#Modern_AU

[mizutabisocks]

To celebrate Pride and Yuri day! Here have Mizu and Johanna from the modern AU at the NYC Pride Parade <3

[drawwithmis]

Sans Inconvinence

I originally made this for Modern AU (Again... another Alternative Universe)... Basically all the iterators organized an Halloween party and when everybody chose a costume...I had no ideas for Major's and I was like... Idk- He tall... He skinny... His face already resembles a white skull... His costume will be a skeleton... Then I realized he's a Basketball player, with blue eyes and can release blue steam from his body... ...Today I was looking back at the askblog and found this comment. You're welcome pffffff

[mizumywife]

Modern_AU Mizu Inspo Casual Outfit

I think Modern Mizu's outfit will be like this

The hairstyle

stance

Aura

But more masc, more badass yeah!

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

Foto: Panorama Helsinki / Finland - Dome and Parliamentary Square (by   tap5a)

        “We only do this for Fergus!” is a short Outlander Fan Fiction story and my contribution to the Outlander Prompt Exchange (Prompt 3: Fake Relationship AU: Jamie Fraser  wants to formally adopt his foster son Fergus, but his application will  probably not be approved… unless he is married and/or in a committed  relationship. Enter one Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp (Randall?) to this  story) @outlanderpromptexchange​

Chapter 14: The secret life of the red deer (3)

            Friday, and with it the announced visit of Matthieu von Klarenberg, came sooner than Claire would have liked. While she had regarded the visit of Dave and Geillis as a meeting with people she knew well and who would not resent any mistakes she might make, the evening with von Klarenberg would be the first meeting with a friend of Jamie's whom she did not know. And as Fraser's official fiancée, she acted as mistress of the house alongside him as hostess. She had felt the responsibility that came with it since the moment Jamie had announced the visit. Claire had planned the preparations and details of the evening all the more thoroughly and was grateful that Mrs. Curtius had been at her side with advice and encouragement. Nevertheless, she found it difficult to suppress her inner excitement when, half an hour before the guest's arrival, she entered the living room on the first floor, where she met Jamie.

“Gewaff” by Dat doris, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

           Fraser was standing in front of the fireplace and turned as Claire entered. She had chosen a simple green dress for the evening with a few unobtrusive embroideries on the top that showed fine thistles. Her hair was braided into a half-crown at the back of her head and pinned up.

           Jamie smiled when he saw her.

           "Is it all right for you?" asked Claire. They had previously agreed on their attire for the occasion.

           "Yes, quite wonderful. All that's missing is the jewelry," he said, picking up a jewelry box that had been lying on the mantelpiece, waiting for this moment. He opened the red velvet box and held it out to Claire. It revealed a delicate necklace of radiant freshwater pearls and a pair of earrings, each with an oval pearl, the plugs hidden behind silver French lilies. Two bangles of an ivory-like material, whose silver clasps proved to be exquisite silversmithing on closer inspection, were also part of this jewelry ensemble.  

           "Will you hold this, please?"

           Claire reached for the jewelry box and Fraser took out the necklace to put it on her.

           "What kind of material are these bangles made of? Is it ivory?" she asked as she felt the pearl necklace wrapped around her neck.

           "No, they are the polished arms of two boars."

           "The canines of male boars?"

           "Exactly. They have been a highly sought-after trophy by hunters for centuries. As you can see from the silver clasps, they have been in our family for many generations."

           Claire took one of the bangles and looked at it more closely. Where the silver held the tusks together, it had been fashioned into small oak leaves with the Fraser family motto "Je suis prest!" in the center.

           She put the bracelet back and Jamie handed her the earrings so she could put them on. When this was done, she accepted the bangles. Claire looked at them again in amazement, but then quickly put them on as Mrs. Curtius called out from the kitchen:

           "Mr von Klarenberg's car has just arrived!"

           Jamie stowed the jewelry box in a cup board of the living room and threw on his jacket. He extended his right hand to Claire and looked at her expectantly.

           "Come on, let's go," he then said and, when she hesitated, added with a smile, "Matthieu doesn't bite!"

           Shortly afterwards the house bell rang. Alice Bodenser opened for the guest, invited him into the hall where Jaime and Clair were already waiting, and took his coat.

           Jamie approached Matthieu with outstretched arms and greeted him:

           "Count von Klarenberg, what a pleasure to welcome you to my humble home!"

           The addressed laughed out loud, then took Jamie in a boisterous embrace, patted him audibly on the back several times and said:

           "Lord Broch Tuarach, I don't think anyone has patted your lordship's clothes out for a long time, right?"

           Both men laughed and gave each other another friendly hug. Then Jamie turned to Clair:

           "Claire, I want you to meet my best friend, Matthieu von Klarenberg. Matthieu, this is Claire."

           Claire had been meaning to google the von Klarenberg name throughout the week to find out more about him and maybe find a picture of him and his wife. But when she returned to her apartment in the evenings, tired of her work, she had always postponed this intention until the next day and then forgotten about it altogether.             From Fraser's stories about his friend, a certain image of Matthieu von Klarenberg had formed in Claire's mind. But now that she was personally confronted with him, she realized how limited this image was. And she was all the more impressed by the person who now stood in front of her.

            Matthieu von Klarenberg was no different from Fraser in his height of 1.90 meters, nor in his muscular build. Both men had remarkable charisma and their presence in a room did not need to be made known for them to be noticed. Each of them defined the presence of a room as soon as they entered it. But while Jamie was more reserved and liked to disappear into the crowd to avoid being noticed, Klarenbergs' charisma was almost palpable. This man knew who he was. This man knew his impact. And it was obvious that he was in no way thinking of hiding his person or his abilities.

           "Mrs. Beauchamp," the guest said, extending his right hand to her, "it is a pleasure to finally meet you."

           Claire grasped his hand and inwardly wondered if she had to curtsy to von Klarenberg as she knew people would do in movies. Why hadn't she asked Jamie about this! Now it was too late! Spontaneously she decided against it:

           "Good evening, Count von Klarenberg. I am very pleased that you are our guest today."

           "Oh please, Mrs. Beauchamp," Matthieu replied, "let's leave the titles. I allow Jamie to use it, because he always teases me about it, but please do call me Matthieu."

           "Thank you very much, but then please call me Claire too."

           "Good evening, Claire."

           The guest, whose black dinner suit was obviously tailor-made and whose matching leather shoes were guaranteed to have cost more than one of Claire's monthly salaries, bent down and reached for a narrow brown wicker basket containing a plant wrapped in cling film. Von Klarenberg took the plant from the wicker basket and handed it to Claire. Dark green leaves and stems protruded from a white and gold flower pot towards her.

“Coelogyne multiflora“ by Nicolas Picand Herba.fr - This file has been extracted from another file: Coelogyne multiflora 3.jpg, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76729413

           "This is a Coelogyne multiflora. Unfortunately, this fragrant orchid only blossoms in winter, but then it produces countless flowers. There, between the pot and the foil, is an envelope. My wife has put a short instruction inside on how to treat it. We hope you enjoy it. Jamie told me that you like potted plants better than cut flowers."

           "Oh yes, that's right. And here I have a present to look forward to. Thank you very much, Matthieu. I am very happy about that. Please pass on my heartfelt thanks to your dear wife as well."

           "I'll be happy to pass that on to Teresa."

           "Matthieu," Jamie now intervened, "there is someone else here who would also like to greet you."

           Von Klarenberg turned to Jamie and caught sight of Fergus, who had come down the stairs with Alice Bodenser unnoticed and was now standing beside his father.

           The guest squatted down and held out his arms:

           "Good evening my pirate friend, how nice to see you again at last!"

           Fergus broke away from Fraser and ran into von Klarenberg's arms:

           "Uncle Matthieu! Good evening!"

           "Hello Fergus!"

           Von Klarenberg reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small present from it:

           "Here's a little present for you, Fergus. I'm to give you the warmest of greetings from Maurice and Teresa."

           "Can I open it now?" the boy asked excitedly.

           "Yes, sure."

