Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for the reviews and the words of encouragement.

Chapter Two

Mamie had been home and she invited Scarlett into her parlor. Mamie had offered her a glass of wine and Scarlett had eagerly accepted. She had not had any alcohol since she found out she was pregnant with Bonnie. Scarlett didn't want to think that all the brandy she had consumed when she was pregnant with Ella had affected her but when Rhett had told her she wasn't drinking while she was carrying his child she hadn't argued very much or very long. The women talked about a lot of things including Scarlett's new daughter. As they were talking Mamie said, "How long are you going to wait before you have another one?"

"I don't want to have any more."

"How does Rhett feel about wearing a sheath for the next fifteen years?"

"What? What is a sheath?"

Mamie cackled. She said, "I didn't think he had shared that information with you. Most men don't like wearing them." Mamie had told her about two types of pregnancy prevention that men could use. Mamie thought, 'The knowledge that Rhett Butler is having to wear a sheath for the next fifteen years is delicious.'

"Why did he not tell me about these preventions? He knows I don't want any children."

"Because he did."

"No. He has always said he didn't care if we had any children."

"Scarlett, Scarlett Your husband is a liar if that's what he said. He has always wanted a child of his own," Mamie saw the argumentative look on Scarlett's face and quickly added. "Tell him you don't want to have any more children but you do want to remain intimate. I'll bet you he is telling you about sheath so fast it will make your head spin."

Scarlett laughed. That was what she was going to do. Tomorrow night when Rhett got home.

"Are there any methods that a woman can do?"

"Not really."

"Mamie, you have known Rhett a long time, right?"

"I knew him as a customer for a long time, yes. Why?"

"I just was wondering why y'all don't like each other."

"We have never been friends. Rhett looks down on me and everyone else. As much as he says he is not a gentleman he thinks of himself as a gentleman. He thinks he is better than the rest of us. He is part of the group but he holds himself apart from the group." Mamie thought, 'Rhett doesn't like me because I can see what a pretender he is.'

"Like Ashley did before the war."

"Huh?"

"My friend Ashley. We both grew up in Clayton County. He could hunt, ride, shoot and drink as well as any of the other guys but it was always like he was going through the motions. It was like he was doing it because that's what guys did but everyone would joke that he would rather be at home in his library reading poetry." She and Mamie laughed. Scarlett hadn't thought of that in a long time. She had never understood how someone would rather be inside reading than outside being active. The little voice said, 'That is a big difference between the two of you.' And she said in her mind, 'Yeah.'

Mamie said, "That's exactly what I mean. Rhett can drink, play poker, bed whores and cheat people with the best of them but when it comes down to it, he would rather be part of polite society."

"Then why did he ruin it when he was received during the war."

"Because he would rather reject people than them reject him. I'll bet he has never said he loves you."

"No. In fact he says the opposite. That he doesn't love me and that loving me would only be misery for any man."

"He will never say it until you say it to him."

"Are you saying Rhett loves me?"

"No. I'm not saying Rhett loves you but if he did, he would never tell you because he would be too afraid of rejection."

"No Rhett's conceit is too strong for him to be hurt by rejection."

"Scarlett, I have made my living by being able to read men. Rhett is afraid of rejection by you and by society."

Scarlett laughed and said, "No he's not. Mamie why would someone deny themselves something they have wanted for a long time?"

"Maybe they didn't really want it they just thought they wanted it or they know in their heart that even though they wanted it they shouldn't have it."

When Mamie saw the confused look on Scarlett's face she said, "Let's say what you want is a piece of cake. You have wanted one for several weeks. You finally get a chance to eat that cake but when you sit down to eat it you realize that the reason you haven't eaten it before now is that you really didn't want it. Or you decide that although the cake would be good it isn't worth what you would have to pay for eating it. The extra pounds. You go home and think about what I said." Scarlett still looked confused but Mamie knew she needed to figure it out herself.

Thanks, Mamie, for the advice. I do have to get home."

After she got in her carriage Scarlett laughed again at the thought of Rhett being afraid of rejection. The little voice said, 'But what if he is.'

Scarlett chose to think about avoiding Ashley's kiss instead. She decided that she didn't want Ashley to kiss her because she would not be unfaithful to Rhett. That damn little voice in her head said, 'No just emotionally unfaithful.' She ignored it. She had been hearing that voice for the last two days. Despite the fact she had tried to ignore the voice she couldn't. She kept hearing it.

The first time Scarlett had heard the little voice it had startled her a little bit. She had been in her bedroom and when she had heard it, she had looked to see if someone else was in the room with her. There wasn't. She had been a little bit scared but then she remembered that Mammy Jincy had said she heard voices telling her truths. That must be what was happening to her. When someone asked Mammy Jincy how she could hear voices telling her truths inside her head. She said, "One day I started hearing voices that tell me truths and they tell me about the future."

She remembered when Mammy Jincy had told her that she was going to marry a dark-haired man. Scarlett shrugged her shoulders and thought that was true.

She wasn't telling anyone about hearing these voices though. She didn't want anyone thinking she was crazy and locking her up. Her confinement had been bad enough. Besides she wasn't crazy.

