Covert Operations - (Ch 233) - Epilogue
SYNOPSIS: James Fraser and Claire Beauchamp return to their downtime destination far away from Section One, but this time as a newly married couple.
This chapter is a little suggestive.
Chapter 232 and all other chapters can be found at … https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations
*This can also be read on AO3
I want to THANK all the lovely readers who have been engaged with this story one way or another for just over four years. Thank you all so much for your support, for your feedback, for your likes and for reblogging each week. I am so very grateful that you found my story and have kept reading each week. That just blows my mind! THANK YOU all so much. 👋
CHAPTER 233(S) – EPILOGUE
A couple of months later …
There was only one place that James Fraser and Claire Beauchamp wanted to spend their honeymoon, and that was in the special home where they had shared such wonderful memories on their downtime. They had left Section One in the capable hands of Letitia Chisholm, and his godfather Murtagh Fitzgibbons, had been given strict instructions that they were not to be contacted under any … and he meant any circumstances. He’d chuckled at Jamie’s directive to keep their honeymoon destination a secret, and with a knowing gleam in his eyes Murtagh had said that even if Section burnt to the ground, he would never say where they had gone. Operations and his second-in-command, would be blissfully ignorant of the comings and goings at Section One until they returned from their honeymoon. His godfather valued the sanctity of his life, so Jamie and his Sugar would never know anything that was happening in their absence.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The honeymooners had been here for several days now and hadn’t really left their conjugal bed except for much needed sustenance. On waking this morning, the first rays of yet another glorious day greeted them as the dappled light drifted across the foot of their bed, and over the bodies of the intimate couple lying there. The two lovers lay on their sides facing each other with their legs entangled as they had done each morning. Jamie’s eyes drifted down to their bodies in perfect accord, while Claire melted into her husband’s embrace as he lazily traced the bottom of her chin with his fingertip.
“I always wake when you do, Sassenach; I sleep ill without ye by my side,” he uttered softly brushing his lips against hers. “I wake up every day and find that I love you more than I did the day before."
“If I loved you any more than I do now, James Fraser, my heart would burst right out of my chest,” Claire replied stroking her thumb along his cheek.
Their love for one another had been put to the test on numerous occasions by Madeline and Operations, and they’d endured so much, but now the past was behind them. Staring intimately into each other’s eyes, the two lovers never wanted to break eye contact. Their eyes communicated that everything that had passed between them was indelibly etched into their hearts forever.
Leaning into her love, Claire kissed her man affectionately rubbing her nose against his in playful teasing. “Good morning husband.”
Taking her hand in his, Jamie laced their fingers together mimicking the joining of their souls, then raising their clasped hand up between them, he seductively kissed their knuckles.
“Good morning … Mrs. Fraser. Sleep well?” he queried with a satisfied grin and a provocative raise of his eyebrow.
“Like a baby, Mr. Fraser … and you?”
“Likewise.
Gently pulling his wife closer to him, Jamie placed his arm around her shoulder and Claire burrowed her face against his neck as they lay on the pillow kissing sensuously in salutations. He couldn’t resist the temptation of touching her body and he brushed his hands along her velvety soft skin leisurely tracing his wife’s glorious curves. In reply Claire’s hand rose and tenderly cupped Jamie’s cheek lightly grazing her finger along her husband’s stubbled jaw, before sliding her fingers into his dishevelled hair where they tightened in his curls. Never severing their gaze, Jamie placed his open hand against Claire’s cheek lovingly mapping her face with his fingers. Reciprocating the caress he loved so much, she too ran her finger over his jaw once more as their eyes stared into their souls. Then leaning in towards each other, they kissed looking at one another as if they couldn’t believe that they were really here on their honeymoon and finally husband and wife.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
James Fraser couldn’t get enough of his love’s kisses and when his lips gently found hers again, Claire surrendered sighing against his mouth. The taste of her was an aphrodisiac to his senses, for her lips enticed him, and every time he touched her, she made him come alive in want and need.