           It took only seconds and Fergus had turned the beautiful wrapping, complete with bow, into paper and recyclable waste. What emerged was a photo keychain with a picture of Maurice and Fergus on the front. The boys were sitting next to each other on a sofa and laughing happily into the camera. On the back, it showed a photo of Teresa and Matthieu von Klarenberg with their two children.

           "Oh, that's lovely," said Claire, who had also leaned down to Fergus.

           "Yes," Fergus exclaimed, "now I can have you with me all the time!"

           The boy was thrilled.

           From Jamie came a very different announcement to Fergus:

           "So, what do you say when you get a present?"

           The boy leaned over to Matthieu and gave him a kiss on the cheek:

           "Merci beaucoup, Uncle Matthieu!"

           "Avec plaisir, mon petit ami."

           "And now it's time for the Land of Smiles, son," came the next announcement from Jamie.

           "Yeheeesss, Papaaa!"

           Fergus rolled his eyes, then shook hands with Matthieu and Claire.

           "Good night, Uncle Matthieu! Good night, Claire!"

           Both adults got another kiss on the cheek. Then it was Fraser's turn.

           "Good night, Papa."

           Fraser picked the boy up and gave him a kiss as well.

           "Goodnight Fergus, sleep tight!"

           Alice Bodenser took the boy by the hand and led him up the stairs. The latter obliged and waved vigorously as he departed. When he was gone, Jamie gestured to the door of the sitting room:

“Aperitif” by efes 

           "Come, Mrs. Curtius has prepared an aperitif for us in the living room and then let's see what kind of menu the ladies of the house have prepared for us."

            A few moments later, Jamie and Matthieu were standing by the fireplace. Fraser handed his friend a filled glass and toasted him. Claire, who had been in the kitchen removing the cling film from the scented orchid she had been given, walked past them to take the plant into the conservatory. Just as she had set the plant down and turned back to the men, she heard Matthieu laughing loudly. Jamie joined in the friend's laughter as well.

           "Well, did I miss a good joke?" asked Claire as she joined the men. Instead of getting an answer, the friends started laughing out loud again. When they finally calmed down, Jamie handed Claire a glass as well. Matthieu looked at her with a high red head and said:

           "Sorry, Claire. We were just laughing our heads off at the title of a documentary."

           Fraser's friend pointed to a television magazine lying on the couch table. Emblazoned on its cover, which showed a huge young Highland stack, she saw the headline, "The Secret Life of Red Deer."

           Jamie spoke up:

           "We were just imagining a herd of red deer plotting to become stars on German television."

           "Exactly," Matthieu agreed, "the red deer will spread rumors that they have a big secret and poof, an army of German documentarians are on their trail."

           Claire shook her head slightly. But before she could say anything, the bell rang from the dining room, indicating that dinner was ready.

             Claire and Mrs. Curtius had deliberated for a long time about what to serve for dinner. It was helpful that Mrs. Curtius knew Matthieu von Klarenberg and could therefore assess his tastes. They agreed that beef fillet tartare with parmesan brûlée would be served as a starter and venison with black salsify and pear as the main course. As dessert they planned an orange mascarpone cream with raspberry sauce.

           After they had sat down at the table and the starter had been served, the moment occurred that Jamie had already "warned" Claire about. When they had put Fergus to bed the night before, he had asked her to stay a moment. He had skirted the issue a little, but then opened up to her that "the von Klarenbergs are people who tppk their faith very seriously".

           "You could also say," Jamie said, "that they are very religious."

           "But?" Claire had asked.

           "Well, Matthieu would say - and Teresa would agree with him - that they have nothing to do with 'religion'. Religion, Matthieu always says, is man's attempt to be reconciled to God again by doing good works, and that is contrary to the Gospel. For the Gospel teaches that it is by grace that man is reconciled to God. And the means by which this grace becomes effective is faith in God. His creed, if you want to sum it up, is: we don't have religion, we have faith in a living God."

           "So, why does that concern you?"

           "Well, you ... You have to expect that ... he prays before ... having … a … meal."

           "If that's all there is to it. What's the problem? Or is there something more I have to expect?"

           "No, I ... I just didn't want this to catch you off guard."

           "Good, now I'm 'warned'," Claire had said, taking her leave for the evening.

“Betende Hände” von Albrecht Dürer by Google Arts & Culture, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21792217

           And now it had indeed happened. After the beef fillet tartare with parmesan brûlée had been served, von Klarenberg had lowered his head, closed his eyes and prayed silently for a moment. He had then wished Claire and Jamie bon appétit and himself enjoyed the food and wine.             To Claire's surprise, a lively conversation ensued between the individual courses of the meal. Matthieu did not miss the opportunity to praise the choice of dishes and wines. He praised Claire's selected taste, Mrs. Curtius' exquisite cooking and his friend's excellently stocked wine cellar. Every now and then, loud laughter rang out, for example when Jamie and Claire told of some funny experience with Fergus or when Matthieu told of the pranks Maurice had pulled last summer. Silence, even a moment of awkward silence, only fell when Claire spontaneously asked:

           "Why did you and Teresa take so many years between Maurice and Friederike, Matthieu?"  

[cheshraven]

A sketch for a modern AU Dragon Age

iron bull and my oc Fir (she's not an Inquisitor!!!)

[hatmonu]

[neonponders]

Harringrove for Palestine!

Yes, I’m late, but we’re rocking and rolling now.

The full info for this charity event is here, brought to you by the gorgeous @stranger-steeb

I’ll include the list/links for the charities below the cut for easy access, but here’s how my writing commissions will work:

• please send me a DM before you donate! 

this is so I can confirm that I’ll be able to write your request in a reasonable amount of time.

please allow me a 2-week window. I don’t yet know how many commissions I’ll get, but I’ll be sure to communicate with everyone who wants one so you’ll know when I am able to start/finish your commission! I am guaranteed busy with my personal/Patreon writing Thursdays-Sundays, just a heads-up!

I will require a screenshot of your charity receipt/confirmation email, just like stranger-steeb’s post says. Please edit out credit/debit card & personal info lol I just the donated amount and date ✌🏻

• minimum 100 words - maximum 3000 words

100 words = $1 (or whatever your currency is)

500 words = $5

1k words = $10

2k words = $20

3k = $30

Half amounts are okay! And I won’t require another donation if my over-eager self exceeds the word limit we arranged.

EXAMPLES:

My two mafia_au drabbles,  Nightingale and Extravagant are 1900 words.

Tuesday, my stripper!Billy fic is 2800 words.

Taken, my established relationship, modern_au is 900 words.

Others can be found on my ao3 🔥

I will not write non-con, dubious consent, su!c!de, or sadism/masochism.

• I can be persuaded to make a moodboard, but be sure to DM me first, so we can talk ideas, and I’ll let you know if I can do it (moodboards sometimes take far longer than writing for me.)

moodboard prices will depend on how many panels you want and how much editing will need to be done to the images.

examples: here - here - here

Please check out the other creators participating in this event! I’ve reblogged many of them, and they are listed in stranger-steeb’s post, linked above!

~ See the charity list below the cut ~

united nations relief and works agency for palestine refugees - unwra.org

the bds movement, which is palestinian-run - bdsmovement.net

human concern international - humanconcern.org

palestine children’s relief fund - pcrf.net

the adalah justice project - adalahjusticeproject.org

the institute for middle east understanding - imeu.funraise.org

prisoner support and human rights association - addameer.org

the electronic intifada - electronicintifada.net

medical aid for palestinians - map.org.uk

anera - support.anera.org

islamic relief uk - islamic-relief.org.uk

us campaign for palestinian rights - secure.everyaction.com

[honeyy-fics]

꒰🧡꒱ 𝐌 . 𝐋 𝐈 𝐒 𝐓 ♡꙼̈ ࿐ ࿔

—[𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 : 7/23/2021]

○ 𝐋𝐈𝐘𝐔𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ☆

♪ Xiao ♪

—[ICE COLD] #Injured Reader #Angst(ish) To Fluff #Fic #GN! Y/N

♪ Yanfei ♪

; Nothing Yet :((((

♪ Xingqiu ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

Beidou

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Chongyun ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Zhongli ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Ningguang ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Hu Tao ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Xinyan ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Ganyu ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

○ 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐃𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ☆

♪ Aether ♪

—[We’re Going To Die] #Crack #Scenario/HCs(?) #GN! Y/N

♪ Lumine ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Kaeya ♪

—[Kaeya Reacting To His Normally Sober S/O, Drunk.] #Crack #HCs #GN! Y/N

♪ Diluc ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Venti ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Albedo ♪

—[Vanilla Iced Coffee With Two Extra Pumps Of Vanilla.] #FLUFFFFYYYY_FLUFFFFFF #Modern_AU #Cafe_Y/N #GN! Y/N

♪ Mona ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Eula ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Jean ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Lisa ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Sucrose ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

○ 𝐒𝐍𝐄𝐙𝐇𝐍𝐀𝐘𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ☆

♪ Childe ♪

—[Childe Reacting To His Normally Sober S/O, Drunk.] #Crack(?) #HCs #GN! Y/N

♪ Scaramouche ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Signora ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

○ 𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ☆

♪ Thoma ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Baal ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Yoimiya ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Ayaka ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Kazuha ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

♪ Gorou ♪

; Nothing Yet :(

[pondermoniums]

It’s finally up lol thank you all for waiting!

