Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

I will admit that I wrote the unhappy ever after ending first.

The first time I wrote it I had Rhett walking away from the ship without a backward glance. He decided that he really hadn't loved Scarlett. That she had just been a challenge to him.

As I was writing the story, I changed my mind and decided instead that the problem was that Rhett was too stubborn and proud to ever tell Scarlett he loved her.

Warning: This is not a Happy Ever After Ending.

This picks up after Chapter Twenty-Five

In June of seventy-three Scarlett got a telegram from Charles Mobbs. All it said was: Rhett Butler dying STOP Come quickly to Charleston. STOP

Scarlett read the telegram and nearly fainted, but she managed to stop herself. She went to the swoon bottle and poured herself a drink. She drank it down. She took a moment to steady herself. She then got busy. She told Mammy to start packing everyone's trunks they were going to Charleston this very day. She would answer all of Mammy's questions on the train. They were packed within the hour. If they had forgotten something they would buy another one when they got to Charleston. They caught the train to Atlanta. Scarlett was fortunate. There was a train leaving for Charleston within the hour. There was even a private car available. She got it. It would just be easier. She telegraphed Mr. Mobbs of her arrival time and hoped she got there in time.

At the same time, Rhett Butler was in his mother's townhouse. He was an extremely sick man. He had contracted cholera. He knew his mother and his sister were both already dead. He knew he would soon be joining them although he didn't think they would be going to the same place.

He had been such a fool to not tell Scarlett he loved her while they were in London together. He had been a fool to not follow her to Tara and beg her to marry him. He had been a fool to not tell her he loved her when they met in Atlanta two years ago. What had he been so afraid of? Why could he not tell her? Why could he not trust her? Why couldn't he have told her just to make her happy?

He saw a vision. It had to be a vision because his father had been dead for almost seven years. His father spoke to him, "I have been sent to give you one chance to change your life for the better. You will be returned for one day and you will have twenty-four hours to make the right decision in order for you to fix your life."

"I never did anything wrong."

"My son we don't have the time to go over all of the mistakes you made in your life. You don't have to accept the offer. You can go ahead and die."

"What is it going to cost me? My soul?"

"If you had one maybe. No, your mother and your sister have been pleading for the man with the long white beard to give you one chance to turn your life around. They told him that they really believe that you have a good heart. The man with the long white beard looked at your record and said, "There is little evidence that he has a good heart. The only altruistic act he has ever committed in his entire life was paying his mother and sister's living expenses." The man nonetheless was moved by their pleading and the good lives they have led. He has decided to give you one chance to do the right thing. If you do the right thing, you will be able to save their lives in addition to yours. The man has looked at your record and although he doesn't think you will forgo your pride long enough to do the right thing, he is giving you twenty-four hours to fix your life."

"Again, what is it going to cost me?"

"It will cost you your pride. Do you want the opportunity or not?"

Rhett was getting weaker, and he said, "Do I choose the day?"

"No, the man with the long white beard will choose the day. It will be the most decisive day of your life. I must warn you that if you fail, you will be brought back here and you will die as you were meant to in this timeline."

"The day that you disowned me for not marrying Sarah. I still won't marry her."

"I don't know what day he is going to send you back to. Damn but you are a stubborn bastard. You are too stubborn for your own good. For once think about someone else. Think about your mother and your sister."

He whispered, "No! Nobody can force me to do anything." Rhett Butler took one more breath and he died.

Rhett's father watched as his son's soul left his body. Charles said to his son's spirit, "My son, for a man so smart you can do some very stupid things."

"Like what?"

"Come along, my son. I will show you the life you could have led."

During the eighteen-hour train trip, Rhett passed away. Charles Mobbs, Rhett's attorney in Charleston, met Scarlett at the train station.

