CHAPTER 22

Skylar sighed for the millionth time. History was definitely not her favorite class. She was only half paying attention to what Mr. Morrison was saying. She just continued to doodle little ships sailing on water in her notebook.

"Alright class, so we are all very familiar with slavery in America. But today, we're going to be focusing on what slavery meant in Jamaica," Mr. Morrison told the class. "The concept of slavery was first introduced in Jamaica in the 16th Century when the Spanish settled and forced the Arawak Indians, the natives of the island, into hard labor. But when the Arawak were wiped out, the Spanish started to import African slaves to work on the tobacco and sugar plantations."

"Mr. Morrison?" a girl called out, raising her hand.

"Yes?"

"Weren't white people also sold at slave markets then?"
"That's true. Though they were often kept as indentured servants rather than slaves. We don't have as much information on rebellions of indentured servants as we do slaves. But there is one who is talked about and well known throughout history. His name was Ian Murray, a Scottish teenager from the 18th Century."

Skylar's head snapped up, now giving her teacher her undivided attention.

"What happened to him?" a boy asked.

"He was kidnapped from Scotland by Portuguese pirates and brought to Jamaica where he was sold to a merciless man. Young Ian was brutally beaten and tortured, being given just enough food and water to keep him alive. One day, he had enough. He murdered his master and tried to escape. His actions inspired other indentured servants to do the same."

Skylar felt like she was suffocating. She didn't want to hear anymore.

"Did he ever get freed?" another girl asked.

"His family had tried to save him. They chased his captors all the way to Jamaica, but because of multiple obstacles they met along the way, they were too late. He got caught 2 days after he ran away and was executed. He was dead before he could be rescued. They were too late." Mr. Morrison looked right at Skylar and said, "You're too late."

"No! No we're not! He's alive! He is! I know he is!" she screamed at him. She whipped her around to look at where she was. "Why am I here? Why am I here? I have to go back! I need to save Ian!" She leapt up from her desk and ran out of the room into the school hallway. "Ian!" she cried. "Ian, where are you?!"
"Yank!" she heard Ian's voice call out. It was very faint. She heard it again, "Yank!"

"Ian, where are you?" she called back.

"Find me! Help me!"

"I'm trying but you need to tell me where you are!"
"Yank!"

She ran down the hall, following his voice as it continued to yell for her. It got louder and louder as she went further down the hall. It led her to a door which was the door to the lodge at the Black Cat Inn. She opened it and went inside. She walked into the room she was staying in with Claire and Jamie. She looked down and saw she had changed from the jeans and t-shirt she had been wearing to her purple gown.

"Ian?" she called again as she went into the bedroom. But sitting on the bed was not Ian. It was a woman. She was dressed in a hospital gown and had a scarf covering her bald head.

"Hi, sweetheart," she spoke, in the same calm and loving tone that Skylar had heard her use for her entire life.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

She looked off, out the window. "The moon is so beautiful here. It seems brighter than it is in Scotland."

"Do you know where Ian is? Is he okay?"

Her mom looked back at her. "He's alive. But you need to hurry. She has plans."

"Who does? What is she planning?"

"I'm sorry, Skylar. I have to go." She stood up and walked past Skylar and out the door. Skylar ran after her, stopping at the door.

"Mom, please don't leave me again! I need you! Please stay!"

Skylar's eyes shot open when the carriage shook as the door opened. She sat up and looked around. She was still in Jamaica. It was 1767. Fergus and Marsali climbed in and had barely closed the door before the carriage took off.

"What's happening?" Skylar asked, definitely still drunk and groggy from just waking up. Her mind was also reeling from her dream and what her mom had said in it.

"Captain Leonard was here," Fergus told her. "Milord told us to meet him and Milady back at the inn."

"Did they say anything about what the governor told them?"

"We didn't have time to ask."

"We need to find him. He's in danger! A woman has him and is planning to hurt him!"
"How do ye ken that?" Marsali questioned.
"I was dreaming and my mom told me. I know that sounds insane but I feel like it's real and she's right."

"We will talk to Milord and Milady about it at the inn. We'll all be there soon."

None of them spoke the rest of the way, they were all too on edge.

They jumped out of the carriage as soon as it stopped and ran into the lodge. It was empty.

"Where are they?" Skylar asked.

"Claire's been here," Marsali told them, seeing the gown she had worn that night on the bed.

