Chapter 3: Night's Storm
Sleeping soundly as the night wore on Scarlett began to dream, unaware of the dark clouds that loomed in the distance, along with the nightmare
Appearing back in the same dark, silent room Scarlett stepped forward, as she had done before. However, this time, a storm had come upon the dream causing lightning to light up the room. While thunder roared through the sky like a hungry tiger rain, falling upon the dark house. The room began to darken as the fire slowly flickered into nothing but faintly glowing embers. The floor still creaked ominously as it had done before. Her heart pounded loudly. She felt it beating against her rib cage like a frightened bird. Scarlett thought for a brief moment that it was going to pound right out of her chest. Creeping ever so closely, she watched as the figure picked up the half empty glass.
"Who are you?" Scarlett asked, hoping for an answer.
The shadow didn't respond. Instead it, sat drinking the liquor as if nothing had distributed it.
Standing there, cloaked in darkness, Scarlett felt a knot forming in her stomach. What was she doing here?
The oak grandfather clock that had been a wedding present from Gerald to Ellen struck midnight behind Scarlett just as a bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the rooms of the house in stark relief Scarlett jumped, shaking her from her trance-lie state. Working up her courage Scarlett moved toward
the figure.
"I asked you a question." Scarlett stated becoming increasingly angrier. "You're going to answer me! Do you hear me?" She shouted at the figure.
Finally reaching the chair Scarlett reached out her shaking hand towards the figure.
"Mother," a voice came as it frequently echoed in her dream many times. "Mother, mother," the cries sounded again.
Jerking quickly awake Scarlett sat up trying to catch her breath while she glanced around the room, while her heart still pounding. The dark sky lit up to reveal Another flash of lightning revealed her daughter standing there framed in the open doorway in her pink night gown while she held her doll ever so close to her small shaking body.
"What is it Bonnie?" Scarlett asked rubbing her eyes free of sleep and of nightmares.
"I had a nightmare; can I sleep with you?" Bonnie's asked as thunder roared in the sky as another crack of thunder made the child tremble even more than she already was. This reminded her so much of the night she and her Daddy were in London.
"Climb in," Scarlett told her daughter, and immediately as Bonnie ran to the other side of the bed and climbed in. Getting in Bonnie snuggled close to her mother while she still holding tight to her doll.
The storm continued raging on without showing any signs of relenting. Clinging to her mother Bonnie looked up at her. "Mother, I'm scared." She was nearly as terrified of storms as she was of her nightmares.
"Everything's going to be all right." Scarlett told Bonnie running her fingers through her daughter's curly dark hair. She saw a lot of herself in Bonnie, but there was also Rhett in her as well. Thinking of
Rhett Scarlett's stomach cramped. Shaking him from her mind she spoke to her daughter. "Shut your eyes and the storm will be over before you know it."
"How do you know that?" Bonnie asked with her eyes tightly closed. "Daddy always told me a story when I had a nightmare."
Scarlett considered this. Of course Rhett would do that. This wasn't terribly surprising to her. He never let her do anything for their daughter. He always said a cat would make a better mother then she was. "Count how many times you hear the thunder and then when you see the lighting that's how far away the storm is." She told her daughter, only to discover that the child was already hidden underneath the bed covers.
"Will you count with me?" Bonnie asked only poking her head out enough that the whites of her eyes could be seen in the darkness of the room.
Agreeing quickly, they began counting. "One, two, three, four-" the lighting flashed. Again they counted, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight-" a little farther this time. After a few more times they got all the way to ten miles away. Before long Bonnie had fallen asleep as the rain beat on the roof.
Kissing her lightly Scarlett settling in for a peaceful night's sleep.
At Belle's, Rhett sat swallowing one shot of whiskey after another, barely able to hear the storm raging outside. Pouring one after another Rhett did everything in his power to forget about everything that had happened over the course of the last several hours.
"Scarlett is a selfish, self centered person who doesn't care about anyone but herself. She doesn't care for me and she most certainly doesn't care for Bonnie." Rhett said as he downed yet another drink.
"Rhett, I don't care much for her either, but I think you are making this out to be worse then what it really is." Belle said walking into the room.
In the middle of the drink Rhett looked at her from the top of his glass. Downing the drink he slammed the crystal like glass on the cherry oak table top and looked at Belle. "You're siding with her?"Rhett questioned Belle in a coldly voice.
"No, I'm not Rhett; all I'm saying is you're taking this a little too far." Belle said pouring herself a drink as well. "You know what your problem is…" Looking at her Rhett pulled out a cigar and waited for her to finish. "You're still in love with her." Looking at him, Belle knew she was right. "No matter how awful she is as both a person and a mother, you're' still in love with her I don't see that ending any time soon."
Staring into the fire Rhett thought on this for quite a while. "Rhett, I think it's time you go home." Belle said allowing her words to penetrate his brain. "The storm looks as if it has passed."
"Maybe I should take my business somewhere else." Rhett announced getting up from his seat bolting one last drink.
"You just do that." Belle laughed as Rhett left the room. Rhett knew she was right so why try hiding it. He was still in love with Scarlett and would always be no matter what woman he met.
Walking down the path with a light rain falling along with thunder in the distance Rhett thought of Bonnie. She hated storms. Bonnie and was probably screaming in her sleep. And if things were going the way he imagined then Scarlett wasn't doing a damn thing about it.
Rhett headed for home with a horrible headache, along with pain in his heart. Could love be pulling at his heart? Love had been there for quite some time, ever since April 16 so long ago when his eyes fell upon a sixteen year old Scarlett O'Hara.
A/N: I would like to thank PrincessAlica for going over my chapters for me, it means a lot. Hope you enjoyed this chapter:)