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pxnsneverland · 10 months

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Autumn Roses | Young Ian x OC (part 1)

plot summary: As a half black half white slave in colonial North Carolina, Rose has struggled with her place in the world. After her mother's death in childbirth and finding out that the recently deceased River Run plantation master was her father, the mistress of River Run, Jocasta Cameron, took her in treating her as more of a daughter than a slave. Jocasta educated and raised Rose with no one outside the house ever being the wiser. But the arrival of Jocasta's nephew Jamie Fraser and his wife Clare threaten to turn Rose's world upside down especially when they bring along their bright haired, blue eyed nephew Ian Murray.

pairings: Young Ian x OC

fandom: Outlander

word count: 2286

warnings/notes: Hey guys! I've had this Outlander fan fiction idea for awhile and I finally put pen to paper so to speak. I hope you all enjoy it! And those of you that know me from my Elvis fan fiction, no worries. I'm still writing it and will be updating soon :)

Chapter 1: The Fateful Meeting

River Run was not a locale where one could expect to encounter a plethora of thrilling events. Each day followed a set routine, a carefully crafted plan. Each individual was aware of their designated position. All but myself, I presume. There wasn't much of a place for negros in North Carolina society. They were considered slaves or possessions by the affluent white individuals who possessed the financial means to acquire them. I, too, followed in the footsteps of my mother, as countless others have done before me. From the moment of my birth, I was thrust into the cruel and inhumane world of slavery. Yet, despite my lowly status, I was afforded a modicum of respect and deference that set me apart from my fellow slaves. The circumstances surrounding my birth were shrouded in mystery, as my mother had passed away during delivery. It was not until years later that I was able to uncover the identity of my father, and the reasons behind my unique position as a lighter-skinned slave who resided within the household rather than toiling in the fields alongside my peers. Upon the passing of Master Cameron, I was summoned by his wife, Jocasta Cameron, at the tender age of eight. It was then that she imparted upon me the knowledge of my origins - a child born of a man who wielded his power over his possessions. Devoid of any offspring to call her own, she developed a fondness for my company. From that moment forward, my status shifted from that of a mere slave to that of a ward, receiving a different kind of treatment. Under the veil of secrecy, within the confines of River Run's protective isolation, Mistress Cameron imparted upon me a wealth of knowledge and skills. She taught me the art of reading and writing, the importance of proper speech, the intricacies of chess, the melodies of the piano, and any other subject that she would have typically taught her own flesh and blood. Tears streamed down my face as I contemplated the plight of my brethren who toiled ceaselessly in the fields and within the confines of the main house. For I, too, was akin to them - a mere possession adorned with precious jewels. In due course, I succumbed to the monotony of everyday life, much like the masses. However, my place left much to be desired, and the apprehension of never discovering my rightful place consumed me, as if such a haven was merely a figment of my imagination.

On a stunning autumn day, I made the decision to settle beneath the grand oak tree in my front yard. With a book in hand, I whiled away the hours in peaceful solitude. Mistress Cameron sat on the porch, accompanied by her attendant Ulysses. He was a slave who assisted her in all her endeavors, given her blindness. Despite residing in the house slave quarters, he was treated almost as well as I. However, I had been granted my own room years ago, located in a separate wing of the house, far from any visitors who might chance upon it. I sensed the unwavering gaze of Mistress Cameron upon me, despite her lack of visual confirmation. Her admiration for me was so profound that I made every effort to avoid disappointing her. With my head bowed and my lips sealed, I remained hidden as instructed. The stakes were high, for if anyone were to discover that Mistress Cameron was imparting her knowledge upon me and treating me with her customary kindness, both she and I would face certain death.

The day was a delight, with the gentle autumn breeze causing small ripples to form along the river nearby. The season of autumn had always held a special place in my heart. The leaves underwent a stunning transformation, displaying a vibrant array of colors. The fruits of one's labor were bountifully harvested. Perhaps I could have continued to relish the moment, were it not for the gradual approach of a boat traversing the river, its sound growing ever louder. With haste, I rose from my spot and sought refuge behind the towering tree, ensuring that I remained concealed from the body of water. The boat glided past me before coming to a halt just a stone's throw away from the walkway leading up to the house. I cautiously poked my head out, curious to catch a glimpse of the unexpected visitor. Anticipating the arrival of esteemed guests at River Run, I envisioned the likes of the governor, a soldier, or a lord, among the customary high-ranking individuals who graced us with their presence. In lieu of that, my gaze fell upon a towering, robust Scottish gentleman in the prime of his life, boasting locks of hair so fiery that they appeared to ignite in the sun's rays. He gallantly assisted a slender woman, who appeared to be slightly senior to him, in disembarking from the vessel. Her hair, pinned to the back of her head, was almost as curly as mine. Her skin was as pure as freshly fallen snow, unmarred by any imperfections, unlike that of so many other women. As she emerged from the boat, her gracefulness was striking.

Mistress Jocasta had risen from her seat, bringing Ulysses along with her. She now stood before them, a smile adorning her countenance. “Jamie. Welcome to River Run.”

Jamie respectfully nodded his head. “Auntie Jocasta.” With a gallant gesture, he removed his hat and bestowed upon her a graceful bow.

With open arms, Mistress Jocasta welcomed him into her embrace. Accepting her invitation, he embraced her tightly, conveying through the hug the length of time that had passed since their last meeting. “Blessed be,” she whispered softly, “You’ve grown to be a giant. That’ll be the Mackenzie blood flowing through ye.”

A soft smile graced Jamie's lips. “I was no more than a bairn when you last saw me. Had nowhere to go but up.”

So, the individual in question was Jamie. Mistress Cameron had devoted considerable time to recounting to me the tales of her family's history in Scotland and her formative years. Jamie, the youngest son of her sister Ellen, had been a name that had reached my ears. Mistress Cameron spoke of him in a manner akin to how she conversed with Ulysses about me, as if he were her very own offspring. Finally, I had the pleasure of putting a face to the name.

“I recall ye had a most gorgeous heid of red hair,” she remarked, “Oh, how yer mother adored you.”

“She adored you as well. Always spoke of you wi’ love.”

“I miss her still.”

“As do I,” he replied. Jamie hesitated for a moment before proceeding, “Ah, Auntie, may I present my wife Claire?”

With a confident stride, Claire advanced towards Mistress Cameron, who lowered her head in deference. A smile appeared on Claire's lips. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mistress Cameron.” Her English heritage piqued my interest slightly. The union of a Scotsman and an English woman was a rare sight indeed.

“Oh, I hope you’ll call me Auntie, dear. We are kin after all.”

“Of course,” Claire replied with a soft chuckle, “Auntie it is then.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Claire.” Mistress Cameron enveloped her upper arms with a warm embrace.

All of a sudden, a boy emerged and began to make his way up the path, catching my attention as I had not previously noticed his presence on the boat. He appeared to be no older than myself, perhaps even the same age of 16. With his lengthy blonde locks neatly tied back, his complexion, which was of a light hue, glistened with perspiration from diligently transferring their possessions from the vessel. With a wide and sincere grin, he drew near. The sight of that smile was enough to elicit a reciprocal grin from anyone who caught a glimpse of it. His striking good looks caused my heart to flutter uncontrollably, and I desperately willed it to cease its erratic beating.

Ian. His name perfectly complemented his countenance - unassuming and charming.

Ian clutched a bushel of wildflowers in his hands. “I’m very pleased to meet ye, Great-Aunt Jocasta.” He extended the bouquet of flowers towards her.

“Ye’re welcome, lad.” You are most welcome, young man. I realized when she didn't take the flowers that Ian probably didn't realize she was blind. After all, he had never laid eyes on her.

Ulysses came to the rescue, his voice a soft whisper in Mistress Cameron's ear as he spoke of the flowers that Ian had presented to her. As the realization dawned on her, her eyes widened with a sudden spark of understanding. Without hesitation, she reached out and took hold of the bushel, her fingers curling around it with a sense of purpose. “Thank you kindly, Ian. Forgive me. It is a long time since my sight had left me, though I still see shapes and shadows.”

“I’m sorry to hear, Great-Auntie.” His countenance reflected the genuine distress he felt upon receiving the news. His kindness was palpable.

“Oh, fear not, lad. It has been a blessing. I am now gifted with hearing that would be the envy of many a gossip, and the ability to sent truth from lies, if ye catch my meanin’.” His face lit up with a smile. Mistress Cameron spoke the truth. Throughout the duration of our acquaintance, she had consistently refused to regard her lack of sight as a hindrance. She navigated her surroundings with remarkable ease, almost as if she possessed perfect vision. Ulysses, her trusted companion, provided only sporadic assistance. I held great admiration for her actions. In that moment, a canine hastily approached Ian, positioning itself by his side with an uncontainable wag of its tail. With a joyful bark, he bid farewell to Mistress Jocasta and sprang off into the distance. “Oh goodness. Who have we there? Another acquaintance to be made.”

With a quick movement of the eyes, Jamie stole a glance at Ian. “Young Ian’s…mongrel, Rollo. Take hold of your beast, lad.”

With a nod, Ian chased after Rollo. No matter how hard he attempted to seize him, the dog darted beyond his grasp. A chuckle escaped my lips as I observed the comical sight of their cat-and-mouse game. Lost in my own amusement, I remained oblivious to Rollo's presence until he gently nudged the hem of my skirt from behind the tree. With a grin adorning his face, he patiently awaited my reaction. However, I found myself unable to respond. As Ian drew near, my heart nearly ceased beating, until he finally caught up to Rollo. “Rollo, you mangy beast, you can’t just go running off on Great-Auntie’s land.” He lifted his head to meet my gaze, his blue eyes widening as if he had just seen a ghost. Despite his pleasant demeanor towards Mistress Jocasta, I couldn't help but feel apprehensive about the potential harm he could inflict upon me. With a swift kick, I sent the book I had been engrossed in hurtling behind me, out of sight.

A lump had formed in my throat, impeding my breathing. Nonetheless, I persevered and managed to bow to him, my gaze fixed on the ground. “I’m sorry, Master Murray. I dinna mean to have any association with yer pet. Please forgive me.” At no other moment had I been as cognizant of the Scottish lilt that had been adopted from Mistress Cameron as I was presently.

Ian remained silent, leaving me on edge. I braced myself for any possible outcome, whether it be a physical altercation or an attack from his canine companion. My jaw tightened in anticipation. With a look of astonishment in his gaze, he uttered, “Ye’re the bonniest lass I’ve ever seen.”

My gaze was irresistibly drawn upwards, away from the ground. “What?”

Ian shook his head, as if to snap out of the current stream of consciousness that had been occupying his mind. “I’m sorry. I shouldna have been so forward. I’m Ian, Ian Murray.” In a swift motion, he grasped my hand and pressed his lips upon it with the grace of a chivalrous protagonist from a timeless tale. He bestowed upon me one of those smiles that had the power to make my heart flutter even from a distance. But now, as he stood before me, my heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it might burst out of my chest.

As I was preparing to respond to him, my attention was diverted by the sound of my name being called out, “Rose!”

With haste, I withdrew my hand from Ian's grip as Mistress Jocasta, accompanied by Jamie, Claire, and Ulysses, approached our vicinity. Mistress Jocasta's countenance betrayed a hint of displeasure, yet it was overshadowed by an air of apprehension. “I thought I told you to stay out of sight when we have company.”

With a subtle movement, I placed my hands behind my back. “I was, Mistress Cameron, but Rollo…he found me…”

“It was my fault, Great-Anutie,” Ian interjected, “I should have caught up wit’ Rollo before he went sniffin’ around.”

Her fingers tightened around his shoulder. “It’s alright, lad.” A deep sigh escaped her lips. “We should all go inside. If you all are going to stay here awhile and since ye’re family, there are some things ye must know. I hope ye’ll keep an open mind.” Thus, we trailed after her as she led the way towards the main house. Ian strode alongside me, even though his legs surpassed mine in length. Every now and then, he cast a fleeting glance my way, but I refrained from reciprocating.

Stay tuned for part 2!! Click HERE to view!

#outlander #outlander fandom #outlander fanfic #outlander fanfiction #outlander fic #young ian #ian murray #jamie fraser #claire fraser #jocasta cameron #oc fanfiction #outlander starz #outlander season 4 #fanfiction #fanfic #fan fiction #fan fic #outlander season 7 #outlander series

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scapegrace74-blog · 2 years

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Don’t Let Me Fall, Chapter 1

A/N Inspired by my recent experience at a Cirque du Soleil show and a desperate need for distraction from my real-life worries, I bring you the zaniest cross-over AU idea ever: Outlander meets the Circus. This will be a medium length story once it’s done, but posting may be somewhat erratic as I’ve only written the first three chapters. Thank you in advance for your patience, and for coming along on the adventure!

Chapter 1, Crashing Down to Earth

In my dream, I was flying. Pointe shoes beating an allegro of seemingly weightless steps, I performed a bourée towards my partner, waiting in the wings. He joined me, hands firm at my waist as I spun in effortless pirouettes to centre stage. A spotlight obscured the audience beyond the orchestra pit, but I knew they were there, a presence heralded by the absence of noise. Our intricate pas de deux was as good as it had ever been. The sweet madness of the violins, the familiar odour of chalk and sweat, my costume of carnation pink: they all melded together and shot through my veins with a narcotic rush. This was what I was meant for, my calling, my singular gift to the world. I was a prima ballerina, and I could fly.

Higher and higher I flew until Frank’s arms launched me skyward into a grand jeté, our signature movement that graced myriad posters and websites.

Memory is a faithless narrator. Certainly, the music didn’t stop the second Frank’s grip faltered. The audience, genteel in the extreme, probably did not gasp in horror as I transformed from majestic swan to shot dove before their eyes. Any agony I should have felt was twice muted: once by the blunt shock of finding myself earthbound, and again by the omniscient perspective of a dream.

Through the fisheye lens of slumber, I witnessed myself laying in a shocked pile of tulle and nylon while a thousand faces watched on with pity, but also with a kind of mortified fascination.

***

Beyond the lethargic raindrops that smeared my living room window, London was dressed in summer grey. My practice barre faced the view, which on a more hospitable day looked over slate rooftops towards the commons of Richmond Park. As I mindlessly proceeded through my morning routine, over a decade’s worth of muscle memory took my body through a progression of movements while my thoughts wandered elsewhere.

After forty minutes, I acknowledged I was as limber as I was likely to get and made my way to the kitchen window box to harvest some wheatgrass for my morning smoothie. Grabbing The Guardian from my doorstep, I perched on the sofa and sipped at my drink while paging through the Arts section. A half-page ad for The Royal’s upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet halted my semi-conscious flipping. There was Frank, in costume as Romeo, knelt at the foot of his new partner, a Slovenian ingenue with doll-like features. I forced myself to turn the page, the smoothie souring to ash in my mouth.

As the Royal Ballet’s prima ballerina for the past five years, the role of Juliet should have been mine. Would have been mine, were it not for a ruptured Achilles tendon and a painfully slow recovery from surgery.

I rose from the sofa, my eyes trained on the hazy middle distance. Lifting on pointe, I assayed a pirouette on my left leg, but found myself toppling forward, still unable to bear my weight at full extension. Tears of frustration, not to mention pain, blurred my vision. It had been six months, and while my physical therapist urged patience, I knew my days were numbered. My future as a ballet dancer was floating further and further away, while I was trapped, weighted down to earth.

***

“Ye’ve no’ said much about what ye’ve been up to, doll.”

Geillis Duncan was stirring honey into her hibiscus tea, but her jade eyes assessed me with tangible weight. There wasn’t any point trying to hide from her.

“What’s there to say, Geil? I go to physical therapy, I do yoga and some light barre work, and I otherwise just sit around and watch my bank balance plummet while trying not to turn into a hippo.”

My agent scoffed before taking an appreciative sip of her tea.

“Ye’re hardly at risk of becoming fat, Claire,” she commented once she’d swallowed.

“That’s not what Frank said, and he was the one tasked with holding me aloft.”

A task at which he’d failed rather spectacularly, thus landing me in my current predicament, but that only added weight to his argument, as it were.

“Have ye heard from the wanker, then?” Geillis had never been a fan of Frank’s, even before my injury. The fact that we were no longer dancing together gave her all the excuse she needed for open hostility.

“Not since he sent flowers to the hospital after my surgery,” I conceded. Geillis arched an expressive eyebrow but was otherwise atypically silent. She stirred her tea methodically, and I realized she was working up the nerve to say something. In all the years we had known each other, Geillis had never once shied away from telling me exactly what she was thinking, even when I didn’t want to hear it. It made her an excellent agent and an even better friend, and the fact that she was hesitating now was cause for nerves to boil in my empty stomach.

