"Ripped By mstoll" "Hey!" "Royal salute!" "Present arms!" "God save King George!" "Soldiers, your firearms!" "Stand at ease!" "You owe me a debt." "Please." "Three cheers for His Majesty, King George." " Hip hip!" " Huzzah!" "Easy, lad." "Easy." "We're getting you out of here." "Aye!" "Is he alive?" "Aye, he needs tending, but it'll have to wait." "The hell it will!" "I can't believe you actually did it." "Those Redcoat drummer boys were making such a racket, the garrison didn't know we were there, cattle and all, until we were inside the place." "We must make haste." "They'll be coming for us straight away." "God." "What did Randall do to you?" "I don't mean to speak ill of the lad, but he positively reeks." "It's oil of lavender." "It's used to relieve pain." "Someone tried to tend him, then?" "Maybe." "Go back and watch the road behind us." "If ye see any sign of pursuit, come running like the devil and we'll have to take our chances." " Jamie." " Come on!" "Jamie." "You're safe now." "I'm going to help you, I swear." "Get off her, lad!" "Jamie!" "What's wrong with ye, lad?" "It's Claire!" "Dinna touch me!" "She's just trying to help ye." "What is he saying?" "He's deleeriet." "Raving about God knows what." "Pardon the interruption, but will ye be wanting tea?" "Or can I get this wagon moving?" "Father Anselm, this is Mrs. Claire Fraser." "The Father's agreed to give us shelter until we can find a more permanent situation." "Thank you." "We're most grateful." "Think nothing of it." "We shall talk later." " I'm going to need..." " The boy has told us of your needs and all is waiting for you." "Thank you." "No, no." "Jamie." "It's all right." "There's more broth." "I've no doubt you can mend his body, but there are other wounds, not so easily dealt with." "His soul, I'm afraid, is in turmoil." "If I don't set that hand, he'll be crippled for life." "Claire." "Please." "Excuse us." "Brother Paul was right." "You need your nourishment." "Dinna touch me." "Jamie, talk to me." "What did Randall do to you?" "Too much." "And not enough." "You saw her leave these walls?" "Yes." "We are both men of our word." "Drink." "Ah, ah, ah." "Let's see if we can make you more comfortable." "This will hurt." "It's all right." "It's all right." "The worst is over now, you'll see." "Dear God." "You are a magnificent creature." "It's like kissing a corpse." "I know you can do better." "My men can have Claire back here within the hour." "We have an agreement." "That I would not resist." "Ah." "So that's your plan." "To submit, but like Christ on the cross." "Well, we will see about that." "Shh." "How does that feel?" "Is that nice?" "Don't play the worm with me." "Jamie," "I just want this to be a pleasant experience for us both." "Do what you must." "Take yer pleasure and be done with it." "What I must?" "You think I cannot control the darkness I inhabit." "One way or another," "I will get a response from you." "Scream." "Scream." "Scream!" "Scream!" "Ye'd be wise to do as she says, lad." "The laudanum will help ye sleep through this trying time." "Whiskey will do me fine." "Jamie, I'm about to set nine bones in your hand." "Randall made me crawl." "Made me beg." "Before he was done, he made me want verra badly to be dead." "Well, you're not dead, and I refuse to let you spend the rest of your life a cripple." "So let me do my job." "Do as you wish." "It matters not to me." "Jamie." "I need water and clean cloth." "I have them ready for ye." "They're over near the basins." "What about thread?" "I have clean thread, too." "Scream." "Scream." "Scream!" "During the war," "I had treated men in far worse shape, their horrific injuries almost unfathomable to the human mind," "but none of them were my husband." "It was a long, nerve-wracking job." "Some parts, such as the splinting of the two fingers with simple fractures went quite easily." "Other's did not." "Setting his middle finger required exerting considerable force in order to draw the ends of the splintered bone back through the skin." "Jamie had said to me once, "I can bear pain myself," ""but I could not bear yours." ""That would take more strength than I have."" "He was right." "It did take strength." "I hoped that each of us had enough." "I began to lose awareness of anything outside the job I was doing." "I was afraid of infection, particularly, but otherwise was fairly sure the fingers would heal." "The shattered joint would likely leave him with a stiff ring finger, but the others might function normally in time." "I will stay with him through the night." "You'll need your strength." "Come." "I will send for you, should he awaken, or there be any need." "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your prayers." "I wasn't exactly praying." "I was just sitting here alone, trying to clear my head." "Were you indeed alone?" "Please." "Would you like me to hear your confession?" "I'm not sure any of it would make any sense to you." "Perhaps not." "But I assure you, he will understand." "My name is Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser." "Through my selfishness," "I have brought great suffering, to both my husbands." "Go on." "Eight months ago," "I was on holiday with my husband in Inverness, in