A/N: This is completely AU. I wanted to give Edith and Anthony a chance to be completely different than in canon. I wanted them away from 1920 and the aftermath of war. Therefore, I have pushed them ninety three years into the future, to San Francisco circa 2013. Anthony is not landed gentry but a physican offered a chance for a new start in the U.S. He has absolutely none of the aliments that have plagued him in the series, but his charming personality is the same. I wanted this Anthony to be the man (like he was in series 1) who has confidence in himself and pursues Edith, a California girl who because of past experiences, has given up all hope of ever having a loving relationship. Favorite characters and not so favorite characters will show up completely different than they are in the series. Also, some new ones will show up too.
If you don't like Anthony and Edith in this time period , I understand. I wanted to give them some fun away from the constraints of the 1920's and the class system to which they always I don't own anything, Julian Fellowes does.
Chapter 1.
Anthony Strallan eased his rental car off of Interstate 5 at the SeaTac Airport (Seattle-Tacoma) exit. Always a punctual man, he wanted to give himself plenty of time to return his rental car and arrive at the terminal and check in for the 4:30 PM, Alaska Airlines flight 2436 non-stop to San Francisco. It was the checking in part that he hated the most; emptying his pockets, taking off his shoes, belt, watch and jacket. It always made him feel extremely vulnerable. He never knew if he would be patted down or X-rayed. Today's check in had gone smoothly though, and he made his way to the boarding area without any mishaps. He found a comfortable seat, took out the Wall Street Journal and proceeded to read until it was time to board.
His life had changed dramatically about twelve months earlier. Maud, his wife of fifteen years had asked for a divorce, citing the fact that she had fallen desperately in love with another man. He asked her for a chance to repair any damage that he might have caused, by going to a marriage counselor to see if they could salvage their marriage. She agreed and they went one time, where she promptly told the therapist that Anthony was boring, too bookish, too self-absorbed in his career, and couldn't , how was it she had put it, 'light her fires.'
It didn't do much for his self -esteem. He knew that, yes, he was somewhat socially impaired , boring and bookish, but he felt that he had always been better than average in bed; at least he didn't just jump Maud and get it over quickly. He actually enjoyed making love and foolish him, he thought Maud did too. Well it was obvious she did, just not with him.
But the business about his career was a low blow. Dr. Anthony Strallan was one of the most respected pediatricans in the UK. Early in his career he specialized in straight pediatrics, but soon expanded into pediatric orthopedics. He had written many articles for medical journals and had presented many papers at various seminars and medical conventions both in Europe and the United States. So it came as a complete surprise to him when shortly after his divorce he received an invitation from Dr. Robert Crawley, a colleague in the United States, to come to San Francisco, California and become head of pediatrics at CHSU (California Health and Science University) one of the most respected cutting edge teaching and research hospitals in U.S., but what really sealed the deal was that CHSU had recently merged with the Shriner Children's Hospital. It was an opportunity Anthony Strallan couldn't refuse. At age 48 he was going to leave the UK and his old life behind and start his career anew, 5,000 miles away in a new city and new country.
He sold his house, car and furniture. The only things he had shipped to California was his extensive collection of books, a small but well thought out art collection, his collection of old vintage medical instruments, and of course his clothes. He had contacted a realtor in San Francisco and through the miracle of FAX's and e-mail had purchased an apartment that had been converted to a condominium. It hadn't been cheap, but Anthony Strallan not only had his medical salary, he also was a large shareholder in the manufacturing company that his great- grandfather had started, which paid large dividends to him each year. And as dull and boring as he appeared, he was a savvy investor, interested in start-up companies. Everything taken into account, Dr. Anthony Strallan was a very wealthy man.
Since he didn't have to report to his new position until October 1, he had flown to San Francisco, got somewhat settled in his home, met his office staff and typical for him got things in order. Then he decided to take a three week vacation since he figured he wouldn't have time for another one for at least a year or more.
He flew to Vancouver, British Columbia. From there he took a Canadian ferry across the straits to Victoria, BC where his sister Margaret and her husband James lived. He had a restful three weeks. He fished and golfed with James and had a chance to reboot his relationship with his older sister whom he hadn't seen in ten years. It had been a wonderful, relaxing time and she encouraged him, where his private life was concerned , to put his past behind him and find someone to make his life complete.
He had laughed her off telling her that he was going to be too busy in his new job to bother with women, and maybe what Maud had said about him was true. He was rather dull and bookish and did seem to immerse himself too much in his career, therefore letting his private life fall to the wayside. Margaret just laughed at that and told him that some American woman would find him interesting, set her sights on him, and then he had better watch out. He cringed and told her that American women didn't interest him. The ones he had met in the past were far too aggressive, and besides he wanted to concentrate on his career and position. Margaret just patted him on the back like she had done so many times when they were children and said, "Of course dear, whatever you say," but secretly she hoped that he would indeed meet a lovely woman, someone who would take him out of himself and make him want to enjoy everything life had to offer, including she hoped, love.
As his vacation neared an end, Margaret encouraged him to rent a car and drive back to Seattle. At first he had balked at the idea, but now thinking back on it, he was glad he had driven; it gave him a chance to get used to driving on the right side of the road. He had taken the Washington State Ferry through the San Juan Islands to Anacortes, Washington where he merged onto Interstate 5 and drove the 94 miles to the Airport. It had been wonderful. He had seen whales, eagles, herons, otters, and sea lions. He decided he definitely wanted to go back to the San Juans, especially to that little town where the ferry stopped, Friday Harbor. Maybe in a year or so when his life and career settled down he would head back there for a vacation.
So here he sat reading his paper and waiting to board. Since this was Wednesday, he had already put on his calendar that he would go into the hospital on Thursday and Friday, check in again with his office and surgical staff, meet with his residents and interns and settle in a bit before starting full bore the following Monday. He also noticed on his calendar that this Friday night, Dr. Crawley was hosting a cocktail party to introduce the new staff members to the board of directors, donors, and other movers and shakers that made CHSU tick. He was somewhat nervous about the cocktail party; he never did well talking to people in a large social setting. Usually in the past, all his social gatherings dealt with medicine, and when doctors gathered together that is what they usually talked about – medicine. Hopefully he wouldn't make an ass of himself and come off as a stodgy, dull, socially inept physican; brilliant but boring.
However, little did he know as he sat reading his paper that his fate had already been decided. His life after Friday wasn't going to settle down at all. Just as his sister had predicted, destiny had already put its hand on him and set him on a collision course with the most remarkable woman he had ever met. Her name – Edith Crawley.
San Francisco, CA is my hometown and I still live here. To me it is the most beautiful place in the world and certainly a city that helps people fall in love. Edith and Anthony don't meet each other until
chapter 6 because I wanted to steer them slowly toward this event, to give the readers a chance to see who they are.