Hopefully, you will recognize the quotes from Rhett's departing lines in the book and his proposal. If only Rhett had been this honest earlier… maybe just after the miscarriage or even as early as the night he carried her upstairs. But then it wouldn't have ended as it did and we wouldn't have so much fertile ground for fanfic, lol.

GWTWGWTWGWTWGWTW

"Did it ever occur to you that I loved you as much as a man can love a woman? Loved you for years before I finally got you? During the war I'd go away and try to forget you, but I couldn't and I always had to come back. After the war I risked arrest, just

to come back and find you. I cared so much I believe I would have killed Frank Kennedy if he hadn't died when he did. I loved you but I couldn't let you know it. You're so brutal to those who love you, Scarlett. You take their love and hold it over their heads like a whip."

Scarlett woke from her afternoon nap with a jolt. Rhett's words from the day he left were still ringing in her ears. She had heard him that fateful day but had clung to his declaration of love so fiercely that she'd never really caught the last.

Now, as she lay, breathing heavily from her dream, she lingered over them. He had been right that day, right about how she treated those she loves. Although, she conceded to herself, there were few in this world that she truly loved. Rhett, of course, was the primary one. She supposed her children came next, although she wouldn't say that she was close to them. She hadn't time for closeness when they were small and she was working so hard to build a life for them in this new world created by the devastation of war. But she did love them in an off handed sort of way.

She thought of her sisters. Suellen…no, she didn't think she had ever loved the middle O'Hara sister. But little Careen…yes, Scarlett had loved her baby sister. The child was sweet and loving. Much like Mellie…more like Mother than Sue and me… I wonder how it would be between us now, if she hadn't gone to the convent?

And there was Mammy. Scarlett loved Mammy as much as she was capable of loving anyone. Mammy had always been there, her rock, standing by her no matter how difficult she became. Mammy knew her as well as Rhett did and loved her anyway. Yes, Mammy and Rhett were the two people she loved the most and the two she had treated the worst. She needed to make it up to both of them.

The soft creak of the door drew her attention and she smiled when the round face of Mammy appeared in the open crack. "You is awake…" the older woman declared.

"Yes Mammy. Come in."

The skirts of the large woman rustled as her feet scuffled across the floor. Mammy was carrying a tray. "Mista Rhett…he say you need sumun cool ta drink, so I has ole Pork go down to da spring and gits you some cool wata." She set the tray with a pitcher of water and a glass on the table next to the bed. Then she began to pour.

"Thank you Mammy. And…and thank Pork for me too, would you please?"

Mammy tilted her head as she looked at her mistress. "You feelin' awright?"

"Yes Mammy, I'm fine."

Mammy seemed unconvinced and moved closer. Her work roughened hand passed over Scarlett's face, feeling for something. "You ain't got no fever. But you don't sound lak yourself," she said as she handed over the glass of water.

Scarlett accepted the glass and took a sip. "Sit down, Mammy. I need to talk to you."

A worried frown creased Mammy's face as she settled at the foot of the bed. "What you want ta talk about, Miz Scarlett?"

"I…well, you've been very good to me…always there when I need you and well, put up with my… my…"

"Misbehavin'?"

A mischievous smile crept onto Scarlett's face. "Well, yes." She paused a moment and then began again. "Anyway, I'd like to do something for you, something special…is there anything you want, Mammy? What can I do to make your life easier?"

"You ken quit misbehavin' so…dat'll make my life a bushel load easier…"

"I'm trying Mammy, I truly am. But I want to do something just for you. Rhett bought you that taffeta petticoat all those years ago. What is something you've always wanted?"

"I gots all I need," declared the woman. But then a wistful look crossed her face and she sighed. "Dey is one thing you could do fo' me…"

Scarlett smiled. "What is that, Mammy?"

"Well, when I goes to meet da Lord, I wish I could go in a dress fittin' da occasion. I have my Sunday dress, but he done seen dat. And besides, it gittin' a might wore out. But if I could have a nice new dress, I'd feel proper meetin' him."

"Then you shall have a new dress, Mammy. Two or three, in fact, because you need a proper Sunday dress too. What color would you like?"

Mammy's face lit as a smile covered most of it. "Well, fo' Sunday's, a nice gray or black will do. But fo' my buryin' dress, I'd like a nice blue. I always lik da color blue."

"I'll take care of it, then. And Mammy, when the time comes I want you in the family plot, close to Mother. It would give me great comfort to know that you were close to each other."

Despite the glow on her face at Scarlett's wish, Mammy began to object. "Oh no, Miz Scarlett, dat wouldn't be fittin'. You can't burry me in wid da white folks…dat jus' ain't fittin'."

"Of course its fittin'," scowled Scarlett. "There's nothing more fitting than you near Mother. You cared for her all of her life and then her daughters too. She depended on you more than anyone else in this world and loved you for it. You should be there with her in death as well. You belong there as much as any of us and that's the way it will be."

Mammy's face softened. "If you say so, but you gonna make a awful lot of talk in de county. White folks ain't gonna be happy 'bout it and de be some black folk unhappy too."

"Then they'll just be unhappy. It isn't their business anyway. Now it is settled. I'm going to have it written down so that if something should happen to me and I go before you, then everyone will know."

"Oh, you shouldn't be talkin' like dat. Ain't nothin' gonna happen to you. You is strong like a horse…"

"I know, but I am having a baby and things go wrong sometimes…and I want it understood."

"Well, awright. You jes' settle down a bit. Ain't neither of us goin' nowhere fo' awhile."

