A/N: So Tobias Lear was Washington's secretary from 1786 until his death (with periods of him not working for Washington throughout). He married his sweetheart Polly Long, and when she died, married George Augustine Washington's widow, Fanny Bassett (as in the Fanny we met after Yorktown during Jack's death). When she dies of TB a year later, she marries Fanny Dandridge Henley a few years later. Fanny Henley was Martha Washington's niece. He had some serious thing for the Washington family and the connected families lol
Also, there's no indication as to which party he belonged to. However, he did serve under Jefferson and Madison for presidentially-appointed positions, so it's safe to assume that (at least towards the end of his life/career) he was a Democratic-Republican. However, for the sake of this fic, he starts out Federalist due to Washington's support of Hamilton and switches parties after both of their deaths.
Randolph, despite being quite... unspoken in his beliefs, was a Federalist. He didn't sign the Constitution but supported Hamilton's plans for the most part. He was quiet about it. After all, he was Jefferson's second cousin.
》》》》》》
February 1792
Y/N looks up when she hears a knock at her door.
"I hear congratulations are in order."
Y/N stands, greeting Mr. Jefferson with a warm handshake and a kiss on either cheek.
"Thank you, good Sir," she smiles brightly.
"For a moment, I feared you wouldn't return to us in favor of caring for your babies," he tells her, still holding her hand.
"You make it seem as if I don't care for them," she raises an eyebrow.
Jefferson's cheeks turn a bright red, and he shakes his head quickly, "N-no, ma'am...! That's not at all what was meant by my words...!"
Y/N chuckles, finally letting go of his hand, "I jest, good Sir."
"I know you mean well," she adds with a smile before going to sit back down.
"You're more than welcome to join me if you'd like, Mr. Jefferson," she gestures to the chair across from her desk.
She continues writing as Jefferson sits, silently watching her quill move across the parchment.
He supposes she has plenty of work to catch up on after taking a few months of maternity leave.
"Something troubles you," Y/N notes.
Jefferson looks up from where he had been staring. He nods briefly.
"President Washington is to sign in the Postal Service Act-"
"Well, yes, I know, but that's a good thing."
"Yes, but Hamilton's Coinage Act is not," he tells her. "It's inevitable."
Y/N stops writing and looks up at him.
"And his Federalists win again," she sighs.
Jefferson crosses his legs, fist resting against his mouth.
"I've no idea what to do next," she tells him. "I may have only been gone a few months, but I've always been on the outside, Sir."
"Whatever do you mean?"
Y/N raises an eyebrow, "I'm a woman, Mr. Jefferson. A woman playing a man's game. And I've been in it since I was eighteen years old. It never changes."
He cocks his head slightly.
"Men are threatened by women like me. And I do not mean to be arrogant at all. It took me a long time to realize that truth. And with that truth comes this other one: I'm very often left out of these sorts of affairs."
"I'm on the outside, simply watching it go on," she sighs, picking up her quill once again.
Jefferson remains silent for a long while before sighing.
"I hope you do know that I trust you, Y/N," he tells her. "Possibly more than half the members of my party. They only have partisan loyalties, not..."
Y/N cocks an eyebrow, a slight smile on her lips.
Jefferson looks away from her, slightly flushed, "... not a claim of friendship."
"Friendship?" she asks.
"I don't mean to overstep, of course," he quickly says.
She laughs, leaning forward to rest a hand on his arm, "You could never, Thomas."
At the sound of his name, the corners of his lips curl up and he gives her a genuine smile.
She pulls away when another knock sounds.
"Come in," she calls, and the door is pushed open.
Alexander stands in the doorway, seemingly about to walk in before Jefferson's blue-hazel eyes meet Hamilton's violet-blue ones.
They stand off for a moment before Y/N cocks an eyebrow, "Boys, this isn't the time nor place to show off that masculinity you two seem to think is in danger."
Alexander scoffs, "I only came to inform you that His Excellency is requesting your presence, Secretary Washington."
