Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Forty-Two

As Scarlett stood in her parlor, she looked at Melanie's retreating back. She turned to Rhett and said, "What did you say to her?"

"I told her about the rumors about her husband."

"And?"

"And what?"

"I know you told her more. She looked like she had been scared almost to death."

"I just warned her that I was an extremely dangerous predator and that if she tried to hurt you or my marriage, she would regret it to her dying day."

"Oh."

Scarlett sat down on the divan and held out her arms for her baby. Rhett shook his head no. He said, "You have just gotten to hold him for thirty minutes. It is my turn."

Scarlett smiled and said, "Alright. I was so looking forward to playing all those practical jokes on her."

"I may have lost my temper."

"How can you have lost your temper? You were so glib when we were in Zurich."

"When I saw her sitting there looking so prim and proper. So innocent. So superior to me. I just wanted to knock the wind out of her sails. You can still do some of them. After my threat to her, she won't find it strange that I am monitoring your interactions with her."

"What exactly did you say?"

Rhett told her what he had said except for the not too subtle threat of killing her. After he was finished, Scarlett said, "Hounds of hell, huh?"

Rhett smiled and said, "Hounds of hell."

Rhett and Scarlett laughed. Scarlett said, "Let's go upstairs and leave Gerry with Mammy. We can check on the girls also. Then we can visit our contractor. We need to get that stairwell changed. We can go by Mr. Powe's to get the contract with Fanny started. Oh, let's drive by Piedmont and Glimmer. I want to look at the location before I give Fanny any money."

"Of course."

Rhett and Scarlett went to see the builder of their home. Bob Bono did not want to work with the Butlers again. Although, it paid good money, they were such a meticulous couple that it wasn't worth it. The couple at first had been so incredibly charming and polite. In truth, they had always remained polite and charming. He was already too far into the building of their mansion when he realized what a pain the couple was to work with. Mrs. Butler had him repaint the walls in her dining room five times until she had found the perfect shade of blue. Mr. Butler had him rip out the wallpaper while giving him a lecture on the effects of arsenic on living beings. That is when Bob found out that in order to get that beautiful green color the manufactures used arsenic in the making of the wallpaper. When the construction got to the big room that was going to be used as a nursery that is when the nursemaid got involved in the process. Normally Bob would not have paid a servant any mind, but Mrs. and Mr. Butler were acting like everything coming out of the old woman's mouth were words from God. He still had nightmares of Mrs. Butler lying on the floor of the ballroom with her head flat on the floor and saying, "I don't think it is level. I can see ripples." Bob had to take his level and prove to the woman that the floor was indeed level. She had finally accepted it. The absolutely worst part was that although he would please Mrs. Butler, her husband would not be pleased. On several occasions Mr. Butler had made him rip the wallpaper out or change the color of the walls. All Mr. Butler would say was 'That is too garish.' Although Mrs. Butler would pout, she never argued with Mr. Butler about the changes he was making. Mr. Butler never once apologized for the inconvenience. That was the other thing. They never apologized for anything they did. They acted like their behavior was normal. They were anything but normal. In fact, in his mind he referred to them as Abby and Norman which he shortened to Abbynorman. Or just abnormal.

When Bob had found out that the renovation was to tear out the main stairwell and replace it with one not so steep, he absolutely refused to even consider working with the Butlers again. Dealing with Mrs. Butler and that staircase had been a nightmare the first time around. When Mrs. Butler said, "It is just too steep. Someone could get seriously hurt if they fell down those stairs." Bob had wanted to scream. He had told Mrs. Butler that same thing at least ten times but she had ignored him and demanded he install the impressive staircase. Bob told the Butlers, "I am just too busy right now to in good conscience take on another job, but I will refer you to another contractor who will do a good job for you."

Supposedly, in an act of kindness Bob gave the name and address of another well-known builder in Atlanta. When the Butlers left his office, they appeared happy. Bob was happy. He had given them the name of his main competition. Let Calvin Hobbes deal with the Butlers.

Rhett and Scarlett had gone to see Mr. Hobbes as soon as they left Mr. Bono's office. They made an appointment with Mr. Hobbes to come by the mansion the next morning at about ten-thirty. Calvin was excited about doing this job for the Butlers. He had been mad when he had learned that Bono had gotten the big contract to build the Butlers' mansion. Calvin was a little smug. He knew the Butlers were unhappy with Bono's work or they wouldn't have left him. It would be a long month later that Calvin realized that Bono had cursed him with the Butlers.

Rhett and Scarlett drove by Piedmont and Glimmer. They both thought the location was a good one. There was a lot of foot traffic. Piedmont appeared to be a busy road but not too busy. They looked at the buildings on the corners. Rhett was the first one to see the FOR SALE sign in one of the buildings. It had a porch and looked to be in good shape. Rhett said, "It is a big lot so there is space for a lot of wagons."

"Let's walk around back."

