A loud noise, as if a hand hitting skin, echoes as they reach the stables and a voice sounding rather like Wylie's yelling, "You bitch!"

Da barges into the stable. Brian and John arrive just in time to see a manure-covered Wylie being held against the stable wall by Da who's also holding a knife against Wylie's privates.

"Jamie, no!" Mama cries.

"She offered me a drink and almost begged me to take it right away! This woman is a despicable succubus!" Wylie accuses.

Brian tries to lunge at him but John grasps his shoulder stopping him.

"How dare ye?" Da sneers furiously.

"Stop! Are you really going to kill someone at your aunt's wedding? It's not worth it."

Mama's words cause Da to hesitate. He grasps Wylie by his clothes tightly one more time, leaning in. "If I see ye near my wife again, I will kill ye." Da threatens, with every intention of keeping that vow. "Yer understand?!"

Wylie doesn't answer, too frozen in fear to speak before eventually nodding. Da pushes him against the wall, releasing him, then throws him his walking stick as a signal to get out. Then, trying to preserve what remains of his dignity, Wylie fixes his wig and saunters out the door, not giving Brian and John a glance, with manure on his back.

"I'm going to go make sure he doesn't make a further fool of himself and spread lies," John whispers to Brian.

"Of course, thank you," Brian replies. John nods and follows after Wylie.

Brian walks further into the stables where Mama is now being held in Da's embrace. "Are you okay?" He asks her.

Mama gives him a smile, her hand cupping his cheek. "Yes, I am. You don't need to worry about me."

"I always worry about you." Brian retorts.

"I can fight my own battles. Wylie wasn't a hard man to fight off." Mama's grin is wider now and Brian lets out a soft laugh at that.

Brian frowns when he then notices a mark on her neck that he swears he hadn't noticed earlier. "What's that?" He bends over and touches Mama's neck with his hand. Brian brings his hand back and stares at what appears to be… a mole?

Brian lets out an exclamation of disgust and Mama winces in embarrassment.

Da angrily turns away and takes a hundred steps, trying to calm down before rounding on them. "Wha' in the name of Christ, wha' were ye thinkin', Sassenach? Spendin' time alone wi' a man like 'im? I'll leave you alone for a little while and—"

"He knows Stephen Bonnet." Mama interrupts him. Silence.

Brian's mind begins to short-circuit. What, no– she can't—

"Wha'? He told ye this?" Da questions.

"Wait, wait. 'Knows,' like present tense? Stephen Bonnet is dead. How can he know him?" Brian frantically asks.

Da and Mama look at each other, and then Da says, "We didna want ye tell ye until it was absolutely necessary. And it appears it now is."

"Tell me what? He's dead, right? He blew up in the jail." Brian asks, desperately hoping what they're saying isn't true. That the man who hurt his sister isn't still out there.

"We dinna ken how, but he survived. He's been livin' in Wilmington this whole time."

The room starts spinning around Brian and the nausea is building. "What? What do you mean? No. He… he's dead. He couldn't have… he's… he's alive?"

"He is." Mama answers, griping his hand to comfort or maybe ground him. "We've been trying to find a way to him, which is why I went with Philip Wylie. That smuggler he employs in Wilmington, it's him."

"How long have you two known this?"

"John Grey told me at Ellen and Roger's weddin'," Da replies.

Brian's eyes bug out. "You've known all this time and never said anything? Does Ellen know?"

"She doesna. We didn't want ye te ken any of this until there was a plan in place te end 'im once and for all."

"And as much as I detest the idea of being within a mile of that man again, Wylie is our way in," Mama adds, reasoning with him. "He's up to his neck in gambling debt. So I thought I could tempt him with a business deal, then maybe he'd set up a meeting. I had a feeling it was Stephen Bonnet. Turns out, I was right. But now, I've thrown him in horse shit and you've threatened to kill him. How are we supposed to get him back on our side?"

As much of a horrible shock this is to Brian, he is now determined to do whatever he has to so as to see the death of Stephen Bonnet play out. He watches Da as his brain is wracking for an answer. He caresses the beautiful black stallion, an idea forming in his mind.

"Ye say the man likes te gamble?"

"Too much. But he doesn't seem to be very good." Mama replies, slightly confused.

"I have a plan. There's talk of a whist game takin' place later. I can challenge 'im. If and when I win, he'll give us tha' meetin'."

—

That night Brian paces on the porch of River Run. Rubbing his face in frustration as his mind whirls from angry to worried.

Da's plan was partly the reason for his anger. The plan was to have a high-stakes card game. If Da wins, he gets the stallion and the chance to negotiate but if Wylie wins, then he gets Mama's golden wedding ring she'd received from his other Dad, Frank. Mama had been rightfully outraged at this as Brian had been too.

His relationship with his other Father wasn't the strongest but he still meant something to Da, same for Mama. She'd taken both rings off and stormed off with Brian close behind.

He can't believe what Da was thinking about taking the risk and Brian blatantly refused to take part. To take part in allowing that coward to humiliate and hurt his Mother like this and that is how his mind goes from anger to worry as what if Da loses.

"Ye tryin' te travel te the other side of the world by burrowin' through the ground, diabhal beag?"

Brian recognises it right away, but he can't believe it is real. He turns to see Murtagh standing in the shadows beside the building with a grin on his face.

The biggest smile Brian has had on his face in a long time exploded. "Murtagh!" He cries in utter excitement while being as quiet as he can. Brian collides into him in a massive hug. Murtagh grasps him just as tight. "I can't believe it's you." When they separate, Brian hits him on the shoulder, his voice chokes up from happiness, "What are you doing here? How are you here? Tryon is here with his Redcoats."

"Ye ken I'm no seen when I dinna want te be." Murtagh retorts with a wry grin.

"Does Da know you're here?"

"No, and he canna know. It's too dangerous fer him. I just needed te come and see her before she gives herself te another."

Brian softens. Jocasta. "You came for her?"

He nods. "I needed te know if… it doesna matter. I canna stand in the way of her happiness. I love her too much te keep her hostage like that."

"Please stay, Murtagh," Brian begs. "Please, come back with us to Fraser's Ridge. You don't need to be alone. You have us. Please, don't leave again."

"I wish I could. I would give anythin' fer a life wi' Jamie and all of ye. But I can't. I have my duty te me men. I must see this through. I'm sorry, lad. I must go before I'm found here." He grasps his shoulder with firm but affectionate and smiles at him, the wrinkles around his eyes coming together. "I'll always be with ye. Ye ken diabhal beag?"

Brian nods tearfully. Then, like he had been a dream, he's gone.

—

The next day, Brian is relieved that Mama has not lost either of her rings as Da has won the game, keeping both rings safe and winning Wylie's prized Friesian stallion named Lucas.

Everyone, at last, gathers for the wedding. Brian can't help the extra ping of sadness he feels watching Jocasta and Duncan exchange their vows after he knows that Murtagh had gone to her. He notices how Jocasta is tearing up during the ceremony. But Brian knows it is for a different reason rather than what everyone else thinks. While the audience coo and awe over how beautiful it is that Jocasta loves him so much she is crying, Brian knows they can't have been farther from the truth and she is crying because she wishes it is another man she is standing in front of saying "I do" to.

They bid the newly Mr and Mistress Innes goodbye the next morning, and start the journey home.

—

A/N: Diabhal beag = little devil