A\N: Character names for this chapter

Cherise- Madison

Gabriel- Nick

"If I read one more spell on a new way to sheer a sheep I'm going to lose it!" Xander exclaimed after dropping the book to the floor.

"Maybe if you read the title of the spell book first, you wouldn't be wasting your time." Chip countered, amused by his friend's antics. Clare laughed at both teens while putting the spell book Xander discarded in its original place under the 'Agriculture' subcategory.

"Here Xander, this might help." The sorceress handed him a record of climate changes throughout a list of decades. The Aussie affectionately smiled at her as he took the book, earning him a blushing smile in return. Chip made kissing sounds; he was rewarded with a smack from a vine.

Daggeron was happy to see that the past few weeks stuck in the library hadn't dampened their spirits. 'Well at least not all of their spirits.' He thought. He looked up to the alcoves where the mystic pink ranger sat with a spell book in her lap, but her eyes were locked on the final two rangers who were lost in another life. Over the last few weeks there was an almost visible barrier around Vida; only Nick seemed to be able to breech its confines. Vida had distanced herself from everyone but her boyfriend, latching on to him in a way that was not characteristic of the pink witch at all. Daggeron walked up the steps nosier than usual to alert the girl to his presence. Vida book marked the page she was on and set the book down.

"We're all worried about them." Daggeron awkwardly stated. It was always hard to read Vida's more sensitive emotions; he hoped he didn't spark her anger instead.

"Yeah, I know." Vida bit off quickly. She so was not in the mood to talk to anyone about her feelings. They were confusing enough already.

"Vida, you can talk to me. You don't have to keep your emotions bottled up inside-"

"No one has time for my problems, not with the world hanging in the balance." Her voice broke. She wanted to slap herself for appearing so weak. She wasn't used to crying and spilling her guts to everyone who would listen; that just wasn't who she was.

"It's been pretty quiet for weeks, we have time now Vida." Daggeron sat across from her waiting silently until the teenager was ready to talk. Both Vida and Daggeron watch over the balcony, into the main room of Root Core where Madison and Nick sat in a meditative pose; a small bowl of Udonna's potion rested between them, bubbling and smoking. After what seemed like twenty minutes, Daggeron was prepared to get up and leave, but the shaky voice from the girl across from him made him pause.

"I'm scared." Vida whispered so quietly he thought he had imagined it, until she repeated herself. "I'm scared that—that he won't love me anymore." She begrudgingly admitted. She hadn't told anyone how she felt, not even Nick. But after so many nights trying to cry silently after Nick and she hung up the phone, she was tired of the fears plaguing her imagination.

"Why would you think that Vida? Nick loves you very much, anyone can see that."

"He spends what seems like days with Madison, rehashing through all of their old lives. Reliving the different types of love they shared over and over. I'm afraid that after all the feelings and emotions and kisses, that he'll want what he was destined to have with her—with Maddie." Daggeron didn't know what to say; it was a legitimate fear for her to have. Who knew how Nick or Madison would feel after they had relived countless lives where they told the other they loved them; that they would never forget them. Daggeron comforted the girl as she started to cry and looked down at the two rangers who had the power to save or destroy them all.

'I hope we don't regret this course of action.' He thought.

…1868….

Gabriel sat by the bar nursing his mostly untouched whiskey shot. He didn't usually drink, but in this town the whiskey was safer than the water. He smirked at his partner, Jonah, who was flirting with one of the saloon girls sitting on his lap.

Gabriel sighed and took in the smoky atmosphere. He and Jonah decided to stop in Lizhii Creek, Arizona before continuing on to the ranch they worked at in Tucson. Lizhii meant black in Jicarilla Apache; the town was named after the obsidian the natives used to trade and make knives and arrow heads out of. They wouldn't be staying in Lizhii long, not with the money from the cattle drive burning in their pocket. Gabriel needed to get back so he could send it home to his family.

Gabriel sighed and tossed back the whiskey shot he'd been nursing for the last ten minutes. Thinking about home always left a bitter taste in his mouth. He'd left home against the wishes of his family, but after all that had happened he needed to find a place of his own to belong. Gabriel and his older brothers Luke and Obadiah had enlisted in the Confederate Army thinking it would be a fun story to tell to their younger brothers when they grew up. But the war was anything but fun. Luke had burned alive in 1864 during the fall of Atlanta, and Gabriel had witnessed weeks of Obadiah's struggle for life after a mini ball ripped through his leg. Gabriel had prayed nonstop for God to help his brother fight off the gangrene infection that had spread from his knee amputation; God's answer was for Obadiah to lose the entire leg up to mid-thigh.

