Lioness // Outlander (Completed)

Yours sincerely, Claire. - Chapter 5.

This layout is a little different, the time and space jumps quite often. I hope you all enjoy it. Anticipate the reunion of a lifetime!

***********************************

July, 1954. Boston.

Claire stood cold and rigid, her body vibrating with fear, her hand clasped tightly around Brianna's. She watched the time on the large, wooden clock that hung in Boston's airport, it seemed to tick by so slowly. Every now and again she would look around her, expecting to see a tall man with a slender figure, wearing a brown trench coat with a matching hat, she anticipated hearing his familiar voice call out her name, to ask her why the hell she was doing this.

"Mama?" Bree says, looking up at her with wide blue eyes. Claire stares back into them, and remembered exactly why she must do this.

"Yes, sweetheart?" She responds, giving her the bravest smile she can muster.

"Are we on our adventure now?" She smiles, excited and confident and so blissfully unaware of the life she would be leaving behind.

"Erm..." Claire hesitates, "Yes, darling, our adventure starts now." She smiles down at her sweet daughter and brushes her hand softly over her hair. She lets her mind wander for a brief second, she thinks about smoothing Faith's hair, how she looks now, if she'd even recognise her. If she'd call her ma still.

"Attention passengers, flight to London is now boarding at terminal two, that's flights to London boarding at terminal two." The intercom called out over the airport and she relaxed slightly at the thought of being one step closer to her red headed Scot and their daughter. Claire bent down to grab their bags and gave Brianna a light tug in the direction of the terminal. When it was time to board, she looked back at Boston airport for the last time. She chose to not say good bye, to say so would mean she would miss it.

The journey from Boston to London was long and tiring and Brianna had started to lose hope in their adventure. That was until Claire had started to tell her stories of a man she loved very much, jumping into cold rivers to fix wheels and going on wild horse rides to save him. When they were in bed in their small room in a London hotel, fatigued from the days journey, Claire took the time to tuck her daughter in and share one more story. She told her about how courageous and brave the red headed Scot was, how he'd do anything for his family, pay any price. She told her about how kind and loving he was, tentative and sweet, hot headed with a slim temper. Brianna chuckled at Claire's impression of an angry highlander named James Alexander Malcom Mackenzie Fraser. Brianna tried to hold on to hear the end of the story as the man enchanted her in ways her princesses never could, but sleep got the better of her, and so the stories would have to wait till the next day.

Before Claire turned to lights out and went to sleep herself, she looked over at her daughter and saw her red hair loose and bright on the pillow beneath her, it was enough to settle the feeling of doubt in her stomach. Tomorrow, they would be on Scottish soil once again.

The travel to Scotland was peaceful and calm in a way that made Claire at ease. They hadn't many errands to run once in Inverness, they had booked a room in a B&B that had been paid up front, as they wouldn't be there the next day to pay for it, they hung their gowns up, packed their goods into their small pouches, and set out for one of the most important trips they'd take today.

Claire watched Brianna, red hair swinging as she skipped up the pathway to a house she had once known, so easy and relaxed. The last time Claire had been here, her heart had been torn from her, she felt sick at the thought of feeling that pain again.

"Mama, hurry!" Brianna called, already at the door and knocking, small fist hammering on the old wood. Claire had just enough time to put her hand on Bree's shoulder before the door opened, and Mrs. Graham stood the other side. Her face went from still, to shock, to confusion, to a warm and welcoming smile. She pulled Claire and Brianna into the house, cooed over Bree's beauty and how well Claire looked, they sat and drank tea and caught up over lost years.