Click-Boom

Chapter 3: I'll Be Here

"You two stay away from each other," I push my way in between Alexander and Jefferson, who seem to be arguing about something. "we do not need any trips to the hospital."

"Fine," Alexander grumbles, glaring at Jefferson and Jefferson glares right back. Burr comes over and grabs Jefferson by the arm and drags him back to the sofa, keeping him away from Alexander. 

"Thank you, Burr." I say, running a and through my blonde hair, which never seems to go the way I want it to. Phillip sits ridged on the side of the arm chair, obviously uncomfortable. 

"You alright?" I ask, sitting on the arm of the chair beside him. 

"Yes, Miss. Annette, I'm alright. It's just too much," He whispers, resting is head in his hands. Alexander comes over and kneels in front of his eldest son. Opal comes over to me and all but drags me off the arm chair and into the hallway. 

"What are we going to do?" She asks. She never sounds this way; she sounds... Scarred. 

"What do you mean?" I whisper back. 

"I mean we have time-travelers in our living room! What are we going to do? Are we going to keep them here, send them to the government, some science lab for freaks? Possibly a mental hospital for people who think they're time-travelers?" She snarls, her blue eyes fierce. 

"What do you mean 'think'?" I ask, lowing my voice. "Do you not believe them?"

"And you do? You're just as mad as them!" She yells, not bothering to consider that they may hear us. 

"Of course I believe them, you weren't here when they first showed up. You didn't see Alexander laying face down on my bedroom floor--"

"There are windows, he could have easily came in through one."

"--or Lafayette in the bathtub, there are no windows in there, or did he come out of the tap?" I ask sarcastically. "or Burr, why would he be on the neighbor's dog house? Or George, how do you explain the water displacement?"

"You're mad, you're mad." Opal throws her hands up. "If you believe these... These psychopaths then you're just as messed up as them!" 

"Opal, please." I sound as if I'm begging. 

"No, I'm done. I'm leaving. Goodbye." She says, going into her room and grabbing her school things and a few necessities.

"Opal, don't do something stupid." I shout, but she either doesn't hear me or doesn't care. I expect the latter. 

"Goodbye, Annette. I'll be somewhere there is not a madman running around with supposed time-travelers." She storms out of the apartment. I slide down the wall between our two rooms. I feel tears slide down my face but I don't bother to wipe them away. I don't feel anger or sorrow, I just feel nothing. My only friend just walked out of my life, who knows for how long, possibly forever. 

I hear approaching footsteps but I don't care to look up. A lean figure kneels in front of me, their body heat radiating off of them, making myself feel warm and safe. 

"Miss. Annette?" A man asks. I recognize the man's voice as Phillip. My eyes shift and see his navy blue coat and ruffled collar, and I immediately bury my face in my hands. I don't want him to see me like this, I don't want anyone to. 

"Miss. Annette, why was Miss. Opal upset? Did our arrival anger her?" Phillip whispers, leaning against the wall beside me. 

"I don't know, Phillip. I'm scared, what if she's right? What if I really am mad? Why does her leaving make me feel so weak and abandoned?" I wheeze, the tears and strangled breaths making it hard to speak. 

"Because she's your best friend, and you trust what she says and if she makes degrading comments--like your mental stability--you believe them because you believe what she says. And if she walks out like she did, she abandoned you, and now you're wondering if anyone cares, right?" Phillip whispers, his voice rising and falling, soothing me like a lullaby. 

"She was the only person who cared. I had to leave home, no one cared for me there, I only had Opal. And now I have no one." I glance up at Phillip, who looks down at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Phillip, I shouldn't burden you with my own problems."

"No, Miss. Annette. Please, don't feel like that. You're not a burden. And don't believe that no one is here for you, I'll be here. My father is here--he really is kind--and Lafayette. And General Washington. We're all here for you, Miss. Annette." 

"Thank you, Phillip." I turn towards him and feel my body falling forward until I find myself wrapped in a sweet embrace. The ruffles of Phillip's shirt brush against my cheek as I press my forehead to the worn navy blue fabric of his coat and his arms wrap around my shaking body. 

He begins to hum a soft lullaby--I recognize the melody as Down In the Valley, the lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I was ill--my heavy sobs turn to small sniffles. I pull back, wiping the dry streaks of tears with the heel of my hand, all that is left of the ever flowing river of tears. 

Phillip smiles as he stands, extending his calloused hand out, an open gesture of calmness. With trembling limbs, I shakily accept his outstretched hand and feel the callouses from years of work, yet knowing they are nimble enough to play piano with such grace that one cannot describe, only hear. Slowly, Phillip and I make out way back into the living room, his hand moving from my hand to between my shoulder blades, it isn't as obvious to anyone who sees us. 

"Phillip, what happened? Why is Miss. Annette crying? Why did Miss. Opal storm out like that?" Alexander asks worriedly, placing his hand upon his eldest son's shoulder. 

"Miss. Opal doesn't believe us, she think's we're freaks," Phillip glances discreetly glances back at me, his eyes giving a mix of sorrow and worry. 

"If someone appeared in your house claiming to be from the past, you'd think they're mad as well." George says, leaning against the wall closest. "I can see where she's coming from, but she may have taken it a bit too hard."

"Yeah, she thinks y'all are lying, Alexander, she said you came through a window but I didn't give her an opportunity to give her explanation for all the others..." I mumble, feeling numb but a spark of electricity goes through my hand all the way to my head and to the tips of my toes when Phillip brushes his hand across mine, our knuckles grazing lightly.

I wonder if he felt it too.

"At lest you believe us, Miss. Annette." Phillip whispers, his voice dropping to a distinct baritone.

"Yeah, I'll always be here for you." I say, slinging one arm around Phillip and the other around Alexander, pulling them into a hug. Lafayette laughs and wraps his arms around my back, resting his chin on my shoulder. George shrugs and follows suit. Soon, Burr drags Jefferson toward us and we're all a huge mess of laughter. 

A faint click can be heard from the kitchen, then two screams follow. A woman in a full blue dress, worn with age, steps cautiously into the living room. Phillip begins to cry tears of joy and Alexander seems to forget about formality as he runs over to the woman and lifts her into the air, her pale blue dress spinning around them both, enclosing them in a cage of fabric.

"Who is that?" Lafayette asks, seeming to not recognize the woman in the pale blue dress. 

"That's Eliza Schuyler-Hamilton, Alexander's wife and Phillip's mother." I whisper, fighting tears at the sweet reunion of the Hamilton family. 

Merry Christmas! This is Monday's update because I won't be on the compute nor be able to update since it's Christmas so here's the update. Hope y'all liked it! Remember: READ, VOTE, and COMMENT! Bye, Pansycakes!

~Love, Emily

Be brave