AN: No one die of shock, this may actually take you longer than 3 minutes to read. Thanks for being with me on this journey and all the wonderful words of encouragement and help. Only a few more pieces left to tell with this little fic.

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Part Twenty Two

Early December

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There was a calm beauty in their life. By early December, they were well established in their days. In what should have been the monotony of their days. He hadn't gone to Atlanta since the second week of November as he had promised Scarlett. He barely even went into town. As the days counted down to their baby's due date, Scarlett's old nightmares had increased in their intensity. He had barely even left the house for rides due to how Scarlett would react. Even Wade had altered his behavior, no longer leaving the house to play with the neighbors. His friends visited him at Bedford, despite the little sisters always chasing after them.

They had adapted to keep the peace, to keep Scarlett calm. To keep the nightmares at bay. Suellen had lost the baby she was carrying, Mammy had gone to her, the knowledge of the lost baby paired with Mammy not being at Scarlett's side had almost resulted in Rhett packing the family up and returning to Atlanta, nearly immediately after their decision to stay in the country. What if Scarlett was right and something would go wrong with the baby?

The thought kept him up at night, worse than the baby pressing on Scarlett's bladder, resulting in multiple trips to the water closet in the middle of the night and the general discomfort of carrying a baby, nearly fully grown. It was horrible to realize that he could survive the loss of their child, the loss of her… The thought of losing Scarlett destroyed him nearly every time it came to his mind. She had a smooth pregnancy and never faced any issues in delivering the previous three children. Mammy and Doctor Peyton had told him not to borrow trouble.

If she would have allowed him he would have held her all the time, as it was, he spent an unnatural amount of time staring at her. As if he hadn't memorized every line on her face, every expression she made. As if he hadn't memorized them years prior. There were moments when he would have to remind himself that he would have to go on without her. They had children he would have to parent.

He could always dispatch Ashley Wilkes so Miss Melly could raise the children without the honorable Mr. Wilkes' influence. He regrettably rejected that idea because while she was one of the greatest women he had ever met, he wondered how she would have survived without Scarlett. Scarlett's children needed to be able to deal with life on their own without being dependent on others. Granted they might use others, but that was an entirely different form of dependence than Rhett suspected the children would learn from Miss Melly. While it wasn't ideal, Rhett was not totally opposed to his children stepping on the backs of others in order to survive.

Oddly though, without that occasional flash of fear that he could lose Scarlett. Their life was beautiful, as if existing in a dream. The days blended into one another.

He didn't long for a rousing political debate. Didn't feel his hands itch, to be dealt a hand of cards. Didn't feel the lure of getting in on the next big investment.

He existed with Scarlett and their family in their bubble.

She dozed off constantly, any pause in activity and engagement and her eyes would close and her head would droop. He smiled as he approached her on the settee in their room, a book in hand, a fire blazing before her, his wife in her dressing gown, who had not made it to the bed before falling asleep.

"Come on my love," he said gently trying to rouse her.

Her lids blinked softly not fully opening. "Promise me, I'll still be yours."

"What?" Rhett's brow furrowed.

"After the baby, that I'll still be yours. It won't be like Cynisca and Galatea."

The wife and the statue from the play he had read her months ago?

"I'll still be yours and it won't just be the baby again."

Again? Had that been how she felt after Bonnie? He had certainly been enthusiastic about their daughter's arrival. After all, how could he not. She had been theirs and she had been his to freely love. "Is that how you felt with Bonnie?" his fingers softly traced her cheek, but she still wasn't fully awake.

"She was yours and I was-" she blinked once, "it was like I disappeared."

"She was ours," Rhett softly spoke and tenderly encouraged his wife to stand with his hands. "I was captivated by her because she was ours."

"Promise you'll still love me after," she was almost awake now, but just enough sleep remained for a final plea.

"I could never stop loving you, Scarlett. Lord knows I tried hard enough. Now use the toilet-"

"Rhett Butler," her eyes sparkled, fully alert now, "you just ruined a perfectly lovely moment."

"Our moments are all lovely now because they are based in reality and not the fiction we created within our minds."

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December 18th 1871

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Rhett wasn't entirely sure what had overcome his wife, but he certainly couldn't complain as she had given her body back over to him. She was fussy and moody, but somehow that had translated to energy she had wanted worked out through his touch. She was nearing the end of her pregnancy and Rhett was decently sure at least part of her motivation was to encourage their child to exit her body. According to Mammy, Scarlett had dropped, so the baby was ready to come, be it in a few days or a few weeks. Prissy of all people had informed Scarlett that her husband's attention would speed up the process. Prissy had earned herself a raise in the new year.

