The World Was Wide Enough

[CJWrites]

"Wait!"



Aaron felt the bullet whiz over his head and strike the tree behind him as Hamilton crumpled to the ground. Blood started pooling; seeping into the black dueling garments. 



He lowered his gun and staggered towards his opponent before he felt a hand on his chest.  



"Aaron. Don't."



Van Ness, his faithful friend and servant shook his head. Aaron felt a hand grip around his arm as his friend dragged him away from his adversary and to the boat. He glanced over his shoulder to see Pendleton and Horsac helping the former Secretary. For the longest time, he just sat there; still in shock.



"My God. What have I done" He finally muttered. "Hamilton... "



"Hamilton is too stubborn to die. He has too many plans for the future." Van Ness pointed out, although he didn't seem to be too sure either. 



"I pray you're right" Aaron sighed. First thing was first. He needed a drink. 

 

[lit]

This couldn't be the end, no, Alexander refused to let it be the end. He was still young, and there was still so much he needed to do. America was only just beginning as was his legacy. This bullet would not define him or his legacy. He simply refused. And if by some chance this bullet would get the best of him, he wouldn't go silently.


Most of the words that escaped his mouth were scattered. The men that were riding back across the Hudson with him began to listen closely for his last words, but they never came. Eventually, they ignored his words and focused on his wound.


Oh, yes, the bullet wound.


The reason his thoughts were so scattered, he almost forgot. His high tolerance for pain made it easy for him to forget these things from time to time.


Things began to get worse, and his vision and consciousness began to fade in and out. The sounds of the waves, then the sounds of men chattering, a doctor trying to get through to him, then Eliza. 


Eliza and her sweet voice...


His hand happily grasped onto her's, forcing a smile onto his lips as well as forcing his eyes open to see her face. "Eliza..." He breathed, but the girl quickly shushed him. "I will not." He immediately protested to her shush, pulling a sad chuckle from her. 


He faded out again and did for a few days. But he was still there. No, he wasn't done just yet. 

 

[CJWrites]

GEN HAMILTON SHOT BY VICE PRESIDENT


The headline starred Aaron in the face as he sipped his coffee. This was a disaster. Duels were honourable affairs yet his by-the-letter shot seemed to have stripped him of what little he had left in the public eye. He was a pariah with both Federalists and Democratic-Republicans who had all but shut him out of cabinet meetings. Never had he agreed with John Adams so much. 


Theodosia lowered the newspaper, raising his eyebrows and glaring pointedly at her father as if to say I told you so. 


"Ironicly, you have averted a duel between Monroe and Hamilton, yet it was your fate to shoot Alexander Hamilton yourself."


"His words were uncalled for, crass and extremely offensive. There was no other satisfactory course of action." Aaron grumbled. "The duel was by the Book."


"Perhaps you should reconcile." His daughter suggested. 


"And say what? Hello, Mrs Hamilton. Lovely day, isn't it? I've decided to pop by and see how your husband, whom I shot, is doing." I'm sorry " Aaron paced around the room nervously. "It would be a wonder if she did not slam the door in my face." 


-- 


Yet that's how he found himself at the Grange after Theodosia pushed him out the door with nothing but a hat to conceal his face. With flowers in hand, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door. 

 

[lit]

Opening the door, the last person the woman expected to see was the face of Aaron Burr. Eliza had half the mind to slam the door, but something stopped her from doing so, her heart, or perhaps Alexander's call from the other room. 

"Who is it?" A nosey thing, he was.


Eliza hesitated for a moment, still keeping herself in the doorway. "Aaron Burr." She replied, eyeing the flowers in his hand a bit confused. Her voice was gentle and soft, that was pretty much the two main words to describe her. Had she held any respect for the man, she would have used a title, Vice President, Senator, Mister Burr at least. Being forgiving was in her nature, it was hard not to, but this man shot her husband, she felt the need to offend him the best she could.


Though Alexander replied to let him in, Eliza hesitated  before reluctantly stepping away. Luckily, the children were always occupied, mostly thanks to Angelica, it kept their attention off of their father and allowed her to tend to Alexander while he healed. Most of the time, it was just trying to keep him in bed. "He's in the bedroom, down the hall, second on the right." She explained simply before closing the door behind the man. 