[incawae]

modern_au

anne and gilbert: —3, 2, 1! happy new year! *kisses*

diana: guys it's not even midnight yet! stop making out every time the microwave goes off!

[mizutabisocks]

Modern AU Johanna aka Joanna,she is just a tall churchgirl,foreign exchange student,when she arrived in Japan she wore a white sundress with blue rose patterns,her papa forced her to wear it,but when she goes to school,she wears black mostly like her 1657 counterpart,she is slightly closeted,but she has a Lesbian pride sticker on her laptop,not that her Papa would understand that,Mizu straight up called her pretty and offered her a room in her apartment to stay while she stays in College,she's a Sophomore,while Mizu is a Freshman,She isn't buff but she is still 6 foot tall,and socially awkward,her personality comes out in regards to defending herself and solidarity without needing acceptance from people who try to control her,like her 1657 counterpart.

[ladyofspears]

#TheonSa #TheonGreyjoy #SansaStark #Modern_AU

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

Foto: Panorama Helsinki / Finland - Dom und Parlamentsplatz (by   tap5a)

        “We only do this for Fergus!” is a short Outlander Fan Fiction story and my contribution to the Outlander Prompt Exchange (Prompt 3: Fake Relationship AU: Jamie Fraser  wants to formally adopt his foster son Fergus, but his application will  probably not be approved… unless he is married and/or in a committed  relationship. Enter one Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp (Randall?) to this  story) @outlanderpromptexchange​

Chapter 13: The Secret Life of the Red Deer (2)

          The next morning Jamie decided on the spur of the moment that he would work from home that day. When he came into the dining room, Clair was already there and Fergus joined them moments later.

          "Are you going to the office later today, Papa?" Fergus asked in surprise.

          "I'm not going to the office at all today, I'm working from here," Jamie replied and had to smile when he saw Claire's surprised expression.

          "But first I'll take you to school - together with Claire."

          "Oh, that's nice," Fergus said, but then was distracted by other matters of importance and asked, "Can you pass me the cherry jam, please?"

”Breakfast” by gamagapix           Jamie reached for the jar of requested fruit spread, nodding to Claire in the way he always did when he wanted to tell her a thing "out of Fergus's reach". Then they returned their attention to their breakfast.

          When Claire had sent the boy to his room to fetch his satchel, she asked:

          "Has anything ... happened?"

          "No, there's just nothing important to do today. I can do what needs to be done from here. I thought we could take Fergus to school together and afterwards I'll show you the property and the mansion that Matthieu and Teresa have bought. Or aren't you interested in that?"

          "Oh yes I am! I ...," came Claire's spontaneous reply. She blushed a little and then added in a lowered voice:

          "I ... had also ... thought that ... I might ... I could take a walk there."

          "Good! But tell me if I'm messing up your plans for the day."

          "Only if our little excursion takes up the whole day."

          "I can reassure you about that. It won't take long. We can only see the house and grounds from the street anyway. What ... do you have... planned for today?"

          "Well, I was going to take Fergus to school as usual and then I was going to discuss everything with Mrs. Curtius for Friday evening. We have to plan, after all. The menu for the evening, a little decoration and also what we can offer our guest afterwards. I also wanted to talk to her about whether we should ask Alice Bodenser to help us."

          Jamie marveled at how routinely Claire seemed to plan their guest's visit.

          "That sounds good," he said, adding, "As I said, we won't be long."

          Fergus appeared. He had put on his autumn jacket and was carrying his satchel:

          "Are you coming? It's time and I'm going to be late."

          Claire and Jamie looked at each other, shook their heads slightly almost in sync and followed Fergus out into the hallway.

           After taking Fergus to school, Jamie instructed the driver to drive to a nearby address. Less than ten minutes later, after first passing the historic dairy and a small marina, the car stopped in front of a property surrounded by a high fence. Old trees towering far into the sky, still heavily leafed, screened the manor from the roadside, so that only parts of it could be seen. But that was enough to get an initial impression of it. When Claire saw the size of the mansion, she let out a loud

          "Oh!"

“Villa Starck” von Writtenby - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21051134

          Jamie looked at her with a smile.

          "This ... this is even bigger ..."

          "Than my house?" finished Jamie.

          "Yes, yes ... Really," Claire replied, still puzzled.

          "Shall I ... buy a ... buy a bigger house?" asked Fraser, struggling to suppress a smile. He would have liked only too much to know what Claire was really thinking and what kind of house, what kind of environment, she would really want to live in.

          "No, no, that's ... I ... it," she defended herself.

          "Well, maybe now if you think you're working for a not-so-well-regarded household ..."

          Jamie was unable to finish the sentence. Claire sparkled at him belligerently from her amber eyes, then delivered a short but firm boxing blow to his chest.

          "Whew," was all Jamie could manage to utter.

          "Yes! Whew!" triumphed Claire. "That's what happens when you make a fool of a poor old employee!"  

          Jamie had regained his composure and chuckled.

          "Employee's right, everything else isn't."

          He gestured for her to go back with his right arm. They looked at the entrance to the property, then went back to the car and had themselves driven home.

“Homeoffice” by JamesDeMers

          While Claire went to the kitchen to talk to Mrs. Curtius, Jamie, mysteriously filled with new energy, sprinted up the stairs to the second floor and headed for his study. Once there, he dropped into the leather office chair at his desk and pressed the speed dial on his smartphone display that connected him to Matthieu von Klarenberg.

          "Good morning, Jamie!" it rang out to him only a few moments later.

          Matthieu was obviously very awake and in a very good mood.

          "Good morning Matthieu! You've unmistakably had a good strong coffee already."

          "Are you jealous, my friend? Don't you get good coffee there in your fancy office building on the Gendarmenmarkt?"

          "I'm not in my fancy office building today ...," Jamie returned, amused.

          "You're not? Have you become a slacker like me?"

          "Quite apart from the fact that you're anything but a slacker, I'm at home today because there's nothing important on my plate and I can do everything else from here. It gives me a chance to spend more time with Fergus. I was on a business trip for ten days recently and ..."

          "... you have something to make up for now."  

          "Yeah, right," Jamie returned, "but that's not why I'm calling. I wanted to tell you that we'd love it if you'd come over to our house for dinner on Friday night and we could spend some time together afterwards, too."

          "So? Claire has given her permission?" enquired Matthieu, unable to suppress the irony in his voice.

          "She didn't have anything planned for Friday night and is looking forward to meeting you," Jamie returned, slightly ironically.

          "I'm glad to hear that, I'd love to come, honestly Jamie."

          "I'm looking forward to seeing you too, Mathieu."

          "But?"

          "Nothing but. I, I ... would have ... just...  one more request for you."

          "I'm listening."

          "Fergus is really looking forward to you and your family moving near us soon and I know he will be happy to see you. Therefore, I will allow him to stay awake until you arrive ... so he can greet you."

          "And what's the problem?"

          "Well, I want to ask you ... Claire and I haven't told him about us yet ..."

          "I see," Matthieu said. He did not manage to suppress the astonishment that resonated in his voice. After a moment he had regained his composure:           "May I ask why not?"

