It was a shack that Destiny was brought to. A shack that smelled like... tortillas?

Destiny peered around the dimmed room with undisguised curiosity. It looked like a junk shop! There

were things on top of things on top of more things. And as her eyes lit on the fireplace where a large metal grill had been set up over it, her suspicions were confirmed.

Sure enough, there was a stack of tortillas.

Now, Destiny was almost certain that Mexican food was not a popular menu item in modern day

England. And she'd bet her bottom dollar that it was practically unheard of in eighteenth century

England!

She was just about to tell the woman so, when the woman walked over to the fire and took a small pot that had also been hanging over the flames. Carefully, she placed it on the table and began to stir. After a few seconds she took what looked like leaves from a jar and dramatically sprinkled them into the brew.

Destiny grew impatient. "What..."

"Shhh!" the woman snapped back, effectively cutting off Destiny's question. She peered into the pot. "I see tall buildings...I see birds that carry people in it's belly... I see...

"I don't see anything!" Destiny's voice sounded right behind the woman, startling her.

"It's there!" she declared waving towards the brew. Only I can see!"

Destiny rolled her eyes. "Oh, please!" She took the woman by the arm and turned her towards her.

"Look. This is all very entertaining, but I don't have time for this. If I don't get back, Spencer is going to start looking for me."

The woman gave her a look of disqust. "You take all the fun away from an old woman!"

Destiny gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, I really am. But I know that you have either been to my time, or you are from there. And I really need for you to level with me. This is very important!"

"Alright, alright! But it's not going to be nearly as much fun," she warned.

"I'll risk it."

The woman led her to a small door that Destiny would have to stoop to go through.

"This is what I wanted to show you." The woman held out her hand to the door.

Destiny looked unconvenced. "A door."

But then the woman opened the little door, and Destiny almost fainted.

For the third time in ten minutes, Spencer knocked on the bedroom door. "Destiny, please open the

door. I didn't mean to sound so awful to you. I just want to apologise... Destiny?"

Still there was no sound from the room. With a frustrated sigh, Spencer started to leave, but something stopped him. In the short time he'd known Destiny, he'd never known her to ignore him. Yell at him, snap at him, or laugh at him, yes. Ignore? No. Something wasn't right! Cautiously he pushed on the door and found it open. Empty! Where in the devil had she gotten off to? He started thinking of all the things that she could get into. Correction...All the trouble that she could get herself into, and he started to worry.

Like a light, he was out of the room and flying down the front stairway, nearly running over his father in the process.

"Here, now! What's are you about, running me over like a wild boar on a hunt!" His father bl.u.s.tered,

brushing invisible dust off his clothes.

"I have to find, Destiny. Something has happened to her!" Spencer said quickly, continuing down the

staircase. The Duke shrugged. "Good riddence, I say! This may be the first good piece of fortune you've had in years, Spencer."

He just couldn't let that comment slide. Angrily he spun around and glared at his father. "You will refrain

from making unseemly comments about my...about Destiny," he bit out stumbling over calling her his wife.

"I will not have it!"

His father narrowed his eyes. "What will you do? Run away?"

"What ever I do about it, you can be a.s.sured that you won't like it!" With that he quit the room.

The duke looked thoughtful for a moment, then with a small smile playing about his mouth, he turned and walked up the stairs.

***************** "Oh my gosh! This can't be real...Can it?:" The old crone, rolled her eyes. "Sheesh! Young people! You show them something face to face and they're still unbelievers," she said with a sad shake of her head. Destiny straightened. "Yeah, but this could be some sort of witches trick!" Destiny countered.

The woman looked offended. "Who said I was a witch?"

"Well...What about all that mumbo jumbo over the pot, huh? And how do you explain the fact that you

know so much of my time?" Destiny pointed towards the open door.

"Because I've been to where you're from! I've been crossing over for years. I didn't create this door. I found it!" the woman explained.

