My Dear Father,

I wish to inform you of my betrothal to Miss Emily Hamilton. I am considerate of your decision to marry me with Ms Martha Manning, alas, things could not be. Our darling Frances shall forever be held my daughter, and will furthermore carry off the family name until she marries. I am no more of a benevolent father to her than I once was. Although, Father, I am hereby devoted to Miss Hamilton's heart, and I am inclined to carry out our legacy with her.

I would never intend to dishearten you, Father. She bares the most captivating looks, and is well-bred for one of deprivation. She may not be as insightful as you might hope, but I ensure you that she is one of uniqueness. A sustainable frame, ideal for carrying offspring should we have any.

I plead that you keep yourself in good health, Father, for we pray that your release may be soon. I shall write to brother and sister Mary, inviting them to meet my bride. In the meantime, please do write.

Your most affectionate and dutiful,

J. Laurens.

°~1 Week Later~°

(Y/N POV)

John and Emily had spent a lot of time preparing for an engagement party, for it would take a long time in order for them to be married. The only reason Alexander and Eliza had theirs so quickly was due to Mr Schuyler's rapid organisation process. He had faith that Alexander would prove a good match, and therefore wished them to be wed a quickly as possible.

But of course, with a marriage, the woman was supposedly devoting herself to the man. Therefore, it would only be plausible for John to ask of Alexander's permission to marry Emily. As for her, she wouldn't need permission from John's father, yet she wouldn't want to enter the family against his will. So soon enough, once released from the Tower of London, Emily would have to meet her father-in-law, Henry Laurens.

Charles didn't feel like joining us this time, which was acceptable. He was making solid progress on his sketchbook, and still, after all these years, turtles were his speciality. Still, I'd lent Emily my dress from the ball, since she had quite the fondness for it.

The dining room was sizable for the small number of guests to fill around the sidelines. Therefore, we didn't even need to leave the house. I could just lumber in my bedroom all night if I really wanted to. I'd taken the larger room to the left, as Emily claimed the one on the right. Until Alexander and Eliza bared their children, the rooms were ours.

Emily barged in, frolicking about like a lunatic. I sat upon my bed, tugging my shoes on. "Now I'm the Belle of the ball!" Emily teased. "I can't wait for tonight! I have so many plans, things to do!!"
"Take a breath, gosh!" I collapsed onto my back, squinting at the ceiling. "At this rate, there'll be no party, for you'll be dead from the excitement."

She flopped onto the bed beside me, resting her head on her hand. "You'll love it, trust me, you're my special guest!"
"Psh, I don't know what John sees in you..." I poked fun at her.
"What, you're telling me that if you were a man, you wouldn't date me?"
"I'd be your brother, that's incest, Emily."
"No, not my brother!! If you were unrelated, you idiot!!"

I giggled. "...Still no."
"What?! Why not?!!"
"I'd rather date someone like me, who's not so... active all the time."
"...But you're boring."
"And you don't know what Charles sees in me?"
She shook her head.
"Then that's that."

We began to hear bickering from outside as the main doors to the house were opened. "WE'RE STARTING!!" Emily heaved herself up, hurrying to the mirror to check that she looked suitable. She licked the tips of her fingers and combed down the sides of her hair, catching any loose strands. She twisted back to me, throwing her hands in the air. "Well? Are you coming or not?"
"I'm coming."

~

Sally porched herself by Emily's seat. She furiously wagged her tail from the scent of food filling the air. "No." Emily hissed at her. Sally whimpered, slumping on the flaw with dilated sable eyes. "...Okay fine." Emily examined the table to ensure that nobody was looking, forgetting that I was right next to her. She stole a carrot from her plate, dropping it swiftly to the floor for Sally to feast on.

"And you prepared this all on your own, Mrs Hamilton?" John questioned, quite enjoying the meal.
"Not quite. Alexander offered to help, but..." Eliza tutted.
"...I'm not the best of cooks." he joked. Guests played the piano in the background, repeating similar pieces from pianists such as Carl Bach, Wilhelm Bach, and so on. Pleasant to the ear, but annoyingly plain.

A gentleman leaned close and whispered something into Emily's ear. She almost jumped out of her seat from exhilaration, grasping John's hand. "Its time!!"
"Time for... what?" I interrupted, but she had already dragged John out of his seat with her. The gentleman from before sat at the piano.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please!" Emily exclaimed.
"What is she doing...?" Alexander murmured.
"I have... no idea." I replied.

Once all became quiet, Emily cleared her throat. "I hope you're all having a great time tonight! Now, my betrothed and I have been planning something special for you all! I mean, it was my idea, but... Whatever, cue the music!!" John and Emily stood back-to-back, their faces to the ground.

The pianist played a D# chord, followed by a D#6, and another D#. John spun his head towards us. "Oh-woah..." he sang.
"...What." muffled Alexander.
The chords were repeated, however this time, Emily raised her head. "Oh-woah..."
They made some weird dance with their arms to the beat of the chords, with another "Oh-woah..." in sync.

...Wait.

"You know you love me, I know you care!" John pranced about, holding an invisible microphone to his mouth.
"Just shout whenever, and I'll be there!" Emily continued.

It suddenly hit me what was going on. I sloped upon the chair and faceplanted into my own hands. "Please don't tell me that this is a song from-"
"Yep." I finished Alexander. "It is." I peeped through the gaps between my fingers.

"You are my love!" chanted John.
"You are my heart!" Emily pursued.
"And we will never ever ever be apart!" they harmonised. "And I was like-"

They moonwalked into each other, backs still faced. So really, they weren't moving anywhere. They just looked like dorks. "Baby, baby, baby, oh! Like baby, baby, baby, no!" John really put emphasis on the 'no', causing Emily to laugh wildly. I was embarrassed to call this girl my sister. A couple of guests stared at me as though they knew what I was thinking. I wanted to just get up from my seat and tug her away, but... This was their moment, despite the overwhelming awkwardness of it all.

The haunting few minutes of it passed steadily, and by the end, the room didn't know whether to applaud or to leave. I sighed, finding that there was no other option but for me to clap for them. Thankfully, it relieved the silence, and the guests clapped too. "What... just happened." Alexander grumbled.

"Thank you!" John praised. "Now will you please put your hands together for Miss Sophie Hamilton!" He pointed his outstretched hand at me.
"W- What?!" He'd done the exact same thing to Angelica at the wedding, and I was not ready to be in her shoes. Nevertheless, I was cheered on, and there was no turning back.

"T- Thank you, uhm..." I rose to my feet, searching for something to say. Emily smiled with aspiration glittered in her eyes- just like she had when we were young. I hadn't witnessed such a look from her since, and it filled me with the determination to carry on.

"A few years ago, I met one of the kindest, funniest, most inspirational girls on the earth." I started. "We had our differences: she was lively, I was concealed. She had ambitions, I had none. And through those ambitions, she met the man that was too perfect to describe." Emily swayed into John's chest. "She achieved the impossible. Or, at least what I thought was impossible. And on this night, she and her betrothed have made me the happiest woman to exist."

I snatched my glass from the table.

"A toast!"