          "Well, Fergus has had enough to deal with this year. I had to go on several business trips in the spring and he had to stay with Mr. and Mrs. Curtius all the time. Then suddenly a complete stranger comes into our house and I tell him that from now on she will look after him every day, in other words become a substitute parent for him, so to speak. School enrolment follows and he has to adjust to many new people, start learning. Then another long business trip on my part. Plus, the relationship with Claire is ..."

          "Jamie?"

          "Yes?"

          "You are sure about Claire, aren't you?"

          Jamie heard the concern that resonated in Matthieu's voice. He knew his friend well and knew that this concern was genuine.

          "I am 100% sure, Matthieu. I love her and I want nothing more than for us to be a family - her, Fergus and me. Fergus loves her, she loves Fergus, I love her ..."

          "But you are you ... not... sure she loves you?"

          Again, the astonishment in von Klarenberg's voice was unmistakable. Jamie felt uncomfortable in his seated position, pushed back the desk chair and stood up. He went to the large window that faced the south side of the house and whose door next to it led onto a narrow balcony. Then he said:

“Window” by StockSnap

          "It's ... complicated."

          Matthieu von Klarenberg groaned loudly:

          "Jamie, please! We're not on Facebook here!"

          "No," Jamie replied softly and sighed, "thankfully not!"

          "But?"

          Fraser began pacing up and down in front of the window.

          "Oh, I can't think of a better word. It's really complicated. Claire was married and her husband cheated on her ... in a very ... shameless way .... Multiple times with … multiple women."

          "Merde! Merde! Merde!"  

         Jamie jerked the smartphone away from his ear to protect his eardrums from his friend's loud verbal outburst. When Matthieu had calmed down again, he said:

          "I knew, Matthieu, that you would understand."

          "Yes, I understand only too well. She has divorced the bastard in the meantime though, hasn't she?"

          "She wanted to, but it never came to that. The bastard died of a heart attack before ..."             "Oh! Great!" exclaimed von Klarenberg only to add: "Some problems are solved quite simply in the good old biological way."

          Jamie heard the sarcasm and sighed softly.

          "You understand that it's ... not easy ... for her … to trust again."

          "Yes, of course I do. And how I understand that."

          A moment of silence fell.

          Matthieu was the first to pick up the thread again.

          "I also understand that you two want to be really sure until you tell Fergus."

          "Exactly. We can't expect him to ... We can't give him the hope of having a mother, a family... and then the whole thing just... falls apart. He's been through this crap before. I don't want him to go through it again... We won't tell him until everything is 'in the bag'."

          "Yes, that's quite right. The right thing to do. I won't mention anything to Fergus. That's what you were going to ask me, isn't it?"

          "Exactly. Thank you for understanding."

          "Not for this."

          "I look forward to welcoming you then on Friday evening, 7 pm. Please give our warmest regards to Teresa and the children."

          "The pleasure is all mine. After all, I haven't seen Fergus and you for almost a year and then of course I'm very excited to meet Claire. Please give her and Fergus my best."

          "Gladly."

          The men ended their conversation.

“Chaiselongue” by Vassil, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

          Only seconds later the door of Matthieu von Klarenberg's study opened and his wife Teresa entered. He rolled his desk chair back a little, turned in her direction and spread his arms. Teresa, still dressed in her loose, light silk morning coat, came and sat on his lap. Then she gently took hold of her face with both hands, pulled it to hers and kissed her husband passionately. She broke away from him and looked at him with her deep blue eyes for a moment. Matthieu let his warm hands slide slowly down her sides. Then Teresa kissed him again, deeply and intense. When she broke away from him to catch her breath, Matthieu held her a little at a distance:

          "If we keep doing this ..."

          "Then we should lock the door?" Teresa asked, letting her gaze wander to the chaise longue that stood against the far right side wall of the study.

          "That's not really what I meant ..."

          "So? What did you mean?"

          Gently, Teresa let the index finger of her right hand trail from his left ear along his jawline and over his black three-day beard.

          "Jamie called me," Matthieu said, his face turning serious.

          "Fraser?"

          "Do we know another Jamie?"

          Teresa ignored the question.

          "What did he say? Are you going to visit him and his fiancée on Friday night?"

          "Yes, I'm going to visit them, but there's something we need to talk about."

          "Are you worried, darling?"

          "Yes," Matthieu said softly.

          Teresa looked at him, then pulled his head gently to her chest.

           "Tell me about it," she whispered softly.

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

Foto: Panorama Helsinki / Finland - Dom und Parlamentsplatz (by   tap5a)

        “We only do this for Fergus!” is a short Outlander Fan Fiction story and my contribution to the Outlander Prompt Exchange (Prompt 3: Fake Relationship AU: Jamie Fraser  wants to formally adopt his foster son Fergus, but his application will  probably not be approved… unless he is married and/or in a committed  relationship. Enter one Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp (Randall?) to this  story) @outlanderpromptexchange

Chapter 12: The Secret Life of the Red Deer (1)

           On Tuesday of the following week, Jamie came home shortly after lunchtime to give Claire a little more free time. He sat down with Fergus and helped him with his homework, then they went into the garden where the “two men” chased a few laps behind a football.

“Ball” by  derJani

            The temperature had dropped considerably since the beginning of October, but the fun they were having playing and the physical action well made up for the difference- After the sun came out from behind the clouds at around 4pm, they even worked up a bit of a sweat.             A short time later Claire appeared on the first-floor balcony and announced that tea was ready. Jamie and Fergus entered the house through the garage door, changed their shoes in the basement and then took the lift to the second floor. There they changed their sweaty clothes and shortly after they sat in the dining room where Claire and Mrs Curtius had already set the table. Fergus noted with excitement that there was that tangerine cheese cake that he loved so much. Claire watched Fergus and had the impression that the physical activity had done him good, but had also tired him out a little. He would certainly fall asleep quickly tonight.

           "Will you read to me, Papa?“ asked Fergus after he had eaten the second piece of cake and was clearly satiated.

           Jamie smiled at him.

           "Yes, I’d love to. You go on into the winter garden. I’ll have my tea and then I will join you.”

           A moment later Jamie and Claire heard the sound of the electric train. Claire looked at Jamie:

           "Don’t you feel like reading to him? I can …“    

           "No, no. I’m just a bit knocked out by the unaccustomed exercise and I want another cup of tea in peace.”

           He smiled and Claire reached for the teapot to refill his cup. But before Jamie could reach for his cup, his smartphone rang. He looked at the screen and Claire saw his puzzled expression.

“Tea” by  fotshot

           “Matthieu! Good afternoon! How are you?”

           Jamie was obviously surprised, but it didn’t seem like a negative surprise to her.  

           "Friday, you say?“ he continued, "Yes, that might work, but I’ll have to check with Claire first. I don’t know at the moment if anything else is already planned for Friday.”

           He listened to the voice on the other side of the line for a moment, then said:

           "Right, that’s how we’ll do it. I’ll call you first thing in the morning then and let you know. Sure. Please give my greetings to Teresa and your little crown prince!“

           Once again a silence fell on Jamie’s side.

           "Yes, Matthieu, I would be delighted. Thank you so much for calling! See you then.”

           Jamie hung up, then turned to Claire.

           "So, so, you have to ask Claire first,“ she said with a smile.

           "Yes, at least I have to discuss it with you. Matthieu and Teresa von Klarenberg are good friends. They bought a house very near here over a year ago. It’s a beautiful, large property, but it needed extensive renovation. Parts had fallen into disrepair and it is a listed building. Matthieu will be at the site on Friday afternoon to see how the work is progressing. He asked if he could come by for a quick visit in the early evening.”

           "Who are these von Klarenbergs?“

           Before Jamie could answer Claire’s question a loud shout sounded from the wintergarden:

           "Papaaaa! Paaaapaaa! Are you coming?!”

           Claire and Jamie looked at each other and both rolled their eyes. Then Jaimie called out:

           "Yeheees, Sooohon! I’m coming!“

           Making his way towards the wintergarden, Jaime turned to Claire once more:

           "I’ll tell you about the von Klarenberg family when we’ve put little Quengel to bed.”

