Chapter Text
Paris: 1954
“Mama, look!” Brianna said, peering out the circular frame as she pressed her face against the glass. They’d begun their descent fifteen minutes prior, the city of Paris growing beneath them as they slowly dove toward the earth. Brianna bounced excitedly in her seat, pointing at the Eiffel Tower looming in the distance. Claire hoped she would be able to see it; through her many visits–and shortly lived– time in Paris, Claire had never once been able to visit the magnificent landmark, third time’s the charm, if the mantra proved correct.
"Isn’t it beautiful?” Brianna asked, leaning closer against the glass.
"Yes, lovey, it really is,” Claire responded.
“Bree, darling, not so close,” Frank said, reaching across Claire to gently peel Brianna away from the window, “we’ll have plenty of time to see it in person, I promise.”
Brianna settled into her seat, resting her back against the chair, she let out a wistful sigh before turning to Frank, “Pinky promise?” Brianna asked, holding up her pinky toward Frank.
"Of course!”
Claire leaned into the cushion of the seat as much as she could as Frank and Brianna linked their pinkies in front of her middle, both smiling as if Frank had just promised her the world. He might as well have, Claire, reasoned. Brianna was five years old and after many years of failed promises of a vacation, the Randalls were finally doing it– the vacation coinciding with Frank’s business trip was just a lucky coincidence.
Claire had been excited when Frank announced their trip, she was stressed from medical school and was happy for the break. The happiness had been brief, however, when Frank revealed their location. Paris France was the last place Claire wanted to be, hell, she’d rather visit the decrepit Lallybroch Farm before stepping foot in Paris, but Frank had turned the tables by telling Brianna first. By the time Claire was aware of their trip, Brianna’s head was already full of ideas of their perfect getaway and the streets of Paris she’d glimpsed from movies. Brianna was happy and Clarie couldn’t bring herself to crush the little girl, even if it meant enduring the painful memories.
Jamie weighed heavily on her mind, he always did, but as the wheels of the plane landed on the tarmac all Claire thought about was their daughter, Faith. Faith hadn’t been lucky enough to leave Paris or the hospital where she’d arrived into the world dead, the older Brianna grew the more Claire wondered what Faith would be like. She would have looked like her father and sister, no doubt, she was born with the tell-tale Fraser red hair and cat eyes, but what would her personality be? Would she be as stubborn as her father? A bibliophile like her great-uncle? Or perhaps a doctor like her mother.
Claire watched from behind the pair as Frank held tightly onto Brianna’s small hand with his own as they climbed down the stairs onto the black pavement. He pointed out the very building Claire and Brianna were eager to see, even from across the city it seemed gigantic. Brianna hung onto Frank’s every word of its construction as they walked across the tarmac towards the terminal. The closer they got to the security checkpoint the more Brianna bounced with glee, she wasn’t as tired as Claire had been expecting, but then again, she’d slept through the majority of the flight.
Customs and security waved them through quickly, traveling with a child had its perks, and after an hour of their landing, they had their luggage and were in a taxi on the way to their hotel. Frank was still talking excitedly to Brianna leaving Claire alone with her thoughts.
Before leaving Paris with their hearts broken in two and no idea what the future held, Claire had made Jamie promise her that they would never step foot in Paris again. The city held too much loss, Jamie had quickly agreed. Yet here she was, two hundred and some odd years in the future and she was back, haunted by the memories. As they drove past the harbor, in combination with the darkening skies, Claire could all but see the flaming Patagonia in the distance. Claire briefly wondered what had become of Jared’s business and estate, he didn’t have any children unless he’d fathered one after their departure, however, she thought this unlikely. It had probably been sold or dissolved with time.
They pulled up to the hotel, Frank guiding Brianna out of the taxi before turning and offering her a hand of assistance, she accepted, but only because of the large puddle near the door.
Frank–and Harvard– were apparently sparing no expense, the hotel’s lobby was extravagant, easily on par with King Louis’s palace. They were escorted by the hotel’s staff to the top floor of the hotel.
“The best view in the entire city!” Their attendant chirped as they stepped foot into the room. Brianna dropped Frank’s hand and made a beeline for the beds while Frank dismissed the staff and Claire looked out the window. Their view was breathtaking.
“Brianna Ellen!” Claire scolded, turning to face the five-year-old jumping on the bed.
“Oh, let her,” Frank said, walking to stand next to the foot of the bed. “We’re on vacation after all!” Brianna leaped from the mattress into Frank’s waiting arms.
