Scarlett smiled at Eleanor's offer to put Cat to bed. How was it that she
knew just what Scarlett wanted?
"That would be lovely, Miss Eleanor." Scarlett said, glancing over at Rhett who was sitting, smoking a cigar, in an armchair. When Cat and Eleanor had left, Scarlett boldly walked over to Rhett and curled up in his lap.
"You're lap looked very inviting." She said with a wicked smile as he looked down at her in surprise.
"Aah, I'm finding out how very unladylike my wife is." Rhett said.
"Your wife." Scarlett whispered. "I'll never get tired of you calling me your wife. And as to me being unladylike, well you said once that ladies never held much charm for you."
"Did I? When did I say that?"
"The day we first met, at Twelve Oaks. We were in the library, I believe I had broken something." Scarlett smiled.
"Right, right. That was the day I fell in love with you, did I ever tell you that?"
"Was it really?" Scarlett asked with interest.
"Yes the first time I ever saw you, on the stairs."
"But you couldn't have loved me, you'd never even met me!"
"Well at first it was more…. love of the body, you could say." Scarlett blushed slightly at Rhett's candid words. "But the first time that I ever really knew that I had fallen hopelessly in love with you was when I first touched your hand. It was like…. coming home, only to no home I'd ever known. That was when I knew that I would always love you; try as I might not to." Scarlett's eyes misted over and she sweetly kissed Rhett.
"Do you want to know when I first knew that I loved you?" she asked quietly.
"I'd be delighted to know, Mrs. Butler."
"You know that dream that I used to have, the one with the fog?"
"How could I forget?"
"Well on the night that- that Melly died it was quite foggy outside. I was looking for you; I needed you to comfort me. I figured that you had gone home so I was running. And it was just like in the dream. I was running in the fog- to you. It was always you in my dream. You were the unknown haven, you were my protector. I started thinking about how you had always been there for me. That was when I knew that I loved you, Rhett. And, well- you know how the rest of that night went."
"So you finally figured it out." Rhett said thoughtfully. "You finally found out that it was me in your dream."
"You say that like you knew all along!" exclaimed Scarlett.
"Well I did." Rhett said offhandedly. "I always knew that you were running to me in your dream, but when the morning came you ran farther and farther away."
"I'm glad that's all over, Rhett. I'm so tired of running." Scarlett said softly.
"So am I, my pet." Rhett murmured. He leaned down and kissed her lovingly. When they broke the kiss Scarlett returned to her former position, leaning her head against his shoulder. "So the wedding was to your liking?" he asked.
"Oh Rhett it was perfect. I couldn't have dreamed of a better wedding."
"You didn't mind that you didn't get the big church wedding?" inquired Rhett.
"I wouldn't have had it any other way." Scarlett smiled.
"Then neither would I. It couldn't have been a bad wedding, I married the most beautiful woman in all of Ireland."
"Hardly!" Scarlett scoffed.
"I mean it, Scarlett, you looked breathtaking today."
"Thank you, Rhett." Murmured Scarlett, her words slightly slurring together.
"Are you alright, darling?" Rhett asked as he peered at her.
"Mmm? Oh I'm just tired. I'm very, very tired. I feel like I haven't had a good night's sleep in ages. I couldn't sleep at all last night, I had quite a bit to think about, you know. And, well, I haven't really been able to sleep good for a couple years now."
"I'm sorry, my love." Rhett said gently. "Do you still have the dream?"
"Yes. Well, I used to at least. I have a feeling I won't anymore, though. It got even worse when I found out that I was running to you. Then I would wake up and I would start to think about how you didn't want me, how you had just discarded me. But never mind that, Rhett, that's all over now. Right now I think I just need to sleep. I really do need to take care of myself, after Cat's birth and all. Not sleeping isn't going to do any good for me."
"About that." Rhett said. "What happened when Cat was born, Scarlett?"
