Since the day you met Alexander, you had supported his ambition and appreciated how hard he worked at whatever he put his mind to. You didn't realise how hard that would become though as he pursued furthering his career and threw himself into his world of work, not thinking about how much he had pulled away from you and his family life.

At first, he seemed like a doting husband, and you did believe that he loved you but now you were the mother of his four children, and he seemed to be rarely home and even when he was home, he was locked away in his office. For the first time in the last month, he was home and you had joined him in his office after the children had gone to bed. He was glad to spend time with you but quickly talk drifted from how his children were growing, to his political adversary, Thomas Jefferson. You had briefly met the man but most of what you knew of him was through the professional relationship he had with your husband.

The once civil conversation had quickly become heated from Alexander's side, him ridding himself from his seat and beginning to pace back and forth up the length of his office. You sat patiently, hoping he would lose momentum and return to talking to you rather than at you but every time you thought there was a break, it was simply for breath.

You had heard every piece of dirt on the man, some of which you assumed was fictitious just to help Alexander feel righteous in hating him, but you had started to lose concentration on the words he said, only hearing a constant lull of his voice; the only thing coming through was the constant repetition of Jefferson's name.

He went to start on another rant and the patience that you had tried to hold onto finally snapped.

"If you say that again I am going to stab you with a rusty knife," you snapped.

You felt your face flush as your chest heaved, anxiety running through you. You never raised your voice to your husband, but you had finally broken; you hoped that the point would finally get through to him now.

"Pardon?" He questioned, taken aback by your tone.

"I do not need to hear the name of Thomas Jefferson every sentence. I would hope that the few hours I get to spend with my husband would not merely contain talk of your work. Do you recall that you even have a wife and children?"

The first time since you had met him, Alexander was lost for words. It was unlike you to snap at him but this time it may have actually sank in for him.

~*~

Written by Charlotte.