Mr. Mobbs got them into a cab and took them to a hotel. He explained along the way that while Mr. Butler was in Charleston visiting his mother, he had contracted cholera. In his fever he had called for Scarlett. The servant who had been tending to Mr. Butler had contacted the doctor. Mr. Butler would get so upset when he would call for Scarlett that the servant couldn't calm him down. The doctor contacted the attorney hoping the attorney knew who this Scarlett was. The doctor thought that if she was here, that maybe her presence would give Mr. Butler the strength to pull through. Mr. Mobbs had known who this Scarlett was because she had been named in Mr. Butler's will.

When Mr. Mobbs quit speaking all Scarlett said was, "Rhett is dead?"

Mr. Mobbs had nodded his head. Scarlett had turned to Wade who was sitting next to her and dropped her head on his shoulder. She cried heart breaking sobs. Wade put his arms around his mother and, though he felt like a fool for saying it, he said, "There, there. Everything is going to be alright."

When they got to the hotel Mammy said to Wade, "I'll take her and the others. You go with Mr. Mobbs and get our room key."

Mr. Mobbs checked them into the hotel. When he and Wade returned, he said, "I will give you the rest of the day to get over the shock of Mr. Butler's death. I will come by tomorrow morning to talk about all the legal details."

Scarlett had not answered. Wade said, "Thank you, sir. We will see you tomorrow."

Mammy got Miss Scarlett up the stairs, Ella got her little brother and sister up the stairs, Wade brought up the rear with the bell hop and their luggage. Mammy put Miss Scarlett to bed while Wade went downstairs to arrange for supper in their room. Ella entertained the other two children.

Mammy knew Miss Scarlett kept a bottle of laudanum in her carpetbag. Mammy gave Miss Scarlett a spoonful of the medicine and like the meekest of children Scarlett took the medicine. The medicine worked and Miss Scarlett was able to sleep but Mammy knew that it was only a temporary relief to the pain that was filling her little lamb.

The next day Mr. Mobbs and Scarlett met in the hotel lobby. Scarlett made Wade go with her. She needed his support. He had such a calming influence on her and such a quick mind. The attorney handed her Rhett's watch and there was a picture of a woman in his watch. Yes, the picture was of her. It was one of the pictures they had taken in London.

Mr. Mobbs had brought all of Rhett's belongings and he wanted to know what she wanted to do with the body. Scarlett smiled a sad smile and said, "I will take him home with me to Tara, where he belongs."

Scarlett and Wade took his trunk upstairs. There was all his clothing. There was also a picture of the four of them in a frame in his trunk. There was the one letter she had written him before she moved to London. There was a shimmy that she knew had been hers. And last but not least a button. It was the button that had gotten torn off her dress that afternoon in Atlanta in their excitement. That afternoon when Gerry had been conceived.

Rhett no longer had any close relatives. He had a couple of cousins that he hadn't spoken to in years. They were fine with Scarlett taking his body because Rhett could not be buried in the family plot because he had been disowned. It hadn't matter to Scarlett. She would not have allowed him to be buried next to his father, the man he had hated. Rhett was going to be buried next to her. They were each other's true love even if he hadn't had the strength to admit it.

When Wade saw the body, he remembered him as his Uncle Rhett. He had remembered that comment that Mammy had made about Captain Butler being in Atlanta. Wade didn't have the knowledge yet to put all the pieces together but in four or five years he would.

Rhett left his fortune to her with instructions to take care of his mother and sister, who unfortunately had both died from the cholera also. Rhett's brother and his entire family had died also. Mr. Mobbs said, "I will tie up everything here in Charleston. You just take Mr. Butler to his final resting place."

Mr. Mobbs made the arrangements for her to take Rhett to Tara. In three days, they were back on the train. Scarlett knew she wouldn't have made it through that awful week without Mammy, Ella and Wade's help. Wade at age twelve had been the rock she had leaned on. Ella at age eight had taken care of her little sister and brother. Mammy as always had been a pillar of strength for Scarlett to lean on.

On the way back to Tara Wade had sat beside his mother and had provided her with as much comfort as he could. At one point Scarlett had said to Wade, "Why would he not just tell me he loved me? We could have been so happy."

