AN: Sorry for the delay. Thanks Ningi for reminding me to get this out.


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Part Twenty

Early June 1869

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"George is accompanying the boys on a ride over to the McClintocks," Rhett said walking in the next morning with Ella in his arms as Scarlett was in bed with Julian in her arms as the little girl repeatedly called out for her mother upon seeing her.

"That sounds like a trying day for Lawrence," she remarked recalling that Gus was even younger than Wade.

"Less trying than if they went to Tara."

Scarlett's eyes showed the horror at the idea of field work or Iris and a newborn. Scarlett was sure Julian was already far better than Lily, although she had yet to meet her niece. "What are you two going to do today?" Scarlett said hoping her husband wasn't planning on dropping Ella into bed with her. She just had a baby she deserved some time off from mothering those she hadn't recently given birth to.

"We are going to join you in bed and read."

"Well that hardly seems like enough activity for-careful with your brother, Ella," Scarlett said as the little girl scrambled to her mother as she was placed on the bed. Scarlett felt the resignation course through her as she had the baby in her arms and Ella was clinging and pulling upon her. It hadn't even been 24 hours.

"Ella, gentle," Rhett said as he settled into the bed. "Scarlett hand me the baby, Ella missed you."

There was no hiding her look of displeasure as she allowed Rhett to take Julian from her as Ella continued to say, "Mama hold."

"Ella," she said as the little girl climbed upon her as soon as the baby was out of the way, "Mother held you this morning."

"Mama," Ella cooed once in her mother's arms.

"She missed you," Rhett remarked, smiling over at his daughter so happy with her mother.

"How could she had missed me, I haven't gone anywhere. She saw me an hour ago."

"Love you," Ella smiled up.

"I love you too," Scarlett responded, "but don't you want Estelle. You're normally with Estelle now."

"No, want Mama."

Scarlett sighed and resigned herself to holding Ella as Rhett picked up the novel he'd been reading to her for the few weeks.

o-o-o

"Mine!" Ella lost her mind as the baby went to nurse, grabbing at her mother's breast and tearing her nightgown to the side.

"Ella!" Scarlett snapped.

"No! Mama!" Ella screamed at her mother as her father pulled her away before her mother lost her mind.

"Rhett," Scarlett warned.

"Oh my darling you're a big girl you eat food. You don't need Mama for that anymore."

"Mine!"

"You're upsetting the baby," Scarlett said as the baby squalled at having his meal interrupted.

"I'm the baby!"

"No, you're my big girl now," Rhett cajoled. "It's why you get to eat cookies and go on your pony."

"No," her lip began to quiver, "I'm the baby," the tears began to fall.

"Rhett," Scarlett threatened as she got the baby latched again, her head pounding with Ella's screams.

"Come on sweetheart, we still have to see your pony today. Shall we go for a ride?"

o-o-o

It was over an hour later as Rhett walked back into the room and was greeted with the annoyed gaze of his wife over the magazine she was reading as the baby laid in his cradle next to the bed.

"The baby will occupy Ella," Scarlett mocked.

"I am sure he will eventually. There is a transition period for everything. He's new. He's changed the dynamic of our family."

"Well seeing as the timing of this was your plan, Julian and I will remain in the room while you deal with this transition."

"Mrs. Wilkes will be arriving on the morning train. I am sure her arrival with Beau will distract Ella. Ella still needs you as her mother, she isn't even three Scarlett."

"I am very aware that Ella is barely even two and a half and we have a newborn as well. Not to mention the 7 and 10 year-olds."

"Lawrence was your decision."

"Notice how the timing of Lawrence was wonderful?"

"Ella will be fine in a matter of days."

"Don't you dare bring in one of those kittens from the barn or feed her sweets until she's sick."

"Wade has Barry, why shouldn't Ella have a kitten in the house?"

"Because I just had a baby for you. So it isn't a discussion. So if you brought a kitten into this house, I suggest you remove it before I leave this room."

"The kittens are far too small to take from their mother," Rhett supplied, the kittens he and Ella had visited in the barn twice already today.

"You spoil her," Scarlett sighed.

"I spoil you," he pointed out as he sat to remove his shoes.

"Well that's different."

He let out a short laugh, "Oh really how so?"

"I'm an adult. I know I don't always get my way."

"Oh really my pet when was the last time you didn't get your way?"

"Well practically everything with the house until I was so miserably pregnant you finally realized what burden you placed upon me to have our child."

He let out a laugh, "I confess, I was expecting you to demand we rip up the flooring in the family parlor and morning room and replace it with an intricate design."

"I thought about it, but the other house will be large enough that I can finally escape hearing the children. I'd like to be in as soon as possible."

