I am so obsessed with these two musicals. I'm sorry. This is so not a one-shot. Maybe I should make this its own book. Because how am I supposed to just stop writing these out? Because this is fantastic and fun. Ugh. Also, the pronouns in this were so difficult. I totally get Mark's confusion about Angel now. -C

You've reached Maria Reynolds and Angelica Schuyler! Feel free to leave a message. Don't forget Over the Moon! My performance protesting the eviction of both the homeless and the artist from our beloved 11th Street. It's tonight at midnight if you care to show up...Which you would if you were a good person! It's the lot between A and B, by the way. Party at the Place to Be, if you catch my drift! See you there!

"Well, Angelica," breathes Philip Schuyler. He's slightly frustrated. He shouldn't be hearing some other woman's voice at the end of his daughter's phone call. He already has to deal with Alexander stealing away Eliza, and Peggy is off doing God knows what. She hasn't spoken to him in ages.

Catherine Schuyler nudges him, reminding him to go on. "We're off, don't you know. Why weren't you at the office? Why are you 'stage managing' for that one woman?"

"Remind Ang that those unwed mothers in Harlem have been waiting for her legal help. Don't just abandon everything for her new partner," singsongs Catherine, interjecting as quickly as possible.

Philip snorts. "Call Rachel for our itinerary or Alfred at Pound Ridge or even Philip Jr. at our house if you're in a real pinch."

There's a heavy pause.

"We'll be at the spa for New Year's. Your mom needs to de-stress. The senator, aka me my darling Ang, won't be changing his schedule for anything...Especially not this little protest your friend is staging."

"The hearings?" Catherine prompts.

Sighing, Philip launches into another speech. He definitely would have preferred if he was actually speaking to his daughter...Not this recording. "Oh, yes, Kitty. Mummy's confirmation hearings begin on the tenth. Spread the word to your sisters. All of you should come up...Alone. By the sixth, please."

"Philip!" scoffs Catherine.

He smirks at his wife. "It's three weeks away from today, and your mom is already nervous. I'm not. For your mum's sake, Ang, no women this time...And wear a dress. I don't care that you find it slightly demeaning, you need to be wearing a dress. And tell Peggy that she needs to wear a less...Revealing one. Oh, and Ang? Have a merry-"

"And a bright-"

The recording clicks off before they can finish. They don't have all the time in the world.

John can't believe Maria sometimes. She calls him when he's about to reach the lot and tells him to wait another fifteen. Sure, both Aaron and John expected this, but it just seems a little cruel. Oh well.

When John hears someone banging on the window, he immediately starts sketching out his large friend clambering in from the window. He loves drawing Hercules. He has such clean lines, and he always has a certain aura about him. Even when he's pushing open the window with the keys that would open it up.

After he has the rough sketch, he starts writing the caption. 'Hercules Mulligan! Tailoring master, owns his online business, and anarchist! Ran through New York's only park naked for a bet...That I gave him of course.'

Hercules throws open the window. "Look who's back?"

John laughs gleefully, rushing over.

Then, a bag of goods fall into the apartment, followed by Hercules. John rushes over, snatching it up. He starts rummaging through, his eyes going wider and wider by the minute. "Bustelo coffee..."

"Marlboro cigarettes," continues Hercules, easily picking the small pack out of the cloth bag.

Aaron seems curious, looking up slightly.

John happily forces the brown bananas free. "Bananas by the bunch...Oh my God! I have been craving Captain Crunch for such a long time! That will taste so good!"

"And firewood!" Hercules finishes at long last, shoving their old fire maker into the room. The remains of the letters and poems are still at the bottom.

Throwing open his arms, John jumps up and down gleefully. He feels slightly like a little kid, but he doesn't regret it. This stuff is amazing, and John can't help but express it. "Look, it's Santa Claus! He dropped down our chimney earlier than usual...Though I'm a little surprised he fit!"

