Title: Acceptance

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Outlander, I'm only borrowing them for the story.

Warning: Spanking will occur in this story.

Authors' notes: I have chosen to start telling Lottie's story from the middle instead of from the very beginning. I hope this isn't too confusing. This story, "Acceptance", is Lottie's journey to being accepted by the group collecting Collum's rent that she is travelling with. So it takes place before "Keeping one's word", "The fight lesson" and "Conversations and agreements". It also explains why Lottie is under Jamie's protective wing.

It is also possible to read this story before the others if preferred, and I might even chose to number them later and put this one before the others.

I have chosen to attempt making the stories longer. I actually prefer writing short stories but I also like to hear people's opinions in reviews and I suspect more people who are choosing to favorite my stories might also review them if the stories are put into chapters instead.

Please see the author notes!

ACCEPTANCE

Lottie felt the bumping wagon come to a squealing halt.

"All right all of ye, get off yer horses and have a rest!" Dougal yelled from the front of the travelling group.

Lottie felt the nervous knot in her stomach tighten because she knew that now was the time they would find her hidden in the wagon. She wasn't sure what would happen. Dougal had explicitly said he wouldn't permit her coming along with them on the road. Jamie had tried to persuade him to let her come because she had been desperate not to be left behind at castle Leoch without Claire, but Dougal had not been swayed. The events had led to Lottie climbing aboard the wagon early this morning, hiding amidst all the necessary supplies being brought along. A wool blanket now covered her crumpled form hidden in the corner of the tarped wagon and she heard the cover being swooshed aside. She then felt the wagon shift as someone jumped into it in search of something. Lottie held her breath and tried to be quiet as the smallest mouse she could think of.

Then nothing moved for at least ten seconds and she lay still in apprehension of what was to happen. She was sure whoever was in the wagon hadn't gotten out again because in that case she would surely have felt the wagon move. Suddenly her protective blanket was pulled off her with a swift move and a gasp escaped her lips. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the blue eyes of an annoyed Jamie Fraser. He sighed resignedly and shook his head a little.

"Now you've really done it, lass. Dougal's going to be very angry with ye," he said, squatting by her feet. "Ye'd better get out."

He grabbed her arm and helped her to her feet and then guided her by a tight grip on her elbow to the opening of the wagon. There he jumped down and lifted her down, placing her on the ground. They had stopped to rest in a clearing by the road next to a lake and all the men in the group were walking around gathering firewood for the cooking fire and tending to the horses and supplies.

"Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ what are you doing here? What's Dougal going to say"

It was Claire who had spotted Lottie standing beside the wagon and headed their way. Lottie jerked her elbow out of Jamie's grasp and was about to say something slightly impertinent to him but changed her mind when noticing the serious look on his face. They didn't have to wait long for an answer to that question because in that moment a disgruntled shout was heard from the path leading to the lake. Dougal was on his way up from the lake and had stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her. Quickly his expression switched from surprised to angry and his brows descended so deep that they almost covered his eyes. He started to stride over to them and the entire camp went quiet.

"Are ye deaf, lass? Or perhaps a bit daft, hmm?" he asked as he reached for her and caught the sleeve of her coat, bringing her closer to him. His raised his eyebrows as if he waited for her to answer his insult. But she didn't, she just met his stare quietly. "Because I'm fairly sure I told ye, just last night in fact, that ye could not come along!" he yelled. "I should give ye a good thrashing with my belt for this!"

"I am not deaf nor daft! I'm sorry I hid in the wagon but I had to! Now let go of me!" Lottie yelled back as she tried to break free from his grip on her.

"Oh, leave her alone! Don't you understand she didn't want to be left all alone at the castle?" Claire tried to intervene on Lottie's behalf with a slight look of worry in her eyes.

Dougal's eyebrows shot up in surprise once again.

"Oh, so now ye have a say in it as well, do ye Mistress Beachump?" he said in a challenging tone. "I don't think so, lass. This one was told she was to stay at castle Leoch. And she wouldna have been alone considering all the other residents at the castle. Which isn't exactly a small amount of people, ye ken. So, I dinna want to hear any foolishness now." he turned his icy stare to Lottie before continuing "Ye're going back and that's that." he fingered the belt around his waist and looked to be contemplating whether to thrash her or not as his next move.

Jamie took a step forward and slightly blocked Lottie from Dougal's path, thereby giving her a temporary reprieve from his stare. Dougal let go of her as a result.

"Dougal," he said with a calming hand on his uncle's heavy shoulder. "We're too far from the castle for the lassie to find her way back by herself. And ye dinna want to make a man ride back with her and then have to catch up with us again afterwards. Now, Cabre in the next village owes the Mackenzie a horse. How about you let the lass ride the horse during this trip so that he doesna get bored just trotting along behind the rest of us, aye?"

Dougal's forehead contracted and he appraised Jamie, Claire and Lottie slowly one by one. Lottie secretly crossed her fingers for luck, hoping for all she was worth for Dougal to give in. She was also hoping she would be spared the thrashing from Dougal because she figured that would probably be a highly uncomfortable experience. Although compared to being sent away it wasn't something she worried overly much about at the moment.

"Aye, well sometimes ye have a knack for reason, Jamie. I'll give ye that, lad." the warchief crossed his arms over his chest and locked eyes with Lottie and narrowed his hazel eyes into slits. Then he spoke to Jamie while still keeping his stare fixed on Lottie. "But since ye so firmly believe in bringing this lass along on this trip you can bloody well be responsible for her as well. That's my condition. She comes along then her safety is yer responsibility, lad. As well as making sure she behaves and keeps out of my way."

Lottie looked up at Jamie. Suddenly her fate was in his hands again. Just like it had been that day when she had come through the stones at Craigh na dun and he had saved her from the red coates while dislocating his shoulder in the process. Jamie was quiet and wore a look of seriousness on his handsome face. He seemed to be thinking Dougal's proposal over properly before answering. Finally he gave a firm nod in response.

"Aye, agreed."

Lottie exhaled as Dougal finally broke his stare and chose to take a step back from them with finality.

"Good," he said and turned and started to walk away. "All of ye get back to setting up camp!" he called out across the clearing and got the men moving again from having watched the scene with suspense.

Lottie was left alone with Claire and Jamie by the wagon. She was so thankful she could have almost burst and she looked up at Jamie with a smile. He didn't smile back though. He regarded her with one raised eyebrow and his lips a slim line.

"Thank you," Lottie said in a small voice. "For helping me. I'm sorry if I got you in trouble with him." She looked at the grass underneath her boots. "I didn't mean to."

"I ken it wasn't your intention." Jamie said with and leaned a hand against the wagon. "Ye just wanted to accompany us. Dougal's right though, ye know. It wasn't your decision to make. You're going to have to follow my orders on this trip if this is to work. As well as his. Can ye do that?" he asked in a questioning tone.

Lottie reflected over his question quietly for a moment before she answered.

"I will do my best. But I'm not always so good at following orders," she finally admitted with a crooked smile his way.

To her surprise Jamie snorted and his mouth twitched at her words. Claire rolled her eyes but a smile escaped her anyway, despite the situation Lottie had just created.

"I would never have guessed, lass, "Jamie said with a quick drum of his fingers against the side of the wagon.

To be continued