Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews.

Chapter Eighty-Seven

All the way back to the hotel Melanie and Scarlett didn't talk to him. Wade and Beau had gone back to their boarding house. Wade had tersely said, "Goodnight, sir." Rhett had just smiled. Wade would have forgiven him by tomorrow as would Melanie. It was Scarlett that could hold a grudge until doomsday.

That night as they were getting ready for bed Rhett looked at his wife and felt himself blessed. They had celebrated her fortieth birthday in March. She hadn't allowed him to do anything special or tell anyone what her age was. That was usual. She never let him tell anyone her age. As far as she was concerned it was a deep, dark secret.

As he looked at her, she was still so beautiful to him. He looked at her hair as she gave the hair its one hundred strokes and noticed the silver. When had that happened? He noticed the little lines around her eyes and again wondered when had that happened? He went and sat behind her on the bench and looked in the mirror at them. He was surprised she had let him sit next to her. That meant she would have thought the joke was funny if she hadn't been the brunt of it.

Despite all the evidence to the contrary when he looked at her, he saw the sixteen-year-old belle walking up that staircase with all the confidence of a queen. He hoped when she looked at him, she saw that arrogant blockade runner from that barbeque.

Scarlett looked at her aggravating husband. He had pulled a good joke tonight but she would never tell him so because he didn't need any encouragement. She looked at his wrinkles and his gray hair. She looked at his loving face. She wondered where that arrogant man from the barbeque was. She often wondered where that cruel, heartless man from the first timeline had gone because the man in front of her was so kind and loving. She knew where he had gone. He had gone to the same place as the selfish, self-centered belle had gone. They had both been broken by their own actions and the other's actions. They had been demolished by their own pain. Somehow, someway, for some unknown reason they had been given a second chance and they had made the most of it.

She got up, took his hand and went to their bed. She said, "Have you ever had relations in a hotel bed?"

Rhett smiled and said, "You know I have."

"Would you like to again?"

Rhett didn't need to answer that question. He let his actions do the speaking. When she orgasmed and called his name, even after eighteen years, it was still so incredibly thrilling to him that he spilled his seed.

Beau Wilkes fell in love with Effie Waterstone at Wade's wedding. Even though the cousins lived in the same boarding house and spent a lot of time together this was the first time Beau had spoken to Effie. They had met, of course, but they had never spent any time together. Over the last several years Beau had been calling on several different women. Beau knew he was good looking and he knew he had great prospects so he knew he was a great catch. He felt that he didn't need to chase any woman. Beau was about to enter his last year at Harvard. He was about to turn twenty-one. He was a handsome, polished, young man. Nonetheless Effie was unimpressed.

Beau was Wade's best man and Effie was Alice's maid of honor. During the week before the wedding, they spent a lot of time in each other's company. That was when Beau found himself in love with a woman who wasn't interested in him. Effie was not enthralled with him. Truth was she thought he was an arrogant person. Beau was not deterred. He had found the woman he wanted as his wife and he was going after her.

One night during their week in Boston before the wedding, Rhett smiled sadly as Ella and Jacob left the suite to go to their own room. Jacob told Rhett in no uncertain terms that he would pay for his and Ella's room. Rhett had liked that. Rhett didn't like it that Jacob was first in Ella's heart now.

If he was honest Richard was first in Eugenia's heart now. They would always be his little girls but they were going on with their lives which is the way it should be. Rhett looked at Scarlett and he knew she knew what he was feeling and it was comforting. It no longer bothered him for Scarlett to see all of his emotions. Scarlett took his hand and they retired to their room. They physically reassured each other that the other was still first in their heart and always would be.

They had left Prissy and Esau in Hartford. It was hard for them to travel because of the activities their children were involved in. The truth was that neither Scarlett nor Melly needed Prissy's help to get ready anymore. Rhett had never really needed a valet. Eugenia liked to do her own hair. Melly and Scarlett most of the time wore their hair in a simple chignon so there really wasn't a need for a maid. They had both long ago given up all those fancy hairstyles. Mainly because it was a lot of work. Rhett preferred Scarlett's hair in a very simple style.

It was a lovely wedding and reception. Rhett bought the couple a house as a wedding present. It wasn't very big but it was a good starting point. Mr. Waterstone not to be outdone bought them furniture for their new house.

Rhett was so very proud of Wade. Wade had decided that Alice was going to be his wife and he had succeeded. Rhett smiled and thought, 'Wade is Scarlett's son. Just like his mother he went after what he wanted and obtained it. He didn't let anybody disway him from his goal.'

Scarlett was glad Wade had found love and was living close by. She was glad he had not returned to Atlanta. She would miss him too much if he returned to the south.

