Title: Blindly At the Day

Author: Bluehaven4220

Summary: The day Maggie Chisholm walked into Brian MacKenzie's life was the day the world changed forever.

A/N: This story is a parallel to 'Cat's Cradle'. What if things hadn't worked out between Sergeant Benton and Maggie? In this story, Jamie was never arrested, and he and Bridget are raising their family close by Maggie's parents, Cora and Gordon. Maggie and her family are my creations, please ask before using for your own devices. Enjoy! And please feel free to leave a review, the door is always open

ooOoo

I'll build a lonesome castle upon some mountain high, where she can view me, as I go passing by. Where she can sit and view me, as I go marching on, for I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home

The River Driver- Great Big Sea

ooOoo

Good riddance to bad rubbish, she thought as she loaded the last of her things into the TARDIS. She wanted nothing more than to take her children and get the hell out of England. The Doctor was less than thrilled that she would be leaving (he always said he really did like her and thought the world of her), but he assured her he did not bear her any ill-will.

Once they'd gotten the children settled, the Doctor put the TARDIS in flight, and, in what seemed like no time at all, they had landed. She'd honestly forgotten how short trips in the TARDIS could be, even if they were traveling hundreds of years into the past or to other planets.

She very slowly opened the TARDIS door to see the house where she had grown up, and, to her surprise, her mother and father working outside.

She went back inside, asking the Doctor to watch the babies for a few minutes, just until she'd made herself known. Once he'd agreed, she went back outside, and began what she was sure would be the longest walk of her entire life

ooOoo

Cora Chisholm bent over the vegetable patch, spreading yet another row of seeds in hopes that it would yield something, anything. But it was really hopeless to try. They'd not had a successful vegetable harvest in quite a while.

But something… something that day made her turn around.

"Maggie?"

Maggie smiled, nodding.

Cora could barely believe it. She looked so much older, and tired, but relieved. She looked relieved. Where had she been? What had she been doing? And why the hell wasn't her tongue working?

"Mama…"

"Oh my God!" Cora swept her daughter into a hug. "Oh my God, you're safe! Blessed Michael, you're safe! What happened?"

"I have a surprise for you and Daddy, Mama."

"Surprise? What sort of surprise? Having you back is surprise enough." Her feet seemed glued to the ground as Maggie walked toward the strange blue box Cora was sure she'd seen before, and return just as quickly.

But this time she had something in her arms. Make that two somethings.

"Mum…" Maggie breathed as she jostled the two bundles in her arms. "I'd like you to meet Claire," she motioned to her left arm, "and Ian."

Cora's mouth fell open.

"Your grandbabies."

"I…" Cora nearly choked. "Grandbabies? I… I'm a grannie?"

"Aye…"

"But… but… when did this happen?"

Maggie bit her cheek in concentration. "About six months ago."

"With whom?"

"We shall never speak his name again."

"Why? Did he hurt ye?"

"Yes. Yes he did. That's why I left," Maggie shook her head. "But never mind that now. Would you like to hold one of your grandchildren?"

"Aye, I would love to!" Cora reached for the baby cradled in Maggie's left arm. "And who's this handsome boy?"

"I already said that's Ian, Mum."

Cora settled the baby against her chest. "Oh you are so handsome, Boo Boo."

"Did you just call him Boo Boo?" Maggie laughed as she savoured the feeling of one less baby in her arms.

"Aye, do ye have a problem wi' that?"

"No, why should I?" Maggie laughed. "Oh Mum, I can't tell you just how happy I am to see you. I missed you so much."

Cora smiled, turning back toward the house with her grandson in her arms. "Your father's going to be knocked off his feet. He's missed you something terrible, what since Ben's a priest now. Ye should go t' see him."

"Why? Have I committed some sin?"

Cora laughed. "No, but ye should go t' see him. Let him know ye have children. He'd be happy for ye. He might christen them, if you were to ask."

Maggie rolled her eyes just as Claire sneezed and spit up, sending the little girl into a crying fit.

"Oh no," Maggie grit her teeth. "Alright, honey, you're okay. Just a little bit of sicky tummy. You're okay…" Wiping Claire's mouth, she bounced her daughter in her arms, whispering a lullaby under her breath.

"Here…" Cora set Ian down on the settee and reached for Claire.

Maggie had never seen such a transformation. Once the baby had been handed to her grandmother, she quieted herself. Smiling and gurgling, she sneezed again.

"Oh bless you!" Cora cooed at the baby. "Now what has your mummy been feeding you, hmm? For you to have such a sicky tummy?"

"Mum!" Maggie's eyes filled with tears as she held Ian close. "I haven't done anything wrong. Both the bairns took to my breast. I'm just starting to wean them." A stray tear rolled down her face. "I'm so sorry, Mum. I didn't mean to spring this on you. Just showing up back home wi' two bairns t' feed an' no husband…"

Seeing Maggie in such pain was enough to have Cora suggest they put the babies down on the floor, allow them to crawl around for a while, and they could talk. But first, tea. Tea always helped, she knew. She'd hidden as much as possible, and kept it for occasions such as this.

As Ian and Claire crawled about, mother and daughter sat on the couch together.

"Now, what's happened, love? Can ye tell me why ye're so sad?"

"Because I'm alone, Mum," Maggie sobbed. "The Doctor brought me back here because I need you. I need you and Dad. I can't do it on my own."

Cora swept her daughter into a hug. "Dinna fash. Yer father and I would never turn ye away. Doesna matter if ye were married when ye had the bairns, they're still our blood."

