Author's Note: Thanks to all of my readers for following me to this new thread. I appreciate all of you, and I hope that you enjoy this next installment. Special thanks to Corrin for helping me proof this and to Janet for poking me to update. I should be also uploading episode 11 of ofiddledeedee today, so keep your eyes open. thank you again!

She had risen earlier, awakening just as Rhett was leaving the room. He had been opening the door to slip away when she had exhaled deeply and opened her eyes. He had heard her for he had turned and smiled. "Good morning again, my pet."

She peered up at him, her hair swirling in wild black tangles around her face, looking very much younger than her years, "Rhett, where are you going so early?" she murmured in a voice hoarse with sleep.

"I have much to do to reestablish myself as a business man in this town. Don't worry," he added. "I'll be back for lunch, although I wonder if you will be out of bed by then considering how much you once loved to sleep the day away."

She yawned in response to his predictions and then climbed from the bed. She took her time as she dressed in a frilly nightgown to replace the one discarded during the night and plaited her hair into a single fat braid that hung down loosely her back. Then after those matters were taken care of she returned to the bed to rest a little while longer. Scarlett simply snuggled back under the covers and slipped back to sleep. The bed was soft and the covers were smooth against her skin. She felt comfortable and content as she lay dreaming of the life that was stretching out ahead of her. She closed her eyes to envision holding her child in her arms, and that contented feeling gently lulled her back into a relaxed sleep.

Time slipped past her as dreams unfurled loosely around her as gentle and as fleeting as a cloud, though she was unaware of its passing. Her sleep was deep and unhindered until she was awakened by Rhett's hand upon her shoulder, carefully shaking her. "Scarlett, wake up. The children have arrived. They are waiting down stairs to have a late lunch with us. "She smiled still partially clouded by sleep. "They are wondering where you are." He straightened and stepped towards her robe which had been tossed negligently across the back of an ornate chair of dark wood and rose patterned fabric.

She sat up abruptly and then immediately regretted that action. Her head suddenly felt hot and white lines streaked her vision. She reached out a hand to steady herself, and Rhett was immediately at her side. "Is something the matter?" He quizzed.

"I'm fine. Would you quit hovering like that? I sat up too quickly, and it's obviously getting late. I haven't eaten, and hunger sometimes makes me dizzy if I haven't had anything to eat in several hours." She pushed at his hand, reasserting her independence.

"The children are here. They are waiting to see you. I barely recognized them. They have been away from us for far too long."

"Well then I will dress and go welcome them home." She said, taking more care to not rush as she rose.

"You aren't going to wear a corset, at least you aren't going to lace any tighter than I deem appropriate." Rhett told her in voice that brooked no defiance.

"How on earth will I possibly fit into any of my dresses then?" She asked as she turned to face him, her frustration easily visible on her face.

"You will simply have to make due. There must be something usable in that over stuffed closet of yours." He stepped towards the closet, while she followed closely on his heels.

Standing in front of the brightly colored dresses made of fine, rich materials, he paused. "There must be something here. You have been pregnant before. Need I remind you?"

"Yes, but nothing from then will be even remotely in style now," she fumed.

"If out of date fashions are so offense to you, then why have you never cleaned them out. And besides they are your children. They won't care what you wear as long as you give them the consideration to at least pretend that you care for them."

She chewed on her lip, deep in thought, until she finally reached out and snatched a dress that had been one of her favorites during her pregnancy with Bonnie. "I can't be seen in this. People will know that it is terribly out of fashion."

"You aren't leaving this house, and I don't know how many of the old guard will be here to welcome you home. Wade and Ella won't care whatever ridiculous costume that you choose to wear. They are only children," Rhett said to placate her.

As Rhett helped her in to first her chemise and bloomers and corset which he only laced tightly enough to hold itself it up, followed by her crinoline and bustle, and then finally the looser dress was lowered over her head. Neither spoke a word as he diligently worked to fasten the buttons and closures that ran up the back of the dress.

When he finished, she turned to face him. "Thank you." She offered.

