Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Note: As always, all reviews and inputs are appreciated.

Chapter Two

With Scarlett's statement of them having conceived a child, Rhett sat down with a thump. He said, "You can't know you are pregnant already."

"No. I can't but with how easily I conceive there is a good likelihood we did."

Rhett just stared at her. His mind was reeling. He still had not accepted that Bonnie was okay. He was stunned by her statement and the truth of it. His mind was still a little bit muddled from everything he had drank the night before.

"If we conceived a child last night you will need to stand beside me starting right now. I will not allow there to be any question on who my baby's father is. I will not allow my child to be thought of as a bastard. You will be by my side this entire pregnancy even if I have to handcuff you to me."

Rhett smiled with her last statement. He said, "I'm surprised you aren't planning to go see Mamie Bart and get rid of it?"

"Oh Rhett, sometimes you are so stupid. If I had wanted to get rid of Bonnie, I would have just done it and never said anything to you about it. I knew how you were going to react. I wanted you to tell me you wanted to have a baby with me. I wanted you to indicate in some way that you cared for me as a person not as just a body." Because Scarlett knew Rhett loved her, she could be more honest with him than she had ever been before.

Rhett's mind went reeling again. Rhett stared at her then he slowly said, "I will stand beside you through this entire scandal. At least until we find out if you are pregnant are not."

"Good enough. I have had your clothes moved back into the master bedroom and Bonnie's bed also. There will be no more gossip about us having separate bedrooms. You have to help me. If not for my sake then the sake of your children."

Rhett smiled and said, "It will take more than that to quiet the gossip about you and Mr. Woodenhead. You will have to sell your share of the mills so there is no longer any contact between you and the Little Gentleman except socially."

"I don't want to sell my mills. They are such a gold mine. What about if either you or Melly go with me to the mills wouldn't that be good enough?"

"Miss Melly and I cannot always go with you to the mills. That would become tiresome and inconvenient quickly. I think the best thing for you to do is sell your share of the mills. There will always be speculation about you and Mr. Wilkes from now on. There already was a lot of speculation about the two of you."

Scarlett looked at Rhett and did something very uncharacteristic for her. She empathized with another person then she apologized. She said, "I'm sorry Rhett that must have been a great source of embarrassment for you."

Scarlett apologizing sent Rhett's mind to reeling again. Every time Rhett thought he was beginning to get his thoughts straight Scarlett said something else that threw him off kilter again. Rhett just stared at her and finally said, "Thank you. With us sharing a room are we going to be sharing a bed?"

Scarlett blushed and said, "Of course. We will be just like any other married couple except we will have to go into another room from time to time."

Rhett smiled and said, "If I move back in with you, I will not move back out."

"Of course not. Once you move back in with me then you have to be faithful to me."

"Of course."

With that Scarlett got up and walked over and sat in Rhett's lap and shyly kissed him. Scarlett knowing Rhett loved her gave her courage to be the one to initiate relations. She wasn't worried about a mocking statement or a cruel comment. She wasn't worried about him rejecting her. Scarlett had missed Rhett her friend so much. She wondered how she had made it through the last two years.

Rhett didn't know what was going on with Scarlett but if she wanted to be intimate, he would be happy to be intimate with her. He certainly did want to be intimate with her. Rhett kissed her back and began thinking that maybe last night was not such a mistake after all. As Scarlett began to run her hands all over his torso Rhett stopped thinking at all. Somehow Rhett managed for them to have relations in the parlor on her favorite divan. Scarlett didn't know one could do it the way they had done it. It was wonderful.

Later that afternoon after Rhett had gotten his equilibrium and his poise back, he laughed out loud at how Scarlett had out maneuvered him. Any other day he would be angry but he was too happy to be mad. She had worded her note perfectly and while he had still not been thinking straight because of his concern for Bonnie, she had gotten him to agree to move back in to her bedroom and be faithful. The piece de resistance was her seducing him. By the time they had left the parlor he had not known what end was up. This was a brilliant ploy on her part. She got him back in her bedroom without having to swallow her pride. He didn't really care he got to return to her bedroom without having to swallow his pride or ask for her forgiveness of his activities these last two years. He guessed they just weren't going to talk about all that. Rhett smiled and thought, 'I guess we are just going to think about that tomorrow.' He was fine with that. At least he had still had enough awareness to make her commit to selling her mills. No, he was not mad in fact he was fairly happy.

