Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my own plot; everything else goes to Margaret Mitchell.

Chapter XXV

Christmas Surprise

Over the next six weeks, Rhett kept a close eye on Scarlett, monitoring her every move, never letting her leave her room, and only allowing her limited time out of bed so as not to wear her out too fast. Every day she would ask to go downstairs, and every day, Rhett would tell her that she needed to gain more strength before she ventured down the massive staircase and into the rest of their house. So, Scarlett spent her days either lying in bed, or sitting on the window seat wrapped in warm blankets and robes, staring out at the falling snow on the ground below.

In the afternoons, after his studies were over, Wade would come and spend an hour or two at her side. Some days he told her of the things he was learning from his tutor, and other days they would play card games. On especially cold days, they would curl up in Scarlett's large bed, mountains of blankets enveloping them in lush warmth, drinking hot chocolate while Wade read to Scarlett. These were the best parts of the day for her. Not a year ago, she would never have seen herself spending time like this with her son. She had been too busy, and she hadn't seen how smart and charming the young boy was. She would have preferred to spend her time pouring over ledgers and books, calculating how much money they had left, before she spent quality time with her son. But, now that she had felt the sting of death so close to her own door, now that she knew the meaning of life, and had learned to cherish it for what it was, a precious gift not to be wasted, she looked forward to every moment she could spend with her child, and if truth be told, longed for another one. Perhaps a little girl she could spoil. She would have to bring up the topic with Rhett one evening.

As of yet, her husband hadn't even hinted at consummating their now almost six month old marriage, and she began to wonder if he had any intention of ever mentioning it. It wasn't exactly a topic she felt herself well versed in, and so had never ventured to broach it herself, but over the last few days, she had been thinking on it more frequently. She knew of course that his reasoning for not doing so initially was her illness, but for the last couple of weeks, she had been well enough to do her marital duty. She may not have her full strength back yet, but surely she didn't need much to just lay on her back. That was all it had taken when she and Charles had consummated their marriage; but then Charles had been a much different sort of man than Rhett was. She wondered if her marriage bed was also to be different. She didn't see how it could be; surely the act itself was performed the same way. Scarlett had hated those nights spent with Charles. They had been painful, humiliating, and almost degrading. Oh, he had been gentle with her in his own way, but Charles was so much of a naïve boy himself, that he had fumbled about for a few moments before accomplishing the task that first night, and though following nights had gone much smoother, they weren't exactly pleasant for Scarlett.

It was while Scarlett was considering these things late one morning that Rhett strode into the room, a smile a mile wide gracing his face.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Scarlett asked, her southern drawl widening Rhett's smile.

"I have a surprise for you my pet. How would you like to make a short trip down to the parlor with me today?" Rhett questioned, knowing the answer before he even entered the room.

"Oh Rhett, that would be lovely! Do you really mean it?"

Rhett chuckled, his laugh filling the room. "Of course my dear, let me just get you your dressing robe and I will help you down the stairs." Rhett walked into the dressing room and brought back her red robe, placing it gently on her still thin shoulders as he helped her out of bed.

"What made you decide to let me go downstairs today, Rhett?" Scarlett asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

"It's a surprise my love." Rhett replied, giving nothing away.

As they left her room behind, Scarlett thought she smelled the scent of cinnamon, and apples, but it was so faint, she thought nothing of it. As they descended the long staircase, Scarlett caught another whiff of something slightly spicy, and yet sweet, the smell making her mouth water, though she couldn't quite place the scent. Just before they reached the door to the parlor, a hint of pine caused Scarlett's senses to become more alert. Why was she smelling pine inside the house.

"Rhett…" she began, but she didn't get the chance to finish her question, because just then, with a smile lighting up his face, Rhett pushed open the parlor doors and carried Scarlett into a beautifully decorated room.

The fire was blazing in the hearth; there was garland hung from the mantel and above the large windows. In the corner of the room, and yet seeming to be the center of attention, was a massive evergreen tree, filled with ornaments of every kind. Popcorn and berry garlands wound their way around the tree, and the light from the fire reflected off the glass balls hanging on every branch. At the top was a beautiful golden star, seeming to almost put off a light of it's own, as it too reflected the firelight back at them. Around the base of the tree were boxes of every color and size, some adorned with ribbons and bows, others left plain aside from the lovely paper they were wrapped in. Around the room, candles were lit, filling the room with a warm glow.

