Title: Charlotte's Tumbling Time Travel: Homebound

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters on "Outlander", I'm only borrowing them for the story.

Author's notes: Hi everyone! I want to take the opportunity to thank you all for your encouraging reviews. They're what keeps me writing. Them as well my own muse of course since I really love writing the stories about Lottie. This is the sixth story about her and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Merry Christmas to you all!

Chapter one

The three people travelled on horseback towards the place called Lallybroch. It wasn't far now and the copper haired girl smacked her lips and gently urged her grey horse forward with her heels. The red haired scotsman with his English wife rode ahead of her, showing the way.

What if she wouldn't like living at Lallybroch? Every step the two big horses took brought Lottie, Jamie and Claire closer and closer to Jamie's family home. Jamie and Claire rode together on Donas' broad back while Lottie rode Seoc alone. He was used to her as rider and she hadn't allowed anyone else to mount him yet. Jamie had obviously begun to see their arrival in his mind because he chose to gallop the horses more frequently now than the day before on the road. They crossed green fields, travelled narrow forest trails as well as broader dirt roads. Sometimes they chatted about all sorts of things: like what the 20th century was like with its machines and inventions or what Claire's upbringing had been like with her uncle Lamb as her guardian. But sometimes they travelled in silence too. That gave Lottie the opportunity to think about what was about to happen in her life. She was heading to her future home. She was excited but at the same time a little apprehensive about that now that it was around the corner.

"Jamie? What's Lallybroch like?" she asked as they trotted across a grassy meadow.

He didn't answer and she glanced his way worriedly. He seemed caught up in deep thoughts and hadn't heard her question.

"Jamie," Claire woke him up from his reverie.

"Aye," he said and looked back at her in surprise. "Did ye say something, Sassenach?"

She grinned at him and shook her head.

"No, but Lottie just spoke to you. Where is your mind? You seem a million miles away."

Jamie scratched his chin awkwardly.

"I was jist thinkin about coming home. And of Jenny. There have been rumors regarding what Randall did to her." He glanced at Lottie. "We dinnae need to speak of it right now though. What was it that ye asked, lass?"

Lottie cleared her throat.

"I just wanted to know what Lallybroch is like. Can you tell me about it."

"Aye, of course. As you ken Lallybroch is my family home, where I grew up as a lad. Its given name is actually Broch Tuarach, but it's called Lallybroch. It was given its nickname by the locals."

"Broch Tuarach means the north...tower, right?" Lottie asked enthusiastically. She understood Gaelic well enough but she was still practicing her speaking. She was very eager to improve her speaking skills, especially now that she knew she was going to live at Lallybroch surrounded by scots. And she wanted Jamie to be proud of her Gaelic.

"The north facing tower, aye," he gently corrected her. At seeing her confused expression he added, "the door faces the north."

She grinned at him.

"Oh."

"Lallybroch belonged to my father and was passed on to me when he died. It's a small estate with only about 60 tenants."

"Tenants?"

Claire chuckled seated behind Jamie on Donas.

"Didn't you pay attention in history class?" she asked. "Don't you remember that people rented land from a lord in the 18th century?"

Lottie wrinkled her forehead in thought. It seemed familiar.

"I think so."

"Aye, it's true. The tenants dinnae own their own land. The land belongs to the lord of Broch Tuarach and they farm it and pay rent as well as a portion of their crops to us."

"60 tenants must be quite many. I mean, that's a lot of people," said Claire.

But Jamie shook his red haired head.

"Nay, Lallybroch is a small estate. 6o tenants isn't much at all. It is common for estates to have more than that. But we've always been content, and it's nice to ken all tenants by name and where they live. "

Lottie was looking forward to seeing Lallybroch. She felt a picture begin to form in her head but she mentally prepared herself for it not being accurate. Expectations from one's head rarely were.

"Dinnae look so worrit, lass," Jamie encouraged her. "You're going to love Lallybroch, I'm sure. It's a beautiful place with rich ground and good fishing nearby, if ye find that entertaining?"

"I think so," she said.