"Old habits, Secretary Hamilton? Don't you know that the war is long over and you are no longer some desk-bound colonel? Washington's title is no longer 'His Excellency,'" Jefferson sneers.
Alexander scoffs, "Last I recall, Mr. Jefferson, my being... desk-bound may have cost me the opportunity to win glory in battle in several occasions, but at least I served my country with honor. Meanwhile, you, like the rest of Congress, sat worthless at your desks while we busied ourselves in matters which you would not bother to attend to."
"Enough, you two," Y/N pinches the bridge of her nose.
"You're one uncouth, corrupt, and shameless bastard, Mr. Hamilton-"
"Thomas!" Y/N gasps.
"At least I'm no hypocritical, immoral, and bloody privileged excuse for a man," Hamilton snaps. "I may be ambitious. And you and your party may think it dangerous. But at least I get my hands dirty. I don't sit on the sidelines and manipulate strings like some... shady aristocrat."
"Alexander!" Y/N once again attempts to interrupt their argument.
"That's hilarious, coming from the monarchist," Jefferson stands, towering over the much smaller Hamilton.
By now, Randolph, Madison, Mr. Lear, and a few other Congressmen were out in the hall.
"What are you lot staring at?" Y/N snaps. "Can't you see that it only encourages them further?"
The handful of Congressmen quickly disperse, leaving just Randolph, Madison, and Lear.
Y/N sits back, coffee in hand as the two bitter rivals argue.
"Are you not going to stop them?" Lear asks her.
"No. They're grown men, Mr. Lear. My children act far better than these two," she scoffs. "... And the eldest is eleven."
"They're not even debating," Lear tells her. "It's just... personal insults."
Y/N looks up at him and raises an eyebrow, "Is this your first time seeing them bicker like this?"
"Yes," he gawks when Jefferson brings up Hamilton's dubious origins in the Caribbean. "And I've been here since the very beginning."
"Well, it only recently became this bad. Maybe a few months or so. They were... respectful in the beginning when Hamilton's financial plan passed. Mild disagreements between the two factions that emerged."
"How's your boy?" she asks.
Mrs. Lear had given birth to a son just a few months before she had. Benjamin Lincoln Lear.
He was named after a fine general and friend of hers.
"He's doing very well. He's started to sit up on his own. And your two?"
"They're doing well, as well. They've grown quite a bit since they were born," she tells him.
"Oh, please, Hamilton. For all we know, the only reason you're here is that you're Washington's bastard," Jefferson seethes, and Lear and Y/N return to the argument.
At this point, Madison, and Lear jump into the argument. Randolph attempts to break up the argument, but gets roped in soon enough.
"Alright!" Y/N barks, hand slamming heavily on her desk.
It causes the men to flinch, and Mr. Lear ducks out of the room, presumably to fetch her father.
"We have been at this for a little under two years, gentlemen. Most of us have been here since right after President Washington's inauguration. I think two years is more than enough time for you lot to grow up and learn how to work in disagreement, but with respect," she scolds. "Different factions though we may be, I refuse to work in an administration that does not work in unity for the good of the nation and people."
"Excellently said, Secretary Washington," her father's voice interrupts the cabinet.
Y/N stays silent as her father takes a few steps in.
Mr. Madison shies away from the towering figure and Mr. Lear stands attentively by his side.
"This cabinet is tearing this administration apart," Washington begins.
Y/N basks in the guilt seeping off of the two men.
Y/N picks up her quill, her hand flowing over the parchment as she writes in a very Hamilton-esque way.
He tunes out as her father scolds the two men, and Mr. Jefferson is the first to apologize, as falsely as it was.
Hamilton holds out a few more moments before returning the apology.
Jefferson holds a hand out slightly, and Y/N knows he's hoping Hamilton doesn't take it.
But her husband does, shaking it, if only to please his father-in-law.
"The folly of ad hominem, gentlemen," Y/N adds with a sly smirk. "Attack the debate, not the debator."
