I'll See Them On The Other Side

September 14th, 1836

Aaron Burr dies in Staten Island.
A little while later, he arrives in the afterlife.
Everybody's laughing and singing and playing and enjoying themselves.
Burr introduces himself with a smile:

"Hi y'all! A. Burr's in the house!"

Suddenly everybody stopped what they're doing. They looked at him, and with a disgusted expression in their faces, they all turn their back at Burr and stand in silence.

Burr couldn't understand what happened. He stammered:

"What'd I do? What'd I do?"

From the middle of the crowd, came a smile, as large as life itself.
It was Alexander Hamilton, who just had 32 years to tell his own story. Hamilton was as energetic as when Burr saw him in Yorktown. He wore his signature green suit, along with matching trousers. A quill in his hand and a sparkle in his eyes, he said:

"Well, if it isn't Aaron Burr, Sir?

"Alexander, I…"

Burr took a step back, remembering that he shot Hamilton thirty-two years ago.

"Alexander, I'm sorry for what I did. I was too young and blind to see that the world was wide enough for you and me."

"You know what, Burr? We're on the other side. And I threw away my shot, so come on. You finally took a stand for yourself - even though you kind of blew it… Anyways, let's put all that behind us, shall we, sir?"

Burr was speechless as he stood in the middle of the crowd.

"Thanks Alexander."

Hamilton winked at him, and suddenly Burr remembered all the memories that he shared with him before they reached their duel.

"Haha! We're reliable with the LADIES!"

"My dearest Theodosia, you knock me out - I fall apart"

"Why do you write like you're running out of time?"

"Burr? Hey are you listening?" A voice said to him.

Burr snapped out of his flashback, startled. He looked around, and beside him were all of his friends that fought with him during the revolution. Lafayette, Laurens, and Mulligan were all there. The big guy gave him a slap on the back, almost knocking the wind out of him.

"Hey Burr - spit a verse!" Mulligan joked.

"Well, if it ain't the prodigy of Princeton College!" shouted Laurens.

"You are the worst...Burr." murmured Lafayette.

The three revolutionaries were all dressed in their war outfits: blue coats and white collars adorned with gold buttons. Each of them had their own achievements. Laurens was leading a soldier's chorus of black and white men, Lafayette had his own arsenal of guns and ships, and Mulligan's pants were still tailored to perfection.

All four of them laughed, and Burr finally felt like he was whole again. He was back to the good ol' days, in the comfort of his friends. However, there was only one more person Burr wanted to see. The pride of Mount Vernon, George Washington. He asked Hamilton, who had already gotten himself a drink and had started writing something again.

"Hey Alex, you know where Washington is? I, uh, want to say hi." Burr asked meekly.

"Yeah, no problem, let's head over together - like we always did." Replied Hamilton.

The afterlife wasn't so different from the Founding Father's previous lives. They were still in New York, except there was no war; no duels. Only peace and quiet, happiness and joy.

As Hamilton and Burr made their way up to Washington's home, Burr was the one that was going non-stop: he was asking questions about what this life was like, how he had got there, and how Hamilton had thought about his own death. And frankly, Hamilton missed Burr's company.

"So much for talking less, burr, huh? You are shooting off at the mouth today with all your questions.", teased Hamilton.

"I appreciate the compliment Alexander. Also how long until we get to Washington's place? I'm already out of breath."

"Good question - look up."

They had arrived at George Washington's home. It was the ideal retreat for a busy man like Washington. The wooden house, plopped on the highest point in New York, was painted in a clean white colour, and small carvings aligned the roof. In front of it was a fig tree, where Washington was relaxing and reading a book. Long vines were dangling all across the front yard and Hamilton said:

"Well, here we are, just like Washington wanted: his own vine and fig tree." said Hamilton.

They didn't want to disturb him, but their inner warriors both got the best of them and Hamilton and Burr shouted out at the same time:

"HERE COMES THE GENERAL! HAHA!"

Washington dropped his book, and stood up. He couldn't believe his own eyes.

"My right hand man and Aaron Burr! Welcome to my sanctuary, young men. And Burr: welcome to the other side."

Washington hadn't changed at all. He was dressed in his evening attire, black satin suit with his usual silk ruffled shirt. As he approached Hamilton and Burr, they still noticed how intimidating Washington's stature was. It felt like they were back in the battlefield with Washington at the helm. But this was the afterlife. The three of them all smiled at each other. It was good to be reunited.

"I love this place." Hamilton remarked.

