Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The family celebrated Christmas but it was a sad celebration. Scarlett had invited the Wilkes and Hamiltons over for dinner. The conversation was pleasant, but everyone was very aware of Melanie's absence from the table. As Scarlett looked at the other adults at the table, she was saddened by what she saw. A man lost to the past, a silly, old woman, a bitter old maid, and an old man with nothing to live for. They were all living by rules that had long since out lived their usefulness. She looked at her husband. Her husband who had defiantly broken all those rules and had come out on top. She thought of herself, and she too had broken those antiquated rules and had come out on top. They both had come out on top because they had refused to fail. Also, because they hadn't depended on anyone but themselves.

After dinner was over there was some conversation in the parlor but it wasn't awfully long before the Wilkes and Hamiltons were out the door.

In February Scarlett was at the bank. Since Ashley had gotten the job as a teller, Scarlett tried to always use him when she made her deposits for the store so she could check up on him. One day when she handed him her money and her deposit slip, he said, "I did love you."

"Ashley, not here."

"It has to be here. You won't come to the house. I loved Melanie also."

"Ashley, hush."

"Just in different ways. I was right she and I were very well suited. We had a wonderfully comfortable marriage. I know you hate me because you think I strung you along all that time I was calling on you. I knew what I was doing was wrong because I was incredibly careful never to say or do anything to confirm I was calling on you. I guess it didn't matter. What else would a young girl think after I have visited you every week for two years? Nonetheless, I just couldn't stop myself from calling on you especially when you always looked so happy to see me."

"Ashley you were right that day in the library. We are too different to ever be happy. You are too much of a weak coward for me to ever have been happy with."

"It was the war…."

"No, Ashley you were a weak coward before the war started. You didn't even have the strength of character to tell me yourself that you were going to marry Melly. You hoped I would find out from the local gossip and then you hoped I would be too much of a lady to ever say anything. You were right about me finding out from the local gossip but wrong about me being too much of a lady. I'm a lady but not too much of one."

"Scarlett…"

"Just give me my deposit receipt."

Ashley counted the money then made out the receipt, initialed it and handed it to her. Scarlett made sure he had the correct amount on the slip then left the bank. Scarlett would never use Ashley as her teller again.

Scarlett was so mad. Melly hadn't even been dead six months and Ashley was ….. Ashley was what? She didn't care. She hated him again.

In March, when Wade told Scarlett that Beau had stepped on a rusty nail while they had been crossing a field of tall grass, she feared the worse. Her fears were justified. Beau Wilkes became extremely sick. He came down with lockjaw. Wade and Scarlett visited Beau every day, but he didn't get better. Ten days later he was dead.

India sent Scarlett a note telling her about Beau and that Ashley was beside himself with grief. He would not be able to help with the arrangements.

Scarlett sent a message back to India telling her she would make the arrangements for two days hence. That should give Honey enough time to get to Atlanta.

Scarlett arranged the entire funeral. Rhett had gone with her. She bought another plot next to Melly. Melly would want Beau and Ashley close to her in the cemetery. While they were at Jeter's Funeral Home Rhett kept his arm around Scarlett's shoulders the entire time. She had leaned into him. It was not the first time Mr. Jeter had seen people behaving improperly and he was sure it wouldn't be the last time. When she had seen that tiny coffin, she had wanted to scream. When she had turned into Rhett, he asked her, "Do you want me to finish up here?"

"No, Melly would want me to handle it but don't go to far."

"I'm not going anywhere."

When Rhett and Scarlett got home from arranging the funeral, Wade met them at the door. He said, "Is everything set?"

Rhett said, "Yes."

"At the funeral, I am going to view the body?"

Scarlett looked at Rhett. Rhett was looking at Wade. Rhett could tell by the set of the boy's face he was not going to take 'no' for an answer. Rhett said, "Of course you are."

"Mother, I want the Hamilton sword to be buried with Beau."

"Are you sure? It was your father's sword."

"Beau loved it. He was always playing with it. It had belonged to his grandfather and his great grandfather also. Sometimes I think he was more a Hamilton than I am."

"Are you really sure? It is almost the last memorabilia you have from your father."

"I have my father's picture. I really want to do this for Beau."

"Alright. We will put it in the coffin."

The night before the funeral, Scarlett said, "I think we should take the girls."

"I do too. I think it helps them understand the concept of death."

"Genie still doesn't understand it completely. She asked me, 'When was Aunt Melly going to come back from heaven."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her, 'She was never coming back. Once one goes to heaven they don't return."

"How did she take it?"

"Not well. She then said, 'But I want her to come back.' I said, 'We don't always get what we want.' She said, 'Who ever decided that she can't come back from heaven is a poopie head.'

Rhett smiled and said, "Did you reprimand her for her language?"

"No, because I thought who ever decided that was a poopie head too."

They smiled at each other.

As they were getting ready to leave their bedroom, Rhett saw Scarlett pick up the quilt she had worked so hard on.

The viewing and the funeral would be held in the parlor of the Hamilton House. The family had gotten to the viewing early. Wade and Scarlett went to view the body. As he placed the sword in the coffin, he whispered, "I still didn't believe it was true until now."

As Scarlett placed the memory quilt around the boy. She replied, "Me neither."

Scarlett knew that was where Melly would want it to be. She would want her little boy kept warm.

Thirty minutes into the viewing there was still no Ashley or India, so Scarlett started to go see about them. Rhett stopped her and said, "I will handle it. Miss Wilkes is probably unable to convince him to come out. I can get him out here."

