Chapter Text
Once through the stones Fergus promptly vomited but Claire lost consciousness entirely.
”Milady!” he cries rushing to her side but when she doesn't immediately rouse he looks around for Jamie.
He can see no sign of him, even running down the hill to see their horses are gone. Not only that but there is road suddenly where none had been before.
The road isn't like any he's seen before tho, not made of dirt or even cobblestones but a strange black substance. He would have guessed a stone of some kind but he couldn't see any sign of joinery.
Looking around he feels a sense of dread climb up his back... something was wrong, this wasn't the same place they rode together to.
Running back up the hill he tried again to wake Claire.
“Milady, milady! Please you must awaken, tis Milord he’s vanished! Please, please wake up.... Maman!” he shouts finally stirring Claire.
"Maman, please wake up," he begs again starting to cry.
"I'm here, it's okay... we made it," she says, her head is spinning but she forces herself to sit up and comfort Fergus.
"It's okay," she tells him.
"No, no, something about this place is wrong, the horses and milord are both gone-"
"I know, I know," she says placing a kiss to the top of his head.
"Fergus look at me, what I'm about to tell you will sound like make-believe but I promise you it's the truth, alright?" she says holding his sweet face in her hands.
"Oui, whatever you tell me I'll know it's the truth," he promises her.
She smiles at him brushing some of his unruly curls out of his eyes... she heard him call her Maman for the first time earlier and to anyone looking at the two it would be easy enough to mistake them as mother and son.
She might hate Jamie in this moment for quite literally forcing her hand into returning all to die a hero in a bloody battle he knows is doomed instead of running with her and being branded a coward but at least he did not ask her to go without Fergus... whether the child she carried in her womb was a boy or not Fergus would always be her first son.
A son she knew would not leave her to mourn Jamie alone and for that she was beyond grateful.
"Is that because of my glass face?" she asks him.
"Non, because... because I trust you as tho you really were my... Maman, milady," Fergus admits ducking his head a bit feeling shy over his admission.
"I am Fergus, in all the ways that matter, I am," she tells him bringing him into a hug.
She went on to explain as they sat together in the grass all about the stones how they first carried her to the past, to Jamie and a bit about who she was before.
He was quiet for a bit before looking back to her.
"What if I don't like it here, can we go back?" he asks.
"I don't know," she says, "If Jamie is right about me being with child it might be safer to stay. Here medicine is much more advanced, I lost Faith and here maybe... well maybe this child might fare a bit better," she explains.
"So we stay till the bébé is here and then we'll go back for Milord, Oui?" Fergus asks.
"We'll talk about it later, right now we need to get to someplace safe, I'll try to get us to Reverend Wakefield's but with how we are dressed we may be stopped and taken to the hospital or perhaps a police station before we can arrive there. You'll need to stay close to me and try not to say much, things will appear very strange, they may be scary and overwhelming but I'll explain everything I can. I will never let any harm come to you but we are both near starving and we need help," she tells him.
"Fergus... there's one more thing. My husband, if the authorities take us in... they might contact him, I will have been missing in this time for over three years it's very likely my disappearance was reported. If he knows I've been found he'll come. He's not a bad man, I promise you but..."
"But what, maman?" he asks.
"He looks like Jonathan Randall... an ancestor of his Jamie and I determined, he won't hurt you like... like you were but I understand it might still be very unsettling to see his face even on a different... better man."
Fergus looks horrified but Claire pushes on knowing they can't stay sat in the wet grass forever.
Pushing herself to stand up she notices the ring that belonged to Jamie's father is gone.
"No, no," she says frantically trying to search for it.
"What? Maman, what is it?"
"The ring, Jamie's father's ring, there!" she says spotting it in the grass.
She holds it up but realizes something isn't right... the gemstone is gone.
She doesn't allow herself any time to be upset and instead puts the ring in her pocket and starts walking with Fergus down the hill to the road.
Both haunted by the past and what may lay ahead for them in the future they trod along a bit spirit and emotionless.
The sun seems to be setting and Claire laments they are nowhere near town or the Reverend's.
