Hello again my dear readers and reviewers!

I want to thank you again for your support!

This is chapter 2! I hope you enjoy!

Unfortunately i still own nothing, everything belongs to M. Mitchell Estate!

I know what you did last summer in... Charleston!

A few days had passed since Rhett and Bonnie's return when Scarlett found once again herself squirming alone in her vast empty bed at night. "Why?' she wondered "What did I do wrong?". She considered thinking about it tomorrow but she realized she couldn't always postpone her life until a tomorrow which probably as it seemed would never come. Her present was way too annoying to ignore and she couldn't stand living like that anymore.

She let her mind go back to what happened these last few days. After he took some rest, Rhett decided to take Bonnie Wade and Ella for a walk to the nearby park, since the weather was so nice. He asked her, truth be told without much enthusiasm, to join them. Scarlett was overjoyed, as it was the first time he let her enter the "universe" he was sharing with the children. Although he looked much more surprised that Scarlett would like, she noticed that despite his indifference, he was sincerely happy, when she agreed to follow them. This is how she found herself at Atlanta's park with her husband, three little children, Bonnie's pony, from which the little girl refused to be separated, Wade's St Bernard dog, which the boy called Bernard and supposedly was trying to train and the kitten from Charleston with which Ella fell in love from the first sight. This was weird because Ella was always afraid and avoided both Bonnie's pony and Wade's dog. Bonnie in an elation of rare generosity granted the cat to her older sister. Ella named it Blue, and she was meant to be an inextricable part of her life for a very long time.

Naturally, this incredible brood drew the attention of the passersby. Most of them admired the happy family, but it didn't took long for the gossip to spread. Scarlett's sparring partners wondered when and why Captain Butler returned home, where he was, and mostly why the couple was inseparable the last few days.

The only person who knew on a certain degree what happened to the Peachtree street mansion was Melany, but there wasn't a chance that she would participate in such a conversation about her sister in law. As she had already done in the past, she threatened her friends that if they didn't stop this idle gossip and didn't open their houses to Scarlett and her husband, she would never speak to them again. As they didn't want at any cost to lose her good grace, they obeyed and as a result, the Butlers became pride members of Atlanta's high society. After all, besides the initial surprise, Scarlett's domestic life was of little interest, so the news mongers stopped following her and started searching for their new victim.

But Scarlett was a bit indifferent for all of that. Of course she was happy that she had again the opportunity to show to Atlanta's old Guard that she was a real lady like her mother, and that she was socializing with good people again because she really detested the carpetbaggers and scalawags who she was forced to associate to ensure her professional and financial stability. She realized how right her husband was about her new friends as well. Truly, they were the same people who had left herself, her friends and family to die of hunger. How had she failed to see it for such a long time? Fortunately the political situation had changed, and Atlanta had recently begun to breathe free again, away from the conquerors and the oppression they imposed for so many years.

But it wasn't these thoughts that kept her up at nights. Her major concern was to restore her relations with her estranged husband and at that area she had to admit that she made one step forward and two backwards. "Why should it be so difficult?" she wondered but deep inside she knew that nothing was easy as far as her relationship with Rhett was concerned.

The memory of their first family dinner after Rhett and Bonnie's return still brought chills of excitement to her. After the meal, Rhett gave to the children the gifts which he had chosen with Bonnie's help as he proudly informed them. Tin soldiers and dozens of books for Wade, dolls and myriads of dresses for Ella. The children were thrilled.

"And what did you bring for Mommy?" Ella innocently asked while she was twiddling, holding a gorgeous red dress.

He looked Scarlett in the eye and gave her one of his sardonic smiles. "Of course, we couldn't forget Mommy!" he said and produced a big box. With an extremely evident indifference, which Scarlett could swear that it was fake he emphasized: "Bonnie picked that, because it reminded her the color of your eyes, lucky for you, she didn't inherit your taste too. You know I would buy the most hideous present for her sake,"

The dress was indeed beautiful, and Scarlett kissed her daughter to thank her, but deep inside she was seething with anger. "He didn't bring me a thing!" She thought, "All this time I was longing for him, he was having fun in Charleston and not even once did he remember me! I can't believe it!" her feminine vanity was a complete wreck.

Then she noticed Bonnie's expression. She was looking eagerly to her father as she was waiting for something. "Give her the other one now!" she yelled.

"What other one?" Rhett asked allegedly indifferent.

Bonnie turned to her mother and with a smile which looked exactly like her father's she said conspiratorially. "One day in Charleston we were walking and we saw a window display. There was a ring with a huge green rock. And daddy was staring at it and then we left. And at night he was sitting in the library at grandmother's house and when he thought no one was looking he pull it out of his pocket and he was saying your name and he was very-very sad!"