Later that night after returning from his old bedroom while they were lying in their bed Scarlett said, "Nothing happened."

"I know. You would not be physically unfaithful to me." What he really thought was that Mr. Wilkes would not be physically unfaithful to Miss Melly but he was treading lightly in their current circumstances. He had just gotten back in her bed therefore he was not going to say anything to get kicked out again. Right now, he did not want to make her mad. He had plenty of time for that later.

"Thank you, Rhett"

"It did look pretty bad though and there will always be talk."

"I know."

After Scarlett had fallen asleep Rhett decided he hadn't told her he loved her because she was not acting like he had told her he loved her. If he had told her she would have been lording it over him. He could barely remember much of what happened last night. He remembered attending the party of course. He had finished the flask in his pocket. He remembered Scarlett had clunged to him like he was a life preserver. The only time she had left his side was when Miss Melly had asked her to help with something. He had been so mad and every time he had looked at the sniveling coward, he had gotten madder. It was bad enough that Scarlett preferred that weakling to him but to shame him in front of the town could almost not be borne. If it hadn't been for Bonnie, he would have let her reputation go down in flames. What was left of it that is. As soon as they had sung 'For he's a jolly good fellow.' He and Scarlett had left. He had dropped her off at the mansion and gone to Belle's to get drunker. After an hour he had returned home quietly and sat in the dining room and had gotten drunker. He was pretty drunk when she had made her appearance. He didn't remember much of the conversation except her defending Ashley Wilkes and her holding him up to him as the paragon of virtue. He thought he remembered telling her he loved her but he guessed he had just thought it. He didn't remember very much of what had happened after he had carried her up the stairs. He didn't know what had overcome him but the last thread of his control had broken and he had been determined to have relations with his wife. He did remember her look of wonder when he had finally satisfied her sexually and the way she had breathlessly called his name. He did remember feeling so wonderful when he had climaxed inside her and he had called her name. He had thought he had added an I love you but maybe she hadn't heard him. Maybe he had just thought it. He had thought it so many times when he had climaxed inside her that he probably hadn't said it. He remembered resting for a while and then felt his erection growing and had possessed his wife again. That time she had been eager and very willing. He remembered he had brought her satisfaction again and again and all she had done was cling to him. She certainly wasn't thinking of Ashley Wilkes right then. He had rested some more and had gotten sober enough to realize what he had done. He had raped his own wife. He had done a lot of vile things in his life but raping a woman was something he never thought he would do. That was why he had run away in the night. He was ashamed. He didn't know how to handle the shame of what he had done. Maybe it wasn't as bad as he remembered. Maybe she had been more willing than he remembered. He would never know what had happened. What he did know was that he was back to having relations with Scarlett and sleeping in her bed again. He was going to leave well enough alone and not ask any questions. He very much hoped he had gotten her pregnant. That would give him at least nine months of sleeping in her bed.

The next morning Rhett had woken up to Bonnie in the bed with them. She was wide awake but she was also wrapped up in her mother's arms. Rhett looked at the happy expression on his daughter's face and knew that by keeping them apart he had not only hurt Scarlett but he had also hurt Bonnie. Bonnie loved her mother and wanted to be with her mother. Again, Rhett experienced shame and he didn't like it but he accepted it. Scarlett was half asleep but she told Bonnie she loved her. When Bonnie responded by snuggling in closer to her mother Rhett knew he was going to have to share Bonnie for Bonnie's own good. Rhett knew he would always be Bonnie's favorite and he knew that Scarlett was alright with that but he also knew that both females needed and wanted to have a relationship. He was going to help Scarlett be a better mother to her children instead of mocking her for being a bad mother.

Scarlett rolled over and put Bonnie in between them. Scarlett said sleepily, "Go with Daddy and eat breakfast and I will see you later. Alright?"

Bonnie had looked at her mother and for a minute Rhett was afraid Bonnie was going to disagree but then she saw that her mother had already gone back to sleep. Bonnie turned to her Daddy and smiled at him and extended her arms. Rhett got up and picked her up. He carried her to the nursery so the nurse maid could get her dress. He promised he would be right back as soon as he got dressed. As tempted as he was to make love to his wife now that their daughter was out of the room, he knew his daughter would be banging on the door before they were finished. He was not going to have coitus interruptus unless it was a form of pregnancy prevention but the temptation was very great. It would take him a long time before he didn't want that body desperately. In truth he knew he would always want her desperately. When he was with her intimately, he could make himself believe that she loved him also.