Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Thirty-Three

Rhett and Scarlett talked about their future. They had a brandy every night together but just one.

One night, Rhett talked about Paris, London and Sydney. He told such descriptive stories of Paris and London. She had asked, "Have you been to Sydney?"

"No, I have been mainly to Europe, the North, and San Francisco. I have also been to Nassau and Cuba."

"Is that how you know how fat the Cuban women are?"

Rhett had smiled and said, "Yes."

"Sydney sounds nice. It sounds young and exciting. I wish we could talk to someone who had been there before we make our decision."

"I will see what I can arrange. It is time for you to go to sleep."

"Alright. Stay with me until I am asleep."

"Always."

Rhett laid down next to her. He told her about the deal he was working on. He knew she only understood part of it, but it was enough. After she went to sleep, he had gone and gotten Mammy to sit with her. He had to meet a fellow businessman at Belle's.

Over those two weeks, Rhett had told her stories of his youth. Through his stories he had told her more about himself than he had anyone else.

Scarlett knew Rhett was revealing more of himself than he ever would through normal conversation by his stories. She tried to listen intently, but she always fell asleep.

Except for that one time they never talked about the baby.

Scarlett now knew that Rhett cared more for her than he would admit to her which was good because she cared more for him than she would ever admit to him.

One night Scarlett woke up and Rhett was not in the bed. She sat up and looked around the room. She saw him sitting in their sitting area. She saw that he had something in his hands that he was turning over and over. She knew what it was. Her silly husband had already bought his unborn child a present. It was a sterling silver baby rattle. She also could tell that he was crying. She laid back down and let him keep his dignity. A while later Scarlett felt Rhett get back in the bed and take her back into his arms. She pretended to be asleep the entire time.

As Mammy watched Rhett Butler take care of Miss Scarlett those two weeks, she knew that he loved his wife very much. In fact, she knew that if he lost his wife, he would become a broken man. Yes, Mr. Rhett had taken advantage of Miss Scarlett, but her little lamb was probably doing something she shouldn't have been doing. Mammy believed in redemption and of forgiveness of sins therefore she finally forgave Mr. Rhett of all his previous sins. She also knew that Miss Scarlett loved him to the moon and back. Mammy smiled and thought, 'They might be genuinely happy if they ever tell each other, they love each other.'

When Mammy had called him Mr. Rhett, he knew that she had finally come to like him. Rhett thought, 'Maybe like isn't the right word. Maybe accepted him as part of the family. Yes, that was more accurate. For I know Mammy still doesn't like me.'

After two weeks when Dr. Harrison had said it was all over, Rhett took her and the children to Tara for a couple of weeks.

Scarlett enjoyed her time at Tara. Now that she and Suellen were partners and not adversaries their time together was pleasant. Sue had bought the gin and Will had gotten it up and running. They would be ready to go when harvesting season started.

One night the ladies were discussing their businesses as their husbands sat on the porch and drank Gerald's hooch. They could hear the ladies talking.

Sue said, "I told everyone that their first load of cotton would be free."

"Sue! How are we going to make a profit like that?"

"On their second, third and fourth loads. We must do something to get them to come to us. Once they come to us if they are happy more than likely they won't go back to our competitors. They will feel guilty about accepting the free load without paying us back. Once they are in the habit of using our gin, they won't go anywhere else."

"My brilliant sister. Great idea. Do you need anything from me?"

"No, we have it covered."

"Great."

"Our projected profit will be twice what we achieved last year for the cotton. For the gin we probably will break even. It cost more to make the repairs than was estimated."

"Is there another gin we can buy?"

"Mr. Livingston's gin is for sale, and he will be happy to manage it. He wants more for the gin than it is worth, so I am still negotiating with him. I am being harsh with him until he realizes that managing the gin for us is his best course of action and is willing to take less for the actual gin. He should. The gin is going to need a lot of repairs."

"You are right. We don't want to overpay for the gin then have to shell out a lot of money for repairs."

"We need to talk about our labor force?"

"Go on."

"We are lucky because most of our former slaves have returned. They are happy right now to work for food and a place to stay but we need to think of a long-term solution. They will not be happy with that for long."

"Why not?"

"I have heard some grumbling about them wanting a share in the profits."

"God's nightgown! The ingrates! We are providing them with food and a place to stay free of charge all year long. We are incurring all the expenses."

"Yes, we are. I think they have become unhappy since they heard I was paying the men that work at the gin an actual salary. We don't have enough cash to pay the field hands a salary. Maybe we can arrange where they bear some of the expenses and then share in the profits."

"I'm not happy about this, but you have done a fine job so far so I will trust your decisions for now."

Suellen smiled and said, "Thank you, Scarlett. That is quite the compliment coming from you. You are not one to give out praise very often."

"I meant it. You have a fine head for business, and I am proud of everything you have done."

"Just following my big sister's example."

The ladies smiled at each other in a genuine smile.

As the men sat there listening to the women, Will said, "Every year Sue gets happier. I told her the other day to go buy herself a pretty new dress. She smiled and said, 'My dresses are pretty enough. I am no longer a belle. I am a businesswoman and must dress accordingly.' She is fine with trying for a boy, but the child can't be born during the fall. In her words she is too busy in the fall to be birthing a baby."

