Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If you wish to request anything, just comment. I will do almost anything but that does not include non-con/rape. If you like to read it, great, but I am uncomfortable writing it. I will write fluff, smut, any pairing, you name it. You tell me and I'll (hopefully, most likely) make it happen.

Chapter Text

Rose set her basket with eggs on a table in the back room of Robert’s establishment. She then removed her long black cloak to reveal her red dress that she had spent making for weeks and washed her hands, readying herself for a full day of work.

“Did you get them?” Robert asked as he walked in the room, taking Rose’s cloak from her and hanging it on the hooks on the wall.

“I did,” she said, holding up the basket and handing it to him.

“I said five brown and five white. There are three white and eight brown in here,” he said giving her a disapproving glance.

“They all taste the same, Robert,” she said, tying her apron.

“I am aware Miss Basurto but I like to make them look neat with their alternating colours but thanks to you, I can not,” he said.

“Well you can send some secret messages to your friend with the brown ones,” she said, adding more wood to the fire so she would start cooking herself some breakfast.

Robert glared at her and said, “Sure and I’ll have you deliver them to 711 himself.”

Rose scoffed, “I would never go there. I can’t stand soldiers and how they look at women. It like a dog looks at sausage.”

“They don’t see a lot of women. I’m not saying it’s right for them to look at you that way but in their defense, you are very beautiful and I wouldn’t be surprised if the biggest gentleman in the world transformed into one of those soldiers drooled over you,” said Robert causing Rose’s cheeks to burn.

“Shut up,” she told him, taking one of the brown eggs.

“There now you’re only four brown eggs away from having an even amount of each colour.”

“I would have had an equal amount if you would have paid attention to my list,” he said as she put her scrambled eggs on a plate to eat.

“I paid attention just fine, I just like to annoy you from time to time. It’s quite amusing,” she said, removing her apron and using a fork to dig into her food.

Robert sighed and left the kitchen to attend to all the officers, leaving Rose in the room, smiling to herself.

-

“Rosie, darling,” called on of the officers to Rose who stood behind the counter, refilling the jug of ale.

“Yes Major André?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Could I have some more ale?”

Rose nodded and walked to him, careful not to step on any feet that were sticking out from under the tables.

Rose walked in on the conversation as the major said, “I’m quite happy for you to take any initiative against his bloody rebels all that I ask is that if that action involves a gathering of intelligence that my post may be aware.”

She turned to walk away and lost the conversation for a moment when she was called by a man by the officers table.

“You have a man in Washington’s camp?” one of them asked a little loudly.

Rose perked up slightly as she heard this and unwillingly let the man she was serving try to seduce her. She ignored him and poured more drinks as she listened in.

She heard André mumble a few words and then the other man in a red coat said, “His name is Worthington. The good reverend Worthington.”

“The chapel?” asked André.

“He takes the confessions of the soldiers and offers them counsel."

The last thing she heard was André compliment the idea and she walked up to Robert.

“I need to share some news,” she said, tapping his elbow which was a sort of code used to say one of them had intelligence to pass on to Washington.

They stood in a closet and she told him everything she had heard and he walked up to James, his partner who was a creepy amount of fond of Rose but their key to helping Washington and he said, “I would like to buy and advertisement.”

-

“So Rosie,” said a drunkard who wasn’t an officer but was surely a tory to Rose.

“Yes, Mister Lenard?” she asked, pouring him another ale, not like he needed one.

“When are you going to tell Mister Townsend?” he asked, the men at his table chorusing in a ‘yeah’.

“Tell me what?” asked Robert, walking beside her. Rose shrugged her shoulders and eyes the men curiously.

“About how she is in love with you,” said another drunk man.

Rose blushed furiously and said, “Oh my, well I am leaving this conversation,” before she scurried off to pour drinks for officers who were mostly sober and were generally nice to Rose.

Robert glared at the men after she had run off and said, “I think you all have had too much to drink.”

“The soberest man alive could tell by the way she looks at you,” said Lenard.

One man whispered loudly to the one next to him, “It’s the same way a dog looks at sausage.”

