An: Whoa. I got the Xmas gift with those reviews! Glad everyone was happy with the lighter, happier chapter. Lol. No one get used to that. Thank you SOOO much!

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Part Nine

Christmas 1871

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He sat holding the baby while Scarlett slept. He sat holding her son, his son, their son. He was torn between looking at the precious gift she had given him and Scarlett, herself.

Scarlett had given him a son.

She had remained faithful. Even after he asked her for a divorce. Even after he likely said the cruelest words of their marriage.

His wife had remained faithful and she had given him a son.

He had left her.

There were moments, many moments when he thought about never returning.

Never returning while their son was growing within her, unbeknownst to him

He would never leave his children.

She would never let them leave.

They would remain together until one of them died just as their marriage vows had stated.

It was suddenly easier to accept that polite and distant marriage.

Accept what their future held.

A future in which his wife would never love him, but children to love and be loved by.

He thought of Wade and Ella.

It would be easier to spend time with them now.

They wouldn't be the family he had envisioned at the start, but they would be a family.

They couldn't keep living in this house divided.

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"But it's Christmas Rhett," Scarlett whined while sitting in bed.

"You had a baby two hours ago," the baby he was carrying in his arms as he stood by her bedside. He should go see about the children again, seeing as Melly had left to return to her own family, he should, but he didn't want to put the baby down.

"Yes, which is why I am still famished Rhett and Christmas dinner is ready." A menu she had spent days planning.

Scarlett had already been served a plate of food an hour ago, she hadn't even slept for longer than a half-hour since having the baby.

"You need to rest."

"I feel fine. I would like to enjoy Christmas with our children. It's hardly fair that you should spend it with them when I did all the work AND had a baby."

"Again Scarlett, you gave birth today."

"I was there Rhett." It really hadn't been that bad, she had been uncomfortable for a few hours, the pain had been rather challenging for an hour and then she'd had her precious baby. She'd certainly had harder days working the fields at Tara and the days there had been food to eat she sat at a table.

"Let me see about the children, I'll be back as soon as I'm sure they're settled for the afternoon."

"You're a no good cad. Give me back my baby."

He laughed lightly as she scowled, he couldn't resist placing a kiss on the top of her head after returning the baby to her arms.

He had missed her, even more than he had realized, he had missed that girl from before their marriage.

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"This is wonderful," Scarlett said a half-hour later.

She had given the baby back to her husband when a tray with food had been placed before her. After tables and chairs from throughout the house had been carried in for the entire family to eat at while Scarlett took the holiday meal in her bed.

"Am I no longer a no good cad?" Rhett questioned.

"You're always a no good cad," she retorted.

"Daddy, up!" Bonnie said trying to climb up to her father, but the small table was in her way, along with the armrests of his chair.

"Daddy's holding the baby Bonnie. Can you eat at your place?" Rhett asked his daughter.

"I'm the baby," blue eyes focused on him.

"There are two babies now Bonnie. So right now, you need to be a big girl and eat at your table."

"No!" Her voice lifted.

"Bonnie come eat with Mother, you can eat in bed. It's much nicer than Daddy's lap," Scarlett called out to her daughter.

Rhett was about to remark that their daughter would likely ruin the very expensive fabric of Scarlett's bedding then looked down at his son in his arms and decided it was worth the loss.

"The baby still needs a name," Ella returned them all to the topic they had been on before dinner had been served.

"Quite right, he does," Scarlett smiled. "Any thoughts?"

"We could name him Rhett," Rhett offered before going to lift his fork.

"Hardly," she rolled his eyes. Like she'd name her beloved son something she thought in anger so often.

"We should name him something to do with Christmas," Wade remarked.

"That does seem sensible," Rhett replied.

"Noel, Nicholas, Christopher, Christian?" Scarlett rolled a list of names off the top of her head.

"Not Noel," Rhett made a face at his newborn son over the name.

"Nicholas," Scarlett smiled from across the room, "let's call him Nicholas because he's the best gift I've-best Christmas gift I've ever received."

Rhett's lips lifted up in a smile and to his son he spoke, "It seems that I have wasted a great deal of money on your mother."

"I didn't say I didn't appreciate them, Rhett, I merely said he was better."

Rhett smiled. Happy with the knowledge that he had finally given her something she truly wanted, something that made this all a little better.

Thanks for reading!

PS- Probably never going to name one of Scarlett's children Gerald, 4 dead Geralds in her lifetime. 3 dead Gerald babies...that should traumatize a child to the point that they don't do it as an adult. I get why the case can be made for it, regarding a new future and whatnot, but no...