Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Thirty

Rhett's mother and sister had come for Christmas and were going to stay until the baby was born. Scarlett liked Rhett's mother very much she was a cross between her mother and Melanie. She liked Rosemary also. She was a pretty girl with a love for reading. She was polite and nice and everything a proper young lady of the South should be. With Rosemary and Elizabeth's arrival Scarlett had Mr. Jackson join the family for supper every night. Scarlett had found Mr. Jackson a remarkably interesting man. She was hoping he would provide supper conversation. Often the next morning Mr. Jackson was explaining to Scarlett what the supper conversation had been about.

Rhett took his mother and his sister out to dinner one day. He took them to the National Hotel dining room. The meal was good and the conversation lively. Rhett had always enjoyed talking with his mother and sister. They both were well-read and interesting conversationist. At the end of the meal over dessert Rhett said, "I'm sorry that my behavior all those years ago has made y'all lives more difficult. I know my saying I'm sorry doesn't right all the wrongs. When I was making my decision, I never considered how my actions would affect the ones I love. I foolishly thought that I would be the only person to suffer any consequences. Even at that age I should have known that Charleston society would never forget and that they would punish everyone related to me. I cannot atone for my actions. All I can do is tell you how much I regret how it negatively affected y'all."

As Rhett had known his mother said, "We accept your apology. It hasn't really affected us that badly."

Rosemary said, "You are atoning for your actions by taking care of us now."

Rhett smiled at the ladies and said, "Thank you for your kind words. Are y'all finished? Shall we leave?" Rhett was surprised at how good he felt for having apologized for having hurt them by his actions. Maybe there was some benefit to him for apologizing. Later he laughed when he thought, 'It is hard to truly do an altruistic action.'

On February 2nd Scarlett gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. When the little girl was placed in Scarlett's arms she said, "Welcome to the world, Vicky." They named her Victoria Melanie Butler. After the room was cleaned up Rhett brought Wade and Ella into the room. Ella at two and a half really didn't understand what was going on. She just stood next to the man she knew as Daddy. Wade didn't look at the baby he just looked at his mother.

Scarlett smiled and said, "I'm all right, Wade. You can stop worrying." Rhett took the baby from her and looked down at the child with such love that it made Scarlett's heart swell.

The next day when Melly came to visit. Scarlett said, "Rhett let Melly hold the baby."

Melly said, "No. no. I can wait."

"Nonsense. Rhett needs to learn to share. He's not good at sharing."

Rhett burst out laughing and he handed the baby to Miss Melly. Rhett smiled at his wife and said, "Neither are you."

Scarlett smiled back and said, "We will work on it together."

After her daughter was born, Scarlett took care of her daughter herself. Much to Rhett's surprise the baby slept in the room with them.

Rhett asked, "Why is Vicky sleeping in our room?"

Scarlett replied, "I am breastfeeding her, so it is more convenient if she is right there. Does she bother you?"

"Not right now but she will have to go to the nursery as soon as you quit breastfeeding her. I am not going to have a child sleeping in our room."

Rhett didn't know why that statement made Scarlett smile so big. She said, "I couldn't agree with you more."

After two weeks his mother and sister had returned to Charleston. He loved them but he was glad they were leaving. He had not gotten nearly enough baby holding time. Between his mother, his sister and Miss Melly he was always having to turn over his child then there was all that time Scarlett was nursing the child. He was happy and surprised she wanted to do that. It just seemed out of character for her, but she seemed to enjoy it. He guessed he was wrong. He had been surprised in London at how much better of a mother she was than he had ever thought she was. Before Frank's death he had always thought she felt her children were a nuisance and a burden. He guessed he was wrong about that also.

Four weeks later Scarlett teased Rhett about what an overly involved father he was, and Rhett made all those crazy statements about Vicky only being his child. Scarlett had laughed at him and said, "She is mine too. Just as you are mine." Rhett had smiled and kissed his wife.

Rhett was still overly involved much to Mammy's unhappiness. Mammy said to Scarlett, "It ain't fitting for that man to be in the nursery as much as he is. He is just in my way."

Scarlett had smiled at Mammy's gruff talk and said, "I'm sorry he is in your way, but you will just have to work around him. After all he is the master of the house."

Mammy had walked off muttering about foolish men.

Scarlett had just shaken her head and smiled. She wondered if Mammy was ever going to like Rhett. By this time in the previous lifetime Rhett had won Mammy's approval. She wondered why Rhett's charm wasn't working on Mammy like it did the previous time. Rhett was doing everything he had done last time but there was no thawing of Mammy's heart.

Scarlett would have been surprised to know that there had been a thawing of Mammy's heart toward Rhett, but Mammy just liked annoying Captain Butler, so she continued being cold and distant toward him. She absolutely loved making the snide comments at his expense knowing there wasn't anything Captain Butler could do about it. For Mammy knew that Miss Scarlett would never let him send her away. Mammy thought Captain Butler needed to be humbled a little bit, actually a lot, but Mammy would settle for humbling him a little bit. Mammy thought Miss Scarlett could probably be humbled a little bit but if she made snide comments at Miss Scarlett's expense, Miss Scarlett would send her back to Tara.

Scarlett stopped Melanie from making her statement about the Bonnie Blue flag. Instead, when Rhett made his comment about Vicky's eyes turning green, she had spoken before Melanie could. She had said, "Indeed not. They are going to remain blue just like my Pa's eyes." She knew she was really being superstitious, but she thought that her child would live a long life as long as they didn't call her Bonnie or Eugenia.

