Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Seventeen

They went to see Marie Laveau. She was shocked they had returned to her shop. It was late in the morning, and she wondered when the man would leap forward.

Rhett apologized for his behavior the day before and asked her to read his wife's future again. This time when Marie touched Scarlett's hand, she discovered a better future. The couple in front of her lived a good life but there was also sorrow. Her sister-in-law died from a miscarriage but not before they have four good years together.

When Scarlett heard that Melly was going to die from a miscarriage anyway she gave Rhett a sad smile. She said, "I will try to talk her out of that idea."

"Yes, we will."

"Go on Miss Laveau."

"That is all I see."

Scarlett said, "Miss Laveau, you didn't spare my feelings yesterday, please, don't today. Don't worry Rhett will not yell at you again," Scarlett turned and smiled at Rhett. She said, "Will you, Dear?"

"Indeed not. I would never insult the talented Miss Laveau again."

Yesterday the man had said the same thing with lots of sarcasm but today Marie felt it was the sincerest compliment possible.

Marie smiled sadly at the pretty lady and said, "You will lose all of your children but one to a Typhoid Fever epidemic. You and your husband will never really be happy again because of your grief. You will be content because you have each other and your son but you all will never know pure happiness again."

"Will we have more children? For I will still be a young woman."

"No, you will not have any more children."

Rhett stood up and took out his wallet. He took a twenty-dollar bill out of his wallet and laid it on the table. He helped Scarlett up. He turned to Marie and said, "Thank you for sending us into the future. You saved us from a tragic future. By the way, you would be immensely proud of your great, great granddaughter. She is a wonderful woman."

Marie was shocked and couldn't speak as the couple left her shop. She stared at the couple as they walked away. She could now tell they both love the other one. She decided that she did send the man into the future. She didn't know why the lady went with him and she didn't know how they returned. What she knew was that as her grandmother said there was some powerful magic in that book. She would have to be incredibly careful with that book.

She stared at the twenty-dollar bill. That was enough for her and her mother to live on for several months.

That night Marie asked her mother about the spell. Her mother was fairly sober at the time so Marie was hoping what her mother said would make sense.

Marie said, "I meant to send a man into the future, and I did. I don't know how his wife went with him also."

Her mother didn't reproach her about only using the spell book for good. She said, "What did you use to send him into the future?"

"A handkerchief."

"There must have been some of her residue on the handkerchief also."

"Yes, she had wiped her tears with it. Mama, she had a horrible future in front of her and it was her husband's fault so I meant to send him into the future so she could have a happy life."

"I have tried to fix a person's future before also. Yet, no matter what I did they still had an unhappy future."

"Her future is better. She lost everything the first time and this time she will just lose three of her four children. Yet, her husband and her are happy together. It is a better future. Why didn't anyone else go? You know like the woman that washed the handkerchief?"

"Their residue must be fresh within twenty-four hours."

"I handled the handkerchief. Why didn't I go?"

"Because you were the one invoking the spell."

"Why did they return?"

"What did you do with the handkerchief?"

"I burned it."

"If you want them to stay in the future forever you have to let the object rot away but if you want them to return then you burn it in a fireplace."

"Mama, the man said, 'You would be immensely proud of your great, great, granddaughter.' Do you think he met one of our descendants?"

"Yes, that is why her future is better. The cosmos interfered and had them meet one of our descendants who could help erase the negativity of their relationship. Marie, be careful. There is some powerful magic in that book."

"Yes, Mama, there is."

"Let me tell you all about the spells in the book. What all the notes mean."

"I will bring the book over tomorrow."

Marie hugged her mother and was so glad she was still alive. When she hugged her mother, she saw her living with her and her daughter. Marie had just known that her mother was finally happy. Marie said, "Mama I would like for you to live with me, but you must stay sober. I can't handle you sharing the intimate details of your life when you are drunk."

Winifred said, "I can stay sober. Starting now."

When Winifred had hugged her daughter, she had seen Marie's future. Her daughter was going to need her in the near future. Marie was going to marry a wonderful man then lose him in a carriage accident but not before he got her with child. Marie was going to need someone she could lean on, not a drunken old woman. Most of the events she had seen in her visions had already happened so she might as well start living again. Her daughter and her granddaughter needed her.

As they were in the bed in the private car, Scarlett said, "Do you think Jasmine and Marshall will remember us."

"I don't know. We are incredibly lucky that Jasmine found us in Jackson Square that day."

"Yes, we are. And that Marshall let us stay indefinitely. We wouldn't have survived without them."

"That is all true. But what I meant was Jasmine and Marshall have a good marriage. My parents' marriage was arranged. My grandparents' marriage was one of convenience. My grandfather brought money and my grandmother brought respectability. Both couples coexisted but neither couple was happy. Jasmine and Marshall were always working together. They were always thinking about what the other person wanted. They were happy. We are both fairly selfish and self-centered people, and it is hard for us to put another person first, but we are going to have to do that if we want to have a good marriage."

