Chapter Two
The storm was beginning to grow more violent. Scarlett stood before her mirror in her black dress, thinking she looked awful. The dark circles under her eyes were only enhanced by this awful dress. When was the last time she had slept a full night?
She was getting so thin. The body she had fought so hard for during her marriage to Rhett now disgusted her. She would have another child in an instant with him if he wanted to. She wondered at how fast her priorities could change. She finally saw her selfishness, her coldness, and finally, she cared.
"Miz Scarlett-are you ready?" She heard Mammy's voice straining to be heard over the thunderclap.
"I'm ready, Mammy." She practically shouted back.
Descending the huge red staircase, Scarlett took a deep shaky breath. Nothing about this night would be easy or enjoyable. But she could take it. Scarlett always prided herself on getting through whatever life threw at her, however difficult. Tonight was going to be a true test of this ability.
~*~
Rhett tied on his tie, putting on his long black jacket. He poured himself a shot, drinking it in one sip. If there was thing he needed tonight, it was alcohol. He looked out his hotel room's window. The storm was continually growing worse. Perfect, he thought miserably. A funeral and a meeting with Scarlett. He wondered if it would rain harder- it would only seem fitting.
~*~
Scarlett stood between Rhett and Ashley, her flimsy umbrella not providing much shelter form the torrential rain. The reverend presiding over the funeral spoke as loudly as possible, but Scarlett could still only make out every few words. That was fine by her. She didn't want to think about Melanie being dead anyway. She'd have to face that grim reality later.
She looked over at Ashley. He looked worse than she did. He looked so pale, so thin. He hadn't shaved for awhile, and his clothes were wrinkled. And his once beautiful gray eyes looked like that of a corpse's. Scarlett felt her heart twist slightly. Despite the strange absence of any romantic feelings towards him, she had still known him practically since birth. It was hard to see him like this.
Scarlett looked away. Ashley's state was making her feel sick. She glanced quickly at Rhett, and marveled at the difference between Rhett and Ashley. Rhett's tan, smooth skin was just as fresh-shaven as ever, and his impeccably matching suit looked just as ridiculously expensive as all of his (and hers, for that matter) clothes always did. He was staring at the ground, obviously uncomfortable standing this close to her. No one knew about their marital troubles however, so they were still the happy, scandalous couple everyone knew them to be. Scarlett didn't know how she would ever explain the divorce. No! There wouldn't be a divorce. She wouldn't allow it.
~*~
"Thank you for coming, Rhett, Scarlett. Both of you meant so much to Melanie." Ashley said in a hollow voice, looking straight through them.
"Of course, Mr. Wilkes." Rhett said solemnly
"Rhett and I are always here for you." Scarlett put her hand on Rhett's arm, and he tensed beneath her touch.
"I'm going to go home now." Ashley said in that same eerie voice, walking off in the rain.
Rhett instantly pulled his arm away from Scarlett.
"I hope you're making the right decision by playing the happy wife here, Scarlett. How are you going to explain to everyone when I'm gone?" Rhett raised an eyebrow at her.
"What would you like me to do then, Rhett?" Scarlett said angrily.
"I'd like you to sign the divorce papers in my jacket." Rhett said, patting his left pocket.
"Fine. Let's go."
"After you." Rhett bowed slightly, infuriating her even more.
Scarlett hated when he was like this. Whenever Rhett was being careful not to show any emotion, he got very sarcastic. It bothered her to no end. When they were friends, he was always making her laugh. Now, it was often just a defense mechanism…and quite an irritating one.
Walking through the muddy streets, neither spoke. Scarlett had a million thoughts racing through her mind. This would probably be her last chance to even try to get through to him. But what could she possibly do?
~*~
Rhett opened the door to their house for Scarlett, and as she walked in, she desperately searched her mind for any semblance of a plan. The whole way home neither had spoken a word, and she had been frantically trying to think of something, anything she could do to get him back. So far, she had absolutely no idea. None of her usual ways of charming men really seemed to work with him, especially after years of marriage. He had already made love to her many times, so any sensual mystery was gone. That was clearly not the way to go.
