Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Chapter Two

That night Rhett came to Scarlett's bedroom. He knocked and was told to enter. Rhett said, "Am I being invited into the inner sanctum?"
Scarlett smiled and said, "You didn't have an invitation last time but you were welcome."
Rhett didn't know what to say and Scarlett saw it that flicker of fear or was it shame.
Scarlett continued to speak, "Come in and sit down. This may take a while. I would like us to be honest with each other. I know I have said things that I didn't mean and I believe you have too. If I refrain from yelling and name calling, I'm hoping you will refrain from mocking and insulting."
Scarlett looked at Rhett and he nodded. Good that is a start Scarlett thought.
"Rhett, I know you still want to have relations with me so this shouldn't be too difficult. I want to have another son." Scarlett said, "Will you help me with getting pregnant?"
Rhett just stared at her. "Why would you want another child you don't even want the ones you have? And you're a bad mother. No, my dear, I don't want any more children with you." Rhett said cruelly. "Of course, I'll be glad to have relations with you."

Scarlett looked surprised and asked, "How can we have relations without me getting with child?"

Rhett sneered, "I know a way to prevent pregnancies. If you had discussed the matter with me before you kicked me out, I would have shared that information with you. Of course, then you wouldn't have been able to dream about Mr. Wilkes. Or stay true to him. Do you no longer wish to stay true to the little gentleman?

Scarlett said, "No. I don't. I know I don't love Ashley. I'm sorry I did that. I regretted kicking you out immediately but I foolishly didn't call you back. I would like to have relations with you. I would like for you to sleep with me also."

Rhett said suspiciously and thought what are you up to? What kind of game are you playing?

Rhett said, "I have to sleep in the same room as Bonnie to keep the nightmares away."
She wanted another child and she wanted peace. She wanted to be happy and in order to be at peace and happy they had to stop all this fighting. She no longer had the energy for this continual battle. She no longer cared who won their verbal battles. She no longer cared who was winning in this sadistic/masochistic game they were playing so she wasn't going to play anymore. She was not going to let her pride get in the way. Scarlett just looked at Rhett with all her caring on her face. Finally, Scarlett said, "I know that I feel safer when you are around. My next request is kind of urgent. I can't live in this house anymore. Can we sell it and buy something else?"
Rhett looked at her and said, "I thought you loved this house?"
Scarlett shook her head and said, "Not anymore. It scares me every time I look at that staircase. All I see is my body rolling down those stairs."
Rhett said, "We can start looking tomorrow when I get back from Henry's. We will find a place then we will furnish it together."
Scarlett said, "Agreed"
Rhett didn't know what Scarlett was up to but if she was offering him a chance to have relations with her again, he was going to take it. If she was honestly offering him an olive branch then he was going to take it. But he was going to keep his guard up until he was sure this wasn't a trick on her part.

Rhett said, "I have to go out." He got up and left the room.

Later that night Rhett came into Scarlett's room. All he had on was his robe. He took his robe off and slid into bed with Scarlett. He began kissing her and she woke up and started kissing him back. This time he did not hold part of himself back. When she climaxed, she called his name and that sent him over the edge. As soon as they were finished, he got up, put on his robe and left the room. Scarlett was not surprised he did that. She knew he did that to hurt her. She didn't care. She felt too good to be angry. She knew her husband was a cruel and petty man.

The next morning when Scarlett went down for breakfast, she kissed Rhett's cheek and whispered in his ear, "Thank you." She then kissed Bonnie who was sitting in Rhett's lap. She kissed Wade and Ella on the way to her chair.

Rhett was eying her suspiciously but didn't say anything. He thought she would be angry about the way he left last night. If she was, she wasn't showing it. She asked the children what their plans were for the day. When she found out that they had no plans she said to Wade, "Why don't you come to the store with me this morning. I am going to be training Uncle Ashley on how to run the store and on our way home we can stop at the book store and look around? Wade thought that was a grand idea.

Then she looked at Ella and said, "I have to go out with Uncle Rhett this afternoon but when I get back maybe you, me and Bonnie can play dolls?" Ella and Bonnie were beaming. After breakfast was over Scarlett said, "Wade, will you go see if Joseph has the buggy ready for me? I will get my hat.

As Scarlett went to get her hat Rhett stopped her and said quietly, "You cannot just toy with their affections! I will not allow you to hurt them especially not Bonnie."

Scarlett said quietly, "I have no intention of hurting my children's feeling."

Rhett went on like he hadn't heard her and said, "You can't come in here and be a wonderful mother for two or three weeks then move on to something else when you get bored playing good mother."

Scarlett said, "Okay. I won't."

Rhett said, "You aren't fooling anyone with this act."