"I wasn't really supposed to have children after- after the miscarriage, remember Dr. Meade said that? I don't want to go into it all right now, Rhett, maybe I'll tell you the whole thing sometime. All you need to know is that I'm fine now, and so is Cat. I just have a scar here." Scarlett traced with her finger along her abdomen.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here." Rhett said as he took Scarlett's hand in his, weaving their fingers together.
"It's okay, Rhett." Scarlett reassured him with a light kiss. "Oh, I just thought of something!" she exclaimed. "When are we going home?"
"I made arrangements when I came to leave in two weeks."
"Oh, you'll have to change them to include me and Cat you know."
"Actually they already do." Rhett said after a short pause.
"What? But you said that you made them when you first got here. How did you know that-"
"I've always been a bit of an optimist, my love."
"Rhett, you never cease to amaze me." Scarlett said with a shake of her head. "You're so sure of yourself. And just what would you have done if I hadn't taken you back?"
"I never would have left. I would just have kept asking you to be my wife every single day until you finally got so sick of me that you gave in. And then if you didn't give in I would force you at gunpoint to marry me." Rhett said with a smile. Scarlett threw her head back and laughed harder then she had in years.
"Somehow I don't think Colum would've agreed to marry us if you had a gun pointed at me!" She said.
"Well then it's a good thing you said yes the first time, isn't it?"
"Mmm, yes I guess it is." Scarlett stifled another yawn and closed her eyes, her body sagging against Rhett's chest.
"Darling you should go to sleep." Rhett said with concern.
"I suppose I should." Scarlett said as she stood up, rubbing her eyes languidly. Rhett also stood up and put his arm around Scarlett's shoulders, leading her down the hallway to her bedroom. Once inside the bedroom, Scarlett stripped down to her chemise and crawled into bed. Rhett followed suit and soon Scarlett found herself lying in his arms.
"Rhett I'm sorry I'm so tired…." She started.
"Hush, darling." Rhett murmured. "I've waited four years for you, God knows I can go a few hours."
"I love you" Scarlett whispered. She was too deep in sleep already to hear Rhett reciprocate, but he still did anyway.
"That would be lovely, Miss Eleanor." Scarlett said, glancing over at Rhett who was sitting, smoking a cigar, in an armchair. When Cat and Eleanor had left, Scarlett boldly walked over to Rhett and curled up in his lap.
"You're lap looked very inviting." She said with a wicked smile as he looked down at her in surprise.
"Aah, I'm finding out how very unladylike my wife is." Rhett said.
"Your wife." Scarlett whispered. "I'll never get tired of you calling me your wife. And as to me being unladylike, well you said once that ladies never held much charm for you."
"Did I? When did I say that?"
"The day we first met, at Twelve Oaks. We were in the library, I believe I had broken something." Scarlett smiled.
"Right, right. That was the day I fell in love with you, did I ever tell you that?"
"Was it really?" Scarlett asked with interest.
"Yes the first time I ever saw you, on the stairs."
"But you couldn't have loved me, you'd never even met me!"
"Well at first it was more…. love of the body, you could say." Scarlett blushed slightly at Rhett's candid words. "But the first time that I ever really knew that I had fallen hopelessly in love with you was when I first touched your hand. It was like…. coming home, only to no home I'd ever known. That was when I knew that I would always love you; try as I might not to." Scarlett's eyes misted over and she sweetly kissed Rhett.
"Do you want to know when I first knew that I loved you?" she asked quietly.
"I'd be delighted to know, Mrs. Butler."
"You know that dream that I used to have, the one with the fog?"
"How could I forget?"
"Well on the night that- that Melly died it was quite foggy outside. I was looking for you; I needed you to comfort me. I figured that you had gone home so I was running. And it was just like in the dream. I was running in the fog- to you. It was always you in my dream. You were the unknown haven, you were my protector. I started thinking about how you had always been there for me. That was when I knew that I loved you, Rhett. And, well- you know how the rest of that night went."
"So you finally figured it out." Rhett said thoughtfully. "You finally found out that it was me in your dream."
