Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

What…what is that? Scarlett thought groggily. She rolled over and pulled her zebra-print comforter up and tucked it under her chin. She dozed off for a split second and was awakened again.

BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.

"Great balls of fire!" She said, jumping out of bed, her silky shirtie tangling around her thighs. "What the hell is that?" She shouted and slammed her bedroom door open, seeking out the noise.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

It was her freaking door! Who the hell was at her door at this time of the morning? It was—she turned to look at her clock…oh. It was 11:00…

BANG! BANG! BA-

She slung the door open on the intruder, and stopped short. If Michael Jackson had been standing in her doorway, she couldn't have been more surprised

"Rise and shine, Ms. O'Hara…" It was Rhett. And he was dressed from head to toe in Nike workout apparel. His running shoes showed off his attractive ankles. His black work-out shorts, which revealed his toned calves, barely hinted at his defined lower thigh and knee. His sleeveless shirt showed off his impressive arms and shoulders. Her eyes slowly scanned the length of his body. When she finally reached his face, she saw that he was perching a pair of black Ray Ban wrap-around sunglasses in his ruffled, wind-blown hair. She had never seen him in anything but suits and polos all the years she had known him. Her half-awake senses took him in, and she was unable to hide her appreciation.

Me likey…too much. His body was covered in a sheen of sweat, as if he had just been out running. She imagined he had been. She looked at his face, and realized she had indulged herself a little too much…He was smirking as he watched her. He knew she liked what she saw—

Okay…so…this was not a part of the plan.

She quickly straightened up, and suddenly aware of her own dishabille, crossed her exposed legs over each other in an effort to cover herself. She could tell it was already too late…he had seen all there was to see.

And she was sure that, with his experience, he could imagine the rest.

"I brought you something delicious to eat," his smirk spread across his swarthy face. "…and some breakfast." He whipped out a bag from behind his back.

She rolled her eyes at his attempt at a joke, but shamefully knew that she had already "eaten". Her eyes had anyway…and no eye-candy known to man could have been sweeter.

My God, Scarlett! Get a hold of yourself! It must be because she had just woken up…

"Thanks, but as far as I know you laced it with arsenic…" She crossed her arms in front of her. "And as far as delicious goes…I've "tasted" better…" She turned on her heel, pulling at the back of her shirtie and wanting desperately to get to her bedroom so she could put on some clothes. She thought about the fact that she was wearing a thong and tugged a little harder, willing the shirt to be longer.

"Ah! You wound me, Scarlett! I am much more creative than that! I would never be so obvious as to lace it with arsenic…too cliché. And as far as your tastes go, you seemed to enjoy it, delicious or not."

She turned in her doorway to shoot him a look that could have—and should have—killed. She said, "Go to hell, Rhett Butler!", before swiftly slamming the door. She could hear his laughter through the door.

God's nightgown, she should have known not to tell him where she lived. She wouldn't be able to get rid of him now. He was going to constantly be coming over with breakfast and "candy"…What had she been thinking? She should have tried to meet him at a restaurant or a bar or—

"Don't you want to know why I am here?" He shouted through the door, interrupting her thoughts. No, she thought obstinately. But she really did. Maybe he had found out something about Melanie…

"Why are you here?" She said. She pulled her shirtie over her head and tossed it onto the floor. As she rummaged through her drawers, Rhett answered her.

"Well…I thought that you would like to get started on this little-er-project since we have only, as you say, a freaking week." He replied, emphasizing every syllable for the word "freaking".

"Ah…actually, you have a freaking day. I leave tomorrow…" she grunted, as she struggled to fasten her bra. Damn thing. She twisted at a strange angle, trying to fasten it but it didn't work. "Damn it…" she whispered.

"Having problems? I would be more than glad to assist you…"

"Ha! In your dreams, Butler," she declared breathlessly. Would the stupid thing click or whatever!

"Indeed, you are right, Scarlett. In fact I could tell you about the delightful dream that I had last night that included you, me and a pair of very sexy animal-print undergarments. I must say…you would have really liked them. They made me look fabulous." She rolled her eyes. No wonder he hadn't seriously dated anyone since she had known him…he was much too in love with himself. "And you would have especially loved them, since you have an obvious fetish for—"

She dropped her hands to her sides. "I do not have a fetish!"

