Lia was feeling a little woozy as the bass began to boom in the apartment in Cobble Hill. She'd had two shots - her first taste of alcohol. It tasted disgusting but she liked how relaxed and social she felt. She was actually talking to people and not afraid of what they thought.

The apartment was getting stuffy however and she decided she needed some fresh air. She journeyed up to the roof of the building where some of the party had moved. It was chilly but the alcohol warmed her up. As she reached the top she took a moment to admire the view. The Brooklyn Bridge. Manhattan. And somewhere in Manhattan her father was busy performing as Alexander Hamilton, wowing the crowd. She'd heard more whispers throughout the night that she was Lin's kid. She had no interest in talking about it. She just wanted to fit in.

Lia noticed a group of kids off in the corner beat boxing and rapping. Not thinking, she walked over to listen. They were pretty good. They were rapping about snack chips and candy and other mindless subjects.

One of the girls who'd asked for a picture earlier was in the circle and noticed Lia. She kept beat boxing and pointed at her, signaling to take over next. Suddenly all eyes were on her and Lia realized she'd been put on the spot.

She froze for a moment, not seeing any way out that wouldn't make her a social pariah.

"Mmm, yea," she stalled. "Doritos. Doritos. Uhhh...potato chips. I like to buy them...at the store."

Laughs overtook the circle and they quickly ignored her. The girl from earlier laughed the hardest. Lia felt her face flush, even with the alcohol. They all knew she was Lin-Manuel Miranda's kid. They probably all expected her to be an amazing freestyler like her father. She'd seen videos of his time with Freestyle Love Supreme and he was amazing. Lia knew she was smart, but just not smart in that way. But everyone expected it.

Lia quickly disappeared from the roof and made her way back downstairs. She downed another shot, hoping to get bolder. A few minutes later, however, she felt nauseous again. The apartment smelled like weed. She felt the bile in her throat and managed to bolt for the bathroom just in time. She emptied her stomach of alcohol, retching over the seat. Lia felt awful and stupid. Why did she think she could handle a high school party?

She flushed the toilet then rinsed her mouth in the sink. Her lipstick was smeared and her mascara was running. Lia could barely recognize herself. The clothes weren't her. The makeup wasn't her. No matter what she did, she just couldn't make it work. People were trying to give her a chance now since she was Lin's daughter and she was just showing them what a loser she was. They all expected someone much cooler and she just couldn't pull it off.

Lia checked her phone. 10:30. She was due home in half an hour but she knew she couldn't go home like this. Her mom would figure it out and she'd be grounded for eternity.

Lin. Lin understood her and he was cool. She didn't have to worry about him getting mad and grounding her. They just had fun together.

He would still be performing but she could text him. She knew he could count on him. He'd let her stay with him that night.

Lia texted her mother that some of her friends were huge fans and really really wanted to meet Lin and could they catch a cab and she could stay with him that night. Vanessa thought it was odd because she didn't want anything to do with Lin's fame. She gave the okay as long as she continued to text.

Without waiting for Lin's answer she caught a cab and headed across the bridge into Manhattan. The theatre security knew her and let her in where she crashed in Lin's dressing room.

She must have been really out of it because the next thing she knew Lin was gently shaking her awake, still in costume. It was a bit of an odd moment, having Alexander Hamilton wake you up.

"Lia?" He prompted her, sitting down. He gently helped her sit up and she rubbed at her temple. Is this what a hangover was? She felt awful.

Lin handed her some Tylenol and a glass of water, which she took gratefully. He took in her outfit and decided it seemed out of character. Not exactly inappropriate but not her.

"Lia, have you been drinking?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the bright lights stinging her corneas. "Maybe?"

He sighed and stood, taking off his outer jacket. "Lia, that's not a good idea," he told her. "You're only fourteen. Be a kid."

She'd never wanted to be just a kid more than she did now. To be at home watching Disney movies in her PJs, a little nobody from Brooklyn.

"Did you tell my mom?" She asked worriedly. Lin hadn't decided what to do yet. She had obviously not been responsible that night but she'd called him for a reason. Lia didn't want to face the wrath of Vanessa and neither did he. However, he remembered what it was like to be a teenager and just wanting to fit in.

