*Aggressively throws chapter at you that should've been out months ago*

Just know, I changed the rating since there's things like getting drunk and stuff theoughout the story. Also, just know, things get kind of...complicated(?) in this chapter.

Well, other than that-

*Goes back into hiding*

The evening passed in a blur. Cheers erupted from the guests, happiness painting Angelica's face. The night was filled with nothing but laughter and smiles, Angelica repeatedly glancing down at the ring on my finger with joy

Towards the end of the night, most people of the guests began to take their leave. Mrs. Washington gave me a small peck on the cheek, Peggy nearly tackled me in a farewell hug, Eliza gave me a gentle embrace, and Angelica kissed me goodbye on their way out.

"Good luck, son," Washington joked and shook my hand. "The Schuyler's aren't the easiest to handle, but congratulations." Soon enough, the ballroom was mostly cleared and the lights dimmed. I was now able to catch up with the group without rich people I didn't know badgering me with greetings and fake smiles.

"Monsiers and mademoiselles, here we have a newly married man!" Lafayette announced as I approached the table.

"And a rich one at that, too," Alexander remarked with a smirk. I rolled my eyes.

"Like you have any room to talk." He raised a hand to his chest and faked an offended expression.

"Touchè."

"Glad to see you're doing well, Burr," Hercules smiled. I slightly elbowed him.

"For God's sake, man. I invited you to my wedding, you can call me Aaron." He chuckled and waved me off.

"If you insist, Mr. Schuyler."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

John wore with a smug grin. "I wouldn't be surprised if Angelica made you take her last name. She's not one to be caged."

"Mon ami, none of the Schuyler's can be tamed. Trying to do so would be like signing a death will." Although Laf kept a teasing tone, I could almost sense a slight fondness in his voice. At my look, he sheepishly glanced away.

"Tell me about it," Alexander responded. "I should've known 'Liza wasn't as gentle as she looked." A small shiver went up my spine recalling the last interaction I had with her before that night. "She's fierce, but I love her for it." I watched John frown at those words. However, I grew suspicious when Alexander sent him a reassuring look and John's cheeks turned pink. Turning away, I ignored my observations. Alexander was a smart man, it was probably only my imagination.

Lafayette nudged me back into reality. "Look who showed up," he muttered to the five of us, sending subtle looks to the newcomer.

Hercules let out a quiet whistle. "And I thought Alexander was late. Looks like the tomcat has to step up his game."

"Har har, very funny," the immigrant deadpanned. We all watched as the figure entered the room. I couldn't really see who it was from that far away and with the dim lighting, but I could tell they felt uncomfortable. Whoever it was, they noticed our gazes and visibly froze.

"Do you know him?" John asked in a whisper.

"If not, we can always attack him for you," Alexander suggested. At our blank expressions, he shrugged. "What? We're in the army, are we not?"

"Alex, you're getting a bit carried away," Hercules rolled his eyes.

"I'll go see who it is," I decided, standing up.

"Just don't get yourself killed. Wouldn't want Angelica to be a widow already," John joked. I aimed a light glare towards him before beginning to approach the stranger. He noticed me instantly, but his body language was hard to read. As I got closer, I made out features only belonging to one man. His eyes met mine, somewhat distant and eerie in a way.

"Charles," I greeted with a strained smile. "I'm glad you could make it." After a moment, the tension was instantly released from his face.

"Aaron," he replied, his voice softer than usual. "I didn't think I would come in time, but I managed at least the end." Something almost like realization crossed his face before he pulled his arm up with a gift I hadn't noticed in his hand. "This...this is for you. It's a wedding gift." Something was off about the way he said that, but I ignored it and instead turned my focus back to the situation at hand.

"Thank you," I genuinely grinned this time.

"You're welcome," he muttered somewhat shyly, temporarily glancing away. In the corner of my eye, I saw the others talking in hushed voices, as if they didn't want me to hear. I saw him begin to turn away before I reached a hand out towards his shoulder in an attempt to stop him.

"Wait-" a small shiver went up my spine as the word fell through my lips, knowing that word forever had a deeper meaning. Charles, of course, didn't know but still directed his eyes back to me in question. "...why don't you come join us?"

