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[backlashing]

A bit younger than ye are now. Sixteen? [A small shrug.] My father insisted I get a proper education, ye ken. Learn to be a man, and a man knew his Latin, Greek, so on and so forth.

[He can't guess at her getting any ideas. She's just gotten here, after all.]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Claire, however, knows her daughter.]

I hope you're not planning any overseas trips so soon, Bree. Maybe--one day, we can visit, but you're going to have plenty to learn here in Scotland.

[And Claire isn't keen on visiting Paris anytime soon.]

[givingback]

[ Brianna makes a disappointed face and sits back in her chair. ]

I can't believe at sixteen you went to a totally different place to study, all on your own.

[ She sounds a little wistful at the idea. She's not going to be doing any traveling soon, probably. She can't imagine how long it would take to get to Paris from here, no thanks. ]

Well, if there are things to learn here, maybe you could get Fergus to show me around Edinburgh at least. I can get to know my new home one city at a time.

[backlashing]

[Jamie's not big on the idea of Bree going anywhere, especially by herself. But when she mentions touring the area, well, he's much more at ease with that.

And it might give him and Claire a moment.]

Aye. We can see if he's willing, after introducing ye.

[And a stern word from Jamie to behave. He knows how Fergus is around pretty girls.]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[She knows they can trust Fergus to keep Bree safe. He always took great pride in looking after Claire when Jamie wasn't around.]

Do you need to tell him where you are, Jamie?

[givingback]

Do you need to tell anyone? We've sort of taken you away from your entire evening.

[ Though she has no regrets for bogarting his time. She does know she has to let her mother have her time to tell him everything she wants. She figures that will wait until they're alone at some point. ]

[backlashing]

[Fergus and young Ian would be wondering where he was, if they needed him in the late hours of the night or early morning, expecting him to be at the brothel. If there was an emergency--ah, hell. He can't in good conscience disappear on the boys like that.

Slowly, he nods.]

I should go leave word of where I'll be in case I'm needed. I can go get us that room, and then it's only a quick stroll from here. I can be back within the hour.

[He looks like a dog about to be put out in the rain. He doesn't want to go.]

[nineteenfortyfive]

[She'd say he could bring Fergus here, but the sleeping arrangements would be very cramped, then. Even with two beds. Claire takes a breath, nodding.]

All right. We'll wait up for you. [She musters up a smile.] It'll take Bree about an hour to figure out how to get out of her dress.

[givingback]

[ Brianna shoots her mother a look because now look who's throwing who under a cart. Then, she looks back at Jamie with a sheepish smile. ]

I'm sure it won't take an hour. But, mama, why don't you go with him? That way I can prove to you I can do it alone after we're in the new room.

[ Because now she's just determined. ]

[backlashing]

[As much as Jamie would like some time alone with Claire, to probably break down again and cry about how Brianna is everything is could have imagined, he's hesitant. Not just for leaving Brianna alone, but to take Claire to where he's been staying.]

Ah, no, it's all right. It's getting late and ye mother and ye should be getting into bed.

[Jamie stands.]

I'll go see what they can find us. Back in a moment.

[And off he goes.]

[nineteenfortyfive]

Jamie--

[Well, that was abrupt. Claire looks a little puzzled, and that look is turned towards Bree.]

He mustn't like the idea of you on your own here. He'll calm down. [Probably.]

[givingback]

When this all stops being so new, it'll be okay. I think.

[ They can't possibly always be together all the time, so one of them is going to have to convince the other at some point. But now isn't that time, and Bree starts helping to clean up the dishes and food. ]

I didn't think I should mention daddy in any of my stories. Do you think that was the right thing to do?

[nineteenfortyfive]

Here. Just put these aside by the door, they'll come collect them later.

[And they'll hopefully be in a new room by then. Standing, Claire loosely crosses her arms over her chest. She did notice the dance around Frank in some of the stories where he was there.]

Did it feel right?

[givingback]

[ After putting their dishes outside, Bree studies her hands intently for a moment before looking up at Claire. ]

Partly yes and partly no. I didn't want to make it awkward, referring to a father when one is sitting right there. It seemed like it would be rubbing it in his face, everything Jamie missed.

[nineteenfortyfive]

He'll understand. He knows Frank raised you... and I don't think he'll feel like you're rubbing it into his face. He knows you're happy to meet him.

[She's doing a lot of speaking for Jamie, but she can't help it.]

But we can always ask him.

[givingback]

[ That seems fair, and Bree begins working on being as independent as possible, taking off these clothes even as she keeps speaking. ]

He promised he wouldn't ever leave us again. That he would be here for me as long as I wanted him to be.

[ Or something like that, she's paraphrasing. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

That sounds like Jamie. He keeps his promises.

[To the best of his ability.]

[givingback]

[ Bree successfully gets her way down to her shift and looks triumphantly at the pile. Hopefully, Claire didn't time her because it took forever, but still - she did it. ]

He's nice, and kind, and getting to know him is--

[ She pauses, thinking about her words. ]

It's easy to see how much he loves you.

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Don't make your mother blush, Bree.]

Don't tell him I told you this, but he went into a faint when he first saw me. Hit the floor and everything. I thought I might have killed him.

[givingback]

[ Bree looks shocked, then can't help but laugh, because she didn't realize fainting dramatically was an actual thing people did outside of movies. ]

Well, what's the expression? Knock 'em dead?

[ Okay, she can't help but tease her mom a little. ]

[nineteenfortyfive]

Have you ever seen a man of his height and build go into a complete flop? Thank god he didn't hit his head on any machinery or else we'd be finding a place to put his body right now.

[She laughs, and it's so much easier to laugh these days.]

[givingback]

I've never seen anyone completely flop.

[ It's so good to see her laughing and smiling, it's only now that she realizes it didn't happen as often at home. It happened, but not as much. ]

I'm glad that you're happy.

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Nothing is perfect here. There's still a lot of unknowns. She can tell Jamie's not telling them a lot, and there must have been a lot of that's happened to him in the past twenty years. But Brianna being here helps. Claire opens her mouth to say something when there's a knock at the door.

Ma'am? Mister Malcolm paid for the room to the left of ye, so feel free to head on in. He said he'd be returnin' to ye shortly.

Claire lifts her brows--all right, so he was in a hurry to let Fergus know where he was--and she looks to Bree with a shrug.]

Looks like he got the room. Shall we?

[givingback]

[ Brianna gives her mother an identical look before they go to the other room, Bree with her things in hand. Bare feet cold, she climbs up onto one of the beds and covers up, though she's still sitting, wanting to be awake when Jamie returns. She wonders, too, what secrets he has, but until they come to light, she doesn't question it out loud. She knows there's another life he must have, and how they fit into it, she doesn't know yet. ]

How did you adjust to all of this the first time? How different it all is?

[nineteenfortyfive]

[Once they're in the room, Claire decides to undress now. By the time Jamie comes back she'll be under the covers.]

Well, I'm less terrified, this time. I had no idea what the hell was going on, before. [She unbuttons the front of her outfit, considering the questions some more.]

I know what to expect, now. How to act. How to avoid answering things I don't want to, or at the very least, make up something believable on the spot.

[Sort of. She's had 20 years to practice her fibbing.]

And it does help that he's here. Jamie was always a help.