Twenty minutes later Rhett led Ashley into the parlor. Rhett got him into a chair on the front row. The matrons and everyone else descended on Ashley. Rhett came and sat down next to Wade on the couch. Rhett said, "He is so drunk he can't walk by himself. He may pass-out in the middle of the funeral."

Scarlett sat there holding her youngest daughter on her lap. Ella was on the other side of Rhett and Wade was in between them. She was remembering the day she had helped bring the boy into the world. She remembered how happy she had been. She remembered how awful those next two years had been. She remembered how much quiet strength Melanie had always given her. She knew that Melly with her insight had known what Scarlett was going to do when she came into Atlanta that January in sixty-six. Scarlett smiled sadly when she thought, 'Melly had known Ella was Rhett's child also but had never let on about her either.

She remembered how much better things had gotten after she married Rhett. She slipped her hand around Wade and placed her hand on Rhett's arm, and he smiled over Wade's head at her.

Scarlett looked around at all the people there. This was the cream of society in Atlanta, and they were all dirt poor without much of a future. It reminded Scarlett of when she had asked Rhett why everyone was always talking about the war and their lives before the war. He had been right. They had nothing to look forward to and they knew their lives would never be that good again.

Scarlett looked at Ashley who was still sitting upright which may have been more of India's doing than Ashley's since she was sitting right next to him.

As soon as the funeral was over, Ashley got up and staggered out of the parlor. He could be heard climbing up the stairs. Scarlett guessed he was not going to be attending the reception. After fifteen minutes when Genie and Ella started getting restless, Scarlett said to Rhett, "Mr. Jeter will be here in about thirty minutes to take Beau to his final resting place. You take the girls home. Wade and I will stay here and go with him."

"I will send the carriage back for you."

"Thank you, dear."

When the men moved to carry the coffin to the wagon, Wade moved forward and took one of the lead positions. Nobody said anything.

Several of the mourners went with Mr. Jeter to the cemetery but one of them wasn't Ashley Wilkes. He had done all that he could do that day.

Every few days for the next month Scarlett called at the Hamilton House to check on Ashley. He would come to the parlor, and he was always very drunk. After a month, India told Scarlet, "Ashley is too sick to get out of the bed."

Scarlett knew that meant Ashley was passed out in his bed. She said, "He isn't getting any better."

India sadly replied, "No, he isn't. He remains in bed for almost every day except when you come to visit. You were the only person who he would get dressed for and come to the parlor and now I think you aren't even enough for him to get out of bed for. Lots of people came to call right after the funeral but nobody comes by anymore. He is rarely sober now."

Scarlett felt pity for Ashley. Pity that fortune had treated him so badly. His life was perfect before the war. After the war he had nothing but Melly and Beau. Now he didn't even have them. She said to India, "Melly made me promise to take care of him, but you will do a much better job than me. I will set-up a trust fund to provide you with a means of support. We both know Ashley is never going to be able to work again."

"My pride wants me to tell you we don't need your money, but the truth is we do. I will just say thank you. Goodbye, Scarlett."

"Goodbye, India."

Both ladies knew it was not just goodbye for the moment but goodbye forever. India walked Scarlett to the door and as unbelievable as it was when India hugged Scarlett, Scarlett hugged her back. After all they had known each other all their lives.

Scarlett drove herself back to her home. She looked at her buggy. It was the buggy Rhett had bought her when they had gotten back from their honeymoon. Rhett was always after her to let him buy her a new buggy, but she wouldn't. This buggy was special. She would sell it now for they were moving away from the South.

Scarlett found Rhett in the nursery playing with the children. She said, "My husband may I speak with you privately?"

"Of course."

Rhett stood up and walked down the hall with her to their bedroom.

Once they were in their bedroom, Scarlett said to Rhett, "Now that Melly and Beau are gone I am ready to leave. I know now it was Melly and Tara that were holding me to the South. She was everything good about our old way of life, beauty, charm, gentility and grace. The life we fought to save but lost because we went to war. She was everything good about our old life.

Tara will never be the plantation of my youth. Suellen is making a profit, but it is not the large profits Pa was able to make. Suellen is a good manager of Tara and our gins. Yet Tara is her home now. It is just my investment. My old life is utterly gone.

As secure as you make me feel I'm still not completely secure as I told you on our honeymoon because I now know everything can be ripped away in a moment. I will never have that carefree life again. Yet I will do everything I can to ensure our children feel safe and secure.

I was staying in Atlanta to fulfill my promise to Melly. I had promised her I would take care of Ashley and Beau, but they are both beyond my help now. Beau is dead and Ashley has fallen into the bottle."

He said quietly, "You are right. Soon Mr. Wilkes will join his wife and child on the other side."

"Unfortunately, I agree."

"Do you want to move to Melbourne or Sydney?"

With an impish smile Scarlett said, "Galveston."

"No."

"Sydney."

"We will start off in Sydney. If we don't like it, we can move to Melbourne or even London. What do you want to do about Tara?"

"I will give Suellen two percent of my share of our holding so she will be able to make decisions and act on them. She has earned it. She has worked the land as well or better than me or Pa. I am not ready to sever that tie, but I will eventually. Soon she will own one hundred percent of Tara. I will never come back. I never want to see this world again."

That night over supper, Rhett told the children that they were moving to Sydney, Australia. There was a lot of complaining and crying from Genie and Ella, mainly Ella, yet Wade didn't say anything. Finally, Rhett said, "We are going so you might as well accept it."

Scarlett said, "Wade, what do you think?"

"I think it is a great idea."

Both Ella and Genie gave him an ugly look and Genie even said, "Poopie head."

Scarlett said, "Genie! We don't call people names."

"Yes ma'am."

Scarlett knew they would accept the move. Hopefully, the family would be happy in Australia.