Season 2 Episode 1
"Through a Glass darkly"
WRITTEN BY
RONALD D. MOORE
Black background
CLAIRE (VO = Voice-Over): I wish I had died.
1 OF CLAIRE1: Lying on the grass with her eyes closed.
CLAIRE (VO): And if I had kept my eyes closed, I could almost have touched the edges of oblivion.
After a few seconds, she opens her eyes, blinks in the sun and looks around.
CLAIRE (VO): But I made a promise... and I had to hold it. Even if it meant living a life I no longer wanted.
EXT. CRAIGH NA DUN - JOUR
She sits down, her scruffy and dirty 18th century clothes looking a little less well worn. She stares at the large stone standing in the middle of the circle for a long time, then looks down at her left hand - something is wrong! His alliances are both there, but something is missing. She frantically searches the grass for a while.
CLAIRE: No... No--
So she finds it -- CLOSE-UP OF A MAN'S RING.
CLAIRE Reacts - something is still wrong.
View of the ring
The ring had a gemstone set in, but now there is only the empty place where it once stood.
CLAIRE hugs him to him, hugs him for a moment on his chest... Then puts it in her pocket and, with one last glance at the stone, she walks away.
2EXT. HILL - DAY2
Soon after, Claire descends the familiar hill, as if in a dream. She seems detached now, without emotion.
CLAIRE (VO): He was gone. They were all gone. The world I had left a few moments ago was nothing but dust. Nevertheless, I had to force myself down the hill and away from the stones, for fear of giving in to the temptation to go back... again.
3EXT. ROUTE - JOUR3
Claire walks along a dirt road, body and mind in the distance.
CLAIRE (VO) But I kept telling myself that there was nothing to come back to. Nothing but death and horror lay on the other side now. His death. I couldn't bear the thought of him dying... to find his corpse on the bloody battlefield of...
3EXT. ROUTE - DAY
Claire walks along a dirt road, her body and mind distant.
BIP BIP!
She doesn't hear the sound for a while. BIP BIP!
Finally, she turns around to see an AUTOMOBILE idling on the road behind her, the Scottish DRIVER looking at her curiously.
DRIVER: Is everything okay, madam?
Claire is only staring at the man.
DRIVER (continued) Are you okay? Madam? Do you speak English?
Finally--
CLAIRE What... Year are we?
DRIVER THE year...?
CLAIRE Tell me what year we are in.
DRIVER Why is it... one thousand nine hundred and forty-eight.
She is prepared, but always backs down a step or two involuntarily. But there is still one question she needs to answer. She picks herself up and tries to keep her voice stable.
CLAIRE Who won...? Who won... the Battle of Culloden?
The driver begins to suspect that this woman is not really there.
DRIVER Not feeling well? Maybe I could take you...
Claire grabs him by the lapels, almost pulls him through the window and growls in his face.
CLAIRE You'll tell me who won! Who won the Battle of Culloden!? TELL ME NOW!
DRIVER (Crachotements) The -- the British! Cumberland and the British! Let me go!
She drops her hands, slumps against the car, collapses emotionally... SOBBING alternating with screams as she collapses in his arms.
4CLOSED ON A DOOR - LOW ANGLE4
The door OPENS and a pair of men's SHOES walks through the doors and we FOLLOW them as they click on the WAXED LINOLEUM FLOOR. Whoever he is, he is in a hurry. The feet dodge other people and equipment, finally stopping at a counter.
INT. HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR - INVERNESS - DAY
The feet belong to FRANK RANDALL, who tried to alert the nurse at the nurses' station in her desperation to get her attention.
FRANK Excuse me - I said, excuse me?
NURSE Yes?
FRANK My name is Randall, Frank Randall. I received a call from Dr. Edwards saying that my --
NURSE (Quickly) Yes sir. One moment, please, Mr. Randall.
She disappears through a door, leaving Frank alone. He can barely stand still, running a hand through her tousled hair. After a while, the nurse reappears with DR. EDWARDS (50s).
DR. EDWARDS Mr. Randall, I'm Dr. Edwards --
FRANC Where is it?
Dr. Edwards exchanges a look with the nurse, then begins to guide Frank down the hallway.
DR. EDWARDS Elthe rests comfortably. Despite some dehydration and superficial cuts and bruises, she appears to be in good health.
FRANK GOOD...
DR. EDWARDS Emotionally, she's... well, she's better now, I should think. We gave her a sedative last night and today she is much calmer.
FRANK Did she say anything about... Where had she gone?
They stop in front of a door.
DR. EDWARDS She was quite delirious at first. Extraordinary story. I'm afraid your wife has a vivid imagination. (Then) I think it's better for her to tell you herself.
FRANK Yes.
The doctor OPENS the door –
5INT. HOSPITAL - CLAIRE'S ROOM - DAY5
Claire, dressed in a hospital gown, sits in bed, staring at the busy STREET in front of her WINDOW: PASSERS-BY, BUSES, CARS, all the hustle and bustle of 20th century life. A RADIO in his room plays JAZZ.
Frank ENTERS, leaving the doctor outside.
He stands for a moment on the other side of the room, admiring the sight of his long-lost wife. Claire doesn't look up at the sound of her entrance.
CLAIRE Can you turn off that fucking thing?
He turns off the radio, but the STREET NOISES always arrive through the window.
CLAIRE (continued) It's so... noisy here.
Claire looks up and sees Frank's reflection in the window.
CLAIRE (continued) Oh.
FRANK Claire...?
She closes her eyes briefly, takes a deep breath, and then finally looks up at him. Even though she was prepared for this moment, she can't help but recoil slightly at the sight of the man whose lookalike was Black Jack Randall.
CLAIRE Frank. Hello. I am back...
FRANK And I'm so grateful.
CLAIRE are you?
She holds back her emotions, but Frank's emotions are visible and he struggles to keep his cool.
