Requested by: Naomi
OC: Catalina Jefferson

In the late of night, Thomas found himself where he usually was, writing at his desk. It calmed him, after a day of arguing with people who ignored his opinions. He let his mind freely wander, pen in hand, the words transferring to the parchment.

Hours ticked by, until he found himself yawning. He knew he should get rest, but if were to stop, then he might never start again.

But the better side of him gave in. Hastily, he put away his papers, going to whoosh out the flame of the candle. His eyes caught something on the edge of his desk, that he hadn't seen before. It certainly wasn't written in his handwriting.

Thomas leaned on the desk, staring at the written piece. If he read it, that would be a violation of privacy. However, anything that ended up in his presence was too tempting. He couldn't worry about the consequences.

Picking it up in hand, he looked out the door before reading it. Barely having read the first line, he spat, "God!" He tried to tell himself it wasn't true, but he kept reading and it slowly faded into reality.

When he finished reading it, he tossed back on the desk. Thomas could feel himself trembling, feeling very confused. Had his sister gone and had an affair? And it wasn't just that, it was the fact it was someone he knew.

Letting out a shaky breath, he rubbed his arms up and down. He didn't know quite how to react. However, he knew that he had to say something.

As if fate called, he heard a knock at the study door. Thomas quickly turned around to meet the eyes of someone he thought he knew. But he guessed he was wrong.

Catalina, dressed in a thin nightgown, leaned against the doorway. "Thomas, you need to sleep." She gave him a soft smile, but it only made his heart burn with anger.

He opened his mouth, only to be frozen. If he said something, it would come out in a way he would regret. Instead, he mumbled, "I was just going to."

Pleased with the answer, Catalina flipped her hair over her shoulder. "You better be telling the truth." And with that, she vanished into the darkened house, leaving Thomas, with nothing but his own mind to keep him sane.

The next morning, Thomas hurriedly rushed to Alexander's house. It wasn't often he visited the other man, since both of their views were different in many ways. But he couldn't just hold back this secret.

Knocking on the door, Thomas tapped his foot several times. He was nervous, as he had no possible idea of knowing what reaction he would receive. Alexander answered the door, to his own relief. Smirking, he questioned, "And what can I acquire you with, Jefferson?"

Thomas took no time to push the man aside and step into the home. He had power and purpose, and used it wisely. Alexander shut the door, already uncertain about the situation.

"Is something the matter?"

Practically holding back anything that might offend him, Thomas spun in a circle on his heels. Finally, he spoke. "Is Eliza here?"

Alexander crossed his arms almost instinctively. He was protective of his wife, and it set him off that Thomas was asking about her. She never was mentioned in any of their political discussions. "No," he replied.

There was a pause before Thomas blurted out, "I found this in my study. You need to read it, Alexander." He shoved the letter forward, feeling reluctant. When he didn't take the paper, Thomas spat, "Please."

Shaking his head, thinking how eccentric Thomas was, he read it. But maybe he should have been more accepting of Thomas. All he knew was that was he was reading was unbelievable.

It didn't stop him from reading the entire letter. Every word, sentence, paragraph. His eyes widened when he saw the signature. There was no feeling worse than what he felt.

Thomas watched the other man's face, trembling slightly. He had never seen anyone so shocked or betrayed in his life. Although he despised Alexander and all his views, he felt sorry for him.

Unable to even speak correctly, Alexander said quietly, "E-El-Eliz-a." He broke out into a sob, loudly crying into his hands. Thomas raised his eyebrows. He wasn't one for people's emotions.

But Alexander quickly regained himself. It would be not in his character to stay upset. He couldn't. The thing he needed to do was to confront his wife.

Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, he said, "How could I not see it? I should have said something, I-"

Thomas shushed him. "You couldn't have stopped this. Even I was had no clue. It's very unexpected." He patted Alexander's shoulder.

The more Alexander stood in the hall, letter clenched tightly in his hands, thoughts of hatred circled towards Eliza. Why would she do such a thing? All he did was care for her. He loved her with all his life, and this was what he got in return.

It sickened him. Every night, before they fell asleep, he whispered to her that he loved her dearly. And she said it back. But it was all just a lie apparently.

At that moment, the front door opened. Eliza entered, their son in heel. She hadn't yet noticed the two men in the main hall. Philip, his hair a curly mess, cried out, "Daddy!" Eliza looked vaguely concerned as she shut the door.

