Tha ùine air tighinn ~Outlander~

{Thirty one/Epilogue} Skye

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh 2030

I would definitely have been falling on to the ground if my father didn't hold me tight. I looked right into a familiar face. Mine own. Painted in Paris by François Boucher in 1744. 

Next to it where the words: Greer Fraser- von Holland. Date of birth and Death Unknown. Greer was the wife of Scottish Highland officer James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser. She and her husband lived a few months in Paris and returned back to Scotland to join his Bonnie Prince army. Greer disappeared after Culloden. 
"How?" I spoke softly as I noticed that Eilidh stepped closer to it. "How?"  
"Is that ye mama?" She asked and all I could was nodding while looking at mine father for answers. 

"They found it near Inverness, Lallybroch to be precise," mine father answered and I clutched his jacked closer as I felt a tear leave mine eye.  
"That is where we left it," I swallowed a lump in mine throat away. "We left it in Jenny' care," 
"And she did took good care of it," mine father squeezed mine hand. "Come there is one more." 
Since mine painting hanged on the edge of the wall we had to turn a corner. And I knew whoes painting hanged there. The one of the man I saw so many times in mine dream. 
The face and features I saw in our seven year old daughter. 
Jamie's painting  

Françoise captured Jamie likenesses so good it looked like Jamie stared right back at me. Tears filled mine eyes even more and I mentally forced my knees to hold my weight. Before I collapsed on the ground, mine father felt that and he helded me up. 
"What does the sign say?" I managed to ask because mine eyes where to clouded with tears to read it properly. 
"Scottish Highland officer James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser. 1721-death unknown. Married to Greer Fraser-von Holland. Lived in Paris for a few months and then returned to Scotland to join the Bonnie prince army. Jamie's faith is unknown after Culloden." I heard the voice of Eilidh read and that was the moment mine knees couldn't hold me any more. I sank on to the ground and tried to stop the sobbing by holding mine hand in front of mine mouth 

Date of death unknown... faith unknown... those words didn't make sense to me. Jamie died on Culloden. I knew that for sure and that was his plan. He sended me back to mine time so he could die honorably with his men. 
"Skye sweetheart," mine father sat down next to me and helded mine hand. "He survived, he survived the shooting afterwards. He survived Ardsmuir, he is still alive. You can go back to him," he spoke and I looked at him. 
"How do you know?" I asked sceptic and he had a small smile on his mouth. 
"I have been doing research on this man." He smiled. "Mine son-in-law. Since the day you told me the truth."  
"You did?" I asked in surprise. 
"Yes, so I could give you closure or sent you back to him with Eilidh," he looked at his granddaughter who looked in amazement towards the painting of her father. 
"Who is that?" She asked and she turned to look at me.
'That's your dad lieverd," Mine father answered and Eilidh turned around and looked at it with great curiousity.
"I want to know more about him, about Da," She turned around and walked towards me. "Please mom," She also sat down and she looked saddend the same look as Jamie had when we partend 8 years ago.
"You will know everything about him," I promised her as another tear fell. "I will tell you everything you want to know, your old enough know,"
"Let's go home them." My father helped us up and with one look at the man that I loved and missed so much I walked out of the museum.

"I told you when you where 4 that your father was death, do you recall that?" I asked her and she nodded. "Official he is death," I swallowed the lump in my troath away.  "I can't," I shook my head and a tear fell from my eyes.
"Ye can momma," Eilidh took my hand as my father sat a glass of Whisky down.
"Your mother dissappeard for three years now 11 years ago, we had idea where she was." He started. "Until she apparead again, at the place called Craigh na dunn."
"The fairies stones, where people dissapear. A ken that story," She said and she looked at me.
"There is a old folklore that on certain days people can hear the stone buzzing and then when you touch it you travel back in time," I took a deep breath. "When I dissapeard I touched the stones. I ended up in 1743," I holded my hand up before she could protest. "Your father, James Fraser. I met him when I ran away from a British soldier. He took me with him towards his people and well." I took another deep breath. "It was not my idea on or my agenda to marry him after all I 'ran' away from home because I didn't want to marry,"
I looked at my father who turned his head away.
"I wanted to go home, but the British Soldier who found me when I came throught stones, I was left with no choice than to marry your father, to keep mine safety" I played with my wedding ring. "I fought hard to not fall in love with him, but on our weddinng night I gave up." I took a deep breath. "Yes I tried to go back to this time and I almost worked but I was stopped, after that Jamie tried to send me back again after I told him the truth but I realised I loved with all of mine heart and that is was more home there than here."
"But why did ye return?" Eilidh looked at me and a tear fell down my cheek.
"We tried to stop the rising, we failed ofcourse. But your father and me made a deal. If I was pregnant he would send me back to safety."  I looked at her. "I figured out the night before the battle that I was pregnant and I wanted to hide it so I could stay with him, but your father knew it already from the beginning and took me to Craigh na Dunn, the rest is history,"
"Sae he ken aboot me?" Eilidh looked at me and I stood up walking towards the small wooden box and picked something out of it.
"He knew and he loved you with his heart," I gave her the ring Jamie had given me when we parted. 'Your father gave me this when we parted, so I could give it to you when you where old enough,"
She took the ring and looked at it. "Da," She whispered and pressed a kiss on the cold silver. "Will ye return now? Now Granddad told ye he is still alive."
"I don't know," I answered honestly.
"A'll go with you," She said straight away in fierceness, a tone that Jamie also had, the stubbernes of a Fraser that could not be changed. "A want to meet Da,"
"I don't know where he is now," I looked at her. "And you have school here, it's much saver in this time than there."
"Ye survived it, so A can survive it," She crossed her arms. "And Granddad know where he is," She looked at  my father who shooked his head.
"I only know that he survived Culloden and Ardsmuire." He told us. "But I'm still searching."
"A will help you granddad," Eilidh stood up and shook my head. She was wise young woman for an eight year old.
I swallowed a lump in my throat. Yes I would return the minute I knew where Jamie was so I could go back, let him meet Eilidh and go life the live that was so brutally taken away from us.