FRANK (hoarse) Yes. With all my heart...
She can see the sincere emotion on her face and something inside her begins to melt very slightly. She manages to sketch a faint smile – and that's enough to let him carefully cross the room to stand next to her. He hesitantly reaches out to her, and for a moment she looks at his outstretched hand with a sense of relief. But then she sees a FLASH of Black Jack Randall reaching out to her and she steps back.
A distressed Frank lowers his hand.
FRANK I'm sorry.
CLEAR No. It's not you.
But the awkward moment hangs in the air.
LIGHTNING!
They both turn to see a PHOTOGRAPHER standing in the doorway, just took a picture. The nurse appears and physically chases him away indignantly.
NURSE What do you do! Get out of here!
PHOTOGRAPHER: I'm doing my job!
The photographer is jostled, leaving Frank and Claire still a little shocked.
FRANK I have already spoken with Reverend Wakefield and he has prepared rooms for us during your recovery. No one will bother us there.
Wakefield's name triggers something in Claire.
CLAIRE Do you know Mrs. Graham still in her employ?
FRANK Mrs. Graham? I didn't ask but I would guess I did.
CLAIRE I have to talk to her.
Claire finds that distant look. Ms. Graham also means something to Frank – not necessarily something he wants to think about.
FRANK
I'll give you a few minutes to get ready.
CLAIRE I'm going to need clothes...
Frank follows her gaze as he walks towards the LARGE PILE OF EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY CLOTHES folded on a chair. Frank picks up the skirt and examines it. He rubs the fabric between his fingers, noticing the seams. He is intrigued.
FRANK Yes.
Claire looks at Frank as he studies the garment. There is so much to say, but for now at least, she doesn't have the words.
6EXT. REVEREND WAKEFIELD'S HOUSE - DAY6
Foundation.
7INT./EXT. REVEREND WAKEFIELD'S HOUSE - LIBRARY/GARDEN - DAY7
Young ROGER WAKEFIELD walks through the door of the house with the boundless energy of a boy clutching his new toy, a METAL PLANE, and runs into the garden. A short distance away is Claire, who sits at a table munching on a sandwich while she flips through a BOOK. Several other books rest on a nearby table.
REV. WAKEFIELD standing in the library, looking at Claire through the window.
REVEREND WAKEFIELD Did she... said something?
Frank is near the door, a TELEGRAM in his hand. An OPEN PACKAGE of returned clothes is also in the room.
FRANC Only nonsense.
Frank moved to Wakefield. Hands him the telegram.
FRANK (continued) I just received an answer from my friend Professor Atkins.
REV. WAKEFIELD (browsing the telegram) "The examined clothes you sent seem to be an amazing example of the authentic wardrobe of an eighteenth-century Scottish woman. Incredibly valuable, where did you find them?
(to Frank) Good question, that. What are you going to say to him?
FRANK I'm not going to tell him anything. That's not the kind of outfit she could have bought in any store, is it?
REV. WAKEFIELD Yes. It's confusing.
Wakefield watches Mrs. Graham bring Claire another pile of BOOKS into the garden. Claire briefly looks at the headlines and the two women speak with a confidential air.
REVEREND WAKEFIELD (continued) It almost exhausted my collection on Culloden and the Jacobite rebellion. Why this sudden obsession with Scottish history?
FRANK No idea. She never showed much interest when she was with me.
REV. WAKEFIELD So many questions. She has been back for almost a week. Don't you think it's time for her to give you answers?
FRANK I believe it will. When it's ready.
The Reverend takes the JOURNAL.
INSERT - JOURNAL - on the first page is the PHOTO taken in the hospital room,
under the title: KIDNAPPED BY THE FAIRIES?
REV. WAKEFIELD You're not the only one with questions, you know.
FRANK Let the devil drag the press along.
REV. WAKEFIELD Unlikely. Even the devil has standards.
Wakefield throws the paper aside.
REV. WAKEFIELD (continued) Well, I have a sermon to write.
He leaves. Once the Reverend is gone, Frank finally puts down the telegram and goes to the window...
8EXT. REVEREND WAKEFIELD'S HOUSE - GARDEN - DAY8
Claire looks through the books as Mrs. Graham gathers leftovers from lunch.
CLAIRE There must be a fuller account of Highlander losses somewhere...
MS. GRAHAM I must say that The Reverend has the finest collection in Scotland. Even the curator of Old Leanach
Cottage himself is known to borrow books from our collection.
A PAIR OF USAF F-80 JET fighters roar overhead. Claire falters.
CLAIRE Do they have to do it every day?
MS. GRAHAM People say there could be a war with Russia soon. Stalin tries to block access to West Berlin and the Americans send more.
CLAIRE There's always another fucking war. (sorry) Excuse me.
Mrs. Graham smiled. Claire looks away from books in the distance for a moment of calm.
CLAIRE (continued) You know, he didn't even know what that word meant. In fact, I called him a fucking sadist once and he had no idea what I was talking about. I had a good laugh about it later.
Mrs. Graham smiled. There is an intimacy between them, two women who know the secret of stones.
MS. GRAHAM Whenever you talk about him, you almost always mention his sense of humor.
CLAIRE Do I do it?
MS GRAHAM Yes. And his smile. And her hair.
Even Claire manages to smile at this.
CLAIRE This is truly the most extraordinary red hair you've ever seen.
Then Claire's smile fades a little.
CLAIRE (continued) Was. It was really the most extraordinary red hair...
Mrs. Graham nods sympathetically. This is not the first time this has happened.
CLAIRE (continued) I know. He's dead. Dead and buried and molding in the ground for two centuries now.
MS. GRAHAM This is not an easy thing to accept. For you, that was just a few days ago.
CLEAR Yes.
She picks up a new book, starts flipping through it.
CLAIRE (continued) What about the Frasers? Family histories or genealogical documents that could...