He let out a laugh, "My dear have you hidden secret rooms?"

"I should have. I wasn't expecting when we finalized the blueprint." She sighed again, "Perhaps we should just send the children to stay with the Wilkes while we get the baby settled."

"Really?"

"Well no. Although if Suellen didn't just have a baby, I would certainly send them there for a few days."

"The children are devasted when they're without you."

"I'm only one person. The baby-"

"You may devote yourself to Julian. I am sure the rest of us can handle the children."

She gave a look at her husband, the most capable man she had ever met. She didn't believe him for a second.

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"I'm a horrible person," Scarlett announced four days after Julian's birth, three days after Melly and Beau's arrival.

He turned as he was dressing for the day, to Scarlett as she sat in an armchair holding the baby. She was in a white nightgown and an emerald green robe, left open at the sides.

"What horrible sin have you committed now?"

Her head tilted in annoyance.

"I am sorry, what's wrong my dear, sweet, wonderful and saintly wife?"

"The moment I go out there, Melly will spend the day taking the baby away from me."

He laughed, "She has taken him from me more than once."

"She gets the children settled and then-" Scarlett's head shook, "I wouldn't mind if she changed the baby and burped the baby, if she gave him back when she was done."

He laughed.

"Rhett that's not helpful."

"My dear, I imagine this is one of those situations where you must actually talk to her."

"How does one nicely suggest to their friend that they should stop hogging the baby?"

"I suspect by not using the word hogging."

"I know she can't have anymore children, but Jules is my last child and I did all the work for him," she whined.

"Stay in the room all day?" he suggested.

"I tried that yesterday, she came in, she even tried to take the baby out of the room."

He sighed, "Seeing as you won't be an adult about it and actually talk with Miss Melly. I will send Estelle and the wagon to Tara to retrieve Suellen and her children. There will be two babies for Miss Melly to," he smirked, "steal."

"That's a wonderful plan, I'll ask Estelle to spend the day in the kitchen with Betina. If Melly has to care for Ella and Iris, she'll never be able to get her hands on Jules."

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Early July 1869

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The boar bristles ran through the raven locks as they did every night, efficiently and generally without much thought as Scarlett was distracted by the day and the company in the room.

Today was nicer than usual. It had been the first full day that Melly and Beau had not been in the house. It had simply been so relaxing to simply be the entire day. To not charm or focus on manners.

She had spent most of the morning in bed with the baby, adoring her perfect little boy

She gave a small smile at the gilt hourglass Rhett had gifted her after complaining of how he distracted her as she brushed her hair, she could never remember which stroke was on when they'd be involved in a discussion or even just as he spoke to her. The sand had run out and she had no idea how long she'd been brushing her hair for, but she at least knew she was done.

"You're going to spoil that baby," she said as Rhett held their sleeping boy.

"How can you spoil a baby?"

"You hold him far too often while he's sleeping."

"My dear, he is sleeping the majority of the day. Would you like me to hold him while you nurse?"

"He needs to be able to sleep in his cradle, what will you do when he refuses to sleep when he's not being held?"

"Hire someone to hold him as we sleep," he answered simply.

"I suddenly pity my future daughter-in-law."

Rhett let out a brief laugh. "I'll know the point to curtail how I spoil him."

"Like Ella?"

"Ella is still a toddler, she is years away from school."

"You'll have to stop before she reaches school. Could you imagine if she demanded a child give them her lunch simply because she wanted it?"

"We'll work on trading well before she reaches school."

"You're impossible," she couldn't help but smile.

He smirked. "Shall we retire to the sofa or bed? Or would you like to sit on my lap?"

"And crush the baby?"

"I am more than certain that I can hold you both without harm coming to either of you."

She gave him a look.

"I would put the baby down for you to be in my arms."

"I will sit with you for a minute, but we're at a good point in the book."

"You didn't read ahead without me?"

"Of course not," she said settling herself into his lap. "It's far nicer to be read to than to read."

"The children have no chance at not being spoiled with you as their role model."

"Hmmm," she said dropping her head down to his shoulder, not really caring as she enjoyed the warmth of him, the strength of him, the reassuring comfort of his arm around her.

"Please don't fall asleep, there are limits to what a man is capable of and standing with you and Julian in my arms is beyond even me."

"There are things beyond you, Rhett Butler?" Scarlett teased.

"Not many," he smiled looking down at her head upon his shoulder, "just a few."

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Late July

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"The house you like by your aunts is for sale, the one with the large piazza and every style imaginable compressed into one house," Rhett said as he was leaning back on his favorite chair in the parlor in their home, the baby sound asleep on his chest.

