[ Bree's smile is genuine and wide, canting her head toward him even as she moves to sit on the table. ]
I hear I'm as stubborn as you. And what was it mother? We both eat like cows.
[ Oh yes, your own words are coming back, Claire. But it's a way for Brianna to keep it light, to keep both of her parents smiling as long as she possibly can. The light that's already in her mother's eyes is something special, and Bree can't help but be moved by it. ]
[Jamie follows after to sit near her, bolstered by the fact that she initiated contact. He's a tactile man, and there's still that want to hold her and never let her go, but he can keep it at bay for now.
Her comment makes him laugh. It's an easier sound now, and as Claire joins them, he's not sure he's ever been happier.]
Aye. Aye, I did have the impressive appetite when I was younger.
[Less these days. Years of living in a cave followed by years behind bars trained his stomach to want less.]
Still, I dinna remember such rude comments back then, Claire.
[Sassenach is what he wants to say, but for Bree's sake, he keeps the nickname to himself.]
[She's not very sure where to sit, be it closer to Bree or closer to Jamie. They're all experiencing something new, and she's not sure how to balance it. So, she plants herself across from them, in the middle, able to watch. Jamie's hair is lighter with age, but it once was that same red of Bree's. Surely she can see that.]
Then your memory is going. I said it quite a bit. [She leans over just enough to touch that hair of Bree's, trying to tame another curl that wants to make an escape.] And I thought you said horse?
[Speaking of food, they should eat soon... and figure out where they'll be staying. Jamie had a place, and there was a single bed in the printshop, so she imagines there's not much room for two women to tag along.]
[ Bree smiles winningly at Claire, then looks back at Jamie. It's so odd now, to realize all of those times she was looking for herself in Frank and never found him, she was looking at the wrong person. They have the same hair, now that hers can't be tamed by modern products. Her face is a perfect combination of both her mother and father's, and their eyes. His are a little brighter than hers, but they match all the same. Now it's Brianna who reaches out and touches Jamie's face now, almost reverently, like he's a ghost. As soon as her fingertips make contact, she lets out a breath. ]
You're really here. I can't believe I'm actually seeing you.
[ She's completely awed and she has no idea what happens next, if he's ready for them both to be in his life, if they have a place to live, if there's anything at all. But she's seeing him now, a person who was a ghost in 1968 but flesh and blood and solid in front of her now. ]
[He freezes when she touches her, this giant man looking like a deer in headlights. He can't believe she knows who he is, let alone that she's here and touching him. It takes a moment for his brain to catch up, and when it does, he gently touches the hand on his face, closing his eyes and turning to press his lips to her fingers.
Everything is complicated, raw and exposed, but he wants them both in his life. He can't imagine letting this go.]
Aye.
[He's at a loss for words. He hunches over some, grasping Bree's hand between his two large paws.]
[Poor Jamie. Claire's heart is warmed, but it's breaking, too. This is a lot. There's a creak as she moves her chair, just slightly closer. Twenty years and she can still read him like a book. He wants to crumble, but he's doing his very best to not be overwhelmed. Claire reaches over to rub his back again, making a soft sound.]
Just breathe. Take your time.
[Bree gets a small smile. She had worried that Brianna would be the one with the more extreme reaction, but her girl surprises her constantly. She's doing what Jamie needs--accepting him, accepting this.]
[ It might catch up with her later, all of this, how overwhelming it is, but she can read a room. Right now, she's doing what she thinks she should be, and she'll think about if this means she's betraying Frank in some way later. Much later. Right now, she's a little alarmed and looks at Jamie and then Claire, speaking quietly. ]
I'm sorry, was that...is that too much? I don't know what to do...
[ Her voice trails off at the end, unsure of what her next move should be. ]
No fainting on us. [There's a teasing look given to Jamie, and he huffs out an amused sound. Once was probably enough for today. Claire's hand moves to his hair, brushing against his temple briefly. Not a touch shared with Frank. Not a look like this, either, eyes full of adoration as she keeps her eyes on Jamie for a long moment.]
I think we could all do with a drink?
[No chance to argue it. Claire moves towards the decanter in the room, a hand touching Bree's shoulder as she passes.]
[ A drink sounds perfect, and Bree exhales, smiling a little before sitting back in her chair. She oddly misses the warmth of his hand around hers, and she looks at Jamie, a promise that she's not going anywhere, that she'll make up the best she can for 20 years of missed hugs and tender moments.
Watching the way her mother interacts with Jamie is so different than anything she's ever seen before. With Frank touches seemed stiff and obligated, not loving and spontaneous.
It's weird.
As soon as she has her alcohol she takes a large gulp, then holds the cup between her hands. She doesn't know what the hell to say so she's going to let her mother figure it out. She does say thank you for the drink, though. ]
[He has a lot of questions. About Frank, about the upbringing Brianna's had, about her likes and dislikes. A brief conversation didn't give him much. She likes dogs. Swimming. She can chop wood. It's been years since he's seen Willie, and there's a terrible pang of guilt. He knows so much about that boy and shared so many moments with him that he'll never have with Brianna. Frank had them.
