Chapter Sixteen:
Four days later and the trial has finally come to an end.
Decision day (or so she hopes).
Claire thought she was nervous the day Jamie had to testify, but that doesn't even compare with the gut wrenching nerves consuming every fiber of her being in this moment as they make their way to the courthouse.
Jamie is edgy, too, his fingers thrumming against his thigh as he holds her hand with his other. His palm is sweaty, and she's positive hers is as well.
John and Hector drop them off at the back entrance like normal, ushering them inside before anyone can see them.
Still holding tightly to Jamie's hand, he leads her into the courtroom, taking their designated seats in the front row.
The judge comes out, everyone standing for her, and the proceedings begin.
Claire tunes out whatever is being said in closing statements, far too anxious to hear anything but the verdict. Her breathing is shallow, and she can hear the blood rushing through her ears, pounding just as loudly as her heart.
She watches the jury stand, each filing out one behind the other to their secret lair where the fate of Master Raymond sits in their hands.
They wait, and wait, and Claire worries why it's taking them so long to come to a decision.
After what feels like an eternity, she shifts in her seat, scooting closer to Jamie so even their thighs are pressed to one another's. She's as close as she physically can be to her husband, drawing strength from him and hopefully giving him some of her strength as well.
Her amber eyes catch the door being opened, watching as the twelve jurors file back in and take their seats.
"Has the jury reached a decision?" the judge asks in her authoritative voice.
Claire focuses on her breathing, eyes training themselves on the first juror as he stands.
"We have, your honor."
The judge nods again in his direction, and he clears his throat. "We, the jury, find Master Raymond…" He pauses, and Claire is positive it's only long enough to take a breath, but it feels as if he's paused for an hour, deliberately drawing it out to torture her. She squeezes Jamie's hand that's resting on her leg, willing the man before them to speak. "Guilty."
A breath of relief whooshes from all of them, Murtagh clapping Jamie on the back as Jocasta squeezes Claire's shoulder from behind them. John's fist pumps in celebration, smiling over to Jamie and Claire.
Jamie wraps his arms around Claire, whispering, "It's over, mo chridhe," into her ear, kissing her neck.
The tears form then, both she and Jamie crying together as they stand, John wrapping his arms around them in a group hug before pulling back and patting them both on their backs.
Pulling apart, she watches as Master Raymond is handcuffed, being taken away to await his sentencing, and a sense of calm begins to wash over her for the first time in months.
She glances around the room, her gaze landing on Frank as he stands, watching his boss being taken away.
He turns then, eyes meeting hers and he snarls, but it soon turns into a smirk. That fucking smirk of his. He still thinks this is all a game.
She wants to go over there so desperately, wants to slap him, wants to ask him why he wasted three years of her life, but she knows the answer. He wanted intel. He was playing her the fool all that time, weaving a web of lies so thick that she could never have seen the truth.
John steps over to Ned Gowan then, drawing Claire's angry gaze away from Frank.
Jamie takes her hand in his, lifting it up and kissing her knuckles. "Ye alright?"
Nodding, she takes a deep breath, willing the anger consuming her soul to dissipate, to focus on the good that's right in front of her.
"I should be asking you that," she grins, rubbing her thumb against his knuckles. "How do you feel?"
"Much better," he breathes, "sae much better, Sassenach."
She leans up on her tiptoes, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips before looking over to John.
She listens as he and Ned talk lowly, words like plea deal for the rest and lesser sentences floating around them.
Not fully understanding, but gleaming enough from their words to comprehend that there wouldn't be a trial for the rest of Master Raymond's people, just plea deals they'd have to sign, she takes Jamie's hand, never wanting to hear the name Master Raymond or Frank Randall ever again.
{********************}
They get home late that afternoon, Jamie and John having taken Claire to lunch after the trial, their own little celebration before heading home to meet the others.
Joe and Geillis soon join them, Dougal tagging along for once.
