Chapter 26

A/N:

Okay, so this chapter is more like two chapters together... It was quite difficult for me to write it, so please let me know what you think about it! ♡

Also, tomatoes were considered poisonous in the US until mid-1800s. It seems like a strange thing to say here, but you'll understand it later in the story.

Here are the links if you love tomatoes:

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/vegetabletravelers/tomato.html

https://www.monticello.org/site/blog-and-community/4-foods-jefferson-helped-popularize-america

***

Alexander was confused. In the weeks that followed the winter's ball, he felt almost pressed between Thomas's shameless avances and Burr's awkward friendship. He was flattered by Thomas's perseverance; however, if, at the beginning, he'd resisted him because he was still angry and wanted Jefferson to toil for his attentions, now he was scared of being completely honest with him. They had already tried to be together, and when it'd ended it'd been terrible for both of them – too terrible to endure it a second time. Alexander still loved him, but he'd finally found his balance, even though that was the darkest hour of his life: Eliza didn't hate him, even if he hadn't seen his family for many months; he'd found a friend he could share his lonely moments in Philadelphia with; and finally, despite his continuous clashes with Adams, work was going great. He was so scared of being miserable again, that couldn't bring himself to try and be happy.

The next months will most certainly pass by in a blur – he'd written to Eliza in his last letter – I'm campaigning to have Timothy Pickering preferred over Adams; we can't afford to have that madman as our president for another four years, nor to have the Democratic-Republicans rule the country. He'd voluntarily omitted Jefferson's name in the letter – I hope I'll be able to see my Betzy and my beloved children very soon, I miss you all very much and I pray for you every day.

He and Burr were spending even more time together now. They were both campaigning for their factions – Burr for his position as vice president, and Hamilton for Pickering's as president. Sometimes they took turns, making their speeches in front of large crowds in parks, theatres or on sidewalks. They were both skilled orators and – even if Burr was more succinct, while Hamilton could spend hours and hours only to talk about the first point of his agenda – they were usually voiceless by the end of the day. Alexander really liked that, despite the fact that he and Burr were literally working one against the other, they were still able to be friends. They often headed to the pub together after a long day of work and cured their sore throats with a couple of beers. Burr had never tried to get information from him, but Alexander couldn't help but think about Thomas's warning – was Burr using him, taking advantage of their friendship, even only to mitigate Hamilton's criticism on the press?

"What are you thinking about?" Burr gently nudged him with his shoulder. "You spaced out again."

"Shit, I'm sorry I'm being such a terrible company lately." Alexander smiled awkwardly, trying to focus on his friend again. "What were you saying?"

"I was asking you if you want to go celebrate tomorrow."

"Celebrate what?"

"Our efforts!" Burr said cheerfully. "Come on, it's been a couple of rough weeks, we should treat ourselves and go out for dinner or something."

"But we always dine together," Alexander joked. "Look at this place, what more could you ask for?"

"Lovely," Burr laughed, casting a sarcastic glance at their surroundings – it was not the worst pub in Philadelphia, but it wasn't even the fanciest. "What about City Tavern? We could eat something more nourishing and maybe take a stroll in the park later."

"Hell, why not?"

"Perfect." Burr gently squeezed Alexander's hand on the table. "I was hoping you'd say yes."

Alexander smiled, feeling confused once more – Aaron's hand hadn't moved from his, tenderly caressing it with his thumb for a minute before freeing it. He didn't seem to be aware of the gesture, as if he'd done it distractedly, while thinking about something else. The fact was that Burr had been doing this kind of things for weeks now, and Alexander couldn't understand the reason – they'd been friend before the war, but he'd never acted like that. The memory of Jefferson bitterly warning him about Burr's evil intentions filled his mind once more, and he resumed his meal with a frown on his face.

***

Thomas was walking alone in the park, trying to clear up his mind and relax after a couple of stressful weeks. The elections were very close now; Madison was doing the impossible to gather the southern votes for him, while Hamilton was openly campaigning against him – but also against Adams, so he wasn't actually doing a bad job. Moreover, he missed his ever-growing family and his peaceful Monticello. As if it wasn't enough, he'd had many important things to worry about, such as to figure out other ways to tease Hamilton; that activity had lately become his favourite hobby. After trying to kiss him the night of the ball, Thomas had understood that Alexander was still too scared to admit that he loved him, and had therefore decided that he would wait for Alexander to take the first step. But a little flirting never killed nobody after all.

