Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Sixteen

The newlywed couple had dinner at one of Rhett's favorite restaurants on the South side where only the Yankees, Republicans and Scallawags frequented. They weren't trying to be blatant about their marriage. They just weren't going to act ashamed either. If anyone thought Scarlett had loved Frank Kennedy, they were stupider than Frank Kennedy.

Scarlett had joined Rhett in his suite at the National Hotel. On their wedding night Rhett and Scarlett had supper in their suite. Rhett had gotten them a bottle of champagne which made Scarlett happy. Champagne always went straight to her head, and she hoped it gave her the courage to tell Rhett what she had to tell him. If she hadn't already been intimate with Rhett, she would never have had the courage to talk about relations with him. If she hadn't known how this was one of the ways they had gone sideways, she would not have had the courage either.

Scarlett had on a plain nightgown. Rhett joined her in the bed with nothing on. She knew he had nothing on because he had not turned down the gas lights. When Rhett reached for her, she put her hand on his chest and said, "I need to tell you some things first."

"Later, Baby. Afterwards."

"No! Now! You need to listen to what I am telling you, if we have any chance of our intimate time being any good."

"It will be great. Let me show you."

"Rhett! Let me say what I have to say."

Rhett took a deep breath and made himself relax. He knew what she was about to say she felt she needed to say.

Scarlett was making herself tell Rhett everything. She was already blushing, but she had to make sure he understood. She already knew that relations were especially important to him therefore she had to be sure he knew everything. She knew now he did think he was an excellent lover. She knew that her vain, arrogant, conceited ignoramus would never believe he was the problem. In truth, she agreed he was an excellent lover, and he wasn't the problem.

Scarlett said, "It isn't proper to talk about relations, but I must. In order for you to understand what has happened to me."

"Scarlett, I don't want to hear about your time with your other husbands."

"I understand but you must."

Rhett knew she wasn't going to let the issue go, so he made himself let her talk. He said, "Go ahead."

After a minute or two when Scarlett hadn't started speaking, Rhett encouraged her to tell him what was on her mind. He now knew they weren't moving forward until she told him. He said, "Remember you can tell me anything. I am your husband. You should be able to talk to me about the most intimate of things. It is stupid that it is not proper for you to talk to me about relations. It is what we are about to do."

Scarlett looked at her hands and softly said, "You said that if it wasn't fun for me, we wouldn't do it again. You may have been too rash in that promise. I cannot imagine anyone being able to make that fun."

"Part of you must have thought that I could, or you would not have married me."

Scarlett smiled but didn't look at him. She said, "Maybe I just plan to hold you to your promise."

Rhett smiled and took her hand and said, "Go on."

"It was awful with Charlie. He hurt me both times. I thought it was because I was a virgin. I thought I don't want to do this. I don't want children."

She was quiet for so long that Rhett finally said, "Go on, Honey."

She swallowed and said, "We did it twice. Twice! And he got me with child. The man was dead before I even knew I was going to have his child."

"Alright."

"Labor and delivery were horrible. Absolutely awful," She gave him a quick smile and said, "You will never know how bad it hurt."

Rhett wanted to say he had once had a knife stuck in his gut. He knew about pain, but this was not the time to try to best her. It was the time to let her tell him what was on her mind. It was the time to not mock her or make fun of her. It was the time to listen.

She finally continued, "I thought that it couldn't get any worse than with Charlie but with Frank it was much worse. At least Charlie was fast," Scarlett blushed even more but she made herself go on. Rhett had to understand that if she didn't respond to him when they were intimate it had nothing to do with him. In a whisper she said, "I was so wrong. It was horrible with Frank. This fat, old man with bad breath grunting and sweating on top of me. After the first time I never wanted to do that again. Ever! I made list while he was doing all that." She whispered, "And I had to let him do it. It was so bad a Tara that I didn't have a course for an entire year. You cannot imagine how stunned and shocked I was that I was with child after only three months of marriage. A child I certainly didn't want. Who would want Frank Kennedy's child?"

Rhett took her in his arms and held her. He pressed her head against his chest. He kissed the top of her head. He was thinking, 'This is going to be a lot harder than I thought and I was definitely too rash in my promise that we wouldn't do it again if she didn't have fun.'

After Rhett and Scarlett had laid there for a few moments, she decided that she had to get it all out while Rhett was listening to her. She whispered, "I love Ella now and Wade, but I really don't want any more children."

"Will you give me one and then we can work on not having any more?"

"You would forgo….."

"No, but there are things I can do to make it less likely."

"Alright."

Scarlett tapped down her anger at the fact that he knew of a way to prevent them from having more children but instead he had turned back to his old whore. She would think about it later. She couldn't think about it right now.

"Also, there are things I can do to bring you pleasure in your marital bed if you will let me."

"Really?"

"Really. For now, please, relax and let me bring us both great pleasure. Scarlett, remember that while I will tolerate you pretending to be a lady to the outside world. I will not tolerate you pretending to be a lady in our marital bed and depriving us both of great pleasure."

"You won't think less of me if I behave wantonly."

Rhett came so close to making a joke and saying, "It would be hard for me to think less of you." Luckily, he stopped himself in time. She would not hear it as a joke. She would hear it as the truth. Instead, he said, "No, Baby, I will not think less of you. It is what I want for you. It is what I want for me."

Scarlett smiled and said, "I like your kisses."