"Thank you, Secretary Washington," her father murmurs. "Now, if you four could join me in the meeting room, that would be preferable. Mr. Lear, would you find Mr. Adams and tell him the same."
"He's here?" Y/N asks as Lear leaves.
"Obviously, if Mr. Lear is going to go fetch him," Hamilton snarks, causing Randolph to snicker.
Y/N sends them both a glare, "Your attitude is unnecessary, Hamilton."
"And uncalled for," Jefferson adds.
"Enough. Enough," Washington hisses.
Hamilton holds his hands up in surrender, and excuses himself from the room, heading past his political rival and the president.
"We'll be right out, Mr. President. Mr. Randolph," Y/N tells them.
Washington nods and follows immediately after his son-in-law, with Randolph not far behind.
Madison spares one final glance at his political allies, nodding minutely before leaving to tend to his own business.
Y/N stands up, making his way to her fellow Virginian, "We should head out, Mr. Jefferson."
Jefferson, still glaring at the doorway, huffs when Y/N rests a hand on his chest, "Mr. Jefferson? Thomas?"
"He's insufferable," he states, unable to meet her gaze.
"Only around you," she jokes. "He's not like this with my father."
At the mention of President Washington, his scowl grows and he walks away from her, hand clenched in a fist as he paces the open area towards the door.
"Your father," his nose wrinkles in... disgust? "I've something to discuss with you after this cabinet meeting."
"Does it concern my family?" she asks.
"Very much so," he states briefly before leaving the room.
Y/N frowns, fingers intertwined and resting on her desk.
》》》》》》
"You wanted to see me, Mr. Jefferson?" Y/N knocks at his open office door.
Jefferson looks up from where he had been writing, "Mrs. Hamilton. Welcome."
He stands up, "Pardon me, but... who allowed you in?"
"Your... daughter, is she?"
"Ah. Polly."
"I apologize if I'm intruding. Your little girl said you were expecting me," she tells him.
"I was," he leans on his desk slightly, eyes down as he thinks of a way to begin the conversation.
"Polly," he calls for his daughter, "will you ensure no one interrupts us?"
"Yes, Papa," she says, barely loud enough for them to hear.
Jefferson breathes a sigh, "Will you be a lamb and close the door, General?"
Y/N shakes her head with a chuckle as she closes the door.
What a southern phrase.
"Forgive me, Thomas, but what is it that you wished to speak about?" she asks cautiously.
Jefferson goes behind his desk, opening his drawer and pulling out a letter.
"This is my personal correspondence, but believe me, Madam, I do not believe the slander about your father... or you."
"My father?" she asks, slowly taking the letter from him.
She begins reading through it, and Jefferson once again leans against his desk, legs crossed at the ankles and arms folded.
"Who is this from?" she asks, fuming.
Jefferson opens his mouth to respond, but quickly shuts it when he notices her cheeks go red.
"A wench? They call me a tavern wench?" she snaps.
"They call you a great many names, madam."
"Oh, I know!" she fumes, nostrils flared in anger. "'The whore of the Federalist Party' it says here in fancy little font. 'Hamilton's harlot'-"
"That's enough," he shakes his head, walking over to his window.
"Who wrote this... atrocity?" her nose wrinkles in disgust.
"A vile young propagandist by the name of James Callender," he responds, looking her in the eye. "I hope you know that I sent him a detailed letter over the uncalled for insults he wrote."
She scoffs.
"He calls us the Washington Triumvirate."
"I believed it in the beginning. That your father picked you and Hamilton for that very reason."
"He would never-!" she comes to his defense, stopping when he holds a hand up to quiet her. He was looking out the window emotionlessly.
"I realized my error when you sided with me against your husband," he assures her. "And I know this... Triumvirate is nothing but rumor."
"They call my father an imbicile who has no business in office."
When he doesn't respond, Y/N shakes her head, "It's rumor, yes. But it's one that we can disspell right now with your good word sent to the right newspaper."
