Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback. This is the last chapter then the epilog.

Chapter Eight

Rhett had not objected to Wade's statement about how far he had fallen because it was so true. He had fallen so far. So extremely far. He had no one to blame but himself. He had thrown happiness away with both hands by not accepting Scarlett's love when she was finally willing to give it to him. He smiled. He had still been too prideful. He still was. He knew she would take him back. She always did. Yet he still couldn't humble himself and show up at her door.

Rhett had found out little from Wade. What he had wanted to find out is what Scarlett's thoughts and feelings were now. People especially men still liked to talk about Scarlett Butler. In the last two years, if Scarlett sneezed someone told him about it. He had known all about her and Mr. Wilkes being business partners. He knew they had kept company socially and now they were just friends and business associates. He knew all about her relationship with Daniel Armstrong. He had even had Mr. Armstrong investigated but there were no skeletons in his background. There may have been some questionable activity on Mr. Armstrong's part but there was no out and out misdeeds. Rhett knew everything about Scarlett except how she felt about him. Judging by Wade's comments she no longer believed herself in love with him.

He had seen her around Atlanta but anytime he had started to walk over to where she was, she would disappear. He had even gone to her original store hoping to just run into her, but she hadn't been there. As he had looked around the store it had reminded him of when he had gotten out of jail. He had been filled with regret of all the opportunities he had blown. He should have told her he would get the money somehow some way. He had lost his temper with her repeatedly, and it had always left him in a bad position, but he could never admit he was wrong and apologize to her.

He watched the man that had once been his stepson walk out of the saloon with regret. He gave a mirthless laugh and thought for a minute of Scarlett's expression if he just showed up at her home or went to her new store in Marietta that he knew she was spending all her time at. He wouldn't do either one because he was too much of a coward.

Rhett smiled. It seemed Scarlett had known him better than himself. He had thought he would be back, but he could never make himself return to Atlanta that first year after Bonnie's death. That first year his pain over the loss of Bonnie had been so great because he knew he was the one that had allowed her to make that tragic jump. He had called himself much worse than a murderer that first year. He had fallen into the bottle. He had traveled to Europe but the only sight he had ever seen was the inside of a bottle. He had finally stopped drinking when he woke up lying on the sidewalk. Everything of value he had on his person was stolen even the suit he had on. The thing he had deeply missed was the watch Scarlett had given him on their wedding day. It had a picture of her and Bonnie in it.

He had finally stopped drinking for he knew he had become a drunk. When he had finally come out of his drunken haze, he had known he had treated Scarlett so badly. So badly that he could not face her and the censure in her eyes. As bad as facing the censure would have been the forgiveness would have been so much worse. After he had gotten sober was when he realized he had made his greatest mistake of his entire life in his drunken state. He had divorced Scarlett. He had vaguely wondered why she had signed the papers but at that time he really hadn't wanted to know. He now knew why. It was quite simple. She had wanted to be rid of him.

For seven years he had traveled from city to city looking for peace while knowing all the while peace for him was in Atlanta. Peace and forgiveness. He had met people both men and women. Men who had wanted to do business with him. Women who had wanted his protection and had maybe wanted his body. He had met people who were fun and entertaining, yet he wasn't entertained. He had met respectable people who were still so very boring. He had visited his mother frequently the first year after Bonnie died but when he finally sobered up, he realized how embarrassed his mother was by his presence in her home. He made visits to Charleston much less often which wasn't hard. There was no peace or charm or grace for him in Charleston.

He had still been a half owner of The Painted Lady. He hadn't known why he couldn't sell his half of the business. It certainly wasn't for any attachment to Belle. The thought of Belle made him think of his being unfaithful to Scarlett with her and that always made him feel ashamed.

Rhett had instructed Belle to take his profits to Mr. Taylor and had his attorney put them in his bank account in Atlanta. When he had thought of Belle in his sober state, he had felt such guilt. Guilt for having used her to hurt Scarlett. Guilt for having hurt Scarlett and publicly shamed her with Belle. Guilt for the hypocriticalness of him being so angry when he had found out about Scarlett and Mr. Wilkes having been caught in each other's arms after he had repeatedly publicly shamed her by his actions.

Yet he still hadn't been able to sell his half of the saloon because it was his last tie to Atlanta and therefore Scarlett.