"No," he told her, stepping behind the wall so he could change into his street clothes. "But I feel like I should."

"Lin, please don't," she begged him. "She'll kill me. Seriously."

"She'll be disappointed," he corrected her. "What did you say you were doing?"

"Just going to a get together," she told him. "But it turned out...bigger than I thought. Lin I'm sorry. I won't ask you for anything else. Just don't tell my mom."

Lin pulled on a Nintendo T-shirt and walked back out, fixing his ponytail. His conscience told him that Vanessa needed to know, but he was still building his relationship with Lia. He liked that she had come to him, trusting him with a problem. Wasn't that one of the most important parts of being a parent? That your kid could come to you?

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is the only time," he told her and her face flushed with relief. She stood up and hugged him warmly, thanking him profusely.

"Now, we just have to get out of here," he told her. "We can't go out the stage door cause it's a mob. I'll call security to get us a cab."

Lia felt a little bad that she was causing Lin so much trouble and that his fans would be disappointed. She kept quiet as he made some phone calls. Soon, they were speeding away in a cab, heading for Washington Heights.

When Lia woke up the next morning, she was convinced she might die. The pounding of her head was even more intense than it had been the night before. She rolled over on her side, thankful for the tylenol and gatorade that were already on her bedside table. She gulped down the pills as she scrolled mindlessly through her Twitter feed. She looked up from her phone when Lin knocked at her door and stepped in.

"I think my head might explode,"

Lin smirked. He had been in the same place one too many times. He sat on the edge of Lia's bed, not at all shocked to see the miserable look on the teenager's face, "You'll survive," He patted her leg in a comforting manner, "You just might feel like hell for the next few hours. You took the pills?" He asked, noticing the empty place on the table.

Lia nodded, "Make sure you keep drinking the gatorade. Staying hydrated will help. Do you remember what you drank?"

"Tequila, I think?" Lia grimaced. Even the word made her feel nauseous.

"Ahh, the devil's water," Lin mused.

"Fitting name," Lia said sarcastically under her breath, "And, um, sorry about the whole throwing up on you last night," She stumbled over her words as the mortifying memory replayed in her mind.

The jolting of the New York cab ride, in combination with her unsettled stomach, led to Lia vomiting in the front foyer of Lin's apartment. It also left vomit on Lin's shoes that now held place in a garbage bag ready to be disposed of.

"Hey," Lin said in a reassuring tone, "Your mom got diapers, and I get vomit. It's the disgusting circle of parenting," Despite the fact that his daughter had come to him wasted, Lin had enjoyed being able to take care of her. He had missed so much time that having the chance to carry her to bed and tuck her into bed was something he was grateful he still had the opportunity to do. Even looking at her then in bed, Lin knew she was still so much a kid.

For the first time that morning, Lia smiled. It was one of her favorite parts about Lin, the way he could make any situation better.

"But getting drunk at a party also seems very unlike you," Lin had wanted to wait until she had sobered up a bit before broaching the subject, "Does it have anything to do with me or what's been going on?"

"No," Lia said quickly. Even if a part of her had wanted a distraction from the new realities of her life, she couldn't tell Lin that. She didn't want to hurt his feelings or give him a reason to think he shouldn't be in her life any longer. "It was just me being stupid at my first party,"

"What about your new friends? They have anything to do with your bolder choices?"

"No," Lia repeated her answer, "They didn't have anything to do with it," She knew that was a lie, but didn't want him to get any negative ideas about them. She didn't even know if they were that great friends, if she was being honest with herself, but they were currently all she had.

"Alright," Lin said unconvinced. He knew how teenagers could be, having been one and taught them. He wouldn't push Lia to say anymore though, "Remember our deal though. Last night was a one time thing. If it happens again, your mom's gonna have to know,"

"Got it," And Lia meant it. The thought of even looking at a bottle of alcohol was enough to curb her taste.

Lin ruffled her hair, "Then consider the hangover your punishment. Now, come on. I'm not much of a chef, but I can whip up some eggs and toast, and you need something in your stomach. And also brush your teeth 'cause you need it!"

Lia threw her throw pillow at a laughing Lin, as she rolled out of bed to head straight towards the bathroom.

