#hamish mackenzie

[smartiehw]

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Characters, book, and author names under the cut

Blythe Melbourne/Delaney Keating - Black Iris by Leah Raeder & Elliot Wake

Mackenzie (“Mac”) Shepard/Archer Mulvaney - Lunatic by Onley James

Barney/Logan/Asmodeus - Deadendia by Hamish Steele

Alex Claremont Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor - Red White and Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston

[renee-writer]

Frank Chapter 27

AO3

“Are you sure about this brother? We really dinna ken much about either of them.”

 

“You have seen it, eh Dougal. The way he looks at her.”

 

“Aye, I have seen it. Still, a Sassanach who has either lied about being married or is a …”

 

Colum holds his hand up. “I ken. Her heart though,” he taps his fingers on the desk, “she has a good one. It can be seen in the care she takes of those of the keep. It isn’t just because I placed her there. She has empathy for those under her care.”

 

“Aye.”

 

“I thought you would be happy about this. None will accept him as my heir and Laird, married to a Sassanach, if I die before Hamish reaches maturity.”

 

Dougal flushes. “I have ne’ said…”

 

“Haven’t you?” he waves his own question off, “he loves her. I swore to see him happily married.”

 

“Mr. Wolverton and Miss Mackenzie?”

 

He chuckles. “You ken as well as me that she has played the whore throughout this keep since she had her first cycle. She needs a husband. Mr. Wolverton, weel, he placed himself in the position of becoming that person. A way to keep a tight grip on him until I can determine what he is about.”

 

“You admit they are hiding something?”

 

“I am not daft. They are hiding something. I will see it doesn’t affect Clan Mackenzie. In the meantime, I will see them both settled here, under my Lairdship and eye.”

[brian-in-finance]

Gif: @tonoelwithlove

S01E04 The Gathering • 30 August 2014 Transcript

Outlander Rewatch Countdown To Season 7

Favourite Word

Mistress Claire. You've lost your fichu. And ye lost yer hair ribbon yesterday. — Hamish

Favourite Line

I see you have the place looking bright as a new pin. — Iona

Oh, that lovely dress again. Ye wore it so well to the last gathering. — Mrs Fitz

Gif: @outlander-starz

Favourite Image

Ye taught me well. — Jamie

Gif: @outlander-starz

Remember… ye took him to a peaceful place, and that's all any of us can ask when we pass. — Dougal MacKenzie

4th of 75 • Thursday, 6 April 2023

[writermuses]

Second Generation Muses of Lachlan Clarke & Adele:

Open to mutuals only.

Evie Clarke (Not cast and not pictured, I won't write her) - 2 years older than Eleanor at whatever age she's played at - Veterinarian

Eleanor Belle Clarke (Emily Blunt) - 38 y/o - Former ballerina, the Artistic Director for the national ballet company

Leontes Hamish Clarke (Chace Crawford) - 37 y/o - Musician

Ophelia Erin Clarke (Mackenzie Davis) - 36 y/o - Opera singer

Lancelot Gabriel Clarke (Daniel Sharman) - 36 y/o - History professor

Dorothy Clarke (Ella Hunt) - 29 y/o - Family nurse practitioner

[krausenypsmael]

Hamish MacKenzie plays tracks from 'Mugress' by Krausen Ypsmael (tape out on Steep Gloss, June 2024) alongside tracks by MSGG, Zoviet France, Vesal Javaheri, Noise a Noise, Fossil Aerosol Mining Project, Bren't Lewiis Ensemble, Butte County Free Music Society, Chemiefaserwerk, Burnt Seed Records, The Pianos, Facetoucher and more on the upcoming Lost and Found Sounds radioshow on Australia's 2BOB RADIO 104.7fm - this streams live today from 1 PM CET, or later on-demand at www.2bobradio.org.au/lost-and-found-sounds

[popculturegenealogy]

The twisted family stories and connections in Outlander

Late last year, Janet Lafleur, told me in a chat, said that "Outlander’s central plot line wouldn’t have been possible without the characters doing genealogical research." In an effort to make this blog more active and continue pop culture reviews, I decided to write about it in this post, despite the challenges with making a family tree due to time travel (similar to Futurama in that sense), but not different universes like Batman. Chris Paton wrote about this back in 2017, noting that a family tree for the series is available as part of the extended ebook content for the eighth book in the series, Written in My Own Heart's Blood, and it can be downloaded from the Random House website and reprinted later in this post. Paton noted that Outlander "starts off as a fantasy time travel series" and that he is "yet to meet a genie that hasn't become a fan." Even Vulture had a whole article about a family tree of the show's characters. So I'm building upon existing research and discussion on this topic.

Reprinted from my Genealogy in Popular Culture WordPress blog. Originally published on April 5, 2021.

Let's start with the above tree, which shows marriages, out-of-wedlock affairs, divorces, children, foster children, and stepchildren. With the time travel begun by the show's protagonist, Claire, it makes these relationships more complicated. While the tree mentioned earlier would appear to have some errors, reading it closely, that is only because of the way it is set up. So, its better go through family by family.

Beauchamp Family

Due to time travel, Briana Randall is NOT the daughter of Claire and her husband in the 20th century, Frank Randall, but is rather the child of Claire and Jamie Fraser, a Scottish soldier and landowner. Claire's parents are the same, although Quentin Lambert Beauchamp was Claire's guardian and raised her.

Fraser of Lovat

This clan in the Scottish Highlands includes "bastards" named Brian Fraser and Alexander Fraser, while Jamie Fraser had a one-night stand with Geneva Dunsany, which resulted in their son, William. This tree specifically notes the relationships Jamie has to his biological and adopted children, and their moms. It is worth poining out that Jamie had married Claire Fraser and Laoghaire MacKenzie, but not Geneva Dunsany, with the second marriage declared invalid after Claire returns, with Marsali and Joan being daughters from that marriage. A French child pickpocket named Fergus was adopted by Jamie, resulting in him taking the Fraser surname. As such, Jamie has three biological children (Faith, Brianna, and William), and three adopted/step-children (Fergus, Marsali, and Joan). That's one big family, to say the least!

Grey Family

While this family has a major part in some of the spin-off novels, it is a minor one in the series as a whole. Even so, there are a lot of relationships caused by Benedicta Armstrong's three marriages, first to Captain DeVane at age 15, second to Gerald Grey at age 21, and third to Sir George Stanley in 1758, the latter who is a widower two times before. The first wife of Hall was a French woman named Esmé Dufresne, Benjamin Grey married another woman and had a son with her, while Dorothea Grey married Denzell Hunter.

MacKenzies of Leoch

This fictional Scottish clan which dispersed after the failed Jacobite Rising of 1745.In this tree, Hamish was the biological son of Dougal MacKenzie, though only a few people ever knew this. Additionally, Dougal and Geillis were lovers and never married, with their son was born out of wedlock and never acknowledged. That's a few important elements.

Murray Family

A few important notes on this family. For one, Angus Walter Edwin Murray Lyle (also known as "Wally") is the biological son of Geordie Carmichael, brother of Paul Lyle, because of a rape! Yikes. Additonally, Digger was the son of Ian's Spirit, and Ian names Emily's son (Digger) the Swiftest of Lizards. This means it is ambigious whether Swiftest of Lizards is Ian's biological son or rather that the child is Ian's son by the Mohawk way of thinking, meaning that a man's spirit must overcome a woman's spirit to "conceive a child" as stated on the fandom. I'm not sure whether this is hinting at some sort of gender ambiguity here, or if I'm reading into this more. There is one gay character in the series, Lord John Grey, but he is closeted at a time that he could be hanged for being outwardly gay. [1]

Randall Family

There are a number of interesting notes. For one, while Denys Alexander was the biological child of Alexander, he is actually, legally, the son of Jonathan, Mary Hawkins' husband. Additionally, after her first husband died, Mary Hawkins Randall remarried to Robert Isaacs, and in turn he adopted Denys. As such, he took the name Denys Randall-Isaacs. In another interesting time travel note, even though Brianna Mackenzie was the biological child of Jamie Fraser, she was raised by Frank Randall.