There was fear and uncertainty in her eyes that gave him pause. "Are you truly that worried that the children will be angry with you?"

She nodded slowly. "I was never much of a mother to them or to Bonnie. I've left them for nearly two years out at Tara with my nasty sister and all of her bratty brood. I'm afraid that they will be angry with me for the mess I have made. I must have been nearly mad after everything that happened to abandon them like that. Thats the only explanation that makes any sense. I would never abandon my children, no matter how little it seemed that I loved them."

"They know that you love them, although they are probably confused by your absence as well as mine." He reached out to brush an errant tear that had escaped from her eye, which she furiously swiped at. "We can't correct the past, but we can try to make things right for them now."

She seemed ashamed of her tears, "I hate all of these emotions. I can't seem to keep anything under control right now."

"There is nothing wrong with having a good cry. It's something that you have been needing for a while it seems. Emotions aren't a weakness. Don't think that you need to hide them from me."

The tears were falling faster and with more speed, and finally Rhett took her into his arms and rubbed his hand slowly up and down along her spine. "Shhhh. It's going to be all right. It will all work out for the best. Don't work yourself up like this. If we take much longer they are going to worry about what I've done to you. I think that they are already in a little shock at having been summoned to return here out of the blue after such a period of time. And now they are suspicious since you weren't there at the train to meet them." He smoothed her hair from her face and then led her by the hand out the door of their bedroom. "Show them that you love them, and everything else will be forgotten. They are hungry for your love."

At this she snorted. "I tried that once and it didn't work. I realized how much I loved someone and they rejected me for it. I believe their words were 'I don't give a damn'."

"It wasn't you." He said as he raked his hands through his hair. "It was me. I still was so deep in grief that I couldn't see straight. I shouldn't have left you then...." He stopped at the top of the stairs and looked at her as unidentifiable emotions played out in his eyes.. "We have neither the time not the energy to rehash the past. We only can focus on the now and the future. Just trust your children, they might surprise you with how well they have turned out."

"I can't take credit for that. Their raising was not my doing. Anything that they know about being a decent person is by the influence of Mammy and Melanie." She told him quietly.

"You have had more influence that you will ever realize." He said as they began to descend the stairs. "Though you might try to hug them, kiss them."

"I tried to win them over once, and it didn't work then. They are afraid of me. I can't see how two years absence will have changed that."

"Just trust them." He told her as they stepped towards the door to the parlor where Rhett had left the children.

He opened the door and ushered her inside, "Wade, Ella. Here is your mother. Whole and intact just as I told you. Nothing is wrong."

Both children stared at her warily, appraising her smile and mood with their cautious eyes. "Hello Mother." Wade finally offered, breaking the silence that had descended.

"Hello, Wade. I've missed you." She said softly.

"Mother," Ella's voice chirped.

And Scarlett could see the longing in her eyes to be loved and accepted, and for a moment she wondered how she had missed that desire to know her mother's love. She was as aloof and separated from her children as her own mother had been to her. She remembered that as a girl she had wished to be a mother to her children like Beatrice Tarleton had been to hers. Hesitantly she opened her arms and said in a voice that held a note of trepidation,"Come here, Ella."

The girl that willingly into her arms was not the same silly child that had been impossible to connect with years before. This girl was sedate and calm and beginning to find her own unique beauty. She had indeed been an ugly baby and a homely fussy toddler. Bonnie's beauty had outshone from her birth and in all honesty Scarlett had barely been aware of her children since the day that Bonnie had died. "Darling." She whispered softly into a mass of gingery ringlets.

Ella pulled away and stared at her mother's face. She stared intently as if trying to understand the change, but there was no answer and she finally closed the gap once again and leaned into her mother's arms. "Momma."

"I missed you." Scarlett returned. "I'm so glad to have you home.... and, and" she stuttered trying to release those impossibly hard words, "I'm sorry." she finally uttered with a sharp exhalation of air.

