Hamilton Spy AU

Homecoming

POV George W.
A knock was heard from the other side of my door, and I groaned. Yet I told whoever it was they could come in, so I wasn't expecting who I did see.
"Ow! Stop shoving me!" One whisper-screamed. I still hadn't looked up, trying to go through case files and criminal papers.
"Hi, Dad," someone with a french accent said. I whirled around to find Natasha, Alexander, and Lafayette standing there. I froze for a moment before standing and enveloping them in a hug. They were back. They were right here, safe and sound- wait.
"Alex, what the heck happened to you?" he was walking around on crutches, a bandage around his left ankle. He looked down.
"I guess you'd like to know," he said. I nodded my head, "I... I fell when I was jogging and I didn't get it checked out, so it just got worse," he said guiltily. I hugged him.
"Well at least you're okay," I smiled as Eliza, Adrienne, and Clint filed in, Peggy and Angelica soon after. I almost spoke before two people I didn't recognize came in.
"Who are you guys?" I asked, confused at why they would bring two kids in.
"Mr. Washington, meet Tae and John, my niece and her brother," Natasha said. I was taken aback. A niece? I didn't even know she had any family. The two kids waved. They couldn't be older than Peggy. I stuck my hand out and shook theirs. But immediately, maybe because they were part of Natasha, or I just liked kids, I was fond of them already.
"And what makes you bring them here?" I questioned.
"Well, actually, when Alex and I were on that mission at the french restaurant with Laf and Adrienne, she was our waiter. Then we were with Natasha when she got a call from the hospital saying her niece was there. So she's been with us, and they already know. She actually helped us on that mission," Eliza said. She was a sweetheart.
"You forgot to mention that she dislocated my kneecap, Liz," Alex growled. My brow furrowed, yet a smile formed on my face.
"You were the one that knocked John unconscious and posed a threat to the safety of the restaurant. I was just a poor sixteen year old who didn't know what you were doing. Technically, I still am," Tae explained. I laughed and shook my head.
"Well, I'm sure we can find you a room-" I started, before Natasha cut in.
"Actually, we've already comfortably rearranged our rooms,"
"Ah, alright then. Nat what are we supposed to do with kids on the job?" I wondered what she planned to do with the kid.
"For the last time! I'm SIXTEEN NOT EIGHT!" Tae yelled.
"And I'm nineteen!" John shrieked, followed by an "excuse me". I laughed.
"Yes, and I'm 34. In my book, you are kids," they both groaned.
"Don't take them for granted. They're a lot smarter than you think," Natasha warned with a smirk. I smiled.
"Martha! Come in here!" I called. Within seconds, her worry filled expression was filled with joy when she saw the group. She enveloped everyone in a hug, unfazed by the fact that Alex was on crutches. I noticed the purple bruises on his neck and the small, fading, red lines on his neck, covered by a hood on his sweatshirt. I decided to ask him about it later and to not ruin the moment. Angelica, Peggy, and Clint left to go sleep. They looked exhausted, and I didn't blame them if they'd been with this group for several days. I didn't notice that I had tucked Lafayette under my arm until he was trying to burrow into the warmth as the air kicked on.
"New York is freaking cold," he said with a scowl. I wrapped my arms around him and smiled. I took the rest of the day off, not letting Alex or Laf out of my sight. Laf mostly just sat on the couch in the living room, covered in a mountain of blankets and drinking coffee. Alex wasn't allowed to move much, much to his dislike, but Eliza forced him to take it easy. I wasn't aware that Alex could take anything easy. I was still pondering the marks on his skin, but I thought that the situation could be handled later. For now, everything was okay. Tae and John were good kids, and I liked them a lot. I decided it wouldn't be too bad to have them around.
"Okay, so tell me again, how did you find Tae?" I said confused. It wasn't your usual meeting.
"John got stabbed in an alleyway so when I took him to the hospital Anut Nat was my only hope of being able to pay for treatment," Tae responded, "Then I recognized Alex, Eliza, Adrienne and Laf from the french restaurant that had recently fired us for starting a fire,"
We had also learned that Tae and John could cook amazing food. Lots of french stuff from where they used to work, none the less amazing. They had also brought several of their favorite recipes from South Carolina.