“What is it, Geil?” I prompted, crumpling an untouched scone into smaller and smaller crumbs.

“Weeel, there’s a chance I may have found a solution to yer wee financial conundrum,” she began, voice raised over the continued clank of her teaspoon against porcelain.

My financial woes were anything but wee, but I only nodded, encouraging her to continue.

“Ye canna dance, obviously, so I’ve been exploring some, shall we say, less conventional options.”

“What is it, Geil? Commercial work? You know I don’t give a rat’s ass so long as it pays the rent. Dress me up as a French mime or have me do the splits over a pit of alligators for all I care.”

The fact that Geillis still looked wary after my outburst should have worried me, but the possibility of finding both employment and a distraction from the monotony of my recovery made me reckless.

Taking one last gulp of her tea, Geillis finally met my gaze head on.

“Jes promise me ye’ll keep an open mind…”

***

“Ye wanted to see me, Mr. Marylebone?”

The office was crowded with bookshelves holding numerous awards, a potted palm and oversized furniture, leaving Jamie very little space in which to stand. This had the fortunate side effect of giving him a plausible excuse for leaving the door ajar. It had been a while since the florid artistic director had made a play for his virtue, but it never hurt to be prepared.

“Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. What has it been? Four years? I’ve asked you a hundred times – call me Clarence.”

He nodded his head in seeming acceptance, although he had no intention of taking up the offer. In addition to creating some much-needed distance between the wee hedonist and himself, the man was also his boss. He held a tremendous amount of sway at Cirque des Etoiles, and Jamie knew that the more he left the man wanting, the greater leverage he wielded while negotiating his own terms.

“Good,” the director exclaimed, as though they had come to some sort of agreement, “now, I need to speak with you about our latest project…”

Without pausing to let Jamie get a word in edgewise, Clarence Marylebone proceeded to describe the Cirque’s newest artistic endeavour. As he spoke, he drew imaginary scenes in the air with his heavily-ringed hands, his face growing flushed with emotion. Despite everything, Jamie couldn’t help but admire the man’s unrelenting passion for his work.

“The show will be called Tropico, and it will be our most daring, sensual production yet. Of course, we want you for the principal male aerial role – a Tarzan for the digital age, half-savage, half-Ubermensch. It’s going to be absolutely delicious, just you wait and see.”

While he was obliquely flattered, this announcement was hardly a surprise. Since joining the Cirque straight out of circus school, Jamie had been cast in seven different principal male roles. He was a rare combination of ridiculously strong and remarkably flexible, in addition to being fearless. It had stopped feeling like an accomplishment when Jamie realized that he owed his success to nothing more than a genetic fluke. These days, his ambition was to bargain his way off the Cirque’s hallowed roster of performers, not onto it.

And to that end…

“Aye, it sounds very interesting, Mr. Marylebone,” he interrupted when there was a brief pause in the onslaught for breath. “I should very much like to learn more about what goes inta creating the show. Tae learn from a master such as yerself.”

Jamie wasn’t above using flattery to obtain his ends. When he saw the man’s cheeks grow even more crimson with pleasure, he couldn’t help pressing his advantage.

“Have ye had a chance tae look at the portfolio I left wi’ ye?”

Over the past two years, any time he had a moment to spare from his grueling schedule, Jamie had been working on an idea for his own show. Set in Scotland and inspired by the myths and legends he recalled hearing in childhood, The Woman of Balnain was Jamie’s lovechild, and his best chance to retire from circus performance and move into a creative role.

“Not yet, my boy. When would I find the time?” Marylebone blithely dismissed. “Now, we only have four months to prepare the show, so I want to start auditioning for your female counterpart immediately. She needs to be something truly special. Delicate refinement to contrast with your brute masculinity.”

“Excuse me, sir, but wouldna Anna-Louise be the obvious choice?”

For the first time since entering his office, the artistic director appeared at a loss for words.

“Yes, err, well… I rather thought she’d already have told you. What with your, err, personal relationship and whatnot…” He spent an inordinate amount of time fiddling with some papers on his desk and clearing his throat.

“Tell me what, sir?” Jamie asked, already predicting the answer.

“Well, you see, Anna-Louise has accepted an offer to join the international touring company of Allegro. I needn’t tell you what an amazing opportunity it is for her.”

It was strange, Jamie mused as he made the long walk back from Marylebone’s office to the training facility. Between the news that his girlfriend of several years was leaving him for a better professional opportunity and the news that Marylebone still hadn’t reviewed his artistic proposal, it was the latter that he found harder to bear.

#my writing #outlander #fan fiction

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pentopaper23 · 8 months

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The Boy at the Door - Chapter Six: The Blackout

23rd June 1954

“Renovators dream my ass” Claire muttered to herself has she swept more dust and grime out the kitchen door. She was shocked the first time she drove up to the house, silly really given that she hadn’t looked at it before signing on the dotted line.

The once proud archway had collapsed, little more than a pile of old stones now stood in its place. One side the roof had caved in leaving the once beautiful inside open to the elements, the main front doors were missing panels of wood and had a thick chain hung down locking the doors tightly shut; counterproductive really since none of the windows had glass in them. The courtyard was overgrown and had random crates and barrels piled into its corners; the stables had also seen better days; its stall’s long since emptied and silent. Claire was surprised to see that the broch was still standing, be it leaning a little more then she remembered but standing none the less. She kicked the dry dirt of what once was her herb garden and was pleased to see that the little line of rocks that she had placed were still there, dividing up the beds.

With a twist of the key and tug on the chain the front doors swung open on their own, their hinges long since given up on keep the door shut. Claire’s heart sank when she saw inside, the once comforting family home was no more, the wooden floor creaked as she walked on it long overdue for a clean and oil. The walls that once held paintings and tapestries now stood empty with only the faintest outline of the frames left to be seen, she was happy though to see that the dining table still stood in the dining room as did the main fireplace in the living room.

The grand staircase was somewhat useable and a few times Claire’s heart skip a beat in panic as she walked up it, the wood was mostly rotten due to the open roof but maybe some of it could be saved. The second flood was as she remembered it, a long hallway with doors leading into the bedrooms. Most of the rooms were maybe salvageable, the stone bones of the house still stood strong.

The laird bedroom was unrecognisable, the sturdy bed that once stood in the middle of the room was no longer there. The tapestries that hung on the walls had long since been taken away and the fireplace stood cold and empty. Claire ran her hand over the worn windowsill feeling the smooth stone under her fingertips. The view outside the window hadn’t changed much, the tree line was a little taller but the winding road and driveway still snaked thought the countryside as it once did. She watched as a car turned off the road and started down the driveway.

Claire had just made it back downstairs when the car came through the courtyard. An older, tall, bearded man got out of an old 1940’s tray truck, he had a work belt slung over his shoulder and he was carrying a blue clipboard. He had dirty jeans on and work boots with a thin worn-in layer of dirt on them. His hair was greying, and his face was lined with deep wrinkles.

“Mrs Fraser?” he asked holding out his hand.

“Claire please. It’s Mr Roberts, yes? How do you do?” she said holding out her hand to shake his.

“Ye can call me Mark lass and I’m good.” he nodded tucking the notebook under his arm and strapping his work belt around his hips. He whistled as he craned his neck to look up at the house.

“You weren’t kidding” he said flipping open his notebook and pulling a pen from his shirt pocket.

“Unfortunately, no. Follow me” Claire said leading him over the to the front door.

“Mind your step the boards definitely need replacing and the roof is a whole other issue.” Claire said holding open the front door and waving him in.

Mark nodded as he took in the inside of the house, his pen making quick notes as he lightly jumped up and down on the floor.

“Aye the floors will be a must”.

“I was hoping to save as much as we could, with in reason of course.” Claire said side stepping a few of the broken boards to follow him further into the house.

“I’m guessing you want to try and save the panelling and such?” Mark asked tapping the said wall panelling with the butt of a screwdriver.

“Yes, and the staircase banister if we can.” Claire said laying a hand on the faded wood of the banister, “But I was hoping to rebuild the stables first, there are some items in the house I would like to store before we start the main restoration”.

Mark nodded again and made a note of Claire’s request, “I’ll have a wee look at them before I leave but that will be simple enough. If they are like every other stable in the highlands, they are stone with a wood roof, easy enough to fix.”

For the next few hours Claire followed Mark around answering any questions that he had about the house, when it was made, water and power hook ups. There was a small moment of panic when his foot went through a board up on the third floor.

“Not to matter lass, does me well to get the heart pumping at my age” he joked pulling his foot out of the flooring. It was after this he said it was probably better for Claire to wait downstairs while he climbed into what was left of the roof beams.

Claire was puttering around the garden pulling up weeds when he finally came back out running a hand through his hair to clear away the cobwebs.

“Ye mentioned some stables ye also wanted remade?” He asked.

“Yes, this way” Claire led him to the other side of the courtyard to where the stables once stood. He wandered around the stone walls for a few moments writing down more notes and measurements.

“Did ye want water and power in here too?” He asked kicking the base of one of the stone walls.

“Yes, if we are able.” Claire answered, he nodded and continued to jot down notes.

“I also noted ye Broch is leaning, was that something I should be noting down too?”

“Do think it can be saved?” Claire asked looking towards the leaning tower.

“Aye I think we can, but maybe we should focus on the house and stables first. That thing has been leaning since I was lad, I doubt its going anywhere soon”.

“Oh, you know the estate?” Claire asked as they walked back to courtyard.

“From a distance, ye can see the broch from the main road.” He said as he took off his belt and tossed it into the truck cab.

“I won’t lie to ya, it willna be cheap” Mark said, “but we should be able to save most of it. The stone is in an okay condition, but we will need a stone mason to come out. It’s the wood that’s the issue, most of it will need to be replaced; floors, beams, and such but we should be able to save ya wee banister and most of the panelling” Claire nodded, she knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

The builder looked back at the house as he was writing notes on his clipboard, “Are ya sure you dinna want to knock it down? Start fresh?”

“I’m sure, it was my husband’s family estate, I want to see it restored for our children.”

Mark looked at her sadly, “His no longer with ya?”

Claire always dreaded this question whether it was the parents at the kids’ school or people at work. They had perfected the lie but it still didn’t sit well her to use it.

“No, he isn’t. His was soldier in France…he never came back”.

Mark nodded in understanding and pulled out his wallet, “This is my wee lad, Lachan.” The man in the picture was indeed wee, just a young man dressed in a uniform that looked two sizes too big for him. “He dinna come home either, broke his mother heart. But we have two more lads William and Angus” he said flipping over the plastic photo holder to show two smiling men with their arms around an older woman, his wife Claire thought.

“You have beautiful family” Claire said pulling out her own wallet to show him Fergus and Brianna school pictures.

“They look braw. I’m guessing the red is from ya husband?”

“Yes, he was the same colour” They both shared a small smile and a shared moment of grief and understanding passed between them.

“Well alright then.” Mark said breaking the moment, “As I said it won’t be cheap.” He continued as he tucked away his wallet and tore off the quote from his notepad “Give me a call, the number is on the bottom, once you have a look over it and we can go from there” and with that he shook Claire’s hand and was off.

Claire took a seat on the front steps and opened the quote, not cheap was yet another understatement, £45,000 was written in big handwriting and circled at the bottom of the list of the items that needed to be fixed. Although it didn’t come close to putting a dint in her inheritance Claire was still uncomfortable with spending so much in such a short period of time. Lallybroch itself had cost almost £15,000 and a further £500 in legal fees for the sale, she have never spent this much money on a single item. Claire smoothed her hand over the sun warmed stone step and made to get up, but not before a glint of blue caught her eye. Leaning over she brushed aside some weeds to find a broken piece of blue and white pottery, she wasn’t foolish enough to think that it was the same vase that she been given on quarter day, but it was a sign none the less. She tucked it along with the quote into her coat pocket and left feeling for the first time as if everything was going to be okay.

The drive to Inverness from the estate was relatively quick compared to what it had been in horseback, in little under an hour Claire was entering the high street and only running five or so minutes late to pick up Brianna from school. Fergus would be walking home later after football practice; he had taken to the sport very well and was happily spending more and more of his time with his teammates.

Claire has been putting off telling the children, Fergus especially, about her purchase of Lallybroch. She has wanted to make sure there was something worth saving before she committed them all to a new home and gave Fergus the hope of familiarity.

Claire pulled up the primary school just in time to watch the headmaster ring the tall standing bell in the playground, and she watched as children started streaming out of the now opened double doors.

“Mam!” She heard Brianna yell as she ran towards Claire, a new painting flapping in her hand and some kind of pasta necklace around her neck.

“Hello darling. Did you have a good day?” Claire asked helping Brianna take off her backpack.

“Yes! We made necklaces!” She shouted excitedly and shoved said necklace into Claires face as she leaned into buckle her car seat.

“Yes, I see, very nice darling.”

The drive home was filled for Brianna rambling about her day and Claire making noises of agreement or shock at the correct moments. Claire was just serving dinner when Fergus arrived home covered in mud, smiling, and smelling like teenage boy. Claire quickly shooed him into the shower with a promise of an extra serving when he was done.

“We have our first game on Saturday. Do you think you could be there?” He had asked inhaling his second plate of food and eying off the leftovers on Brianna’s and Claire’s plates.

“Of course, I can be. What time because I was thinking we might make a trip that afternoon” Claire said sliding her left over chop and vegies onto his plate.

“Its at 10. Where were we going?” Fergus asked through a mouthful of food, Claire tutted and motioned for him to close his mouth as she lent over to try and wipe Brianna’s hands.

“I have been waiting for the right time to tell you. I brought us a house” Claire said slowly trying to gage the look on Fergus’s face. He had stopped eating and was looking at Claire in confusion.

“You brought a house?” He asked putting down his knife and fork slowly.

“Yes, and I think you will like it.” Claire said getting up to grab the paperwork for the purchase. The manila folder was thick and tucked into the front was the original flyer that had caught Claire’s eyes. She pulled it out and handed it to Fergus and watched as his face brightened. He ran his fingers over the grainy black and white picture of Lallybroch and looked at his mother in awe.

“Really?” he asked with a slight catch in his voice.

“Yes, my darling. We get to go home”.

Fergus wrapped his arms around Claire’s middle and hugged his face into her stomach.

“Thank you” she heard him say, and Brianna started chanting “Home! Home!” as she bounced in her chair before she jumped down to join her mother and brother in a hug.

The next morning before work Claire rang and spoke to Mark regarding the quote and happily accept his offer. He said that his sons and few other men would be out at the house the following Monday and asked if she could be there to get things started. She agreed and they hung up.

The Saturday of Fergus first football match came faster then Claire was expecting, she was coming off a late shift when she was woken by Fergus, who was already dressed in his uniform, telling her that they have an hour before they had to leave, he placed a cup of a coffee on her bedside table and said he would get Brianna ready. Claire groaned as she rolled out of bed and an hour later, they were all squared away in the car with Claire taking sips of her second coffee while trying to drive.

The football pitch was already full of activity when they arrived, and Fergus said his farewell right as the car stopped and ran off to join his team. Claire was sad to say that over the last year and a bit she hadn’t really taken the time to get to know Fergus’s or Brianna classmates’ parents and it was never more obvious then now as she stood alone at the side of the pitch with Brianna balanced on the fence her back resting against her front.

“Excuse me, were you Fergus’s mam?”

Claire startled and turned to look towards the voice, it was a woman with bright curly red hair and dark freckles on her nose. Moving to hold Brianna tighter Claire loosened an arm and held her hand out to the other woman in greeting.

“Yes, I am, Claire Fraser”

“I’m Gennie, I’m Mathew’s mother. The tall muckle looking one in the number 32”

“Oh yes! Fergus has mention him, said he was kind when he first started at the school. Thank for that by the way”.

Gennie made a Scottish noise and waved Claire’s thanks away, “Tis nothing, our Mathew is a good boy. He really like Fergus, always talking about him.” She said as she leaned against the fence and screwed her nose up at Brianna jokingly. Brianna shyly hid her face in Claire’s chest.

“This is Brianna.”

“Ahh the red I’m guessing is from her da?”

Claire sighed and Gennie seemed to understand.

“I dinna care that you’re a single mother. Your business is your business. My husband and I just happy that Matty has a friend. He is a shy kid, we worried he would never find one”.

Claire sighed again, this time in relief, “Fergus is very special.”