Despite her hesitancy toward Jamie's uncle, she smiles as he takes Jamie in his arms, whispering something in Gaelic into his ear. She thinks she hears an I love you in there somewhere, but she isn't quite sure.
Jamie looks a little surprised, but clasps his uncle on the shoulders, giving him a sincere look and a kiss to his cheek.
Before long, Murtagh and Jocasta have joined the celebration, Jocasta bringing her best bottle of whisky.
John is in the kitchen with Hector helping prepare a large dinner for everyone while Sophia, Faith and Brianna all run around, giggling and playing together.
Claire leans against the doorway of her kitchen, observing the going on's around her. Her newest friends by the oven, her husband and his family all around the kitchen table, laughing and clinking their glasses together in celebration.
Joe and Geillis are congregated in the corner, laughing and joining in with the Scots around the table.
Her house hasn't been this full and bustling with life in she doesn't know how long, and the megawatt smile gracing her features can't be helped.
Shaking her head, she tries to tamper down her smile to at least a small grin as she steps over to the refrigerator, grabbing the bowl of grapes Hector had washed earlier.
"Need any help?" she asks John, peeking over his shoulder at the oven. He's preparing spaghetti, claiming to have the best recipe in the world for it.
"Can you stir the sauce while I grab some more noodles?" he asks, pointing his chin in the direction of the large pot on the burner. "I can never tell how many noodles to make for a large crowd, and I think I'm going to need a lot more."
"Especially with Jamie, Murtagh and Dougal," she laughs, remembering all the family dinners she'd prepared or been a part of and knowing exactly how much food those three could put away.
"Can I help?" Faith asks, coming to stand beside Claire at the stove.
Claire reaches down, kissing the top of Faith's head. "Where are Brianna and Sophia?"
Faith shrugs, saying they're in the living room with Jocasta and Geillis, and Claire looks up, realizing the other two women had snuck away.
She chuckles, shaking her head. "Of course, sweetheart." She hands Faith a spoon, asking her to stir the sauce. Faith steps up onto the small step stool they keep by the sink. She's tall enough now to reach the stove, but having to see into the pot requires a tad bit more height.
Hector taps Claire on the hip, saying he needs to check on the garlic bread in the oven. "Watch out, Faith," he says sweetly, having her step off the stool and out of the way so he can peek inside. "Few more minutes!" he announces, gesturing for Faith to get back up on her stool and continue her work.
The little girl smiles, asking Claire if they need to add any seasoning.
She smiles, shaking her head and saying she thinks John covered all of that before they joined him in the kitchen.
As she stands there beside Faith, she glances over to the men all around the table, John having joined them after dropping more noodles into the other pot on the stove.
Jamie's blue eyes catch her golden ones, and she smiles, watching him sitting there casually with his friends and family. Having John and Hector here adds to the odd mixture of people in the house, and suddenly she has the overwhelming need to call Jenny.
Things had been so crazy with the trial that she hadn't had a chance to tell her yet, but she knows they need to do that soon. Tonight. It's cruel to keep it from her any longer.
Can you FaceTime tonight? she sends in a text to her sister-in-law, adding, We haven't talked in a few weeks. The girls miss you!
Looking up from her phone, she catches Jamie's gaze again, mouthing over to him, Jenny, and he nods with a sweet smile on his face.
Of course! comes Jenny's reply, saying, The bairns will be happy to see you all if they're still awake!
Claire laughs to herself, biting down on her lip as she imagines Jenny's face tonight when she sees Jamie over FaceTime.
Picking up her oven mit, she gets the garlic bread out of the oven for Hector, and after another half hour, dinner is served. Claire is thankful that the table can fit so many people. Faith, Brianna and Sophia get seated at the kitchen bar, Geillis joining them, while everyone else is around the table.
They eat, laugh, drink and genuinely have a good time.
It's the happiest Claire has felt in a long while, and she hopes this feeling never goes away.
