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It had been a full week since Stephen Bonnet was executed. Although the painful memories remained, Beth was starting to feel more like herself again. Over those seven days, she had only woken up three times from a nightmare. Luckily, Rolo had been staying in her room with her and provided some physical comfort for her. On that eighth day, Beth found herself pacing the floors of Claire's surgery in the early hours of the day.

Fortunately, it was a happy visit. Beth woke up to her period soaking through her shift and into the mattress. The painful cramps radiated from her abdomen to her legs – which was the normal occurrence for her when it was her time of the month.

"Beth?"

The brunette spun around at the familiar voice calling her name. Ian.

"What are ye doing here so early?" The redhead was in the process of putting his hat on, covering up his half shaven head. The hair that remained was still twisted up in braids and away from his face.

"Good morning to you, too." Beth let out a soft laugh, her hands awkwardly twisting at the fabric of her dress by her stomach. She hadn't dressed properly, not thinking she would have run into anyone else but Claire so early in the morning.

Ian let his eyes roam over her, noticing the nervous tick portrayed with her hands twisting up in the fabric. "Are ye doin' alright?" Ian stepped closer, Rollo now coming up to sit down between the two.

"I'm doing great." She nodded, a small smile on her lips. "I was actually hoping I'd run into Claire. She told me she'd be down here early and just wanted to have some time to speak."

Ian reached forward and slipped his hand into hers. He let his calloused fingers run along the palm of her hand before becoming intertwined with her own. "Have ye thought any more about what we talked about?"

Beth sucked in a deep breath as she let Ian take her hand. "Of course I did." She told him, a sad smile forming on her lips. She leaned forward and pressed her lips softly against his. "We do not have to worry about that anymore." She whispered to him, keeping her face close as her nose brushed slowly against his cheek. Beth moved to wrap her arms around his chest, pressing herself up against him in a warm, tight embrace.

The sun was slowly starting to rise over the ridge. The golden tones warming her skin as she stood there in Ian's embrace. He had made no move to actively kiss her back, though pressed his face into the crook of her neck as his arms wound around her waist. "What do you mean?" He questioned her.

Beth pulled back just enough to look up at Ian. "I'm not with child." She explained, her fingers now toying with the feather that hung around his neck, attached to the knife that he carried everywhere he went.  The more she thought about the situation, the more emotional she became. She was relieved that she wasn't carrying a piece of Stephen Bonnet to live on. He was a vile man and Beth was terrified of having his child and raising a monster.

She knew children were innocent. But she couldn't help but be scared.

Now having started her courses, the first after being raped by Bonnet, she felt a large metaphorical weight get lifted from her shoulders. Though a part of her, somewhere tucked deep within, was also thinking about a future with Ian.

The feather tickled against her skin as she pulled back to look up at Ian again.

"Are ye positive?" He asked, his hands now moving to grab onto her hips, steadying her as his eyes locked in with her own. There was something raw about the intimacy they were experiencing with one another.

"Yes." Beth moved to cup Ian's cheeks. Her thumbs brushed up, higher on his cheeks and over the tattooed dots that were scattered across his skin. "I cannot thank you enough for your support and guidance through all of this, Ian." She let go and stepped back, trying to pull herself from Ian's grasp.

The Scot was not going to let up, though. He held onto her, pulling her back in. "I will always be here for ye. But remember, what I said," He sounded stern – or at least was trying to. "I care about ye, Mistress Montgomery." A smirk was no appearing on his lips. He knew how much she hated being called that.

"Ian." She warned, raising a brow for a moment before a soft giggle escaped through her lips. "You drive me crazy." She sighed happily, pinching the skin on the side of his neck in order to get him to release his hold on her.

"Beth? Ian?"

Claire was walking around the bend now, Jamie not too far behind her.

"Is everything alright?" The older woman questioned, tilting her head to the side as she shifted the pile of clean towels and rags to Jamie's arms as she turned to unlock the door to the surgery.

