Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Twilight or Outlander. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and Diana Galbadon. I do own the original characters created for the storyline. Please support the official release.
Writer's Notes: Double update!
[Craigh na Dun]
Bella looked down at the ruby that Murtagh acquired. She felt the pounding in her chest and the fear of what could happen once they moved through the stones back to her time. It would be a big adjustment for Jamie. He was a highlander in medieval Scotland. She thought about what all could happen.
"Alright," Murtagh said and handed Jamie the other ruby. "I'm coming with ye two. Stop. I already sent word to a friend of mine in Inverness. Another time traveler that stayed in Scotland. They will be getting word to my friend in France. The lass I spoke about. She will get a message to us in the future about the rebellion."
"How have I never heard about time travel or these stones sending people through time?" Jamie asked his friend.
Murtagh pursed his lips. "Because my sister never wanted ye to know."
"What are ye saying?" Jamie said, frowning.
"Too much to talk about. First, we'll go through the stones. We'll talk later." Murtagh said and he rolled the ruby between his fingers and looked at the stones. "We go together. Hold on to each other and touch the stone at the same time." He instructed.
Bella nodded, sniffing a little, but she grabbed Jamie's free hand and he squeezed hers.
"1…2…3…"
[Scotland, December 1st 2024]
Snow covered the ground beneath their feet as Bella opened her eyes after the wind picked up and settled. She looked around, noticing that her surroundings were not as dense with forest as it was when they were standing on medieval Scottish soil. The road could be seen from where they were standing.
Jamie felt a little whoozy, but he looked around them, seeing the snow on the ground and frowned before he turned and looked at Murtagh. "Murtagh?"
"Bella, this is important. Neither me nor Jamie know how to function in this time period. Yer gonna have to be our guide. Where do we go from here?"
"Um. Well, Carlisle and I were staying at a bed and breakfast before I came here. What if he is still looking for me here? I fell through the stones during the fall. It's winter now. I vanished without a trace. He might believe I never left Scotland in the first place."
"We'll get through that. Ye have me and Jamie now to make sure nothing bad happens to ye. So, ye get us into town and we'll figure out the rest. Do ye have any friends in this time?"
Bella shook her head, sniffing a little. "Um. Maybe I could call Rose. She was estranged from the family."
"Ye only know yer husband's family?" Jamie asked.
Bella nodded. "Yes. Rose was married to Carlisle's oldest son. At least she was when I left. They might still be in England. I memorized the number."
"Number?" Jamie asked.
"Oh, right. Technology is different in this time." Bella said and then she looked towards the road. "There was a man…" she murmured, thinking about the nice man that was a historian over at the Manse.
"What man?" Murtagh asked.
Bella shook her head. "There was a man, a historian. His name was Roger Mackenzie. He was very nice during one of our tours we did." She said and lifted her skirts and started walking towards the road. Murtagh and Jamie followed behind her. Once they made it to the road, a car was coming their direction and Bella waved her arms, flagging them down. She leaned in the window looking at the woman. "I apologize. Our car broke down a ways down and we've been walking for some time. We were heading to a meeting. We do reenactments." She said politely. It was the only thing she could think about and before falling through time and meeting Jamie and Murtagh, she might not have had courage to approach another person.
The woman nodded, smiling. "Of course. I'll take you into town. Anywhere in particular?"
"The Manse," Bella relayed. And nodded to Murtagh and Jamie and she opened the door to the back and Murtagh and Jamie got inside, while Bella got in the front seat, and pulled the seat belt over her shoulder.
Jamie and Murtagh watched with confused intrigue and mimicked her, grabbing the seat belts over their shoulders and snapped them like the saw Bella do.
[Manse]
Bella thanked the woman again before she walked up the stairs to the door. She hit the doorbell and waited, her body shivering as the cold air shifted and a breeze pushed through. Jamie rubbed a hand down her back to remind her that he was still there.
The door opened and a man stood there wearing a green sweater, his dark hair a small tousle on his head and his face bushier with a dark beard to match his hair and his navy eyes were surprised to see people.
"Mr. Mackenzie, you may not remember me but-"
"Yer the missing girl." Roger nodded and swung the door open. "Come in come in." He said and ushered them in out of the cold. The Manse was warm, and there was a fire going in the fireplace in the parlor. "Yer husband frequented the Manse for a time when ye went missing." He relayed, only sparing Jamie and Murtagh a glance before getting them seated in the parlor. An older woman walked in. "Mary can ye get some hot tea for our guests please." He said gently and the woman nodded and left the room. "Mrs. Cullen, what has happened?"
"Mr. Mackenzie-"
"Roger, please."
"Roger, my husband. Is he still in Scotland?" Bella asked, afraid to hear the answer.
"Why yes, he's never left. He insists that someone took ye. I can call him-"
"No!" Bella exclaimed and it gained a confused look from Roger. "I'm sorry. Um. I ran away Roger. Carlisle is not…he isn't-"
Roger waved a hand. "Of course. That's all I need to hear. He isn't a good man. I understand. What brings ye back?"