“They have the same…” Gennie asked, the end of her question left hanging. Claire laughed and nodded.

“Yes, kind of. Fergus is adopted and Brianna’s da is…”

“A solider” Brianna interrupted. Claire quietly laughed and patted down one of Brianna's wayward curls.

“He was in France, but we stopped hearing from him in ’44 so…” Claire lied, and she felt bad when Gennie’s eyes softened.

“My Aaron, that man over there trying to wrangle the boys” she pointed to a tall red-haired man trying to gather the boys into a line, “he was there as well, he came back but…I get it.”

They stood in silence for a few moments watching as the boys started to warm up. Brianna had grown impatience and asked to be let down so she could play with the other children that were running away.

“You mentioned Fergus was adopted.” Gennie said trying to start up the conversation again.

“Yes, Jamie…. James my husband found him in France when he was on patrol. He was pickpocketing the soldiers. The orphanage that he was living in had been bombed and Jamie just…he just knew. He brought him back when he had leave and his been ours ever since.”

“Its nice that you talk about him as if he might come back” Gennie said softly, “Romantic…maybe”.

“Well, you know stranger things have happened and I know it’s been 10 years but…I feel like I would know. I would feel it somehow.”

“I know what you mean. Aaron was injured and um…its like I knew. I woke up with this pit in my stomach and I just knew something was wrong.” Gennie said looking sadly at her husband, Claire now noticed that the right side of his face was covered in a thick scar that extended down under the collar of his shirt. The blow of the referees whistle put a stop to their conversation and the game began.

It was a good match, Fergus’s team won 3-4 and he bounded over with joy spread across his face as he asked if she saw the goal he scored. He had bloody lip from an elbow to the face but apart from that he was in one piece. He ran off for a shower and Claire continued chatting with Gennie and was introduced to Aaron, for a moment there was a flash of recognition in his eyes, but it was quickly gone when the Fergus and Mathew returned freshly showered. They parted ways with promises of playdates and lunches and the small the family of three started on their trip.

The drive was relaxing as Fergus recalled stories of Lallybroch. One such story was how him and wee Jamie got a hiding from Aunt Jenny for putting frogs into the horse’s water troves and another slightly disconcerting one was about the time he shot a crow thinking it was there for his newest cousin.

“Da was so mad! I had never seen him so, he threatened to thrash us over the yard fence.” Fergus said still with a sight tone of shock, “He had every right to, the sound brought the redcoats to the house, and he had to hide in a cupboard with Ian. I wonder if the cupboard is still there?” He mused looking out the window in thought.

Claire sighed, something of a habit today she thought, “Fergus. You know it doesn’t look the same my darling. It needs a lot of work before we can live there. Fergus?”

The boy hadn’t looked away from the window and Claire could see the reflection of his face contorted into a slight frown, he nodded but didn’t say anything. Claire reached over to touch his hand and he laced their fingers together in a tight grip.

When they arrived at the house Fergus was out of the car like a flash running into the courtyard. He spun around taking in all the mess and disorder as Claire unbuckled Brianna, she too took off towards her brother as soon as she was freed. Fergus instantly picked her up and began pointing things out to her, she listened intently and rested her head against his shoulder.

“Its not as bad as I thought it would be.” Fergus said as Claire joined them in the courtyard.

“You haven’t seen inside yet.” Claire laughed shaking the keys, “We need to watch where we walk. Here I’ll take your sister you run ahead and unlock it.” Fergus passed Brianna to Claire and started to unlock the chains. Claire gave him a moment to take in the sight of the inside, she noticed that his shoulders slump slightly when he saw it.

“It’s all gone” he said quietly, his eyes flicking to each empty space around the rooms.

Claire placed her arm around his shoulder and rested her head against the side of his.

“I know. But we will fill it again.”

Fergus nodded and then stilled as if remembering something. He then bolted for the staircase taking it two steps at a time.

“Fergus be careful!” Claire yelled. She rebalanced Brianna on her hip and made for the staircase, gently she edged he way up to the second floor and found Fergus ripping the panelling off one of the bedroom walls using a broken chair leg. Before Claire could even ask, he was explaining.

“Aunt Jenny used to hide things in the priest hole downstairs, food, and such. But upstairs in this one she used to hide all the other items.” Claire looked on in amazement as Fergus revealed a hidden door built into the wall.

“There used to be a wardrobe here with a false back, you could climb through.” He said throwing his weight against the door. With a loud bang the door flew open taking Fergus with it. A cloud of dust came out as Fergus hit the stone floor of a small windowless room.

“I knew it!” He cried out when he saw crates and painting wraps in lengths of cloth. There were rugs rolled up leaning against the wall, the missing tapestries were all folded and tucked away in the corner and one of the trunks had been left open housing multiple plaids in two different colours, Fraser and Murray.

“Treasure!” Brianna yelled and started to wriggle around to be let down. Claire placed her down and she stepped into the room with Fergus’s help.

“I’ll just duck down to the car to get a torch. Don’t go anywhere Fergus, I’ll be right back.”

When she returned Fergus was man handling a large trunk out of the room, he dropped it with a loud bang and they both stilled as the floor gave a loud crack.

“Fergus…” Claire chastised passing him the torch.

“Sorry” he said before going back into the room. Claire could see Brianna was tracing the patterns on the tapestries, her face already covered in dust and grime. The next few hours consisted of Fergus passing Claire items from the room, they discovered that most of the painting and rugs had been safely hidden away as well a crate of plates and cutlery. The bedroom was soon so full of the contents of the room that Claire was starting to worry about the floors ability to hold it all up. At last Fergus emerged carrying Brianna, the small girl was even dirtier than she was before and her brother wasn’t much better.

“Look mama! Look!” Brianna said pointing towards the now empty room. Claire crouched down and climbed in.

It wasn’t as small as it seemed from the outside, it was a largeish rectangular room tall enough got Claire to stand up in. It was slightly damp with a musty smell and one of the walls was ever so slightly curved. She could see the marks in the dust where some of the larger trunks had sat and she noticed a small alcove that held a seat and long since burnt out candle. He heart sank at the thought of Jamie having to be in a place like this. She was brought out of her stupor by Brianna’s excited yell.

“Princesses!!” the little girl yelled, and Fergus pulled out a several dresses from one the trunks.

“Merde (shit)” Fergus laughed running his fingers over the patterned silk.

“Are they what I think they are?” Claire said in amazement picking up one of her dresses from their time in Paris.

“Oui. Père les a tous gardés, comme si vous en aviez peut-être eu besoin à nouveau. (Yes. Da kept them all, as if you might have needed them again.” Fergus said smiling sadly at Claire.

It was growing dark by the time they had finished going through Claire’s clothes and now they were faced with what to do with the all the items.

“We could throw the softer things from the window” Fergus suggested looking down to see how far the drop was, “they would land just next to your wee garden Mama” Claire joined him and looked down to the ground below.

“I guess. The biggest trunks might need to be left up here until the builders come, I don’t trust the stairs to hold their weight while we carry them down.” Fergus nodded in agreement, “You go down with Bri and I’ll throw them all down.” Brianna had long since fallen asleep on a pile of rugs, her little hands tucked under her cheek.

“You keep the torch I’ll move the car around and use the headlights.” Claire said, picking up Brianna. Fergus nodded and began pulling the rugs toward the window.

The system worked rather well, first the rugs came flying out of the window, then tapestries and finally followed by any smaller trunks that softly landed on the pile with a soft thud. The larger trunks and paintings would need to be brought down by the builders; Fergus had tried to fit a larger painting out the window but stopped when the frame began to crack with the force of trying to make fit. Claire had buckled a still sleeping Brianna into her car seat and was loading the back of the car when she heard Fergus puffing, spinning around she saw that he was carrying one of the heavy trunks across the courtyard.

“Jesus Fergus!” Claire said, rushing towards him to grab one side of it. She noticed a corner of tartan was sticking out of the trunk.

“I couldn’t leave these up there.”

“Quite right darling.”

The drive home was slower than normal, the back of the car was weighed down and Fergus ended up having to hold Brianna in the front so they could use the backseat for the tartan trunk. So, it was late by the time they got home and even later by the time they had lugged most of the items upstairs. The tartan trunk was the last thing that they brought up and it now sat in the middle of the living room acting as a table for their fish and chip dinner. Fergus was inhaling the food as if Claire never fed him and Brianna was half asleep with a chip clutched in her hand her little head bobbing up and down as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

“I think its bath time little madame” Claire said prying the now mashed chip from her fist. Brianna struggled at first claiming that she wasn’t tired but by the time Claire had her in the bath she was all but fast asleep. Claire gently laid her down in her bed and brushed the hair out of her eyes and then softly shut the door halfway.

The months flew buy as the builders worked to bring the house back to its former self. The stables had been completed in record time and now housed most of the rediscovered painting, trunks, and the larger pieces of salvaged furniture like the dining table and a few chairs and side boards. Fergus had been working on restoring them on the weekends that they travelled up to the house. Claire, with Brianna’s help, had been working on the gardens. Her herb garden was almost back in worker order, and she had yet to show Mark the new plans for the vegetable garden.

“When do you think we can move in?” Claire asked Mark as they watched his men lay the final slates in the now fully restored roof.

Mark flicked through his trusty clipboard searching for the page that held their check list. “Well, the power and water are due to be turned on next Tuesday and the flooring on all three levels is booked into the sanded and waxed on Wednesday and Thursday. So, baring no last-minute complications next weekend should be fine if you are okay with us coming in and out for the new few months.”

Claire nodded in agreement, “That should be fine. Will the bedrooms be done in time?”

“They should be, Willie is working with some men today to have the main one sheeted and the weens ones were completed last week. Painting can be done any time between now and when we are due to finish.”

“Thank you, Mark. You and your men’s work has be excellent. Well done.” Clarie said patting him on the shoulder. The older man blushed slightly and mumbled something about having to check in with the lads.

The next few days went even quicker than previous months. With the help of Mrs Graham and some of the ladies from her druid club they had the flat packed up and loaded into a line of cars that stretched halfway up the street. Claires own car was so full that Fergus had to ride with Mrs Graham and Brianna was firmly stuck between a box of pots and a box of books in the back seat.

True to Marks word most of the work was completed by the time Claire and children moved in. There was still some painting to be done in the bedrooms and the custom-made front door was still on order. The current front door was a store brought one with a cheap lock, they didn’t use it a lot opting to use the back door most days.

Grey clouds hung over the estate on their first full day of living there. Claire was gathering in the washing while watching Fergus and Brianna try out the new cricket gear she had brought him, when the first rain drop fell. Within a few minutes it was a downpour and Fergus was helping her franticly grab everything off the line.

“Quick, quick! Inside with you!” Claire yelled herding Brianna and Fergus into the new laundry.

During the restorations she had requested a few extra changes to the floor plan, nothing so big that one would think they were out of place, but the house also needed to be brought into the 21st century. Small things like few extra counters in the kitchen and some inbuilt benches by the back door for storing shoes and other random items. The biggest changes were a laundry in place of what was once a priest hole, a bathroom downstairs that used to be a random room that neither Fergus or her could remember what it was used for and upstairs the Lairds bedroom had gained an ensuite in what used to be another priest hole; a window had been craved out and installed to let some light in and for ventilation and finally one of the other bedrooms had been turned into the main bathroom. The other bedrooms would be guest bedrooms and storage. Fergus had quickly called dibs on his old bedroom and Brianna was in the room that used to be nursery.

Claire dumped the now slightly damp washing onto the laundry counter with a curse.

“Dam it. It was almost dry too.” She complained starting to ring out some of the items into the sink. “Darling, can you reach the air dryer?” She asked Fergus.

“Oui mama” he said as he reached up to pull down the retractable indoor clothesline.

“Thank you, sweetheart. Why don’t you take Brianna and get changed, I’ll start dinner when I’m done here”?

The storm was getting worse as the afternoon dragged on. The TV was fuzzy, and Fergus complained about not being able to watch his show and Brianna had grown irritable about being coup up inside.

“No! That’s mine!” Brianna yelled startling Claire so much that she almost cut her finger while chopping up the potatoes for dinner.

“You weren’t even reading it!” Fergus yelled back annoyed at his sisters complaining.

“NO!” Brianna screamed and started to cry. Claire slammed down the knife.

“Right!” She yelled rounding the corning into the loungeroom, “Fergus I need you to go and start unpacking some of the books in the study please”.

Fergus started to the complain but stopped when Claire gave him a look.

“Putain de livres stupides (Stupid fucken books.)” He muttered to himself as he stormed out of the room.

“I heard that!” She yelled after him and was rewarded with a slam of the study door.

Brianna was still crying and stamping her feet.

“and you little miss, need to have a nap.” Claire said gathering Bri up in her arms.

“No. NO! No nap!” Brianna yelled as Claire started walking up the staircase.

“Yes! Yes!” Claire said back brushing the tears from Bri’s cheeks. “Nap and then we will have some dinner.” She said laying her down on her bed. Brianna struggled and made to get up, but Claire wasn’t having any of it.

“Brianna Ellen, so help me god if you get out of the bed before I come and get you, no dessert” Claire said sternly. Brianna stared her mother down, her Fraser eyes flashing with rage. Claire ignored them and pointed to her bed before leaving.

Claire went back to cutting up the potatoes and warming up the oven. She flicked on the radio to fill the now silent house and hummed along with the big band music.

Just as night fell Fergus slinked out of the study and started setting the table. Claire had retrieved Brianna a few hours before and she was now sitting and playing with her dolls that were spread out over a corner of the loungeroom.

Claire pressed a gentle kiss to Fergus’s check as she walked past him with cutlery.

“Sorry mama”

“It’s alright.” She replied.

They had just sat down for dinner in the sparsely furnish dining room when the front door flew open with a loud bang, the flimsy temporary lock it seemed didn’t stand a chance against the storm that was raging across the estate.

“Fergus can you go grab that?” Claire asked cutting up some carrots for Brianna.

“Yes Mama”

The lights flickered as Fergus made his way towards the door and he heard his mother curse, her chair scraping against the floor as she got up to find some candles. With a loud clap of thunder, the lights went out and a shadow descended across the lightning lit entry way. Fergus cautiously moves towards it quickly grabbing a cricket bat that was leaning up against the hallway cupboard. The shadow just stood there dripping water onto the newly installed wooden floors; his mother would be annoyed Fergus thought. The shadow moved to take a step forward and Fergus raised the bat.

“Don’t even try it” he said firmly.

The shadow faulted.

“Fergus?”

Fergus gasped; the bat slipped from his hand hitting the floor with a bounce.

“Da?”

#pentopaper23 #outlander #outlander fanfiction #fan fiction #outlander fandom #claire fraser #fergus fraser #fanficion #jamie fraser #brianna fraser #cross posted on ao3

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lordjohnlander · 2 years

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Episode 8 Fic Rec

Every Impossible Move by JeSuisPrest What if Jamie Fraser found love in the twenty years he was apart from Claire? What if Claire returned to find he seemingly had everything: love, a child, land, family? This story starts on the night before Jamie leaves Helwater. “A master looks at every move he would like to make, especially the impossible ones.”~Gary Kasparov Read it Here

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#fan fiction #Fic Recs #jamie fraser #lgbtqia+#lord john grey #lord johnlander #lord johnlander community #lord johnlander podcast #outlander #period drama

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outlanderskin · 28 days

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November. Yesterday, Starzzzzzz released the premiere date for the second part of the seventh season, as if the interval between the first and second had been just three or six months. They did not publish any justification or apology. Starzzzzzz's disregard for Outlander fans is nothing new and portrays well what one side of the fandom (chosen as a scapegoat) has been feeling for years, only this time misfortune came for everyone. Well, we're talking about a company that in the year 2024 still thinks that focusing on the female audience means exposing males as an available piece of meat. A company that keeps Outlander in its catalog for so long because it knows that's what makes a profit. There is no concern about quality of interactions or consideration for the public. But the interesting thing about this is that it seems that only our side of the fandom has noticed this... for years. The other segments always resigned themselves to the crumbs offered and always criticized us for complaining about the lack of publicity and interaction. They thought we did it just because we wanted to watch S&C videos, photos or interviews together; They accused us of mixing fiction with reality, but in reality we were always demanding the basics. It's impossible that Starzzzzz's eternal apologists have never noticed over the years how other companies treat their customers on hiatus and how Starzzzzzz treats Outlander fans.