"Yeah, so when I was ten, and John 11, his parents disowned him, so he stayed with us. We've known each other since we were little and always had each other's backs. When my dad killed my mom, we booked it to New York where my Aunt Perin was. She died a few years later, and so we've been on our own for about a year. He's basically my brother, just not biologically," Tae said. I nodded, knowing how that felt.
"It's been pretty rough, but we got through it," John said, and they fist bumped. Something I saw Alex and Laf do a lot.
"Well, we should get you acquainted. If you're gonna stay here, we gotta make you look like you belong," Martha said, handing them each a uniform. I think I saw their eyes light up.
"Thanks!" Tae ran off to what I assumed was her room. John just shook his head and smiled. When she came out, she almost looked exactly like Natasha with blonde hair that was in a ponytail.
"You guys have a lot of work to catch up on," I raised my eyebrows, and they sulked.
"It's cold," Lafayette said, his brow furrowed and he frowned, under his pile of blankets. He wasn't talking to anyone in particular, just frustrated that it was cold.
"Stop complaining, good gosh! That's all we've heard this week!" Alex exclaimed, exasperated.
"Il fait si froid. Si froid. Alors. Du froid," he muttered, and Adrienne laughed. Then he sneezed, and I couldn't help the bit of worry that rose in my chest, concerned. He kept sneezing, and Adrienne walked over, also concerned about him. She handed him a box of tissues and took his temperature.
"Faible fièvre. Merde,"she muttered. Laf continued to sneeze.
"What's wrong?" Tae asked. Adrienne was bustled about trying to find something. So Tae waltzed over to him and felt his forehead.
"I'm probably wrong but it seems he has a small sinus infection," she plopped down and stared at us blankly.
"Laf you're supposed to be taking your medicine for that," Alex said.
"Like you're one to talk, Alexander," he snarled, then marched off to his room. I face palmed.
"Alright, well you kids get settled, George and I are going to leave now," Martha announced. I pouted as she dragged me out the door.
"Do we have to leave?" I whined.
"Yes George. I want them to have some time to adjust and get back into routine. Meanwhile, you and I can go elsewhere," I raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Is that so?" I asked as we walked to my office.
"George!" she exclaimed. I put my hands up in defense and she closed the door. I had a linking door from my office to hers, that way I could see her and check on her whenever.
"You were sounding pretty suggestive there," I smiled as she swatted at me while I pulled her into a kiss.
"Stop it, mister. You have work to do, and so do I," she straightened out her clothes and went to walk out, but I grabbed her and sat down.
"You sure? We can finally relax, the kids are back," I said, giving her a shoulder massage.
"Yes George. We have things called deadlines, remember?"
"You really should chill out," with that she stood up, kissed my forehead, and left. I pouted and sat down. The first stack of papers were incident reports.
New crimes: 11 in the past two weeks
Solved cases: 7 in the past three weeks
Cases needing attention: 3
I sighed. There were details of each case paper clipped to the report. I buzzed Alex in, maybe he would have a plan.
"Yep? Here," He hopped into my office and I handed him the report. He slumped and frowned.
"Three cases? By when?" he asked.
"A week and a half from now," I sighed. He was on crutches, Nat was down with the kids, and Clint would likely stay with her, and Laf was sick. Eliza and Adrienne would probably stay home with their husbands. That left Angelica, Peggy, Dolley, James, Hercules, and Elizabeth. Martha screamed next door. Alex and I both rushed in, ready to defend her. Martha was sobbing, her phone pulled out.
"Martha?" I said quietly.
"She- she's gone!" she wailed, slumping over her desk and sobbing.
"Mom?" Alex asked, incredibly worried. Apparently, that triggered her, and she just collapsed, sobbing, curled up on the floor. I scooped her up, and the three of us sat down on the loveseat.
"Patsy! George, she had a seizure and died this morning," she curled into me and my arms tightened around her, as did Alex's. We just sat there until she calmed down. I knew that Martha refused to let her kid stay here. Patsy, her eight-year-old daughter, had been staying with family in the next city over. Jacky, her son, had passed a few years prior. She often had seizures that had been getting progressively worse. The kid was amazing and smart, and even though she wasn't mine, I had loved her. A few tears fell from my eyes as well. Alex's eyes were glassy and heartbroken. I remembered him telling me that seeing Martha or Eliza cry was one of his biggest triggers. He hated it. Martha buried her face in my jacket and quietly weeped. My breath was continuously hitched in my throat.
