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Author's Note: As always, all reviews and inputs are appreciated.

Thank you to everyone who has made this journey with me. The people who have favorited my story, followed my story and reviewed my story.

The epilog was inspired by comments made by Gemma96.

Epilog

One night several years later Rhett and Scarlett were playing cards in the family parlor after the children were asleep. They were both having a good time. Rhett looked at Scarlett and wondered again at the miracle that had allowed them to finally know they both loved each other. He smiled when he thought how fragile their relationship still was at times. He remembered being in New York on business after a couple of years after Lizbeth was born before Alex was born. He had been in a book store looking for a book of poetry. He didn't see any of his favorite authors so he decided to try someone new. He had decided to try a female poetess. He saw one that he thought would be interesting. It was Sonnets from the Portuguese written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. He had chosen it because the poetess had the same first name as one of his daughters. When he got to the hotel, he found the poem Scarlett had stolen. He was stunned. He had wondered, 'Why had she made fun of him that way?' Then he decided that, 'No that wasn't right. If she had been making fun of him, she would have laughed at him and embarrassed him in a mean-spirited way.' He had decided to think about it. He had suddenly known that she knew he had not been writing the love poems he had been giving her. She must have thought he would recognize the poem and then they would have laughed about it. It would have been a pretty funny joke if he had recognized the poem. He knew how much she loved him right then. She had the opportunity to pay him back for all the times he had made fun of her in a mean-spirited way and she hadn't. She had hidden the truth in order to save his pride and conceit. He remembered reading all the poems and then throwing the book away. Scarlett could never know he knew that she knew. Rhett smiled and was glad she loved him as much as he loved her. He still carried the poem she had written with him every where he went. He would take it out every now and then and ask her to read it to him. She always was uneasy right before she started reading the poem which always amused him. He had long ago admitted to himself that he would always love to aggravate Scarlett.

The fact that she wasn't throwing a fit about him getting her pregnant again proved she loved him also. Although Rhett had gotten a lot better about using a sheath, he knew Scarlett had missed her flow twice which meant she was pregnant again. He was wondering what she was going to make him buy for her as compensation for carrying another of his children. He didn't care. He would give her anything she wanted and he was grateful she still wanted to have relations with him. Rhett concluded that she was thinking about being pregnant when she said, "I really don't like babies and toddlers."

"That is true but you seem fine with interacting with your children once they get old enough to have a conversation with you."

"Yes. When they actually become people."

They were quiet for a while. Rhett concluded Scarlett had been thinking of how to avoid getting pregnant again when she said, "I was so lonely those two years."

"I was lonely too. The only time I felt alive was when we were together even if we were fighting."

"You have always been my only friend."

"Miss Melly is your friend."

"Yes, but not like you. She is too good. She always gives my actions noble motives. We both know I never have noble motives."

"You often do the right thing out of a sense of duty but at least you do it."

"I don't think my mother ever liked or loved me and my sisters. She did her duty. She raised us to be proper southern ladies. Mammy and Pa loved me but not my mother."

"I don't think my father ever loved me either at least not after I was nine or ten. I was too much like my grandfather and he hated his father. He hated that his father was a pirate and proud of it."

"That does sound like you."

"I didn't want to run a rice plantation. The life of polite society seemed so boring to me. And I was right it is boring. It is only you, my dear, that allows me to tolerate it. You and trips to New York, London and Paris."

"And Clayton County too. I never feel lonely now."

"I don't either. We never run out of things to talk about or things to do." He leered at her when he said it.

She giggled then she said, "None of the other girls in Clayton County liked me except Cathy Calvert. I told myself it didn't matter. They were just the competition but secretly it hurt. None of my beaus knew me. I was just a trophy. Even Ashley never knew me. If the men had really known me, they wouldn't have liked me."

Rhett smiled at her and said, "I'm sure one or two would have like the real you."

"It was very lonely and scary that if they saw the real me, they would run away. I should have known you were my true love by the fact that you saw the real me and still liked me."

Rhett said, "Yes you should have but you were pretty obtuse then and incredibly stubborn in your infatuation for Mr. Wilkes." They were both quiet for a little while. Rhett was surprised she hadn't gotten mad at his last comment. He guessed she agreed with him although she would never admit it.

Rhett said, "I was popular with the ladies in Charleston but I don't know how much of that was because of my social position and how rich my family was. None of those young ladies ever talked to me again after the scandal I do know that."

After a long pause she finally said, "I can't help but be glad you didn't marry that woman involved in the buggy incident and that you got disowned."

He smiled and said, "Explain." He loved listening to her convoluted logic.

"If you had married that girl you would not be available to marry me. If you had not been disowned you probably would have married some girl just to do what was proper. If you hadn't been a renegade you would not be rich. You would have been poor like everyone else."

"I would have been in Charleston also. We probably would never have met. Although we might have met through my mother and your aunts especially if I was still received."

"That makes me sad to think we would never have met."

"I would have found you. You are the only woman who has ever made me feel so alive. I knew you were the woman for me because when I was with you, I didn't feel lonely anymore. I had been lonely for a long time. So long that I thought being lonely was normal."

After a long silence Rhett said, "Robert wrote me a letter."

"Your brother? The one that hasn't spoken to you since you were disowned?