Robert closed his eyes and took a deep breath before leaving the men, not wanting to hear any lies that would give him hope of her returning his unwanted feelings.

Later that night, Rose was tidying up the kitchen in silence when Robert walked in. She didn’t jump at the noise but she jumped when she saw him, scared of what words would fall from his lips.

“Good night,” she said quickly, looking back down at the dishes she was drying. She hadn’t said a word to him after their incident and didn’t plan to as long as she knew him. She was far too embarrassed at the drunk man spilling her feelings for Robert whether he thought them true or not.

Robert’s eyes filled with an emotion that was mixed with sadness but also amusement as he admired her in the small golden hue of the candle.

Her skin was glowing at her hair shadowed on her face perfectly. She was absolutely stunning.

“It’s alright,” he said, walking fully into the kitchen instead of standing in the doorway. She flinched when his finger was placed under her chin and pulled her head up to have her eyes meet his.

Robert gulped slightly and used his thumb to gently pull her bottom lip from between her teeth as he looked into her eyes that were widened and filled with several emotions that were passing by too quickly for him to recognize.

Rose’s heart was pounding in her chest and her breathing was heavy as she thought of the quaker’s lips on hers and within a moment of that thought, they were. She sucked in a breath through her nose and her hands shakily placed themselves on his cheeks as his soft lips moved with hers. There was no tongue or impure thoughts, just an aroma of love floating around the kitchen where dishes still needed drying and the wood stove gave off a perfect blanket of warmth.

Chapter Text

“But what if he’s not alone. What if he’s entertaining a lady? Or ladies?”

-

“This still amazes me,” said Theodosia as she watched Robert scribble down notes in invisible ink. She knew about the Culper ring, she wasn’t a part of it and Robert never shared anything with her since he didn’t want to risk her safety but she knew about the ink and some other members in the ring.

Robert was going to respond but they heard footsteps and Mister Rivington’s loud voice in the halls. Robert frantically finished his message and use black ink to trace over the music sheets as James knocked.

The man became more impatient and he fumbled with the doorknob and Robert said loudly, “One minute,” and Theodosia took a seat on Robert’s bed with a book and started reading. There were two chairs in the room, one that Robert had been sitting in and one that was facing away from the door and she wanted to see James’ reaction to her being in Robert’s room. He was always getting onto him about finding a lady and this would get his mind off of anything suspicious he had thought Robert was doing.

Robert opened the door and said, “Mister Rivington, thank you for guiding, uh-” who popped his head in and smiled mischievously when he saw the woman on Robert’s bed.

“Hello Theodosia,” he said in a suggestive tone. The lady looked up to see James looking suspicious, Samuel surprised, and Robert annoyed.

“Morning Mister Rivington,” she said.

“What are you doing in here?” he asked.

“Reading,” she said, holding up the book.

“Yes, but can’t you do that in your room?”

Dosia shrugged, “I suppose so. Should I leave?” she asked.

James jumped and said, “Oh, no, no, no. I just hoped that we weren’t… interrupting.”

As James turned to Robert who was very handsomely buttoning the top button of his shirt, Theodosia lightly slapped the book up on her face as she laughed quietly. This assured Townsend Sr. that they weren’t doing anything and he let out a small breath. He liked Theodosia a lot and did was his son to choose her for a wife but he desperately did not want to interrupt them if they had been doing the nasty.

“Curious you’re writing on music paper,” said James as Theodosia tried to contain her laughter behind her book.

“Yes, yes,” said Robert, “It’s a copy. I got it for Nelly, father. It’s a new piece composed by an Austrian fellow. Naturally, I will be selling the original but I thought Nelly might like to be the talk of the town playing something fresh on her pianoforte if she can find a violin partner, it is a duet.”

Theodosia laughed harder into her book as he told James about Nelly whom she had once met. She was their family dog.

“That’s wonderful, she’ll be so pleased,” said Samuel.

“Yes, perhaps she can come visit one day,” said James, “Wouldn’t that be nice?” he asked Theodosia who was almost crying of laughter on the book.

She tried to stop laughing and regain her composer but she only kept laughing as she said, “Yes, lovely.”

“You don’t seem… jealous,” said James.

