Eliza smiled happily, sighing as she rolled over in bed, pressing her face into her husband's chest. Alexander groaned faux-irritably as he drowsily shifted his arm from its place on her pregnant belly to her lower back, gently rubbing circles into her spine with his thumb. Eliza breathed his scent in, trying to commit it to memory. He smelled like the freshly ground coffee he was always chugging, cigarette smoke (from his friends, no doubt), and her shea body lotion that he actively denied stealing in the shower. There were lingering traces of the cologne she had bought him last Christmas there too: a light, vaguely cinnamon-y smell with a slight citrus scent. Much better than the Axe body spray he used to drown himself in, a relic of his university bachelor days. He looked so peaceful on the odd occasion he actually slept, she mused. It was easy to miss how full and soft his lips were when his mouth was always either pressed into a frustrated, thin line or talking non-stop. Or how long his eyelashes were; so long that they cast shadows on his cheekbones. She frowned a little at that observation: his cheeks seemed gaunter to her than they had been when he left.

He opened his eyes to her intense scrutiny, raising an eyebrow quizzically. "What are you thinking about?" he murmured softly.

She beamed up at him, "I just missed you so much. I can't believe you're here."

His eyes crinkled with the beginnings of crow's feet, framing his dark eyes, those eyes, how was I lucky enough to marry a man with eyes like his, she thought to herself. "I miss you too, Betsey" he grinned, craning his neck to brush his lips against the top of her head. He sat up in bed, eliciting a moan of protest from Eliza as he repositioned her so that she was leaning on his shoulder. "Should we get up? Maybe get some breakfast?"

"Absolutely not. It's barely eight. Besides", she smirked, snuggling into his shoulder, "you're comfy."

"We have to get up sometime."

"We could stay in bed," she purred. "And I'll make it worth your while."

He laughed, but it didn't quite meet his eyes. "Betsey, you know I have to be at the airport today by five", he murmured gently, stroking her hair. "I still have to pack, I have some things to grab from the store, and it's a long drive to get there."

She raised her head to look him in the eye. "You don't have to go back."

He scoffed, swinging his legs off the side of the bed, shrugging on a t-shirt. "You know I do."

"You shouldn't", she snapped. She saw his shoulders slump, and moved behind him, twining her arms around his neck, resting her chin on the top of his head. "You've done so much Alexander. No one would fault you if you applied to take an extended leave."

"Eliza, I can't", he said hopelessly. "We're so close, and I need to be part of this. I need this more than I've ever needed anything. I know you understand that."

"I understand that you're willing to martyr yourself for your abstract ideals" she spat angrily, getting off the bed and stalking away. "I understand that you're abandoning me while I'm pregnant. I understand that you've accepted that you might die and leave us alone." She defensively folded her arms over her stomach, which was just beginning to round.

He looked pained as she stared at him, daring him to say she was wrong. "Eliza…" he sighed.

"Don't. I don't want to fight the last few hours you're here."

"I'm only going to Virginia, Eliza. I Google-mapped it, it's only an hour and half's flight away."

"That doesn't matter."

"I'll be back before you know I'm gone!"

"You don't know that!" she cried. "What if there's a surprise attack? What if your sources are wrong and the British are prepared for you? What if your convoy gets bombed? What if you get shot?"

She let out a choked sound that sounded like a sob and turned away from him. He crossed the room and took her into his arms. "The fighting's practically over, baby. It's going to be much different than last time. It's going to be a shorter campaign, and I won't be out fighting nearly as much as the first time."

"You promise?" she croaked, face buried in his shirt.

"Scout's honor. General Washington and Lafayette are only getting me to tie up some loose ends. I'll be back before you know it", he whispered into her hair.

"You weren't a boy scout", she teased weakly.

He chuckled softly. "Well, 'bastard's honor' has less credibility attached to it" he joked as she burrowed herself back into his chest. He tucked his hand under her chin, raising it so she looked him in the eye. "I want our child to grow up in a world where they can be anything they want to be. We said we'd make it right for them."

She let out a breathy sigh. "I know, I know. I'm just so worried for you."

"Don't be." He placed a hand on her stomach, marveling at the idea that there was a new life there that they had created. The baby had just recently started kicking at the end of Alex's leave, as if to protest its father's going back too. He was grateful that, if nothing else, he had seen Eliza's pregnancy progress over the last two months, seen her stomach start to round and their baby start to make its presence known. Pregnancy suited her beautifully. She shone with vitality- Alex had always been under the impression that the 'glowing' thing was bullshit, but apparently not so-and was already a fiercely defensive mother. "I'm not going to do anything stupid, I promise."

"Make sure you don't", Eliza said in a fake-menacing voice. "I want my baby to know how wonderful his daddy is."

Alex's eyes bulged as he stared at Eliza. "His?" he choked.

"Oh my god" Eliza gasped, horrified. "I'm so sorry, I swear I wasn't going to spoil it for you. But I had the ultrasound, and I couldn't wait-"

She was cut off as Alex leaned in for a long, languorous kiss, twining one hand in her long dark hair, the other wrapping around her back. He squeezed her gently, breaking off the kiss to press their foreheads together. "We're having a son?"

Eliza smiled radiantly, giving his nose a gentle peck. "We're having a little boy."

"A little boy" he said in wonderment, eyes dazed.

Eliza nodded happily, folding her hands over his on her stomach. "So whatever you do, hurry home to us."