           Three hours later it was time. They had eaten dinner. Then they had put Fergus, who had almost fallen asleep at dinner, to bed. Again, Claire had barely needed to read one single page from his current favorite book, then he had disappeared into “the land of smiles”. Jamie and Claire left the pirate room on quiet feet.

           "Shall we sit in the fireplace room for a moment? I wanted to tell you about the von Klarenberg family.“

“Fireplace” by  StockSnap

            A few minutes later they were sitting in the big comfortable armchairs in front of the burning fireplace, each with a glass of whisky in his hand:

            "Matthieu von Klarenberg is the descendant of a noble family with roots in France but also in Silesia. It is said that the estate they owned until the end of the Second World War was originally a commandery of the Teutonic Order, also known as the Teutonic Knights. It is not known exactly. Another order could also be a possibility.             The oldest known ancestor was a knight who probably came to Silesia with Henry VII. A descendant of this knight acquired the estate in the 15th century. Later it was rebuilt into a small baroque castle. In the 17th century they were first raised to the rank of barons, then in the 18th century to the rank of counts and finally to the rank of imperial counts. In 1850 they were elevated to the Prussian princely rank. However, all that remained was the title of count.             Various German rulers were guests there during military conflicts and maneuvers - Frederick the Great, Wilhelm I and Wilhelm II. The family divided into different branches over the centuries, but they still managed to keep the estate together for a long time. But with the end of the First World War and the division of Upper Silesia, their economic decline began.             Part of the family remained in Silesia, other family members lived in different parts of Europe. During the Second World War, the property was confiscated by the Nazis and as a result the rest of the family fled to the West.             After the war, the family members gathered here in Berlin. They seized the opportunity and established themselves in the food trade. Over the decades, they thus managed to regain wealth. Matthieu’s father, who was born before the war, was Chief of the House for a long time. He died a few years ago and today Matthieu is head of the House of the Counts of Klarenberg. His wife, Teresa, comes from an Italian noble family that has been at home in the richest region of Italy, the Emilia-Romagna, for centuries. They owned a large vineyard there.             Matthieu met her during a stay in Italy in autumn 2015. But that is a story in itself. And it’s not my tale to tell. But  I’m sure, Matthieu will be happy to tell you the story if you ask him.”

            Jamie sipped his whisky, then continued:

            “Then in May 2016 Matthieu and Teresa got engaged and in September 2016 they got married.”

            “That was quick,” Claire agreed.

            “Yes,” Jamie agreed, “but clearly they are a good match.”

           "Do … they have children?“

           "Two. Their son, Maurice Justus, was born in August 2018 …”

           "Oh, he’s almost Fergus’s age then.“

           "Yes. This summer, in August, their daughter was born. Her name is Friederike.”

           "And how long have you known the family?“

           "Oh, since I was young. Matthieu’s father and my father knew each other, were friends, did business together … Matthieu is a year younger than me. We played together when our families met, celebrated together …”

           "Did you also go to school together?“

           "No, we lived too far apart for that. But we often saw each other during the holidays and, as I said, when our families met. That used to be the case quite often. Then our studies separated us. I began my studies in Berlin. Matthieu started studying in Paris the same year later. When I moved to Paris two years later, he had just got a place at Oxford. He stayed there for several years, while I returned to Berlin from Paris via Frankfurt am Main and Heidelberg. A few years before his father’s death, Mathieu also returned to Berlin and joined the family firm. After his father’s death, he got a very good offer from a German food consortium, which he accepted. He invested the profits widely and can now live off the profits and concentrate largely on his family and the things that interest him.”

           "Does he know about us? I mean … Does he know the truth or …“

           "No one but us … and Ned Gowan knows the truth. And let’s keep it that way.”

           Again, Jamie drank from his whisky.

           "Don’t you trust him?“ asked Claire, startled at the same time by her question. So, she immediately followed up with:

           "Sorry, it’s none of my business.”

           "You don’t have to apologize and yes, it is your business. Just ask.“ 

           "Well, I … I mean, if he’s such a good friend, why …”

           "He is a good friend, my best friend even. And yes, I trust him. I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment either and trust him with my life or Fergus’. But I am convinced that it is better to involve as few people as possible. Anyone can accidentally slip up. Anyone. The fewer people who know our secret, the less likely it is to happen.“

           "I understand. And you would like … that … me to meet him?”

           "Yes, I would be delighted. Of course, I could meet him in some restaurant in the city, but I’m sure he would find that very strange. He knows about you, I’m sure he’s read all the newspaper reports about us. And if I didn’t invite him here …“

           "Then he would ask what’s going on with us?” continued Claire the sentence.

           "Exactly. I could tell him some story, of course, but …“

           "You don’t want to?”

           "Yes, I don’t want to tell him any more than necessary …“

           They were silent and both drank from their whisky.

“Whisky” by  Peggychoucair

           "Besides,” Jamie continued after a few moments, “I would be very happy for you to meet. I think you’ll like him.”

           "You’re not trying to set me up now, are you?“

           "No,” Jamie laughed impulsively and then put his hand over his mouth. After another sip of whisky, he chuckled softly to himself and shook his head:

           "No, no. I wouldn’t be able to do that at all. Matthieu is … an extraordinarily loyal person. He loves his wife and children more than himself. He would never cheat on them. Not only because he loves his family more than anything, but also because he knows how it feels to be cheated on.“

           "Do you plan to tell him the truth … later?”

           "Yes, when it’s all over, when Fergus is my son, then I will speak to Matthieu. I know him well enough. I have every confidence that he will understand me. He is a father who loves his children more than anything and who knows what one would do for your children.“

           Claire gave a soft sigh, then asked:

           "What did you have in mind … for Friday night?”

           "Matthieu could be here at 7pm. I would suggest we ask Mrs Curtius to prepare a light menu. Fergus will have his dinner beforehand, but he can still greet Matthieu. Afterwards, Mrs. Curtius can put him to bed. I will make a little deal with him.“

           Jamie smiled:

           "Fergus likes Matthieu and his family very much. Maurice and he have already become a bit friendly and Fergus was thrilled when I told him they were moving here near us. I think he will go for a little ‘deal’: He gets to say hello to Matthieu, but he has to agree to Mrs Curtius putting him to bed.”

           Claire rolled her eyes and smiled, then took another sip of her whisky.

           "Then after dinner we can sit down and have a drink and talk a little. Matthieu has a driver who will take him home.“

           "Where do they live?”

           "The family has owned a prestigious townhouse in Berlin for generations, it’s a building from the Gründerzeit. A nice house, very elaborately restored but not necessarily  the right place for children. They have some small balconies and a little greenery in the courtyard of the house, but that is … “

           "Nothing compared to a property with a garden and lake access in Potsdam?”

           "Exactly.“

           "Well, let’s get to know our soon-to-be neighbors better,” Clair said, holding out her empty whisky glass to Jamie. When he looked at her questioningly, she said with a smile:

           "You could let the air out of this glass.“    

           Jamie smiled too, reached for a bottle of Scotch whisky and poured the amber liquid into her glas:

           "So you’re okay with me inviting Matthieu?”

           "Yes, of course,“ Claire replied, looking pensively at the golden sparkling whisky she was swirling gently back and forth in her glass, "let’s do it.” She looked at Jamie and said nonchalantly:

           "This whisky has convinced me.“

           Jamie watched in amazement as Claire took a large sip.

           Noticing the expression on his face, she began to giggle softly.

           "Of course, it wasn’t the whisky that convinced me, although it tastes very good. If Fergus likes Matthieu and his family so much, then we should take this opportunity to strengthen relations, especially with the children. Fergus has found some friends at school now, but the families live so far away … and I haven’t really found access to the mothers either. They are real helicopter mothers. I understand that they want to protect their children after all the kidnappings of children from rich industrial families. But Fergus needs more contact with friends of the same age and I would be happy if Fergus and Maurice could spend time together. How far is the family’s new house from here, then?”

           "Well, it’s not a new house. It’s a Manor House built in the early 1920s by an industrialist. The property before that belonged to a royal court supplier, whose company, by the way, still exists today. If there was a direct road, it wouldn’t take five minutes to walk. Just up our street and then turn right. But unfortunately, the road ends in front of another house, the direct neighbor of the von Klarenbergs. The properties are separated by a high wall. So we have to go down the road, then turn left and go up the parallel road again. Number 8.“

           Claire nodded and emptied her glass.

