Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the many reviews and the feedback.
Chapter Sixteen
Over the next several weeks, Scarlett was always nagging Jasmine to finish her dissertation and for Rhett to find a way to make money in this century. Jasmine had gotten a lot of her thesis written thanks to Scarlett's nagging. Rhett had some ideas that he was researching.
Scarlett was trying to keep herself busy so she would not think of her children, Mammy and Melanie. She started doing more of the chores around the house except she wouldn't clean the toilets. That was just nasty. She had even had Jasmine show her how to fix breakfast and lunch, so Jasmine didn't have to stop working on her thesis in order to feed them. They were simple meals like grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna fish sandwiches and chicken salad sandwiches. Scarlett had made some desserts also. Jasmine finally had to put an end to that. Jasmine couldn't eat that many sweets without the results showing up on her hips. After Jasmine put the kibosh on sweets, every night Rhett took Scarlett down to the Seven-Eleven for her to buy something sweet. She would eat it in the car on the way back to the house.
On these drives Scarlett would talk about Wade, Ella, Melanie, and Mammy. One night she said, "It really bothers me that I don't know what happened to Mammy."
"We can go to the library and research it."
"We can try but I doubt if there will be any record of her life or death. She didn't do anything remarkable as far as other people are concerned."
When Rhett heard the emotion in Scarlett's voice he said, "Let's make up a happy ending for her."
"What?"
"Let say that after our disappearance she went back to Tara and happily lived out the rest of her life with your sister Suellen."
"Or she stayed with Wade and Ella then after their deaths she went back to Tara and happily lived out the rest of her life. Although I don't know how happy anyone could be living with Suellen."
That made Rhett laugh. He said, "Until we know otherwise that is what happened to Mammy."
"Thank you, Rhett. I like this. Writing our own ending."
Jasmine and Scarlett went to a wedding shower. The bride was one of Jasmine's college friends. A few days before they had gone shopping for a present. Jasmine had decided to buy her friend, Dawn, a crockpot. Scarlett didn't say anything, but she didn't think she would like to receive a kitchen appliance as a present.
Scarlett had an enjoyable time at the shower. The ladies there said the most audacious things. They talked about Dawn's wedding night and made all sorts of off-colored comments. Then Dawn smiled and said, "Since Joe and I have been living together for two years, I don't think my wedding night is going to be any different than any other night. Not tonight, Joe. I have a headache."
Dawn's comment made everyone roar with laughter. Scarlett had laughed although she had not understood completely.
One of the gifts was a very sheer nightgown. Without any embarrassment, Dawn said, "Yes, Joe will like that."
Jasmine had introduced Scarlett as an old friend from Baton Rouge. When someone questioned Scarlett's Georgian accent, she had said, "I grew up in Georgia. My family moved to Baton Rouge ten years ago. Now my husband and I are moving to New Orleans."
"What does your husband do?"
"Investment banking."
"What is that?"
"I don't know. Every time he tries to explain it to me, I just get confused."
Overall, Scarlett had an enjoyable time. On the ride back to the house, Scarlett said, "I think I am going to fit in here quite nicely. The women in this time certainly aren't boring."
In the middle of October, Jasmine took Scarlett to a Tupperware party. Scarlett really enjoyed it. She loved the games they played and the prize she won. At the end of the evening, she wanted to buy everything the woman was selling but alas Rhett had not given her any money.
Rhett and Scarlett were fascinated by the concept of Halloween. They went to a costume party. They went as an angel and a devil. Rhett was the angel and Scarlett was the devil. Rhett had even let Scarlett wear a red leotard and red tights with just a skirt over it. She made a pitchfork. He had worn white pants and a long sleeve white shirt. Jasmine and Scarlett had managed to fashion him a halo. Jasmine and Marshall had gone as Bonnie and Clyde. The party was being held at another policeman's house. Everyone had a fun time. Rhett even drank a couple of beers. They were good but two was enough. He had a wife and child to take care of.
It was November first. Rhett and Scarlett were moving to their own place. They were moving out because they had to commit to living in the twentieth century. It was a two-bedroom apartment. They had signed the lease and put down a deposit. They didn't have much to move just some clothes. Their bed and living room furniture would be delivered that morning. They had bought sheets and towels. They were scared and excited to be living on their own.
Rhett had found a couple of ways to make money although he had yet to commit their money to any of the projects. Rhett had woken Scarlett up with kisses that morning. She had welcomed him, not just accepted him. It was getting more difficult to be intimate because of Scarlett's expanding waistline but Rhett managed. Rhett had never had relations with a pregnant woman before, but he tried to make Scarlett feel as comfortable as possible. The truth was for Rhett was that it wasn't about sexual satisfaction but being one with Scarlett.
Afterwards, they had both gotten up and gotten dressed. They were talking when they saw the walls shimmering and they both knew what was happening. Somehow, they were being returned to eighteen sixty-eight. Scarlett grabbed her book and her purse. Rhett grabbed his wallet and his books. He was going to make a fortune in the next several years.