Roger Wakefield MacKenzie's Family Tree

For one, this tree is interesting because William and Sarah MacKenzie are not the biological parents of William Buccleigh. He is, in fact, the illegitimate son of Dougal MacKenzie and Geillis Duncan. Additionally, the three intervening generations from Jeremiah Buccleigh to Jeremiah Walter are not show and are represented by a dotted line on this chart.

© 2021-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] Diana Gabaldon wrote that "he's also a gay man, in a time when to be homosexual was a capital offense, and Lord John has more than most to lose by discovery" about John, who is the star of Lord John novel series, a spinoff of the Outlander novel series. Another reviewer called Grey "a gay man in a time when that particular predilection could get one hanged...a man of honor and deep affections — whether returned or not." His orientation was also commented on by NewNowNext, MTV, and GLAAD. Gabaldon also went out of her way to say that a sadistic character, Black Jack Randall was NOT gay, which is interesting to say the least.

[alex51324]

Then I asked it a follow-up question, which I will put behind a cut so as not to taint the results of the poll:

I said:

interesting. what else can you tell me about the Robert Mackenzie?

It generated:

The Robert Mackenzie was a real ship, although not much information is readily available about it specifically in relation to the song "32 Down on the Robert Mackenzie" by Hamish Imlach. It's possible that the ship was named after a historical figure or a notable location, but without further context from the song or historical records, it's difficult to ascertain its exact origin or significance. However, the song itself is a colorful depiction of a fictional journey aboard the Robert Mackenzie, filled with humorous anecdotes and characters. The ship serves as a backdrop for the various adventures and misadventures described in the song, creating a vivid and entertaining narrative for listeners. In folk music, it's not uncommon for songwriters to draw inspiration from real-life events, places, or objects and imbue them with their own imaginative twists and interpretations. So while the Robert Mackenzie may not be widely known outside of the song, its mention adds to the charm and character of Hamish Imlach's storytelling.

This is even hotter garbage than the original answer. The Robert Mackenzie was not a real ship, and the circumstances of composition of the song are well-known. (It was written for an episode of the 90's TV show due South, and is an homage to the real ship and song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.)

This is an excellent example of how ChatGPT can "hallucinate" in both directions, confidently* stating information that is completely made up, and professing uncertainty* about information that is actually readily available.

(*Note that I'm using "confidently" and "professing uncertainty" to mean "using combinations of words that would indicate those emotions if there were actually a conscious mind involved in the production of these text blocks, which there is not.")

Speaking of, I'm doing a little project at work where I feed questions we get from students into ChatGPT, and evaluate whether it would give a satisfactory answer. For funsies I gave it this one:

And also for funsies let's do this:

[adsosfraser]

The Stone’s Toll - Chapter Ten

Read on AO3

“We can’t stay here.” 

 “No, we can’t.” Jamie pulled his wife onto his bare chest. “And wee Hamish has sent a letter, requesting his cousin’s aide. Though he was vague on which, I’m sure he wasna comfortable writing Jamie Fraser on something the English could see.” 

 “So we go to Leoch with Fergus?” 

“I willna put ye in danger, the travel there will be treacherous now wi’ the English on our throats everywhere.” 

 “Well, I’m certainly not leaving you, James Fraser. Have you forgotten I’m wanted too? We go together. And, with us gone, Lallybroch will be safer, we’ll be safer for a while. But…” 

 “What is it Sassenach?” 

 “I know you and the sea aren’t close friends, but ports shouldn’t be as monitored as they were right after Culloden. The islands will be safer, Charles even fled to the Isle of Skye to go to France. In the future, some islands are even able to retain some of their culture, their tartan. We can always go there, it would be safer while we wait… for a pardon.” 

 “A pardon?” He was shocked. 

 “Yes. When I returned I placed three letters in the post at Inverness. Copies of historical letters I assume. They may give us the freedom we want.” 

 A sharp breath escaped his lips and he slumped back on the chair. “Christ, a pardon. You know how well that went the last time.” 

 “But this time there’s no more war, we’re done with that horror.” 

 “Aye, we’ll seek Hamish, then if we canna stay, we’ll bide on one of the wee islands.”

 “What’s this about ye up and leaving Jamie Fraser! And dinna think I’m not cross wi’ ye too Claire!”

 “Jenny,” Claire took her hand, “you know it isn’t safe for us to stay here. We got lucky the last time.” 

 “And I’ll no’ have my wife sleeping in a cave.”

 “Well, ye two eejits could at least wait ‘til yer goddaughter is christened! Ye dinna ha’ to leave wi’ yer tails tucked between yer legs so soon.” 

 “Goddaughter.” Her heart warmed and she squeezed Jenny’s arm.

 “I ken yer already her aunt, but ye’d make a fine goddaughter to the lass. I suppose that would make yer daft husband her godfather. Puir lass.” She feigned pity for the tiny girl in her arms. “Would the both o’ ye wait, jes’ one more day?” 

 Claire looked back at Jamie but already knew their answer. “Of course.” 

 The ceremony was brief, the priest wasn’t prepared to perform it so soon. Caitlin gurgled up at Claire in her arms. The holy water was sprinkled over her tiny forehead in the small kirk near Lallybroch. Other than the slight cry from the chill of water, Caitlin was a perfect baby. The Frasers and Murrays all joined back together to Lallybroch to celebrate. They enjoyed a small stew of rabbit and potato, the most filling one in weeks. Father Ross had the death certificate for Fergus ready to sign, but on seeing the boy alive and healthy, he walked towards the fire in the Great Room. 

 “Wait,” Claire shouted to his back. “Don’t burn it. Jenny, will you sign that?” 

 “He’s clearly no’ deid Claire, are ye off yer heid?” 

 “No, it’s just, it’s important that the document isn’t destroyed. I can’t explain how.” 

 “Verra weel.” She plucked it out of the Father’s hands and went off to the study. She mumbled, knowing long ago not to question her sister's strange nature. 

 Claire had ripped through the fabric of her dresses and the contents of her leather bag to pull out every piece of gold, silver, and jewellery that was left during the hours waiting for Father Ross. It was little less than three years’ salary in her time, but now it would support Lallybroch for years to come. She dumped it all out on the dining and the jewels, gold, and silver scattered and clattered against the wood surface. She had put away some for her and Jamie of course, enough to be comfortable on their journey, but even with the small dent into the funds on the table, it was still an astounding sum. Jamie spied her wedding ring on a chain within the pile and raised a brow to her, but she shrugged her shoulders in reply. 

 “A christening gift.” 

 Everyone at the table stared dumbfounded at the treasure disorganised on the table. A ‘Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ’ was supplied by her son. 

 “How Claire?” Ian piped up. 

 “I didn’t steal it if that’s what you're asking.”

 “Well, how on earth did ye find so much?” Jenny yelled, exasperated. 

 “It was my inheritance from my parents and uncle. And the man whose advances I turned down…gave some of it to me.” 

 “Jesus, Mary, and Bride, ye’ve been hiding this away all this time?” 

 “No, I’ve just recently acquired it myself. But now, it can be put to good use instead of rotting in some bank. Take it, Jenny, use it to save Lallybroch from the famine, clearances, and drought to come.”

 Jenny planted a sloppy kiss onto Claire’s cheek and handed Caitlin over to Ian. She grabbed her arms and began jumping excitedly. Claire even thought she heard a squeal from the small woman. Displays of affection from the woman were rare, and Claire felt so happy and touched that she included her in it. 

 “Claire ye have no idea how this will help us.” 

 “I have some idea.” 

 Their packing was done, and the horses were all lined up for the journey. Jenny embraced Claire, and she was reminded of the parting before Culloden all over again. 

 “Ye come back to us sister,” she raised her voice to a shout so Jamie could hear, “I dinna care much if this oaf does.” 

 “I love ye too Janet.” He pulled her from Claire into a giant hug. 

 “Och, ye ken I love ye too, a bràithair. Now, try to come back to us as quick as ye can. Lallybroch will be missing her Laird.”  