"Scarlett loves her business. She comes alive when she figures out a way to make more money."

"I just go where she tells me to go."

"I just make sure she doesn't work too hard."

Every night when they retired Rhett shared a glass of hooch with Scarlett. Rhett let her drink most of it because it helped her sleep more soundly and it helped keep the nightmares away. Although Scarlett had never woken up from a nightmare in a long time, this last month Rhett knew her sleep had been troubled.

One night in the dark while he was telling his stories, Scarlett interrupted him to say, "Life is one disaster after another."

"Not completely."

"No matter how careful I am disaster continues to befall me. I didn't do anything wrong, but I lost the baby anyway."

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. You have never done anything wrong, but disasters have continued to happen to you."

Scarlett giggled and said, "I may have done one or two things wrong."

"No, you haven't. As I told you on our honeymoon, I will protect you and take care of you as much as I possibly can."

"Yes, as much as you possibly can."

Rhett's words made Scarlett feel safe and secure. She knew he couldn't protect her from all disasters but as much as he could, he would. She was soon asleep. Rhett soon was asleep also.

After two weeks, Rhett said, "I have to return to Atlanta to conclude some deals I am working on."

"When do we leave?"

"You can stay here if you want to."

"Who will see to my needs if you are in Atlanta? No, the children and I will go back to Atlanta with you."

Rhett had smiled when she had said the part about her needs because they weren't allowed to do anything for at least six weeks after the miscarriage. Rhett was going to make sure she didn't get pregnant again. He had been so afraid she was going to die. He couldn't let that happen. He didn't want any more children. Although if she did get pregnant, he wasn't letting her go to a butcher to get rid of it either. He wasn't going to stop being intimate with her either. They would both be hell to live with if their needs weren't getting met.

The week after they got back from Tara, Scarlett told Rhett, "I am going to the store after dinner."

"I will drive you down there."

"Rhett I am fine. I can drive myself to the store."

"Nonetheless, I will be driving you down there."

Scarlett stopped arguing with him. This was one of those things he had decided he would do so she would just have to go along with it.

Rhett did drive her to the store and after thirty minutes, he said, "It is time for you to go home."

Scarlett had sighed. She said, "I am in the middle of something give me five more minutes."

Rhett had tersely said, "Alright."

When he pulled out his watch, Scarlett sighed again.

All this coddling was getting to be a bit much, but she was too tired to fight him right now. She quickly finished her business and was ready to go when Rhett came back to the office.

In the middle of August, Wade asked Rhett over dinner, "Is the only time we are going to get ice cream when Mama is sick?"

Rhett had given Scarlett a quick smile and said, "Of course not. Now that your mother is no longer sick, we can all go down to the ice cream parlor after dinner."

"No, Rhett, after the girls take a nap."

"Of course, my lady."

After that Rhett made it a weekly thing until they stopped making ice cream because the weather was too cold. He then took everyone to get hot chocolate. Scarlett never rebuked Rhett about given the children too much sugar because in truth the children didn't get sugar that often.

Scarlett let Rhett drive her down to the store once a week through the entire month of August but the first week in September, she told him, "I am driving myself to the store and I am going to stay as long as I need to stay, do you understand?"

Rhett had smiled and said, "Yes, I understand." He was glad she was getting her feistiness back.

All fall the children had been overly concerned about Scarlett's health. Ella had solemnly told her mother, "I am alright with not having a birthday party this year. It will be too much for you."

Scarlett had hugged her daughter and said, "No, it won't. I love planning your birthday parties."

Scarlett and Rhett did have a party for Ella, and they invited all their acquaintances. By the end of the day Scarlett was exhausted. As soon as the guest had left Rhett had escorted Scarlett to their bedroom and made her lay down to take a nap. She was so tired she didn't even protest.

Rhett asked Mammy, "Please go sit with Scarlett and make sure she stays in bed for the rest of the day. I will have a tray sent up with her supper."

"Yes, Mr. Rhett. You need to supervise the clean-up of the back yard to be sure it is done right."

"I will. Thanks, Mammy."

Wade had even stopped trying to scare his sisters although his sisters had not stop trying to scare him. Ella succeeded a few times, but Genie always failed miserably. Genie failed because at two and a half she had no stealth.

Now when Mammy saw them aggravating each other she just smiled and thought, 'No, they can't help themselves.'

By the first of November, Scarlett had gotten her energy back. She was her vivacious, animated self. She started decorating the house for Christmas. She went to the store once a week. She went Christmas shopping every day. She found a piano teacher for Ella. She started making social calls with Melly again. Kindly everyone asked about her health, but no one spoke about why she had been ill after all that wouldn't be proper.

Scarlett was behaving and looking so much better that Wade went back to scaring his sisters. He had never stopped aggravating them.

At first, Rhett and Scarlett were incredibly careful in their marital bed. Neither person liked it because with the caution they had lost some of their passion. They had done more things that Scarlett couldn't get pregnant from but neither person was ever completely satisfied with those activities. For while those activities where physically satisfying, they were not emotionally satisfying. By mid-November Rhett and Scarlett had completely returned to their normal passionate physical relationship.