"How nice of you to stop by again, Thomas, can I get you-" But she met eyes with Alexander, and her stomach flipped. She had never seen her husband with such a look of anger. Just as she went to ask if he was alright, he cut in."

"How could you?"

Eliza's heart started pounding. She didn't know what he meant. "Are you alright, darling?" As she went to reach for his face, he snapped away from her touch. There were tears in his eyes. It had only been one occasion she had seen her husband cry, and that was when Philip was born.

"Alexander." She tried to touch him again, but he backed away. Thomas interjected, breaking the tense situation. "Eliza, he knows."

Eliza shook her head, trying to seem confused and flustered. She knew what he meant. They had discovered her secret. The affair, the mistake she tried so desperately to erase.

"I don't understand."

Before Thomas could say something, he was cut off by Alexander. "I don't get it either, Eliza. How could you hide this from me? After all I've given you? I thought you loved me. But I'm mistaken. Apparently being with another woman for months on end, is more satisfying to you. God, this has all been fake. What I've worked for, created, it's all ruined. We have a family! Have you-"

"It was a mistake!" Eliza couldn't believe she had just talked back to her husband. She never did that. It was such an unladylike manner.

Alexander stepped back, offended. "Mistake? Hah, you call that a mistake? That's pathetic, you know that?" He shook his head in disapproval, before rushing to sob in his study.

Eliza didn't stay to correspond with Thomas or anyone else. She ran to the only place she knew, a place she had been many times.

When she knocked on the door, the person she had hoped to, answered. Looking as beautiful and real as the many days before, stood Catalina. She was dressed in a slim dress, mostly something that would show off her body.

Clearing her throat, Eliza tried to come across as collected. But the more she looked the woman up and down, her blood began to boil in regret. "Well, the secret is out."

Catalina wiped her eyes. It was obvious she had been crying. "When Thomas left this morning, I had a feeling. God, this isn't happening." She gripped the door, shaking.

Taken aback, Eliza had no words. She hadn't know that it would affect Catalina. She knew her as a strong, secretive woman, who shared nothing from her heart truly. But to see her sobbing, spilling herself out to her, made it reality. She stepped inside, shushing Catalina.

However, instead of comforting her for too long, she firmly said, "Listen, if you had kept your temptation to be with me, we wouldn't be in this situation." It sounded rude, but all other options were eliminated.

Catalina choked out, "And if you had said no, just for once, you wouldn't have broken your husband's heart." The way she said husband, made Eliza retaliate for once. It was like a whip lash, slicing at her heart.

Getting close to the other woman, Eliza scowled, "You played me, Catalina. Don't act like you're the innocent one." Her heart throbbed at her own words.

Catalina didn't say anything. She knew Eliza was right, and that made her more frustrated with herself. But she did know for a fact, that Eliza still was attracted to her. And she would use that to the best of her ability.

Acting up her tears, that were no longer real, she said, "But we had something. Maybe you should have just left him." She didn't let Eliza get to say anything.

"You know that we could be more, if he wasn't in the way. And I know you want that." She took a daring leap of faith, attaching her lips to Eliza's cheek. As she began to work her way down, thinking she had won over the woman, everything crumbled apart.

Eliza backed away, letting out an exhausted but breathless groan. "No. No. You're still doing this? I'm not making that mistake again."

Shaking her head, she opened the door to the house. "I'm leaving. And we are not anything, understand?" Her mind felt dizzy from the kiss.

Eliza reminded herself not to fall for her again.

Catalina swayed her hips back and forth, one last desperate attempt. "You'll be wanting this, once you're gone." Winking flirtatiously, her own heart pounded. She didn't want to lose the woman she actually felt something for.

"Alexander means more to me than you ever will." And with no more remarks, Eliza slammed the door shut. There was silence, before Catalina realized. Her real tears came finally, and she gasped.

"No!" Grabbing the door, pounding on it, she screamed the word again and again. "No!" She collapsed to ground, begging for mercy.

And she could only blame herself in that morning, for all that she had caused.

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A/N: Thank you Naomi for requesting this! I really liked writing a second part, as the whole idea of Eliza being the cheater instead of Alexander is intriguing. And yes, I have plenty more one shots on the way!