He chuckled, thinking about the previous week, when they were having a very boring day at work and Alexander was continuously sighing behind his desk. After lunch, Thomas had come back to work bringing some of the tomatoes he'd been sent right from his personal vegetable garden in Monticello. He'd nonchalantly took one of them and started eating it in front of everyone, creating quite a stir. Alexander, who knew they were not really poisonous, had giggled the whole time – earning some shocked glances from his co-workers, who were positively sure that Thomas would have died in the next few minutes. After the doctor had confirmed that Thomas was not in danger of dying, everyone'd gone back to work, and Alexander had cast him a conspiratorial smile.

The memory suddenly made him hopeful, and he headed home with a new idea, his long legs lengthening the stride while he searched his pockets for some coins. However, his plan had to be postponed – in his apartment, a note from Madison was waiting for him.

Thomas, I've been informed of something of the greatest importance. Please come to my house at once. Any delay could be fatal.

When Thomas arrived at Madison's, he found his friend in extreme distress. He'd never seen him more anxious before.

"Where were you?" He immediately asked.

"I was just taking a stroll," Thomas answered defensively. "What happened?"

"I came to talk to you as soon as I knew it... but you weren't home, so I left you the note... but it was at least an hour ago, and we don't have much time!" James explained confusingly.

"If we don't have time, stop wasting it and tell me what happened!" Thomas was growing worried – what the hell had happened to make James talk as if someone was going to die?

"Burr visited me today and told me his plan. Hamilton's in danger."

***

Aaron Burr was a practical man. He'd worked hard to grab his place in the Senate and, differently from his wimpy co-workers, he was not content by being Senator. He wanted the top position and was ready to do anything to achieve it. There was nothing wrong with being an ambitious man – he justified himself while greeting William Duane, the editor of the Aurora, that afternoon before his date with Hamilton.

"William, my friend, how are you?"

"I'm good, Aaron, and I'll be even better after you tell me about the scoop you mentioned in your letter."

"Straight down to business." Burr patted him on the back and looked at him with conspiratorial air. "What if I told you that I've found a way to get rid of Hamilton once and for all?"

"I'm all ears," Duane grinned, drawing out his quill and paper to take some notes.

"You won't need your quill right now, because you'll be my witness and partner-in-crime tonight." Burr looked around to check that no one was listening and began to explain. "After dinner, I'll come to this very park with Hamilton. You'll be hiding in the bushes in there – it'll be dark so no one will notice you – and I'll stop right in front of this tree. Then I'll make a move to kiss him, you'll see that he will happily welcome it, since I've been the object of his desperate flirting lately.

"Then," he went on, "I'll push him away, calling for help, and you'll come and rescue me from his twisted intentions. The only thing you'll have to change in the article is a tiny detail: you'll claim that he was the one who'd tried to kiss and assault me."

"Let us be clear – do you want me to accuse Hamilton of sodomy?"

"Exactly, and I'll play the part of the victim. Everyone has noticed how close we are, and after the Reynolds's scandal had exposed his sexual misdeeds, people will believe out story without the shadow of a doubt."

"Look, I know that his political views are shit, but –" Duane looked gravely at Burr, hesitating. "Do you really believe that he's a – a sodomite?" he whispered.

"You'll see it yourself, William. He'll be imprisoned at once, deported back to that insignificant island in the Caribbean where he belongs." An evil smile twisted his face. "And he'll be out of everybody's life before next elections."

"All right. I'll be here at sunset waiting for you."

"Great." Burr shook Duane's hand with fervour. "I'll see you then."

Burr left the park with his heart lighter – he couldn't believe that moment had finally arrived; in a few hours he would be free not to pretend to like Hamilton anymore, and his only opponent left would be Jefferson. But that wouldn't be a problem: he knew the Federalists favoured him over Jefferson. He would become President, and Hamilton would be far away from Philadelphia, soon forgotten by everyone. He arrived in front of City Tavern and waited for Alexander to fall into his trap.

***

Alexander was really excited about the dinner – he hadn't enjoyed his leisure time in a while, since it was usually Eliza who dragged him away from his study and forced him to join the social moments of life. Well, he'd had some perfect moments with Thomas, but that was a long time ago. He wore a grey waistcoat with matching breeches and a coat of a darker shade, and tried to convince himself that he was not going to a date with Aaron. Most importantly, he was trying (and failing) not to feel guilty towards Thomas.