“Yer mouth is so inviting mo ghràidh,” he uttered gutturally overcome with emotion. “I canna get enough of yer kisses.”
Jamie could feel her smile against his mouth as Claire surrendered to yet another potent caress from her husband. Roaming his fingers gently over her cheeks, across the bridge of her nose and along her tingling lips he focused on seeing his wife's response to his touch. His hands traced back near her temples and lightly caressed the arch of her brow, before trailing them through her hair in dishevelled disarray on the pillow. Jamie’s breathing grew more ragged as his eyes perused her features in loving devotion, while his fingers continued stroking over her tempting flesh.
“Oh, God. Claire. Yer skin is flawless… you are so beautiful. I do love you so … More now than ever … if that is possible.”
Rolling on top of his wife, he deftly brushed his lips across the place where her swan-like neck and shoulder met. Gently biting the delicate skin of her throat, Jamie soothingly licked the place where his teeth had left his mark of passion. Claire couldn’t help but moan at the intimate contact of her husband’s gestures.
“Yer face is my heart, Sassenach, and the love of you is my soul. I couldna look at ye and keep my hands from you, nor be near ye and not want you. I want you now.”
Sighing, his eyes continued roving over her gorgeous face, all the while scorching Claire’s soul with his intense gaze. Jamie let out an audible, evocative, trembling groan that resonated in the back of his throat as he kissed his wife in fierce abandon. His caresses made her head spin with the ecstasy of his touch. Releasing her lips momentarily so his love could draw breath, Jamie lowered his head again wreaking havoc on Claire’s sensitized lips, awakening her fierce need for him as well. Their lips fused together as they both whimpered their need of one another. “Tha gaol agam ort, mo nighean donn,” he uttered against her lips, pulling back from them and nibbling them softly. “Oh, Jamie,” she sighed as his hands delved lower across her body. Claire felt his tender touch as her spouse’s fingers nonchalantly glided over and over her soft skin in devotion.” I love you so much.”
Who would have thought that Jamie’s exquisite hands could kill with a mere touch … yet … that same touch of his hands could send her reeling into unconsciousness?
Everything her husband did, everywhere he touched came alive under his sensational caresses, and Claire moaned in her acceptance of his gift. When his hands touched her, she felt the thrill to the very core of her being. The glide of his roving fingers on her skin drove her insane with intense longing. Claire was breathless and she ached with a yearning so severe that she just wanted to die in his arms. There were no words to speak of their devotion. None were necessary. They communicated their desire for each other with one look, a look that spoke volumes in silence. Jamie saw the awe in his beloved’s eyes; it was so overwhelming that he felt his heart soar. Only she could cause such a reaction. She was his woman; his wife. He was her man; her husband.
“Forever and always my darling,” he whispered against her ear.
Overcome with such deep love for her husband, Claire ran her soft hands over Jamie’s torso electrifying his nervous system into overload. She leisurely trailed them down his muscular back gently caressing him until reaching his tight buttocks which flexed uncontrollably at her touch. Reversing her sojourn back up his body with soft strokes, she wallowed in the perfection of the man in her arms. Seeing the depth of Claire’s love for him in her luminous eyes overwhelmed him. James Fraser could not believe that being married to this wonderful woman could make him feel so complete. His hands stroked his wife’s brunette tresses away from her face to reveal the radiant gaze burning holes in his own. Brushing his fingertips against her cheekbones, Jamie felt Claire’s soft intake of breath, when on a sigh, he murmured her special name.
“Sass-en-ach.”
"My darling husband," she whispered in reply. The words softly left her lips in admiration of the man who was her world. Feeling his body come alive more fully, Claire wriggled closer. His breathing became erratic as he captured her in his embrace. Tilting his head close to hers, Jamie never broke the mesmerizing, piercing looks they exchanged. Stroking her husband’s face with the palms of her hands, Claire was unable to say a word. She traced her fingertips along his mouth, caressing the bottom lip while biting her own tentatively. A wayward finger found its way inside his mouth and she could feel the scrape of Jamie’s teeth on the soft pad. It was so erotic that her body shivered with delight.