At age 15, he was just a kid when he joined the army, and his brothers were only a few years older. After he returned home, battle fatigued and barely a man, he helped Obadiah get settled back in to their family plantation in Louisiana and took off for the Wild West. Obadiah still hadn't fully forgiven him for abandoning their family, but home didn't feel too much like home anymore. Every time he got paid Gabriel sent what he didn't need home to his mother.

"Hey Gabe, looks like someone has their eye on you." Jonah's teasing comment shook him out of his depressing thoughts. Gabriel looked over to his friend, who had the blonde on his lap bared for all to see, then up to the second floor of the rafters where Jonah was pointing. The woman caught his eye immediately. She had beautiful auburn hair that was so dark it almost appeared brown, though no one could mistake her glossy mane for such a muddy color. Her eyes were a light brown color that flaked with gold hints whenever the light hit her right. She smiled coyly to him, raised a perfect auburn eyebrow, and then walked down the hall and into the first door on the left.

Gabriel smirked to Jonah and followed the tempting beauty. He carefully trudged up the steps in case someone besides her was waiting for him once he came up the stairs. Gabriel didn't have any enemies that he knew of, but in these lawless parts he learned to be cautious anyway. Once he reached the room he'd seen the red-head enter he gave a gentlemanly knock on her door and waited. A low husky voice told him to enter; licking his lips, he did. The alluring woman sat at a dressing table, undoing the intricate concoction of curls and pins, causing her hair to fall whimsically to the small of her back. He closed the door behind him and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"You wanted to see me ma'am?" He slightly over exaggerated his southern drawl. As a teenager before the war, many girls had told him his voice was as rich as red velvet cake, and he'd used it many times to his advantage when he had breaks in combat to explore more…carnal pleasures.

"You could say that, monsieur." Her voice was throaty as if she'd just woken up; the moment she spoke he was instantly hooked. He quickly identified her authentic French accent; growing up in Louisiana, one quickly learned to identify accents by language and ethnicity, and by real or fake. Women in and around Louisiana tried to imitate the different dialects they heard, but a native to a language had a way of making the words sound like the most expensive Oriental silk. She smiled through the mirror and placed the last pin into the porcelain box on her vanity table. Gabriel strode to her confidently and ran his finger through her thick mane, loosening the curls and sliding his fingers out of the silk threads. Gabriel leaned down and pressed a feather-light kiss betwixt her neck and shoulder, delighting in the moan that escaped from her pillowed lips.

"Monsieur, I fear you are doing my job." She pressed against his denim covered thigh and rose to stand in front of him. He was momentarily surprised by how tall she was; she came to his chest, which was impressive. Gabriel was by no means a short man, in fact many had joked that his Christian name was correctly given; his towering 6'3" made him seem larger than life, like the archangel his mother named him for.

The alluring woman rested her arms behind his neck and pulled him into a soul shattering kiss He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her hard against him. She could hardly hold in her moan as she felt his chest firmly pushing down on her breast; no man had succeeded in taking her breath away, but as he tilted his head and devoured her mouth, she could not resist the urge to melt into him, like a candy left out in the hot Arizona sun.

Gabriel picked her up, walked to the bed, and then laid her down gently into the soft mattress, following her as she went. It had been a while since he'd felt the simple pleasure of a woman and a mattress. During the drives there was hardly any time to rest, and when there was, a man had to be alert for Indians or other cowboys looking to steal some of their cattle. But now, only a few days ride from Double Rock Ranch, he could relax and enjoy the pleasures of his striking companion. His fingers work nimbly to untie the useless corset and flung the offending object towards the vanity. Gabriel feasted his eyes on the twin treasures that tumbled into his hands. She had clearly no need to stuff her corset as other harlots did. Fire ran through her body as his mouth encased her peak into a cavern of moist warmth. He alternated between kneading the firm globes and flicking over them with his tongue. He drew back to take in the woman sprawled beneath him, and appreciated all he saw. Hands flew every which way attempting to rid the bodies of their cloth confines. His vest and flannel shirt shared her corset's fate; her skirt and petticoat came next.

"My, my how improper, you must have forgot your pantaloons this morning." She watched the twinkle in his eyes as he teased her.

"If I had worn them, no doubt monsieur would have just ripped them in his haste." He smiled at her playfulness. Many harlots liked to play coy or pretend they were an inexperienced virgin, but this French dove seemed to enjoy the attention he bestowed on her.

"You're definitely right, so why don't we enjoy each other like we're both craving to." The woman flashed him a crimson stained smile and proceeded to show him the fruits of her profession.

…

He sat against the headboard of her bed, the covers draped precariously over his hips, and watched as she dipped a soft cloth in water and walked back to the bed. He gladly took the gift and proceeded to clean himself off.