Scarlett said, "Okay." She reached up and kissed him on the cheek and continued on her way to get her hat. Scarlett saw Wade at the door and smiled at him. Wade opened the door and Scarlett said, "Oh, kind sir. Thank you so much." And they both laughed. Neither of them looked back. If they had they would have seen Rhett with a very confused look on his face.

At dinner Rhett told Scarlett all had been taken care of with her business. Henry will draw up the paperwork then we can all go down to his office for the signing. Rhett told her he had gone to see Johnny personally so there would be no misunderstanding. Scarlett said, "Thank you. I greatly appreciate everything you did for me today."

Scarlett and Rhett did start their house hunting that afternoon. Surprisingly Rhett left Bonnie at home. They looked at several houses that Rhett's lawyer had told him were for sale. For a few of them as soon as they drove up Rhett drove away. All he said was I didn't like it. And to Rhett's surprise Scarlett laughed. They found one that they both wanted to see the inside.

Rhett said, "It's a lot smaller than the house of horrors,"

Scarlett said, "That's what we want isn't it? Smaller?

Rhett said, "Yes. It is."

The house had five bedrooms with a sitting room off of the master bedroom. There was no big room for the nursery. They like the layout of the house and continued looking around. Downstairs was a dining room, a parlor, a library, a sitting room, a breakfast nook that Scarlett fell in love with, a room for Rhett's office and a few more rooms. They both liked it. Rhett said he would make them an offer.

As they got in the buggy Rhett said, "I am going to have a say in the décor of this home. I will not live in another house of horrors."

Scarlett looked at him and said, "Sure."

Rhett said, "What's going on? Your too agreeable. And you don't get mad no matter what I say.

Scarlett said, "At one time we were friends then we got married. Then I think we got into a tit for tat contest and it kept accelerating and getting worse and worse. Each time someone would reach out the other would be suspicious and reject the olive branch. I almost died. I almost died because I was in a petty argument with you. We were both responsible for that petty argument. We both said things just to hurt the other one. I was excited about that baby. I wouldn't want anyone else to be my babies' father. I know you knew you were the father. I am not going to spend the rest of my life in a war with my husband. I am not going to cry for the moon. I am going to enjoy what I have today. I want to be at peace with my husband. I hurt you very badly by asking you to move out of our bedroom. I know that. You hurt me very badly when I woke up after that night and you were gone. I was so worried about you those three days. We can't keep doing that to each other.

Rhett looked at her and said, "No we can't."

Scarlett said, "I want to become a couple not two people living in the same house. In order to do that we have to stop intentionally hurting each other. We should at the least treat each other with kindness and respect.

Their lives continued peacefully for the next several weeks. Scarlett had finished training Ashley and Melanie on how to run the store and signed the papers transferring ownership to Ashley. She was no longer concerned about the store. She was not emotionally tied to the store because it was Frank's store. She spent time with her children every day. She was actually enjoying her time with them. She couldn't spend all day with them like Rhett and Melly but she tried to spend at least thirty minutes with each of them every day.

Rhett visited Scarlett every night and he stayed longer and longer each time. They were back to Scarlett's second favorite part, laying in the dark while Rhett smoked his cigar and talking. They were getting more and more comfortable with each other. One night in the throes of passion Scarlett told Rhett she loved him. After all was over Scarlett said, "Yes. I meant it. I would appreciate you not mocking me about it." Rhett was laying there smoking his cigar. He wasn't talking. She said she loved him and she was asking him not to mock her about it. Had he gotten to be that bad that she was afraid he would mock her about something like that. Was it a trick? No, she had meant it. Rhett said, "Scarlett, I am sorry that my verbal abuse has gotten so bad that you would honestly think I would mock you about loving me. All I can say is Thank you." Scarlett turned over and snuggled into him and he held her close.

Scarlett got a very nice offer for the mills and she accepted it. The new management took over as soon as the papers were signed. Rhett went with her to the signing and afterwards in the buggy asked her, "Are you okay? That was your baby you just sold."

Scarlett smiled at Rhett and said, "Then give me another one."

Rhett laughed and said, "I think I will." And smiled at her.

She smiled back.

Rhett's offer for the house was accepted and they started planning the décor. Scarlett made the suggestion that they turn the sitting room into Bonnie's room. They could keep the door closed most of the time except at night. They would close the door when they were intimate, of course. The house did not require a lot of redecorating before they could move in. Bonnie loved her new room.

She said, "It makes me feel like a big girl."

Scarlett said, "Maybe someday you will feel grown up enough to sleep with Ella."

Bonnie said, "Maybe."

They moved into the new house in the middle of September. Scarlett felt peace descend upon the family and the staff. She was very happy in the new house.