When everything was over, they were standing in a field. Rhett had bought Scarlett a much more tasteful diamond as an engagement ring, and it was still on her finger. She quickly checked and everything that she had put in her purse was still there including her money and her driver's license.
She said, "Rhett! Where are we?"
"I don't know. Hopefully back in eighteen sixty-eight."
"I hope so. Rhett will Jasmine know what has happened to us."
"I hope so. Come on let's get back to the hotel."
"Rhett, let's go home right away."
Rhett picked Scarlett up and swirled her around. He kissed her passionately. He said, "We can't do that in public anymore. Yes, Baby, we will go home as soon as we see Marie Laveau and see if your future has changed."
"Yes. Of course. Rhett, the baby is gone."
"Which is good. We would never be able to explain how you came back from your honeymoon six months pregnant."
"How?"
"I don't know. We can make another one."
"We will talk about it later."
"Let's start walking."
"In which direction."
"This way."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure. Trust me."
Scarlett looked up at her husband and said, "I always have."
"I know, Baby, I know."
When the Butlers had not joined Jasmine for breakfast, she went to investigate. She knocked on the door of their room, there was no answer. With the sixth sense that Jasmine now embraced she knew that her time travelers were no longer her responsibility. They had somehow been returned to their natural time. She was happy for them. She hoped they had a happy ending now, but she would check it out at the Tulane library. She would finally finish her dissertation. She didn't want Scarlett's ghost haunting her. She had a real view of women in that time period now instead of the romanticized version she had before she had met Rhett and Scarlett Butler. She now knew that Scarlett didn't think of herself as a trailblazer. She had just been doing what she had to do to feed all those people who depended on her. Jasmine was going to miss her friends.
When Marshall got home that night, Jasmine said, "Rhett and Scarlett have returned to eighteen sixty-eight."
"I am going to miss them."
"Me too."
"Are you going to check out their life stories?"
"Yes, probably next week. I call the manager of the apartment complex and pretended to be Scarlett. I told him that they had decided against moving into the apartment. Then I called the furniture store and cancelled the order. I assured them both the Butlers didn't want their money back."
"C'mon. Let us see if they left us a surprise."
"What?"
"What is left over from the two hundred thousand dollars that Rhett won."
Marshall and Jasmine went to their former guests' bedroom. Marshall looked in the closet and found the suitcase that Marshall had loaned Rhett to keep his money in. When he opened it, there was almost a hundred thousand dollars in it. Marshall said, "You can pay off your student loans now."
Jasmine smiled broadly and said, "Yes, I can."
"We can have children sooner."
"Yes, we can."
As they looked around the room all the decorations Scarlett had happily placed in the room were still in their places.
Jasmine said, "I am going to leave it just as it is."
"At least until we need the room for a nursery."
The Butlers were returned to the exact same time they had disappeared. After six months the spell had been reversed yet they had still influenced the people they had interacted with, especially the Wilsons.
That night over dinner Jasmine said, "She was so strong, but she didn't see herself as strong. She saw herself as just doing what she had to do."
"He had such a tough outer shell when they had first started living with us like he was afraid people would see how weak he really was."
"Overcompensating."
"Yeah."
"I'm going to miss them."
"Me too."
"We could name our children after them."
"No, there is only one Rhett and Scarlett."
"True."
Rhett had been right in the direction he had led them off the field in. After twenty minutes of walking, they were in the outskirts of New Orleans. They found a man with a wagon that was willing to take them to Jackson Square. Rhett said, "What is today's date?"
The man looked at him strangely and said, "It is May the first."
Rhett didn't need to ask what year. He could tell by the coaches and wagons on the road. The entire drive to Jackson Square, the man kept staring at Scarlett's calves. Rhett didn't say anything because lots of men had seen Scarlett's calves.
Once they were at Jackson Square, Rhett paid the man. Rhett had always kept his old money in his wallet. They walked back to their hotel.
Rhett walked through the lobby to the desk clerk. He said, "I seemed to have misplace my key. Do you have another?"
"Of course, Mr. Butler. Let me get it for you."
As they walked up the stairs Scarlett said, "Are we going to see Ms. Laveau this morning?"
"Yes, so we can be on the afternoon train out of New Orleans. I will arrange a private car later. We will eat at dinner at Tujague's one last time then be on the next train out of town. We need to get changed first before anyone decides to question our appearance especially yours, my dear. That is a lot of leg showing for this day and time."
After they had changed clothes, Scarlett knew she would not have wanted to go through that adventure with anyone but Rhett. As Scarlett stared at Rhett across the room, she knew she was safe because Rhett was with her. In that moment she knew she felt safe because she loved Rhett. She smiled. She remembered him telling her he loved her. He hadn't said it again, but she knew it was true. She said, "I love you."
Rhett smiled. He said, "I love you, too."
They didn't know why but they had decided to store their clothes, money and IDs away. They kept the books out. Scarlett still read her book every now and then and Rhett was going to make money knowing which stocks to buy and which inventions to invest in. He was going to write Mr. Levi Straus in San Francisco as soon as they got back to Atlanta. That was one business that definitely was going to be a success.