Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

I honestly believe that Scarlett would not have accepted the green hat from Rhett even in the canon timeline. She would have known it was inappropriate at that stage of their relationship. Her mother was still living at that point, and she never wanted her mother to think she had behaved as anything less than a lady. She would have known that someone would be writing her mother if she did anything inappropriate.

Chapter Five

After Rhett gave her some of her profits that February, Scarlett went and had Wade's picture taken. It was going to be a surprise for Melly's birthday in March. After she got the picture back, she hid it in her chest of drawers. In the picture, it was obvious to Scarlett that Wade was Rhett's son. It was the way he was holding himself in a proud and arrogant way. It was the way he was holding his head. Maybe she would be the only person who would see it, but Scarlett couldn't take any chances. She would just buy Melly some material for a new dress for her birthday instead.

In the spring of sixty-three Scarlett had seen a woman with red hair wearing her green hat. She pointed the woman out to Melly and asked, "Who is that floosy?"

"That is Belle Watling. She is a well…. A woman of ill-repute."

Scarlett whispered, "Is she a Madame?"

Melly turned beet red and nodded her head up and down. She said in a whisper, "She has been in business for about five years."

Melly had not seem to notice that the hat was the same one Rhett had tried to give to her several months ago. It made Scarlett giggled as she thought, "I guess he did find someone to give it to although it doesn't look as good on her as it would on me."

Rhett always came to call when he was in Atlanta which was only three or four times a year. He would stay about three weeks then return to Charleston. He was busy making money.

Scarlett was polite and sociable, but she was never alone with the man. It wouldn't be proper for them to be alone. She never talked to him about anything deeply personal. He never talked to her about anything deeply personal either, but he didn't talk to anyone about anything deeply personal.

Scarlett also had other gentleman callers. They were fun and entertaining, but they never stayed in Atlanta exceedingly long. Carey Ashburn was the only one that she had developed any affection for. As Scarlett would be conversing with the gentlemen sooner or later, she would ask herself, 'Would he be a good father for Wade?' Most of the time she would answer herself 'No' and she knew she would not marry a man that she didn't think would treat Wade well.

The truth was she knew she didn't want to marry again. She liked her life as a widow. She liked having suitors, but she never wanted to marry again. She never wanted to have another child. The truth was she never wanted to have relations again. It had been awful and degrading with Charlie. She refused to allow herself to think about how wonderful it had been with that jackass. Now that she had come to love her son, she believed it would be enough.

Rhett came to call one afternoon in June. Scarlett was at the hospital when Rhett stopped by to call on the ladies. He heard a child's laughter from the back yard and went around to join what he thought would be Scarlett and her son. It was the boy and Melly.

Rhett looked at the little boy and said, "He certainly looks like his mother.

"Yes, he does but he has Charlie's jaw line and nose, I think."

He wondered if Mrs. Wilkes's brother was the puppy dog that had been following Scarlett around that day at the barbecue. Probably. Rhett briefly wondered why Scarlett had married the man. Probably to get back at Mr. Wilkes for marrying Mrs. Wilkes instead. Then Rhett knew. It was so she had a reason to stay in Mr. Wilkes's world. Rhett had no idea what Mr. Hamilton had looked like for he could not even remember the man clearly. Yet he said, "Yes, he does. He has the same eye color as you."

"Yes, Charlie had brown eyes also. When I look in his eyes it is like I am looking into Charlie's eyes. He is smart like Charlie too."

Rhett enjoyed playing with the boy for a while, but he had always had a soft spot for children. Wade enjoyed playing with the man, but the little boy was shy and never really looked at Rhett nor did he ever smile at him.

That evening Melly said to Scarlett, "Captain Butler stopped by to see you while you were at the hospital. He stayed and played with Wade for a while. Such a nice man."

Rhett came to call the next night. When he didn't say anything about Wade, Scarlett finally let out the breath she had metaphorically been holding since she saw Rhett Butler at the Hospital Bazaar. He didn't see himself in Wade for if he had he would already have told her so. She just knew that Rhett Butler would claim his child. He would demand to be in his child's life. If Rhett thought Wade was his son, he would have forced her to marry him.

She was safe. Scarlett took the first deep breath she had taken in almost a year. She just might get away with this.

When the people of the South went to sleep on the night of June thirtieth of eighteen sixty-three none of them knew how much their lives would change in the next week. A battle in a small town in Pennsylvania would mark an end to their way of life. It lasted three days and on July 3rd when the smoke had cleared the Confederacy was on its knees and would never rise again. For not only did the Confederacy lose at Gettysburg the next day July 4th is when Vicksburg surrender to Grant thus dividing the Confederacy in half and giving the Union forces control of the Mississippi River. Although the Civil War lasted almost another two years all the fighting at that point was to postpone the inevitable.

That first week of July the only thing Scarlett and Melanie cared about was that Ashley's name was not on that list. Scarlett hated Ashley but she cared deeply for her sister-in-law and did not want her to become a widow also. Day after day as the lists came out. The women were relieved that Ashley's name was not on the list but beside themselves with despair as they recognized far too many names on the list. It almost brought Scarlett to her knees when she read that Boyd Tarleton was missing in action and the other three Tarleton brothers were dead. She felt such despair for Mr. and Mrs. Tarleton. How do you survive losing all four of your sons in one day?

