The Strength of a High and Noble Hill (An Outlander Story)

Chapter 13: Finding Him

Autumn 1968

Brian stares at the news article his mother had handed over to him and Ellen as they stand under an arch at Harvard. Proof of where their birth father is.

"Roger found this..." Ellen murmurs in shock.

Mama eagerly nods. "Yes, it was published in 1765. That's only a year ago according to the timeline."

"But how do you know it's him?" Brian questions. He's already seen their mother's hopes dashed and would hate to see it again.

"Well, the article quotes from a Robert Burns poem that's not written for another twenty years and the publisher – Alexander Malcolm – those were Jamie's middle names." Mama points out. "It has to be him."

Brian thumbs over the name Alexander Malcolm in a daze. It's him. It's really him. His father.

"He's alive..." Ellen's comment brings Brian out of his daze.

Brian's head snaps up to look at his mother. "Mama, this is amazing! You can finally be with him again!"

"That's not why I'm telling you this. My life is here, with you. My two children." Mama insists.

Brian shakes his head, tearful. "We're all grown up, Mama. We can live on our own. We have each other."

"He's right, Mama." Ellen agrees. "We love you, but we don't need you... not the way we did when we were little."

Mama nods, accepting this reluctantly. Brian feels the same, but they've had her all these years, now it's time for Jamie to have a turn.

——

Mama is still unconvinced about returning to Jamie. She expresses those concerns as the three of them eat together a couple of evenings later. Roger had left them alone; having gone to visit a history professor he had met while they'd all been at Harvard. Brian is thankful for his friend.

"But I can't just leave. I can't help but think of all those moments I will miss. Marriage, children. I can't just pop back to see you." Mama insists.

Brian swallows thickly, thinking of never seeing his mother again. "Mama, you've instilled enough in us that if we turn out to be half the person you are, then we'll be fine."

"What's important is that is that there's someone who doesn't know us that you should tell. Jamie." Ellen tells her. Brian can tell that despite her carefree and encouraging attitude, his sister is not finding this any easier than he is.

Brian nods in agreement with his sister's words. "He's probably spent all these years wondering about us, how we turned out. And you can tell him."

"You owe it to him to go back, and we want you to go. And tell him everything."

"Yes, you're right..." Mama murmurs.

Something in the look on his mother's face tells Brian that leaving the two of them is not her only worry. "There's something else, isn't there?" He questions knowingly.

"What if he's forgotten me?" Mama sighs. "Or what if he doesn't love me anymore?"

"But Mama, the way you've spoken about him, the way you felt, that can't just disappear. Has it, for you?" Brian questions.

"No."

"Then you have to trust it's the same for him." Ellen argues. "You gave Jamie up for us. Now we have to give him back to you."

Mama smiles at her two children tearfully, stroking their cheeks softly. Brian savours the moment as much as he can.

——

A/N: Some moments between Claire, Brian and Ellen before Claire's trip to the past in the next chapter. Brian and Ellen will be travelling through (like you saw a brief glance of ) in a few chapters.

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