"I never knew either of my grandparents. My parents didn't have a good marriage either. Pa adored my mother and my mother respected him and was dutiful. They worked together but not really as a team."

"Therefore, if you don't want to have any children, I will try not to get you pregnant."

"It is alright. We will have at least one."

"I will try not to get you with child after that."

"We will try but we will not have separate bedrooms. I don't know what went wrong with us but that had to be a pretty big part of it."

"I agree but my disregarding your wishes about not having any more children was probably a big part of that decision."

"Rhett, we can spend the rest of our lives worrying about making the wrong decisions…"

"Scarlett, me being madly in love with you but afraid to tell you had to be a big part of our problems the first timeline."

"Me believing I was in love with another man couldn't have helped the situation."

"I am going to try to be more open and honest with you. That is another thing about Jasmine and Marshall they were communicating, not just talking to each other."

"Rhett, we are going to do the best we can. Our marriage can't fail."

"Agreed. We are all we have."

"And the children. Now kiss me and let's make a baby."

"As you wish."

They did make a baby that night.

Scarlett and Rhett arrived in Atlanta at seven in the morning on May the third. It really was too early to call on Melly, but Scarlett and Rhett did anyway. Ashley answered the door in his robe. He said, "Scarlett, Captain Butler, why are you back so soon. You weren't supposed to be back until Sunday."

"I missed my children too much, so I made Rhett bring me back early."

"Our apologies for disturbing you at this hour but Scarlett refused to go to the hotel until we picked up the children."

"Come in, come in. Step into the parlor. I will tell Melly and Mammy that you are here."

"Rhett you can wait in the parlor while I go get the children."

"No, I will go with you. I am anxious to see them too."

The trio walked to Beau's room where Wade and Ella were sleeping. As Scarlett and Rhett entered the room, Ashley said, "Let me tell Melly and Mammy you are here."

"Yes, tell Mammy to get dressed. We are leaving right away. Tell Melly I will come back at a respectable hour to visit with her. Rhett get Ella."

Scarlett woke Wade up and he stared at her. When he realized his mother really was sitting on his bed he said, "Mama."

He sat up and Scarlett hugged him tight. She was hugging him so tight he almost couldn't breathe, but he wasn't going to complain. It was the first time he felt like his mother loved him. By this time Rhett was holding a sleeping Ella and he said, "Honey, let the boy get dressed so we can go. We will just take Ella in her nightgown, so we don't wake her up."

Mammy came bustling in her normal black dress looking as she always did. Not even a hair out of place.

"Why are you back so early?"

"I couldn't stay away from you and the children any longer. Go on and pack up the children's clothes while Wade gets dressed."

Wade got dressed while Mammy packed their bag. Ashley was holding Beau to keep him out of the way. Rhett gave Ella to Scarlett and picked up the bag. He said, "Where is your belongings Mammy?"

"Let me get them."

"Just meet us out front."

Once Wade had his shoes on the family was walking out of the house. Melanie stepped out of one of the rooms. It was clear she had hurriedly gotten dress. Scarlett hugged her and said, "I will be back this afternoon around one. Once the children go down for their naps."

"Excellent. I look forward to it."

By the time the group had managed to get into the cab, Mammy had joined them. As they were riding to the hotel Scarlett said to Mammy, "I missed you. Later this week let's buy you some new dresses. I am tired of always seeing you in black. Let's buy you some pretty dresses," Mammy stared at Scarlett. She was stunned. Miss Scarlett had never offered to buy her clothes before. She had just given her fabric so Mammy could make herself a new dress. Scarlett added, "And some new shoes and everything else."

Thank you, Miss Scarlett.

Scarlett did go back and visit with Melanie that afternoon. It was so hard for Scarlett to tell her about their time in New Orleans because she had forgotten most of it. She managed to tell Melly enough that Melly wasn't suspicious. Scarlett listened while Melly talked about her two and a half weeks. It was a pleasant afternoon for both ladies. When Scarlett left Melly thought, 'Scarlett has changed in the short amount of time she and Captain Butler have been married.'

Scarlett did take Mammy to the dressmaker and let Mammy choose any fabric she wanted. As they were at the dressmaker's, Scarlett asked, "Mammy, do you own a night gown?"

"No, Miss Scarlett, I don't. I just wear my dress to bed."

Scarlett told the dressmaker, "Make her two nightgowns also."

They went to the cobbler and ordered Mammy two new pairs of shoes.

On the way back to the hotel, Mammy said, "If you are going to start being nice, I guess I will have to take back my comment about you and Captain Butler being mules."

Much to Mammy's surprise, Scarlett laughed and said, "No, don't do that. You wouldn't be my mammy if you didn't tell me what you thought. I can now afford to take care of you."

Scarlett didn't know what was going to happen in the next several years, but she was going to show the people who loved her appreciation now before it was too late.