Hello everyone! This is my first ever attempt at fan fiction. I've been so amazed and so inspired by the authors and the stories on this site that I finally decided to try and write one of my own. Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated, and will cuddled and loved no matter what they say.
I do not own any of the characters, etc...everything belongs to the Mitchell Estate.
The first 3 lines of dialogue are directly from GWTW (page 137 in my version), but the rest has come from my little head.
Fingers crossed...here we go!
"I wouldn't want to wait," she said, knowing at that moment she caused him the greatest shock of his life. Scarlett did not look up him, but stared down at her lap, her thoughts turning completely to Ashley and how jealous he will be once he learns of this engagement.
"Can you possibly love me?" Charles, still in awe of the moment, barely mumbled out as he stood over her sitting on the bench. She did not need to see his face to know there was embarrassment plastered across it following such a question, or to know that he was breathing heavily with excitement, or that his large, brown eyes were wide with anticipation.
She had set the trap and almost immediately caught her prey.
Scarlett did not answer his question, as she did not need to. Any answer even slightly positive would cause poor Charles to explode from sheer happiness at the possibility that Scarlett O'Hara might one day love him. Once he realized she was not going to speak, his conquest continued.
"You will marry me soon, Miss Scarlett?"
She was about to make some sort of incoherent, neutral sound when a deep voice laced with a chuckle joined the conversation.
"Such a pleasant day for a war to start, don't you think?" Rhett Butler stepped from behind the large oak tree shading the bench. After the incident in the library, he had gone outside to walk about the grounds before it was his time to depart, eventually finding himself in the shade of the oak smoking a cigar. It took almost all of his willpower to restrain his laughter and not reveal his position to Miss O'Hara and a beau for a second time that day when the two came to the bench and Mr. Hamilton began his prattle. He did not know why he interrupted the two at that moment. He truly could not explain it. He knew what Miss O'Hara was doing to the eager, clueless fool and he knew where their exchange was headed, but for some reason, the thought of her marrying Mr. Hamilton was extremely unappealing. So he spoke up.
Scarlett startled when she saw him, her gaze abruptly flying up from her lap to his eyes, her mouth wide open and a curse almost flying out of it. Charles, who had been cruelly yanked out of his romantic paradise with Scarlett by the appearance of Mr. Butler, tried to compose himself as he moved from in front of Scarlett to stand beside her, opposite the offending gentleman.
There was a silence, one that seemed to last an eternity, as each party contemplated what to do next. Scarlett's shock was abating and her fury and hatred towards this man from not so long ago were coming to the surface. She clenched her fists in rage and also embarrassment, for this was the second time that day Rhett Butler had appeared out of nowhere to catch her with a beau in a less than pleasing situation. Charles was trying his best to appear cool and collected, but he was angry too, as he was certain he was on the brink of securing an engagement to Scarlett just moments before.
Rhett, on the other hand, was anything but flustered. He watched the two pairs of eyes glaring at him as he felt their anger coming at him in waves. It amused him greatly. These two got riled up so easily and quickly, especially the girl, and it gave him a great sense of satisfaction. At the same time, however, he also felt a small wave of relief wash over him knowing that it would now be impossible for Miss O'Hara to accept a proposal of marriage from Mr. Hamilton while he was around.
It was Charles who spoke first.
"A war is nothing to joke about", Charles said dumbly, no other words coming to his mind and wanting desperately to keep the conversation away from what had transpired between himself and Scarlett.
"That's very true," replied Rhett. "And neither are marriage proposals."
Scarlett felt her blush come up almost instantly while Charles just stood there.
"I do not intend to be rude, Mr. Hamilton, but I must speak my mind on this matter. Proposals made in haste and during times of excitement and upheaval, such as this war now, rarely end up in happy marriages. I can assure you with almost complete confidence that if Miss O'Hara here were to accept your charming proposal just now, happiness and what you would deem as love in your marriage would not last longer than the war." Rhett marveled at himself for completing his little speech without breaking composure. The looks on the faces of the two people looking back at him were more than priceless.
Scarlett, realizing that she has not said a single word in quite some time, tried to formulate a response in her head to this vile man, but nothing was coming to mind. She looked away from Rhett at Charles in frustration, waiting for him to say something and put Rhett Butler in his place.
Seeing Scarlett looking at him, and switching his gaze back and forth from her to Rhett several times, Charles panicked. He was so overwhelmed with embarrassment and so stunned by Rhett's words about his potential marriage to Scarlett, that after standing in his spot for a few more moments, he gave Rhett a final look of fear mixed with hatred, then completely forgetting Scarlett turned on his heel and almost ran away from the shade of the oak up to the house.
Rhett, watching the young man almost trip over his own feet on the stairs of the porch, turned his attention back to the young belle on the bench. He had a wide, lazy grin on his face.
Scarlett, barely aware of the commotion of the war going on around then, and barely aware that only several minutes had passed since Rhett made his presence known, lifted her catlike green eyes to meet his dancing black ones.
She was furious.