{*********************}
Everyone eventually files out, and John, Hector and Sophia make themselves scarce, heading to the basement soon after everyone leaves.
She feels bad, but she's also thankful, knowing the past few months of their lives have been surrounded by their new friends. It's nice to have some time alone.
Claire and Jamie usher their daughters up the stairs, telling them they could stay up long past bedtime tonight in celebration of the bad guy being put away.
The girls were excited, skipping down the hallway to shower and put on pajamas.
As usual, they all ended up in one bedroom to get the girls' hair ready to sleep, this time everyone is piled in Jamie and Claire's large bed, Brianna claiming it was the bedroom to watch movies in.
"Before we watch a movie," Claire announces, looking around the room, "we have to FaceTime Aunt Jenny and tell her about Daddy."
"Yeah!" the girls cry in unison, hopping up and down on their knees on the mattress.
Jamie sits up, suddenly looking nervous.
"Are you alright?" Claire asks, taking his hand.
He says he is, he's just nervous to see his sister after so long. It's a big deal, and they both wish they could tell Jenny in person, but it would just be mean to wait until they could trick her, Ian and the kids over here to America under false pretense.
Jamie takes a deep breath, and Faith and Brianna must sense his hesitation because they both silently nestle in between their parents. Faith is closest to Jamie and she lays her head on his chest, patting his stomach reassuringly.
"It's okay, Daddy," she says softly. "Aunt Jenny will be sae happy to see you!"
"Yeah!" Brianna calls, snuggling up to Faith so Jamie's large hand that is wrapped around the eldest daughter can reach her as well. "It'll all be fine!"
Claire watches Jamie's eyes mist over, and he blinks rapidly, looking up to the ceiling to push them away. "Aye, ye're right, lassies. Let's give her a call, eh?"
With that, Claire presses the call button, angling the phone so it's just her in the screen at first.
Jenny answers right away, Ian in the frame with her. Their three children are already in bed since it's the middle of the night there, but she smiles, happy to see her family again.
They make small talk for a brief second, Brianna maneuvering herself into Claire's lap so she can wave to her aunt and uncle.
After a few minutes, Jenny stops the small talk, saying, "I ken there's somethin' the matter, Claire," adding, "I can tell it from the look on yer face," when Claire asks her what she means.
Chuckling softly, knowing her damn glass face gives her away every time, she glances over to Jamie who is smirking as well. "Well, I actually do have something to tell you guys."
Jenny and Ian shift in their bed, a look of worry clouding their features.
"It's nothing bad, I promise," she amends. "I just… well, it might be easier to show you."
She looks to Jamie quickly, who sits up straighter, Faith still tucked under his arm. He gives her a nod, and she turns the phone as she wiggling closer to her husband so that he's in frame.
There's an audible gasp from the other end of the call, and Jenny screams, clamping a hand over her mouth as tears instantly fill her brown eyes. "What the devil!?"
Claire chuckles, letting Jamie take the phone.
"Hello, sister," he greets sheepishly, waving to the screen. "Hi, bràthair," he nods to Ian who is staring at the phone in stunned silence, his blue eyes blown wide as they fill with tears as well.
"How is this possible?" Ian asks as Jenny makes the sign of the cross over her body, and mumbles something, most likely a Gaelic prayer up to the heavens.
They spend the next twenty minutes letting Jamie explain everything that happened, then another ten with Claire giving her side of the story about her trip to Spain.
Jenny and Ian listen intently, crying silently the whole time.
Claire can tell their hands are linked together, and she's glad Jenny has Ian to lean on, especially now. They've always been such a strong couple, Claire always looking up to them.
Once Jenny has quelled her tears enough to speak, she tells Jamie, "I'm sae, sae glad tae see ye alive, brother. I ne're thought this would be possible." She scoffs, a smile blossoming across her face. "I jes want tae hold ye in my arms right now, that's all I want."