"Merry Christmas my pet." Rhett whispered into her ear as he gently set her down on her own two feet again, but keeping one arm resting firmly on her back.

Tears sprung to Scarlett's eyes as she surveyed the room before her. Everything had been done to perfection, and it amazed her that it had all been done without her knowledge as well. How had he been able to keep it a secret for so long?

Scarlett's eyes were pulled away from the scene by the feeling of two small arms gently wrapping their way around her waist. She looked down to see the brown eyes of her son looking back up at her, a smile on his face.

"Merry Christmas, Mama." Wade said, almost in tears himself.

"Merry Christmas, Wade; you too, Rhett." She smiled up at him. "This is all so…. it's all so amazing. I can't believe you did all of this without my knowing." Scarlett says, looking back around the room as she held her son close to her side, and reached for Rhett's hand.

Rhett chuckled. "It wasn't that hard my dear, without you roaming about the house, all we had to do was make sure that no one accidentally spilled the beans." He sent a loving smile towards his step son, who had done a wonderful job of keeping the secret from his mother.

"Santa brought you a gift Mama. Daddy said he would, and he was right! I already checked…" Wade smiled, seeming a little shy at mentioning that he had already been poking around the pile of gifts beneath the tree.

"Didn't Santa bring you something too, sweetheart?" Scarlett asked, knowing that surely Rhett had gotten the boy something.

"Oh yes, he did, but I didn't ask him for anything. I told him all I wanted was for you to be better for Christmas." Wade looked down, feeling a bit embarrassed about his wish from Santa.

For the second time that morning, Scarlett felt tears in her eyes as she looked at her sweet child. He had put her before himself, wishing for her health before his own Christmas toys. How could she have missed what a sweet, loving boy she had?

"Well, we shall have to go see what Santa brought us, won't we?" Scarlett said, blinking back her tears and slowly walking over to the chair beside the tree, Wade never leaving her side. He sank down to the floor by her feet and gently placed his cheek against her knee.

"Wade, why don't you bring you Mama her gifts since you already know which ones Santa left for her?" Rhett suggested, smiling at the scene before him, loving the sight of Scarlett with her son.

"Alright, Daddy." Wade said, rising to retrieve a gift and bring it to Scarlett. "Open this one first, Mama." He said, placing it gently in her lap.

"Alright," Scarlett said, carefully removing the paper to reveal a small black box inside. Upon opening the box, Scarlett found a gold bracelet, embellished with small emeralds that caught the firelight and sparkled. Scarlett inhaled sharply and looked up to Rhett, who wore a loving smile.

"Here, let me help you put it on." He said, coming over and carefully taking the piece of jewelry from her before encircling her wrist with it, and fastening the clasp.

"It's simply beautiful…" Scarlett murmured in awe.

"Can I open one now, Daddy?" Wade asked, coming to stand next to Rhett.

"Yes, of course you can son, go and pick on out." Rhett answered, ruffling the boy's hair before giving him a gentle pat on the back as he headed towards the pile of presents again.

The morning continued on in this fashion until all of the gifts were opened, and paper was scattered about the floor. When it was all done, Wade lay in the middle of the floor, playing with his new toy soldiers, his feet kicking the air as he lay on his stomach, and Scarlett and Rhett had relocated to a small couch before the fire.

"Did you enjoy your Christmas, my pet?" Rhett asked quietly as Scarlett admired how the stones in her bracelet gleamed in the soft glow of the fire.

"Very much so, thank you, Rhett." She answered, almost in a whisper.

"You're welcome. I'm just glad you are here to enjoy it." He kissed her temple and held her close as they listened to the sound of the fire crackle, and watched the flames dance, long into the evening.

A/N: I am so eternally sorry that this update has been so long in coming. I had been planning a Christmas chapter for a few months, and you don't know how many times I have started to write it and it just never came through, but this time, I was determined to get it out for you before Christmas! I hope you all enjoyed it; I know how much fun it was for me to write. Somehow it just flowed this time.

I want to thank all my faithful readers for putting up with my long breaks between chapters, and for always returning to continue reading each time. You really are amazing!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Please leave a review letting me know if you liked this chapter, I promise that I read them all and they are all more important to me than you know. Without them I think I would have quit this story long ago with my first bout of writers block. So, please leave me some love and I hope to have a new chapter up soon (I know, I always say that).

Now, I will stop with my rambling and let you all get on with your lives.

Thank you again for sticking with me through this story,

~Cat~