"I had hoped Mr. Willoughby would be here. Harm may have befallen him," Fergus said.

"He's a clever man, he'll ken how te avoid harm," Marsali assured him.

"Is he missing?" Skylar pressed.

"We couldn't find him anywhere at the reception. I really hope he's okay," Fergus told her.

"There's naught we can do fer him. We dinna ken this island," Marsali went on. Fergus glanced at Claire's dress and saw there was a note on it. He picked it up and read it.

"It's from Milady. Milord has been arrested by Captain Leonard."

"What?!" Skylar exclaimed.

Nose, mouth. Nose, mouth.

"We must make haste te the Artemis, then. We'll need help," Marsali said.

"No, there's another way," Fergus countered. "I must go now. Wait here for me, the both of you."

"Fergus Fraser, I am yer wife. I'm comin' with ye." He knew there was no arguing with her about it. He looked at Skylar, about to beg her to stay here, but she stopped him.

"Don't even try to keep me from going." Not to waste any time on what would clearly be a waste of effort, he just accepted this.

As the three went back out and stepped into the carriage, he said, "The two most strong minded women in the world are my wife and my sister. How did that happen?"

"What's your plan?" Skylar asked him as the driver took off.

"He and the governor are friends, no? Lord John has authority over Captain Leonard now that he is on shore. He can get Milord freed."

"Did Claire's note say anything else?" she followed with another question. Her adrenaline was so high right now, she could feel herself getting sober.

Fergus opened the note again and continued to read it over. His eyes went wide as he finished it and looked back up at Skylar. "She knows where Ian is."

Skylar stopped breathing. "Wh-what-what?" she stuttered.

"Where is he?" Marsali asked for Skylar, seeing that she could barely breathe let alone speak.

"She says he is at a place called Rose Hall being held captive by a woman named Geillis. That's who Milady was with earlier. She has gone to find him."

"Omigod, omigod," was all Skylar could get out. She held onto her mom's necklace tight, feeling as though if she let go she would wake up from what felt like a dream as well. She was going through a million different emotions as this news sunk in, but felt like she was paralyzed at the same time. She was unable to produce any sort of outward reaction though her mind was spinning.

Claire knows where he is. She's going to get him. Omigod, we know where he is. He's going to be okay. He's going to be okay. We're getting him back.

When they arrived back at the governor's mansion, they bound out of the carriage nearly before it stopped completely. They ran inside and into the ballroom, their eyes scouring the room for John Grey.

"There he is!" Fergus announced. He was talking with a man across the room. They urgently pushed their way as fast as they could through the crowd to get to him. "Your Excellency, sir, we are in dire need of your assistance," Fergus said with extreme urgency when they reached the man. "It's about Jamie Fraser. He's in trouble and he needs your help."

"I-I'm sorry, who are you three? How do you know Jamie?" he asked them.

"My name is Fergus Fraser, I am his son."

"Marsali Fraser, his daughter-in-law and ex-stepdaughter."

"I'm Skylar Kelley, I'm in love with his missing nephew. Please, sir, you're Jamie's only hope."

John glanced around quickly, then said, "Come with me." He led them into a private room. "Now, tell me what is going on. What trouble is Jamie in?"
They explained to him about how he was being chased by Captain Leonard because a member of crew believed him to be treasonous. And Leonard had him and was likely going to take him back to England to be tried as a traitor.

Skylar could see in John's eyes his concern for Jamie's safety was beyond that of a governor protecting an innocent man. It was close to the same look she had when Ian had been taken. Though he had to hide it and keep his face as neutral as possible. "I will send my men immediately to intercept Captain Leonard. He and Jamie will be brought here and I will deal with it. I promise you, I will not let any harm come to him."

"Thank you, Your Excellency. We are greatly in your debt," Fergus thanked him, bowing as the two girls curtsied. John gave a slight bow back. The four walked back out and John went right to the captain of his army while Skylar, Marsali and Fergus headed back to the Artemis to inform the crew on all the goings on.

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Ian laid in the dark in his room, staring at the ceiling. Well, it wasn't exactly a "room," it was more a larger sized pantry. He had emptied out a burlap sack and put it on the floor to act as a "bed" and he used a bag of flour as a pillow. He was thankful, at least, that the pantry was twice the size of the cell he had been held in as they sailed to Jamaica. He wasn't sure how long the trek had actually been. It felt so endless that the days blended together and he had lost track of time.

