To the guests that recently wrote me: Thanks for the suggestion, but if this story doesn't do it for you, you're free to not pay attention to it. If you wish to discuss this more in detail, feel free to PM me. I'd rather do this over PM.


I put away my letter in an envelope and gave it to Uncle Peter to be mailed off. I was growing more and more impatient with this war going on. All the men folk would talk about how much the Yankees were losing and how this war would be over in a week or even a month. The much older men would roll their eyes and say that this would last for more a few days. A war could last for was one of the few people who thought this war would last for much longer and I feared this was so. If this war continued any more longer...I shuddered at the thought. If it did, Ashley stood much more of a possibility of dying in battle or getting sick and dying like Charlie or worse. I didn't like thinking about it, but I had to. I had a husband on the battlefield. It would be more bearable if he was unable to go and was home with me. Then again if he was home, Scarlett's slutty butt would be with him.

I decided to go upstairs and go back into my room to calm myself down. I had opened the door and found Scarlett in my letter box. Those were private! She was snooping in my most private things! The nerve of her! How long had she been doing this? It didn't matter as I slipped in while she was too busy reading them to hear or look up to see if anyone was coming. I snatched them away from her and smiled warmly at her. "Why thank you, Scarlet! I had been wondering where those were!"

"I-I...uh...y-yes! That's right!" I couldn't help but to genuinely smile at what she had just said with that guilty look on her face. I caught her and the reaction was priceless. She excused herself and practically ran out of my room. I placed them back in the box and hid them in a new spot until Uncle Peter came back from the post office. When he got back, I would give him the box to hide it until I needed it again.

Scarlett avoided me like the plague for a while, not that I minded. It just meant she was too afraid of me. Where was that famous O'Hara pride at, Scarlett? I felt really smug for those two weeks. She couldn't look me in the eyes and she poked at her dinner while I was around when we had callers over. Otherwise dinner was brought to her room. She was scared of little ol' me. It was a laughable thought altogether. I would often find myself doing the mundane tasks and the thought would pop up, causing me to laugh. Aunt Pittypat would stare at me as if I had gone crazy, but I paid her no mind. Let her think I'm crazy. I'd live.

Soon Mrs. Merriweather came along with Mrs. Elsing asking if we could manage a few things at a party of some sort tonight. They wanted me to manage a booth while putting Pittypat to manage the drinks. I bit my lip to keep from saying something rude. They didn't even ask now that I though about it. It was more that they told us. My aunt tried wiggling out of it by saying that we couldn't with my brother/her nephew dead, but Mrs. Elsing retorted with some crap about helping out the Cause even if it meant not staying inside to mourn. I honestly didn't give a crap about the "Cause" but I know Charlie would have, so I went along with it. My aunt still went along with her plan to not go, but Merriweather pretty much told her to shut it and just do it. Then Scarlett threw in her two cents by saying weshould go. The other women were shocked at this for various reasons with me the only one not even surprised at the act. Of course she wanted to go. It was a party which mean music, dancing, and handsome men to admire her.

She continued on. "I think we should all go and help to make it a success. I think I should go in the booth with Melly. I think it would look better for us both to be there instead of just one. Don't you think so, Melly?"

She turned to me for support. Either she'd gotten over her shame or the thought of finally leaving the house made her look to me for help while forgetting everything or pushing it to the side. I wasn't going to help her out. I had no reason to. Just as I opened my mouth to shut down the idea, Merriweather agreed with her on the base that I came too. Damn it!

At the party, it was clear that while she was happy to be there, she was starting to regret it a little. She would start moving her feet and/or nodding her head to the songs she liked, but she didn't dare ask anyone to dance and even if someone had, she couldn't go given how it would look. If I didn't dislike her so much, I might even feel some pity for her. But I don't, so I didn't. I could tell she was jealous of the girls with their beaus and of everyone being able to dance while she was stuck with me. I didn't like it either, but I had to deal with it and so would she.

