Claire had no trouble hearing him and looks up, caught up in her own thoughts while holding onto a few large fern leaves from indoor potted plants. She stares at them for a moment, then looks back at Michael before sitting in the chair by the unlit hearth.

"I have. And I'm married out there somewhere, he pointed out. First thing, before I remembered fully, before we woke. And he mentioned it multiple times which means it's a sticking point, understandably. So, while I was speaking about our centuries together and attempting to explain my feelings, I assume he was thinking me immoral or a time-traveling philanderer." Or, she's projecting, but she can't help feeling she's correct in this instance.

"And it's valid. I could be with anyone, what would I say to Jamie if he arrived? 'Sorry we went through hell together and ached for one another across time and space for two decades, but I've moved on?'" She doesn't exactly feel as though she's moving on, her love hasn't gone anywhere, but she does want to live.

"I spent twenty years feeling as though I couldn't live a full life with Jamie. Now, I don't know if it's because I was stuck in a situation I didn't want back then, or if I'm older and wiser now with more people than I've ever had to care for, who care for me, but I don't feel that here." She cried for a week and only made it out of bed for chores, but it got better, faster.

After a momentary pause, she rubs her free hand over her face. "I'm rambling in an attempt to justify myself. Is it working?"