#wartburg | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

underthewingsofthblackeagle · 1 year

Photo

Foto: Panorama Helsinki / Finland - Cathedral and Place of the Parliament (by tap5a)

“We only do this for Fergus!” is a short Outlander Fan Fiction story and my contribution to the Outlander Prompt Exchange (Prompt 3: Fake Relationship AU: Jamie Fraser wants to formally adopt his foster son Fergus, but his application will probably not be approved… unless he is married and/or in a committed relationship. Enter one Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp (Randall?) to this story) @outlanderpromptexchange

Chapter 19: Back to Potsdam

It was good that Jamie had sent Claire and Fergus to the Gadem right after the tour of the castle, because the influx of tourists had now increased. But Claire and Fergus had still managed to get a nice table for themselves and Jamie in time. They chose from the menu and only a little later their food was brought.

Front court of Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, Eisenach, Germany * Picture by Krzysztof Golik - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81861557

Fergus got a small Thuringian dumpling with cress and sour creamed sauerkraut, Claire was delighted with smoked salmon with creamed horseradish and dill, and Jamie smelled with joy his venison stew in a clay pot with peppered mashed potatoes. Then another bowl of steaming potatoes was brought, which Claire and Fergus shared. After the meal there was for dessert warm chocolate cake with cream, vanilla ice cream and cherries. When the waitress asked the adults if they wanted coffee with their dessert, Jamie and Claire declined. All three were tired. The early departure from Potsdam and the many impressions the nearly three-hour tour of the castle had left on them had made them tired. Even Fergus, whose energy often knew no bounds, now seemed exhausted. Right after Jamie paid the bill, they headed back to the hotel. They all needed a break and some sleep now.

Roast rabbit filet, Thüringer Klöße, and red cabbage * Picture by Sebastian Wallroth, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30471749 They did not meet again until 4:00 p.m. and once again visited the castle cafe. There they drank coffee (Jamie and Claire) and hot cocoa (Fergus) and enjoyed the different kinds of cake. They would have liked to visit the castle garden, but it was too late now. It had become dark and cold and Claire was glad that she had insisted when planning the trip that everyone take their winter jackets, scarves and hats with them. This made it possible to still take a short walk along the south wall of the castle. Then Jami sent Claire and Fergus back to the hotel, promising to follow shortly. When he was sure that Fergus could not see him anymore, he went to the museum store where he bought a number of souvenirs, CDs and books. Once at the hotel, Claire took Fergus to the Wartburg suite that Jamie had booked for himself and Fergus. Once there, they peeled out of their thick jackets. Then Claire made tea for herself and Fergus. Together they sat down on the sofa and watched a children's movie.

Wartburg Hotel * Picture by Von Kora27 - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93728877

Meanwhile, Jamie took his groceries to the garage and packed them in the trunk of his car. Then he too joined Claire and Fergus. As he entered the suite's living room, Claire motioned for him to be quiet. The children's movie wasn't over yet, but Fergus had dozed off from exhaustion. Jamie turned off the TV, then carefully carried the boy into the bedroom, laid him on the bed, and tucked him in. He left the nightlight on the other side of the bed on and just leaned the door to the living room. If Fergus woke up, he shouldn't be frightened, but should be able to find him and Claire right away. Back in the living room, Jamie went to the bar, picked up a bottle of whiskey, and looked questioningly at Claire, who nodded at him. He poured whiskey into two glasses, then motioned to Claire for them to sit in the two large armchairs in the bay window. Once there, Jamie handed Claire a glass of whiskey and sat down. When they had both taken a sip, Jamie said: "I think Fergus is quite ..." "Exhausted?" finished Claire his sentence. "Yes, perhaps it would be good if we cut the visit a little short. I would have liked to see the town with you, but we still have to drive back ..." "And it's back to school on Monday, too," Claire pointed out. "Right. What do you say we take another little walk around the castle grounds tomorrow and then head back home? We could have lunch on the way?" "I think that's the right idea. However, I expect Fergus will object."

Jamie smiled, then took another sip of whiskey and Claire did likewise. "I know, but I'll promise him that we'll make another trip here next year and then see the historic sites in the city." Jamie was silent for a moment, then added: "If that would suit you, Claire." Claire looked at him but said nothing. "Fergus will insist that you come along, and ... I'd be delighted, too." "You two ...," Claire said, adding, "Who can say 'no' to you?" She then took the last sip from her glass, then held it out to Fraser and said: "I'll get another whiskey for that, though!" Jamie grinned, then got up to get the whiskey bottle and fill the glasses again. Afterwards, they reviewed the day with Fergus. The boy woke up shortly after 7:00 p.m. and came into the living room, still slightly sleepy. "Well, did you have a good rest?" asked Jamie, spreading his arms, Fergus nodded, then let Jamie take him in his arms. The latter carried the boy to the sofa and sat down with him. Claire got up and took one of the wool blankets she had brought and wrapped Fergus in it.