"I ken, I ken," he soothes his sister, saying he wants to do the same. "Ye let Ian hold ye tonight, ken?" he says, smirking. "And ye can fly the whole brood out here before long and hold me as long as ye want."
"I'll hold ye to that, James Fraser, I will!"
With a smile, Jamie nods, wiping his own set of tears away and telling his sister it's good to hear her voice again after all this time.
The girls obviously grow bored with this conversation, crawling to the end of the bed and clicking on the television. Claire whispers to them to keep it down low, and they nod, giggling together as they turn to the Disney Channel.
Claire snuggles into Jamie's side, continuing the conversation with Jenny and Ian for another twenty minutes, laughing and catching up with one another.
Before long, Jenny is yawning, cursing under her breath. "'Tis almost two in the mornin' over here, I better try to get some sleep before the bairns come rushin' in demanding tae be fed in a few hours."
Giggling, Claire agrees, saying, "we promised the girls a movie night tonight so we better start that before it gets too late."
With a round of I love you's and I'll call you tomorrow's, they finally hang up, taking a moment to bask in the knowledge that Jenny and Ian finally know.
"You alright?" Claire whispers to Jamie, pecking a kiss just above his heart. His t-shirt is soft, and she rubs her hand over his chest as well
"Aye," he breathes, kissing the top of her head. "That was emotional, but I'm glad she kens I'm alive now." He smiles as he looks down at her, saying, "I feel… more complete, ye ken?"
Nodding, she smiles brightly at him, happy to see her husband so joyous. "And knowing your sister, she's probably already planning a trip out here."
Chuckling, Jamie agrees, kissing her once more, this time more soundly. "So," he calls in a louder voice, clapping his hands once and rubbing his palms together to garner the girls' attention. "What movie will it be tonight?" Jamie asks, pulling Faith to him to fix the braid he'd put in her hair earlier.
"I don't know," Brianna says, sitting at the foot of the bed, "but I do know that we need snacks for our movie night!"
She giggles, but Claire agrees, standing and taking her hand. "Come on then," she says, "we'll go get the snacks while Daddy finishes Faith's hair."
Bree nods, adding as she bounces from the bedroom, "And pick a good movie, Faith!"
Claire chases Brianna down the steps, giggling together the whole time.
She pops the popcorn while Bree grabs the Reese's Pieces from the pantry, jiggling the box to make them rattle. "Eh?" she says, comically wiggling her eyebrows, which makes Claire chortle.
"Yes, yes," she relents, dumping the bags of popcorn into a large bowl, "can't have popcorn without the chocolate!"
Brianna giggles at her mother, clasping the box in her hands and darting back through the living room and up the stairs toward her parents' bedroom.
By the time Claire makes it up the stairs, oversized bowl of popped goodness in her hands, Faith has already chosen a movie, waiting for Claire to join them before they press play.
"... and we add the Reese's Pieces into the popcorn!" Bree explains excitedly to Jamie, rattling the candy again and gesturing toward Claire as she steps into the room.
She takes her place on her side of the bed, Faith coming to sit next to her, while Brianna sits on Jamie's outstretched legs, bouncing giddily.
Brianna hands Faith the candy box, allowing her to dump the candy into the warm popcorn. Both girls turn their heads to Jamie, saying he gets the first bite.
Claire grins, picking up the Roku remote and pressing play, listening as Jamie moans his satisfaction at the sweet and salty mix just as the beginning sounds of The Lion King start to play.
"Good, right?" she asks, smirking as he pops another handful into his mouth.
Jamie smiles around his bite, nodding his agreement. "Delicious," he adds after swallowing.
The girls snicker, taking their own little handfuls and settling in to watch the movie.
They both migrate to the end of the bed once more, Faith laying on her stomach, while Brianna sits criss-cross at Jamie's feet, one hand permanently in the snack bowl.
