A/N: Thank you again for those of you who have kept up with this story. If you would like to review, could you please do it anonymously? Due to deleting some of my chapters it means that the system recognises that many of you have already reviewed 'chapter 17', but it's not this version. Stupid thing! I do love reviews and would be most appreciative of feedback especially as this chapter is one of the most pivotal and emotional of the whole story.

Chapter Seventeen

Rachel woke to feel something brushing through her hair; she was startled at first and snapped awake quickly, turning over and seeing Charlie lying behind her. "It's just me," he said softly, kissing her shoulder tenderly. "You were talkin' again in your sleep."

"Really?" she asked, sitting up quickly and brushing a tired hand through her hair. "Sorry if I kept you up. I know I do it a lot." Her eyes were suddenly glued to the piece of white paper which lay on top of Charlie's cream jacket- the paper which held the words to send her home and back to a place where she didn't want to be. Rachel closed her eyes, clamping her eyelids shut. Maybe if she didn't mention the spell it'd make her time with him last longer, but it wasn't meant to be.

Charlie rose from the couch, slipping off the seat from behind her and looked down at the paper. His initial reaction was the same as hers; he stared at it for a moment, the pencilled words standing out so boldly. How could one piece of paper signify so much pain? Angrily, he grabbed the paper and read the words again, fighting away the tears which were forming in his eyes. Charlie couldn't take the pain any longer and growled loudly, scrunching it up in his tight fist before dropping it to the floor.

Rachel watched Charlie's jaw clench tighter as he pulled his pants on and secured them around his waist. "Charlie?" she asked quietly, not quite sure what to say, but needing to break apart the silence which had formed between them. Slowly he turned back around, his sea coloured eyes so saddened and full of grief. "Why make me go if it's doing this to us?" she asked quietly, stepping up to him. "We can be happy together."

"How can you be happy livin' a life like this, Rachel?" Charlie shouted, his face crumpling and showing much anger.

"I don't care what we do just as long as I get to be with you. Teach me to shoot, teach me to ride," Rachel said, staring into his eyes. "Teach me to be like you and I'll go everywhere with you. I want to be an outlaw."

Charlie just scoffed and raised an eyebrow. "You want to do this? You're out of ya mind, Rachel!"

"Then why the hell do you do it?!" she argued. "I don't want to be the innocent little college girl anymore. I want to be like you. This is my choice." A smile soon erupted on her face as she spoke again. "I want to be Lady Prince." With that, Charlie couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"You know ah don't do the whole marriage thing, right?" Charlie added, grinning.

Rachel looked down sadly. "I've always wanted to get married, Charlie. But if you want me to go home, I don't think I could…I couldn't marry anyone." She looked up into his eyes, letting tears spill down her cheeks. "I want to get married and have children; have a family." As Rachel wept, Charlie took her into his arms and kissed her head. He felt her fragile body shudder against him with the violence of her weeps.

"It's best this way," he told her. "Ah know it hurts, but we'll…" he swallowed hard, trying to push back the lump rising painfully in his throat. "We'll move on…" A voice screamed inside his head.

No you won't. How can you move on? She's the love of ya life and you're watchin' her go; you can't expect to heal from that.

As they parted from their embrace, Rachel knew this was it. Parting was what he wanted, and not because he didn't love her, but because he loved her too much. The pain on his face was plain enough for her to see and the way he kept his back hunched, watching absently out the front window. Charlie was a man who kept his head up high, a proud man, but today that had all seeped away. There was so much contradiction inside him that still puzzled Rachel. That would obviously be something which would always remain a mystery.

Rachel got dressed slowly, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks once again. But as she pulled up her pants, her eyes noticed the gun Charlie had given her lying on a table dominating the centre of the room. Her fingers trailed down the barrel carefully, and then she lifted it up, holding it in her palm. "Why couldn't things have been different, Charlie?" she asked absently. "Why couldn't we have met in some other place…be destined to share a lifetime together?"

"Ah don't know," Charlie replied, his voice pained and quiet.

"I never know why you're so kind to me. I see the way you are with strangers, yet with me, you protect me."

"Isn't that what all men should be doin'? Protectin' the woman who holds their heart in her hands," Charlie said, smiling at her. He watched Rachel's eyes fill with even more tears; they trailed so relentlessly down her cheeks. Then she rushed to him, pushing herself into his embrace.

"I love you," Rachel whispered to his ear, kissing his bristled cheek gently, only to find herself being pulled into a full kiss. Never before had those words felt right, but said in such a wrong situation. "I'll never forget you, I promise," she muttered as they parted for air from their passionate kiss.

Glancing down at her wrist, Rachel slowly removed an amethyst gem bracelet which she'd worn during her stay the last fortnight; however, she'd forgotten about it being there until now. She stared at it, tears swimming in her eyes and handed it to the man she loved, watching his fingers, which peeped out from the gloves he wore, take it; they gently curled around the piece of jewellery. "And you'll need this," she continued, taking Charlie's pistol carefully from the table and handing it to him. "Don't forget me," Rachel whispered timidly as Charlie fingered the bracelet in his leather-clad palm.