"Hardy har," the larger man jokingly replies, shoving his shoulder against John's. His eyes flicker over to Aaron, still writing bits and pieces of his 'poem'. John has noticed mostly scribbles. "Wow, Aaron, don't get too excited."

Aaron looks up. "Oh, hi."

"Oh hi after seven months? You're taking this whole 'smile more, talk less' or whatever too seriously." Hercules reaches over and noogies Aaron, who immediately squirms out of his grip.

The smaller man grins lopsidedly. "Sorry?"

Hercules then grabs the last item out of his jacket. The moment John sees it, he barks out a laugh and charges for it. Aaron just looks like he regrets even existing alongside his friends. "This boy could use some Stoli!"

"O, holy night!" singsongs John, bouncing up and down in an attempt to grab it. Hercules easily holds it above his head, laughing the whole time. John has no chance of actually being able to reach it. Aaron just smirks a little at John and Hercules, enjoying the chaos that Hercules always brings in with him.

Aaron clears his throat. "Wow. Missouri was good for business?"

"Actually, nah. My customers eventually kicked me out because I was running out of coats to see, don't you know. I will now be selling to the popular coach potatoes known as the students of New York University. A few of the professors begged me to help the students stop getting frostbite," chuckles Hercules. "How has the outside world been treating you? Oh, wait, you haven't left the house!"

"I was waiting for you, don't you know?" Aaron replies smoothly.

Hercules pounds his chest. "Guess who's back then! Come to the Place to Be after Maria's show."

"No, thank you," the smaller man deflects once more, not willing to give up his careful façade he's built.

There's another knock on the window. John gives Hercules a confused look before turning to go to the window. Wrapping his arm around him, Hercules slowly tugs John back. He yelps like a kicked puppy, acting like Hercules is practically strangling him. Once more, Aaron just finds himself grinning at the din.

Proudly, the large man saunters over the window. "Gentlemen, I've been deceiving you."

"Betrayal," gasps John, clutching at his chest as he lets himself fly backwards.

Hercules manages to let his eyes skip over his dramatic friend to his more passive on. "Our real 'Santa Claus', whose charity can only be matched by their talent...A new member of the Alphabet City Avant-Garde...Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette!"

"That's a mouthful," Aaron deadpans in John's ear, making him snort.

Then, the window swings open, and both of the men stop just to stare at the stranger. The man is clearly a cross-dresser. He has bound his ridiculously curly hair back into a bun. He wears a Santa Claus dress, the skirt flaring out. Then, he has his long legs covered with striped leggings that cling to the skin. The shoes are heeled, making the already tall man tower over the two of them.

He...Sorry...She takes a deep breath. "Today for you...Tomorrow for me."

She holds out two wads of cash and flicks them over to Aaron and John. Both of the men have to reach up to grab them. Aaron marvels at the money, separating the bills in shock. He once thought you would have to marry to get this rich. John, instead, just gapes at the woman in complete disbelief.

Hercules smirks at his friends. He has taken up beating the bottle of Stoli with a pencil...A pencil that was previously tucked behind John's ear. "And you should hear her beat."

"You totally stole this. Who'd you steal from? I want in." There is not a trace of playfulness in John's voice.

Sauntering over to John, Lafayette rests her arm around his head. "Nope, not stolen. It was my lucky day today...On Avenue A. I was beating my drums when this lady drives up in a limousine."

"A limo?" questions Aaron.

Lafayette nods. "Yep, honey. She drove up to me and rolled down her window." The woman leaps upon their coffee table, grinning all the while. She adopts a snobbier stance, and she pitches her voice up slightly. "Oh, dahling, be a dear. I haven't slept in a year! I need you, a poor street rat, to help me out...You need to make my neighbor's yappy dog disappear. For good. This Akita, Evita, just won't shut up! No matter how much you do! I do believe that you play your racket you call music non-stop that the pup will breathe its very last...High-strung breath. I'm certain that-"

"Bleep!" calls out Hercules, playing along.

"Will bark itself to death," finishes Lafayette.