BEEP BEEP!
"Maman, look out!" Fergus cries as a car approaches them.
"It's alright, it's a car... like a carriage only without a horse to pull it, just a means of traveling around a bit easier than on foot," she quickly explains.
The driver pulls up alongside them giving them a strange look over, not that she blames him they must look like death run over right now.
"Are ye all right, ma’am?" He asks.
Claire stares back at the man unsure of how she could ever possibly answer that question succinctly.
He tries again after a beat, "Are ye all right? Ma’am? Do ye speak English?"
"Yes, sorry, we've had quite the long journey... could I ask you perhaps for a ride to a friend's house?" she asks.
"Ye sure you're not wanting me to take ye both to a hospital?" he asks his concern about the state of them clear.
Claire was sure they likely were both in need of one but was worried about overwhelming Fergus with a modern hospital.
"Do you know Reverend Wakefield, if you can get us there, we'd be very grateful," she says.
"Aye, I know where he lives, come on then before the pair of ye catch your death... if ye havenae already," he tells them as Claire ushed Fergus into the car and buckles him in.
"What on earth were you and your boy even doing out here all alone?" he asks as he starts driving again prompting Fergus to grasp Claire's hand holding on for dear life as the metal beast she strapped him in roared to life.
"It's a long story and we're a bit too tired to tell it at the moment I'm afraid... we just need to get to the Reverend's," she says holding onto Fergus trying to make the small boy of 10 feel safe.
Not easy to do for a first time time-traveller to which she can attest.
She must have dosed off as next thing she knew the car was pulling up outside Reverend Wakefield's.
She looked down and saw Fergus had also fallen asleep although his grip on her remained tight.
"Darling, darling, wake up, we're here," she says gently to him.
Sleepily he wakes up and for a moment he believes all the madness of the past 2 hours to have been not but a dream but looking up he sees the drivers reflection in the strangest shaped looking glass staring back at him.
Claire opened the door and unbuckled herself and Fergus getting them out of the car.
"Will he be inside, Maman, the man with Black Jack's face?" he asks her.
"I don't know.... I don't believe so, but either way, you're safe as long as you're with me," she tells him.
"What about when I'm not with you?" he asks.
She smiles remembering herself once saying something similar to Jamie and his response back to her.
Looking down at Fergus she tries to exude the comfort he managed to bestow upon her in the early days at Leoch.
"Just remember you are in a strange land and time now... a sassenach like me, we must be careful when not together," she tells him and he gives her a nod.
After thanking the driver again she walks up to the front door and rings the bell.
Fergus gives her a look having not seen a door bell before and she spares a glance at him before the door opens communicating she'll explain it later.
"Dear God, yer alive!" The reverend claimed his eyes wide in shock at seeing her.
Claire wasn't even sure if he had noticed the child next to her yet his shock was so apparent.
"So it would seem, I'm sorry to disturb you so late but we've had quite the time of it and are in need of a safe place... perhaps some nourishment as well if you wouldn't mind," she explains.
"Of course, come in, both of you come in! That God has restored you is nae but a miracle, let me show you both to the restroom to get a bit cleaned up, I'll find some clothing for you and in the meantime have Mrs. Graham fix us all up a bit of a late night snack," he tells her ushering them both inside.
Fergus looks around inside the home as they move further into it presumably to whatever a restroom was. He could only assume tis was a room for resting which sounded nice but perhaps they could have that wee snack the man spoke about first.
Some things in the home looked familiar to Fergus, wood walls, fireplace, books, chairs etc. but others... such as lights without fire or a black thing on the wall he saw the Reverend speak into seemed to befuddle him.
"I hope you didn't wake her up," Claire asks feeling a bit bad about putting the Reverend and Mrs. Graham out.
"No, a night owl she is, says she'll be right over, in the meantime, the guest room is up the stairs to the left and the bathroom down the hall a bit on the right," he instructs as Claire takes Fergus upstairs.
Once he sees Claire and the mysterious boy are out of sight he goes back and makes another call.
"Frank? Are you there? Ye must come immediately, it's Claire... she's alive."
