Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Twenty- Four

Five weeks into the school year, Rhett and Scarlett found out they had to attend parent teacher conferences. They met with Wade's homeroom teacher and was told he was an excellent hard-working student. They met with Beau's teacher and found out that he too was an excellent, hard-working student. They met with Genie's teacher and found she was a bright, outgoing child that didn't want to obey the rules. They assured Mrs. Heinz they would speak to the child about her not obeying the rules.

Finally, Rhett and Scarlett met with Ella's teacher. Scarlett was dreading that conversation. She didn't want to hear how stupid Ella was. Her teacher, Mrs. Eagle, said, "Ella is a delight to have in my class. She is so friendly and nice to everyone."

"How is she doing academically?"

"Fine, fine. She is working hard. She is quickly learning her sounds and she is mastering math."

"But?"

"She tells the most fantastic tales about her life in Atlanta before she came to live in New Orleans."

"Like what?"'

"That y'all used to live in a big mansion."

Rhett and Scarlett were thinking, 'That is safe enough.'

When Mrs. Eagle didn't go on Scarlett said, "And?"

"That y'all would ride around in a carriage."

"And?"

Mrs. Eagle gave a sheepish smile and said, "That you traveled through time. That you used to live a hundred years ago."

Rhett and Scarlett looked at each other and Rhett turned to Mrs. Eagle. He smiled his most charming smile. The one that had never failed to get him the girl. He said, "We did live in Atlanta before we moved to New Orleans and while not nearly as progressive as New Orleans, I would never say it was that backwards."

"I know what it is, Rhett. She really enjoys that TV show Little House on the Prairie. Maybe she wants to be that little girl on the show."

Mrs. Eagle said, "I have not heard about that show," She gave a smile of understanding and continued, "That is what it is."

"We will talk to her about not making stories up."

"Of course. Remember children her age have problems distinguishing between reality and make believe."

"Of course."

"Is there anything else?"

"No, that is it. Besides that, Ella is doing fine."

When they got home Rhett sat Ella on his lap and said, "Sweetheart, you can't tell other people about our other life."

"Why?"

"Because as far as they know it is impossible to do what we have done."

"But it isn't. We did it."

"But we shouldn't have been able to do it. Mama and Daddy will get in big trouble if anyone ever finds out we did something we weren't supposed to do."

"Oh." Ella hugged her daddy and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to tell."

"It is alright. Your mother and I lied and told Mrs. Eagle that you were playing make believe because you want to be like that girl on TV, Laura Ingalls."

"No, Daddy. I think she is stupid."

Rhett smiled his charming smile and said, "Let's make it our little secret."

Ella smiled back and said, "Alright, Daddy. I don't want you and Mama to get in trouble. I like living in this time better."

"Why?"

"Everyone at school likes me."

"Everyone likes you everywhere you go here."

"That is true, Daddy."

"Go on and go play."

As Rhett watched Ella scamper off, he smiled. She really was a joy to be around.

Six months after their leap forward when they didn't return to eighteen seventy-four Rhett and Scarlett completely relaxed. They finally knew they were in the twentieth century forever. The Wilsons had a Christmas party. Rhett and Scarlett met a lot of their friends. Scarlett got along with almost all the other women at the party and had even exchanged telephone numbers with them.

On a pretty spring day Scarlett and Jasmine were sitting on the Butler's patio watching the children play. Scarlett looked at Jasmine's three-month-old daughter, Amy. She was born on Alex's birthday, so they were exactly three years apart. Scarlett wondered if there was some magic there. She would have to wait and see.

Amy looked like Marshall, but she had curly red hair like her mother and big blue eyes. Scarlett said, "I wonder if both your daughters will have the second sight."

Jasmine gave her a quick smile and said, "No, just Amy. It is linked to the red hair. She won't have it like my female ancestors had it for it was diluted by my father, but she will know things that she has no way of knowing just like me."

