#outlnader

“And she’s out! That puts another win in the books for the Boston Beauties,” the announcer’s voice rang through the stadium at the end of the game. “Those girls can sure hit the ball!”

The girls gathered together in congratulations just outside the dugout. There was nothing like the rush of winning a game. One by one each girl shook hands with the members of the River Run Belles, before gathering their gear and making their way to the locker room.

“Um... Mr. Fraser? I’m Marjorie Mackenzie,” she said hanging back from the group, cautiously approaching the manager. “I play right field...for us, for the Beauties.”

“I see,” he responded, looking at his watch. He really didn’t have time to deal with team issues right now, he just wanted to get on the road. The sooner the team was settled, the sooner he could get away from all of them.

Unfazed by his lack of attention, Marjorie continued, “I spoke with my uncle last night, and well, he says that I can’t leave my son with him at home anymore. You see, my husband died when his plane was shot down. So, can I take my son with me on road trips? He’s the sweetest little boy. Everyone is going to love him.”

With a sigh, Jamie nodded in agreement. She was putting him in quite the spot. Say no and he loses a player and his reputation takes another nose dive. He could just see it now, the headline reading Major League Jerk - Manager Doesn’t Care About War Widows.

As the team made their way to their next game, Jamie couldn’t help but be lulled to sleep by the movement of the and the humming of the engine. Taking full advantage of the momentary reprise from listening to the gossip of the girls, Jamie closed his eyes and settled himself into his seat. With his guard down, the last thing Jamie anticipated was finding out just how cute wee Roger could truly be, testing his ability to show concern for his players.

In an effort to keep the young boy occupied while on the bus, his mother had given him a chocolate bar. It wasn’t long before the sugar high kicked in and Roger became far too hyper for the bus to contain. He was running up and down the center aisle, hands slapping the back of each seat as he passed by. Most of the girls tried not to give Roger the attention he seemed to be demanding. It was hard to ignore, however, when he made his way to the front of the bus and started messing with the team’s driver, Rupert.

It began with him shaking his seat. Unsatisfied when Rupert’s attention didn’t turn away from the road ahead of him, Roger took matters a step further. Without thinking of the consequences, Roger placed his chocolate covered hands over both eyes of the driver.

“What’s going on? Hey! Get this brat off me!” shouted Rupert, whose temper had been pushed too far by the young boy. Trying his best to ensure that no one was hurt, Rupert managed to maneuver the bus to the side of the road. Once parked, he jumped up from his seat and declared that he was no longer interested in the job, and promptly quit.

As the girls filed off the bus after Rupert, they all came to stand on the side of the road waiting for a resolution to their current situation.

“That kid is trouble,” said Annalise, crossing her arms as she leaned against the side of the bus.

“I’m sorry Marjorie, but I’m gonna have to kill your son!” announced Louise, bat in hand as she made her way towards the young boy.

“You canna catch me!” Roger taunted, sticking his tongue out. He began to run circles around his mother, who was doing her best to diffuse the situation.

“Louise! Act like the adult here!” chastised Claire as she made her way towards the group.

“Roger, come here lad. Have another chocolate bar,” Marjorie said, handing over the candy. Roger calmed himself long enough to get the bar unwrapped and into his mouth. Shrugging, she continued. “He really is a sweet lad.”

“Aye, and I’m the queen of Scotland,” joked Geillis.

Claire couldn’t help but chuckle to herself when she noticed Mrs. Fitz, already busy trying to rectify the situation. She could see the squat team chaperone trying to get Rupert back to the bus, arms flailing wildly as she tried to make her point.

It took a few coarse words from Rupert, but Mrs. Fitz eventually made her way back to the bus, shoulders slumped in defeat. Clearly, she had been unsuccessful in her attempts to get Rupert to continue in the employ of the All American Girls’ Professional Baseball League.

With a sigh, Claire made her way back to the bus, in the hopes of talking to Jamie about their situation. Knowing full well how quickly his temper could flair, she wanted to spare Mrs. Fitz.

“Jamie,” she said as she leaned over him. She noticed that he was still fast asleep. “Jamie!”

Still no response. Reaching out a hand to touch him lightly on the shoulder, Claire did her best not to startle him awake. What she wasn’t prepared for was his reaction to her touch. A strong hand gripped her wrist, as he looked at her under hooded eyes. Before she could decide whether or not he was truly awake, he pulled her into him, wrapping his arm around her waist. As she opened her mouth to protest, he silenced her with a kiss.

“Jesus H Roosevelt Christ, what was that for?” spat Claire, pushing him away and slapping his face for good measure. Claire took a step back and settled herself in the seat opposite him.

“Ah Dhia! Mullach do chinn fút!” Jamie yelled. The impact of her hand was enough to rouse him out of his sleepy stupor. Jamie sat there, staring at Claire, trying to piece together what would have caused her to be so upset with him.

