Just to prove that reviews do matter... as a result of one of your reviews, I was inspired on the location for the end of this chapter.

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For the next few days Scarlett couldn't leave Rhett without him wanting to know where she was going and what she intended to do. She reassured him each time she left that she would return but it was becoming comical, she thought as she stood across the room from him, answering another barrage of questions. "Why Rhett, must you know every detail of my time away from you?"

"Yes, my pet…" he had answered jealously.

"Well, it is my intention just now to go downstairs to visit with the Privy. Would you like to know what I plan to do on my visit?" she asked coquettishly. Rhett surrendered uncomfortably, understanding that he had gone too far. She smiled victoriously and turned to leave the room.

As he watched her leave, Rhett's heart began to tighten in his chest, as it seemed to do every time she was away. Something within him had changed that night in her room. He still felt awkward and uncomfortable about appearing outside of his room, but their kiss had sparked new life within him, new hope. She does love me, he mused. She's coming back…to me. Just keep telling yourself that. And he did, repeating it so many times that it he wasn't sure if her was just thinking it or actually speaking it. She does love me, she's coming back; she does love me, she's coming back; she does love me…

His mind began to imagine the possibilities, interlacing old dreams with some new fantasies. Perhaps we can put things back together…and be stronger for it. We could travel…or go back to Atlanta. No, no, that's no good. Atlanta is where we made all of our mistakes. There's Tara…she gets her strength from Tara and she'll need it to …but how will people react to me? How will she bear it, having to stand beside a gargoyle like me? Doubt was creeping in again, doubt and fear. By the time she returned, he was feeling panic set in. "Scarlett?" he said, looking at her with anxious eyes.

Scarlett saw his apprehension, his doubt. Crossing the room, she knelt before him, her arms on his knees. "I'm here, Rhett. I'll always come back. Remember, we are connected…forever linked. I can never go very far away."

He reached for her, his fingers losing themselves in her hair as his eyes locked with hers. "Say it, Scarlett…" his voice almost pleading.

"Say what, my love?"

Rhett let out the breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding as a small smile worked over his mouth. "Am I?"

She looked at him, confused at first, but then understanding dawned. "Oh my darling," she purred, "I love you. I shall always love you." Then she straightened up on her knees and leaned into him for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as tightly as he dared. "Scarlett, don't go to your room tonight. Stay with me. I want you next to me like you were the other night." Her eyes lit like true gems, a renewed sparkle illuminating them. "Oh yes, Rhett…of course I will stay with you, tonight and every night, if you wish." And so a new routine was established for the couple with Scarlett joining Rhett every night, the two curling up together, his arms firmly around her as they fell to sleep.

Scarlett continued to encourage Rhett to leave the house. They always left in the closed carriage and drove out into the countryside. But the search for living quarters for Rhett had ceased. She wasn't certain about his thoughts on the matter but he had asked her to stop looking and she had happily complied. While he still hid from visitors, he seemed comfortable in her presence and in truth, with Scarlett he could almost forget his appearance.

The carriage rides were helping his mood and he was finally looking healthier, Scarlett mused as she stared at him blatantly one sunny afternoon. He was getting just enough sun to bring some color back to his healthy skin, taking away the deathly pallor that he had worn since she had been there. Life was returning to his eyes and occasionally the old Rhett would appear, mischief gleaming in his expression as his lips twitched in a knowing smile. She knew where his thoughts were on those occasions; his eyes practically undressed her, as they were doing that afternoon.

It was a bright, warm day with a slight breeze. The fresh air lifted their spirits as the carriage moved down the road, heading towards a lighthouse on one of the many islands that surrounded Charleston. Rhett had told her about spending time there when he was a boy, making the journey with his cousins. They were older and he'd felt proud that they were willing to include him in the excursion, he'd confided. They'd spent the day exploring the lighthouse and swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. He had stood in the top, looking past the light when he spied a ship headed for the harbor. That was when he decided he wanted his own ships.

Scarlett had enjoyed his story and wanted to see the place where his dreams of becoming an adventurer began. She felt a change in him as the carriage turned a corner and headed down a dirt lane. They cleared some trees and then she saw it, the lighthouse, painted black and red, standing tall and proud over the water. The carriage stopped a few feet away from the door.

Rhett descended and then held his hand to assist Scarlett. She smiled as she realized he forgot to let go of her hand as they began to walk around the site. They stood away form the building, looking up towards the top. And then the sound of the ocean drew their attention and he led her to the shore. They stood, looking out over the vast expanse of water. Waves lapped towards them, almost touching their feet. Still holding her hand, he turned and led her along the shoreline, quietly watching the horizon.

Rhett smiled as he listened to the sounds of the seabirds as they circled just off shore. A sand crab scurried away from them as they stepped into his burrow. The feel of the salt air breeze on his cheeks felt cleansing. And she was here with him, letting him hold her hand. Suddenly she stopped and gasped, drawing his attention to her face and then his eyes following her stare out to the horizon. "It's a coastal schooner," he told her. "Probably taking cargo from Charleston down to Savannah…" His eyes locked on the ship as it travelled across the horizon, its three masts standing tall, reaching for the sky.

"Is that like the ships you used to run the blockade?" She asked her eyes wide with excitement.

