Jamie p.o.v.
When I open my eyes I see Jenny, Ian and Murtagh standing over me. They look concerned. For a moment I don't understand why, but then I feel that I'm lying on the floor, and I remember what just happened. I want to get up and tell everyone I'm fine, but I can't. My body feels so heavy, and my mind is filled with memories of Claire.
I see Jenny telling Ian and Murtagh something, but it's like I can't hear them. Then Jenny and Murtagh pull me off of the ground. Everything slowly becomes clearer as I try to focus on them. I take a seat on the chair behind me.
"That's it lad." Murtagh says as he puts his hand on my shoulder. "Now take a deep breath."
I do as he says and start to regain control over my body and emotions again.
"I'm okay." I manage to get out. "Tell us your story Murtagh."
Luckily for me Murtagh seems to understand that I really want the attention taken off of me, so he sits down too and starts to tell what happened to him after Culloden.
He tells us that after Culloden he, and some others who had survived, were going to be taken to Ardsmuir prison. But Murtagh and some others had managed to escape on their way there. They hid in the forest and in caves for a while, but Murtagh knew that that couldn't last forever, so he left. He went to a blacksmith he knew from before Culloden. The blacksmith and his family had taken him in. Murtagh called himself Malcolm McTavish, in the hope that if I had survived and heard the name I would know it was him. I almost feel guilty for not having heard that name anywhere.
Through friends and acquaintances from the blacksmith he had got pardoned just a week ago. On his way home to Lallybroch he heard that I too had survived and been pardoned. So, it wasn't a surprise for him to see me in the stables this morning.
"I'm very happy to see you again Murtagh." I say and pat him on the shoulder. "You are staying right?"
He smiles. "Of course, wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
We continue to talk about how things have been at Lallybroch and it's already in the afternoon when Murtagh and I finally get to work in the stables. It's good to have Murtagh back.
Jenny p.o.v.
Five minutes after Jamie and Murtagh leave for the stables, Ian and I are still sitting in the same place. My mind is reeling with all the information from this morning. Claire is alive. She's from the future. All kinds of things fall in to place and conversations I had with her years back finally make more sense too. Ian and I have sat in silence for a few minutes, both just processing this. When I try to speak up I can't. Instead, I just start crying my eyes out, they're not tears of sadness but of relieve. My sister is not dead.
Ian holds me tight, and we just sit there until my tears subside. I look into Ian's eyes and see that he understands where my tears come from.
"The stones."
"The stones." He nods. He wipes the tears from my cheeks.
"I almost can't believe that it's true. But, in my heart I know that it is. I can't believe Jamie's kept this from us for so long. Leaving us to think Claire was dead, while she's living in the future. And possibly with a child as well." I'm trying to imagine what Claire's time would look like, but I truly have no idea.
"Yes… it does sound mad. But at the same time it makes sense." Ian says. "I would be interested at taking a closer look at those stones though."
I look at him. That idea actually sounds pretty good to me. Maybe we could go see the stones. I know we wouldn't be able to travel through them, I also don't want to, but maybe it will give me some peace to be able to say goodbye to Claire there. I've never really said the words to her, but I'd like to think she knew she was like a sister to me.
"Maybe we could go there tomorrow?"
Ian looks surprised at my question, but then he nods.
"Yes, I suppose we could. It would be good to maybe say goodbye the proper way."
A sad smile crosses his face. I put my arms around him and give him a kiss on his cheek.
"Thanks for always taking care of me Ian. I know I'm not always the easiest person to be around. It means a lot to me that you want to do this with me tomorrow."
"Hey, you know I'd follow you anywhere. And I knew what I'd be getting into when I married a Fraser." He chuckles.
We kiss each other one more time and then decide it's time to get some work done and start preparing for tomorrow. Ian said he would tell Jamie and Murtagh about our plan, so I'll leave that to him.
Claire p.o.v.
It's in the middle of the night when my plane lands. As soon as I've collected my bags I grab a taxi to a nearby hotel where I'll be staying tonight. In the morning I will try to rent a car and drive to Inverness. In Inverness I have to find a hotel for a couple of days and then if I still have time I would like to go to Culloden Moor or Craigh na Dun tomorrow as well.
I feel sad as I think about having to say my final goodbyes to Jamie, but I also feel thankful that I'll hopefully get to feel closer to him once more.
I crawl into the bed and fall asleep quickly, and it's only Jamie's face I see in my dreams.