Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

I had said that I would write an alternate ending to this story where Rhett and Melanie are married. I am having problems with it not being an incredibly sad and boring story. If I can find a way to write the ending without it being morose then I will but I am not very optimistic that I can.

Chapter Ninety-Four

It was January 7th in eighteen ninety-eight. Scarlett and Rhett were in Berlin. Rhett wanted to see the country of Germany. They were having supper at the hotel and they were sitting in the almost center of the dining room. Scarlett's favorite place to be seated in a room. She still wanted to be the center of attention. She had made the maître d show them three tables before she deemed the table acceptable. She was over fifty now but one wouldn't know it by looking at her. Rhett was seventy and despite having a full head of gray hair he didn't look that old. He had been completely gray since he was fifty. He would often tease Scarlett that it was her fault he had gone gray so early in life. She would smile because she knew the truth. He had gone gray in the earlier timeline without her. In truth Rhett no longer minded the gray hair. He was glad that he hadn't gone bald like his father.

Rhett knew what was going to happen next. She was looking at the menu and she sighed. She said, "I can't read anything on this menu. It is written in a foreign language."

He replied, "It is the native language of the country we are in."

"You will just have to order for me. The least they could do is have a menu in English too."

Rhett smiled and teasingly said, "Yes, they should for people who refuse to learn any other language."

"I would learn another language if Melly was still with us. She could teach me but Melly is gone so I don't have anyone to teach me."

"There are other people who could teach you a foreign language."

Then she pouted and said, "Rhett let's not talk about it. It makes me sad to think about Melly no longer being with us."

It was the same conversation they had every time they went to a foreign country. They had it the first time they sat down to supper.

Rhett sometimes wondered if she thought that miraculously all the menus were going to be printed in English and each time, she was disappointed the menus were still in a foreign language.

Rhett pulled out his reading glasses, that he was no longer ashamed to be seen wearing, and ordered for both of them. He ordered them a bottle of champagne since it was a special occasion. He rarely drank these days. They wouldn't even finish the bottle.

Scarlett needed reading glasses now but she would never be seen in public with them on. It was bad enough that she had to wear them where Rhett could see her. That was the real reason she couldn't read the menu not the language it was written in. If they were in an English-speaking country, she would just order one of the specials or say she wanted a steak or some chicken. When the waiter would ask which steak or which chicken, she would bat her eyelashes and ask for his recommendation. She would accept whatever he suggested. She would never be seen in public wearing glasses even if they were in a foreign country.

After the waiter left Scarlett leaned forward and said, "Happy Anniversary, baby. I love you more today than I did thirty-two years ago."

"Happy Anniversary, my darling, thank you for thirty-two wonderful years."

"I am so glad we got a second chance. I will always be thankful that I got all my babies back."

"I am glad we got them back also. I am glad we got a second chance. I still have no idea how it happened."

"I'm so grateful you didn't get lung cancer this time."

"Or cirrhosis of the liver." He wouldn't mention being glad he hadn't gotten any venereal diseases. Mentioning the whores always made her mad and sad at the same time. He vividly remembered her reaction when he had foolishly made a joke about Wade using whores. He was never bringing the whores up again. Ever! He had learned his lesson.

Scarlett smiled at him. He said, "I am always so amazed at our happiness in this lifetime." He continued talking about what he was going to take her to see the next day. He knew she wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying but he no longer cared. He was happy with her looking at him like he hung the moon.

He made love to her that night and when she climaxed and called his name, he spilled his seed even after thirty-two years together.

As they were lying in their bed sated and satisfied Rhett said, "I don't like to brag on myself but most men my age cannot perform as often as I can."

Scarlett had rolled on top of him and said, "You love to brag on yourself. Your ability to still perform is something you should crow about. Although it doesn't surprise me you have always wanted to be the best at everything you have done."

Rhett smiled and drew his lovely wife closer. He wanted that moment to go on forever.

He started telling her a story of his life in Charleston. He now told her stories from his teenage years but he never talked about his father in these stories. He only told her happy stories.

Scarlett and Rhett spent most of their time together. They would often discuss whether they had done more good than harm and they believed they had. They were happier and they had saved the lives of their children. For them and their children it was definitely more good. They had saved Melanie Wilkes life and they thought she had been happy living with them. Will was happier and they thought Careen was too. Wade's life was better because he had been raised in a house with love and not hatred. Ella's life was better at first, then got worse, then got better. Elizabeth's life had been better. Gerald's life had been better. Nick and Emma were happier together than they had been with them. Peg and Brad Wallace's lives were better. Maybe even James Taylor's. They had saved Frank's life but the guilt of living when Ashley had died ate him up. Suellen's life was eventually better. India's life was the same. Rosemary was the same. They didn't know of anyone whose life was worst because of their returning in time except maybe Ashley. The question they could never answer was Ashley happier? Was he happier not living in the world the war had created? They agreed that it all depended on what was on the other side. They had talked about the dream they had about Melanie and Ashley being in heaven. If that was true then they believed that Ashley had been happier on the other side. They just didn't know. They would have to wait until they got to the other side to find out. They did agree that they had traded Ashley's life for Melanie's life. They also decided that they had traded Frank's life for George's life.