"I don't know, Mama."

"Of course, you don't. Even God almighty would not be able to figure out why that man did the things he did."

The statement had made Wade happy. His mother was getting some of her strength back.

Scarlett was never the same after Rhett's death. She forced herself to smile and she forced herself to laugh. She did not want her children to grow up with a mother that was sad all the time. She knew what that was like.

She was a smart businesswoman. She did well financially even without Rhett's money. Rhett's money meant she could have anything and everything she wanted except the one thing she really wanted. Rhett himself.

When Scarlett had gone into Atlanta the July after Rhett's death, she had gone to visit Melanie. Melanie saw the sorrow in her sister's eyes. She was doing a good job of pretending to be happy, but Melanie knew her too well to be fool.

Melanie said, "What has happened?"

Scarlett said, "Rhett is dead. He died of cholera last month."

"Oh no. I'm so sorry."

Melanie had held her friend while she cried. Finally, Scarlett had dried her tears and said, "He left me his fortune. I have lots of money now. Let me pay for Beau's college when the time comes."

"I'll talk to Ashley about it."

"Thanks, my dear sweet sister."

The next day Mr. Burns, the buggy maker, delivered a brand-new buggy and horse to the Wilkes residence. Mr. Burns claimed he didn't know who had bought the buggy for Mrs. Wilkes. She didn't need confirmation Melanie knew who had bought it for her. Ashley knew also but they both pretended that they didn't. Melanie kept the gift. She had needed a new buggy for years. Periodically Melanie would receive gifts of clothes for Beau and herself.

Scarlett still visited with Melly every quarter. They would gossip and make unkind comments. Melanie was one of the few people who could get Scarlett to truly laugh. Melanie knew that Rhett Butler's death had stolen a lot of Scarlett's joy of living. Melanie knew that Scarlett had still been hoping Captain Butler would come back to her despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Scarlett never brought her children to Atlanta. Most people in proper society didn't even know she had four children. She rarely went to Atlanta except once every quarter to see Uncle Henry then Nate Brown when Uncle Henry said he was retiring. She just wanted to be at Tara and with her children.

Melanie and Beau would come down and spend the week with them. When Scarlett found out that India had married Jim Hicks and then had moved to Athens, she threw a barbecue to celebrate. She didn't tell any of the county folks why they really celebrating. She told the county folks that she had suddenly just felt the urge to celebrate.

In eighty, Wade went to the University of Georgia. He didn't want to be a lawyer. He wanted to be a planter. He wanted to live at Tara the rest of his life.

In eighty-two Ella married Joe Fontaine, Alex's son. Joe had been courting Ella forever and had been impatiently waiting for Scarlett to give her permission for them to marry. They were happy together. Scarlett had built the couple a house, so Ella didn't have to live with her in-laws. It wasn't a fancy house but a plain, pretty, little house that Ella decorated in a sweet and simple style. A year later Ella had made Scarlett a grandmother with a boy whom she named Francis Joseph. Scarlett was glad. Frank Kennedy deserved the honor.

In eighty-three both Mammy and Suellen passed away. They had contracted a fever that was going around. Scarlett missed both of them so much. She didn't know who she missed more. In the end Suellen had become her close friend.

When she ordered Mammy and Suellen's head stones she finally ordered one for Rhett also. She thought it had been long enough that most people had forgotten about the infamous Rhett Butler.

Scarlett and Will had gotten married so people wouldn't talk but they had never consummated their marriage. Scarlett continued living in her wing of the house with her children.

One by one the Benteen girls got married. They made good matches. The two older girls married men who lived in Atlanta and the youngster married a man who lived in the county.

After Wade graduated in eighty-four, he married a young lady, Jennifer White, from the county. He had been courting her forever. Will had turned the running of Tara over to him. Will guided him but for the most part stayed out of things.

Will passed away in eighty-six after his youngest daughter got married. Scarlett buried Will next to Suellen. Scarlett believed that they truly had come to love each other. She hoped so. Will was such a better man than Frank. Scarlett bought the Benteen girls share of Tara. She had bought Carreen's years ago.