When Vicky was six weeks old Rhett gave Scarlett a pair of sapphire earbobs on the birth of their daughter. She thanked him sweetly and didn't say anything about it being the first piece of jewelry he had given her since they had reunited. She knew he was still mad about her selling all the jewelry he had given her.

Instead, she had told him, "I don't want to have another child for a couple of years."

"Of course, my dear, but accidents do happen."

"Just try your best."

Rhett still did business with the Scallawags and other gentlemen at Belle's. He made quite a bit of money on the Republican government. Scarlett never gave her open house. She did attend sewing bees and committee meetings which after those meetings tested her resolve not to drink but she didn't. She knew that if she went back to drinking Rhett would go back to drinking a lot. She didn't know if he would still be a mean drunk even though they were happy, but she suspected he would. As much as she didn't want to admit it there was a mean streak in Rhett. They attended one or two of the Scallawag parties, but they stopped because now in her state of happiness and sobriety Scarlett saw what crude, coarse, socially unacceptable people they were. She said to Rhett, "They are just mules dressed up in horse's harnesses no matter how expensive their clothes are." They both enjoyed her joke immensely.

Scarlett was older and wiser. She knew Rhett would never cheat on her. In fact, most of the time he was home before she went to bed. She knew Rhett loved her in this timeline. She would never know -completely how he had felt about her in the earlier timeline, but she no longer cared. They were here now.

Rhett took Vicky riding with him around Atlanta. It made Scarlett recoil inside when Rhett would talk about buying the children a pony. She would say, "In the city there is no place for the children to safely ride a pony."

Rhett would reply, "True. I will have to find some place for them to ride."

Scarlett would say, "Alright, dear." While hoping he never found any place.

In June they celebrated their second anniversary. They were going to live the lie. That was the only way they thought they could truly get away with it. Rhett bought her an emerald necklace as an anniversary present. She bought him a new suit. They had their picture taken the next week. She wore a dress he had bought her in London and her new necklace. He wore his new suit. They did make an attractive couple.

Rhett was frustrated by Mammy. He was trying his best to charm her, but she would have none of it. She continued treating him the same way she had in London. She continued making snide comments at Rhett's expense. When Rhett would ask her a direct question, she would answer it but in as few words as possible. He would try to get her involved in a conversation about the children, but she would have none of it. Rhett was frustrated by Mammy not falling for his charm. He was really getting tired of the snide comments at his expense. He knew though he was stuck with Mammy because Scarlett would never send the old servant away.

In July, the family went to Tara for a week. As she and Rhett were driving around the county, Scarlett said, "It all looks so sad."

"It was a war zone."

"Yes, I don't like it though. Everyone is so poor."

"People will be poor in the south for a long time except for people like me, of course."

"I guess I could invest some of my money in businesses in the county."

Rhett said sourly, "Some of the money you made by selling my gifts to you."

"Please don't start harping on that again."

"I was just stating a fact."

"Enough Rhett."

"I think you should do that. We can talk to Will about what is available."

Scarlett bought a gin from a Sheldon Jones and hired him to run the gin. She loaned Mrs. Tarleton money to start a horse farm. She felt better. The two businesses would not make her a lot of money, but she didn't need to make a lot of money. She had Rhett's money.

When they were packing up to return to Atlanta, Rhett jokingly said, "Don't you think it is time you shared Mammy with Suellen? I'm sure she could use the help now that she is expecting another child."

"I suppose. I will ask Mammy if she wants to stay."

After a few minutes Scarlett said, "No, I couldn't manage without Mammy. Sue has been doing fine without her. Besides Suellen has Dilcey, Pork and Prissy."

Rhett sighed. He would just have to find a way to win Mammy over.

Scarlett turned her back to Rhett and continued packing. She was trying so hard not to smirk. She loved Mammy aggravating Rhett because he so loved aggravating everyone else. She knew that Mammy knew she was safe because Scarlett would never send Mammy away no matter what Rhett said. They returned to Atlanta and Rhett would swear Mammy was smirking at him.

Within six-month Scarlett knew this was her baby girl reborn. She would recognize that stubborn, willful little girl anywhere.

Scarlett saw Melly all the time. She went calling with her. She ignored all the unkind comments about her husband. She only went calling with Melanie so they could make jokes about the dowagers later. They would often sit next to Mrs. Merriwether. The woman had horrible taste in clothes and a penchant for bright colors. Scarlett liked bright colors also but, on the matron's large girth it was too much color to have to look at for hours on end. Unfortunately, Maybelle's taste was just as bad, and she was quickly getting as large as her mother. They made many of an unkind comment about the mother and daughter. Scarlett enjoyed being unkind with Melly for Melly was so very funny.

Life was good for Rhett and Scarlett and their children. They had fights because they were both opinionated and stubborn, but Scarlett was glad Rhett was rarely cruel or mean. Most important to Scarlett was that he never ran away. She didn't know why but maybe his level of frustration never got as bad as it had in the first lifetime because he knew she loved him.

When Vicky was two, she went through a period of time that she was afraid of the dark. Rhett would read to her or rock her until she would fall asleep, but he agreed with Scarlett that Vicky had to stay in the nursery. When she would cry out in the night it was usually Rhett who would comfort her and get her to go back to sleep but he never let her sleep in their room. Rhett's libido was adamant on that fact.