In the bedroom, Alexander was quickly moving to sit up, wincing with a hand pressed against his wound. The blankets were pulled over him to hide the bandaging. Alexander's mind had been all over the place, as usual of course, but he wasn't sure how to react. The last thing he had expected was for Burr to show up at his home.


Then again, what had he expected? He hadn't exactly expected to get shot, that was for sure. But he also didn't hold a grudge against the man. If he held grudges against those who had disliked him, even tried to attack him then he would be quite isolated in the world.


"Aaron Burr, sir."

 

[CJWrites]

Aaron tipped his hat towards Eliza as he walked towards Hamilton's room.


"General." Burr said stiffly. Now that he was in front of the man, he didn't know what to say. Perhaps he should apologise, yet his pride held him back. 


How can Hamilton, a bastard orphan.... be so calm? While he's usually a whirlwind of words. How can he address the man who shot him with such an honorific? 


Aaron placed the and pulled up a chair. "How is your recovery?" He sounded concerned. After all, it wasn't in his interest to have Hamilton die. He could now see how blinded he had been by his anger. This man sitting before him had no care for what others thought of him and always made his opinions known. Now that Aaron's own reputation was in tatters, he could finally see Hamilton's drive. Perhaps if he had fought more for abolition, woman's rights, he'd have left behind a better world for his daughter. Instead he had snaked his way through congress with nothing to show for it. 

 

[lit]

Alexander kept his eyes on Burr, not suspiciously, more curiously than anything. You usually didn't see someone who tried to kill a person go to check up on them. Still, there was a hint of a smile on her lips. Curious things interested Hamilton.


"I suppose the recovery process would be going much better if I wasn't shot in the first place." He spoke with such lightness in his voice. The fact that Burr was there meant something, he just wasn't sure what yet. "Then again, we all make mistakes, we all have bad days." He continued before carefully sitting up straighter, holding the blankets over himself.


A few silent moments. That was odd in Hamilton's company. "What are they saying? Elizabeth won't let me see the papers that have mentions me lately. She says I worry too much." He grinned up at the man.


Hamilton knew everything about a bad day, even a bad week. In all honesty, they were both to blame, but he was sure Burr was getting the worst of it. 

 

[CJWrites]

Aaron sighed and pulled out a newspaper from his jacket pocket. 


"The Post is calling you a hero, although I am of the opinion that the Columbian Centennial wishes for your martyrdom instead. Meanwhile, the National Gazette is lampooning us both. Either way, you've appeared more in the papers on the brink of death than in the last six years combined."


Aaron tried to push through a pained smile. "And perhaps more than I have in my entire life."


He scooted closer to the bed. "Hamilton, if you are willing, I wish to put this whole affair behind us and apologise for nearly ending your life. What vexes me is the reason for which you aimed for the sky?"


The question was clearly aimed at Hamilton's refusal to both apologise and shoot his adversary. Yet Aaron also wondered about the answer to the other meaning. What drove Hamilton to write so much, to fight for what he believed in above financial, social and familial stability? 

 

[lit]

A smile appeared and remained on Alexander's lips as he listened, looking at the newspapers the man pulled from his jacket pocket. It was enough to pull a dry chuckle from him. Freedom of the press at it's finest.


"I wouldn't be myself if there weren't people wishing me dead, now would I?" He kept a light mood. It was how he got through things the best he could, it always had been. Of course, there were times to be serious but now didn't seem like one of those times. It didn't have to be at least.


Then, an apology and a question. Both interesting in their own ways.


Still, a smile remained on his lips when he looked up at Burr. "I had you stand in the direction of the sun, I thought it would cause your accuracy to lack. In all honesty, I didn't expect you to shoot." He explained simply, letting out a long sigh. "I planned to aim at the sky, I told Mr. Pendleton this. There was no way to get the news to you anyways." He offered another gentle smile.


"Now for my own question," He began, "What made you apologize to me?" He grinned slightly. "Especially come all the way over to my home to apologize? Was it these articles?" He gave a nod towards the papers. 


His tone might had come off a bit sharp, but he had no intention of interrogating the man. All he was, was curious. And the man was certainly curious.

 

[CJWrites]

Aaron cocked his eyebrows "Am I not allowed to apologise to a man I nearly killed?"


