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Love Never Dies Chapter 81 Where Is?

AO3

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

“Da, mama,” William waves from the third branch up of the tree he climbed. His twin sits at the bottom, looking up with wide eyes. At almost five, their personalities are quite different. William is still the active show off while Lambert remains a more gentle, careful child. Claire looks up, with a frown while Jamie is grinning. Bree, who has joined them with six month old Bruce, looks up at her brother with exasperation.

“William James, is that the type of example you want to be to your nephew?” He grins.

“Bree, he should be tough.” She can only roll her eyes at him. Bruce was sitting, playing contently with his Aunt Julia Claire, eighteen months older then him. They have the young children out enjoying the first warm day of spring.

“William come down, right now. I don’t wish to treat your broken bone.” Claire shields her eyes and looks up at him.

“He is alright Claire. Tough.” Jamie is looking up at him with pride.

*Jamie, I really prefer the children on the ground.” She doesn’t raise her voice. They try not to argue in front of the children.

“Claire, it is.. “

“Mama, da where is Julia Claire?” Lambert asks. Bree, who had been watching showdown between her parents with interest, jerks her eyes to the tartan where her son still sits, chewing on a babble that he was using as a teether. But her sister was no where in sight.

“Julia Claire.” She calls out. No one is concerned at first. They don’t think she would have gotten far. Bree raises and starts to hunt for her as Jamie and Lambert do the same. William slides down as his mama calls out for his sister. It doesn’t take more then a few hundred frantic beats of her heart, before she understands that she is nowhere about.

Jamie turns back to her in time to see her far on her knees her daughter’s name echoing around the stillness. He falls beside her, holding her as she trembles. “We will find her.”

She only meant to catch the pretty butterfly and didn’t mean to go so far into the woods. By the time the insect had disappeared, she was lost. The big trees tower above her and she is scared. Her thumb goes to her mouth and she starts to cry.

“We have too. I can’t lose..”

He doesn’t let her finish. “We won’t.” He turns to his son’s, standing together, arms around each other. “Lads, run and find your grandsire and Rory. Bring them back here.” Fergus is at home with Marsali as they await the birth of their fourth child and Ian and Jenny are off visiting their grandson, Alastair Gordon, Wee Jamie and Leah’s son. They nod and hurry to do it. “Claire, stay and watch Brucie. Bree and I will start searching. Sent the others when they arrive.” She nods numbly. “I swear it. We will find her.”

“Mama.” Her tiny voice barely makes it past her own mouth. “Need you. Julia Claire scared.” She looks around before dropping onto her bum and whimpering.

“Julia Claire,” the voice of the other little lass draws her attention immediately, “It is alright. I will help you find mama.” She has hair like hers and eyes. But she doesn’t walk like she does. She hovers like the forgotten butterfly.

“You help?”

“I will. Come, mama is crying.” She stands and takes the other lasses offered hand. She leads her out.

“Julia Claire, come out lass!”

“Julia Claire, come out for sissy.”

They move through the woods, calling out. Jamie looks for signs of his daughter’s passing by as Bree does the same. Both know how to track. Jamie is hoping the others join them soon. How far can the lass have gotten? She is only two.

“Da,” they jerk at the sound of her voice. Thank the Saints!

“Julia Claire!” He lifts her into his arms. Bree wraps her arms around them both, shivering with relief.

“Da, Bee, my mate.”

“What baby?”

“Da, my mate. She show me out.” They both look around. It is just the three of them.

“Lets go find mam, aye?”

“Aye da. Mama cry. She tell me.”

Claire cries out at seeing her. She had been holding her crying grandson, who had picked up their emotions. She thrusts him into Bree’s arms and takes Julia Claire. “My baby!” They cling to each other, both crying. “Thank God da and sissy found you.”

“No mama. My mate show me.” She looks over at Jamie. They had pieces together the story while carrying her out.

“It seems our baby’s big sister is also her guardian angel.” Jamie says.

“Faith?”

“Aye. A lass, with her hair and eyes, flooding like a butterfly. Unseen by either of us.”

“She say you cry mama.”

“I was so worried about you but God sent an angel to see to you.” She tries not to let to much emotion in, not to scare her.

“Julia Claire’s mate.” She agrees.

“Indeed.” They head towards the house, meeting the rest of the search party on the way. Jamie fills them in.

#my writing #outlander fanfic #love never dies #where is?#jamie and claire #cannon divergence #outlander fandom