MS GRAHAM I have made appeals to Register House, Edinburgh, as well as to most Highland public libraries. They were all very nice and very helpful, but...
CLAIRE No trace of a James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser surviving the Battle of Culloden.
MME GRAHAM Non.
CLEAR This does not mean that a record does not exist. Somewhere. (in trouble) I just want to know... I just want to know... If he really died in battle...
MS. GRAHAM He told you he would. You were told that he would stand and die with his men on this bloody moor. Do you have reason to doubt His word?
CLAIRE No...
A beat, then Mrs. Graham reaches out and closes the book in Claire's hands.
MS. GRAHAM You've had an extraordinary adventure, Claire. Extraordinary. Few people could even imagine it. Cherish it. Keep it safe hidden in a special place in your heart. But don't spend the rest of your days chasing a ghost. Not when there is a man – a real man living on flesh and blood – who still loves you with all his heart. Mrs. Graham looks up at the house -- Frank is now standing at the window. He quickly walks away when she sees him.
MS GRAHAM (continued) He was her husband once. Maybe it can be again...
9INT. RÉVÉREND WAKEFIELD’S HOUSE - HALL - NUIT9
Frank walks down the quiet hallway, opens the door to the room where he stayed.
CLAIRE (O.C.) Frank...?
He turns around to see Claire standing in the partially open door of her own room.
CLAIRE (continued) Do you want to come in? I thought we could... speak.
He smiled.
10INT. RÉVÉREND WAKEFIELD’S HOUSE - CLAIRE’S ROOM - NUIT10
A few minutes later, Claire and Frank sit in front of the FIRE, DRINKS in hand. Silence for a beat.
FRANK It reminds me of that night at Mrs. Baird's house. Sitting in front of the fire, drinking good Scotch whisky. No more candles if I remember correctly...
CLAIRE The power had been cut off.
FRANK You remember.
CLAIRE Of course. It was our last night.
FRANK Yes.
Dispirited.
CLAIRE Frank, I want to tell you what happened to me afterwards...
FRANK You don't have to. Whatever happens, wherever you have... Summer. All that matters to me is that
you're back. I don't care about anything else.
Claire looks at him and remembers once again why she loved him. But she has to tell.
CLAIRE It's a long story, and I'll try to tell everything exactly how it happened. Please let me say it at my own pace and keep all questions until the end.
He nods. She takes a deep breath, then looks into the fire and begins...
CLAIRE (continued) You remember I went back to Craigh na Dun that day... Looking for a flower I had seen near the menhirs...
11EXT. REVEREND WAKEFIELD'S HOUSE - MORNING11
Foundation. The sun didn't rise very long.
12REVEREND WAKEFIELD'S HOUSE - CLAIRE'S ROOM - MORNING12
The whisky bottle is ALMOST EMPTY. It was a long night for both of them. Frank throws yet another log on the whispering fire.
CLEAR... He drove me to the hospital and I guess I became a little... distraught. I vaguely remember yelling at the staff that I had just traveled back in time or something silly like that. They cleaned me, gave me a sedative, put me under liquid and left me alone. The next day -- or was it two? "You have entered the room. (Shot) And... That's all.
Frank drinks the latest whiskey and looks outside.
CLAIRE (continued) I know what it must look like. As if I had gone crazy.
FRANK Is that what this guy... "Jamie" said? When you told him you were... of the future?
CLEAR No. He said he believed me.
FRANK Quite the leap of faith. (then) One I'm willing to do too.
CLAIRE Please don't be condescending. It's crazy, I know. It sounds like a fantasy made of magic and fairy dust.
FRANK Are you trying to dissuade me from believing you?
CLAIRE (loses) I'm trying to get you to admit that even if you're there trying to appear supportive and understanding, your rational and academic brain screams that your ex-wife has lost her mind or fabricates a crazy story in order to chase you away!
FRANK (calm) My "ex-wife"?
Shot.
CLAIRE I married another man.
FRANK Yes. I noticed that you are wearing two rings.
Claire looks down at his hands. His fingers playing with both wedding rings.
Frank sits down, rubs his face wearily for a while.
Claire waits.
FRANK (continued) (Shot) It's hard to... Reconcile what you say with anything that resembles logic or natural law. But I think we're way past that. All that really matters to me at
this point is that you're back. She struggles, but needs to push it further – needs to make her realize how much it has changed.
CLAIRE Frank, I was with another man for two years. And I loved him. Profoundly. Like his wife.
FRANK A point you have raised several times. I understand. But I think you may not understand my point of view. What was it like to see you disappear.
CLAIRE I'm sorry, it must have been...
FRANK Please. You've said a lot of things. I only need a few minutes. Everyone wanted me to believe that you had left of your own free will. With another man. For a while, I wanted to believe in it so I could fill the void I felt with... anger. Betrayal. Rabies. (Shot) But I couldn't. I knew that no matter what, you didn't choose to leave me. I knew something had taken you away from me. What you have told me tonight at least confirms this. As for this other man, this "Jamie"... I won't say I understand your feelings for him. How could I do that? But I can... Accept them. Accept that you felt like this... that you had this experience with this man... and that leaving him broke your heart. I can accept that.
CLAIRE Can you really?
FRANK I think I can. According to your own account, he died and buried. If you're willing to leave it there, then so am I.
CLAIRE I don't think you understand...
He will see her with the same passion and conviction that he did last night at Mrs. Baird's so long ago...
I told you once that there was nothing you could say or do to change how I felt about you – I thought so then and I mean it now. I love you, Claire. Unconditionally. No matter what. And right now, here, right now, I'm your husband and you're my wife, and we can still have a life together.
She looks and sees the fervor in his eyes and knows he is telling the truth. Yet there is one thing he does not know.
CLAIRE I'm pregnant.
Frank's immediate reaction is to light up with joy.
FRANK pregnant? That's wonderful. (realizing) But? How is that possible? The father...
