Time Lord and His Lady

Chapter Thirteen: If I Could Reach the Stars

John pressed kiss after to kiss to each surface of my body he could reach, and I felt myself tingling repeatedly from his affection. The aftershocks were still gripping upon me tightly, just as my beloved husband was, and I clung to him, not even caring that I was resembling a limpet, for the notion that he was here and I was here, and loved me just as much as I loved him, were pure ecstasy indeed. Pulling back, he slowly gazed down upon me, his dark eyes searching as he slowly shook his head.

"What is it?" I asked him, the cold feeling of dread momentarily returning as his gaze upon me never wavered.

"Will you stay? Truly?" he whispered.

I smiled up at him slowly. "Yes," I replied, nodding my head. "You're not the first person to ask me such a question, and I will stay, John. Of course I'll stay."

John's brows furrowed together at that. "And who, pray tell, asked you to stay before I myself just did?"

I reached upwards and gently carded my fingers through his beautiful dark hair. "The owners of Fraser's Ridge, of course," I told him gently.

John appeared to be filled with relief at that. "I knew they would adore you, if they ever got the opportunity to meet you," he replied.

I nodded at him. "And I adore them as well," I replied. "Actually, it's more than that, really. I suppose I should tell you that I've been adopted by them."

John blinked. "You've been what?"

"Adopted, by blood, by Jamie and Claire Fraser," I replied. "They have taken me as their daughter, Brianna, Roger, Fergus, and Marsali as their sister, and our little Johanna as their granddaughter. Johanna even calls them Grandda and Grandmother as well." I smiled softly at the notion of having a proper family around me. "They understood that, if you were to return for me, or if things did not work out between us, that I may feel the need to leave, but I am honor-bound to remain in this time. However, as your wife, I will go wherever you are, and Johanna will, too."

My husband lowered his head, his hot breath prickling quite nicely against my skin. "Perhaps we could go and see to our daughter, and begin our plans to go to Virginia as a proper family?" John whispered against my throat.

"Yes, I would love nothing more than that," I replied.

John and I re-dressed ourselves quickly and ventured downstairs together, and noticed that Jamie and Claire were in the parlor, seemingly waiting for us. John guided me inside the room, and I felt relieved to be standing beside my husband once more. "Jamie, Claire," he said, and gave them both a polite smile. "It is wonderful to see the two of you again. I must thank you for watching over my wife and daughter. I will be forever in your debt."

"We consider Alexandra to be our lass now," Jamie said firmly, and Claire nodded, reaffirming what I had just told John upstairs in the guest bedroom. "Next to Brianna, Fergus, and Marsali, we've four children together now."

"And Johanna is as much our granddaughter as Jemmy, Germain, Joan, and Félicité are our grandchildren," Claire informed John, her tone serious.

"And I have no desire to take Alexandra and Johanna out of your lives completely," John informed them both, and I smiled at the two of them, as well as at John's words.

"But, ye will be taking our lassies to Virginia, will ye no'?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, and she will be proclaimed Lady Grey, with Johanna as Miss Grey, for all the world should know about my wife and child," John proclaimed.

"Da, Mama," I said, finally allowing myself to say the titles that Jamie and Claire so desperately wished me to address them as, especially in front of John, so as to truly cement our relationship in truth. "John and I have spoken at length about this. We want to be together, to marry again in this time, and to raise Johanna together."