0~0

Rhett returned home the next night in the middle of the night. He was tired. He could not quit coughing. His train had been delayed several times. The worst was he had not been able to get a private car. He had gotten a sleeping berth but it was pretty uncomfortable. He had tried to sleep but every time he was almost asleep someone in the train car had made a noise. He was a light sleeper so he was awake again. He had gotten some sleep last night but not nearly enough.

It had been a bad trip. His business deals that he had gone to Chicago to investigate had flopped. They had strung him along trying to wear him down. When he had lost his voice two days ago, he had walked away from the deals. The end result was two weeks away from Scarlett and Bonnie for nothing.

He had not regained his voice. He decided he had gotten a cold in his throat. He would go see Dr. Meade tomorrow.

Rhett would not get to see Bonnie until tomorrow morning. At least he would be able to hold Scarlett tonight while she slept. He wondered if she had gotten permission to resume their marital relations. While he had been in Chicago he had gone to a saloon and played poker. He had made enough to cover the cost of his trip and he had strongly considered going upstairs to relieve his sexual tension but instead he had gone to the hotel room and had taken care of the problem himself. He had tried to talk himself into using one of the whores by telling himself Scarlett was being emotionally unfaithful so he could be physically unfaithful to her but he still hadn't gone upstairs. Truth was he didn't want anyone but Scarlett. He hadn't in a long time. As long as he was being intimate with her, he wouldn't have relations with anyone else.

He quietly opened their bedroom door and put the candle on his nightside table. He smiled when he saw that she was on his side of the bed with her arms wrapped around his pillow. That made him feel better. He took off his clothes and just left his underwear on. Maybe they couldn't have relations but at least it could be skin to skin. As he slid into the bed he wondered if he could get her nightgown off without waking her up. He then decided if he woke her up so much the better.

Rhett had gotten her nightgown off without waking her up. As soon as he had her in his arms he started coughing again. He just kept coughing. His coughing woke her up. When she saw him, she smiled and said, "Rhett" in that breathy way she sometimes did. The way that made him think she loved him. Her smile quickly turned into a frown as he kept coughing. Then she realized she didn't have her nightgown on and she scowled at him. In the midst of his coughing she said, "Where is my nightgown?"

Rhett just kept coughing and pointed to the floor by his side of the bed. She scrambled over him. She put on her nightgown and got him some water. She said, "You are going to have to stop that. I won't be able to sleep with you coughing." And he nodded his head and finally stopped coughing.

"Did you just get home?"

Rhett opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He cleared his throat and tried again. Still no words came out. He ended up just nodding his head.

"What is wrong with your voice?"

Rhett gestured, 'I don't know.'

"You will have to go see Dr. Meade tomorrow. This could become tiresome."

Rhett nodded his head.

"Where you going to have relations with me in my sleep?"

Rhett tried again to talk. As much as he normally did like to make her mad, he still was trying to salvage the situation so he could have relations with her. When nothing came out, he shook his head no.

She narrowed her eyes and said, "I don't want to have a child every year." She would tell him later she didn't want any more.

When she said that Rhett narrowed his eyes. His thought was, 'She has been out to see Mr. Wilkes.'

She continued, "Can you fix that without us having to sleep in separate bedrooms?"

Rhett again opened his mouth and still nothing came out. He finally just shook his head up and down. He couldn't worry about Mr. Wilkes right now. He had to keep all his wits about him. She was pretty alert for someone who had just woke up.

"Tonight?"

Now Rhett was in a real quandary. He was already in deep water. She soon was going to want to know why he had gotten her pregnant since he knew she didn't want to have children. If he told her he had sheaths in his bag she was going to want to know why. He would have to use the withdrawal method if he got her to agree. He might be able to explain away him getting her pregnant but he didn't think he was going to be able to explain away having sheaths in his bag. The truth was that they were in his bag from before he married her but he didn't think she would believe him. If he could talk, he could talk in circles so much that she would be totally confused and at his mercy but he couldn't speak. He finally just nodded his head up and down.

She said, "How?"

He pointed at his throat.

She said, "Use your hands to demonstrate."

As he reached for her she jumped off the bed. She said, "Your hands! Not my body."

Rhett tried his best to simulate the withdrawal method of prevention. Scarlett knew she would never have figured it out if Mamie hadn't already explained it to her. Instead she said, "Alright. Does that hurt?"

Rhett wanted to tell her it wasn't painful but it was difficult because at the precise moment he wanted to stay some place he had to make himself go to another place. Since he couldn't talk, he just shook his head no.

Much to Rhett's delight and joy Scarlett said, "Alright but if you get me pregnant you are sleeping somewhere else."

Rhett nodded his head up and down. He held out his hand and she came into his arms. It was wonderful and at the precise moment when Rhett wanted desperately to stay right where he was, he made himself go someplace else.

Scarlett snuggled into him and that made it all worthwhile. He would buy a railroad car full of sheaths tomorrow. He didn't know why he thought this but he felt he had been a hair's breath away from getting kicked out of this room.