Author's notes: Hello everyone who reads this story. I'm sorry for how long it's taking me to write my chapters. I just wanted to post something short I've written so that you see that I Haven't stopped writing this. I take it one small bit at a time until I finish. Here is chapter 15.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters on Outlander. I'm only borrowing them for the story.

Chapter 15

Lottie tried to get out of Fordyce grip by wringing her arm back and forth, but it was unsuccessful. Feeling angry enough to kick him Lottie had to fight the urge hard.

"Let go of me, you piece of shit!"

Coinneach stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Fordyce standing there with Lottie in his grasp. Slowly he started walking towards the furious schoolmaster across the room.

"Let her go and you can have yer go at me instead," he suggested, trying to sound confident that it would work.

Lottie knew it was over though. They had lost and something unpleasant was definitely about to happen.

Fordyce gave a snort of laughter and glared at Coinneach.

"I dinna have to choose when I can punish ye both as I wish!" he said and grabbed Coinneach's upper arm hard as well. He then marched both of them up to the front of the class. There he quickly snatched up the strap again. To both Lottie and Coinneach's surprise he let go of Coinneach and gave him a push towards a corner of the room instead.

"Ye get over to that corner, Coinneach Shaw, and stay there fer the remainder of the day." he fixed his stare on Lottie whose arm he was still holding onto. "And you, Sassenach lass, bend over the desk."

Coinneach didn't move at first and just stood there with a defiant look in his eyes.

"Ye said you weren't going to punish her if I stopped!" he protested.

But Fordyce simply snorted again and leered at him.

"No, I didna say that. I said that if ye didna stop the lass would take her own punishment as well as yers. Now she will only take her strapping but she willna have to take yer corner time for the rest of the day."

Coinneach's jaw dropped open a little, but he quickly tried to recover.

"I'm not stepping anywhere near the corner if ye're gonna beat her."

"Ye will, lad. Because if ye dinna then I will beat her until ye do what I ask. And if ye step out of the corner before the end of the day I will have her up here again." he locked eyes with Lottie again. "And if ye run away then Coinneah Shaw will take yer punishment instead of ye. So, you both see how fair I am, huh? Neither of ye shall escape this."

Lottie felt like her head was spinning. Fast. A big part of her wanted to put up one hell of a fight with Fordyce, and she would most certainly beat him as soon as she got out of his firm grip. But she knew that was totally unacceptable behavior in this time and place and Jamie would go crazy with her at home when he found out. And after he had tanned her hide so hard she wouldn't sit for a month she would hear the lecture from both him and Claire about how she had just endangered herself and Claire with the way she had increased the risk of people finding out them being from a different time period. Her hands were tied because she actually understood the importance of not exposing herself.

Finally Lottie's gaze found Coinneach's angry glare and she glanced very clearly at the corner. His look back was telling her no at first, but then he finally gave in and walked to the corner with clenched fists.

Lottie looked up at the schoolmaster who was looking very pleased with himself and his victory.

"Get in position, certainly ken the procedure by now and I dare say I even feel confident ye'll visit this place again."

Lottie complied and no one in the class was laughing now. She felt the strap land on the back of her legs, drew air into her lungs and focused on keeping it there, saying a silent vow that he would not get any tears from her this day.

To be continued