Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for making this journey with me. This is the last chapter.

Epilog

Scarlett wanted to get custody of Beau, but Rhett talked her out of it. He said, "Beau is all those three people have. Their only reason for living."

Scarlett sighed and said, "Alright."

"That doesn't mean we can't have him over all the time."

Scarlett paid for Beau to go to the same preparatory school that Wade attended.

After Melly's death Rhett and Scarlett talked about leaving Atlanta but decided to stay for a while. It was close to Tara. They were sort of received in Atlanta. Rhett was received and Scarlett was tolerated. All the children were invited to birthday parties. It was enough.

The few times Scarlett and Ashley had conversations she knew he was completely lost to the past. Not like Pa who was trapped in the past. Ashley wanted to return to the past, the days after he returned from his grand tour and before the war started to be exact. That was almost all he ever talked about anymore. Scarlett rarely talked to Ashley any longer. He just made her too sad.

In January of seventy-four Scarlett and Rhett finally conceived another child. It had taken them almost six months to conceive their next child. Rhett thought that was very funny.

When they were discussing names, Scarlett had said, "If it is a boy I would like to name him Gerald, but I can't because Suellen named her son Gerald."

Rhett said, "We are not going to be spending so much time with your sister that you shouldn't name our son what you want to name him."

"That's true, Rhett," She smiled at him and said, "Let's do it."

It was a boy. He was born in September. It made Scarlett happy. Now September would not be a month just of sadness but of joy also.

Rhett said, "Miss Melly would be pleased that he was born in this month."

"She always said the best days are the days babies are born."

They named their son Gerald Hamilton Butler as their way of honoring two special people. He looked mostly like Scarlett but there was no doubt who his father was. He had Rhett's brown eyes, his jaw line and his ears. By six months they knew they had another strong-willed child which is to be expected since they were both strong willed.

The next April they went out to supper to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They ran into Dr. and Mrs. Meade. While Dr. Meade spoke warmly to both Rhett and Scarlett, Mrs. Meade was only polite to Scarlett.

After the older couple left Rhett said, "That makes me so mad when women treat you like that. I was a much worse person than you, yet they have forgiven me. We are going to move away from these hypocrites."

Scarlett smiled at her husband and put her hand on his arm. She said, "No, my love, I still want to live close to Tara. You are received here. It doesn't matter where we move to, women will hate me, and men will love me. The Scallawag wives didn't like me either. I just threw wonderful parties. I would rather they not talk to me than smile at my face and talk badly about me behind my back. I'm happy that I have you, my children and my businesses. Maybe someday I will meet another woman who wants to be my friend but until then I am happy with what I have."

Rhett looked at her and said, "It isn't fair."

"No, it isn't but life isn't fair."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Let's dance."

Although the couple never tried to conceive another child, they ended up having two more daughters, Emma and Charlotte. Each time Scarlett found out she was with child she was not happy about it, but she wasn't going to stop being intimate with Rhett therefore she accepted it as a consequence of that action.

Wade went to Harvard and Harvard Law. He came back an took over Henry Hamilton's practice. Although there wasn't much of a practice to take over for Henry had by that time only a few clients still living, and he had not sought new clients. Henry passed away six months after he had turned his practice over to Wade. Within a year Wade had a thriving practice because he took anyone as a client. After all he was his mother's son.

After Thad's birth Rhett once again started acting like Ella and Wade's father. He knew he had neglected both Ella and Wade after Bonnie's birth. Although he never asked for Wade's forgiveness for treating his mother so badly, he worked awfully hard to mend his relationship with the boy. Rhett knew the way to mend his relationship with Wade was to treat his mother as the precious gift she was. Once Wade knew that Rhett valued his mother, he forgave him. Rhett guided both Wade and Beau through becoming men and becoming gentlemen.

Beau spent a lot of his time at the Butlers' home for it was a much happier place than his own home. His father never got over the death of his mother and withdrew more and more into himself. His Aunt India was a very bitter woman who hated his Aunt Scarlett over her stealing her suitor before the war. Beau thought that it was an exceptionally long time to hold onto a grudge. To Beau his Aunt PittyPat, was a ridiculous, foolish, old woman. Soon after Beau left to go to Harvard all three of those people passed away before he had finished his first year. Although Beau grieved the loss of his relatives, he had for a long time thought of his Aunt Scarlett and Uncle Rhett as his parents. They were the ones he discussed his problems with or gave him sage advice. Those other three people were lost in the past. Beau moved into the Butlers home. He went to Harvard Law. He returned to Atlanta and joined Wade in his law practice.

Both men married genuinely nice proper, respectable, young ladies that they weren't related to despite their numerous relatives who tried to get them to continue the tradition of marrying their cousins. Wade and Beau simply said, "Thank you, no."

Ella grew into her face and married Fanny's son Tommy when she turned sixteen. Scarlett turned the store over to Ella as a wedding present. Tommy would often complain to Scarlett about his Uncle Hugh. Scarlett would laugh and say, "He's your problem now."

Tommy would laugh and say, "Thanks for your concern."