But now, it had been just over a week since they got here, and it had been 6 days since Geillis had taken him prisoner.

Except "prisoner" wasn't the right word. She basically had been keeping him as her whore. When he told her that he wasn't a virgin, she was angry at first. It seemed to mess up some ultimate plan she had. But she decided that because of his experience, which was honestly non-existent since he had only been with one girl, she would hold onto him. So, whenever she wanted him, she had him. He said no and fought her every time he was brought to her, but he was always painfully reminded that he had no say. He would be tortured by her servants through beatings, hot wax or being burned by candle flames until he gave in. Even after all that, if he still refused, he would be physically held down while Geillis had her way.

I should've lied. I should've told her I was a virgin, he thought. But she would've killed me if I had. Though that would have been better than te keep goin' through this hell.

He hated it every time. He felt gross and guilty over it because, even though he did not want it, his body would respond to it and it still felt good. He tried to fight it. He would concentrate on anything else to try not to feel it. But sometimes when he saw no point in fighting a battle that he was bound to lose, he would close his eyes and in his mind, it was Skylar he was with instead.

His thoughts of Skylar were the only thing keeping him alive. Not only when he was forced to Geillis' bed, but through the torturous months on the boat, and every day he had been on this island. Holding onto the idea that he was going to see her again was what helped him survive each day and allowed him to not lose the hope that he would be rescued.

During nights when he was overpowered by thoughts of giving up and not wanting to continue living, he saw her. He saw her face and how her eyes lit up when she smiled. He heard her laugh that could always make him happy again when he was upset. He would remember the warmth and joy he would feel when he was around her. As soon as he would think of her, he would smile again.

In almost no time at all, he had fallen helplessly in love with her. When he saw her for the first time in his uncle's printshop, he had thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Then, as they continued to talk and be around each other for the rest of that day, he could feel himself already starting to fall fast and hard for her. As they became better friends and his feelings grew stronger, he had worked so hard to keep them hidden, and he thought he was doing it well. But before his first week there ended, Fergus told him that it was more than obvious. He had begged Ian practically every day, both times that he was in Edinburgh and when Fergus and Skylar brought him back to Lallybroch, to tell her. But Ian refused to. The fear that she wouldn't want to be his friend and never talk to him again if she found out outweighed the near impossibility that she felt the same way. But at this moment, he was regretting it.

I should've told her when I had the chance. There could've been the possibility she would return it. And now I could die and she'll never know. No. No, I'm not goin' te die. I'm goin' te survive and get back te her. And when I do, I'll tell her. I will.

His train of thought was broken when the door opened. He sat up and saw the towering figure of Geillis' head servant, Hercules.

"I'm no goin' wi' ye," Ian told him. "She's had me already teday, and I willna do it again." Ignoring what he said, Hercules went to him and forced him to stand. He gripped Ian's arm and pulled him out, driving him towards what felt like his death.

Hercules shoved him into the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Ian alone. He looked to the bed and saw Geillis sitting on the edge of it, staring at him. Needing to show that she had no power over him and that he was not afraid of her, he made his face void of any emotion and walked to her, keeping his spine straight and not breaking eye contact.

He stood in front of her and said, "Let's just get it over with."

"I didna bring ye here fer that, lad. We have a matter te discuss," she told him. He didn't say anything back. He just stared at her unwavering, waiting for her to go on. "Through all yer blatherin', ye failed te tell me about yer Auntie Claire."

"What has she te do wi' this?"

"It was she who was after the treasure. Why?"

"Perhaps ye canna hear properly. 'Twas te pay a debt."

"Yer lyin'," she said decidedly. "She wanted the sapphire. She learned about the prophecy." He knew nothing he would say would change her mind and he snapped.

"I'm tired of yer blatherin'. So leave me be or get on with it, ye bitch!" He lunged at her to attack her, but another of her servants caught him and pulled him away from her. "I swear, I'll gut ye!" The servant held tight onto Ian as he struggled to get free. One of Geillis' maids then came into the room and whispered something to her.

Geillis turned to the man holding Ian and ordered him, "Take him away, quickly."

Ian started to shout in protest, but the man clapped a hand over his mouth, dragged him out and threw him back into the pantry, locking the door from the outside. Ian pounded on the door, screaming to be let out and that he was going to kill the man and Geillis.