Once again, she tried to make a straight face but she only managed to make a fake grumpy face filled with laughter as she said, “Oh yes, so jealous.”

James turned back to Robert and said, “Nelly, aye. And Theodosia? You rascal.” He then left while chuckling leaving the two generations of Townsend men with Theodosia who could not stop laughing.

“Why is this so amusing?” asked Robert to the woman crying on his bed.

“He thought we were having sex,” she blurted clutching her stomach.

“Would that have been such a bad thing?” Robert teased.

“Oh, Robert, don’t get me wrong. I’d love to have sex with you bu-”

“My father is in the room too,” he said gesturing to Townsend Sr who was more amused than he was uncomfortable.

“Anyway,” said Samuel, “I told you he was going to be a problem. He’s got his eye on you.”

Robert rolled up the music sheet as Theodosia started calming down, finally and he said, “And mine is on him. If I am caught, Rivington will not be the one to do it.”

“And if he finds out that Nelly is the family dog?”

“He likes a good joke.”

“Now,” Robert continued, handing his father the rolled music sheet, “Time is of the essence. We want to make sure Culper knows.”

“Yes,” Samuel sighed, tucking the paper in his bag. There was a silence as Robert grabbed his jacket and his father walked to the door but Samuel spoke up.

“Robert.”

“Father,” Robert said sternly, “Don’t worry.”

“I’m proud of you,” said Samuel, “I wanted you to know that.”

Theodosia quietly cooed behind her book as Robert nodded.

“You know it would be good to spend some time with you away from all this business. Why don’t you come home next week for Thanksgiving dinner at the farm?” asked the older Townsend.

“Thanksgiving?” asked Robert as be put on his coat, “Why father wouldn’t that be considered a holiday?”

Sam rolled his eyes and said, “So don’t tell the other Quakers. I won’t. And in any case, there’ll be turkey.”

“Count me in,” said Robert.

“You too, Theodosia. Why don’t you accompany Robert?” he asked.

“I’d love to,” she responded, looking up at him.

Samuel nodded happily and said to Robert, “Make sure she doesn’t get into trouble.”

“You know me too well, Sam,” she said.

Samuel smiled and said, “I know,” before leaving.

“I can see that smile from here,” Theodosia said after the door was closed. Robert turned, the smile still on his face and he climbed on top of Theodosia who had lied down during the men's conversation.

He closed the book and set it on the bedside table and held himself up on his arms and he had one knee on either side of her hips.

“Feeling frisky are we?” she asked, folding her hands under her breasts.

Robert just stared down at her with the same smile on his face.

“Are we going to have sex because people usually do that with their clothes off,” she said, grabbing the lapels of his jacket to pull him down as she pressed his lips to hers in a sweet but hot kiss.

Chapter Text

Anneliese Desrosiers was a French woman who had traveled with Lafayette to the continental camp where she was to help with seamstress work and help some in the medical areas. She reluctantly went, she didn’t have much of a choice, and she was lucky she spoke a good amount of English. She had learned the languages Spanish, Italian, Catalan, and Portuguese before she learned English which made it much harder to learn it.

Anneliese was to share a tent with Lafayette when they did not have enough to spare them their own. The two had separate beds so they didn’t mind sharing. The French were generally closer than the Americans in their cultures and Lafayette thought of Anneliese as family and she thought of him the same.

It was a dark night in December when Anneliese and Gilbert laid in their beds, trying to fall asleep. Lafayette had received a thick and warm blanket when Anneliese received one that was thin and worn with a couple holes that made her feel colder with it on than she would have without it.

Gilbert was starting to fall asleep when he heard the shivering Anne across from him sniff. She had closed her eyes and tried to take her mind off of the cold air and the falling snow outside. She daydreamed about summer in France, her favourite time of the year. She thought about when she and her mother would pick flowers to set on the tables for dinner where the aroma would fill their nostrils along with the pleasing scent of french pastries and meats. She remembered the smells perfectly and remembered how she loved the bitter smell of wine when she sat with her father late at night, looking at the stars. Her thoughts made the longing in her heart far worse. She could feel the aching throb for her home in the pit of her stomach like it was reaching out for France. She tried to stop the tears but she couldn’t. She let them fall down her cheeks and let the sobs fall from her lips, hoping they wouldn’t wake Gilbert. Her body shook with the cold sadness she felt and Gilbert’s heart shattered at the sight. Her toes were curled, trying to get as much heat as they could, she laid in a fetus position, trying to retain any heat she could while she cried and all while he laid warm in his blanket.