"Of course not!" he teased.

She reached for the bra straps again, intent on buckling the damned thing and getting that weasel out of her house, when her phone started to ring. "Oh shit…" she thought angrily.

"Oh, Scarlett…your phone is ringing. Would you like me to get it for—" She cut him off.

"Oh dear God, no!" She finally caught the clasp and sighed in relief. "Let the machine get it." The last thing she needed was anyone—or everyone!—thinking that Rhett Butler was over at her house. With his reputation, everyone would assume only one reason for such a visit. And the worst part about that gossip train leaving the station wouldn't be the fact that everyone would be riding it…it would be the fact that Rhett himself, no doubt, would be the conductor. Feeding the fire. And she would never hear the end of it.

"This is Scarlett. Leave a message after the beep." "How charming…" Rhett murmured with amusement. She tugged on a pair of jeans angrily.

"Hey Red…" Scarlett froze. Ashley! She frantically pulled at the jeans, now trying to toss on her shirt at the same time.

"Red?" Rhett said. "Like a play on "Scarlett" and the color? How ingenious!" He laughed at his own mockery.

"Shut up, you idiot!" She screamed, trying desperately to dress herself the rest of the way so she could stop Rhett from hearing anything else.

"I know you are probably still asleep. Heh, you never did like to get up early. Um…gosh, I feel like I have left you a thousand messages since yesterday. Sorry about that. I just wanted to, you know, check on you. Make sure you are clear to get here. I talked to your father today and he was really excited to hear that you are coming. He is going to tell your family and you all are supposed to have some kind of get together while you are here. I know you are excited about that." He paused to laugh. Excited my ass, she thought. She was happy to see Pa again, but everyone else...no thank you. Well…maybe her brothers. It all depends on what mood they are in…she buttoned the pants and swiftly reached for the shirt she had thrown onto the bed.

"Anyway, umm…I guess I will talk to you soon. I-I can't tell you what all of this means to me, Red. I love you and I can't wait to see you…" Click. She burst through the door of her bedroom just as he hung up. She reached for the phone anyway, and checked to see if he might still be on the line. He wasn't.

"I can't believe you let him call you Red!" Rhett sauntered towards her. He had pulled an apple out of the bag of breakfast food and was munching on it.

"It's been a nickname he has had for me since we were children." She dejectedly placed the phone back in the cradle.

"Ahh…so you've known each other since childhood. 'Best Friends since birth' and all that…so when exactly did your love affair begin? Was it love at first sight, or did you at least have the decency to wait until he was growing hair in strange places?"

Scarlett's face twisted in disgust. "Gosh, you know, you have to be the most disgusting creature I have ever met."

Rhett leaned elegantly against the back of her couch. "Creature? Hmm…no one has ever called me a creature before. I kind of like it. Creature…it's rather exotic, isn't it. Kind of gives me that 'animal-print' vibe." He sighed. "Understandable. And one more reason I know that you are in deep lust with me." He took another bite out of his apple.

"I don't like you or you in animal-print!" She jerked the bag of breakfast goodies out of his hands, rummaging through it to see what he had gotten.

"Oh my gosh…I can't believe it…Blueberry Scone? With frosting on top!" She ripped the treat from the bag and chomped off a huge bite. "Mmm…" she closed her eyes. "Ho de –ou no I lo-des?" She tried to ask around the wad of scone in her mouth.

"Umm…I'm sorry I don't speak Creole…" Rhett laughed.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "How did you know I love these?"

Rhett shrugged. "It might have something to do with the fact that you carry one into the office with you every day."

"I don't carry one in with me every day," she said as she took another bite.

"Alright, every day except for yesterday."

"I didn't go into the office yesterday."

"Exactly." Rhett grinned as he took the last bite of his apple.

Scarlett stopped stuffing her face long enough to look at him and ask, "Why are you here?"

"I thought you would like to know what I have found on your lover's fiancée."

"He isn't my-! Never mind, I refuse to discuss Ashley with you. You will never understand our relationship. It's too deep for someone like you to understand."

"Someone like me? So, you have me all figured out, do you? I pray you, Ms. O'Hara, enlighten me on just what kind of man I am?"