"I brought us this," Claire whispers, holding up another bowl. "I knew they'd end up down there with all the goodies." She laughs, slinking to the end of the bed and pouring some of the popcorn into the smaller bowl. "Now we have our own portion up here."
Jamie grins, leaning in to kiss her. "I always kent ye were a smart one, Sassenach."
Rolling her eyes playfully, she settles back against the headboard, popping a few pieces into her mouth before handing Jamie the bowl.
After they all sing along to the entirety of The Lion King, it's Brianna's turn to pick the next movie. She chooses Beauty and the Beast and while it's playing, everyone finishes off their late night snack, Brianna asking if they can make more popcorn.
"Please?" Faith chimes in, "It's so good and we haven't made it in a long time."
Claire shakes her head, telling them, "It's far too late, girls."
They both pout, Bree's arms crossing over her chest. Faith goes to ask again, this time in more of a whine, but Jamie puts an end to it. "Yer mam said it's too late, lasses." He points to both of them, making sure they know he's serious. "And ye're already getting to watch movies long past yer bedtime. Ye'll be alright."
"Fine," Faith sighs, turning back to the television.
Brianna cranes her neck, looking into the popcorn bowl up next to Claire. She crawls closer, taking the last, smallest, kernel left in the bowl and pops it into her mouth with a sassy smirk, making Claire chuckle.
She settles back down by her sister, singing softly to Be Our Guest.
One at a time, the girls slowly meander their way back to the top of the bed during the movie, Brianna fixing herself into Jamie's side, her head on his chest while his large arm wraps protectively around her. Faith lays next to Claire, taking her arm and pulling it around her little body.
Claire smiles at the action, patting her tiny hip.
She moves the smaller popcorn bowl to the bedside table. Faith had placed the larger one on the bench at the foot of their bed earlier when the girls finished it off, and Claire makes a mental note to take them downstairs first thing in the morning.
As Belle descends the stairs in her golden dress, Claire feels Faith's body grow heavy against her side. Looking over, she sees that Bree has already fallen asleep on Jamie's chest, her mouth hanging open, little snores coming from her.
Claire gently reaches for her phone from the bedside table, tapping the screen to check the time. 11:06.
"They lasted longer than I thought they would," Jamie muses, grinning over at Claire.
She nods, shifting Faith so her head is on the pillow instead of craned up against Claire's chest. Jamie does the same, gingerly sliding Brianna to the middle of the bed.
Brianna's arm automatically slinks across Faith's hip, the girls snuggling close together, warming Claire's heart.
"They're sae bonny," he says softly, "I love watching them."
Claire nods again, smiling over at her husband. "Yeah, we made pretty cute kids."
Jamie chuckles, settling against the pillows she has propped on the headboard. "We could make another cute one… one day… if ye want."
Her eyes pop open at that, turning her head to look at him. "Jamie…"
The thought of another child had never even crossed her mind once Jamie had died. Her birthing experience with Faith had been so scary, then the whole end of her pregnancy with Bree had been shrouded in grief. The thought of bringing another child into this world was something she'd pushed to the back of her mind, but now with Jamie back… "Is that something you want?"
He shrugs, the corners of his lips twitching. "Only if ye do, mo nighean donn. Ye ken I'd raise a whole set o' spoons wi' ye if you let me."
She giggles at that, thinking of the collection of Apostle spoons Jenny had given them when she was pregnant with Faith. The spoons had been passed down for generations in their family, one spoon for each apostle, each representing something special. Jamie had joked once, years ago, that he'd have a bairn for each spoon.
"I've been waiting for a good time to surprise ye wi' this," Jamie said, standing from the bed. He walked over to the closet, rummaging through the boxes at the top and pulling down a large, wooden box.
"What is it?" she asked, sitting up straighter against the headboard. She opened the box, revealing a collection of large silver spoons.
"Apostle spoons," he explained, "one for each of the twelve disciples." He told her it was a christening gift for the bairn, his hand resting on her belly. "Jenny shipped them to us the other week. Said she found them while cleaning out the attic and thought we might want them."
