Craigh Na Dun.

The mist hangs gently over the moors as Claire sits close to Jamie and holds his hand. He looks at her intensely, his eyes full of concern.

"Is it often like this between a man and a woman?"

"What do you mean?"

"When we lie together, is it always like that?"

Claire hesitates. She feels guilty and for a moment she considers lying to him, telling him that it is usual to feel that intensity, but she stops. Doesn't Jamie deserve to know the truth? That when she is with him, it is like she dissolves into him, his flesh becomes hers and his body responds so knowingly it is like an intimate dance that they have always known. Jamie's hair hangs damply around his face in curls as he stares at her and she knows that she cannot deceive him.

"No, it is different between us, I can't explain, but when I am with you I - -"

At that moment an arrow lands close by to them, sticking out of the wet grass. Jamie holds Claire close to him, protecting her in his arms, but it is only Hugh Monroe who claims that he can help Jamie prove his innocence.

"I don't know if I can trust him," Jamie tells Claire afterwards.

That night, sitting with his men as they tell bawdy stories in the firelight, Claire puts her hands between Jamie's as he rubs them. She wishes that they were alone so that she could lie with him beneath his cloak and feel his strong arms around her like before. She knows that Jamie feels as frustrated as she does, the way he looks at her in the flickering light, his eyes full of desire. She grasps his thumb between her fingers and puts it into her mouth staring at him all the while. He groans and pulls away.

"Please stop it woman, am I not tormented enough?"

In the morning, he takes her hand and leads her to a sheltered place behind a hill, away from the prying eyes of his men.

"I told them we needed to pick more herbs," he laughs pushing her almost roughly to the ground.

He kisses her passionately, freeing her from her tight bodice so that the cool air makes her gasp, but he quickly warms her with his hands, then kisses her there. He is all eagerness and cannot wait. She wraps her legs around him, their breathing matched, slower now, he moves in perfect harmony with her.

"I feel like a God when I'm inside you Claire," he whispers. Then bashfully he says, "Now I feel foolish."

She buries her hands into his hair and laughs as much in ecstasy as in happiness.

"You are a fool."

"Then I must punish you for saying that."

This is no punishment, she thinks as he holds her wrists above her head, pinning her down. She wants him as much as he wants her. His breath is just gasps as he tries to kiss her and she pretends to turn away. He holds her head firmly between his hands and kisses her full on the lips. This time she lets him.

Behind them, they hear the click of a gun. They freeze. When Jamie is pulled away from her, she tries to cover herself with her hands, but it is too late. The Red Coat laughs harshly.

"I'd like a piece of that."

Jamie struggles but the other soldier has his gun thrust under Jamie's chin.

"Would you like to watch, you Scottish scum? I'll have your slut moaning for more."

"No!" Jamie yells but the gun is pressed harder into his chin.

Then it is all a blur as Claire grabs her knife and thrusts. As the knife enters the soldier's flesh it makes a sickening sound. She tries to blank it out as Jamie helps her up and carries her away.

"I'm so sorry," Jamie says, "I should have protected you."

Claire shivers and lets him hold her close to him, away from the bodies of the dead men. She doesn't remember getting on her horse or riding away. The trees and the woods are all a haze, a tangled mess of green. They stop in a clearing and Jamie tells Claire to wait there for his return. She doesn't feel safe.

"How do I know you'll return?" she asks.

"Because I promise," he says earnestly.

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"I swear I'll be back, but you must promise to stay here."

She will not promise. The trees feel alien and sinister to her, all sense of security is gone, and she wants to be with Jamie, but he won't let her. When he leaves, she looks around her, remembering her plan to make her way back to the standing stones, to try to get back to her husband Frank. The forest seems strangely familiar as she waits. Soon however, tormented by images of the Red Coat she killed, she starts to walk along the path. Through the trees she glimpses Craigh Na Dun. She can't believe it. That was where it all began. So much has happened since then.

If only Jamie had waited for her, protected her, she wouldn't be here now, tempted by memories of her past life with Frank. She still feels like she is in shock and leans against a tree to stare up towards Craigh Na Dun. It is almost like the stones are calling to her. The wind rustles through the leaves eerily. As she moves forwards again it is like invisible hands pull her towards the stones. She breaks into a run.

"Frank!" she calls, "I'm coming! Wait for me!"