"Well I told you that I'd eventually be under my own vine and fig tree so here I am." Replied Washington.

"Thank you for coming to see me, gentlemen, but I'm afraid I have to go. Duty calls."

Hamilton and Burr both saluted Washington and made their way back downtown. Hamilton was so fired up he couldn't wait to show everybody they knew that Aaron Burr was here with them.

"So, Burr, who do you wanna see next? inquired Hamilton.

"Well, I'd love to see some of my fellow Democratic Republicans? Please?" Burr responded.

"You know what, I endorsed Jefferson and I totally pissed you off, so yeah, why not go see that guy?" said Hamilton, hinting a laugh.

"Hamilton, I must say that you are no longer, in my opinion, a bastard orphan immigrant. You've matured so much in the time that we've been two worlds apart, and I'm growing to be a bit fonder of you." said Burr.

"Aw geez, Burr, you don't have to make it so serious. Just picture us back in Fraunces' Tavern, my nineteen year old self going off about how I wanted to graduate from Princeton in two, just like you did."

"Oh, and I've got a question: did you actually punch the bursar?" Burr asked with a smirk.

"Well duh. He looked at me like I was stupid. And I've already proven on countless occasions how I'm not stupid." Hamilton confidently replied.

The two friends enjoyed a great laugh that they hadn't experienced in the time that they'd been separated. The walk from Washington's home to Jefferson's place in Monticello was shorter than they had expected, since they were talking throughout the whole journey there. Sooner or later, they saw Jefferson's mansion straight ahead.

Monticello could be described in two words. Sophisticated and huge. The mansion was made out of brick, and it had an old-fashioned feel to it. The white dome and poles gave it a royal look, in front of it, a little lake, probably where Jefferson would unwind with some drinks and his band.

"Hamilton, how in the world did we go from New York to Virginia in twenty minutes?" Burr was perplexed.

"Burr, you're not alive anymore, remember? All these houses, these people, they're all in one place now." Hamilton replied.

Burr let out a sigh. Hamilton was right. He was dead, and there was no going back. At least he had many friends here on the other side with him.

"Ah. So here we are. The Monticello Plantation. Burr, do you remember that cabinet meeting where I completely destroyed Jefferson? Washington gave me a very long lecture after that, but I don't really remember why."

"You kind of insulted James Madison too."

"Oh. My bad."

"Well anyways, where is that dude? I want to see if he's still got that purple velvet." joked Hamilton.

"My god. And he tells you that you have a bad sense of fashion." laughed Burr.

"Why look who it is here! Aaron Burr, and ooh - if it isn't my favourite Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton!" a voice said.

"Thomas Jefferson, how nice is it to see you again!" Burr exclaimed.

They gave each other a big hug and looked at each other as if Jefferson had just gotten back from Paris. Jefferson, of course, was still dressed in head to toe with purple velvet. His chic and sophisticated temperament was always something he lived by. He stood tall, with his cane in his hand and a smirk always showing on his face.

"Thomas, how are you? How's the plantation?" asked Hamilton.

"It's going well. Hoped to see some more crops coming in, but yeah, it's fine. When did Burr get here?" Jefferson inquired

"Burr? He got here this morning. He walked right in the square, and a hell of a crowd was there too to see him." replied Hamilton.

"Well, gentlemen, let's head inside, shall we? Tell me: what'd I miss?" said Jefferson.

"Question: where's Madison? Don't you guys hang out together anymore?" noticed Burr.

"Madison should be here in a couple years. He's getting old and a lot sicker than he was in that cabinet meeting." said Jefferson.

Hamilton took a look at his pocket-watch just to keep track of time. It turned out, they had been going around the city meeting everyone and it had taken longer than Hamilton had expected. He really wanted to see the inside of Monticello, but time was running out. He had to see someone today - someone that he'd never seen since he had gotten to the other side.

"Burr, I'm sorry, I gotta go. There's somewhere I have to be." said Hamilton.

"Really Alexander, now? Look, you can go by yourself, I'll be here with Thomas." replied Burr.

"Just remember: be back to your house by dark or else you might not "live" another day here." cautioned Hamilton.

"Ok. See you tomorrow, Alexander. Thank you for this."
"Goodbye, Burr."

Alexander left the two politicians at Monticello and headed to Manhattan. He was going to see Eliza for the first time since the duel. His son, Philip, was at home, composing new music on the piano, always changing the melodies. As he neared Eliza's house, he had a heavy feeling in his heart. The day before the duel, he told her that she was the best of wives and the best of women. He never came back to the house, and somehow Eliza still managed to understand many of his writings and eventually, told Hamilton's story.