Wade was silently taking in this strange scene before him, his brown eyes widening in surprise. And instantly it was as if Charles Hamilton had come back to life, for Wade bore an uncanny resemblance to the father he had never known nor had ever known about him."Of course, Mother. You're forgiven for your absence. We are just thankful to be home, and to have you and Uncle Rhett back." He offered politely, displaying the manners that Melanie and Mammy had so painstakingly instilled from his earliest days.

"Wade Hampton, you have grown so handsome, just like your father. It's almost impossible to think that you are nearly a grown man, but you are. And such a fine man. I'm proud of the man you have become."

Rhett then took the opportunity to clear his throat. "I'm sure that we are all ready for a nice meal. Why don't we go ahead and move into the dining room before I expire from hunger."

Scarlett stared at him perplexed as to why he would be ending such a reunion between her and her children. "I'm not that hungry. I'm quite pleased to see the children."

"As am I. But I know that the children were quite hungry on the way here, and I know that you were so hungry a few minutes ago...." He paused and motioned towards the dining room.

Scarlett frowned, but took his lead and followed behind him with Ella's small hand clutching her own. They all took their seats and soon plates appeared before them. After polite conversation and discussions of what the children had been doing since they had been at Tara, Ella turned to her mother who was in the seat beside her, "Momma, where did you go?" She finally asked unwilling to let go of her hand.

"I was really sad, and I guess I let myself think too much about being sad. And then I went to visit Uncle Rhett at his mother's house, and then I went to Ireland to see where my Pa lived when he was little boy." Scarlett tried to explain.

"Mother, I hate to bring this up, but I do feel that I have a right to know. If I am out of line, please stop me." Wade began.

Scarlett nodded. "Proceed."

"Some one told me that you and Uncle Rhett were divorced. I didn't know what that was, but I was shocked when they explained it to me. Is it true?" He said rushing his words together, to spit them out before he lost his courage.

Scarlett's jaw went slack from surprise at her son's boldness. But Rhett stepped in for her. "No, we aren't divorced, but there are some truths to rumors."

Then Rhett interrupted, "This was my doing. I made a mistake. I thought that I had divorced her. I regretted it as soon as I had, but I didn't know where she was because my sister lied to me. We weren't going to tell you, unless we had to. But we should have realized that even out at Tara you wouldn't be immune to the gossip."

"I'm sorry, Sir, mother, if I seem impudent, but what changed?"

"Your mother came back from Ireland and told me that she was going to have a baby. And I wanted us to be a family again. I love her. I was very wrong." He replied, concealing the truth of how very near he had been to marrying someone other than their mother.

Wade's eyes clouded over at the admission, and he remained silent, contemplating the situation. Silence descended upon the room as Ella wiggled nervously in her seat, and Rhett and Scarlett stared at Wade's taut expression. Ella fiddled with the remaining food on her plate, and no one else moved.

Rhett finally spoke again. "I made many mistakes. And I will do whatever I can to repair some of the damage that my ill- advised actions have caused. I was so lost after Bonnie...."

"It's all right, Uncle Rhett. We are just happy to be home." Wade finally relented calmly.

"Momma, you are going to have another baby?" Ella asked with a mixture of excitement and uncertainty.

"Yes. I am. Are you happy about that?" Scarlett asked.

"Mother, are you going to be well enough? I remember when I was younger...." He said worriedly.

Rhett nodded, neither could he forget the aftermath of the fall when she had lost the baby. "We're going to take good care of your mother."

Ella rose from her chair and threw her arms around her mother.

Scarlett turned in her seat and welcomed the child's embrace. "I love you, sugar. I missed you so much."

Ella nestled into her arms and buried her face into her mother's chest. "I'm so glad to be home. Aunt Suellen isn't very nice. She said terrible things about you, mother. I told her that she was a liar. She told me I was an ungrateful brat-- that I was just like my momma. I told her that I would rather be like my momma than like her."

Scarlett's fists balled in Ella's hair that she had been gently stroking. "Don't listen to her, baby. You're home and away from her, and we can start our life over again. It will be different this time."