Alexandra Hamilton

That Would Be Enough (Part 1)

AN: I couldn't decide whether it would be better for this chapter to be told from Alex's or Elijah's perspective, so I did both. Enjoy!

Alexandra's POV

I walk home in defeat. It's over. It's all over. Everything I've worked for is gone. Now I won't have a legacy.

I see Elijah sitting on the bench in front of our house and some of my devastation disappears. We make eye contact and run into each other's arms. I've missed his warmth so much.

"Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now. Look around, look around." He sings to me. His voice always relaxes me, even when I feel like shit.

Elijah places his hand on my stomach and smiles at me. I panic and pull away from him. He knows. How?

"How long have you known?" I whimper.

"A month or so." He answers.

"Elijah, I never told you." I knew that I would have to tell him eventually, but I didn't plan on this.

"The General wrote to me a month ago." He explained.

"No." Washington knew too?

"I begged him to send you home." Why would you do that!? I need to fight! "You should have told me."

But he can't make me regret my decisions. "I'm not sorry."

Desperation shows in Elijah's eyes as he holds my hands. "I knew you'd fight until the war was won," he starts to speak, but I talk over him.

"The war's not done." I remind him. There are still a million things I haven't done.

"But we deserve a chance to meet our son." His words strike me and I begin to cry. He guides me to the bench and we both sit down. "Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now."

He doesn't understand. If I'm not fighting for our freedom then I have no purpose. I just feel like I'm meant for more than a domestic lifestyle. "Will you relish having a termagent wife, unable to provide for your life?" I mutter, unable to meet his eyes. This isn't what he wanted from me. I'm not supposed to be vulnerable.

"I relish you as my wife." He says firmly while remaining gentle.

"Look around, look around." He wraps his arms around me, making me feel more safe than I've ever felt before.

"Look at where you are. Look at where you started. The fact that you're alive is a miracle." It is, isn't it. I could be buried with my mother. Or my body could be lost to the sea. For the past few years I've been surrounded by guns and death.

"Just stay alive. That would be enough. And if this child shares a fraction of your smile, or a fragment of your mind, look out world. That would be enough." I try to process Elijah's words. I've never really thought about having a child before. But it might be nice to have another person to love.

Elijah lifts my head, forcing me to look him in his eyes. "I don't pretend to know the challenges you're facing, the worlds you keep erasing and creating in your mind.

"But I'm not afraid." He says it with such certainty. "I know whom I married. So long as you come home at the end of the day, that would be enough."

His eye produces a single tear. "We don't need a legacy. We don't need money." And I'm reminded of why I love him. He's sweet and good-natured. He's been nothing but dedicated to me and supportive of my ambition. "If I could grant you peace of mind, if you could let me inside your heart.

"Oh, let me be a part of the narrative in the story they will write someday. Let this moment be the first chapter where you decide to stay. And I could be enough. And we could be enough. That would be enough." Elijah has a way of bringing me comfort when I'm exhausted by life's challenges. I know he has faith in me. I'm still capable of great things. But for now I can relax. We can raise our child together. His love is enough for now.

I rest my head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. With one hand he strokes my back and with the other he touches my growing abdomen. I know that everything is going to be okay as long as I'm with him.