Eliza was sound asleep when she heard the quiet rustlings noises of her husband as he roamed about their bedroom. She had no idea what awaited her as the hours would pass on. "What could he possibly be doing at this hour?" she thought. She slowly sat up rubbing her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"Alexander, what are you doing? Come back to bed," she said.

Alexander was halfway out the door when his wife's voice startled him. He stilled with his heart dropping into his stomach. With his wife's command he nearly lost all his resolve to head to his so-called meeting. If he was smart he would have listened to her and climbed back into bed. He turned around to face her knowing this could possibly be the last time he'd ever see her beautiful face again.

"Go back to sleep Eliza. I need to write something down before I go to my meeting. I'll be back before you know I'm gone," he said to acquiesce her.

Eliza looked out the window and it was still pitch black outside. "Alex, it is still dark. Come back to bed."

He smiled as his wife tried to convince him to return to her side but he made a pledge. He was a Christian man and he was an honorable one. He would not renege on this duel even if it cost him his life. "The meeting is at dawn out of town. I must go."

Eliza knew she lost this little battle and scrunched up her nose in annoyance. "I'm going back to bed."

Alexander hurried downstairs to his office and began writing his last letter to Eliza. She would forgive him. She would have time to finish what he started. She would have time to live. She would continue the Hamilton legacy. Alexander walked out the front door slamming the door a little too hard unknowingly waking up his wife for the second time.

Upstairs, Eliza groaned thinking Alexander decided to change his mind and return safely to the confines of their bedroom. She reached for him only to find cold sheets.

"His meeting," she muttered. "Who has a meeting at dawn out of town?" she wondered.

She tried to recall any conversation she may have had with her husband regarding an urgent meeting that required his attention at such an early hour. She could not recall one. Something terrible settled in her chest. What was her husband up to? She quickly climbed out of bed and yelled for Alexander. She went to his office only to find a letter quickly written in his hand. She picked up the letter with her right hand and read:

"Best of wives and to the best of women."

Her left hand flew to her stomach. She had a suspicion of what her husband was about to do. She remembered all the constant complaining Alexander did about Burr, Jefferson, and her father. She remembered the challenges the men threw out at each other. She was going to kill him herself.

"That idiot," she growled. She ran as fast as her feet could carry her. She had to stop this madness before it cost her everything.

Within minutes Eliza was running with a speed she didn't think could be possible for her age. She knocked on her former brother-in-law's door rapidly. Stephen Van Rensselaer would not turn her down.

The door nearly flew off its hinges as Stephen jerked it open. He was not pleased at whoever decided to disturb his sleep at an early hour. He had a mind to yell and scream at the intruder until he saw Eliza standing at his front door disheveled.

"Eliza, has something happened?" he asked worried. Eliza frantically nodded her head and Stephen offered to bring her inside but she refused. She needed him to leave with her immediately.

"Stephen, I need you to take me to New Jersey now. I have a sinking suspicion Alexander is about to duel Aaron Burr. We must hurry."

Stephen seemed to take his incredibly sweet time registering her words. She had no time for a long conversation nor did she have time for Stephen to just stand there looking surprised.

"Stephen, we need to go. Time is not on our side," she implored.

"Are you sure Alex-

"Yes!" she yelled. "Grab your necessities and we must hurry," she commanded. There was a sharpness in her tone that made him jump.

Stephen begged Eliza to come inside while he gathered his belongings.

Eliza momentarily went inside to see Stephen grab his own gun and she blanched. She grew to hate guns given the tragedy that had befallen her family three years prior. She silently questioned whether it was necessary to have such an item in their possession but she knew better than to voice her own apprehensions in the moment. The pair eventually got in Stephen's boat and sailed for Weehawken, New Jersey. Eliza prayed they would not be too late.

"Why Weehawken?" Stephen asked.

"Because my husband is a masochist," she thought bitterly. She went on to answer his question. "You know it is the same place where our son died and maybe Alexander thinks by dying in the same spot it can be his penance for encouraging Phillip in the first place," she offered. "However, all logic truly escapes me. I just want to save my husband…and Burr from making a terrible mistake. I pray I am not a widow by dawn."

Stephen simply nodded as he continued to row faster also praying to the Almighty that he would somehow intervene before Eliza had to. He feared Eliza might be the one to pay a heavy cost.

They arrived on the shore and Eliza practically jumped out of the boat before giving Stephen time to properly dock it. Stephen caught up with her and they waded through the trees. Eliza nearly stopped at the onset of voices but she found the strength to carry on. She stumbled upon the horrific scene before her.

Alexander and Aaron both pointing their pistols at one another preparing to die but Eliza noticed the glint in Alexander's eyes. Even from a distance she knew what he was thinking. He was throwing away his shot purposefully.

Without thinking, Eliza grabbed Stephen's pistol from his side and marched ahead. She didn't hear Stephen yelling her name. She didn't hear the gasps coming from the men who appeared too shell shocked that a woman was suddenly in their midst and with a gun no less. The only thing she heard and registered was Alexander calling her name in an unpleasant surprise and his look of horror clearly written all over her face.

However, she couldn't think of crumbling at the sound of it. She swiftly walked up to Aaron pointing the barrel of the pistol behind his head.

"If you pull your trigger Mr. Burr, I will not hesitate to pull mine," she said. Her voice was icy and deadly even to her own ears and she was sure she saw an involuntary shiver run through Aaron.

"Mrs. Hamilton," Burr addressed nervously.

She did not respond to his greeting but glared at her husband for being so careless. How dare he think she would be better off without him? What of their children? What of Burr's own daughter? How could these two intelligent men not see beyond the moment? Lives would be forever changed if one of them or both of them died today.

"Eliza," Alexander called out still in shock. "How-

Stephen decided to make himself known to all the parties involved. "I'm afraid your wife knows you more than you imagine Alexander."

"Lower your weapons," Eliza demanded. "Both of you," she added. She ordered Stephen to grab both pistols and calmly walked around Aaron as if he was hers to devour.

"Go home Aaron. Go home to Theodosia and let Alexander return to his family," she said calmly. Her face was mere inches from his and she saw those black eyes just stare at her.

"You had no right to involve yourself," he stated. "This had nothing to do with you." He was angry he had been robbed of his victory. This was his moment to beat Hamilton after thirty years of waiting.

Eliza scoffed at Aaron's tunnel vision. "You would kill a man over pettiness and it will be your name that will never recover. You will forever be a Judas. Your career will be dead but none of that matters as long as Alexander is dead and buried. You might as well die along with him. It will not be Alexander who will make Theodosia an orphan, it will be by your doing."

The minutes seemed to tick by as Eliza continued her hard stare into Aaron's black and dare she say it, nearly soulless eyes. However, she could see something clicking behind his eyes and she hoped her words rattled him enough to see the light. His eyes flickered to Alexander and he smiled before turning his attention back to Eliza. "He doesn't know what he has in you, does he?" he asked rhetorically.

Aaron backed away turning to his men. "Let's go home. I believe Mrs. Hamilton has saved multiple lives this morning."

Eliza seemed to exhale the moment Aaron was halfway across the river. She still felt the cold piece of metal in her hand and promptly dropped it. She fell on her knees as the adrenaline left her body and exhaustion began to take over.

"Eliza," she heard Alexander's distressed voice as he sank to the ground beside her.

She looked up to see his wide eyes filled with unshed tears and she promptly turned her body around to pull him into a fierce hug.

"Don't you ever do this to me again," she whispered into his ear.

"I won't my love," he pledged. "I think we should head home," he continued after another moment of silence.

"I agree," Eliza said.

She along with Alexander, Stephen and Alexander's second left for New York.