Title: Second Chance
Author: scgirl_317
Summary: When Dr. Benjamin Adams stops in Kingston, Jamaica on his way to America, he runs across a fatally wounded pre-Immortal. Knowing the fate in store for the young man, Ben takes him on as a student and helps him adjust to the realities of his existence.
Author'sNote: This is a fleshing out of a snipit from another story I'm working on. Since it's only used as a brief flashback in the other, I decided to give it a life of it's own. I still don't get why no one has used Highlander to save Archie.
Dr. Benjamin Adams wandered the streets of Kingston, wondering at the number of soldiers and marines patrolling the streets. He had heard that several officers on one of the recently anchored frigates were being brought ashore for a court martial.
Out of curiosity, he headed down to the jetty as the officers were being unloaded. Two appeared to be injured, and were carried up the hill towards the town on a stretcher. As the younger one was carried past Ben, the old Immortal felt the slight buzz of a pre-Immortal. The young man looked to be in dire shape, and would not last much longer as a mortal.
Ben knew that, as civilized as the British were, they still were not above burning supposed witches at the stake. Unfortunately, that would not kill the poor boy, and there was no telling how many times they would repeat before finally cutting his head off. As much as Ben wanted to get out of Jamaica and on with his journey, he knew he could not leave the young man to face that kind of fate. With a sigh, he realized his travel plans had been put on hold.
He ingratiated himself with the garrison physician by announcing that he himself was a doctor, and would be glad to render any assistance he could. Having another patient to attend to, the doctor was glad of the help, and Ben was directed to the young man's bed.
Kennedy, his name was, a lieutenant in His Majesty's Navy. He and the three other lieutenants aboard the Renown were charged with mutiny for having the ship's physician declare their lunatic captain unfit for duty. Ben had heard some of the sailors in town talking, and from what he had heard, it had been about time.
The glimpse Ben had had of Kennedy's wounds on the jetty had done no justice to the true extent of his injuries. Bullets were known to mangle and maim, and the one that had found its way into Kennedy's gut had done its fair share. There was nothing to do but keep the young man as comfortable as possible until the inevitable occurred.
Ben watched in wonder as Kennedy forced himself up and dressed and made his way to the court martial, declaring that he alone was responsible for Sawyer's being incapacitated, pushing the captain into the hold of the ship. The younger of the lieutenants on trial—Ben recognized him as Lieutenant Hornblower who had visited Kennedy the day before—watched in horror as his friend took the blame, sacrificing his honor for the life of his friend.
Ben later watched as Hornblower visited Kennedy once more. The love Kennedy had for his friend fascinated the old Immortal. He watched from the shadows of the infirmary as Hornblower's tears flowed freely as Kennedy took his last mortal breath. Ben knew that with injuries that extensive, it would be some time before Kennedy awoke as an Immortal, so he gave Hornblower his time to grieve. Ben would be back later to collect his body and take him somewhere private.
Darkness had fallen by the time Ben returned, several hours later. Kennedy still lay on the same bed; the peaceful look on his face would have anyone believe he was simply asleep. Ben lifted the prone man out of the bed and carried him out, taking him to the room that he had rented for his stay. Once there, Ben laid Kennedy out on the bed and sat by to wait.
Several hours passed as Ben sat there. He felt the buzz, indicating that Kennedy was not far from waking, before Kennedy opened his eyes. He gasped, eyes wide with panic as he looked around the room, finally landing on Ben.
"Dr. Adams?"
"Welcome back, Mr. Kennedy," Ben said calmly.
"I should be dead," Kennedy said, doing his best to keep his voice level. "Why am I not dead?"
"Because you're Immortal," Ben replied. "You can not die, unless your head is cut off."
He stood and walked over to the trunk by the wall, lifting the lid and removing some clothing which he handed to Kennedy.
"Put these on. We need to leave soon."
"Where are we going?" Kennedy asked, slipping the shirt over his head.
"New Orleans. Our ship sails at dawn."
"America?"
"Good a place as any for a fresh start," Ben shrugged. "I was headed there, anyway, before I encountered you. That reminds me, they speak mostly French there. How well do you speak French?"
"Not at all," Kennedy replied with a slightly bewildered look.
"Hm, depending on the wind, it'll take about three days to get there. That's not a lot of time, but you should be able to at least pick up the basics."
Kennedy paused as the reality of his situation began to sink in.
"I can never see any of my friends again, can I?"
"You died today," Ben told him plainly. "Mr. Hornblower was there when you died. Going back is impossible."
Ben could see how walking away from his friends hurt the young man, but he also saw how Kennedy realized the truth. He watched as Kennedy steeled himself to accept his fate. There was no other option.
