Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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Chapter Eighty-Six

When the men came back with the tree there was a lot of commotion. When Rhett kissed his wife on the cheek, he knew she was mad at him. Scarlett left the room to see about the popcorn and to give Melly a chance to tell Rhett that Scarlett knew about the bloomers being symbols of suffragettes. Ella went with her mother. Ella was the same size as her mother while Eugenia was at least a head taller than both of them. Scarlett was glad to have Ella with her. Ella was always such a comfort just by her mere presence. She was glad she had gotten this chance to do right by Ella. Of course, Wade and Ella had been doing alright in the first timeline. Wade was getting ready to go to Harvard and Ella was turning into a beauty. They would have been alright is she had not gone back in time but she hoped they were doing better this time around.

Ella and Scarlett went back into the parlor and there was a lot of noise and excitement. Everyone was having a good time. Everyone was but Scarlett and Rhett that is. Scarlett knew by the look on Rhett's face that Melanie had told him what had happen and that Scarlett knew the truth about her bloomers. Rhett could tell he was in for a long night by Scarlett's angry eyes. He just sighed and tried to pretend to be having a good time.

After he and Esau got the tree in the stand, Rhett went and sat down next to Scarlett. When he took her hand, she didn't jerk her hand away but her look could have frozen water at the equator. He continued holding her hand. The couple participated in the conversation although everyone knew there was tension between the couple, everyone pretended that everything was alright. The couple's children had seen them at odds with each other before and they pretended that everything was alright as they always did. The children were not worried. Their parents always made up. It might take several days but eventually they would make up. They loved each other too much to be at odds with each other for very long.

After the tree was decorated and they had dinner everyone went their own ways. As Scarlett got up to leave the table, Rhett said, "Let me escort you to our room where you can yell at me in peace."

"That sounds wonderful to me."

At first Rhett was very apologetic and said he was sorry for not telling her what the bloomers represented. He tried to explained but Scarlett wasn't listening. She was beyond mad. Rhett felt like she was overreacting to the event. She yelled at him and started calling him names. With that Rhett started being rude and mocking. He had never liked her calling him names. They hadn't done any of that in years. When Scarlett had shouted, "You called me greedy when you were making a lot more money on the Republican government than I ever thought about making.

With those words Rhett realized that this wasn't about him not telling her what the bloomers represented but about the matrons of Atlanta saying she had unsexed herself, that her aunts who were benefiting from her actions had been so judgmental of her and that he had called her greedy. She was right that was a pretty hypocritical thing to have done considering how greedy he had been during that time and how much money he had made off the Republican government. He really had been such a hypocrite at times when he had mocked her and ridiculed her. For a moment his mind went to justifying why he had done what he had done. He stopped himself. That was what got him in trouble in the first timeline. Not taking responsibility for his own actions.

He finally said, "I'm sorry, baby, for saying that to you. That certainly was a hypocritical thing for me to have said."

With those words Rhett knew that was what she had needed to hear. She started crying and saying something about her being all woman. Which made Rhett smile. He said, "There is no one more feminine than you, baby. I'm sorry for not telling you about the bloomers but you were so happy to have found a solution to being cold. You were so happy to have found a way to finally be warm. I just didn't want to spoil it for you and for me. I could have told you when we were in Northampton but I didn't because I didn't want you to self-confine yourself again and thus me too. Baby, I was so happy that you were finally warm. Please forgive me."

Scarlett looked at him and although she really didn't want to forgive him, she knew she would because their relationship was more important than her injured pride. "Alright."

Rhett knew that Scarlett had not really wanted to forgive him but she would. It might take several days for her to completely forgive him but she would eventually.

He took her in his arms and said, "I said too many stupid things to you in the first timeline. I may have said you were greedy but I didn't really think it was true. Truth be told I just wanted you down in the gutter with me but you would never sink down that low."

Scarlett allowed him to lead her to their bed. They laid together for the rest of the afternoon. Rhett talked about his business deals and about what he thought of Alice. Scarlett shared her thoughts about Alice and wondered what Rhett was going to buy her as an apology gift.

A few days later, Rhett offered Scarlett the gift box. She smiled and accepted the present. She opened the box and it was a simple gold shawl. It was not an expensive gift but it was a meaningful gift. During the war he had given her a beautiful gold shawl from Cuba that she had repurposed for a gift for Ashley. She looked at the gift and knew that had hurt him so much. She fingered the gold shawl. She had not known he loved her then but she had not even been a good friend to him. She had been such a silly child just like he had always called her. She had hurt him by her carelessness and her insensitivity. She had taken his gift and gave it to another person. She would have been devastated if he had given the handkerchiefs, she gave him to another person. How that must have hurt him? She had been so insensitive that she hadn't even realized she was wounding him. She had insulted him by not ever truly appreciating the gifts he had given her.

She knew that with this gift he was saying he had forgiven her for doing that. She knew they both had their scars from the first timeline.

She looked at her husband sitting there next to her in their loveseat. She smiled. He had that expectant look on his face. She hadn't seen it in a very long time. She knew what he was waiting for now. He was waiting to see if she understood the significance of the gold shawl.

She leaned forward and kissed him. She said, "Thank you, baby. I don't deserve you."

She watched Rhett relax and knew that he knew that she had understood the importance of his gift.

Scarlett continued to wear her bloomers all winter long. She decided that they weren't bloomers. They were just long pantalets.

Christmas night after they had retired for the night, Rhett said, "Annie has potential. I really like what she did with the green beans. Who would have thought almonds in with the green beans would be so tasty?"