Scarlett walked over to her dining room table and sat down, scone in hand. "Don't give me that crap, Rhett. You aren't like Ashley. Ashley doesn't run around with every woman from his office or every woman he knows. He is decent and respects women. While you seem to think that every woman alive was put on earth for your enjoyment." She took another bite of her scone before getting up to pour herself a cup of coffee. She knew it would be cold, since the timer was set for 8:00, so she placed it in the microwave.

She didn't even care that she hadn't had the courtesy of offering him a cup as well.

She turned to face him, leaning against the counter as she waited for her coffee to finish. He was wearing that infernal smirk, but his eyes betrayed him as they looked at her with something akin to malice. She didn't think he had ever looked at her like that. Something behind his eyes cracked and sparked dangerously, and she almost wished that she had kept her mouth shut.

"So…I am only capable of carnal lusts?" He walked to the dining room table and sat in the seat across from where she was sitting. "And this Ashley is capable of so much more…"

"Yes."

"And I suppose you would know best about that. About this decency and this respect for women." Rhett leaned forward and spoke deliberately. "I suppose that he has shown you first hand, these remarkable traits?"

The microwave beeped and Scarlett jerked the cup of coffee out of it. "What the hell are you going on about?" She sat back down.

"I think that you know exactly what I am going on about. Ashley has shown you, particularly, these traits? Tell me, does he know of your feelings for him?"

"I have yet to know what these feelings are that you keep talking about."

"The deep, hidden feelings that you have for this best friend of yours. Does he know? I am assuming that he doesn't know for sure, but I imagine he is vaguely aware." Rhett leaned back, balancing his weight on the two back legs of the chair. "What I think is most interesting is that he suspects, but isn't sure. Which is proof already that, though he has known you since you were children, he doesn't really know anything about you."

Scarlett smarted at his comment. "Ashley knows everything about me! Everything!"

Rhett smirked at her outburst. "Indeed. He knows things about you that many never will. He, no doubt, has many memories of you as children, and many more from when you were both grown. But there is a difference between knowing someone's history and knowing someone's mind."

"You have a lot of gall! You haven't even met him! You act as if you know him already!"

"I have always been good at reading people, and I think that little message left on your machine was enough for me to get a good feel for who this friend of yours is…at least to you." Rhett paused, and scratched his chin. "Hmm…it's interesting…"

Scarlett took another bite of her scone, refusing to look at him. I won't ask…I won't ask…

Good God Almighty! She sighed heavily. "What is interesting?"

"You have told me that Ashley is a 'decent, upstanding citizen' who 'respects women', unlike myself," Rhett looked at her mockingly, "the epitome of a Southern gentleman, no doubt." Scarlett sniffed. "And I have told you that he is at least vaguely aware of your feelings for him. So tell me, Scarlett, in the strictest confidence of course, do you think that a man who is about to get married would tell a woman he is not going to marry that he loves her dearly when he has an indication of her feelings for him? Do you think that man can still be such a gentleman after all of that?"

Scarlett balked. She opened her mouth and then closed it only to open it again and start to retort when Rhett interrupted. "Please, spare me your indignation. This is all so dull." And suddenly his eyes were lit up with the same mocking light that they usually held, the malice of moments ago far away. "So terribly dull. This Ashley fellow must be the most boring prick there is. Come now, Scarlett, I don't want to talk of this anymore. Don't you want to know why I am here?"

Scarlett sighed and stood up to take her empty coffee cup to the sink. "Why?"

"I found out some things about your little friend…" He wiggled his eyebrows.

Scarlett turned around quickly. "What did you find out?" She walked over to him, leaning over him as she spoke. He looked up at her, his hands folded behind his head and smiled like an adolescent boy.

"Well, I did a lot of web surfing last night and I found out some information about the orphanage. It's going to be tricky getting into their files, but I think I have a friend in Atlanta who works with records and things…I think I can get her to help me."

He smirked suggestively and his gaze became unfocused momentarily as he thought of… whomever it was he was thinking about. Jealousy flared in her chest and before she could stop herself she asked, "It's always a 'she', isn't it?" The irritation was pronounced in her tone and she instantly regretted saying anything. He looked at her, an odd look in his eyes. But after a moment, he laughed lightly.

