Pre-Note: If you are logged in, I respond to every comment, so if you have asked me a question, check your inbox. I had a question from a Guest however regarding the sequel Scarlett. This does carry on from Gone with the Wind, the only similarity is that she goes to Ireland, which she does in Scarlett. I don't plan any other similarities, but if they pop up, it's probably unintentional. I actually like Scarlett, but I read it as a fanfic, because who would ever truly know how MM would have proceeded?

Chapter Five:

~10 months prior~

Wade rushed through the door of their small home, haphazardly dropping his bag on the floor by the door. He went immediately to Scarlett, who was sitting in front of a fire, rocking the small baby in her arms. "How's he today, mother?"

Scarlett smiled up at her son. Wade was showing a lot more interest in the baby than he ever had in Ella or Bonnie, and she wondered if it was because he finally had a brother, or if it was something else entirely. "Fine, dear, he's cutting another tooth, apparently. That's why he was fussy all night."

Baby Boy was a good baby. At times, Scarlett struggled to remember what Wade and Ella were like when they were babies. She'd been so disinterested in the idea of motherhood, and so consumed with everything else that seemed more important- Tara, money, the Mill, the Store… Ashley…

She rarely thought about Ashley anymore, and when she did, she felt more guilt than anything else. Her banker in Atlanta had instructions to deposit money into a fund for Beau every month, and she hoped that his father had actually used it. Before she'd left, she'd visited Ashley one last time. He was miserable of course, unable to fully live in a world that didn't have Melanie in it. India had moved in with him, so at least someone was taking care of Beau. He'd turned down her money at first, but Scarlett had told him it wasn't his choice to make. She'd made a promise to Melanie, and she intended to keep it. He hadn't liked the idea of taking money from her, but he didn't argue any further.

Scarlett spent almost the entirety of her day with Baby B, and when Ella and Wade weren't at school or at their neighbor's home, she found herself oddly content to sit around the house with them. Wade was excellent in his studies, smart and well ahead of the other boys his age. He was still a calm child, he spoke quietly, and seemed to feel others emotions deeply. He worried when others worried, and cried when they cried. Scarlet had told him several times that he would have to be tougher- that men rarely cried and other boys might pick on him. Since then, he tried less to make his feelings obvious to anyone other than his family.

Although Scarlett had to admit that she'd warmed to him over the last year. He tried to take care of her as best as he could, even though in a lot of ways he was still a child himself. He never lost his temper with Ella, even though she could be challenging, and he was constantly in awe of the new member of their family. When he'd speak, sometimes Scarlett felt that Melanie was speaking through him. It made sense, she supposed, for most of his life he spent the majority of his time with his Aunt. Melly had the love and the time that Scarlett neither had, nor could afford. She was trying to be better though, and she felt that Wade understood that.

Ella, was an entirely different matter. Their relationship had grown and changed as well. She no longer thought that Ella was a dim-witted child. While she didn't show the same interest in learning as her older brother, she was competent for her age. Still, she very much lived in her imagination, and although they had gotten closer, she was happier to play quietly in the same room as Scarlett, rather than engage with her. Ella had not initially welcomed Baby B. Eventually, she'd grown to love him and dote on him, but Scarlett couldn't help but wonder if the constant attention that Bonnie had gotten had diminished her excitement for another sibling.

Scarlett found it hard to leave Baby B, which had sent her into a whirlwind of emotions when she'd realized. She felt guilty about the time lost with her children, and while she might attempt to make up for it with Wade and Ella, there was no way to do that now with Bonnie. She'd loved them all, and admittedly had loved Bonnie more than the others, but it was different with B. She missed the mill, and the store, but slowly she was learning to find achievements elsewhere.

For the first time since becoming a mother, a child wanted her above anyone else. Her neighbor, Mrs. Roberts, who had eleven children of her own, and who had three daughters who had taken to Ella almost immediately, was probably a close second to Scarlett when it came to Baby Boy's preferences. He'd squawk when anyone other than Scarlett held him. She was overjoyed at this, if sometimes mildly inconvenienced.

In the last month he'd gotten to where he would sleep in Wade's arms, which allowed Wade to feel useful, and Scarlett's arm a momentary break. He was a stout baby with plump cheeks and thick legs. He was definitely fatter than Scarlett's other children had been, although in Wade's defense, everyone was near starving when he was the same age. He ate with a vivacity that amused Scarlett, and reminded her a little of herself. It had been something that Rhett had teased her about, but had commended her on in private.

Rhett was another matter entirely. She still had not fully come to terms with her feelings about him, and the marriage, or the fragments of their marriage that still remained. Scarlett thought about him every day, but it changed by the week if she was thinking of him with fondness, anger, or regret. Despite her new-found friends, Scarlett found herself missing him, especially late at night when the house was silent, and all the children were asleep. What she wouldn't give for one of his stories- it was those times that she missed him.

Other days, people in the village would ask about her husband- "How did he pass? How long were you married?" Or comment about what they saw as the greatest tragedy of her life- "You poor dear, widowed so young, however will you go on? What's a woman to do without a man at her side?" When that happened… that was when the anger seeped through her. She had no idea where Rhett was, although before they'd come to Ireland she'd heard he was in Charleston with his family. She imagined him visiting Belle, and traveling to all the places he'd told her they would one day travel, and she could almost hate him. Almost.

"Wade, will you sit down for a moment and hold him for me?" She only allowed Wade to hold him when he was sitting, and Ella wasn't allowed to hold the baby at all, only sit by him and talk to him. Scarlett felt a surge of protectiveness that she hadn't felt before. She would allow nothing to happen to any of her children, ever again.

Post Note: -This might have seemed like Scarlett grew up and suddenly became a perfect mother, which is definitely not the case. Even being away from Rhett for almost two years wouldn't make that happen without some bumps in the road. Still, as I told one of you in a PM, I have always held Rhett slightly more to blame. He had almost two decades on her. I feel like he expected her to be a mature person when she was still so young. I got married at 20 and thought I was soooo mature, and now I'm 30 and am like, holy crap. I was an infant when I got married. Anyways, hope you enjoyed. I'm off tonight and tomorrow night, so there will more than likely be more. 3 -Phantom