Excitement and dread began to stir within Destiny's chest. "You mean...this is a time portal?"

The old woman smiled and destiny realized that the woman had dentures. "You got it! You can walk rightthrough and you'd be home." "But...will I be in my right time?" The old woman scratched her head. "I don't know how it works. I just think about a time and poof I'm there."

Destiny stared at the door. Here was her chance. This whole bazaar episode of her life would be over.

She could forget it. Put it all behind her. She could leave this backword world that didn't have the

modern conveniences that she was so used to. She could leave the strange people who believed that she was such a commoner.

She could leave Spencer.

But she would never, ever forget him.

"I can really leave..." she murmured to herself aloud.

"But I'm begging you to stay," Spencer's voice sounded behind her.

Chapter 10.

Spencer, for the first time in his life, felt a desperation so deep, it left him shaking. He'd been standing there in the door way for quite sometime. His heart sank when he realized just what that pa.s.sageway was for and what it represented.

Freedom for Destiny.

A life of misery for him.

He knew he should let her go. It wasn't fair to keep her in a time where she didn't belong. But did she?

What if the fates had sent her to him. What if it was...destiny?

He couldn't let her go. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Not willingly, anyway.

"Destiny, if you leave now, I will never be able to come to an agreement with my father. You are the only one who can help us. And besides, how can I explain to my father that you've disappeared? We ARE supposed to be man and wife." He was playing dirty, but he had no choice. He knew that she loved him. He had to play on those emotions.

Destiny looked at Spencer and saw the pleading in his eyes, and she knew that she couldn't go through the pa.s.sage, yet. He was right. He needed her to help with his father. And it WOULD look strange if she just disappeared.

Okay...the REAL reason was that she wasn't ready to leave Spencer. She'd never been in love before. And it didn't matter if he didn't love her back, she wanted to be with him more than anything. Of course, she would have to leave...eventually.

Destiny took one last look at the doorway to her time, then she looked back at the old woman. "I'll be back."

The woman looked worried. "Don't take too long. You see, what I didn't tell you is that the pa.s.sageway has been coming and going. Now, it's only appearing at night. I don't think it's going to last much longer."

Destiny swallowed and willed herself to be brave, praying that she was making a right decision. "I will be back," she answered firmly. Then she walked pa.s.sed Spencer into the night.

"Destiny," he called softly to her back. She stopped. That was when he noticed her shoulders shaking. "Oh, Destiny, darling. Please don't cry."

Quickly he went to her and wrapped her up in his strong embrace. Every tear she shed went straight to his soul. Let her goa voice urged him. But he ignored it. He would bring her back in time. He just needed her for a little longer. That was all.

Gently he set her away from him and brushed away her tears. The smooth touch of her skin sent quickened his heart. She was so beautiful, even when her face was puffy and red from crying.

"Come along, my dear. Let's get you into the house and into bed."

Together they walked the path that led to the old castle. Destiny noticed that it sure got alot spookier out here at nighttime. The gargoyles that sat on either side of the gate, seemed to sneer at them. Why did people put those ugly things up anyway? They didn't ward off evil spirits, they seemed to harbor them!

She shivered and Spencer put an arm about her shoulders, bringing her closer to him. Her fears banished at his touch. Never had she felt so content than when she was in his arms. Her thoughts became centered on him and nothing else.

Nothing else that is, until they arrived at the bed chamber Destiny looked at the bed then looked at the grinning man standing beside her. He looked quite pleased with himself.

"Oh, no!" she drawled. "I'm not getting into this thing any deeper with you. You'll just have to sleep on the floor."

His smile turned into a scowl. "I will not sleep on the floor, madam! This is my chamber, you forget."

"Oh, I don't forget, Don Juan. It's just that I'm not going to spend the night in the same bed as you. I won't last five minutes, if you start trying to seduce me!" She ignored his returning smile. "I'm going home, Spencer. Would you want me taking YOUR child with me?"