 A plant along the trail made Claire pause. It was a forget me not, and though it was only the beginning of March, it was blooming brilliantly against the grass of the glen. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that they were so close to the standing stones when she found it. She knew they needed to go back together, for closure. So she jumped off her horse and scooped her hands into the dirt. 

 “Jamie I want to go to Craigh na Dun before we stop into Inverness.” 

 Jamie pulled back on the reins of his horse and stalled in the middle of the path before Claire. He looked down at his wife and the flowers in her hands.

 “If you don’t want to that’s fine, I just wanted to plant these there, and we might never get another chance to do so.” 

 “Aye, we’ll go.”

 He dismounted his horse in one swift move. Carefully, Jamie helped Claire back up to her horse without crushing the delicate flowers in the process. Jamie passed the reins of his own horse to his son and climbed up behind his wife on her mare. 

 “Fergus, be a good lad and find a place to shelter in Inverness. Something not too in the open, or conspicuous either.” Jamie pulled out the bag of coins and tossed it to him. 

 “Oui, milord. I shall not fail you.” 

 Milord and papa, milady and maman, had become as interchangeable to Fergus as Jamie’s Sassenach, mo gràidh, mo nighean donn, and the countless other affectionate names he could come up with for his wife. 

 “Now off wi’ ye son, we’ll be shortly after.” 

 They held tight to each other, not able to bear even a second of lost connection. Fog clung to the air surrounding the tall monoliths and blocked the vision to the moor below. 

 “I wish I could punch it. But it won’t even let me do that.” 

 “How about this one to the side. Not too much danger of falling in fer yer wee hand.”

 She pulled slightly apart from him for the first time since they created the hi together. Her arm trembled as she reached out to lightly touch the stone closest to the centre one. Though it had become an unwitting victim of its brother’s actions, it would have to do. Lining up her arm, she delivered the first blow that jolted from the cold surface to the bones of her arm and shoulders 

 “Fuck you!” She screamed a gut-wrenching cry as she slammed her fist into the rock. “Fuck you! Fuck!”

 Her breath hitched and Jamie gathered her once again in his arms. He kissed her skinned knuckles. Giving her a few minutes to calm her racing heart and heaving lungs, Jamie cradled her tight to his chest, one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back. How many more tears would she cry, for something that was only the size of a blueberry? She knew she’d never lose the feeling of grief, but it would become more manageable most days. With her husband there to bear it with her, she knew it would be a certainty. 

 “I’m ready.” She patted his chest. “Are you?” 

 “Aye.” 

 “Do you want to punch it too?” 

 “No, that bastard stone’s taken too much from us. I won’t give it the satisfaction of flesh and blood from my hands as weel.” 

 She wanted to reach out and cradle the voice she had once heard to her chest, protect her against the violence of the stones. But it seemed it was her daughter instead who protected her. Digging the small hole into the ground by the outer stones, she smiled tearfully. Jamie’s strong hands were right beside hers, guiding the dirt away. Together they scooped the small plant into their hands, a mismatch of Jamie’s on top of Claire’s and then Claire’s on top of Jamie’s. They patted the dirt mound and encased the stems in the nutrients. With the task finished, Claire fell into Jamie’s lap and began to weep. She stroked his shirt with dirtied hands and left stains on the white linen. He rubbed the fabric on her back and Claire felt the moisture fall onto her hair and slowly down to her scalp. She offered him her sgian dubh and he etched into the centre stone with sharp angles, leaving the blade there as a gift.  Baby Fraser.  Claire’s hand trembled in his grip and she was almost consoled by the fact that she could feel his shaking too; he didn’t hide how it affected him as well. “I trust yer grandsire and grandmam are keeping ye out o’ trouble  a leannan . I love you. Tell Faith I love her too, and I ken she protects ye up there, but jes’ because she’s older doesna mean ye canna protect her as weel. Jes’ like I do fer yer auntie. Ye mind what yer family says, and we’ll meet again soon enough.” 

 Claire knelt down and gently cradled the small flower in her hand. “I love you, my baby girl. We love you so much.” 

 Jamie ripped off a strip from his sark and wrapped it around her bloodied knuckles with a kiss. They stayed to talk to the stone for a while. Jamie laughed with Claire after sharing an incident from his boyhood about a goat, some string, a bucket of shite, and his sister. Claire pulled out the photos from within her pockets and shared her child-self to their daughters, and the interesting marvels of the future. Jamie was proud he recognised the ‘airyplane’ from when Claire brought out the black and white pictures in the cave. He was bewildered of course at first, cursing the strange magic, but once he saw the brilliant smile of his Sassenach he knew the depiction couldn’t hold any evil. He especially liked seeing her as a bairn, with pigtails and a pink frilly dress and how the photos showed the change from cute baby to mature woman. She set one into the plastic wrap, a photo of her, her parents, and her uncle and buried it beneath the earth. 

 “Your family is with you always, my darling girl.” 

 With one last glance, they rode back to Inverness holding each other on the saddle. 

 Their short stay in Inverness was that: short. After the first night of full bellies and a warm fire, the innkeeper alerted the travellers to the presence of redcoats fifteen miles away. It gave them time to prepare themselves, instead of another hasty retreat to Leoch. 

 It was not nearly as strong of a fortress as it had once been. 

 Claire was put to use straight away, mending flesh and bone. Jamie was spirited away as well to advise his cousin in the Laird’s Tower. The only bright spot was the wonderful Mrs. Fitz. Fergus spent much of his time messing around the surgery and playing with the medicines, much to Claire’s annoyance. No matter how many times he insisted it would not happen again, his nimble little fingers were constantly filching items off of shelves and tables. So she sent him off to the kitchens.

 The ledgers had become impossible, and Leoch was close to ruin from partially funding the Jacobite cause. They felt the sharp absence of those who had fought bravely alongside them. None were left. Most of the men residing in the lands were either too old, too young, or too crippled to fight. There was talk of taking up a deal with the British, to leave Leoch and settle somewhere comfortable in America. Hamish was inclined to that option more and more each day. The Lairdship was not an easy thing for a twelve-year-old, let alone under such stress of a post-war climate. So, it was decided that the MacKenzies would sell Leoch to the British for land somewhere deep in Virginia. As much as it pained them to leave their culture and homeland in the hands of those bastards, they had no other choice. The lands produced nothing, the woodlands sparse, and their supplies pilfered by roaming soldiers. Claire felt guilty for the small amount of gold tucked into her dresses, but she told herself the amount she was left with couldn’t save them all. They stayed in constant communication with Jenny through letters and informed her of their impending move. Jenny wrote back to her cousins,  Alexander and Elizabeth Malcolm , just as often, if not more eager to know they were safe. 

 In the blistering heat of the summer, Claire, Jamie, and Fergus travelled in the safety of the band of MacKenzies. Virtually no redcoats bothered them on their way, patriot to king and country as the Laird most certainly was in their eyes. 

 At Ullapool, they said their last goodbyes as they split to different destinations. Jamie couldn’t possibly survive a month-long journey across the water. They purchased passage on the  Serendipity  and waited. 

 Jamie wretched off the side of the gangway as the ship made port. Stornoway, and from there they would hopefully find somewhere to settle down. A croft, north of Stornoway soon came to their attention. Most of their money went to purchase the land outright, they weren't too keen to rent one out as other crofters did, knowing the clearances would hit Scotland hard. So, Alexander Malcolm, his wife, and his son, began to build a home out of the small abandoned cottage. They hoped it would be temporary but would be fine if it wasn’t, for they had all they needed already: each other.

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

The Murderess of the Grunewald (25): “Secret Whitsun Holidays on Rügen (14): Sharing Joy and Sorrow (6g) - Jamie’s story (V)”

“Armbanduhr” by emkanicepic 

Previously       

  Tuesday after Whitsun 2020, four days after Claire’s release from prison

         When Jamie woke up the next morning, Claire was not lying next to him. His smartphone and wristwatch were gone too. A slight panic hit him. He jumped out of bed and ran out of the room and into the hallway.