CLAIRE is Jamie.
A deep, repressed rage erupts from inside Frank. He takes a step towards Claire - she sees the dangerous look in his eyes, but she was prepared for this moment and does not flinch.
CLAIRE (continued) I am carrying the child of another man, Frank. You should think about it. About what it means. For all of us.
He almost trembles with fury as the same violent rage threatens to overtake him once more.
Claire is not afraid. In a way, it would simplify things if Frank became completely Black Jack here and lost him. But Frank is not that man. He steps away from her and away from the room before the darkness inside him can escape.
13INT. REVEREND WAKEFIELD'S HOUSE - LIBRARY - DAY13
Frank descends the STAIRS like an animal trying to free itself from its cage. Mrs. Graham spots him across the room.
MS GRAHAM Good morning, Mr. Randall. You get up early. Breakfast will be in another...
But he doesn't listen from a distance as he blows across the room, almost knocking over a side table in his haste to get out of this house. He opens a door and escapes into the garden, leaving a surprised Mrs. Graham in his wake.
14EXT./INT. REVEREND WAKEFIELD'S HOUSE - POTTING SHED - DAY14
Frank staggers inside the hangar, his eyes wild and very uncontrollable as he slams the door behind him. Now out of sight of the world, he finally gives free rein to the feelings that bubble inside with a cry of wild RAGE. He grabs an axe handle and begins to crush everything he can see.
15HOUSE OF REVEREND WAKEFIELD - DAY15
Later. Everything is quiet.
16REVEREND WAKEFIELD'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY16
Frank and the Reverend in the living room.
So I spent ten years looking for quartermaster receipts, pay stubs. Hours spent scouring regimental histories for any information about my noble ancestor, Captain Jonathan
Wolverton Randall. Only to learn that he was a sadistic rapist... and my identical twin. It's ironic.
I'm really sorry for damaged... I will, of course, make a full restitution.
REVEREND WAKEFIELDDON't think about it. It was just a pile of old garbage that I should have thrown in the trash
years ago. Let's focus on what's important. Claire is expecting a child. Do you want to raise a child? Have you seriously thought about having children?
FRANK Yes of course.
He is really struggling here, forced to talk about a very private matter.
FRANK (continued) Claire and I had tried to start a family before it disappeared, without success. I worried that maybe I was... unable. Medically. I saw a doctor in Oxford last year and his examination confirmed this suspicion. I am barren.
REV. WAKEFIELD I'm sorry, Frank.
FRANK Yes, it was a blow. But I told myself that with my wife gone, the question of my fertility was at best academic, I put the subject aside and focused on my work. But when Claire told me this morning... that she was pregnant. The first feeling was... joy. A flash of almost hallucinatory happiness in its intensity because somehow, at that moment, - madly - I thought she meant that we
were going to have a child. Then I suddenly realized it couldn't be mine. It had to be... his.
REV. WAKEFIELD Other men have faced this momen, this situation.
FRANK I very much doubt it.
REVEREND WAKEFIELD When Mary told Joseph that she was with a child and that he was not the father, he too faced a crisis of...
FRANK (hot) I am not Joseph, she is not Mary, and I am quite certain that the father is not the Lord God Almighty. He was a man. A man who slept with my wife!
The Reverend sees something off-camera, and Frank follows his gaze to see Roger hesitating down the stairs with his metal plane.
REV. WAKEFIELD Yes, Roger?
ROGER Can I go out?
REV. WAKEFIELD Of course. Be careful not to get dirty or Mrs. Graham will have something to say about it.
ROGER Yes, father.
Roger glances at Frank, then walks out and moves away from the obvious tension in the room as fast as he can.
FRANK I'm sorry, I hope it's not inconvenient...
REV. WAKEFIELD Never mind, he's fine. I doubt he heard much.
FRANK This is the first time I have heard him call you father.
REV. WAKEFIELD He's been doing that more and more lately. Children accept the world as it is presented to them. He knows I'm not his father, but that's how he sees me, so I decided not to correct him anymore.
FRANK You are about to compare your nephew to my situation. The words "the ways of the Lord" are about to escape your lips.
REVEREND WAKEFIELD At the risk of meeting your worst expectations, I will say this: a child without a father and a man without children had a chance to find each other. And yes, I choose to call it one more part of God's eternal plan. What you choose to call him Frank is up to you.
Frank nods thoughtfully. He turns around and walks through the open door in...
R17REVEREND WAKEFIELD HOUSE - LIBRARY - CONTINUER17
Frank walks to the window and watches young Roger play outside.
17REVEREND WAKEFIELD'S HOUSE - CLAIRE'S ROOM - DAY17
Frank chats with Claire in front of the fire.
CLAIRE
Are you sure about that, Frank? Maybe you should take some time to think about...
FRANK I had too much time to think. Two years. Two years to consider the prospect of a solitary existence. Without a woman. Without family. It was... overwhelming.
He looks at her, looking for some kind of understanding.
FRANK (continued) Do you hear what I'm saying? I was broken. Do you know what it's like for a man to be broken?
And now his heart melts just enough to make the connection of empathy and pain he so desperately seeks.
CLAIRE Yes... Yes, I'm endending you. And I also know what it's like for a man to admit it.
FRANK I wouldn't stand it.
He walks away from her for a beat, not wanting to invite these images - whatever they are - into this room.
FRANK (continued) I can't -- I can't -- face this prospect again, now that fate or...
another power, has placed this opportunity before me (turns back to it) In front of us. I want us to be together. Male and female. And child.
Now it's his turn to search his face.
CLEAR Like this? We will... Picking up where we left off?
FRANK NO. We start again (Dejected) I was offered a job at Harvard, I was going to turn it down, but now I have decided to accept.
CLAIRE Boston...
FRANK The story of "the lady kidnapped by the fairies" will flog you as long as you stay here.