"Shit!" he shouted, banging both fists one last time on the door. He pressed his forehead against the wood so hard it started to hurt. He pushed himself from it and leaned his back to it, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. He pulled his knees in and rested his head on them.

Uncle Jamie, where are ye?

He continued to sit against the door a while longer until it swung open, making him fall back. Hercules lifted him up and, before Ian could say anything, gagged him and tied his hands together. Trying to shout through the cloth in his mouth, Hercules forcibly towed him out, Ian contesting every step. They went outside and were met with Geillis. Ian glared daggers at her, trying to will her to die with his mind.

She barely gave him a glance and said to Hercules, "Let's go." Without another word, Hercules picked Ian up and threw him over his shoulder.

They walked for close to an hour. Ian didn't stop trying to yell and scream the entire way. He punched against Hercules' back as hard as he could, but it didn't do anything.

Geillis led them through a jungle, hearing the sounds of drumming getting closer and closer until it was on top of them. From where he was, he could see tall flames and brief glimpses of people dancing. They didn't go straight through whatever it was, but they passed right next to it. Ian tried to shout to them and get their attention, but no one heard him. They were unaware of the danger the young man was facing as he was carried past them, watching what might have been his only chance of rescue fading into the dark. The drumming was now gone as they walked into a cave. Geillis brought them deep inside it, and when they got to where they were going, Hercules dropped Ian to the ground.

He looked around and saw they were next to a pool of water that seemed to be glowing and was various shades of blue and green. Hercules tied Ian's legs as he watched Geillis. She had taken some kind of white powder from her pocket and poured it out in a specific pattern. She added gemstones into it and then took out what looked like a piece of paper. She stared at it for a minute, then put it down onto the powdered shape.

Ian was still crying out, trying to get the gag out of his mouth.

"Don't worry. Ye'll be sacrificed fer a great cause," she told him.

His eyes went wide when she said that and his breathing picked up.

Jesus Christ, she's goin' te kill me.

He was trying not to show that he was afraid, but that was getting more and more difficult. His eyes darted around the space, looking for anything that he could use as a weapon. But as he tried to reach for a rock, he realized it was nearly impossible for him to move. He had no chance of fighting or escaping. This was it. He was going to die in some cave in Jamaica. He closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. In his head, he said a prayer for himself, and for his family that they would be safe and could continue living a good life after him. He said a third prayer for Skylar, that she would she would find happiness and be protected, cared for and loved for the rest of her life.

He squeezed his eyes shut tighter thinking of her. A couple tears slipped down his face knowing he would never see her or hold her again, never having gotten the chance to tell her.

I love ye, Skylar. Ye'll never ken how fiercely I love ye. I'm sorry I never told ye. I should have told ye.

His eyes snapped open when he heard people run in and his heart leapt when he saw it was Jamie and Claire. He shouted at them, though his voice was muffled. Geillis saw them as well and stood up.

"So, ye came, did ye?" she spoke to them.

"Ian!" Jamie yelled, seeing him and starting to run to him.

"Don't come any closer, fox!" Jamie stopped when he heard a gun click. Hercules stood behind him with a gun to his head. "Persist, and Hercules will put a bullet in yer head. I only spare ye because Claire is fond of ye."

Ian looked back and forth between Geillis and his uncle. When Jamie and Claire came in, he instantly thought that he would finally be freed from this woman and he wasn't going to die. But seeing Jamie drop the sword he had been wielding, he felt his hope slipping away again. Geillis then turned to him and poured something on him that smelled like alcohol. He started screaming from fear. He saw Geillis holding one of the torches and knew what she was about to do.

"Geillis, don't!" Claire cried out.

Ian didn't see it, but with Geillis distracted, Jamie took the opportunity to knock the gun out of Hercules' hand and started to fight him, allowing Claire to advance. She ran towards Ian, but Geillis held the flaming torch out in front of her to stop her from getting closer.

Ian was in such a state of high adrenaline and panic that he wasn't paying attention to the words the women were saying. He was still pulling at his restraints to try to break out, and his eyes went back and forth from Claire and Geillis to Jamie and Hercules. His mind was going a million different directions, and his heart felt like it was going to explode. He had started to black out, but was brought back to reality when suddenly everything went silent. He looked up and saw Claire holding a bloody sword with Geillis' lifeless body at her feet, her head nearly off. Seeing the woman dead, relief rushed over him so quickly and without warning that he went ice cold and almost passed out. He couldn't stop staring at the body until he felt someone touch him. He jumped out of panic, but then saw it was Jamie.