"He doesn't own me," he repeated to himself. "We're not together right now – and this isn't even a date."

He walked to the restaurant and spotted Burr who was waiting for him in front of the entrance, elegantly dressed as usual. The other man saw him and cheerfully waved in his direction. Alexander instantly blushed.

"Alexander!" Burr hugged him quickly and held the door open for him. "I was worrying that you'd changed your mind about the dinner."

"I would've never; in fact, I'm happy we've decided to –

"Go for a date?" Burr ended the sentence when Alexander hesitated.

Shit, so this was most definitely a date – he suddenly wished he'd worn something nicer. But what if he'd completely misunderstood Burr's intentions? What if it was only a dinner date between two friends? After all, Burr had been married and, differently from Thomas, had never told him that he liked him. Alex decided to keep being evasive on the matter.

"Cool,." He smiled shyly. "Have you booked a table or something?"

"Do you even know me?" Burr answered with a friendly smile.

"Yup, of course you've booked the table," he laughed, trying to relax.

A waiter led them to their table and listed them the menu of the day, wrote down their ordering and finally left them alone. The rest of the night went on as usual: they chatted and laughed a lot, drank several glasses of wine and Alexander started to enjoy himself – dammit, it was only Burr, his friend; he wasn't trying to have a romantic date with him, so he didn't have to worry about choosing between him and Thomas.

After dinner, they walked in silence for a while, enjoying the chilly air of the night; Burr was humming quietly, a soft smile on his face.

"You seem happy today," Alexander noted after a while, trying to make him stop humming – he really liked Burr's voice, but Thomas used to hum while cooking for him and he didn't want past memories to interfere with his date.

"I am. It was a delicious dinner and I don't want to end our time together so soon," Burr looked at him with fondness. "Let's walk through the park, it's not very far from here."

"Hell no! Not the park Aaron, I'm freezing!"

"Come on," he took his hand and gently dragged him, until Alexander finally gave up and followed him.

He didn't let go of his hand though, at least until they reached the park entrance; once there, he left his hand and looked at him with anticipation. They entered the park and Alexander started shivering at once; the plants made the air even cooler, and he moved closer to Burr, who seemed to be looking around in a nervous way. Alexander stuffed his frozen hands into his pockets, and felt his left hand rubbing against Thomas's handkerchief – he was so used to take it everywhere that he'd been unable to leave it at home even tonight. Out of nowhere, a little voice in his head asked him if he'd unconsciously decided to bring Thomas's love token with him as a defence against Burr. Thomas's words echoed in his memory once more – could he trust Burr?

"Alexander wait a minute." Aaron stopped next to a tall maple tree and gestured him to come closer. "You know, I really wanted to tell you something tonight."

"What is it?" Alexander moved closer, getting curious at once.

"I really appreciate your friendship, Alexander." Burr gently moved a lonely strand of hair that had escaped Alexander's ponytail. "And I was wondering if you feel the same."

Shit, so it wasn't his imagination! Burr had been really flirting with him this whole time and Alex had been so stupid to think that theirs was only friendship. That's why Thomas was so jealous that night, he'd understood that Burr was threatening his place in Alexander heart. Would it be so different to kiss Burr instead of Thomas? Burr had no beard, while Alexander had always loved Thomas's beard tickling him when they kissed...

Burr moved closer and closer, his face was inches away from Alexander's and he was looking at his lips as if he was about to kiss him. Alexander lips parted and he felt his heart beating like a drum – did he really want it? Burr's hand cupped Alexander's face and he leaned over to kiss him –

"Aaron, wait!"

"What's the matter?"

"I – I'm sorry, Aaron, you're a great friend but... I don't feel this way towards you, I'm sorry."

Burr looked at Alexander as if he'd just pointed a gun at him or something – why was he so scared of him all of a sudden?

"Oh shit, Aaron," Alex got it after a second. "I won't tell anyone, I swear! You don't have to worry about me... We're friend, I would never do something like that to you."

Burr's face was unreadable. He forcefully drew away from Alexander and turned his back to him.

"I'd like to have some time alone, if you don't mind," he informed Alexander with glacial voice.