“Jamie … my love,” Claire murmured adoringly with breathless whispers.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She continued rubbing her hands over the contours of his back with a soothing touch, traversing his skin and absorbing his pores into her own. They talked without words, whispering their inner thoughts for the other while gazing into one another’s eyes, each mirroring the feelings of their hearts.
James Fraser couldn’t believe that through everything they had endured while in Section under Madeline and Operations’ rule, that they had finally come to be in this place of contentment and overwhelming joy. All they had endured; all they had suffered to be together had culminated in this sacred sacrament of marriage. Now they were husband and wife and the bond they shared was on another level entirely. They were partners in everything that truly mattered in life, at work and even in death when that day eventually came. God, he loved this woman so much. He loved his brown-haired lass; he had loved her from the moment he had laid eyes on her but had thought himself unworthy of love and happiness. However, it was their destiny that they met and were together side by side in Section and on life’s journey. Each day that he saw her face he was reminded of the day that changed his life … the day that Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp was recruited to Section One.
From this day forward, he would also never forget the day Claire became his wife. When he saw her for the first time as her Uncle Lamb walked her towards him on their wedding day, it was as if the sun had come out, for he was blinded by the look that was in her eyes. He was mesmerized by his Claire. She was a lady of grace, a woman of strength, and an astonishingly beautiful, radiant bride. Their eyes had locked on each other as she came closer and closer towards him. It was as if they were the only ones there. Reciting their wedding vows was the culmination of their commitment to each other, then when he had kissed his bride, his heart had nearly stopped because of the happiness he felt.
His brave and wonderful wife completed him. She made him a better man … a better leader … a better human being. Before he met his Sassenach, he was merely existing, but now he couldn’t be any happier than what he was at this moment in time on their honeymoon. The joys, the laughter, the togetherness of married life certainly agreed with him. He was so very happy. His Claire had brought immeasurable joy into his life and now they were life partners for ever. He would love her until time itself was done, and so long as she was by his side, he was well pleased with the world, and he wanted to grow old with her until they each drew their last breath.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Likewise, Claire looked at her husband in disbelief that the day they married was the day that their deepest connection began. They were joined not just in body but in soul. Their soul connection had always been strong, but somehow it felt so different this time now that they were one. Perhaps it was the openness of them being together in Section One and to be able to express their love and affection for one another without repercussions. This togetherness had been the catalyst for these deeper feelings of love that had grown even stronger every day. God, she loved this man so much that just the thought of him not being beside her filled her heart with sorrow. They were true soulmates destined to be together until they could breathe no more.
From the very first moment she had met him in Section, she knew that her life would never be the same. Nevertheless, it was providence and a little help from their uncles that they should meet. Jamie was a conundrum to her, but over time her feelings for this enigmatic man, who was a challenge to understand, had become clearer. She saw in him a true man of worth, one who was worthy of love … of her, love. They were equals, two people who were joined explicitly by the connection they had forged together with their partnership. Now they were partners for life. She was the other half of him. Jamie was her true soulmate. She found comfort in his love and friendship and their partnership in Section was one built on trust and respect for one another. She couldn’t control the feelings that ricocheted through her body knowing that he was hers. He was her husband, her heart, her soul. She bloody well couldn’t do without him, and that was about it. Jamie was the only one she wanted to be with, to share her life with. Laugh with. Love with. Grow old with.
The day they married was the most wonderful day of her life. To know that she was really his wife, that there were no secrets anymore, no hiding their relationship and definitely no recrimination from those who knew nothing of what love was between a man and a woman … Madeline and Operations, was all that mattered. When she walked down towards her groom, her heart leapt in her chest. Her breath seemed to leave her lungs for Jamie looked so positively resplendent and handsome in his kilt, that she suddenly had wicked thoughts of wanting to fling him to the ground and commit ravishment on his glorious body. Their eyes held and it was as if she was floating on air as she moved closer to him. His eyes hypnotised her until she was captivated and was drowning in the depths of the desire hidden there. His piercing look burned her soul.
