13 years later

John sighed and reached his hands up to rub his eyes, opening them to see the same glowing white roof. He rolled over and saw the same beautiful husband he always woke up to, with the same long, dark eyelashes and soft kissable lips. Behind his husband hung a mural of artwork and sketches, varying from drawings of his friends, to their children, to lots and lots of turtles.

"DAD!" A shrill squeal echoed from outside the bedroom door. John panicked and sat up, meeting Philip's wide terrified eyes as he ran into the doorway. "PEGGY FOUND A SPIDER!" Philip yelled, panting erratically, the toddler's curls bouncing around his soft freckled features. John groggily glanced to his husband and saw him grinning smugly.
"Dibs not." Alex mumbled, snuggling further into the bed.
"Alexander Laurens-Hamilton." John warned.
"Mmmcome with me then." He pleaded, rolling out of bed and swooping the blanket away from John's warm pyjama-clad body.
"Ah! Fine fine!" John huffed with a slight chuckle, standing up slowly. "Put some pants on though,"

"Yeah Pa put some pants on," Philip giggled from the doorway where he was swinging off the door nob.
"Oh why don't you go help your sister?" Alex waved him off dismissively as he tugged on a pair of sweats.
"No way! Spiders are fuckin' scary!" Philip yelled, John instantly shooting Philip a stern glare.

"Philip we do not say that word. That's a bad word." John scolded, walking over to the doorway in his pyjamas- one of Alex's oversized shirts and sweats.
"Pa says it!" Philip whined in defence as he was ushered out.
"Pa is very bad, and he will be punished later," John hissed, smirking at Alex when Philip had his back turned.

Alex's eyes lit up and his cheeks flushed until John's smirk abruptly dropped.
"Seriously. That language does not belong around the kids." He scolded before walking out, letting Philip lead him to the living room.
"Does Dad have to go back to prison for saying that word?" Philip grinned, Peggy glancing up from her spot on the floor when she heard their voices.
"No honey, and who told you about that?" John frowned, glancing up at Peggy.
"Peggy did!" Philip beamed.
"Did not!" Peggy snapped, her hands firmly cupped over the bowl keeping the spider prisoner.

"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Hey!" Alex yelled as he stormed in, running up to Philip who screamed happily, running away but not fast enough as Alex swooped him up in his arms, carrying him over to the couch.
"Gosh you're getting heavy buddy," Alex huffed as he dropped a giggling Philip onto the couch.
"I'm gonna be bigger than Peggy. She's short." Philip giggled, Peggy shooting him a sharp glare.
"I'm taller than Theodosia! But looking at Pa I doubt you'll be any taller," she snickered, shooting Alex a smirk, Philip's cheeks warming at the mention of Peggy's best friend- that he might've had a teeny crush on.

"Did she just call me short?" Alex gasped, John laughing and nodding.
"She's not wrong," he added, Alex huffing and falling onto the couch with an offended pout. Philip crawled onto his lap grinning, Alex smiling slightly and ruffling up his hair.
"I'm always right," Peggy grinned before it dropped to a serious expression. "But for real what do I do with this spider?"

"Kill it." Alex and John both immediately deadpanned.
"Wait no can't we just put it outside and-" Peggy tried to reason before John raised his hand to stop her.
"No, because then it will just come back inside and try to kill us all again."

"Burn it!" Philip cheered.
"No!" All three other Laurens-Hamilton family members yelled.
"Just- squish it!" John huffed, leaning down to pick up the bowl.
"Wait don't-" Peggy frowned before her Dad spun the bowl around and slammed the bottom into the spider, squishing it against the floor.
"Done."

"You didn't have to kill it Dad, if Aunty Eliza was here she'd agree wi-" Peggy pouted.
"Too late," John shrugged nonchalantly with a smile, taking the bowl into the kitchen.
"You're such a child," Peggy scoffed, rolling her eyes and following John into the kitchen.
"Says the child." John grinned, glancing back at her.
"Teenager!" Peggy defended hastily, crossing her arms and leaning back against the breakfast bench.
"I still remember seeing you as a teeny baby wrapped up in a little blankie at the hospital," John teased, flipping her ponytail over her face.
"Daaad-" she whined, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Come help me make breakfast," John smiled, pulling ingredients out of the fridge. Peggy sighed and nodded, walking over and pulling out pans, setting them on the stove.
"PIP! LEX!" John called out, Alex walking in with Philip sitting on his shoulders, clinging to his hands with a grin.
"Dad I'm the tallest!" Philip shouted happily, John glancing up at him and chuckling.
"Woah! You sure are! What would you like for breakfast up there?" He grinned, Philip bouncing slightly on Alex's shoulders, making him wince a little.
"Tater tots!" Philip yelled excitedly, John pinching the bridge of his nose with a laugh.
"Philip you can't have tater tots for breakfast- Lex what do you want?"
"Tater tots!" Alex cheered, Philip laughing hysterically and giving him a sloppy high five.