CLAIRE (Menacing) Frank, you will never use the word "flounder" again in my presence. Is that understood?
He does not know why, but decides not to pursue the subject.
FRANK Yes.
It takes a second for Black Jack's shadow to leave Claire's mind, but she relaxes and tries to focus on Frank's proposal.
FRANK (continued) And I have conditions. (without looking at it) We will raise the child as our own. Ours. Yours and mine.
CLAIRE Raised in a lie...
FRANC Raised with a father. A living, breathing man, not an echo of a memory he can never catch.
CLAIRE (in memory of Mrs. Graham) Not a ghost...
FRANK precisely.
CLAIRE do you have other conditions?
FRANC Only one.
It retreats, as if struck.
FRANK (continued) I can't share you with another man while I'm breathing on this earth. More research. No need to search the libraries of the world hoping to find a reference to him or the lives you once led. You have to let Jamie go.
CLAIRE I know.
That seems to be the last word. Frank nods, he was half expecting this answer. He turns to the door, but she surprises him again.
CLAIRE (continued) I promised him I would. (out of sight) You see, he sent me back to you. He fired me because all was lost and he knew I was ready to die, but he wouldn't let me. (She touches her belly) Would not let us die. He made me promise that I would go back to you... that I would let him go... (Shot) And so I will. I accept your terms.
They look at each other from across the room. The agreement has been reached, but neither knows what to do next. Frank takes the first step, slowly reaching out...
FRANK You made me very happy... And I hope that with time, it will make you happy too.
She hesitates a second more, when she finally takes his hand, it is with the will to keep his commitment. He takes her in his arms and holds her. After a while, she returns her embrace, and the two stand there in the middle of the room, holding each other.
Claire takes a breath, moves away from Frank with determination, walks to where the pile of his 18th century CLOTHES is on the bed, picks them up and hands them to Frank.
CLAIRE It's time to leave the past behind.
Claire starts to take off Jamie's ring, but can't quite it. Franks looks at her for a while.
FRANK Everything is fine. When you're ready.
Frank goes out with the clothes. Claire puts the ring back on her finger.
18 REVEREND WAKEFIELD'S HOUSE - CLAIRE'S ROOM - DAY
NEXT DAY. Claire finishes packing her things in her old SUITCASE. She locks the case, then notices herself in the MIRROR: wearing the same clothes she was wearing in Inverness when it all started. She should be the same, but the face looking at her somehow belongs to another woman.
She takes the suitcase, starts leaving... then go to the WINDOW and look down into the backyard.
Frank BURNS the 18th century CLOTHES, putting them one by one in the pyre. Frank looks up and their eyes meet.
19 ON CLAIRE - LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW
She stares at for a moment, then hears something behind her and walks away.
EXT. LAGUARDIA AIRPORT - TARMAC - DAY
People are walking down the stairs of a commercial airliner. Claire enters the field and looks around.
EXPANDED PLAN. NEW YORK CITY is spread out in front of her.
CLAIRE looks down, sees Frank waiting patiently at the bottom of the stairs. She is the last to get off the plane. He smiles at her encouragingly and she bravely returns him. Claire goes down the stairs, then stops on the bottom step. They look at each other.
FRANK One more step...
He extends his HAND.
She takes a deep breath, then reaches out to take it...
JAMIE'S HAND.
JAMIE (Off-camera.) ... to a fresh start.
20 EXT. QUAI DU HAVRE - DAY - 1744
Claire taking JAMIE's hand just as she takes the last step of the wooden WALKWAY leading from CRISTABEL to the dock. His other hand is still in a splint. He is pale and looks worn out by the long sea voyage.
CLAIRE (smiles) A new beginning. (quick kiss) I thought you were going to run people over trying to get down that walkway.
JAMIE My stomach couldn't take another minute on that tub that rolls, squeaks, leaks.
CLAIRE So I guess a trip to Boston is out of the question?
JAMIE Not unless you want to bury me at sea.
CLAIRE There were times when this seemed like the merciful thing to do.
Murtagh descends the walkway behind them.
MURTAGH France. Stinky frog smells, as I remember.
CLAIRE I believe it is fish that you smell and I doubt that there is a seaport in the world that smells differently.
Murtagh complains in Gaelic.
MURTAGH I will arrange rooms for us somewhere away from all the stench.
Murtagh sees a SAILOR handling their LUGGAGE.
MURTAGH (continued) Watch out there! It's not a bag of grain you're throwing away!
While Murtagh reprimands the unfortunate sailor, Jamie and Claire walk along the busy wharf, where sailors and longshoremen load and unload cargo from the many SHIPS in the port, haggle fishmongers, MERCHANTS inspect their goods, etc.
21EXT. LE HAVRE INN - NIGHT
Foundation. The hostel is crammed cheek and jowl next to various tavernas and shops near the waterfront.
22INT. LE HAVRE INN - TEMPORARY ROOMS - NIGHT
The rooms are comfortable, if not luxurious. There is a large bed at one end and a small sitting area at the other. Claire and Jamie settle in, undress and get ready for bed. Jamie relaxes in bed and lies on the pillow.
JAMIE Ahhh... a bed that does not move. What a luxury...
She kisses his hand, they share a smile, and he closes his eyes - then opens them.
CLAIRE What?
JAMIE Sometimes I feel... its touch... It's like he's there...
CLAIRE I'm here... right here with you... and I never leave...
JAMIE you're hard to eliminate, that's for sure...
CLAIRE I am a stubborn woman... just like my husband...
He looks into her eyes and finally a smile appears on her lips. Claire bends down and gives him a quick kiss, then stands up with renewed energy.
CLAIRE (continued) Now let's talk about the future and how to change it.
JAMIE Are you talking about stopping the Jacobite rebellion?
CLAIRE Is that what we agreed?
JAMIE I thought we agreed to think about it?
