Stop Her

Alexander Please

  "Hamilton is right." Washington gets up.
"But sir!" I protest, about to go on about why we should defend our longstanding allies.
"We're too fragile to start another fight!" Washington says, and I know this is the end of the discussion. But this is something I'm willing to lose my job defending. Still, I choose my words carefully.
"Do we not fight for freedom?"
"Sure," He says, and I let out a sigh of relief. "When the French figure out who's gonna lead them."
"The people are leading!" I wince after this statement. That could lose me my job. Hamilton, standing behind my boss, has this smug little smirk on his face. I swear, if I'm fired, I'm going to wipe that smirk right off his face.
"The people are rioting. There's a difference. Frankly, it's a little disquieting you would let your ideal blind you to reality." I wince, but so far, no dismissal. "Hamilton!"
"Sir!" Hamilton steps forward obediently. God, I hate him.
"Draft a statement of neutrality." Washington turns and leaves. I guess I'm not fired. But I'm not done either. I look directly at Hamilton, who's lingering, and unreadable expression on his face.
"Did you forget Lafayette?" I ask, breaking the silence that hangs over us.
"What?" He asks, sounding like I just pulled him from a trance.
"You accumulate power, you accumulate debt, yet in their hour of need, you forget." I snap at him.
"Lafayette's a smart man, he'll be fine. And before he was your friend, he was mine. If we try to fight in every revolution in the world, we never stop, where do we draw the line?" He snaps back.
"So quick witted." I say dryly.
"Alas, I admit it."
"I bet you were quite a lawyer." Just as dry.
"My defendants got acquitted." He shrugs, like it's no big deal, but I know he's secretly overly proud. His cocky nonchalance is what gets me.
"Yeah, well someone out to remind you." I say.
"What?" He asks.
"You're nothing without Washington behind you." He smiles at me like it's some kind of joke. He honestly doesn't care what I think. Washington comes through the door again.
"Hamilton!"
I take my chance. "Daddy's calling." Hamilton's smiles disappears abruptly and he turns on his heel and runs out, right past Washington. Washington looks at me before following Hamilton.
"I had an idea." My friend James Madison appears in the doorway.
"Let's walk and talk." I sigh.
"Alright." We walk outside. It's a beautiful spring morning, so hard to believe that there's such a horrible war going on across the sea. "So you know you look like Lafayette."
"Yeah, when we first met each other, we both looked at each other then asked for a mirror." I chuckle at the memory, but my mood soon sobers. He could be in grave danger right now and we're doing nothing to help him.
"Right. So if you changed your clothes and put your hair up, you'll look enough like him to convince Hamilton. If you can get a French accent down, maybe you can convince him to help in the war. But we're going to have to write to Lafayette and ask for a little bit of help in getting him help." Jemmy says.
"Alright. So, business as usual until Lafayette replies?" I ask.
"Yep."

Or not, as it turns out when Washington comes up to me the next morning, looking tired.
"Can you draft the statement of neutrality? I know you're against it but I need someone to write it." He says slowly.
"I thought Hamilton was doing it." I say, confused.
"He was. Until he quit."
"He quit?" I asked.
"He quit."
"Excuse me for a few minutes."
"Ok." Washington doesn't look much in the mood to argue.
I walk a few blocks to Hamilton's house and knock on the door. A beautiful woman a bit younger than Hamilton opens it, a baby in one arm. I forgot, Hamilton doesn't have slaves. This must be Mrs. Hamilton.
"Hello, are you Mrs. Hamilton?" I ask.
"Yes, and you're Mr. Jefferson."
"Thomas?" A familiar voice says from a room right to the side of the main entryway. A figure in a light blue dress flies through the door and into my arms.
"Ari!" I say. "Why are you here?"
"I assumed you knew. I'm Alexander's sister, remember?" Ari swoops her long brown hair over her shoulder.
"No... I thought you were Arielle Stevens?"
"I am. Different fathers." She covers her mouth quickly.
"Ari!" Mrs. Hamilton—Elizabeth?—says, then turns to me. "Please don't use this against him. He's in a bad enough state already."
"Why?"
"I think he'd better explain himself." Ari takes my arm and leads me through the house to the back porch. "Alexander! You have a visitor!" She sing-songs.
"Who is—no. Get out, right now." As Hamilton turns around, I'm shocked to see the tear stains on his face.
"Hamilton, I just came to apologize." I say.
"Too late. Go away." He snaps, looking angry.
"Alexander." Ari says.
"No, Ari. And you too. Go back inside the goddamn house and if you leave it I swear to god." He threatens.
"You are not my mother!" She shouts at him.
"Well I am your brother! And I'm going to protect you!"
"This is not about that! This is about Thomas! He's here to apologize! You fucking idiot!" She reaches up and slaps him across the face.
"Arielle." He says, trying to stay calm. "Escort Thomas out of here and then come back here and we'll finish this discussion."
She draws herself up to her full height, almost as tall as him. "No."
"Jefferson, get out."
"Hamilton, can I please just apologize?" I snap.
"Get. Out." He snarls, his eyes still on his sister.
I turn and leave. Elizabeth is standing in the kitchen. "Mr. Jefferson, I'm so sorry about how he's acting. Ari's been... insisting on something and he's trying to prevent irrational behavior."
"I understand. She can be frustrating. I just wanted to—"
"That's IT Eliza! I'm going! When I get back downstairs I need—Thomas." She says, catching sight of me. "You haven't left yet. Let me walk you... wherever." She takes my arm and leads me out the door.
"What's going on? You're leaving? Where are you going?" I ask my best friend.
"It's nothing Thomas." She looks away. "I've just been fighting with Alexander on and off."
"Oh." I say. We're quiet the rest of the walk to my place.