Vicky and Gerry knew they had been genuinely loved all their lives. When they were younger, their mother told them that their father was dead when they would ask about him. That made sense to the children because Wade and Ella's fathers were dead. Later when they asked how he died she said from cholera while he was visiting his mother. As they got older, she told them that she and their father had gotten married in London, but they hadn't suited so they decided to go their separate ways. They had tried to reunite which resulted in Gerry, but they really hadn't suited each other so they chose to live separate lives. She had loved their father and he had loved her, but they just couldn't live with each other.

As they got older Vicky and Gerry had known their mother was lying about their parents being married. They never ask their mother the obvious questions. If their parents had been married why was their last name O'Hara and not Butler. If their parents were legally married, why had she made up the rape stories.

They knew that Rhett Butler was their father and their mother had loved him beyond measure. She told them wonderful stories about him. She showed them pictures of the two of them. She had a picture of their father, her, Wade and Ella that she kept on her nightside table.

She told them all about him being a blockade runner, about him bidding one hundred and fifty dollars just to dance with her, about their good times together. She told them they should be proud of their father for he was a wonderful man.

They knew their father was a horrible man for running out on their mother, but they would never say so to their mother. She wanted to continue believing the fairy tale and they would let her. It was not a hardship on them.

When Gerry was sixteen, he and Vicky had asked Wade what the truth was about their father. Wade said, "I don't know all the details, but I do know that our mother loved Rhett Butler very much. Enough to live with him without marriage. Our mother bore the shame and the unkind comments about her for y'all. Our mother chose to live her entire life at Tara to protect her children, all of her children, from the ridicule and the disgrace. Although she has never been ashamed of y'all," Wade had smiled and said, "I know he was the love of our mother's life, but I think he ran away from his own happiness. When she found out he was dead, I thought she was going to fall apart but with an inner strength she pulled herself together probably for our sakes. Our mother may be down, but she will never break. She continued striving and trying to live the best life she could."

Vicky said, "What was he like?"

"I asked Aunt Melly about him once. Aunt Melly got a sad look on her face and said, 'He was a charming, handsome, arrogant, rich man who reveled in being disowned. He was expelled from West Point, disowned for refusing to marry a girl he had compromised, made a huge fortune on betting against the South, joined the army at the eleventh hour, made money on the rebuilding of the South while courting your mother the entire time she was married to Ella's father. When he could finally marry your mother, he left Atlanta and never returned.'

Gerry and Vicky said, "Wow!"

"Of course, we know they were in London together."

Vicky asked, "What was that year like?"

"I was only five at the time, but I do remember them being happy. My strongest memory of that year was of your father laughing. I remember it as being a loud booming laugh. I remember it making me happy and I wanted to laugh when I heard it. I remember our mother laughing all the time."

Gerry said, "It really makes you wonder why they didn't stay together."

"I think Mama wanted him to do something and your father refused to do it."

Vicky said, "Like get married."

"No. I actually think our mother would not marry him until he did this something. As strange as this sounds, I don't think he would tell our mother he loved her. In one of her weak moments she had said, 'Why wouldn't he just tell me he loved me?"

Vicky said, "Do you think that is why she is always telling us she loves us?"

"Yes."

Gerry said, "I guess we will never know for we know our mother will never tell us."

In eighty-seven Vicky went to Wesleyan College. Scarlett had sent Vicky to college because it would have been what Rhett wanted. After a year she told her mother she was not going back. At nineteen she took over the running of the gins then they bought a textile mill. She would go into Atlanta and stay with her Aunt Melly. She would attend social functions with her Aunt and Uncle.

Fanny Welburn had married a Yankee named Tom Bradley. So, she was more forgiving of someone not being completely proper. Vicky met Fanny's son Louis Welburn and they were attracted to each other immediately. Louis was a wonderful man who still remembered going to bed hungry after his father had foolishly got himself killed in a clan raid. His mother had tried to make it seem noble, but Louis had never thought there was anything noble about getting killed for honor. If his father had been honorable, he would have kept himself alive instead of leaving behind a wife and child to starve.

