-1Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any GWTW or SCARLETT characters.
I hope everyone likes this NEW chapter!!
Heat rose from Scarlett's feet all the way up to her face. She felt a sudden twinge of pain shoot through her entire body and a sudden sickening feeling captured her stomach.
"Rhett….I…." Scarlett felt his name slip through her lips but no thought had been conceived in speaking it. She was, maybe for the first time in her life, speechless. She was the vulnerable one, the ace was not up her sleeve anymore and her pistol was not loaded. She could only imagine what Rhett was about to do.
"What is this?" Rhett said, little emotion in his voice.
Scarlett could not manage a word but her eyes never left him.
"Who is this…this child in my bed?" Rhett now exclaimed with a shaky cracking in his speech.
"Oh, Rhett…..I can explain….I can." Scarlett simply said, lightly above a whisper.
Rhett did not move for a few moments. So long in fact that Scarlett felt as if it might not be as hard to tell Rhett as she thought. Perhaps he would understand and be accepting. Perhaps he would slide her into his arms and say it was his fault as well and their was nothing to worry about. Scarlett remembered the few times she had let all her cares roll on to Rhett's shoulders and he seemed to make them vanish into nothing. She had remembered on their honeymoon, when the nightmares she had plagued her mind so and Rhett held her and rocked her until she no longer feared the night. She remembered the walk she and Rhett shared around the grounds of Tara when he promised her that she could have all the money she needed to restore Tara to its former glory. Oh and that day on the beach. Oh that day…she had wanted Rhett so terribly bad and she awoke to have him holding her, his dark muscles caressing her drained body.
Rhett lowered his head and Scarlett almost thought to go to him but then Rhett darted at her. His hands grabbed Scarlett's shoulders, on hand on each shoulder blade, and pushed her to the wall fast and forcefully. The wall shook with a "bang" under her back bone.
"You will tell me God damn it! You will tell me who this child is!" His grip hardened and his fingers drove themselves deeper into her skin.
"You're…." Scarlett squirmed, her brow wrinkled and she looked at her right arm, which was trapped under Rhett's fierce hand.
"Don't you dare say I'm hurting you. I do not want to hear those words even try to come out of your treacherous mouth. Now, tell me Scarlett." Rhett said, pressing her against the wall harder. His eyes bore into hers.
"Ms. O'hara?!" Mrs. Fitz gasped, clenching one hand to her mouth.
Rhett eased his grip and turned to see Mrs. Fitz. With the dim lighting it took a few moments for Rhett to recognize the face. His brain raced to put the facts together. He sharply looked at Scarlett but did not ease his grip.
Scarlett would not summit to Rhett, she evenly met his stare and would not relent. Without looking her way Scarlett said, "There's nothing wrong Mrs. Fitz. You may leave us."
"But Mistress?" Mrs. Fitz almost begged.
Suddenly Rhett released Scarlett and dropped his hands quickly to his sides. "I saw you, in Charleston. You were the woman with the little…" Rhett stopped and his chest began rising and falling faster and faster.
"Scarlett, tell me the truth." Rhett replied in a more rational tone.
"Mrs. Fitz is my maid, more than a maid I suppose. She's, well, we goes everywhere with me and…" Tears nearly rose from Scarlett's eyes but she pushed them back with all the strength she could muster.
"So that is her child in that room?" Rhett said, more a statement than a question.
"She's, she's…." Scarlett found the tears harder to bear. Scarlett looked to Mrs. Fitz so she could dismiss her but Mrs. Fitz had already departed downstairs. A sigh rose high in Scarlett's chest, the large amount of secrecy she had created was about to erupt.
"She's my child Rhett." The words stung into his heart. "She's our child."
Rhett was silent and the candle light painted his skin a softer color than it actually was.
"Oh Rhett please say something. Anything. This isn't how I wanted it to be." Scarlett rushed to his side and tucked her arm into his. "Please Rhett, let me show you our daughter. Please, this is all I have wanted for so long." Scarlett pleaded with Rhett, she almost thought he understood. He looked down at her and his eyes showed kindness and love.
"Oh, Rhett…we can start over again." Scarlett breathed.
"No, we cannot. I do not believe you Scarlett. I cannot. I am married to Anne. She is in Charleston and has been nothing but wonderful to me. I cannot leave her and start a new life with you. Look at yourself Scarlett, I cannot trust you. No one can trust you. Not your children, not even yourself." Rhett said, bitterness hung in his voice.
"Rhett, I know you are upset and confused, but…but you do not mean that. You do not love Anne. You could not love anyone else besides me and you know it." Scarlett replied, desperately.
"How could that possibly be our child Scarlett?"
"The day, the day we were ship wrecked. You remember…." Scarlett could not bring herself to actually repeat the words of love and lust that had happened that day.
Rhett did not say anything and did not even dare look at Scarlett. "My dear." He said, holding his hat up enough to salute a goodbye. Then he turned and started down the stairs.
