Bad Things Happen

The Box!

A/N: imma try and make y'all cry. Sorry. This one is also a little bit shorter, sorry again.

After the Christmas dinner, the Washington family went home to enjoy the rest of their night. Alexander and Lafayette played video games, Martha and Washington decided to watch a movie. Laurens went upstairs to his room, he remembered the key he had bought the other day and wanted to see if it fit in his box. He pulled it out of his drawer and sat down on his bed. He grabbed the key and inserted it into the wooden key hole. Perfect fit.

"Oh my gosh." Laurens couldn't believe his eyes. "It actually fits."

He twisted it and opened the small chest he had carried for so many years. All his life in fact. He pulled out the letter that was on top which read. To my future baby. John Laurens.

John opened it and read it in his head.

Dear John, I know that by the time you read this, I will be dead. The doctor asked me to choose between my life, and yours. I chose yours, I haven't told your father yet, for I know he will be against it. When the day comes I will tell him. I'm so sorry I will never get to meet you. To never be there for you while you grow up. I hope that you grow up to be just like your father. I know he loves me very much and will be mad when I tell him I won't make it. I also ask that you tell him I'm sorry, but I called the doctor, I didn't want to wait to find out you're going to be a boy, especially since I might not live long enough to find out on your birthday. I love you baby. I need you to know that. Among the stories I'm sure you've heard about me, I made this box full of stories, memories, and history of my life so that you can get to know who I was. Tell Henry that I knew I was going to die, I didn't have hope. I just wanted you to get the chance to live, breath, walk. And if you're my child, you will do great things someday. I have no doubt in my mind. I hope you've grown to be the strong, confident young man I know you will be. I wish I could have known you, I would've loved you, I do love you. More than anything else in this world. - Love, Mommy.

After Laurens finished, he wiped the tears from his eyes and reread that last part over and over again. I do love you. More than anything else in this world. After he read it about fifteen times, he looked to see what other things were in the box. He found a photograph inside. On the back it said, Me and Henry, 2002. Finding out about you. They were sitting by a fireplace. She was holding what looked like a pregnancy test. He smiled after seeing what his mother looked like for the first time. He looked just like her. She too had dark skin and brown curly hair, his was short of course, but if it was longer it would look just like hers.
She would've been eighteen when she died. He also found a video recorder. It had a tape in it, another tape was in the box as well. John looked through a little more, there were pictures and drawings. She drew just as well as he did. He found a picture of her when she was his age. She was beautiful. There was also a diary inside. He smiled. After years of not knowing anything about her, not even knowing what she looked like. He had everything he needed in his hands.

Laurens jolted when he heard a knock at the door.

"Hey, we're gonna play Mario kart, wanna beat Laf?" Alexander joked.

Laurens put down the picture and looked up at him.

"Hey. What's this?" Alexander asked looking over at the box. "Wait, the key?"

Laurens nodded. Alexander came over and sat down on the bed.

"Who's that?" Alex pointed to the picture he was previously holding.

"My mother." John smiled.

"Wow. I should've known, you look exactly like her." Alex grinned.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Laurens continued.

"Why didn't you ever tell me? I mean, you are a spittin image of her." Alexander questioned.

"I didn't know for myself. This is the first time I've ever seen what she looked like." Laurens spoke.

"I'm sorry. I should have known. The first time I met your father he punched me in the face." Alexander laughed.

"He seems so happy here. Like he was a totally different person."

"Sometimes love can make you do crazy things. But it shouldn't make you hate you own child." Alex wrapped an arm around him.

"I would give anything in the world just to meet her once." Laurens whimpered. "Read this." He handed the letter to Hamilton.

"She sounds a lot like my mother." Alexander smiled.

"Do you miss her?"

"Everyday. But I know she would've wanted me to move on and do great things with my life." Alexander answered. "I don't think she'd approve of where I am now."

"Why not?"

"I get in fights all the time, I have a very, very short temper, I got kicked out of speech and debate. I don't think she'd be happy with me."

"You are also the smartest kid in school, have an amazing girlfriend any woman would fall in love with for a daughter in law, and you're constantly writing things, of which no one knows. But still, I think she'd be proud."

"Thanks."

"Come on, let's go play some Mario kart."

Laurens closed the box and went downstairs to play video games with Alex and Laf.

They were playing rainbow road.

Alexander was in first, Lafayette in second, and Laurens kept accidentally falling into the void. It was the last lap, and right before Alexander crossed the finish line, Lafayette hit him with a turtle shell and won.

"Ah! Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier La Fayette!" Alexander yelled.

"Gesundheit?" Laurens laughed.

"That would be Laf's full given name." Alexander informed him.

"Marie?"

"Shut up, its french." Lafayette shoved Laurens off the couch.

They played video games for the rest of the night before going to bed.