"Forgive me; I didn't have a chance to introduce myself." He watched her as he cleaned himself, hoping that the coolness of the cloth was enough to keep him from showing his arousal.

"I like your version of 'hello' much better monsieur." She stroked her hair into a more manageable style than had been displayed as she was on her back beneath him. Gabriel hated to see her dress her hair back into a civilized style; he wanted all who saw her to know that he had spent a good portion of the afternoon tumbling her.

"Sounded like you did, but my mother would have my head if I left such a fine lady without telling her my name." She had to fight to hold back her laughter; of all the things they had done, she highly doubted his mother would be offended with her not knowing his name. She shrugged, and waited for his name; it would be nice to know the name of the man she would think about while others took pleasure in her body.

"It's Gabriel." She could not hold in her laughter anymore. A man named after one of God's favorite angels had just been in her bed. "Amusing isn't it?"

"For a man named after an archangel, you are doing a horrible job of living a godly life; Drinking and fornicating, what would God say?"

"If he met you, I feel He'd understand." A true smile graced her lips; this Gabriel, he was quite the charmer. She fastened the clasps of her corset and pulled her petticoat and skirt back on. She was ready to return to the saloon and solicit more business. "Aren't you going to tell me your name, or do I have to make up a name for you?"

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should tell him her name. 'What would it hurt?' She thought, she probably wouldn't see him for months, if she ever did.

"My name is Cherise." He listened to the slight rolling of the 'r'; he'd be having many wet dreams about what she could do with that rolling tongue of hers.

"Cherise," He tested the name on his tongue. "It's a beautiful name, for a beautiful woman."

"Thank you. Now if you wouldn't mind, I do have other customers I'll have to attend to." She kindly reminded him that she didn't have all day. She would love to be busy by the time the rowdy night crowd came in; most of those drunks couldn't afford her anyway, but it always made them want her more when they couldn't even get a glimpse of her. Cherise knew how to entice men; she'd learned the gift from her mother. Many women hated being a whore, but Cherise loved it. The power she held over the men who went so crazy with want was addicting; she enjoyed her job and loved what she did. The glares from the wives of some of the men she pleasured were truly a gift from God for her. All her life, proper women had turned their noses up at Adalene De'Lune and by extension the daughter she'd had out of wedlock. If Cherise learned anything from her mother it was that those "proper" women had nothing more than she to be proud of. Her mother had been a harlot yes, but she was a high class one who catered to a whole range on elected officials. Many of those proper women were really upset because their husbands spent more time in Adalene's arms and more money on clothing and jeweling her in 3 months than they spent on their wives in years. The governor of New York had even adored her enough to move Adalene and her 3 year old daughter into his vacation home! Cherise had watched her mother and vowed that she would never sell herself short, and she didn't. She had monopolized the "good, married" men of the East, and she decided to move to Arizona to start her own life; men still came from all around to have a night with her, if they could afford it.

Cowboys normally weren't her style, but she had heard Gabriel's friend tell Sarah that he and his partner had just returned from a cattle drive up to the railroads in Kansas, and cattle drives were big money. She was glad now that she had extended her invitation because Gabriel was by far the best she'd experienced. She did not have to fake a single moan; he was a very diligent and attentive lover, and she momentarily envied the woman who owned him by right of wife.

"How much do I owe you, Cherise?" She was pulled from her thoughts by the rustling of clothing and noticed that Gabriel was ready to depart as soon as he settled his debt with her.

"Three dollars, monsieur." He didn't even bat an eyelash at the price. Lesser men had accused her of highway robbery, and she simply pulled out her Colt revolver if they got a little too nasty. He took out three crisp dollar bills, folded them, and placed them in her corset. His fingers gently grazed the swell of her breasts, causing a flaming heat to slash its way down to her core.

"It was nice doing business with you, Ms. Cherise." He tipped his hat to her as she stuffed the money deeper into her bosom to hide it from plain sight. She was about to walk out the door when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back against him. It was amazing how he had the ability to make her feel so small and delicate. Others thought of her as an Amazon, but he slung her around as if she were a little girl's doll. He pressed his arousal into the cheeks of her derriere and wrapped his arms under the heavy weight of her breasts.

"Monsieur—" She began to protest; he silenced her with a kiss behind her ear.

"How about for the entire time I'm in town, you are mine exclusively?" His rusty baritone vibrated through her ear, alternating between a tickling sensation and a shiver inducing feel.

"How long will you be in Lizhii Creek?"

"A month."

"I don't believe you could afford me for that long, I'm sure you have some urgent business to attend to monsieur."

"How much would you charge me?" That lady killing smirk had found its way back on his face. Cherise had to admit that she enjoyed seeing it there.

"To be exclusive? Double what I normally charge per round." She was sure he'd let go of her and be on his way.