"Washington was the only man that could unite the states. That much was known when he was unanimously elected. Hamilton, on the other hand, was not elected, Y/N," Jefferson reminds her. "And we both know that as much as you try to ignore it, your father, good man though he is, hasn't a head for politics and government."
Her scowl grows and he raises a hand in surrender, "I mean no ill will, darling. I just mean to say that your husband is the true head behind much of President Washington's thoughts. He paves the way for your father to easily follow. And we both know that their time in war has created this... bond. You'd think he was his bastard the way Washington coddles him."
Y/N shoots Jefferson a glare, but the man makes no attempts at an apology.
Instead, he leans back, "Hamilton is the brains of this operation. Luckily for us, this Administration has multiple heads, not all of which are friendly to our dear Mr. Hamilton."
"But this slander, Thomas-"
"Rome was not built in a day, General. We must have patience. Hamilton's financial acts first."
"Rome, however, was sacked by one. Caesar was killed in one. Rome burned in one," she lists. "I caution you not to underestimate the hold these rumors have in Philadelphia."
"These, my dear, are rumors that can be dealt with later. Especially once your opposition to Hamilton's... ambitious plans is brought to light," he turns around from where he had been looking out the window. "Callender is a bloody good pamphleteer, Y/N. And, vile though he may be in his insults, he is part of the Anti-Administration Party. A Jeffersonian."
"Until when?" she mutters before sighing.
"He will listen to you, Thomas. I understand that Callender can be... an asset... but is he worth keeping around so much that you're willing to let him slander my family?"
"Don't think of them as your family, my dear," he advises. "Not in this sense. In politics, they are either your enemy or your ally. And if they're neither, then they have no business being in this business."
"Now," he finally walks back to his desk, sitting down and intertwinining his fingers. "If you'll join me. We've much to discuss."
He sits down at his desk and gestures to the nearby chair.
》》》》》》
"What are you and Jefferson planning?" Alexander asks quietly, arms wrapped around his wife.
They were laying in bed, just enjoying each others' embrace.
Y/N hums, half-asleep after only getting a few hours of sleep last night due to their... embraces.
"I know you heard me," he whispers against her ear.
Y/N slowly opens an eye, "We're just disspelling rumors for now..."
"Is that wise...?" he asks. "I know of the rumors going around. I know what they call you."
"It's not just me," she shakes her head, turning over to face him.
"I know. But sometimes it's... sometimes it's better to just let those rumors exist," he tells her.
When she starts laughing, he adds, "I know, I know. It's rich coming from me."
"Very," she chuckles, pressing a gentle kiss to his nose.
"Just... be careful. Be careful where you dig and who you meet with. Who you slander."
"I know," she cups his face, gently kissing him. "I know you do the same, though, so you be careful, too. It's gotten dangerous lately."
Alexander forces a small smile and looks away with a sigh.
He rolls onto his back, "It seems like yesterday that we fought in the war together."
"We're fighting a different war now," she chuckles.
"And on different sides," he adds.
Alexander nods silently.
He sighs, turning to her.
"You know I love you, right?" he asks.
"Of course I do, Alexander," she assures him. "And I love you, too."
"You promise those rumors won't dissuade you of that?"
"What?" she asks.
"Promise me that with all the slander you'll hear... that you'll know none of it is true."
"Of course, Alex," she sits up, leaning on him.
He holds her hands, pressing kisses to her knuckles.
"Promise me you'll love me forever."
"That was in our vows," she jokes, resting her forehead on his. "But, yes, Mr. Hamilton, I will love you forever and always."
A/N: You sure?
》》》》》》
June 1792
"Who are my handsome little boys?" Y/N coos into the cradle.
"Us!" Frankie snickers from the doorway.
Y/N turns to see Jacky and Frankie dressed up in their finest clothing, "Well, don't you two look absolutely dashing?"
Frankie's cheeks burn as they turn a deep red.
"Where's your sister?" she asks.