"Uh..." he glanced over to the group who was most likely glaring daggers at him. "I don't know... Are you sure they won't try to kill me?" I threw an arm over his shoulder, dismissing his flushed face as an illusion from the dim lighting.

"Don't worry, they'll have to go through me first," I assured him before leading us away. As we drew closer to the table, Charles' expression hardened.

"Look what the cat dragged in," John slurred and caused me to eye the Sam Adams in his hand suspiciously. "What, change your mind about a duel?" I glanced at the man behind me and saw his jaw clench.

"I meant it when I said I wanted a truce," he muttered, his eyes growing colder by the minute.

"It's the alcohol talking, just ignore him," Hercules joked, receiving a drunken glare from the southerner.

"I am not drunk." John frowned at Hercules' statement.

"Mon ami, you couldn't fool King George himself," Lafayette remarked before taking his own swing at the drink in front of him. I knew Charles was uncomfortable, but I failed at coming up with a way to include him. I was genuinely surprised, however, when Alexander waved him over to an empty chair he pulled up next to him.

"Sit down, man. Aaron invited you over, it would seem odd not to join in," he told him. I noticed Charles' mask begin to lower as his face showed the same amount of shock as mine. He eventually nodded and moved to sit down. I found my own chair again and drew my attention to Lafayette when he started speaking.

"...would it be a crime if I stated calling that Hamlee?" We all stared at him in disbelief.

"If you ever say that again I will purposely leak your future battle strategies to the British," Hercules deadpanned making the Frenchman gasp.

"I completely support that," Charles commented. The rest of us agreed in unison before laughing.

"So, Lee," Alexander began. "Where exactly do we stand..?" I curiously turned towards the general, who appeared hesitant.

"...Well, I'd love to put the past behind us. A fresh start. I mean, I guess I don't know about you, seen you each are your own person and once we win the war, I'll support liberty all the way-"

"We get it, mon ami," Lafayette cut him off, the corner up his lip twitching up. "Geez, it's like Alex somehow made a clone."

"I don't think we should give him any ideas," I suggested. "The world can barely handle one Alexander Hamilton." At that, the immigrant rolled his eyes.

"Excuse you, but I'm probably the best thing that ever happened to this country," Alexander joked.

"How dare you insult General Washington," Lafayette tutted. "Mon petite lion, you still have a lot to learn."

"Actually, I'm a King's College graduate, so-" Alexander was interrupted by Hercules.

"We get it, you're smart. Anyone up for another round?"

That's how Herc and I ended up basically herding the drunken group to the carriage.

I managed to guide most of the group into the vehicle except one. Sighing, I turned back to the ballroom and spotted Alexander amongst the crowd of tables. I made my way over and sat next to him, prepared to coax him out when his eyes snapped up to meet mine. I found it unnerving at not just how sober they looked, but also...wise. They seemed as if he'd seen death himself and lived to tell the tale. I watched as he examined my face with an unreadable expression, searching for something unbeknownst to me.

"..Do you really regret it, Burr?" he eventually asked as he looked back to the drink he swished around.

"What?" I raised an eyebrow, completely puzzled by the conversation. His gaze once again darted back to me before rolling his eyes.

"1804. Ring a bell?" My eyes widened in realization.

"You-"

"Yeah, yeah," he waved me off. "Turns out I come more to my senses at night. Weird, isn't it?" He took another swing of his drink. "I guess I can't complain too much, though. It could be worse."

"So..." I messaged my temples. "Every night, you remember... everything?" At his nod, I tilted my head slightly. "But that night at the bar... what..?"

He nervously scratched his neck. "It actually just started kind of recently. The first time was the night after Eliza's and my wedding..." He sighed. "It can be awful sometimes. I'd see Philip sleeping, and I'd think of the moment in the hospital when he died. It just..." he let out a sigh and blinked away his teary eyes. "It hurts so much, but I don't remember anything when I wake up. It's almost like I have on-and-off amnesia or something." I wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that.

We sat in a temporary silence until I decided to break it. "...I'm really sorry, you know."

"Really? 'Cause from what I've heard, you didn't seem to feel too bad about it." There was something dangerous in his tone before it changed to almost a hurt sound. "We were friends, Burr. I never held anything personally against you, and...I thought you would've known that."

