Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Forty-Two

That night Scarlett said to Rhett, "Don't start the jumping back up?"

Rhett had grinned and said, "I can't. You have made sure there is not enough space in our back yard between the useless gazebo and those ugly lawn ornaments."

"Good."

"When the girls ask me about it, I am going to blame it all on you."

"I am alright with that. I will do whatever I have to do to keep them safe."

"Me too."

When they were at supper a week later Ella said, "Mother, Daddy said you said no to us continuing jumping. Why?"

Scarlett looked at Rhett and he smiled. He had indeed blamed it all on her. She sighed and said, "Because it is dangerous. You could get killed."

Genie said, "We won't. We will be careful."

"No, that is the way my father died."

Ella said, "Mother, please."

"I also remember when he broke his knee and had to walk with a limp the rest of his life. Do you want to walk with a limp the rest of your life?"

Ella and Genie said, "Of course not."

"Then the subject is closed."

Rhett smiled at his wife. His children were already very vain and would not want to have to live with a deformity. She had found the perfect way to end the discussion.

Scarlett made Mammy the housekeeper and hired a large staff. She wanted Mammy to stop working so hard, but Mammy wasn't happy being the housekeeper. She wanted to take care of the children. So, Scarlett hired a housekeeper and let Mammy return to the nursery. Although she made Mammy quit work every evening after supper. They were lucky and the cook, Vera King, they hired was an exceptionally good cook. Scarlett had agreed to pay her five shillings an hour which was a particularly good salary. After eating her cooking for a month Rhett gave her another shilling an hour and her own room. Rhett wasn't going to let anyone steal his cook if he could help it.

When Scarlett told Rhett she was pregnant again and the baby was due in October, she had said, "I'm so glad I have my built-in heater."

Rhett had said, "You don't have to go into a confinement either."

"So true. So wonderful."

Rhett had interviewed a lot of doctors before he had settled on the one to be their family doctor. He was not letting any quack touch his wife.

Those last three months of her pregnancy Scarlett went out every day. It was spring in Sydney and the weather was wonderful to be out in. She took the children to the park every day. She took the nursemaid Edith with her, and she made Mammy stay home and rest.

Scarlett went shopping for Christmas presents. Rhett took her on buggy rides. The family went out in the boat. They went to all the social events.

Scarlett would always have a big smile on her face when she said, "It so wonderful not to have to go into confinement." Nonetheless Rhett pampered her and spoiled her just the way he had with Genie and Paddy. He massaged the small of her back, he rubbed the cream into her baby bump, and he bought her small presents.

When they talked about names, they had decided on Elizabeth Louisa immediately. When Scarlett had suggested Seamus Rhett, Rhett had burst out laughing. They had finally settled on Daniel Justin.

When Scarlett went into labor, Rhett was there the entire time. When Dr. Heath Ledger arrived, he took one look at Mr. Butler's face and didn't say a word about him needing to leave the room. Dr. Ledger was there in time to administer the chloroform and again Scarlett thanked Mamie Bart and maybe Queen Victoria too.

Rhett held Scarlett's hand and mopped her brow. At one point Rhett said, "I wish I was the one going through all this pain."

To which Scarlett replied, "I wish you were too. You might not forget to pull-out."

Rhett laughed. He agreed with her. If he was the one to suffer the consequences, he probably would never forget to practice coitus interruptus.

After five hours of labor Scarlett gave birth to another son. At the time of his birth, he had blue eyes and red hair. He looked like Scarlett too. Rhett didn't care. As he had said all those years ago in Ireland, he thought his wife beautiful, so he was thrilled they all looked like her.

Mammy cleaned the boy up and Rhett took him to show the children. Wade was happy it was another boy, Ella and Genie were disappointed it wasn't a girl as was Rhett. Paddy didn't really have an opinion on the matter. On his way back to his bedroom, Rhett asked Edith to send a footman for the wet nurse and have the cook prepare a meal for Mrs. Butler.

When Rhett entered the room, it looked so clean and pristine nobody would know that less than an hour ago a child had been born. Rhett thought, 'More men should know what birthing a baby is like. I had no idea it was such a painful, messy, bloody event.'

Scarlett smiled at him and said, "Let me see my son."

"Here is Danny."

Scarlett looked at Rhett and said, "No, Daniel"

"You better tell Genie then."

Later that week Rhett heard Genie call the baby Danny and Scarlett said, "No, Sweetheart, his name is Daniel."

Rhett never heard anyone else ever call the boy Danny again. Rhett just shook his head in amazement.

Six weeks later they celebrated Christmas, but it certainly wasn't like in Georgia. It was hot and humid. After the presents were opened. The cook served a meal with ham, salad, potato salad and raw cauliflower. Vera had explained to Scarlett that because of the heat Christmas dinner was usually a cool meal. It was good. They then went sailing on the boat. Later they went to play on the beach. All and all it was a delightful day.

Scarlett said, "Next year we will have to go to Christmas Mass."

"No, it is held at midnight. That is too late for this old man to be out."

Scarlett had laughed and said, "Did you ever think you would say something like that?"

"No, I didn't. I also never thought being married and having children would be as wonderful as it is."

