Sickness, Freckles, and Magenta (ON HIATUS AND SLOW UPDATES)

Chapter 5

He was woken up a few hours later by Thomas gently shaking him awake.

"Hey, love. Did you sleep well?", Thomas asked softly. The man in bed nodded. "I made dinner."

Philip let Thomas pull him up and intertwine their hands to lead him the dining room. He noted that James was sitting the closest to the fire. The sick man smiled at them as they sat on either side of him and started eating.

The conversation was about what made Thomas so upset and James adding his two cents to the mix. He and the Vice President started planning out ways to get back at Adams. Philip watched in awe as the two politicians laid out a plan and organized a way to carry it out. He realized just how good of a duo they were. Jefferson, the grand strategist, and Madison, the agile tactician. One in the President's personal staff, the other in the legislative branch, debating Congress's issues.

Once they had finished discussing their plan, they turned to Philip and explained it simply for him to understand. Philip was amazed at the detail of the plan they had spent 5 minutes discussing.

"I like it.", he said, making both Virginians smile with pride. James took Thomas's hand and kissed it, before taking Philip's and doing the same.

"Adams won't silence or weaken us. That's why he passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, to weaken the Democratic-Republican party. We're going to fight back, though. Thomas and I are going to convince state legislatures to deem it unconstitutional.", the Congressman explained.

"But aren't you sick, Jemmy?", Philip asked.

"Doesn't mean I can't work from here. I'll be fine.", he replied. The young man was thrilled with James's determination. They finished dinner and the two politicians went to Thomas's office, Philip following to watch them.

James started writing to the Virginian legislature and Thomas to the New Hampshire legislature. It was late into the night when James and Thomas had written to almost all the states. Philip was finding it hard to stay awake. The Vice President noticed when he finished writing to Vermont. He got up and walked over to Philip, kissed his forehead, and picked him up to lay him in bed.

"Sleep, love. Jemmy and I'll be with you soon.", he said, watching the younger man drift off. He returned to his seat next to James, gave him a quick kiss and took up his quill again. It was about another two and a half hours before they finished. James placed them in a pile to send with the morning courier and grabbed Thomas's hand, smiling wearily. Thomas tucked James in next to Philip before going to blow out the candles and climbing in next to his lovers, nestling James between Philip and himself.

James and Thomas woke early to make sure everything was in order before Thomas left for work. The Vice President gently kissed Philip awake.

"Morning, love. Stick with James, make sure he doesn't overwork himself.", he murmured gently. Philip nodded sleepily. Thomas smiled gently before kissing James and gathering his things and leaving.

The Congressman sighed and sat at the desk in Thomas's office and started working. Philip dragged himself out of bed and sat next to James, intertwining their hands and watching him work. When the morning courier came, Philip handed him the letters and took the mail. He got a letter from his mother, which he read immediately.

She said she was glad he was ok, that it was good he was staying at a friend's house. She wanted him to visit sometime soon, possibly the weekend. He smiled at the letter and put it aside before walking back to the office, where James seemed to be stressed out. The young man frowned, remembering what Thomas asked him to do. He walked over and massaged James's shoulders.

The Congressman sighed and leaned back. When he did so, Philip pressed some gentle kisses to the back of his neck and coaxed him out of the chair and into his arms. The older man sighed and relaxed into his arms.

"Take a break.", Philip murmured in his ear, cradling him. He pulled him into the bed and laid down next to him, giving James a kiss. The other man kissed back, cradling his head in his hands. Philip could feel the emotion coming from James. He let James dominate the kiss. Madison pulled away after a minute and snuggled into his chest. Philip just held him close to offer whatever comfort he could.