"Downstairs, Mother. Are the twins ready or would you like some help?" Jacky asks politely.
So... formal. So grown.
Her little boy was growing up in front of her eyes and she absolutely loathed it. Why couldn't he stay her little baby forever?
His hair was styled like his eponym, in a side-part, with his ginger curls puffed at the sides of his head. He wore a light blue outfit.
Frankie, on the other hand, has his hair tied back in a neat queue with a bow that matched his pastel green outfit.
"No, my love. We're all ready," she stands, reaching in to grab baby George. She hands him off to his elder brother.
Y/N reaches in again and grabs James, "Let's go."
Jacky follows in silence, baby George cooing in his arms.
Y/N turns towards the bottom of the stairs, only to be nearly thrown down the rest of them when Jack falls into her.
"Jack!" she cries, fumbling to catch them all before they fall.
"Oh!" Fanny cries out, backing away instinctively.
Alexander rushes into the room just in time, snatching the two infants before they fall into a heap.
The babies, startled, begin crying and Alexander quickly hands them off to the servant, Kitty.
"Are you three alright...!?" Alexander quickly begins helping them up.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Y/N waves his hand off, instead standing Frankie up and dusting him off.
Alexander lifts Jack up to his feet. He was out of it. Barely even conscious.
But he snaps to quicker than Y/N can question it.
"What happened...?"
Alexander and Y/N share a glance and his father, hands still tightly gripping Jacky's shoulders, says, "You tell us, my boy..."
He guides him to a chair, carefully sitting him down, "Are you alright...?"
"'M fine..." Jacky mumbles, hand on his head. "'M just... fuzzy..."
Alexander places the back of his hand against his forehead, "You're not warm..."
Y/N takes baby George from Kitty, "I'll stay with him."
"Mamma...!" Jack whines. "I'm fine...!"
Alexander cups his face, "You fainted."
"I did not...! I just..." he trails off, pulling away from his father. "I'll be fine on my own, Pappa. You should go with Mamma."
Y/N gives Alexander a worried look and Alexander presses a kiss to his son's forehead, "Okay."
"Okay?" Y/N asks.
Alexander straightens, turning to his wife, "He may just be tired. We'll keep him here tonight. Kitty can watch over him."
"But-"
Alexander places a calming hand on her arm, "We'll just be down the street, my love. If anything happens, Kitty can send for us and we'll be here in a matter of seconds."
"Go, Mamma," Jacky assures her, "I'll be fine."
"Oh, my baby," Y/N cups his cheek with her free hand.
"Mamma...!" he whines.
"Okay, okay. We'll go. But we'll be closeby. Kitty, let us know immediately of any further problems with Jacky," she tells her servant.
"Yes, Ma'am," Kitty bows her head, handing James to Alexander, and begins helping Jacky up the stairs.
"Are you okay?" Alexander asks quietly.
"Worried," she answers, using her free hand to straighten out her dress and hair. She does the same to Frankie.
"He'll be okay," he assures her. "Let's enjoy tonight."
Y/N gives him a small smile.
》》》》》》
"Gentlemen. Ladies," her father spares a glance at his daughter.
He has a glass of madeira in his hand, "We've many a thing to celebrate tonight. So I propose five toasts."
He raises his glass, "First, to the creation of our fifteenth state, Kentucky."
"Hear, hear," the room agrees.
Y/N raises her glass, tipping it towards her father politely.
Alexander listens silently.
"Second, to the inauguration of Mr. Shelby as the first governor of Kentucky."
"Aye."
"Hear, hear."
"Third, to Denmark's recognition of the United States as a sovereign country," her father continues.
"Only about a decade late," Alexander jests, lifting his glass as the room shares a laugh.
George gives his son-in-law a brief quirk of the lips.
"Next, to the Congress and people that ennabled such things to happen."
Y/N and a handful of other senators, governors and congressmen cheer.