"That's all? You could charge much more mon cher." He pulled her closer and nibbled lightly on her neck.

"So you'd give up that much money a month? You are quite irresponsible, what would your wife say, Gabriel?"

"I'm not married, and I'm not irresponsible; I've already set aside the money I need to send home to my family, and for any emergencies, and for my savings. The rest is for…play." He punctuated his sentence by sucking on the artery of her neck, sending pleasure cascading down her hungry body. No man had ever made her want him the way he did, and she was enjoying the attention he was paying. To have such a virile male, young and strong, yet definitely a man and not a boy, was exhilarating.

"So you will pay double for me to be your paramour?"

"No honey, I'll pay you one and a quarter." She was duly confused.

"But you said I was worth more than double."

"I did, but I didn't say that's what I would pay. You'd be my paramour, so I would bring you a gift or two, plus I highly doubt many of your suitors made you feel the way I did. I felt your shock when your orgasm hit you; I was the only man to do that to you, wasn't I?" He ground their hips together in a slow, deliberate rhythm while massaging her peaks into frenzy. If she did not get him out of here, she was liable to jump into his bed for free.

"Fine, one and three quarters."

"One and a half." He picked up speed and began to rub the bundle of nerves through her garments. Gabriel loved the rose colored blush that infected her cheeks as he continued to massage her, to taste her, to seduce her. Once he had her consignment he would bend her over and take her again to seal their agreement. He wouldn't tire of her; a thousand years wouldn't be enough for him to slate his lust for her. He would have her until the second coming.

"Do we have an accord?" He removed his had from her apex and began to roll her nipples into tiny pebbles of fraught tension. Cherise rested her head back against him, biting down the urge to beg him to give her release.

"I can't hear you mon cher. Do we have a deal?" He began to pull completely away from her. She moaned, hating herself for craving the touch of a man like never before.

"Fine! Yes we have a deal!" She turned to him, cheeks flushed with heat and recently pinned hair straining against its confines.

"Good." He growled, and practically launched himself at her.

….

Cherise sat up, staring down at her bed companion. She admired the strong planes of his muscles as the tightened gently with every breath he took. His arm unconsciously pulled her towards him in his sleep, and he let out a deep sigh of content. She allowed a small smile to rest on her lips; he sure loved to cuddle after their heated exchanges.

The smile quickly fell from her face. Many times over the last month she had considered forever with this man, and her train of thought irritated her. She was a whore, a harlot, a working girl, neither the type of woman he would ask to be his wife nor the type of woman a man like him would bring home to his mother; and besides she was content with her life. Cherise looked around her little cottage; her profession had bought her this comfort. Why would she want to be a silly little housewife, with a husband and children to cook and clean for? Why would she want this man to come in from the fields and kiss her in greeting? Why did she want these silly little things that this man could, but would not give her? Sighing she turned her head to see that her current employer was awake.

"Seeing you up is an enormous blow to my ego dove." He rested his head in her lap and wrapped both arms around her waist.

"And why is that monsieur?"

"Because, here I thought I was good enough to put you to sleep for hours. Guess I'll just have to try again." Cherise laughed at the goofy lop-sided grin that was a constant on his face. He pulled her under him and layered sweet kisses along her collar bone. He lifted her thighs around her hips and slid home.

"Sweet Jesus, Cherise. You'll be the death of me." He grunted as her muscles pulled him closer.

"Let us hope not cowboy. Then who would pay me so well?" He gave a strangled laugh at her joke, then proceeded to make her see stars.

…

Gabriel's body clung to the euphoria that spread over him every time he took Cherise. It was as if he had died and gone to heaven; his body hummed with pleasure. With one hand behind his head, resting on a pillow, and the other wrapped around his dove, entangled in her glorious hair, he watched her trace circles on his chest. He admired the ethereal glow that settled around her like the sun glimmering off the dew of the morning; he'd like to think he put it there.

As he watched her he noticed a slight quiver in her lip, as if she were holding back tears. He used the hand behind his head to grasp her fingers and kissed her knuckles.

"What are you thinking dove?" His gravelly whisper was like a gunshot through the quiet night.

"You are leaving tomorrow, no?" Her voice was soft like a child. Many times over the month her voice had soothed him. It was impossible for him to use her body for so long and not tell her a few secrets. She had asked him why he slept so little, and he had told her of the horrors of the war that haunted him in his sleep. She asked about the scar on his hip, he told her of his brush with death when a long horn had almost gutted him his first year on the ranch. He in turn had learned about her childhood, about the mother who had used her body to give her little girl the best she could. She was a puzzle box of secrets, but slowly he was beginning to fit the pieces together. In such a short time period Cherise had become more than a passing floosy, she'd become a friend, and a woman he wouldn't mind keeping forever.