James Fraser was a man in love who was letting her know his true feelings for her. It was radiating from his intense blue eyes which remained fixed on her with every step she took towards him. As if in a dreamlike state she came closer and closer to where Jamie was waiting with such a devoted look in his eyes. When they met in front of the priest, Jamie had taken her hand in his. She had felt his touch ignite her body as if fireworks had exploded within her skin, and not unlike an electrical current flowing through her fingertips. It paralysed her that she couldn’t control the feelings that ricocheted through her body knowing that he was hers alone. In a dream like state, they had spoken their vows and when they had been pronounced husband and wife and Jamie had kissed her, she lost all consciousness in his embrace. They had heard the applause of their friends but it was not as loud as their two hearts beating in unison. God, she loved this man with every last breath in her body. James Fraser was the love of her life. The one she adored. Her one true love … He was her world. He was everything to her, and each day she loved him more. Today she loved him more than yesterday and less than tomorrow, and she wanted to grow old with Jamie until they each drew their last breath.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Marriage was a huge leap of faith, but it was their faith in each other, while spending every day with the person they loved, was what made the journey worthwhile. It was the continuation of their life-long commitment oflove, trust and respect for one another. They already had a partnership in Section of good communication and openness. They listened to each other and shared ideas with honesty, and had the ability to compromise, as well as give constructive criticism if needs be. At home they spent time together but at the same time gave each other space in their togetherness when it was needed. They loved each other, truly loved each other.
As they lay together in their bed, with each sigh, gentle touch and look, Jamie and Claire experienced a deep feeling of intimacy and connection as they felt themselves slipping into a realm of deeper sexual union. Holding her husband close to her chest like a baby to the breast, Claire felt every inch of his skin. Resting his head on her comforting breast Jamie was lost in the essence of the woman in his arms … the love of his life. His wife … Claire Fraser.
"I've only known one love in my life, and that was with you, mo luaidh," Jamie declared as his eyes drifted shut.
Sighing, Claire closed her eyes as well as they both succumbed to an exhausted but sated sleep once more. Hence it was late morning when James Fraser eventually arose from their marital bed, as the pangs of hunger had made his stomach growl.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Claire Fraser felt Jamie rise from the bed. Leaning one hand on her cheek and with a satisfied grin on her face, she smugly watched her husband’s naked torso in appraisal as he began to walk away. Claire couldn’t help it. She never tired of looking at him. Her eyes slowly traversed all the plains of his wickedly sensuous body of the man who was all hers. Biting her lip, she couldn’t help but admire his naked torso, the curvature of his round backside and the muscles of his back, his sinuous arms and the strength of those strong, hard thighs that she could wrap her legs around in a vice.
“Come back to bed Jamie …” Claire sighed languidly rubbing the empty mattress beside her, “… it’s our honeymoon after all.”
“I’ll be there in a moment, mo chridhe … I’m just getting us something to eat. I have to keep up my stamina because my wife is insatiable,” he answered roguishly with a mischievous eyebrow raise.
“It must be mutual then … My husband cannot get enough of me too it seems.”
“Aye ... ‘tis true, Mrs. Fraser …” he replied cheekily looking over to the unkempt bed where they had spent most of their time in over the past couple of days. “Ye have worn me out my love.”
“Surely you jest, Mr. Fraser,” Claire replied with an equally mischievous glance. “You are in perfect physical condition. I cannot believe that it is you who have overexerted yourself … when it is I …”
Jamie smirked at her unfinished words, while challenging her to finish what she was saying. “I what? My wife?”
“I … I have perfect stamina for these one-on-one workouts you put me through. You did train me after all. Come back to bed and let me show you just how much endurance I still have,” she teased impishly.
