Chapter I

He watched the fireflies as they danced in front of him.

Small specks of light...On Off...On Off

How...interesting.

A hand raised slowly and fingers deftly captured one of the small black bugs gently and he brought it back to study it closer. It had not made an effort to escape. It didn't fear the man. Even though he was easily a thousand times bigger than the small insect and had killed many of the same sort since he'd been in this country. Turning the bug over and over in his hand and watching the rear end light go on and go out. And the smallest of smiles when he heard the soft voice behind him.

"I used to do that when I was 5, you know..."

Distinctly female. Distinctly playful.

Rather than crush the insignificant insect as he had so many of its kind so many times before, he opened his hand and let the little fellow fly off to join its friends. That was when he turned to see the young lady that stood on the balcony above and behind him, the double doors open to their rooms behind her. She leaned on the railing onto her forearms, the smallest and mostteasing of smiles down at him.

"So, Colonel," a pause, "...might I entice yourself to come up and visit with a lonely young rebel?"

Tavington had to chuckle softly to himself before he headed for theentrance on the main floor and then up the stairs, his bootheels thudding a solid rhythm as he came down the hallway. He walked into his own room and then across and opened the door to the room he shared a common doorway with..

Charlotte Martin turned when she heard him walk in and with a slow stroll and hands behind her back, fingers interlaced, she made her way back into the room. At 17 years old, Charlotte had been captured as a spy when she had tried to free her older brother from the Colonel and his Dragoons when they had raided her father's farm. The slaves had been taken and the livestock had been killed.She had watchedthe very act of the British soldierscontain Gabriel, the eldest. Gabriel was tied andled behind a wagon on his way to Camden to be hanged as a spy for the Colonial militia. But they didn't know, wasCharlotte was behind them.

But of course she didn't have a clue that they also knew she was there. When she tried to untie her brother to free him, three soldiers convened and took her to the Colonel's tent. They were bid to leave and the Colonel prowled over to her and around her slowly as if a tiger sizing up its prey.

"So here now before me stands the daughter of one of the most enigmatic figures that haunt the British troops." A pause as he studied her back. How she stood unafraid of him. How she didn't flinch when he moved close to her. "And your name would be?" that quiet baritone like the soft growl of a wild animal and with an impressed but reserved smirk. He stood behind her so close and closed his eyes for a moment, lost in the feeling of being so near a creature as lovely as she was. The faint scent of the forest. The hint of themeal she hadshared earlier thatafternoonwith her family. The smell of the shampoo she used in her hair. The gentle scent of her verbena perfume.

Charlotte barely moved, but her gaze watched him as he walked around her, but losing sight of him when he was behind her completely, she set her gaze forward again. " Charlotte Ryan Martin, Colonel. Oldest daughter of Benjamin Martin, of the Fresh Water plantation."

Tavington's pale eyes opened slowly. His gaze fell on the soft blonde hair in front of him and the wisps and strands that fell down the back of her neck and around her face. Her bangs framed that same face and her skin was flawless. Large doe- eyes with lashes so long and dark. Slowly one hand raised and fingertips traced against her bare shoulder and she quivered. "Oldest, hm? Won't your betrothed be looking for you? Worried?"

Charlotte snorted softly. "Hardly. Since I'm not betrothed. We don't do things so rash in this world, sir. We let our women decide if they want to marry and who."

Tavington chuckled softly and walked around to face her. His expression had lightened and his touch wasn't as dangerous as it had been just a few moments ago as fingertips brushed a stray lock of blonde from her face and their eyes locked. "And how can I not believe that a wildcat such as yourself wouldn't be tied down yet?" There was no answer from the girl but she also had studied the Colonel with the same intensity and come to a conclusion on her own. One that would make things even more difficult than they should have been.

They had another day trek before they got to Fort Carolina where the Colonel kept quarters in the large house with other officers. A small corps of the Dragoons with some foot soldiers were sent to take Gabriel to Camden. Only one day out of the fort, the troop was surprised by a militia of soldiers from the rebels and most killed but most important, Gabriel was set free to return back to the colonials.

The surprising thing was..when word had travelled back to Fort Carolina, and to Tavington, he sent his second to the field hospital to talk to the only survivor. In the meantime, after many late night talks and stories shared, the Colonel realized that the girl they had caught had captured his heart.