There' so much he can ask but he can't find the words. It's only after a drink himself and a look to Claire that he finds something.]
Fergus will be over the moon.
[Another look to Claire. Has Fergus come up in their conversations?]
[Once everyone has their liquid courage and Claire is seated, she feels the uncertainty in the room. She's about to fumble about for something for Jamie to talk about when he brings up something himself. Fergus. An outside party to all of this, and so it's easier to talk about than any of the three people in the room.]
He will, won't he? [She can't imagine him being anything less than thrilled to meet Brianna. He was so young, when they lost Faith, but Claire knows those times in Paris were likely going to stay with him forever, unfortunately.] You remember the orphan I said we took in Paris, Bree? He's here, too. No longer a little boy, though.
[Talking about Fergus had been difficult, and so Claire had kept mentions of him brief. Another loved one left behind, just like Jenny and the rest.]
[ Bree nods slowly at the memory of the conversation, turning her head to Jamie ]
And he's still with you? That's incredible.
[ After everything Jamie's been through, the places he's gone, what he's endured, this little boy (man now) has never left him. That actually speaks loudly to her, and she files that away. ]
I can't wait to meet him, then. I'm glad he was with you, Jamie.
[ For some reason it's suddenly important to her that he had someone, at least, to anchor him. ]
He's a good lad. [Maybe not with him for the entirety of the two decades gone, but for some of it. He's his son, just as much as Brianna is Frank's daughter.]
Though I dinna know how long he'll buy the story he's been told.
[Claire grimaces at that. It's true. An easy story to tell with Claire on her own, but certainly she would have tried to get in touch with someone if there was a child.]
[Claire frowns. She's never liked hiding this from anyone, but after the whole witch trial disaster, she can understand. There's a long pull from her glass before she decides that it's a conversation she and Jamie should have in private, later.]
I have a feeling you can't throw a stone at Lallybroch these days and not hit a Fraser.
[ She doesn't know how to solve this problem, so she drinks more of her wine. She came here for a reason though, and that was meet Jamie, to get to know him. The rest of the family can wait for now. ]
So, I know you're a printer but what do you print? And how did you become a printer in the first place?
Lallybroch? [Where else, Jamie?] Oh, aye... aye, we'll have to make a visit.
[Jenny might kill him even if he couldn't have predicted this ever happening. That already has him shifting a little uncomfortably. Her question--a fair one--has him shifting a bit more.]
It's a long story. Are ye sure?
[Stalling. He knows it's obvious and that's why he doesn't look at Claire.]
[ Everything she's saying seems to be wrong, so maybe, she decides, she shouldn't say anything else for a while. Instead, she nods and smiles about supper, making a sound of confirmation rather than actually open her mouth.
If they could go back to dramatically reuniting that'd be great, because holding her while crying was honestly less awkward than trying to know the right thing to say. ]
Food. [He looks slowly between Claire and Bree. Food. Right. He's hungry, he knows, but he's also in so much shock that he can't feel his stomach. Awkwardly, he rises to his feet.
He doesn't want to let either of them out of his sight but he has a feeling Claire wants a word.]
I'll go see what I can scrounge up. I won't be long.
[A brief smile with the promise, and he goes to the door despite it being the last thing he wants.]
Am I doing something wrong? I didn't mean to come and make everything worse for you. I'm sorry, mama.
[ All of that comes out in a rush, like she's been waiting to say it. ]
I don't know what to do or say.
[ Should she have come? Would it have been better, easier, if she'd stayed in 1968? And these thoughts don't even touch what she's ignoring for now, that she has a father she wants to get to know but isn't sure how. ]
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givingback) wrote2018-01-06 09:51 am
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I hear I'm as stubborn as you. And what was it mother? We both eat like cows.
[ Oh yes, your own words are coming back, Claire. But it's a way for Brianna to keep it light, to keep both of her parents smiling as long as she possibly can. The light that's already in her mother's eyes is something special, and Bree can't help but be moved by it. ]
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Her comment makes him laugh. It's an easier sound now, and as Claire joins them, he's not sure he's ever been happier.]
Aye. Aye, I did have the impressive appetite when I was younger.
[Less these days. Years of living in a cave followed by years behind bars trained his stomach to want less.]
Still, I dinna remember such rude comments back then, Claire.
[Sassenach is what he wants to say, but for Bree's sake, he keeps the nickname to himself.]
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Then your memory is going. I said it quite a bit. [She leans over just enough to touch that hair of Bree's, trying to tame another curl that wants to make an escape.] And I thought you said horse?
[Speaking of food, they should eat soon... and figure out where they'll be staying. Jamie had a place, and there was a single bed in the printshop, so she imagines there's not much room for two women to tag along.]