"Well," Jamie then asked, "shall we go and choose something for dinner now?" "Oh yes," it shot out of Claire, who promptly put her hand over her mouth and looked guiltily at Jamie. "See, Claire's hungry, I'm hungry too, and you?" Fergus, who was slow to wake up, just nodded, then pressed himself closer to Jamie. Clearly he needed physical contact with his dad now.

View of the Wartburg from Vachaer Stein at Rennsteig * Picture by By Hfuss64 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82359983

They agreed that they would order the so-called "Wartburg Classic" twice for dinner. A variety of dishes were served in bowls with a selection of freshly baked bread: Roasted Thuringian ground pork, cured country ham, homemade tomato chili, small Thuringian bratwursts with horseradish mustard, organic cream cheese with cress and honey, small potato dumplings with parsley and sour cream sauerkraut, Eisenach aspic sausage salad with radishes, smoked Schkölen catfish with apple horseradish, and venison stew with root vegetables and rosemary crumble. In addition they ordered two bowls of field salad with goat cheese, orange fillets and walnuts, a bottle of white wine for the adults and apple spritzer for Fergus. The food arrived just before 8:00 pm. The waiters, who brought the food on serving carts, placed them in front of the sofa. Jamie pulled up a chair and sat across from Fergus and Claire, both of whom were looking quite enthusiastically at the large platters of food. "Bon appetit!" said Jamie, and then they began to eat.

Dinner * Picture: Pixabay While Fergus feasted on the bratwurst, Thuringian minced meat and some bread now and then, Claire reached for the salad, cream cheese and smoked catfish. Jamie watched her when he thought she wouldn't notice. A feeling of deep pleasure and inner satisfaction spread through his chest. He was pleased to see Claire so relaxed. Clearly she was enjoying both the meal and being with Fergus and him. Anyone who saw them like this would think they were a happy little family. The thought flashed through his mind, but he immediately forbade himself to think it any further. He didn't want to deal with questions now, which would only make him sad again. He wanted to enjoy the moment, the time together with the two people who meant the most to him. The two people, yes, the two people. Ninety minutes later, all three were "more than full" and Fergus was getting tired again. Together they put him to bed and before Fraser could even ask him to read to him, he was asleep. Together, Jamie and Claire put the dishes away and then moved the food carts to the aisle. The staff would take them back from there. Then Claire said goodbye. She too was tired, but she wanted to take the opportunity to have another bath. She had been delighted to discover the morning she had checked into her room that the “Luther room” Fraser had booked for her had a bathroom with a very nice bathtub. Just a few minutes after they said goodbye to each other, she ran water into the white tub, poured in one of the bath additives that were on a small shelf for guests to use. Then she undressed and immediately slipped into the warm water. She stayed in the tub for only 15 minutes, or sleep would have overtaken her. Dried off and dressed in her pajamas, she went to her room, slipped under the covers and was asleep shortly after.

Illuminated Wartburg by night * Picture bySchnufflsurfer - Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3557281