"Yeah tomorrow I leave for Tucson to tell my boss that I'm needed back in Louisiana." Her eyes shifted quickly to his and he saw a flash of worry that he had only seen once before. She had held him as he cried one night. A nightmare had consumed him, he witnessed again in his dreams Luke's burning body. He again felt the helplessness he had felt that day when he tried to throw water on the burning timber that held his brother trapped. He fought against the memory of his brother's screams and flailing limbs as his skin melted from the bones. He had awoken swiftly and ran to her chamber pot to vomit from the smell of burning flesh that would not leave him. She had risen quickly and placed a damp cloth over his forehead and ran her fingers through his sweat soaked hair. She whispered soothing words in French, and calmed his racing heart. In the morning she asked him what had happened, and seeing the worry in her eyes, he broke. She held him as he cried out his guilt and pain, and she looked at him no differently after he told his story. Her eyes held none of the looks of pity nor faked understanding others at the VA hospital had. She had been the pillar holding up a broken man.

"You are going back to Louisiana?"

"I don't have a choice. My father's ill and my brother needs help running the plantation while one of my brothers goes off to school." Gabriel bit back the guilt. He had tried lying to himself that the money he was sending back was not abandoning his family. In the most recent letter he received, his mother had begged him to come back and help. Gabriel couldn't say no. If he didn't come back, Michael wouldn't be able to go to university, and the boy was too smart to waste his time on a glorified farm, and obviously Obadiah couldn't work, so he handled the books. Plus his mother had just had another baby, Martha, the first girl of the family.

"Will you ever come back to Arizona?"

"If all goes as planned yes. I'm planning to help until my father gets back on his feet and Michael comes back from school. After that, hopefully I'll be able to come back and use the money I've saved to start my own ranch."

"You really like ranching, don't you?" She smiled up at him. She noticed a twinkle in his eye every time he spoke of ranch work.

"I love it, there's something about being a cowboy that soothes the soul and puts my mind at ease."

"It suits you then."

"It does. So, when I return, will I have you to come back to?" She searched his eyes almost franticly, trying to decipher the seriousness of his offer.

"Of course Gabriel, I'm always here for the men who need me." He smiled and kissed her lips before heading towards the room with her chamber pot and bathtub.

…

Madison was shocked out of her meditation, her back sore from hours sitting in a meditative pose with no relief. Her muscles were tight and cramped and she stretched to relieve the tension.

"What's going on?" She questioned, ready to type in their morph code at a moment's notice.

"Koragg is attacking, we're off to stop him." Maddie nodded and was about to charge after them when Udonna stopped her. She kneeled next to Nick, shaking him gently; he wasn't moving out of his trance.

"Nick hasn't woken up yet, even for these lives, you two normally wake within seconds of each other."

"Maybe he's just taking a little longer to wake up. An extra strong dose maybe?"

"No, an extra strong dose means you wouldn't have awoken until much later than him. You always awake last because it takes more to put him under than it does you, since he is bigger and heavier than you are. The same dose that may keep you under for an hour may only last half of that on Nick. It is odd that you've awoken before him."

"Well what do you think is happening then?" Maddie was a little worried, Nick was still trapped in the life, and the rangers were waiting to see if their leader was going to wake up.

"I don't know, the spell is supposed to wake you when you finish the life." Udonna looked very worried over her son and stood to go through the spell book.

"Maybe—I don't think we finished the life." Madison worried a little bit. If Nick was still under then that meant there was more to his life then the part she was shown.

"Perhaps, there is a part of his life that you were not aware of, yet it is still relevant."

"If I don't know about it, then how is it relevant? Nothing really happened in this life, there was no universal theme it shared besides us…falling in love, well at least I think we fell in love."

"Sit down Madison, I'm going to see if we can put you back in the dream world, maybe you can see what he is dreaming. The rest of you head to Korrag's location and see why he is attacking."

"Right!" The rangers shouted and grabbed their brooms. Vida cast a worried glance at her boyfriend then narrowed her eyes at Madison before following her friends.

"Clare?"

"Yes Udonna?"

"Keep researching for anomalies."

"Of course Udonna." Clare rushed back into the library while Madison sat back in her meditative position.

"Concentrate on the last thing you remember from the life you were in. Hopefully your memory and Nick's can guide you to where he is."

…1870…

Cherise sat at her vanity and kept an eye on the man dressing behind her. He was not her worst customer, but he was not her best, no that honor belonged to a man she swore she would not let plague her mind anymore. She was a fool to believe him when he said he would come back to Arizona, for all she knew he could be dead. She jabbed a pin, a little too hard, into her hair, completing the style she'd worn before she had pleasure her guest.