"Tater tots it is," John chuckled with a sigh, watching Alex and Philip in awe as they marched back to Pip's room to get him dressed for the day.
"Hey Dad," Peggy murmured once Alex and Philip had left, her focus on pouring pancake batter into a pan as she spoke.
"Yeah Pegs?" John smiled warmly, grabbing the tater tot box from the freezer and coming to stand beside her as he emptied them out onto a tray.
"Did you and mom love each other?" She mumbled quietly, keeping her gaze downcast.

John bit the inside of his cheek, shifting his gaze to the tray, then back to Peggy.
"Why do you ask?" John spoke softly, turning the oven on.
"Uh, just... curious," she mumbled.
"Ah, well, I did love your mother but- not like- not in a..."
"Romantic way?" Peggy muttered, glancing at John skeptically.
"Yeah. We were really good friends."

Peggy simply nodded, turning her focus back to flipping the pancakes.
"You know if you have any questions it's okay to ask," John smiled reassuringly. "I know you're getting to an age now where it's more of a... topic, but if you have something you don't want to talk to Pa or I about, Aunty Eliza will always be happy to help too," he smiled warmly.
Peggy gazed up at John with a smile before quickly hugging his side.
"Thanks Dad,"
John's heart melted and he wrapped his arms around his daughter in a proper hug.
"Anytime honey," he murmured before letting her get back to the cooking with him.

Alex slipped out from the hall where he'd caught the end of their conversation, a warm smile on his lips.
"Philip's getting changed," he murmured as he walked over to the tv and flicked it on, moving back into the kitchen, hugging John from behind. Peggy cleared her throat rather exaggeratedly, Alex turning his head to rest on John's back, looking at her with a grin.
"Your teenage daughter is here," Peggy huffed, fake gagging.
"My teenage daughter can suck it up," Alex smiled, blowing Peggy a kiss which she swatted away with a laugh.

Alex chuckled and released John, turning around to grab cutlery, his eyes catching the television screen, and in that split second his heart stopped. If he had turned any sooner or any later he would've missed the image on the television.
"Holy- J-John!" Alex exclaimed, instantly moving towards the tv.
John jumped a little, turning around and jogging after Alex, catching the image right before it flashed off the tv, the article beginning.
"What's wro- oh- oh my god."
"What is it?" Peggy frowned, having missed it, watching her dads cautiously as she slowly made her way over to the tv.
"Alex turn it up," John murmured.

"-sterday in New York, nine murders, the consistency between the murders being the victims' all being males in the age range of 35-40 years of age,"
Alex stood with his arms crossed, John semi-behind him with his hands resting on Alex's shoulders, both of their eyes glued to the screen.
"What's so specia-" Peggy tried to speak but Alex snapped a hand out, palm out, Peggy immediately stopping. It was a habit her Pa had for when he was dead serious.
Peggy sighed and slowly sank down to sit on the couch, her gaze flickering between the screen and her dads.

"-another odd occurrence being a used lollipop stick left at each crime scene, with DNA traces being left on the sti-"
"No. No way," Alex mumbled, shaking his head slowly, John squeezing his shoulders.
"Dad, Pa, what's going on?" Peggy mumbled nervously.
"Leading back to a criminal thought to have fled New York 13 years ago, unheard of since-"
"Hey, I'm 13," Peggy muttered, trying to catch John or Alex's attention. "What's freaking happening?"

"-by the name of Maria Reynolds,"
Peggy's stomach dropped, her hands gripping the edge of the couch shakily.
Alex and John glanced at each other before slowly turning to Peggy, still staring straight into the tv with wide glossy eyes.

"My- my- that-" Peggy stammered, turning to John and Alex, sucking in a sharp breath. "My mom's still alive."