Chapter 7: Adjustment
Jack rushed to the door as fast as his precarious health allowed, "the maid stepped out and I would appreciate if you didn't wake the baby, corpor..." The words trailed off as it was none of his countrymen who stood in the doorframe. It was someone who he would never expect. None other than his coveted, brawny and unbreakable Scotsman he made his most ardent enemy of, the just as handsome as ever Jamie Fraser.
The redhead did not wait for an invitation. Jamie slid inside through the ajar part of the door, closed it behind him and ambled over to the middle of the room, further away from him and regarding the moses basket from a couple of feet away. "The goat's milk is doing him a world of good I see," he commented on the plumpness of the baby's cheeks, voice adjusted to the situation and mindful of the child. "It looks like he has grown in the space of a few short weeks."
"You still don't trust him being in my care, do you." Jack established on a sarcastic voice.
Jamie turned on his heels to face him, looking him straight in the eyes, "that's not why I'm here. I have been waiting for a while to make sure your maid left. This is not for anyone else's ears."
"I'm afraid I have no more news if that's what you're after." As Claire had been coming periodically to check on the infant and sometimes asked after and treated the complaints of his belly that still ailed him and all for free, it was a feasible expectation that he should supply them with information coming from the leadership of the English army.
The Scot made a slight incline of his head that could be interpreted as a dismissive gesture. "You can give us nothing else that could change anything in the course of history. But you owe me a favour. Several in fact. I want you to kidnap Claire."
"Excuse me?" Jack couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows.
"I have been trying to postpone going to the Highlands as much as possible and I can't no more. The Prince expects us and April is drawing near. The battle will take place whether I want it or not and my place is with my men, my compatriots, my clan, whether in defeat or victory. But Claire, Claire shouldn't be there. You know how stubborn the lass can be. She thinks she can save me, or save a number of men if she comes, but I can not risk it. She should not die on the battlefield, not ever, and under no circumstances when she's expecting my child, you understand? It is only me who will leave by dawn, right after you kidnap her tonight."
A nerve twitched on Jack's face as he regarded the other man with considerable curiosity, "why me?"
"Because it makes the most sense. I can't very well ask any of my men, who feel the duty to be where the fighting is. And it's not like it's new territory to you."
"Besides the absurdity of the situation, I should remind you at this point that your very commendable wife is the hardest person to kidnap and keep in the entire country, and that I came to understand when I had a whole military unit at my disposal and I was in full health."
"You do not need to concern yourself with that, you will be well enough for this task, whatever the state of your health is at the moment. In fact, it will all be set up for you. She has these bottles, with a sweet smell that puts folk to sleep. I'll make sure she has a few sniffs when she's in bed. All you need to do is appear at 4, sharp in the morning and transport her here to the castle vaults and under no circumstances let her go till it is certain she has no time to make it up to the Highlands till April the 16th."
For all the strangeness of the request and the awkwardness of the situation, it was the date that weirded Jack out the most. "April the 16th you say?"
Jamie sighed and wondered how he should explain, "Claire, she kens things, about what's to come."
"I'm aware," Jack assured.
The Scot was somewhat surprised by that, but glad that he didn't need to go into explanations and unlikely stories. "Well then. It's the day of the battle and she can't be there."
"Oh." Jack realised the reason of his supposed death. "Even if I carry out the request, I am to join my Colonel by Cullen by April the 11th myself."
"I thought you weren't well enough for service," Jamie looked him up and down in scrutiny.
Jack nodded, inclining his head sidewards a little, "since when was illness where a soldier is able to stand a predicament when being sent into action."
"I've seen you stand. It doesn't last long. You wouldn't make it to Moray alive."
"I beg to differ and so does your wife." At Jamie's wary look, he added, "Mrs. Fraser thinks I will die on the 16th of April of this year. Incidentally, or perhaps not so much, this is the same day you mentioned earlier."
The finding gave the Scot considerable pause. From what Claire apparently knew of the Randall line, Jack was supposed to die on the battlefield of Culloden, as one of the relatively few casualties of the English side. Thus by asking him to keep Claire back, he would not make it in time for the battle either and that meant that in this case, he would be changing history with the request and the end result would be him saving Jack's life as a side effect. Certainly the opposite of what he would normally go for, but for Claire's sake, it had to be. "You could make the illness look worse and not go." He could hardly believe he was suggesting that himself. "Do we have an agreement?"
"I would risk court marshal for such a deception."
Jamie grunted in vexation. "Maybe you wish for some sort of additional, advance payment over what my wife has already done for you an' your son to convince you to risk it?"
Jack didn't even think of concealing the change in his breathing the suggestion set off, "I don't suppose you mean monetary gain."
Jamie stood straight, "if it's for Claire's benefit and you give me your word you will keep her back, then take her to Craig na Dun after, I would be willing to provide certain comforts, though it would have to be without violence and on my own terms this time," he established. Not as if Jack had the appropriate body part functional for coming anywhere near close to a full sexual assault. The thought of his touch was of course just as disgusting, but circumstances guaranteed it will be himself who would stay in charge.
"For Claire," Jack repeated contemplatively, "always for Claire." But he couldn't deny that the prospects offered excited him, whether he could prove it with an erection or not. Perhaps they had toys enough between the two of them and dominant Jamie intended to be, Jack still had overt ways to claim him as his. "What do you have in mind?"
"Touch?" The Scot grunted out, even though it was the furthest from what he felt like imagining.