"I usually used smaller ones, more difficult for the Yankees to spot. We'd bring the supplies from France and England on the larger ships into the Caribbean Islands and then offload onto smaller ships. We'd run them into the harbors sometimes but we also would bring them up some of the inlets and offload to wagons. It always depended on where the Yanks were, how close to the harbor they anchored." His eyes had never left the sails as they travelled across their view and Scarlett watched his expression, alive and animated with excitement.

"Do you miss being at sea or is the blockade running you miss the most?"

A smirk grew at the corner of his mouth as he listened to her question. "I enjoyed being on the ocean but I'm afraid you know me too well, my dear. The days of a blockade running brigand were… exhilarating. I do miss them…or the feeling, anyway."

"Oh," she said, a little deflated. She had hoped he would say that he didn't miss it, that he preferred to be there with her. He began to laugh, that wicked laugh that he used when he'd discovered one of her secrets that embarrassed her. Her emerald eyes flashed before they narrowed as they settled on him. Rhett stopped laughing when he saw her expression. "Relax my pet; I'm not going to tease you." He took her chin in his hand and looked into her eyes, his dark eyes growing even darker. "What I was trying to say was that I miss the way I felt then. It was …golden. I was making a lot of money, having a grand adventure, and hailed as a hero too. It was…magical. And every time I left and then returned to Atlanta…you were there. There was no real reason for me to be in Atlanta so much, you know. But I couldn't stay away… I had to go back…to see you."

Her eyes brightened as she again said, "oh." But this time she sounded surprised. His hand moved to the side of her face, capturing her cheek and his fingers working into her hair. His eyes remained on hers and refused to release her. Slowly, he lowered his head, their lips converging. As his kiss deepened, Rhett, the independent scoundrel that needed no one, suddenly realized how very much he needed her. "Scarlett," he moaned as he kissed her again.

His kisses were demanding and intense, amazing Scarlett. Why, it's almost like he's hungry…starving…She remembered that day long ago when she'd stood in the garden at Tara, holding a radish in her hand, hunger eating away inside of her; the day she swore she would never be hungry again. His hunger wasn't for food but still…hunger she could understand.

As Rhett kissed her, he felt the growing need inside of him. He would have agreed with her comparison to hunger; he was hungry, starving in fact, for her. And as he moved to her neck feeling the need for more of her, the hunger replaced everything else. All of the problems, all of the arguments, the hurt, the anger; all of it was pushed to the back of his mind as his feelings took hold…his desire….his need. Rhett was in a fog, conscious of a blissful appetite for everything she offered and more. His lips moved over her neck and down, his hands frantic for the feel of her skin, his craving becoming more and more powerful. He was oblivious to their surroundings, to their exposure, all that he knew was that which he had to have.

Scarlett gasped as she realized his intent, feeling powerless to stop him; not really sure that she wanted to. But they were out in the open, unprotected…what if someone happens by? What of the driver…what was his name? Her thoughts were becoming muddled also as her body responded to him. "Rhett," she said, trying to stop him or at least slow him down so that she could think. But he didn't slow down, his lips becoming ever more invasive, more exciting. She put her hands up and pushed on his chest. His head popped up, his dark eyes burning, confusion apparent. "Rhett, we are out here…in the open…"

Something clicked within his frenzied mind and his eyes flashed around, looking for signs of others. "There's no one around," he responded huskily.

She looked around also. "Yes, but someone might…"

He cut her off with another demanding kiss. And then she felt his fingers on the buttons of her bodice and suddenly she was exposed. Her initial reaction was to cover herself but something stirred deep within her and part of her was thrilled with the sensation. He was looking at her again, his eyes so hot that she thought he might burn a hole right through her. She's never seen him this aroused before and again, it excited her. Slowly her hands dropped and once again he was at her, his hands fondling her breasts as his lips burned a blazing trail down her neck. "Oh Rhett…" she sighed as she surrendered the last of her modesty and succumbed to his desire. Their bodies melded together as they melted into the sand.

Rhett was on fire, every nerve in his body alive and aware of her. But this blaze didn't hurt like the night of the brothel fire. This was a blaze of restoration…renewal. He buried his face in her cleavage, a sob escaping as he finally understood; he would never be whole without her. He needed her as much as he needed to breath. He felt her hand on the back of his head, her fingers in his hair, encouraging him. Her body arched, inviting him. Without further thought, he finished the task of removing her dress and then removed his own clothing and took what he needed, gorging himself with the sensation of her, of kissing her, touching her, feeling her skin next to his, and finally, her body surrounding him. And when he was spent, he laid next to her, satiated and tired.

Scarlett was exhausted as well. This time had been like no other. He had called her name as he emptied himself into her and then she'd felt his tears and his reluctance to leave the warmth of her body. Always before, he'd been exciting and the experience pleasant. But on this afternoon, it was so much more than a man pleasuring himself or his wife. Why, it's almost spiritual, she mused. And she rolled over, resting her head on him, basking in the warmth of his arm around her and the feeling of a complete and ultimate union. He's mine forever, she thought with satisfaction. I will never let him go now…

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al fresco? You betcha! LOL. Hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think. Oh, BTW, there is a part 2 to this chapter. It just hasn't been written yet (wink).