Thank you so much to all of you that have reviewed these snippets. Yes maybe in time I will try to combine them into a story, or write something different alltogether. For now...here is a darker moment. A fight, a very big one, that I felt could have, or should have happened in the book. I hate to beg, but if you are reading...please review !
The Family Way
It had been one week since she had told him she was with child; One week since she had stormed into the room with enough venom to kill them all.
"I could kill you!" she had spat at him, murder in her green eyes. Before she went about stomping and screaming, and letting him know in no uncertain terms, that she would absolutely not be having his child.
"Oh, there are things to do;" she had shouted "I'm not the stupid country fool I used to be. Now I know that a woman doesn't have to have children if she doesn't want them!"
They had shouted and fought with one another, and hurled insults and untruths. And finally, a truce of sorts had been formed.
A cold hard truce. She would indeed carry the child to term. He knew that despite those angry hateful words, she would indeed carry the child to term.
But now a week had gone by, and she remained as sullen and rigid and hateful, as she had been on day one. She refused to address him in any way, and answered curtly only when it was an absolute necessity. She donned her corsets, laced as tightly as always despite his pleading, and declined her meals more often than not.
At first he had refused to bend remotely to her will. Why, it was she who had hurled at him the greatest insult of all. The greatest insult any woman could give to a man; "I will not carry your child."
He had considered leaving, taking Wade along as he had done in the past, and letting her cool off and come to her senses. But he had been afraid. When Scarlett was seized by the famous O'Hara temper, there was no knowing what she would do. And now, coupled with the mood swings brought on by her condition. Why she might indeed try to harm herself or the child.
He had treated her kindly, but coldly. Bowing his head briskly, and staying out of her way. He had come home late several evenings, and when he had tried to slip into the bed with her she had turned to face him and uttered coldly, "haven't you done enough damage already?"
Damn her, if she thought that she could shut him out for the next nine months!
It was after a week of this, a solid and very long week that he had finally had enough. He knew that if a bridge was to be built between them, it was he that would have to do the building.
So finally, on a quiet evening, following a day of little contact between them, he approached; waving a white flag.
"Scarlett," he said softly, trying to call a truce, "Let me call mammy up with a dinner tray for you. You shouldn't skip meals, not in your condition."
"Oh," she dropped her brush on the dressing table. "How concerned you are Captain Butler. You've certainly decided to keep a closer eye on your venture as of late, especially now, now that it could put out more than you originally bargained for."
"Dear God woman, you know I didn't mean that. We've both said plenty of things we didn't mean to each other in this marriage."
"Like what?" She turned to face him, and her anger burned brightly in her eyes. "Like that you didn't care for me at all, like I was nothing more than an investment to you!"
"Stop it Scarlett!" he said, "You know it isn't true. Of course I care for you. You are my wife! Of course I care about you, you and the child. I said something stupid, something to anger you…to get back at you"
"Get back at me!" she asked incredulous, "Why would you be getting back at me? It should be I who is angry with you!"
He shook his head and laughed softly under his breath, "You are such a child Scarlett, a child who knows not how sharp her words can be, and how deeply they will cut."
"You told me, you didn't care about having children, and you knew I wanted none!" she cried out.
"It's true," he said reaching for a glass, and pouring himself a brandy from the ornate decanter in their room. "I did not ask for children, but this child is coming nonetheless."
"Dammit" she shouted, "You could have….have don't things to avoid it!"
He took a long hard sip, then put the glass down and leveled his gaze on her "As could you."
She stared into his cold black, eyes and then narrowed her own to mere slits. "You vile pig!" she seethed, "with your reputation in whore houses, I'm sure you are well aware of how to avoid getting a woman with child."
His jaw clenched tightly, and she could see the muscles working underneath the skin. His long dark fingers gripped the glass. "I would not use those methods with my wife."
Her fingers went up to her throat. While she was well aware of her husband's past, she had never actually thought about the mechanics of it, it had seemed more like a tall tale ,something fictitious about somebody else. Now to think that her husband had actually employed methods…methods to avoid… She could not think of such things.
"You sicken me." She said frankly.
"Apparently I do." He laughed, "I sicken you so much you will not carry my child."
