What If, when Sam was interviewed by Elle Magazine when they joked with him about dating Caitriona and instead of saying “good,” he had said “I love that we exude that chemistry, but we aren’t dating?
What if Sam hadn’t liked tweets saying he wanted to have Caitriona’s babies, he wanted to spend the New Year with her or called her “Mrs,” “the wife,” “My Sassenach”?
What if Caitriona didn’t practically sit in his life during the AOL interview? What if she didn’t twist a gold ring that was too big for her and have her knees touching Sam’s and practically in his lap?
What if Caitriona hadn’t said, “they have it wrong. He is #1 {sexiest man} in my book?”
What if she didn’t look at him like he was her everything for five years no less than 100 times?
What if Sam hadn’t said he “had tasted her banoffie pie” and she hadn’t looked pleased and happy? What if he hadn’t looked glad and proud of himself?
What if Sam wasn’t the “Leaning Tower of Heughan,” during the London “Agony Aunts” questions?
What if Sam didn’t start to answer KDS before Caitriona about her own siblings? What if Sam hadn’t started to answer the journalist about who was taking care of Eddie before Caitriona could even respond? Why didn’t Sam just answer KDS the first go-round about who he was dating and why blush and both look guilty ah? Why does Eddie bite Ollie but not Simon or Sam?
What if, during the IFH, Caitriona had just simply said she was seeing someone else, that she and Sam hung out a lot with the “Outlander Family” and did a lot together rather than saying they were different in their private lives, when they knew they hung out? A lot. What if Sam agreed, rather than blame & insult us, or get nasty and say it was “not real?“ What if he hadn’t looked guilty or defensive?
What if Caitriona had smiled and looked indulgent rather than get super-pissed when KDS suggested Sam take off his shirt while women were cat-calling at the SDComic-Con? What if Sam hadn’t known how she would take it, knew it would be an issue, and pass her a whisky glass without even looking at her?
What if the journalist who showed the work room and hadn’t said “there’s Sam….oh, we better give them their privacy,” while they were in the corner. What if Caitriona hadn’t had to make sure Sam didn’t have any lipstick on him?
What if Sam didn’t ask if Caitriona was wearing underwear on a radio interview when he knew she had a SO? ESPECIALLY because of the scenes they do and admitting she was least likely to wear a modesty pouch. What if they hadn’t live-tweeted from a hotel bedroom when each had “someone” there for that season 1B premier?
What if Sam didn’t truly look like he was #swallowing Balfe at Fife? What if Caitriona wasn't crying and angry on the steps at fife? What if, inside of EIFF, she actually was standing with Tony and talking with people, rather than have her back to him completely? (I am not exaggerating. To the point of how my dog is behind me). What if Sam had just looked at her rather than avoid her face and eyes on the EIFF red carpet when she had heart eyes? What if they hadn’t high-fived each other before the picture-taking but Sam still couldn’t look at her like they were committed a coup?
Why did Caitriona agree to going to six cons was it, to be with Sam all over the world, when she actually had free time? Why did she bail out of the cons once Sam did?
What if both of them hadn’t been offline or then reappeared at the same time after being off for days, hours over and over again? What if they did they hadn’t done this 13 times while Caitriona was at a beach on vacation and, when they reappeared, Sam was tan?
What if Cait hadn’t liked a canned picture of Scotland while she was on vacation and Sam was MIA before his picture even posted?
What if they both hadn’t lost power at the exact same time while live tweeting while supposedly in different cities and Caitriona hadn’t screamed it from the roof tops? What if they both hadn’t started following Margot Robbie and tweeting articles about her when she was there at Wimbledon that day?
What if when Paul, I mean Shatner, started harassing and stalking and bullying and threatening Jess and others for months, didn’t one of them just kindly tell him to stop? What if they hadn't been silent. What if they had lived out their t#metoo stance, supported women’s rights and stayed silent when the fighting was over THEM?
What if Caitriona’s signature hadn’t been on the Laophraig bottle?
What if Caitriona had just posted a simple engagement picture with Tony OR A WEDDING ONE on any of her SM and simply say they needed privacy, respect and be done with it?
What if Caitriona hadn’t waited for Sam in a video BTS at T2 happily and schmoosh up against him and leave Tony in the dust? What if she didn’t throw coats, sunglasses and things at him without even an acknowledgement or a look?
What if Caitriona hadn’t only started showing Tony any PDA the month before the “engagement?" What if she had "simply” gotten engaged, posted a picture, and not had #hashtag road to OZ or a journalist there if it was a surprise or private?
What if Caitriona hadn’t pretended to measure him with a bottle in the water and he hadn’t had a big grin on his face?
What if Caitriona and Sam weren’t caught scrunched together at a Vanity Fair Party and the “other two” weren’t relegated to the back of them like chaperones?
What if at the last Vanity Fair Party, Sam had is picture taken with Caitriona, or Cait and Tony like normal costars?
What if Tony and Sam had ONCE appeared friendly prior to the ridiculous bro-hug sponsored by Malone’s (who only a third of Ireland) video team?
What if they had done photo-shoots and there wasn’t video of them stopped because it looked like they were going to kiss (which they did later for the Season 3 pictures)? What if Sam didn’t stroke her wrists and arms and “accidentally,” have his hands land in appropriate places when he knew she was with someone else?
What if Caitriona’s team had stuck to one story – the true story – of how long she had known Tony? What if they had stuck to the actual truth of his profession? What if there hadn’t been an article first saying his name was Brian and a financier?
What if everyone from the author, to the director, to the showrunner’s wife had let people ship them and not called fans “delusional,” “crazy,” and all the rest like other shows from the beginning of time? What if executives hadn’t posted inaccurate articles about Sam’s love life?
What if they had just let shipping be the normal activity that it is, and not make it such a big crime?
What if Sam had told his (supposed) partner to be an adult, protect his privacy, kept the $hit show to a minimum rather than have/let her troll the fandom time and time again? What if Sam hadn't pointed to a Georgia sign if he wanted privacy? What if Billy hadn’t indicated his IG had no #staged pictures?
What IF …What IF ….What IF…………
What IF fans who supported them with all of their lives hadn’t been played, or continued to be played, for the last five years? What of ANY of this was normal?
What if Tony wasn’t always on his phone?
What if tony actually seemed interested in her?
What if tony actually seemed physically attracted to Caitriona?
Tori