Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

This story is dedicated to pmk Kelly. One of my most faithful fans. She never fails to leave a review on each and every chapter. She wanted me to write a story when Rhett doesn't leave Scarlett at Rough and Ready. This is that story.

Chapter One

Prologue August 1864

Scarlett was desperate. She must get Rhett to take her all the way to Tara. She won't make it if she is left alone in a battlefield. Wait! What did he say? Something about loving her. About him having waited for her longer than he had waited for any other woman. He was saying something about giving him a precious memory to take into battle.

Yes, she knew how she would get him to take her all the way. She would go all the way with him. She said, "Rhett, if you take me all the way to Tara, I will have relations with you."

"Oh, my dear, I will not be happy if you back out of this deal."

"I promise I will give you what you want."

"Then I guess I am taking you to Tara then I will join the Confederate Army."

"We will see."

Rhett smiled. If the relations were as good as he thought they would be, then no he would not be pursuing that lost cause.

Scarlett had absolutely no intention of fulfilling her part of the bargain but there would be nothing Rhett could do about it once they were at Tara.

January 1, 1866

It was a brand-new year, but Rhett was quite sure it was going to be the same hell as sixty-five. He laid next to Scarlett in their bed at Tara. It had become their bed once he had joined her there. He saw that Wade had joined them in the bed. That no longer phased Rhett. He knew that Wade did it because he would get scared in the night. Which was understandable after everything Wade had seen in his short life.

Rhett smiled as he thought about that night when Scarlett's mammy had looked at him with that piercing stare. That stare that said she knew the truth about him and Scarlett. That woman had made all his proper breeding rise to the surface.

No, it had not been a one-time thing but a lifetime commitment. Rhett had done what was right and proper. He smiled. He wondered if he would have married Edith Pierce if his mammy had still been alive. His mammy had been one of the few people who could make him feel guilty. He probably would have married Edith because he would not want his mammy to think less of him. All of Charleston society fine but not his mammy.

That night he had the greatest sexual experience of his life, and he knew hers too. Of course, she had only two sexual experiences so him being the best wasn't a very high mountain to scale.

Rhett thought about the last almost eighteen months. The hell they had been through. They had struggled through it together. There had been so many lows and so few highs. Them plowing the fields when he had gotten into the horse's harness to pull the plow with her guiding it. Them lying down to rest for just a minute that night and falling asleep. Wade's anxious face the next morning had been a low. Rhett was sorry they had worried the little boy so much. Scarlett had wanted to shoo the boy away, but Rhett had given her a look that made her smile at the boy and hug him instead. Wade hugging Rhett had been a high.

Shortly after that Wade had started calling Rhett Daddy. That had definitely been a high. Scarlett looking so pleased had been another high. Even Miss Melly had looked pleased which was a high for Rhett. He didn't think Scarlett had even noticed that Miss Melly was pleased.

After the night they had slept out in the field, Scarlett with Rhett's encouragement had started keeping Wade closer to her. When the nights had turned colder, Wade had started getting in bed with them in the middle of the night. Rhett decided that the boy was probably cold. They didn't have very many blankets that weren't thread bare. When it turned much colder, Rhett started making Scarlett go get the boy after they had finished making love. When it turned warmer, Rhett left the boy in his own room. Occasionally, he would wake up with the boy in his bed, but he decided it was just part of parenthood.

The night Scarlett had picked buckshot out of Pork's bottom with Rhett holding the lamp. Despite the fact that Rhett knew that Pork was in a lot of pain and mortified that Miss Scarlett was seeing his naked behind, the servant had laid there quietly the entire time.

One of the highs was seeing Pork's repaired pants. Dilcey had sewn up all the holes, but the thread had not matched so it looked like Pork had a pair of polka dotted pants. It had made Rhett smile every time he had seen the pants. Fortunately, Pork was always walking away while Rhett had been smiling.

Pork going back out into the night the next week to steal them some more food had been a high.

Every conversation Rhett or Scarlett had with his father-in-law was a low. Rhett remembered the feisty man that he had played poker with after he and Scarlett had danced together. Seeing the shell of that man always made Rhett sad. It always hurt Scarlett to see her father that way. Rhett tried to do most of the interacting with Gerald especially when the old man was bent on lecturing Scarlett about something. It was one of the few burdens he could take off her back.

Scarlett killing the deserter had been a high for Rhett, but it had been a high and a low for Scarlett. She had felt shame and triumph all in the same moment. Rhett had come to the house anyway even though Miss Melly had told that very convincing lie about the gun going off accidently. He knew the gun would not have gone off accidently with Scarlett holding it.

Fortunately, he had called out Scarlett's name. She had quickly said, "Don't come in, Rhett, please."

It had been the word please that had made him pause. He had figured out later why he had to stop when he saw the sword and a nightgown wrapped around the deserter's face. He was glad he had paused. He would never want to see Miss Melly naked. He admired and respected the good woman, but he never ever wanted to see her naked. That was an image that would scar him.