Scarlett smiled and sipped her water, pleased that she had found a way to show Mammy how much she meant to her, to her family. Now that Mammy was taken care of, she could look for ways to help the others too.

That night, as they prepared for bed, Scarlett told Rhett about her conversation with Mammy. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in his robe and watching her as she moved around, making her preparations for bed. It was fast becoming his favorite pastime. While he listened and responded to her explanation in the appropriate places, most of his attention was on her…or rather, her body. She was nearly naked, gown in hand when she turned and he saw it for the first time…the baby bump. She was still so slender, with a tiny waist in spite of her pregnancies. And now there was the bump, for him the first evidence that she was really carrying his child. He'd helped her through morning sickness, but he'd rationalized that she could just be sick or suffering from the heat. But now there was no denying her condition; it would be evident to everyone before very long.

Once they were in the bed, she snuggled into him and he absent-mindedly put his arm around her, gently stroking her upper arm with his fingers. His mind, however, was on the bump. It's real. There really is a baby…my baby. What if…she could… after the last one, it might not make it. But Dr. Meade said she could…But if …how can I give my heart to a baby like that again, after Bonnie. He glanced down at her, already drifting to sleep. She wants this though. She's made that very clear…I owe her a baby. And after the miscarriage, I suppose I do. He felt his stomach churning over the situation. I used to want children, especially ones with her, but now…She yawned and curled up to him again. Pulling her close, a new resolve settled over him. I have to do this right…for her, if not for myself. Have to do it right….

"I always intended having you, Scarlett, since that first day I saw you at Twelve Oaks when you threw that vase and swore and proved that you weren't a lady. I always intended having you, one way or another." Scarlett was dreaming again, their past haunting her; the chances for happiness that they threw away, that she missed because …because why? She felt herself floating through her previous life, watching them, watching all the mistakes…Rhett…Oh Rhett, please….Rhett… "Rhett", she cried out.

"Scarlett, wake up …" Rhett was holding her, trying to wake her. "Honey, you're dreaming…"

"Rhett," she cried. "Oh Rhett, all the times…"

"What times, my pet," he said gently, soothingly.

"We could have… that we…that I didn't understand. You loved me, Rhett. All those years you loved me and I …I …"

"Shhh…" he cooed. "That's the past, we're here now. That's all that matters."

She clung to him, crying. "But I…I was so stupid. It was such a waste…"

"There, there, my love. Stop worrying about it now. Maybe its what it took for us to find our way. We were both fools, Scarlett. But as you told me, that is in the past." He tentatively put his hand over her bump. "We have a future now. You must think about that, about our baby."

Her hand covered his on her abdomen. "Yes, yes… the baby. I must think about the baby…Oh Rhett, isn't it wonderful?"

He held her to him, cradling her against his chest. "Yes, my love, it is wonderful," he agreed. It makes her happy so yes, it is wonderful…She'll be happy, that's all that matters. I'll find a way to do this; I have to…

A week passed with Rhett watching her bump carefully. It wasn't that it changed so much in that time; it was just that as the days passed, he became more and more fixated on it. This baby has to be born healthy. We've lost too much already…

Her dreams haunted her every night and no matter how much he tried to console her, they wouldn't go away. He knew she was feeling deep guilt over her part in their misunderstandings and understood, because he carried the same guilt within himself. But as he kept telling her that it was no use worrying about the past, he couldn't quite let his own part in it all rest either. Fear gripped him as his mind told him that losing this baby too would be just punishment for their past misdeeds. Why should we be allowed to have any babies, he asked himself as he stroked her back one night. It's not like we've been very good at being a family up 'til now…

Their days were spent planning the new store. He was grateful for the distraction and believed Scarlett was too. Together with Will, they selected a spot of land along the road that would not interfere with the farming operations. Rhett and Will went into Jonesboro to find men to cut the wood off a tract of forested land at Tara. They returned happily, having found three good men that they believed would work quickly.

On Friday, Major James showed up with his troopers. They were looking for one of the Slattery boys. Old Man Johnson, who lived next to the old Slattery place, identified one of them as the one who attacked him and robbed him of his meager belongings, the most valuable being his grandfather's watch. Suellen greeted the Major on the front porch and offered refreshments. Major James, hot and tired from the chase, gladly accepted for himself and his men.

Rhett and Scarlett were watching the three men cutting the timber for the store and hadn't seen the arrival of the troops. Will was in the fields with Big Sam and so Suellen had the Major all to herself. "I must apologize for my behavior that first day we met," she told the Major over their tea. "I assumed you were like the other Yankees that have been through here, but I find you much more pleasant," she continued.

"Thank you," he smiled. "I appreciate another chance at proving that we aren't all bad," he said with a smirk. He recognized the flirting and was complimented by it. On the other hand, she was the wife of a war veteran, one who'd paid a dear price for his service. It didn't matter to the Major that Will Benteen had fought for the other side. As far as he could see, Benteen was a good man and deserved respect. So while he was pleasant with the lady, he was also careful, never crossing the lines of propriety in their conversation. He hoped she would get the hint.

Suellen had other ideas. This man might be a Yankee and somewhat older than her, but he was whole, interesting, and while not overly handsome, he was not too terribly hard to look at. A sight better than Frank, she mused. And being from so far away and having been so many places, he was very different from any of the men left in the county. She flirted outrageously with him and became frustrated when he dodged her every move. By the time Major James and his troopers left, she was in a foul mood and looking for a fight.

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Lol, I think I'll leave it here for now. A little cliffy never hurt anybody, right? You'll have to read the next chapter to see what Suellen does in her frustration. And you know what makes me write faster, don't you?