The fact that Starzzzzzz behaves in the most unprofessional way possible is nothing new for us. Who remembers another entertainment company whose CEO uses interviews or social media to talk about actors' private lives or incite hatred against a specific group of customers? It's interesting to see now, how some of the people who applauded him at the time (even though it was totally unprofessional), are angry because they will have to wait for something, without any plausible justification. I really hope that these people who consider themselves the best fans ever, practically members of the Starzzzzz family, have finally realized that they are just consumers. LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

#outlander #thehardlifeofshippers #welcome to the shitshow

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sgiandubh · 2 months

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Onlies at large

Sometimes (often, even), I can't sleep. And when I can't sleep, I get easily bored, if not focused on something. And there was nothing of particular import on Netflix or Amazon Prime, yesterday night. Aaand, as I don't have access to my bookshelves back home, I went looking for a light something to read myself to the Land of Nod.

I am, since forever, a solid reader of non-fiction. Memoirs, diaries are a special interest, too. So I just wanted to see if there were any nice memoirs of people who went to Scotland in search of a new life/love/whatever, Under The Tuscan Sun -style. Everand/Scribd is a decent starting point for the such, at 2 AM.

There weren't and I wonder why. But as I was browsing around, lo and behold, I found a tiny, self-published memoir by a certain Ninya (not her real name, of course): Scotland with a Stranger (2020).

Great literature it is not. It is naive and the narrative line sounded really, really meh to me: a 43 year old Alabama depressed divorcee finds healing and a renewed purpose for life, while traveling to Scotland with an improbable companion.

So, I skimmed and skimmed and skimmed (FFS, when is she going to PACK, this one?). Then, I found this and no, I am not sorry AT ALL for the length (passages are bolded by me).

Thank you Baby Jesus, she finally made it to her EDI flight:

'(...) I noticed a little emblem on the shirts of many of the women on this flight. It looked like mountains and said Peaker. All the women were laughing and chatting and carrying on like they had known each other forever.

“Is this your first trip to Scotland?” I tried to make small talk with the lady next to me.

“Heavens, no! It’s my sixth.”

“Wow,” I said. “It’s such a big world, but you keep coming back here?”

“Yes, it’s just incredibly beautiful. I never get tired of it. There is no other place as magical on earth.” She smiled wistfully. “I’m actually coming for a gala.”

“A gala?” I parroted back to her. I thought galas were reserved for Barbie movies. In my social circle, no one I knew ever attended a gala.

“Yes! It’s called My Peak Challenge.” She leaned in closer, excited to share. “Have you read the Outlander series?”

“Funny you ask that because I just downloaded the first book.” It seemed like required reading when you went to Scotland. I loved to read and had nothing but time due to my social media fast, so it was sitting unopened on my iPad.

“Well, the character of Jamie is played by Sam Heughan, and he is the founder of My Peak Challenge. It’s not just a club; it’s a movement, and every year they have a gala in Edinburgh. People come from all over the world for this event.”

The germaphobe next to me chimed in. “This is my first year, but he has truly changed my life. I’ve lost twenty-two pounds.” I was impressed, having weighed nearly two hundred myself at one point. Losing sixty of it was one of the biggest accomplishments of my life.

“Losing weight is so hard,” I commiserated with her. “How did you do it?”

“The boring way, eating right and exercising.” She laughed, and I laughed with her because I knew too well it was the only way that worked long-term.

She continued on. “My Peak Challenge is a training and nutrition program where we support and challenge each other, but it’s not just that because Sam has raised nearly two million dollars for charities all over the world. He’s just incredible.” She was practically swooning and literally fanning herself. I wasn’t sure if it was because he was hot, or because she was.

That nutrition program must include the Sam Heughan is a God Kool-aid.

“This conference includes a meet and greet and a gala and a special workout that Sam leads. He’s just an amazing human being,” she gushed. She clearly was in love with Sam Heughan.

“I have been chosen to introduce him,” the sweet older lady to my left said. “So, I’ve got the next eight hours to figure out the words to say to introduce the man who has completely changed my life.”

“Yes!” She went on. “It’s an incredible organization. He’s really affecting change on a global level.” (sic!)

Great. I am stuck between two evangelists at a Sam Heughan-is-the-greatest-human-in-the-world presentation.

“We have a Facebook group, and everyone is just so awesome and supportive. It really is a family.”

“And how much does it cost to be in this family?” I asked skeptically.

“It wasn’t much,” she defended, quickly changing the topic. “Nearly every penny is donated to charity. He is changing lives,” she stressed so incredibly seriously I had to cover my mouth to stifle a giggle.

Is this a cult? It sounds like a cult. I am trapped on an airplane for the next eight hours with the Sam Heughan cult.

Luckily for me, headphones exist. It was an overnight flight, which meant I could close my eyes and pretend to sleep, and there were movies to be seen.' (Ninya - Scotland with a Stranger: A Memoir, Chapter Thirteen).

For some reason, I doubt Ninya ever opened that OL first tome, on her IPad or elsewhere. But the point of my post is not to poke fun at SRH, MPC and all the gracious Peakers who read and often comment on this humble blog (@ladyjane-lj, @rosfrank immediately come to mind and I am sure they are not the only ones).

The reason I quoted this passage at almost full length, despite the paltry writing skills and abysmal grammar/spelling on display (Sweet Baby Jesus, please make people see the real difference between affect and effect, thank you and amen) is that we are dealing here with a unique perspective on a sizeable chunk of this fandom. You see, Ninya has no damn agenda to promote, in OL terms. She is not a shipper, but she is not an Anti, either. She couldn't care less if S+C=❤️, or if Tait rhymes with Fate (it rhymes with Bait, if you ask me). She doesn't know anything about OL, its cast, its Best Fans Ever, you and me and her.

And this is precisely why her perspective is so damn interesting. She is a mere passer-by, who failed to be grabbed in by the OTT Only Mommie gushing and who saw possessiveness and objectification disguised as love. She saw the most problematic, hypocrite and unimportant side of this whole experience and this whole fandom. And it's terrible and I am really sorry she did.

Maybe someone else than us reads this. For once, I wish they did, for it is an unadulterated, faraway echo of Real Life and the Real World. Selling that Toy Boi image is WRONG, *** and PR and TPTB. It's counterproductive and a total turnoff to real people who can't be arsed to even look for the Balmaclellan Adonis on Google, just because this fan substack is really, really embarrassing.

Of course, they blindly buy the booze, religiously sign in year after year to just about everything he sells around. Of course they show up every single time and pitch their tents on the rude city pavement in front of God Knows Which liquor store in Whoville, America. But they also show up with baked lasagna, pinch his ass (Madame Tussaud's, anyone?) and geriatrically swoon front row, cackling and giggling and catcalling like they were 12. It's also because of these women that OL lost its fabulous innocence and authenticity and it's because of these women we do have the Global Merry-Go-Round Seasonal Shitshow that keeps all of us (sickly, I am the first to admit it) engaged here.

Finally, this is also why I am closely following all the business side of this ahem, universe. It's the road less traveled by and of course, probably the most rewarding.

Shoot me, the very moment I turn into Neilie. Let it be clearly known beforehand. And no, please do not resuscitate. I'd be too ashamed.

#fandom #shitshow

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maximumwobblerbanditdonut · 8 days

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I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it.

Edith Sitwell

I understand that this fan may have missed my previous response, but I'd like to clarify that there have been some surreal moments from SH’s fans and their comments. This moment doesn't change the essence of who they are. This is their way of talking with all emotions flying high, right? Although claims that this word was created by Diana Gabaldon and given to SH to use on his merchandise, this is not the case. The word Sassunach/Sassanach is not a made-up word and it is not the property of any one person. It has been in use for centuries and has roots in Gaelic and Scottish culture.

Sassunach/Sassanach simply means English person. Similarly, Albanach means Scottish person. Alba in Gaelic means Scotland, which was a language that the English referred to in ancient times due to the language they spoke. SH appropriated this word because he is an opportunistic man who will take advantage of what he can find to reach some end.

Lowland Scots and non-Gaelic speakers were also called sassunach. But in the 18th century, the Scots used the word due to their occupation of Scotland for hundreds of years. No matter what you think, no one in Outlander SH or DG has a legally legitimate title to the word Sassenach. Gaelic is not inherent to DG or SH. The Gaelic language and culture are an integral part of the nation's identity, and more than half of Scotland's Gaelic speakers live in the Highlands and Islands, connecting people for centuries SH used it word as a cultural appropriation he ignored the history and struggles of the culture from which he was taken. He is a lowland Scot and he doesn't speak the language. But, Don’t be surprised, after all, everything about him is made up.

Don’t forget, Gabaldon from New Mexico picked 18th century Scotland as a setting for her novel by accident after seeing an old episode of Doctor Who featuring the companion character Jamie Robert McCrimmon, (played by Frazer Hines) fictional character also known as Jamie, who fought in the Battle of Culloden fighting for Bonnie Prince Charles on 16th April 1746.

The earliest known use of the word Sassenach is in the mid-1700s. The earliest evidence for Sassenach is in the writing of Tobias Smollett, a Scottish novelist.

Tobias Smollett wrote in the novel, Humphrey Clinker (1771), ‘The Highlanders have no other name for the people of the Low Country, but Sassenagh or Saxons’. In modern Scotland, however, the Gaelic term has been adopted into general usage as sassenach, denoting something or someone English.

In DG’s original book, there’s the problematic use of the Scots word “Sassenach,” derived from the Gaelic word “Sasannach,” which does not mean “outlander” or “foreigner” — it only means an Englishman. In Gaelic the word is neutral, but in Scots, the word has a pejorative sense which can be offensive to English people. (I’m sorry but you can’t go into the issue without greater detail here, and post about this word with nonsense comments ) You must read about Scottish Gaelic history and culture. The word is only applied to the English, "Sassenach" not refers to any traveller not born in Scotland... in other words, has nothing to do with "outlander."

It is worth noting that Gaelic is not magical and, despite being Scottish, SH did not grow up speaking the language in the Highlands as many Scots do. Instead, he took the word and applied it to his brand, taking advantage of the fact that his fans see themselves as a ‘Sassenach’ (a fictional television character, that's idiotic). This tactic plays on women's emotions and allows SH to benefit quickly without making concessions. It might be a smart move of him, but some may see it as really questionable. Nice way for a 44-year-old man to shine and live supported by adult women 😳

It’s considered inappropriate for a man to rely on the support and attention of adult women. It's concerning to see SH's female customers blindly following buying expensive merchandise for decoration and praising him all year round. These individuals are often referred to as 'useful idiots' who mindlessly parrot comments without questioning or thinking critically.

I believe if someone chooses to take advantage of their fans, it's because their fans enjoy looking ridiculous and don't mind being laughed at. Unfortunately, there's not much that can be done about this. As the saying goes, 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.' I find it hard to believe that some of SH's female fans who don't have any Scottish ancestry, no Scottish blood running through their veins would want to pretend to be Scots 🙄

They are female clients who pay for SH’s services at private events, but it doesn't seem to have any positive impact on their lives. His only impact was leaving a scar on his forehead that he'll never forget while increasing his bank statement. These women, and rarely men, buy his expensive products just to flaunt them on social media in hopes of getting attention from the person they idolise. This behaviour is mostly seen in women interested in a middle-aged man. It's worth noting that SH doesn't even know his clients' names or even that they exist.

It sounds like you're not familiar with SH’s books. He hired Charlotte, 👻 a ghostwriter, to write Clanlands books and another ghostwriter to write Waypoints. It doesn't matter if other people have used ghostwriters, we are not arguing about them, this is specifically about SH.

By the way, the spy who dumped me? It was a fun comedy film but Brian Glazer had the idea of working with female roles and decided to choose Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon, he did not choose SH (who was chosen by Lionsgate/Sony), as a spy who left no one behind, Well, Gillian Anderson and Justin Theroux were more important than him.

SH is not a bartender. He doesn't prepare his own recipes. Instead, he presents cocktails from real bartenders and fails to mention their creators, thereby taking credit for them. In this scenario, you are not offering any thoughtful reflection. If you don't want to be mistaken as an obsessive fan, you shouldn't behave like one. It's tiring to see such behaviour in adult women.

On the other hand, conventional alcohol brands do not need or use awards or medals as a distinctive feature, nor do they even use praise as a reason for being. Perhaps, the messages, brand attributes and market positioning are enough to win over the consumer. Very different from SH alcohol, which relies on women who have no idea how to tell whisky or gin apart to elevate and praise their idol in the marketplace.

So, It seems that you have not studied Scots Gaelic properly and have no idea about the history of Scotland. But if you've started learning Scots Gaelic, you can continue, but you should try harder. If you are a learner, it is always good practice to make this clear.

Never try to use jealousy as an excuse to open up the conversation… BAD IDEA. (Look at what happened to Leia… she kissed her brother!) By the way, no one likes mediocrity and settles for it.

Cheers :)

Posted 11th April 2024

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underthewingsofthblackeagle · 1 year

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Foto: Panorama Helsinki / Finland - Dom und Parlamentsplatz (by tap5a)

“We only do this for Fergus!” is a short Outlander Fan Fiction story and my contribution to the Outlander Prompt Exchange (Prompt 3: Fake Relationship AU: Jamie Fraser wants to formally adopt his foster son Fergus, but his application will probably not be approved… unless he is married and/or in a committed relationship. Enter one Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp (Randall?) to this story) @outlanderpromptexchange

Chapter 26: The Second Christmas Day (1) - At the French Cathedral

Winter night Berlin by Nathan Wright from Pixabay

Berlin, Grunewald district, villa of the von Klarenberg family, Friday, 26 December 2025, Boxing Day, 4.17 a.m.

Matthieu von Klarenberg stretched extensively but carefully. Then he looked at the clock face of the alarm clock on his bedside table. The clock showed 04.17 am. Teresa always tried hard not to wake him when she got up at night for some reason, yet he woke up every time. Matthieu was simply too light a sleeper. It had been very different in his youth. Especially during the time he had spent as a student at various European universities. "You can carry von Klarenberg away at night and he won't notice," his fellow students had often quipped. At the time, he slept like the proverbial marmot- But since he met Teresa, and especially after they got married, his sleeping patterns had changed elementarily. The reason for this was not only that his wife knew countless ways and means to keep him awake at night. After all, a bed wasn't just for sleeping, as she always remarked mischievously. Matthieu had always had this strong protective instinct when it came to people he loved or was responsible for. It was an integral part of his personality. But since he and Teresa had married, this pre-existing protective instinct had intensified and since the children had been born, there were no limits for Matthieu. There was nothing he wouldn't do to protect his family. If it became necessary, he would kill for them. He knew that. But von Klarenberg hoped that this case would never come to pass.

Matthieu's thoughts wandered to James Fraser. Jamie, whom he and Teresa were to meet in a few hours and who he had known since childhood, was his best friend. Although the two men had very different personalities and it could sometimes appear to outsiders that they came from different worlds, there were many areas of life where they had not only found common ground but also worked very well together. What primarily united them was their sense of loyalty. Both von Klarenberg and Fraser possessed an extraordinary loyalty to the people they cared about. Once they had established a genuine relationship with someone, they did everything they could to protect and support that person. Von Klarenberg's introverted nature, had initially made him keep his distance from Fraser when they had met. Jamie was so very different, crossing boundaries set by the adults and having a blast doing it. Matthieu remembered very well how once during the summer holidays, when they were 16 or 17, Jamie had soaked the feed of the chickens on a neighbouring farm with grain schnapps. A short time later, they were staggering drunkenly around the farm. The story had not only caused a stir among the entire Fraser neighbourhood, but also some excitement within the Fraser household. The fact that Jamie constantly insisted that he had only given the chickens "grain" did not help to dispel this excitement. Matthieu had only been able to convince his father with great difficulty that he was not involved in this prank. Why should he have taken part in something that was so completely illogical, even pointless, and that would also have serious consequences? After all, Jamie had been under house arrest for a whole month. No, Matthieu was different. He spent his free time in the summer wandering through the fields and forests of the surrounding area to find a quiet place and then read for hours in one of his books. In winter, he made himself comfortable by the tiled stove in his room, got himself a warm drink and ... read. Jamie Fraser, on the other hand ... well.