"That'll be three dollars, monsieur." He grunted and pulled out the bills. He waited for her to turn to him before he handed them to her; she flashed him a bright smile, secretly counting the seconds before he got out of her room.

"You still charge too much Cherise."

"And yet you still traveled all the way from Virginia to pay my fee, Senator Jackson."

"That's because you're the best whore in this country…like your mother. In fact you're just like Adalene, beautiful, knows what a man wants and how to satisfy him." Senator Jackson stuffed the bills down her corset and trailed his manicured hands over the top of her breast and down the sides of her curves. She couldn't help but think of the many times a rougher, manlier, set of hands had done the same.

"Since you knew my mother you know my price is fair. You could always find another woman to please you Monsieur, one who does not do the things I charge for."

"True, or you could always come to Virginia and you could please me all you like darling. It wouldn't do for something to happen to you out here all alone in the wilderness." Senator Jackson's eyes gleamed. Cherise bit back a laugh. The Senator loved to act like he was in power, but they both knew he was a slave to his desire for her. He had embezzled hundreds of dollars from the Virginia senate and hid much of his cotton farm money from his wife to be able to afford to see her. Jackson was wrapped around her finger.

"You are not my only client that wishes I would work for them full time, many of them are associates of yours. I'm sure they would do just about anything to keep me free for their pleasures, no?" The threat was thinly veiled. Remember your place, or I'll call in my favors. Cherise did not tolerate men who believed they were important throwing their weight around and trying to intimidate her. She had learned from her mother that sex was a powerful weapon, a weapon that men would never learn how to wield as well as a woman. Many times Cherise had slept with one of her customer's associates to clear their debts; that was how many of her clients met her, after one night, they would pay big bucks to have her again. Those that she squared the debt for not only paid double her fee for her to clear it, but also owed her a favor since she had probably saved their life. If they didn't honor her wish, well, she had many men who owed her favors, and would do anything for another night with her.

The Senator gulped. He was not one to back down, but he knew if he was enraptured enough to make the trip across practically the entire country for her, then there were others who would go to those same lengths. He grabbed his hat and promptly left her room. Taking the money out of her corset, Cherise stashed it in a secret compartment in her code-lock safe; one could never be too careful.

"Cherise! You've got to come out into the saloon, there's someone here you'll want to see!" Sarah barged into her room excitedly jumping up and down. Cherise amusingly shook her head; it was nice to see that the young girl still held her childlike exuberance, she wasn't jaded by life just yet. Cherise checked her appearance one last time then strode out, glanced over the balcony, and her heart stopped.

"Gabriel," She whispered then her eyes frosted a little. She knew she had no right to be upset, he wasn't the first man who had promised her more, but when he'd held her that night two years ago, she had foolishly believed him. Perhaps she wasn't so foolish, since here he was.

Gabriel glanced up, trademark smirk finding its way onto his face. He wasn't sure she'd still be here, but here she was. She walked back into her room as he followed her upstairs. Once the door closed, he took off his expensive looking coat and hat and laid them on the vanity.

"I'm back." To little words held so much in them. They held possibility and promises and hope. A hope Cherise didn't dare to wish for.

"So you are monsieur."

"I'm sorry it took longer than I thought."

"No need to apologize, you had obligations. I see men come and go." She began untying her corset but his hands at her back stopped her.

"Why won't you look at me then?" She looked up to see that infuriating smirk that she had spent nights weeping for. "You can't hide from me Cherise, I know you too well."

"How is your family?" She quickly changed the topic, anything to stop him from looking at her that way. His face instantly fell. A spark of concern ignited her and she pulled him to sit at her bed and talk.

"They're doing fine. Michael's back from school, he's working as a bank teller in Shreveport. My younger brother, Jeremiah just left for university. Obadiah's still as grumpy as ever, and Ma and Martha are doing fine." She knew he was stalling, which meant something had happened to his father.

"And what about?"

"My pa? Pa he uh, he passed away not to long after I got back. My mother said he was waiting for me to come back so he could make sure we were all ok before he left us. I've been working on the plantation ever since." She nodded; they had never spoken of his father, so she didn't really know the words to say.

"So what business do you have in Arizona?"

"Well I wanted to see my favorite dove, but before I came to see you I went to make a purchase of a few heads of cattle."

"You're finally starting your ranch." She smiled and was glad he was finally achieving his dream.

"Yeah, I bought some Texas land right across the border from the plantation. I'll be able to supervise the share croppers and run my own ranch."

"That's great Gabriel."

"Thanks." He grabbed her hand and kissed the knuckles. "I was wondering, if you would come with me dove, come be my mistress." Her heart stopped immediately. He wanted her, but just as his mistress?

"Your mistress?"

