All around AN: Um so noted that everyone wants as many rewrites of that stage of Scarlett and Rhett's relationship as humanly possible. I will do my best not to totally mess it up. Thank you to everyone who left encouraging reviews!

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Part Two

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Rhett found himself sitting up and reading in the early morning hours the day after his return. He had managed to follow Scarlett and Bonnie back to sleep, but he hadn't been able to sleep for long after the early evening rest he and Scarlett had taken and then going to sleep with the children.

He had left to get the kitten some cream, but aside from that he didn't want to risk either of them waking without him nearby. So he sat with a chair facing them and Bonnie's tabby occasionally crawling up his pant leg for attention. Trying to read, not something he generally relished, but it passed the time.

More often that not, he found himself watching them.

Both restful and at peace.

Awaiting at any moment the chaos that would erupt from them.

Bonnie did not awaken gently. Bonnie awoke and quickly became livid realizing he was missing and she was somewhere unfamiliar to her. She shot up looking for him and that in turn woke up Scarlett.

Rhett saw it on Scarlett's face as he had already been on his feet to calm Bonnie, her face drained of color. Rhett immediately understood the basin on her bedside table, he brought her the bowl before she could frantically grasp for it.

"Mother are you sick?"

Bonnie said leaning over Scarlett's shoulder as she finished being ill.

Rhett was grateful Bonnie hadn't at least been horrified by the act, based on Scarlett's complexion, he wasn't sure she would have survived the outburst.

Scarlett fell away from the basin and back onto her pillow, her eyes closing once more as Rhett moved the bowl back to the table.

"No. Not really. Mother just forgot to eat last night," Scarlett's hand was on her stomach.

"Are you sure?" Rhett questioned, as Scarlett's face did not improve from its ashen and clammy appearance.

"Very," Scarlett said not moving or opening her eyes.

"I'll bring Bonnie to the nursery and have a tray sent up to you," Rhett said going to grab the young girl before she could jostle Scarlett anymore.

"Thank you," Scarlett replied with her eyes still shut.

o~o~o

Rhett had been quite aware that Mammy was disappointed with him as she handed off the task of getting the children ready for the day to the servant assisting her and went to see to Scarlett as she had tasked him with getting a tray sent up, making sure to tell him to make sure the kitchen knew that Scarlett had been ill.

Rhett was afraid that meant they would send up a bowl of broth, quite frankly he was afraid of his wife's wrath if she was served a bowl of broth after relieving her stomach of what little it had in it.

Rhett quickly found out in the kitchen that meant there would be no eggs on Scarlett's tray. A maid hastened to assemble a tray with scones, jam, bacon and tea and was startled when Rhett moved to take it from her, but quickly added a second cup to the tray before he could leave the kitchen.

Rhett stood back as Mammy handfed Scarlett small bites of scones over several minutes before getting her into an upright position with a wall of pillows behind her. The look and the stern words Mammy shot him before leaving to check on the children informed him, he had better do better this time.

"He is quite like his sister. He does not do well being overlooked," Scarlett informed her husband dryly.

"You look better," Rhett said moving closer to the bed, ready to continue hand feeding her if need be.

"You mean I no longer look like death Captain Butler?" Scarlett gave him a look as she went to spread jam on a scone. She offered it over to him, "I can hardly eat them all," she told him as he hesitated to take it.

He took the scone.

"Oh do sit down Rhett, you're making me nervous hovering," Scarlett said moving to pour the tea as always she poured his tea, just to his liking. They had been doing this in some form for quite some time. She could be flawless as a hostess and wife when the desire struck her.

He sat down on his wife's bed, now his, theirs.

This was not the morning he had spent weeks bracing for.

"I am certainly ready for this stage to be over," Scarlett's hand briefly touched her stomach before going to lift her teacup. "I feel as weak as that kitten in Bonnie's hands."

Rhett chuckled and removed the kitten attempting to scale Scarlett's bedclothes, then seemingly without thought he took a piece of bacon from Scarlett's plate and began to feed the kitten small pieces.