Rhett and Scarlett had carried the body to the garden and buried him there after they had stripped the man of everything he had on his body except his underwear. Rhett knew he had gotten all Charleston snotty when he had drawn himself up and said, "My dear, I will never wear another man's underwear."

Scarlett had looked at him and she had giggled. Rhett knew she was laughing at him, but it had been so awfully long since he had heard her giggle that he had not minded very much. It was one of the few highs during those eighteen months. Outside their bed that is. There were lots of highs when they were in bed together.

Later that night she had cried because of her shame at having killed a man. He had said, "He came to take the last that we had, he would have robbed us, raped you and Miss Melly, and probably murdered both of you. You protected yourself and Miss Melly. We are just lucky you had gone back to the house to check on Miss Melly and the boys. If you had not been there, there is no telling what might have happened to Miss Melly. That is nothing to be ashamed of. If we are forty dollars richer so much the better. With what I had on me when we escaped Atlanta, we should be in good shape when the war is over. We also now have a horse so we can get the cotton to market whenever there finally is a market."

"How much did you have on you when we left Atlanta?"

"Almost a hundred dollars. I still have almost a hundred dollars. There is nowhere to spend my money but eventually people will start selling things again."

Scarlett had smiled and pulled his head down to meet hers. He knew what she wanted him to do. She wanted him to make her forget everything but him. He did just that.

Wade getting so sick was a definite low. He had been so sick that Rhett thought the boy was going to die. Rhett had put the boy in their bed because it was the only way he could get Scarlett to come to bed.

That is when Rhett realized that Scarlett loved the boy more than he had ever thought. She just wasn't a demonstrative woman. No, Scarlett would never say the right thing at the right moment, but she would always do the right thing at the right moment.

When Wade started to recover, Rhett had been almost as happy as Scarlett. It wasn't until Wade was completely well that Scarlett let the boy sleep in his own bed. That had been a long dry spell in their intimate relationship. Scarlett wouldn't do anything with the boy in the room. Rhett had pretended to be annoyed but he hadn't really minded.

Rhett thought back about what had brought all this about. That horrific night they had fled Atlanta. He was glad he had not left her at Rough and Ready. He was glad she made him an offer he could not refuse. Tara had not been a sanctuary. No, it had been nothing but a living hell.

As soon as they had arrived the blows had started. Even before they had walked into the house. When they pulled up to the house, the horse had collapsed and died. Rhett had said, "I guess he gave us all he had."

Scarlett had laughed but it was the laughter of someone who was on the brink of losing control. He had helped her down from the wagon. He had let her slide down his body, and she had blushed. She had mumbled, "Later."

"Indeed. Later tonight, my dear."

Rhett and Scarlett had left Prissy with Miss Melly, Wade, and Beau in the wagon. When they had walked through the front door, Rhett had felt the uneasiness. He had known she had felt it also for she had clung to him. A woman had come forth and Scarlett had run across the foyer. She had said, "Mammy!"

Scarlett had hugged the woman and the woman had hugged Scarlett back. Rhett had been getting increasingly uneasy as the minutes ticked by. Scarlett said, "Mammy, where is Mother? Would you call for Pork? I need him to carry Melanie upstairs. She isn't doing very well. She had a baby less than twelve hours ago. Mammy, you must fix her up. Prissy and I did the best we could but…."

"Of course, Child. We will put her in the guest bedroom."

"Where is Mother? Pa?"

That was when Scarlett turned towards the parlor and saw her mother laid out in death. Scarlett screamed. She ran back over to Rhett. He put his arms around her. He wrapped her up in his arms. He had murmured soothing words that he knew were doing no good. He said, "Rhett Butler. I'm Scarlett's husband."

Scarlett had not objected. In fact, she had whispered, "Yes."

At the questioning look Mammy gave the couple, Scarlett said, "We got married before we left Atlanta. We didn't have time to notify anyone."

"Yes, the day before yesterday."

"Mammy, will you get Pork to put Miss Melly in the guest bedroom and take care of her?" With Mammy's nod, Scarlett continued, "Where is Pa? Where are Suellen and Careen?"

Rhett had known by the way Scarlett had tightened her hand on his arm that she was bracing herself for another blow.

"Your sisters are still in their sick beds. They are on the road to recovery. They got typhoid fever also. Mr. Gerald is in his study. Luckily, he didn't get sick. He was able to stop the Yankees from burning down the house with his bluster and determination."

That sentence had made Scarlett smile. She said, "Pa will figure a way out of this mess. Mammy, we are going to go talk to Pa. Get Wade settled in the nursery."

"After Pork carries Miss Melly to the guest bedroom have him put the cow and the calf we found in the barn."

"Yes sir."

Mammy walked away to go find Pork. She would get Mrs. Wilkes settled in the guest bedroom with her baby and Wade settled in the nursery.