But he wouldn't even listen to her if she tried to bring the subject, so she was rapidly running out of options. Their child was gone, so she couldn't even make the appeal of staying together for the children.
"Would you like to sign them in ou-your office?" Rhett uncharacteristically stumbled over his words, instantly cursing himself for doing so.
He could absolutely not reveal any regrets over his decision. He knew he never wanted to head down that road with Scarlett again, and he could not let her change his mind.
"Would you like to change into some drier clothes?" Scarlett asked, her voice somewhat meeker than usual.
Rhett was about to say no, but then realized he was actually very cold and it would be nice to not be shivering like a fool.
"That would be nice. Are any of my clothes left here?"
"I'm sure you couldn't have packed everything." Scarlett said, her heart twisting.
She knew he hadn't packed everything, because she had spent some time looking at his almost empty closet. In those horrible first days after he left, she reassured herself that some of his things were still here…he wasn't really gone. But of course this story would probably just make Rhett scorn at how sentimental she had gotten. Besides, Rhett wouldn't like to see her as the pathetic fool she'd been playing these past few days. He fell in love with her because she wasn't a simpering idiot. Scarlett had to snap out of this slump, or he'd never come back to her.
They entered the room where all of his things were kept, and Scarlett realized with embarrassment that a half-empty bottle of gin sat on his nightstand. She had forgotten she had slept here one very lonely night in his absence, and had gotten very, very drunk.
Of course, Rhett noticed it immediately.
"What did I tell you about drinking alone, darling?" He smiled slightly, walking over to the nightstand.
"Well, who else am I supposed to drink with? Mammy?" Scarlett said angrily.
"So not only have I denied you a husband, I've also denied you an excuse for your alcoholism." Rhett grinned.
"You want to talk about alcoholism? Was there one night in the entire time we were married when you weren't drunk?" Scarlett shot back.
"As I recall, you seemed to like me that way." Rhett said with his back turned to her as he started to search through his closet.
Scarlett bit back the angry words on her tongue.
"I'm going to go change." She said quietly, leaving the room.
She got no reply from Rhett.
Scarlett searched through her vast closet for something warm, she was freezing from this horrible storm. She finally settled on a red velvet robe that she had always liked. Besides being very comfortable, she remembered Rhett had mentioned he liked it.
She looked again at her reflection, and winced. She took down her damp hair, trying to get it to behave itself. It fell in loose waves around her shoulders as she took off her black dress. She groaned at the layers upon layers of clothes underneath. They were all damp and she got out of them as fast as she could.
"Never knew you could undress that quickly." Rhett suddenly appeared in the room.
"Great balls of fire, Rhett! Have a little decency." Scarlett sighed, pulling on the robe quickly.
"Nothing I haven't seen before, darling." He shrugged.
Rhett found his eyes lingering on her for a moment after she turned away from him. Quickly, he looked away. He hated this-how did she always manage to affect him this way?
"Are you almost ready?" He said impatiently.
"Yes." She said, feeling somewhat desperate as the night seemed to be slipping away from her.
They walked down to the study together, and Rhett produced the letters from his somewhat wet jacket he had left there.
She looked at them, still desperately trying to think of any excuse for her not to sign them. Nothing came to her.
Her eyes burning with tears, she added her signature under Rhett's. Suddenly, she couldn't help it. She burst into tears.
"Oh, spare me, Scarlett." Rhett said cruelly.
Scarlett turned away, crying harder. He thought she was pretending. And why wouldn't he? Every other time except at their last meeting, any tears from her were fake. But this was real.
Rhett picked up the papers, and left the room.
Scarlett went after him, still crying. She felt so pathetic, but she didn't care. This might be the last time she ever saw him. He was already walking through the front door. Suddenly, to her surprise, he slammed it and walked back in the house.
"Damn it." He muttered.
"What's wrong?" She said, her voice still weak from her little outburst.
"It's raining too hard. I can't go back to the hotel in this." He said angrily.
Scarlett didn't want to suggest him staying here; she just waited for him to say something.
"I suppose I'll have to stay here tonight." Rhett said.
Their eyes met. This was certainly going to be an interesting night.
~*~
A/N- Please leave me a review! Chapter Three will be out shortly!