Alex left, leaving the two of us alone as I pulled a blanket over Martha and I. She whimpered, whispering in anguish while I did the best I could to comfort her. She eventually fell asleep, and I carried her to bed before deciding to go tell everyone the agonizing news.
When I knocked on their door, I tried to look composed, knowing I was failing. Adrienne welcomed me in with a hug and we joined Alex and Eliza on the couch. Everyone was already gathered in their living room. I assumed Alex had already told them, since most were crying.
"Where's Natasha?" I asked, noticing she was missing. Clint pointed to her room, which was shut. Lafayette sat next to me as I stared at the wall, with Alex and Eliza on my other side. After receiving some condolences, I went back to the privacy of my office and broke down.
Martha texted worriedly, asking where I was. I cursed myself for leaving her, then rushed over to our room. She was sitting on the bed, her knees up to her chest. I cuddled up next to her, where she rocked back and forth against me.
"Martha, it's alright, I just went to go tell Alex and Lafayette." I explained.
"The funeral is in three days," she said blankly. I rubbed her temple.
"It'll be okay. I'll be there, I'm sure the- the kids- will be there too. You've got our support. We'll be there, and you don't have to do anything if you don't want to," I reassured.
"I told them I wanted us to plan the rest. Organize the decorations, speeches, music. They set the date, the rest we're doing," she said, her expression still indifferent.
"Okay," I agreed. I figured she just needed my support, and she'd have it. The kid's too. She was far too strong for her own good, a trait that Alex seemed to carry. There was a strong knock on the door that jolted us both.
"Who is it?" I called.
"Alex and Laf," a voice that I knew said.
"Come in," I pulled Martha closer to me instinctively. We talked for a while, except for Martha, who didn't say a word while snuggled up against my chest. She shivered, and I wrapped my jacket around her. Alex and Laf left us to ourselves, and she climbed into my lap and hid her face in my shirt. It was almost as if she was trying to burrow into me, hiding from reality. I hugged and rocked her, hoping to soothe her. She was silent, and then fell back asleep. Unfortunately, when Jacky had passed, I hadn't been able to be here.
"Come on George, just chill out and have fun!" My buddies yelled. I knew that Martha was struggling at home with Jacky's health that was declining, but yet she had forced me to go out and have fun.
"I'm trying, I'm just worried about Martha. Jacky... he's not been well. I'm worried something will happen while I'm gone," I said, trying to smile.
"You wanna go check on things? I know how it can be," one friend said. He was married with three kids and understood what was going on. I nodded and we said goodbye. I drove home, him in the passenger seat, and we parked, walked into the building, and signed in. When I got to my room, I dropped to my knees on the floor. Martha was passed out, yet her pulse was okay. My friend called our physician friend while I tried to wake Martha up. Her eyes opened slowly as I breathed out a sigh of relief.
"G-George? What happened?" she had asked groggily.
"I don't know Martha. When I came home you were passed out on the floor. You scared me, Martha," I smiled sadly as she made her way up off the ground. She looked at her phone and let out a cry. I became worried again as she fell to the ground, a crying and sobbing mess, not seeming to hear anything. I told my friend he could go home, then scooped Martha up in my arms.
"Jacky!" she wailed. Suddenly, it clicked. Jacky had passed away while I was gone. Martha had been all alone. I was afraid that would happen. I helped her stand and tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling sadly and kissing her forehead. She latched onto me for support, looking like she had just witnessed the worst thing imaginable. Which, what happened, hadn't been far off. "George! He's gone!" she wailed. I pulled her head to my chest, and tried to comfort the unbearable pain.
I shook my head. At least I was here this time. First, she lost her firstborn. Now, she's lost her last child. She was shaking in her sleep. After this, chances of her wanting to to have kids is likely small. I had always wanted to start a family, but this job didn't exactly allow it.