Of course, he was playing good cop. Probably buttering Brianna up for the next few days Claire was sure he would spend working instead of enjoying their family vacation.
They ordered room service, the adults were jetlagged while Brianna was bouncing off the walls with uncontained joy, there’s no way they could sit through a meal in a restaurant. After dinner was bath time, Brianna, much like her father, loved her baths. She splashed in the water happily as Claire mentally ran through the itinerary she had planned for the next day. They would wake up early, have breakfast with Frank before visiting the spots she’d once been familiar with: Jared’s estate, Louise’s house, Master Raymond’s shop, and L'Hôpital des Anges were all on her list.
Frank had pulled a sly move, booking them a room with only two beds, forcing her to sleep in the same bed as him. It backfired, however, when Brianna crawled into their bed not long after she’d settled, too afraid to sleep on her own in a strange city. Claire slept fitfully due to Frank’s snoring, Brianna’s constant kicking, and her wandering mind. Her dreams were filled with memories of the ones she’d lost, they were mostly of Jamie with Fergus and Murtagh tied for second. The older Brianna got the more vivid and realistic they seemed to become. Claire often woke expecting to find a slumbering giant next to her only to get slammed down to reality.
Claire was on her third cup of coffee by the time Frank excused himself to run some ‘errands’. Errands that would last the entire day as he’d bid them farewell with the promise of catching up over dinner. Claire bundled Brianna in her coat and together they explored the city. Brianna was thankfully much too young to notice that their destinations were clearly planned and meaningful. She missed the light tears trailing down Claire’s cheek as they stood on the land that once held Louise de la Tour and her family in favor of a passing bird flying over their heads.
Despite being brought down by the past, Claire was determined to make this the best trip possible for Brianna. The little girl was spoiled with French chocolate and various other candies as well as a new dress Brianna had picked out herself. It was there that she saw him, or thought she did. They were walking out of the beautique, Brianna holding her new dress to her chest while Claire did her best to stuff her wallet back into her bag. Brianna dropped the dress and Claire swiftly went to catch it before the ensuing meltdown when she caught sight of the familiar face.
A man no taller than four feet with a high forehead partially covered by long silvery-grey hair with black eyes to match.
She blinked once in shock, prepared to call out, but when her eyes opened again he was gone. Just a mirage, Claire reasoned. They’d been moving around all day, she was tired, dehydrated, and hungry. No wonder her mind was playing tricks on her, conjuring up the image of the man surrounded in blue.
They returned to the hotel where the night was the same as the last.
This time, the frog-man she’d once known as her friend consumed her dreams. She was back in the dark damp hospital bed in L'Hôpital des Anges, truly alone and dying. Her body ached with the physical toll of losing Faith while her mind languished in the agony of her losses. Then he came before her, cloaked with darkness and a healing pulse to save her life. Claire could feel Raymond’s calloused hands as they trailed over her womb before going between her legs and reaching inside, dragging death from her.
She awoke in a cold sweat.
Frank snored blissfully beside her while Brianna hugged her stuffed rabbit to her chest, both completely absorbed in imaginary worlds. She didn't go back to sleep, Claire knew trying would be fruitless, so instead, she dressed and went for a walk down the harbor. The putrid smell of salt and fish had not dissipated in the two centuries she’d been gone. She missed the small room she and Jamie had rented before moving in with Jared, it was small and homely, she saw him every night. She’d take that small room versus the large empty one of the hotel she was currently in. Still, she couldn’t fault Frank for trying to impress her. He was doing his best, or the best he thought he was capable of.
Claire was back by breakfast, Frank was finishing his tea and Brianna poked at the vanilla crepes on her plate.
“Have a nice walk?” Frank asked, tilting down the newspaper to look at her.
“I did,” Claire nodded, placing her hand on the top of Brianna’s flaming hair. “Cleared my senses right up, I’ve been a bit off lately.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed,” Frank agreed, turning back to the paper in his hand.
“Do you want my breakfast, Mama?” Brianna asked, holding up her fork towards her mother. “I wanted pancakes, but Daddy said these were better.”
“You need to broaden your horizons, darling, you can’t live off Sugar Smacks and peanut butter jelly sandwiches forever,” Frank told her.
“Yes, I can…” Brianna murmured, turning back to her plate.
“How about I take a shower and then we’ll go exploring? That always cheers you up Bree,” Claire suggested, taking off her coat and hanging it on a hook by the door. She walked into the bedroom and began undressing, not noticing that Frank had followed her until the door clicked shut behind him.
