SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS

Will Outlander's Claire and Jamie be separated forever? Inside the shocking cliffhanger fans won't see coming

- KATE HAHN

ВEFORE DAWN ON a freezing morning last winter, Outlander stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, who play soulmates Claire and Jamie Frasier, arrived on set in the rugged Scottish countryside to shoot a heartbreaking scene for the Season 2 finale. The pair soon got chills-and not from the cold.

"When the sun came up, there was this magical layer of snow," recalls Heughan, who makes fans swoon as the heroic 18th-century Highlander in love with feisty time-traveling former WWII battlefield nurse Claire. "The whole place looked like a Disney set. It was perfect for such a powerful scene," Balfe adds.

But the action on Outlander, as fans well know, is far from Disney fare. This season has seen the couple challenged by a move to France, the fallout from Jamie's rape in prison, the devastating loss of their child and now the impending Battle of Culloden, a clash between Scotland and England that will kill thousands and wipe out Highland clan culture, which the duo failed to stop. “Jamie thinks he's going off to die [in battle],"Heughan teases. "His hand is forced and some of his actions have dire consequences. Ultimately, he and Claire get trapped."