Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Sixty-Four

It was early and the people had time to talk. Soon Rhett and the boys came into the kitchen. Louie was with them. While Fanny gave her son a scowl, she didn't send him back to his studies. Scarlett made the boys sit at another table. Yes, Beau was sad but accepting that his mother was dead. Scarlett supposed it was easier for Beau to accept it because his mother had never been a healthy woman and she had been extremely sick for the last month. Scarlett knew he would be better off with her, Rhett, and the children than he would be with ditsy PittyPat, sour India, quiet Ashley, and Henry who wanted Beau to live up to a standard that no longer existed if it truly ever had.

Rene, Fanny, and Claude were talking about opening another store and another bistro, but they were going to wait to make sure the panic was really over. Scarlett said, "I think that is smart."

Rhett said, "No point in risking everything on a maybe unless one has to."

Rene said, "Furthermore if we opened another location, we would have to hire two more chefs to run it."

"Couldn't one of you run it?"

"Yes, but we would still have to hire two more chefs to assist us."

Rhett said, "You should find some men who wanted to internship with you then you could pay them a lower wage. The downside is once they learned the trade, they could open up their own shops. They would then be the competition. How old are your boys?"

"Raul is thirteen and Louie is?"

"Eleven."

"I would recommend waiting until Louie and Raul could help you run the bistros then open another one."

"Good idea, Rhett."

Rhett smiled and said, "I do have them every now and then."

Soon the bistro began to get crowded, and Raul and Claude had to go to work. The Butlers got up to leave and Rene said, "Wait a minute."

Rene came back with a box full of croissants. He handed it to Scarlett and said, "On the house."

Scarlett smiled her Southern belle smile and said, "Why thank you kind, Sir."

Rene smiled. Rhett smiled. The family left but not before Rhett left a twenty-dollar coin piece on the table. The family would never be back to Atlanta. They would never return to the South ever again.

As the family walked to the cab stand, the children were chattering away. Rhett said quietly, "You should give Suellen your part of Tara."

"And Careen's part too."

"Yes."

"Let's go talk to Mr. Powe this afternoon."

"Yes."

"We aren't ever coming back, are we?"

"There is no reason to come back."

"No, there isn't. One last look at Tara."

"Alright, Baby. We will go down there tomorrow."

"Yes, I will send Suellen a telegram on our way to Mr. Powe's office."

"Alright."

"What are we going to do about the Tarletons?"

"Nothing. Once I get my investment back, I will sign it over to them."

Sadly, Scarlett said, "Alright."

"You did right by your friends. You gave their parents and their sisters a way to support themselves if they wanted to work for it."

"Yes, I did."

As they got in the cab, Rhett said, "When we get back home, I want you to start working with some philanthropic groups."

"What!?"

"Find a group that wants to help other people."

"Why do you always do that to me? Use big words that you know I don't know the meaning to."

"I don't do it intentionally. I am very well read, and I have a huge vocabulary."

"Did you talk that way when you were talking," Here Scarlett noticed that all the children were listening to their conversation. She finished her sentence by saying, "Your former associates?

Rhett said, "Yes. They didn't understand what I was talking about either, nonetheless I just can't help myself. As soon as we get back to the hotel it is naps for Gerry and Olivia."

Gerry whined, "When do I get to stop taking a nap?"

"When you stop whining."

Scarlett said, "When you start school. Next year."

When Gerry stuck out his bottom lip, Rhett laughed and said, "You can just push that lip back in. It isn't going to do any good. We have seen this act before, and we are immune to those tactics."

Rhett and Scarlett left the children with Flo and went to Western Union. All the telegram to Suellen said, "I will be there tomorrow STOP Scarlett"

After the couple was in Mr. Powe's office Scarlett said, "I need a check for the amount in the trust fund. I am going to dissolve the trust."

"Of course, Mrs. Butler."

"When can you get that done?"

"I will have you a check by the end of the week."

"Perfect."

"I want to transfer my part of Tara to my sister Suellen."

"All of it?"

"Yes, I want Suellen to own all of Tara."

"I can get the paperwork drawn up by the end of the week."

"Perfect."

"Ashley Wilkes has agreed to let us adopt his son Beauregard Wilkes. I need you to draw up those papers also. Can that be done by the end of the week also?"

"I will try."

Rhett said, "We will pay a premium rate. This must be done before we can leave Atlanta."

"Yes, Sir. Was there anything else?"

"Yes, his name is actually George Ashley Wilkes."

"Thank you. That is important."

As Scarlett stood up, she said, "That is all."

Rhett and Scarlett left the office. As they were getting into the cab, Rhett said, "I need to close my account at the bank."

"Alright, Dear. Will it take awfully long?"

"No, I just need to find out what the balance is down to the penny and with draw it."

"Then let's go now."

"Alright."

Rhett had been right. Closing his bank account at Bank of Atlanta took less than fifteen minutes. As the couple got into a cab, Scarlett said, "That was kind of anti-climactic."

"I guess."

"It was more of a whimper. I expected a bang."

"Me too. Especially considering it is our last tie to Atlanta."

The next morning, everyone was on the train to Jonesboro including Flo and Beau. Beau was part of the family now. Where they went, he went.

Mr. Price at the feed store took the family out to Tara. As they got out of the wagon, Rhett said, "I think Will will take us back to Jonesboro. Here you go."