"I'm sure there are plenty of whores that would." She said under her breath.
He stood. His blood was boiling with rage; he finished his drink in one swift swill, and poured himself another.
"Yes," he answered curtly, "and they would cost me much less than you."
She leapt to her feet and ran across the room "How dare you!" she shouted, and her tiny hand shot out from her side and slapped him hard across the face. "How dare you say such a thing to me?"
His hand went up and rubbed his cheek absently. There would be a mark. He raised his glass and took another sip, swallowing hard before meeting her eyes. "You hurt me and I hurt you. Is that how we play my pet?"
"I hurt you?" she seethed, "Ha! Why that's rich Captain Butler, I didn't know you were capable of being hurt. I didn't think you were capable of feeling anything."
"God dammit Scarlett!" he shouted and he turned suddenly and flung his glass into the fire place. Drops of brandy and shards of glass flew about the room. His face was dark with rage, and his black hair fell over one eye. "You told me you wanted to kill my child! "
Scarlett thought that in all her years of knowing him she had never seen him quite this angry. In fact he hadn't even ever come close. Most of their fights had ended with him throwing his head back and laughing at her, or at the very most, his face would become blank, and providing a short bow he had stormed out of the room.
She had never seen his eyes grow dark with such a rage that it caused her blood to run cold. She had never been afraid of him.
"I…I never said that." She answered.
"Don't lie to me witch! You stormed in here so angry about your condition! Oh you were spewing ways in which you would get rid of this child, either by flushing it from your body or…. Or having it plucked!"
Her face paled at his words "You know I never would…"
"I know no such thing!" He turned and took her by the arm. "I only know that you sat in my parlor with that whore Mamy Bart and discussed ways to terminate my child. Damn you Scarlett!" He shouted as he squeezed her arm tightly.
"Let me go Rhett," she pleaded, "You're hurting me."
He pulled her close, so that her face was inches from his. She could feel his breath warm on her face and smelling of Brandy. His eyes were narrowed and searching. "You gave birth to two other men's children," he said through clenched teeth, "yet you speak of killing mine." With that he dropped her arm and walked briskly towards the door.
"Don't!" she screamed running ahead of him and standing with her back to the door.
""Move out of the way Scarlett!" He glowered, "Move or by God, I'll throw you across the room."
"You won't!" she said, her heart was thumping madly, and she was seized, seized by a cold fear and a guilt that ran through her blood like a sickness. She had spoken the most heartless things aloud. Said thoughts that most women rarely ever think, and she had thrown those words like daggers to his heart. "You won't hurt me any more than you'll hurt this child." She whispered, knowing it was true. "I never spoke to Mamy or anyone about this child Rhett. I never did…I wouldn't…you're the first to know…I swear it! " Her words stumbled out quickly, tripping over one another in a rush to escape her mouth. "Those things I said…those vile awful things…I didn't know….I didn't think…"
"You knew, you knew and you thought well and hard," he laughed, "And I will admit defeat…your sharp words did indeed pierce my armor." He took her by the arm and pulled her aside, "now move aside Scarlett, and let me by…you've made your feelings regarding….er…me…quite clear this evening." He ran his free hand over his black hair, "I think I will seek company where I am wanted." He said as he walked briskly out the door.
Scarlett sank to her knees and cried. This evening certainly did not go as she planned.
She awoke later that evening, after having cried herself to sleep, unable to eat, despite Mammy's presence at the door holding a tray. Mammy, dear mammy was the only one of the servants who had the courage to face Captain Butler, or Scarlett after their terrible fights.
Scarlett had lain in her bed that night thinking of her mother. Dear, sweet Ellen O'Hara, mama, who had given birth to six children happily and buried three. Oh how her mother would roll in her grave at the mere thought that Scarlett had conceived those thoughts, much less spoken them to her husband. Why, to flush an unborn child from your womb, certainly that was a sin worth dying for.
And her Pa, Gerald O'Hara. Surely she had inherited her temper from him, for she remembered easily his quick fiery rages and angry words that came spouting out as if he had no control over them. He shouted often to the slaves of whippings and punishments so harsh, they should have made their skin crawl, but they had just bowed their heads respectfully to him, knowing he would never wield a whip. Oh Pa, he had been able to hold some restraint against his tongue, for in all her years she had never seen his anger rise against her mother.
