His Half Sassenach Hellion

25

"Alex!" Claire cried out in surprise.

Holding her hand to her chest, Alexandria let loose a barrage of Gaelic that was fairly unknown to come from a man let alone a woman. She hadn't meant to punch Dougal in such a way. Between the surprise touch against the back of her arm and finding out how he had tried to keep Claire from rescuing Jamie, she allowed a baser instinct to take over. Needless to say, her hand now hurt like hell.

She was still angry when she dumped a pail of water over his head to wake him up. Wake him it did, Dougal sat up sputtering and confused.

"Claire if you would leave us please?" Alex was polite but she was still ready to tear into her husband. Her eyes followed Claire out the door.

"What happened?" He asked, still somewhat addled.

"I hit ye."

"Once?"

"Aye."

"Somethin' had ta make ye ferocious mad."

"Aye." She wouldn't deny it.

"What did I do ta anger ye?"

"What makes ye think it was you?"

Dougal laughed bitterly. "I ken I'm tha only one that can get ye that angry my Hellion."

"You aren't wrong." She kept her distance from him.

"What did I do?"

All she could do was shake her head. The pain she felt was so powerful that she couldn't even speak.

"Alexandria....."

"Ye were right. All along ye were right." She whispered, crouching down.

"I was?"

"Ye never did deserve what I gave ya. Ye never did deserve the love or the loyalty I had for ye. You did nay care because ye knew I would always come back. Ye knew I loved ye so much that I would lay down me life for ye Dougal. Seven years, it was all a sham. I was a fool. No, I am a fool. Even now I will always love ye, but at least this time my hate for you is stronger."

"Alex, I sweer to ya. I love ya woman. I have always loved you my half Sassenach hellion, you and only you." As he pleaded, Dougal could see the coldness in her eyes. No, it wasn't merely cold. It was dead. He had never seen that look directed at him before now.

She ran her hand over her face and stood up. Looking out the window, Alex shook her head. "Ye bedded god knows how many women and I let ye get away wit' it. When ye wanted to kill me and Caillen, I begged Colum to not make ye pay fer breaking yer blood oath to him. I risked my life fer yers countless times." She turned to look at him once again. "The only time I was right was when I tried ta beat the daylights out of ye on our first meeting. I shoulda returned to my own time when I had tha chance."

"Alex. My hellion....please....."

"Stop Dougal. Jest stop." Her voice was a tired sounding monotone. "Ye tried ta get Claire in yer bed. Ye proposed to her. She is yer niece. Jamie is yer nephew. All she wanted was ta find her husband and save him and ye tried to bring her to yer bed. I dinnae what ye were even thinking."

"I am a foolish man. I could nay see a way ta get Jamie out of Wentworth. I was too cowardly ta try. Iffen Claire would 'ave come wit' me, I would nay have been alone. There would be someone there that remembered and loved ye too. Perhaps my brother would quit hatin' me if I was able to give him Lallybroch." Dougal told her the truth.