"Yes. You'd have a nice cottage in the willows around the plantation, close to the city so you could travel there whenever you pleased. I would get you anything you liked, fancy gowns, diamonds, you name it and it's yours dove. And I'd try to see you as much as I could." His voice was picking up speed, alerting her to his nervousness.

"If you would do all that, why not make me your wife?" She bit the inside of her cheek, waiting for him to tell her that he could never make a woman like her his wife.

"I would, trust me dove I would, if I wasn't already married." Cherise grabbed her hand back as if he'd burned her. She didn't know what was so wrong with him being married; she slept with married men all the time and never batted a lash. But him being married, it was like biting into a fresh apple only to see there was a worm in it. She grabbed the bedpost to try and steady herself, but the room kept spinning.

"But I don't love her Cherise; I only married her because my father asked me to." He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his body. "It was my father's dying wish."

"So of course you couldn't say no." She understood; family was extremely important to him, he had no choice but to honor his father.

"I don't want her Cherise, say you'll come with me." Hearing him almost beg was slightly alarming. She was used to men practically begging her, but those were spoiled brats, not men like him. And a man he was; she could feel it in the way he embraced her. When she had met him he was just a boy, barely 18, but now only two years later, he was a man full grown. She could see it in his walk and the way his shoulders had broadened, and she could feel it. Pressed against her she could tell he was all hard muscle from manual labor.

Cherise warred with herself. If she said no she would lose what she'd been yearning for for years now. If she said yes, she would be his paramour until his wife found out or he tired of her. She would lose her many elite customers, and she would be at his beck and call, only seeing him when he deemed he had enough time for her. Then again she would be his mistress, and he'd pay for a cottage, and give her gifts. She would no longer charge him a per round fee because of what he would be covering for her. What the hell did she have to lose besides a few grubby old men who would owe her until their dying day? Steeling her back, her signature smile found its way to her face, and her eyebrow rose just slightly.

"You're adding another sin, Gabriel."

"I'll gladly go to hell for this one." He sealed their deal the same way he did last time.

…

If she didn't realize it then, she definitely realized it now; Gabriel was a man of his word. He'd put her up in a beautiful cottage that was hidden by a forest of willow trees at the back of the plantation. There was a road from town that led straight up to a connecting road with a gate that led to her cottage. Gabriel'd given her a buggy and horse to take to the city whenever she wanted to go. He snuck out as many times as he could without his family noticing. Many times he stayed with her every night of the week, and there were a few times he lied and said he'd be on a business trip, when he really spent the entire week buried in the sheets loving her.

Cherise had a constant glow about her. She was well loved and cared for, and that was more than enough for her. She had found a good man who was taking care of her to the best of his abilities, and she had enough money saved to keep her in a comfy life style until kingdom come. Every time he saw her, Gabriel couldn't help but tell her he loved her. He said it as he made love to her, as they lie in her comfy bed talking until they could no longer hold their eyes open. He told her he loved her as she washed in their bathtub, and when he bought her gifts. Gabriel was absolutely smitten with her, and she returned his feelings.

"Hannah's having a baby." He admitted while she cooked breakfast. She didn't know whether to be happy for him, or to cry tears of sorrow. "I'm scared out of my mind."

"Why?" She sat the plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him then took a seat with her own plate.

"I don't know how to be a good father dove, I barely know how to be a decent husband. What if I royally screw up and end up scarring the child for life?" She laughed at his nervousness; he was always cute when he was flustered. "You're laughing at me when I'm dead serious."

"I'm laughing because you think you'll make a bad father. Gabriel the fact that you care enough to be worried shows that you will be a good father. No one knows how to be a parent, and everyone that has ever been expecting a baby is scared. You'll do fine." She stood up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. His hands rubbed up and down her arms and began to trace the simple diamond ring he had put on her finger.

"I wish I had your confidence in me dove."

"If you did, then what would you need me for?" Cherise let go of him a flashed him a coy smile as she walked back into the bedroom, unlacing her corset as she went. Like a dog drooling after a steak, he followed her.

"I never asked you, is that what you want?" She gave him a confused look. He smiled at her. "A baby, did you want me to give you a baby?" She paused for a minute and thought. She'd never thought of a having a child before; she'd never thought she'd be a stable mistress either.

"I think a child would be nice, but it may put too much of a strain on you. To have two families to take care of and spend time with, it'd be too much." He nodded to her and began stripping his clothes off.

"Ok, but if you ever want one, tell me and we'll work on it immediately."

"I'm actually surprised we haven't made one yet, maybe God's made me barren."

"Or maybe your body is too selfish and doesn't want to give up your free time with me just yet."