Jack bobbed his head from side to side slightly, as if weighing the offer. "I knew you would come back to me," he grinned, "I give you my word that your beloved will be safe with me till April the 16th." He announced, his old cockiness coming out for a glimpse. "And for whatever you need me to do with her beyond."
"I don't have much time for this," the red haired man declared. It was the truth, but it also gave him hope of it being his saving grace.
"This needn't be unpleasant," Jack appeased, somewhat annoyed that Jamie would never give him anything willingly. "Sit," he nodded at a chair, understanding that he will have to take some sort of lead despite the younger man's bid to stay in control, otherwise they'd get nowhere. "I trust you still follow your country's tradition and wear nothing under," he knelt in front of the chair once Jamie was seated. His movements were slow however when he placed a hand on the other's knee, slowly inched his way under the kilt and took care to rub up and down Jamie's thighs, taking in the feel of the muscles and the softness of the skin close to the loins, contrast to the strength and resilience the rest of his body's feel suggested. His other hand joining the feast, he pushed the younger man's legs apart and leaned his head to peek under in wonder before he slid the kilt up and out the way of the sight.
Jack should've been jealous, angry or at least frustrated. After all, he was faced with a perfect member, promising in shape and size even flaccid while he himself would've been too ashamed to show to anyone what was left of his, and what happened was at this very man's hands as well. Pushing forward on his knees a little, he surged near for a closer inspection of the goods, his sides touching the strong legs. Completely spellbound by the unexpected treasure he got given access to, his fingers closed around Jamie's cock in his excitement and started light, reverent strokes, making the tip of the penis peek out from the foreskin. Once the head came into play, he paused, thumb attracted to the soft opening he teased. The tactile sensation tickling his fingers filled Jack with lust that swelled in his chest, stirred his belly and contracted his insides with a completely different kind of clinch than his illness and yet his own privates didn't respond. It was the ultimate test of their condition-if being with Jamie didn't make his arousal manifest physically, probably nothing ever would and yet at this moment in time that didn't bother him. Driven by an unshakable desire to lick the tiny opening on the penis of the man he was infatuated with, he used both tongue and hand to work on making that member more alive. Despite Jamie's obvious aversion to the idea that manifested in a still unresponsive cock, Jack wouldn't give up. Touch was what he was granted, so he would touch-the lightly prickling hairs, the taut muscles of Jamie's thighs, the shapely balls, all beautiful and enticing all the while as he took bursts of vigorously pumping at the soft, but now slightly swollen cock and extending his fingers to make rolling motions while holding the other's balls.
Jamie bit the inside of his bottom lip, hard. He had previously closed his eyes to save himself from the sight of who was caressing the entirety of his privates, but now he forced them open to remind himself of that very fact. Because those hands that roamed around, caressing his cock in a gently, almost loving way did not fail to make his flesh respond. Jack was never rough, not when he had him already, his control of him manifesting in situations, rather than violence and manhandling. Jack would make him feel good, and that was the worst of it. Mortifying and abhorrent really, but here they were, fully clothed and without performing a proper sexual act and yet Jack was going to embarrass him all the same. "Ye see fine well it's not going to work, yer only only overexercising yerself in yer condition." He made a last attempt to salvage the situation and negate the effect those skilful hands were having on him, hands that no doubt helped Jack help himself many times. Jamie was intending to take advantage of the fact that the Englishman was panting from the effort and looked done in, but his voice betrayed him however as it cracked and he had to end the sentence with a hastily indrawn breath.
The other man delighted in the sound as much as the feel of the flesh gorging between his fingers and he tapped the member against them, as if testing their state of erection. While he smirked satisfied, he didn't get distracted enough by the younger man's words to look up, but pulled the foreskin further back as he continued to pump, frequently peppering the performance with an enticing flick of his tongue across the most sensitive parts of the penis, making it harder and harder for Jamie to keep his body from reacting. His cock twitched in Jack's hand, raising to attention, making its intentions clear. Trying keep back from what nature intended was torment and thus Jamie made a semi-conscious decision to allow it.
Jack moaned in excitement and then again, as if for and instead of Jamie who would never permit himself to relax enough to do so. No matter, his penis became harder nevertheless and his breathing somewhat erratic, so Jack knew he had him, they both did. As undesirable as this encounter was, his body was responding, erection becoming painful and warm, asking for release, but that engulfing him and heaven forbid, the surely approaching orgasm he felt building, he could not let happen. With a sharp breath, he pushed the other man away and stood, kilt slinging back into place and looking like nothing had happened, bar for his shame flushed cheeks and the struggle to catch his breath. "Claire's not to find out about this," he fought to keep the tremble out his voice brought on by uncertainties. If this was his assailant, why does his body not know how to react appropriately?
"Nothing at all," Jack collected himself from the ground, somewhere between frustrated with the interruption and satisfied with the results of his ministrations. "Though you should know better than underestimating that woman. With her wits, she will figure it out."
"You had your touch. Do we have an agreement?" Jamie pressed, ignoring everything else. On the one hand, he needed to be out of there immediately and run, and on the other, if Claire worked the specifics of their agreement out, there was nothing he could do about it or any differently at all. He was going to keep her safe and alive and that was that, no matter the price.
"You have my word," the Englishman assured.
"Four o'clock, sharp, be there," the Scot swung the door open to exit.
Jack remained standing where he was, raising his thumb to his lips to slowly lick the small trickle of pre-cum off of there he cherished like treasure. The sweet taste of another victory.
Tbc