Requested by: ruff1258

"Behind those doors, I only expect you to use your manners and upmost respect. You are in the presence of a man of excellence. Your father wishes for you to give him the respect you would give any other person. Is that clear?"

"Yes, mother." Each of the children nodded their heads in reply. Eliza breathed a sigh of relief. When her husband had been offered to bring the entire family to Mount Vernon, her head instantly started spinning. To take care of four children would be the ultimate task.

And since they were expecting yet another one, that was more of a stress on a mother's shoulders. Alexander had reassured his wife that he would be there too, and promised her of the children's behavior. She only hoped they lived up to that expectation.

Eliza took her youngest by the hand, before looking back at the others. Each of them gave her a positive nod, as she reached for the doorknob. The door was pulled from her reach, which surprised her, but she realized her husband had noticed their arrival and went to greet them first.

All of the children started shrieking at their father's appearance, except for Philip. Since he was the oldest, he knew how much of an impression he had to maintain. And he listened to his mother and kept a straight posture, just like the spitting image of his father.

"Hush!" Both parents looked at the two youngest who had been causing most of the noise. Philip grabbed his sister by the hand, to show he was helping in the situation. Just as the family tried to sort themselves out, there was the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them.

George Washington. The children heard their share of stories about the man, but they only thought of him as a legend. He was exactly as their father had described him. But he was much more intimidating than any of them expected.

James took one look at the man and ducked behind his mother's skirts. He peeked out with wide eyes, clearly affected by the presence of such a figure. Eliza tried to grab his hand, but he only circled farther away.

Washington held back a chuckle. The family seemed to be in a flurry to make everything go right. "Won't you all come inside?" The children flinched at sound of his voice. Philip seemed to be the only one admiring the man and all he had been through.

It didn't take much to guide the four children into the home and down the hall to a sitting room. Washington began a conversation with their mother, who seemed quite thankful to the acknowledgment. As they discussed parenthood and other things, Alexander whispered at his children, trying not to lose his patience. The littlest grabbed his hand as they headed into the sitting room.

When they entered the room, everyone took a seat. James wouldn't let go of his father's hand, so he had already claimed his spot for the evening. Philip politely took a seat beside where his father would be sitting. The other two scrambled to sit next to their mother on the rather elegant couch.

"I'm afraid we haven't made introductions, now have we? You all know my name by now, as I'm sure your father has said lots of me around the house." There were a few nods from the children. They looked over at their father for a sign of comfort. To them the man was still intimidating.

Silence filled the room, until Eliza nudged her daughter to introduce herself. Heads turned to her, which made her shrink away. Philip cleared his throat. Unlike his other siblings, he was quite the talker and took pride in meeting his father's colleagues. He praised all their work they had done for their country.

"I'm Philip. I-I know you have done a great deal for the growing country. I'm honored to be in your presence." The color on his cheeks turned bright red as he spoke. All he could see was Washington gazing at him with such fascination. At the end of his introduction, he bowed his head to the boy.

"The pleasure is all mine, Philip. Your father talks of you often. Now I understand why. You are the exact image of him, full of hope, that will one day turn to praise by people who look up to you." He raised his hand, nodding to the boy. Philip turned to his father, mouth agape.

From the other side of the room his sister crossed her arms. Every time. Her brother always got the attention. Of the times she tried to be the one to stand out, her father eventually changed the subject back to Philip. She could do everything just as well as him so why was he receiving all the praise?

"My brother may seem to be just the greatest, but mind you sir, he isn't anywhere close to being my father, as you might expect." Philip shot her a look from across the room, as her father stifled a laugh.

"And what might be your name young lady?"

Without hesitation she replied, "Angelica. I have heard of your victories. If women had any rights, then I would be able to lead armies exactly as you did." The man looked vaguely shocked, for he turned to her father. Alexander muttered something, in which the man nodded knowingly.

"Were you ever scared?"

Alexander, named after his father, peered around his mother at the man who supposedly fought battles and lead armies. He was intrigued, but much to say, still intimidated.

"Son, if I confessed the amount of times the word scared applied to my condition, it'd be considered a sin." Washington glanced over at Alexander who seemed to understand. The littler one looked slightly confused, until his mother explained, which made him giggle.

"Now, what would your-"

Behind them there was the sudden sound of breaking plates. Every head turned in the direction of the ten year old who had wandered over to a collection of antiques. He covered his mouth and looked at the shattered pieces on the ground before him.

"Philip!" Rising to his feet, Alexander hurried to his son's side. The pieces were everywhere in sight. No one else budged an inch, just watched as the father and son scrambled to collect what was left of the plate.

"What have I told you? This isn't our home, you aren't welcome to do whatever you please at the moment. You are in a home of integrity, son. I expect you to collect every last piece and apologi-"

"Don't bother. That plate was already broken enough. There have been many times people have come over and narrowly missed knocking it over. I'll fetch someone to sweep it up." He raised one hand, beckoning them to come and take a seat. Alexander stayed firmly planted, insisting that his son would do it. But he gave into the firm look he was receiving and returned to his seat, keeping an eye on his son.

"That's Alexander, the one who asked you the question. And this is our youngest, James." A person who never was affected by sudden events like that was Eliza. Maybe it was because she had gotten used to it, but she still somehow managed to wipe it off without a sweat and keep things running.

Washington nodded silently. He gave a gentle wave in the direction of James, who was sitting on the floor by his father's feet. The child gazed up at him with wide eyes, but didn't say anything. Even though he was already four years, he refrained from communicating with strangers.

He fixated his stare back on Eliza, rather than the child. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Alexander whispering furiously to his son, who was taking in every word. But by the frown on his face, he knew it wasn't a normal conversation. "Leave the boy alone. I'll get a servant to clear the mess up. You don't have to be this way with me, Alexander. Everyone makes mistakes. You should know that."

The children looked over at the their father would nervously looked away. Washington turned back to Eliza and said, "So what are you planning on naming your fifth? Seems like you're far along."

"Oh, well we haven't discussed many names yet, but something simple works in our family usually." She glanced over at Alexander who gave her a soft smile in return. There had been months that they had struggled with deciding whether or not to have another child. The work to keep up with so many around the house came to be unbearable. But they loved each of them, so to have another was a blessing.

"On that note, I'd like to raise a glass to your family. To the two loving parents, their four children, the one on the way, and your tenderness. Cheers." Washington raised his glass high, before bringing it to his lips.

To be surrounded by the descendants of a man he had personally trained was indescribable. If he were able to conceive his own children, he was sure they'd be running around in the room too. However, that wasn't possible. So in return, this family was everything he would have wanted in his own.

And he would make sure to live long enough to see what great futures were ahead of those four and a half children.

. . . . . . . . . .
A/N: Thank you ruff1258 for the request! I wrote this around a time there would have been only four of them, with one on the way, due to the fact that all eight of them wouldn't have been all together in their lifetimes. But yeah, hope you liked how it turned out!