"Does it have a name?"

"Honey, my mother named her."

Scarlett wondered if the woman wasn't trying to elicit some sweetness from her granddaughter on a regular basis. Similar to Mammy's saying of catching more flies with sugar than vinegar. What Scarlett witnessed last night had horrified her. She knew Bonnie's behavior hadn't been ideal in the past, but she wasn't entirely sure if Rhett hadn't encouraged the behavior so he could continue to paint Scarlett as a wretched mother. She wouldn't say that to her husband though, she was in no shape to battle him this morning, perhaps tomorrow or perhaps not.

She had found something worse than his indifference the last three months, his nonchalant demeanor that had once driven her insane. Oddly, something worse than even his anger the night of Ashley's party. Scarlett couldn't have once imagined something worse than that angry and cruel stranger as he held her his prisoner in the dining room.

It was Rhett being gone.

He had told her that night that they could have been happy, she wasn't sure if it had been a lie or not. She was sure she had met the man under his nonchalance that night, but she wasn't sure what else had in fact been real.

They would do better than most.

Scarlett suspected that would be true. "Will you be going into the bank this morning?" Scarlett questioned resuming their life as if he hadn't been gone three months.

"Perhaps for awhile if you have recovered enough that Mammy won't-"

"Fiddle-dee-dee," Scarlett waved off his concern. "I have too much to do to be sick for long."

"The mill, the store?" Rhett questioned taking a sip of his tea.

"The children, I have to sort out their new sleeping arrangements. I assume Bonnie still cannot sleep without a candle?"

Scarlett watched that old familiar rage build within his eyes.

"That's what I thought, don't worry I will not force your precious Bonnie to sleep without light."

How odd, Scarlett thought to herself for the first time that their daughter was so frightened by the dark. Scarlett saw it now, saw what she and Rhett were. It seemed remarkable that their child could be so terrified by what filled her parents. Scarlett wondered if that had been why she hadn't been able to calm Bonnie when the candle had gone out. Bonnie couldn't be soothed because she continued to be embraced by darkness. Rhett seemed to have always known what he was. The mask he created had fooled even Scarlett for years, no doubt it fooled Bonnie as well.

Scarlett doubted this child would be frightened by the dark, he had been created as they had both embraced it and given themselves over to it.

Odd that their baby had been created in such darkness when he brought light to her life.

o~o~o

"Please inform Ella's governess that I wish to speak to her before she leaves for the day," Scarlett requested of Prissy as Scarlett gave up on attempting dinner with Bonnie and sent her out to play with the young maid after the little girl refused more than a few bites and proceeded to terrorize the table as they attempted to take their mid-day meal.

Long hours had passed since they had woken up that morning, Scarlett had attempted at connecting with her beloved child after Rhett had left, but the two year old had countless meltdowns over everything Scarlett did or didn't do. Scarlett regretted not going into Kennedy's as she often did.

The moment Rhett joined them, Scarlett became aware she had no chance of correcting any behavior, until she was ready for battle.

Rhett's demeanor changed as he was finally able to eat and not be braced for Scarlett's temper exploding towards their daughter, his eyebrow lifted awaiting more of an explanation from his wife.

"I had been thinking of sending Ella to school, perhaps see how other children behave since clearly the governess' instruction is not taking-"

Rhett wondered if Scarlett had any idea how a 4 year old should behave.

"Now that Bonnie has returned, it makes more sense for her to join Ella in the schoolroom."

"Bonnie is two," Rhett reminded his wife.

"Bonnie is nearly three," Scarlett countered, "I know you aren't suggesting our daughter isn't intelligent enough to begin her schooling." Scarlett had gotten a governess for Ella the moment they moved into the house.

"Hardly," Rhett did wonder if his wife new what month their child had been born in, since he had never seen her have an issue with counting.

"It will be good for them both to be around a child. They are sisters after all," Scarlett said finally starting to enjoy her meal. "Perhaps you could take Ella with you on your daily walk with Bonnie."

"If you think she would enjoy it," Rhett nodded at his wife.

