Chapter 1: The Stones

It was all a horrible dream, Claire thought. She had been pulled apart by hundreds of unseen hands, screams of terror echoing loudly in her head. As she came to awareness, she realized she was laying on hard ground. She opened her eyes very slowly to find that she was outside. The tall standing stones loomed over her like a cage. "I must have passed out," she thought.

Still disoriented, Claire flashed back to earlier that day. She had gone to the stone circle to be alone after a huge argument with Frank. He had accused her of infidelity and then confessed to his own indiscretions while they were parted during the war. Claire had asked him point-blank about how many "indiscretions" there were. He hadn't wanted to answer her, but knew there was no help for it.

"Five," he had said, finally. All she could do was stare at him in astonishment.

"Five? You've had five women while married to me? Jesus, Frank! And you had the audacity to accuse ME?" Claire shouted angrily.

They had continued arguing loudly until Claire decided she'd had enough. This was the last straw. She had known something wasn't right. They weren't reconnecting. So many years apart had taken a toll on their marriage. She knew at that moment that the gulf between them could no longer be bridged. She stormed out of their room at Mrs. Baird's Inn and ran to the only place she knew she could be alone. The stones.

She came back to her senses and realized that someone was shaking her. "Lass, what's wrong wi' ye?...Lass?" She looked up to see a scruffy looking man with a shaggy beard wearing full highland garb. "What the...?" she thought.

"I...uh...I'm alright...I think." She was still disoriented and not quite sure what was going on. Why had she passed out? Why was this man hovering over her looking like he had stepped out of the pages of a history book?

"Yer a sassenach? Ugh, what am I goin' to do wi' ye?" the man said, gruffly.

"What's a sassenach? And who are you, sir?"

"Who I am, lass, is the one who's goin' to save ye from the redcoats. We must go now! Come wi' me lass and ye will be safe enough," he said, grabbing her arm and lifting her roughly to her feet.

The man took her to a clearing nearby where two horses were hobbled to a tree. Next to one of them was a tall man, very handsome and rugged, with astonishing copper hair. He, too, wore the plaid of the highlanders and was armed to the teeth with sword and daggers. The man was injured, as his pained expression testified. Without thinking, she ran to him, startling him as she began inspecting his injury. "Who...?" he began, looking at the scruffy man for explanation. They exchanged a few words in a language she didn't recognize. Whatever was said seemed to be adequate for the time being.

"Your shoulder is dislocated. I can help you get it back into place, but it will hurt quite a lot," she said, looking into his eyes with sincere concern. His eyes locked with hers and his mouth parted as if to speak, but all he could do was stare at her face. She quirked her eyebrow, waiting for a response. He suddenly shook with the realization that he'd been staring quite rudely at this strange woman.

"Oh, aye. Aye, if you think ye can fix it, go ahead. I'll bear it as I must." His voice was soft but strong.

Claire managed to get him braced against the tree and maneuvered his arm so that she could lever his shoulder joint back into place. He growled in pain for just a moment, but then a look of astonishment crossed his face.

"It doesna hurt anymore. Thank you, Sassenach, truly." He bowed to her, took one step, and buckled at the knees in a dead faint.

Claire knelt beside him, putting her hands on his face to rouse him from his stupor. His eyes opened just a slit and he looked at her closely. She was an angel sent from heaven to save him. Then he realized that the angel was shaking him and saying some very foul words, or at least they sounded foul to his ears. He couldn't make much sense of them though.

"Wake up, damn you! Can you hear me?" she shouted.

"Aye, there's no need to shout, Sassenach. I'll be alright. Just dinna shake me, for God's sake!" he said.

"Thank God! I thought...well, I'm glad you're alive. Looks like you've been shot too, you bloody Scot. How on earth did you get shot? It doesn't matter right now. Can you ride? We need to get out of here," Claire said.

The three of them made it to the horses and began riding swiftly. Claire rode in front of the tall man, called Jamie. She wanted to keep him from fainting again, so she decided she would engage him in conversation.

"So, Jamie, is it? How did you come to be out here with a dislocated shoulder and a bullet in you?" she asked.

"The redcoats. They started chasing us when we came upon a patrol on the road. They seemed to be under the impression that we were stealing cattle or some such thing."

"And were you?" Claire asked, quirking a brow.

"Weel," he said, "not this time, but I willna say I've never done so." He gave her a smirk and she couldn't help but smile.

As they traveled through the cold and rain, Jamie wrapped his plaid around her, holding her close. His body heat was so comforting. She admitted to herself that she actually liked their cozy little cocoon and, if she was being honest, she really liked being close to this handsome young man. His arms were big and strong as he held her close to him on the saddle. She could feel his leg muscles tense and relax as he guided the horse. He had nice legs...she couldn't help but notice since he was wearing a kilt. With his body wrapped around her like that, she was more and more aware of him with each passing moment. Her body melted into his and she felt him tense slightly in reaction. After a moment he relaxed again and settled himself closer to her.

Jamie had become unglued. His heart was beating hard in his chest. He was starting to sweat, despite the cold of the night. This woman, Claire, was intoxicating. The feel of her plump arse wedged between his legs almost made him lose control. He prayed silently to God and all the saints to help him stay calm. He had never felt like this before. This Sassenach was intriguing, to say the least.

Claire dozed off and on during the journey, catching herself when she knocked her head back into his chest. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright, Sassenach. You're tired and you're welcome to rest yer head on me."

She leaned her head back again, resting it on his good shoulder. After a few minutes she felt him shift again and noticed that he was not altogether immune to the effects of their proximity. She had noticed her own attraction building over the past few hours as they talked and rode in close contact. But now, it was becoming quite clear that he was affected by her as well. He shifted position again.

She thanked God that it was dark and he couldn't see her blush. Whatever this feeling was, it was powerful. She couldn't fight it, and had no desire to fight it. She placed her hand over his, where it wrapped around her waist, and squeezed it lightly. He tensed again and after a moment, he melted into her and squeezed her waist in answer. So, he was feeling it too, it seemed. What would they do about it? What *could* they do about it? Who was she kidding? She couldn't do this. And yet...

The trio finally made their way to Castle Leoch. It had been a long couple of days on the road and Claire was bone tired. Jamie helped her off the horse and held her up by the waist because it was clear that she would have stumbled otherwise, due to exhaustion. Mrs. Fitz lead them to one of the guest rooms, where Claire would be staying. Jamie laid her gently on the bed and gazed upon her beautiful face for a moment, saying, "Goodnight Sassenach," before he turned to leave.

"You can call me Claire," he heard her say, softly from the bed. He turned back around to look at her, smiling.

"Thank ye Sass - I mean, Claire. Get ye some rest, for tomorrow will be a busy day."

He turned and walked out of the room, pausing just outside the door to gain his composure. He closed his eyes for just a moment, thanking God for bringing this woman to him. He vowed at that moment that he would make her his wife. Somehow, she would be his.

When Jamie left, Mrs. Fitz undressed Claire and eased her under the covers. Once she was alone, Claire took a few moments to consider her situation. It was clear that she had somehow fallen through time. While it was frightening, it was also exhilarating to be in this strange place. She had to admit to herself that Jamie had a lot to do with that. Her thoughts dwelled on him and the serendipitous circumstances that had brought them together. He filled her senses so completely and she couldn't stop thinking of how he felt pressed against her, riding all those hours in the dark. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep and dreamed of highland mist and a tall Scottish warrior with red hair.