"It's also surrounded by forest where one can go for walks, or play, as well as hunt. There's plenty of red deer in the forest and if ye move quietly when tramping through the forest you can come across them. There are also plenty of animals on the farm, and I ken ye love animals."

Lottie smiled and nodded. She felt happiness fill her just at the mere mention of animals.

"What animals do you have?"

Jamie stretched both arms above his head and groaned from having been in the saddle for so long.

"Oh, it be my sister Jenny's merino sheep. They're her prized possessions the loud mouthed things," he wrinkled his nose in dislike. " There are also goats and horses and some cows. And it's likely that there are some kittens running around practicing their hunting skills right about now."

They continued on as Jamie described Lallybroch to them. Claire seemed excited by the prospects of living there and the closer they got the more Lottie started to share that feeling.

"How much longer is it now?" she later asked for the third time in about half an hour.

"Och, an hour maybe," Jamie answered with a smile.

They were now surrounded by trees, travelling a forest trail with squirrels occasionally scurrying up and down tree trunks around them, while making little chirping sounds. Every living thing around them wore an intense color green. The kind of green that things coming to life again in the spring after a long winter wore.

"Look! See how cute they are," Lottie whispered excitedly, pointing at the mischievous squirrels. This was definitely her element and she could see it was Jamie's too. The serenity of the forest outside Lallybroch was amazing. The morning air felt damp in there and the sun was finding its way in through openings in the trees and shrubberies here and there. Lottie inhaled the fresh air and leaned back in the saddle, letting Seoc simply follow Jamie's horse on his own accord for a while.

After little more than half an hour's travelling the narrow forest trail they exited the forest and came out in the open field again. Jamie's features became darker once more. Something was weighing on his mind again. Lotte lead Seoc to follow Donas up a green hill. Up on the ridge they halted and Lottie steered to the side to come to a stop next to them.

"What is it?" she asked.

Then she saw it. A three-story manor of natural grey stone. Its roof the proud owner of multiple chimneys, indicating there being several stoves and fireplaces in the house. There were several smaller buildings clustered about the manor and an archway proudly serving as an entryway onto the premises. White smoke came from one of the chimneys signalling that someone was home.

"Lallybroch," said Jamie and took in the sight of his family home.

"Oh, it's beautiful," Lottie heard herself say. It had not been her intention to say it out loud, but she truly meant her words. The area around Lallybroch was lush and beautiful and it was apparent that animals weren't scarce at all around the farm. Sheep were grazing on the meadow right outside the stone wall and their constant bleating was heard from the distance. The place looked and even smelled like a real home.

They followed the path leading up to the house. It had been four years since Jamie had seen his beloved sister and Lottie expected him to be met with a warm welcome. She figured there would probably be tears and hugs and kisses and she was excited to see him happy and wrapped in his sister's embrace. Somehow she imagined her being taller than Jamie, since he was so tall and she was his older sister and all.

She was surprised in more ways than one when they passed under the archway and entered the yard. They were met by a petite, short woman with brown and braided hair put up in a bun. She wore a dress and had a small boy running around her beige skirts. The sibling reunion didn't resemble anything Lottie had hoped for though. Jamie's sister did indeed embrace him, just like she had thought, but everything else ended up being quite different than she had imagined. The woman, Jenny as her name was, soon actually started threatening Jamie after he questioned who the boy's father was. Lottie wasn't sure why Jamie had suddenly grown such a deep frown at the sight of the child or why he spoke to his sister with such sharp tone but she was sure he had a good reason for it. Jenny, however, couldn't possibly have a good reason for her behaviour.

"Do I have to do what I did when we were bairns, then?" she suddenly asked with hands on her hips. "Grab ye by the balls to make ye stand still and listen to me."

"Now ye're trying to shame me in front of my wife," Jamie hissed and leaned closer to his sister's face.

Neither Lottie nor Claire had been introduced by Jamie yet and Claire mostly kept quiet during the reunion of the two siblings. Lottie figured she probably did so out of politeness, unlike Lottie herself whose reason for being quiet was more shock at Jenny's behavior than politeness. And when Claire finally spoke up then Jamie's sister chose to insult her too.

"Tell that trollop to keep her neb out of my business."