Mr. Waterstone gave Beau permission to call on his daughter. He knew Beau Wilkes was a good catch also. Mr. Waterstone wasn't exactly sure of the connection between Beau and Rhett Butler but he felt sure Beau would inherit a large amount of money from Mr. Butler. At first Effie would have nothing to do with Beau but Beau persevered in his pursuit of Effie. Beau also had more money to spend on Effie than most of her suitors because Rhett was happy to foot the bill for Beau's pursuit of Effie. Beau was charming and all his southern gentlemanly ways impressed Effie. He took Effie to the nicest places and she couldn't help but be impressed.

In the fall of eighty-five when both Scarlett and Melly began to have sudden mood changes they both thought it was because their sons had gotten married and were so far away was what was making them irrational. When Scarlett or Melly would go stand outside because they were so hot, Rhett knew what was happening. He smiled. Once again that puritanism garbage was keeping these ladies from knowing what was happening with their own bodies. The next day Rhett went to talk to their doctor. More accurately Melly's doctor since he and the rest of the family rarely got sick. Melly usually got sick once or twice a year. Fortunately, so far there hadn't been anything serious. He talked to the doctor for about thirty minutes. The man kept saying, "This is highly improper for us to be so openly talking about this subject." Finally, Rhett thought he had gotten all the information out of the doctor. That night Rhett sat both of the ladies down and told them what was going on. Both of them cried, "Rhett!" Scarlett said, "We shouldn't talk about this."

Rhett said, "I will none the less. You need to know this information."

Rhett talked for about fifteen minutes and when he asked if there were any questions neither woman looked at him. He couldn't fail to notice that both of them were as red as beets.

He stood up and as he was walking out the door he said, "I am going to retire for the evening."

It was at least another hour before Scarlett came to their room. She would not make eye contact with him. It amused Rhett greatly. Despite everything they had done in a sexual way, everything they had been through, and everything they meant to each other Scarlett was still embarrassed to discuss anything of that nature with him. She was reluctant to discuss it in the privacy of their bedroom but absolutely refused to discuss it outside their bedroom.

The reason Scarlett refused to talk about their relations outside their bedroom was that if she allowed Rhett to talk about it, he would just talk about it anywhere, at any time. Scarlett was a little bit embarrassed about talking about the change of life with Rhett but she was more embarrassed that Rhett had to tell her what was going on. Even after all these years and all the knowledge she had acquired she was still just a country bumpkin and that truly embarrassed her. The only thing that made her feel better was that Melanie for once had been as ignorant as she had been.

She started taking off her clothes and he stood up and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and said, "I love you."

She nodded her head. She still wouldn't look at him.

"Do you still love me?"

She nodded her head again. Rhett smiled and started helping her get undressed. He helped her put on her nightgown even though they both knew he was going to take it off. He usually didn't wear anything to bed even in the wintertime. He had told her many times that he didn't want anything between them any of the time but especially when they slept.

After they were in the bed and she was disrobed, she said, "Thank you. I feel better knowing what is happening to me. I thought I was going crazy."

He pulled her to him and said, "You are welcome. This is going to be a rough year with both you and Melly having mood swings but we will get through it."

She just nodded her head.

He asked, "Did you and Melly talk about it?"

She nodded her head. He started telling his stories. Most of them were repeats these days but she enjoyed them none the less.

Eighty-five and eighty-six were rough years for the trio. Melly and Scarlett had several spats about nothing. They always ended up crying together and forgiving each other. Rhett did his best to never respond when one of the ladies was rude or irrational but it was difficult for him because Rhett was not the type to not respond in kind. To add to Rhett's frustration that January Alex turned fourteen which was the age that Rhett had started despising his father for being a hypocrite. Alex had started questioning Rhett about his way of life and every decision he had made in his life. Rhett remembered these discussions with his own father but he had not been as polite as Alex was being.

Rhett was trying to be patient with the irrationality of Melanie and Scarlett and Alex's impertinence. Rhett spent a lot of time on his sailboat sometimes alone but most of the time with his family. Alex loved being on the water as much as his father so their time sailing was always refreshing and a bonding time. Scarlett and Melanie liked being out on the water also and seemed to forget their physical problems while they were sailing. They invited Ella and Eugenia. They always came sailing with them. Jacob was often working during the week which was when they went sailing the most. More times than not Jacob would sneak away from work and join them. Jacob signed, "It helped him think to get away from the factory." Rhett decided that it probably did because every now and then he would see Jacob get a look on his face that was an 'aha' moment. Eugenia had made up her mind that Richard was going to be her husband so she really didn't care about being home to be available to any other gentleman callers. Afterall she was only receiving them because her parents were making her. Henry came with them occasionally but between his work and his lady friends he didn't have a lot of spare time.

Rhett did his best to answer Alex's questions calmly and honestly. A few times he did lose his temper with the boy's rude, mocking comments. Alex was definitely his son. He didn't want to be estranged from his son so he worked very hard to keep the peace with him. He now knew it wasn't easy having all of one's decisions second guessed and mocked and ridiculed. Rhett felt Alex's need to always be honest and caring was his way of rebelling against Rhett. Rhett still would never forgive his father for his betrayal.