"I only have one brother so yes. Our Uncle Claude has died and he is now the head of the Butler family."

"What does that mean in regard to you?"

"Robert has reinstated me into the family. My name is back in the family bible."

"Does that mean you are now the head of the Butler family?"

"Yes," Rhett laughed and continued, "I think that is why he did it so all the relatives would come to me with their problems instead of him."

Scarlett looked shocked and said, "Really?"

"Really. It isn't a problem because we live in Atlanta not Charleston. It will only be a problem when we go to visit my mother."

"Your mother and Rosemary will just have to come see us instead."

"That is what I thought too. We will just stay out of Charleston."

"Was it really bad being disowned?"

"Only one thing has hurt me more. I know I wasn't the best son but I never thought he would throw me out like I was rubbish. Nobody ever asked me what happened. Just like when Ashley was caught with his arm around you. Everyone had already tried and convicted me without even asking for my side of the story. Even today nobody wants to hear what really happened. It was horrible the way my father did it. He saw me at breakfast and said, 'When you are finished come see me in my office.'

When I walked into his office he said, 'Because of your refusal to marry Sarah I have had to remove your name from the family bible.'

I said, 'You are disowning me?'

He said, 'Yes. I will give you the rest of the day to get out of the house. You may take your clothes and personal possessions. You can take the money you have in the bank.'

I said, 'You are going to throw me out over a broken wheel? Let me tell you what happened.'

He said, 'Rhett, I don't need to know what happened. It isn't what actually happened it is what people believe happened. You have shamed this family by refusing to marry Sarah. If you have no honor you are nothing. Please leave my office.' The only thing that hurt worse was you kicking me out of your bedroom. That was like I was being disowned again."

Scarlett was surprised Rhett was really answering her. She knew not to look at him. She had learned that when Rhett revealed part of himself, he couldn't meet her eyes. She just waited for him to either go on or make a joke. She had learned that he revealed most when he was joking but for once he was being serious which she knew meant it was his inner most feelings.

Rhett continued, "Did I ever tell you I went back after the war was over and asked him to let bygones be bygones? I had waited outside the townhouse they were living in and followed him to a saloon. I sat down next to him at the bar. He ignored me. He never looked at me. I wanted him to accept me back into the family. I didn't want to be disowned anymore. I wanted to take care of my mother and sister. I wanted to take care of him. He was sick. He had heart problems. I said, 'Let's forget the past. That world has been destroyed. Let me help you." He never even acknowledged I had spoken. I wanted to be a Butler from Charleston. I wanted my rightful station in life. I wanted that for you."

She reached out and took his hand. She just looked at their hands joined together. "While I was still married to Frank?"

"He might have met a tragic end if the Yankees hadn't gotten to him first."

Scarlett laughed. She knew Rhett was serious but she was going to pretend otherwise. "I married you even though you weren't received anyway."

"For my money."

"No, because you were my best friend, my only real friend. I know now I loved you then or I wouldn't have married you. Money or no money. Even then you were the most infuriating man on the planet." She raised her head and looked him in the eyes and said, "You know I didn't know how to discern my feelings then. You know I needed you to tell me what I was feeling."

"You figured out you loved me by yourself."

"By some miracle." She smiled at him.

"I would go through all the years of loneliness again to be with you."

"As would I. I never thought I could be this happy."

"Me either. I guess we will have to make a trip to Charleston before you go into your confinement so I can accept my rightful position as head of the Butler family."

Scarlett didn't even look surprised that he knew she was pregnant. She knew that he knew her body better than she did. She knew he had already noticed the changes her body made to accommodate another child. She said, "Yes we will. Will Charlestonian society receive you now that you have been re-instated?"

"Some will and some won't. Your aunts won't"

"I wish I could disown them."

"Do you think Miss Melly will adopt another child once she finds out you are pregnant again."

"Yes. She adopts another child every time I get pregnant. I am glad Ashley is finally successful or they would not be able to feed all those children."

Rhett smiled and said, "What is it going to cost me for you to have my next baby?"

Scarlett didn't even act embarrassed which made Rhett smile bigger. She said, "I haven't decided yet. Gerry got me the dress shop, Lizbeth got me the millinery, and Alexandria got me a men's clothing shop. You know I never got anything for having Bonnie."

"I gave you that diamond and emerald parure."

"Yes, I forgot."

Rhett knew she had not forgotten. She was just trying to get something else out of him. "I think Mr. Weissman regrets becoming your partner in the men's clothing shop. Every time he is altering my clothes, he manages to stick a pin in me. Usually more than once."

Scarlett laughed and said thoughtfully, "I wish I could own a saloon. That is where the real money is."

"But you can't. That would be bad for your reputation."

"I know," and she sighed, "I have everything I ever wanted but I will think of something."

"Of that I have no doubts. You know some women give their husbands children just because they love them."

"Most women are not as smart or opportunistic as I am."

"No, my love, they aren't."

Rhett thought, 'This has got to be the last one. I will have to use a sheath each and every time from now on. At least until Scarlett goes through the change. I am getting too old to have more children but since she is already pregnant, it is time to play.'

He took the cards from her hand and put them on the table. He stood and pulled her up with him. He swept her up in his arms and carried her up the staircase. Every time he carried her up the stairs, they both remembered that night that their lives changed forever.