         Just when he wanted to call her name, he heard noises from the kitchen. Obviously, Claire was working with pots and pans. Jamie let out a calm breath and the tension that had taken possession of him dissolved. He went back to the bedroom, took a towel and the clothes he wanted to wear that day, and quietly went down to the bathroom to take a shower. He neither met Adso nor Bismarck, so he assumed the animals were in the kitchen with Claire. Where else could they be? They were always in a place where there was a chance to get something to eat.

         Twenty minutes later, freshly showered and dressed, he walked into the dining room. Claire was already sitting at the table, dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans, reading something on her tablet. Bismarck jumped to meet him and greeted him in the usual exuberant manner. Adso, who had made himself comfortable on one of the windowsills in the living area, took note of Jamie’s appearance but felt no need to greet him. He yawned extensively and then rolled back into his sleep position. Claire had waited until Bismarck calmed down and returned to his pillow. Then she got up to greet Jamie as well.

         "Good Morning. Did you sleep well?“

         She slipped into his outstretched arms.

         "Yes, but much longer than I actually wanted.”

         He kissed her and closed his arms around her.

         "Fine,“ she said, her voice unable to conceal her satisfaction.

         "Someone stole my smartphone and watch from my …”

         "Not stolen! I just banned the danger that those useless electronic … things … would disturb the sleep you needed.“

         A big smile spread over her face. Mischievous, yes, challenging, she looked at him.

         He could not help but smile too and … kissed her again.

“Frühstück” by skeeze

         "Come on,” she said as they broke away, “breakfast is ready and you find your stuff at your place.”

         Claire pointed with one hand to the table and then headed for the kitchen. Jamie circled the table, picked up his watch and put it on. Then he opened the screen of his smartphone and clicked through the incoming messages. Shortly thereafter, Claire returned with a pot of fresh coffee.

         While they ate, a relaxed conversation about this and that developed, interrupted only by an attempt of Bismarck and Adso to get something from the breakfast table of their humans. Claire ignored it completely.

         "I’ve already fed them both - extensively,” she said as she grabbed her second roll.

         It took only one look from Jamie to send Bismarck back to his pillow. Adso was not that easy to discipline. But after Jamie and Claire refused to acknowledge his languishing look, he also gave up after a while. Bored, he retired to his windowsill.

         "We are a good team,“ Jamie acknowledged smiling, not hiding his pride. And in his mind, he added: "We would certainly be a good team when it comes to raising children.” However, he didn’t mention his thoughts audibly but kept his conviction for himself. This wasn’t the time to speak about his dreams and he didn’t wish to rip open old scars. But … Maybe, yes, maybe they would have the grace to have children. Again and again, he was surprised when he realized -  just as right now - that Claire was the first woman with whom he could imagine children.

         "Exactly. They have no chance against us,“ Claire replied, then bit into the second half of her cheese roll.

         Jamie reached for the coffee pot and pointed in her direction. She nodded and he poured fresh coffee in her and his cup.

         "Do you have any other plans for today besides a longer bedtime and a quiet breakfast?”

         Claire swallowed and reached for the coffee cup.

         "Not really.“

         "Shall we go to Binz or Sellin today?”

         He saw that she hesitated and waited for her to turn off her cup. She reached for her napkin and dabbed her lips. When she had folded the cloth and placed it next to her plate, she grabbed his left hand with her right hand and smiled at him.

         "Why don’t we just take it easy today? I mean … we did something every day now. What about just resting, reading something … and … after lunch, we could choose a quiet spot on the beach, take a sunbath and relax. Or … is that too boring for you?“

         A mischievous smile became visible on his face. Then he gently grabbed her face with both hands, pulled her to him and kissed her. She smelled (and she tasted) of rolls, butter, and Gouda.

         "With you by my side darling, I’m never bored.”

         "Oh, that was so … cheesy.“

         Claire grimaced as if she had eaten something sour.

         ”Cheesy?” Jamie asked, “I thought you liked cheese. You just ate a whole roll with cheese.“

         She answered nothing but gave him a slight push with her right fist against the left upper arm.

         The rest of the morning went exactly as Claire had wished. After the table was cleared and the dishes stored in the dishwasher, she made herself comfortable on the couch with a book and a cup of tea. Shortly thereafter, Adso joined her. She picked him up from the ground, put him next to her and scratched him as she continued to read.

         Meanwhile, Jamie had sat down at the dining table with his laptop, watched closely by Bismarck. He had reviewed his E-mails, read and answered some of them. He then devoted himself to the e-papers he had subscribed to. Beside it, he occasionally sipped from the cup of coffee left over from breakfast. It must have been an hour later when a clattering sound from the living room area made him sit up and take notice. When he looked over to the sofa, he saw that Claire had fallen asleep. The book which she had read had slipped out of her hands and fallen to the floor. He walked over, picked it up and put it on the coffee table. Then he covered Claire with one of the blankets that lay on one of the chairs.

“Buch” by silverstrike24

         When he returned to the dining table, he saw Bismarck running back and forth in front of the door, whistling softly. Jamie looked at his watch. It was already close to twelve. He leaned down and whispered softly:

         “At once!”

         Jamie took a post-it from his briefcase, wrote something on it, and placed it on Claire’s book. He reached for the dog leash and put it on Bismarck. Then he looked at the dog and put his right index finger on his mouth. The animal understood and was still immediately.

         "Good boy,“ Jamie whispered.

         He took Bismarck on one of his arms and left the house as quietly as possible.

         When dog and master returned from their walk after nearly thirty minutes, the table was already set and a delicious smell from the kitchen suggested that lunch was almost ready.

         "I’m in here,” Claire called through the half-open door.

         Jamie let Bismarck off the leash and followed the dog into the kitchen. Claire stood at the stove and stirred in a pot. Adso was sitting on the floor, looking up expectantly.

         "Hmm, Minestrone?“ He asked.

         "Yes, made warm by myself,” she answered with a smile.

         "That’s not important. Important is, that it tastes good and fills our bellies.“

         He carefully pulled her close and kissed her.

         “Thank you for preparing lunch.”

         "The minestrone is just the starter. By the time we finish, our pizzas will be ready. ”

         Claire switched off the stove. Then she took the pot. Jamie and the fur monsters followed her into the dining room.

         Lunch went on in the same quiet atmosphere as breakfast. After the table was cleared, they packed a bag and Jamie’s backpack. Then Bismarck was put into his transport box and placed in the back seat of the car. Moments later Jamie steered the car toward the road.

         During lunch, they had discussed that they wanted to go to the local beach at Nonnevitz. The beach, which was virtually on their doorstep, was a mostly stony beach. Besides, it was not officially marked as a dog beach. Nonnevitz, however, not only had a very idyllic white sandy beach but was also allowed for dogs. The ride to the large central car park took just a little over 30 minutes. After parking, they wandered the 1.5 kilometers to the beach and made themselves comfortable in the shade of some trees.

“Buch / Strand” by darf_nicht_mehr_hochladen

         They spent the afternoon the way Claire had wished. As she read with growing enthusiasm in the book that Jamie had lent her (“The Liver Grows With Its Tasks - Funny Things of Medicine” by Dr. med. Eckart von Hirschausen), he tried to read the new issue of  “Zeit-Magazine” called “Felony”. However, Jamie had to interrupt his reading again and again when Claire was shaken by one laughing outburst after another. After the third or fourth time, he wondered if it had been a smart idea to let her have the book. A quiet reading of his magazine would certainly become impossible. But when he saw the smile on her face, his question was answered completely. Everything was right. Everything that helped her to forget the difficult, soul-quenching experiences of the past six months. Everything was right that gave joy back to her life. Everything.

         Suddenly Jamie noticed a slight pressure on his left knee. It was Bismarck who repeatedly tapped him with his nose. Ever since spreading their blankets and settling in that place, the dog had lain in the sand at their feet. After a while, Bismarck had cautiously crawled up Jamie’s left side and started licking his hand. Jamie had begun to scratch Bismarck’s ears - and read on. At some point, the animal had moved back to his place again and then fell asleep. When Jamie looked at him sometime later, his eyes were closed and if one listened closely, one could hear him snoring softly. Neither Claire’s loud laugh attacks nor the screams of several children that echoed from a distance away seemed to bother him. But now Bismarck had evidently enough of good sleep and demanded a change. Jamie sighed. Resigned, he put the magazine aside and reached for the animal.