Louis was blown away by Vicky. By her beauty, her intelligence and her business acumen. So much so that he had no problem riding to Tara frequently to call on her. When he proposed to Vicky, she said yes, the first time.

Scarlett didn't care who her daughter married as long as the man loved her daughter. Nonetheless it had made Scarlett happy that Louis would inherit all of Tom Bradley's fortune. Strangely Tom and Fanny had never had any children.

Scarlett ran the textile mill until Gerry turned eighteen. Scarlett wanted Gerry to go to college, but he had refused. She had dealt with that stubbornness most of her adult life. So, she let Gerry join Vicky in running the business. Gerry expanded the business into shipping and other commerce. Gerry married Mrs. Merriwether's granddaughter, Bridget. At the wedding Scarlett was sure Mrs. Merriwether was turning over in her grave. Rene and Maybelle had been struggling since the end of the war. They were happy that their daughter was marrying an incredibly rich man. Happy enough that they didn't look too closely at his background.

Gerry invested money in the bakery then he reorganized it. He brought in much needed new equipment. He slashed items from the menu that were not profitable even customer favorites. He made it much more lucrative. Soon they had two more locations at which the other Picard children worked at.

Vicky Bradley and Gerry O'Hara were their father's children they had the Midas touch as far as making money. In a South that had been poor for an exceptionally long time that really was all that mattered. They were received into the finest homes in Atlanta. Scarlett had provided enough cover with her lies about the rapes. Twenty years later no one cared what the truth was. In truth all that anyone cared about was that they were rich.

It was amazing to Scarlett that no one cared about her or Rhett Butler. It made her smile when she thought how scandalous she and Rhett had supposedly been and now they weren't even worth mentioning.

It made Scarlett so happy when all her children and their families were at Tara for the weekend. Her children would laugh and tease each other. They would be constantly touching each other. Sometimes squabbles would break out among the grandchildren but that was to be expected. There were some strong personalities in this group.

Scarlett wasn't involved in the day to day running of Tara. She signed Tara over to Wade. He had some innovative ideas he wanted to implement. It was his. He could do what he wanted. He was making Tara profitable. He was so happy being at Tara. At times he reminded her of her father. That always made her smile because in her first lifetime she had thought he was just like Charles Hamilton. That wasn't right. He had just looked like Charles Hamilton. Now he was almost 100% her son.

In ninety-five when Scarlett turned fifty, she turned all her other business interest over to Vicky and Gerry and lived on a generous allowance.

Scarlett lived at Tara these days in her wing. She took long walks and remembered her wonderful childhood. She remembered playing with her sisters. She remembered her parents. She remembered Mammy. She remembered all her beaus most of who didn't come home from the war. She remembered the war years and the foolish girl she was for pining over a dream when a real man was right in front of her. In the daytime she could keep her thoughts away from Rhett.

Melanie passed away in ninety-seven. Melanie had never been a healthy woman, but she lived for another twenty-four years in this lifetime. Melanie had lived long enough to see her son marry and see her grandchildren. Beau had married his second cousin, Annabeth Burns. Beau had taken over the managing of the store after he had graduated from the University of Georgia and he had opened up two more locations.

The last time Scarlett saw Ashley was a Melanie's funeral. Ashley only lasted a couple of more months after Melanie. He had given up the will to live after her death.

At Ashley's funeral Scarlett had smiled to herself. Ashley had been so right that day so long ago. They truly were too different to ever be happy together. When Rhett had died, she had wanted to give up, but she couldn't. No, she could never give up. She still tried to make the most of everyday.

Mr. Jackson had lived at Tara for almost twenty years. He was a friend to Will and Scarlett and an admirer of Suellen. He had taught all of Scarlett's children and all three of the Benteen girls. He really was a great teacher. After Scarlett no longer needed his services, he set up a local school and married Hetty Tarleton. Hetty was way passed her prime, but she and Mr. Jackson seemed happy enough. He had saved up a considerable amount of money for Mrs. Butler paid him very well and had paid all his living expenses.