"If we're going to be together for a while, you can call me Archie."
"Very well, Archie, call me Ben."
Archie finished dressing while Ben settled his bill with the land lady. When Ben returned, Archie helped him carry the clumsy trunk down to the docks. Ben had already arranged passage on a merchant ship bound for New Orleans.
The two settled down in the passenger berth, knowing there were several hours still until they set off. There were plenty of questions Archie wanted to ask Ben, but he knew there would be plenty of time for that in the coming days. Right now, he needed to keep his head down until they were out of the port, lest someone recognize him as a dead man.
It was steady sailing from Kingston to New Orleans. Archie spent most of his time above deck, enjoying the peace that settled over him as the waves lapped at the sides of the boat. It had been a while since he had felt so at ease; Sawyer had made sure of that. The idea that he could now be whatever he chose made his good mood even better.
Ben occasionally joined him, teaching the younger man the basics in French, but the old Immortal usually stayed by himself, going through the medical books he had scrounged up. This incarnation was relatively new, and it had been a while since he had studied medicine.
After several days, they landed in New Orleans. Archie was unable to suppress the nervousness at being a British sailor in a French city. Frogs put him ill at ease, especially after the failed attempt at returning King Louis on the throne. Ben, on the other hand, seemed to fit in perfectly, fluent French rolling effortlessly off his tongue.
"Merci, monsieur," Ben thanked the manager of the boarding house after receiving keys to two rooms. He turned back to Archie, who hung back near the entrance, "Well, it's not Paris, but it's clean, and it's in a good part of town. Let's get settled in, and then it's to work."
Ben directed the porters carry the trunk and sea chest up to the rooms that they had been assigned. He handed the boys a shilling each and sent them on their way.
"Now, down to business. There are things you need to know about the life we have to live. Consider yourself back in school."
Ben reached into the bottom of the trunk and pulled out his Ivanhoe and a smaller cutlass, which he handed to Archie.
"I managed to salvage this for you. Lesson number one: never let you sword out of your sight."
The next months were packed with alternating periods of intense physical training and intellectual exercises: improving both Archie's French and Spanish, and learning a brief history of Immortals. His only reprieve was granted when Ben began working in a medical practice in the northern part of the city that serviced the nearby plantations as well as people in the city. This left Archie time to think of other things.
He needed to come up with something to do, some profession, but the sea was all he'd known for the past eleven years. At three and twenty, he had little experience, and none he could call upon now that, for all practical purposes, Archie Kennedy was dead.
The solution came in the form of a law book that Ben had been given by one of his patients.
"I told Monsieur Duquesne of a young friend who had recently experienced a change in situation wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life. He gave me this book and said, 'The law is a respectable profession for a gentleman of any station.' Use it wisely."
Archie took the book carefully, already diving into the pages. The law had been something he had admired as a boy, but his lack of social standing had made any pursuit impossible. "No runt from Cheapside ever amounted to anything," was something his father had made sure he knew. But now that he was unencumbered by the limitations of his previous life, it was something he was free to pursue.
"I'll need a new name," he muttered absently, looking at the title page of the book.
"You can be whomever you wish," Ben said.
"Joseph Leland," Archie continued, looking at the last names of the joint authors.
"Not bad," Ben commented. "I've heard far worse."
While Archie had been wrapping his head around his new existence, Ben had made contact with an Immortal who was a forger. He worked as a printer for the local paper, but also supplied Immortals with papers for new identities and any other documents they found themselves in need of to sell their stories. Thankfully, communication between countries traveled at such a slow rate that few who may have had reason to question their validity were willing to put forth the effort. Hence, a new life was best begun in a different country than the last.
"There's a man in Bourbon Street I want you to meet," Ben began. "Albert Finchley. He's one of us, and he can create any documents you need to validate your new identity."
"Joseph Leland graduated from Eaton?" Archie asked, excitement at creating a new identity growing.
"Why stop there? Why not Cambridge as well?" Ben asked, smiling at his young friend. "Monsieur Duquesne offered to grant you access to his collection of law books whenever you wished. He's a retired attorney, himself, and would be more than happy to offer any assistance."
Now with a clear vision of what he was going to do, Archie began a conscientious study of the law. It was a great relief to know what he was going to do with his immediate future. Once he had Mr. Finchley establish his identity as Joseph Leland, a whole new world would be open to him. The sky was the limit. All he had to do imagine what kind of life he wanted, and he could have it.
And that was what he looked forward to the most.
Fin.
A/N 2: The larger work that this is derived from is in the works, and I'm hoping to have it in publishable order soon. Also, bonus points if anyone can spot the nod to another of Jamie Bamber's works. XD