You Have No Idea

"It was horrid, really. There I was. Dead."

Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton

William rose from the bed to see Banastre Tarleton standing, very much alive, in the doorway. At his feet, lay Catherine. Either he was dreaming, or this was real. But, the last time he saw his roguish friend, he was very dead.

Ban looked at him, waiting for him to say something. When nothing came, Ban began to laugh.

"You do look as if you have seen a ghost!"

William glared hard at him.

"Yes, I do believe I have. Oddly, this ghost is very much alive!"

Ban continued to laugh. He looked down at an unconscious Catherine Tavington.

"Do you plan on picking your lovely wife up, or do you think she is quite comfortable laying here on the wooden floor?"

"Oh, yes…" He moved to pick his wife up. Having done so, he laid her carefully on the bed. Then he turned his attention back to Tarleton.

"How? Tell me about it!" William hissed.

"Nothing to tell, Will."

"Oh come now, Ban! He shot you! You were dead! And now, here you are! How is there nothing to tell?"

"Well…" Ban grinned slowly, "It was horrid, really. There I was. Dead. I just could not fathom that he would shoot me. I mean, I expected a demonstration of some sort, but not that!"

William smirked.

"Quite a demonstration, don't you think?"

"You have no idea, Will!" Ban laughed. "Still, I think he is rather nice. He did, after all, bring me back. Can't say I'm disappointed in that."

William nodded. He heard Catherine cough behind him.

"Ah! There she is! Coming round nicely, too!" Banastre smiled.

"Oh what horrible dream I just had! I saw Ban shot. Then he was standing in the doorway…and…and…" She had looked up to see Ban standing in doorway.

"My God!" She groaned and covered her eyes.

Banastre wandered over to the bed and sat down next to Catherine.

"'Tis alright, my dear Lady Tavington! I am still wholeheartedly at your service! I am," he grinned roguishly "Not so easy to be rid of."

William laughed.

"I would easily bet my last coin on you always been difficult to get rid of, Ban. But, eventually it will catch up to you."

"It almost did." Ban shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Catherine groaned agin. Both men turned and watched her carefully. Somewhere deep down inside them they knew she was on the verge of flying into a temper.

"How can you both be so flippant about this?" She snarled.

There it was. William thought happily. She would be alright.

"We…that is…Catherine, really be reasonable about this!" William muttered.

Catherine's eyes flashed with fire. Here it comes.

"You want me to be reasonable? What reason? There is nothing reasonable about Banastre getting shot by the new surgeon! How dare you tell me to be reasonable, William Tavington! And you…"

She had now turned her fiery gaze on Tarleton.

"Really no need to…" He started.

"I will deal with you later, Lt. Colonel. But for now, I want to know what the bloody hell happened! What did this Doctor Harris tell you, once he brought you around?"

Ban grinned slightly at the Colonel.

"Well, he said that I was now…immortal. And that if anything should happen to me, I could not die."

The Colonel and Mrs. Tavington stared at him in disbelief.

"And?" William pressed.

Banastre cleared his throat and continued on.

"Not just me, but anyone who wanted to come back, could. Granted, I did not believe him when he told me this, who would? But, now that I have had it demonstrated to me, I think he is on to something."

"And?" Catherine insisted.

"And, the doctor alsosaid, I find this bit truly amusing, that he could even save Will from his own nightmare. He said when I told you both about this, you would understand about the dreams." He looked at them hoping they did just that.

The room seemed to grow cold at these words. Save him from his nightmare? If only.

"Yes, we do understand about the dreams." Catherine said flatly.

Ban nodded. It was clear, that he was terribly confused by all this, and Catherine didn't blame him one bit for that.

"What are these dreams about, my Lady?" He asked.

"William has had the same dream since before we left for the fort. It is always about the same thing, place…"

"And what place would that be?"

"Cowpens." Tavington replied.

A flicker of recognition floated over Ban's weather beaten face. For a brief moment, he looked as if he would laugh.

"Oh that bloody place! We haven't even been there yet, and you're dreaming about it! How terrible could it be, Will?"

William's hand went to his throat. He felt the all too familiar pain stealing over him. He shook himself out of this disgusting memory. I would not do, to behave like a child over something he could not change.

"It is bad, Ban. He sees his own death at the hands of…"

"Who?" Ban leaned closer to her.

"Benjamin Martin." She growled softly.

"Isn't that the Ghost?"

"Yes, it is." William hissed.

"Isn't he the one whose children you killed?"

"Yes." William replied again.

Ban let out a low whistle.

"I wouldn't worry too much over it, Tav. He is a mad man, and will die long before he has a chance to kill you. I do not put much into any dreams, being they are always worthless and dull. Well, unless I happen to be dreaming about a certain woman." He nudged Catherine in the arm.

"Nice to know, Ban. But, as flattered by that as I am, I belong to Colonel Tavington."

He chuckled.

"Don't I know it! Half the men in the camp are madly in love with you! But, they can't get too close, because of who happens to be your husband. He's a madman they say. The Butcher. Bah! Rubbish!"

Both Catherine and William had to laugh at their friend's tiff.

"Now, about Cowpens." Banastre persisted.

William glanced at his wife. She shook her head.

"Not right now, Ban."

"Why?"

"Have you forgotten we are due to patrol today? Both legions at the same time, contrary to my better judgment, that is."

Banastre grumbled.

"Yes, yes…patrol. What does the Lord General think we are? Why not send the other lot of them out? George would be quite happy to take a group and go on patrol. Damned if I know why, though." He seemed to ponder this dilemma for a moment.

"But, just tell me this much…"

"You are quite persistent, are you not, Ban?" Catherine laughed.

"The camp whores would agree with that." He laughed with her, and then turned to look at Tavington.

"Well, what about it has you so worried, Will?"

William shuddered slightly.

"It is how I die, Ban. I see it. I feel it! And, there is absolutely nothing I can do to advert it. Nothing."

Tarleton shivered at Tavington's words. Thankfully, Doctor Harris would be able to bring Will back around once he was dead. Besides, they were going to need him desperately.

He shivered once more.

"Don't give it another thought, Will!" He stood up, walked to where the Colonel was standing, and thumped him hard on the back. "Everything will be perfect in the end!"

Catherine glared at him.

"How do you know that, Ban?"

"Well, I…not saying I do…just, well…it will be, alright?" He grumbled.

Catherine shook her head slowly.

"You have no idea, do you?"

Tarleton shrugged.

"Perhaps not, still…"

Catherine laughed softly.

"You are truly hopeless."

"That I am, my Lady."

"And dead." William interjected.

"You have no idea, Will." Tarleton chuckled good-naturedly.

William shuddered again.

"Hopefully, I never will."