She reaches into her dress to pull out a few more wads of cash. Grinning wildly, the cross-dresser starts 'making it rain', which causes all three of the other men to crack up. "Today for you, tomorrow for me!"

"Continue the story, hon!" Hercules calls out.

Lafayette dances backwards, flipping neatly. She wraps one arm around his shoulders and kisses him chastely. "Story time it is then, sweets."

"Yay," John adds.

"We agreed on a fee...A thousand dollars guaranteed. I'm not committing doggy murder for cheap, after all. Tax free as well...And a bonus..." She reaches over and grabs at John's mess of curly hair. "If I trim her tree."

"Not the hair," Aaron deadpans once more, and John pretends to start wailing after that.

Lafayette smirks. "Now, who could have seen it going so well? But...You know...Sure as I am here...That dog is now in doggy-"

"Bleep," Aaron finishes.

John swats at him, shushing him. He's a little more transfixed on this story now. It has all the makings of a good one. It has murder and suspense and money. What else could anyone ever need in life?

The Frenchman smiles at John, silently thanking him. She takes a careful step onto the coffee table, dancing slightly to her own beat. "After an hour, Evita fulfilled her legacy. On the window ledge of that 23rd story, like Thelma and Louise, elegantly leapt-" She back-flips off the table and lands on her feet. "Into the courtyard and finished her fate!"

She twirls and lets a few more dollars fall to the ground. "Today for you, tomorrow for me!"

"Wanna see her beat now?" Hercules stage-whispers to the two of them. Before they can respond, he tosses worn drumsticks at the woman. She accepts them.

They're transfixed as she makes practically everything in the room into a drum. She does have some solid beats...Not that Aaron would ever admit that out loud.

Lafayette pauses, and she lets the drumsticks fall to the ground. She waltzes over to Hercules. He immediately picks her up and practically swings her down. "Sing it, babe!"

"Back on the street, where I met my sweet..." She reaches upwards with her foot, still firmly in Hercules' grip, and she strokes his cheek. "He was moaning and groaning so loudly. He does not suffer pain well. Not a very high tolerance at all...But it's what brought us together in the end. He needed some medical attention...And I'm the best medicine the world has ever seen. I dressed his wounds like a medical soldier...And then I got this man back on his abnormally large feet!"

All three of the men break out laughing, and Lafayette springs free from Hercules' grip.

"Today for you..." She spins, singing out the last note for as long as she can. "Tomorrow..."

"For you?" John helpfully finishes.

Lafayette shakes her head, using her drumstick to force him to look upwards. "Pour moi."

Alex is already in a bad mood. He shouldn't have to go and plead with Aaron and John to get them to stop. It's a simple fact of life. They have to pay rent. There isn't really a choice. Do they really want to just go around and do nothing? Amount to nothing in their whole entire lives? Because that's where they're going.

For Alex, the sky is the limit. He's going to aim there, and he's aiming absolutely nowhere else. He's not throwing away his shot, unlike his friends seem to relish doing.

"Hey, ya bum!" he shouts out the moment he notices them on the car. It's Eliza's father's car. The one who elevated his status?

The homeless man gestures at himself. Alex scoffs. "Yeah you! Get off! Get off the Range Rover or else."

"You know," a familiar voice croons from above him. Alex is hardly surprised when he notices his reckless ex practically hanging from the balcony's bars. He is upside down, all of his curls flapping in the wind. "That attitude towards the homeless? That's what Maria, the one you used to love, is protesting tonight, Alexander."

Alex rolls his eyes. Then, he calls back up to the artist. "Hardly, John! She's trying to protest losing her performance space. Not my attitude. I'm coming up. Don't either of you leave."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir," drawls John.

The moment Alex steps in, he's greeted with nobody but Aaron Burr. Great. He used to be his closest friend. After all, Aaron was the one who met him and led him around New York to show him around. Now, though, they are quite bitter enemies.

Alex shoved him out of the room where it happens.