the year of our Lord," "1945." "I told him everything." "I happened upon some standing stones..." "Exactly like my husband..." "Traveled back 200 years in time..." "He attacked me..." "Was rescued by my Highlander..." "I know I was already married..." "He had become a friend..." "I found myself very much in love..." "Seemed like the only solution..." "He was prepared to let me go..." "I couldn't leave him..." "I was accused of being a witch..." "Jamie came to my rescue..." "Captain Randall, did the most unspeakable things to him." "But it's my fault." "How marvelous." "Extraordinary!" "A miracle, perhaps." "A miracle?" "Somehow, I don't think canon law was constructed with my situation in mind." "True." "But, our Lord sees the truth in all things." "And so he knows your truth as well." "Whatever your sins might be, have faith that they will be forgiven." "Mmm." "How's our patient this morning?" "Stubborn." "Very stubborn." "He still refuses any food." "You need sustenance." "He has a fever." "I was afraid of that." "It's looking better." "Once we have you healed up, we can begin a regime of massage and exercise, see if we can't get that ring finger bending properly." "We need to get his fever down." "I'll need a bucket of the coldest water you can find." "The burn is icy in the mornings." "That'll do." "And also plenty of clean cloth." "I'll see you get all you need." "Thank you." "You canna save a man that doesna want saving." "Hey, go on." "Staying sober isna going to heal Jamie any faster, eh?" "It's not his wounds I'm worried about." "It's the not eating." "Same thing happened to my uncle." "Tree fell on him." "His arm." "Lost it up to the shoulder." "Couldna stop fretting about it." "Refused to take even a mouthful of bread." "What happened to him?" "Starved himself to death." "Not that I'm comparing Jaime to..." "Ah!" "Am I close?" "Have you reached your limit yet?" "What shall I do with you?" "Claire." "What is her power?" "Possesses you even now?" "What is her secret?" "Tell me." "She's gone." "There's no more Claire." "Then are you mine?" "Are you mine?" "You." "There's only you." "Show me." "Show me you're mine." "Huh?" "Show me." "Do it." "I spotted two Redcoat patrols." " But they dinna see you?" " No." "One was headed south, the other east." "Lucky for us." "Won't be long before they head north." "The monastery's no place for a fight." "It's time we made plans." "It's clear Jamie's not thriving here." "Go where?" "There's no place safe for ye in Scotland." "Not Leoch, not Lallybroch." "Ye'll have to flee the country." "The MacKenzies know people in Paris." "They can take ye in, provide shelter, eh?" "There are Frasers in France as well." "Jamie and I have a cousin." "The man's a merchant." "He couldna fight sleep." "You need someone who can defend against..." "Mistress Claire, do you not have yer own family in France?" "Is that not where you were headed when we first encountered ye?" "Perhaps they would take ye in?" "Yes, but they were relatives of my late husband and most likely wouldn't welcome me in my current circumstances." "I think Jamie would prefer to be with members of the Fraser clan." " No offense." " None taken." "The offer stands." "Aye." "The MacKenzies will always stand with ye." "I know they will." "Thank you." "Then I best secure us a ship." "Jaime." "Murtagh's gone to find a boat." "For France, where ye can forget this ever happened." "Ye need to keep yer strength up." "Ye must eat for..." "For Mistress Claire's sake if not for yer own." "She loves you fiercely and ye have her worried sick." "Tell me what I can do to help." "Jamie." "Yer blade." "Hand it over." "And what would ye be needing it for?" "To put me out of this black misery." "Jamie, ye don't mean it." "It's not a matter I wish to discuss." " Now, hand it over." " No." " Give it to me." " No, I won't." "I was just coming to see you." "Got us passage on a ship." "The Cristabel." "It's a bit dear." "Fifty coin in gold, but it's safe." "Willie said Jamie asked him to kill him." "Did you know?" "I wanted to tell you, but he made me pledge not to." "I've been praying ye'd be able to talk some sense into the lad." "That he'd come around." "Why?" "Why does he want to die so badly?" "He's been tortured." "Raped." "Isn't that reason enough?" "No." "Aye." "The lad's taken his share of punishment, but I can't help feeling there's more here than we know." "I'm sorry, Claire." "I'm truly sorry." "I'd never do anything to hurt that lad..." "Unless." "Unless?" "I'll not watch Jamie waste away." "Die like an animal in the woods with his foot caught in a trap." "If it comes to the time when he's past the point of healing..." "There we go." "Feeling better?" "Whoa." "Whoa, whoa." "Ye collapsed like a sack of grain." "Scared the piss right out of me." "Pardon me, Brother." "What am I going to do?" "About Jamie?" "Well, his wounds are progressing nicely, but his soul remains possessed by darkness." "I fear he will writhe in torment until he makes an end of himself." "Unless he can be led back into the light." "I don't mean to disagree with ye, Brother, but I know Jamie." "And light or no light, none can lead him where he doesna want to go." "Are ye saying the lad's doomed?" "I'm saying