"And how on earth do you know all this?" asked Rhett, who felt as if the sky fell on his head, but he couldn't really get angry with his daughter.

"I was under your desk!" Bonnie proudly answered: "I was playing hide and seek and you didn't find me" she giggled.

"Haven't I told you that you shouldn't eavesdropping?"

"Don't listen to him my angel" Scarlet meddled in, blushed by pleasure "The day your daddy first met me told me that eavesdroppers learn the most interesting things."

Just in time, Mammy arrived to take the children for their bath. They followed only when their parents promised that afterwards they would read them as many bedtime stories as they wanted.

Once they were left alone in the dining room, Rhett stood up to poor himself a drink. "That's how everything started," Scarlett thought "Three months ago in this same room. Thank God things now are so different between us," She sat on his lap.

"What a nice surprise for your wife!" she pouted

"It can't be compared with your surprise, of course," he said laughing and brought her closer to him with a kiss

"Why didn't you give it to me at once?"

"I just wanted to torment you for a little for all I have suffered because of you all these years," he confessed with a solemnity completely different to his common mocking demeanor.

"How do you run on, Rhett! Give it to me now!" she said and she sounded so like Bonnie that his heart leaped. He knew there was no hope to resist.

He removed a red velvet little box from his jacket pocket and she grabbed it eagerly. She opened it and stayed stunned. The ring was big, as big as her engagement ring, but a hundred times more elegant and a million times prettier.

"I want you to put it on my finger," she whispered, completely overwhelmed and he willingly obeyed.

"It suits you so much. There's no other woman who could ever wear this but you." He cited with approval and gave her a kiss.

When they were done with goodnight kisses and fairy tales they found themselves alone at the corridor. During their stay in Charleston a miracle had happened and Grandmother Eleanor had persuaded Bonnie to switch off the night lamp, and now, after all the three children's insistence, they were sleeping together at the nursery.

That's where the fairy tale gone bad. Rhett was joking that they should better send all their children to his mother in order to impose some discipline in this house, mostly to Scarlett herself, who was more in need, and she was answering in the same style, that it was a shame that despite her magical powers she was unable to do something about his own bad character.

But Scarlett was sure that he wasn't irritated by that. It was just a simple friendly teasing, from those they used to exchange from the first day they met. She could swear he was relaxed and having fun. But completely out of the blue, at the corridor, he gave her a goodnight kiss on the forehead and went straight to his room, which he left only the next morning, leaving Scarlett astonished and alone.

The same thing happened every night, for the whole week, since their return. And that was the reason why Scarlett couldn't find peace. In front of strangers and even the children he was the sweetest husband in the whole world, he cherished and spoiled her, he escorted her happily to the best restaurants in town and to all the festivities she liked to attend because he was aware of the fact that in a few weeks when her delicate condition will be evident she would have to stay at home, according to the Old South's unwritten law. Also he continued to be the best "daddy" in the world. Rarely, when they were home alone, he was polite as always, but distant and moderate, no emotion evident. In a way, they were back to the early days of their marriage, they were two good friends under the same roof, but with no sign of real passion between them.

Normally, she should be more than satisfied. She had all that represented a good and successful marriage according to Ellen's, her mother's, teaching. But Scarlett who had already experienced Rhett's ultimate love and devotion, even though she was unaware of the fact at the moment, she knew that something was missing now.

She was wandering why didn't he make any love gesture or at least why didn't he give any sign that he wanted her as a woman. Could his love run out? Could he be bored to wait so long for her and he was staying under the same roof with her only for the children's sake? Should she compromise with what he was giving her?

After all, it was altogether her own mistake. She left Ashley and his foolishness to induce her and as a result she lost the only person on the face of earth that was able to understand her, to feel her needs, the only person in front of whom she could reveal her real self, in front of whom there was no need for dissimulation as he was never shocked or dissatisfied by her true motivations.

Suddenly a light lit up in her brain. Why was she sitting and waiting for him to make his intentions known? They had already abolish all the social convictions, why shouldn't she speak to him openly for that matter too? Since she had found the nerve to throw him out of his own bed, definitely an attempt to bring him back was worthing the effort. She tried to encourage herself. "I wasn't incidentally the Belle of five whole counties. Since my fourteen birthday, I could easily persuade men to do as i wanted. How different Captain Rhett Butler can be?" she thought. "Quite different" a little voice in her head answered, and before Scarlett managed to stop it, it continued "That's why you love him so much!"

Twass! All the missing pieces were in place at last and the image was whole and clear. It was Rhett the man she really loved. The hard and cynical but also smart dynamic and fearless Captain Butler. Scarlett accepted this new truth, as she always did, without any more questions. She was just sure about it.