Jamie took the gag from his mouth and Ian smiled wearily. "Uncle Jamie," he said, happy being a major understatement for what he felt looking at the man.

Jamie cut through Ian's ropes and pulled his nephew to him, nearly crushing him from hugging him so hard. But Ian couldn't care less. He hugged his uncle back as strong as he could and started to cry into his shoulder.

"There's no reason te be afraid, lad," Jamie spoke to him calmly. He held the boy for a full minute before pulling from him and saying, "Let's go home, aye?" Ian just nodded. "Claire?" he called to her, but she didn't answer. "Claire?" He looked to her and saw her in a trance-like state, walking towards the pool. Jamie stood up and took her hand, bringing Claire back from wherever she was. She looked at him, her face thanking him for stopping her. Stopping her from what, Ian didn't know. But right now, all he could think about was getting out of the cave.

He gathered the gemstones from the treasure that had started this whole epic, knowing how valuable they were, and Jamie helped him stand. The three then walked out, none of them looking back at the scene they left behind.

The sun had started to rise while they were in the cave, and the light was a soft grey. Ian ran ahead, wanting to get as much distance between that place and himself as possible. When he got to a clearing, he stopped and looked back, seeing his Aunt and Uncle catching up to him.

"I knew ye'd come, Uncle Jamie," he said, Jamie walking closer to him. "But ye left it a bit late, aye?" He started crying again, each moment that he had been through playing in his head.

"I did, then." Ian fell into his uncle's arms, letting his tears fall. "I'm sorry, Ian." Ian could tell he truly meant that and felt horribly guilty for taking so long to get to him. He kissed his nephew's head and pulled from him, smiling at him. Ian smiled back, finally accepting that he wasn't in anymore danger. "We're alright now. Sassenach?" Jamie turned to Claire but saw her just staring at the blood soaked sword she was still holding. She was so pale she was almost transparent and she was shaking frightfully. Jamie looked at Ian, and the boy nodded, saying he would be fine and to go to Claire.

As he did, Ian walked to a tree and leaned his back against it, able to start breathing normally again. He looked back over and saw Jamie holding Claire as she sobbed.

"We'll rest now," Jamie told her. "We must get back te the ship. I told Fergus te gather our belongin's, have Lesley and Hayes make ready te sail. But first," he looked back at Ian, "I must hold ye both." He held out his arm to Ian, and the boy went right to him, pressing as close to his uncle as he could. Jamie held onto to both of them for many seconds. When he let go of them, he said, "We'll continue on fer a while longer, then find a place te camp fer the night. We'll return te the ship in the morning."

Ian agreed to that. His adrenaline had nearly all worn off and he felt the most exhausted he had ever been. By the time they had decided to stop, it was well into the afternoon and the heat from the sun was only making him feel worse. He was sure he wouldn't have made it to the ship if they had kept going.

They found berries and plants to eat, as well as fish from a nearby river that Jamie was able to catch on his own and put on a stick over a fire. As they ate, Jamie and Claire asked Ian about what he had been through and what had happened to him, but he only gave bits and pieces. He didn't want to tell them everything. He was so ashamed of it himself, and he didn't want to feel anyone else's judgement. His uncle and aunt understood that he wasn't ready to give every detail, and they respected that.

"We'll leave at first light," Jamie said after the sun had set. "We shouldna take too long te get back. There are many people on board that are goin' out of their minds te see ye again, Ian. One lass in particular is the worst of them all."

Ian looked at his uncle and saw him give him a knowing grin. He searched Jamie's face for signs he was lying, but there were none.

"Skylar…she's here?" he asked, not believing it.

"She is. She's on the ship waitin' fer ye. I tried te tell her te wait fer us back at Lallybroch, but she woulda take no fer answer."

Hearing that Skylar had come with everyone to find him, and that she was so close, that he would see her the next day, Ian's stomach started to hurt in the good way it always did when he was around her. He tried to fight back the enormous smile that wanted to grow on his face. He remembered what he had promised himself the night before; that when he saw her again, he would tell her how he felt. And he was going to keep that promise.

