The Lion And His Lioness

I Was Proud To Have George Washington As My Father

The Lion And His Lioness -- A Hamilton Fanfiction
Chapter 9 - I Was Proud To Have George Washington As My Father

Washington
It had been a month since I had to send my daughter, my right-hand woman, home. To say I was stressed would be an understatement. I had to come up with war strategies that could give us the upper hand in this outrageous war. I hadn't even noticed someone came into my tent until they cleared their throat.

Looking up, I saw that the person was Gilbert. "What do you need, Gilbert?" I asked, sighing and standing up. I walked around my desk so that I was stood in front of him and leaned against the front of my desk. I never liked to sit behind it when talking to someone I cared deeply about, like my wife or my children.

Gilb looked me dead in the eye and spoke clearly, his French accent very prominent as he spoke. "Sir, you need to rest. What would Corbeau say if she saw you like this?" He scolded me. Funny, I was the one that used to scold him all the time but now it seemed that the tables had turned. Now I was the child and he was the parent. It reminded me of how close Lilly and Es were on Lilly's last days of her being on this side of the veil.

When Es was younger Lilly would always protect her, making sure she ate her food, she stayed hydrated, she took her meds, etc.. But when Lilly fell ill, Es took over the role of protective sister. Es would protect her, make sure she was feed, she stayed hydrated, she took her medication, she had enough oxygen. She even made sure the room wasn't stuffy as to try and give her a better chance at life. It was a shock to us when we saw how well Lilly had taken to Es. And when Lilly died, it seemed a part of Es had died along with her, no matter how much she tried to hide it.

After Lilly passed, Es never was the same. She wouldn't go into Lilly's room, never wear a dress that Lilly used to wear, never sit in the seat Lilly sat in. She didn't talk for a good few months after she died. It made me realise just how close the two siblings actually were. Just thinking of Lilly made my heart ache. I really did love my daughter, even if she wasn't my own. Lilly always made sure everyone in the house was happy, even if that meant she had to be sad for us to be happy.

I don't think either Lilly and/or Es noticed me the night of the storm when Lilly comforted Es when she got scared, but that was when it first dawned on me that I had two sisters who would sacrifice anything for the other to be happy. Just thinking of that night made my heart swell with pride; Lilly would always protect Es, even if it was from the other side.

"She would probably be mad at me, just like her mother would," I said, chuckling at the end. Gilbert nodded with a fond smile, probably remembering when he and Ren were younger.

"Oui, I remember when I used to come over and Martha would get worried when Corbeau would so much as cough," he replied. We both chuckled at the memory of the time Laf visited during the summer when Es was eleven, a few years after I had found her. Have to love the good old days, don't you?

It was a warm summer day, Lafayette was visiting from France for the summer to give him a break from his work. The Washington children were ecstatic when they found out that Lafayette would be visiting, especially little Esperanza. At the time Esperanza was nine-years-old, and she still acted like she was five. George found it rather adorable, as did Martha.

"Pa! Pa!" The young girl exclaimed as she saw her father come down the stairs. He smiled and picked her up, swinging her in his arms slightly causing Esperanza to giggle happily.

"How is my wonderful nine-year-old?" George asked, gently setting her back down. Esperanza smiled up at him when someone knocked at the door. George headed towards the door and answered it, a smile immediately lighting up his face. "Ah! Lafayette, wonderful to see you!"