Falling Through Time: Basking in Firelight: Book 2

Elections and Side Effects

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Warnings: None

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Just as Jefferson predicted, Adams and Burr were both elected.

Not easily though.

The entire nation fought against Hamilton's and Jefferson's resignation, trying to keep them in office for another four years. Hamilton would've stayed if Jefferson hadn't been bent on leaving. So they did. When the ballots came through, they still won the majority even though they weren't even on it. They wrote in Jefferson's and Hamilton's names manually. They refused of course and the people raged that they weren't going to be resuming their presidency. Adams wrote a very strongly worded letter to Hamilton and Jefferson about how they were goading the people to defy Adam's election. Burr, wisely, kept out of it, not wanting to repeat exactly what Hamilton and Jefferson chose to avoid. Burr noticed Hamilton's lack of publishments of slanders against him and kept the peace, though shaky, between them. Burr was closer to Jefferson than Hamilton.

Hamilton was outraged by Adam's letter, he was ready to stomp out and challenge him to a duel or something similar, but Jefferson held him back. The people, however, found out about Adam's letter and were outraged that he dare slander Jefferson and Hamilton, the two leaders of the Revolution, formers of the New Constitution, keepers of the peace, creators of the nation. They kept the nation afloat single-handedly.

For a price. A price Hamilton had yet to discover.

The rumors surrounding Hamilton's and Jefferson's relationship were even thicker than they had imagined. Turns out, only a small portion of the nation claimed them to be involved in a scandal. The majority actually shipped them together, to their shock, and referred to them with a ship name. They didn't understand that at all. Only when Jefferson declared that Adam's letter was only written out of concern for the nation and had no ill intent toward themselves did the people accept him, begrudgingly. Hamilton was not happy with Jefferson's declaration.

Hamilton and Jefferson spent their last few days in the Presidential Manor packing up all their stuff and sealing all the secret passageways, not permanently, but just so it would be nearly impossible for Adams to discover them. Little did they know, Burr had almost every single one discovered. Almost.

"I assume that we'll be moving into your place here in D.C?" Hamilton asked as they shoved the last of their boxes into the back of a van.

"Do you think it's wise for us to move in together right after the presidency? It's rather obvious."

"Thomas, most of the nation wants us to be together anyway. I don't see what the problem there is."

"What about the rest? It's always those people who scream the loudest. We'll be involved in a scandal before you know it. Then you won't be able to use your influence at all."

"Thomas, I know that's not your real reason. Why don't you want to move in together? We've lived together before and pretty much were for the four years we were presidents."

Jefferson sighed, he wasn't getting out of it. "I was going to sell my house."

"What?! Why?! It's perfectly located. In the capital, close to everything important, not terribly far from the park. We could easily stay involved."

"I was thinking of getting a cabin in the woods instead," Jefferson replied innocently, shoving another box into the van. Most of it was books and clothes.

"No way. We wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Adams and Burr from a cabin in the woods."

"Damn it, fine. I can't afford it anymore, Alexander," Jefferson finally cracked.

"Wait, what?"

"I can't afford to pay for that house. I have to sell it and get something smaller and more removed."

"But, why? How?" Hamilton was super confused. Jefferson was one of the richest people in the country. In the world.

"Money isn't inexhaustible. Not even for me. Government building is expensive. Unimaginably expensive. I rebuilt the infrastructure and paid to keep all the public services to remain running until we got enough income to support ourselves. Not to mention countless other things. So yeah, I'm pretty much broke now. I can't keep the house. Madison's pretty much in the same boat."

"What about your lands in the midwest? The farms? The oil fields? All that stuff you have? Surely that's worth something?"

"Sold it."

"Shit, Thomas, this is something you should've told me about!"

"At the time, it didn't concern you. It's not that big of a deal anyway. We just won't be able to live in luxury and we'll have to get jobs. We both studied law, we can go into that again."

Hamilton's mind was racing. He left the presidency to spend a couple years with Jefferson without a worry in the world. Travel. Explore. Live. Not work. Sure, he'd worked his fair share and wasn't even the money he was upset about. It was that Jefferson hadn't told him until there was no way he could get around it. After Hamilton left the presidency. "What about Congress. They'd be more than willing to pay you back."

"Alexander, the money has never been very important to me. I've always been willing to trade my fortune for freedom and that's exactly what I did and I don't regret it all."

"But you don't have to. Congress will reimburse you for every penny you spent building and upholding the government. We just need to confront them. They'll pay it back and then we can do exactly what we planned to do after we left the presidency."

"Planned? We have plans? What're these plans you're talking about? I haven't heard any of them. And I won't let Congress reimburse me until they've worked on China's debt some. That's more important."

Hamilton threw up his hands in exasperation. Why would Jefferson just write Congress and get his money back? They couldn't even refuse him if they wanted to. If the people found out that Congress refused to repay Jefferson, there'd be riots. "Fine. We'll figure something out."

Jefferson smiled slightly. "We'll be able to stay in my house until it sells. And I do still have a couple investments that will hopefully pull through and not collapse."

***

When Jefferson and Hamilton stepped out of the van and stopped in front of Jefferson's house, there was a sizable crowd gathered, wanting to talk, to meet, to touch the legendary people before them. Hamilton wanted to get inside but Jefferson seemed content with talking with the strangers that surrounded his house.

"Mr. Jefferson, is Hamilton living with you?"

"Hamilton? That bastard is helping me move back in." He said the next part loud enough for everyone to hear, "and I'm afraid if this crowd remains, he might not be able to return home. Dear God, can you imagine?" Jefferson laughed, "Imagine that short-tempered bastard stay the night at my house." Jefferson proceeded to go inside with his boxes and Hamilton with other boxes as the crowd practically made an immediate resolution to force the presidents to fall in love by trapping Hamilton in the house with Jefferson. So none of them budged from his doorstep so that Hamilton would be forced to stay the night.

"You planned that, didn't you?"

Jefferson shrugged, unpacking a box. "I don't think our relationship should be made public yet and the best way for it to happen is for the people to want it badly enough so that when we do make it public, they'll feel like it was them all along."

"Since when did you become so scheming?"

"I'm always scheming, you just never notice."

"So, what's the plan for tomorrow night then?"

Jefferson smiled. "I'll bet the people take shifts as long as we associate with them enough. Open the door, look shocked that they're still there, sign some stuff, talk amiably, and go back inside. Everyone will want to meet us and talk to us. I'll bet it'll last us a couple months and by then, we'll move out of the city anyway."

"$200 says your plan fails," Hamilton said immediately.

"You're on."

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