Jamie Fraser slept just as you would expect, arms spread as far as his longest finger could reach legs semi-tucked yet knees at awkward angles. His large mouth hung open and the groan of his snores continues rumbling around the room - yet Claire found this soothing. He acted as her reminder that she was still there - in one time period. Claire's dreams were filling with nonsensical feelings of falling away from jamie away from Scotland into a never ending abyss of nothing, yet the fuzzy leg coated with coarse red hair rubbing against her own with the large heavy arm wrapped around her shoulders and the warm blow of breath on her forehead reminded her that this was real. He was real. She was real.

She often woke after one such dream where she felt all of reality tumbling away to startle herself into consciousness, and whenever this occurred shed watch her husband as he lay in deep slumber oblivious to anything. Claire ran her fingers along his chest dipping them over the ridges of muscles and curling them with the copper coils dashed along it. She realised suddenly that she had never done so with frank - albeit she had never awoken from a terrifying dream so bad she needed comfort until the stones - yet she had also never taken the time to look at frank , to learn his body. Yet even if her eyes were closed Claire could tell you where every scar was , every mole. How his hands don't stretch as far as average men as his muscles have grown taut over usage of blades and riding equipment. How the stubble on his neck stops just after the mound of Adam's apple.

She hated to compare the two for respect for frank as well as her confusing commitments - yet it was clear to her where the intimacy lay greater.

"Ye brows are deep Sassenach, tell me what ye thinkin' of?"

Claire jumped and her twirling hand froze lost in her own thoughts she hadn't even realised the ceasing snores or the change in breathing.

"Christ, you scared me." She cried gently , placing her hand on her chest, "I didn't mean to wake you."

A deep chuckle rose from the chest Claire's head lay on and a heavy palm stroked her crown, "Aye, I'm sure ye didna but how could a soul sleep wit' all ye thinkin'?" Jamie tapped Claire's head and curled a lock around his finger, "Go on then lass, speak up."

"I was just having one of those dreams where I was falling away from everything - from you. Everything was tumbling away faster than I could hold it close." Jamie's arm tightened slightly - he knew how her mind could wander into the bad thoughts at night. "And then I woke and you were still here - still you still me. It dawned on me just now as I was watching you that I never really knew frank, and now I don't know if I ever will."

"Sassenach listen-"

"Oh no! I don't mean to say I regret this - I just mean I'm thankful," she felt Jamie's expression change, "I know I'm not making any sense but I'm thankful that I know you - not in the way 'I'm thankful we met' which granted I am , but I mean I'm thankful to know your body and your soul. To understand how you think and to know you know how I think. I suppose there are some things I'm glad happened, I'll never know how my life would have been if I had found the stones - and yet I feel as though this is the life I was always meant to have."

Jamie pressed his lips to her head, "Aye Sassenach, I'm thankful too."

They linked their hands together and pressed closer than before, cheek to cheek and heart to heart - no more words were shared just soothing gestures and softly pressed kisses.

This is where Claire was meant to be - where she wanted to be.