Much to Rhett's displeasure Bonnie fell in love with Joe Fontaine when she was fourteen and nothing Rhett said would change her mind. Rhett refuse to admit what a great guy Joe was. Rhett didn't want his daughter married to a farmer. He refused to give his permission for her to marry. They visited Tara at least twice a year. Rhett had bought the McIntoshes' plantation. He bought it mainly for the house so when they visited the sisters didn't have to stay together. Will and his son Gerry worked the land as well as the Tara land. Every time Joe came into Atlanta to get the supplies, he called on Bonnie. They exchanged letters. One night when Bonnie was sixteen while they were in Clayton County, Joe had come to call on Bonnie. They were sitting on the porch when Scarlett and Rhett heard loud voices. They heard Joe say, "No, Bonnie, we will not run away together. We will do it right. We will wait for your father to give his permission."

They then heard Bonnie say, "Go to Hades you coward."

They heard the door slam, and someone start to stomp up the stairs. They then heard the door open and close. They could hear Joe clearly now. He said, "I won't go to Hades, and I won't stop trying to win your father's approval, but I won't start our marriage under a cloud of bad behavior."

"Go away and never come back."

They heard Bonnie running up the stairs.

Scarlett looked at Rhett and he said, "Alright. If he can stand up to Bonnie in full fury, he is the man for her."

Rhett walked out in the foyer and said, "Joe, you have my permission to marry my daughter. Scarlett go up and tell her the good news. Joe, step into the parlor. I want you to know how much Scarlett and I love our daughter and how I expect her to be treated."

Later in their bed, Rhett said, "Do you think they staged all that for my benefit?"

Scarlett smiled into the darkness and said, "You know she did. She wasn't even crying when I got to her room. When I told her what you had said she had a triumphant look on her face. Isn't that something either one of us would do? The only question is, was Joe in on it. I don't think so because it wouldn't have been honorable to trick you."

"I sold my soul so my daughter could marry a farmer. A farmer."

Scarlett burst out laughing. Rhett soon joined her in that laughter.

Joe and Bonnie were married a year later.

Thad went to the University of Georgia. He refused to go back after his first year. Despite Scarlett wanting Rhett to make Thad go back. Rhett refused. Rhett told Scarlett, "Thad is our son, if he doesn't want to go back to Athens, he will find a way to not go back. I didn't want to go back to West Point, so I got myself expelled."

Thad came back to Atlanta and worked with his father managing his investments. Thad was a very eligible bachelor in Atlanta, and he reveled in that position. Scarlett knew he would marry one day when he met the right woman. Hopefully, it wouldn't take him eight years to get her to the altar.

Gerry refused to even go to the University of Georgia at all. He said, "I want to travel and see the world." Rhett sent him on his way. Scarlett was not happy, but she knew Gerry had a wanderlust. Gerry got that trait from Rhett. The only thing that kept Rhett in Atlanta was her. All Scarlett said was, "If he meets someone, falls in love and lives far away I will not be happy."

"I have stood up to your anger before and I will again."

Fortunately, Gerry didn't want to settle down. The women he associated with were not women he would ever marry. For the next several years he unknowingly followed in his father's footsteps. He spent his time in sporting houses and barrooms. He must have made money somehow. Although he wrote his mother once a month, he never asked his parents for money. He came home every year but never stayed more than a month. As Gerry said, "There are too many exciting things to do in the world that I can't stay here in Atlanta, Georgia."

Scarlett would sigh and say, "Write me at least once a month so I know you are alive."

"I always do, Mother."

When Rhett would watch Gerry leave, he was always a little envious of the adventure that Gerry was about to experience. Yet Rhett would never leave the green-eyed vixen that still haunted his dreams.

Emma was a beautiful girl. She looked a lot like her father but with her mother's green eyes. She and Thad looked a lot alike. Emma refused to play nice with society. Like her father she didn't suffer fools easily. She did want to go to college and Rhett was happy to send her to Wesleyan College. Scarlett was mortified that her daughter was a blue stocking and even more mortified because Emma had no problem letting everyone know how smart she was. The worst thing she did as far as Scarlett was concern was tell everyone she would be happy to be an old maid. Nonetheless Emma was a beautiful, rich young lady and had no shortage of gentleman callers. Scarlett was still hopeful she would make a good match.

Charlotte their youngest was the best behaved of all their children which wasn't saying much. Of all their children Charlotte didn't favor either her mother or her father. She was a wonderful combination of the two of them. Charlotte was smart and wanted to learn but she also wanted to be the belle of the ball. Scarlett would cringe as Charlotte joined into intellectual discussions with Rhett, Thad and Emma. Although Charlotte never played the empty-headed belle, she never showed off her intelligence like Emma did. Charlotte ended up marrying Sam Bradford. Sam was a doctor and Charlotte worked with him in the clinic. The patients call Sam Dr. Sam and Charlotte Dr. Charlotte which Rhett thought was great while Scarlett was not as pleased.

In ninety-nine Scarlett had finally agreed to go to Australia with Rhett. Rhett knew that the primary reason she was going was because Gerry had sent them a letter saying he had temporarily settled down in Sydney. The other reason was that while Rhett was still in good health, he was in his seventies now. This may be their last chance to take a trip that extensive together. They were going to San Francisco and Hawaii along the way.

When they got to San Francisco, they checked into the finest hotel in the city. That night after dinner Rhett took Scarlett dancing. They had a glass of champagne and Rhett said, "I love you. I always have."

"I love you too." She smiled and said, "Let's dance Mr. Butler."

"Yes, let's Mrs. Butler."

As they got on the dance floor, it was as wonderful as it was the first time, they had danced together at the hospital bazaar.