"I...I wasn't thinking clearly," I muttered. "I was young and stupid. I was blinded by rage and didn't see what was actually in front of me." A deep sigh passed through my lips. "I guess I just thought you hated me..."

"Aaron," Alex looked more serious than I'd ever seen him. "I'd never hate you. Sure, you can be aggravating from time to time, but my hate is specifically reserved for a certain purple-clad Virginian motherfu-" I cut him off with a laugh. Of course he had to bring Jefferson into this conversation.

"I can almost hear him shouting 'magenta' all the way from France."

"Magenta my a-wait, is that Lafayette?" I realized I hadn't noticed the Frenchman's loud voice. I winced as the notes to Yankee Doodle somehow managed to become more and more off-key.

"I don't think 'singing' is the correct word for it." I earned a snicker from Alexander as we stood up.

"Hey, I'll make sure those idiots get home. It's your wedding night, why don't you head home to the Mrs?"

"To be fair, you'd be one of those idiots if we didn't have all this going on."

"I guess I can't argue with that," he shot me one last smile. "Goodnight, Aaron."

"You too," I replied as he walked out. I swept my gaze around the room before they fell on a particular seat.

I moved to the stool a few feet away and ran my hand along the counter in front of it. The action brought back cruel memories from the morning of July 11, 1804. "The world is wide enough for both Hamilton and me..."

Unknown P.O.V.

I frowned as I watched the clock from the alleyway, tapping my foot impatiently. I was a normally patient person, but Hamilton always found a way to get on my nerves. Eventually, I heard the sound of quick footsteps approach and I turned around.

I was greeted with the sight of a slightly flushed Alexander. He let out a nervous chuckle as I stared him down.

"I know what you're going to say. Look, I'm sorry for being late-"

"Aren't you the one who wanted to meet up in the first place?" He folded his arms with a pointed look.

"I'll have you know that I'm quite a busy man. Today happened to be Burr's wedding-they make such a lovely couple- and I couldn't miss that." I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"Alright, but let's get on with it. What exactly did you want that had to be so secretive?" I watched as he fiddled with the edge of his soldier's jacket.

"Yes, well, I..." he paused before meeting my eyes. "I just wanted to apologize." I froze.

"...For what, exactly?" The man let out an exasperated sigh.

"You know, for everything. The fighting, the glares, just...the entire rivalry." His stance changed from nervous to determined. "I may not remember this later, but what I want more than anything is to not let history repeat itself." I hardly noticed how he had inched closer. "That includes our history. Please...all I ask is if you don't do what you did to me again." I bit my lip in thought.

"I'll admit it when I say I do regret my choices back then." Relief seemed to flood through Alexander's entire body. "And...I do wish we had parted on better terms. However, there will be one condition." I took his nod as a sign to continue. "Please don't let your rivalry with Jefferson get out of control like last time. I don't care if I have to get you drunk to do so, but...if you could set aside your differences, maybe we could do so much more." Hamilton appeared hesitant before he eventually gave in.

"Fine."

"Great."

We stood in a temporary silence until I noticed Alexander beginning to grin. Soon enough, his amused smirk morphed into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just...'J?' Really? Geez, you're making this feel like some spy novel." I felt my face slightly darken in embarrassment.

"It seemed like an appropriate pen name. Nothing too revealing yet a hint in the right direction." That only increased his laughter. "This is coming from someone who created the name 'Publius.' One, I might add, I had no say in."

"It was a genius name!" Alexander waved his arms around for emphasis. "Plus, no one knew it was us, right?"

"First of all, everyone knew it was you," I counted off with my fingers. "Second, I'm pretty sure the whole world realizes how uncreative it was." His gaze moved towards the ground.

"Jay liked it..." he muttered and caused me to crack a smile.

"Whatever you say. Now, I better be going, or Dolly will wonder where I am."

"Of course. I gotta get home to Eliza before she starts overreacting again."

"Women..." we groaned in unison before sharing a few chuckles.

"Anyways, thanks for this, I mean it. See you later, Mads!" With a dramatic swish of his coat, Alexander soon disappeared.

"I told him to stop calling me that," I muttered in annoyance. However, the grin I tried to hold back refused to cooperate.