"I am certainly glad you saw us in Jackson square that day."

"It was meant to be. The universe keeping everything straight."

"I am happy that your great, great, grandmother tried to fix my life by sending Rhett into the future a hundred years. I don't know if I would have ever realized the truth about my feelings for Ashley and Rhett."

"Probably not. You were pretty obtuse then. What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. The children are adjusting to this life quickly even Wade. Did I tell you he is on the baseball team for Franklin Junior High?"

Jasmine smiled and said, "Yes, a couple of times. I know you are proud."

"The coach asked him to try out," Jasmine smiled at Scarlett's pride. She continued, "Rhett wants me to go to college and get a degree in mathematics. He says I am a lot smarter than I think I am."

"Of course, you are. You were raised with the notion women shouldn't be smart so you have denied your intelligence even to yourself because that would be unfeminine to be smart."

"Anyway, Rhett said he would help me so I said I would try."

"First you will need to get a GED."

"No, the man that prepared our backgrounds said I graduated from a high school in Atlanta, Georgia," Scarlett giggled and said, "Rhett wanted him to show that he had graduated from West Point, but the man said that school was too prominent. He should use the University of South Carolina. So that is what Rhett did."

"What is Rhett going to do with his time?"

"Same thing he did a hundred years ago. Follow his investments and take care of the children."

"How is your nanny working out?"

"We will have to find another one. The last one was very sassy."

"You could take care of your children yourself."

"When hell freezes over."

Which made both ladies laugh.

Scarlett said, "Fortunately Ethel and Mary Ann are working out. Of course, Rhett pays them way too much, but I don't want to cook or clean or do laundry, so I am alright with it. Finding another nanny is Rhett's chore this time."

"I should bring my laundry over to your house."

"Bring it on over. Mary Ann is there five days a week now," After a pause, Scarlett said, "I'm going to take drivers education so I can learn how to drive."

"I will ride with you while you are practicing your driving."

"We can leave the children with Rhett."

Both ladies giggled.

Scarlett said, "Let's throw a Tupperware party."

"You bet. It would be a fantastic opportunity for you to meet more of my friends."

"Yes and get a hostess gift."

The birth control pill had not worked out for Scarlett. She had tried it, but it had given her migraine headaches. She had tried to convince Rhett to have a vasectomy.

He said, "I will do my part with any kind of pregnancy prevention you want to employ but I will not let anyone close to me with a scalpel."

"Rhett nothing bad is going to happen. They are trained professionals."

"Nonetheless, no."

They reached a compromise. She would use the diaphragm even though its success rate was only 88%. If Scarlett got pregnant, she would have the child, and a tubal ligation.

In August after Scarlett had completed Driving School, Rhett bought her a green 1975 Mercedes Benz 450 SL. It was her car. It was a two-seater. She was going to drive it back and forth to school.

Rhett had also bought a blue Cadillac Coupe Deville for whenever only part of the family was going somewhere. As Rhett said, "We have a three-car garage therefore we need to have three cars."

Scarlett smiled and said, "Yes, Dear."

In September, Scarlett enrolled at The University of New Orleans. She was scared and she was nervous. Jasmine went with her. After a week of classes, Scarlett said to Rhett, "Those other girls are so immature."

Rhett had burst out laughing and had said, "Dear, remember you are a hundred and ten years older than them."

To which Scarlett scowled.

Nonetheless Scarlett continued to attend classes and she did quite well in her studies. She decided she was smarter than she believed.

Rhett took over the running of the household. When the nanny quit Rhett didn't hire another one. Rhett told Scarlett, "We can take care of the children ourselves."

Scarlett had replied, "Of course, Dear."

With both of them knowing Scarlett was going to be little to no help in actually taking care of the children.

Two years after their leap forward Scarlett found herself pregnant. She wasn't unhappy. She didn't want any more children, but it was what Rhett wanted so all was good. When she found out she was pregnant with twins she went home and said to Rhett, "Now you are forcing two of them on me at one time."

