Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Seven

With the guys out of the house for an extended period, Jasmine took the opportunity to ask Scarlett some questions. Enquiries she wanted to ask her that she wasn't comfortable asking in front of Rhett. Jasmine said, "Scarlett there are some things I would like to ask you now that we are alone?"

"You could have asked me in front of Rhett. He knows all my secrets."

"Do you know all his secrets?"

"No, Rhett is a very private person."

Jasmine smiled and said, "Does that bother you?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you tell Rhett you would like to know his secrets?"

"I don't know."

"How did you meet Rhett?"

"At a barbecue, the day the war started."

"I know he bid one hundred and fifty dollars to dance with you at the Hospital Bazaar. Why would he do something like that for a stranger?"

"Because he knew I wanted to dance."

"That is a lot of money so you could dance. Why did he bid so much?"

Scarlett stared at Jasmine. She said, "I guess to make sure he would win."

"Yes, but he probably could have won with just bidding fifty dollars."

"I don't know."

"Why did you let him call on you? After all he wasn't received."

"That wasn't me that was Melly. He bought our wedding rings back and to thank him Melly invited him to Sunday dinner. Melly always does the proper thing."

"Melly? Do you mean Melanie Wilkes? Charles Hamilton's sister?"

"Yes."

"You must have been devastated to lose your husband so quickly in your marriage. He died from measles, right?"

Scarlett frowned and said, "It was quite embarrassing to have to tell everyone he died from getting the measles before the first battle of the war. That was just like Charlie. He couldn't even die grandly."

"Scarlett, it is plain to me that you didn't love your first husband. Why did you marry him?"

Scarlett stared at Jasmine and wondered how much to tell her. She stared away and said, "I was fond of Charlie. He was sweet, kind, and rich. I could have done a lot worse. Everyone was getting married, so I wanted to get married also," Jasmine just looked at her. Scarlett continued, "I know it sounds pretty immature."

Jasmine knew there was more to the story, but she was not going to push.

"Why did you marry your second husband? Wasn't he your sister's boyfriend?"

"I married him for three hundred dollars and to save my family plantation. Before you asked my sister would not have saved the family plantation. She would have built herself a big house. Sue has always been very selfish. I was fond of him though. He foolishly got himself killed.

"That's right. I remember reading that. Okay, why did you marry Rhett? Please don't tell me if was for his money."

"Because he can kiss so good, and he is always fun. I can be myself with him. Nothing I do ever shocks him. I am fond of him also."

"The same way you were fond of Frank and Charlie?"

"Oh no. I am much fonder of Rhett than anyone else except…. He is my best friend."

"Does he know this?"

"Why would I tell him? He should know."

"Sometimes men are stupid, and you have to hit them with a two by four before they see the plainest facts."

Scarlett giggled and said, "That is what Rhett says about me."

"Would you like Rhett to tell you what he thinks you should just see?'

Scarlett sobered and said, "I really would. He sometimes talks in circles, and I just want to scream at him to just tell me straight out. Of course, he isn't nearly as bad as Ashley. I can never understand anything Ashley tells me."

"Who is Ashley?"

Scarlett stared away for a long time. Slowly in a voice filled with awe Scarlett said, "Ashley Wilkes. He was one of my beaus before the war. He called on me every week and would read me romantic poetry. He married his cousin because he was pledged to marry her, and it would have been dishonorable of him to back out of the engagement. His family plantation was next to our plantation."

"Are you saying that he was already engaged to someone else when he was calling on you?"

Scarlett looked startled by the question. She said, "I guess so."

"That doesn't seem very honorable. Wilkes? Isn't that your sister-in-law's last name?"

"Yes, it is," Scarlett stared off into space for a long time. Finally, she said, "I'm going to go read my book." She got up to leave the room.

Jasmine sensed there was more to this drama than Scarlett was telling her. So, as Scarlett was leaving Jasmine said, "Scarlett, who would you want by your side in these turbulent times?"

Scarlett didn't turn around, but she quietly said, "Rhett." She quickly left the room after that.

Right then Jasmine knew what had gone wrong in the Butlers marriage. Rhett loved Scarlett and Scarlett loved Ashley Wilkes. Jasmine knew that Rhett would not handle that very well. Maybe them being in nineteen sixty-eight was the best thing for their marriage. Unfortunately, it meant Scarlett having to leave her children behind.

As Scarlett got into their room and opened her book on sex, she thought about Jasmine's questions. She didn't like the answers. She didn't like the truth of what she was thinking. Jasmine was right. Ashley had been calling on her for two years when he knew he was going to marry Melanie. Maybe they weren't engaged yet but that would be splitting the same hair Ashley had split when he said he hadn't done anything to make her think he was calling on her except call on her every week. She sighed.

She had another thought. If she told Ashley half of the things, she had done to make her mills successful he would be appalled. He would lecture her on the fact that was not the way a lady behaved. She wondered if he would still be so sanctimonious if he and his family were actually starving. She closed the book and just laid on the bed staring off into space. She smiled when she thought of how Ashley would not be adjusting well to the world, they were trying to live in. She smiled bigger when she thought about how Ashley was not adjusting well to the post war world, they had to live in which wasn't nearly as dramatic of a change as these two worlds. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought, 'I am glad that Rhett is here with me. He will not let honor and morals get in the way of us surviving.