Charlie looked up quickly, his eyebrows furrowing over his saddened eyes. "Don't say that. Ah never could...now go. Please." It was becoming more and more unbearable the longer he remained before her, knowing she was leaving. Rachel couldn't help herself and flew at him again, tossing her arms loosely around his neck and kissed him one last time. She trembled as they kissed furiously, knowing this was the last time they'd ever be able to share a moment like this.

When they're reluctantly parted from their kiss, Rachel picked up the tossed away paper from the floor and unfolded it, pushing away stray tears with the back of her trembling hand. Slowly she began to recite the words, her voice shaking as she did so, caught up in the intense emotions she was feeling. It felt as if her entire body was about to give way; her legs were weak beneath her; her head was pounding with sheer anxiety whilst her chest ached from a breaking heart.

"Take….me to…this time and place," she began, still weeping over the words. "I can't do this, Charlie!" she protested. "Please, don't make me do it."

"Rachel, please, just do it…for me," Charlie begged, hating himself so much for making her feel this way. It was because of him her heart was breaking, but it was also allowing himself to love her which had got them both into this painful predicament. From the start he'd tried to tell himself to keep away from emotional interaction with her, but she'd made him weak inside, breaking all the barriers and melting the ice. Her kind actions, heartfelt words and wise, beautiful eyes had proven too much for him in the end, and his heart had begun pining for her.

"Take me…to this…time and place. A place where….belong….Open up time and space…to take me back to where….I belong." She eventually finished the incantation, her voice still trembling and her eyes vision blurred from the tears. Inside she felt something move, a jolt, almost uncomfortable. It felt as if her body was moving somewhere, like the ground was shifting beneath her feet.

Charlie watched, breathing deeply each and every time he inhaled, never taking his eyes from Rachel's. Her eyes were glued to his, until she was no longer there. Her image faded slowly from view, the wall behind her becoming clearer through the transparency of her disappearing form.

Alone and in torment, Charlie fell down on the couch behind him, putting his head in his hands. For the first time in his adult life, he wept….

xxx

Rachel allowed the tears to stream down her face as she saw the form of her shared apartment slowly form before her eyes. How long had she been gone? There, on the dining room table was a large pile of mail. Flipping through the letters, Rachel saw each letter was addressed to her. She dropped them back onto the pine wood surface and sniffed loudly, pushing the last tears away.

"Oh, my God! Rachel?" a familiar voice came. Laura rushed into the kitchen, her brown eyes wide with confusion. "What are you wearing?" she asked instantly, which drew a small smile to Rachel's face. Those were some of the first words Charlie had spoken upon meeting her.

"Like you care. You bitch!" Rachel hissed. "All you lot did that to me just as a joke. But you know what? I actually preferred being there to here; I met people who cared more than you did."

Laura stared at her room mate for a moment in slight fright, noticing the burning rage in Rachel's eyes. Her rage seemed to have intensified since she last saw her. "But....we didn't mean for it to happen....we didn't know it'd work...," Laura stuttered uneasily.

"I suggest in future, Laura, that you keep away from me unless you want to find your teeth scattered about the place," Rachel said once more, taking off her hat and brushing the stray dust particles from the brim.

"What happened to you? I know you can be defensive, but….," Laura's voice trailed off.

Rachel smiled wickedly. "I met a man who showed me that it's alright to hold a grudge."

A few moments later and Rachel rushed to her room, noticing that most of her belongings had been packed in boxes. "What the hell is this?" Rachel asked, turning around and glaring at Laura angrily. "Glad you got rid of me?"

"We didn't know what'd happened to you, Rach! Be reasonable!" Laura screeched, tossing her long dyed blonde hair behind her left shoulder. "You've been gone nearly three weeks."

"Be glad it's all boxed up because I'm moving out as soon as I can find a place," Rachel growled.

Laura grimaced a little noticing that there was a strange smell lingering around Rachel. She set her eyes on Rachel's hat and moved her eyes downwards, studying each piece of her outfit in turn. "Where WERE you?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Rachel turned on her spurred heel. "Arizona, in the year eighteen eighty seven if you MUST know! Thanks to you and your freak friends."

On Rachel's bed she noticed the old hat which had sent her through space and time. She picked it up slowly, placing it against her chest and sighing deeply. It caused a painful lump to rise in Rachel's throat as she imagined him, smiling mischievously from under his hat brim.

"You okay?" Laura asked, furrowing her black eyebrows.

"No, I'm not!" Rachel snapped furiously. "Now leave me alone!" With that she slammed her bedroom door in Laura's confused face.

Light shone in through the curtains, making Rachel squint as she dropped onto her bed, holding Charlie's hat in her hands. How had it come to be in the basement of the apartment anyway? She couldn't understand it, but at the moment didn't care. All she wanted was to be back beside him.