After Belle had died, he had come back to Atlanta two years ago. He hadn't had to come back. He could have had Mr. Taylor sell The Painted Lady and wire him the money. Yet he had come back to Atlanta. He had finally come back to the city that had held such hope for him and still did. He had finally come back to Scarlett. Yet he couldn't make himself go see her and see if there was any hope of a reconciliation between them. He had hoped to run into Scarlett on the street for if he ran into her on the street he would know if she would take him back. He decided to run the saloon until it sold or until he ran into Scarlett.

After two months he had decided to not sell the saloon. He ended the prostitution part of the business. Those young girls reminded him too much of Bonnie. He didn't make nearly as much money without that service, but he didn't need the money.

He was still rich. Not as rich as he had once been, for he had neglected his investments the year after Bonnie's death. He had only given them half-hearted attention for several years after that. Once he had started paying attention to them again, he had started making money again. Yet he was no longer making deals in the shadow, so his profits weren't as great as they had once been. To all extents and purposes, he was an honest businessman which, always made him smile. His younger self would have been so appalled.

The saloon was as good a place to live as anywhere else. The only place he felt comfortable living any more was over a saloon. He could live anywhere in the world have the finest things, have the most beautiful women, the finest food, the best cigars, and the best whiskey. Yet the only place he wanted to live was in an ugly house and sleep next to a shrew of a woman who really wasn't that pretty and certainly wasn't that nice. Maybe tomorrow he would get up the courage to show up on Scarlett's door.

As Rhett sat there, he thought about his mistakes in his life. Getting kicked out of West Point, not marrying that girl, not asking Scarlett to marry him during the war when instead he had asked her to be his mistress, not taking her all the way to her home, joining the Confederate army, not telling her at the Fire House that he would save Tara for her somehow someway, not telling her when he asked her to marry him that he loved her, and all the mistakes he had made in their marriage. He hadn't each and every time because he had been a coward.

He was still a coward for he knew he would never show up at her door. He would never ask for her forgiveness. He would just keep pretending that tomorrow he would go and make everything right with Scarlett.

Tomorrow never came for Rhett Butler. He died peacefully in his sleep that night. It was an anti-climactic ending to an extremely exciting life. Yet it was fitting for Rhett had always been more flash than substance.

The next day a man called on Scarlett. Once he was seated in her parlor, he said, "I am Jim Taylor. I was Rhett Butler's attorney. I am sorry to inform you, but he passed away last night."

"How?"

"He died in his sleep."

"He died alone?"

"Yes ma'am."

"That is so sad."

"Yes ma'am. You are Rhett Butler's heir. He left some money to his sister and a few charities, but he left the bulk of his estate to you."

"When is the funeral? Will he be buried in Charleston?"

"Mr. Butler requested that he be buried next to his daughter."

"I will have my daughter's body moved to Tara and I will allow him to be buried next to her. I don't want him to be buried at Tara, but it is the only way I will feel right about it. I know Rhett would want to be buried next to Bonnie, the only person he had ever loved besides himself."

"Very well. Do you want me to make the arrangements?"

"Yes, thank you." Scarlett looked out the window and Mr. Taylor let her get her thoughts together. At last, Scarlett asked, "How much was he worth?"

"Close to a million dollars."

Scarlett had smiled and said, "Is that all? I always thought he had millions."

"Before your daughter's death he had close to three million dollars."

"Really? What happened?"

"He neglected his investments the year after your daughter's death. The next several years he only gave them halfhearted attention. Men got the better of him in business deals. About two years ago when he moved back to Atlanta is when he seriously started tending to his investments."

"Now that is really sad. I guess I can finally stop working. Thank you, Mr. Taylor. I will come down to your office in a day or two. We will discuss my portfolio."

Scarlett walked Mr. Taylor to the door. She would not cry for Rhett. She had cried enough for Rhett in the fall of seventy-three. Once he sent her the divorce papers, he had been dead to her. She knew now that their marriage had been over since that awful night in New Orleans. The man that had returned from New Orleans had no longer been her fun-loving Rhett. He had been a man frustrated and angry by her refusal to love him. His frustration and anger had gotten so much worse over the next six years until it had eaten him up inside.

As she walked back to the parlor she was still wondering if Rhett had ever loved her or if she was just a challenge to him. She pushed it to the back of her mind. She wouldn't think about that because she would never know for sure one way or the other. She refused to acknowledge the tears falling from her eyes as she finally had no hope that Rhett would come back to her.