Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for the reviews. Your reviews often make me want to rewrite parts of the story.

Chapter Five

Scarlett laid in her bed completely confused. She didn't understand what Rhett had written. What was a femme fatale? What had she done wrong last night? She had behaved as she always had behaved. What did cuckold mean? What did articulate mean? What did he mean about regaining her youth? She was still young. What was a succubus? Nothing good if Rhett had called her it. As she was sitting in her bed rereading the note. Her little voice said, 'Melly would know what all those words mean.'

She thought, 'I can't let Melly see this note. I would be too embarrassed.'

The voice said, 'Who else is going to help you understand this note? You know Melly won't tell anyone'

She thought, 'Except maybe Ashley but so what.' With that she got up and rang for her maid, Prissy.

Prissy arrived with her breakfast tray. Scarlett got dressed. Prissy fixed her hair while she ate some of her breakfast. As soon as Scarlett was finished with her breakfast, she grabbed the notes and walked out the door of her bedroom. As she was walking down the stairs, she was very quiet. She didn't want Rhett to see her. She wasn't ready to talk to him. She got outside without running into Rhett and her buggy was waiting outside.

She got in her buggy and drove over to Melly's. Melly was home and said, "Darling, I'm so happy to see you.'

Scarlett said, "I need your help." Scarlett had rarely discussed her problems with anyone. To her that would be a sign of weakness but she needed someone to help her understand what Rhett had written on this note. She had never had anyone she could trust to discuss her problems with except Rhett but she certainly couldn't discuss this with him. She had never had a girlfriend except Melly and Cathy Calvert. Scarlett knew that with Melly's help they would find a solution to her problem. Scarlett didn't know why she had so much faith in hers and Melly's collaboration but she did. The little voice said, 'Because when y'all are together nothing can defeat y'all.' Scarlett knew that was true. Sherman hadn't defeated them, starvation hadn't defeated them, the Yankees hadn't defeated them and Rhett Butler wasn't going to defeat them either.

Melly linked her arm in Scarlett's arm and said, "Come in, come in. How can I help you?"

Scarlett showed Melly the note Rhett had written and said, "I don't understand half the words on that paper. I didn't do anything last night that I don't normally do at a party."

Melly had smiled and patted her arm. She said, "We will figure this out. What words do you not know the meaning to?

"Femme fatale"

"An irresistibly, attractive woman who leads men into danger."

Scarlett liked the first part of the definition but the second half annoyed her but she moved on. She said, "cuckold"

"a man whose wife is unfaithful"

"I have never been unfaithful to Rhett" The little voice said, "Really?"

"I think in this case Captain Butler is not meaning it literally but figuratively."

"beguiling and articulate"

"to charm and to speak"

"And this last one succubus"

Melly turned beet red but said, "It is a female demon that pulls the life out of men while having relations with them."

Scarlett turned red also. She was embarrassed and mad. How dare Rhett call her that? She knew she shouldn't have come over here. She knew she shouldn't have shared the note with Melly. Now Melly was going to pity her.

Melanie said angrily, "You should shoot him like you did that Yankee. We could bury him in Aunt PittyPat's flower garden. As ugly as that garden is no one would know the difference."

Scarlett looked at Melanie and saw the anger on her face. Melly wasn't pitying her. Melly was as mad as she was. Scarlett said, "I would but I don't know where he has hidden all of his money."

Melly said, "I guess we will let Captain Butler live another day then. Let's figure out what Captain Butler meant by his note."

It made Scarlett feels so good that Melly was angry on her behalf. Scarlett didn't see any pity in Melly's eyes in fact Scarlett saw an evil glint in Melly's eyes and smiled.

Melly asked, "Did you behave as you normally do when you are at a social gathering?"

"If you mean did, I flirt with every man in the room then yes." Scarlett could not believe she had been so honest with Melly.

"What did Captain Butler do?"

Scarlett thought about the night before and tried to remember what Rhett had done. He hadn't done anything but stand by the bar. She guessed all he did was drink. She remembered one or two men talking to him but all Rhett had done was nod his head. She told Melly, "He stood next to the bar and drank. He can't talk so I guess he couldn't socialize or make any deals. He would never do gestures or write notes in front of the Scallawags. He would see that as being humiliating."

As gently as she could Melly said, "So he stood around all night watching his wife flirt with other men."

"Yeah. I didn't go talk to him all evening until it was time to go." Scarlett was feeling shame again but this time it was because she hadn't thought about Rhett once last night. She had been too busy trying to capture the way she had felt at that last Barbeque. That she was the belle of the ball. That she was sixteen again. I guess that was the youth he was talking about.

Scarlett said, "What do I do?"

"Nothing. He claims he has already forgiven you. Call him on it."

"Call him on it?"

"He is claiming to have already forgiven you. He can't say anything or that would make him a liar. Just act like you have accepted his forgiveness. Sometimes it is better to avoid the confrontation."