"You're probably right; I enjoy you far too much to be healthy." She sat on the bed naked, waiting for him to crawl on top of her. He smiled to her and dropped down to his knees while pulling her closer to the edge of the bed. Cherise moaned and threw her head back as he proceeded to do wonderful things that a real angel would have no clue about.

…

Hannah knew her husband had a mistress. She was not stupid. All the times he stayed out late, or snuck from their bed while he thought she was sleeping, she knew he had found someone else to give him the pleasure she obviously couldn't. She knew his brothers knew. She could feel their eyes watching her, criticizing her as if it were her fault her husband rarely came home to her unless he had to only to fulfill his husbandly duty. And now she was pregnant. When she told him she thought he would stop seeing his harlot, but he had continued sneaking away into the darkness. Hannah had had enough.

She threw the covers off of her and threw on a wool house robe and boots. Grabbing the shot gun and a lantern off the wall she headed out after him, following the path she'd seen him take hundreds of times. It took her a little while to find the cottage because it was dark and she could never see where Gabriel went after he disappeared into the willow forest. He'd told her it wasn't safe to be out here, that there could be snakes out here, but right now she ignored his warning. Quietly she opened the unlocked door and crept into the nice cottage. She heard sounds and shifting upstairs and as quietly as possible walked up to the second floor, shot gun in tow. Once she got to the only lit room in the house she paused. Part of her didn't want to look, but part of her wanted to know what was it about this woman that had captivated her husband. Creeping closer to the door, she peeked into the room.

Her husband leaned against the wall as his mistress rode him. His hands wrapped around her body as he steadied her, her auburn hair was a waterfall rippling down her hair; some strands entangled themselves through his fingers. The woman tossed her head back to reveal her face, twisted in pleasure and pink hued from the lighting and her lack of breath. Begrudgingly, Hannah admitted to herself that, from what she could see, the woman was beautiful. French words toppled out of her mouth, and Gabriel seemed to understand them.

"I love you!" Gabriel shouted and Hannah turned back into the hallway and sank to the floor in tears. She knew he didn't love her when they were first married, she knew she was his parent's choice. But she had hoped if she had loved him and care for him enough, he would come to love her with the desperation she loved him. Since they had first met, before the war, she had planned to be his wife. She had sweet talked her way into his parents good graces, comforted his mother through the difficulty of losing a son in battle, and not knowing if one would make it, or if the other would ever return home. She had helped on the plantation while his mother was pregnant, and she had thought it had all finally paid off. But after the obligatory wedding night, and their honeymoon time period, he was distant from her. Gabriel was never cruel nor cold, he just never showered her with the love he was capable of; the love he showed this whore.

Hannah stood and sat down the lantern. She pulled the safety off and cocked the gun. She had two rounds, so she had to make each shot count. She pointed the gun at the woman, who was now slightly slumped over, breathing deeply. Quietly taking a few more steps forward, she pulled the trigger.

Blood splattered over his face and the walls surrounding him. Gabriel was in shock from the crackle of the blast. He saw the light go out of her eyes, heard the whispered I love you, it was the only time she said it in English. She slumped over him, blood spilling from the multiple wounds onto their bed. He looked up and his eyes widened with shock and rage.

"Hannah!" Another shot rang through the night.

…

Nick was thrown out of the trance. His head pounded and his chest hurt, as if he'd actually been shot close range with a double barrel shot gun. Maddie lay on the floor coughing and he rushed to help her breathe. Udonna brought them both glasses of water and their notebooks so they could write everything down before they forgot little details. After every life they wrote in to separate notebooks and compared notes. The separate notebooks were so they could each write what they saw as their respective selves; what Nick saw and felt was different from what Madison saw and felt, especially in the time when Madison had awoken while he had not.

"That was…intense." Nick couldn't find the words for it. He thought about making a joke about their sex life to lighten the mood, because from what he could tell of the three times in the lives they'd had sex, their sex was passionate and it was good.

"Yeah, it was." Madison agreed, not truly focusing on what he just said. She flipped between all the lives they'd experienced where they were lovers and not brother and sister or just passing strangers, and she was finding a common theme. Sometimes they would die, sometimes they would simply part ways, but one thing was recognizable throughout them all.

"Nick, are you starting to notice a pattern here between the lives we are lovers in?" Nick looked at her puzzled then began to flip through his notes. His eyes widened as he started to catch on to what Maddie alluded to.

"There's always a woman, a woman who keeps us apart."

"Right."

"So who in our lifetime now would be that woman?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth they both turned to each other and said the same name.

"Vida."

…

A/N: If there is a time period/place you would like me to attempt, leave a review or a pm and I will try to fit it in to the plot. For those of you who do not like the extra lives woven throughout the story, I have only planned 1 more, unless someone gives a suggestion that will work into the plot, so that part of the story is almost done. Thank you for reading.