Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Five

Scarlett had been right. Within the week Bonnie no longer needed a diaper. Every time Scarlett had needed to go to the privy, she had asked Bonnie to go with her. Scarlett hadn't asked Bonnie if she needed to go to the privy, she had just taken Bonnie with her. Scarlett had sat Bonnie on the seat and told her to go pee and every time Bonnie had peed in the privy Scarlett told her, "You are such a big girl." Scarlett put Bonnie in the nursery and told her, "Big girls don't sleep with their parents. They sleep with other big girls." When they ate their meals, Scarlett had put Bonnie in her own chair with a pillow and said, "Big girls sit in their own chairs, and you are a big girl." Bonnie wanted to be a big girl like all the other girls. Therefore, she was acting like a big girl.

Scarlett had grown up since Ashley's party and Rhett's abandonment. She finally wanted to be a good mother. She had a lot more patience with her children because finally she was thinking of them as her children. Scarlett hadn't been a good mother in the past because she had been too young, too busy supporting everyone, too busy having fun, and too unhappy with her life to be a good mother. Nonetheless, she had learned a few things about being a good mother over the years from Melly and Mammy.

When Rhett and Bonnie had returned to Atlanta for Ella's birthday, he had never thought Scarlett wouldn't be there. She had always been there for him to come back to.

He had been in shock when they had taken a cab to the mansion, and he had found out that someone else was living there. Luckily, he had left their trunks at the depot. He had immediately gone to see Mrs. Wilkes. When she opened the door, she had smiled and said, "Welcome back to Atlanta."

Although there was nothing but graciousness in Mrs. Wilkes's mannerisms Rhett felt the censure of his actions none the less. He said, "Mrs. Wilkes could you watch Bonnie for the afternoon? I need to go see Henry Hamilton. It seems Scarlett has sold the mansion."

"Yes, she sold the mansion, the store and the mills. Ashley sold his part of the mills also. He is now a reporter for the Daily Democrat."

"Do you know where she is?"

"Of course, Captain Butler. You know where she is also. She is at Tara."

Rhett sighed a sigh of relief. She hadn't run away from him. She had just run away from Atlanta. He wondered why. Probably because of the condemnation she had been receiving from the matrons. He said, "I need to go see Mr. Hamilton and another of my business partners. I should be back in no more than two hours."

"Take your time. Beau will enjoy the company."

Rhett had gone to see Henry. Rhett said, "What has my wife been up to in the last six months?"

"She is at Tara."

"That I know."

"She sold all her holdings in Atlanta including the mansion."

"What did she do with the money?"

"Most of it I don't know she took it with her. The money from the sell of the mansion she put in Wade and Ella's trust fund."

"I hope she's not hiding it in the house again."

"Me too."

"Thank you. Goodbye."

As Scarlett's husband Rhett Butler could know everything about her finances but Henry had always chosen to not volunteer any information to the man. He didn't tell Butler that Scarlett had made him the trustee over Wade and Ella's trust fund. He still didn't trust him. The matrons may have forgiven him his activities in the past but to Henry he would always be a Scallawag who stole the Confederate gold. He was also a blatant user of whores. Maybe Scarlett wasn't the most proper woman, but it was over the top even for Captain Butler to shame her that way.

Rhett had walked to The Painted Lady. When he walked in Belle had been at the bar. She greeted him with a smile. She said, "Welcome back stranger. I wondered if you were ever going to return."

Since it was too close to his own thoughts Rhett just laughed and said, "Of course, Belle, you know I will always return to you."

Belle had smiled but she knew that Rhett was not returning to her. He had returned to that cold-hearted bitch that was his wife. She had known for a long time that Rhett had no deep feelings for her.

"I hear your wife is living at Tara now. That's the only thing that cracker her sister is married to will tell anyone. She left the first week in August and she has been there ever since. She sold everything she owned in Atlanta and left. I guess the censure from the matrons was getting to her. Despite Mrs. Wilkes making everyone receive her they were still just barely being polite."

They talked about other gossip going around. Rhett had several whiskeys. He spoke to several men. He didn't feel like they were looking at him with pity so maybe Scarlett leaving town was what she had needed to do to quiet the gossip especially with him being gone. Finally, Rhett said, "Let me collect my profits. I need to go get Bonnie from Mrs. Wilkes before she destroys Mrs. Wilkes's home."

As Rhett boarded the train to New York he thought about his time with Bonnie since he had dropped Prissy off at the train station in Atlanta. It had been awful. He had thought the first three months had been bad, but they had not been as horrible as the last two months. The only thing that had calmed Bonnie down was that they would see her mother at Ella's birthday. There had been moments when Bonnie was excited about their travels and their adventures but every night she would cry for her mother. He had cancelled several business meetings because he couldn't take Bonnie with him to these meetings, and he had no one to leave her with. His investments were in chaos thus he had to get his investments lined out in these next two months.

Rhett had let Scarlett have Bonnie because he could not control his daughter. He was going to London, but it was not as urgent as he had told Scarlett. He had just had to get away from his daughter. In the past he had always thought Bonnie was so cute no matter what she did. He had liked the fact she had spirit and was demanding what she wanted. He had been happy to give her whatever she wanted. Rhett who had felt very little shame his entire life had been embarrassed and ashamed when Bonnie had thrown that huge temper tantrum at the train station. There had been nothing cute or adorable about that scene. He had been embarrassed that his daughter was behaving so badly, and he had been ashamed because he was the reason his daughter was behaving so badly. He had spoilt his daughter and she was uncontrollable, and he was to blame. Nonetheless he had dumped the whole mess on Scarlett and Mammy. Although he had noticed that Bonnie obeyed Mammy when she had told Bonnie to do something.