Rhett died in February of 1899. One night his heart had just quit beating. He and Scarlett were together for over thirty-three years. After his death Scarlett was beside herself with grief. All her children and their spouses were there for her. She was incredibly despondent.

Alex let her grieve for twenty-four hours then per his father's instructions he told her that Papa had made all the arrangements for his funeral and burial many years ago. He had planned hers too.

Scarlett had angerly said, "That is just like your father. He never even asked me what I wanted. Only your father could be high-handed even in death."

Alex didn't fail to notice that his mother was no longer deep in grief but was in motion and action. Alex knew that his father had done it on purpose to jolt his mother out of her grief.

Alex innocently asked her, "Did you want to change the arrangements?"

"I don't even know what the arrangements are. Let me get my hat and we will go talk to the funeral director."

Nothing was what Scarlett wanted for Rhett or herself. The entire time Alex sat beside his mother as she changed all the plans his father had made. She kept saying, "This is just like your father. He never even asked me what I wanted."

Alex didn't say anything because his father had told him that he deliberately picked out things he knew Alex's mother would not like. Her anger would get her through the shock of his death.

Just like that his mother was the dynamic, fierce, full of determination woman he had known all his life. Alex knew his mother would grieve for his father the rest of her life but he also knew that his father had been right. His mother's anger would get her through the worst of her grief.

As they left the funeral home Scarlett said to her son. "Wanting there to be yams served at his wake was over the top even for your father. He was right to make me mad. I am over the initial shock. I told him once he was the most infuriating man in the entire world and he preened."

Alex laughed

Wade gave the eulogy at the funeral. From time to time he got choked up but he managed to control his emotions for the most part. He looked at his mother and she was staring at the coffin. If he stopped speaking for a moment, his mother would turn and smiled at him. Not a sad smile but an encouraging smile. He thought she has always been there for me and he continued with the eulogy. Scarlett had listened to every word of Rhett's eulogy. Wade had done a fine job of praising Rhett without being too sentimental. Rhett wouldn't have like that. Scarlett looked at their children. They were all such wonderful people with wonderful spouses. They had happy lives.

Wade and Alice ended up having three boys so Scarlett guess the Hamilton name would continue. He was a partner in his own law firm. Their oldest son was at Harvard. The other two lads were good boys. All three sons looked a lot like there dad and therefore her first husband. Scarlett was glad. Consequently, Charles Hamilton lived on at least in part. Although, as Wade got older, she saw more of that O'Hara killer instinct. After all her Pa had gotten a man drunk in order to steal his plantation from him.

Beau and Effie ended up with one boy and four girls. Beau was doing a lot of research in female reproduction. She had heard he was looking for a guaranteed way to prevent pregnancies. Scarlett had made Rhett donate a lot of money to that cause.

Ella and Jacob were such a lovely couple. They ended up with four little girls. All could hear. All were beautiful. At least Scarlett thought so. Ella worked at the Asylum like her Aunt Melly but she refused to do anything but volunteer work. Simply because Jacob and the girls were her entire world. Suellen and John had passed on a couple of years ago. Both had succumbed to illness before they had ever moved away from the South. George was out west doing well. George wasn't any better of a correspondent than Suellen had been.

Eugenia and Richard were so happy. They had only two children. A girl and then a boy. Richard had a thriving business. Eugenia was the spokesperson for the deaf upon many occasions. She had marched for the right to vote more times than Scarlett wanted to know.

Alex and Clara were so happy together. Scarlett so wished they could have a child but she guessed it wasn't meant to be. They had been trying for seven years. Scarlett briefly wondered why some women could have many, many children and some couldn't have any. She quickly dismissed it from her thoughts. She wasn't a deep thinker.

Andre came to the funeral and conveyed his condolences to Scarlett. Andre said, "I'm so sorry for your loss. He loved you so much. I could tell whenever he looked at you."

Scarlett had replied, "I loved him just as much as he loved me."

Andre had smiled sadly and said, "Yes, you did. A blind man could tell that you two were madly in love."

"Yes, we were."