"What happened to Alexander Hamilton?" Aaron asks without even bothering to look up. He continues writing papers. Alex winces, remembering the papers he wrote with James Madison. Aaron had given Alex some of his own to help the young man gain more support. Alex couldn't help but recognize the great writing...It's safe to say that Alex didn't exactly submit them. He needed some skin in the game! If Aaron got the advantage, Aaron would have had it all.

That doesn't mean Alex doesn't regret those choices though. His fellow orphan has never looked at him with such distain before.

Aaron pauses, chewing on the end of his pencil. "I wonder what happened to the bright young man who wanted to shoot Charles Lee in the jaw. All of his ideals flushed down the drain because he married a Schuyler. Well, trust me. You're rich now, son."

"Aaron..." Alex whispers, feeling a tinge of guilt. He swallows hard. "The owner of the lot has the right to do whatever he pleases."

Hercules' gravelly tone catches him off guard. Alex didn't even realize that he was back in town! What happened to him being in the inter circle of these three? They all had each other's back when they lived together. "Happy birthday, Jesus."

Alex glances over to see the tailor, his arm wrapped around a man dressed in woman's clothing. He smiles at her, nodding his head to show that there's no hardships about it. After all, Alex is bi, so he has no right to judge any sort of sexual orientation.

"I don't want to ask...But the rent?" He raises an eyebrow, hoping that he won't have to fight for it. Thomas, Angelica's closest friend as well as Alex's business rival, really doesn't need any more ammunition against him.

He usually wouldn't be bugging them so much for the rent. But he needs to pay off James Reynolds, Maria's friend, who knows for a fact he cheated on Eliza with Maria. He has photos and everything. That could ruin his reputation...So of course, Alexander is going to be desperately getting money the old way.

John practically leaps through the window. Apparently, he was still swinging from the balcony. "Nope!"

"We're broke," Aaron adds. Alex notices that the other man moves his hand to hide something.

Alex takes a hesitant step forward.

Separating the two of them, John's anger and passion could fill an entire room. It's something Alex has always loved-admired about John. The man's heart has the potential to get him trouble or let the world be a brighter place. "And you broke your word, you jerk!"

"There's one way..." Alex murmurs, giving his friends a way out once more. "You won't have to pay this way."

"Selling someone besides New York down the river?" Aaron sneers.

Alex ignores him the best he can. "Next door, the newest bank will be rising up from the ashes of the performance lot. And when that block has been completely rezoned, our dream can become a reality! You'll see, boys...Just you wait."

"Oh yeah?" Hercules chimes in, looking bored.

Alex whirls on his heel, getting amped up just thinking about his precious bank. "A state of the art bank, complete with working ATMs and tellers who don't seem bored with life! Ones that can be expected and trusted to be able to keep the treasury and economy a golden spot the USA cannot be fought upon!"

"France is better," Hercules' new girlfriend mutters.

His smile becomes just a little bit forced. "I'll forego your rent, you two, and I'll do it on paper. I'll leave a trail that you won't need wolves to keep the scent of, it'll be that obvious. You can stay here for free...If you two are up for doing one small favor. It might even be a little dangerous, John."

"Sweet Jesus, Alexander, spit out." The poet hangs his head and groans. Aaron has always been one to wait. Alex has never understood why his temper has always been so short when he's involved.

He swallows hard. "Convince Miss Reynolds to cancel her protest."

"Oh! And what's next? We could call the president, your good old buddy George! Oh! Oh! Or we could call the cops!" John mockingly leaps up and down, acting as if he's excited about the whole thing.

Alex glowers at him. "I did...And they're on stand-by. But my investors would rather I handle this...On the down low, if you catch my drift."

"Investors? You mean your darling Philip Schuyler? The man who barely even tends for his daughters?" scoffs Aaron. Before Alex can protest and talk about Eliza's good treatment, Aaron presses forward. "I'm not saying that you can't wipe out a tent city and go home to watch 'It's A Wonderful Life', but there are some very clearly reasons why you can't. Reasons why you can too."

