An Outlandish Tale: An Outlander Fanfic

Chapter Two

   credit to the person who owns this photo. I found it on Google! Also this picking up from Voyager and will be a mix of book and show, so this is your one and ONLY SPOILER WARNING.

    

      Rosalie smiled to herself as she heard Jamie moving about down blew. The routine noise soothing the constant fear, at least a fair sized chunk. The other bit of fear was for her brother. . Since Jamie and Fergus started smuggling a part of her was always afraid they would find themselves  in danger. She knew enough about the business to know that it was highly dangerous, between the watchers and the business men themselves there was always a risk of them getting hurt. 

    The sound of the door opening down below drew her from her thoughts. Sighing to herself, she dropped her needle work and began to leave the small loft that sat over the print shop. She had just reached the bottom step when the door closed and footsteps echoed off the stone floor. 

     "Is that you Geordie?" Jamie asked, smiling at her as she came into view. " mo ghraidh if it is not Geordie could you handle it?" Before she could answer a voice she thought she would never hear again, answered Jamie's question. 

   "It's me, Claire." At once Jamie spun around, eyes growing wide as he stared at the women standing at the railing. The sight of her caused Jamie to faint, sending a stack of paper flying. 

   "Da!" She screamed, rushing towards him once, all thoughts of Claire being pushed aside. Ignoring the water that had fallen on the ground when Jamie fell, she dropped to her knees beside him, shaking his shoulder gently. "Da are you all right?"

   "He's fine, just fainted." Claire whispered, dropping down on the other side of him. Her gaze was on the girl across from her however, studying the sharp cheekbones, long sleek nose and pale lips. It was the baby blue eyes that gave it away however and comprehension washed over her. "Rosa! Oh your beautiful, I knew you would be of course, you could see it when you were younger. You and Fergus both... where is Fergus, is he here as well?"

    "Oh yes, Fergus is down at the tavern doing some work but he will be most pleased to see you. We have both missed you so very much." Rosa cried, tears spilling down her cheeks at the sight of the women she had always thought of as her mother. There was endless times back in Paris when it was just the two of them and even more when they came to Scotland and had to fight in the war. The day Claire suddenly vanished, was the single worst day of her life. She had felt empty, lost, without Claire. Seeing them woman now reminded Rosa that the hole Claire had left had never truly healed until this moment. 

   "Why don't you go get him mo ghraidh?" Bringing the two womens attention back to him. 

     "Oh of course! I will leave at once!" Rosa promised, leaning down to press a kiss to Jamie's cheek. She stood up quickly, rushing around Jamie before dropping to her knees once again, this time her arms wrapping tightly around Claire. "I have missed you most dearly milady." She whispered, smiling as Claire pressed a kiss to her temple. 

   "I have missed you too Rosa." Claire promised, smiling as Rosa once again jumped up and ran for the door. She paused at the top of the stairs that lead to the room they were in, smiling widely at the sight of the two slowly catching up. It wasn't until that moment that she realized just how badly she missed seeing them together. 

 Rosalie sat at the bar, watching her brother deal with the tavern owner, heads bent close over the table. They were arguing, she could tell by the way Fergus was tapping the edge of his hook against the table. Her brother was annoyed, no doubt because the man in question was trying to get a better deal, either more of the smuggled in whiskey or a lower price for it. Either way it was annoying her brother, leaving her tempted to interrupt the two, the only thing holding her back was the knowledge that her brother would be annoyed. She was too steer clear of the smuggling at all cost, her very existence was to remain a secret, at least when it came to the smuggling. 

     The conversation seemed to have come to end, her brother pushing his chair back and cursing in rapid French at the man. Glowering at him, he turned towards the exit, his eyes growing wide in annoyance at the sight of her. Not wanting to draw attention to her however, he walked past her, the hard glare informing her that she was too follow at once. Wrinkling her nose at the thought of the scolding she was about to get, she stood up off her stool, quickly putting down a few coins for the beer before following her brother. The streets in Edinburgh were packed, men and women strolling along the shops, deep in conversation. Her brother was up a head, leaning back against the stone wall of a building, once she was in her line of sight he pushed of it and moved towards her, gripping her elbow as he lead her to stand in front of the butcher shop. 

     "What were you think Rosa?" He hissed, bending his head close to avoid being overheard. 

    "I came to find you, Fergus you won't..."

   "If he had seen you, you could have been in danger. He is a dangerous man ma douce soeur." Fergus sighed, pushing a loose strand of her behind her ear. "I need you safe, nothing is more important." 

   "Milady is back." She giggled, forcefully turning him around to see as the women in question began to move towards them. "I saw her at the print shop and came to inform you. Are family is full once more non!" Fergus sent her a smile over her shoulder and rushed towards the women. 

   "Milady! God is too kind to have returned you." He cried as he hugged the giggling women. Smiling herself Rosa ran to Jamie, throwing her arms around him with a pleased chuckle. 

   "We are a full family once more!" She cried, her happy announcement causing Jamie to chuckle. 

   "We were not always?" He asked as he pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead. Smiling she pulled back, shaking her head at the man. 

    "Not fully. A huge part of us has been missing since milady went missing." She replied, smiling as Jamie pulled back, reaching an arm out to his wife. 

    "Milord may I speak to you for a moment, it's most urgent." Fergus asked, smiling widely at Jamie, who nodded and aloud Fergus to lead him a small distance away. Once the men were gone, Claire wrapped an arm through Rosa's, smiling at the girl. 

    "May I ask when you started calling Jamie da? I ask only because Fergus doesn't." Claire asked, watching as the girl blushed deeply. 

   "It was after Culloden. He was living in the cave and came down to see me being taunted by a few of the tenants children. They were saying I was nothing now that you had left, because I was always working with you. At one point the mentioned how I was doing nothing but adding to Jenny's workload because I was an orphan and that I should leave. Jamie came up and informed that they were to show me respect as I was his daughter. They listened of course and said sorry before rushing off. Alone he told me if I wished, I could call him da, that he had meant what he told the children.  I didn't start until after Fergus lost his hand, I was afraid you see, that they were right. That he had meant it then but as time went on would see me a burden since I was not a male."

   "What changed during then?" Claire asked, watching as Rosa turned to smile at the two men, who both still deeply absorbed in their conversation. 

   "He didn't cast us out. Fergus was now crippled and I only a girl and yet he let us stay, treated us the same as before. It was then that I full realized that he had meant it. That in his opinion Fergus and I were his children. Being an orphan, nothing more matter than that, to me at least."

    "I could have told you that, before I left. You and Fergus have always held a special place in our hearts. Jamie and I would gladly die for either of you." Claire promised, smiling as she leaned over to press a kiss to the girl's chilled cheek."You and your brother are our children, you have been since the day Jamie brought you both home in Paris." 

   "In that case may I call you mama?" 

   "Nothing would please me more, Rosa." Claire replied, her eyes brimming with tears at the notion. 

   "Nothing could please me more either mama, not a thing."