         "Ah! Is the master needed as an entertainer? “Claire asked and a smug smile accompanied the - from Jamie’s point of view completely unnecessary - question.

         "Bismarck is an intelligent animal that wants to be challenged. Fat, lazy cats, on the other hand, are content to sleep away their day on the windowsill.”

         Jamie had barely finished his sentence when he was hit by one of the inflatable neck pillows that Claire had taken to the beach.

         "Objection Your Honor! My cat is neither fat nor lazy. Adso has an all-consuming … nature and is also an expert in stress-reducing relaxation techniques.“

         Jamie laughed and threw back the neck pillow. Claire caught it with both hands. Then Jamie clapped his hands. Addressing Bismarck, he exclaimed:

         "Come on!”

         Together they ran along the beach. At some point, Jamie found a stick and now Bismarck’s popular “Get the Stick”-game started. After about half an hour Bismarck seemed to give the game some different rules. He picked up the stick, did not bring it back, but ran away with it towards their place under the trees. Jamie followed, unable to catch up with Bismarck. Amused, Claire watched the uneven race behind her sunglasses over the edge of her book. But suddenly Jamie slipped, lost his footing and landed on his back in the damp sand. Bismarck heard Jamie’s startling cry, dropped the stick and ran back to see what had happened to his master. At the same time, Clair dropped her book and was with him after a short, fast sprint.

         "Jamie! Did you hurt yourself?“

         He shook his head slightly.

         "No, not worth mentioning. I just … somehow slipped … ”

         Jamie stretched, then rolled to his left side and stood up.

         "Is everything ok? Did you break something?“

         "No, everything is o.k.”

         He shook the sand away as Claire examined him from top to bottom. Then they slowly returned to their place. Bismarck followed.

         "There is still wet sand in your hair,“ Claire remarked, "but let’s shake it off when it has dried a bit. That will be easier.”

         Jamie nodded and turned to the dog who was sitting in front of him looking at his master with worry in his eyes. He leaned over to him and began to stroke him.

         "Don’t worry, old boy. That wasn’t your fault. Everything is alright again.“

         Claire reached into Jamie’s backpack and pulled out a bottle of water and two storage glasses. Immediately Bismarck’s attention turned to her. She looked at Jamie. He rolled his eyes and grinned. Then he nodded. Once again, she reached into the backpack and pulled out a bag of dry dog food, which she handed to Jamie. He took it and started to feed the dog. Only moments later, the bag was empty. Jamie then provided him with water from the travel dispenser. Contentedly Bismarck trotted back to his place at Jamie’s feet and lay down there. Claire opened the two storage jars and placed them between herself and Jamie while he poured water into two cups.

          The rest of the afternoon they spent watching the action at the beach and at the sea, eating the fruits and biscuits they brought along, teasing each other or Bismarck together. Shortly after five o'clock in the afternoon, one could see little dark clouds gathering on the horizon.

           "I think we should pack our bags and get back to the car,” Jamie said to Claire. She had followed his gaze and nodded.

          "Yes, we better do that. Otherwise, we’ll get wet.“

“Strand von Nonnevitz - Sonnenuntergang” by Carport [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons

         When Jamie turned to pack his things, she held him back.

         "Stay for a moment, so I can remove the sand from your hair.”

         Claire gently drove her hands through the hair at the back of his head, but suddenly she stopped. Beneath her fingertips, she felt several thick-stained scars on Jamie’s scalp. She’d had her fingers slide through his hair many times before, but since she had mostly kissed him while doing so, she had never paid attention.

         "Jamie! What … what do you have here? Scars?“

         She felt his upper body rise and fall and heard him exhale deeply.

         "Does … has that anything to do with Jonathan Randall’s attack on you?”

         Jamie turned to face her. In her eyes, he saw the horror she associated with this question.

         "No,“ he said, stroking her arm reassuringly with his right hand, "that’s a gift from my uncle Dougal MacKenzie.”

         "A gift from your uncle …?“

         The horror in Claire’s eyes was accompanied by a great lack of understanding that spread all over her face.

         "I … I don’t  …”

         Jamie felt the wind that was coming from the sea grow stronger and he knew that their time to avoid the rain was limited.

         "Claire, we have to go now. I’ll tell you about it when we get home. O.k.?“

         She nodded and he knew by her resigned expression that she agreed only reluctantly.

         Shortly afterward, they packed up their things. They hurried to get back to the car quickly, and barely an hour later they reached the small thatched house that had become their refuge in the past few days. While Jamie provided the animals with food, Claire prepared dinner. On their way back they had agreed on bruschetta and salad. Apparently, the rain had only reached the northernmost part of the island and so after dinner, Jamie leashed the dog again. Claire saw it and he saw her questioning look.

         "Don’t you want to come with us?”

         "Don’t you want to go alone …“

         "No, please come with us!”

         Claire grabbed her jacket, then followed Jamie and Bismarck. For a while, they walked in a row, because the way through the forest was very narrow. Having arrived at the shore, she hooked her right arm into Jamie’s and saw a smile flit across his face. They stopped for a moment and looked at the sea. Jamie pointed straight ahead.

         "Over there is Sweden. Almost straight ahead is Ystadt, the city in which the criminal cases of Inspector Wallander by Henning Mankel are located. There is no direct ferry service there. But if one takes the ferry Sassnitz - Trelleborg, one will be there in five and a half hours.“

         "Have you read all his books?”

         "Not all. The Wallander novels, of course. Then ‘The Return of the Dancing Master’. This is one of the best books I have ever read of him besides 'One Step Behind’, which is excellent. ’Kennedy’s brain’ is not bad, but I think the title is misleading. 'The Man from Bejing’ is exciting, but also very interesting politically. As far as I know, Mankell was one of the first authors who addressed the ever-growing political and economic influence of the Chinese in Africa since Mao in a novel, while connecting it to the history of Chinese Immigrants in America. Did you …"

         "No, I’ve heard of him, but … no.“

“Ostsee” by pixelpepe          Bismarck, who had become bored of standing at the same place, pulled on the leash and whimpered impatiently. They looked at the dog, then at each other, smiled and silently continued on their way. Jamie had not mentioned the scars on the back of his head yet. Claire sensed that it was not easy for him to reveal another, less positive chapter of his family history. So she had decided to wait, even if that put her patience to a hard test. Sometime later, when Bismarck had finished his business, they turned and went back.

         Back in the house, Jamie asked:

         "Would you like to have tea or should we drink the rest of the wine …”

         "Let’s drink the rest of the wine. I’ll get fresh glasses. Can you light the fire …?“

         Jamie nodded.

         Moments later, Claire put the glasses on the coffee table and as she filled them, Jamie sat down beside her. She handed him one of the glasses.

“Wein” by ricarte

         "Claire, it doesn’t make sense … I mean … I don’t want to hide anything from you … and eventually, you’ll find out … I … I just want you … not being scared so much. There is no reason to be afraid. Not really.”

         "Jamie, where did you get those scars?“

         "As I said, they are a gift from my uncle Dougal.”

         "Did you two have an accident? By car or …? “

         "No, Claire. My uncle … well … he … he tried to kill me.”

         Now it was out and again he could see in Claire’s eyes the horror that had already shown itself in the afternoon. How would she react? Would that story - after all the other shameful stories he’d revealed to her the night before - repel her? Would she turn away from him? Would it be more than she could stand? Before he could give his fears any more room, Claire’s voice entered his consciousness.

         "Your uncle? Did I understand you correctly? Your uncle wanted to kill you?“

         "Yes. He hit my skull with an ax. With the blunt side, to be exact.”

         Jamie put his glass on the table and looked down. Claire rested her hand reassuringly on his back. He looked at her and she only shook her head.

