Charles's Visit

Scarlett knew that her affianced, Charles Hamilton, was due to arrive any day to her aunts' home. Charleston was getting on her nerves, everyone except Rosemary and Eleanor were the same. Her aunts were consistently hovering and asking about her wedding. Though part of her wanted to let them know that she would marry Rhett and none other, she could imagine how their faces would redden and the lectures would be endless. She had to hope that Mother and Pa would approve, she could only imagine what Suellen would say. They would believe that she had lowered herself, despite Rhett's millions. She thought she might be able to convince Pa, after all he had always said that like would have to marry like, and he had been right, Scarlett would have never been happy if she had married Ashley. Scarlett knew Rhett was waited for her engagement to end, she was sure his mother or sister would tell him when it did, but Scarlett felt she owed it to Charlie to tell him herself. Somehow, and she wasn't sure how she had to make she Melanie got the doctor she needed before Beau was born. Scarlett was interrupted from her thoughts by a knock on the door.

She heard her aunts' darky answer the door. "A Mr. Charles Hamilton to see his sister, Mrs. Wilkes, his aunt, Ms. Hamilton, and his fiancée Miss Scarlett O'Hara."

"I'll see him in the parlor," Scarlett called back, securing her straw hat upon her head.

Charlie was grinning from ear to ear when Scarlett went to meet him. He was quite fetching in his Rebel uniform. If Scarlett hadn't been in love with Rhett she may have thought twice about calling off her engagement. He was handsome with his blonde hair smoothed back, the beginnings of whiskers growing on his face, and his uniform newly pressed, his boots buffed, and his eyes twinkling.

"My dear, you look my beautiful than ever. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" he asked her, and Scarlett smiled up at him, allowing him to take her hand and kiss it as he looked deep within her eyes.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him like the southern belle she had been. She took a seat. "Oh, do sit down Charlie. Melanie has been wonderful company," she told him. "I am very fond of your sister." Charlie beamed at that.

"Melly and I were raised by Aunt Pitty, our parents died long ago…" he said his voice far off.

"Did you ever have your grand tour?" Scarlett asked bored as she remembered Stuart and Brent telling her of their tour around Europe.

"No, my dear, Ashley and I were going to go…but now with the war."

"Well, you can't take your grand tour with a wife hanging around your neck?" Scarlett asked sensible, as she batted her lashes.

"Well, I suppose not," he said, and Scarlett smiled as she worked her wiles. When she was done he would believe it was his idea.

"I wouldn't want to be the cause of you not having your Grand Tour," she said, her eyes downcast, demurely. She snuck a peak up at him.

"Please try to understand," he said, as she began to fake cry, like she had used against Ashley. He pulled her into his arms, as she strengthened her cries. "Once the war is over…."

"I wouldn't want to be the cause of you not having your Tour. You will resent me," Scarlett cried out.

"I won't..." Charlie said at a loss for words. Scarlett had never realized how much Charlie was like his sister.

"You will, you will, you will," Scarlett sobbed.

"What can I do to make you happy?" he asked, confounded.

"Have your tour…once the wars over."

"What about our wedding?" he asked with that doe eyed look.

"We can call it off for now," Scarlett said, as she used a handkerchief to dry her eyes, trying to keep the smile off her face. "Once you have your Tour we will see where we stand, we can use the time to get to know each other."

"Yes, that's fair, I suppose," he agreed scratching his head. Melanie came in, launching herself on Charles.

"Charlie, you look fantastic, what's going on?"

"Scarlett and I are going to postpone our wedding, until after the war, after I have my tour. We need time to get to know each other," he found himself saying.

"That's a reasonable suggestion, Charlie," Melanie said. "After all, you had known Honey all your life. Forgive me, Scarlett?" Melanie asked, realizing her faux pas.

"Its fine, Melanie," Scarlett said giving her a smile. "How long is your leave?" Scarlett asked.

"Just a few days," Charlie said, as his eyes followed her, he couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened that he wasn't quite sure of but unable to put his finger on what or why.

Scarlett smiled as she went to write her mother to tell her she was coming home, she would be returning to Tara, and she planned on using on the knowledge she had from the future to help Rhett become her only husband, to convince Pa it would be a great idea. Scarlett went to lie down.

Scarlett tossed and turned in her sleep, haunting by familiar words, and scenes. She felt so hungry and cold. She shivered as she saw the desolate Tara; she worked, planting cotton, as she heard Rhett. "Cheer up, maybe you will have a miscarriage," she lunged at him, feeling the familiar ache for the child she wanted. She screamed, and remembered the desolate feeling. Then she was sitting beside Rhett feeling empty, he was asking her for a vacation…wanting her to sell something. She looked over at Bonnie. Her darling Bonnie.

"Watch me Mother, I'll jump, I can too jump." Scarlett felt her heart clench as she knew what was happening next. She felt her legs turn to jelly.

"Rhett!" she screamed, "Rhett, stop her. Don't let her jump! Stop her!" she cried frantically, as she watched the pony, Mr. Butler, lurch and drop Bonnie. Tears soaked her face as Rhett ran to her.

"Scarlett," she felt strong arms shake her. "Wake up!" Scarlett squinted up at Melly. Melly was alive.

"Where's Bonnie, Melly?"

"Bonnie?" Melanie asked confused.

"Where is my daughter? Is she okay? Is she alive?" Scarlett asked frantically, searching Melanie's face.

"Scarlett, you don't have a daughter, you aren't married," Melanie said as her gaze traveled down Scarlett's body. Scarlett let out a frustrated cry as she sank back into the bed.

"Where's Rhett?" she asked, in a wail, "I want Rhett, he'll know what happened to my daughter," she told her friend.

"Rhett? You mean Captain Butler?" Melanie asked as she placed a damp cloth on Scarlett's red cheeks. "You are burning up, my dear," she told her.

"Yes, Rhett," Scarlett said wishing she had something handy to throw, unable to find anything she gripped the covers toward her, trying to remember. Something had happened. What had happened after Bonnie died. Bonnie had died…and she was so hateful to Rhett…he wouldn't want to see her, she hadn't meant it, didn't he know that she had loved Bonnie too. Out of all her children, only Bonnie and her miscarriage had felt like her children. She would look at Wade and Ella and wonder whose children were they, before she would remember they were hers. With Bonnie, she had reminded Scarlett of herself, of Rhett, and she had felt like her child. Scarlett was forgetting something. "Why aren't we in my home? Where am I? I want to go home?"

"To Tara?" Melanie asked.

"No, there's nothing left for me there, I need my husband, I need Rhett," she said, wanting a glass of brandy but not wanting Melly to know. If she could just have a glass she could gather her thoughts and remember. There was something nagging at her, something wrong, and she couldn't remember. Brandy had always helped her sleep after a nightmare, well ever since she threw Rhett out of her room, and for what…why was she suffering in an empty bed? Scarlett shook her thoughts as she fretfully fell asleep.