By Gratianne Garcia

Jamie's paternal instinct: first encounter

with each of his children, whether of heart or blood.  

* Episode 1 - His dear children whom he takes care of like a father.

— Jamie and Fergus (the only one officially adopted) Volume 2 The Talisman - Chapter 12.

Jamie is chased and attacked in a dark street in Paris, after crazy adventures, he finds refuge in the brothel "Madame Elise":
…”Felling deaf ears to the invectives and ribald observations of the delighted boarders, Jamie pushed his way through what he described as “a tangle of bare limbs” until he came upon Fergus, seated against a wall, staring at him dumbfounded. He rushed with relief on this masculine presence, seized the child by the shoulders and implored him feverishly to indicate the nearest exit to him.
“I could hear a din at the door and I knew they were going to come down any minute. I couldn't see myself dearly defending my skin in the midst of all these half-naked women.
“Indeed… a grim prospect! I teased him. But I see he directed you to the exit.
"Yes, he didn't hesitate for a moment, that brave child!" "This way, sir," he said to me. He climbed the stairs four at a time, crossed a room, jumped out of a window, and we both found ourselves on the roofs.
Jamie cast an affectionate look at his little savior. »…

— Jamie and Young Ian: Volume 3 The Journey - Chapter 5.

After Culloden, Jamie lives hidden in a cave near Lallybroch, Ian is absent because he is imprisoned by the English who are looking for a certain Gribonnet (Dunbonnet). At Fergus's request, he comes to make himself useful while his sister gives birth to her youngest.
… " - Come ! called Mrs. Innes. The baby is born. Your sister asks you.
Jenny opened a weary eye.
- You had to come! she sighed.
“I thought I belonged here, with you, even though I couldn't do much.
She closed her eyes again and gave a half-smile. She looked like a painting he had seen in France, a Madonna drawn by an Italian master.
"You're a fool," she said softly. But I'm glad you're here.
Opening her eyes, she showed him the small mass of crumpled laundry she was holding in the crook of her arm.
- You want to see it ?
— Ah! So it's a “he”.
Armed with his long experience as an uncle, he lifted the child and cradled him gently, pushing aside the covers that hid his face. The newborn had his eyes closed, his eyelashes invisible under the thick folds of the eyelids. These formed two long curved lines above the chubby cheeks, hinting that he would probably have his mother's almond eyes. His skull was oddly lumpy, like a misshapen melon, with a distinct protrusion on the right, but the small mouth was relaxed and serene. His thick lower lip quivered slightly and let out a small trickle of drool. He was snoring softly taking a well-deserved rest after the effort of his birth.
"It wasn't easy, was it?" he said to the child. »….

— Jamie with Marsali and Joan the two daughters of Laoghaire: Tome 3 Le voyage - Chapter 37 

On his return from Helwater, Jamie meets them for the first time at Lallybroch where Jenny has organized a ball on the occasion of Hogmanay.
… “It was Ned Gowan who had told Jenny about Laoghaire, after passing through Balriggan on his way back to Edinburgh. The latter, smelling a potential wife for her brother, had immediately invited her and her daughters to Lallybroch on the occasion of the Hogmanay ball. (…)
"There you go..." he sighed. "She was a widow, with two children. She needed a man, and I needed... I don't know what."
His gaze wandered to the hearth, where a small flame flickered through the red mass of peat; heat without much light.
"I thought we could support each other." »…

Episode 2 - William, His Blood Son (T3 spoiler)

Jamie is in Helwater and under the blackmail of Geneva, the daughter of Lord Dunsany who does not want to offer her virginity to the old man to whom she is going to be married; he sees himself obliged to spend a night with her. William will be born 9 months later. Geneva dies in childbirth and her husband, the Earl of Ellesmere, very angry, wants to kill the child because he knows it is not his. Jamie saves the baby in extremis and takes him in his arms.

Volume 3 The journey - Chapter 15.