Nevertheless, the two young men became friends over time, and not only because their parents had wished it. This shared value of loyalty laid the foundation for a strong partnership between them early on. It was also this shared approach to life that led to the protection of the people they loved becoming their primary concern. Both men were willing to do anything to protect their loved ones from harm. They would face all challenges and dangers to protect their families and friends. They had already proven this a few times. The common desire to protect others had not only strengthened the bond of their friendship but made it unbreakable over the decades. For what they were willing to do for their families, they were also willing to do for each other. Both men also had a strong sense of justice. Like Jamie, Matthieu had a strong sense of justice and a desire to right wrongs. As a result, both were willing to stand up for what they believed was right, even if it meant encountering opposition or putting themselves in danger. The conviction that truth and truthfulness were among the most important values of all had also moved them time and again to stand up for causes and goals that were important to both of them or even just one of them. Matthieu and Jamie might be very different in many ways. While Matthieu was a reserved and controlled person who was not always forthcoming with his feelings or intentions, Jamie had a passionate and direct personality. Fraser often wore his heart on his sleeve. But their shared values, principles and beliefs made it easy for them to work together effectively. The two men drew the special strength of their friendship from the fact that they were able to complement each other through their respective strengths. All this was only possible because they had already found a way to communicate effectively with each other in their youth.

But since his last visit to Potsdam, Matthieu wondered if the latter was still the case. He had enjoyed meeting the friend again and the time with him, Fergus and Claire had been wonderful. But still, he had felt that something was wrong. "Jamie?" Teresa had laid back in bed, turned to Matthieu and then rested her head on her right hand. "Yes." Matthieu looked at her, thinking how grateful he was that his wife understood him so well. Before he could say anything, she had wrapped her left arm around his neck and pulled him down to her. As they broke away from each other after a lingering kiss, she said: "Maybe you can talk to him today?" "Yes, I hope so." "I will try to spend some time alone with Claire, then you will have a chance to talk to Jamie." Matthieu nodded. "Thank you. Is everything all right with Friederike?" "Yes, just the usual little hunger pangs in between. Everything's fine. Maurice is fast asleep too. I stopped by to see him on the way back." "Then we should get some sleep now too, the day will be long." Matthieu pulled his wife to him, kissed her again and then pulled the covers over her.

New Palace Potsdam on a Winter Morning by Bernd Schmidt from Pixabay

Potsdam, Nördliche Vorstadt, Villa of the Fraser family, Friday, 26 December 2025, Boxing Day, 7.30 a.m.

The day began as planned. When Jamie wanted to wake Fergus, he was already sitting awake in his bed, listening to his new CD "The Three ??? and the missing Dinosaur" for the umpteenth time. It didn't take much convincing to get the boy out of bed, because Fergus was very excited about all the things this day would bring and eager to finally meet his friend Maurice. "Are we bringing Maurice a present? And do you think I'll get a present from Uncle Matthieu and Aunt Teresa, Dad?" "Good morning to you too, Fergus. Did our Sir Knight sleep well?" The boy sighed. "Sorry. Good morning, Papa." "Come here." Fraser pulled the child close and gave him a warm hug. "I understand you have a lot of questions, Fergus. But the sooner we finish showering and dressing now, the sooner you'll get closer to the answers to your questions." When they emerged from the bathroom, Jamie helped Fergus blow-dry his hair and then, put on the clothes Claire had laid out the night before: Dark blue socks, dark blue trousers, a white shirt with a small blue bow tie and a blue velvet jumper that had the words "Finnjet" in white letters on the right side. When they came down to the dining room for breakfast, everything was already prepared there, but that morning there was only a "light version" of the opulent breakfast they had enjoyed the day before. Jamie and Fergus greeted Claire and then they were seated at the breakfast table. After the meal, "the men" helped her clear the table and then Fraser accompanied the boy upstairs again so they could both brush their teeth. Ten minutes later they all met back in the hall, put on their coats and boots and headed down to the garage. Claire and Fergus took a seat in the back of the car. A few minutes later they had already left the Heiligensee behind them. It took about ten more minutes before they reached the Potsdam-Babelsberg motorway junction. Although the temperatures had changed slightly back into the plus range that morning, the sky was cloudy and shortly before they had left the house it had started to snow. Jamie was grateful that they had got out of the house so early. He could now drive slower than he had thought and in all probability they would still reach their destination on time. They had been on the road for maybe fifteen minutes when Claire had pulled Fergus close to her. The boy had leaned against her as soon as he got in. But then she had noticed that he was getting tired. She gently pulled him towards her so that his head came to rest on her lap. "You're welcome to sleep a little longer, Fergus. The day will still be long." The boy answered nothing but simply snuggled up to her. Claire spread his coat over him. Then she looked ahead and at that moment Fraser's eyes and hers met in the rearview mirror. They smiled. Half an hour later Fergus woke up again. "Well, slept well?" "Hmmm." The boy yawned, but this time he didn't forget to put his hand over his mouth. "Are you hungry? I have another roll with salami in my bag for you." "Nope, thanks, Claire." He snuggled up to her again. "Just let me know if you get hungry later." "Hmmm." At 9.40 a.m. Jamie steered the car into the underground car park of "Fraser & Son International" and parked. They got out and Claire helped Fergus put on his coat. Then she quickly combed his hair again and put on his fur hat. A moment later, they took the lift down to the company hall. Fraser unlocked the door to the street, let Fergus and Claire out and locked it again behind him.

The French Dome at the Gendarmenmarkt/Berlin by Ansgar Koreng / CC BY 3.0 (DE), CC BY 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40394219

Contrary to Jamie's fears, he didn't have to urge Fergus to hurry. For one thing, they had plenty of time, and for another, the boy was too excited that he would finally see his "Uncle Matthieu" and his friend Maurice. This excitement was quite enough to drive him. Even from a distance, Jamie, Fergus and Claire could see Matthieu and Maurice. Father and son von Klarenberg stood, wrapped in their winter coats, under the large portal that protected the entrance to the cathedral. Fergus wanted to run to greet them, but Fraser held him back. "Fergus, it's slippery, I don't want you to slip and fall. Be careful. We'll be right there!" Shortly afterwards Claire, Jamie and Fergus also climbed the steps of the cathedral portal and before Maurice could help himself he was also being hugged and squeezed by Fergus. "Great that we get to visit you today!" The boy left his friend a little astonished and immediately turned to his "Uncle Matthieu" who had already leaned down to hug Fergus. When the two broke away from each other again, Jamie and Claire also had the opportunity to greet Matthieu and Maurice. Then the bells of the cathedral began to ring. Jamie glanced at his wristwatch. It showed 9.55 a.m. It was time to take their seats in the church. Before they entered the church, Matthieu took off his feodora. Maurice also pulled his cap off his head. Fraser almost forgot to take off his fur hat. He quickly hurried to do the same to Matthieu. Then, with an extended hand movement, he pulled the cap off Fergus' head as well. He looked questioningly at his father, but he only pointed forward. Claire, who was unfamiliar with the customs, now wanted to take off her cap too, but Fraser told her to keep it on. They quickly found a row with enough seats for all five of them. Claire led the way. She placed Fergus between her and Jamie. Maurice followed, so that he came to sit between Jamie and Matthieu. Good, Claire thought, the boys can be close but not get into mischief, because the fathers sit between them. She had to smile. Now the first accords of an organ piece were heard and the service began. Following the piece of music, the pastor welcomed those present. A silent prayer followed, during which Fergus unobtrusively tried to get a closer look at the church interior. The pastor ended the silent prayer with "Amen" and announced a hymn. Matthieu pointed to the hymnals laid out and opened his at the song number indicated. Jamie and Claire followed suit. Then those present rose to sing. Claire read the words to the song and tried to follow them. She regretted not asking Jamie about the schedule or details of the service in the days before. But when she looked over at him, she realised that he was as clueless as she was. For he too did not sing, but followed the words of the hymn reading as well. Fergus, she observed, seemed more preoccupied with scrutinising all the details of the church hall than singing. Unlike her, Jamie and Fergus, neither Matthieu nor Maurice seemed to have any problems with the song. She clearly heard Matthieu's clear baritone voice and, albeit softly, Maurice's squeaky singing voice. When the song had faded away, a presbyter stepped in front of the altar. After a moment of silence, he read the 10 Commandments and their summary by Jesus Christ. Then he said a prayer, which was followed by another song. After the congregation was seated again, the pastor stepped up to the pulpits and began to speak. First he read the sermon text, which for this Sunday was taken from the 3rd chapter of the letter to Titus: “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.” (Titus 3: 3 - 8, NIVUK) In his remarks, the pastor emphasised the new life made possible for people through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Claire looked over at Fraser. She noticed that the minister's words had some effect on him. Following the sermon, there was another hymn. Then there were some announcements. The collection followed, which was again accompanied by an organ piece. Then, to Jamie's and Claire's surprise, those present rose and once again a presbyter came forward and offered the greeting of peace. Then the pastor said a prayer of thanksgiving and intercession and led into the Lord's Prayer, which was said by the whole congregation. Claire glanced at Fergus and could see that he was clearly watching everything closely and also trying to memorise a lot of things. He will be asking a lot of questions in the coming days, she thought and hoped fervently that Jamie and she would somehow be able to answer them. After the common prayer had ended with a loud "Amen", the pastor extended the invitation to the Holy Meal. The organ began to play a piece of music softly and when Claire saw Jamie and Fergus sit down again, she too took her seat. Matthieu motioned Maurice to sit down too and then whispered something to Jamie. The latter nodded briefly. Matthieu stopped and shortly afterwards joined the queue of people who were now walking step by step towards the table to receive the Holy Meal.

Inside view of the French Dome, Berlin, by Andreas Faessler - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30533293

Fergus turned in a whisper to Jamie, who had his left arm around Maurice and his right around his foster son: "What is Uncle Matthieu doing there?" "I'll explain later," Fraser whispered back. Claire followed Matthieu with her eyes. The tall man, who measured at least six feet nine inches, even kneeling, still stood out from that group spread out on the three kneeling benches that stood in front of the table. Only a few minutes later, von Klarenberg returned to his seat, where he stopped again for a moment and prayed silently. Then he too took his seat again. The pastor announced another hymn shortly afterwards and after it had faded away, the sending and the blessing followed. Then the organ started for the last time and the pastor left the sanctuary towards the church door. Those present rose and slowly followed him to the exit. There, one by one, they were bidden farewell by the clergyman. When Matthieu and Maurice took their turn, von Klarenberg immediately introduced James Fraser ("my friend"), Fergus Fraser ("his foster son") and Claire Beauchamp ("his fiancée") to the pastor. Jamie froze when he heard the words "his fiancée". Where was Fergus? Had he heard that? How would he react? But then Fraser could breathe a sigh of relief, for he saw that Fergus and Maurice had already arrived at the bottom step of the stairs leading down to the Gendarme Market. Quite obviously, the boys had not noticed anything about the whole thing either. While Matthieu and Claire were still talking to the pastor, Jamie hurried after the boys. "Stay here, gentlemen!" The boys looked up at him. "Come on, we're all going to lunch right now!" Fifteen minutes later, Claire, Fergus and Jamie were back in Fraser's car and driving to the von Klarenbergs' house.

A villa at Berlin-Grundewald by Bodo Kubrak - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19272619 "Why wasn't I allowed to go with Maurice and Uncle Matthieu?" asked Fergus, who was clearly annoyed that Jamie and Matthieu had separated the two friends again for the return journey. "Fergus, that makes sense," Fraser replied and then added, "because we need your help!" "Why?" the boy now asked curiously. "Why? Well, it's quite obvious! There are all the presents in the back of the boot. For Aunt Teresa, for Maurice and for Uncle Matthieu. You'll have to help me and Claire carry them." "Ah," was all Fergus said, then fell silent. He's probably pondering what we'll bring to the von Klarenbergs, Claire thought. Then she glanced ahead and saw Fraser smiling at her again through the rear-view mirror. She smiled back. When they arrived shortly afterwards in front of the von Klarenbergs' house in the Grunewald district of Berlin, the tall wrought-iron courtyard gate opened immediately so that Jamie drove through and stopped directly in front of the house entrance. Claire was amazed when she saw the property. Fraser House was an imposing mansion, and yet it was nothing like this city mansion. The von Klarenbergs' mansion was two storeys high and had a roof truss that had obviously been extended as well. The house was kept in a light, cream-coloured shade that went well with the red roof tiles. A two-storey extension had been added to the left of the almost square main house, probably at a later date. This was smaller than the main house, but still larger than the annexe that adjoined Fraser's villa and in which the Curtius couple lived. When Claire got out of the car, she immediately noticed the surveillance cameras mounted under the roof. They were coloured in the same tone as the house and were guaranteed not to be noticed by an observer who was not standing directly in front of the house. Only if you stood close to the house and looked up could you see them. As the small group got out of the car, the front door opened and Matthieu von Klarenberg came down the steps of a staircase leading into the house. Once again Matthieu greeted each of the visitors warmly. Then he led Claire into the house while Jamie held Fergus back: "We're going to move the car into the car park," he said, addressing his foster son, "and then I'll need your help carrying the presents." Fergus nodded, got back into the car and waited. Fraser got in too and then drove the car a few yards away to a spot where two other cars were already parked. When Jamie had parked the car, he got out, opened the door for Fergus and then took some bags and a large bouquet of flowers wrapped in cling film from the boot. "What do you want me to carry?" asked Fergus. "You take the bouquet, I'll carry the bags. They're too heavy for you," Fraser replied. Then they followed Matthieu and Claire into the house.

#Outlander #Outlander Fan Fiction #Modern AU #Fergus Fraser #Claire Beauchamp #Jamie Fraser #We only do this for Fergus #Germany #Berlin #Potsdam

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anemhoez · 9 months

Text

That Spark…

Mafia!Thoma/AFAB Sex worker!Reader

words: 4k

A/N: Some things about the story!!

Character Ages

some ages for the characters aren’t specifically given in the Genshin canon, so i went by the median age i found.

Thoma is said to be a young man aged 20+ (i assume hes the same age as Ayato, who is about 24 and the head of his clan

Ayaka is at least 18-20 as the eldest daughter of the Kamisato clan

Sara is a general of an army and is said to be at least 20-22

Yae Miko is like, a 500+ year old yokai lol

I just want to be clear on their ages cause we do NOT write minor characters into sexual situations on this page!

Yae Miko’s name

I KNOW MIKO IS A TITLE!

I promise im not uncultured, i know its a shrine maiden title but im going to call her Miko in this story 😌 if it’s what Ei calls her, its what ill call her 😀 (ive seen fans call her yae or miko, others say the kanji for her name is different so its not the same meaning) but for this story its Miko hehe

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WARNINGS: language, unprotected sex, mentions of smoking

This is a work of fiction and is not relevant to the Genshin Impact lore! All characters (except the reader ofc) and settings belong to Hoyoverse (DONT SUE ME THANKS)

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

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It was time for celebration in inazuma since the Sakoku Decree was finally lifted. Vision bearers were now allowed to roam free in the streets without scrutiny. The city buzzed with excitement as you walked through the growing crowds, loud fireworks crackling in the distance. Since It was your day off from work, you were on your way to Komore Teahouse, and you couldn’t think of a better way to relax than meeting friends and enjoying some great food and conversation. Upon entering the teahouse, you greeted the staff politely and made sure to give Taroumaru his pets and ear scratches. The usual stoic canine wagged his tail in excitement. When you reached the second floor, you could already hear the boisterous laughs of the friends you were meeting. “Hey everyone!” you exclaimed as you walked in greeting your friends Ayaka, Miko, and Sara. They all greeted you back with cheers, “Y/n, finally! I cant for the life of me remember the details of that one encounter you had with the Kairagi guy,” Miko asked, “What did he call his manhood again?” she asked with a finger to her chin. You giggled remembering the exact story she was referencing. The three of them were your closest friends, and stories of your past adventures were something you were more than comfortable sharing. “He called it his, mighty Orobashi,”you said with your fingers making air quotes, “when the poor thing wasn’t even the size of a baby garden snake.” The women erupted in laughter, “The audacity of some men,” Sara said sarcastically before taking a sip of her tea, “You would think with the kind of discipline they have in battle, they would at least have some kind of humility in bed.” Miko giggled, “No such thing as humility when it comes to men and their desires.” The four of you chatted about the outlander, and their victory against the mighty Shogun. Miko sighed recalling her role in the whole ordeal, “The amount of planning on my part, so troublesome,” her voice calm,” “but if its whats best for her, and the people, then so be it.” You rolled your eyes at her, “So is it you we should be thanking Lady Guuji ? The sacrifices you must have made!” you teased with the most sarcasm you could muster. Before the snarky pink haired woman could reply, a waitress came to your table and bowed to you all. “My apologies, but theres someone asking for you.” she said gesturing towards you. You were a little taken aback, seeing as how anyone who could have been looking for you was currently at this table,“Thank you, Ill be right there.” you said and stood up. “Well, well, looks like you’re quite the popular person,” Miko said, “we’re expecting all the details upon your return darling.” You walked down the stairs and were greeted with the one person you did not want to see on your day off, “Boss? What is it?” The woman before you sighed, “Now Y/n, you know I wouldn’t be here in person if it wasn’t of the utmost importance,” she explained, leaning in closer to you, “look, i know its your day off but i need you, we’re so busy tonight.” You sighed, a hand coming up to your forehead, “I cant believe this.” She just shrugged, “Well, believe it, the whole towns celebrating and were booked, I just might have to pitch in soon.” You laughed at the thought, “Alright boss, please don’t go and pull a muscle, i’ll be there soon.” you joked. The older woman scoffed, “What exactly is that supposed to mean?!” she yelped at you as you headed back to your friends. “Sorry ladies, but I’m being called in,” you said and hugged each one of them. Ayaka frowned, “It was nice catching up with you anyway Y/n, oh i almost forgot,” she said suddenly, “Yoimiya mentioned something about some new fireworks she was planning on setting off later tonight, maybe if you have time?” she asked sweetly, it was always so difficult to say no to her. “Ill try my best to make it Ayaka, by the shore right? Closest to her store?” She nodded and with that you waved goodbye to them and headed out.