She smiled up at her husband, cupping his cheek. He leaned in, pressing his lips to hers, then to her rounded belly.
"One for each bairn we'll have, ye ken?" he said with a smirk.
"There's twelve spoons, Jamie," she declared, looking at him pointedly.
"Aye," he chuckled, crawling across the bed to kiss her lips again. He picked up a spoon, informing her, "This one is for this little girl," placing his hand on her stomach again. "This is St. Andrew. He represents our capacity for endurance, courage and confidence."
She smiled softly, scratching the stubble on his cheeks. "All good things."
He hummed his approval, examining the spoon.
Her smile faded, shoulder slumping as her fears of motherhood consumed her once more.
"What is it, Sassenach?"
She shook her head, fighting back tears. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but I can't help but wonder if I'll be any good at it… being a mother."
Her eyes watered at the confession, but Jamie being Jamie, reassured her with a comforting hand on her stomach. "Of course ye will," he said emphatically, kissing her belly.
"I'm a doctor," she shrugged, "I know how to deliver and feed babies, sure, I can take care of one when it's sick, but… that's not being a mother." She sighed, rubbing her temples. "I only have a vague memory of my own mother, nothing really to guide me."
His hand that still rested on her bump rubs softly as he promised her, "What ye don't ken, ye'll learn… we'll learn, together." He kissed her sweetly, pulling back to smile at her.
She looked up into his clear blue eyes, her own whisky colored ones misting over.
"I love you."
"I love you too, mo nighean donn."
She's pulled from the memory, laughing softly at how insistent he always was that they'd have as many bairns as God allowed.
"Well we've already got two spoons taken care of," she jokes, reaching over the girls to take his hand. "What apostle is Brianna, again?"
"Philip," he says, "the saint that represents our ability to perform movement and transfer energy from one place of consciousness to another."
She loves listening to him talk, he's so intelligent, and his knowledge of the most random things always turned her on.
She chuckles at that explanation, watching her girls sleep. "Well, she certainly knows how to transfer energy, all right."
Jamie snickers, looking over to Claire. His hand is in hers, their joined hands resting on their daughter's sides between them.
After a beat of silence, she takes a deep breath, murmuring, "I'm glad it's over."
"Me, too, mo chridhe," he agrees, smiling at her.
Claire thinks about everything that's happened, how much turmoil they've all gone through. She still feels beyond hurt and angry at Frank, feels stupid for ever believing he was a good man. Whenever she feels anger bubbling up inside of her though, she looks at Jamie, being called by his blue eyes like a moth to a flame.
The brown hair dye has finally all faded away, the most recent hair cut getting rid of the last of it, and now his beautiful red locks are free again. She reaches over, running her finger through one of his red curls, then strokes her hand through Faith and Brianna's hair.
Smiling, she's flooded with love for their little family, her little collection of gingers all in her bed with her.
She reaches over to the side table, grabbing her phone again. She scrolls through her pictures, cropping Frank out of every picture she can, editing a black mark over the other pictures of him or deleting ones she can't bear to part with, the girls were just too cute in some to get rid of permanently. It's a nice way to cleanse their life of him and everything to do with Master Raymond's dealings.
"Ye're gonna break yer phone if ye're not careful, Sassenach," he laughs.
She grins over at him, showing him what she's doing, and he guffaws, clamping a hand over his mouth when Faith jumps in her sleep at the sound of his mirth.
"That's one way to get rid of him," he chuckles, softer this time.
After another twenty minutes, she decides she can slowly work on riding her phone of Frank, it doesn't all have to be done tonight.
"Ye all set?"
"Just about," she giggles, meeting Jamie halfway over the girls, kissing him and saying goodnight.
They fall asleep, both too exhausted to take the girls to their own bed, and Claire drifts off, her hand still in Jamie's.
{*********************}
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