He had been creative and careful the last few days. Well aware the world would look down upon him for taken advantage of his wife in such a delicate stage. They weren't aware of the slow torture he had placed himself through as his wife had pleaded with him for harder and faster. No, his wife and child would both come through this with no damage from him.

He had somehow been kept in a state of near constant arousal since his wife's return to his affections. She would never be discouraged, thinking he was not interested. He found himself drifting off to sleep beside her, bare skin touching bare skin. His body, the pillows and bedding all adjusted to grant her whatever few hours rest she could capture before the demands of her body forced her to awaken in the middle of the night. He stayed awake until he was sure she was asleep and with her breath deep and even, he allowed his eyes to close.

o~o~o

He awoke in the dark of the night. He could faintly see the whites of her eyes as he struggled to awake and adjust to the dark. "Scarlett?"

"I think the baby might be coming."

He wrapped his half-asleep arm that remained trapped beneath her around her shoulders and brought the other one to her stomach. "You've had more than one pain."

"Two."

Rhett's lips lifted in a smile, "Do you reckon we aught to wake Mammy for two?"

"Likely not, I imagine I'll get an earful if the baby isn't actually coming."

He laughed softly. "Would you like to sit up?"

"I would like to hide under the covers, for as much as I want our baby, Rhett, I do not look forward to the birth."

He laughed again. "I am sorry you must endure such a thing for our child. Although I must confess, I look forward to having him or her with us. I imagine it will make it the best Christmas ever."

"It was already going to be the best Christmas ever."

"Very true my dear," he gave a reassuring squeeze.

"I suppose I can sit up and face this," she agreed. She rolled fully onto her back before sitting up with the aid of Rhett's arm behind her back.

He moved to light a candle and retrieve his pocket watch.

"What time is it?"

"3:12"

"I suppose Melly will arrive right at the worst of it, I'm glad you rode into town to send her a wire."

"Mammy saying the baby dropped seemed to fall into line with Miss Melly's demand that I send her a telegram the moment it looked like anything was happening."

Scarlett began to laugh and then her face wrenched in pain, Rhett's arm returned to her back.

"Do I awaken Mammy for the third?"

"I imagine we should give it until the fourth. I do wish I paid attention to her during this."

"It is your fourth time and you did deliver Beau."

"There was nothing natural about how long that took. I just wanted to run with Wade and Prissy and hide in the woods from the Yankees."

"I have no doubt this will go easier."

"It took everything in me to stay with Melly, I just wanted to get Wade and I safe from the Yankees."

"You're perfectly safe now, as are our children."

"We have you now," Scarlett said leaning into him, "you make me feel safe Rhett. You're the strongest person I know."

He didn't need to tell her, how weak she made him, not now. "I imagine in several hours you'll be the strongest person I know. No man could survive such a task."

"The population would certainly be a lot smaller," she smiled.

"That it would be," he smiled back.

They sat in silence until the next pain hit and as it eased, Rhett spoke, "I'm going to send a rider for the doctor, it's a crescent moon, it will take longer for them to travel. I'll send Mammy up to you."

"You're coming back, right?"

She had not asked him to do such a thing last time, but then again she had Melly by her side. "I'll come back. Do you want me to use the bed pull-"

"No," Scarlett shook her head, "you'll end up waking the whole household depending on who responds."

"I'll be right back," he said going to pull on his drawers, which remained discarded by the side of the bed and shrug into his robe.

"Rhett, help me get dressed before Mammy realizes what we did."

"I do believe Mammy will know what we did considering you're about to have a baby."

"Rhett, now is not the time for humor. Unless you want me to cry."

"I'm sorry my dear, of course I will help you get dressed and Mammy will remain convinced you are a virgin mother," he said walking around to her side of the bed.

"You're awful," she informed him.

"I believe that is the nicest word you'll use for me for the next several hours."

o~o~o

Scarlett was leaning against him as Mammy and Prissy readied the bed for childbirth. He could almost feel the fear coursing through her worse than the pains that were coming every few minutes. She had felt something dark looming around the corner waiting to steal away their happiness. Suellen had lost her baby in October and that had increased Scarlett's worries about their own baby. His wife, who seemed to never show fear, had it slip out multiple times during the day. She had stopped taking the front staircase, she had let him survey the property and workers as the final harvests were completed for the year, she had barely even wanted to leave the house to go into town or the DeVaughns. She loved their baby with an overwhelming fierceness, she had given herself over to him completely as his mother. She had given up her freedom, her independence, her body, she had accepted the few flaming red lines that streaked up her stomach, despite all the creams she had applied and he had applied. Now that they were here, at the end, it was all coming to a head. The day would end with a healthy baby in their arms or a misery he couldn't fathom.