The storm was beginning to grow more violent. Scarlett stood before her mirror in her black dress, thinking she looked awful. The dark circles under her eyes were only enhanced by this awful dress. When was the last time she had slept a full night?
She was getting so thin. The body she had fought so hard for during her marriage to Rhett now disgusted her. She would have another child in an instant with him if he wanted to. She wondered at how fast her priorities could change. She finally saw her selfishness, her coldness, and finally, she cared.
"Miz Scarlett-are you ready?" She heard Mammy's voice straining to be heard over the thunderclap.
"I'm ready, Mammy." She practically shouted back.
Descending the huge red staircase, Scarlett took a deep shaky breath. Nothing about this night would be easy or enjoyable. But she could take it. Scarlett always prided herself on getting through whatever life threw at her, however difficult. Tonight was going to be a true test of this ability.
~*~
Rhett tied on his tie, putting on his long black jacket. He poured himself a shot, drinking it in one sip. If there was thing he needed tonight, it was alcohol. He looked out his hotel room's window. The storm was continually growing worse. Perfect, he thought miserably. A funeral and a meeting with Scarlett. He wondered if it would rain harder- it would only seem fitting.
~*~
Scarlett stood between Rhett and Ashley, her flimsy umbrella not providing much shelter form the torrential rain. The reverend presiding over the funeral spoke as loudly as possible, but Scarlett could still only make out every few words. That was fine by her. She didn't want to think about Melanie being dead anyway. She'd have to face that grim reality later.
She looked over at Ashley. He looked worse than she did. He looked so pale, so thin. He hadn't shaved for awhile, and his clothes were wrinkled. And his once beautiful gray eyes looked like that of a corpse's. Scarlett felt her heart twist slightly. Despite the strange absence of any romantic feelings towards him, she had still known him practically since birth. It was hard to see him like this.
Scarlett looked away. Ashley's state was making her feel sick. She glanced quickly at Rhett, and marveled at the difference between Rhett and Ashley. Rhett's tan, smooth skin was just as fresh-shaven as ever, and his impeccably matching suit looked just as ridiculously expensive as all of his (and hers, for that matter) clothes always did. He was staring at the ground, obviously uncomfortable standing this close to her. No one knew about their marital troubles however, so they were still the happy, scandalous couple everyone knew them to be. Scarlett didn't know how she would ever explain the divorce. No! There wouldn't be a divorce. She wouldn't allow it.
~*~
"Thank you for coming, Rhett, Scarlett. Both of you meant so much to Melanie." Ashley said in a hollow voice, looking straight through them.
"Of course, Mr. Wilkes." Rhett said solemnly
"Rhett and I are always here for you." Scarlett put her hand on Rhett's arm, and he tensed beneath her touch.
"I'm going to go home now." Ashley said in that same eerie voice, walking off in the rain.
Rhett instantly pulled his arm away from Scarlett.
"I hope you're making the right decision by playing the happy wife here, Scarlett. How are you going to explain to everyone when I'm gone?" Rhett raised an eyebrow at her.
"What would you like me to do then, Rhett?" Scarlett said angrily.
"I'd like you to sign the divorce papers in my jacket." Rhett said, patting his left pocket.
"Fine. Let's go."
"After you." Rhett bowed slightly, infuriating her even more.
Scarlett hated when he was like this. Whenever Rhett was being careful not to show any emotion, he got very sarcastic. It bothered her to no end. When they were friends, he was always making her laugh. Now, it was often just a defense mechanism…and quite an irritating one.
Walking through the muddy streets, neither spoke. Scarlett had a million thoughts racing through her mind. This would probably be her last chance to even try to get through to him. But what could she possibly do?
~*~
Rhett opened the door to their house for Scarlett, and as she walked in, she desperately searched her mind for any semblance of a plan. The whole way home neither had spoken a word, and she had been frantically trying to think of something, anything she could do to get him back. So far, she had absolutely no idea. None of her usual ways of charming men really seemed to work with him, especially after years of marriage. He had already made love to her many times, so any sensual mystery was gone. That was clearly not the way to go.