Those were Jennys words and Lottie just couldn't believe her ears or eyes. How could this woman act this way when her brother and his wife had finally come home? It was unthinkable. No, it was unforgivable, that's what it was.

"Jamie, please," Claire tried to calm him but to no effect.

Jenny then started to lecture Jamie about his demeanor as well as his absence the last four years while he stood with his arms crossed, wearing much the same expression that she had worn a few minutes earlier. It wasn't difficult to see they were brother and sister.

"Whose child is the boy?!" Jamie finally demanded, interrupting his sister's babbling.

"Mine," a voice spoke from behind them. Everyone's attention turned to the archway.

A kind faced man in his mid twenties stood there. He had brown hair and wore a lopsided grin that told everyone he found the scene in front of him a little entertaining. When he moved Lottie glanced down and noticed the detail that made him stand out in a crowd. His right leg was a wooden one.

He exchanged a few words of pleasantries with Jamie and embraced him. Then he turned to Claire and Lottie.

"Aaand this would be..?"

"The trollop. Otherwise known as Claire Fraser," Claire smiled with a pointed look at Jamie's sourlooking sister.

Ian's gaze then turned to Lottie. He seemed curious as to who she was and he waited patiently for her to introduce herself. After a moment's silence Jamie's eyebrows shot up expectantly and when she still didn't speak he shifted to looking more uncomfortable.

"Introduce yerself to my sister and brother in law, lass. Don't be rude."

Lottie snorted. As if she didn't already know that introducing oneself was a sign of politeness. She cast a glare at Jenny, threw her coppery braid over her left shoulder and crossed her arms stubbornly. Claire approached her from the side and nudged her side gently. Lottie could sense Claire was now concerned about her. She sighed with resignation and stepped up to Ian and bowed her head respectfully to him. She let her knees bend slightly in an improvised curtsy.

"Lottie Dawson, sir."

He offered her that warm and understanding smile of his and also inclined his head slightly at her.

"Happy to meet yer acquaintance, miss. And welcome to Lallybroch."

"Thank you."

It was actually nice to hear someone say the word welcome because she hadn't been so sure they were wanted at Lallybroch a few minutes ago. She turned and once again glared at the source of her feelings of unwelcomeness. Jenny met her gaze but she didn't smile. She just kept the same cranky expression on her face and Lottie didn't approach her but simply remained in her place.

"What's wrong, Lottie?" Claire asked her anxiously and wrapped her shoal tighter around her own slender shoulders. "Are you not feeling all right?"

"Or perhaps my brother's ill manners have accidentally infected the lass," Jenny snorted with raised brows and a sideways look.

"Jenny," Ian admonished his wife carefully.

"Ill manners?!" Lottie flared. She felt like a pot that couldn't keep from boiling over any longer. "I'm ill mannered when she's the one treating people like dirt? I can't believe this."

Jenny's mouth dropped open. She put one hand on her hip and turned to her brother with a look of disbelief.

"Charlotte Dawson," Jamie admonished. "Ye apologize to my sister. You dinnae have the right to judge what ye dinnae understand, lass."

Lottie felt confused and angry. What didn't she understand? Jenny had been insulting and hurtful since the moment they arrived and now Jamie was accusing her of being rude. She only wanted to stand up for him and Claire and now herself as well. That's what people should do when under attack.

"I'm supposed to apologize for her rudeness?" she said with mock incredulity.

"You will be apologizing for your words to her," Jamie explained with somewhat gritted teeth. It was apparent he was close to losing his patience.

Ian cleared his throat and hobbled into the middle of the small crowd. He picked up his young son and held him in his arms. The little boy, Jamie, glanced around worriedly at the new faces surrounding him.

"Well now, perhaps we can just agree that there have been many tempers allowed to rule here and let this go? Let's go in the house and start a fresh in there. I'm sure Claire will want to freshen up soon and ye'll all need something to eat and drink." Ian gazed curiously at Lottie. "And I'm sure there's a story for us about these two new people in yer life, Jamie. I for one am all ears."

To be continued

A/N: Please let me know what you thin if this latest update. It would be very much appreciated. Again, Merry Christmas to you all!