Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Ten

As they drove back to the Wilson's home, Scarlett said, "Now that we know we will never return to eighteen sixty-eight I think it is safe for you to share the details with us of the future we would have had if your great, great grandmother had not sent us into the future."

Jasmine said, "Are you sure you are up to hearing all those awful details?"

"Yes, I really want to know. I will grieve the loss of Wade and Ella forever, but I must move on with my life."

Jasmine said, "Scarlett, I really think you shouldn't know all the details."

Before Scarlett could speak Marshall said, "We will tell you after dinner," Marshall looked at Jasmine and said, "It is best they know. They will never stop wondering until we tell them the truth."

After dinner as they were sitting in the living room Jasmine said, "Go ahead Marshall. Tell them the future they would have had."

"This is what was in the encyclopedia. Y'all got married barely a year after Scarlett's second husband, Frank Kennedy was killed while being robbed."

"No. That isn't correct. Frank was killed while on a stupid clan raid. Everyone was criticizing me for getting Frank and Tommy Welburn killed but it wasn't my fault. I didn't ask anyone to defend my honor."

Jasmine said, "Tommy Welburn?"

"Yes, he was Fanny's husband."

"Ah, yes. I remember now."

As Rhett looked at Marshall and Jasmine's blank faces, he said, "Scarlett had been driving through Shantytown back from her mills when she was physically attacked by two ruffians. She was rescued by one of her former slaves, fortunately. When Mr. Kennedy and the other gentlemen heard about it, they used it as an excuse to inflict their own form of justice upon the freedman. I don't understand how they were defending her honor when they weren't inflicting pain upon the men that had dishonored her."

"It was clan violence?"

"Yes, just a bunch of men wanting to be heroes."

"Everything went wrong. The Yankees found out about it. Rhett found out that it was a trap and he rescued most of them. But it was too late for him to rescue Frank and Tommy. All the matrons blamed me for their deaths even though I never asked anyone to defend my honor. In fact, if they had asked me, I would have told them not to because it would bring the Yankee's wrath down on us. And it would have happened if Rhett hadn't figured out a plan to save everyone lives and possessions."

"What was your idea, Rhett?"

"I took them to my friend Belle's saloon. She was willing to lie and say the men were there all night."

"The matrons were mad at me about that too. Belle's was also a brothel and it was my fault Rhett had to take them there thus embarrassing all of the proper ladies."

"Did you do it to embarrass the matrons, Rhett?"

"No, I didn't do it to embarrass the matrons. I did it to save the gentlemen's lives and property. It was just a bonus to the plan that it embarrassed all the proper ladies."

"It was a good plan that Rhett thought up on the spur of the moment."

"Rhett and this Belle must have been really good friends for Rhett to know he could trust her to lie to protect the gentlemen."

Rhett turned to look at Scarlett. He wanted to know what she was going to say. Scarlett said, "Yes, Rhett spent a lot of time there playing cards and drinking too much whiskey."

When Scarlett glared at him, Rhett smiled and said, "I told you I won't drink anymore."

"See that you don't Mr. Butler. I can't raise this baby you forced on me alone. Especially in this strange time."

Rhett smiled and said, "You were doing just fine raising two other children alone, that were also forced on you."

"No, I had Melly and Mammy then. I'm all alone now."

"You have me."

"I guess you will have to do."

Jasmine said, "I will help you too, Dear."

"Thank you, Jasmine. That makes me feel a lot better."

Rhett shook his head and smiled. He turned to Marshall and said, "Go on."

"No, go on with how you saved the gentleman."

"I convinced my friend, Belle, to lie and say the gentlemen had been there all night. Captain Jaffrey knew Belle was lying but as long as she stuck to her story there wasn't anything he could do about it. I had the bodies moved. I had them placed behind The Painted Lady so it would look like they had been killed by thugs," And after seeing the blank faces Rhett added, "Belle's saloon."

Scarlett added, "There was an inquiry and the jury found there wasn't enough evidence to convict anyone. Those fools were lucky Rhett was so smart."

Marshall said, "Then the encyclopedia said, "You went to New Orleans on your honeymoon. When y'all returned you started doing business with the Republican government."

"I was already doing business with them before we went on our honeymoon. Me and the other Scallawags."

"Y'all built a huge mansion on Peachtree Street."