He remembered when he had walked into the nursery and saw Bonnie lying limply on the floor. He knew why Bonnie was lying on the floor because Rhett could see she had a different dress on. He started to tell Mammy how to fix the problem when Mammy put her finger to her lips. Mammy let her lay there. Bonnie laid on the floor for about five minutes with everyone ignoring her. When Mammy finally let Ella talk to Bonnie, Ella said, "Come play dolls with me." Bonnie got up and started playing with Ella. Rhett decided he had done two smart things in that moment. Not let Bonnie know he was there, and he had not overruled Mammy.

Rhett hoped Scarlett was alright. He should have gone to Tara to check on her health. He had missed Scarlett so very much, yet he could not bring himself to go to Tara. He would look weak if he went to her.

Once Mammy had arrived from Tara, he had gone out several times in the last two weeks. When someone would ask him where he had been he said, "Traveling for business."

Most people would ask him, "Is Mrs. Butler traveling

with you?"

"Yes, when we got back, she went immediately to her family plantation to check on it. She should return to Atlanta next week."

"Why did y'all sell the mansion?"

"We plan to travel a lot more now."

"I guess that is why she sold her businesses also."

"Yes. She has finally agreed to let me take her to Europe."

"That will be a nice trip."

"Yes, it will."

That is the story he told over and over again. He knew now that Bonnie was extremely attached to her mother and that he was going to have to make it work with Scarlett. As much as he wanted to cut Scarlett out of Bonnie's life it wasn't going to happen. Bonnie was not going to let him permanently separate her from her mother. The truth was she was not going to let him temporarily separate her from her mother.

By the first of December Scarlett and her children had developed a different relationship. Wade was no longer Charlie's son but also her son. He loved the land as much as she did. Scarlett saw Ella's gentleness and kindness. She saw that everyone loved the child. Maybe she wasn't very smart, but she didn't need to be. Everyone loved her. She had always seen herself in Bonnie, but she saw Rhett in her too. She saw Rhett's good traits. His determination, his charm and his intelligence. She rubbed her baby bump and wondered what the new baby would be like.

The first few nights Bonnie had woken up from a nightmare but instead of calling for Daddy she had been calling for Mama. That was when Scarlett knew why Rhett had let Bonnie come to Tara. Bonnie was out of control. All she had wanted was her mother and Rhett couldn't give her that. So instead of Rhett coming to Tara to work things out between them Rhett had abandon Bonnie also. In the wee hours of the morning as Scarlett rocked Bonnie back to sleep, she wondered if she would ever see her husband again.

She had also developed a different relationship with her sister, Suellen. Scarlett no longer cared who was the cutest between the two of them. Scarlett knew that Suellen had got the better man between Frank and Will. Scarlett thought, 'She got the better man between Frank, Will, Ashley and Rhett.' She wasn't going to cry over spilt milk though.

Scarlett had Will pick up some books when he went into Atlanta to pick up supplies. When Will got back with the books, she set the morning aside for her to teach Wade. The truth was her son was teaching himself. She was just there to answer an occasional question. She started teaching Ella her sounds and surprising to Scarlett the child was picking up the sounds quickly and so was Bonnie. Scarlett smiled. Bonnie wanted to be just like her big sister. It would be good. Bonnie and Ella's favorite thing was for Scarlett to read them stories. She felt so loved. It had been a long while since she had felt so loved. No that wasn't right. She felt liked.

She hadn't felt liked, truly liked since that night in New Orleans when Rhett had stopped being her friend and had turned into her worst enemy. Before that she hadn't felt liked since she had gone to the finishing school. Men wanted her but they didn't know her or want to know her. They all had bought into that façade of the empty-headed belle and that was what they wanted her to be. Rhett had seen who she really was, and she had thought he liked her. She thought Rhett had been her friend, but he hadn't been. He had loved her, but he hadn't liked her either. Maybe he had spoken the truth when he had proposed. He had just wanted to possess her. She didn't know now. Rhett was too much of a mystery for her to ever figure out, so she wasn't going to try anymore.

She had thought Ashley had loved her, but he hadn't. She didn't think he even liked her. He had been attracted to her and had enjoyed her worshipping him. He didn't see the real her either any more than any of her beaus. Even today he saw her as the sweet, innocent, empty headed, sixteen-year-old belle. That made her sad. Not for herself but for Ashley.

Melanie liked her. It made her marvel at Melanie being her friend. Melly had always been her friend despite what other people said about her. Melly had always defended her to anyone and everyone. She felt shame for all she had ever done in return was wish her dead and covet her husband. In that moment Scarlett knew that Melanie had seen the real her. Well, maybe not the completely real her but close enough.

Her children, Mammy, and Melly were the only people who liked her. She had to stop thinking about it. She was driving herself crazy. And what did it matter she wasn't going back to Atlanta. She was going to live the rest of her life here at Tara. And with that she dismissed any other thoughts. She would write Melly and find out where Charles had gone to school before Harvard.