"Me neither."

"Of course, maybe it is so wonderful because of the woman I was lucky enough to marry."

"Thank you, Rhett."

Rhett had converted to Catholicism and Rhett and Scarlett were remarried in the Catholic church with a full nuptial mass on the fifteenth of April in seventy-six. It made Scarlett so incredibly happy. The family went to Mass regularly, and their children went through all the rites of passage in the Catholic church.

Rhett found it very amusing that Scarlett had insisted that her children be brought up in a religious environment. For she was not a deeply religious person, yet he knew she believed in God and heaven as did he. Scarlett and Rhett went to Mass every Sunday for they knew they needed God's grace and they knew their children were going to need it also. Scarlett made Mammy go with them to help with the children and because Mammy liked going to Mass.

Both Rhett and Scarlett were hoping they would be reunited in death.

Rhett would say, "Forty or fifty years is not enough time with you. I need eternity."

Scarlett would smile and say, "As do I."

Yet even with all the religious teaching Rhett would also say to his children, "Work like it is all up to you and pray like it is all up to God."

On Daniel's first birthday he had red hair, chocolate brown eyes and the same smile as his siblings. Rhett said to Scarlett while looking at Daniel, "We got out of Atlanta just in time."

Scarlett had smiled and said, "Yes, we did."

"I wish my mother could see Daniel. She wouldn't believe how much he looks like her."

"Especially when he smiles. You sent her the pictures, didn't you?"

"Yes, but those are black and white."

"Scarlett, thank you for marrying me."

"You're welcome."

"I don't deserve you."

"True. What is this about Rhett?"

"Can't a man thank his wife for marrying him without it being something more than that?"

"A man can but not you."

Rhett smiled. He said, "You gave up everything for me."

"You really didn't give me much of a choice."

"You knew even then that I would never have told anyone about the children."

"Yes, I did. As I have told you before if I hadn't thought my life would be better married to you than not, I wouldn't have married you. I would have weathered out the social storm."

"I know you weren't planning on leaving everything behind and moving half-way around the world."

"What did I leave behind? Nobody in Atlanta liked me even before I married you. There was nothing left of the civilization I grew up in. The only relative I left behind was my sister and while we were getting along, we would never be close. No, Rhett, this is better. At least nobody is looking down their noses at me. In truth you gave up more than me."

"No, Baby, I gave that up years ago."

"Enough of this sentimental claptrap. I think I want a new buggy."

Rhett smiled. He said, "My love, you will never know how grateful I am. Now, let's talk about your new buggy."

Rhett knew she didn't want a new buggy, but he would let her change the subject. He also knew his wife really didn't like talking about highly emotional things.

The next several years were good for the Butler brood. Rhett was still making lots of money. Just now it was legal. Scarlett was running the household and raising five children. Wade, Ella, and Genie were going to school. Paddy and Daniel were just being toddlers. All the children were annoying each other. Scarlett rarely interfered except when she thought it had gone too far. Edith did most of the work regarding Paddy and Daniel. Mammy was teaching the children how to be proper ladies and gentlemen.

In December of seventy-seven Rhett and Scarlett had an oops. They had been having an incredibly good time in the parlor. They had both planned on going upstairs before it got extremely intimate, but those plans did not come into fruition. Afterwards, Scarlett said, "We can't be that unlucky. That every time we mess up, we make a baby."

After they were in the bed Scarlett said, "Maybe we will have another girl for you."

"I hope so. I would like another girl."

Both people had accepted that they were going to have another child for they knew they were just that unlucky.

In January when Scarlett missed her flow. She told Rhett, "We can never oops again."

"I know. I'm getting too old to have any more children."

Scarlett didn't agree with Rhett, but she didn't disagree either. Scarlett was pregnant again. She was still so happy about not having to go into a confinement, but she wasn't happy about being pregnant again. They talked about names again. They stuck with Elizabeth Louisa and settled on Gabriel Rhett.

Once again Rhett pampered and spoiled Scarlett her entire pregnancy.

In the middle of August, Scarlett's labor started mid-morning and soon it was clear that this baby was in as much of a hurry to be born as Genie and Paddy had been. Dr. Ledger was soon there, and he administered the chloroform. Once again Rhett was in the room the entire time. He knew it was irrational, but he felt that nothing bad would happen to Scarlett if he was in the room. When it was time to push Rhett again got behind Scarlett. She pushed against him and soon their son was born. He had red hair and green eyes. Mammy whisked him away and gave him a bath.

Rhett took the boy to show him to his siblings while Mammy cleaned up the room. He told them, "His name is Gabriel Rhett, and your mother wants you to call him Gabriel." All the children nodded. Rhett didn't want his son called Gabby.

Wade liked his sisters, but he couldn't resist annoying them, so he said, "I'm glad it is another boy. We don't need any more girls."

Ella said, "At least our little brothers aren't mean like our big brother is."

Genie said, "Yeah."

No, their younger brothers weren't mean they were just annoying, pesky brats but the girls would never tell Wade that fact. The girls like Wade but they couldn't let him win in their battles any more than Rhett could ever willingly let Scarlett win in a battle.