"That makes sense. That is where I own two lots.

Jasmine said, "It is still standing today."

Scarlett eagerly said, "Have you seen it? Did Rhett let me build it in a Swiss Chalet design?"

"Yes."

"Rhett, we need to go to Atlanta and see it."

"Alright."

Marshall went on, "Just like now you got pregnant immediately. Your daughter was born on February…"

Marshall turned and looked at Jasmine for the exact date.

Jasmine said, "the second. February second."

At the glare Scarlett gave Rhett Jasmine knew that Scarlett was still not happy about being pregnant. She really wouldn't have been happy back in her time. Jasmine had noticed when they leapt forward there was truly little communication between the couple. Scarlett jabbered on about things that Rhett was obviously not interested in, and Rhett made mocking, flippant comments.

Scarlett said, "What did we name her?"

"Eugenia Victoria but for some reason she acquired the nickname, Bonnie."

"Why?"

Jasmine said, "That wasn't in the encyclopedia. You had a child before your first anniversary in all three of your marriages, didn't you?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"How did you prevent having another child with Frank?"

"I stopped having relations with him after I found out I was with child."

The other three people stared at Scarlett in disbelief. She said, "It was gross. I never wanted any children but Frank wanted a child so much that I gave him one but that was it," She turned to Rhett and said, "I'm not giving you anymore either."

Rhett smiled and said, "Alright."

Jasmine said slowly, "I went to Atlanta, and I visited the Atlanta History Center. There was a copy of Fanny Elsing Welburn's recollections of the war and reconstruction," Jasmine smiled at Rhett and said, "She was very enthralled with you, Rhett. She talked about you and your activities through the war and afterwards. She was positive that you had not stolen the Confederate gold. She was not as complimentary of you, Scarlett."

"That is not surprising. She blamed me for her husband's death although I didn't ask anyone to go on that raid to defend my honor."

Jasmine and Marshall could tell this was a sore point with Scarlett.

Rhett said, "What did she write about us?"

Jasmine looked at Marshall. He said, "Go ahead Jas. Tell them what Mrs. Welburn said."

While not looking at Rhett or Scarlett, Jasmine said, "As you said once before Rhett you were infamous. There was a lot written about you in peoples' letters but the one source I got the most information from was Mrs. Welburn's journal. She didn't write at all about her husband's death. There was a big gap in her journaling for about six months. I only knew that her husband had died because when she started journaling again her first sentence was 'For my son's sake I must go on now that Tommy is dead. Then she wrote that y'all were engaged and she was horrified that you, Scarlett, were going to get married so fast. She wrote about your vulgar diamond and your ugly house,"

"My vulgar diamond? My ugly house? How dare she?"

Jasmine smiled and said, "She wrote that Scarlett was nothing but white trash now that you were spending all your time with the Scallawags."

"Why would I spend time with them?"

"I don't know, Dear, Mrs. Welburn didn't say. After your daughter was born, she wrote how much you adored her, Rhett. She harshly condemned you, Scarlett, for going right back to work especially considering how well Rhett was providing for you. She wrote that it was common knowledge that y'all had separate bedrooms after your daughter was born. She wrote that Rhett spent lots of his evenings at The Painted Lady. I figured out it was a brothel by Mrs. Welburn's next comments about you using the services of the house. She blamed you Scarlett for him doing that."

Scarlett looked at her husband and said, "Rhett!" She turned to Jasmine and said, "How is it my fault that Rhett is using whores? It seems to me I would be the victim in those circumstances."

"Mrs. Welburn blamed you because you were so cold and unfeeling."

Rhett said, "Why would I do that? Why would we be sleeping in separate bedrooms?"

"Mrs. Welburn doesn't write about why. She probably didn't know why."

Scarlett said, "It probably had something to do with my desire to not have any more children."

"Why did I not suggest using preventatives?"

"I don't know."

Rhett did know. In his slightly intoxicated state he let his anger, jealousy, frustration, and resentment over Scarlett's love for Ashley Wilkes fester. He had probably believed it was all about Mr. Wilkes even though she had never made any secret about hating being pregnant and not wanting children. He had let his immature emotions ruin his marriage.

Jasmine said, "Mrs. Welburn did add that you, Rhett, decided to redeem your reputation after your daughter's first birthday."

"I would never humble myself that much."