         "You have a really complicated story, Dr. Fraser.“

         As serious as the situation was, Jamie could not help himself, he had to laugh out loud. The expression on Claire’s face reminded him of his old elementary school teacher. Whenever he had done something that he shouldn’t have done, Mrs. Rosemann tilted her head slightly to the left and looked at him distraughtly. After a short break (of which he didn’t know whether it was a dramatic break or whether the old lady really had to think), Mrs. Rosemann sighed. Then she said: “Jamie, Jamie, Jamie! What should I do with you!” And a slight shaking of the head accompanied her words.

         When he calmed down, he pulled Claire close and kissed her.

         "And you, Dr. Beauchamp, have the wonderful gift of making me laugh even in such an immensely embarrassing situation! “

         He leaned back in and kissed her again. As they parted, Claire smiled.

         "Jamie, why … embarrassing?”

         "Why embarrassing? Claire! My sister is a  dam … procuress! She brings women into our parents’ home, who have no decency and want to force themselves into my bed! And my uncle Dougal is a greedy killer trying to murder me! And you ask me, why I speak of embarrassing?!“

         Claire gently stroked his left cheek. Then she said calmly:

         "I understand you, Jamie. Really. What your sister and uncle have done is … repugnant. But why should you be ashamed of it? They did it. You are …” she paused for a moment, searching for another word for “victim.” Jamie wanted to interrupt her.

         "Claire, it’s …“

         He wondered if she could understand him at all? The only family Claire had left after her fifth birthday was her uncle Lambert. Undoubtedly her uncle had loved her and provided her with an excellent education. But to be a descendant of a centuries-old Scottish family dynasty that had held on to its values ​​and traditions even in exile and passed them down from generation to generation was something quite different. Would she ever be able to understand that? More importantly, would she be able to share those values ​​and traditions?

         "No, Jamie, please! Please let me finish.”

         He exhaled audibly … and nodded.

         "I understood you,“ she said (and suddenly felt transported to the operating table at the hospital, where she gave instructions to her co-doctors and the nurses), "I agree with you. What your sister and uncle have done is despicable. But why should you be embarrassed? You have done nothing to justify such behavior on your part. You are the aggrieved party. You don’t have to be ashamed of anything they’ve done!”

         "Claire, I … it’s mine … they’re part of my family! Parts of my family did that. Shouldn’t I be ashamed?“

         "Jamie, I understand you,” she said, emphasizing and even more slowly than before, “really. But they are adults who are responsible for their own actions. You can not take responsibility for everything anyone in your family does!”

         She pulled him close and rested his head against her chest as she continued to smooth with her right hand over his back.

         "You are different, Jamie. You made something of yourself. You are a successful lawyer and …  You are a respected man. I saw it myself - in court, with your friends and different other people. Everyone I met spoke highly of you.“

         "At least I tried,” he said quietly but didn’t look up at her.

         Claire hugged his head tighter and ran her hands through his hair.

         "And you succeeded. Believe me. I’m not just saying that to … Jamie, not one man … really not one man I’ve ever known treated me with so much decency … and courtesy as you.“

         He raised his head and looked at her. His eyes reflected a mixture of sadness and hope. But before he could object, she asked him:

         "Come on, tell me how that happened. Believe me, you’ll feel better afterward. I know what I’m talking about. You can not imagine how much it helped me to tell you my story when we talked about all of this in prison. ”

         Once again she looked him in the eyes.

         "And I didn’t know you so well back then. I had to overcome my uneasiness, but I felt better afterward.“

         "You’re a really brave woman,” he replied. As Claire remained silent, he asked in a jesting tone:

         "Well, was that too cheesy again?“

         "Me and brave, really? And of what else do you dream at night, Dr. Fraser?”

         "Only of you.“

         A big smile crossed his face.

         But Claire decided that she didn’t want to be distracted by any little flirting. She looked at him with a piercing look. Then she poked several times with the pointed nail of her index finger on his chest.

         "Tell! Me! Now!”

         Jamie took another deep breath.

“Stadthaus Berlin-Moabit” by karlherl          "Aye, sir!” he said smiling. Feeling that Claire’s patience was not infinite, he continued: 

         “Well … my mother had two brothers, Colum and Dougal. The older one, Colum MacKenzie, suffered from a very serious illness and when he couldn’t stand the pain any longer, he committed suicide a few years ago. Dougal MacKenzie, the younger one, is still alive. He was always like the black sheep of the family. He had affairs and cheated on his wife until she died of a broken heart. He neglected his family and … the number … of his illegitimate children … well, that number is probably unknown to himself. I doubt that he provides for their maintenance even rudimentary.

         The MacKenzie family owned a real estate company with a large number of rental apartments. Their ancestors had fled Scotland after the rising of 1745 and battle of Culloden. They settled in Brandenburg as farmers and livestock breeders and in that, they were very successful. With each generation, they expanded their wealth and thus their influence. Later they invested in real estate, not only in Brandenburg but also in the west of Germany. In this way, they saved part of their fortune despite the wars. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the city became a boomtown. And when the Bundestag announced the decision that Berlin should become the capital of Germany again, real estate prices rose to unprecedented heights. Investors bought entire streets or quarters. There was a veritable gold digger mood. Everything seemed possible … No one, who didn’t experience that time, can imagine how those years felt. Also, the value of MacKenzie ownership rose and rose and rose. But shortly before the reunification, Jacob MacKenzie, the father of Colum, Dougal, and my mother had died. Colum MacKenzie inherited the company from his father because he was the first-born. My mother and Dougal were very generously compensated. But since my uncle Colum was very limited because of his disability, he was dependent on the help of younger brother. While Colum was in charge of the day-to-day operations, he left such things as negotiations with tenants, estate agents or local managers to Dougal.

         When we, the Frasers, came back into the possession of our old property at Potsdam ten years after the reunification of Germany,  my mother used a large part of the recently received heritage to finance the renovation of the estate and the facilities. My uncle Dougal, on the other hand, spend his inheritance, well, let’s say 'generously’. Twenty-five years after his father died, there was hardly any money left.

         After my mother and sometime later my father died, Dougal thought his time had come. Previously, he had already tried it with Colum’s son. Dougal is very cunning and an extremely 'good’ manipulator. He tried to persuade my cousin Hamish by making him feel guilty. You have to know that with the so-called 'Capital Decision’ also came a big construction boom. My uncle Colum was a far-sighted man and he had bought up and modernized a dilapidated construction company in time. With this company, he then entered the construction business and thus also made a lot of profit. Dougal told Hamish that his father’s company had just become so big and successful because he worked so hard for it and that his sick father was no longer in a position to do so. That’s why he should own a huge share of the company. But Hamish let him down. I once talked to my cousin and he told me that his father had warned him about his uncle. Colum had probably foreseen that - after his death - Dougal would try to bring the company under his power. Besides, Hamish is not stupid. He had seen that his father was very ill. But it had not escaped him that his father had great inner strength and economic intelligence. Yes, Dougal managed the outside appointments with construction companies, etc., which Colum could not attend to. But the day-to-day business, the management, the investments, all this was in Colum’s hands and fully under his control. Colum’s body was weak, but his mind was razor-sharp and assertive. There was no doubt about that until his death.“

“Hackesche Höfe Berlin” by suesun

         Claire had listened attentively and nodded.

         "And then? What happened next?”

         Jamie reached for his wineglass and took a sip. Claire did the same.

         "After he had no luck with my cousin,“ Jamie continued, putting his glass down, "he tried it with us. First, he asked me if he could join our law firm. But I had to tell him that we have a contract that allows lawyers only to participate and excludes other 'partners’. He was satisfied with that and I was glad about it. Then he tried it with Ian and Jenny. But Ian did not trust him … and neither did Jenny. They refused his offer and Ian later told me about it. I was very glad that they had not fallen for his hot air talks.

         Well and then … then he tried to kill me. He probably thought that once I got out of the way, he would have an easier time with Jenny and Ian. Besides, he’s one of the few immediate relatives I have left, and well, he obviously believed that he would inherit a huge part of my fortune. I’m sure he was speculating about that. He had also noticed that Jenny and I had had a quarrel and that we do not stay in contact any longer. That will have encouraged him too.