"I don't want to," Scarlett murmured against his chest as another contraction passed, he wasn't quite sure if she was referring to giving birth or laying down as Mammy had just instructed her to.

"Come on Scarlett," he spoke gently as he would to Bonnie, "it's time to get into bed."

"I don't want to," she repeated.

"Scarlett, you must lay down," he said in a soothing manner as he ran a hand down her back.

"No," she repeated.

Rhett looked over at Mammy, who offered him nothing. "You'll feel better if you're laying down."

"No I won't," she said still buried in his chest.

He looked over at Mammy demanding she help him, Scarlett may be his wife, but he was well aware she was still Mammy's child. "She needs to be laying down."

"She needs to be doing whatever she needs to do, to get that baby out," the old woman looked at him without humor.

"It's not natural, she should be laying down," he reiterated.

"Mister Rhett, do you need Prissy to hold-"

"Don't leave me," Scarlett cried out holding out onto his robe, just then another pain hit and she was leaning forward into him, giving him the weight of her body, as her body handled the heavy weight of her contraction.

He murmured reassuring words until it passed.

"Something's wrong," Scarlett cried when it passed.

"Nothing's wrong child, babe's just in a hurry to be born," Mammy informed Scarlett while not moving from her seat at the end of the bed.

"The doctor will be here soon," Rhett offered.

"Doctor won't make it before the baby," Mammy informed the room, "babe's coming before the sun."

"Bonnie took-" Rhett tried to speak.

"This babe's in a hurry, lord knows Miss Scarlett's body knows what to do by now to have him."

So Rhett stood their with his wife as the pains came and went, occasionally walking with her when she wanted, all while desperately looking at the bed. Not sure why he was fearful of their son suddenly dropping out to the floor.

Eventually Mammy spoke after another long pain passed through Scarlett, "Time for the bed child, your mammy's too old to be squatting to catch a babe."

Rhett was decently convinced had he not been holding Scarlett his knees would have buckled.

As he settled her into bed, Mammy spoke after another pain had passed, "Time for you to leave now Mister Rhett."

"No," Scarlett clung to him.

"Now child, you don't want Mister Rhett seeing this."

"Don't go," she cried.

He tried to soothe her, but his words had no effect.

"Something wrong," Scarlett again cried out after another long pain.

"It's just faster my sweet lamb, this chile's just fine."

"Are you sure?" The words slipped out of Rhett's mouth without his meaning to.

Mammy shot him a fierce look and she looked ready to throw him out of a window. She answered him with a single curt word, "Yes." Rhett was well aware that she wanted to say many many more.

"I need to push," Scarlett said raising up with the next contraction.

"Just wait sweet lamb, let the babe do a little more," Mammy said from her spot at the end of the bed. Just then Mammy tried to send Prissy to take over for Rhett supporting Scarlett, the fear on her face, the tears in his eyes. Rhett knew Mammy would have to throw him out a window in order for him to leave.

"Eyes up," Mammy said after realizing she wasn't getting him out of the room, "she'll never forgive either of us if you see-"

"My child being born?" Rhett wondered if Mammy did believe in immaculate conception, had she imagined he kept a wife that looked like Scarlett hidden in the dark of the night as they had created their children.

"Eyes up," Mammy again ordered Rhett. Rhett wondered if the sheet covering his wife was for his benefit or her own. He had seen animal births before, they were certainly not something Scarlett would find beautiful, especially not when happening to her own body. "You know what to do chile," Mammy spoke reassuringly to Scarlett.

Scarlett nodded, already red and glistening in sweat. Rhett's arm supported her during the contractions and comforted her after. What he had felt coursing through her made him vow to always take precautions regarding conception from that point on. Three long contractions after Mammy had given her instructions, "He's coming," came from Scarlett's lips.

"You know what to do," Mammy reminded her child.

Rhett was unprepared for his wife bearing down. His arm stayed around her back and his body moved with hers as she bore down. He looked down and saw an angry look from Mammy towards him and he quickly focused his attention on Scarlett's determined face.

