This is the actual era it took place in, not modern AU. Just saying. -C
In her entire life, Angelica never expected she could get this mad...This furious. But here she is, her head reeling almost painfully. It sends her backwards through memories like a photo album. Each emotion seems to explode outside of the photos though. It connects to a bigger picture, a picture that she never expected to be true.
Angelica can't ignore it though. As she gently drapes her shawl over her dress, she makes sure she looks presentable in the mirror. John seemed wary of her doing this. He knows how furious Angelica can get. However, this has to be done.
Her long dress swooshes against the ground as she stalks the entire way to his house...Their house. Her memories are on loop, colliding against each other. She can see him, kissing her hand hard. An offer, a plea, for courtship. Instead, Angelica had laughed it off and lead him over to Eliza, looking quite like a lost puppy. Then, she had watched the two of their hearts become one.
For whole life, she had been making sacrifices.
But maybe, sacrificing this one, isn't too big of a deal.
Knocking upon the door, Angelica waits. One of their many children will answer. She knows that Eliza is off with Peggy, trying to forget what just happened. Her own children are hanging out with her 'beloved' John.
The snow of the ground catches her eye, and Angelica turns to look at it. It reminds her so much of being younger and heading to the winter's ball. She can remember how excited all of them were. She was convinced that this was her chance to fall hopelessly in love with someone. However, she got nothing...Nothing except a longing heart and a helpless sister.
Eliza comes first though.
The door creeps open. Sadly, the person who answers the door is not the person she must speak to. It's his son, looking more and more like the spitting image of his father though. Philip smiles sheepishly, wiping at his own red eyes. Angelica longs to give her favorite nephew a hug and to never let him go, but she knows much better than that. After all, Philip tries so hard to be a man. He's not one to accept a hug anymore.
"You're here for Pops, I presume?" Philip slowly says, looking torn between defending his father and defending his mom.
Once more, Angelica's heart clenches for the poor young man. "I am, Philip. I assume that he is in his office...Like always?"
"Like always," Philip mutters under his breath. Pausing right before he closes the door, he huffs. "Unless he's in Maria's bed."
The door swings close right as Angelica starts snigger. Philip innocently blinks at her, pretending that he has no idea why she is laughing. Then, he lopes off. She is certain that he is going to comfort another one of his many siblings. Philip is like her in that way.
Maybe that's why she loves Philip so much. Or maybe it's because he's the perfect combination of both Eliza and Alexander, two people she loves oh so dearly.
Walking down the long hallways, Angelica starts counting the rooms. She swears that she can see the ghosts of happiness in them. In the dining room, Eliza would sit there and giggle as Alexander goes off about his day. In the nursery, Alexander would be cradling his son while Eliza looks in so fondly. The sitting room brings up memories of them idly dancing and twirling to Philip playing piano while Angelica merely watched.
Right as she gets to the door to the office, her namesake runs up. "Auntie Ang?"
"Angel," replies Angelica softly, reaching over to ruffle her niece's hair. The girl is getting taller and taller as the days go on.
However, the girl's intelligence has also grown. Her eyes find Angelica's. "Are you going to talk to my father about what happened with this?" She holds up a crumpled pile of paper, the ink smeared.
Angelica nods.
"Good," her niece replies with an almost feral smile.
Angelica smiles to herself as her niece takes off to join her brother who knows where in the house. Gently, she eases open the door. She doesn't even bother knocking. If Alexander is doing anything compromising, she would easily rat him out about that as well. Her eyes find his immediately.
Alexander looks a little like a deer facing down a musket. "Angelica?"
"Alexander," she bitterly spits out his name, it souring upon her tongue immediately.
He huffs in. "Are you here to talk about the pamphlet? I had to do it, Angelica. I had to protect my legacy-"
"And didn't you get exactly what you wanted?" Angelica interrupts. She knows what would have followed. A bunch of eloquent words and apologizes, all about how he had to and it wasn't his fault, and Alexander might have been able to swayed her over with enough time. Angelica isn't falling for his tricks over and over. Even Eliza's eyes have been ripped open by the force of this one.
The man looks confused. "What?"
"You had me, but you decided to go on with Eliza...Yet, you still tried to string me along. Because why? Eliza didn't satisfy you?"
"Eliza satisfied me!"
"But," Angelica pops out the word, emphasizing it, "you wanted to see if you could land another unlucky woman? String her along for the ride? Try and feel young again? Or maybe you were trying to bring another Hamilton into this world. Or perhaps you just wanted to feel young again."
"That's not why I did it," Alexander protests as fast as he can.
She strolls over to the desk, and she slams her hands against it as forcefully as she can. His eyes go even wider and more terrified. He seems to have forgotten which Schuyler has always been his intellectual rival. He's forgotten which Schuyler was determined to be something more than a house wife.
Narrowing her eyes at the man, Angelica gives him the longest glare she possibly can. "There is no way to justify why you did this."
"Then why did you come?" he counters, hoping desperately to sway this argument to his side. "Just to yell at me?"
"You have struck out many times, Alexander. You left Eliza for the war. You would have left Eliza for me. You left Eliza for Maria Reynolds, some woman that you barely even knew. Well, you have one last chance. You know why?"
"Why?" Alexander spits out nervously.
She stands up straighter, giving him a passive look. He isn't even worth all of her anger, her passion, her fury. This man, to her, is a nothing. "It's Eliza's choice whether or not if she stays with you. But, if she does choose to stay with you, you better make every 'sacrifice' for my sister. She will not suffer anymore heartbreak because of you. Or there will be consequences. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," he dryly retorts.
Angelica then knocks over his ink all over the paper he's been working on so hard. "This is your fresh start because the rest of it is spoiled...Just like this paper. You don't have a choice anymore. It's Eliza's. Everything goes to Eliza."
"I get it."
"No. You don't. If you did, you would have loved Eliza much more. She is the best woman you will ever meet. She's kinder than anyone else. She is more forgiving. Eliza still loves with her heart despite the fact you've left a dark mark upon it. You would have found a way to love Eliza more than I love Eliza."
She hikes up her skirts and pivots on her heel. She can still feel Alexander's eyes on her back, hot and furious. Still, Angelica stalks out of that room, having said her piece.
Right as she's about to leave, she turns to face Alexander. "I hope this helped your precious legacy. Congratulations."
Angelica slams the door on him.