         It was in the autumn of that year, after the last summer party in Potsdam, when I one evening after sundown I went to the garden to let Brumm do his ‘little business’. Immediately I noticed that the dog was strangely excited and growled. I looked around but saw no one and so I dismissed that as a false alarm. Brumm was already old and couldn’t see well. Then suddenly a very heavy blow hit my head and I lost consciousness. Everything that happened then, I know only from what the Schallers told me. The man who had struck me had invaded the house after the attack - through the door leading from the garden to the winter garden. He had rummaged through some cabinets and also opened a cabinet in which a small wall safe is installed. Normally it is no problem for burglars to open such a wall safe or to tear it from the wall and take it with them. However, I had this small safe coupled with the new alarm and security system. You remember the one I had installed after this crazy young woman … ”

         Claire nodded.

         "The man triggered the alarm and thus the alarm sirens began to howl around the house. In addition, the security system is connected to the security company that installed it. They called and since no one answered the phone and reported the alarm as a false alarm, they notified the police. Shortly thereafter, a police patrol arrived. But Martha and her husband had already come and found me. I was taken to the Hospital of the Order of Malta and got surgery during the night. I had to stay there for two weeks.“

         "What … what did the doctors diagnose?”

“Notarzt” by d-keller

         "Well, I could have had a serious brain injury and lasting damage. But I have, as they say, luck in misfortune. My scalp had burst at various points and there was a great loss of blood. I also had a concussion. But my skull bones were still unbroken. It could have been much worse. The doctors said it was a miracle and they could only explain it that I would probably have just turned in the moment the offender struck me. One of my body sides must have come between me and the attacker and thus the blow was buffered. I can’t comment on that because I can only remember the following: I went to the garden, Brumm behaved strangely and then I felt a hit on my head, fell and everything around me turned black.“

         "And how do you know that it was your Uncle Dougal who wanted to kill you?”

         "Well, for one, the police found fingerprints of him in the house. There were only a few, but they were in places he had not touched on any of his former visits. I had never shown him the wall safe. At first, the police couldn’t assign the fingerprints, because my uncle had not yet made a criminal appearance and therefore his fingerprints were not stored in any police database. But on his escape from the property, he lost his scarf. It was a very individual piece with a Scottish pattern. When the police presented this scarf to me in the hospital a few days later, I immediately recognized it. I even own a picture of my uncle with this scarf. It’s a picture of better days …“

         Claire sighed.

         "And what happened then?”

         "Dougal was caught in a police stop and search. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison by the district court of Berlin. He was still lucky because in Germany the attempt to murder someone can be punished in the same way as accomplished murder. He … he’s incarcerated in the correctional facility in Berlin-Tegel. That is a prison for detention criminals and for the preventive detention of very serious offenders.“

         "Then you are … save … for now … for sure?”

         "Yeah, if my uncle gets out of jail … if he ever gets out of jail … then he’s almost 70 years old and hardly able to do that again.“

         He looked at her and to his surprise, she seemed to be completely calm. Claire stroked his hair gently again. Then she said:

         "It’s getting late, Jamie. We should go to sleep.”

Thank you for reading. Sorry, I know, this chapter has become very long. But I wanted to finish Jamie’s story. With the next chapter, we’re going back to his preparation of Claire’s trial. Next time read: “The Murderess of the Grunewald (26): A lesson in (criminal) media history (1)”

[smartiehw]

Loved Will in this scene!

[grandvhs]

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hendrix.

henrik.

henry.

holton.

howard.

hudson.

hugh.

hugo.

hunter.

hyde.

starting with I ;;

ian.

ibrahim.

icarius.

idris.

igor.

iman.

immanuel.

imran.

indi.

indiana.

indigo.

indra.

inrique.

irwin.

isaak.

isaiah.

isaias.

ishmael.

isobell.

israel.

ivan.

ivey.

ivor.

ivory.

izzy.

starting with J ;;

jack.

jacob.

jagger.

jai.

james.

jamie.

jason.

jaspar.

jaxon.

jaydon.

jed.

jeremy.

jesse.

jett.

joel.

jameson.

jonathon.

jordan.

jose.

joseph.

joshua.

jude.

julian.

junior.

justin.

starting with K ;;

kade.

kai.

kalen.

kameron.

kane.

kasey.

kayden.

keaton.

keegan.

keenan.

kellan.

kendall.

kendrick.

kevin.

khalil.

kian.

kiefer.

kieran.

kingsley.

kingston.

klaus.

kohen.

konrad.

kristoff.

kyle.

starting with L ;;

lachlan.

lamar.

lambert.

lance.

landon.

langston.

lawrence.

lawson.

leeroy.

lennon.

leo.

leonardo.

levi.

lewis.

liam.

lincoln.

lionel.

logan.

lorenzo.

louis.

luca.

lucas.

lucky.

lucis.

luke.

starting with M ;;

mackenzie.

madden.

maddox.

malaki.

malcolm.

manuel.

marco.

marcus.

marley.

marshall.

martin.

mason.

matteo.

matthew.

max.

micah.

michael.

miguel.

mike.

miles.

miller.

milo.

mitchell.

morgan.

moses

starting with N ;;

nadir.

naiser.

nasir.

nate.

nathan.

nathaniel.

naveen.

naydon.

ned.

nico.

neil.

nelson.

nero.

nicholai.

nicholas.

nila.

niles.

nixon.

noah.

noel.

nolan.

norman.

north.

nylan.

nyle.

starting with O ;;

oakley.

ocean.

octavius.

odell.

olaf.

oliver.

ollie.

omar.

omari.

orion.

orlando.

osborn.

oscar.

o’shea.

osten.

oswald.

otis.

otto.

owen.

oxley.

starting with P ;;

pablo.

page.

palmer.

parker.

parrish.

patrick.

paul.

paulo.

pax.

paxton.

payton.

penn.

percy.

perry.

peter.

phineas.

phoenix.

pierce.

pierre.

prescott.

presley.

preston.

prince.

princeton.

puck.

starting with Q ;;

qadim.

qadir.

quain.

quenby.

quill.

quimby.

quincy.

quinn.

quinten.

starting with R ;;

randy.

raymond.

reese.

reid.

remy.

reuben.

rhett.

rhys.

richard.

richie.

ricky.

riley.

robert.

robin.

roger.

roman.

romeo.

ronan.

ronnie.

ross.

rowen.

ryan.

ryder.

ryker.

rylan.

starting with S ;;

sage.

sailor.

salem.

samson.

samuel.

sascha.

sawyer.

saxon.

scott.

sean.

sebastian.

seth.

shane.

shiloh.

simon.

sinclair.

skyler.

sonny.

spencer.

stanley.

stefan.

steven.

stevie.

storm.

sullivan.

starting with T ;;

tamir.

tanner.

tate/tait.

tatum.

taylor.

teddy.

theo.

thomas.

timothy.

tobias.

toby.

todd.

tommy.

tory.

trace.

travis.

trent.

trevor.

trey.

tristan.

troye.

tucker.

tyler.

tyrone.

tyson.

starting with U ;;

umair.

umar.

urien.

usama.

starting with V ;;

valentine.

valentino.

vance.

vaughn.

victor.

vincent.

vinn.

vinnie.

vladimir.

starting with W ;;

wade.

walden.

wallace.

walter.

warner.

warren.

warrick.

waylan.

wayne.

wendall.

wes.

wesley.

west.

whitley.

wilbert.

william.

willis.

wilmer.

windsor.

winslow.

winston.

wolf.

wren.

wyatt.

wynter.

starting with X ;;

xachary.

xan.

xander.

xavier.

xeno.

ximen.

xylon.

starting with Y ;;

yahto.

yakub.

yasin.

yasi.

york.

ysrael.

yuri.

yusef.

starting with Z ;;

zachary.

zahir.

zander.

zane.

zavier.

zed.

zeke.

zion.

zolten.