"The goose was very good and her stuffing was better than Elsie's."

"You are right. Elsie's dressing usually was a little dry."

"Oh, those rolls."

"Yes, Annie definitely has potential."

"I'm going to see if Annie can master that praline recipe. Elsie never could. After five attempts she refused to try anymore."

"Remember, my dear, if you get as fat as the Cuban women….."

"Yes?"

"I will love you any way."

Just like that Scarlett and Rhett Butler had forgotten all about Elsie.

As Wade, Alice and Beau got on the train to go back to Boston, Alice was in awe of her soon to be mother-in-law. She acted like she was an equal partner in her marriage. Any woman who would stand up to her husband the way Wade's mother had was braver than any of those women marching for the right to vote.

Alice recalled the last several weeks. As they had gotten up from dinner that day, Wade had said, "They are going to their room to fight."

Alice had said with amazement, "You know they fight?"

"Everyone knows they fight. They don't keep it a secret. They just don't do it in front of us."

"Uncle Herbert and Aunt Ethel always pretend they don't fight. They try to act like everything is alright."

Wade had laughed and said, "Not Papa and Mama. They don't mind everyone knowing they are at odds with each other."

Over the next few days Alice noticed that Wade's parents were not in their normal, relaxed relationship. Alice had been amazed at Wade's parents. They fought. They didn't care who knew it. They had made up sort of but not completely. They didn't care who knew it. She noticed that as the days went by they would turn to enjoy a joke together. They would sit next to each other and Alice would see Mrs. Butler take Mr. Butler's hand. In the middle of everyone talking and laughing Mr. Butler would whisper something in Mrs. Butler's ear and she would put her hand over her mouth and giggle. Slowly but surely, they reverted back to that loving couple she had met at Wade's graduation. The couple that had greeted her when she and Wade had arrived. The one thought that kept racing through her head was…. 'Would Wade allow her that much freedom to speak her mind?' She decided to slowly test Wade and see if he would. As they were on the train to Boston Wade said, "It's time to eat."

Alice said, "I'm not hungry, yet."

Wade said, "I can wait another thirty minutes but I am hungry."

Alice smiled and said, "I should be hungry by then."

Wade had smiled back. He was happy that Alice was beginning to assert herself. He didn't want a ninny for a wife. He wanted a woman who had an opinion and didn't mind expressing it.

Eugenia could function in the speaking world. That was what Rhett had wanted for her. She was more comfortable in the deaf community, though. She felt less was expected of her. She also felt superior to everyone else because she could hear. She had problems hearing people with high pitched voices like some women and almost all children. She even had problems hearing her mother but her mother always signed everything she said. Eugenia had never told her mother that she couldn't hear her but Eugenia knew that her mother knew.

Now that Jacob was a member of the family both Scarlett, Ella and Eugenia made a point of signing everything they said. Although Eugenia could read lips, Scarlett still signed everything. She knew that Eugenia couldn't hear her which was strange to Scarlett because she knew Eugenia could hear Ella. She sometimes wondered why Eugenia could hear Ella and not her but as always, she didn't ponder the question very long whenever she did think about it.

Eugenia met Richard Davis through the deaf community in Hartford. She met Richard through his mother, who had been Eugenia's second grade teacher. Richard had a deep baritone voice that made it easier for her to hear and understand him. They met at the annual Butler fund raiser picnic in June of eighty-five when she was sixteen. Richard, who had been twenty-six at the time, had loved her at first sight and Scarlett suspected that Eugenia had felt the same way. Scarlett noticed immediately that Richard looked very much like a much younger version of Rhett. Richard followed Eugenia around like a puppy dog at the picnic which reminded Scarlett of Charles Hamilton. Unlike Scarlett Eugenia was very flattered by this display of devotion. She would walk away then turn and look at Richard and wait for him to join her.

That night when Scarlett, Rhett and Melly were talking about Richard. Rhett said, "There is something about him I just don't like." Which made the women laugh. They didn't know if it was Richard's looks or Eugenia already being devoted to him but Rhett was going to have a hard time the next couple of years.

Wade and Alice were married at the end of June in eighteen eighty-five after Wade had completed his first year of law school. The entire family went to Boston the week before the wedding. On their first night in town Mrs. Waterstone had the entire family over for supper. As they sat down to supper Mrs. Waterstone announced, "In your honor I had my cook prepare a traditionally southern meal. We have ham, corn bread, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and what I understand to be a southern favorite; yams. I understand that all southerners love yams."

Rhett said, "It is an embarrassment to me that despite my being raised in the south I don't like yams."

Rhett received three hateful looks for his comment. Scarlett, Melanie and Wade knew they could not claim to not like yams now. They couldn't explain their aversion to yams without insulting their hostess. Uncle Henry tried very hard not to laugh but he couldn't keep the big smile off his face. If one wasn't the bunt of Rhett's jokes, they really were quite amusing.

About half way through the meal after Rhett had seen that the threesome had eaten most of their yams. Rhett said, "Everyone seems to be enjoying the yams so much I must give them another try." Rhett received hateful looks from the trio as expected but acted like he didn't notice. He helped himself to a serving and tasted the yams. He then said, "These are the best yams I have ever tasted. You must give my wife the recipe to give to our cook." He received a scowl from his wife and a very happy smile from his hostess. Uncle Henry started coughing and had to leave the room. When he came back, he was smiling.

Rhett was having fun. Scarlett would give him her back when they got in the bed tonight but it was worth it. He would pull her to him and she would be as stiff as a board but she wouldn't pull away.