Scarlett knew this was a better life than what she had before. All her children lived. Her beloved sister-in-law lived. Her friend Ashley came back from melancholia and despair. She had been content. Sadly, she had lost Rhett in both timelines.

She had the wonderful memories of hers and Rhett's year together in London. Scarlett had lots and lots of pictures of her and Rhett that were taken in London, Dublin, Paris and Italy. London had been like New Orleans except better because she had known she loved him, and she had believed he loved her. She had to believe he just couldn't tell her. Their time together had lasted for a year and there had been no ugly name calling. She had no regrets. She decided maybe it was the best that they could ever have gotten. She had always thought it strange that she had lost him at the same time in both timelines.

After their year in London Scarlett would have married Rhett if he had ever asked her but he never did. When she had left him in London, she had known she would never see him again. She had been lucky he had been in Atlanta in April of eighteen seventy-one. Or maybe luck had nothing to do with it, but it had been fate. Fate giving her back her two children.

She would never understand Rhett. She was not that insightful, but she did know that when Rhett experienced emotional stress – Rhett ran away. She would often ask Rhett why he couldn't tell her he loved her, but he never answered. She wished he could tell her. At least she had gotten her passel of brats.

As she grew older one thing, she knew was that Rhett had really loved her. She had to believe that he had really loved her. That she had not just been a challenge to him. Maybe she had been in the beginning but not in the end. Not in this timeline maybe in the last one but not this one. She knew for no other reason than he left her his entire fortune. One last gift. The man did like to give gifts. She often pondered the question: Was there a greater significance to his gift giving that she was not aware of?

After many years she decided that Rhett had really loved her but for whatever reason he no longer had the capacity to trust. That year in London had been the happiest of her entire life. She believed it had been the happiest of Rhett's life too. She was grateful for that year. It was more than she had before. She often wondered why she had been given a second chance if it wasn't to fix the mistakes she had made with Rhett. She had saved Melanie, Vicky and Gerry and she was grateful, she really was, but damn it all she wanted to save her and Rhett too. She finally decided that Rhett had refused to tell her he loved her because by telling her he loved her he would appear weak in front of her. Rhett could never let himself appear weak.

She had her children and grandchildren. She had Melly for many more years. She had a better Ashley and he had been happy in his later life. She had been able to spend most of her life at Tara. She had her friends in the county. She had all her memories of hers and Rhett's time together. It comforted her and distressed her that Rhett had called for her in his final moments. It also distressed her that he had been alone when he had died.

Late at night, far too often she would search her mind for an answer to what could she have done differently. What could she have done to make Rhett be willing to trust her? What could she have done to make him come back to her? On nights like that when she couldn't sleep, she would take her bottle of brandy and two glasses and go sit with Rhett.

One night in December of eighteen ninety-nine, as she was sitting there, she saw Rhett dressed in a fine black suit. He looked as handsome as he had when they had been in London. She didn't know where he had come from but suddenly, he was there. His hand was extended, and he said, "It's time for you to come home with me, my love. The man with the long white beard has finally given me permission to escort you home."

"Rhett, I love you."

"I have always loved you from the first moment I saw you. I will always love you, my love. We will spend eternity together. Come on."

Scarlett put her hand in his and although it had an ethereal look to it, she had never felt so safe since she had left him in London.

The next morning, Wade found his mother's body lying next to Rhett Butler's grave. He knew without checking that his mother was dead. She had probably frozen to death. Wade and his siblings would grieve her death, but he knew she was where she had always wanted to be with her true love.

Wade and his siblings buried their mother in the spot next to Rhett Butler. They all knew she had made up that story about her and Rhett Butler being married in London. Even though she had never used the name in life, they all had agreed the name on her tombstone would be Scarlett O'Hara Butler.