After a week Scarlett felt that Ashley had survived the Battle of Gettysburg. Melanie was providing comfort to all the ladies in Atlanta who had lost a child.

Scarlett had needed to go home. After she heard the news about Gettysburg, Scarlett, Wade and Prissy went to Tara for the month. Scarlett wanted to be with her family in this sorrowful time. She wanted to be with Careen as she mourned for Brent. It was sad to Scarlett, that Careen had finally gotten Brent to recognize her as a woman only to have her happy ever after snatched away from her.

Melly made her promise to return in a month. Melly said, "Life is too horribly boring when you are not around."

"I will return the first week of August. I promise. Why don't you come with me? You could visit with your in-laws."

Melly made a face and said ever so politely, "No, thank you."

It made Scarlett laugh. It is exactly how she felt about the Wilkes also.

Scarlett spent a month with her family at Tara. She and her mother had made social calls on the bereaved of Clayton County. Scarlett tried to pattern herself after her mother, yet she knew she did not have the calm dignity her mother always seemed to have. Scarlett knew she had too much of her father in her to ever master that calm dignity her mother possessed but that didn't mean she wasn't going to keep trying.

The second week of August Scarlett, Wade and Prissy boarded the train to Atlanta. She had missed Melanie. There weren't a lot of things to do in Atlanta but there was more than in Clayton County. There were still men that were calling on her. She wondered why that Jackass's face had popped into her mind. No, he wasn't calling on her. As she had told her parents Jackass was just her business partner. Nothing more. End of statement.

Her parents were probably more lenient in regard to her receiving Captain Butler than they would have been at the beginning of the war because Gerald was having an extremely hard time of getting cash money.

One afternoon in late August, Rhett came to call at the Hamilton House with a picnic basket. He offered to take all the ladies out for a picnic dinner. PittyPat had abruptly said, "No." For PittyPat was embarrassed that they were still receiving Captain Butler after everyone had refused him entry into their homes. Melanie said, "I have to beg off because I have a headache and I think the sun will make it worse." Scarlett was about to say no also because there was no one to chaperon them until she saw Wade. Wade had been playing on the parlor floor. There was so little joy in his life because of the war. Wade didn't talk very much but he understood a lot.

She smiled at her son and said, "Wade, do you want to go?" Rhett was taken back with the love on Scarlett's face for her son. Wade nodded his head up and down. Although at nineteen months Scarlett didn't think he really understood what they were going to do just that they were going to go somewhere. Wade rarely got to go anywhere mainly because there was no place to take him. Scarlett said, "Let me get my bonnet."

As they got in the buggy Scarlett put Wade on her lap. She said, "I am only doing this so Wade can have an outing. Don't try anything."

"Of course not, my dear Mrs. Hamilton."

The conversation was pleasant the entire afternoon. Although Rhett did try to ask Scarlett more personal questions, but Scarlett would not let the conversation be anything more than superficial. Rhett did not ignore Wade, but he didn't devote a lot of his attention to the child. He was busy trying to get Scarlett to openly talk to him.

Yet they had a good time. Wade and Scarlett picked some wildflowers. Rhett put the flowers in one of his handkerchiefs that he had moisten with water. As they were riding back to the house, Wade fell asleep. Rhett said, "We should do this again."

"No, Captain Butler. This is a one-time thing. I only came because Wade so rarely gets to go anywhere or do anything. We have a strictly business relationship and we always will."

"We will see."

Scarlett didn't reply. She knew he wanted more from her. She already knew that this varmint got what he wanted by any means possible. She knew from personal experience that he was not an honorable man. Although she found this man fun, entertaining and charming she knew he did not want a respectable relationship therefore there could be nothing more.

When they got to her house, he helped her down from the carriage. He reached to take Wade from her, and she shook her head. She said, "Good evening, Captain Butler."

Rhett shook his head in frustration, but he knew he would wear her down sooner or later. He left soon after that to head back to Charleston. He would run the blockade one more time. He didn't know how much longer he was going to be doing that. He would return in about four months. That would be in November.

In September, one night outside of the hospital Melly and Scarlett were approached by Belle Watling. She had asked Melly to take her money because her money was just as good as everyone else's money. Melly had taken the money. When they got home and unwrapped the money from the handkerchief it was wrapped in, there were the initials RKB.

The ladies both looked at the handkerchief then looked at each other. They both knew whose handkerchief it was because they had one on the mantel piece to give back to Captain Butler whenever he came to call again. Melly said, "I guess he is the kind of man that uses …"

"I guess so. He is single."

"That is true."

"What do you want to do?"

"If we ban him from the house, we won't get any more gifts that we need"

"Especially hair pins."

"It isn't like he is one of our husbands."

"Or even one of our suitors."

"Let's burn it."

"Agreed."

Scarlett got up and put it in the fireplace and put a match to it. Scarlett said, "Times are hard. We are just bending the rules slightly."

Melanie smiled and said, "That's right. We are just slightly bending the rules.