Scarlett looked up at Rhett.
"I guess I have to face my demons," she whispered.
"Demons? Not demons, surely."
"You don't know my sister, Rhett." Scarlett sighed. "But I guess I have to be cordial to her, she did look after Wade and Ella. Though something makes me think she wouldn't have unless Will had made her." Rhett took Scarlett's hand and they walked to the kitchen. Suellen was doing something at the butcher's block, her back to the door.
"Hello, Sullen, how've you been?" Scarlett asked, lounging against the doorframe.
"As good as could be expected saddled with someone else's kids." Suellen said bitterly. She turned and, taking in the sight of Rhett, blushed crimson. "I didn't know we had a visitor." She said, ducking her head.
"Visitor? Oh, right you haven't met Rhett before. Suellen this is my husband, Captain Rhett Butler. Rhett this is my sister, Suellen Benteen." Scarlett said with a smile, still reveling in being able to introduce Rhett as her husband and knowing that he was a husband other women envied.
"Mrs. Benteen, pleasure to finally meet you." Rhett said with a bow. Suellen stared at him with an open mouth.
"Your husband?" She asked, her voice sounding oddly foreign. "But I thought that-"
"Rhett and I got remarried last month." Scarlett said for the third, but surely not the last time. "We just got back from Ireland yesterday. We're just here to get the kids and move back to Atlanta. Our daughter is upstairs with Ella."
"Daughter?"
"Yes, she's three. Her name's Katie Colum but she goes by Cat." Scarlett said, trying not to laugh at the shock on Suellen's face.
"Mrs. Benteen, could you excuse me and your sister for just a moment?" Rhett said as he guided Scarlett out to the hallway.
"I feel like I'm intruding on this beautiful reunion between two beloved sisters." He said with a smile.
"Do you think she's surprised?" Scarlett said, choking back her laughter.
"I think I'll stop imposing here. I'm going to go talk to Wade, try to explain things to him."
"Oh, Rhett, do you think that's a good idea? He's pretty mad at you."
"Which is precisely why I have to talk to him. I hate to see him this mad at me, I've always thought of Wade as my son."
"Alright, but I hope both of you come back alive. I should go talk to Suellen, though God knows I don't want to." Scarlett stood on the tips of her toes and gave Rhett a quick kiss before she went back into the kitchen.
"Where's your husband?" Suellen asked.
"He went to speak with Wade."
"Oh. Why did you get married again?"
"Wow, you don't waste any time do you? Why'd I get married, huh? Because I'm in love, why else?"
"Love, right" Snorted Suellen. "Everybody knows you never loved any of your husbands. And we all know that your own husband left you. But it seems you got him back using this daughter of yours."
"If you ever say anything about my daughter again I'll slap you just as I did when you were a little girl." Scarlett said, her eyes flashing with anger. "And not that it's any of your business, but I love Rhett much more then you could ever love anybody in your whole life. I didn't come here to fight with you, Suellen, I just want to get my children and go home." With that Scarlett turned and left in search of her daughters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rhett, standing at the side of the cotton field, caught Wade's eye and waved him over. Wade, somewhat reluctantly, dropped what he was doing and walked over.
"Wade I think it's time we talked, man to man." Rhett said. Wade just glared at him. "Am I to believe that you don't approve of your mother and I remarrying?"
"You can believe what you want to." Wade said stubbornly.
"Now come on Wade, I'm trying to talk to you here. I mean- I know that your mother hasn't always been the most…. attentive. But don't you want her to be happy?"
"Don't you dare say unkind things about Mother! She's always done the best she could, which is more then I could say for you."
"So you just don't approve of me? What did I do to make you hate me, Wade?"
"What did you do?! You abandoned my mother, that's what you did!" Wade said incredulously. "You should have seen her after you left. It was like she was dead inside. You've treated her like dirt and I was glad that you were out of her life. All you ever do is say mean things to her and make her feel horrible."