… "'Let's go, my lord,' he said. They were almost at the door when it was blocked by Lady Dunsany, her round face marked with grief and fatigue. She cast a half-surprised glance at the disorder in the library and took a step forward, her arms laden with what looked like a bundle of dirty laundry.
"William?" she said in a small voice. The maid said you wanted me to bring you the little...
She was interrupted by a roar from the chair. Ellesmere rushed towards her, indifferent to the two pistols Jeffries pointed at him.
- Give it to me ! he yelled, snatching the child from her arms.
Holding him close, he retreated to the window.
- It is mine, you hear me! he shouted.
The baby emitted a piercing cry, as if to protest against this brutal appropriation, which had the effect of jerking Lord Dunsany out of his daze. He lunged at Ellesmere, his features contorted with fury.
"Give it back to me!"
“Damn you, you old sow!
With surprising agility, Ellesmere dodged Dunsany. He yanked the curtains open and opened the window with one hand, holding the waving little package with the other.
- Go away ! Get out of my house! he yelled. Otherwise, I drop the little bastard.
To show that he was not joking, he approached the child from the open window. Outside, the night echoed with the sound of the rain beating the cobblestones, ten meters below. Jamie reacts without thinking for a moment about the consequences of his gesture, entirely guided by this instinct which had enabled him to survive a dozen battles. In a single motion, he snatched one of his pistols from the petrified Jeffries, spun a quarter turn on his heels, and fired. The explosion left everyone speechless. Even the baby stopped crying. Ellesmere's face turned white, her bushy eyebrows arched in an expression of surprise. He staggered forward and Jamie leapt up just in time to catch the child, noting with unreal detachment the small round hole the bullet had left in the earl's waistcoat. Then he stood there, shaking like a leaf in the middle of the carpet, not seeing Ellesmere's body twitching at his feet or hearing Lady Dunsany's hysterical cries. He was unable to move or think, clutching the small, gesticulating, bawling bundle of diapers that contained his son. »… (…)

always Chapter 15

… “He had finally discovered him the night before, asleep in his crib by the nursery window on the second floor. Perched precariously in the huge Norway spruce, he must have squinted to catch a glimpse of her behind the curtain of green needles pricking her face. He was in profile, his chubby cheek crushed against her plump shoulder. Her cap had slipped askew and you could see the soft, perfect curve of her skull, lined with a pale golden down. "Thank God you're not redheaded!" had been his first thought. "My God, how small you are!" had been the second, associated with an irrepressible urge to jump on the windowsill and take the child in her arms. He perfectly imagined the smooth, soft head resting in the palm of his hand, and his memory still retained the memory of the weight of this small, gesticulating body that he had held so briefly against him the day after his birth.
"You're a tough little guy," he whispered. Strong, muscular and pretty as anything. But God you are small"...

* Episode 3 - Blood Daughter Brianna (T4 spoiler)

Jamie's first meeting with his biological daughter Brianna, whom he kept imagining for more than 20 years, is special. Unlike her son, she goes to him. They are two adults face to face and in shock. Yet Jamie has already seen and has on him the photos of his daughter that Claire brought him. To see her in front of him in flesh and blood, an adult moreover, is something else. He thought he would never meet her. He shows himself to be master of himself, very dignified. Very tactile, he can't help but touch her and hug her. He's her father the second he sees her.

Volume 4 The Drums of Autumn - Chapter 41 

… “— My name is Brianna.
He frowned, uncertain, and a strange light crossed his eyes. They had ! He had heard his name and it had meaning for him. She swallowed, feeling the blood rise to her cheeks as if they had been warmed by a candle flame.
“I'm your daughter,” she said, feeling her voice choking. Brianna.
He paled but did not move or change his expression; he was staring at her. He had heard her, however, a painful, deep red colored her throat and her face, as sudden as a brush fire, matching the color of Brianna's face. She felt a deep burst of joy at the sight, that rush of blood to her head echoing a surge of blood, the recognition of their fair skin as a kinship trait. Did blushing so intensely trouble him? she wondered suddenly. Had he trained himself to keep a straight face, as she had learned to do, in order to mask this revealing surge? She felt her own face rigid, but gave him a hesitant smile.
He blinked and finally moved away from her face, slowly becoming aware of her appearance, and – with what seemed like a new and horrified awareness – her size.
"My God," he said hoarsely. “You are huge.
Her blush had dissipated, but she had returned as if in revenge.
"And whose fault do you think it is?" she asked dryly.
She sat up, her shoulders straight and square, her eyes furious. So close that from her full height she could look him straight in the eye, which she did. He sat up, and his face changed then, his mask breaking in surprise. Without it, he looked younger; beneath that mask there was shock, surprise, and a dawning expression of the half-pain of impatience.
“Och, no, lassie! he exclaimed. I didn't say it that way at all! It's just...
He paused, gazing at her in fascination. She sketched a shy smile. He lifted his hand and traced the contours of her cheekbones, jawline, and chin, as if afraid to touch her.
- It's true ? he whispered. Is that really you, Brianna?
He spoke her name "Brrriiiianah," a soft, warm sound that made her shiver with delight.
- Yes, it's me, she said hoarsely.
She made another attempt at a smile.