"Well, I left behind some things, but also in order to leave Scotland I need my passport and money. Of course when I ran, I didn't-"
"Hmm." Roger was studying Murtagh and Jamie now as they sat on the couch beside Bella. They were all dressed in typical medieval Scotland clothing. He sat back in his seat. "Ye didn't run away. Ye fell through the stones didn't ye…." He murmured lowly.
Bella frowned. "How…"
Roger waved a hand again. "I'm a historian Mrs. Cullen, I have unearthed accounts of the stones and their magical properties. Ye brought back highlanders with ye."
"I'm her husband." Jamie spoke up, his tone clipped.
Roger's eyes met Bella's "Husband…"
"Yes. I married Jamie in his time period. We didn't think we were going to come back to this time."
"I see. And ye came back for a reason." Roger said.
Murtagh leaned forward. "Alright. I've gathered what I need. Yer a Mackenzie. My sister was a Mackenzie. Well, sister-in-law. My brother was Brian Fraser."
Roger nodded. "Alright. Brian Fraser married Ellen Mackenzie. That would make her mother the first time traveler for the Mackenzie clan."
"Aye, it does." Murtagh said. "My friend, Emily, she was from 1998. She is in France now, but she said that if I ever did travel through the stones, that I could find a man that would get us what we needed to join the new time."
Roger nodded. "And that man is me." He said and Mary returned with hot tea. She set it down on the table and left the room.
"Have ye ever traveled through the stones before?" Roger asked as he grabbed his own cup of tea.
"No." Murtagh said. "I never had a reason to until now."
Bella was in shock to know that Roger knew about the stones and time travel. Everything felt like a dream right now. She lifted the cup of tea to her lips and sipped.
"Well, ye will need new clothes. I have some upstairs that will fit. I'll get started on the paperwork. Bella, yers will be trickier. Carlisle has alerted the airport. Yer picture is everywhere. Ye are a missing persons."
"Of course I am." Bella closed her eyes and felt the nausea rise and she suddenly stood, causing Jamie to stand as well. "Bathroom?"
"Of course. Down the hall to the right," Roger said as she stood and Bella moved away from the parlor, and Jamie followed her. When she went into the bathroom, he followed her, shutting the door behind them. She was throwing up in an odd shaped bowl of some sort and he went to her, pulling her hair back and rubbing her back.
"Easy," Jamie murmured.
Bella groaned as she rocked back on her heels and flushed the toilet and that seemed to startle Jamie. "Sorry. I promise I will explain everything and it's use." She said and moved to the sink and rinsed her mouth out before splashing water on her face.
Jamie admitted that everything around him felt so foreign and it was feeling a bit overwhelming but he remained quiet. He knew that all of his worry and feelings were not as important as Bella right in this moment. He found a towel and handed it to her and she dried her face. She leaned back, looking at herself in the reflection. Her complexion was pale, her appearance slightly unkempt, her hair needed a better brushing, but other than that, she seemed rather normal. Her dress was simple and she had never looked at herself dressed like this. She looked at Jamie in the reflection and he was still looking at her. He wasn't looking at himself in the mirror, even though he had the opportunity to do so, she could see how worried he was about her.
"Jamie," She turned and looked at him. "This isn't going to be easy." She murmured.
Jamie smiled a little. "Everything will be okay." He said and leaned in and kissed her softly.
Bella nodded and then reached a hand up and cupped his face. "I love you and I love that you want to keep a brave face for me, but it's okay to admit that you're scared. Especially of all of this. SO much is happening, and I know it's confusing."
"It is, but as long as I'm here with you, the rest doesn't matter." Jamie insisted.
"Alright. We'll talk more about all of this later." She murmured and then she left the bathroom, going back to the parlor where Murtagh and Roger were talking. They both stopped when Jamie and Bella returned.
"Roger. What do you think I need to do?" Bella asked.
"Well. Is Carlisle dangerous?" Roger asked. "Is he violent?"
Bella shook her head. "No, he's never been violent with me. Never hit me. He specifically took me away from America to come here because I was in a relationship with his son that was abusing me. Him and his wife divorced and he married me here in Scotland."
"Okay. And whatever happened. It isn't reconcilable?" Roger asked.
"Roger. I can't…he may not have hit me, but he groomed me Roger, from the time I was a small girl."
Roger was quiet as he understood what that meant. "Alright. And ye were running away because of it." He blew out a breath. "Alright. Well, the best solution is to make it known that yer not missing. The authorities should be notified that yer disappearance wasn't because ye were kidnapped. That yer alive and well."
"But then he'll be notified…" Bella murmured.
"Correct, but if he is non-violent, then it would be easier to rectify the divorce." Roger said and then pulled his phone out. "When ye got married, where was it?"
"Um. A chapel. I'm not sure what it was called. I wasn't paying attention." Bella said. "I was just doing what I was told."
Roger nodded. "Did ye sign anything?"
Bella frowned and shook her head. "No. I didn't."
Roger's eyes lit up. "Ah, well that might actually be in our favor." He said and then he scrolled on his phone, reading something. Jamie and Murtagh watched Roger with the strange device, unsure what the man was doing.
Bella shifted a little, tapping her foot a little. "What are you doing?"