"It seems that Mrs. Welburn really despised Scarlett for she wrote about Rhett making jokes at Scarlett's expense. She commented on how funny they were.

"Miss Laveau said Scarlett had a miscarriage. Is that right?"

"Yes."

"If we were sleeping in separate bedrooms, how did I get Scarlett with child?"

Jasmine whispered, "Mrs. Welburn didn't think it was your child but Mr. Wilkes' because he and Scarlett were caught in a compromising situation."

"What?"

"According to Mrs. Welburn, you and Mr. Wilkes were found at the sawmill office in each other's arms. It was quite the scandal. After everyone found out about it, you, Rhett, left Atlanta with your daughter for over three months. Mrs. Welburn didn't think you were coming back. The very day you returned to Atlanta; Scarlett fell down your staircase. Mrs. Welburn speculated that you knew it wasn't your child and you pushed her down the staircase."

"I would never hurt Scarlett. Scarlett would never forsake her wedding vows. Let's stop talking about any crazy ideas Mrs. Welburn may have had about Scarlett and me. Just give us the facts."

Rhett turned to Scarlett and said, "No, I would never do that," As Rhett looked at Scarlett, she looked devastated by what Jasmine had said. He said again quieter, "I would never do that."

Scarlett took Rhett's hand and quietly said, "I would never do that either." Before they had leaped forward in time Scarlett would not have known that Rhett would be faithful to her but now, she did.

Marshall said, "After Scarlett's miscarriage she sold her mills."

"I sold my mills. I would never do that. Those mills were my pride and joy. I worked so hard to build them up from nothing. Who did I allegedly sell them to?"

"Mr. Wilkes."

"I would never have sold my mills and certainly not to Ashley. He would have run them into the ground. No! That is not true. Any more than these lies about Rhett. Rhett would never do any of those things. Just tell us what the encyclopedia said. Not all these outlandish fantasies Fanny dreamed up.

Marshall said, "Alright. Two years later your daughter dies in a jumping accident. Rhett goes on a drunken bender until three months later. Your sister-in-law Melanie Wilkes dies from the results of a miscarriage. Rhett leaves town even before the funeral."

Scarlett jumped up and said, "Stop it! Stop it! None of this is true. Rhett would never disrespect Melly that way. He admires her too much."

Marshall continued like Scarlett hadn't spoken, "You never see each other again. After five years Rhett died from cirrhosis of the liver. There is no record that the two of you were ever in contact directly again. The rest of your life, Scarlett, wasn't much better. You continued to live in Atlanta with your eldest children until seventy-four when they died from Typhoid Fever."

Scarlett sat back down, and Jasmine picked up the tale, "As I told you I travel to Atlanta. I did so to verify the deaths of your children. I found that your nephew, Beau Wilkes, and his father, Ashley died in the same epidemic. After everyone else's deaths you through yourself into your business. You expanded Kennedy's and there were locations all across the South. You bought into the railroads and the banks after the panic of seventy-three. You invested in steel, concrete and iron works. When you died when you were seventy-five, you were twice as rich as Rhett was when he died."

Marshall said, "To be fair, Rhett had neglected his fortune after his daughter's death until his death. Rumors are Rhett was never completely sober after his daughter's death until his own death. Although y'all were estranged, Rhett, left his entire fortune to you, Scarlett, except some bequest to his mother -and sister. Scarlett, you never married again but you did form a long-term relationship with one of your vice-presidents, Paul Fisher."

"Panic of seventy-three?"

"It is too much to explain right now. The banks and railroads failed."

"Did I sell the mansion?"

"No, you continued to live there the rest of your life."

"Even though it was just me."

Jasmine nodded her head.

"What happened to my money after I passed away?"

"You left twenty percent for the maintenance of Tara, twenty percent to a Seafarers Charity, thirty percent to make your mansion a museum and maintain the building, and the last thirty percent to widows and orphans."

Scarlett stood up and said, "I can believe that I would leave my money to maintain my mansion and turn it into a museum. I believe I would leave money to maintain Tara, but I know the rest of that is all lies. I would not leave any of my money to either of those groups," She turned to Rhett and said, "Let's go to our room."

Rhett stood up and said, "I now know why you didn't want to tell us any of that. Thank you for telling us." Rhett quickly followed Scarlett out of the room.