He sighed, expecting Hamilton's reaction. "Fair enough. I'm apologising because I fully wished for you to die. I regretted it the moment you fell and I felt the bullet wizz over my head. My political career is in shambles anyways and my honour ripped away when I expected it to be restored. Perhaps your comments warranted an apology, but did not warrant your death."

 

[lit]

The man gave a small nod of understanding and inhaled deeply. If Burr could apologize, then perhaps Alex could do the same, or at least his closest to an apology.


"I suppose we both were in the wrong at some points. Though, I hope you understand I never meant to offend you exactly with my words. I only want the best for this nation." He explained carefully, though he never said his exact words. Spoken like a true politician. 


With a small sigh, Alexander shifted slightly, forcing back a wince. "Are you staying for dinner?" He asked with a smile. "It would help my youngest get over their fear of the idea of you. They make you out to be a villain." He grinned slightly before moving carefully to stand, making sure to keep a hand on his wound. Burr didn't need to see the damage.


"I'll tell Eliza you're staying, I need to move around." He already decided for the man, and it was hard for him to stay in one place for too long. 

 

[CJWrites]

Aaron opened his mouth to protest.


"Eliza doesn't seem to be too keen on having me here." He deadpanned. "Not to mention my daughter is waiting for me at home."


Still, by this point, he knew it was impossible to convince Hamilton of anything and resigned himself to his fate. In a way they were right. He was the villain in this story. If Hamilton had died, the world would never forgive him. 


He saw Alexander get up and leapt up from his chair. "Hamilton! You'll open the wound! Please rest and let me fetch your wife."  

 

[lit]

Alexander gave Burr a wave of his hand, dismissing his mention of the wound. "I will be fine, it's just a little scratch." He spoke simply. The last thing Burr needed was more guilt, and ironically, Hamilton wanted to be the last person to give him that feeling.


Still set on having the man for dinner, he merely grinned and spoke. "Then bring your daughter as well," Their home was warm, and certainly never empty. Eliza was always welcoming, it was just her personality it seemed.


The man leaned on the door as he pushed it open before walking through with a bit of a struggle, but still walking through before calling to Eliza.


"Mr. Burr will be staying with us for dinner!" He continued, leaning on a bookshelf now. It always felt wrong to use titles with Burr, mostly because he knew Burr before he had any titles like Senator or Vice President.


The woman rushed from around the corner with a frown as she looked at her husband and the other man. It was no surprise that Alexander was up and moving, but hearing that the man who almost murdered Alexander would be staying with them for dinner? 


"And his daughter as well." Hamilton breathed out, already a bit exhausted from moving around.


"Do you have any requests?" She turned her attention to Burr, still refusing to address him while remaining kind. 

 

[CJWrites]

Aaron bounded after his... friend? Were they friends again? He supposed so. "Hamilton, you must rest. Look you're already collapsing."


"Missus Hamilton, please ensure your husband has sufficient sleep does not reopen his wounds" He turned towards Eliza. He remembered the first time he met her and flirted with her and her sister. Little did he know that his brother in arms would sweep both of them off their feet so quickly despite his social standing. It was amazing with how much kindness she was treating him. Theodosia, both of them, would probably have punched Hamilton in the jaw if their positions were reversed. He missed his wife so much. None of his little trysts could compare. "I would very much like to avoid a murder charge."


He would pay a young street boy to fetch his daughter if they insisted on him staying.

 

[lit]

Alexander merely gave a wave of his towards Aaron hearing him try to convince him he must rest. "I've done enough resting." He said simply, a grin still on his face as he stood in front of his wife. A chuckle escaped his own lips hearing how Burr wished to avoid a murder charge. "I'm not dead yet." He continued to grin.


However, Eliza didn't have much of a reason to smile. She had stood with her husband through worse, why not stand with him now? "He refuses to rest and sit still." She explained to Burr, though she was sure the other man could understand Alexander's restlessness, he had always been like that, he never wanted to take a break. With a sigh, she looked back to Alex. "At least sit down in the living room for now." She suggested before nodding to Burr before disappearing into the kitchen.


Reluctantly, Alexander agreed and looked back at Burr with a kind smile. "Shall we?" He asked before leading towards the living room.