           "Well, another sip?”

           Jamie reached for the whisky decanter that sat on the small round table separating the two armchairs.

           "Oh, no. Thanks,“ she said, "I’ve got to go to bed. Fergus has to go to school and if we’re going to have visitors on Friday night, I’ll have to plan that a bit with Mrs Curtius too.”

           They both rose and Jamie escorted Claire to the front door:

           "Good night Claire. Thank you for supporting me.“

           "We’re doing it all for Fergus,” she said with a smile and then added, “Good night Jamie.”

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

Foto: Panorama Helsinki / Finland - Dom und Parlamentsplatz (by   tap5a)

        “We only do this for Fergus!” is a short Outlander Fan Fiction story and my contribution to the Outlander Prompt Exchange (Prompt 3: Fake Relationship AU: Jamie Fraser  wants to formally adopt his foster son Fergus, but his application will  probably not be approved… unless he is married and/or in a committed  relationship. Enter one Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp (Randall?) to this  story) @outlanderpromptexchange

Sneak preview for the next chapter :)

Chapter 13: The Secret Life of the Red Deer (2)

           The next morning Jamie decided on the spur of the moment that he would work from home that day. When he came into the dining room, Clair was already there and Fergus joined him moments later.            "Are you going to the office later today, Papa?" Fergus asked in surprise.            "I'm not going to the office at all today, I'm working from home," Jamie replied and had to smile when he saw Claire's surprised expression.            "But first I'll take you to school - together with Claire."

           "Oh, that's nice," Fergus said, but then was distracted by other matters of importance and asked, "Can you pass me the cherry jam, please?"

           Jamie reached for the jar of the requested fruit spread, nodding to Claire in the way he always did when he wanted to tell her a thing "out of Fergus's reach". Then they both returned their attention to their breakfast.

           When Claire had sent the boy to his room to fetch his satchel, she asked:            "Has anything ... happened?"            "No, there's just nothing important to do today. I can do what is need to be done from here. I thought we could take Fergus to school together and afterwards I'll show you the property and the mansion that Matthieu and Teresa have bought. Or aren't you interested in that?"            "Oh yes, I am! I ...," came Claire's spontaneous reply. She blushed a little and then added in a lowered voice:            "I ... had also ... thought that ... I might ... I could take a walk there."            "Good! But tell me if I'm messing up your plans for the day."            "Only if our little excursion takes up the whole day."            "I can reassure you about that. It won't take long. We can only see the house and grounds from the street anyway. What ... do you have... planned for today?"            "Well, I was going to take Fergus to school as usual, and then I was going to discuss everything with Mrs Curtius for Friday evening. We have to plan, after all. The menu for the evening, a little decoration and also what we can offer our guest afterwards. I also wanted to talk to her about whether we should ask Alice Bodenser to help us."            Jamie marvelled at how routinely Claire seemed to plan the guest's visit.              "That sounds good," he said, adding, "As I said, we won't be long."            Fergus appeared. He had put on his autumn jacket and was carrying his satchel:            "Are you coming? Otherwise, I am going to be late."           Claire and Jamie looked at each other, shook their heads slightly almost in sync and followed Fergus out into the hallway.

           After they had taken Fergus to school, Jamie instructed the driver to take them to a nearby address. Less than ten minutes later, after first passing the historic dairy of Potsdam and a small marina, the car stopped in front of a property surrounded by a high fence. Old trees, towering far into the sky and still heavily leafed, screened the manor from the roadside, so that only parts of it could be seen. But that was enough to get an initial impression of it. When Claire saw the size of the mansion, she let out a loud            "Oh!"            Jamie looked at her with a smile.            "This ... this is ... even bigger ..."            "Than my house?" finished Jamie.            "Yes, yes ... Really," Claire replied, still puzzled.           "Shall I ... buy a ... bigger house?" asked Fraser, struggling to suppress a smile. He would have liked only too much to know what Claire was really thinking and what kind of house, what kind of environment, she would really want to live in.            "No, no, that's ... I ... it," she defended herself.            "Well, maybe now ...  if you think you're working for a not-so-well-regarded household ..."           Jamie was unable to finish the sentence. Claire sparkled at him belligerently from her amber eyes, then delivered a short but firm boxing blow to his chest.            "Whew," was all Jamie could manage to utter.            "Yes! Whew!" triumphed Claire. "That's what happens when you make a fool of a poor old employee!"              Jamie had regained his composure and chuckled.            "Employee is right, everything else isn't."           He gestured for her to go back with his right arm. They took a look at the entrance to the property some more, then went back to the car to go home.

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

Foto: Panorama Helsinki / Finland - Dom und Parlamentsplatz (by   tap5a)

        “Wir tun das nur für Fergus!” ist eine kurze Outlander Fan Fiction Geschichte und mein Beitrag zur Outlander Prompt Exchange (Prompt 3. Fake Beziehung AU: Jamie Fraser  möchte seinen Pflegesohn Fergus formell adoptieren, aber sein Antrag  wird wahrscheinlich nicht genehmigt werden … es sei denn, er ist  verheiratet und/oder in einer festen Beziehung. Fügen Sie Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp (Randall?) zu dieser Geschichte hinzu.) @outlanderpromptexchange

Kapitel 12: Das geheime Leben der Rothirsche (I)

              Am Dienstag der darauffolgenden Woche kam Jamie bereits kurz nach der Mittagszeit nach Hause, um Claire ein wenig mehr Freizeit zu ermöglichen. Er setzte sich zu Fergus und half ihm bei den Hausaufgaben. Anschließend ging es in den Garten, wo die “beiden Männer” einige Runden hinter einem Fußball herjagten.

“Fußball” by derJani

            Die Temperaturen waren seit Anfang Oktober deutlich gesunken, aber der Spaß, den sie beim Spiel hatten und die körperliche Aktivität glichen diesen Unterschied gut aus. Nachdem die Sonne gegen 16.00 Uhr hinter den Wolken hervorgekommen war, kamen sie sogar ein wenig ins Schwitzen. Kurze Zeit später erschien Claire auf dem Balkon des ersten Stockes und verkündete, dass der Tee fertig war. Jamie und Fergus betraten das Haus durch die Garagentür, wechselten ihre Schuhe im Keller und nahmen dann den Aufzug in den zweiten Stock. Dort wechselten sie die verschwitzte Kleidung, machten sich frisch und saßen kurz darauf im Esszimmer, wo Claire und Frau Curtius bereits den Tisch gedeckt hatten. Mit Begeisterung stellte Fergus fest, dass es jenen Mandarinen-Quark Kuchen gab, den er so sehr liebte. Claire beobachtete Fergus und hatte den Eindruck, dass die körperliche Aktivität ihm gutgetan, aber auch etwas ermüdet hatte. Er würde heute Abend sicher schnell einschlafen.

           "Liest Du mir etwas vor, Papa?“ fragte Fergus nachdem er das zweite Stück Kuchen gegessen und ganz offensichtlich satt war.

           Jamie lächelte ihn an.

           "Ja, gern. Geh’ schon ‘mal in den Wintergarten. Ich trinke noch meinen Tee und komme dann nach.”

           Kurz darauf hörten Jamie und Claire das Geräusch der elektrischen Eisenbahn. Claire sah Jamie an:

           "Hast Du keine Lust, ihm vorzulesen? Ich kann …“    

           "Nein, nein! Ich bin durch den ungewohnten Sport nur ein wenig k.o. und möchte noch in Ruhe eine weitere Tasse Tee trinken.”

           Er lächelte und Claire griff zur Teekanne, um seine Tasse neu zu füllen. Doch bevor Jamie nach seiner Tasse greifen konnte, klingelte sein Smartphone. Er schaute auf das Display und Claire sah seinen verwunderten Gesichtsausdruck.

“Tee” by fotshot

           “Matthieu! Guten Tag! Wie geht es Dir?”

           Jamie war offensichtlich überrascht, aber es schien ihr keine negative Überraschung zu sein.  