Jamie gave her a lascivious look as if to say … “I will test out that theory shortly when I return Sorcha.”
Turning once more, he looked at her with a promise that he’d be back as soon as possible and slowly walked into the kitchen to retrieve some nibbles they could eat. Watching him with a satisfied grin on her face, Claire sighed a little breathlessly and lay back against the pillows. Her husband was perfection … and every glorious inch of his magnificent body belonged to her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As she lay there, Claire lovingly toyed with the exquisite filigree ring Jamie had finally placed on her finger at their wedding. She had worn this beautiful ring with the engraved inscription … Da mi basia mille … around her neck close to her heart but out of sight. Jamie had given her this ring with the promise of a thousand kisses, and a thousand more times over of the kisses they would share. Her wonderful, romantic man had given her a solemn promise that night when he had given her this ring, and now she could wear it so that everyone knew that she was his, and he was hers.
She remembered being totally overwhelmed at the symbolic and meaningful bespoke ring, and her heart had filled with the joys of promises he made that night. Jamie had laid out what was in his heart for her to see. This ring symbolized the serenity and purity of their relationship. It was his vow of fidelity and commitment, but it also revealed his deep abiding love for her. Jamie was giving her his word of honour that night that it was his promise for marriage and of his eternal devotion.
Claire smiled as she looked at her ring once more. His promises had come to fruition and they were well and truly on their way to those thousand kisses ten times over. When she looked at it, she couldn’t help but remember back to their wedding day when the two of them became one.
It had been the most wonderful day of her life. It had been a simple, but romantic wedding ceremony in Letitia Chisholm’s glorious garden a few days ago. Jamie had looked so dashing in his Fraser’s kilt; she had dressed in an ethereal vintage white gown with a crown of flowers in her hair. She had been so very happy that the smile that bowed her lips seemed to be permanently plastered on her face. She was so head over heels in love with the man she was about to marry.
The day itself was magical. It was perfect in every way. Her Uncle Lamb had walked her down the aisle to meet the man of her dreams to where the priest was waiting. She had kissed her uncle on the cheek and she couldn’t help but notice the tears of happiness that had welled up in his eyes. But it was Jamie’s penetrating gaze as he watched her approach him that had her floating on air. Their eyes had locked on each other’s and the love radiating from their gazes was so intense that she felt her heart leap from her chest.
Their wedding vows had been spoken with such reverence and love that it was as if they were the only two people there with the priest, and all those around them had faded into oblivion. Then, when they kissed, her heart had burst with the knowledge that she was now truly his in name, body and soul … she was Mrs. Claire Fraser and Jamie was her husband.
Murtagh had seemed quite emotional too, as he and Bóinne watched them repeat their vows. No doubt he was thinking about his own wedding to his wife just a few weeks ago. Then the look on Fergus Claudel’s face when Marsali MacKimmie had caught her wedding bouquet had been priceless, but she knew that this young couple would most assuredly be the next to marry.
Although she and Jamie never wanted their wedding day to end, they couldn’t wait to be together, just the two of them alone and begin their honeymoon. And now here they were in their special place where memories were made, and it had been everything and more than she had ever expected.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Despite never giving their roles at Section One another thought since they had arrived here, nevertheless thinking of their friends just now, had Claire’s thoughts turning to how things had transformed for the better, not only in their lives, but at Section too.
When they had taken over the leadership, much had changed in Section since Jamie had become the new Operations and she his second in command. The atmosphere in the organization had shifted dramatically and the place seemed to be more harmonious than ever before. Missions had gone well. Terrorists were captured and were still tortured by Henry and Elizabeth, but their methods were less barbaric, however they still achieved the same results with this change of direction. Section One was running smoothly. She and Jamie had not always been able to be physically present on missions, but his strategic profiling had seen their operatives carry out successful end games nonetheless. They had only called on Letitia Chisholm one time when they went undercover on the Stonner mission as a married couple, which they didn’t need much preparation for having been in the role often. However, a mission and the real deal were so polar opposites that she couldn’t believe how much a ring on her finger had changed the dynamics so conclusively. It felt different from playing a married couple to now actually being one.