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It had been over 24 hours, which felt like an eternity, since Skylar, Fergus and Marsali had come back to the Artemis, giving the crew word that Jamie and Claire knew where Ian was. Skylar hadn't left her cabin, and everyone knew to leave her be. She sat on her bed, knees closed in tight to her chest and her head on top of them. She couldn't think of anything other than Ian, praying with her entire soul that Jamie and Claire found him and were bringing him back.

"Please, God. Please," she prayed out loud.

On the ship's deck, Fergus continued to keep look out for any sign of the three with Marsali next to him, trying to keep him calm; but not just over his worry for Ian. He himself wanted Ian back as much as anyone, but he knew Skylar was being torn apart more and more every second that he was missing, and he didn't want to think about what would happen to her if Jamie and Claire were unsuccessful at rescuing him.

He was scanning the beach through his spyglass when he saw a figure emerge from the jungle. It was a tall man with bright red hair. It was Jamie. He also felt fierce relief at seeing that John Grey had been able to help him escape Captain Leonard. He tightened his grip as he focused more on that spot. A woman was right behind him, who Fergus instantly recognized as Claire, and she had her arm wrapped around another person, a tall slim boy with light hair. Fergus extended the spyglass as far out as it would go, and his smile took up his whole face.

"Ian. It's Ian. They found him," he said just to himself. He then turned to the rest of the ship exclaiming loudly, "They're back! Milord is back! They have Ian!" Thundering cheers rang throughout the crew and everyone sprang into action to get a lifeboat ready to carry the three from the beach. Fergus wasted no time. He kissed his wife out of joy and excitement, then sprinted to Skylar's room and burst through the door.

"Skylar, they have Ian!" he told her. "They have brought him back!"

She slowly raised her head and looked at him with swollen red eyes, tears still coming down her face. "He's alive?" she asked, needing to hear the words. Her face had a look that she almost didn't believe him.

He smiled at her assuredly. "Oui, ma soeur. He's alive. And he's back. "

After a beat passed to let that news hit her, she jumped from her bed and ran faster than she ever thought she could possibly run. She ran to the deck and stopped for a second, looking around. She saw the crew getting the lifeboat ready, but quickly shifted her focus, and she looked over the edge of the ship, needing to see him for herself. Being anchored in a cove instead of a large beach, they had been able to dock closer to shore, so she was able to see more than just dots. When she looked out, the utmost intense feeling of elation filled her body. There he was. The boy she loved had come back to her.

"Ian!" she cried.

From the shore, Ian heard her. He stopped and looked toward the ship moored in the water. He could just make her out on the deck, shouting to him. His heart, which had finally calmed down, started pounding harder than ever and his smile went from ear to ear.

Skylar saw him freeze and decided that the lifeboat was taking too long. She needed to get to him now. She climbed onto a crate next to her and, ignoring the shouts from Fergus and Marsali who knew exactly what she was doing, she jumped into the water.

The water was warm and acted as a cleanse of all the terror and panic she had felt during these last months at sea. With her swimming and the waves helping, she made it to the shallow water, and as soon as she was able to, she started running on to the land.

Seeing her jump off the ship scared Ian to his core. But once he saw her swimming, he started walking towards her. And when she started running, so did he.

They felt almost like they were never going to reach each other, but both were desperate to get to the one they loved more than anyone or anything in the world.

Skylar saw the space between them finally getting smaller and smaller and smaller until at last they collided. It seemed they were trying to compete for who could hold the other tighter. Still embraced, they both fell to their knees.

When they separated, keeping their foreheads pressed together and holding each other's arms, the first thing Skylar said to him, through happy tears, was, "You promised me, Youngin', that you would never scare me like that again!"

"Where's the fun in keepin' a promise like that?" he joked.

They continued to look at each other, neither wanting to even blink. Though they were physically touching, part of them didn't fully believe they had the other back, and if they closed their eyes for a second, they would be gone.

Then, not knowing who initiated it, they finally kissed. The kiss got deeper as the seconds went by. Ian pulled her as close to him as he could get her, with Skylar grabbing the back of his shirt.

When only pulling away when they desperately needed air, Skylar at last told him, "I love you, Ian. I am madly deeply wholly completely in love with you."

He cupped her face and confessed back, "Yank, ye own me entire heart and soul. I am yers forever."

Their mouths met again, both regretting that they had wasted so much time, but happy beyond belief that they had finally let it happen.

