What story could Claire have told Frank if she returned in Outlander Season 1?

What would have happened if Claire got back to Frank in Outlander Season 1?

For the first few weeks in the past, Claire attempted to get back to Frank. What would have happened if she’d returned earlier in Outlander Season 1?

When Claire got to Castle Leoch, she almost got a ride back to Inverness. There was almost this chance of her returning after being in the past for about two weeks. She would have had to come up with a story had she gone back through the stones.

Would she have told the truth? The benefit of the truth in Outlander Season 2 was that she’d been found two years after her disappearance in authentic 18th-century clothing. While in 18th-century clothing, she wouldn’t have been gone as long. Nor would she have been grieving the loss of Jamie at Culloden.

In fact, Frank would have been in Inverness, still. He spent six weeks looking for Claire before deciding that she was gone. It’s possible that he could have kept going up to the stones to find her and may have been there when she returned.

Would Claire have still told the truth?

Claire isn’t known for her ability to lie. Frank would have known whatever story she did tell wouldn’t have been the truth, especially with the 18th-century clothing. She would have had to tell him about the trip through the stones.

Of course, Frank wouldn’t have believed her at first. However, the clothing would have been a giveaway. He’d have even probably kept the dress instead of burning it in the way he did when Claire eventually did return. There wouldn’t have been the memories or thoughts of betrayal attached to the clothing.

In fact, we’d have probably seen Frank fascinated by the story. He may have been skeptical, but he would have always wanted to know details. This wasn’t just Claire traveling through time but to the time of Black Jack Randall. There wouldn’t have been the thoughts of Jamie or the pregnancy to make this anything more than a fascinating subject.

Could Claire and Frank have made things work?

I know that some Outlander fans say that the two would never have been happy, but I don’t think that. Claire was in love with Frank. Sure, that love wasn’t as deep as it was with Jamie, but she still loved him. For the first six weeks or so in the past, her main goal was to return to her own time—to get back to Frank.

We just have to look at the series premiere to see that Claire was in love. She didn’t get bored of him talking about history. In fact, she loved that he was so passionate about it. At least, that’s what I got from the looks on her face when he mentioned something about history.

So, if Claire hadn’t have married and fallen in love with Jamie, things could have been very different for Claire and Frank. Had Claire returned after just two weeks in the past, I get the feeling she wouldn’t have wanted to go back to Jamie or anyone else in the past at all.

What story do you think Claire would have told Frank? Could the two have made it work had Claire returned early in Outlander Season 1? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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