You hurried to your workplace, the red lights above you lining your path as you walked up to the building. Patrons stood outside, smoking cigars and singing songs of past victories. A man held the door open for you and you headed in, the familiar sounds of sex meeting your ears. Your boss turned to you after realizing you were finally here. “Thank the Archons!” she exclaimed and brought you over to a man who was leaning up against a nearby wall. “This is Y/n, theyll be taking care of you tonight,” she said softly , her tone completely different from the one she used in private, “If theres anything else you need, please don’t hesitate to let us know.” The tall blond before you nodded, a bright smile spreading across his face, “Thank you,” he chimed, his voice filled with cheer, “Im Thoma.” His eyes scrunched into half moons as he smiled wide. You bowed in front of him, ”Right this way Thoma.” your voice soft and welcoming as you gestured for him to head up the stairs. He headed up the creaky steps while your boss pulled you aside by your arm. “Listen Y/n, hes with the Yashiro commission, you make sure you do whatever he wants, understand?” You simply nodded and headed up the stairs to meet your client.

“This way,” you instructed and he followed you down the hall. The moans and whines of your colleagues even louder now, “Hows your day been?” you asked trying to make idle chit chat. He sighed, “Eventful.” Was all he said. The two of you reached the door to your room and you held it open for him, “After you.” He entered the room, but stayed by the door, worried it’d be impolite of him to just sit somewhere without permission. You laughed and closed the door, making sure to lock it. “Please Thoma, make yourself at home.” He just nodded and began to remove his shoes and jacket. You stole a glance at his lean figure. His toned arms were decorated with tattoos of various designs and colors. You noticed a familiar looking dog on his left arm, “Wait a second, I recognize him!” You walked up to him and examined the portrait of Taroumaru, “Would you believe it? I just saw this little cutie,” you explained with a smile thinking about the sweet pup. “Really? That’s my buddy,” he said with a giggle, looking cheerfully at the ink portrait, “I’ll miss him now that I’m not hiding out at the teahouse anymore.” He placed his jacket at the back of your vanity chair and looked at you. You eyed him up and down, his toned form under his tight shirt catching your intense gaze. “You like what you see?” he asked with a cocky grin. “Hmm, maybe?” you joked and you began disrobing in front of him. You pulled your loose dress over your head and tossed it aside. He stared at you now, his beautiful green eyes trailing up and down your form. You wore a simple set of undergarments, nothing as fancy as you could have had on if you had more time to prepare. But it seemed like he didnt care much anyway, what with the way he was biting his bottom lip, practically eye fucking you. “You’re gorgeous,” he said and walked closer to you. “Thank you, please sit” you motioned with a hand towards your bed. He obliged, sitting on the edge and letting out a sigh. “So, your boss wanted me to see you specifically, huh?” You walked up and knelt down before him, “Thats right,” your voice low and sultry, “and you’re about to find out why, Thoma.” Your hands trailed up his thighs, the tight muscles taught underneath his pants. You made your way to the hem of his pants and prepared to undo then when he stopped you suddenly, “I almost died today.” his voice so matter of fact you just stood up, “Oh,” you said plainly, not really sure what to say next. “well, I cant say thats the craziest thing i’ve ever heard while on my knees.” Thoma chuckled, reaching out and taking you by the hands gently, “My apologies, its my first time in a place like this so,” his thumbs rubbed the back of your hands softly, “I guess I’m kind of nervous?” Being nervous was understandable, but blurting out about your near death experience was, kind of sad. “I see,” you said and took a seat next to him, “Would you like to talk about it?” Thoma shook his head, “Nah,Its just, being that close to death, in front of the Shogun? Kind of gave me some clarity.” His voice was low as he turned towards you, bright green eyes full of a renowned vigor for life. “What kind of clarity?” you asked apprehensively, worried if you pried too much, youd end up on the Yashiro Commissions list. “That I should, be as nice to myself as I am to others.” After hearing those words, you realized how heavily you could relate. Your whole job was to take care of others, oftentimes at risk to your own sanity. “So, you ended up here as a way to, be nicer to yourself?” you asked with a wiggle of your eyebrows. He laughed hard, “Seems that way, yeah,” he leaned back on his elbows, and you placed a hand on his thigh, “You’re in the right place Thoma.” Your hand squeezed and he looked at you with lustful eyes, “Ill take really good care of you, I promise.” He flashed a bright smile and you wondered if his face ever got tired from how much he did that. “Is it alright if, you take them off?” he asked softly and pointed to your underwear. “So polite,” you said with a grin, “you must be the nicest guy in Inazuma.”

Thoma watched as you stood up and reached around to undo your bra, the light fabric falling to the floor. You reached down to take off your underwear, “Wait, turn around.” he commanded with a low, sultry voice. You did as he requested and turned, your plump ass facing him. you looked back over your shoulder and kept eye contact with him as you slowly pulled down your underwear. Your body bent over as you pulled them off of your feet and heard him curse under his breath. He reached out, taking a handful of your ass in his hands. “Actually, I should probably thank the shogun,” his voice was deep as you felt him lower his head closer to your ass, “had she not tried to kill me today,” he spread your ass cheeks and spit on your hole, “I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to have you like this.” He licked up his own saliva against you, causing you to whine at the sensation. his tongue entered your asshole and began exploring. “Im at your service,” you huffed out and held his head closer to you, “Even the gods cant stop us now Thoma.” He gripped at your plush thighs, his tongue lazily licking up your folds after rimming your asshole a bit. His mouth pulled away with a wet smack and he stood, pulling you into an embrace and moved his hands down your belly, “Tell me what you want Y/n,” he whispered in your ear as his fingers found your wet and waiting cunt. He inserted his fingers into you, curving them and easily finding your spot. “There, faster!” you pleaded while the vulgar, wet squelching sounds that came out of you had him whispering praises in your ear. “Your so wet, I cant wait to have a taste” Your knees buckled, his skilled fingers and words of praise making you weak. You could feel yourself coming undone, just by his fingers so you moved away from him, his fingers coming out of you and directly into his mouth. He licked his fingers clean, sitting back down on the bed, “Feels too good, yeah?” he said cockily. You had had your doubts about him, but with the way he was licking you off of him, and the moans that fell from his lips as he did so, you knew then that he definitely knew what he was doing, and you were more than grateful for it.

You came up to him and wrapped your arms around his neck, “Yeah, but id rather cum on your cock than on your fingers.” You said before kissing him, tasting yourself on his lips. You felt your self being lifted off of the ground suddenly, his strong arms holding you close. He moved to bring you onto the bed and the two of you bounced lightly on the mattress. Thoma stood up and hurriedly removed his shirt and pants, fumbling over his belt buckle as he did so. “Slow down, the shogun isnt after you anymore.” you said and crawled over to the edge of the bed to meet him. You helped him with the buckle on his pants, looking up at him as you did so. “We have the whole night, and you can do whatever you want with me.” you said as you reached down to wake his member. You tugged on it, heavy and warm in your hand, the prominent veins throbbed. He pushed his pants off and stepped out of them. Your free hand then pulled his undergarment down while your mouth dribbled saliva onto his dick, your eyes darting up to look at him. Thoma placed a hand behind your head and you bent down and took him into your mouth. You sucked his tip, swirling your tongue around and mixed your saliva with his own seed. His hand was gentle at the back of your head as he pushed you onto him further. Your hand stroked and squeezed easily with how messy you were making him. He moaned in appreciation watching you as you worked. “Archons, your so pretty on my cock.” words of praise huffing out of his mouth as you gurgled on his length. The long organ at the back of your throat caused you to gag, but you breathed through your nose to accommodate him. He thrust into your mouth slowly, enjoying the way your eyes began to tear at his ministrations. He pulled you off of him with a pop and rubbed his hard dick along your cheeks, making even more of a mess on your face. You took his dick back into your mouth and sucked, tugging at his sack as you did so. “Fuck,” he growled and pulled you back off quickly, bringing a thumb to your mouth and smearing your saliva that was stained white with his pre-cum over your mouth. You sucked his thumb, desperately needing something in your mouth to suck on. You gazed into each others eyes, sharing the same lustful thoughts. The quiet as you stared at each other was deafening, no words being said, but a knowing stare shared.

He moved to lay over you, his broad shoulders and toned arms covering you at either side, He observed your face, sticky and sultry, “Enough to make the gods themselves jealous, how did i get so lucky?” he asked rhetorically before you maneuvered yourself from under him, pushing him down onto his back and seating yourself on top of him. You hovered over his cock, rubbing the his tip over your folds. You stared at him devilishly before using a hand to help guide him in. You sunk down, bottoming out and feeling his cock nestle at your cervix. You hoped that the Gods were in fact watching, immensely jealous at how youd be worshipping Thoma tonight instead.

He hissed, so desperate and eager to fuck you right then and there, but being the gentleman he was, he waited for your next move. After all, you were the one who was on the clock, and by the Seven Archons, you would prove to him that you were just that great at your job. You moved your hands along your body sensually and he watched you intently, almost as if you’d disappear right before him if he didn’t keep his desperate eyes on you. As he bit down on his bottom lip, his eyes went dark with lust as you began to slowly move up and down onto him, rolling your hips against him and eliciting the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard from a man. “Ah, you feel,” he stopped to breathe as you moved up and down on him again, this time agonizingly slow, “fuck, so good.” he finally huffed out. You placed your hands on his toned abdomen, working your body on top of him making sure to let Thoma know exactly why you were the most desired in Inazuma. Strong hands came to grip your ass as you rode him hard. He groaned and moved his hips up, meeting yours in a fever. You moaned and threw your head back “Yes Thoma, like that!” you yelped while your hands squeezed your breasts hard. You whined his name loudly, the sound making him move faster against you. Your walls fluttered around him, muscles clenching down as he brought you closer with every hard and delicious drag of his cock in and out of you. The man under you fucked you hard and fast, as if he had something to prove, and with a few more thrusts, you were sent right into a very deserved euphoric peak You cried out his name once more, cumming hard on him. He leaned up and took your chin gently in his hand, “can I,” he huffed out his next words while still pumping into you, “can I finish inside?” he asked sweetly. You were still trying to catch your breath, your pussy throbbing in bliss. All you could do was just shake your head no, and the man quickly pulled out of you. He tugged on his member, his seed spurting out in hot, sticky ribbons all over your stomach. The beautiful man grunted and moaned as he came, his body completely spent and moving to lay next to you afterwards. You caught your breath slowly milking your orgasm by squeezing your legs together, “Today was my day off, by the way.”you huffed out. Thomas tired laugh echoed through the room, “No way,” he looked over at you, “I almost die, you almost don’t come into work,” he moved your damp hair out of your face, “i’d say this is fate Y/n” You leaned in and kissed him, his lips parting to welcome your tongue. Whether it be fate, or the gods themselves you didnt care, cause the guy you were currently kissing was one of the few men to bring you to such an incredible climax.

Soon, you both cleaned up with some warm water and a cloth from the nearby basin on the vanity. He helped clean you up, kissing the spots on your stomach where his seed had just been wiped off. You slipped into your silk robe, and he helped you tie it at your waist. He finally turned from you, grabbing his clothes to get dressed. While turned away from you, and for the first time, you saw the vivid full back tattoo common amongst the members of the Yashiro Comission. You gazed at the intricate detail, wondering how you had missed seeing it before. Once he finished dressing, and checking to make sure he had his vision at his side, he turned back to you. You cocked your head to the side, curious about something. “Your vision, can i ask how you received it? I’ve always been curious about how the gods choose who gets one.” He held it, rubbing his thumb along the bright red orb, “I pledged my loyalty to the Kamisato clan, I suppose the gods favor such righteous endeavors.” in your mind you knew there wasnt anything righteous about organized crime, but it wasnt any of your business to question that. And youd be lying to yourself if you said you werent curious about what kind of man Thoma was. And this night with him? It made him seem like a sweetheart, a gentleman who kissed you all over and asked what you wanted instead of focusing on himself. He cleared his throat, abruptly bringing you from your own thoughts. “So, you think we could, do this again sometime?” his nervous laugh making him just that much more annoyingly cute. “Are you, asking to be one of my regulars? That’s a very coveted spot in this city.” The tall blond laughed and walked with you towards the door, “I’m sure I’m more than capable of earning my place.” he said, a somewhat cocky grin on his face. You moved in and adjusted the various ornaments on his jacket, getting him put back together nicely before he met the outside world again. “Come by and ask for me anytime, I’ll take care of you.” you said and opened the door for him. He tried to hide his cheeky grin and slight blush on his cheeks but you caught it anyway. “Oh! I almost forgot.” he said in shock and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small pouch of mora and handed it to you. You took it from him, almost forgetting completely just who you were, and why he was here in the first place. “Right, thank you, enjoy the rest of your night Thoma.” You said sweetly before he waved and turned away without another word.

Almost as soon as he had left, your boss hurried up the stairs and straight into your room. “WELL?!” she exclaimed excitedly, bursting through the door without a knock. You explained that everything went well, and that there was nothing to worry about. You followed the house rules, making sure he didn’t finish inside of you, but you didn’t give too much away of course. Those special, sweet moments were reserved only for you. Also per house rules, you handed over half of your mora to the woman who now held her hand out to you. You couldn’t really complain about it considering you were one of the few workers who were paid more, but you worried if itd ever be enough to pay your debts off and finally leave. After receiving her share, she thanked you for coming in and headed back to her post downstairs.

The night was cool and crisp as you hurriedly made your way towards the beach. You quickly removed your sandals at the sandy stones that led from Yoimiyas store. Holding them tightly in your hand, you rushed to meet up with your friends. With the cool sand at your feet, you soon found your friends who waved to you. Yoimiya beamed upon seeing you. “Y/n! Glad you could make it!” Miko took you by the arm and pulled you close to her side, “You alright? I don’t need to go over there and give them all a piece of my mind do I?” She was always making sure you were alright after work and the gesture always made you feel loved. “No need to worry, everything went well.” Yoimiya began the countdown and the sky soon erupted with beautiful sparkles as the fireworks bursted loudly. Silhouettes of slimes and symbols exploded above, your heart full as you watched closely. You couldn’t help but feel at home amongst the people you loved while cheering and enjoying the light show. Ayaka was suddenly called away by a pair of Yashiro Commission guards who were there to protect her and make sure she arrived home safety. You kept a close eye on her as she walked up to them and before you looked back up at the sky, you noticed a familiar face. Thoma walked up and began talking with Ayaka as well, bowing before giving her a smile. They exchanged greetings and some words before she turned and headed back towards you all. He followed her with his eyes and met your gaze. You blushed a little, remembering what had just happened between the two of you not too long ago. He smiled wide at you, his eyes doing that endearing half moon eye smile that you admitted to yourself, was growing on you. All you could do was smile back as Ayaka took your hand in hers, “I’m so glad you could make it!” she said with glee. “Me too.” you said with a smile. You looked back up at the night sky, grateful for the set of circumstances that brought you to meeting someone like Thoma. “Glory to the shogun I suppose.” you thought sarcastically in your mind. You hoped to both her and Celestia above, that you’d get the chance to see him again.