And she shuddered with a fresh wave of tears when she recalled her father, a beacon of strength, crouched on his knees weeping by her mother's bed side. His third son had been born lifeless. "No more Ellen," he had sobbed, "I cannot bury another child! I cannot bear it!"
And what had she done, told her husband that she would kill his child. Good Lord, her blood ran cold.
And now, after a heavy hearted night of bad memories and fitful sleep, she awoke in the darkened room, to find her husband sitting on the edge of the bed at her feet. His jacket and cravat were off, his crisp white shirt, unbuttoned at the neck glowed in the darkened room, his usually perfect hair was mussed and hanging over one eye.
"I'm awake you know." She whispered.
"I can see that." He answered softly. His large hands sat folded in his lap.
"Where you at Belle's?" She asked. He nodded once, and opened his mouth to speak. Scarlett raised a finger to silence him. "I need to know the truth," she said softly, "Where you with a woman?"
He looked at her in the dark, her simple white sleeping gown, her dark tresses splayed across the pillow, her squarish chin, and pouty lips. Good Lord, how did this woman come to have such a hold upon his heart?
He shook his head no, "I was not." He whispered.
"Are you angry?" she asked quietly, raising her eyes to meet his.
He blinked slowly in the darkness and nodded once. "Yes, I am."
She reached her hand out to him and he scooted forward, taking it in his. "I…" she started; she hated apologizing, especially for her rages, which came on so swiftly, they were beyond her control. "I… didn't mean those things." She started. "Not really, I get so angry…words just come out before I can stop them. Especially with you Rhett, I can say anything to you."
He squeezed her hand lightly. "Not anything."
"No," she nodded. "Not anything. And I know that now, and those things I said…Oh God Rhett, you must hate me."
He shook his head, and let out a long soundless whistle. "You're a cruel woman, my dear, but I don't think I could hate you if I tried…not for long anyway."
"But you have tried haven't you?"
"Oh I have, especially tonight. You cut me quite deeply my pet, but I heal quickly." He said.
'This child," she started, sitting up in bed. "It's not that… well, I never wanted any child, despite the father. And with you, well it was stupid I know, considering your…ah…ardor, but I had told you I didn't want children, and well, you had agreed, so I thought…I thought that …"
He laughed softly, "Sometimes you are a child Scarlett, it takes more than talk to stop a child from forming. Had I known, you were quite this serious about the matter, I would have…well… discussed our options."
She leaned forward and hid her face in her hands. "And now I have nine months of sickness and exhaustion, and swelling, swelling until I resemble a pig."
He raised a hand and rested it upon her leg. "You were quite beautiful when you were with Ella." He said softly. "And this time there will be no worries, you can rest all you want darling."
"And the pains." She continued, as if she had not heard him. "The pains, of the birth, I can't face them again. I can't."
"You can." He whispered, rubbing her leg softly, "You can, and you will. And I will do everything in my power to try to ease them. I will be by your side Scarlett; you won't be alone this time."
She had been afraid, he thought to himself, Afraid of so many things. That is why she had lashed out to him.
"And," she tried to hold back the tears that started forming in her eyes. "How can I bring forth a child who is so unwanted, so unloved?"
"Stop it my pet," he said softly, leaning forward to take her in his arms. "This child will be cherished. It will be loved like no other."
"Oh Rhett," she started crying softly, "How can you hold me like this, how can you care for me after…after everything I've said tonight, this past week?"
"Come now Scarlett," he laughed softly, his hands running gently up and down her back, "I knew what I was getting into when I wed you. You have often wielded your sharp tongue and temper towards me." He paused for a moment to pull her away and kiss her tear stained cheeks. "Granted, this lashing was a bit harder than even I expected, but I will get over it. Hush now, I have a tough enough hide."
"You are so nice to me." She said into his neck. "You forgive so quickly."
"I do. I do, now move over Scarlett," he whispered, as his hands went up to the buttons on his shirt. "I will not sleep in the parlor another night."
After, when they lay together quietly, it did not go unnoticed by either of them that that their hands lay laced together above her middle .