Lawrence and Wade were on the floor playing with jacks as Barry intently watched every bounce of the ball and Scarlett read to Ella on the sofa. The rain had been keeping everyone indoors for the last several days and everyone's nerves were getting frayed from being so inactive and atop of each other.

"Is this your way of telling me our home will never be complete and I should give up and move to Charleston."

"The house has been done for over a month, it's all of your elaborate touches that are taking forever to install and create. We could move in now if you wanted to live in a cloud of dust. We aren't in Atlanta, I had to buy the boarding house in Jonesboro just to house the workers you needed for your projects."

She didn't look particularly disturbed by that.

"Shall I write to my man of business about the house?"

"We are not moving to Charleston," she shot a look at her husband.

The boys paused in their game and looked over at the adults.

"We need a place to stay, I am fairly certain you want to stay with my mother even less than I want to stay with your aunts."

She couldn't fault him on that, but she'd hardly say that.

"We promised my mother that we'd return this summer."

"That was before I was expecting. I'm hardly in any condition to be seen in public."

"You look wonderful Scarlett," he said without lifting his eyes from the letter.

"You didn't even look at me when you said that."

His eyes lifted, "Because you always look wonderful. If you didn't I wouldn't have spent six years courting you."

"You only actually courted me for two."

"Which is 23 months longer than anyone who looks less than wonderful gets," he informed her. "Doesn't Charleston sound good boys?"

"Yes sir," Wade answered.

"I've never been, but I miss the water, Aunt Scarlett," Lawrence implored.

"And they'll have your cousin and my nephews. The change will do us good Scarlett, we've been trapped in this house for ages."

"Because of the baby you wanted," she snapped.

"The baby my mother and your aunts would like to see along with the rest of the children."

She sighed, "The house is almost done."

"Yes, we will stay and get the house set up," he nodded, "a month, we'll go in a month. That will be enough time to negotiate a price and have our family furnish the house."

"I should at least get to decorate it if you're going to force me off to Charleston when I just had a baby."

"The baby will be the same age Wade was when you took him to see family," he nodded suddenly thoughtful, "we'll have to take the train down and see your family in Savannah if we're going to the coast."

"Rhett, you can't be serious."

"Scarlett how would it look if we didn't take the children to see your father's family."

"Are you trying to distract me from telling me that I can't furnish my own house?"

"As you said Scarlett, you just had the baby and we have 3 other children. We need to have the house settled when we get there."

"That hardly seems fair."

"You may write to my mother and informed her of any style choices or colors you'd like included. I'll have her leave the family parlor and our bedroom for you to decorate."

"Where will we sleep?"

"I'll have them set up a guest bedroom and we can stay there until you finish our room. Boys you can manage to not destroy the formal parlor until your mother's completes hers, right?"

"Yes sir," the answered in unison.

He moved on with the conversation, "Last time I was in Savannah, I heard they were going to put a resort on Tybee Island, I wonder how that's going. I know they rebuilt some summer cottages, boys would you like to stay on the beach for a few days if we can?"

"Yes Daddy!"

"Of course, Uncle Rhett."

"Do recall the baby in your arms," Scarlett said hating how she was being steamrolled.

His eyes flickered down, "The boat out to the island is fairly large, it's not as if we'd be taking a dingy," he defended. "Boys, I will make sure that you get out to Tybee Island even if your mother and I cannot."

"We are not sending them out on a boat and to the beach with a stranger even if the stranger is family," she gave him a dirty look, "your father will take you for the day and only the day, while I sit at home with the babies," she informed the boys.

"We can go out every night, I swear," he smiled across at her.

She dropped her gaze down to the baby still against his shoulder.

"We will hire a wet nurse, you'll see it'll be fine and fun. Didn't I promise you fun?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes and went back to reading to Ella.

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Atlanta

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"The house is simply magnificent Scarlett," Melly said as they toured the first floor of the Atlanta house.

"Isn't it?" Scarlett remarked still with awe in her eyes as well, she had only seen completely in person when they arrived the day before, but every single detail in the house was hers. Their new house in Calverton was lovely, but so much of it was Rhett, it could have been so much better if he'd let her design it fully.

"It's so large, if the children ever choose to hide, I'm not sure you'd find them."

Scarlett laughed thinking of how the children played. "It's odd, I don't know if it's the street noise or the house, but I can't even hear the children outside."

Melly laughed, "Your yard is certainly larger than mine."

"The yard is larger than everyone on the block. There are some areas Rhett enjoys showing off his wealth," Scarlett smiled.

"Well Captain Butler earned every bit of it, so he should get to enjoy it," Melly smiled.