"What?"

"We are having twins."

"Twins?"

"Yes, but it will be the last time I get pregnant. While I am in the hospital, I am going to have a tubal ligation."

"Alright."

"After all you aren't ever going to get a vasectomy."

"Of course not. I want more children."

"Or is it because you don't want anyone with a scalpel that close to the boys."

"There is that also."

In the fall of seventy-six, Scarlett's advising professor talked to her about changing her major to Computer Science. He said, "You have a perfect brain to work with computers." In the spring she took a computer class and by March she had changed her major to the new field of Computer Science. Scarlett was fascinated by the computer and especially computer programing. Scarlett would come home from school and talk excitedly about her classes which pleased Rhett very much. Scarlett was the only woman in most of her classes which still pleased her very much even if the men in the classroom were all a bunch of nerds. Rhett was not pleased that his wife was often the only woman in the class. The only thing that stayed his jealousy was her calling them 'nerds.' Once Rhett had found out from Marshall what a nerd was, he relaxed with his wife being around all those men. They were the modern version of Charles Hamilton.

One month early, in June of nineteen seventy-seven Scarlett had twins and a tubal ligation. They had taken all the Lamaze classes. Scarlett had only done it so Rhett could be with her. Scarlett's doctor gave her pain medication. She wasn't having anymore but the pain medication made it bearable. It was so much better than when she had given birth to her other children. She really liked Rhett being with her the entire time.

It was a boy and a girl. As far as their parents were concerned, the babies were beautiful. They looked sort of like Rhett and they looked kind of like Scarlett. Their parents didn't care. They were tiny and they had to be kept in an incubator, but they were alive. Modern medicine was going to save their lives.

Of course, their mother was going to nurse them. Wasn't that what was best for the babies? She was going to supplement with formula therefore Rhett would be very muchly involved.

They called their son Gabriel Rhett and their daughter Elizabeth Rose. They had talked about naming the boy after her Pa, but Scarlett had decided that she didn't like the way Gerry Butler sounded so they went with Gabriel instead. Besides, they had already given Alex Pa's name as his middle name. In September, Scarlett returned to Tulane to continue getting her degree. Although the babies schedule had to be adjusted to their mother's class schedule. Rhett finally found a nanny that like working for the Butlers and that the Butlers like working for them.

In September when Scarlett returned to school, she told Rhett, "Every Tuesday and Thursday some of my fellow classmates are going to come over for study sessions."

"Alright."

On the first Tuesday at seven when the young men started arriving, Rhett smiled really big as he looked in the living room. It was the barbecue all over again. Rhett knew he had nothing to worry about. It was a room full of puppy dogs. The only difference was his wife was not playing the part of an empty-headed belle. It really was a study session for her. Rhett listened to them talk for a while and didn't understand anything they were saying but it was plain that his wife understood everything they were saying. She was even correcting some of the things they were saying.

Scarlett had graduated from Tulane with a three-point five grade point average. The only class that ever gave her any problems was English literature. Fortunately, her husband was willing to write those essays for her.

She got a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. A month after graduation Scarlett had received a lot of job offers. The one she was most interested in was working for IBM. They had an office in New Orleans on Poydras St.

Scarlett was offered a job by IBM with a nice salary, yet it seemed Rhett was more excited than Scarlett.

He said, "Baby, I am so excited about this opportunity for you."

"I guess it is great."

"Why don't you want this job? It is perfect for you."

"I don't want to unsex myself."

Rhett laughed and said, "Baby you exude femininity."

"The matrons of Atlanta…"

"Were dried up prunes who wouldn't know an orgasm from origami."

"What is origami?"

"Paperfolding."

"Huh"

"I will show you."

"Oh no, that is just your way of getting me into the bed."

"Is that so awful?"

Scarlett gave Rhett a cheeky smile and said, "No, it isn't."