Author's note: hi, I put one of my original songs in here so that it could match the story. Also there are some words from It's Quiet Uptown as well

TW: very very very subtle mention of PTSD

Angelica sobbed harder as she held her daughter as tight as she could. Alexander tried to pry his wife off of her, but to no avail

"Don't touch me! This...this is all your fault..." Angelica cried

"Mama, it's not—" Phillip tried to interject

"AND YOU! What in God's name were you thinking?! You tried to duel a grown man?" Angelica yelled

"I just wanted to defend my father's legacy...he was talking about father in a bad way and—" Phillip said quietly

"DON'T YOU SEE?! Everyone hates your father! There is no defending a legacy that's already been killed!" She screamed

"Angie, calm down..." Eliza said slowly

"Calm down?! Look at her, Eliza! My poor baby..." Angelica sobbed

"Angelica, please, let her g—" Alexander said

"GOD, JUST SHUT UP, ALEXANDER! SHUT. UP! None of this would've happened had you just kept your goddamn mouth shut! My son wouldn't have felt like he needed to defend you, the world wouldn't hate you, and my baby would still be alive!" Angelica screamed, as she was finally pried off of her daughter and she tried to grab her again

"Angelica, please!" Eliza yelled

Angelica ignored her and started wailing even harder

"I'm sorry, mama. I'm so sorry, Pegs..." Phillip cried into his hands

"Oh god...Margarita..."

———time skip———

Angelica closed her eyes and held Phillip's hand tightly as they stood on the balcony of their new estate uptown. They had moved to try and ease each other's suffering.

"Mama...I'm so sorry...had I known I—" Phillip apologized as he sobbed

"It's not your fault, Phillip. Eacker was a fool. He never should've agreed to that damn duel. I don't blame you at all." Angelica reassured him, with tears streaming down her face

Phillip sobbed as he squeezed his mother's hand tighter

Angelica let herself go and began to sob louder. She held her son in her arms as she slowly started singing a song she sang to her family when Aunt Peggy had passed

"My child, please don't cry"

"For she has not gone away"

"We'll see her on the other side"

"We'll see her again someday"

"Though the days seem gray and long"

"On the other side all is bright"

"Even though our Peggy has died, we'll see her on the other side..." Phillip joined her and they sang the last line in unison

———time skip———

Angelica squeezed her pillow tightly as she let her tears fall and her hair stick to her face. Phillip was having frequent night terrors and psychologists have been diagnosing him with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

"Is all of this suffering worth it? All for my sister? Of course it is! Shame on you Angelica for thinking like that..." Angelica scolded herself

"I know it's hard, Angelica. But you're strong, and you will pull through." Peggy I sat down and stroked Angelica's hair

"I can't do it, Pegs. I just- can't...I don't know if it's worth it anymore. Maybe I am better off drowning in that well..." Angelica looked up at her sister

"Don't say that. You know what you're doing this for. It may hurt, but it will get better, I promise." Peggy held Angelica's hand and they sat there for a while

Peggy heard the sound of a door creaking, and disappeared

The door opened slowly, Alexander stepped inside to check on his wife

"Angelica? It's Alexander. I've brought you breakfast..." Angelica heard him say

He put the tray on her nightstand and sat down. He moved hair out of Angelica's face

"My Angel, please eat, I know you must be hungry." Alexander looked at the rotten food on a different tray, knowing his wife hadn't had a proper meal in days

Angelica stared at a wall, trying to tune out her husband's voice

"Angel, I know I don't deserve you. I know. But please, hear me out, that's all I ask." Alexander asked

Alexander grabbed his wife's hand, she didn't have the energy to snatch it away

"If I could spare her life, if I could trade her life for mine. She'd be standing here right now, and you would smile and that would be enough."

Angelica looked at him with dead eyes, unfazed by his words

"I don't pretend to know, the challenges you're facing, I know there's no replacing what we've lost. And you need time." Alexander sat on the bed, Angelica got up, and began to walk away

"But I'm not afraid," Alexander's voice cracked "I know who I married. Just let me stay here by your side. That would be enough." Alexander walked towards his wife and looked her in the eyes, grabbing her hand

Angelica said nothing at all as she snatched her hand away and walked out of the room

She walked to the study where she was finishing the last few pages of Common Sense. She had been drowning herself in books as her coping mechanism

"Angelica, I'd like to take you for a walk uptown. It's very beautiful and I think you'd like it. What do you say?" Alexander offered

Angelica ignored him again

"Here, let me help you." Alexander grabbed her by her underarms and stood her up

If you see him in the streets, walking by her side, talking by her side

He interlocked their arms and went out the door to take in the sights of the city

As the two were walking a man threw a rock at them

"Damn tosser!" The man yelled

Alexander let go of Angelica and went to confront the man, she held him back and when he looked back, she looked mortified. Which caused Alexander to feel ashamed

Ashamed he would never change

Have Pity

They walked into St. Nicholas Park and looked at the stars together

"My love, do you like it uptown? It's quiet uptown."

Angelica walked faster, stopping at a pond that held reflections of the moon

They are trying to do the unimaginable

See them walking in the park, long after dark, taking in the sights of the city

"Look around, look around, Angelica..." Alexander grabbed Angelica's hand as she turned her head away

They are trying to do the unimaginable

"I want to forgive him..." Angelica sang in her head

"The lord knows how hard I've tried"

"I wish my husband would just understand"

"That he could recognize the unimaginable"

"We stood in the garden"

"Alexander stands by my side"

"I held his hand"

"It's quiet uptown..." Angelica sang softly

Alexander looked at his wife while tears fell from his eyes, soon Angelica was crying too

Forgiveness

Can you imagine?

They threw their arms around each other and held the other right

Forgiveness

"I'll never let you go again..." Alexander promised

Can you imagine?

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Author's Note: we did it gamers. We got through It's Quiet Uptown! Hopefully it wasn't too confusing, but I'm always open to answer questions. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Love,

Kennedy Brown❤️