“Sorry dollface. I didna have my wits about me, being half asleep and all.”

“Well, now that you’re awake. We have an issue,” Claire stated matter-of-factly.

“Aye, what issue is that, lass?”

“Rupert quit.”

“And who might this Rupert be?” he questioned her.

“The driver, he quit. And we have a game to get to!”

Jamie stood and made his way to the front of the bus. With a sigh he sunk into the driver’s seat, allowing his head to fall forward until it came into contact with the steering wheel.

Without so much as another word, Claire swiftly exited the bus and made her way into the company of her teammates.

“Claire, you gonna come with us then?”

“Where are you going?” she asked curiously. Without a bus driver, it was unlikely that anyone was going anywhere.

“A pub called The Blue Bull,” stated Louise.

“We deserve a night out, don’t we girls?” seconded Annalise.

Claire shot them both a look of concern. She knew there was risk involved. They had already been told that all team outings had to be cleared by Mrs. Fitz, and there was no way that going to a pub was on the list of approved social activities.

“Are you sure that is a wise decision? You know what Dougal said,” Claire reminded them cocking her eyebrow just slightly.

“Och, come now Claire,” Geillis said defending the other girls' decision. “Live a little! We aren’t stuck on the farm anymore, ye ken.”

“And just how do you propose that you get past Mrs. Fitz?” Claire continued to question.

“Geillis t...told us she could p...poison her dinner,” stammered Mary, a deep shade of red spreading across her face as she realized what she was saying.

“Poison?” Claire questioned, turning towards Geillis. “Really Gellie? Are you so desperate for a night out that you’d be willing to commit a crime?”

“Relax Claire. Ye ken I dinna mean to commit murder. Just a little something to make her wame weak. She’ll be fine!” Geillis said, trying to reason with Claire.

Throwing her hands in the air, Claire knew there was no talking the girls out of their decision.

“I know nothing about this plan. And for Christ’s sake, don’t get caught!”

“Thanks for the ride kid.” Claire was grateful to have found a quicker way to get to The Blue Bull.

“You can call me Fergus,” he said in a thick French accent.

As Claire began to make her way out of the car, Fergus did his best to stop her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, turning her to face him once more.

“Milady. Why must you run off so fast? What do you say, we can slip into the back seat.”

“How about I smack you for being so forward?” she said moving away from his reach.

“Whatever floats your boat, milady,” he responded, winking at her as she made her way out of his car.

The Blue Bull was clearly the place to be tonight. The moment she opened the door, Claire was greeted with the sounds of a live band, playing a very cheerful number. She smiled to herself to see the delight of the team, who seemed to be taking up the entire dance floor. While some girls were grouped together, choosing to stay close to a familiar face, there were others who had ventured out and were dancing with an array of young gentlemen.

Claire smiled to herself. She was used to seeing the girls light up on the field, but this was something entirely different. Seeing them without a care in the world, without the pressure of trying to win each game, was reassuring to her somehow. As if the world they were in fell away for a moment, allowing them to find some joy among the death and destruction happening all around them. She couldn’t help but think of Frank, wondering how her life may have been different if the war had never started. Breaking from her reverie, Claire spotted Marjorie seated at a nearby table and made her way through the crowd to join her.

“Claire! Ye decided to join us after all?” asked Geillis who had clearly just made her way back from the bar, a pint in each hand.

“I’m not here for social hour,” Claire warned, making her way over to the rest of the team. “Dougal is on his way here. If he catches us, he’ll roast us for sure. That will be the end of the league for us!”

The excitement of the night was clearly at its peak, and Claire was greeted with a mass of blank stares.

“Did ye hear her?” Geillis said, trying to get their attention. “We’ve go’ to leave before we get caught. Let’s go lasses!”

Grabbing their purses, the girls said goodbye to the men they were dancing with and hurried to follow Claire out the rear entrance. Taking a moment to perform a quick headcount, Claire noticed they seemed to be a girl short.

“Did you bring Mary with you?” she questioned the group, unable to locate the missing team member.

“Aye,” said Geillis as she pointed over Claire’s shoulder.

Turning, Claire noticed that Mary had found herself at the corner of the stage, engaged in conversation with a young man. Brown eyes locked with hazel, as if there was nothing in the world but the two of them.

“Come now, Mary. It is time for us to go home,” Claire spoke softly as she gently placed a hand on the other girl’s shoulder.

“B...but I want to stay here with Alex,” Mary blushed, never breaking eye contact with the young man.

“It would be my honor to escort you home, Mary,” Alex said as he took her hand, placing a delicate kiss upon it.

“Thank you, Alex. But I think it’s best that Mary come home with me,” said Claire as she gathered Mary and ushered her towards the door.

“I find him most intriguing,” Mary confessed.

“Oh? And how is it that the two of you met tonight?”

“I dropped my hanky, and he picked it up. It was terribly romantic.”