"Aye, everything is alright." Ian responded, stepping further away from Beth with a smile. "I'll see you later... aye?" He spoke softly, leaning closer to Beth so she could hear him.

"Yes, I'll see you later." She ushered him away, a smile lingering on her lips as she watched him walk off with Rollo. Most likely heading to the stream to catch some fish or do some of his own cleaning.

Beth followed Claire and Jamie into the surgery, offering to take the laundry from Jamie as she helped Claire set up. Jamie had left them quietly, almost figuring out what Beth had wanted to talk about.

"You wanted to see me? Are you feeling ok? Is something bothering you?" Claire, as most mothers do, reached forward to place the back of her hand across Beth's forehead, ensuring that her skin was not warm to the touch.

"I'm feeling great, Claire." Beth smiled, leaning into her touch instead of out of it. She enjoyed when Claire acted motherly. This was something she never really experienced with her adoptive mother, Gretchen.

"I got my period." Beth now lowered her voice, the smile from before remaining on her lips as she watched Claire.

"Oh, that's lovely news." Claire sighed in relief, wrapping her arms around Beth in a hug. "Do you need anything? How are you feeling?"

"I'm experiencing some cramping." Beth gestured to her stomach with a grimace. "Nothing out of the ordinary for me. I would kill for some acetaminophen right about now." She joked, leaning herself against the closest countertop.

"Well," Claire smiled, moving over to one of her cabinets. She pulled out a small pouch, passing it over to Beth. "It may not work as well, but this is some crushed willow bark. I know this was often used for pain relief." The older woman explained, now moving to pick up an empty and clean teacup. "Steep it for a few minutes to make yourself a cup of tea. Let me know if this helps."

Beth thanked Claire, kissing her cheek in passing as she walked off towards the kitchen to make herself the cup of willow bark tea. At this point, she would try anything and everything.

A part of her wanted to feel the pain – a reminder that her womb was bare and that she wasn't carrying the child of her rapist.

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"Jemmy!" Beth exclaimed, her hands raised up in the air as she walked towards the group that was outside of Roger and Brianna's cabin.

Ian was present, playing with Jeremiah, running around as if he were a child, too. That made Beth smile. One day, he would make a great father. He was kind, caring, and fair. He was passionate about the things he believed in and those that he loved. That was everything that reminded Beth of her father.

"Lo! Lo!" Jemmy was babbling, running away from Ian, giggling loudly as he ran into Beth's legs. Pressing his face into her skirts, he held something tight in his fist. "What do you have there little guy?" Beth shifted to kneel beside Jemmy, smiling at him as he unfurled his fist to show her.

"Hot." He explained, dropping the opal as he let out a cry.

At his outburst, everyone who had been sitting on the porch rushed over. Brianna scooped her son up, cradling him and kissing his hand. "What's hot, bud? What hurt you?"

Roger stood beside his wife, eyeing the opal. Beth was closest, so she reached down and picked the stone up. "It's hot." She said, eyes wide in disbelief. She looked up to Roger and then to Brianna, wondering if they were thinking the same thing she was.

"I was just holding it, it was not hot." Ian stated, a bit confused with his hand outstretched so Beth could drop the stone into his hand.

"Aye, see?" He squeezed his fingers around the stone, looking between everyone. "It's no hot to me."

Brianna took it from Ian as Roger held onto Jemmy. It was instantly warm against her skin. She turned to her mother and father, eyes wide. A slightly forbidden glee of happiness hidden beneath her stare. "Do you know what this means?" She whispered, knowing Ian didn't know about the truth. Roger reached over to touch the stone. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he held tightly onto his son.

Jemmy can travel. Beth thought to herself, her hands finding their way on her hips as she shifted a bit closer to Claire and Brianna.

"Aye." Jamie answered, a look of sadness crossing his features at the thought of his family leaving him.

Claire held her husband's hand. Giving it a tight squeeze, Claire took in a deep breath. 

"I guess we need to talk."