JAMIE (continued) If there is to be a war against the British, shouldn't we try to find a way to win it instead of stopping it?
CLAIRE I don't know enough details about the war to tell you how to do that.
JAMIE What do you know exactly?
It is moving forward. Think.
CLEAR Only the broad outlines of the story, I'm afraid. I know Bonnie Prince Charlie is coming to Scotland next year and raising a Jacobite army. In the beginning, they have several victories.
JAMIE Well, that's a start, isn't it? Can't we build on that? Help them keep winning?
CLAIRE I don't know the tactics. I do not know the strategy. I don't know where the armies were, or why they won, or why they lost. All I know is that eventually, both sides end up on Culloden Moor, and the Jacobites are wiped out. And then the British destroy Highland culture in retaliation. It is the sum total of my knowledge of war.
Jamie pondered.
JAMIE It's really not much to do, Sassenach.
CLAIRE Well, I know. That is why I think we must prevent rebellion from happening in the first place.
Jamie thinks about it.
CLAIRE (continued) We can begin by infiltrating the Jacobite movement here in France. Get closer to the key players. Find out where they get their money and weapons, and find a way to disrupt their plans.
JAMIE You certainly have a high opinion of what a crippled Highlander and a pregnant English woman can accomplish.
CLAIRE Since when are you not ready for a challenge? Your cousin Jared lives in Paris, and he's a Jacobite. He could vouch for us and make some presentations.
She awaits his response. He is silent.
CLAIRE (continued) What? What are you thinking?
JAMIE I don't think it's a very honorable path that you're charting for us. It's not just about lying to my cousin. We would be lying to everyone.
This takes away some of Claire's enthusiasm.
CLAIRE I don't like this prospect either, but the best way to stop the war is from within the Jacobite movement. And that means we have to appear as Jacobites.
JAMIE Pretending to support a cause so dear to the hearts of my fellow Canadians – and while working to undermine it at every turn.
CLEAR But we must remember what is at stake. We are talking about tens of thousands of lives and the future of Scotland itself. Isn't it worth the price?
JAMIE Even if this award is our soul?
CLAIRE That's not going to happen. We will not let him do that.
Claire takes Jamie's hand.
CLAIRE (continued) We must have confidence in this.
JAMIE (referring to Claire's hand in his) In this I do it, and in this I will do it. I will send a letter to Jared asking for his help.
They look at each other. He lies back, closes his eyes.
JAMIE (suite) Mac na galla.
CLAIRE (concerned) What?
JAMIE What are we going to tell Murtagh?
23EXT. LE HAVRE - DAY23
Murtagh, Jamie and Claire talk privately somewhere near the water. Murtagh is scowling.
MURTAGH And that's all you're going to tell me? Nothing more?
CLEAR We can't. Sorry.
JAMIE You have to trust us.
MURTAGH I trust you with my life, you know it well. But it seems to me that you don't trust me to know the real reason behind this... A tissue of lies in which we are about to wrap ourselves, like a plaid woven of cunning and deception.
CLAIRE We told you the reason: to stop the Jacobite uprising.
MURTAGH This is the purpose of lying, not reason.
JAMIE The uprising is doomed to fail and must not happen.
MURTAGH Again, that's not the reason. The real reason behind your certainty remains carefully hidden.
CLAIRE You're right. We keep it hidden. And believe me, if there was a way to...
JAMIE One day, I'll tell you the reason.
Claire looks at him sharply, but Jamie remains focused on Murtagh.
JAMIE (continued) I swear I'll tell you everything that happened and why. At the right time.
Murtagh thought for a moment, then nodded and stood up.
MURTAGH It will do.
He and Jamie shake hands, he nods to Claire and then walks away.
CLAIRE And when exactly will it be "the right time"?
JAMIE You will tell me, Sassenach, you are the one of the future.
She rolls her eyes at him.
24INT. LE HAVRE INN - TEMPORARY ROOMS - DAY24
JARED (PRE-ROUND) I admire your patriotism, that's for sure...
JARED FRASER (30's) sits at the small table with Jamie and Claire. Jared is skinny and tall, with a shrewd face and the sharp eyes of the real businessman. He is not fooled by anyone and he studies clearly and Jamie closely throughout.
JARED... But I'm curious if you suddenly change your heart.
JAMIE My heart has always been full of love for my country.
JARED Yes -- but I'll explain myself better. We have known each other for a long time. You have lived in my house, eaten at my table, and raised more than one glass with me in establishments too unsavory to be mentioned before your beautiful wife.
JAMIE Dinna fash on her account. She is a robust woman.
CLEAR "Robust." Why Jamie, you flatter me so much.
JARED Nevertheless, during all this time, I have never heard you express any interest in politics. In fact, I remember one occasion when you fell asleep while I was trying to instruct you about the perfidy of the Hanoverian pretender to the throne.
JAMIE Probably something I drank. You were always lying on a nice spread.
JARED I'm serious. I do not hide my policy. In France, being known as a Jacobite is a badge of honor – supporters of the true faith against the heretic on the throne. But we have enemies, that's for sure. Enemies who would enjoy watching us dance a jig on the gallows in England. Thus, although the cause has many friends, only a few are called brethren – and they are the ones who have the fire of righteousness burning in their hearts. Now tell me cousin, what is the fire that burns in you?
A leisurely pace. Jamie pulls his shirt over his head.
Jared is shocked, but can't help but look at the horrible scars on Jamie's back.
JAMIEAvec the kind permission of the British Army.
CLAIREThe hand crippled and a dozen other scars scattered over her mutilated body.
JAMIEMaintenant, I ask you clearly: does a man need an additional reason to rise up against a king who would allow such horrors to be committed in his name?
The visual argument is pretty compelling, and Jared has no choice but to agree.
JARED No. (Shot, then to Jamie) The cause can only be strengthened by your sword. I'm sorry I doubted you.
Jamie just shakes his head, rejecting the apology.