Just a few rooms away, James Fraser stood in the dark bay window of his suite, gazing through the window at the majestic view of the night-lit Wartburg. He took a deep breath. Then he brought the glass of whiskey to his lips and sipped it. Once again he went over the day in his mind. He had enjoyed doing these things with Fergus and Claire. He had enjoyed seeing the joy Fergus had in seeing the historical sites and artifacts and learning all about them. But he had also enjoyed seeing how much Claire enjoyed Fergus being so interested and exuberant. It had made him happy. That day had made him happy. Fergus and Claire had made him happy. If only things weren't so complicated. He almost cursed, but at the last moment he recollected himself. If Fergus woke up and came into the room ... There was no point in brooding about the future any longer. There was nothing he could do about it now. He had to let "things" come to him. But that was exactly what he hated. He hated not being able to be active, not being able to actively shape something. And when it came to Claire, he didn't dare either. What would happen if she felt pressured and quit? What if she stayed just for the money? Fraser turned and walked to the bar to set his glass down. There was just no point in replaying the thoughts over and over. He had to go to sleep. He needed his strength for the next day. When he got to the bedroom, a smile spread across his face. Fergus was lying in bed almost completely covered by the quilt. Only his mop of hair peeked out from under it - and the head of Rexi, a stuffed T-Rex that Claire had recently given him and that had since become his nightly companion and, of course, had to be taken to Wartburg. Quietly, he undressed and then slipped into bed. Shortly after 11:00 p.m., James Fraser fell asleep. He dreamed of Fergus and Rexi and .... Claire. At 4:30 he awoke to Fergus sleepwalking in front of his side of the bed. The boy searched the bathroom and after Jamie escorted him to the bathroom, he carried him back to bed, wrapped him in his comforter and marveled at how quickly the child fell back asleep. Carefully, he slid Rexi under Fergus' right arm. Then he lay down in bed and together they spent another 3 hours in “the Land of Smiles”. At 8:30 a.m. Claire picked up Jamie and Fergus for breakfast. In the dining room of the hotel, a beautifully laid table with fresh coffee, rolls, orange juice and many delicious side dishes was already waiting for them. They took plenty of time to eat breakfast and Jamie could once again see Fergus and Claire enjoying this time together.

Breakfast * Picture by Bild von Juri at Pixabay An hour and a half later, they made their way to Wartburg Castle once again. During the day, they could visit the grounds for free and Claire had asked that they take a look at the castle gardens before they left and this request had reconciled Fergus, who was not particularly pleased about their early departure, with his fate. Together they strolled once more through the outer castle and past the large cistern, then they came to the castle garden. While Claire looked around, Fergus was fascinated by the cannon standing there. They stayed for a while, enjoying the view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Then they slowly made their way back to the hotel and half an hour later they were in the car. Two hours later they reached Halle, where they took a break and had lunch in an Italian restaurant. When they arrived back at their shared home in Potsdam at just after 4:00 p.m., they were first greeted by Mr. Curtius, who helped Jamie carry their travel bags into the house. Shortly after, they were also greeted by Mrs. Curtius, who had already set the table in the dining room with tea, sandwiches, cakes and pastries. After tea, Jamie allowed Fergus to play with his train set in the conservatory for a while. He himself sat down in the living room and went through the daily papers of the last few days.

Tea Time * Picture by Pexels at Pixabay Claire had taken her leave for her apartment. There she first opened the windows to let in some fresh air. Then she unpacked her travel bag and put away the laundry. When she had closed the windows again, she let herself fall on her sofa. She closed her eyes and immediately Wartburg, Fergus and Jamie were before her eyes again. When Jamie had pulled her close to him during the conversation with Mr. Klaußner, had he done that just to keep the narrative of their "engagement" going? Surely that was basically unnecessary in front of Mr. Klaußner. Besides, there was the danger that Fergus would see him and ask questions. She didn't know. What she did know was how much she had enjoyed her time with Jamie and Fergus. If only the situation weren't so complicated. What did Jamie have to think if she confessed to him what her feelings were toward him and Fergus? If she told him that she wanted nothing more than for them to become a family? Not because she wanted to help him adopt Fergus, but because she loved both of her "men"? Didn't he have to think she was doing all this for his money? Hadn't Matthieu mentioned that Jamie had had two relationships that didn't end so well? Matthieu! She had to find an opportunity to talk to him. Maybe then she would find a solution. Maybe then she would find a way to at least talk to Jamie about her feelings. When Claire opened her eyes again, she had made a decision. She would talk to Matthieu. Although she did not yet know when and how this would be possible, the mere fact that she had made this decision helped her to feel better. She would no longer passively accept this condition, suffer through it. She would do something and even if the outcome was not what she wanted. Anything was better than burying all' these feelings inside and feeling like she would eventually have to burst like a balloon that can't hold its air. The sun had long set by the time Claire made her decision and the small table light in front of her, gave only a limited glow. She got up to turn on the overhead light when her smartphone announced the arrival of an sms. Mrs. Curtius was calling them all to dinner. Claire went to freshen up a bit. She would go to dinner. Perhaps afterwards she would put Fergus to bed along with Jamie. She would have Monday and Tuesday off, that was the arrangement with Jamie. After that, everyday life would return and soon she would have to start preparing for Christmas.

#Outlander #Outlander Fan Fiction #Jamie Fraser #Fergus Fraser #Claire Beauchamp #We only do this for Fergus #Modern AU #Berlin #Potsdam #Thuringia #Germany #Wartburg

29 notes · View notes