"You really can't imagine not being the single most attractive creature on earth, can you?" He stood up, now towering over her tiny frame.

"You're an asshole, and I don't care what you found out!" She stomped into the living room. Rhett caught up with her and caught her by the arm. She turned to look at him and jerk her arm out of his firm but not-uncomfortable grasp. His face was amused, but strangely gentle.

"Let me finish, please." He laughed before taking a deep breath, exaggeratedly relaxing his shoulders and continuing. "You can't imagine not being the most attractive creature on earth-" she wiggled against his hold at his words, but he hastened on. "—That's why," he pronounced heavily, "it's lucky for you that you are." He smiled before tagging to his line, "…the most attractive creature on earth…that is." His eyes were bright with amusement and she imagined that he had said it simply to get her to forgive him, not because he meant it. But it was enough to give her that swelling sense of pride that one gains from compliments and to make her let his former transgression go.

She stood in front of him for a second in silence before relenting and asking, "So…what did you find out?"

Rhett smiled widely, aware of the fact that his flattery had worked. "Well…you will have to come with me to find out," he said, turning towards the door.

She balked as he picked up his things and started to walk out the door. "Wait…where are we going?" she asked.

"We are going to the office."

Scarlett huffed. "It's Saturday!"

Rhett sighed heavily. "Well then, I guess you won't find out all the information I have found out for you…"

Scarlett wished fervently to think of a way to get out of going to the office. She had been looking forward to the fact that she wouldn't have to set foot in the office for another week. However, Rhett had the upper hand. She had given him the upper hand when she asked for help, which had been her first mistake. But she couldn't go back now. She looked at him again and rolled her eyes. Rhett took this as acceptance and smirked as he took his Ray Ban's off his head and placed them over his eyes. His unkempt hair was all over his head. Bedhead…that's what it looked like…

What the hell? I need to stop this…it's just Rhett, she thought condescendingly. She swallowed deeply as he turned towards the door again.

"Well then, let's go." He started to exit the apartment when she yelled.

"Wait! I'm not ready!" He turned around and looked at her, nodding for her to go and get ready. She ran back into her room and into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror above her sink and groaned at what she saw. She had been talking to Rhett Butler looking like this? She ran her hands down her pale cheeks and back over her unpainted eyelids.

She knew that she didn't look terrible without makeup. Why, Ashley said he liked it best when she wore none. But with Rhett…you know…leave no stone unturned! Always be prepared…you never know when you will have to do battle. To have any weakness is to lose…

She stared at her face for a moment. She knew that she was an attractive woman, if not conventionally beautiful. She posed a striking picture. She had pale skin which harshly collided with onyx colored hair and deep green eyes, set in an austere and yet somehow delicate face. Her upturned eyes were mysterious and she knew how to use them, knowing them to be what they were: her greatest asset. When she tried hard enough, she knew that she was damn good-looking. But the idea that Rhett Butler had seen her in even the slightest moment of weakness, it made her cringe.

She hastily applied some make-up to her face, pronouncing her features. It took her five minutes and after she was finished, she was very pleased with the result and with a smirk she ran into her room and changed into a more appropriate shirt for the office, but kept the jeans. It was Saturday, after all.

Ten minutes after she had left Rhett in the living room, she ran back out to find him looking around her apartment at the pictures that lined the walls. He was staring at one picture in the hallway, one she had taken years ago with her brothers. She was probably 14 or 15. Good God, she didn't want him to see that!

"What are you doing?" she asked cautiously.

"Are these your brothers?" he asked.

"Yes."

"They look like little devils," he said good-naturedly.

Scarlett smiled a little, thinking of her rascally brothers. "Yes, Pa had a hand full with them. They are triplets. All in diapers at the same time. All went through puberty at the same time. They just graduated and now they are all going to college at the same time," she announced absently as she grabbed her purse and walked to the door. Rhett didn't move from the place where he was standing.

"Is this your mother?" Rhett moved to the next picture. "I bet she had a fun time with them too…"

Scarlett paused. The small ache that still resided in her chest at the thought of her mother throbbed momentarily before burying itself again. "My mother is dead. She died when the boys were two." She had been nine. It was, to this day, the hardest thing that she had ever been through.