Finally, Alexander was at Eliza's door. He knocked on it, hoping that she would come to the door with her sisters, laughing and singing. Alexander waited. Nothing. He tried again, and there was no noise and no sign of Eliza being home. Depressed, Alexander left Eliza's house, and told himself that he would never be able to see his favourite woman again - not after all he'd done to her.

Suddenly, there was a click behind him. Alexander turned around, startled to see Eliza at the door. She was there, gowned in a pale blue dress, a bow in her hair and a twinkle in her eyes. Her smile was like the sun; her presence like the stars.

There were no words left to speak. They just looked at each other, almost like when Eliza first gazed into Alexander's eyes at the winter's ball.

"Alexander? Is that you?" asked Eliza, holding back tears of joy.

"My dear Eliza, it's me. Finally, you're here with me." said Alexander.

They embraced each other, and with that embrace they communicated to each other all these years that they had been separated, all the sadness that they had felt without each other, the lessons they learned, and the joy and the warmth of being reunited with one another.

Since the door had been open for quite a long time, the other two Schuyler sisters came running out the door, not knowing what had happened. Angelica was draped in her gown, and Peggy was still wearing pyjamas.

"Who's here, Eliza? Oh my god. Alexander! It's good to see your face! " screamed Angelica, more excited than both her sisters.

"My dearest, Angelica." replied Hamilton, with a smile.

Peggy, couldn't resist. She ran up to Hamilton and gave him a big kiss on the cheek, and then proceeded to cry tears of joy. As Peggy was bawling her eyes out, all four eventually start

ed crying. Through their tears, Hamilton felt like he was back at home, with his family full and his favourite people with him. The Schuyler sisters felt even better since their man with the most intelligent eyes in the world was here with them to stay forever.

"Thank you for coming. We missed you so much Alexander." Said Eliza.

"You should come home with me, Eliza, there's a surprise for you." Replied Alexander.

Eliza took Alexander's hand and walked with him back to his own house. She waved goodbye to her sisters with a joyful smile and faced the new world in front of her. As she walked through the park on the way to Alexander's house, she remembered the long nights that they had spent together there, taking in the sights of the city and walking along the lake. There were sad memories and pleasant ones that flooded into Eliza's mind

"Where are you taking me?" Asked Eliza. They had been walking for quite a long time now and still hadn't reached their destination.

"You'll see, Eliza. We're almost there." Replied Alexander with a soft tone in his voice.

Minutes later, Eliza and Alexander were standing on the doorstep of the Hamilton's house in uptown New York. Alexander wanted Eliza to see Philip as a surprise for her.

"Ok, Eliza, close your eyes and when I tell you to open them you open them, all right?" Said Alexander.

"Ok then. I'll trust you." said Eliza

Alexander gave her a kiss on the check and led her into his house. He sat her down on the sofa where Philip was deeply concentrated in his book, not noticing the presence of his mother that he hadn't seen in so long.

"Ok my dear. Open your eyes." Said Alexander.

As Eliza opened her eyes, her sight was filled with memories from the past. She was in her family's house, sitting on the couch where she would usually tell stories to Philip and Alexander before dinner. Then, she noticed her son reading his book calmly beside her.

"Phillip?" said Eliza who was overwhelmed with emotions.

"Ma?! Is that really you? I've missed you so much!" Said Philip, with a huge smile on his face.

"You look even more like your father now with that smile." Replied Eliza.

Alexander couldn't hold back his emotions anymore. First he saw his wife for the first time since 1804, now his family was reunited. He sat down beside them and said:

"Stop being so emotional and give me a hug now, you guys!"

"Pops, did you bring Mom back home?"

"Yes Phillip. We are together as a family again." Said alexander, with a hint of a smile on his face.

As the sun began to set over New York City, Alexander Hamilton was happy as could be. It had been a bit of a day for him. He'd been reunited with his friend Aaron Burr, and gladly forgave him since they were both equal here on the other side. He saw his fellow Secretary Thomas Jefferson and couldn't forget the look of that purple velvet suit. Most of all, he saw his favourite woman of all: Eliza Schuyler, and her sisters were happier than he was. His family was finally whole again, back into the daily hustle of "life" again. They enjoyed each other's company for the rest of the night, with Phillip playing his favourite pieces on the piano and Eliza teaching him more french. Everything was just like before, but this time, his story had been told. He was a part of history, and he would be able to look over the world like history had done for him.