In case anyone is curious, I had anticipated the country discussion by the third part, I was almost starting to worry that they wouldn't make it to the country.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Part Nine

August 1871

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"You looked like that at seven months with Wade," Suellen commented to her sister.

Scarlett resisted pulling her sister's hair, "That was a decade and three children ago." She resisted the urge to point out her sister hadn't stopped looking pregnant since being pregnant with her second, years ago. She wondered how long it even took them to figure out she was carrying a third.

"I was just saying, you look like you're getting close to delivering, should you be this far out in the country?"

"I am barely four months gone Suellen, trust me, I'm not staying for five months." Scarlett said as they sat just outside the kitchen splitting peas. There was help in the house again, but not nearly as much as there had been just before the war.

"You two best be getting along," Mammy said shuffling onto the back porch, "you two's grown with children now."

"Yes Mammy," they answered in unison.

She made a sound and gave them a look that indicated that she did not believe them and she expected better.

"You should let Mammy come back to Tara," Suellen said once she was out of earshot.

"Mammy is a free woman and she has chosen to stay with me."

"Because she doesn't think you can take care of yourself and certainly not the children."

"The children and I are fine," Scarlett snapped the pea with a little more vigor than intended and the peas went scattering out to the floor instead of her bowl.

Suellen gave her sister a look. "Where was your husband and daughter for 3 months?"

"In Charleston visiting family, including our aunts."

"Yes they wrote to say he was there, but you and your other two children were not."

"Wade is in school, he can hardly go gallivanting across the country."

Suellen turned with a smile, "Isn't your husband rich as sin, couldn't he afford a tutor? I mean your daughters do require two governesses."

"Chil'ren," Mammy once more appeared in the doorway.

"We're fine," they both smiled and called out in unison.

o~o~o

"Oh I hate her," Scarlett said brushing out her hair as Rhett sat in a chair watching her.

"No you don't, she's your people," Rhett said lifting the cigar up to his lips.

"Remind me again Rhett, what you felt about your kin?"

"The women were perfectly lovely," he smiled at her. "Then again, I see what you're saying the O'Hara's have certainly been a different breed then I am used to. Why Wade is-"

Scarlett shot him a look.

Rhett smiled.

"She said I looked like I was seven months pregnant," Scarlett angrily brushed her hair.

Rhett smiled, that nearly imperceivable bump had long since been gone, her stomach was thoroughly round and filled with their child, "Perhaps we were able to make twins."

The brush flung from her hand before she even realized, her mouth open and wide as he ducked to avoid the object flying at his face.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"This is heaven," Scarlett said stretched out on a blanket, her head on Rhett's lap. The children, all six of them as they'd brought Beau with them to Tara, were playing along the creek they'd gone fishing in with Pork and his family watching over them.

"Is it really, you didn't sound quite so docile when Ramsey decided to dry himself next to you."

Scarlett smiled recalling Wade's dog shaking the water out of his long hair, "Truthfully, it was nice to be able to get enough air to actually yell." Scarlett dropped a hand to their child, "I believe we are done socializing when we go back to Atlanta."

"Will you survive?"

"Truthfully Rhett, even reading sounds more fun at this point."

He laughed softly and continued to look out at the children happily ignoring them.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Gentle Bonnie," Scarlett said a few days into their visit as Wade was helping her brush down a pony.

"I know Mother," Bonnie said giving her a look at that Scarlett knew only too well.

Rhett had a close eye on Scarlett, he had practically forbidden her from going near the horses as if one would suddenly leap out and kick her. She hadn't minded when he had sent the coach ahead with Pork, Prissy and their luggage, then packed the rest of the family and help onto the train. Afraid of what the uneven surface and a broken wheel or axel could mean for their youngest child. She appreciated his concern, sometimes it even felt like it was for her and not the baby.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"I do believe she has made progress with living things," Scarlett said leaning into Rhett's arms as they watched Wade lead Bonnie around on the pony. In the days prior Rhett had first torn a crop from her hand and then wrenched her from the saddle as she had dug her heels into the pony. Oh she had screamed and cried and made a scene that embarrassed Scarlett to no degree as Suellen looked on, but each day she got slightly better.

"That is only because you did not see her with the barn cats," Rhett recalled the scene that had unfolded with his daughter in the hayloft.

"You'd think with all your gently bred Charleston people that child would have had a chance against Pa's Irish nature."

"I imagine your parents thought the same with your mother's refined French side at least Suellen and-" Rhett stopped as his wife's elbow dug into his ribs, he smiled. "At least we don't need to worry about her surviving out in the world."

"We just need to worry about the world surviving her," Scarlett smiled.

Thanks for reading!