We had a visit from the notorious Captain Butler whom Scarlett paled at the site of. I thought she had gotten sick, but I quick look between the two and I realized at that moment he knew something about her that she didn't like him knowing. I wanted to ask, but I knew with her around I'd never get an answer. We spoke and despite what I've heard, he didn't sound as bad as people made him out to be. We would have spoken longer, but I was called away to attend to more customers while Scarlett chatted away with Rhett. I know her behavior didn't look too good to the older women who were not only shocked that a widow was there, but she was talking to a man with a notorious reputation. If only they knew how truly scandalous she was. It only got more scandalous, one of which was scandalous because I knew the truth.

The 2nd time was when they were taking up money, jewelry, and just about anything of value for the Cause. She took off her wedding ring and practically flung it into the basket that Lieutenant Picard had been using to collect jewelry. Captain Butler smirked at the gesture making me wonder if he too knew how she really felt about her decreased husband. She seemed to be glad to be rid of it. That piece of crap! However, as much as I hate to say it, it gave me an idea. I too gave up my ring, but only for my husband and brother.

"What a beautiful gesture, " said Captain Butler softly. "It is such sacrifices as yours that hearten our brave lads in gray. "

"Well unlike some people, I actually care about the cause." I said smiling warmly at him. I could feel her eyes on me while he looked amused about the display. In that moment, it confirmed my suspicions she didn't care about the Cause or anything to do with it except the parties it brought when I looked at her from the corner of my eye and saw the look on her face.

"You two are quite a pair, aren't you?" I looked her straight in the eyes and she looked away from me quickly.

"Yep! Scarlett and I are more than friends. We're sisters." I wrapped my arm around her's. "Right, sis?"

"Yes. Right." she still didn't look at me and I could tell she was uncomfortable. Another customer came around and I left once more to help them out while relishing in the embarrassment of Scarlett.

The second scandalous moment came when it was time for the auction and it wasn't for things like furniture or land or any of the usual property being sold at an auction. This time it was for the women. Of course people were horrified by this, but only reluctantly went along with it since it was for the Cause. I knew Scarlett longed to dance, but couldn't because she was in mourning therefore couldn't be bid on. Well she could be, but nobody had the indecency to do so. I took pleasure in knowing she wasn't getting her way until Captain Butler bid a large amount of money on her. The auctioneer tried saying she couldn't because of her circumstances, but then she stepped up and took up the offer. She wouldn't hear the end of it from everyone in town for years to come, but I knew she didn't care. Just as long as she got to dance, she didn't give a care in the world.

The next day, Scarlett attempted to justify what happened by mentioning how much money she made, but my aunt wouldn't hear a word of it. She was going on about Mrs. Merriweather never letting her hear the end of it and it made me roll my eyes at this. Of course she would choose to pick on my aunt about something she couldn't control. I doubt that even if she had, she'd have been powerless to stop it from happening. Prissy came in while we were discussing last night with a letter. When I opened it up, I was pleased to find that my wedding ring had been returned by Captain Butler and redeemed at ten times its value. I felt myself crying with pure joy as I silently read the letter. Aunt Pittypat assumed the worse and thought Ashley was dead.

"Oh god!" cried Scarlett.

"No! For the love of...Prissy, go get Aunt Pittypat her smelling salts!" I said as I wiped my eyes. "He's not dead! Captain Butler...he...he sent me back my ring!"

I slipped it back on and admired it after reading his letter that had come with it. He had gotten back my ring and paid ten times the value in it's place. "I knew he was a nice man! I told you, auntie! Oh, we've got to invite him over so I can thank him!"

Aunt Pittypat hesitated, but went to work on a letter. I knew she was thinking of that bossy old woman, but her manners won overall. Scarlett then voiced that he hadn't sent her ring. I looked at her. "Scarlett, why would you need the ring in the first place? You obviously though it would do someone some good."

She sent me a flabbergasted look while I sent her a small smile before heading off to my room to retrieve my nephew.


Thanks for reading!