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A/N: Here it is! Hope you all enjoy it as much as i do lol 🧡

#genshin impact #genshin impact smut #thoma smut #thoma genshin #genshin thoma #i love him alot #thoma #genshin reader insert #genshin reactions #genshin fanfic #genshin x reader #thoma x reader

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brian-in-finance · 1 year

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youtube

‘Outlander’ Season 7 Gets Split in Half, 8-Episode Part 1 Premieres in June

The second half of the time-traveling drama’s penultimate season will premiere in 2024

“Outlander” Season 7 will resume Claire (Caitríona Balfe) and Jamie’s (Sam Heughan) sprawling and globe-trotting love story in June on Starz, the network announced Thursday while also revealing the first images from the new season.

The penultimate season of the time-traveling drama will debut June 16 with the first eight episodes of its extended 16-episode season, with the second half of the two-part season set to premiere in 2024.

After previously announcing the drama would come to a close after Season 8, Starz has already renewed the series for an eighth and final season. “Outlander” fans are in no danger of letting go of the beloved characters, however, as the network has also greenlit a prequel series, titled “Outlander: Blood of My Blood,” which will follow Jamie Fraser’s parents.

Balfe and Heughan reprise their roles as Claire and Jamie, respectively, as Sophie Skelton returns as Brianna MacKenzie alongside Richard Rankin as Roger MacKenzie, John Bell as Young Ian, David Berry as Lord John Grey, Caitlin O’Ryan as Lizzie Beardsley and Paul Gorman as Josiah and Keziah Beardsley.

Previously announced new ensemble members include Charles Vandervaart as William Ransom, Izzy Meikle-Small as Rachel Hunter and Joey Phillips as Denzell Hunter.

In addition to starring in the historical fiction series, Balfe and Heughan executive produce alongside Matthew B. Roberts, Ronald D. Moore, Maril Davis, Toni Graphia, Luke Schelhaas, Andy Harries, Jim Kohlberg. The series is produced by Tall Ship Productions, Left Bank Pictures and Story Mining & Supply Company, in association with Sony Pictures Television.

“Outlander” Season 7 premieres Friday, June 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Starz, with the season launching June 16 at 12:00 a.m. ET on the Starz app and all Starz streaming and VOD platforms. New episodes of the series will air weekly on Starz and will be available to stream weekly at midnight on Fridays on the Starz app as well as all Starz streaming and VOD platforms.

Check out the first “Outlander” Season 7 images below.

Starz

The Wrap

Remember… I don't care if Monday's blue, Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too. Thursday, I don't care about you. It's Friday, I'm in love. — The Cure

#Tait rhymes with hat #Good times #Outlander #Season 7 #Date #Announcement #16 June 2023 #The Wrap #23 March 2023 #Quote #Friday I’m In Love #The Cure #Wish #1992 #Youtube

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bera-post-things · 2 years

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Yandere Raiden Shogun X Shogunate Officer reader

Artist credit: @Mr_GT

Warning: Blood,gore,Yandere,

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A/N: as soon as I did Hiromei’s quest I did the Raiden Shoguns quest and seeing that I want to write for her

A/N: I don’t expect this to do well but I just wanted to write for her again so here I am I’m in the progress of writting while working on a yandere Albedo fan fiction

Extra A/N: Was going to delete this cause I accidently clicked on the publish button but now that it has likes I can’t delete it anymore to post it in the morning

Published: September,10,2022 Editied: September,12,2022

Prompt: You where a low ranking Samurai in the Shogunate army you only joined the shogunate to protect your family and siblings and hope one day that when this all ends you can move out of inazuma with your family and siblings moving from the islands of eternalness to the prosperous lands of Liyue and experience the rite of descinsion and travel to mondstat and experience the Windblume festival and experience all the culture and food and people along with it., it was a bright dream that kept you going on hoping for a change and for this all to just end and you could cotinue on with your plan it gave you hope when the tarveler came along and tried to fight the Almighty Raiden Shogun you where happy that mabye the outlander could fix somethings and bring change to the land of eternity they even offered to help you to escape inazuma by renting you a boat when all of this was over so you and your family could flee from here you toke up their offer… but they never came you heard the news… the famous outlander was utterly defeated by the Almightly Raiden Shogun and could only flee in the knock of time before inazuma would forever close its borders…

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You where a Officer who served directly under the Shogun and helped enforce the Vision hunt decree under the Raiden Shogun you followed all her rules and orders you where like her own little pet it didn’t help that it seemed that the Raiden Shogun seemed to favor you, you never wanted to work for the Almight Shigun or work as an Officer in the Shogunate you never wanted this, you had dreams,dreams outside of the land of eternity a the way to Teyvat to Liyue you had wanted to move there and start anew beginning to move there and start a family a new job not as a public servant who worked and served directly under the Shogunate you where forced into this role by your family and the people around you, you where forced to see people die, clans fall, and people get their own personalities token away from them as yiu saw there eyes start to blur from their usually bright eyes to a dark undertone of its usual color as a toke away their vision after defeating them in battle, you didn’t want to do this but the Shiguns watchful eye made sure that you couldn’t do anything but follow her orders and be her good little pet, it wasn’t until much later on taht you decided taht you wanted it to all stop and try to escape to Liyue…

You where standing on the shores of Ritou in a secluded spot where no one patrols or goes as you looked off into the distance there you saw the Jade Chamber floating in the sky even from her across the whole ocean you could briefly see the outline of the jade chamber in Liyue and you could make out the mountains of dragons pine from here it gave you hope taht mabye when this all would be over you could go to Liyue and gl to the Rite of dissension and walk the streets of Liyue harbor set off some Laterns in the Lattern rite travel to Mondstat and try out the famous Dandelion wine that you’ve heard so much about from your friends that often traveled and came to visit you at your post as you sighed to yourself you could only just stand their waiting the news that could possibly change your whole entire life… you made a deal with the outlander you two made a deal that if you get them the materials they needed and they would help you by renting you a boat for you to go to Liyue harbor with them since they also had some bussniess to do over there to they said “as soon as this is all over I will come meet with you on the beaches of Ritou” they said and here you where waiting on the beaches of Ritou waiting for the news to arrive trudging your foot into the sand as you walked around in boredom before there was a huge lighting strike…

There was a huge lighting strike striking down on the city of Inazuma before you heard many footsteps of Shogunate Soldiers coming your way you looked around as you saw the traveler running down the streets of inazuma as you looked at them shocked before hiding behind the a rock you thought “did they fail in defeating the Shogun? How? You saw how powerful they where you personally saw from experience how powerful they where first hand you where sure that they would be able to break through the Shogun’s defenses and defeat her as you looked back out seeing a group of Shogunate running down the path as the traveler hurriedly ran down the path as they looked at you briefly you saw them look at you giving you a solem look before running off you knew what that meant they weren’t able to fulfill their part of the deal before you ran off it wa time for the backup plan just in case something like this happened as a last attempt you had already sent your family on beidous ship just to be safe, you told them that you’ll meet them at Liyue harbor by night but it looks like that might not happen…

It was raining there was countless lighting strikes everywhere there where puddles starting to pool on the paths as you hurriedly ran on the paths of Ritou to get to the harbor all the shops where empty it was completely deserted there was no sign of any people around you expect the lights that’s as left on inside you guessed that they where hiding you thought as you hurriedly ran down the streets rain drops hitting your skin as a mix of sweat ran down your forehead as the sheath which contained your katana buckled against your hips and your vision dangled on your hips as you ran to the harbor when you got there, you where looking for any ship that was still her and was departing for Liyue harbor but there was no one everything was silent the only noise was the sound of pouring rain and lighting off into the distance not even a single trace of the somewhat lively harbor remained it was like they all never existed until you heard footsteps coming from behind you as you heard a voice that made your heart drop to the bottom of your feet “Y/N what are you doing here aren’t you suppose to be patrolling the borders of Inazuma city?” You heard as you saw the Raiden Shogun looking at you her eyes bright with electro and her spear out as you stuttered out in fear “Th-The Almightly Raiden Shogun! Trying to cover up the fact that you where trying to escape What are you doing here?” You said to her trying to do but what really was unsettling was that there was fresh blood dripping down from her polearm…”that’s what I am supposed to be asking you I believe Officer Y/N” she said as she squinted her eyes at you “oh I see what your trying to do” she said as yiu muttered out stuck in place “what do you mean Shogun…” “don’t think that I’m dumb Y/N I know what your trying to do” she said as you got ready to pull out your vision to get ready to defend yourself but before you could do that…

The Shoguns spear was already halfway to your chest aiming straight for your stomach as your eyes widened as the Raiden Shogun stared into your eyes as she plunged her spear into your chest pericing the armour that you had on and instantly pericing your stomach as you gasped out in pain as she cotinued to look into your eyes before hearing a inner voice speak inside your head “don’t think you can get away from me you can’t just leave me like this” you heard a inner female voice in your ear but you didn’t hear what much she said afterwards all you could hear where the ringing as she pushed you off her spear as you fell to the ground your weapon falling onto the ground with your vision also falling onto the ground as well as you collapsed onto your back as you held the stab wound with your hand trying to prevent the bleeding as much as you can before there was a flash as there was another Raiden Shogun but this time smiling and looking down at you as she started to speak.

“I’m quite suprised that you’ve made it this far hiding this without me ever catching whiff of this I must say” you heard her say “but I can’t let this go on any longer I cannot let you escape from me and now that the outlander is gone for good now you can just stay with me” she said before dangling your vision over you head as your eyes widened “ I don’t think you deserve this anymore after all you’ve been so disobedient lately” she said as you reached you hand out “Plea-Pleas” you croaked out before letting your hands fall down hitting the planks of the dock to weak to even lift your arm as the Shogun bring your hand down and put finger on your lips “Shhh don’t waste your energy on something so worthless like this” she as she tossed your vision off into the ocean as she closed your eyes and carried you back to your now new home…

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A/N: If you read to here thank you!

#yandere genshin impact #genshin impact #yandere #yandere genshin imagines #genshin #yandere raiden shogun #raiden shogun #raiden x reader #genshin impact raiden #raiden ei

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mercurygray · 6 months

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Currently Reading - November 2023

Gosh, it's been a little while since I did one of these!

The Year of Peril: America in 1942 - Tracey Campbell . Found this one at the library booksale just after I finished the 1942 podcast series. The book is excellent so far and really flipping some interesting issues over.

Just Finished Reading:

Millions Like Us: Women's Lives during the Second World War by Virgina Nicolson - This was excellent and I strongly recommend it. I got a lot of inspiration for the end of TDS in it and there's a lot of material that I think will come in handy for MOTA.

Sisters in Arms: British Army Nurses Tell Their Story, by Nicola Tyrer - Another super excellent book that filled in a serious knowledge gap I had about British nursing. Might come in handy for future SAS:RH productions.

An Unladylike Profession: American Women War Correspondents in World War I by Chris Dubbs - This was an impulse purchase on thriftbooks and was very interesting.

The Call of the Wrens, by Jenni Walsh. Fiction. Glad this was only a library book - it was just okay. I'm not a big fan of time jumps as a narrative device - it feels thin.

Cassiel's Servant, by Jacqueline Carey. Fiction. It was really fun to go back to Terre D'Ange for this one, and interesting to see Joscelin's side of things. Realized Joscelin may be why/how I write Dick the way I do.

Ashes under water : the SS Eastland and the shipwreck that shook America, by Michael McCarthy. This was a book club pick that I ended up not being able to join discussion on. A really interesting story, if you're into maritime disasters.

Prisoners of the castle : an epic story of survival and escape from Colditz, the Nazis' fortress prison, by Ben Macintyre. This was on the shelf at the library and I was reading mostly for mentions of David Stirling. Still - very interesting, especially when paired with...

Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler's Defeat, by Giles Milton. This book was fascinating. A lot of backstory behind the stuff that made the war work.

The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. A book club pick that I'm really glad I read.

Just Finished Watching:

Our Miracle Years (Unsere wunderbaren Jahre, Das Erste/PBS) - follows the life of one family in the post-war period. Some good food for thought here.

A Place to Call Home, Season 1 (Foxtel/ Hoopla) - More post-war, this time in Australia, which I started just as something to watch and am now very embroiled in. (Fair warning, this show contains conversation therapy, a miscarriage, and antisemitism, and may probably be triggering for some.)

World On Fire, Season 2 (BBC/PBS) - I came, I brought my Passport subscription, I tried...and after all six episodes I still don't like this show. I don't feel like we spend enough time with any of the characters to really appreciate them. It feels like everyone's there to make a point.

Outlander Season 7 (STARZ) - This was just fun. I'm not a huge fan of the books, but the TV series is really enjoyable for me.

Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) - This has been on my list for a while and it popped up recently on Hoopla. I like Peck's nervousness in the role.

Dalgliesh, Season 2 (Acorn/Hoopla) - Bertie Carvel continues to do great in this role. I kind of wish there was a crossover involving him and Morse.

To Walk Invisible (BBC/ PBS)- It was really fun to watch this back to back with Emily.

Emily (2022) - Getting two mostly recent takes on the Bronte sisters so close together was really interesting.

Farewell My Queen (2012) - watched this while on vacation in Williamsburg. A nice 18th century drama.

#currently reading

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pentopaper23 · 8 months

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The Boy at the Door: Chapter 5 - Brought sight unseen.

17th May 1954

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The locals of Inverness were not known to be subtle and the year following the arrival of Claire and her children was one marked by whispers and thinly veiled comments.

“Did you hear? A Mrs Fraser is living above the bakery…. two smalls weens and no husband, the shame” Claire had overed hear such a comment while wandering around the grocery store, thankfully Fergus was too preoccupied with staring at all the food to listen and Brianna as sucking on the ear of her bunny while sitting in the trolley seat. She had gritted her teeth and reminded herself that replying to such a comment would only encourage more and she planned to make this place a home for her and her children.

They had settled into a small flat and as the old woman had said, it was above a bakery. It was a two-bedroom one bath place with a tiny kitchen, dining room and living all in one and it was enough for now. The divorce had taken little over seven months to come though and although she had the funds to purchase them a home, nothing had seemed right.

They had seen big flats, even smaller flats then what they had now, big houses that will need a team of staff and normal sizes homes, but nothing had felt like it would be their home. So, the small flat above the bakery would do for now. Claire had found work at the local hospital as a nurse and was fitting in rather well with the staff. At first, she had been bombarded with questions regarding her personal life and questions about the children and she had managed to dodge a few deep digging ones about her divorce. But all in all, they were happy or at least the children were, and Claire had decided almost a year ago that was the most important thing.

They had just moved into their tiny bakery flat when Claire found herself being jerking awake, confusion fogging her still sleeping mind. Her ears searching for the reason for the sudden and rude interruption of her sleep as she fumbled for the lamp on her bedside table. She grunted and squinted as the lamp light blinded her for a moment and then she heard it; the sound that had awoken her.

“Non!” Fergus was screaming.

Panic filled Claire as she sprung out of bed, forgoing a robe or slippers, flicking on the hallways lights and dodging boxes and packing crates as she ran to her son’s room.

“Non Da!” Fergus screamed as she ripped open his bedroom door. The boy in question was thrashing in his bed, the sheets and blankets twisted up in his arms and legs; no doubt feeding his nightmare. His hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, and he was clenching his teeth so tight Claire could see the strain of his neck muscles.

“Fergus!” Claire soothed dropping to her knees beside the bed. She gently shook his shoulder and Fergus started to mutter, and tears has started to paint his cheeks.

“Fergus wake up my love!” She yelled a little louder when the boy did not wake, and she just had just enough time to block his arm when he startled awake and swung. He blinked several times staring at Claire as if she had just grown three extra heads and then crumpled into her arms.

“Shh, shh, I’m here mon fils (my son). Mama is here” she quietly said as she rocked from side to side. She could feel his shaking hands twisting up in her hair as he clung to her and when she could feel his sobs start to decline, she gently pushed him away, her hand cupping his face and her thumbs brushed the now drying tears from his cheeks.

“What’s all this then?” she said ducking her head to try and meet his eyes. Fergus just shook his head and tried to pull away.

“No, no…come on”.

Claire moved to sit on the bed, her back resting against the headboard, Fergus wrapped his arms around her waist and glued himself to her side. They sat in silence for a few moments, Claire running her hand through his curls and then he spoke.

“I did what you said, I took the letter to Lallybroch, I rode Donas all night and the next day. But when I got there the redcoats had already torn the house apart. Aunt Jenny hid me away in the cupboard in her room for days. I thought you would come back, I prayed that you would. But…” he stopped talking and looked up at Claire unsure if he should go on.

“But?” Claire questioned searching his face for something, anything.

“It was days after the battle, I was inside with the bairns when the cart came. Aunt Jenny screamed and I ran outside and there he was. Da.” Fergus said his eyes getting misty, seeing that that Claire could not.