Rhett's face softened and when he spoke his voice was full of tender remorse for her loss. "I am so sorry, Scarlett. I didn't know." She walked closer to him, feeling more comfortable talking about her family now that she saw that he was acting like a normal human being, rather than the devil that he was…

"Well, I am most sorry for my brothers. They never really got to know her. My sisters and I…at least we have a few memories." She pointed to the picture he was observing. It was a picture of her mother, her sisters and herself. They were all scrunched up close to their mother's cheeks, their faces full of laughter.

"How did she die?" he asked softly.

Scarlett sighed and closed her eyes before she answered. "My mom was chronically depressed. She never said anything about it. We didn't know until after..." She swallowed before continuing. "She killed herself," she said softly. Memories flooded her mind. The ambulance and the police. The long sermon about her mother in an unusual church service and the long lines of people that she didn't know. Her father…her poor father. Luckily, he had Mammy. Mammy had practically raised Ellen, Scarlett's mother. She was like a grandmother to the O'Hara children and so she had offered to move to Atlanta from Savannah and help Gerald, Scarlett's father, raise the children and take care of the boys. She didn't know if her father could have gotten through it all without Mammy. She didn't know if any of them could have gotten through without her.

Rhett looked down at her. His eyes held a soft gleam that softened his sharp features, showing a gentleness he rarely let slip. "That must have been hard for you…" he said softly before resting an arm gently around her shoulders. Instinctively she leaned into the embrace, still wrapped up in thoughts of her mother. Bittersweet thoughts that still stung but felt so far away…Her compliant gesture of acceptance prompted Rhett to slowly and gently gather her in his arms. Pressed against his chest, she realized with violent cognizance that she was in his arms and thought to immediately pull away. But…he felt so…nice. He was being so comforting. She could feel his hands gently smoothing her hair as he whispered, "I'm sure it was…" And for a brief second she thought how she couldn't imagine ever being hurt again in arms as strong and soothing as his…

But just as suddenly as he embraced her, he pulled away, leaving Scarlett a bit baffled. Clarity was returning to her and she realized that she had just hugged Rhett Butler and he had been…nice? She knew there had been plenty of times that he had been very nice to her. But all of his niceness in the past had been forcibly bludgeoned by quick, sharp cracks on her behalf. The sarcastic and unbearably ironical speeches of which she had been an unwilling witness. But just now, he had been soothing. Comforting even…and she hadn't wanted him to let go. Strange…

She made a tiny face…what the hell is going on today? Has the Earth's axis tilted? She inwardly shook her head.

Rhett looked at the wall of pictures before speaking again. "Where are you and your brothers in this picture? It looks like there are Christmas lights behind you…but…are you in a field? I can't tell…it's so dark all around."

Scarlett felt annoyed at his question. Christmas lights? She rolled her eyes and jerked the picture off the wall, trying to tell herself that she was indeed aggravated with the stupid question and not simply trying to forget how kind he had just been to her. "Of course they're not Christmas lights. They are fireflies. And yes, it's in a field. There is a field in Georgia that used to be a sort of gathering place for fireflies in the fall. My family used to go out there every year and take pictures…and catch the fireflies."

Rhett looked at her, genuinely interested. He seemed completely unaffected by her discontent. His eyes sparkled in a strange way, speaking of complete content in spite of her affront. "How did you catch them? With your hands? Surely not…" He was smiling in amusement as he reached for one of her delicate hands, tracing his thumb across her palm. Her hand tingled unusually before she jerked away.

She continued to speak as if offended by his words. "Well, believe it or not, when I was younger I was a tomboy. However, no, we weren't silly enough to try to catch them with our hands. We would bring old jelly jars and things and catch the fireflies in the jars and use them for lanterns as we walked around the field. It was fun." She sniffed as she replaced the picture on the wall.

Rhett looked from the picture to her. "You don't do it anymore?"

Scarlett paused before speaking. "They don't come anymore." She looked from the picture back at him, then quickly turned on one heel to head for the door.

"Let's go…" she said. She was ready to get to the office so she could get back home. She did have to pack, after all…