They had been together for nearly a month now. Her father was causing grand scale amounts of troubles for the British troops. He'd demanded the return of his daughter and even when Tavington had agreed and tried to send her back to her family, Charlotte wouldn't go. She had fallen for the Colonel. He was so alone. She knew he needed someone, and she did too. Now she'd found him.

Against all odds -- and against all good sense -- they'd fallen in love.

The war still raged, but now it didn't seem that the Colonel wanted to continue his attempts to fight the rebels any longer. He now had a sort of "distraction". And she was indeed a beautiful one.

He slowly walked into the room and pulled out the chair at the desk with a scrape of its wooden feet against the floor. He slowly sat down, the chair creaking a protest at having any weight put upon it, but his gaze never left the girl a mere five feet in front of him. "And why aren't you in bed by now, young lady?" he said with a small smirk. For the life of him he couldn't understand why he should deserve someone like her to be his. And what's worse is that the other commanders and generals at the fort didn't seem to have a problem with keeping her in one of the rooms, let alone one next to his.

Didn't seem right to quarter a young girl with the other men that were being held in the rows of cells. So she was given quarters in the adjoining room beside the Colonel. He'd caught her. He could watch over her.

They ate meals in private, and shared many nights talking and discovering what made each other tick. Charlotte had told him about her life with her father, and when her mother had died her aunt staying with them to help care for the kids with the slaves and in general life at the plantation. Tavington told her of his joining of the military but kept most other information guarded. Not that he didn't want her to know, really, but that he usually didn't reveal any weaknesses about himself. For some reason he seemed to not mind talking to her and knew soon enough she would break down the very walls he had built and would know everything about him.

But for now, she was just happy to have someone as attentive. He seemed to hang on every story she told Every little bit of herself she offered. To him, he had so much to catch up on that he didn't know about her. And he wanted to know it all.

"I was hoping to say good night to the gentleman that lived next door." she said softly and took another three steps forward. He smiled, and when she came closer, he stood and one hand eased behind his back as his other reached for her own hand and the gentlest of bows.

"Well then might I say about this 'gentleman' that to keep such a beautiful young lady waiting, he must be a vile wretch."

She smiled a most chaste grin and crimson washed over her cheeks as she allowed her hand to ease into his. "No not so, Colonel! He is the most gentlest man I've known. He is a mystery, tis true but I can only wait until he believes he can trust me as much as I trust him to open up to me..."

His fingers closed around her small hand in an easy grasp and his pale blue eyes never left her dark blues. "As I said, milady, then this person is not worthy of your..." but he couldn't even say it since he knew it was true.

She closed her fingers - as best as she could - around his hand and when he brought hers to his lips and brushed the softest kiss to the back of it, her smile disappeared for only a moment when he stopped speaking and didn't finish. "I'm sorry, Colonel. This man is most deserving of anything I can offer. He has shown me nothing but kindness since I've known him." The smile coming back to tug gently at the corners of her lips. "And he is most worthy of especially my love. Most misunderstand him Most hate him. Many even above that fear him. But they don't see the man underneath that I do. And I want to make sure he knows that I'm here for him." A slight curtsy and a soft nod of her head towards the door. "So, milord...if you see him, please tell the gentleman that -- well, direct him to me. For I have something to tell him tonight."

Tavington smiled at her words and with a gentle pull drew her closer to himself and his free hand slid around herwaist, holding her close and leaning down to her, lips merely centimetres apart. "Why not give me the message and I'll tell him when I see him."

Pressed close againt hisbody and then with his hand on the small of her back, fingers splayed, to hold her there, Charlotte took in his scent...his warm breath washing over her lips...she felt her heart race and she had to lick her lips to wet them again after her own breath began coming in panting breaths. "Tell him that I love him. And wish that he were here with me tonight and always."

Tavington stared into her eyes for the longest of minutes and then finally he pushed closer but before their lips met he whispered softly, "And I love you, Charlotte...even moreso. I'm always with you...to be apart would be to rip a part of myself out. You are my life...my soul...Please be mine forever..."

She was about to answer when he pressed his lips to hers in a kiss full of fire and the deepest of passion. And with the soft breeze that blew in through the open doors from the balcony came a dozen fireflies. Floating and flitting around the candlelit bedroom and bringing the site of the stars inside for the evening.

Small specks of light. On Off. On Off.