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Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Rhett had taken up the challenge of trying to figure out a better solution to the buggy incident than his father disowning him. So far, he had thought of only one thing. He said to his mother, "Father, could have bribed Mr. Gottfried to change his interpretation of the event."

Elizabeth said, "Your father went to talk to Mr. Gottfried to get him to change his interpretation. Mr. Gottfried absolutely refused to change his story. No matter what your father said Mr. Gottfried was convinced in the end you would marry Sarah. He would not have accepted money from your father for Mr. Gottfried knew he was going to be able to get his daughter married into the rich and prominent Butler family. If your father had thought money would have changed Mr. Gottfried's mind, he would have offered it. Your father was that desperate to save your good name."

"Are you saying my father would have done something dishonorable?"

With tears in her eyes, Elizabeth said, "To save you, yes."

Rhett had been humbled by his mother's assertion. It was with his mother's words that Rhett began the process of forgiving his father and accepting his fair share of the blame. In time he would accept all the blame.

Besides Rhett's idea of bribing Mr. Gottfried, he could not think of anything, legal or illegal, moral or immoral, honorable or dishonorable. He would continue to ponder it as an intellectual pursuit. Rhett was no longer angry that he looked like his father. Now, he was proud. Proud that he looked just like that great man.

After three months, Rhett joined the Democratic party. He actually didn't join it to further his getting received back into society. He also didn't join it because he cared at all about politics. He joined it to have men to talk to. Men to have intelligent conversations with. Not that he couldn't have intelligent conversations with his wife, mother, and sister but sometimes a man needed to talk to another man. Joining the Democratic Party was his only course of action. He was not received so he could not talk to men at social events, and he would not shame his wife by frequenting a saloon even if there was not a brothel attached to it.

The men were willing to talk to him at the meetings and afterwards even Robert, which for now was enough. Although none of the men would speak to Rhett about anything personal. Rhett knew they were talking to him because of his money but he didn't care. They were talking to him.

During the next six months, there were several family celebrations. Because Robert knew from Daphne how hard Rhett was trying to reform, he allowed himself and his family to enter his mother's house while Rhett was living there. Although, he and Daphne would not talk to Rhett, they didn't stop the children from talking to their uncle.

Jeremy and Jackson asked Rhett a lot of questions. Questions they had always wanted answers to. The question they really wanted an answer to was why did Grandfather disown him. Rhett solemnly replied, "I did something socially unacceptable and refused to atone for my actions. That is all you need to know."

Although disappointed Jeremy and Jackson accepted his answer and peppered him with questions in regard to his adventures. Rhett answered the boys' questions, but he did not make his adventures seem grand and glorious. He included all the hardships involved with doing what he had done and especially all the loneliness.

Through the local gossip, Elizabeth, Rosemary, and Daphne were learning that the matrons were beginning to soften towards Rhett. Robert said to Daphne one night, "Rhett needs to do something over the top to prove to Charleston that he truly regrets his actions. That he isn't just pretending to change his ways like he did in Atlanta."

The next afternoon, Daphne called at her mother-in-law's townhouse. She found Rhett in the parlor. When she entered the room, Rhett stood up and said, "Mother and Rosemary aren't here. I believe they have gone visiting."

"Yes, they have. I left them at the Campbells. I wanted to talk to you privately."

"What about?"

"Getting Robert to receive you into our home."

"Thank you. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth but why are you helping me."

"Because I have always thought you got a raw deal all those years ago. If Mr. Gottfried hadn't made a big deal out of you returning Sarah home late both you and Sarah would still be received. If he had accepted the clear evidence of the broken wheel, then both you and Sarah would have still been received. The truth is nobody would have known about it if he had kept his mouth shut. Of course, everything you did afterwards prove to everyone that they were correct to shun you," Here Daphne paused. Rhett could tell she was trying to compose herself. Finally, she said, "Sarah was my friend. I never shunned her. She didn't want to marry you either. She wanted to marry Mickey Kuhn. Do you remember him?" With Rhett's nod, Daphne went on, "Mr. Kuhn is dead now. He died at the same time Sarah did. He had been calling on Sarah for over a year. She had been hoping he would ask her father for her hand in marriage. Mr. Gottfried wasn't very keen on the match because the Kuhns weren't any richer than the Gottfrieds. After the scandal, Mr. Kuhn did the proper thing and married another girl. She only went on the buggy ride with you to make her father happy," With a sad smile, Daphne said, "Sarah would always say, 'How can one afternoon have made such a difference in my life?' I never knew what to say except, 'I don't know."

Rhett sighed. He said, "Tell me how to get received in Robert's house. He may be the easiest to get to let me back in."

"Not having any luck with Scarlett and her children."

"Very little. Scarlett seems to be willing to try to forgive me but neither Wade, Ella, nor the matrons seem the least little bit inclined to forgive me. Jade is friendly enough but is still stand-offish."

"She is probably taking her clues from the way everyone else is behaving around you."

"True. The only people who have been semi-nice are men who are members of the Democratic Party."

