(Y/N POV)

"Good morning, Charles."

I rested the flowers upon his grave.

"How's the tailoring business going?"

I knew that he was dead; I just enjoyed pretending as if he were not. It was ridiculous and I'd pleaded to myself many times to move on but I just couldn't. The wooden cross marking his invisble tombstone wasted away with the turning of the years. Someone, and I wish I'd have known who, had engraved an apparent 'C' upon it, which I could only interpret represented his name.

"That's good." I responded to nothing. "I always knew that it would take off someday."

I caressed the ground above which he slept.

"Remember when we first met? You were that shy boy and I was that troubled girl." I smiled. "Now look at us. We're all grown up. With your tailoring skills and my tremendous babysitting, I believe that we could make a living together. Envisage this: Mr and Mrs Fernández, the brightest pair in all of New York City! People would bow before us! It's a life that you- well, you used to know before... before you came here. I'm sure that your parents are happy to see you again."

"Sophie?"

I stood up, twisting around.

"Valentino...?"

I hadn't seen the child for over a couple of years from now. Well, she was hardly a child any longer. A grown adult, holding a young toddler in her arms. The last time I had seen Valentino, she was courting a young man by the name of Victor Goldsberry. She had told me that he was the son of a farmer who made little pay from the low crop yield. Alas, she clearly loved him. Weeks later, as I came to visit the Dame, Mrs Taylor had informed me that Valentino had left without a trace "with a man". I could only assume that it was him and that they were living a happy life together. That's what I hoped, in any case.

"Oh, it's so wonderful to see you!!" With the free arm that was not carrying the child, she embraced me. "What I convenience that we must meet here, out of all the places in the world!"
I grinned. A man accompanied her, holding a book; perhaps he was Mr Goldsberry. I hadn't seen his face before, hence why I was uncertain. "I suppose that you have all came to visit him."
Valentino chuckled. "We come here a lot. We have just never gained the luck to run into you."

The child clung to Valentino's shoulders, burying her face into her hair. "Sophie, this is my daughter, Sophie Emilia Goldsberry."
I gasped. "Valentino, you didn't."
"Of course I did!" she chuckled. "I've always looked up to you."

"She cannot resist chattering on and on about you and her brother." the man stated. He wrapped his hand around Valentino's waist.
"And my husband, Victor." she introduced.
"Pleasure, Ma'am." Victor kissed my hand. For a man who was nothing close to fashionable or prosperous, he sure seemed like a gentleman. They were clearly not the richest of families, but they were happy and that was all I wanted for them.

"So how have you been? It's been too long." I wondered.
"Amazing. We live in a small home on the outskirts of the city where we raised our child. Not to mention that we have yet another on the way."
"Oh, congratulations!" I exclaimed.
"Uh, please don't. I am exhausted even imagining another little terror running wild around our home, isn't that right, Soph?"
The toddler nodded anxiously. She was far more secluded than Valentino had ever been.

"You cannot say that, Val, that's dire cruelty!" Victor joked.
"Admit it, Victor, that it's true!" she laughed. "Are you seeking a family of your own, Sophie?"
"Would I be here if I was?"
Valentino looked down in shame. "Oh."
"...God, I'm sorry, that sounded awful of me-"
"No, it's alright. I understand.

I had... actually brought something along with me for the occasion." Valentino took the book from Victor. "He couldn't put it down... But maybe you should have it instead." She passed the book over to me; without any thought, I took it. "Do you recognise it?"
"Who Tells Your Story..." I read aloud the title. It looked... extremely familiar.

"So I see you have retained your Spanish lessons!" Valentino tittered.
I grew confused. The title was clearly written in English. "I'm sorry-?"
"You may have trouble reading, that is, unless, you have learnt the language without my knowledge of it. Though I want you to keep it as a memory of him."
I flicked through the pages. Once again, it was entirely transcribed in English. "I don--"

"Thank you, Sophie." She hugged me once more.
"No, thank you." I smiled at her. "Well, I suppose I'll be on my way-"
"No please, stay! I insist!"
"I can't. I have to be back in time for dinner." I glanced at the younger Sophie. She most definitely had similar looks to what he had. "Valentino, if you or your family ever need anything-"
"We know where to go, Sophie." she reassured me.

"But for now, all is well."

~

With Alexander and Eliza at the ends of the table, Philip, Junior and James sat to the left of their father, whilst Emily, Angelica, Frances and I sat on his right. There was often silence at the table, other than when either Alexander or Eliza had something to say or when Junior couldn't hold his tongue.

"I noticed that you came in with a book today, Sophie." Eliza commented.
"Oh, just something that I picked up on my way from the book store."
"What is this book called?" Alexander questioned.
"...Nothing that would interest you. Something to entice me for a short while."

Alexander grinned. "Speaking of enticing, we have all been invited to attend a ball tomorrow evening."
"A ball!" Emily exclaimed.
"What's the occasion?" Eliza asked.
"Mr Thomas Jefferson has returned from France. He has been hand-chosen by the President as Secretary of the State and I believe that it would be an honourable deed if we all gathered to meet him."

"That would be fun!" Philip proclaimed. "Can I dress like you do, Pa?"
Alexander chuckled. "Of course you can, Phil." He alternated his eyesight between me and Emily. "Perhaps this is the time to find yourselves a suitor."
"I don't know..." Emily mumbled, her smile immediately vanishing.
"A suitor is the last thing I require." I joked, although Alexander didn't take it quite so.

"You would both rather stay here than marry off into your own family?"
"N- No, t-"
"Yes, to put it simply." I disrupted Emily. "I wish not for a husband and would much prefer it here where I have my life secured."
"And as the eldest, the two of you should honour this family's legacy and continue it with pride!"

"Alexander, that is quite enough about legacy for one night, allow our children to eat peacefully." Eliza insisted.
"...I'll honour the family legacy, Pa-"
"Philip, don't you entangle yourself into this."
"Sorry, Ma..."

Alexander scowled. He was a kind man, but it was clear that he wanted life to be as he made it. He wanted his family to be the perfect one... That was something that we could not bring to him.

Thus, we ate in silence.

~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, and one more thing.

This book is gonna have a heck of a lot of time skips.

Act 1, of course, only took place in the space of 6 years.

This Act is muchmuch longer.

I will not reveal how long because I suppose that would be sPoIlErS.

Thank you :)