           "Freitag, sagtest Du?“ fuhr er fort, "Ja, das könnte klappen, aber ich muss das noch einmal mit Claire besprechen. Ich weiß im Moment nicht, ob für Freitag schon etwas anderes geplant ist.”

           Er hörte der Stimme auf der anderen Seite der Leitung einen Moment zu, dann sagte er:

           "Genau, so machen wir es. Ich rufe Dich dann gleich morgen Früh an um Dir Bescheid geben. Sicher. Bitte grüß Teresa und Deinen kleinen Kronprinzen ganz herzlich von mir!“

           Noch einmal trat eine Stille auf Jamies Seite ein.

           "Ja, Matthieu, ich würde mich sehr freuen. Vielen Dank für Deinen Anruf! Bis dann.”

           Jamie legte auf und steckte das Smartphone ein. Dann wandte er sich Claire zu.

           "So, so, Du musst erst Claire fragen,“ sagte sie mit einem Lächeln.

           "Ja, zumindest muss ich es mit Dir besprechen. Matthieu und Teresa von Klarenberg sind gute Freude. Sie haben vor über einem Jahr ein Haus ganz hier in der Nähe gekauft. Es ist ein wunderschöner, großer Besitz, aber es muss aufwendig saniert werden. Teile waren verfallen und es steht unter Denkmalschutz. Matthieu wird am Freitagnachmittag auf der Baustelle sein, um sich ein Bild von dem Fortschritt der Arbeiten zu machen. Er fragte, ob er am frühen Abend zu einem kurzen Besuch vorbeikommen könnte.”

           "Wer sind denn diese von Klarenberg?“

           Ehe Jamie Claires Frage beantworten konnte. ertönte aus dem Wintergarten ein lautes Rufen:

           "Papaaaa! Paaaapaaa! Kommst Du endlich!”

           Claire und Jamie sahen sich an und rollten beide mit den Augen. Dann rief Jaimie:

           "Jahaaaa, Sohooon! Ich komme.“

           Auf dem Weg in Richtung des Wintergartens drehte sich Jaime noch einmal zu Claire um:

           "Ich erzähle Dir von den von Klarenberg, wenn wir das kleine Quengelchen ins Bett gebracht haben.”

           Drei Stunden später war es soweit. Sie hatten zu Abend gegessen. Dann hatten sie Fergus, der beim Abendessen fast eingeschlafen wäre, zu Bett gebracht. Auch diesmal brauchte Claire kaum eine Seite aus seinem aktuellen Lieblingsbuch lesen, dann war er auch schon  in “das Land des Lächelns” entschwunden. Jamie und Claire verließen das Piratenzimmer auf leisen Sohlen.

           "Setzen wir uns noch einen Moment ins Kaminzimmer? Ich wollte Dir ja noch von den von Klarenberg erzählen.“

“Kamin” by StockSnap

           Wenige Minuten später saßen sie in den großen bequemen Sesseln vor dem brennenden Kamin, jeder mit einem Glas Whisky in der Hand.

           "Matthieu von Klarenberg,” begann Jamie, “ist der Nachkomme eines Adelsgeschlecht, welches seine Wurzeln in Frankreich aber auch in Schlesien hat. Es heißt, das Gut, welches sie bis zum Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs besaßen, sei ursprünglich eine Komturei des Deutschen Ordens, der auch als Deutschritterorden bekannt ist, gewesen. Genau weiß man es nicht. Es käme auch ein anderer Orden in Betracht. Der älteste, urkundliche bekannte Vorfahre war ein Ritter, der wohl mit Heinrich VII nach Schlesien kam.            Ein Nachkomme dieses Ritters erwarb im 15. Jahrhundert das Gut. Später wurde es zu einem kleinen barocken Schloss umgebaut. Im 17. Jahrhundert wurden sie erst in den Freiherrenstand, dann im 18. Jahrhundert in den Grafenstand und schließlich in den Reichsgrafenstand erhoben. 1850 erfolgte ihre Erhebung in den +

Preußischen Fürstenstand. Geblieben ist ihnen davon jedoch nur der Grafentitel.             Verschiedene deutsche Herrscher waren während kriegerischer Auseinandersetzungen und während Manövern dort zu Gast - Friedrich der Große, Wilhelm I. und Wilhelm II. Die Familie teilte sich über die Jahrhunderte in verschiedene Zweige, dennoch gelang es ihnen, den Besitz lange Zeit zusammenzuhalten.             Doch mit dem Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges und der Teilung Oberschlesiens begann der ihr ökonomischer Niedergang. Ein Teil der Familie blieb in Schlesien, andere Familienmitglieder lebten in verschiedenen Teilen Europas. Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs wurde der Besitz von den Nationalsozialisten beschlagnahmt und in der Folge davon floh die restliche Familie nach Westen.             Nach dem Krieg sammelten sich die Familienmitglieder hier in Berlin. Sie nutzten die Gunst der Stunde und etablierten sich im Lebensmittelhandel. Über die Jahrzehnte gelang es ihnen so, wieder zu Reichtum zu gelangen. Matthieus Vater, er war noch vor dem Krieg geboren, war lange Zeit Oberhaupt der Familie. Er starb vor wenigen Jahren und heute ist Matthieu Chef des Hauses der Grafen von Klarenberg. Seine Frau, Teresa, entstammt einem italienischen Adelsgeschlecht, welches seit Jahrhunderten in der reichsten Region Italiens, der Emilia-Romagna, beheimatet ist. Sie besaßen dort ein großes Weingut. Matthieu hat sie während eines Italienaufenthaltes Im Herbst 2015 kennengelernt. Doch das ist eine Geschichte für sich. Und es ist nicht meine Aufgabe, sie zu erzählen. Aber ich bin sicher, dass Matthieu Dir die Geschichte gern erzählen wird, wenn Du ihn danach fragst.”

            Jamie nippte an seinem Whisky, dann fuhr er fort:

            “Im Mai 2016 haben sich Matthieu und Teresa dann verlobt und im September 2016 haben sie geheiratet.”

            “Das ging aber schnell,” gab Claire zu Bedenken.

            “Ja,” stimme Jamie zu, “aber ganz offensichtlich passen sie gut zusammen.”

            “Haben … sie … Kinder?”

            “Zwei. Ihr Sohn, Maurice Justus, wurde im August 2018 geboren …”

            “Oh, dann ist er ja fast im Alter.”

            “Ja. In diesem Sommer, auch

im August, kam ihre Tochter zur Welt. Sie heißt Friederike.”

            “Und wie lange kennst Du die Familie bereits?”

            “Oh, seit meiner Jugend. Matthieus Vater und mein Vater kannten einander, waren befreundet, machen gemeinsam Geschäfte  … Matthieu ist ein Jahr jünger als ich. Wir spielten miteinander, wenn sich unsere Familien trafen, feierten zusammen …”

            “Wart Ihr auch zusammen in der Schule?”

            “Nein, dazu wohnten wir zu weit auseinander. Wir sahen uns aber oft in den Ferien und, wie gesagt, wenn sich unsere Familien trafen. Das war früher recht oft der Fall. Dann hat uns das Studium getrennt. Ich begann mein Studium in Berlin. Matthieu begann ein Jahr später gleich in Paris mit dem Studium. Als ich zwei Jahre später nach Paris wechselte, hatte er gerade einen Platz in Oxford bekommen Er blieb dort mehrere Jahre, während ich von Paris über Frankfurt am Main und Heidelberg wieder nach Berlin zurückkehrte. Einige Jahre vor dem Tod seines Vaters kam auch Mathieu nach Berlin zurück und trat in die Firma der Familie ein. Nach dem Tod seines Vaters bekam Matthieu ein sehr gutes Angebot von einem deutschen Lebensmittel-Konsortium, das er annahm. Er hat den Gewinn breit gestreut investiert, kann jetzt von den Erträgen leben und sich weitgehend auf seine Familie und die Dinge konzentrieren, die ihn interessieren.”

            “Weiß er von uns? Ich meine … kennt er die Wahrheit oder …”

            “Niemand außer uns … und … natürlich Ned Gowan … kennt die Wahrheit. Und dabei soll’ es auch bleiben.”

            Erneut trank Jamie von seinem Whisky.