"Thank you, Sir."

When Scarlett walked through the door, Suellen walked out of the parlor and said, "Amazing your husband is still alive."

Scarlett just looked at Suellen. She finally said, "Sue, we are in our thirties. Let's try behaving like mature women. Not two little brats. Come on, darlings let's go back outside where it is cooler."

When the children got outside, Genie coaxed Ella and Gerry into playing tag with her. Wade and Beau joined in. Soon the Benteen girls came out of the house and started playing also. Olivia thought she was playing but she really wasn't.

Scarlett and Rhett stood there and smiled at how much fun the children were having playing such a simple game. They for a moment were transfixed by the sight. The children were so carefree and happy.

Rhett said, "I remember when Robert and I would play tag with the slave children. That was a lifetime ago."

"Rhett, is there any way we can protect them from their world being destroyed like ours was?"

"No, Baby, there isn't. Our world wasn't destroyed by our actions but by foolish, stupid, arrogant men."

"Men who all they had was arrogance, cotton, and slaves."

"Come on, Baby, let's walk to the bend in the road. Your favorite place to view Tara."

Scarlett turned around and looked at Wade. She saw the wishful look on his face. She said, "Wade, come with us. You too, Beau."

When the group got to the bend in the road, Scarlett got misty eyed, but she blinked back the tears. Rhett gave her his handkerchief and she smiled. She whispered to Rhett, "It is all gone. Everyone is gone."

Rhett didn't really understand what Scarlett meant but he said, "Yes, it is."

"Rhett, they had it all and they threw it away on what might happen."

"Yes, Baby, they did."

"I have to go home. I have to go back to New York where I am safe."

"You are safe if you are with me. We have to tell the Tarletons goodbye."

"Yes, we do. Let's go now then we can leave right after dinner."

"Of course."

As the group was walking back to the house, Wade said, "That is my favorite place to view Tara from."

"Mine too."

Rhett and Scarlett took the wagon to Fair Hill. The buildings looked better. Everything looked better. When they pulled up Camille greeted them. She said, "Let me get Mom and Dad."

"Sure."

Beatrice and Jim invited Rhett and Scarlett into their home. They were sitting in the parlor which was nicely furnished. Not as opulent as before the war but it looked good. Beatrice brought them tea which was sad to Scarlett because she remembered all the slaves the Tarletons had before the war. Scarlett thought, 'We are all doing things we would never have dreamed about doing before the war. Like me living in New York."

Beatrice interrupted Scarlett's thoughts by saying, "Both Hetty and Betsy are with child again. Betsy wants a boy and Hetty wants a girl."

Jim said, "I hope they both have boys. We need to even out the numbers."

Scarlett said, "Did you hear that Ashley's wife, Melanie passed away?"

"Yes, we did. It is so sad."

"She never was very healthy."

"It is still sad."

"Have you got all your tenants lined up?"

"Yes. We just moved some of the slave houses onto their plot of land. I hope this works out."

Rhett said, "I'm sure it will."

Jim Tarleton had always been a quiet man, but he felt he had to speak his piece. He said, "When you all came to us with your offer, I thought that is too good to be true. Rhett, you had a bad reputation and therefore I didn't trust you. Scarlett, Beatrice had heard all the rumors about you before and after the war."

"Most of those rumors weren't true."

"It doesn't matter anymore. You came to us with a wonderful opportunity, and I am glad we took it. I am glad we didn't look a gift horse in the mouth. I am glad we didn't consider ourselves too good to go into business with you all. I am now proud to call you partners."

"Thank you, Jim. Scarlett and I have done a lot of things wrong. We cannot undo what we have done but we can do as much good as we can for the rest of our lives."

Beatrice said, "That is all you can do. Do good now."

The foursome talked for about twenty minutes more until Rhett said, "It will be a while before Scarlett and I return to the South. We have no living relatives in the South any more except Scarlett's sister and her nephew. We are taking her nephew back with us to give him a better education."

"Ashley can't afford to send him to school and India has taught him everything she knows. After he is fully educated then he can return to the South."

"Therefore, it will be a while before we visit again. When we make a profit, just send me my half in a check."

Beatrice said, "You aren't going to visit Tara or your sister."

"No, Suellen and I have never gotten along. As the years go by, we aren't getting along any better."

Rhett stood up and said, "Therefore this is goodbye for a while."

Scarlett stood up and said, "Yes, goodbye."

Beatrice and Jim stood up and Beatrice walked across the room. She hugged Scarlett and she hugged Rhett. Jim kissed Scarlett's cheek and shook Rhett's hand.

After Rhett and Scarlett were seated on the buckboard, Beatrice said, "Scarlett, when you stole Stuart away from India, I was mad. I now know two things. If Stuart had loved India, he would not have been stolen away by you and you did me a favor by stealing him away. I have heard that India is a very bitter old maid and I just know she would have been a bitter widow also. The only difference would be that as Stuart's widow we would have been responsible for her thus she would have been living with us."

"Yes, she would have been."

"Either Brent or Stuart would have been lucky to have you as a wife. Thank you for what you have done for us."

Rhett said, "They certainly would have been. I consider myself the luckiest man on the planet."

Scarlett smiled and said, "Thank you, Beatrice. Goodbye now."