Author Note: Thank you all for reading. I hope you are enjoying my little story? Please feel free to review :) I aim to update often but this won't be a long story only 4 or 5 chapters really. Well I hope you like the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything it all goes to Margret Mitchell.

Chapter 2

"Mrs Butler? Should you be out here all alone this time of night?" The voice of the shadow broke the cold night air.

Scarlett froze on the spot. The fine hairs on the back of her neck went up as a chill come over her. She recognised the voice and she would always recognise the southern draw and the timber until her dying day. She spun round on the spot and gasped.

There stood the shadow in her life, Rhett!

Here he was larger than life stood on her porch like he had never left. She didn't know whether to weep with joy or to shout at him for scaring her so. While she was working out what emotion to act on her mouth hung open gapping at him.

Rhett was not amused to finally return to Atlanta to keep up the end of his bargain to keep gossip down only to find his wife not at home, but at the store at 8 o'clock on a Friday night. But what he did find amusing was Scarlett's expression with her eyes wide open with shock and her mouth hanging open like a fish.

Regaining her equilibrium she closed her mouth and swallowed. Her throat had gone dry. "Hello Rhett," She croaked out.

"Hello Scarlett..." He inclined his head towards her.

The way he said her name made her close her eyes briefly with longing. He was here in front of her breathing the same air as her.

"You haven't answered my question my pet. Should you be out here alone?" He took a step towards her reaching out to grasp her elbow. He took her satchel from her in his other hand feeling annoyed with her for risking herself out alone at this time of night with no care for her own person.

"I was just on my way home. I worked later than I expected to," She answered. She could feel the heat of his hand through his leather gloves and the fabric of her long sleeve dress.

"And how did you plan on getting home?" He asked not wanting to know the answer but all the same knowing that she didn't have a buggy or a horse around waiting for her.

"I was going to walk home I usually do Rhett. You know it's not far," She saw that he was steering her towards a buggy that stood waiting for them.

She felt his hand grip her arm tighter and the strain in his voice as he spoke "You will always be the same never thinking of the consequences?!"

She had a feeling he didn't wholly mean her walking home alone at night. She chose not to answer him she didn't want to argue she wanted to get home and try to eat something and possibly have a bath. She didn't have the energy tonight to argue him, especially this being his first time back in Atlanta since he left her. She didn't want that to be the memory of his visit.

Rhett looked across at her, her stubborn jaw was set. He could see that she was restraining herself not to snap at him. Maybe she was growing up? Usually by now she would have been calling him a cad and cursing him all the way to Halifax. He let go of her arm and reached for her waist and boosted her up into the buggy.

Was it his imagination or did her waist seem smaller than usual? He supposed it had been such a long time he had touched her thusly that he could not remember the feel of her waist beneath his hands. Once she was settled he hopped up into the buggy and grabbed the reins and clicked his tongue for the horse to move.

Scarlett held her hands in her lap watching them with great interest as they twisted the fabric of her skirts. She didn't know how to be with him anymore. So much had happened he felt like a stranger to her now. But why had he come? Why now? Her brow puckered with a frown trying to work all this out but not actually voicing her thoughts.

Rhett looked over at her. He could see her trying to work something out due to the creases in her brow. She was not acting like the Scarlett he remembered. The Scarlett he left behind was a woman child. She would scheme, plot and plan to get anything she wanted and when that didn't work she would pout and flutter her eyelashes at him trying anything to get him to comply. The last time he saw her though she was crying and begging him to stay. She told him she loved him but his heart was worn out and bruised he couldn't stay; she had used up his love.

The memory of that time settled over him and he felt cruel. He couldn't take the silence anymore "If you concentrate too much my pet you may hurt yourself,"

Her eyes flew to his profile throwing daggers at him. "Why do you make everything so difficult? I haven't seen you in months and you come back and insult me! Why bother?" She sighed the fight already going out of her.

He was not surprised by her initial reaction to his barb but when she trailed off at the end without the usual fire, which shook him. The feeling of hurt left him slowly and guilt replaced the emotion. He quickly looked over at her. Her eyes met his in the darkness but he couldn't make out the expression in the green depths it was too damn dark.

"I came back my dear wife to do as I promised and keep the gossip down," He looked back at the road.

"Why now?" She asked.

"Why not now?" He said.

"I don't know why I bother speaking to you. You never answer my questions directly or you just throw questions back at me and insult me," she sighed. She could see that they were almost home; she would be relieved to get home and escape this tense atmosphere of the buggy.

She loved him desperately but she had forgotten what it could be like in his presence when he was in the mood to be difficult and mean. She had hoped that when or if he came back he would somewhat nicer to her considering her confession that she loved him. But that probably was too much to hope for.

Rhett pulled the buggy to the mounting block and jumped down. Pork was waiting for them. Rhett handed him the reins and turned to help Scarlett down from the buggy. He placed his hands at her waist again and lifted her down. Her hands rested on his upper arms to support herself as she jumped down from the buggy.

Her feet touched the floor but Rhett didn't let her go. She looked up at his face with confusion; his face was now lit by the small lamp at the entrance way to the house. His eyes were dark and held no emotion but she could tell he was studying her closely.

"I'm sorry I make this harder than it needs to be," He said.

She was beautiful in the weak lamp light. The soft skin of her cheek begged to be touched and caressed. He felt weak when he was around her and this God damn feeling of self preservation crept up on him and made him want to strike out at her. He threw insults and confusing speeches her way to throw her off the scent of how he was truly feeling. It was an old habit that he thought he had broken when he said his love had run out, but months away from her had proved to him that it wasn't strictly true. His love hadn't run out it just was buried for a while. It lay sleeping until one day it woke and when it did it was all consuming. This urge to see her to hold her and be near her was like an itch that needed to be scratched. But he was still scared, yes the mighty Rhett Butler scared of a woman! What if she didn't really love him? And that her words on that night he left were just to keep him in Atlanta because she was afraid of what others would think of her? This is why he came back, to test her love. He couldn't tell her this, he needed her to be unaware what he was doing. He wanted a true accord of her feelings not something she would see as a challenge and a game.

Her breath mingled with his in the cool night air as she watched his features. He looked tired but he had at least looked healthier than the last time she had seen him. The bloated look of his drinking had gone and his strong jaw was back. She reached up her hand and lightly touched the side of his face. His arms came around her and he was holding her to him. His body was warm and solid against hers and all she wanted to do was relax into him. Her mind reminded her that Pork was stood next to them. She stood back and broke their embrace. She swallowed the lump in her throat and made a show of smoothing down the front of her dress.

"I...I um...need to speak to Mammy before it gets too late," She fumbled for an excuse to remove herself from this unsettling atmosphere. These emotions scared her.

He said nothing but gave a swift nod. She turned to walk up the steps to the front door but stopped half way and turned back to him. She met his eyes but said nothing she turned again and carried on up the steps.

Chapter 3 up soon...