"For God's sake, Burr! Opinion much? And anyway, you two want to goof around on these couches and pretend to draw and write? You actually need a place to put these couches! It's what we all used to dream about. A revolution of its own rights. Come on, guys, please. Think twice before you dismiss it," Alex begs under his breath.

Regaining his composure, Alex looks up. He makes eye contact with John, who still has his eyes blazing with fire. "You'll see, boys. I promise you that. You're going to regret not making this deal."

"Oh yeah?" John threatens, taking a step forward. Hercules goes to tell him to calm down, but Aaron shakes his head. Alex has really forgotten how intricate their system and friendship was. He dismissed himself from the company of them a long time ago.

Gulping slightly, he flails his arm out in front of him. If only they could see the vision that Alex has been able to see. "You'll see the beauty of a bank that can hold funds and give out loans. You won't have to travel across town to get to the ATMs now. Imagine that bank and all of its glory! Just tell Maria to quit it...And your life has immediately gotten itself on a brand-new, and perfect, track."

"That's stupid," Hercules comments.

Alex huffs. "You'll see. Or you'll pack. Stop the protest or else."

With that, he storms off.

"That boy needs to relax," Lafayette comments jokingly.

Aaron cocks his head. "I could see some heavy drugs doing the same thing."

"You guys are too violent. Let's whack him over the head and force him to admit his secrets on camera." John grins.

"Or group hugs," Hercules finishes, ruffling John's hair. "But anyway. Speaking of groups. Me and Lafayette-"

"Lafayette and I," Aaron corrects softly.

The largest man just blinks at him. "Uh, don't be a grammar Nazi. We're making a...Slight detour tonight. Either of you want to tag along."

"It's Life Support...It's for a group of people who are coping with life. You don't have to stay for long," Lafayette adds sweetly, keeping her eyes firmly on Aaron. She knows the stories that Hercules told her. She definitely realizes just how much Aaron gave Theodosia, practically the entire world if she asked, and she realizes just how much he has left now that she's gone and in the ground.

John puffs out his chest. "I got to save a protest!"

"Burr?" There's no mistaking the hope that immediately bleeds into Laf's voice.

He shrugs. "I'm sorry, I have to decline."

"Aaron!"

"You are the worst, Burr-" Hercules starts.

Lafayette lays her hand over his mouth before he can inflict anymore damage. "He'll be fine. Catch up later, Burr? You'll see, boys."

Hercules and John immediately surround Aaron. Hercules acts as if he's about to just pluck Aaron off the ground to force him to come with them. John just looks like he could pounce any second and drag him away. "We'll see, boys."

"Let it be, boys," Aaron softly says, squirming away. He has always been the slipperiest out of all of them.

Hercules saunters over and throws his arm around Lafayette as the three prepare to leave. "I like boys."

"Boys like me," Lafayette blithely responds, kissing him.

"We'll see," John and Aaron mutter, staring at each other.

John easily draws the scene in front of him. He can see the hunched form of a woman, a bounty of ringlets around her face, as she works in the empty lot. It definitely appears like a warehouse. He's not surprised anyway. The woman must be Angelica-

"John?" The woman suddenly calls, standing up straight. Her intelligent eyes narrow at him.

He feels a little like he's been put under a spotlight. Then, he remembers the fact she flirted with Alex. That calms him down and he can view her more as...Human. After all, he's been stuck with watching people fall hopelessly in love with him since the beginning of time. "Hi."

"God, doesn't Maria even listen to me? I told her specifically not to call you. And look who shows up," Angelica huffs.

John shrugs slightly, taking a step forward. "That's Maria for you. She's a bit of a...Free spirit. I'm sorry that I showed up, but I'm not just going to leave. Can I help since I had to take that long walk in the bitter cold? I shouldn't have to actually go back home after I came all the way here to check out the cables."

"I called an engineer. That's someone who actually knows what they're doing?" Angelica snidely replies.

John crosses his arms. "How late is she then?"