JAMIE So, will you help us?
JARED How? What exactly do you want me to do?
JAMIE I want to meet with the Jacobite leaders face to face. I want to hear their plans and how they want to implement them.
JARED And why should they meet you? A wanted man in his own country who came to France with a price on his head and not much more than clothes on his back.
JAMIE I think the Stuarts appreciate the support of the Laird of Broch Tuarach and Clan Fraser who plan to return to Scotland in the near future.
Jared looks at him assiduously, revealing nothing yet.
JARED Maybe. (shot) I'll think about it. But while waiting for cousin, I believe we can help each other. I delayed a trip to the West Indies until I could find someone trustworthy and knowledgeable enough to run the winery in my absence. You have a head well made for numbers if I remember correctly...?
JAMIE Yes. But I know little about the wine sector, really. Beyond drinking, of course.
JARED I saw you drink. You'll be fine. In return, I will give you the management of my house in Paris during my absence and a share of the profits - say, twenty-five percent.
JAMIE Thirty-five percent.
JARED (smiles) Oh, you'll do the trick!
They agree on that.
JARED (continued) First lesson: Always seal a business transaction with a drink. This lasts longer than a handshake, and usually takes away doubts from both parties.
Claire pours three glasses of whiskey.
CLAIRE I hope this is acceptable.
JARED I didn't leave Scotland for long, I would refuse good whisky.
JAMIE Un toast ?
JARED Yes, but first...
He grabs a glass of water and fills it.
JARED (lift the drink) To our new association, and to Her Majesty... above the water.
Jared runs his whiskey over the glass of water and drinks it. Jamie smiles, recognizes the gesture and repeats it.
JAMIE (to Claire) To Her Majesty... above the water.
CLAIRE (director) Oh! King James. The monarch in exile... (go drink on the water) ... on the other side of the sea.
JARED A toast that you will carry with some frequency in the coming days. Believe me, nothing important is done in Paris that is not planned in the living rooms and dining rooms of the city. You will be expected to throw many parties and attend even more.
The clothes, the hair, even the tastes in the perfume will be much discussed and noticed.
CLAIRE (not thrilled) Anything for the cause.
JARED That's the spirit. (pick up his hat) Jamie, if you'll go with me, I've just received a cargo from the port, and it's a good time to introduce you to the foreman.
25EXT. LE HAVRE DOCK - DAY25
Claire walking along the busy docks.
CLAIRE (Voice-over) While Jamie was inspecting the port shipment, I went for a walk. I was starting to get sensitive to morning sickness, and even though the air along the docks wasn't really cool, it was better than the confines near our temporary rooms.
She sees a GROUP OF PEOPLE in front of her, clustered around the bridge of a ship - THE PATAGONIA - moored at a dock. There is a commotion, with people starting to shout and MAKE GESTURES.
Curious, Claire approaches and watches TWO SAILORS, with strips of cloth tied around their faces, carry another MAN off the ship in a rough canvas HAMAC. The crowd of spectators hurriedly separates with expressions of fear and worry as the man is brought to the ground.
CLAIRE (Voiceover) The dialects may have been difficult to understand, but there was no mistake about their reactions: fear was on their faces. Fear of illness.
The CAPTAIN of the Patagonia descends the bridge and immediately orders the sailors to carry the man through the crowd and into a nearby WAREHOUSE. Other sailors from the ship try to disperse the crowd with screams and THREATS, but more people arrive, attracted by the scene.
26EXT./INT. WAREHOUSE OF LE HAVRE - DAY
The sailors put the sick man on the ground and hurriedly moved away. The captain shouts more orders and the other sailors try to close the doors to the crowd.
CAPTAIN Get them out of here! And close the doors! None of your business! Go away!
But the captain's orders are largely ignored as people gather around the door and the sailors themselves look too scared to do much. Claire makes her way through the warehouse.
CLAIRE I am a healer! I am a healer! Let me pass -- let me see it!
The captain makes a timid effort to stop him, but Claire brushes past him and goes to the miserable man lying on the cold ground. Its skin became dark red and thick with white PUSTULES.
CORNER ON THE DOOR Where Jamie and Jared have now appeared in the crowd.
JAMIE Claire!
CLAIRE Stay behind - everything is fine. If that's what I think it is, I can't get it, you know why.
Jamie swallows his objections and Claire focuses on the patient. She OPENS her shirt, exposing more pustules.
CLAIRE (continued) (to Sailor) Bring me water. Quickly!
A sailor fetches her water and she gives it to the patient.
CLAIRE (Voice-over) The symptoms were clear: smallpox. Thanks to my vaccination, I couldn't get it, of course, but I was the only one in the world with this particular remedy.
An OFFICIAL PORT appears in the crowd, accompanied by a richly dressed man of aristocratic appearance [known as COUNT ST. GERMAIN].
The two go directly to the captain of the Patagonia and engage in a silent and urgent conversation.
Jared looks at St. Germain and knows it's bad.
JARED (gently, to Jamie) It will be a problem.
Claire stands up and faces the crowd.
CLAIRE It's smallpox... smallpox.
The reaction is swift: the crowd retreats with fear and expressions of concern. The captain throws his hat in fury
and walks towards Claire angrily.
CAPTAIN But shut up, fool that you are! You want my ruin!
But Jamie suddenly has his hand around the man's throat and almost lifts him off the ground.
JAMIE I'd rather you talk to my wife with more respect, sir.
The captain chokes, but nods and Jamie frees him.
The port official now leans over the sick man and inspects him while holding a SILVER POMANDER close to his own face to ward off the smell. There is another commotion of the crowd as sailors brings another VICTIM on a rude stretcher and lays him on the floor. Claire looks at him quickly.
CLAIRE He's already dead.
The sailors hastily dropped him and backed down. The port official, clutching his tongue disapprovingly,
looks at the second dead victim and finally turns back to the crowd.
