Love and Liberty: A Lafayette x Reader Fanfiction

The Coats of Red

      Alex and Eliza were nowhere to be found, Angelica and Hercules were dancing, and...oh! Y/N spotted John and Peggy across the room. She began to head over to them when she felt someone grab her wrist.

      She turned. "Lafa--"

      It was not Lafayette. This man had dark, greasy hair and a glint in his eye. He was also wearing a red coat.

      Y/N swallowed hard.

      He dragged her towards the dimly lit hallway. She didn't bother resisting. What good would it have done anyway? She would figure this out without causing a scene. And Laf would notice she was gone as soon as Washington finished speaking with him. Right?

      The man dragged her close to him. "I suggest," he murmured in her ear, "that you stay silent. There will be soldiers entering this house at any moment, and if you want your precious Lafayette to survive, it would be in your best interest not to scream. Is that clear?"

      She fought back the water that was rising to her lids and nodded. What am I going to do? Her mind whirled as the redcoat began to tie her to a pillar just inside the doorway.

      The man grinned villainously at her, and then disappeared.

      BANG!

       A hundred heads turned toward the sound. Y/N bit her lip as the tears began to flow.

       "CAPTURE AS MANY AS YOU CAN! TAKE THEM ALIVE!" A redcoat shouted, and the guests began to scream and scatter.

       Lafayette whipped around. He saw his friends escaping out a back door, where the Schuylers were herding everyone. Y/N was nowhere to be seen. Where had she gone??

      Mrs. Washington grabbed his hand and began to drag him to the door. "Come on Gilbert, what are you waiting for?!"

      "Y/N..." he whispered. "Y/N, ma fleur, I cannot find her!" He broke away from Martha's grip and spotted a dark hallway. He ran for it, only to be caught by two British soldiers.

      Washington spotted him. "Son, NO!" He tried to get back in, but Alexander and Hercules pulled him back out the door. The Schuyler sisters tried to drag them away. They fought within the doorway as they tried to keep each other from going back in.

      "It's too dangerous!"

      "They'll capture you!"

       "My sister is still in there!"

       "Where is Lafayette?!"

       "We can't get them, he'll help her!"

       "What do we do???"

      Martha Washington blocked the door. "NO ONE is going back in. Lafayette's a smart man, he'll be fine. They're going to make it out, I promise."

      All fell silent, and Martha shooed them around to the back of the house, trying to conceal the worry on her face. George turned back to her, pain etched into his brow. They said nothing.

                                             ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

      Lafayette tried to shrug out of the soldiers' grip. He turned his head and saw that there were four more redcoats with bayonets aimed at his back. He growled. "What do you want with her?"

      Their leader face to face him. General Howe. "It's not what we want with her, oh no. It's what we want with you." He stepped closer. "It appears that my informant was correct, though. You, Lafayette, have a weakness."

      Lafayette paled, which only served to make the Brits laugh. "What have you done to her?" He whispered.

      "Oh, nothing yet," Howe said casually. "Though we have put her on strict orders to remain silent. As for you... you must accompany us back to our base without resistance if you want Miss Mulligan to ever see the light of day again. Is that clear?"

      He needed to buy some time. "May I see her first?" He whispered again, voice ragged.

      Howe pretended to think. "Alright, why not. You may speak to her, but she cannot reply."

      Lafayette nodded slowly, and the redcoats let him to the hall. There she was, tied to a pillar with a hankerchief in her mouth. She was still as lovely as ever.

      The soldiers released their grip and Lafayette stumbled to Y/N, who was silently crying. "Y/N, mon ange, it is going to be alright, I promise."

      She sniffed, but her gaze became determined. She motioned with her eyes toward the redcoats.

      "Do you want me to go with zem?" He whispered. She nodded. "Alright. I trust you, chérie."

      Howe smacked his shoulder. "All right, time's up, lover boy. Let's go."

      Lafayette glared, but pressed his forehead to Y/N's. "I love you, mon ange."

      They led him away.

                                              ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

      Eliza and Alexander peered around the corner. "Are they gone?" Eliza whispered.

      "I think so. And look--they left Y/N here!"

      They quietly speed-walked to where Y/N was tied. She sighed in relief when she saw who it was. They went straight to work untying her. Luckily, Alex had a pocketknife, otherwise they would have been there for hours.

      Y/N flexed her jaw when the hankerchief finally came loose. "Do you know where they've taken him?" She asked breathlessly.

      Alex, who was freeing her wrists, looked up. "To the redcoat base. We've sent spies after them to make sure they don't get away, and the rest of us are going to follow to get Laf back."

      "We won't be able to come back here," Eliza explained. "We don't know what's going to happen after we free him, so I packed some supplies," she said, handing Y/N a satchel.

      Y/N massaged her wrists and pursed her lips. "Then we have no time to lose. Let's head to the stables; horses are out best bet if we ever want to catch up."

      Y/N slung the satchel over her shoulder, and Eliza grabbed Alex and Y/N's hands. Eliza looked at Y/N. "You really do love him, don't you?"

      "More than there are stars in the sky."

      The three of them took off into the night, Orion twinkling overhead.