            “Vertraust Du Matthieu nicht?” fragte Claire und erschrak zugleich über ihre Frage. Darum schob sie sogleich hinterher:

            “Entschuldige, es geht nichts an.”

            “Du musst Dich nicht entschuldigen und ja, doch, es geht Dich etwas an. Frag’ nur.”

            “Nun, ich … ich meine, wenn er ein so guter Freund ist, warum …”

            “Er ist ein guter Freund, mein bester Freund sogar. Und ja, ich vertraue ihm. Ich würde auch nicht einen Moment zögern und ihm mein Leben oder das von Fergus anzuvertrauen. Aber ich bin der Überzeugung, dass es richtig ist, so wenige Personen wie möglich einzubeziehen. Jeder kann sich mal aus Versehen verplappern. Jeder. Je weniger Menschen unser Geheimnis kennen, desto geringer ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass dies passiert.”

            “Ich verstehe. Und Du möchtest wirklich, … dass … ich ihn kennenlerne?”

            “Ja, es würde mich freuen. Ich könnte ihn natürlich auch in irgendeinem Restaurant in der Stadt treffen, aber das würde er sicherlich sehr merkwürdig finden. Er weiß von Dir, er mit Sicherheit alle Zeitungsbericht über uns gelesen. Und wenn ich ihn nicht hierher einladen würde …”

            “Dann würde er fragen, was mit uns los ist?” führte Claire den Satz fort.

            “Genau. Ich könnte ihm natürlich irgendeine Geschichte erzählen, aber …”

            “Das möchtest Du nicht?”

            “Ja, ich möchte ihn nicht mehr als notwendig …”

            Sie schwiegen und tranken beide von ihrem Whisky.

“Whisky” by Peggychoucair

            “Außerdem,” fuhr Jamie nach einigen Momenten fort, “würde ich mich sehr freuen, wenn ihr Euch kennenlernen würde. Ich glaube, er wird Dir gefallen.”

            “Du willst mich jetzt aber nicht verkuppeln, oder?”

            “Nein,” Jamie lachte spontan auf und hielt sich dann die Hand vor den Mund. Nach einem weiteren Schluck Whisky kicherte er leise vor sich hin und schüttelte den Kopf:

            “Nein, nein. Das würde mir auch gar nicht gelingen. Matthieu ist … ein außerordentlich integrer, loyaler Mensch. Er liebt seine Frau und seine Kinder über alles. Er würde sie nie betrügen. Nicht nur, weil er Teresa und die Kinder über alles liebt, sondern auch, weil er weiß, wie es sich anfühlt, betrogen zu werden.”

            “Hast Du vor, ihm später die Wahrheit zu erzählen?”

            “Ja, wenn alles vorüber ist, wenn Fergus mein Sohn ist, dann werde ich mit Matthieu sprechen. Ich kenne ihn gut genug. Ich bin fest davon überzeugt, dass er mich verstehen wird. Er ist ein Vater, der seine Kinder über alles liebt und der weiß, was man alles für seine Kindern tun würde.”

            Claire gab einen leisen Seufzer von sich, dann fragte sie:

            “Was hast Du Dir denn für Freitagabend so … vorgestellt?”

            “Matthieu könnte um 19.00 Uhr hier sein. Ich würde vorschlagen, wir bitten Frau Curtius, dass sie ein leichtes Menü vorbereitet. Fergus bekommt sein Abendessen vorher, aber er kann Matthieu noch begrüßen. Danach kann Frau Curtius ihn zu Bett bringen. Ich werde ihm das schmackhaft machen.”

            Jamie lächelte:

            “Fergus mag Matthieu und seine Familie sehr. Maurice und er haben sich bereits ein wenig angefreundet und Fergus war begeistert, als ich ihm erzählt habe, dass sie hier in unsere Nähe ziehen. Ich glaube, er wird auf einen kleinen ‘Deal’ eingehen: Er darf Matthieu begrüßen, muss aber zustimmen, dass Frau Curtius ihn ins Bett bringt.”

           Claire rollte mit den Augen und lächelte, dann nahm sie einen weiteren Schluck von ihrem Whisky.

            “Nach dem Essen können wir uns dann zusammensetzen, etwas trinken und ein wenig erzählen. Matthieu hat einen Fahrer, der ihn nach Hause bringen wird.”

            “Wo wohnen die von Klarenberg denn?”

            “Die Familie besitzt seit Generationen ein repräsentatives Stadthaus in Berlin, es ist ein Bau aus der Gründerzeit. Ein sehr schönes, wunderbar restauriertes Haus, aber nicht unbedingt etwas für Kinder. Sie haben einige kleine Balkone und in wenig Grün im Hof des Hauses, aber das ist … ”

            “Nichts im Vergleich zu einem Grundstück mit Garten und Seezugang in Potsdam?”

            “Genau.”

            “Tja, dann wollen wir unseren baldigen Nachbarn doch einmal bessern kennenlernen,” sagte Clair und hielt Jamie ihr leeres Whiskyglas hin. Als dieser sie fragend ansah, sagte sie lächelnd:

            “Du könntest 'mal die Luft aus diesem Glas lassen.”    

            Jamie lächelte ebenfalls, griff nach einer Flasche schottischen Whiskys und schenkte ein:

            “Du bist also einverstanden, dass ich Matthieu einlade?”

            “Ja, natürlich,” antwortete Claire, schaute dabei versonnen auf den golden funkelnden Whisky, den sie in ihrem Glas leicht hin- und herschwenkte, “machen wir es.” Sie sah Jamie an und meine ganz nonchalant:

            “Dieser Whisky hat mich überzeugt.”

            Jamie sah erstaunt zu, wie Claire einen großen Schluck nahm.

           Als sie seinen Gesichtsausdruck wahrnahm, begann sie leise zu kichern.

           "Natürlich hat mich nicht der Whisky überzeugt, obwohl er sehr gut schmeckt. Wenn Fergus Matthieu und seine Familie so sehr mag, dann sollten wir diese Gelegenheit ergreifen und die Beziehungen stärken, insbesondere zu den Kindern. Fergus hat zwar inzwischen in der Schule einige Freude gefunden, aber die Familien wohnen so weit entfernt … und zu den Müttern habe ich auch keinen wirklichen Zugang gefunden. Es sind echte Helikoptermütter. Ich verstehe ja, dass sie ihre Kinder beschützen wollen, nach all’ den Entführungen von Kindern aus Industriellenfamilien. Aber Fergus braucht mehr Kontakt zu gleichaltrigen Freuden und es würde mich freuen, wenn Fergus und Maurice Zeit miteinander verbringen könnten. Wie weit ist denn das neue Haus der Familie von hier entfernt?“

           "Nun, es ist kein neues Haus. Es ist eine Villa, die Anfang der 20ger Jahres des letzten Jahrhunderts von einem Industriellen erbaut worden ist. Das Grundstück gehört davor einem königlichen Hoflieferanten, dessen Firma übrigens heute noch besteht. Wenn es eine direkte Straße geben würde, würde es keine fünf Minuten zu Fuß dauern. Einfach unsere Straße hinauf und dann nach rechts abbiegen. Aber leider endet die Straße vor einem anderen Haus. Genau gesagt, vor dem Nachbargrundstück von Matthieu und teresas Haus. Und die Grundstücke sind durch eine hohe Mauer getrennt. Also müssen wir die Straße hinunter, dann nach links abbiegen und die Parallelstraße wieder hinauf. Hausnummer 8.”

           Claire nickte und leerte ihr Glas.

           "Na? Noch einen Schluck?“

           Jamie griff zu der Whiskykaraffe, die auf dem kleinen runden Tisch, der die beiden Sessel voneinander trennte, stand.

           "Oh, nein. Danke,” wehrte sie ab, “ich muss ins Bett. Fergus muss zur Schule und wenn wir am Freitagabend Besuch bekommen, muss ich das zusammen mit Frau Curtius auch ein wenig planen.”

           Sie erhoben sich beide und Jamie begleitete Claire zur Wohnungstür:

           "Gute Nacht Claire. Danke, dass Du mich unterstützt.“

           "Wir tun das alles für Fergus,” sagte sie lächelnd und fügte dann hinzu: “Gute Nacht Jamie.”