"Three hours," Angelica grumbles, her cheeks turning redder by the second. John laughs a little at her response. He knew for a fact that no engineer is ever on time.

He takes a step forward, prepared to help the other woman. She slumps her shoulders, but that's not before she narrows her eyes slightly at him. It's an open dare, and John has never backed down from a challenge. "I'm in charge."

"But I actually know how to read a pamphlet," John cheekily replies. "What's wrong with everything?"

"Everything? Hardly. It's only the samples, and I followed the directions and the cable-"

"There's another way," he singsongs, bouncing over the cords and wires to get over to Angelica. She softens slightly when he practically stumbles and falls. John straightens and clears his throat. "Grab the microphone and act like you're about to rap...Not that you probably can."

"Is that a dare?" Angelica's eyes twinkle.

John smirks. "Maybe later we can have a rap-off. Say something. Anything."

"Test 1 2 3," the woman says blandly.

John winces. That's the problem with lawyers. They are never creative enough to keep up with artists and theater people. Take Aaron and Alex for example. Aaron was almost a lawyer, but he decided to write. And Alex? He's a lawyer and look at him now! What a jerk. "Come on. Aren't you smart enough to say something else?"

"Honey, I'm smarter than you in every way so don't start," Angelica scolds. Then, she sighs. "This is weird."

"It's weird," John agrees, crouching down to start fiddling with the cables.

Angelica continues playing with the microphone. "I'm kinda furious as well. This isn't my ideal of a perfect day. Fighting with microphone...Freezing down to my bones...And the company is lacking."

"Oh, thanks," John snaps.

The woman smiles sarcastically. "No problem."

"Feel like going insane?" baits John, remembering how he felt when he dated Maria. Then again, he was still a little hung up over Alex...And still is. "And, come on, you can admit it. You want to kill yourself?"

Aaron would kill him if he heard John joking about that. It was so hard for John to cut those jokes out of his life. Thank God Angelica isn't the same.

She shrugs. "As a matter of fact-"

"Honey," John repeats her sentiment from earlier and slowly rises to his feet, "I know this act. You wanna know what it's called? It might be a little hard for a stick-in-the-mud like you to grasp. It's Maria's tango."

He leaps over an amp and approaches the microphone Angelica is protecting. He yanks it out of her hands and grins wildly. Then, he pretends to dance with it. "It's a dark, dizzy merry-go-round. Keeping up with the metaphors, Lawyer Girl? She pushes you off the cliff..." He lets the microphone start to fall to the ground. Then, John snatches it. "But grabs you in time to let you dangle."

"You're wrong about her, and you're wrong about me. You know nothing about either of us. And stop playing with expensive equipment." Angelica grabs the microphone from John and places it down firmly.

John shrugs. "I can see the remnants of a breaking heart."

"Unlike you, I can satisfy," Angelica snaps.

Ignoring every single word that comes out of the eldest Schuyler's mouth, he spins in place in his invisible tango. "And you can't help but stay awake at night, tossing and turning. Her cold eyes are burning daggers into your flesh. Yet, still, you yearn for her embrace. Your mind churns at the thought of her. And everyone else after him-her, I meant her, is a rebound."

"You're talking about Alexander." The realization dawns on Angelica's face quite quickly.

John flushes. "What?"

She smirks at him. "You're not the only one who's been played by both Alexander and Maria. Alex's eyes are the ones that keep you awake at night, and you just think about what could have been."

"While Maria is the fire you want to ignite your emptiness," John comments.

Angelica nods. "I think I know what you mean."

"I guess we're tangoing both."

John pauses, trying to separate Maria and Alexander in his eyes. Both of them crash and blur into each other. "Has Maria ever curled up to you and pouted her lips slightly? Then, she calls you 'pookie'?"

"Ha! Never!" The woman grins. She has opened a lot more since she has realized she could vent about both Alexander and Maria.

This fact has always blurred in his mind. "Have you ever doubted a kiss or two?"