"Now that's not fair. I love your mother very much, I always have. She and I have put our past behind us, and we hope you and Ella can do the same. We've had our ups and downs, but that's between your mother and me. She's happy, Wade, I wish you could only see how happy she is. There's nothing I want to do more then keep her happy for the rest of her life. We're moving back to Atlanta. Ella has already decided to come with us. The question is, will you?"
Wade was obviously battling his emotions. He looked up at Rhett after a minute.
"You do love her, don't you?" he asked.
"You can't imagine how much."
"And she loves you?"
"Yes, she does."
"Then I'll come with you. But if you hurt her, if you ever leave her again-"
"You have my word I won't." Rhett said truthfully
"But… if you love her then why did you divorce her? I don't understand. Are you really that much of a cad that you left her when she was pregnant with your child?"
"I didn't know, Wade. I had no idea that she was with child. She never told me, not until a few months ago. I had- I had already remarried when she found out. Things would have been different if I had known." Rhett shook his head as if to get rid of all the what ifs and maybes. "Come on, let's go tell your mother you're coming to Atlanta with us. She'll be thrilled. There's nothing she wants more then to make things good between her children and her, for us to be a family again."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scarlett rose from the floor where she had been playing with Ella and Cat and looked cautiously at Rhett and Wade as they entered the room. Wade smiled and kissed his mother's cheek.
"So, when do we leave for Atlanta?" he asked. Scarlett beamed at his words and hugged him.
"I love you, Wade." She whispered.
"I love you, too, Mother." Wade replied. He kissed her cheek once again before he went and crouched down next to his sisters. Scarlett went to Rhett and threw her arms around his neck, leaning against his chest.
"Thank you." She whispered, tears in her eyes.
"Are you happy?" Rhett asked.
"Hmm?"
"I asked you once if you were happy. You said yes, but I could tell you were lying. Are you happy now, Mrs. Butler?"
"Oh, Rhett. I couldn't be happier. Well, except if only-" she stopped and looked down, not wanting to bring the past and its sadness into this happy moment.
"Bonnie were here?" Rhett finished for her. Scarlett nodded her head. Both were startled when Cat's tiny voice asked "Who's Bonnie?"
"I guess I have to face my demons," she whispered.
"Demons? Not demons, surely."
"You don't know my sister, Rhett." Scarlett sighed. "But I guess I have to be cordial to her, she did look after Wade and Ella. Though something makes me think she wouldn't have unless Will had made her." Rhett took Scarlett's hand and they walked to the kitchen. Suellen was doing something at the butcher's block, her back to the door.
"Hello, Sullen, how've you been?" Scarlett asked, lounging against the doorframe.
"As good as could be expected saddled with someone else's kids." Suellen said bitterly. She turned and, taking in the sight of Rhett, blushed crimson. "I didn't know we had a visitor." She said, ducking her head.
"Visitor? Oh, right you haven't met Rhett before. Suellen this is my husband, Captain Rhett Butler. Rhett this is my sister, Suellen Benteen." Scarlett said with a smile, still reveling in being able to introduce Rhett as her husband and knowing that he was a husband other women envied.
"Mrs. Benteen, pleasure to finally meet you." Rhett said with a bow. Suellen stared at him with an open mouth.
"Your husband?" She asked, her voice sounding oddly foreign. "But I thought that-"
"Rhett and I got remarried last month." Scarlett said for the third, but surely not the last time. "We just got back from Ireland yesterday. We're just here to get the kids and move back to Atlanta. Our daughter is upstairs with Ella."
"Daughter?"
"Yes, she's three. Her name's Katie Colum but she goes by Cat." Scarlett said, trying not to laugh at the shock on Suellen's face.
"Mrs. Benteen, could you excuse me and your sister for just a moment?" Rhett said as he guided Scarlett out to the hallway.
"I feel like I'm intruding on this beautiful reunion between two beloved sisters." He said with a smile.
"Do you think she's surprised?" Scarlett said, choking back her laughter.
"I think I'll stop imposing here. I'm going to go talk to Wade, try to explain things to him."
"Oh, Rhett, do you think that's a good idea? He's pretty mad at you."
