoyed hearing Alexander's complaints and rants about his political foe at the dinner table. To be honest, John did too. John laughed.

"Hopefully." Philip slipped his comic book into his backpack and walked out with John. Alexander was waiting at the door, anxiously tapping his foot, while looking down at his phone. He was texting someone.

"Aunt Eliza's gonna be picking you up at school today, alright?" The Schuyler Sisters alternated picking Philip up when John and Alex couldn't.

"Yay!" Philip cheered. "Do you think that she'll play piano for me? She's teaching me, you know?" Eliza thought it was a waste to not use the piano that the previous owners of the apartment didn't take with them, so she began to play it for Philip when he was a baby and he  fell in love. John and Alex were both incredibly grateful for all Eliza, Angie and Peggy did for Philip.

"Yeah bud," Alex chuckled, taking Philip's hand. "I know. I heard she's also teaching you french."

"Uh-huh!" Philip said. The three left their house, happy to lead the life they did.

The three walked to Philip's school first, then Alex and John walked to the doctor's office where John worked. Alexander then walked to city hall, himself.

"Have a good day!" John said, bending down to give Philip a tight hug. He always did hate this part of the day, saying goodbye to his son for nine or ten hours. "I'll try and get home early, okay?" Philip nodded. Alex smiled down at his son and give him  hug too.

"Bye kiddo," he said. They watched Philip run over to his best friend Theodosia. John slipped his hand into Alexander's as they walked away.

"He's so big," John said, half happily and half sadly.

"Don't sap out on me," Alexander said. "He's growing big but I'll tell you, that kid is gonna blow us all away when he grows up." John nodded and smiled at his husband.

"He really is."

John wished that the whole day could've been different.

~~~

John was getting ready for his lunch break when Samuel Seabury, his coworker, walked into the break room.

"Laurens, there's a call for you, it's an emergency." Panic arose in John's body. What had happened? Was Philip okay? Alexander? He ran to the reception desk and grabbed the phone, clutching it to his ear, heart beating a mile a minute.