that maybe the only way to save Jamie is for someone to step into the darkness with him." "Breathe in." "Oil of lavender." "Smells familiar, doesn't it?" "What are you doing?" "Leave me be!" "I've left you be for far too long." "Treated you too gently." "That doesn't work with you, does it?" "No, you only respond to strength." "Why are you doing this?" "You know why!" "To find out exactly what happened in that room between you and Randall." "What you're holding back." "You already know." "The obvious, yes, but what else?" "There is no else." "Then why can't you look at me?" "Look at me!" "Do it!" " Look at me!" " No!" "No!" "Claire, please!" "I don't want to hurt you." "It's a bit late for that, isn't it?" "My husband wants to kill himself and he won't tell me why!" "Do you want me to hate you?" " Do you want me to hate you!" " No!" "He branded you?" "Jamie, what he did to you doesn't mean that..." "No, you're wrong." "He didn't brand me." "I did it myself." " We can remove it." " No." "You canna understand." "Claire." "It wasn't..." "Randall didn't just use force to get what he wanted from me." "Claire, it wasn't..." "Go on." "Say it." "He made love to me, Claire." "And I..." "What?" "Breathe in." "That's oil of lavender." "These are Claire's hands." "Think of Claire." "Think of your wife." "Wait for me." "Claire's here." "Say my name, Jamie." "Say my name." "Claire." "I understand." "How could she ever forgive you?" "I couldna help myself, Claire." "It felt so good." "Not to be in pain." "Were you afraid I wouldn't forgive you?" "There's nothing to forgive." "Jamie, it's..." "It's all right." "Don't you see?" "I canna be your husband any longer." "And I will not be less to you." "You did what was necessary to survive." "That's all." "No." "No, he broke me." "He broke me, Claire." "He knew it." "We both did." "You belong to no one else but me." "And I belong to you." "And nothing will ever change that." "Those are just weak words, Claire." "I lie here, feeling I will die without your touch, but when you do touch me, I want to vomit with shame." "No." "You're my husband, James Fraser." "How dare you give up on me now!" "You swore to me, you promised me the protection of your body if need be." "Well, Randall had your body, but I'll be damned if he has your soul as well." "You're mine." "And we are meant to be together." "It's the only explanation I have for all this." "It's the only way I can wrap my mind around what's happened all these past months." "It's all been for you and me." "But if you take away the one last thing that makes sense to me," "then I will die." "With you, right here, now." "How can you have me like this?" "I will have you any way I can." "Always." " The laudanum, please." " No." "I want to be awake when you cut him out of me." "Get on with it." "I'll miss you, mistress." "We shall never find another healer the likes of you." "Thank you, Willie." "You're a true friend." "I doubt everyone is as sad as you are to see us go." "It's nothing personal, mistress, but keeping you and Jamie out of harm's way proves to be a full-time occupation." "That's very true." "Time to go." "Mistress Claire?" "May I kiss you farewell?" "No, you may not." "That is far too final." "You may kiss me au revoir." "Hey, hey." "I'm so sorry." "Seriously?" "Apologies, mistress, I lost my head." "Goodbye to you, Claire." "God bless." "Very gallant." "See, that's how you take your leave of a lady." "All right." "Piss off, the lot of you." "If ye happen to run into the rightful King across the water, you tell him Angus Mohr sends his best, eh?" "King James is in Italy, ye fool, not France." "I meant if he..." "I meant if he goes to Italy." "Yer arse, ye did." "I thought I'd be the one to be puking my guts out over the side and here ye are, as green as rotten fish." "Please." "Fish is the last thing I want to think about right now." "Should I get a bucket?" "Glad to see you're regaining your sense of humor." "I'm trying." "It'll be all right, won't it?" "I mean, we'll be all right?" "I'll see to it." "We're headed into an unknown future and I..." "Aye." "I know what you mean." "What are we to do in France?" "It won't be forever, Claire." "Someday, we'll return to Scotland." "That I promise ye." "But you know what's going to happen in Scotland." "The Rising." "Culloden." "The end of the Highland culture." "What can we do but play our part?" "What if we could stop it from happening?" "The Rising, Culloden, what if we could stop all of it?" "Change the future?" "The two of us?" "That's madness, is it not?" "We have to try." "The Rising starts with Prince Charles." "And right now, the Bonnie Prince is in France." "I believe we can do anything we want, just as long as we're together." "It'll take some thought." "There's something else." "Ye mean besides changing the future?" "I'm not sure I'm ready to hear it." "I've been wondering how to tell you this." "Murtagh assures me that once we're underway you'll be too seasick to have a conversation." "I'm pregnant." "But, you said you were unable to..." "Apparently, I was wrong." "Are you happy?" "I never thought I'd be able to say such a thing again," "but yes." "Yes!" "I'm verra happy indeed," "Sassenach!" "Ripped By mstoll"