History Has Its Eyes On You ~ A Hamilton Fanfiction (Book 1, Act 1)

Ice Skating

°~1 Week Later~°

Dear Miss E. Hamilton,

I have attached a sum of $10 for your family's use. I could not bear the guilt of your suffering this winter, and would rather it be a wholesome time. You shall spend it however you please, for the three of you together are as though family to me. And with that, I shall treat you with dignity.

I'll be making an arrival the day this letter arrives, for it'd be wonderful to meet with you again. Perhaps you could dine with my family someday; my wife has a curiosity for you. Do not think it bad, for her smile broadens on hearing your name. We discuss of you very much, for you are quite the fascination.

Wish your sister a greeting from us all.

- J. Laurens

~

(Y/N POV)

Reading the newspaper, I couldn't help but notice Emily giggling from the corner of my eye. She hugged a letter, presumably from John. Rolling my eyes, I tugged the newspaper up to shield my view of her.

Alexander had left earlier for Schuyler Mansion, intending to introduce himself to General Schuyler. Just as Emily had been doing, Alexander and Eliza exchanged letters every day. They were obsessed, and worryingly... so was Emily. The advice I'd given her hadn't paid off well, I see. I just wanted John to be at peace with Martha.

...And his daughter.

"John's given us $10!" Emily exclaimed.
I peeked around the newspaper. "$10?"
"Yeah, isn't that great!"
"W- Why has he provided us with $10?" In this time, a mere $10 was more than enough. "Did you ask him for it?!"
"No, of course not! He's just... being kind."

I massaged my temples. "You're joking, we can't accept that amount of money!"
She became quiet, tossing the letter aside. "I know, but... Shouldn't we at least be grateful? Because ever since David, we--"
"David's behind us. We've built on our wealth since then; it's as though he never existed."

I still kept his sketch under the pillow of my bed. I couldn't understand why I'd never destroyed it, or even considered doing so. I just stared at it, wondering if someday I could find him again. I bared no little speck of sympathy for him, but the factor that we seemed so similar fascinated me. Not to mention we shared the same surname. If there was any chance of him being... our ancestor...

...Then I had to find him.

A gentle knock on the door, and Emily had already scuttled over. John peeked his head around the door frame, evoking a smile from her. She pushed a strand of her hair back, allowing him in. "It's great to see you again, Miss." John started, kissing her hand.
"Thank you for the money... You really didn't have to." Emily implored.
"Nonsense, you need it more than I."

I walked over to greet him, and he automatically pulled me into a hug. Despite being away from the war, he still treated me as though I were Charlie Miller. And I couldn't appreciate him more for that. I patted him on the back, swiftly pulling away.

"I was hoping we could all go somewhere together, if that's alright with..." John tilted his head around the corner, searching for Alexander.
"He's out." I told him.
"He won't be back for some time, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind, anyway." Emily pressed.
John smirked. "Great. You might want to fetch your coats.

It's going to get cold."

~

John stood in between both of us as we made our way down the path. The trees blocked our view, but light was soon discovered through a narrow parting. The snow had returned, layering upon the leaves as it sprinkled down above our frozen heads.

John led Emily safely through the parting first, allowing me to follow behind. Before us was the Hudson River, with around 30 others about us. Not to observe, but to be within the river. It was frozen solid: not a single crack. Wives sat on the grass to observe their husbands as they skated across the ice, and their children played within the snow. It intrigued me that not a single woman was willing to go out onto the ice.

"Wow..." Emily whispered, her cheeks glowing a bright pink. She hustled her coat tightly around her neck.
"What do you think?" John asked, nodding his head towards a man. He was sat under a tree, advertising for a bunch of ice skates on sale.
"Uh..."
"C'mon. I'll pay." John led the way over to the man.

I scurried behind, taking his shoulder. "John, are you sure about this? We've never done this before..."
"Neither have I." he admitted. "How hard can it be?"
"Very." I hissed. "It requires balance."
"And balance we shall provide, if we all stick together!" John immediately strolled up to the man, tossing money his way.

Without even considering our size, he handed out three pairs of ice skates. John gave the first to Emily, and the second to me. We followed him down to the riverbank, sitting on the grass. I slipped my ice skates on, touching the ice with the tip of the blade to reassure that I wasn't going to fall in and drown.

Emily excitedly hopped up, causing her to slip instantaneously. Finally, John brought himself up, steadying his legs before helping Emily back to her feet. Nervously, I edged forward, tackling John's shoulder for support. "Oh please, it's not that bad!" he exclaimed, trying to skate away from me.
"NONONONO--" He glided away from my grasp, so I hurriedly used Emily instead.

She was frozen, staring at the ice, unsure of when or how to move. Taking notice, John giggled, lunging back over between us. I tugged on his shoulder again, whilst Emily latched herself onto his left arm. He carefully put one foot out, dragging us along with him. Emily huddled closer, her legs shuddering. I was beginning to regain my balance as we went on further, loosening my grip.

Though, afraid that I'd spiral out of control, I stayed close. I used John's arm to gently push away, skating at my own accord. I chuckled anxiously, spreading my arms out to ensure I didn't fall. John smiled, though I sensed something was going on. Cheekily, he waved, skating away much faster than before. "JOHN COME BACK!!" I tried putting one foot in front of the other, avoiding the flock of professionals skate in my direction.

In the meantime, John had persuaded Emily to loosen up on her grip, too, but wasn't so harsh on her. "JOHN LAURENS GET BACK HERE NOW!!" I urged, but every time I called his name, he started laughing hysterically. I grunted, carrying on with my struggle.

Another minute, and the two were hand-in-hand, Emily refusing to let go. John winked at me, releasing her hand and allowing her to skate freely. At first, it was obvious that she wanted to scream, but it evolved into a laugh.

They guided themselves towards me, until suddenly Emily lost her balance. She flapped her arms with fright, but just as John had managed to catch her, they both fell backwards. Instead of gradually bringing myself on, I watch from a distance as they laughed together. They tried to stand back up, but with every failed attempt, they grew more crazed.

Emily hid her face in John's shoulder, a burst of enlightenment that I hadn't seen in her for a long time.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hey! So I'd like to notify that chapters may potentially slow down again, though I'm not confirming it. It's due to the fact that I'm working on 3 other stories at the minute. One I've planned the entirety of, and have started to write. One I've planned all of Act 1 out, and have a rough idea of Act 2 but not thoroughly yet. And one I've literally just started planning 2 hours ago, and I have high hopes for it.

So yeah. There's also a bunch of summer homework on top of that, but we never go on holiday so I should have a fair amount of time. But of things do slow down, then this is the reason why.

Thanks!