"God, that's creepy," comments Angelica, knowing that she's thought about that.

She turns to him. "Did you swoon when either of them walked through the door, and every part of you was set aflame?"

"Every time!" cries John. "So be...Cautious."

Angelica snorts a little. "And both of them have the bad habit of mooning over too many people. Alexander is a friggin' tomcat-"

"And Maria is a temptress," the man finishes, licking his lips.

The woman pauses, hugging her stomach slightly. "This is making me sick."

"Come on, then. Wanna tango?" John flails his arms out dramatically before snapping into tango position. Angelica gives him a long look, but she still finds him facing him and giving him a peculiar look. The two of them say nothing. Then, Angelica slowly tosses her bright red coat onto the speakers and enters into his embrace, ready to tango just as hard as John has yearned to.

They dance for awhile, enjoying themselves.

John has never been one to just silently dance. He prefers the conversation that has always stirred up. "Where'd you learn how to tango?"

"With my two sisters and one of the dukes of French in my dorm room." Angelica grins at the memory. She also knows that it's quite an impressive one that not many can beat in the end. "And you?"

"In a conservative church when my father was trying to cure me of being gay."

"Ha!"

John clears his throat. "It's hard to do this backwards."

"You think that's hard? Trying doing it in these godawful heels," Angelica replies.

Angelica dips John down as a show of strength. Then, she closes her eyes, breathing out heavily. "She cheated."

"He cheated," John agreed.

Angelica fixes him with a look. "Maria cheated."

"So did Alexander!" protests John. Angelica lets him hit the ground as she walks away, supporting herself on the wall. Her heart feels a little bit mangled...How could both of them do that to her?

She hangs her head slightly. "And here I am, trying to social climb since my brother is too young to ever help with that! I should have given up and married some wealthy senator's son...I would say like you, John, but apparently you have given up all ties with the family you have in South Carolina."

"Ouch."

"It's true," the lawyer replies.

John clears his throat, hoping to get rid of the lump that has formed ever since he started speaking about Alexander. "Come on then, Angelica. You have to be optimistic...Be a little ray of sunshine."

"I'd still fall for both of them," she sighs. "Marrying richer doesn't mean I want them any less."

John takes a cautious step forward. "When you dance their dance-"

"They're the ones leading-"

"You never have any control-"

"You're spinning and losing control and falling-"

"Because they're the romantics-"

"And you want to give up but-"

"Might as well-"

"Dance a tango to-"

"At least I'll have tangoed at all!" John interrupts Angelica before she can finish the swear word.

The two of them interlock once more, prepared to continue dancing. Their steps are getting quicker and quicker as if they have been wound up and set aflame. There has never been so much raw emotion crackling in the air between the two of them. After all, Angelica and John have many reasons to hate each other. But this tango is what keeps them close.

"You have to dance until your diva is through!" Angelica mutters.

John shrugs. "You pretend to believe all of their lies and half truths, every single time they come back smelling with wine or perfume."

"Because you can't leave either of them. Not with those eyes that peer into your soul and those hearts that feel so tender underneath you," the woman sighs, her eyes fluttering as she thinks of both romantic exchanges.

Then, John realizes who is the luckier of the two. He breaks away. "But the end always comes because they can't tie themselves down to just one person!"

"But you play dumb-"

"Which can't be your strong suit."

"Until you feel as if you have been torn apart on the inside," Angelica finishes, only the slightest of smiles suggesting that she heard his words.

John falls to his knees to finish working on what he actually came here to do. He didn't expect to get all teary-eyed over both Maria and Alexander in one fallen blow. "Why do we love when they're mean?"

"And they can be so obscene!" Angelica pretends to swagger down to the microphone, flipping her hair and scarf.

"Try the mic," suggests John, sure that he's succeeded.

She leans into it, breathing out the words. "My Maria."

"Patched!" John victoriously calls.

"Thanks," Angelica replies.

The two of them say nothing as they stare at each other.

"I feel lousy."

"Aww, same."