Hey, just to clear up any confusion that might have been created…..this isn't the movie; this is the actions of the movie. She went back in time and is part of those actions. She wasn't worried about changing the movie, but about changing the past, no matter how small a change. Yeah, my friend was confused so I thought I'd clear that up. Lol. So, on with the chapter!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gale ran her hand through her hair slowly and tiredly one more time. She propped her elbow up on the worn table and rested her forehead in the small curve of skin between her thumb and pointer. Closing her eyes she let out a long and drawn out, haggard sigh. For what seemed like the millionth time that night she lightly shook her head, she was disgusted.

Disgusted with herself.

I can't believe I did this. I can't believe I let him down. I knew what was going to happen to him, but what did I do? I just let him get dragged off. I can't believe I let it happen!!!

Gale put her hands flat out on the table and hit her head on the rough wood. Raising her head up slowly she brought her head back down again, creating a loud "smack", followed by about one thousand creaks from the decrepit table.  She pulled her head up again but was stopped from slamming it down by a hand that grasped the back of her shirt, jerking her back up again. The hand released her and she slowly lowered her face to the table, letting it rest on the cold wood.

"Gale, you've got to stop beating yourself up about this. It wasn't your fault!" said Race who was pacing the floor in front of the table. Gale, Race, and a few of the other boys were in the lodging house kitchen, anxiously talking about the days "adventure".

Gale heaved her head up to an erected position on her shoulders. Her face and body drooped with disappointment and her neck looked strained as though it were taking a great effort to hold up the weight of her head. She stared at Race blankly for a few moments, and then her features took on a more annoyed manner.

"I know it wasn't all my fault, Racetrack. What do you think I did, grab my own arm and pull me away from my friend who was about to get worked over by a couple of lousy punks?!?!?"

"Hey!" said Race, becoming defensive. "What were you goin' ta do, take both of 'em on single handedly!?"

"Uh…let me think about that one…..YES!" shot back Gale, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "What, did you think a little girl like me couldn't handle 'em? Huh? Is that what ya' think of me. . . . that I'm a little weakling? Huh? Huh?" She had leaned across the table as she said this; her face was now inches away from Race's.

Race frowned. "Don't do that, yer' remindin' me of Spot."

Gale's face once again crumbled into a defeated stare and she collapsed back into her chair. She didn't look up when she heard the door open and slam shut, but she did shift her gaze to David's when he walked over to Race, accompanied by Jack.

"We're going to get Crutchy." Said Jack. "We should be back soon. If we're not back within three hours, send out….wadja call 'em . . . ."

"Reinforcements?" filled in David.

"Yeah, reinformants. Got it?" Jack said, grabbing his coil of rope off of the small round table where Gale was seated.

"Yeah, alright." Replied Race.

"You're wasting your time." The boys looked, surprised, at the small voice that had just spoken, belonging to Gale.

"What are you talking about?" said Jack, a perplexed gaze on his face.

"He wont come, he can't. And you can't get him to come, he's too dang stubborn, too dang proud."

"Gale, what in the world are you saying?" Race was getting a little weirded out.

Oh, shoot. Now they think I'm crazy. Thought Gale. "It's nothing, I don't know. I guess I'm just sad, and I'm worried about him. Worried that they hurt him real bad." Said Gale, doing a half-way decent job at sounding convincing. It was true, she was sad, and she was worried, but she already knew what had happened.

"Hey, its ok Gale. He'll be back tonight before ya' know it, and all your worries will be over." Said Jack, looking relieved that Gale's "foggy" state had left her.

"Yeah, alright." Gale whispered, pain in her voice. The others assumed it was over Crutchy, but it was really pain over being helpless, and pain over losing her chance to be helpful.

Jack and David left the house, but Gale knew that it would be in vain. Crutchy wouldn't come . . . . . because he couldn't come.

Race walked over to Gale and knelt beside her. "Its ok, Gale." He whispered softly in her ear, sending enjoyable pricks down her spine. He took her hand and she numbly stood up with him. He gently led her upstairs, placing his other hand on the small of her back and leading her in the right direction. He took her to her bunk and released her hand only for a second to pull back her blankets.

Laying her down in bed he tucked her in tenderly. Ignoring Gale's previous comments of the morning and assuming she was in too much of a state to really notice, Race slowly bent down and placed a kiss on Gale's creamy forehead, letting his lips linger there for a few seconds before drawing back and retreating out the door.

Gale slept soundly that night, a certain spot tingling on her forehead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now I will commence with the begging……..*coughs*……PLEASE!! PLEASEE REVIEW!!!! MY FATHER, HE LOST HIS PLANTATION AND ME MAMA, SHE SICKER THAN A SACK O' POTATOS IN JULY!

Yeah.

~~Randy~~