The last statement made her think of Ashley for some reason. "I guess I could do that. I could take the high road."

"Of course, all of this could have been avoided if he had told you he needed you to stick by his side. Just next party you go to you might want to spend more time with Captain Butler especially while he can't speak. He will never tell you but he will need you to stand beside him so he doesn't appear as a pitiable person."

"Oh Melly. How are you so good at understanding people?"

Melly laughed and said, "While you were out there enjoying life, I was sitting on the sidelines observing life." Scarlett smiled. She was feeling true affection for her sister in law. She didn't realize it though.

Scarlett said, "Thank you Melly. I don't know what I would have done without you. Please don't tell Ashley about this. I would be too embarrassed."

"Of course not, darling. He already hates Captain Butler enough."

"Really? I didn't know Ashley hated Rhett. Why do you think that is?"

Melly sighed and said, "We will discuss that another day."

"You are right. My head is over full as it is." Scarlett got up and hugged Melly goodbye. She was ready to do battle with Rhett Butler now.

After Scarlett left Melly sighed and hoped things worked out for the Butlers. Melly had chosen not to discuss Ashley's hate for Captain Butler because it was too complicated for her shallow sister in law to understand. She loved Scarlett dearly but she wasn't a deep person.

As Scarlett was driving to the store she wondered if Ashley hated Rhett because of her. The little voice said, 'You are part of it but there is so much more.' Scarlett sighed and started thinking about staking Rhett out in the hot sun without any water.

Scarlett went to the store then home for dinner. She was cordial and kind to Rhett. She acted like the last twenty-four hours had not happened. Rhett watched her for the rest of the following days waiting for her to yell at him or call him ugly names. To Scarlett he almost seemed disappointed that there were no fireworks. She had decided to behave as an adult. Scarlett decided that this was almost torture to Rhett for him to not know when or if she was going to yell at him.

Scarlett had slept in Rhett's arms as she always did but she didn't initiate anything. After a couple of days, Rhett initiated relations and as much as Scarlett wanted to rebuff him with words about her being a succubus, she knew she should take the high road and not say anything. Finally, she decided that it was too delicious to resist and she finally touched him where he had been wanting her to touch him for years now and said, "Aren't you afraid of losing all your life force?"

Rhett shook his head vigorously no.

She smiled a smug smile and Rhett didn't care. He just wanted her to keep on touching him.

The next night Rhett did something he rarely did he apologized sort of. He wrote Scarlett a note saying, -'You are definitely not a succubus. I always feel revitalized after we have relations.'-

"You should choose your words more carefully or I might show you just how much of a succubus I can be," Scarlett said and laughed afterwards.

Rhett didn't think she was joking. He didn't know what she would do and he didn't want to find out. Rhett had never been afraid of Scarlett but something about her statement made his blood run cold. When he saw a malicious look in her eyes, he decided to just read his book and leave well-enough alone.

They didn't attend any more Scallawag events. They returned to their comfortable relationship but their relationship had changed. When Scarlett had not gotten mad about his notes Rhett was wondering why. He acknowledged to himself that she had behaved like an adult. Rhett also decided that he could have told her to stick by his side at the party without appearing weak. The truth was she had done what she had always done when they went to a party together. Had he really thought his obtuse wife was going to have the insight to realize that he needed her help? He knew she had looked up the meaning of femme fatale and succubus judging by her comment the other night but she hadn't gotten mad. He wished he hadn't called her those names. He smiled and thought, 'She may be a femme fatale but that was part of her charm but calling her a succubus had just been mean.'

It was so much harder for him to set off her temper without his voice. With the notes she could decide if she wanted to read them or not. If she thought it was going to be hurtful, she wouldn't read it. He was also finding that he didn't want her to be mad. The truth was that he had just wanted her attention and making her mad had seemed to be the easy way of getting her attention. They were spending most of their evenings at home alone with Rhett reading or listening to Scarlett talk about her businesses. He would write her notes but very few of his comments were sarcastic or mocking. When he had to write it down it made him pause. It made him have to decide if he was being funny or just hurtful.

Scarlett was spending two to three mornings a week with her children whether Rhett was there or not. She was taking them to the park. She would invite Rhett along but if he didn't go, she went by herself. She didn't even take Mammy with her. When she spent time with her children, they were always so happy. The little voice would tell her that she was doing a great job becoming a mother. When Rhett would write notes about her poor mothering skills, she would ignore them. The little voice told her she was doing a good job and the little voice was always right.

Rhett didn't understand why he persisted in telling Scarlett she was a bad mother when she was so obviously trying to become a better mother. After he thought about it, he decided that he had always been the most important person in the children's lives and he didn't want to lose that status. He knew it didn't speak highly of him but he had always wanted to be the most important person in any room. He knew he wanted to be the only person in Bonnie's life but Scarlett wasn't going to allow that. In spite of his negative words and attitude she was determined to be part of her children's lives.