Margaret Mitchell owns "Gone With the Wind" and all its characters. I own a handful of OC's and a story idea. Book-verse. Not "Scarlett" compliant.

And the focus shifts once again. Or more precisely, it's like a camera pulling back to reveal more of the picture. Rhett and Wade make their first "live" appearances and the web of relationships in Atlanta becomes more tangled.

BTW, I don't think the gender of Fanny Wellburn's baby was ever mentioned. I made it a girl. If somebody knows for a fact that it was a boy, then we'll just call this part of the story AU. (But let me know so I can add it to my store of Windie trivia.)

It was a warm, sunny afternoon when Scarlett and Ella stood on the platform awaiting the arrival of the train that would bring both Wade Hampton and Rhett to Atlanta. As it worked out, both men's arrivals had coincided and while that meant less upheaval for the household, Scarlett had wanted to greet Rhett separately from Wade, hoping, always hoping this time would be different...

The train pulled in and Scarlett strained to see through the smoke and the crowd but she couldn't see any sign of either one until Ella grabbed her arm, pointing.

"There, Mother, look there." And she took Scarlett's hand as she pushed their way forward.

When Rhett stepped down onto the platform Scarlett held out her hand, which he shook cordially.

"Welcome home, Rhett," she said smiling, her tone carefully light.

"Scarlett, you're looking well." He let go of her and moved to greet Ella who was talking excitedly to her brother several paces away.

Scarlett felt an unpleasant tightening in her stomach at his oh-so-casual greeting but pushed the feeling back. Falling in beside Rhett she remarked, "I am looking forward to hearing all about your trip."

Rhett looked sideways at her and his lip curled down. "Wade has been gone a whole year. Maybe you should ask about his trip first."

The knot in Scarlett's stomach got tighter at his high-handed correction of her, but she pretended not to understand the implication. He had always accused her of being a poor mother.

To hide the pain in her heart, she greeted her son who was busy talking to his sister. Wade turned to her and she looked into his face, surprised.

This wasn't the pink-cheeked college boy who'd left home a year ago. Traveling through Europe, learning new languages and meeting new people had matured Wade and he now looked like a young man. How adult he seemed to Scarlett! And how like Charlie--nice looking with brown eyes and brown hair that had a tendency to curl. But Wade had a certain gravity of demeanor that Charlie had never quite had.

"Hello, Mother," he said, smiling. "You look wonderful."

"Welcome back, Wade Hampton."

They hugged a little awkwardly. Scarlett had never been given to physical displays of affection towards her children, but Wade would never dream of refusing to embrace his mother no matter how unexpected it was.

In the carriage, Wade listened to Ella catch him up on the latest Atlanta gossip--all the engagements, courtships, births and deaths--while Rhett listened in amusement and Scarlett surreptitiously studied Rhett.

It galled her that he wouldn't kiss her cheek or even her hand in greeting. It was bad enough that he did this at home, but to act like this in a public place like the train station was particularly galling.

Gall. Bitterness. This was a new emotion for Scarlett. Or at least, she thought it was new. She didn't rightly know when it started--

In the months and years following Melanie's death, when Scarlett thought back to hers and Rhett's conversation, she had to concede that Rhett was right. Scarlett had said hateful things and refused to recognize Rhett's love. And overwhelmed with grief and desolate loneliness as she was, she had been like soft, malleable clay, willing to accept anything Rhett said. Left alone with nothing solid to grasp on to anymore, she had tried to grasp Rhett, but he wouldn't allow it.

But eventually as the months and years passed, without her noticing it, she was regaining her inner strength--her ability to shoulder the burden.

It was probably about a year ago when she first recognized it. It had been after a particularly trying visit from Rhett where he had been especially cold to her. As she watched him leave for the train she realized that she actually felt a sense of profound relief. Then she felt horrified--this was Rhett, the greatest love of her life! How could she be relieved that he was leaving once again?

But it was true. She was sad and ready to sink down with weariness. Weary of forever acting the way he wanted her to. Weary of forever stifling her own true feelings and putting on a smile when she wanted to weep and rage. Weary of forever doing things Rhett's way.

Fast on the heels of this thought came an enormous, all-encompassing bitterness that shocked her with its intensity. She was sick and tired of Rhett!