He couldn’t take it any longer and she stood, taking the blanket with him. He gently removed her ragged blanket, watching as her sad eyes looked up at him.

They spoke no words as he laid down with her covering the both of them with the blanket that warmed both of them with the doubled amount of body heat. Anne turned so she was facing Lafayette as she slowly stopped shivering.

“Merci,” she whispered into his neck. Her hot breath left a lingering tingle on his neck as she cuddled closer to him, very thankful for the extra warmth he was providing. Gilbert kissed her head and sang to her quietly in French as she fell asleep in his arms, Gilbert following soon after.

Chapter Text

Aaron sat in the library, looking at Alexander longingly as they studied for their law exam in the next couple weeks. Aaron had fallen desperately in love with the man but he knew Alex would never love him back. He knew he and Alex had a good relationship and that Alex loved him but not in the way Aaron would have preferred.

They had set aside their feud and had become friends over time but Aaron wanted more. He wanted to be able to hold Alexander and kiss him and love him but he could see in Alex’s eyes that he was head over heals for John Laurens.

Burr swallowed hard when Alex looked up and met his eyes.

Those eyes. God those eyes.

Aaron waved slightly and felt his heart pound in his chest as Alex smiled at him and looked back down at the book. Aaron averted his eyes to the paper before him on the table and he imagined himself telling Alex that he liked him.

Aaron walked to Alexander and said, “I need to speak to you.”

Alex turned from John and followed Aaron around the corner where Burr took Alex’s hands in his.

Hamilton looked at him with a confused glance and asked, “What is it?”

Aaron cleared his throat and said, “Alex, I know we have had our differences in the past and I couldn’t have been happier when we became friends but as we saw each other more, I started to feel differently.”

“Do you not want to be friends anymore?” asked Alex, hurt filling the eyes that Aaron loved so much.

Aaron shook his head and said, “Quite the opposite. I want… more.”

“More than friends?” asked Alex. Aaron nodded his head and Alex cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry, Aaron. I love you, I do. But not in that way. I love you as a brother, my family,” said Alex.

Aaron nodded his head, understanding and walked away from Alex before he could see the tears in his eyes.

Aaron snapped out of his daze and stood from the table, giving Alex one last glance before he left the room, sadness weighing down his heart.

Chapter Text

Gilbert’s eyes were closed as the tears fell down his smooth cheeks. He let out a shaky breath and opened his brown eyes, the ones George had told him he loved so much.

He choked back a sob and thought about the man he had fallen completely in love with while he glared at the rain falling down his window

He was jealous of the rain. The rain got to touch George and he couldn’t. The rain got to touch his skin and Gilbert couldn’t.

He was jealous of the wind. The wind got to ripple with his clothes, glide smoothly against his skin. The wind got to caress him while Gilbert sat in his room in Paris with tears filled with anger and sadness falling down his face, looking into the rainy night.

He was jealous of the night too. The night got to visit George every day. The night got to see him and watch over him in the bed that he shared with Martha.

Martha.

Her name cause a fire of anger to erupt in Gilbert’s stomach at the thought of her name.

Martha.

He was jealous of Martha who got to share her love with George and he was jealous of that love. The love he never got to share with George, the love that he could never be able to share with anyone like he could share it with George. He would never have the happiness that Martha got; the happiness he was jealous of. He hated that George was happy without him. He didn’t care if it sounded selfish or cruel, he wanted to be happy with George but he couldn’t. He couldn’t share his bed, he couldn't share his love, he couldn’t share his happiness, he couldn’t be the rain or the wind or the night and it made him so unbelievably angry.

He was livid because had to be Gilbert. He had to be thousands of miles from the one he loved and learn to live with it. He had to learn to live with being jealous and sad as he longed for his lover.