A/N: oops, that was supposed to be a quick update. This is what happens when you're stupid and sign up for 4 AP classes. You're too busy to do anything you love! Ah, well, here's chapter 4…hope you like!

Chapter 4: Unstoppable

Rhett entered the dark room quietly as not to disturb the sleeping woman it enveloped. Heaving a tired sigh, he sunk his body into the chair resting at Scarlett's bedside, wincing as it creaked under his weight. He listened closely, hearing the soft, steady sound of her breathing. At first she seemedquite still as she slept, but he soon saw that every few minutes she would stir in the slightest, muttering incoherent words beneath her breath. It was evident that she was having nightmares of some kind, and he found himself wishing that he could climb into her dreams and fight them off. He didn't like that feeling.

Resting his feet on the floor, he leaned is head forward to lie on Scarlett's bed beside her sleeping figure. The cool sheets felt good against his head. He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of her breathing again. He found it rather relaxing, the steady rise and fall of her chest causing the bed to move up and down the slightest fraction with each breath. The quiet, rocking motion soon calmed him enough to where he began to lose track of what he was supposed to be doing and he drifted off into sleep.

"Mother!" Scarlett yelled and flailed her arms about, lost in the world of dreams.

Her straying arms connected with something solid next to her head. Sitting up quickly, Scarlett O'Hara looked around her bedroom, seeking the unknown object she had struck. She couldn't see a thing; the room was as dark as the sky outside. She felt around for the object and was surprised when her hand felts something soft and silky. It felt like…why it felt like hair! Half asleep, she unconsciously began stroking the hair. "Mother?" she called out, confused and unsure. She wasn't sure where she was or why she was there, but she was oddly comforted. It was Mother, nursing her, and she must have fallen asleep. Poor mother, she worked herself entirely too hard.

"Mother," she called out again, causing the head she was stroking to stir beneath her hands.

"Scarlett?"

The deep voice which had just erupted from the figure next to her was clearly not that of Ellen O'Hara. It was distinctly male.

"But mother…" she whimpered, her mind clearing enough to remember that Ellen O'Hara couldn't possibly be there nursing her because Ellen O'Hara…no! She couldn't think about that.

"Scarlett."

There was that voice again! Not Pa's, this man's accent was not Irish. Who could possibly be in her room at this hour?

"Scarlett, it's me, Rhett. Are you awake?"

Rhett? Rhett. But not Rhett Butler! He couldn't be at Tara…but yes, he was! It all beganflooding back now, all of the emptiness of her world was coming back to spread within her heart.

"Oh, Rhett, it's you," she whispered.

He couldn't help but feel as if there were tears in her eyes as she said the words. "Come now, Scarlett. What's wrong? Are you feeling well?"

Worried, Rhett brushed his hand against her forehead. It was cool, not at all feverish as he had expected it to be.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she replied quietly, brushing his hand away from her forehead. "What's going on, Rhett? Why are you here in my room? Do you find me so fascinating even in slumber?"

A low laugh tumbled from his throat, and she felt a rush of heat course through her veins at the sound. His voice was so deep when heavy with sleep that it was quite shocking. "Scarlett, as fascinating as I find you, that's not why I'm here. You've been asleep for two days. Mrs. Wilkes was quite worried. I offered to relieve her for a while so she might rest."

"Oh, Melly. She shouldn't be worrying about me. She isn't well herself and the last thing I need is another sick—" at this, her voice broke, and she thought again of her mother.

"Shh, Scarlett. Go back to sleep, you can see to Melly in the morning, darling," he consoled her, uneasy at the tears streaming down her face. He had rarelyseen Scarlett cry, and it was unsettling. Trying his best to comfort her, he climbed next to her on the bed and wrapped her small frame in a hug. He hoped she wouldn't shrug him off as she had his hand on her forehead. He absentmindedly rubbed her back in small circles until she quieted.

Laying her down on her bed, he slipped his arm from beneath her waist. He straightened up and rubbed the base of his neck. Scarlett O'Hara just might be the one woman he would never understand.

One minute he thought he understood her perfectly. She was always in control of her emotions. Everything she did stemmed from an inner reason. She was incessantly selfish and motivated almost solely by greed.

Then in the next minute, she was sobbing in his arms and crying out for her mother. Maybe it would be better if he just stopped trying to understand her.

"Rhett?" Scarlett called out, her voice no longer sounding as disoriented as it had moments before.

"I thought you were sleeping. You should rest some more, Scarlett. At least until morning," he told her, instantly feeling guilty at his less than gentle tone.

"I can't sleep anymore. I've slept too much already," she lied. It was true that she had slept too much recently, she could tell by the throbbing in her head. She felt like she had in the lazy days before the war when Mammy had let her sleep until noon. She had always awakened with pounding headaches, not aided by Mammy telling her it was her own fault. The truth was that this whole situation she had just awakened into was very odd. Rhett Butler was here in her room, and she was quite sure that she had just heard him call her 'darling' in an attempt to calm her down.

This was the same Rhett Butler who left you on the side of the road, she reminded herself, but was surprised when the usual stirrings of anger at this memory didn't fill her stomach. What was this? Just because she could tell that he had been worried about her meant that the man could instantly be forgiven of all of the things he had done to her? She hoped he realized that she wouldn't let go of matters that easily.

There! That had done the trick; anger rose inside of her. Finally, an emotion she could deal with and one that she understood. It felt good to be back on common ground. Grief and stirrings of something she couldn't fathom simply did not suit her. Anger gave her an easy out every time, and she planned to use it fully to her advantage, beginning right now.

Another A/N: Don't you want to review? I know you do, so make us both happy! I'll apologize again for the long period between updates, and hope you liked the chapter.