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[ Bree smiles winningly at Claire, then looks back at Jamie. It's so odd now, to realize all of those times she was looking for herself in Frank and never found him, she was looking at the wrong person. They have the same hair, now that hers can't be tamed by modern products. Her face is a perfect combination of both her mother and father's, and their eyes. His are a little brighter than hers, but they match all the same. Now it's Brianna who reaches out and touches Jamie's face now, almost reverently, like he's a ghost. As soon as her fingertips make contact, she lets out a breath. ]
You're really here. I can't believe I'm actually seeing you.
[ She's completely awed and she has no idea what happens next, if he's ready for them both to be in his life, if they have a place to live, if there's anything at all. But she's seeing him now, a person who was a ghost in 1968 but flesh and blood and solid in front of her now. ]
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Everything is complicated, raw and exposed, but he wants them both in his life. He can't imagine letting this go.]
Aye.
[He's at a loss for words. He hunches over some, grasping Bree's hand between his two large paws.]
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Just breathe. Take your time.
[Bree gets a small smile. She had worried that Brianna would be the one with the more extreme reaction, but her girl surprises her constantly. She's doing what Jamie needs--accepting him, accepting this.]
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I'm sorry, was that...is that too much? I don't know what to do...
[ Her voice trails off at the end, unsure of what her next move should be. ]
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[A sniff, and he smiles. It's a true smile.]
I'm all right.
[He looks to Claire. He's all right as a man can be in this situation.]
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I think we could all do with a drink?
[No chance to argue it. Claire moves towards the decanter in the room, a hand touching Bree's shoulder as she passes.]
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Watching the way her mother interacts with Jamie is so different than anything she's ever seen before. With Frank touches seemed stiff and obligated, not loving and spontaneous.
It's weird.
As soon as she has her alcohol she takes a large gulp, then holds the cup between her hands. She doesn't know what the hell to say so she's going to let her mother figure it out. She does say thank you for the drink, though. ]
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There' so much he can ask but he can't find the words. It's only after a drink himself and a look to Claire that he finds something.]
Fergus will be over the moon.
[Another look to Claire. Has Fergus come up in their conversations?]
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He will, won't he? [She can't imagine him being anything less than thrilled to meet Brianna. He was so young, when they lost Faith, but Claire knows those times in Paris were likely going to stay with him forever, unfortunately.] You remember the orphan I said we took in Paris, Bree? He's here, too. No longer a little boy, though.
[Talking about Fergus had been difficult, and so Claire had kept mentions of him brief. Another loved one left behind, just like Jenny and the rest.]
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And he's still with you? That's incredible.
[ After everything Jamie's been through, the places he's gone, what he's endured, this little boy (man now) has never left him. That actually speaks loudly to her, and she files that away. ]
I can't wait to meet him, then. I'm glad he was with you, Jamie.
[ For some reason it's suddenly important to her that he had someone, at least, to anchor him. ]
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Though I dinna know how long he'll buy the story he's been told.
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Maybe it's time he's told the truth, then.
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[ She looks from Jamie to Claire again, then back to Jamie. ]
Is my aunt...I mean, there's still family at Lallybroch, right?
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It'll have to be given some thought.
[He knows Claire won't like it, but there's a lot that needs to be brought to light before the fact that his wife and daughter and time travelers.]
Aye, Brianna. Your aunt Jenny and uncle Ian are there, as well as their children, and some of their children's children.
[So. There's a lot of people that might be surprised by all of this.]
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I have a feeling you can't throw a stone at Lallybroch these days and not hit a Fraser.
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[ She doesn't know how to solve this problem, so she drinks more of her wine. She came here for a reason though, and that was meet Jamie, to get to know him. The rest of the family can wait for now. ]
So, I know you're a printer but what do you print? And how did you become a printer in the first place?
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[Jenny might kill him even if he couldn't have predicted this ever happening. That already has him shifting a little uncomfortably. Her question--a fair one--has him shifting a bit more.]
It's a long story. Are ye sure?
[Stalling. He knows it's obvious and that's why he doesn't look at Claire.]
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We do have time. But I'm sure you haven't eaten supper yet. [She knows he hasn't.] How about you, Bree? Hungry?
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If they could go back to dramatically reuniting that'd be great, because holding her while crying was honestly less awkward than trying to know the right thing to say. ]
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He doesn't want to let either of them out of his sight but he has a feeling Claire wants a word.]
I'll go see what I can scrounge up. I won't be long.
[A brief smile with the promise, and he goes to the door despite it being the last thing he wants.]
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The moment the door shuts, she's moving before Bree, crouching before her seat so that they're eye level. Both hands cup her face.]
Sweetheart.
[She knows when something is wrong.]
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[ All of that comes out in a rush, like she's been waiting to say it. ]
I don't know what to do or say.
[ Should she have come? Would it have been better, easier, if she'd stayed in 1968? And these thoughts don't even touch what she's ignoring for now, that she has a father she wants to get to know but isn't sure how. ]
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