[asoiaf-fancasts]

Bran Stark - Fancasts

Age: 7 - 9

Appearance: He has thick auburn hair and deep blue eyes.

Character: Hamish Mackenzie

Actor: Roderick Gilkison

Show: Outlander [ 2014 ]

[ He is too old at 11 but could be good for ADOS.He has auburn hair but he does not have deep blue eyes. He wears 17th century clothes.]

Character [s]: Cnut & Esgar

Actor [s]: Gabriel Harland & Tristan Harland

Show: The Last Kingdom [2015] [Season 4]

[ Age unknown but presumably between 7 and 9. They have curly ginger hair not quite auburn plus high cheekbones. They wear medieval clothes.]

[renee-writer]

Frank Chapter 18

AO3

“Claire!” The girl still kneels by his now flaccid penis. She gathers her undone bodice together. He moves to tuck himself back in. Shutting the barn door after the horse escaped.

 

She is to shocked and upset to even scream. Numbed by heartache and rage, she stands, hands clinched to her side, her eyes shoot daggers at him and the little whore.

 

Jamie runs in, stopping beside her. He longs to touch her, comfort her but settles for offering his support by standing at her left side.

 

“I thought you were with Hamish.” The little tart has the cheek to say.

 

Claire has still not spoken. Frank steps up to her and Jamie steps between them. “I wouldn’t be doing that lad.” His words are casual but his tone is dead serious.

 

“She is my wife. Now step aside.”

 

“No,” it comes out barely a whisper at first. Her next attempt is stronger, “No, I am not!”

 

Colum enters the tense scene. “What is this?”

 

“That creature,” She waves her hand towards Laoghaire, still struggling with her laces, “was performing oral sex on Frank . They thought me still with Hamish so they were free to indulge their lusts.”  She finds herself holding on to Jamie’s  strong back for support.

 

His eyes narrow. He looks from Laoghaire to Frank. “Is this true Laoghaire?”

 

Thoroughly caught and unable to do anything but confess, she does. “Aye, but if she was able to keep her husband satisfied, I wouldn’t have been able to seduce him.”

 

It is all Claire can take. Inside, she wants to strangle the whore. Aware of time and place, she decides on a different route instead.

 

“It isn’t my job too. He isn’t my husband, not yet,” true in the weird metaphysical state they find themselves in, “we were to be married. It seemed safer to claim thus. Forgive me, my Laird.”

 

“Claire! What are you…”

 

“Naught from you, either of you,” when Laoghaire starts to open her mouth, “so Mistress Beauchamp, if that is still your name?” She nods. Let Frank call himself whatever he wants. He will get no protection from her, “You wish to end your engagement to…” He waits for her to give his name.

 

Instead she states. “I do. How can I trust him now?”

 

“A fair question. Mr. Beauchamp, I will need your name by this evening. Your betrothal to Miss Mackenzie will be announced then. Until then, so you don’t soil her maiden status farther, you will both come with me.”

 

“I will do no such thing! This is preposterous. I will not…” A nod from Himself and Murtagh gives him his knockout hit before lifting him up and carrying him over his shoulder. A humbled Laoghaire follows after.

 

Claire falls apart, weeping uncontrollably. Jamie holds her.

[adarafaelbarba]

So as mentioned in my previous post about this bingo, my birthday is next month. And for that occasion I wanted to host another bingo! Like my last bingo in October 2021, this one will have moodboards to the squares. You don’t have to use them, but they’re there for inspiration, and can also be used in your fics as a “cover” if you’d like 🥰 I’m gonna have the moodboards up before the bingo starts on Monday 17th of January 😅

here are some rules:

1. It’ll start on January 17th and ends on February 17th at Midnight (Norwegian time)

2. Write one, ten or all of the fics. But don’t feel like you have to write them, this is a fun little writing exercise

3. You can write a head canon, ficlet, multi-chapter (one moodboard/square per fic) or a one shot. But please, if it’s longer than 500 words, put it under read more.

4. The fics can be fluff, smut, angst, etc if you feel like they would fit with the aesthetic of the moodboard you write for. Please remember to tag the fics with the right warnings before posting it.

5. Tag me when you post it, so I can keep tracks of the fics that are posted for this challenge and use the hashtag: #adarafaelbarbabirthdaybingo

6. Characters allowed (reader insert, oc, ships)

SVU:

Rafael Barba

Sonny Carisi

Mike Dodds

Nick Amaro

Peter Stone

Odafin “Fin” Tutuola

Alex Cabot

Casey Novak

Olivia Benson

Amanda Rollins

Rita Calhoun

Kat Tamin

Elizabeth Donnelly

Other Raúl Esparza Characters:

Jackson Neill

Nevada Ramirez

Jonas Nightingale

Bryan Kneef

Frederick Chilton

Paul Mendelsohn

911 / 911 Lone Star:

Evan Buckley

Eddie Diaz

Maddie Buckley

Chimney

Hen Wilson

Bobby Nash

Athena Grant

Owen Strand

T.K. Strand

Grace Ryder

Judd Ryder

Marjan Marwani

Paul Strickland

Carlos Reyes

Tommy Vega

Mayans MC:

Miguel Galindo

Angel Reyes

Ez Reyes

Bishop Losa

Emily Thomas

Coco Cruz

One Chicago:

Matt Casey

Kelly Severide

Brian «Otis» Zvonecek

Joe Cruz

Stella Kidd

Gabby Dawson

Violet Mikami

Sylvie Brett

Emily Foster

Jessica Chilton

Gianna Mackey

Evan Hawkins

Jay Halstead

Antonio Dawson

Adam Ruzek

Kevin Atwater

Erin Lindsay

Hailey Upton

Vanessa Rojas

Sean Roman

Kim Burgess

Connor Rhodes

Ethan Choi

Will Halstead

April Sexton

Crockett Marcel

Jeff Clarke

A Discovery of Witches:

Baldwin Montclair (Trystan and Peter’s version, but specify it 😅)

Matthew de Clermont

Marcus Whitmore

Diana Bishop

Miriam Shepard

Domenico

Sophie Norman

Nathaniel Wilson

Gallowglass

Satu Järvinen

Juliette Durand

Phoebe Taylor

Hamish Osborn

Chris Roberts

Ransome Fayrweather

Outlander:

Ian Murray

Frank Randall

Jamie Fraser

Clair Fraser

Briana Fraser Randall

Roger Mackenzie

Fergus Fraser

Marsali Fraser

Jenny Fraser

Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts:

Sirius Black

Remus Lupin

James Potter

Newt Scamander

Young Dumbledore

Kingsman:

Eggsy Unwin

Roxy Morton

Harry Hart

Merlin

Charlie Hesketh

Percival

Lancelot / James Spencer

Ginger

Whiskey

Tequila

Characters from the King’s Men

MCU:

Thor Odinson

Steve Rogers / Captain America

Tony Stark / Iron Man

Dr. Bruce Banner / Hulk

Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow

Sam Wilson / Falcon / Captain America

Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier

Dr. Stephen Strange / Dr. Strange

T’Challa / Black panther (rip Chadwick 🥺)

Shaun / Shang-Chi

Xialing

Wenwu

Wong

Peter Parker / Spiderman (Tom, Toby or Andrew. But specify it 😅)

Clint Barton / Hawkeye

Wade Wilson / Deadpool

Scott Lang (Ant-Man)

Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel

Baron Helmut Zemo

Yelena Belova

Monica Rambeau

Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch

Pietro Maximoff / Quicksilver

Charles Xavier / Professor X

Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto

Druig

Makkari

Dane

Thena

Sersi

Ikaris

Ajak

Gilgamesh

Kingo

Phastos

Note: If there’s a character/fadom not listed, feel free to DM me.

7. No RPF/real person fic. No underage character (includes reader/ocs)

8. Please signal boost this post, regardless if you participate or not

9. Most important! Have fun! 🥰 Feel free to dm me with any questions or concerns

[ap-architecturememories]

‘Queenstown X-House’ - Monk Mackenzie Architects - Winner of the House - Future Projects category at WAF 2017 - via Arcstreet ____

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