"Which is precisely why I have to talk to him. I hate to see him this mad at me, I've always thought of Wade as my son."
"Alright, but I hope both of you come back alive. I should go talk to Suellen, though God knows I don't want to." Scarlett stood on the tips of her toes and gave Rhett a quick kiss before she went back into the kitchen.
"Where's your husband?" Suellen asked.
"He went to speak with Wade."
"Oh. Why did you get married again?"
"Wow, you don't waste any time do you? Why'd I get married, huh? Because I'm in love, why else?"
"Love, right" Snorted Suellen. "Everybody knows you never loved any of your husbands. And we all know that your own husband left you. But it seems you got him back using this daughter of yours."
"If you ever say anything about my daughter again I'll slap you just as I did when you were a little girl." Scarlett said, her eyes flashing with anger. "And not that it's any of your business, but I love Rhett much more then you could ever love anybody in your whole life. I didn't come here to fight with you, Suellen, I just want to get my children and go home." With that Scarlett turned and left in search of her daughters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rhett, standing at the side of the cotton field, caught Wade's eye and waved him over. Wade, somewhat reluctantly, dropped what he was doing and walked over.
"Wade I think it's time we talked, man to man." Rhett said. Wade just glared at him. "Am I to believe that you don't approve of your mother and I remarrying?"
"You can believe what you want to." Wade said stubbornly.
"Now come on Wade, I'm trying to talk to you here. I mean- I know that your mother hasn't always been the most…. attentive. But don't you want her to be happy?"
"Don't you dare say unkind things about Mother! She's always done the best she could, which is more then I could say for you."
"So you just don't approve of me? What did I do to make you hate me, Wade?"
"What did you do?! You abandoned my mother, that's what you did!" Wade said incredulously. "You should have seen her after you left. It was like she was dead inside. You've treated her like dirt and I was glad that you were out of her life. All you ever do is say mean things to her and make her feel horrible."
"Now that's not fair. I love your mother very much, I always have. She and I have put our past behind us, and we hope you and Ella can do the same. We've had our ups and downs, but that's between your mother and me. She's happy, Wade, I wish you could only see how happy she is. There's nothing I want to do more then keep her happy for the rest of her life. We're moving back to Atlanta. Ella has already decided to come with us. The question is, will you?"
Wade was obviously battling his emotions. He looked up at Rhett after a minute.
"You do love her, don't you?" he asked.
"You can't imagine how much."
"And she loves you?"
"Yes, she does."
"Then I'll come with you. But if you hurt her, if you ever leave her again-"
"You have my word I won't." Rhett said truthfully
"But… if you love her then why did you divorce her? I don't understand. Are you really that much of a cad that you left her when she was pregnant with your child?"
"I didn't know, Wade. I had no idea that she was with child. She never told me, not until a few months ago. I had- I had already remarried when she found out. Things would have been different if I had known." Rhett shook his head as if to get rid of all the what ifs and maybes. "Come on, let's go tell your mother you're coming to Atlanta with us. She'll be thrilled. There's nothing she wants more then to make things good between her children and her, for us to be a family again."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scarlett rose from the floor where she had been playing with Ella and Cat and looked cautiously at Rhett and Wade as they entered the room. Wade smiled and kissed his mother's cheek.
"So, when do we leave for Atlanta?" he asked. Scarlett beamed at his words and hugged him.
"I love you, Wade." She whispered.
"I love you, too, Mother." Wade replied. He kissed her cheek once again before he went and crouched down next to his sisters. Scarlett went to Rhett and threw her arms around his neck, leaning against his chest.
"Thank you." She whispered, tears in her eyes.
"Are you happy?" Rhett asked.
"Hmm?"
"I asked you once if you were happy. You said yes, but I could tell you were lying. Are you happy now, Mrs. Butler?"
"Oh, Rhett. I couldn't be happier. Well, except if only-" she stopped and looked down, not wanting to bring the past and its sadness into this happy moment.
"Bonnie were here?" Rhett finished for her. Scarlett nodded her head. Both were startled when Cat's tiny voice asked "Who's Bonnie?"