The Lion And His Lioness

The Reynolds Pamphlet and His Third Affair

The Lion And His Lioness -- A Hamilton Fanfiction
Chapter 36 - The Reynolds Pamphlet and His Third Affair

Angelica
"Alexander," I greeted as I stood in the doorway of the man's office. I could feel Laurens' presence behind me, I could tell he wanted to beat Alexander up. I'm pretty sure everyone did at this moment in time, none more so than Ezme's father and the first President of the United States of America, George Washington.

"Angelica," he greeted in return, looking up from his desk. I sighed, walking in before standing in front of him. "What do you need, Angelica?"

"Congratualtions." Was all I said before turning my back. I looked over my shoulder as I continued. "You have invented a new kind of stupid, a 'damage you can never undo' kind of stupid, 'truly, you didn't think this through?' kind of stupid. Let's review: you took a rumour a few, maybe two people knew, and refuted it by sharing an affair of which no one has accused you. I begged you to take a break, you refused to. So scared of what your enemies will do to you. You're the only enemy you ever seem to lose to. You know why Jefferson can do what he wants? He doesn't dignify school-yard taunts with a response! So yeah, congratulations!"

"Angelica-"

"You've redefined your legacy, congratulations!" I cut him off.

"It was an act of political sacrifice!" Alexander exclaimed.

"Sacrifice? I languished in a loveless marriage in London, I lived only to read your letters. I look at you and think 'God, what have we done with our lives and what did it get us?'. That doesn't wipe the tears or the years away, but I'm back in the city and I'm here to stay. And you know what I'm here to do?"

"Angelica?"

"I'm not here for you, Alexander. I know my godsister like I know my own mind. You will never find anyone as trusting or as kind, and a million years ago she said to me 'this one's mine' so I stood by. Do you know why? I love my sister more than anything in this life, I will choose her happiness over mine every time. Ezme."

"Rena," Alex whispered, small smile on his face. If times were different, I'd say their relationship was absolutely adorable. But after what he and Eliza did to my sister? I couldn't think like that right now.

"Is the best thing n our lives. So never lose sight of the fact that you have been blessed with the best wife, Alexander. Congratualtions, for the rest of your life! Every sacrifice you make is for my sister, give her the best life. Congratualtions." I told him, slapping his cheek and walking out, not seeing the pair of hazel eyes watching us from the doorway before rushing back to where they had originally come before either Alex or I could see them.

Esperanza
It was a week later when Alexander ame back into the house, hands covered in ink. "Your hands are covered in ink, Alexi!" I exclaimed, grabbing a rag to clean his hands for him. "What did you write this time, Alexi?" I smiled at my husband before it turned into a frown upon seeing his cheeks tear-stained. "Alexi? Alexi, hun, waht's the matter?"

"I-I... I'm sorry," he whispered weakly, wrapping me in a tight hug and sobbing into my shoulder. What? I was beyond confused, what was Alexi sorry for?

"Alexi? What are you sorry for this time? If it's for the Langdon Pamphlet, you know I already forgave you for that," I told him, rubbing his back comfortingly. He continued to sob, shaking his head.

"I-It's not the-the Lang-Langdon Pamphlet tha-that I'm sor-sorry for. It-It's something els-else-else." He sobbed, his words muffled by the fabric of my light pink dress. My heart dropped as I remembered one of the songs from the hit Broadway musical, Hamilton; The Reynolds Pamphlet. He-He didn't... did he? He wouldn't... would he? But... what if he did?

"Alexander..." I asked in a whisper, stepping away from him to see his tear-stained face, "What did you do?"

"Ma!" Philip called, running in with a paper in his hands and anger clear on his face when he saw his father standing in front of me. "Ma, Uncle Tommy gave me this. Said you'd want to read it, it was published by Pa... again."

I gently took the pamphlet from my eldest son's hands and looked at the title. My breathing hitched in my throat. The Reynols Pamphlet.

"A-Alexander?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as I looked up at him in pure sadness and betrayal. Why would he do this a second time? He's had four affairs that I know of now; Susan Lee twice, then Eliza and now... Maria Reynolds?! "W-Wh... Why?"

"I-I... I'm so, so, so sor-sorry," he apologised, head bowed in regret and grief. Why? Why would Alexander do this to our family? I noticed Philip taking his siblings upstairs as our front door opened to reveal a pissed Hercules Mulligan, Angelica Schuyler Church and a very pissed off George Washington. He's dead.

~

It was later that night when Alexander found me knelt next to the fireplace in our parlor, majority of the letters that I had received from him next to me. "Rena?" Alex asked quietly, his voice making my heart break again. "What is all this?"

"I saved every letter you wrote me," I told him, not daring to look at him as I knew my heart woul break even more. "From the moment I read them, I knew you were mine. You said you were mine, I thought you were mine." I whispered.

"I am yours, I will always be yours, Rena," Alex sobbed. I simply shook my head, knowing it was a flat out lie.

"Do you know what Angelica said when we saw your first letter arrive, Alexander? She said 'Be careful with that one, love, he will do what it takes to survive'. You and your words flooded my senses, your sentences left me defensless, you built me palaces out of paragraphs. No, you built me cathedrals. I'm re-reading the letters you wrote me, I'm searching and scanning for answeres in every line, for some kind of sign, of when you were mine. The world seemed to burn." I placed two letters in the fireplace, watching as they burnt to a crisp.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Alex continued to apologize, dropping to his knees in the doorway of the parlor.

"You published the letters she wrote you, you told the whole world how you brought these girls into our bed. In clearing your name, you have ruined our lives. Do you know what Angelica said when she read what you'd done? She said 'You have married an Icaurs, he has flown too close to the sun'." I watched as another letter burnt to a crisp, Alexander's sobs not stopping.

"Rena. Rena, please! I'm sorry, I'm so, so, so sorry. Please!" Alexander begged, sobbing heavily as I tried to ignore the sounds of his pitiful crying.

"You and your words, obsessed with your legacy... Your sentences border on senseless, and you are paranoid in every paragraph. How they perceive you. You, you, you..."

Philip
I was watching from the stairs as Ma burnt Pa's letters, the two of them sobbing. Pa was a crumpled mess in the doorway to the parlor and Ma was knelt by the fireplace, burning the letters her and Pa had sent each other with tears streaming down her red, tear stained cheeks.

"I'm erasing myself from the narrative. Let future historians wonder how Esperanza reacted when you broke her heart. You have torn it all apart, I am watching it burn." Ma burnt another letter. "Watching it burn." Another three letters in the fireplace. Ma then stood, turning towards where Pa was crumpled in the doorway. "The world has no right to my heart, the world has no place in our bed, they don't get to know what I said. I'm burning the memories, burning the letters that might have redeeme you. You forfeit all rights to my heart, you forfeit the place in our bed, you sleep in your office instead with only the memories of when you were mine. I hope that you brun." With that, Ma left Pa in the room, a majority of Pa's letters to Ma being burnt. I watched as Ma came to the steps, stopping when she saw me there.

"M-Ma," I greeted quietly, running down the last two or so steps and hugging my mother tightly. I knew how hard it was for her to do that to Pa's letters, I just knew. Ma hugged back tightly before picking me up and the two of us heading upstairs to bed, leaving Pa behind.