The thought was so new that she'd fled to her room and sat down at her vanity table, clutching the seat with both hands as she swayed back and forth, completely stunned. She tried desperately to push this new, treacherous thought aside, but one by one little uncomfortable questions started creeping into her mind. Why was she still accepting as true everything he told her that night? After all--hadn't he been fully aware of her infatuation with Ashley but married her anyway? And how was she supposed to know in the aftermath of her miscarriage that he had been waiting for her to call for him? Rhett never had a miscarriage--came the rebellious thought--he didn't know what it was like. Maybe--just maybe--it had beena little too much to expect that a person sick with delirium should ask for just one particular person? Scarlett had been a nurse during the War. She knew how unpredictable delirium could be. Maybe Rhett wasn't so fair-minded after all? And if he wasn't---

Was Rhett really worth all this pain?

This very last thought frightened her so badly that she bounced up and raced downstairs as fast as she could, grabbed the brandy bottle from the dining room, and ran back upstairs, ignoring Ella's startled face peering from her bedroom and not caring if Pork and the other servants did know. Locking the door behind her she opened the bottle and drank glass after glass until she was calm enough to go to sleep.

She awoke the next day with a tremendous headache that diverted her attention from her heart ache, and by the time she was feeling like herself again, she was back to accepting the entire blame for the debacle of her marriage. At least on the outside.

But it was to no avail. Despite what she was trying to tell herself about her own guilt, the fact was she had changed deep down inside. In the interval between that visit and now he had been to Atlanta a couple more times. She looked forward to his visits with grim, determined, enthusiasm; turned herself inside out to try to please him when he was there; and afterward the bitterness grew just a little bit more. And each time it took just a little more brandy to make it go away.

And now Scarlett sat across from her husband, deliberately pushing all thoughts of disappointment over his greeting of her away because she didn't want bitterness to show on her face. She still hoped to win him back and she didn't want him to know that he had this much power over her...

When they returned to the mansion the servants were waiting to greet Wade and Rhett and the family all sat down for supper together.

"This time tomorrow, son, you'll be a full-fledged lawyer," said Rhett casually.

"What?" Said Scarlett shocked.

"I'm starting tomorrow at Stewart and Morris, Mother," said Wade Hampton proudly.

"But--" Scarlett looked at both men. This was news to her, but Rhett clearly had known. And he seemed to think it a source of amusement that she didn't know. "Wade Hampton, you arrived home today!"

"How observant Scarlett, but today's Sunday and the office wouldn't be open, now would it?" Rhett drawled.

Wade looked uncomfortable with Rhett's sarcasm, but Ella just raised an eyebrow at her stepfather.

"You know that's not what I meant, Rhett," Scarlett fought to be calm. "Wade, are you sure you want to start work right away?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Wade answered.

"But--" Scarlett started again, but Rhett interrupted.

"Wade is a grown man, dear wife. Let him make his own decisions."

Scarlett bit back an angry retort and looked around the table. Ella was looking down at her plate, but Wade was looking pleadingly at Rhett.

"Let's talk about this later," Ella said. "Wade, why don't you tell us all about the ruins you saw in Switzerland?"

Wade and Rhett both looked at her with amusement at her ignorance, but at least the mood was lightened and the rest of dinner proceeded in peace.

oOoOoOo

Beau ambled over to spend an hour with his cousins before his train was due to leave that night.

The three young people walked out to the paddock and watched the horses while they talked.

"How was Europe, Wade?" Beau asked.

"It's too bad you couldn't have seen it with me. You would have appreciated the cathedrals and museums. And the architecture--so old! Nothing like it in America. Everything here is so new. And the landscapes..."

"Did you draw some pictures, Wade?" Ella asked, bored and a little sarcastic.

"Please pardon my little sister--the Philistine..."

"Philistine! Me??"

"I filled several sketchbooks and I'll show them to you, Beau when we have more time."

"You should have stayed in Europe for a few more years and filled a whole trunk full of sketchbooks," Ella said sullenly.

"One year was long enough," replied Wade quietly and Beau looked at him understandingly.

"I guess Ella told you about the fire that destroyed Dr. Meade's office?" Beau asked, changing the subject.

Wade nodded.

"Father says they still haven't determined what caused it--and they can't rebuild until they do. The insurance company is insisting that a cause be found before anybody gets their money."

"How does Uncle Ashley know all that?"

"He was talking to Dr. Meade one day."

"The Meades have a new hired girl," Ella piped up. "Named Marybeth Dandridge. I like her--she's funny."

"Not very friendly," Beau said.

"You're wrong, Beau, you just don't know her yet. Jenny Whiting liked her."