Since the most important obstacle, her love for another man, was out of her way, she sensed that the road to their happiness was open ahead of her. She was optimistic that his feelings couldn't really have changed. "No man spoils a woman the way he does if he isn't madly in love with her," she assured herself. She definitely had to give their life together a real chance, she had to find him and let him know how she felt. "He is just a few steps away. One way or another, this agony will soon be over," she thought and with renewed strength she stormed to her bedroom door.

Shoeless and without her wrapper she opened the door, but she didn't go further as her target was there, just outside her closed door. She didn't see him in time and as a result she fell on him and lost her balance. Fortunately he managed to catch her before falling.

"Are you ok?" he asked but she wasn't able to answer due to a nervous laughter outbreak which proved to be contagious. They were laughing together in utter unanimity for a couple of minutes. It was marvelous. Her tense and fears were gone.

"So here you are," she said, once she calmed down

"And you Mrs. Butler, pray tell, where were you going...not exactly dressed like this?" Rhett asked, still laughing.

"Damn him!" Scarlett thought. How did he manage to bewilder her and always get the best of her, was beyond her understanding. Her tense was back and she found out she was speechless. If only her rivals as a Belle in Clayton County could see her like that. Scarlett O' Hara who could get every man she laid her eyes on, unable to start a normal conversation with the only man she really cares for.

So, she did the only thing she could. She went closer and just kissed him. Softly at first, cautiously, but gradually all the suppressed passion came to the surface. Rhett didn't need further encouragement. He picked her in his arms and led her to the bed while she couldn't stop kissing her. Before she unconditionally surrender, Scarlett managed to think that last time wasn't by far that good.

Rhett woke up with the first crack of dawn. Scarlett was beside him. She was still sleeping and slightly snorting, as she always did when she was expecting, he remembered and softly laughed. He bent over her, left a light kiss on her hair and he thought he had to leave. He didn't want to, he didn't want to leave her side, ever, but he knew he had to. Just the thought she could wake up and ask him to go back to his room and leave her alone, took his breath away. He couldn't stand it a second time.

Truth be told, she was really sweet, calm and dative these last days. And last night was unbelievable. Had he drunk, he would be sure he was hallucinating. But still she had never implied that her feelings towards the honourable Mr. Wilks are slightly changed, or, alas, that she loved him. And now he was sure she would never realize it. "It's no use," he thought and started putting his clothes on, irritated. He was proud that he had never beg any woman and he didn't intent to start now, not even for Scarlett's sake. He felt her stretching next to him. "Dear God, let her fell asleep again!" he mentally prayed, but his body froze once he heard her voice.

"Don't leave again, stay please,"

He turned to her direction, and what he saw in her eyes left him speechless. He saw passion, adoration and...fear. Unbelievable. Scarlett O Hara was afraid of his rejection. He saw her sitting up and lying her back to the pillows trying to get comfortable.

"I am so sorry Rhett," she whispered

"For what?" he asked with an equally low voice as if he was afraid that any sound could crumble the dream he was currently living in and he would wake up once again alone in Charleston.

"For this," she said and her finger waved around the room. "I had no right to kick you out of your own bed, and I am sorry for the way I behaved, and for the fact that i never took the time to think what you wanted from me and, please let me explain what really happened before Ashley's birthday party."

She told it all in one breathe as if she was afraid that he would interrupt her.

"I am listening," he neatly said

She took a moment to calm down her racing heart. "Nothing happened. It's just a misunderstanding. We were talking about the past and I was sad because I realised how empty my life was since the day I forced you to leave. He tried to comfort me but he couldn't as I felt nothing for him anymore, nothing more than polite friendliness, and I seriously doubt that I ever really loved him. I thought myself clever, that I had accomplished everything I needed but I was so wrong. I only managed to hurt you, I betrayed Melanie and my own children were afraid of me and I don't know if they will ever completely get over it. And if I lose you my life will be completely meaningless,"

She felt more and more free as she spoke, but she wasn't able to continue because Rhett took her in his arms and stopped her with one of his classic kisses which left them both breathless.

"So, if I understood correctly, my darling Scarlett, you are saying that the place in your heart is temporarily vacant. In that case I have to move quickly to fill the gap, before no one else does," he said laughingly.

"Why are you saying that?" she asked with fake bewilderment. "There is no vacant place in my heart. As you already know there is Tara and our children, all four of them (she saw the emotion on his expression but she was unstoppable) and of course there is a place for you. You know I am fond of you!"

"I am quite obliged, thank you very much!" he said allegedly upset. "Tell me even for once,"

She could swear he was holding his breath "I love you," she whispered.

He didn't hesitated to answer back "I love you too," and then no one talked for many many hours.