PORT OFFICIAL Indeed, it is unfortunately smallpox.
The crowd now shouts and shouts to the (invisible) others outside
"There's smallpox in the city")/(i.e. "it's smallpox", "flee", "send it back", "smallpox is in the city"), and hurries to get as far away from the warehouse as possible.
St. Germain quickly went to the official.
SAINT-GERMAIN This can still be settled in discretion.
PORT OFFICIAL My apologies, sir, but it is too late for that.
Claire commande Sailors
CLAIRE We need water. We also need bunks or benches for the rest of the victims.
The sailors listen to the authority in his voice and obey his orders, but the captain intervenes.
CAPTAIN Stop it! Don't listen to this woman! All return to the ship, all of you as much as you are!
CLAIRE Quarantine must be declared immediately if you want --
The captain turns on her, but Jamie only has to take a step in her direction and the captain steps back.
CAPTAIN Damned witch, may the devil prevail!
CLAIRE (to Jamie) These men need to be quarantined. We need to contact the local medical authorities.
JAMIE This is a question best left to the port authorities, Sassenach.
CLAIRE Jamie, I can't just...
JAMIE Claire. Trust me.
She can tell by her tone of voice how serious it is.
St. Germain and the captain still tried to persuade the port official, but he ignored them.
SAINT-GERMAIN We can take these men to a discreet place. I own rooms in town where no one would --
PORT OFFICIAL (to St. Germain & Captain) Forgive me, but the news will have already spread throughout the port. The law is clear and I have no choice: I must order the destruction of the vessel and its cargo.
CAPTAIN (moaning) I'm ruined, finished!
PORT OFFICIAL (to all) Let everyone go! Immediately! In the name of the King, I order you to leave these places!
The official flees with the wretched captain who follows him in his wake, on the verge of tears.
Claire turns around as the first sick man suddenly rises, then collapses - dead.
JAMIE We have to go. There is nothing more to do.
Claire nods reluctantly and turns around to leave - and almost stumbles upon the furious St. Germain.
SAINT-GERMAIN Who the hell are you?
CLAIRE My name is Claire Fraser, I am a healer.
SAINT-GERMAIN (contemptuous) English. I should have suspected that. Only an Englishwoman could be so ill-mannered and vulgar.
JAMIE Watch your language, sir. You are talking to my wife, Lady Broch Tuarach.
SAINT-GERMAIN A "Lord" and his "Lady." The English grant their titles of nobility as one would throw pearls to swine.
Jamie's eyes flash, but Jared intercedes between the two men.
JARED Gentlemen! A quarrel in this place would be unworthy.
But Saint-Germain is not going anywhere yet.
SAINT-GERMAIN Fraser, who are these people? Is this shenanigan your doing?
JARED Lord Broch Tuarach is my cousin, and I can assure you that our presence at this moment is only the fruit of fortune.
SAINT-GERMAIN (to Claire) Do you have any idea what you did? Any idea?
CLAIRE I did nothing more than state the truth (speaking French) These men had smallpox.
SAINT-GERMAIN My boat and all my cargo will be destroyed. And at what price!
CLAIRE Ridiculous compared to that of the spread of the disease throughout the city.
SAINT-GERMAIN
You will pay me. Remember that -- you'll both pay me dearly.
St. Germain turns on his heel and walks away.
27EXT. LE HAVRE DOCK - NIGHT27
That night, Jared, Jamie and Claire head to a HORSE-DRAW.
JARED It's been a long day, but we'll be in Paris in three days, and I think you'll find the accommodations much more to your liking.
But Claire's thoughts are still on the events of the last few hours.
Did CLAIRE St. Germain really think he could get away with hiding these men and pretending nothing had happened?
JARED The port official was in his pocket and would have gladly looked away. But when you said the word... (whispers) ... "smallpox." It has been heard by too many witnesses and—
CLAIRE And the cat was out of the bag.
JARED The what?
CLAIRE It's an expression -- means the secret was out.
JAMIE Why put a cat in a bag?
CLAIRE Later...
JARED I have had many encounters with St.Germain over the years. It's my fiercest competitor. Unfortunately, he had powerful friends at Louis' court.
As they approach the car, we see Murtagh arguing with one of Jared's footmen as he loads the LUGGAGE.
MURTAGH Beware of the lady's medicine box, you are bullies! (then in French summary) It's fragile. Fragile! Be careful, French buggers.
The lackey does not know what to do with him, but understands the idea and is more careful with the box.
Claire sees something off-camera.
CLAIRE Look...
They all turn to see...
28EXT. PORT DU HAVRE - NIGHT - INTERCUT28
The first FLAMES appear on the deck of the PATAGONIA, which has been anchored at a safe distance from the shore.
JAMIE It's Patagonia.
As they watch, the FLAMES attack the rigging.
JARED With all the cargo of St. Germain from the Spanish port.
JAMIE Considering supplies at this time of year, this means our port will be worth almost double that in Paris.
JARED I knew you had your head for business! Yes, we will do very well (Dejected)But make no mistake, the Count will not forget what happened. You have made an enemy today.
Jared gets into the carriage.
JAMIE Another country, another enemy. Life with you is certainly never boring, Sassenach.
CLAIRE If you wanted, you should have married Laoghaire.
He laughs, then guides her in the car. The car pulls away and Claire looks out the window as PATAGONIA BLAZES into the night.
CLAIRE (Voiceover) I tried not to think about it, but inside I knew our mission had started off on the wrong foot. Our plan was quite difficult at the best of times... The last thing we needed was the enmity of a powerful man with a taste for revenge.
VIEW OF THE TROLLEY
As he walks away, CAMERA FINDS St. Germain standing on the dock, watching his fortune go up in smoke. He turns around and stares at the car as it leaves the dock and it is clear that he will not forget that night...
CROSSFADE.
END OF EPISODE
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