"All right," Alexander sighed and started to walk away from him. "I'm sorry Burr, we'll talk about it when you're ready."

Hamilton left and Burr stood there, completely still, until a hand shook him from his daze. William Duane was looking at him with a sympathetic gaze.

"You must write that article on Hamilton, regardless what happened."

"I won't," Duane said quietly yet firmly. "I'm a journalist, Burr, not a liar. If Hamilton had kissed you tonight, I would have written the article because I would have witnessed the truth. But what I've seen was, in fact, only a poor attempt from you to kiss our former Secretary – he refused you, so I won't accuse him of something he's not."

"Dammit, William, you know it's dangerous to have him around during the elections!"

"Actually, I've heard that his attempt to promote Pickering over Adams had only worsened the situation of his party." He shrugged. "Anyway, I don't care if he's a political threat and a horrible person, I would never send an innocent to jail."

Duane gave Burr a last pat on his shoulder and headed away, leaving him completely alone.

Only when Burr pitifully walked away, Thomas could relax at last – he leaned on the tree trunk behind which he had been silently listening to the two men's conversation, while trying not to go out and beat the shit out of Burr. He emerged from the darkness of his hiding place and immediately headed towards Hamilton's house, almost running to catch up with him – it seemed that Alexander was out of danger for now, but Thomas needed to know what'd happened before his arrival.

Alexander, however, didn't went home that night. He wandered alone around the city, trying to understand what had stopped him from kissing Burr. Did he like Aaron? Of course he liked him, they were friends and he was really beautiful – well, he was not stunning like Thomas, and his eyes were impossible for Alexander to read, but he was handsome. Did he want Burr to kiss him? Apparently not. The moment Burr's lips had almost met his, the only thing he'd been able to think about was Thomas. He took Thomas's handkerchief out from his pocket and smelled it. It didn't smell like Thomas anymore – it had been years, after all – but Alexander perfectly remembered his perfume; it was impressed in his mind together with Thomas's warmth, his dark eyes, his smile, his touch.

When he finally became aware of his surroundings, he found himself not too far from his house. He turned into Walnut Street, walking fast and trying not to think about the cold, and suddenly saw a figure sitting right in front of his door. He hesitated a moment, but then saw a full head of curly hair and recognize him at once, smiling at the sight. Thomas was half-asleep on his doorstep, his arms crossed as if to defend himself from the cold and his hair covering most of his face. Alexander softly caressed his hair, trying not to scare him, but Thomas violently started out of his sleep and looked at him with unfocused and scared eyes.

"Alexander," he said with sleepy, rasping voice. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I was at the restaurant." Alexander omitted the last part of his night and gave a better look at Thomas – his lips where almost white, he was shivering. "Shit, Thomas, how long have you been waiting here?"

"I don't know, a couple of hours?" He croaked. "I was worried about you."

"Come on in, you're freezing."

Half an hour later, Thomas was happily sitting in front of a warm fireplace, a cup of tea in his hands, a cover on his shoulders, and some bread and cheese on the table next to him. On the other side of the fireplace, Alexander was nervously fidgeting in his armchair.

"Do you know that restaurants usually close way before this hour?"

"Yup."

"Alexander, were you with Burr?"

"Yes. We had, er, we had a date."

"A date."

Thomas didn't look away from the fire the whole time; however, the tone he used every time they talked about Burr expressed so much revulsion that Alexander didn't need to look into Thomas's eyes to sense it.

"Why were you waiting on my doorstep?"

"I simply missed you."

"Tell me the truth," Alexander snorted. "You said you were worried about me."

"Madison told me that you and Burr had plans for tonight, and I feared he could do something... harmful to you."

"You really don't trust him."

"No, and you shouldn't either," he sighed. "What happened?" he finally asked, his voice betraying jealousy and concern.

"He tried to kiss me – "

"What a surprise!" he commented sarcastically.

"...and I didn't kiss him back."

Thomas slowly turned his gaze away from the fire, looking straight into Alexander's eyes. "Why?"

Alexander rose from his chair, his hands trembling, and made an uncertain step towards Thomas.

"It didn't feel right," he started to explain. "I know how I feel before kissing someone – I've experienced it sometimes with Eliza and I've felt it every time I've kissed you. You told me once that when you kissed me my eyes used to soften and I relaxed completely... and that was true cause I've always felt safe with you. But this time I was scared and confused, and I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Alexander moved closer to Thomas's chair, stopping right in front of him so that he was standing in between Thomas's legs, looking down at him, and caressed his hair again.