“Where are you planning on going today? Eiffel Tower? The Louvre?” he eyed her, leaning against the doorway as she started preparing her bath.
“No actually,” Claire said, glancing at him, “There’s a hospital, L'Hôpital des Anges, not far from here, opened up during the 1700s, I thought Brianna would like to see the architecture.”
Frank frowned, “You’ve never been there before, have you?”
Frank had little knowledge of her time through the stones. He knew about Jamie and their failed attempt to stop Culloden, but she as far as she could remember she’d only briefly mentioned their doings in Paris; meeting with King Louis and Charles Stuart, she’d mentioned nothing of her time working in the hospital.
"No,” Claire said, turning to focus on her bath. “Why?”
“Well, it’s not a hospital anymore,” Frank said, straightening himself. “It’s a church, I didn’t even know you knew about it. It’s quite interesting…”
“Oh, uh, a friend told me a bit while I was here during the war. It was a triage site and she knew the history of the place, told it as an anecdote. Fun fact if you will.” Claire lied, making sure to keep her face away from Frank so he couldn’t read her. Her answer seemed to appease him as he said nothing else and instead left the room, leaving her to enjoy her bath.
Before long, Claire was holding Brianna’s hand tightly as they walked through the doors of what used to be L'Hôpital des Anges and what was now St. Bartholomew’s Church. The cots that had once filled the rooms had long been replaced with pews and burning candles. The ambiance was still the same, Claire could picture Mother Hildegarde plowing through the room with Bouton at her heels. The memory made her smile.
“What is this place, Mama?” Brianna asked, stopping to look at one of the colored glass windows.
“It’s a church, Bree, but it used to be a hospital.” Claire gently tugged on Brianna’s hand to get her to move. “I used to work here, you know,” Claire whispered, leading Brianna through the hall.
“You did?”
“Yes, I had many friends here, I saved lives. I lanced bunions and did surgeries–”
“You were a doctor!”
Claire chuckled, “Yes, I kind of was, though they thought I was just a witch.”
“What was it like?”
“It was crowded,” Claire began, “over there,” she pointed to the area in front of them, “Is where the non-contiguous patients were housed and there,” she turned to the right, “leads down to the basement below, where we kept the supplies and Mother Hildegarde had her room and office. She had a lovely piano down there and when she played, you could hear it all over.”
“That’s so cool!” Brianna said smiling.
Claire bit her lip, unsure if her next move was the right one, but they were here, and Claire couldn’t walk away. “There’s somebody I want you to meet, Bree.” Claire stood and tightened her grasp on Brianna’s hand as they walked through the small gathering of church-goers and out one of the back doors into the cemetery. They didn’t have to walk far, the hospital must have been converted not long after, they walked down the rows of decaying headstones until they came to the spot.
Claire was surprised to find the marker almost as she’d left it. It was in surprisingly good condition considering the amount of time that had passed; the writing was legible and a small blue rose rested on the grey stone, even more shocking was the rusted spoon next to the rose’s stem.
“Faith Fraser,” Brianna read, “1744… is that when she was born?” she looked up at Claire.
“Yes,” Claire nodded, “born and died, 1744, Brianna…” Claire choked on the words. “This is Faith,” she knelt to Brianna’s level and took both hands in her own, “your sister.”
“My sister?” Brianna asked, looking from Claire to the stone.
“I know you don’t understand darling or believe me but it's true. I know about this place because I was here back then, back in 1744. Faith was born in the hospital, the church, but she was already dead. I never got to meet her alive,”
Brianna stayed silent, processing as well as a child could.
“You’re true sisters, Faith, you have the same hair and eyes, the same as your father’s. You both look just like him.”
“But Daddy doesn’t have red hair,”
“Not Daddy, Bree, his name is–was– Jamie.”
“Is he here too? With my sister?” Brianna asked, looking around the surrounding area for any man with red hair.
“No,” Claire said, bringing Brianna’s attention back to her, “Jamie… you’ll never get to meet him, I’m afraid, but he loved you so much. So much that he sent us back to daddy so we would be safe. He died a long time ago.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, Madonna.”
Claire turned towards the voice, it was so familiar, she had to be dreaming again, yet standing four feet away was the frog-man, Master Raymond.
“Raymond?” Claire whispered.
Raymond nodded once with a smile before saying, “He’s alive, Madonna, your husband is not lost in the past.”