Beau looked over at Wade and mouthed cold but Ella saw it and slapped his arm playfully.

"I'm going to go in the house now," she said. "I have better things to do than stand here and be contradicted. Besides, I know you want to talk without a girl around." She winked at Beau and trotted off towards the veranda.

They watched her go before they turned their attention back to the horses.

"Ella was telling me about the latest courtships and engagements..." Wade paused, expectantly, not looking at Beau.

"Elsie Wellburn isn't engaged yet. Or found a favorite among her beaux, either," Beau replied.

Wade nodded slowly, feeling relieved. "Four years in University, one year abroad. It was time to come home."

Beau didn't quite know what to say. Wade's devotion to Elsie Wellburn was the reason he hadn't stayed longer overseas even though everybody had encouraged him to. Everybody except Beau, that is. He understood why Wade cut his Tour short, and even though he didn't agree with Wade's decision, he kept silent about it.

Wade leaned against the fence rail and thought about Elsie. She was the daughter of Fanny Wellburn nee Elsing and her late husband, Tommy Wellburn. She was the most beautiful girl Wade had ever seen, with golden blond hair, china blue eyes and magnolia skin. She was also sweet and dear, so vivacious and outgoing! Wade had been devoted to her for the last few years.

"I know I don't have a serious chance to make her love me, but I couldn't stay away, either," he murmured. There was no self-pity or bitterness in that remark, just a calm appraisal of the situation.

"Wade, I never tried to tell you not to come home early."

"I know. And I thank you. But do you know something? It's strange that she and Ella were never friends. They're both the same age, they both lost their fathers during the Reconstruction days," Wade mused.

"They're very different in their temperaments," Beau pointed out.

It was true. But Wade still suspected the fault might lie more with Ella, because she'd found room in her wide circle of friends for all sorts of people, never even pausing to consider such things as gender or race or class; but Elsie was not to be found among her friends. Perhaps the problem was a natural female dislike of any other female who was popular with men. Elsie certainly had her share of beaux; she was always in the middle of a circle of admirers at any party. Maybe his sister was jealous. But Elsie couldn't help it. She was so pretty and lively that men were naturally attracted to her. He remembered minutely every detail of the few times she had singled him out to flirt or dance with. He was terribly shy around girls and could never think of gallant, courtly things to say to her while he had her to himself, but she was more than capable of flirting for the both of them.

Wade stayed out in the paddock long after his cousin left. He climbed up to the top rail and flung his head back, turning his face up to the sky. He sat and simply breathed in the air of home. He was conscious of an exciting sense of expectation. He didn't know precisely what he expected, but he heart-glad to be back in Atlanta with his life ahead of him like a blank book waiting to be filled. He was sitting and imagining the possibilities when Rhett found him.

"Thinking about tomorrow, son?"

"Yes, Uncle Rhett. Tomorrow and all the other tomorrows. Like a big adventure waiting to happen."

"Surely all your adventures aren't in the future. You must have done something worth looking back on in Europe."

"Naturally. But that was different. That wasn't home. That wasn't my real life. I didn't really belong there. Everybody was gracious and welcoming, you understand, but they all seemed so..."

"Sophisticated?"

"Cynical."

"Are you telling me the glittering social life of London and Paris and Rome were not to your liking?" Rhett seemed amused.

Wade got a faraway look. "Sometimes, Uncle Rhett, it seemed like everybody around me was play-acting. Playing at love, playing at gallantry. But nobody seemed to mean it deep down."

"And that disappointed you?"

Wade nodded.

"So no grand love affairs with beautiful European women?" Rhett grinned slyly at him.

Wade looked away but tried to match the other man's lighthearted tone. "You always taught me that a gentleman never kisses and tells, Uncle Rhett."

Rhett stopped teasing him then, but he felt a bit of annoyance. The boy was still infatuated with that Elsie Wellburn, and with his provincial ideals of love and fidelity he wouldn't have wanted to do anything to besmirch that tender emotion.

And so it went. Wade had been true to Elsie. He didn't want to do anything that would make himself unworthy of a girl like her. Accordingly, he didn't visit the bordellos like his traveling companions or pick up a mistress or two along the way. He didn't care if his friends teased him--Elsie's was the only opinion he cared about, even though he wouldn't be able to tell her what he'd given up for her sake.

Hoped you liked it. This chapter was longer than I originally planned, so I chopped it in two. Next half to follow shortly!