I have to do this right. I'm sorry for making you wait so long. Arguably, this is my most important chapter. I think the chapter is complete. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!! Much love, Cat

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Rhett awoke to sunlight streaming through the open shades and something infinitely soft pressing gently against his side. Scarlett. He was content to simply lie there and watch her sleep. Her hair was tousled from their lovemaking but her sweet features cast a glow of innocence over her sleeping form. He gently ran his hand over her back, fitting her closer to him. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she snuggled deeper into his arms, nestling her head in the hollow of his neck.

Their unspoken agreement to put aside the past for one night consumed his thoughts. Now that he had her in his arms, he knew in his heart that he could never truly let her go. She was his. His Scarlett. He gently kissed the top of her head and sent a silent prayer to God that they could cement their tenuous bond and…well, he wasn't quite sure but he knew that she was his and she belonged with him. As if agreeing with him, Scarlett snored softly. He smiled and gently tilted her head up and kissed her.

She moaned softly in her sleep, responding slowly to his caress. Her arms came to rest on his shoulders as she arched her back slightly. She mumbled something against his mouth.

"Scarlett?" he prompted.

Her brow knitted as she feathered kisses along his jaw, the length of his neck. "Don't leave me. Let me stay here with you."

"Of course, sweetheart," he murmured soothingly, trying to humor her.

"You don't have to give up the ship. I can come with you," she pleaded.

He kissed her forehead gently. "Anything you wish, darling," he said softly. He was now convinced that she was still dreaming.

She smiled against his neck. "You must promise me."

He pulled her closer to him. "You have my word."

"A pirate has no sense of honor. What good is the word of a scoundrel?" she quipped.

"Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one less scoundrel in the world [Thomas Carlyle]. I cannot promise to change my ways completely, but you are the most valuable thing I have in my life and I will never be so foolish as to let you go again. I would not lie about this, Scarlett," said Rhett.

"But you would lie about other things?" she asked quietly, her eyes opening.

"I…Scarlett," he began.

"Rhett…be honest with me. What have you lied to me about?"

"Scarlett, don't ask this of me..."

"What is it, Rhett? What is it that's so terrible you can't tell me?"

He could have closed himself off from her and retreated behind the walls he had spent years building to protect himself. He could have laughed it off and charmed her or seduced her into forgetting what she had asked. He could have, but he didn't. Instead, Rhett chose to be honest with his wife. "I love you, Scarlett O'Hara Butler. I'll love you until the day I die and nothing you or I or anyone else does will change that."

"Would you mind repeating that?" she asked weakly.

"You're the only woman in the world for me, Scarlett. My lover, my sparring partner, my friend, my wife," he murmured fervently as he raised her hand to his lips and pressed an ardent kiss on the back of her hand.

Scarlett didn't know what to do, quite how to feel. She was finally getting what she wanted. After so many hardships, could it be this simple? Almost afraid to reach out and take what was being offered to her for fear it would disappear, Scarlett had to swallow a few times before she could respond. "I love you, too, Rhett. So much," she whispered brokenly. "I haven't been able to sleep well without having your arms around me. It sounds ridiculous but I have to imagine that they are there if I want any rest at all. I wake up in the morning and wish you were there, ready to face another day with me. I get dressed wondering if you would approve of my choices. I..."

He gently put a hand over her lips. "Say it again, Scarlett."

"I get dressed..."

"No, not that part," he interrupted.

She closed her eyes briefly then allowed a laugh to bubble out of her. "I love you, Rhett. I love you, I love you, I love you!" she said joyfully, her voice crescendoing into an elated shout.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her possessively, his tongue thrusting deep into her mouth, savoring the taste of her and the knowledge that she was his.

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him just as possessively, her tongue stroking his, luxuriating in the feel of his strong, muscled arms around her and the knowledge that he loved her and wanted to be with her.