It was an intolerably long time that seemed to pass in an instant. According to Mammy, the baby's head was playing peekaboo, once that had been delivered Mammy got firm with her instructions to get the baby's shoulders out. Rhett knew the moment the baby finally exited his wife's body. There were no cries, but the sudden relief of his wife after nearly a half hour of pushing had her collapse back in his arm in a way vastly different than had occurred previously. Her work was done.

"My baby?" Scarlett spoke the words nearly immediately.

"Beautiful boy, just like you knew," Mammy spoke.

Rhett looked down; he would have likely risked being thrown out of a window for the sight of their son. Mammy had the baby in front of her on the bed, Scarlett was thankfully covered, so Rhett lived another day.

Rhett watched as his son tested out his limbs in this new environment, he did not seem particularly pleased with Mammy's attention because a cry quickly broke free from him.

"I want my baby," Scarlett said lifting up with a strength that surprised him.

"Miss Scarlett, let me clean him up," Prissy said as she was going to take the baby.

"I want my baby now," Scarlett demanded.

Mammy tried, "Babe's still covered-"

"Now!"

Mammy nodded at Prissy, who picked the crying child up and handed him to Scarlett, placing the cloth she had been going to wrap him in over the baby laying at Scarlett's chest.

Scarlett's hands cradled her child, her lips kissed his head. Everything else was blocked from Scarlett's world, all there was, was the baby on her chest. Rhett's notoriously vain wife glistened with sweat and kissed and held the baby still covered in remnants from his time within her. Rhett knew as long as he lived, he would never see such a miraculous sight.

"It was you," she whispered, "I was looking for you. You were in the fog." She was in that safe haven at last.

Rhett forced the jealousy away, the fact that their child was the peace she had always sought and could never find.

"He's perfect," Scarlett barely looked over at her husband.

"Is he?" Rhett reached out a fingertip to touch his son's arm and then foot, which weren't covered by the cloth.

"Of course, he is, why he looks just like you. Look at how dark his eyes already are," Scarlett didn't take her eyes off the baby.

"I wasn't aware you found me perfect," Rhett's lips lifted up in a smile.

Scarlett shot her husband a bemused look, but her attention quickly returned to the baby, "Why he is exactly like you, Rhett Butler," as the baby was rooting at her chest.

Rhett wasn't prepared for his wife pulling down the front of her gown and attaching the baby to nurse. He had seen her covered with a blanket as she nursed Bonnie, but even that had been few and far between, there had been a wet nurse for all the times his wife couldn't be bothered.

"Hopefully that will get the rest coming along. That boy was in such a rush, tearing's not too bad, but I reckon you won't want to get out of bed like you did with Miss Bonnie."

Rhett was well aware he visibly blanched.

"Mister Rhett, why don't you go tell the chil'en about their new brother. Estelle has them. We'll get Miss Scarlet and the babe all cleaned up." Prissy smiled at her employer.

"Oh do go tell the children Rhett," Scarlett tore her gaze away from the baby for a brief moment. "I am quite certain, I yelled more than once. They're probably frightened."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I'll be right back."

"Knock before you enter," Mammy ordered him.

o~o~o

"I've decided, he's all mine," Scarlett told her husband as he entered the room after telling the children and then getting them settled back in their own beds as Estelle had moved them to the opposite side of the house, "you can have the next one."

The next one? Rhett wasn't sure he would be capable of such a task after what he had just watched his wife endure. Then he looked at her again, in her new white gown, her hair brushed and shining, the expression on her face contented and beaming. In that moment she was entirely too young to be married to such an old man.

"So is it safe to assume we'll be naming him Gerald?" he moved gingerly to sit next to his wife on the bed.

"My father had his time and his sons. This one's yours. A new man for a new world."

"So what shall we name him?" he questioned with a tentative hand touching his son. Almost afraid he would disappear.

"Why Rhett King Butler silly."

"Scarlett, we don't-"

"He should know without doubt who to look up to, who to follow. He's going to be so proud to be your son."

o~o~o

It was hours later that the youngest Butler got his true name. After his father sat up holding him while his mother rested. After his mother got crumbs on him from her scone because she refused to put him down. After the children awoke for the second time and refused to go down to breakfast without seeing their new brother. Ella and Bonnie repeating the name with all the childhood glee a 5 and nearly 3 year old were possible of, repeating it over and over in voices that hadn't yet learned to say everything fully. Baby, Rhett, Rhetty, Etty…

"Teddy," Scarlett murmured. "we'll call him Teddy, so we don't get him confused with Daddy."

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