Although she knew that everything would be running as normal back at Section One, these thoughts jostled in her head and realizing that Jamie was taking his good time getting something to eat, Claire called out his name to gain his attention.
“Jamie!”
“What is it my love?” he replied returning from the kitchen with a plate of cheese, fruit and some whisky for the two of them.
“What do you think is happening back at Section while we are away?”
“Dinna fash, Sassenach. Letitia will have everything in hand. Section will be ticking over as usual without us there. They can manage for two weeks surely.”
“I guess so … it’s just that …”
He grinned at her. “You miss everyone don’t ye Claire?”
“I do, just a little … but I am so loving our time here more my love. This is our special place for special memories and none more so than our idyllic honeymoon. I doubt if I will want to return to Section when it is over.”
“Our honeymoon will never be over, mo ghràidh. We have a lifetime of days like these to come,” Jamie replied with an intense look that made her breath hitch.
Catching each other’s gazes across the room, Claire felt giddish as her heart leapt in her chest at his response. She smiled happily as she watched her husband walk back over to the bed. Placing the decanter, two glasses and plate on the bedside table, Jamie sat down on the mattress. Claire felt the bed dip slightly with his weight as he leaned over towards her, as she in turn rolled over closer to where he sat. Tenderly Jamie placed a small piece of cheese into her mouth with his fingertips. Munching on the morsel, their eyes held each other’s as Claire rubbed his arm up and down with the tips of her fingers lightly scraping the muscles as she did so.
His wife’s radiant nakedness under the covers sent Jamie’s heart into arrhythmia at the thought of their couplings a little while ago and those throughout the night as they had repeatedly made love. His Claire was the most stunning woman he had ever seen and her beauty was not just visible to the naked eye, she was beautiful in every way possible.
“I did warn ye, mo luaidh, about making memories here.”
“Yes, you did.”
She moved up in the bed until she was level with Jamie. Their eyes held one another’s in a piercing stare that registered deep within their hearts.
“When I touch you …” Jamie’s fingertip rubbed lightly under her chin as he spoke.
Claire leaned towards him. They rubbed noses in a little Eskimo kiss that she loved to receive and give.
“… I feel my heart pound in my chest mo chridhe … I feel that my heart could burst right out of my body. I love ye so much Sassenach. You are mine, always, if ye will it or no, if ye want me or nay. Mine, and I wilna let ye go.”
“Nor I you, James Fraser,” she replied kissing him heralding the depth of feeling she had for this special man.”
“Are ye happy Sorcha?”
“Happier than I have ever been. I am truly happy just being here with you.”
Claire Elizabeth Fraser … my wife, Jamie thought, a smile suddenly appearing on his face and widening even more when she reciprocated his grin.
My husband … James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser, Claire thought as well.
“I dinna want to hear another word about Section One while we are here, mo leannan,” he teased bopping her on the nose playfully. “It is just the two of us now.”
“I promise … I won’t say another word, Jamie. Whatever happens in Section, stays in Section until we get back.”
“We are not to be contacted and are off the grid for the duration of our honeymoon. So, I’m going to hold ye to that promise, Claire Fraser.”
“You have my word, James Fraser.”
Leaning in closer and closer to his wife's smiling face, Jamie declared, “Then kiss me, Claire. And know that you are more to me than life, and I have no regret.”
“Gladly.”
With those words the honeymooners soon forgot all discussion of those back at Section One as they kissed passionately. They both thought nothing more of mission profiles, terrorists, their operatives or what decisions were being made by Letitia Chisholm, for they again succumbed to the blissful conjugal joys of being giddy newlyweds.
THE END
Gaelic and meaning …
Mo ghràidh – My love
Mo luaidh – My darling
Mo leannan – My sweetheart
Mo chridhe – My heart
Tha gaol agam ort – I love you