"That is a good thing because I plan on kissing you a lot," Scarlett giggled. Rhett continued, "You will have to let me know if I have bad breath. I can't help getting old, but I don't plan on getting fat. If I ever sweat on you, you will be sweating too."

That made Scarlett giggle. Rhett leaned forward and kissed her. Scarlett kissed him back. Rhett said, "Now let's get you out of that nightgown that looks like you borrowed it from Miss PittyPat. It is entirely too prim and proper. When we get to London, I will definitely buy you nightgowns that I want to see you in."

"Not too risqué."

"No, not too risqué, yet."

That made Scarlett smile. Rhett knew it was going to take a long time before she relaxed enough to receive sexual pleasure, but Rhett was not going to rush her. Afterall, he had waited for over six years what was a few more hours.

After a while, Scarlett said, "Rhett, you have made me feel so loved and cherished."

"I am not giving up."

"No, do not give up but I think this is going to be a journey that will not be solved in hours but in weeks if not months."

Rhett held her close, and Scarlett said, "Now let me make you happy."

"No, Sweetheart, …."

"Tomorrow night we will try again. Tonight, I am done. For now, it is enough that I so desperately want you."

"No, it is not enough but I will accept your desire to move on."

Rhett held her close and entered her as gently as he could. He was gratified by her urging him to move forward. When he had spilled his seed inside her, she held him close. He held her just as close. As they were lying there together, Rhett heard Scarlett say, "Don't you think, even if it was a lie, that it would be appropriate to say I love you, Scarlett."

Rhett lifted himself up so he could see her face. He smiled and said, "I love you."

While looking back at Rhett, Scarlett said, "I'm only saying it because it is appropriate even if it is a lie. I love you, Rhett. It wasn't fun exactly, but it certainly wasn't awful."

"Did it hurt?"

Scarlett shyly smiled and shook her head,"

"Did you make a list?"

Scarlett laughingly said, "No."

"I didn't sweat on you, so I have already made great improvements."

Scarlett started laughing and Rhett joined her in that laughter. He got out of the bed unabashedly without a stitch of clothing on. He turned the gas lights off. She watched him the entire time. When he was back in the bed, she said, "You have a nice body."

Rhett smiled and said, "Thank you. I thought I knew what you looked like without your shimmy on, but I was so wrong. You are so much more beautiful than I imagined," He lit a cigar and said, "Let me tell you a story from my youth."

As Scarlett laid in the bed wrapped up in Rhett's arms, tears stung her eyes. This was almost heaven and she had thrown it all away. It was exactly like Rhett had said once, 'She had been crying for the moon when she had happiness in her hands.'

They had relations once again in the middle of the night and it was wonderful for Rhett because he was with Scarlett. Scarlett was certainly welcoming. She was trying to pleasure him, but she had never done anything like it before. She did not come anywhere near his member. Yet Rhett enjoyed very much her rubbing his chest, shoulders, and waist. When she got tired of all his efforts she said, "I need you now."

He did not make her say what she needed. Maybe in a month or two. Tonight, it was enough that she told him she needed him.

The next morning, Rhett laid in their bed. He thought about their night together. It had certainly not lived up to his expectations. He had fantasized about this woman and what they would do in his bed for the last six years. He had been a damn fool to think that there would be that much physical pleasure. In truth she was practically a virgin despite the fact she had two husbands. She knew almost nothing about relations, and she certainly knew nothing about receiving pleasure in her marital bed.

Last night she had given him as much as she could give him. He hoped over time she would be able to give him more, but he was satisfied that she had given him all she could give him. Emotionally she had given him more than he deserved. She had trusted him. Trusted him not to hurt her.

Rhett knew that her marrying him was also an act of trust. She was trusting him to protect her from unseen disasters. He vowed that he would protect her with his dying breath.

Rhett also thought about how different Scarlett was behaving these last few days. Her not caring about the matrons' opinion of her was amazing but she was more aware of him as a person. She was asking him questions about him and his life. She was focused on him instead of herself. He wondered why. He decided that with Frank's death and her realizing she didn't love Mr. Wilkes maybe she was going to leave her childish ways behind.

As Rhett laid there thinking all that, her eyes opened. Scarlett smiled a sleepy smile at him. She said, "I'm only saying it because it is appropriate even if it is a lie. I love you, Rhett."

"And I am only replying in kind because it is appropriate. I love you, Scarlett."

She wrapped her arm around his neck and brought his lips down to hers. They kissed for a few minutes and Rhett said, "At least, we both have bad breath." That made Scarlett giggle. Rhett went back to kissing his bride.

After they were finished while blushing, Scarlett said, "I have never done it in the morning."

"Neither have I. Let's get up and have breakfast with the children."

"Rhett, can they call you Father?"

"I would prefer Dad."

Scarlett smiled. They got up and Rhett got Scarlett dressed then got himself dressed. Rhett was very aware that Scarlett was watching him the entire time he was getting dressed. If it took him longer to get dressed than normal that was just a coincidence.

Rhett made arrangements to have their belongings moved into a bigger suite.

As they were leaving the hotel Scarlett said, "Let's stop at Mrs. Merriwether's bakery and give them something to talk about."

After they got in the cab, Rhett said, "Not yet. I need to speak to her before everyone else finds out."

"Alright, Dear."

The couple were so engrossed in each other they were unaware of how many people saw them together.