Rhett found a place to park the buggy. He fixed the reins. The couple walked around to the back of the building. Scarlett said, "Fanny is going to have to tear down one of those walls and put in a freight door to make it easier to get the goods in and out."

"Did you do that at Kennedy's?"

"No, Frank had already done it."

"That isn't going to be cheap, but she will have to do it."

"I will loan her fifty dollars more."

"Alright."

The couple then went to see Mr. Powe and asked him to prepare a contract for Scarlett to loan Fanny two hundred and fifty dollars at three percent interest. He was to take the money out of her children's trust fund. He also needed to add Gerald Patrick Butler to the list of beneficiaries of the trust. Mr. Powe said, "I should be able to get the contract drawn up in two or three days."

"Send me a note with an available time to sign the contract then I will send Fanny a note."

"Yes, Mrs. Butler."

On the way home Rhett said, "Why are Gerry and Bonnie beneficiaries of the trust?"

Scarlett looked at Rhett questioningly and hesitantly said, "Because they are my children."

"But they won't need the money."

"Ella and Wade won't need the money either. You will settle a nice amount of money on them in your will."

"Yes, I will."

"They are my children, and they deserve to inherit money from their mother also despite how much money their father is going to leave them."

With a smile Rhett said, "Alright."

The couple went home. They joined all the children except Gerry in the dining room for dinner. The conversation was funny and lively. Scarlett and Rhett loved listening to the children tell Beau about their time abroad.

After dinner, the girls went to the nursery to take a nap while Rhett and Wade took Beau home. Scarlett knew that Melly would not be ready to face her yet. She would give the woman a chance to regain her composure then invite them back to the mansion.

Ella was a well-behaved child. She had never given Mammy or Scarlett any trouble. That day she was going to do her first disobedient act. She had pretended to be asleep until Mammy finally got Bonnie to go to sleep. After Mammy had left the room, Ella got up and went over to Gerry's crib. He was happily playing by himself with his toys. She just looked at him. She was trying to see what was so special about him. She knew Daddy and Mama loved her. Mama was showing it more and more. She understood that Daddy loved Bonnie and Gerry more than her and Wade because Bonnie and Gerry were his real children, nonetheless Daddy did make her feel loved. Yet, Ella at almost six couldn't understand it but she felt like there was something very special about Gerry. She stood there and stared at the baby until he turned his head and smiled at her. That smile made Ella feel like she was the most important person in the world. She guessed that smile made everyone feel special. He was her baby brother and just like with Bonnie she knew that she had to protect him too and make sure nothing bad happen to them. Just as Wade had always protected her. Ella sighed and got in her bed. She was soon asleep. She had always enjoyed her naps.

Within thirty minutes Wade and Rhett were back from dropping off Beau. Rhett said, "I didn't get out of the carriage. I had already scared the woman enough today."

"You could have scared India into not talking badly about me."

"No, I wouldn't do that."

"Why?"

"You did steal her beau. Besides, you enjoy besting Miss Wilkes in verbal battles almost as much as you enjoy besting Suellen."

"That is true. I do."

Rhett thought, 'And I enjoy seeing the results of those verbal battles.'

That day at three the photographer was at the mansion. Mr. Cogswell loved when he got a note from Mrs. Butler. He usually got one every four months. He knew he was going to make some money photographing the Butlers. When he took pictures of the Butlers, he always took a picture of the entire family, Mr. and Mrs. Butler alone, individuals of each child, one of all the children together, and usually the last one was of Mrs. Butler, her mammy, and all the children. There was always one more which was the most unusual one. It was of some of her staff. She had him take a picture of an older man, his wife, his daughter, and his son. This year she had Mr. Cogswell take a picture of the young woman and her husband, also. By the time all the photography was finished it was close to six o'clock.

Mrs. Butler had said, "Mr. Cogswell, we have just celebrated our fourth anniversary. Next year we will have to do something special because it will be our fifth anniversary. Do you have any ideas?"

"No ma'am."

"I will think of something."

Here Scarlett turned and smiled at Rhett. He had smiled back and marveled at the difference between this lifetime and the last lifetime. There had been a camaraderie between him and Scarlett at that time which he had been grateful for but there had not been the closeness they had now. He certainly didn't want to think about how bad it must have been during his very first timeline.

Before Mr. Cogswell put up his equipment, Mr. Butler said, "I would like for you to take a picture of me with the two youngest children," He had turned to Mrs. Butler and said, "For my mother."

Mrs. Butler had smiled and said, "Of course, Dear."

Mr. Cogswell was surprised when Mr. Butler said, "She won't give a damn, but I feel I must send it to her anyway."

With a face void of any emotion, Mrs. Butler had said, "Of course, Dear. It is the proper thing to do."

That statement had made Mr. Butler laugh and he had said, "And we must always do the proper thing."

"Yes, we must."

With that the picture was taken. With a lot of effort Mrs. Butler had gotten the baby to smile for the picture. Soon Mr. Cogswell packed up his equipment and assured Mrs. Butler the pictures would be ready within the week.