"But…"

"But?"

"Ye don't think that makes me a selfish whore?"

"No, not at all. You truly loved the man, aye?"

"Aye, I did."

"And he dinna force himself on ye, did he?"

"No, he didna force me into anything."

"An' he was the one that was untrue t' ye, aye?"

"Aye, about seven or eight others, he said.'

"That doesna make ye a whore or selfish." Cora wiped a tear from her daughter's cheek. "You were true t' him, ye bore him two children, and he threw that away. Not you, ye ken?'

"But..."

"But what?"

"But why do I feel like the one that did something wrong?"

'Because he took summat from you that wasna his t' take. You trusted him, and he betrayed you. It's what everyone feels when they've been wronged like you have. They all say the same thing. 'What's wrong with me?'. There is nothing wrong wi' you. It's him.'

Maggie couldn't stop the tears as Cora held her, rocking her as though she were a little girl. She was so upset, unsure of where she was and what she was going to do that she didn't even notice Claire crawl outside.

ooOoo

Brian MacKenzie shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck, exhausted from the day. He'd been on loan to Cora and Gordon from Jamie for a week or so, just until the three mares had their foals. Not that he minded, really. Whatever work he could get, he would take. More money that way. Not that there was much to go around, but every little bit counted.

And just as he got close to the house, he noticed out of the corner of his eye. A small child by the herb shed. Curious, he went over and bent down to look at the baby.

She was very small, but at the same time very curious. She turned around to stare at him, a clump of dirt clenched in her pudgy fist.

"Dis?" she asked him.

"What's that?" he smiled, holding out his hand. "Can I see it, lassie?"

Smiling at him, she deposited the dirt in his hand.

"That's dirt," he told her, letting it fall out of his hand and wiping his palm on his breeks. "Yer too little t' be out here alone. Where's yer mummy?"

Claire looked at him sideways, and blew a raspberry at him.

"Oh now, aren't we rude?" he smirked, picking the little girl up.

"Claire?" he heard a frantic cry. "Claire, where are ye?"

"Are they lookin' for you, sweetheart?" he cooed to the baby cradled in his arm. "Are you Claire?"

She babbled at him, sneezed, and promptly giggled.

"I'll take that as a yes. Come on, ye wee ragamuffin, let's go find your mummy…"

Brian set off to the house with Claire in his arms, and knocked on the open front door. He waited until a young woman with the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen noticed him, eyes red and a frantic expression written all over her face.

"Excuse me, I believe yer looking for this wee munchkin? "

He saw the young woman's eyes grow wide. "Claire!" she quickly scooped the baby out of the man's arms and cuddled her daughter close. "Thank you so much, sir! Where did you find her?"

"Over by the herb shed, ma'am."

The woman's mouth dropped open. "I dinna ken how she got over there…" she turned away from him, her eyes now huge. "Ian! What are ye doing, ye wee rascal?"

Brian almost had enough good sense to turn around and go back to the barn, but something told him to stay.

"Won't you come in?" she asked as she balanced Claire on one arm while maneuvering another child, this time a little boy who looked about the same age, away from the unlit fireplace. Pulling the soot covered child away and sitting down on the couch, she settled the two babies on her lap. "I'm so sorry I don't even have the kettle boiling. I'd offer you a cup of tea if I did. You must be exhausted…"

He smirked.

"What?" she asked him as Ian pulled on her hair. "Ow! Ian, let go of Mummy's hair."

Brian fought the urge to laugh. She was obviously a frazzled young mum struggling to get her children under control, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it. Unless…

"Here, let me hold him, and then ye've got one arm free t' get Claire cleaned up."

He saw her breathe a sigh of relief. "Oh thank you, Mr…"

"M' name's Brian."

"Brian," she acknowledged the consent he'd given her to use his first name. "My name's Maggie."

"Pleased t' meet you, Maggie. Ye said this wee one's name is Ian?" he bounced the little boy on his knee just as Ian let out an irritated squeal.

"Aye, he's Ian, though I probably should have named him healthy little terror. God, what a strange name…." she pondered as she went to get Claire into some clean clothes.

Brian chuckled, turning Ian around on his knee to face him.

"Well now, young Ian," Brian ran a finger down the boy's tiny nose. "What have ye been doing, playing in the soot in the fireplace and giving yer mother a hard time?"

Ian babbled a response.

"Oh I see," Brian nodded, brushing the dirt off Ian's shirt. "Ye canna be terrorizing yer mother like that, you understand?"

Ian blew a raspberry at him.

"That's the second raspberry I've got from you and yer sister. What is it wi' you two an' blowing raspberries at people? Ye ken that's no very nice."

Babbling again.

"Yeah yeah, ye wee rascal," Brian adjusted the baby's shirt and smiled. "Yer quite handsome. Yer mother's gonna have t' keep you away from the lassies once yer older."

"He's not going near any girls till he's at least seventeen," Maggie giggled as she came back into the room with Claire on her hip. "Is there anything I can do for ye, sir, t' thank ye for bringing my daughter back?"

He smiled to himself. He could ask her to lift her skirts and let him roger her then and there if he so wished. However, a sense of decency, no matter how small, could prevent a man's innermost perverted thoughts from rising to the surface.

"In thanks then, do ye mind if I called on ye again, Maggie? To see how the bairns are doing?"

She smiled. "I'd be quite happy if ye did."

And as he walked away, she told herself she'd be heading over to visit Uncle Jamie the first chance she got, and find out what he knew about this mysterious man named Brian.