The rest of the evening, a somber presence filled the air. We all gathered in the meeting room, excluding Martha, who was dealing with this on her own. She had requested some time and space, and I respected that. My friend, who had been there when I found out Jacky had passed, offered to help with the funeral. All I wished was that this wouldn't hurt Martha so much. It was painful to see her so broken, and I knew I wasn't the only one who felt like that. The rest of the Squad continuously helped and tried to make her feel better.
I was fascinated by the way John and Tae reacted. They really stepped up and let Alex and Laf rest while helping take care of things. Alex and Lafayette had taken John in, kind of like a third brother. Everyone loved Tae, and Tae helped everyone. She was bright, and she knew her way around things. She reminded me a lot of Natasha. Tae really enjoyed cooking for us, so they were constantly at the store buying stuff for meals. John and Peggy had bonded closely. I had worried about having kids on campus, but that doubt had been replaced by a love for them. They had quickly adapted, and they were fun to have around.
I dreaded tomorrow. The day of the funeral. It was going to be hard for us all, with Martha's extended family there and the Squad. Martha had kind of kicked me out of our room, so Alex let me crash on the pull out couch in their living room. I worried about Martha, as she usually came to me with her problems, and I didn't want her to feel alone or like this was something she had to deal with by herself. Most importantly, I wanted her to know I was here for her and she could lean on me during these hard times. I decided to text her something simple, just a goodnight and "I love you." It was left as read, disappointingly. I didn't sleep well that night.
When I woke up, Nat, Alex, and Tae were already up, quietly talking and drinking coffee. I walked over and grabbed some coffee myself, as we listened to Tae tell us about her life in South Carolina. Then we all started talking about family.
"I was adopted by Tae's grandmother when I was about 12, and I loved being a part of that family. I just couldn't settle in South Caro, so I ended up moving to New York around 19. I met back up with Clint, whom I had met as a child in Russia, and that's about it," Natasha said. Alex didn't say much, and eventually everyone else was up too. We all got dressed and I went back to my room, and Martha was still asleep. I tried to rub her awake, but I just received a tired groan.
"Martha, come on, you need to get up," I said softly. She pulled the white comforter over her head.
"I don't have the energy," her muffled voice complained.
"The Schuyler's are going to help you out this morning. And breakfast is covered by Tae and Laf. You don't have to do anything, really, just be strong enough to stand up and get out of bed. Staying in the bed is not healthy,"
"I don't wanna go," she whimpered, and I sighed. I could understand where she was coming from. I felt like this when the kids were missing.
"Martha, you must face reality, or else it will forever haunt you," I tried. I was running out of things to say.
"George if Alex and Laf were dead, I'd never get you out of bed. Cut me some slack," she said harshly. I was shocked, then angry. I just silently stood up and left.. The funeral wasn't for another several hours, so I'd have someone else get her up later. What she said cut through me like a knife. Alex and Laf had been all too close to death this past week, and it wasn't like her to say something so insensitive. Which concerned me. I went to the park and sat by the pond for a while before Eliza called, saying that Martha wouldn't get out of bed. I sighed and drove back, planning to do whatever it took to get Martha out of that bed. She had been in bed long enough.
I walked into the bedroom, where Martha was angrily curled up under the sheets. Angelica and Peggy left, giving up as they closed the door behind them. I plopped in the bed next to Martha.
"Martha," I started. She grumbled.
"George," she said bitterly.
"You have got to get up," I retorted.
"What's the point? What is the point of even waking up, George? I wish I could just fall into an endless sleep and die," she said, her voice cracking, and my heart dropped to my stomach. This was exactly what I was afraid of.
"Martha, listen to me. There is a point. There's a reason that you have to wake up every morning. I know it hurts, but I need you. The kids need you. You know what would happen to us if you died? We- I don't even know. We need you. I need you, Martha. So please, get up and push through the pain, because we are here for you every step of the way," I encouraged. She sat up and leaned against me.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. I kissed the top of her head and buried my face in her hair.
"You have nothing to be sorry about. You're going through a really hard time. I just want you to know we are supporting you every step of the way," I answered. She silently stood up and walked off to get ready, and I moved about, in preparation for the day.

A/N: I love anyone who stays to read this. Please enjoy. There is a message on my profile page for all of y'all that read this.