The men came back right before dinner and Marshall deemed that Rhett was trained enough. Now all he had to do was practice. Jasmine agreed to take Rhett out every day for a driving lesson. Scarlett didn't want to learn to drive. She was fine with Rhett driving her around.

A few nights later as they laid in their bed Scarlett said, "You are my best friend. Maybe my only friend. It is such a comfort to be going through this with you."

"Aw my darling, I am glad I am going through this with you. Jasmine certainly would not have welcomed me into her home if I hadn't been with you. I would be lost without hers and Marshall's help."

"I would be lost without your help."

"Now let's stop talking and let's start kissing."

The next morning as they were lying in their bed, Rhett said, "You know that I have had a lot of sexual partners."

"Yes."

"Although I have tried to be careful there is always the possibility, I could have contracted something."

"A disease?"

"In our time there is no cure for these diseases and no way for a doctor to definitely know if one has the disease or not."

"Oh."

"Marshall told me that if I have one of these diseases that penicillin will cure me of it. They have something called a blood test that somehow can let them know if I have any of these diseases. We are going to go get that blood test done."

"Why do I have to go? I have only been with my husbands."

"That is true, but your husbands may have contracted the disease and given it to you."

"Frank and Charlie? No."

"Frank was an old man. Do you really think he was a virgin when he married you?"

"I guess not."

"It only takes one bad partner. Let's both get it done and if we have it, we can get cured. After that we will never have to worry about it from now on."

"Because we will be each other's only partner?"

"Yes."

Scarlett smiled. It was the closest Rhett had ever come to stating he would be faithful to her. She said, "Set it up."

Jasmine took the couple to the Wilson's physician, Dr. Graham, and he ordered the blood work. Jasmine told Dr. Graham that Rhett and Scarlett were from a small town in Georgia and didn't want anyone to know they were being tested for VD.

A week later Dr. Graham's office called, and the results were negative. Both Scarlett and Rhett were pleased to find out they were disease free. Both had been worried Rhett had contaminated the couple.

Two weeks later, Rhett was going to drive solo for the first time. He and Scarlett were allegedly just going to drive around but they were really going to the public library. They were going to find out their history.

They went to the library and found the encyclopedias. They got down the volume marked B and opened it up to Butler, Rhett. There was a picture of them from their wedding. There was an account of his history. It mentioned that Rhett was court marshalled and had to leave West Point. There was information about his disownment. There was information about him being a blockade runner and a food speculator. It even mentioned that it was rumored he stole the Confederate gold. It clearly stated he was a notorious Scallawag. Then one sentence at the end: The couple disappeared while on their honeymoon. They were never seen again.

"What does it say about me?" They turned the page and there was an entry Butler, Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy. There was about half as much information on her as there was on Rhett. It told about all her accomplishments with the mill and praised her for being a pioneer for women's rights. Then one sentence at the end: The couple disappeared on their honeymoon. They were never seen again. Her children, Wade Hampton and Ella Kennedy from her earlier marriages were raised by her sister-in-law Melanie Wilkes until their deaths in 1874 from typhoid fever during an epidemic.

Scarlett was horrified. She said, "Rhett! The fortune teller's prediction came true about Wade and Ella"

He wrapped his arms around her which was perfectly acceptable in this new world they were in. He continued, "Until we get back to our time, history will not reset itself," He hugged her tight. He said, "I will get us back to eighteen sixty-eight."

"Or get Wade and Ella to nineteen sixty-eight."

"Maybe that would be better. I do like indoor plumbing and air conditioning."

"So, do I. I like all the different means of contraceptives they have in this time. Even a permanent way."

"To be able to choose whether you have a child or not."

Oh, Rhett wouldn't that be wonderful.

"To have fun but not have to endure the consequences."

"I agree. Rhett, what happened to your fortune? I know my moneys and business went to Uncle Henry to administer."

"I would have thought you would have left it to Mr. and Mrs. Wilkes."

"Don't be silly, Rhett. Ashley would have squandered my money on something silly like the men getting the vote back."

Rhett laughed. It made him happy for her to bad mouth Mr. Wilkes. He was glad she didn't see him as perfect at least.

"Besides some of my money had to go to my aunts and the residents of Tara. Uncle Henry could manage all of that. I'm not sure Ashley could have since he has never done anything like that. Nobody would get the money all at once. They would all get a monthly check until the money ran out."

"I don't know what happened to my fortune. I didn't have a will. I had not made any arrangements for my mother and sister to receive a check. It seems you were a lot more prepared for disaster than I was."

"I have been hit by disaster too many times to count."

"What do you mean?"

"My first two husbands dying, my mother dying, Pa going crazy and Sherman leaving us starving."

Rhett stared at her and thought, 'No wonder she has been afraid of losing it all. She has several times through no fault of her own. Why did I not know that? I who think I know her so well. Really don't. The truth is I have never lost it all. I threw it all away.'