TW:

- Mentions of blood 

-James Hamilton Sr. (again. I'm not sorry.)

The eve was peaceful, the Hamilton-Laurens household bathed in a soft light, a cool breeze whistling between the autumn shrubbery. The leaves were a plethora of reds, golds and browns and the sun washed over the family as a warm glow. John and Alexander sat on a small wooden bench John's parents had gifted them, whilst Frances and Philip ran around the garden, giggling joyously as they chased one another.

A car pulled into the driveway, as expected, and John's parents both got out, walking over the lawn and greeting the men. Eleanor hugged her son, kissing his cheek, before embracing her son-in-law, hugging him tightly. Henry hugged his son also, patting his back lovingly, before shaking hands pleasantly with Alexander.

Soon, they'd greeted their grandkids too, and headed inside to start setting the table. The Washingtons would soon be around for dinner, as traditional on a Sunday eve, along with the rest of their ragtag group.

John usually cooked the food, but his parents had offered this week, and he'd hurriedly accepted the reprieve.

As more people began to arrive, the sun began to set, and they all headed inside. As he was standing and collecting his notebook from beneath the bench, a figure approached their gate, unfamiliar frame, unfamiliar walk. Curious, Alexander moved forward slightly, hesitating, as the figure opened the gate, stepping inside.

"Excuse me, are you looking for someone?" Alexander asked politely, standing in the middle of the path, blocking the view of his nine-year old son watching from the doorway.

"I'm here for Alexander Hamilton. Get him. Now." The man slurred, stumbling slightly as they stopped before him.

"That's me. Can I help you with something, sir?" The man said nothing, only put their hand on Alexander's shoulder, squeezing painfully tightly.

"You." The man growled at last, removing his hand and swinging it straight for Alexander's face, hitting just below his eye, cutting his cheek with his ring.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave, or I will call the police." He remained casual, though he could feel the blood trickling down his cheek slowly.

"Don't act all smart with me boy, you're anything but." The man spat in Alexander's face.

"You have ten seconds to get off of my property or I will call the police."

"Empty threats, boy. You'd never do such a thing. Not to your father." The man turned slyly, an evil smirk gracing his lips.

"Sir, my father has been dead ten years, you have no right to be here." Alexander quivered slightly, seeing as he didn't actually know where his father was.

"LIES! Don't you DARE speak like that to me boy! I'd hoped you'd remember that after last time." Alexander's eyes grew wide, as he began to shake slightly, nerves presenting themselves at full force.

"Get off of my property, get out of my life, and never come near my family again." Alexander attempted to sound angry, but really, he just sounded desperate.

"Family, eh? Where are they? I'm sure they want to meet their grandfather." The elder Hamilton smirked, taking his hood down to reveal his greying hair. Apart from the aging features, he looked almost identical as to how he had those thirty years ago, the day he took all of their belongings and fled.

"You are nothing to them, you are nothing to me. Now leave before I call the police." The small trail of blood made its way down Alexander's neck, dying the collar of his dark green shirt an ugly deep red.

"Have it your way, but remember, I'll be back." And with that, he kicked the gate open, and stumbled out into the street, wobbling down the street. Alexander watched him until he couldn't see him anymore, ensuring that he wasn't going to return that night, before turning and walking into the house.

"Alex, who was that- what happened?" John rushed over, Eliza joining, turning his face to look at the gash on his cheek. Eliza inspected it gently, earning a small hiss from the short man.

"What happened, baby?" John cooed, cupping his husbands cheeks softly, gazing into his eyes with love.

"He came back, John, he threatened to come back again, he won't stop, he won't stop, he'll come back and I can't stop him and he'll hurt you or the kids or-"

"Okay Alexander, take a breath. Deep breaths, sweetie." John encouraged, holding his short husband to his chest, being careful not to touch his cheek. He lead his husband into his office, closing the door behind him.

"Breath in, honey." John cooed, watching as his husband struggled to inhale, instead a sharp sob sounded.

"Oh sweetie." John kissed Alexander's other cheek, before continuing. "Who came back, sweetie?"

"P-pa." Alex cried silently, allowing the emotions of seeing the dreaded man overcome him. He wasn't sure how he'd managed to stay calm when facing the man, but now, it all came crashing down.

"Your father?" John asked, ensuring they were talking of the same thing.

"Mhm." Alex mumbled, wiping the continuous stream of blood across his cheek.

"Did he do this, honey?" John asked, looking at the cut with caution.

"Hit me. But 's okay." Alexander mumbled, still trying to regulate his breathing.

"No, baby, it's not. I'll go get Liza and see if she can clean it, yeah?" Alexander nodded, allowing his husband to leave, though he returned less than a minute later with the Schuyler and the first aid kit they kept in the bathroom. Eliza soon got to work, taking an antiseptic wipe and wiping the blood off of his cheek. He hissed when she cleaned the cut itself, as she apologized softly, finally getting to look at it properly. She quickly sealed the cut with the butterfly stitches (as she'd called them), placing them strategically across the small gash, effectively closing it. She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, being the only other member of the house who had been informed of what happened outside.

After fully calming down, Alexander left the office, taking his usual place at the table next to Angelica and John, taking his husband's hand underneath the table.

They would be alright. No matter what.

Hi! Sorry about the crappy ending. I'm not sure where this came from, but inspiration struck and I thought I'd take advantage! If anyone has any requests let me know! (PS, thank you to everyone who is commenting and voting on this and my other stories, I love hearing what you think!)