But he wouldn't even listen to her if she tried to bring the subject, so she was rapidly running out of options. Their child was gone, so she couldn't even make the appeal of staying together for the children.
"Would you like to sign them in ou-your office?" Rhett uncharacteristically stumbled over his words, instantly cursing himself for doing so.
He could absolutely not reveal any regrets over his decision. He knew he never wanted to head down that road with Scarlett again, and he could not let her change his mind.
"Would you like to change into some drier clothes?" Scarlett asked, her voice somewhat meeker than usual.
Rhett was about to say no, but then realized he was actually very cold and it would be nice to not be shivering like a fool.
"That would be nice. Are any of my clothes left here?"
"I'm sure you couldn't have packed everything." Scarlett said, her heart twisting.
She knew he hadn't packed everything, because she had spent some time looking at his almost empty closet. In those horrible first days after he left, she reassured herself that some of his things were still here…he wasn't really gone. But of course this story would probably just make Rhett scorn at how sentimental she had gotten. Besides, Rhett wouldn't like to see her as the pathetic fool she'd been playing these past few days. He fell in love with her because she wasn't a simpering idiot. Scarlett had to snap out of this slump, or he'd never come back to her.
They entered the room where all of his things were kept, and Scarlett realized with embarrassment that a half-empty bottle of gin sat on his nightstand. She had forgotten she had slept here one very lonely night in his absence, and had gotten very, very drunk.
Of course, Rhett noticed it immediately.
"What did I tell you about drinking alone, darling?" He smiled slightly, walking over to the nightstand.
"Well, who else am I supposed to drink with? Mammy?" Scarlett said angrily.
"So not only have I denied you a husband, I've also denied you an excuse for your alcoholism." Rhett grinned.
"You want to talk about alcoholism? Was there one night in the entire time we were married when you weren't drunk?" Scarlett shot back.
"As I recall, you seemed to like me that way." Rhett said with his back turned to her as he started to search through his closet.
Scarlett bit back the angry words on her tongue.
"I'm going to go change." She said quietly, leaving the room.
She got no reply from Rhett.
Scarlett searched through her vast closet for something warm, she was freezing from this horrible storm. She finally settled on a red velvet robe that she had always liked. Besides being very comfortable, she remembered Rhett had mentioned he liked it.
She looked again at her reflection, and winced. She took down her damp hair, trying to get it to behave itself. It fell in loose waves around her shoulders as she took off her black dress. She groaned at the layers upon layers of clothes underneath. They were all damp and she got out of them as fast as she could.
"Never knew you could undress that quickly." Rhett suddenly appeared in the room.
"Great balls of fire, Rhett! Have a little decency." Scarlett sighed, pulling on the robe quickly.
"Nothing I haven't seen before, darling." He shrugged.
Rhett found his eyes lingering on her for a moment after she turned away from him. Quickly, he looked away. He hated this-how did she always manage to affect him this way?
"Are you almost ready?" He said impatiently.
"Yes." She said, feeling somewhat desperate as the night seemed to be slipping away from her.
They walked down to the study together, and Rhett produced the letters from his somewhat wet jacket he had left there.
She looked at them, still desperately trying to think of any excuse for her not to sign them. Nothing came to her.
Her eyes burning with tears, she added her signature under Rhett's. Suddenly, she couldn't help it. She burst into tears.
"Oh, spare me, Scarlett." Rhett said cruelly.
Scarlett turned away, crying harder. He thought she was pretending. And why wouldn't he? Every other time except at their last meeting, any tears from her were fake. But this was real.
Rhett picked up the papers, and left the room.
Scarlett went after him, still crying. She felt so pathetic, but she didn't care. This might be the last time she ever saw him. He was already walking through the front door. Suddenly, to her surprise, he slammed it and walked back in the house.
"Damn it." He muttered.
"What's wrong?" She said, her voice still weak from her little outburst.
"It's raining too hard. I can't go back to the hotel in this." He said angrily.
Scarlett didn't want to suggest him staying here; she just waited for him to say something.
"I suppose I'll have to stay here tonight." Rhett said.
Their eyes met. This was certainly going to be an interesting night.
~*~
A/N- Please leave me a review! Chapter Three will be out shortly!