Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight or Outlander. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and Diana Gabaldon. Please support the original release. I do own the original characters created for this storyline. Thank you.
Writer's Notes; Still mobile and thought everyone could use a double update!
Jamie lay on the cot, his naked body feeling numb at this point. His shoulder still hurt from his injury from fighting off Randall's men before being captured. Though, that pain was nothing compared to the pain he endured. The pain of Captain John Randall. He closed his eyes, wanting to think of better times. He thought of Bella, his wife. She was better off with someone stronger than he was. He was weak, in body and mind. She would find him repulsing now that he had given his body to a man like Randall. Though, he did it for her. Sacrificing himself so she could be free. He would die in his prison. One that he was ready for.
There was some sounds and footsteps that sounded hurried. Jamie looked up to see Bella opening the prison cell. He thought perhaps he was dreaming now, seeing her angelic face.
"Jamie." Bella whispered, but he didn't respond. She hurried to his side, looking at the chains on his ankle then used the key that Jasper had slipped her and hurriedly unchained him. "Jamie, come on. Please. Look at me." She said, her cool hands touching his face.
Jamie looked up into her eyes, but then he moved away from her, unsure if what he was seeing was real or if was his mind tricking him.
Before Bella could say something, she heard footsteps. Then there was a man, one of Randall's men she assumed.
"Hey! You're not supposed to be here!" The man yelled and charged Bella.
Bella backed up, using the man's weight against him, as she tripped him up. She grabbed the closest thing to her, which was a chair and she swung it at the man, yelling at him. The man went down to the ground, unconscious because she got him good in the face, knocking him out cold. "Jamie, we have to go. Come on."
Jamie was frozen a little, seeing Bella knock a man out twice her size. His ribs ached and he walked towards her and she helped him, looping his arm around her and she helped carry him out of the cell. When she got to the back door, Jasper was there. He took in Jamie's appearance.
"Jesus, Jamie…."Jasper murmured and then he threw the cloak over Jamie's naked body, covering him from the cold. He shoved a scroll in Bella's hands. "Go, now. Randall will figure it out soon."
Bella nodded. "Thank you Jasper." She said and she moved quickly with Jamie. She met Angus and Rupert running across the way. They met her and then they took over, half-carrying Jamie. They slipped into the night, thankful that it didn't take much to get Jamie out. If it wasn't for Jasper, it would have been harder.
Bella sat in the back of the wagon with Jamie, while Rupert and Angus sat in the front, guiding the horses. Murtagh sat across from her. Jamie was laying down. He was sleeping now, exhausted from his capture. "Do you think he'll be okay?" Bella asked, her dark eyes meeting Murtagh's.
Murtagh looked down at Jamie's hallowed face. "He's a strong lad. I'm sure he'll eventually be okay."
Bella grabbed Jamie's hand in hers and lifted it to her lips, kissing it. "I hope so…"
"Bella, what ye did for him… yer a strong lass. He's lucky to have ya."
"I'm the lucky one." Bella said and smiled a little. She looked back down at Jamie. "I love him so much, Murtagh."
"I know ye do." Murtagh said with a nod. There was some more silence before he spoke again. "France. I'm coming with."
Bella frowned, looking at him. "Wait, Murtagh you can't leave your home. Jamie and me, we're… we're fugitives."
"I promised his mum that I would care for him. I won't go back on a promise. He's like a son to me. I will follow him anywhere he goes and the same for ye." Murtagh said. "We'll go to the port, get on that ship and sail to France. That's the only thing we can do now."
Bella agreed silently. She had been to France quite a few times, but that was in her own time. She wondered if she could survive adapting again to a new land. Jasper had said that King Louis was a strange guy and Bella knew that as much. He was considered to be brash and he could be a womanizer according to some historic text, but French history was not her strongest area. The French were friends of the Scots, so she knew that they would be received well.
[One Week Later: The Silent Siren]
Jamie was quiet. He didn't have much to say since his escape from Doune's prison. Bella had come for him and then helped nurse his wound to his shoulder. It could have been worse. Physically, he felt fine, but his mind just was so fragile from his time with Randall. Randall broke him. He told himself that Randall could never break him and he had let him. He was looking out on the water now. They were sailing for France thanks to Jasper. He knew that Bella would be safer just going back to her own time, but he lost that argument. France was the second best option and so he went along with the plan. Murtagh coming with meant that Bella would still be safe. He feared that he couldn't take care of her anymore. That he wasn't strong enough to keep her safe.
"Jamie." Bella murmured, snapping him out of his own bubble. "Are you okay?"
Jamie looked over at Bella. "Aye."
Bella knew he was lying. "Jamie… you can talk to me. About anything. You have barely spoken to me or Murtagh this entire week."
Jamie looked back at the water. The lull of the waves against the hull of the ship rocked them gently. This wasn't his first time sailing to France. He was part of the war then. "Ye should have gone back to the stones."
Bella frowned. "Why… Jamie, why would you tell me that? I'm meant to stay here with you."
"I'm broken… Bella, I can't protect ya."
"I didn't ask you to. I love you, Jamie… something happened with Randall. Please talk to me."
Jamie didn't want to utter the words. HE didn't want to tell Bella that he let Randall defile him. That he had laid with a terrible man like Randall.
"Jamie…" She reached out to him, but he pulled away. "I'm not going to hurt you…" she murmured.
Jamie looked at her, shocked that he would withdraw from her touch. "I can't right now." He said and then left her standing there.
Later that night, Bella retired to their cabin and Jamie was there. She went to him, sitting next to him on the cot. "Jamie, I'm your wife. That's never going to change. I know that Randall had to do terrible things to you while you were captured, but I just want you to know that whatever it is, you can tell me. Nothing you say will make me think of you any less or love you any less."
Jamie actually teared up, his eyes shining with the tears. "Um." His voice cracked a little. "Bella, he did things to me…"
Bella studied Jamie, the tears in his eyes with the way he was acting, she pieced it together and she felt her own tears rush to the surface. "Oh Jamie… no…. I'm so sorry." She said and reached for him and this time he went into her arms, his head pressed to her breast as he sobbed. She stroked his hair, holding him while he cried. Tears slid down her face as she held him. They were silent as they cried together.
Time passed by what seemed to be so slow, before Jamie spoke. "He promised me that he would let ye go free. If… if I did what he wanted."
Bella shook her head and reached a hand up to wipe her tears away. "You didn't have to do that for me. Jamie, I love you, I would never ask you to ever put yourself through something like that."
"I know." Jamie said and leaned up to look at her. His eyes were red from his tears. "I know, but I love ye so much Bella… I never want him to put his hands on ya, not like he did to me. I won't allow it. I would sacrifice myself a thousand times over to make sure ye weren't hurt."
Bella reached her hands up, framing his face. His eyes closed as he felt her touch. His hands moved up to cover hers, stroking her hands. "I love you." She said, her lip quivering. "I don't know what to do to help fix this. I just want you to be okay."
Jamie opened his eyes and looked back at her. "Eventually… I'll be okay. But right now, I don't know how to be the man ye married."
"I'll be by your side… for it all. I'll never leave you Jamie." She murmured.
Jamie nodded. He knew that she would always be there. He had to pull himself together. He had to get better, if not for his own sake then for hers.