(Credit to CupidCreme on Pinterest!)

(Y/N POV)

It hadn't taken much longer for Eliza to arrive back. She'd appeared in the doorway to the sitting room, flustered, and a tear-stained face.

I instantly thought the worst.

Emily had already gone back to her room when she asked to be alone following the prior events of the day; meanwhile, I waited out Eliza's appearance again on the sofa. Philip had stayed with me to work on his poem, requesting my feedback with every new stanza produced.

Gertrude was the one to escort her in and Philip hadn't taken any notice of it until his mother hunched herself over and sobbed. He exchanged with me a look of distress, quick to lay down his paper and help Eliza to the sofa. She'd asked for Philip and Gertrude to leave so that the two of us could have a discussion. Was I ready? Not entirely.

'I thought it be best to tell you foremost,' Eliza began, 'as your sister might not take well to it, especially from me.'

I contemplated telling her that I had heard part of her conversation with the man, but as not to cause her any alarm, I instead nodded.

'Your - a court has been called regarding you and Emily. It -' She momentarily stopped herself to relieve her grief. 'It is a court that will determine your guilt.'

'Guilt to what?'

She sniffled. 'Witchcraft, sorcery, complete nonsense. I went out and I tried to put an end to it, but -'

'And if it does prove us guilty?'

Eliza shook her head as though she just couldn't say it. It would be hard for her to let it out, so I went back on my word.

'They'll... execute us, won't they?'

She cried louder than I had ever heard anyone do, a shriek of pain and sorrow. I immediately took to grasping her arm and holding her close to me. A single tear left, but that was all. I was gradually coming to accept that it was inevitable. Besides, I'd done it once before, right?

I... I could do it again.

The minutes of condolences felt like hours, but finally, she spoke again. 'Emily has to know. We cannot keep it from her and she needs time to reflect... should the worst come to us.'

'...I'll tell her,' I accepted reluctantly.

'Be careful how you go,' she warned.

'I... will.'

I sauntered from the room, up the stairs and to the left. I paused at the door to the bedroom and sighed. I was not ready for this, not at all. I myself was just coming to my senses with this brutality; I hadn't to know how long it was going to take her. I turned the doorknob, finding her on her bed tapping a beat with her fingers.

'You okay?' I enquired.

Emily nodded.

I came over and sat next to her. 'There's something that... you need to know.'

'What now?'

'I want you to listen, okay?'

'Yep.'

I sighed. 'There's... a court. It's been called on because of the notice.'

Emily nodded a second time.

'It's going to discuss the accusations that we've committed witchcraft, which we haven't. If we were to be found guilty...' - I thought of a way to phrase it - '...bad things would happen. But we won't, because we haven't done anything wrong, so it will be all good.'

'We'll die, won't we?'

'No,' I denied sharply, 'because we've done nothing.'

'Literally everyone thinks we have, though.'

'No, I-I'm sure Alexander will back us up.'

'The guy who started it? I don't care if I die, if this is how we've got to live the rest of our lives then I'd rather be dead. Either that or we go back to the future.'

'Don't say that!' I declared. 'We have people to support us! We have Washington, he's the President of the country!'

'He's been quiet, though, hasn't he?'

I looked down.

'He said he'd be there if anything happened but where is he? He doesn't care about us, probably wants us dead, too.'

'Stop saying that!' I repeated. 'We'll be fine.'

Emily ignored me. 'We'll die, Y/N.'

I came up next to her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. 'I won't let that happen. I'll do anything.

If it comes to it, I will give up my life for you.'

°~September 9th, 1790~°

So here we were, waiting outside of the courtroom. If our sentences of death were given, I would do whatever I could to persuade them to spare Emily and have me killed. Eliza would object to it, but I had to let her live on. One dead was better than the both of us.

'We'll be ready for you in two minutes,' a man informed us. Whilst Eliza would be allowed inside, she was not permitted to stand with us. She'd be with the other who were there to testify towards the case. On the other hand, Alexander would be to the opposite side of the room, the first I'd see of him in a month.

'Do not worry yourselves,' Eliza comforted. 'All will be well.'

I saw Emily subtly shake her head, still in denial that anything positive was to come. Maybe she was right but I did not want to confess it out loud.

To take it from my mind, I glanced around the room in which we were standing. It looked strangely familiar, especially from the large, wooden door that we were stood at.

I smiled, the memory coming back to me. 'I came here with Alexander once.'

'Did you?' questioned Eliza.

'Yeah... I'd just arrived in New York, back in 1776, I think it was. This... This is where I adopted my name, Sophie Hamilton. It's where Alexander took me in.'

Eliza placed her hand against the back of my head. 'If a miracle can happen here once, I know that one can happen again.'

The man returned, poking his head around the door.

'We're ready for you.'

~~~~~~~~~~

Happy belated birthday to Aaron Burr and Charles Lee!