"I think it best that Ella be as ready for bed as she can before trying to sleep with a light."

"Mrs. Butler, you seem almost eager to have me in your bed again."

Scarlett was, but she certainly wouldn't admit that to him, "Perhaps Captain Butler I am eager to have you out of the bed of whores," she found a new energy that had previously been missing.

"Are you trying to make my return conditional?"

"You were always the one so concerned with how we and by we, I mean you, appeared to the public. How would it look if you were saw to be consorting with whores while I am carrying our child?"

"Ah," he nodded at her, "the wronged husband aspect again. There are a few blondes in my family could you imagine-"

"Rhett," Scarlett warned as her husband goaded her, his favorite pastime.

"I endeavor to do my best to redeem your good name for the sake of our children," he nodded at her as he continued his meal.

o~o~o

Scarlett felt a sense of hesitation as she went to leave Ella alone in the large bed with Bonnie beside her. The little child could be as sweet as could be or the devil itself. To Scarlett it felt as if she was leaving Ella as a lamb to the slaughter. Not even a year ago, she hadn't wanted her children's sleep to be disturbed by a candle and now she was leaving her to much worse. She had sacrificed Ella to save Wade, to save her marriage…

For a moment she wished she could share her fears with Rhett, but she knew what his reaction would be and she couldn't face it.

Rhett had suggested they retire to her room instead of downstairs so they could be nearby in case the need arose.

Scarlett was well aware he only meant himself.

He left her alone to undress with the help of her maid. She felt her heart race wondering if this night would be like the last. Her wrapper was over nightclothes as she sat at her vanity brushing out her hair for the evening.

Rhett returned and watched the act quietly as he sipped a glass of the brandy he had brought up. As she laid her brush down he asked, "Would you like a drink?"

"No thank you."

"Scarlett there is no need to hide how much you like your brandy," he began to pour her one.

"I might, but the baby doesn't."

Her words stopped his pour.

He turned with a smile, "Remarkable since it was so crucial to his creation."

She wanted to fling her brush at him.

"Did you get it sorted our with the governess regarding Bonnie?" Rhett moved their conversation along and gestured for her to change her chair to a more comfortable one across from him, "how often will she join Ella in the schoolroom?"

"She knows of several governesses she thinks would be suitable to join her in the schoolroom," Scarlett said standing to change seats.

"The governess you hired isn't capable of handling two young girls?"

"Certainly not when one of them is our daughter. Ella has enough struggles without falling behind in her schooling as well," Scarlett lowered herself to the new seat, feeling dangerously underdressed when so close to her husband.

"Have you noticed some new failing of Ella's?" Rhett spoke in a drone manner.

"She cannot stay focused on a subject; she moves from one thing to the next before you can even respond."

"She is a child Scarlett," Rhett reminded her.

"I know you think I am oblivious to my children, but it wasn't that long ago that Wade was her age."

Rhett suddenly thought back to that young boy, his boy. Somehow that had slipped away from him as his dreams of a life with Scarlett had proven so false. The children had slowly become his and hers. "Wade is a remarkable child, do remember that he endured much more than his sisters. Ella and Bonnie have never wanted for anything aside from-"

"Yes, a mother," Scarlett stood annoyed she had nothing to throw at her husband to wipe that look off his face.

"Wade had you though, for a time," Rhett pondered this, pondered that devotion Wade had always shown to his mother.

Wade had a child for a mother, thrust into a world no one had prepared her for.

Rhett looked at his wife, who was trying not to pace, "I recall promises to keep me in the house at night."

"I made no such promises," her eyes shined with fury being reminded of those whores.

"Unspoken promises are still promises," Rhett put down his glass and stood.

"I thought we were listening for the girls," Scarlett found herself practically stuttering as he approached her.

"I don't doubt they will hear Bonnie in Augusta if she wants me," Rhett's hand went firmly to her waist and pulled her in close to him.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

AN: Yep yep. I made them kind of nasty and hiding what they feel. I listened to the audiobook for awhile before writing. I wish we could wave a wand and actually be the people we should be…