Ninigi: I think it was more that Dilcey was in the Wilke-Hamilton-O'Hara household. Gerald went to go buy her, I don't know what happened there, her and Pork have at least another kid after that. But Pork is in the Butler household and Dilcey is in the Wilkes household. Lol. Your coworker, that is definitely with every parent unless they are very enmeshed, you need breathing space from people.

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Part Fourteen

Early September 1871

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Rhett watched as Suellen walked out onto the veranda to greet the neighbors that had just arrived. Wearing a pale blue dress that was one of three that Scarlett had brought her from Atlanta and with her hair done by Estelle, it was the second weekend that she and her children had arrived at their house. Which was quite a lot considering they had only been there two weekends. So far it hadn't been awful since she and the children arrived by late Saturday morning and left in the early afternoon on Sunday.

It was perverse watching Suellen bite her tongue at Bedford, while it was biting at Tara. Oh, at Tara in retaliation Scarlett often brought up how she had saved the family and Tara before Will, but never made mention of all the money sent to them after Suellen's marriage to Will. As Scarlett got annoyed with Prissy for unpacking Suellen's dresses with her own and he had questioned the act between two sisters with such animosity towards each other. Scarlett had casually mentioned that Will wouldn't accept charity outside of the upkeep of the property and she couldn't have an O'Hara in town or visiting being seen in worn dresses.

Of course then in true Scarlett fashion, she had mentioned that she would give her sister her hand me downs instead of new dresses if she could fit in them and that she had sent all of the dresses she had worn with Bonnie immediately to her sister. Rhett had noted several familiar dresses during his visit on Suellen and recognized her daughters wearing old dresses of Ella's.

She had a sense of loyalty that he hadn't been able to see for some time during their marriage, seeing it only in her devotion to Ashley Wilkes.

She had kept her family alive, the plantation in their name, sent money to her mother's relations, which had in turn kept his own mother and sister alive. Which even in her nastiest of moments, she never mentioned that his mother and sister would have been dead like his father if not for her. She never used that information to buy herself into the good graces of her mother in law and he in turn had never revealed that truth. Perhaps fearful his mother would discover that he had thrown away the life they had planned for him to avoid a loveless marriage, only to exist within one where the love was so one-sided.

Now Scarlett graciously greeted people that thumbed their noses up at her in Atlanta and were sure to leave their house to talk about her. Suellen appeared to be in heaven, just as she had the previous weekend. Scarlett's younger sister, had years taken off her face as she was allowed to socialize in the manner she had grown up accustomed to and Scarlett had oddly taken the position of wallflower. Present in the conversations, but often not much.

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Suellen was thankfully early to bed after years of living with Will, it benefited Rhett now, just as much as it had while staying at Tara as he lay sprawled across the bed admiring his tousled wife with only a sheet over her. "I would have expected you to be tired today after spending all day visiting with the Mullens." He supposed he could have sat next to her while they talked, but truthfully Rhett still loved admiring his wife, especially knowing he had been the one to tousle her.

"We are thankfully not as active as the children," there had been several meltdowns from being overtired from the children after their guests had left and they had all been put to bed early.

"You seemed rather sedate, I was worried about you."

"What are you fishing at Rhett?"

The problem with not constantly confounding his wife, she was getting entirely too quick at getting to the subject at hand.

"You appear surprising docile with Suellen. Almost as if you were letting her lead the show."

"These are her people Rhett, not mine. I was barely even acquainted with the Mullens when I lived at Tara."

"That has certainly never stopped you before," Rhett said finding his wife's foot and stroking the soft inner sole of her foot.

She involuntarily kicked out at him and smiled as her foot reacted to the touch. "I have maybe not always been the best sister."

"You mean like stealing Frank," Rhett questioned still with her foot in his hand, only now his strong hands massaged the balls of her feet.

"I was married to Frank, I can tell you that was a kindness. Quite frankly though despite the numerous times I've mentioned that to her, she has yet to believe me."

It took all of his effort to not let out a loud laugh, the walloping his wife had given him the first time he tried that late at night warned him she would have his head if he woke the children.

"Our last week at Tara, Ella wanted to wear a yellow ribbon in her hair and Bonnie told her that she was wearing it because it would look prettier in her hair." Scarlett shrugged, "Which is true and I hope that Bonnie always finds way to make sure Ella avoids wearing yellow, but kinder ways."

Rhett bit back a laugh, he knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help himself.

"How many times did I do that to Suellen growing up? I quite frankly can't recall any in particular, but I'm sure she does. Mostly because she still brings them up even though we're grown and I can't even recall those."

Some of his laughter escaped.

"Rhett," she kicked at her husband, "don't laugh, it's awful. I have been an exceptional sister is terms of keeping her alive and dragging her through the war and all the years after, but I have not been a kind sister. The kind of sister I want Bonnie to be to Ella, the kind of sister Ella is to Bonnie."

"So your penance is sitting back and letting your sister play host at our home?"

"I'm not saying I can do this forever Rhett, but right now I'm feeling gracious."

More of his laughter escaped.

She kicked at him again as he held her foot, "Okay I definitely can't, but I am trying that should count for something."

"Oh it does Scarlett," he said moving up to capture his adorably embarrassed and slightly outraged wife.

"That's not the worse part Rhett," she confessed stopping his kiss.

"What is it my pet?"

"I think Bonnie heard me earlier that day when Suellen had asked to borrow a bonnet."

He left his wife to bury his head in a pillow to muffle his laughter.

"Rhett," she said hitting his back, "it's not funny, mirrors used to be one of my favorite things."

He kept his face buried in the pillow as he wrapped an arm around Scarlett, pulling her closer to the bed as she fought to stay upright.

Thanks for reading!

AN: Lol. Guys the movie I was thinking about was most likely this century (possibly the 1990's), I am not cool enough to be recalling an old school film. It was a society in LA where rich men, kept light skinned mistresses and the daughters were brought up in luxury and expecting luxury, but they would only ever be mistresses not wives (for all I know it could have been on Lifetime). New disclaimer: I have never seen a film with Clark Gable or Vivian Leigh outside of Gone with the Wind.

I was obsessed with Scarlett the mini series when I was 13, like VHS taped off the tv obsessed. I feel very very old now. So old. Also I don't like Scarlett, now. I don't find the plotline logical based on GWtW. And as a teenager I was very annoyed with GWtW the movie because of all the things they dropped from the book (this is also me as an adult with nearly every film that was a novel. "Room" and "The Silver Linings Playbook" are the only films that have improved on the novel).