"You say that like you knew all along!" exclaimed Scarlett.
"Well I did." Rhett said offhandedly. "I always knew that you were running to me in your dream, but when the morning came you ran farther and farther away."
"I'm glad that's all over, Rhett. I'm so tired of running." Scarlett said softly.
"So am I, my pet." Rhett murmured. He leaned down and kissed her lovingly. When they broke the kiss Scarlett returned to her former position, leaning her head against his shoulder. "So the wedding was to your liking?" he asked.
"Oh Rhett it was perfect. I couldn't have dreamed of a better wedding."
"You didn't mind that you didn't get the big church wedding?" inquired Rhett.
"I wouldn't have had it any other way." Scarlett smiled.
"Then neither would I. It couldn't have been a bad wedding, I married the most beautiful woman in all of Ireland."
"Hardly!" Scarlett scoffed.
"I mean it, Scarlett, you looked breathtaking today."
"Thank you, Rhett." Murmured Scarlett, her words slightly slurring together.
"Are you alright, darling?" Rhett asked as he peered at her.
"Mmm? Oh I'm just tired. I'm very, very tired. I feel like I haven't had a good night's sleep in ages. I couldn't sleep at all last night, I had quite a bit to think about, you know. And, well, I haven't really been able to sleep good for a couple years now."
"I'm sorry, my love." Rhett said gently. "Do you still have the dream?"
"Yes. Well, I used to at least. I have a feeling I won't anymore, though. It got even worse when I found out that I was running to you. Then I would wake up and I would start to think about how you didn't want me, how you had just discarded me. But never mind that, Rhett, that's all over now. Right now I think I just need to sleep. I really do need to take care of myself, after Cat's birth and all. Not sleeping isn't going to do any good for me."
"About that." Rhett said. "What happened when Cat was born, Scarlett?"
"I wasn't really supposed to have children after- after the miscarriage, remember Dr. Meade said that? I don't want to go into it all right now, Rhett, maybe I'll tell you the whole thing sometime. All you need to know is that I'm fine now, and so is Cat. I just have a scar here." Scarlett traced with her finger along her abdomen.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here." Rhett said as he took Scarlett's hand in his, weaving their fingers together.
"It's okay, Rhett." Scarlett reassured him with a light kiss. "Oh, I just thought of something!" she exclaimed. "When are we going home?"
"I made arrangements when I came to leave in two weeks."
"Oh, you'll have to change them to include me and Cat you know."
"Actually they already do." Rhett said after a short pause.
"What? But you said that you made them when you first got here. How did you know that-"
"I've always been a bit of an optimist, my love."
"Rhett, you never cease to amaze me." Scarlett said with a shake of her head. "You're so sure of yourself. And just what would you have done if I hadn't taken you back?"
"I never would have left. I would just have kept asking you to be my wife every single day until you finally got so sick of me that you gave in. And then if you didn't give in I would force you at gunpoint to marry me." Rhett said with a smile. Scarlett threw her head back and laughed harder then she had in years.
"Somehow I don't think Colum would've agreed to marry us if you had a gun pointed at me!" She said.
"Well then it's a good thing you said yes the first time, isn't it?"
"Mmm, yes I guess it is." Scarlett stifled another yawn and closed her eyes, her body sagging against Rhett's chest.
"Darling you should go to sleep." Rhett said with concern.
"I suppose I should." Scarlett said as she stood up, rubbing her eyes languidly. Rhett also stood up and put his arm around Scarlett's shoulders, leading her down the hallway to her bedroom. Once inside the bedroom, Scarlett stripped down to her chemise and crawled into bed. Rhett followed suit and soon Scarlett found herself lying in his arms.
"Rhett I'm sorry I'm so tired…." She started.
"Hush, darling." Rhett murmured. "I've waited four years for you, God knows I can go a few hours."
"I love you" Scarlett whispered. She was too deep in sleep already to hear Rhett reciprocate, but he still did anyway.