It was strange seeing Hamilton so still, Burr thought, eyeing his colleague from across the room. Usually, the fiery little bastard orphan was non-stop. Now, he sat slumped in his chair, exhaustion in every line of his body. When Burr stepped forward, however, Hamilton's head snapped up. His glare was not encouraging.
"Look, Hamilton," Burr said awkwardly. "I know we haven't always seen eye-to-eye…but I hope you know I still consider you a friend."
Hamilton's eyes narrowed dangerously. Burr hurried on before Hamilton could respond further. "But this financial plan of yours is ridiculous, sir! You've doubled the size of the government, and there was already a problem with our previous government size. Madison and Jefferson are merciless."
"Hmmph." Even without words, Hamilton could communicate a stunning amount of contempt. The chair creaked as he shifted his weight forward.
"I swear, Alexander," Burr said, ignoring the obvious warning to shut up, "your pride is going to be the death of you. If you keep going up against Jefferson, you'll cripple your chances for advancement or you'll get yourself shot. Every time you talk, you create new enemies, and…
"Hey, Burr," a familiar voice called before Burr could finish. Hamilton's eyes widened in horror, and he tried to push his chair back. Too little, too late. Thomas Jefferson breezed through the door in one of his ridiculous coats, still talking. "We need to find…"
He stopped, taking in the sight before him: Alexander Hamilton tied to a chair in the middle of the room, a gag stuffed firmly into his mouth.
"Oh, I gotta know how this happened!" the Secretary of the State said, grinning. Alexander started to struggle again, glaring at Burr and Jefferson as though willing them both to spontaneously combust.
Burr shifted awkwardly. "I needed to talk to him, and this was the only way I could get a word in edgewise."
"And it works?" Jefferson asked incredulously. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the vicious thumping of the chair.
"It's not perfect," Burr admitted, rubbing his still sore shin, "but it works better than anything else I've tried."
A contemplative pause. Jefferson grinned.
Hamilton let out a muffled obscenity and struggled harder.
I would apologize for anyone being OOC, but I'm too amused by the thought of how dead Burr and Jefferson are about to be...