"Rhett, wait!! You cannot leave. Do not leave me again." Scarlett chased after him.
Normally, Scarlett would have never dreamed of chasing any man but this way different. She felt as if she was back in her house two years ago when Melly died, chasing Rhett to the door and having him leave her.
"Rhett, I love you. I do. Oh, God knows I do. I never have stopped. Not for the entire two years I was in Ireland. I have dreamt of you every night since I left. Oh please darling, it can be like it has been at Tara. You know we were happy at Tara. Our walks…and now we have another child. Oh Rhett, we can start over together. Please Rhett, do not throw it away again." Scarlett struggled to catch her breath after her long plead.
"My dear, you do not know what love is." Rhett simply said, and turned and walked out the door.
Scarlett felt herself shut the door but the bodily movement was not a thought out action. She walked herself into the parlor and decided to get severely drunk. She pulled the cork off the brandy and drank it straight from the flask. After several, swallows she put the bottle down. This was something she would have done. But not now. She was more than this. She turned and climbed the stairs and headed for Rhett's room. Cat still lay in the bed, slumbering and looking especially like Bonnie.
"What would she do without him? How could she go on?" Scarlett thought. "She would though, she had always managed to "go on," even after she wanted to give up. Scarlett O'Hara could not ever give up. It was not in her to give up."
Sleep would not find Scarlett tonight. She would lay in the room thinking about Rhett, not about what she could do to get him back but what she loved about him.
Rhett planned on going into a brothel, getting drunk and losing an outrageous amount of money. On his way though, he could not manage to keep the images of the little greened eyed child out of his mind. "What if she was his? Oh, what if it would be another chance?"
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"That thought was not even remotely comforting to him. In fact, it was less comforting than returning to Anne and living out his life miserably. With Anne he would have love and acceptance but he would never entirely live to what his true happiness could be and he thought he deserved that. After what had happened to Bonnie he did not feel worth living happily and starting over. Starting over and having a happy ending meant leaving Bonnie behind." Rhett continued to walk and then he remembered how he felt when Scarlett fell.
"He wanted to die. He wanted that child Scarlett had conceived and it was his fault she lost it. He never had thought it really affected her but what if it had?"
As he walked he was brought back to 124 Peachtree street. The house was still lit with candles even though it was 2:45 in the morning. He thought to keep walking but the curiosity of seeing that child again plagued him.
He entered the house and traveled the stairs. He found Scarlett laying next to Cat in the bed. He lightly touched Scarlett's face and then turned to see the child. How she looked like Bonnie. Rhett knew Scarlett could not have been lying now.
Scarlett could feel eyes upon her. She woke quickly and saw Rhett. She smiled softly and he could see she had been crying.
"What is her name?" Rhett asked, in a whisper.
"Cat. Well that's what I call her. Her Christian name is Katie Column O'Hara." Scarlett said, looking at Cat and then back up to Rhett.
"Butler." He said, simply yet soundly.
"Pardon?" Scarlett, muttered.
"Her name is not O'Hara. It is Butler." Rhett said, now firmly.
Scarlett raised up from the bed but tried not to wake Cat. She through her arms around Rhett and kissed him feverously. Tears streamed down her face and she held Rhett even closer. "Darling, I do love you." Scarlett whispered in his ear.
"I love you." Rhett tightened his grip around Scarlett's waist.
A mound of kisses followed. Scarlett broke the kiss and grabbed Rhett's hand, "Rhett I want you to meet your daughter," Scarlett smiled.
"Don't wake her now Scarlett." Rhett said.
"There will be tomorrow. I can think of someone else I would like to get acquainted with." He eyed Scarlett's body and she smiled giddily.
She outstretched her arms and Rhett lifted her with ease and carried her to her room. The room he hadn't accompanied her with in some time.
In that back of Scarlett's mind she knew that she shouldn't continue with Rhett further but she could not resist anymore. She had waited for him for so long. This was all her body wanted and she could not deny it any longer.
In the middle of their passionate night Scarlett leaned close to Rhett's ear and whispered, "I do love you Rhett Butler."
This meant more to Rhett than he ever could have imagined. It was one thing for Scarlett to tell him she loved him when she was getting her way or attempting to but this was different. She really loved him.
Just before they drifted off to sleep Scarlett asked, "Rhett, is this a new start?"
"Yes, my dear, it is. It is." Rhett dreamily answered.
"Tomorrow he'll actually meet her. And we will all be a family again." Scarlett beamed with happiness.
The reality of what all Atlanta would say was not even a consideration of Scarlett's at the moment. Scarlett then reached for Rhett and he was actually there to take her in his arms for the night.
I hope everyone like this chapter. This is kinda one of those "finally!" chapters. When you have been working up to read the "good stuff". Well I know this chapter sounds like the end but its not. There will be plenty of drama to follow.