Claire could feel her heartbeat in her ears, and she felt her hands become cold. Alive. Jamie was alive. She had held out a tiny sliver of hope that he may have survived, but him surviving meant that she had left him alone and she couldn’t think about that for far too long or the guilt and grief threated to swallow her.

“How?” she heard herself ask and Fergus went on to recount the events that lead Jamie to being dropped off at the house, his wounded leg, the cave, his time in the jail and eventual his pardon. Her mind was racing and then it stopped again as cold panic washed over her.

“Why you were at the stones?” she yelled, grabbing Fergus by the shoulders pushing him away from her so she could look at him.

“A sickness was spreading, Da and I were travelling to Inverness to get supplies when we came upon them. I asked to see them. The stories you told I always wondered what they looked like. But the closer I got the louder the sound became, Da noticed that I could hear them and the next thing I knew he was dragging me towards them. The screams, I heard them over Da. I felt the stone under my palm and felt Da with me and then next thing I knew I was laying on the ground and he wasn’t there.” Fergus sobbed, Claire pulled him toward her again and wrapped her arms around her sobbing boy.

“Did he come with you?” Claire whispered, hating the small glimmer of hope that yet again exploded in her chest. Fergus shook his head; a single tear fell from his chin.

“I don’t think so”

It was in this moment that Claire knew they had to go back. If a sickness was spreading, they would need her and Jamie…Jamie was alive.

She had awoken the next morning in Fergus’s empty bed, her hand reaching out in search of her son. The familiar panic filling her stomach when her hand came up empty. The house was quite, almost two quite for a home that housed a now six year and a teenage boy.

“Fergus!” She yelled as she hurried downstairs, only to come up short when she saw Fergus was wandering around the kitchen bottle feeding Brianna.

“Morning Mama” Fergus smiled slowing rocking from side to side had he help Brianna hold her bottle.

It had been a rush that morning to get everyone ready. Fergus seemed to have lost his only school tie and Brianna had taken it upon herself to upend a whole can of baby power. Claire could feel herself already being distracted, after dropping Fergus off at school (minus his tie), she had to turn back around and deliver the lunch she had forgotten to give to him and then spend another 10 mins driving back to drop Brianna off with Mrs Graham when she forgot to drop her off before going to work.

“Pull yourself to get Fraser” she muttered to herself as she tucked her coat into her locker. Pinning her little watch onto her pocket she started making her rounds on the ward. The hospital that she worked at wasn’t overly large, but it did house upwards of 40 beds. It was the main hospital in the area and the cases varied from new mothers and routine operations to bloody farm accidents and car crashes. Today was shaping up to be busier than normal and as soon as her feet hit the ward hallway a clipboard was thrust into her hands by a frazzled matron.

“You were an army nurse, yes?” the matron asked while walking quickly down the hallway. Claire followed behind flipping through the clip board.

“Yes Matron” Claire replied struggling to keep up with the older woman.

“I need you to as head nurse today, Glenda has called in sick. I need you to herd the cats.”

“Me, Matron?” Claire said shocked.

“Yes you. I need someone with a firm hand, the younger ones are green. Is this going to be a problem Nurse Fraser?” Matron asked coming to a stop so quickly that Claire almost walked into her. The matron eyed her with impatience, her eyebrow cocking up behind her glasses.

“No Matron, I can handle it.”

“Good, I need you to head the ER today. That clipboard is your lifeline, you lose that don’t come looking for me.” She said starting to walk again, “you have four nurses under you today, Anderson, Murry, Hughes and Clarke. Keep an eye on Clarke she is newer than the rest, potential is there but still a little skittish” Claire nodded as she jotted all of this down on her clipboard. “Dr MacDonald will be your doctor in charge with Dr Watson assisting and Dr Wilson is on call today, but he worked a double yesterday so only call him if multiple farm accidents and or car crashes come in. You got all that?”

Claire nodded continuing to jot down all the information as needed.

“Will my hours be different? I will need to have some collect my son from school is all” Claire asked as she the Matron rounded the corner to the swinging ER doors.

“I was just getting to that; I will need you to stay until 6pm until the overnight crews starts. You can use the phone at the desk to make any arrangements you need. I trust you have some who can help?”

“Yes, a Mrs Graham at the manse”

“Very good, make your call then go speak to Dr MacDonald for your duties” and with that she rushed away back the way they came.

Claire clutched the clipboard to her chest and took a deep breath listening to voices and sounds coming from the ER.

“Je suis prest” she said before pushing the doors open.

It was well into the afternoon when Claire found herself elbow deep in the stomach of a hunting accident victim.

“I need gauze over here!” She yelled moving her fingers around the spurting wound looking for the cut artery. “Hughes! Get over here and pass me packing!” She yelled at the passing nurse, “Where are the doctors?”

“I don’t know Nurse Fraser; they were rushing a patience in for a broken leg last I saw them” she said passing Claire packing and wiping away the blood that was pouring out of the unconscious man. Claire sighed leaning down to wipe her forehead on her shoulder. The man was very quickly losing colour and his lips were starting to turn a pale blue. Claire knew that he needed a clamp on the torn artery that she was plugging with her finger and with no doctor in sight she knew she may have to break every nursing rule and operate on a patient without approval. She looked around quickly hoping that one of the doctors would be wandering back in, but alas non were to be found, sighing her looked at the slowing dying man and made up her mind.

“Nurse Hughes, I need you to run to the storeroom and get me a surgical kit.”

“But Nurse…”

“Now Nurse Hughes!” Claire snapped. The young nurse nodded and rushed away. She returned a moment later holding a green bag with the words CLEAN printed in the side.

“Put some gloves on and lay the instruments out, on the bag in order of size.” Claire said her hands still inside in the poor sod on the bed. Nurse Hughes hastily sorted the instruments out as Claire directed and looked to her for further instructions.

“When I pull my hand out this man is going to start bleeding out. I need you to pass me that clamp very quickly and for the love of God don’t drop it.” Claire said looking the clearly very frightened nurse in the eyes. Nurse Hughes nodded and picked up the clamp in preparation.

“On the count of three… One…. two… three”

Two things happened when Claire said three, the man as expected started bleeding out and Dr MacDonald made his reappearance.

“What the devil is going on in here!” He yelled rushing towards Claire and dying man. Claire didn’t reply as she quickly took the clamp and pushed her hand back into the man stomach.

“As you can see, I’m saving a man’s life” Claire said with a look on concentration on her face as the clamp became slippery with blood. Dr Macdonald watched on in awe as Claire was able to clamp the bleeding and withdrew her hands from the man and started to pack the wound with clean gauze. Claire wiped her hands on her apron and looked at the mans blood pressure as it started to rise back to a somewhat normal rate. Ignoring Dr MacDonald Claire spoke to Nurse Hughes.

“Please go and collect some wet cloths, we need to clean this man before he is taken into surgery.”

“Where did you learn that?” Dr MacDonald said as he followed Claire to the sink as she began to wash her hands and arms.

“I was in France; we had a lot of artery bleeds and not enough doctors. We combat nurses learnt a few tricks” she said drying her now clean hands.

“Ahh yes, Matron said you were an army nurse. She also said that you are highly capable, almost too capable”.

“I’m glad to know my name precedes me.” Claire joked returning to the man and checking his vitals. Dr MacDonald watched her for a moment noticing the way she checked the man’s breathing and the now tightly packed wound, with the clamp still sticking out and lastly the man’s pulse.

“Have you thought about medical school?” he asked, Claire looked up quickly in shock.

“I’m sorry?” she asked her fingers still on the passed-out man’s wrist.

“The University of Inverness is now allowing woman to enrol in general medicine and to continue on to learn surgery. I would be happy to write you reference if you were interested that is. Not many nurses could do what you just did.”

A doctor? To be honest Claire hadn’t really thought about it, her mind of late had been filled with the prospect of maybe returning to Jamie, but she still needed to see if Brianna could travel. The pair were broken out of their thoughts by Dr Watson rushing into the ER.

“I hear we have another one, what is with today?” he said walking over to the bedside, “Well done of the clamp mate, not even a spot of blood on you” he said to Dr MacDonald.

The said Dr laughed, “Ach, not me. Nurse Fraser here had it well in hand before I even got here”.

Dr Watson looked for shocked for a moment, but in taking in the blood covering Claire’s apron and shoes he laughed.

“Huh…well done then. Have you thought of medical school? You know the University of Inverness is now allowing woman to study”.

“Yes, I had heard that. I will keep it in mind.” With a nod to both doctors Claire hurried away to the nurse’s station to change her apron and maybe find something to wipe her shoes.

“I thought that was really great” a small voice to her left said. It was Nurse Clarke. She was tiny slip of a girl; short blonde hair cupped her ears, and she had large doe eyes the colour of corn flowers. She hurried away before Claire could say anything back, green indeed she mused to herself.

It was hours later that Claire finally trudged up the small flight of stairs to their flat, a new loaf of bread tucked under arm. She could hear the TV playing softly as she unlocked the door and found Fergus laying on the floor with his homework spread out while some kind of action show played, there was a man riding around on a horse shooting at another man as he tried to run away. Fergus hadn’t heard her come in and was frowning at his schoolwork as she spun his pencil around his fingers, another thing I had gotten from Jamie Claire thought as she shut the door with a snap.

“Mama!” He said abandoning his schoolwork to jump up to greet her. “I was worried when you didn’t pick me from school.”

“I know my love I’m sorry, I had a change at work that needed me to work back a few hours. I trust Mrs Graham picked you up okay? Did she drop Brianna off?” Claire asked toing her shoes off and dropping her bag on the floor, Fergus nodded.

“Oui. Brianna is having a nap and Mrs Graham put the stew on to heat before she left. I have been watching it like she said”.

“Good lad. I’ll have a shower and then we can eat. Did you need help with your schoolwork?”

Fergus shook his head, “Nah I’m almost done. Da was already teaching me some of this before I left”.

“Very well then, go grab Brianna. I’ll be right out” Claire said starting to undo her uniform as she walked towards the bathroom. She could hear Fergus talking to Brianna in French before she closed the bathroom door and she smiled at his words.

“Réveille-toi mon petit agneau Maman est à la maison (Wake up my little lamb Mama is home)”

By the time she was out of the shower Fergus had Brianna in her highchair and the table was set, with a smile she planted a kiss on his curls as she walked towards the stove. She and Mrs Graham had cooked a big batch of stew last week and frozen serves of it in preparation for Claire working week. Claire quickly served each of them a plate, Brianna getting a smaller bowl and they started eating. Claire asked Fergus about his day and found out that he had been invited to join the football team.

“I dinna know what football is but the other boys seem to like it” he said thoughtfully taking a mouthful of stew and bread all in one bite. Claire joked that he would eat her out of house home, but it was becoming less of a joke the taller he got. He was now almost six foot and still growing he was bound to be a big man once he stopped.

“That sounds like a great idea my love. Let me know and we can go shopping for your uniform and boots. We could also stop by the library and borrow a rule book if you like.”

Fergus nodded enthusiastically as he took another big spoonful of stew. Brianna was happily sitting and mushing up her stew letting out small sounds as she ate, still half asleep from her nap. Once they were finished Claire went to put down Brianna while Fergus started to wash the plates up. Claire stood and watched him for a moment when she returned, he had adapted well to this time. He was fitting in with the kids at school, he had bonded better with Brianna then Claire could have hoped for, who was she to rip this all away from him. She had been thinking about how to bring up the subject of maybe going back for months now, ever since he had mentioned that Jamie was alive, and she had decided that ripping the Band-Aid off would be the best way.

“I think we should see if Brianna can travel through the stones” she said. Fergus’s hand stopped what he was doing, and the kitchen fell silent.

“and if she cannot?” he said without turning around to face her.

“If she can’t then I will stay with her, but Fergus if you wish…”

“If she canna travel, I will stay with you and Brianna.” He said firmly cutting her off. He turned around with soap suds still covering his hands.

“But you could go back” Claire replied.

“Da would want me stay and protect you and Bri” Claire sadly smiled at his tone, there would be no changing his mind.

“Okay, we could go this weekend, make the day of it.”

“Sure” Fergus said before turning back to the washing up. Claire sighed and retreated to the loungeroom thinking it best to leave him alone with his thoughts.

The rest of the week went rather quickly, Claire was now working permanently in the ER and in charge of the other nurse there, the Matron having told her that Nurse Campbell wouldn’t be returning to the hospital for the foreseeable future.

It was Saturday before she knew it and they were driving to the stones. Fergus had been quitter then normal and was now completely silent has they got closer to the turn off. He had rolled his eyes when Claire asked him to wait in the car as they parked. Claire bit back any comment she was about to make and happily chatted with Brianna as she unbuckled her from her car seat.

“Why are we here Mama?” Brianna asked as she held Claire’s hand as they climbed towards to the stones.

“and why isn’t Fergus with us?” Brianna continued to question, Claire let go of her hand s they reached the top and begin picking flowers.

“We are just hear to get some flowers for Mrs Graham, the wee blue ones she likes.” Claire lied gritting her teeth against the buzzing sound, “and if we are lucky, we might even find some honey from the bees” she said trying to subtly work out of Brianna was hearing the sound.

Brianna looked at her mother in confusion, “What bees?” she said looking around as if she would find them flying around her head, “I don’t hear any bees”. She continued and was soon preoccupied with picking her own flowers.

Claires hands stilled, and she bit her lip. She brushed away a tear as she thought about Jamie. She couldn’t go back; she wouldn’t leave her children here and she knew that he wouldn’t want her to. Tucking her small bunch of flowers into her pocket she stood and turned to watch her daughter picking her own bunch, she was flitting around the stones unbothered by the feel of them. Claire held her breath when she saw her hand brush against one while pulling a flower out. Nothing happened and Brianna moved on to the next patch of blue.

Meanwhile Fergus was studiously studying the Scottish Driving Test Manual, he would be taking it on his 16th birthday. He had just started chapter eight when he saw his mother and sister coming back down the hill. He was sitting in the bonnet of the car, his boots resting on the bumper. Claire shook her head when she saw he was watching them, and Fergus shrugged sadly.

“Fergus! Look flowers!” Brianna yelled running towards him, he had just enough to jump off the car before she had thrown herself into his arms.

“I see, they are very bonnie” he said plucking one and tucking it behind his ear making Brianna laugh.

“Aye” Brianna said picking at the petals, “Mama said there were bees, but dinna hear any” she said quietly as if not wanting Claire to hear. Fergus raised an eyebrow and leaned in to whisper to Brianna, the little girl let out a cackle of laugher and he smiled at her.

“Alright! Enough ganging up on you poor old Mama. In the car with you little miss and you…” Claire said walking towards Fergus as he put Brianna down, “Do you think you are ready for a drive?” She asked. Fergus nodded excitedly all evidence of his previous foul mood had been erased as he caught the keys Claire threw them to him, but his excitement again faded somewhat as he eyed Brianna clicking herself into her car-seat.

“She didn’t hear anything?” he asked not taking his eyes off her.

“Nope, not a thing” Claire replied sadly, “We knew there was a chance that she wouldn’t”.

“I know…but, for a moment there…well you know” Fergus sniffed clearing his throat.

Claire nodded wrapping her arm around her son in a quick tight hug, “I know.”

The family of three made their way back to their flat in one piece. Claire was pleasantly surprised when Fergus operated the car smoothly, only once forgetting to indicate at a crossroads and he proudly handing back the keys to his mother with smile.

They spend the rest of the weekend milling round the town, one of the upsides of Claire’s new role was that her weekends were free. The trio walked down to the library in search of the football rule book for Fergus, some picture books for Brianna and Claire out of curiosity borrowed some medical school textbooks. Now that they knew Brianna couldn’t travel her mind had turned to what Dr Macdonald has mentioned about medical school. There were several things that she wished to speak to him about before she made her mind up. Given that would be a substantial chunk of her savings going towards the tuition she wanted to make sure she had ducks all lined up before committing.

It was the next Saturday and Claire was walking back from the shops when it caught her eye. She double took as her eyes trailed over the flyer in the window of the real estate and she came to a standstill.

“For Sale: Renovators dream! Historic estate in need of repair – enquire within”.

Before she knew what she was doing Claire was ripping open the office door and asking for the owner and an hour later she was walking out with keys and paperwork in hand.

Lallybroch, brought sight unseen.

#pentopaper23 #outlander #outlander fanfiction #fan fiction #outlander fandom #claire fraser #fergus fraser #fanficion #jamie fraser #brianna fraser

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