"Trust me he does. We should take tea before Julian wakes up."

"Sounds lovely, should we call the children in?"

Scarlett waved off the thought, "Estelle will make sure they take refreshment."

"Will you truly only be in town this weekend?"

"Four days, I need to get some final touches for the house before we move in."

"Is it finally done?"

"The staff is spending the next few days cleaning and putting everything in its place."

"Shouldn't you be there?"

"We've spent so much time planning the house, I don't think there's a piece of furniture not given an exact location, it all simply needs to be moved up from the cellar. I'll go through with Estelle when we return and put the final touches on the décor."

"I can't wait to see it."

"We're going to have a great party for Rhett's birthday. Two days. You, Ashley and Beau will have to come out. Perhaps you can even talk Aunt Pitty and Uncle Henry into coming as well."

"That sounds wonderful. I know they miss you and Wade. Hopefully with the new house and the baby being here you'll come to visit more."

"Of course, and so many of our dear friends are here. Speaking of which are you and Ashley free for supper tomorrow night? Or the next? The Janssens are in town Rhett and I were thinking we could you have you both over."

"Mr. Janssen took a lovely turn reading the other week."

Scarlett forced herself to not respond to how her friends had been falling in line with the Old Guard, "Likely a couple from New York as well that we've met before in town, the Williams."

"Oh Scarlett, why must you associate with those Northerners? Have you forgotten-"

"No, I have not forgotten what the northerners did, trust me it was not any of these people."

"How do you know? You aren't here Scarlett, you haven't heard of how they behave."

She had heard of how they behaved, it sounded amazing. She couldn't wait to throw a party in their new townhouse. Obviously, she couldn't invite the worst of them, but she was more than certain it would be more fun than most events she attended. "Melly, the war is over. They're our neighbors now. You must'nt let Rhett hear you mention it, why I swear, there are days he gets so mad at Mammy about the Yankees he nearly forbids the children from seeing her."

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Calverton

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"My dear," he said as he finally crossed the threshold to their bedroom in the new house. The one room she had thrown a fit and insisted on decorating herself.

"I suppose you hate it," Scarlett said truthfully not disturbed even the slightest by the idea of that.

"Quite the opposite," he said taking it in. "You've made the entire room your stage."

"You accused me of that with the drapery on the first floor and forbid it."

"These are two entirely different things. Here I am your only audience," he slowly took the room. The brocade on the walls, the ornate flourishments on the furniture. "Why you even angled my chair so I could watch you at your dressing table."

"Don't make anything of it, you always talk to me when I'm preparing for bed."

"If I'm not mistaken that bench could certainly hold two, I do believe the mirror could have used to be larger."

"Rhett what on earth are you implying."

"Those bookcases."

"Yes and I expect you to keep those absolutely horrible books tucked up out of the hands of the children."

"Those horrible books that you're absolutely captivated by."

"I was pregnant and utterly bored," she said refusing to acknowledge that.

"We're having far too good of a day to fight, but you know I won't tolerate any of your feminine lies."

"My feminine-" she sighed.

"Do tell me my dear," he said stepping in close, "what exactly is that stool for?" he referred to the ladder by the shelves.

"For you to tuck your horrible books up higher than anyone, but you can reach."

"Really is that all?"

"Perhaps not all," she smiled as his lips went to her neck.

"The chaise I imagine isn't just for reclining, not with the bed so nearby."

"I couldn't figure out if I wanted our sitting area and our bedroom to be one room or two. I nearly drove the architect mad with my indecision."

"You chose very well my dear. Our own self enclosed sanctuary."

"Do you really like it?"

"My dear, I do and I cannot wait until I can be more than just your captive audience."

"We could close the drapes," she softly suggested as she was losing her rational thought with Rhett's lips upon her neck and his wandering and teasing hands.

"My dear are you saying we are once more allowed to be intimate?"

"I have recovered from having your beast of a child."

He laughed knowing how Julian's size delighted Scarlett, she'd likely been fearful they would have a boy as small as her. He scooped her up into his arms and headed towards the bed, laying her upon it as gently as he did their baby.

"Close the drapes."

"Certainly not my dear, I have gone without the full experience of your body for several weeks. I intend to savor the experience."

"Rhett-"

"Scarlett," he said as he was already undoing the layers of clothing upon his own body, "we have at best an hour before they come looking for you to feed Jules."

"But-"

"My dear, your body is wonderful, I promise to spend the next hour showing you my full level of devotion, appreciation and awe of it, but we will most certainly not be engaging in an hour of talk to appease your vanity, certainly not while there are more pressing issues at hand."


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