Vanessa was enjoying her second cup of coffee as she read the morning paper, a luxury she typically didn't have time to indulge in. With Lia gone the previous night, she had managed to finish up all of the work she had brought home with her. She ended the night with a bubble bath and wine and let herself sleep in an extra hour. She was having a glorious start to her weekend. The only thing that would have made it perfect would have been a repeat of her night spent with Lin, but she was hoping that would be rectified sooner rather than later.

Not long after, she heard the front door unlock and Lin and Lia came strolling in.

"Hey," Vanessa called out with a smile as she sether coffee down, "Hi sweetheart," she said as she got up to hug Lia, "How was last night?"

"Good," Lia answered quickly. She knew if her mom asked too many questions she would be on a winding path of dishonesty. Lia was never one to outright lie and, aside from the fibs she had been saying the past few days, she knew her mom would more than likely catch on if she tried to, "I'm going to go take a shower,"

Before Vanessa could ask any other questions, Lia was already walking down the hall, "We'll talk about it later!" Vanessa called out before rolling her eyes. She chalked up the behavior to simply being a teenager, which sometimes was better to just leave be.

"Hey stranger," Vanessa remarked with a peck to Lin's lips, who was still standing in the entryway, "Coffee?"

Lin nodded, "Please," His eyes couldn't help but trail down to her backside as she walked into the kitchen.

Vanessa put a keurig pod into its machine and waited for it to brew while Lin took a seat at her kitchen table. "So," Vanessa started, "Give me the intel!"

"Intel?" Lin asked.

"Lia said her friends were fans and wanted to meet you last night." She said as she brought over the cup of coffee for him and took a seat next to him, "I thought it was weird considering we've been trying to keep everything separated, but didn't want to question. When I asked to meet them, Lia acted as if she'd die of humiliation, so you're my in!" Vanessa looked as giddy as a young child on Christmas, "What were they like?"

Lin took a sip of his coffee, taking a mental note that Lia seemed to leave that detail out to him, "I didn't end up meeting them," Lin couldn't outright lie to Vanessa.

"You didn't?" Vanessa's excitement dimmed down, "Well, Lia didn't go to the theatre alone, right? She texted me she got there a little after 11."

Lin now realized why Lia had lied, but hadn't even considered the fact that she had traveled alone until Vanessa had brought it up at that moment. She was always a step ahead, "No, it was just that by the time I was going to finish up it was going to be pretty late so I told Lia we would plan something for a different day and sent them home in a cab." He didn't see a point in having Vanessa stress out over something that had already happened. He did make a mental note, however, to speak to Lia about traveling alone that late in the city, especially while drunk.

"Oh," Vanessa sighed, "Well, hopefully when you get to meet them, I can tag along. You can make me seem cooler than I am," She remarked with a laugh.

"I happen to think you're the coolest,"

"Oh, yeah?"

"Mmhmm," Lin leaned over the table to kiss her, the remnant of coffee made the kisses that much more of a delight.

The two sat back in the chairs, as their eyes met and they held closed lip smiles.

"I'm just so proud of her, you know? I thought she might miss curfew by a bit or wind up at a party or something, but she was just a responsible kid with a group of friends," Vanessa commented.

Lin kept replaying their kiss in his mind to distract himself from the guilt he held for not being completely honest with Vanessa. He just nodded and drank more of his coffee.

"I know I keep her on a pretty tight reign, but she showed me last night that she can be trusted to be responsible and make good decisions. Maybe I should loosen up a bit,"

"No," Lin commented, as Vanessa quirked her brow, "She's a terrific kid because you're an amazing mom." He explained, "I don't think you should change anything." Lin did believe that Lia was a terrific kid and no doubt because of the mother Vanessa was. He also didn't want her to be, inadvertently, rewarded for her irresponsible behavior.

Vanessa blushed at the praise, "And now you're here for the ride," She recognized it was a stark contrast to her feelings over the past few weeks. Vanessa reached out to grab his hand, their fingers interlocking.

"Well, that I couldn't be happier about," Lin responded genuinely, softly stroking her fingers with his thumb. They went on to discuss their afternoon plans. They weren't sure where they were going to end up romantically, but their priority would always be Lia. It had to be.