"Asking a friend to look up in the registrar if ye and Mr. Cullen were legally married here in Scotland." Roger said and then set his phone to the side. "First, baths and new clothes. Mary, can ye show Murtagh to his room. I'll show Bella and Jamie to theirs." He said as he stood, and so did everyone else.
Jamie followed behind Bella and Roger up the stairs to a room that was furnished lavishly. "Thank ye," He said with a nod to Roger.
"Of course. When yer finished cleaning up, come back downstairs, we'll have dinner and we'll discuss next steps." Roger said and left Bella and Jamie in the room.
Bella looked around. The large four post bed had dark linens and bedding. There was a room off of the bedroom that was the bathroom. Things were remodeled to be a bit more modern, but Roger kept the antiquity of the furniture. Bella sighed as she untied her skirts.
Jamie moved towards her, helping her until she was in her shift. "Bella, are ye okay love?"
"Yeah." Bella nodded, thinking about how everything was just moving so fast. They were back in her time and she didn't know if she would ever see it again. The TV on the wall was a reminder that there were so many differences from her time and Jamie's and she hoped that everything would be okay. That Jamie would be okay in this time. She felt selfish for even agreeing to come back. They could have just sailed to France and she could have done her best to bring a baby in the world. Why was she this pathetic?
Bella moved towards the bed and saw the clothes laid out. Mary must have gathered clothing. Dark fleece lined leggings, and a blue sweater along with some panties and a bra. Everything was brand new and it made sense now that Roger would have supplies on hand since he was a point of reference for time travelers. There were dark pants and a green sweater laid out for Jamie along with underwear and thick socks. Jamie studied the material, frowning at the underwear, unsure what to make of it.
"Let's take a shower." Bella murmured and grabbed his hand and led him into the bathroom.
The bright white tile and the modern fixtures accompanied with the nice walk-in shower and large soaker tub made Bella sigh with a little relief. She took her shift off, revealing her naked body beneath. She looked at herself in the mirror and at the small bulge at her belly. She looked at Jamie in the reflection of the mirror as she watched him unsnap his kilt and undress, looking a little uncertain about his surroundings. When he was completely naked they stared at each other in the light of the bathroom. They had seen each other naked before but the lighting was not as bright as it was now. She knew that his body had many scars, but she didn't mind it. She stepped over to the shower and she turned it on and water sprayed from the shower head and that made Jamie step back, studying the water as it started to steam up the bathroom around them.
"It's okay," Bella urged and she stepped inside the shower and reached for Jamie's hand and pulled him with her. When the heat of the water hit his skin he flinched a little, so she turned the heat down a little. Jamie held his hand out in the water spray, watching it curiously with a child-like wonder, amazed at the way the water spouted out so hot, providing a relief that he didn't realize he needed.
Bella smiled as she shifted in the shower and turned on the second shower head and that made Jamie turn to look at the other shower head as hot water rained down.
"My god, it's like hot rain," he exclaimed.
Bella chuckled a little. "It is. It's called a shower." She said and she leaned her head back in the water spray and sighed pleasantly as the heat ran through her scalp and was washing away dirt that she didn't realize was there.
Jamie watched as her face changed and she relaxed. He loved to see her so relaxed like this. This shower was making her feel better and this moment was worth coming through the stones with her.
When the shower was done, Bella helped him dry off and watched him get dressed in the new clothing.
"I don't like pants," Jamie muttered as he slipped on the socks that he really didn't mind.
Jamie watched as her face changed and she relaxed. He loved to see her so relaxed like this. This shower was making her feel better and this moment was worth coming through the stones with her.
"I know." Jamie said and then he kissed her. She smelled nice, a flowery smell from the shampoo that Bella showed him. He admitted that getting cleaned up like this felt nice and his skin felt better after cleaning off all the sweat and dirt. She even showed him how to brush his teeth with a toothbrush, she had called it, and the taste was awful, but she assured him that he would get used to it. He was used to just using a cloth and water to clean his teeth, but this was apparently better. So he would trust it.
Bella looked like she was more comfortable wearing the new clothes and he wondered if all the time she spent in the wrong time, if she had been uncomfortable wearing the clothing of that time. But he stayed quiet, following her lead for everything.
Once downstairs, Jamie was shocked to see Murtagh all cleaned up, and wearing a sweater and pants that mirrored Jamie's. Murtagh's beard was cleaned up a little and his hair was combed back.
"Murtagh, you look nice," Bella said with a smile.
"Aye, Mary helped fix my face," Murtagh said, gesturing to his beard.
Jamie smiled a little. "Actually shaving Murtagh? That's new."
"Well, I want to blend in here." Murtagh grumbled.
"Dinner is ready in the dining room," Roger announced as he walked into the parlor and stopped to look at the trio. "Ye cleaned up rather nice. I'm glad the clothes fit. Bella are ye comfortable, yer sweater is tighter than I realized."
"Oh, I'm fine." Bella said with a smile.
Roger nodded. "Alright, let's eat." He said and Bella followed him into the dining room.
It would take time, and Bella was still worried about Carlisle and how to handle the whole situation, but she knew that as long as Jamie was with her, she could make it through anything.