Jamie and Claire stood back a ways from them, allowing them have this long awaited moment. But when the lifeboat got to the shore, they had to interrupt them. The group was brought back to the Artemis and when they got on deck, every member of the crew gathered to welcome Young Ian and say how thrilled and relieved they were for his return.

Skylar and Ian clung to each other, not wanting anyone to separate them. But she let go of him briefly when Fergus came up to them and hugged his friend, so overjoyed to have him back.

After what felt like forever, the two former "just friends" were able to get some peace. They were in Skylar's cabin laying in the upper bed. She had her head on his chest and an arm draped across him, while he had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close. They interlocked their fingers and Ian's thumb was stoking her hand. He told her about Geillis and the cave, how she almost killed him for some "great cause," and that Jamie and Claire had shown up just in time. As he recounted it, Skylar could hear in his voice the pain it caused him and how much he didn't want to think about it. So, she gently steered the conversation into telling him about how she came to realize she was in love with him; which, at hearing it, made him glow and beam. He then told her his side of that same story as well.

"So then please explain to me why you bedded Brighid and caused me that heartbreak," she inquired. He had just finished telling her how he practically had fallen in love with her the first time he saw her, when she had slipped on the papers and fell on the stairs in Jamie's printshop.

"I never imagined in a million years ye felt the same fer me. So I was tryin' te distract meself from ye. Though, from what ye told me, if it hadna been fer the fire that came from it, ye would never have loved me."

"No, what I said was that almost losing you in the fire let me accept that I love you. Difference. You should've just told me."

"And risk losin' ye all together? I wasna goin' te take that chance. Why didn't ye just tell me?"

"I was going to, and then you got kidnapped by pirates."

"Well, it doesna matter now, does it?"

She pushed herself up to look him in the eye. "No, it doesn't." She just stared at him for a minute. She dragged her hand down his face, brushing his cheek with her thumb. "I'm so happy you're safe and here with me right now. Please don't leave me again."

"I never will. I give ye my word."

She leaned down to kiss him. He kissed her back, holding the back of her neck. She was practically laying on top of him still kissing him when they were interrupted with, "I don't hear much talking."

Skylar pulled from him and answered back, "I thought you told us to act like you weren't here."

Fergus stood up from the bottom bed and looked at them with his arms crossed and a teasing grin. Skylar moved off Ian and sat up, looking at her brother. This was the only way Jamie had agreed to let them spend time together in her cabin; with Fergus chaperoning them.

"I am only following Milord's orders," he told her. "And you said you were just going to talk."

"We finally say I love you to each other after he was rescued from an insane witch and you really think I'm not going to kiss him as much as I possibly can?"

"Yank, it's okay," Ian said, taking her hand. "At least Uncle Jamie is allowin' us te be nearly alone with each other. Ye ken that won't last. Also, I'm so tired I can barely keep me eyes open. Can we just sleep fer a while?"

"Of course." She gave Fergus a look and he disappeared back down. She laid next to Ian, as close to him as she could get, and put her hand on his chest. He held it with his own.

"Do ye remember that song I heard ye sing at Lallybroch? The one ye sang te wee Benjamin?"

"Yes."

"Would ye sing it fer me?"
She suddenly felt shy. "Oh, um, I-I don't…"

"Please, Sky? It'll help relax me. I did almost die and all."

She chuckled. She could tell he was going to be using that over her for a long time.

"Fine." She laced their fingers together again and took a breath. "Lavender's green, dilly dilly, lavender's blue. If you love me, dilly dilly, I will love you. Let the birds sing, dilly dilly, let the lambs play. We shall be safe, dilly dilly, out of harm's way." She smiled to herself, taking new meaning from the words. She looked up at him and could tell he was already asleep. She kissed his shoulder and kept going, "I love to dance, dilly dilly, I love to sing. When I am queen, dilly dilly, you'll be my king. Who told me so, dilly dilly, who told me so? I told myself, dilly dilly, I told me so."

She let her own eyes close and quickly fell asleep as well, resting peacefully for the first time in months in the arms of the love of her life.

So, yeah, this chapter ended up being quite a bit longer than I originally intended, but this was one that I did not want to divide up. But yay! Ian's finally back after almost 10 chapters! Youngin' and Yank are reunited! I hope you liked it! I'll see you in chapter 23 for more!