"And lastly, to my cabinet. Vice-President John Adams, Secretary of the State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War, Y/N Washington Hamilton, and the Attorney General, Edmund Randolph. Without them, I fear I would not have stood a chance against this momentous task."
The crowds cheer, and the cabinet (except Adams, who, as usual, was in Massachusetts) clinks glasses, congratulating each other.
Y/N and Jefferson's glasses clink and he raises his eyebrows briefly, tipping his glass slightly towards her, "And to you and your good health, madam."
"Yours as well, Mr. Jefferson," she responds, and they both take a sip.
Alexander silently rolls his eyes from beside her and Mr. Jefferson chuckles, "And to your good health, too, Sir. May you live long enough to see the repercussions toward your faction."
"You as well, Jefferson," Hamilton stands, leaving the table.
"You know just what to say to make him seethe," Y/N chuckles.
"Call it a gift, darling," he smiles.
》》》》》》
"I cannot keep doing this," Alexander confesses that night.
"I'm done," he adds.
Maria reaches for him, and he takes several steps back, as if he wouldn't be able to hold back.
"I mean it, Mrs. Reynolds. This never should have happened. And I refuse to allow it to continue further."
"Mr. Hamilton-"
"No," he says firmly.
"I wish your family the best, madam, but this is our final meeting," he puts his hat back on, pushing the door open.
"Goodbye," he mutters, not allowing her the chance to return it.
He was out of her grasp.
Finally.
》》》》》》
Y/N just finishes putting down the babies when Kitty informs her of someone knocking.
"A Mr. Jefferson to see you, ma'am."
"What could he possibly need at this hour?" she asks herself.
She finishes rocking James and George ans turns to the servant, "Have him wait in my study. I'll be down in a moment."
"Yes, ma'am," Kitty bows her head before leaving the room.
Y/N grabs her robe and quickly puts it over her shift. She ties it over her stomach and grabs the nearby candle.
At least she looks somewhat presentable.
She heads downstairs, telling Kitty to check on the children on her way to her quarters.
Y/N approaches her study, "Now, Mr. Jefferson, I may have told you that my door was always open to you, good Sir, but it's past midnight-"
She sees the look on his face and immediately drops her joke.
"What's wrong...?"
He looks up at her, "It's your father."
Y/N feels her heart stop briefly.
Jefferson hurries to her side when she nearly drops the candle, "My apologies...! I did not mean to startle you so."
"Your father is well, Y/N. I just meant..." he sighs.
"He refuses to run for reelection. I've written to him after seeing the dividing factions in Congress. We still need him, Y/N," Jefferson tells her.
Y/N finally manages to get a grip and Jefferson pulls away from where he had been rubbing her back.
"Your father at one point was the only man that could unite these wayward colonies. Even after almost four years of his leadership... we still need him. America needs him in office again. He needs to run again."
"Why do you come to me with this...?"
"I know I'm not the only one that has attempted to convince him. I know Hamilton has written your father. I know several Congressmen have as well. He's not... listening," he shakes his head. "You have his ear, Y/N. Even if you side with me against Hamilton... you have his ear."
"You wish for me to persuade my father to once again take on a job he loathes?" she asks.
"Well... when you put it that way..."
"I'll talk to him in the morning," she assures him. "I'm sure he'll listen, though, I'm not sure he'll act on it."
"Thank you," he sighs in relief, taking her hands in his.
He presses a kiss to her knuckles in thanks, a small smile gracing his lips, "And, in return, I promise not to bother you so late next time."
She laughs, "You aren't bothering, Thomas."
He looks up, her knuckles just a breath away from his lips.
"I'm glad..." he whispers, letting her hand drop before stepping forward.
He cups her face, their lips meeting in an eager kiss.
》》》》》》
I know a shit ton of you guys have seen this coming. I've been planning that kiss since the very first time I planned this book like 4 years ago.
Hope you guys liked it.
And happy anniversary to Y/N and Alex.
Also, do me a big favor and check out gay_novelist's story they just published today!