"Thomas, I know you are waiting for me to forgive you, but I've been an idiot too. The fact is that you've always been the best of us: you would've never done to me what I did to you and Lafayette; you tried to talk to me about out problems and I left every single time. Also, when we broke up, I should have fought for you, I should have remembered that you loved me, I should have been strong for both of us. I've blamed you for everything that happened, without ever considering my role in the events. Yes, you published the accusations against me but, again, you were right – the problem was not the publication of my misdeeds, but the fact that I cheated on my wife. If it hadn't been for you, those accusations would've been published years ago by Burr or Madison."

Thomas was looking up at him with a shocked face – he would've never expected Hamilton to put his pride aside and ask for his forgiveness, especially after everything Thomas had done to him. Alexander hesitantly took his hands and their finger interlaced. Thomas's heart jumped a beat.

"Are you telling me that you forgive me?"

"Yes – I do forgive you if you promise not to leave me or lie to me ever again." Alexander's voice was steady, but his eyes were betraying his every emotion.

"I promise."

"Am I forgiven?"

"You are," Thomas's eyes were burning, "if you promise me always to face our problems together – even the ones about politics."

"I promise I won't ever leave the room until we've solved every single problem."

Thomas let go of Alexander's hands and slowly – really slowly – got up, following the shape of Alex's arms and shoulders with his fingers; his eyes never left Alexander's until he was completely upright. The cover gently slipped off from Thomas's shoulders and silently fell at their feet, as the two men looked into each other's eyes for a time that seemed to last forever – they needed to connect again, to recognize and trust each other again; they needed to be perfectly sure of each other's honesty before sealing their promises with a kiss.

Finally, Alexander bit his lip in anticipation and Thomas, with a movement that had been part of his memory for so long but was yet so natural, took Alexander's face into his hands and saw his eyes soften at once, while his hands impatiently grasped Thomas's hair. He leaned over and closed the distance between their lips at last. In a moment, every single one of his senses was overwhelmed by their kiss.

"Je n'ai jamais cessé de t'aimer, mon Alexander," Thomas murmured softly, rubbing the tip of his nose on Alexander's.

"Moi non plus... but we've wasted so much time –

"It was not wasted, love. We've had the time to acknowledge our mistakes and we won't do them again; that's enough for me."

"Are you sure?"

"Alexander, we have all the time in the world now. I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you." Thomas smiled at the thought and kissed Alexander again. "My god, I'll never get used to it, I could kiss you forever."

"Please, do."

Thomas chuckled and happily accomplished his lover's request, welcoming him into his arms and snugging on the sofa.

"I can't believe we finally made it. You've been such an asshole lately!" Alex teased.

"How dare you?" Thomas laughed. "Well, you've been acting a jerk as well, but I've learnt to love every single part of you. I said it, now you're free to use my words against me."

"I remind you that I'm a lawyer, so I guess that's exactly what I'll do – wait, what are you searching for?"

"Is there a button somewhere to make you shut up?"

"Ha-ha. Make me."

Despite all the taunting and kissing, they spent the whole night talking about all the things they've missed of each other's lives. Alexander doubled up with laughter when Thomas told him about Madison's brutally honest telling-off at Monticello; Thomas felt sincerely sorry when Alexander talked about his last meeting with Eliza, and mentally noted to write her letter as soon as possible. When the morning rays of sun seeped through the window, they cast their bright light on a messy, yet lovely scene: Alexander was snoring on Thomas's chest, one hand still holding tight his lover's shirt, as if he was scared of letting him go; Thomas was asleep too, laying sideways on the couch, his head flopped forwards and his arms holding Alexander. They were a complete mess, their hair was ruffled and they were still dressed in the previous night's clothes – but they were in love, carefree and happy at last.

***

A/N:

"Je n'ai jamais cessé de t'aimer" = I've never stopped loving you.

"Moi non plus" = Me neither.

1 - I'm sorry for the ones who ship hamburr, but that will never happen in my fanfic 💔💔

2 - ....they made it YEEEEEESSSSSSS ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

3 - If I've considered everything correctly the story will be 30 chapters long!

If you like it so far please vote for your favourite chapters and spam this story to your beloved ones LOL