"So you can't see it?"
Jamie's mouth was wide and his lips full, but not like hers; wider still, bolder, always seeming to hide a smile in the corners. They were shaking at that moment, not knowing what to do.
“Yes,” he replied softly. If I can.
He touched her then, his fingers lightly tracing her face, sweeping the red hair from her temples and ears, tracing the delicate line of her jaw. She shivered again, though his touch had been warm; she could feel the warmth of his palm against her cheek.
“I…I didn't think you'd be this big,” he said, dropping his hand reluctantly. I've seen pictures, but I've always imagined you as a little girl. I did not expect to...
His voice trailed off as he stared at her, eyes similar to Brianna's, thick and deep blue, fascinated.
- Images ? she said feeling breathless with happiness. You mean pictures? Mom found you, didn't she? When you were talking about your wife earlier, you meant...
"Claire," he interrupted.
His lips had made up their mind; they split into a smile that lit up his eyes like the sun illuminates the dancing leaves of the trees.
"Haven't you seen her yet?" My God ! She will be ecstatic!
This time the ice was broken. He took her in his arms and hugged her so tightly that she thought she was suffocating. The mention of his mother was too strong. Her face creased and the tears she had been holding back for days rolled down her cheeks. She was so relieved, laughing and crying all at once...
"Here Lassie, don't cry!" he exclaimed in alarm.
He let go of her arm and snatched a large crumpled handkerchief from her sleeve, patting her cheeks shyly, looking worried.
“Don't cry, Leannan, don't be upset,” he whispered. All is well, m'annsachd; everything's good.
"It's nothing," she reassured him.
She took the handkerchief, wiped her eyes and blew her nose.
- I am so happy ! » …

*Episode 4 - Jamie and the survival in his heart, of Faith his biological child. (Spoiler volume 9)

How not to evoke Faith this first baby so much desired and lost. It's not really a physical meeting like for his two other blood children. But he continues to make her live in his heart by looking at the stars.
It is very well described in a particularly moving passage at the beginning of Volume 9. Jamie speaks of it as a first “virtual” encounter: his conception. The link between the survival of Faith and Jamie, is made with the stars. Beautiful symbol for a departed loved one who is said to have become a star that can be seen shining every night.

Volume 9 Farewell to the bees - 1st part - Chapter 1

“Come lie down with me and stare at the stars for a while, Sassenach. If you're still awake in five minutes, I'll undress you and you'll be naked in the moonlight.
- What if I fell asleep in 5 minutes?
I took off my shoes and took her hand.
- Then I will not bother to undress you.
The fire was burning at our feet and still just as regularly; I could feel its warm breeze brush my face and lift the hair at my temples. The stars were thick and shiny like diamonds spilled in some celestial burglary. I shared this observation with Jamie, who let out a very manly Scottish groan in response, then lay down next to me, sighing in pleasure at the sight. "Aye, Cassiopeia is here!"
I looked at the approximate part of the sky indicated by his nod, shaking mine negatively.
“I suck at constellations. I can see the Big Dipper, and I usually recognize Orion's Belt, although I don't see it right now. And the Pleiades are up there somewhere, aren't they?
"They're part of the Taurus, right there by the hunter."
He held out an arm, pointing at them.
“And that is Camelopardalis.
"Oh, don't be stupid. There is no Giraffe constellation, I would have heard of it.
"Well, you can't see it in the sky right now, but there is one." And now that I think about it, is it any more ridiculous than what happened today?
"No," I replied softly. No, it isn't.
He put an arm around me and I rolled to my side to rest my cheek on his chest, and we stared at the stars in silence, listening to the wind in the trees and the slow beating of our hearts. It had felt like a long interlude when moments later Jamie showed up and sighed.
“I don't think I've ever seen such stars, not since the night we conceived Faith. (…)
I looked up in surprise. We spoke only very rarely of Faith - who was stillborn, but who was anchored in our hearts - with each other, having full knowledge of our reciprocal feelings.
"Do you know when it was designed?" Me, I don't know.
He ran his hand slowly down my back, his fingers stopping to circle the bottom of it. If I had been a cat, I would have waggled my tail gently under his nose.
“Aye, well, I guess and I could be wrong, but I always thought it was the night I came to your bed at the abbey. There was a big window at the end of the hall, and I saw the stars there coming towards you. I thought it was a sign for me to see my way clearly.
(…)
"Do you remember Faith, then?"
My hand rested lightly on my stomach, I remembered. He had never seen it, nor felt it other than through a kick or a push inside my stomach. He kissed my forehead briefly, then looked at me.
“You know I know. Is not it ?
- Yes. (…)
“I wanted…” he whispered. I wanted you. I had to have you. But while I was inside of you, I wanted...
He sighed, deeply, and penetrated me more.
“I thought I was going to die of it at that precise moment. And I wanted it. I really wanted to die, while I was inside you.
His voice had changed, still soft but somewhere distant, detached - and I knew he had drifted away from the present moment, back to the cold, dark room, panic, fear and to his craving.
"I wanted to pour myself into you and be the last thing I felt, but after I started I realized it wasn't meant to be that way - that I would live, but stay inside of you." you forever. That I gave you a child. …

(I apologize for not putting the entire passage because it would be too long. Do not hesitate to read it in full at the end of Chapter 1 of Volume 9)