"That is because they need your money for their politics."

"They say politics make strange bed fellows."

Daphne proceeded to tell Rhett what he needed to do to get received into their home.

The next week there was a notice in the Charleston Gazette. It said: I, Rhett Butler, did an awful thing years ago. I refused to marry a young girl I had compromised. I was wrong. I was completely wrong. My father, Langston Butler did the only thing he could do. He disowned me. He did nothing wrong. Unfortunately, I cannot fix the wrong I did to Sarah Gottfried or the entire Gottfried family. I would hope that you would take pity on my stepchildren, my children, and my long-suffering wife and continue to receive them and possibly tolerate me.

Robert received Rhett into his home the next day. The next Sunday after church the brothers went sailing. The last time Robert had gone sailing was before the war. He and his father had gone out after Rhett's disownment. They could never go again. The memories were just too painful. It had always been the three of them. Langston had sold their three sailboats the next week. He knew he and Robert would never go again.

That afternoon, Robert and Rhett made new memories. Good memories. They talked like they had when they were boys. They told each other about their lives although their mother had kept them updated on the other one's life. It was a good afternoon.

The next Sunday afternoon, Robert brought his sons and Rhett brought Wade. Wade enjoyed showing Jeremy, Jackson, and Jeffrey how to work the sails. As Rhett watched Wade on the sailboat, he once again felt the regret of his actions. Wade was so relaxed and cheerful around the other boys and Robert. Hopefully, by finally being a good person he would get everyone to forgive him.

The Sunday after that they brought the entire family. As Rhett had looked at his family on the sailboat. He thought about not marrying Sarah. He thought, 'That was the second biggest mistake of my life. The biggest was leaving Scarlett. No, my biggest mistake was not treating Scarlett like what she was the most important thing in my life.'

A lot of other people started letting him into their home after that as long as he was with Scarlett.

The family celebrated Christmas at Elizabeth's townhouse. Scarlett cautioned Rhett to not go overboard on the gifts for that would embarrass everyone else. Rhett listened to Scarlett. Although he did buy Scarlett, Wade, Ella, and Jade lots of gifts but they left those presents at Scarlett's townhouse so nobody else knew how many gifts Rhett had bought. Scarlett had invited Rhett to breakfast so he could watch everyone open the presents.

Rhett had taken a lot of time and energy buying everyone's gifts. He had wanted to buy the perfect gifts. He knew he had succeeded when Wade and Ella smiled at him while they were thanking him for the gifts. Among other things, he had bought Wade a telescope and he had bought Ella a new violin. He had bought Jade toys and some clothing.

As Scarlett opened all her presents, she had just smiled at Rhett. He just couldn't help himself. It was so much easier for him to give a gift than it was to give himself. When Scarlett finished opening her presents, Rhett reached into his pocket and brought out a small box. He smiled and handed her the box. It was not wrapped. She opened the box and there was a note inside the box. It said: I promise to never run away again no matter what happens.

Scarlett turned to him and said, "This is the best present you have ever given me."

"Even better than the mansion?"

"Yes, even better than the mansion."

At Jade's fifth birthday party, it was a hard time for Rhett. By his own stupidity and pridefulness he had missed the first four and a half years of his daughter's life. He couldn't think about Bonnie. He was remorseful enough just thinking of Jade. When Scarlett wasn't preforming her hostess duties, she would come stand next to Rhett and just hold his hand. She never said anything. There was nothing she could say to make him feel better.

Later that night after supper while they were in the parlor, Rhett felt he had won a major victory when Jade had crawled into his lap to show him her new doll. It thrilled Rhett so much when he saw Scarlett smiling at them.

Rhett took Scarlett out to supper and dancing for their anniversary. Scarlett had finally decided that a sober Rhett was a lot easier to get along with that a drunk, angry, frustrated Rhett. Over the last several months there had been times when she knew he was frustrated with her not having already taken him back, but he never struck out at her. At the end of the evening, she said, "I want to wake up next to you. I am going to give you three warnings. If you are ever unfaithful to me again, I will leave you and I will not care about the repercussions. If you ever run away from me again, you might as well keep on running for I won't be here if you ever come back. If you mock me, ridicule me, or just overall make my life miserable I will disappear and again I won't care about the repercussions to others.

"What about Wade and Ella?"

"I will take them with me."

"No, I have no doubts you will do all that. I meant that at best right now they barely tolerate me."

"That is true although you do have moments when I think they actually like you again. They will come around. You will wear them down. It has been said that you are the most charming of all the Butlers so let's see."

"One couldn't prove that by my success in getting people to forgive me here in Charleston. The only people who are inclined to forgive me are the men at the Democratic Party meetings."

"Robert and Rosemary have forgiven you and your mother, of course."

"And you."

"I don't know if I have forgiven you or if I'm just ready to put all of our previous life behind us and move on. Besides, I want you in Jade's life."

"Thank you. I don't deserve this opportunity, but I certainly appreciate it. We will have to start going for a walk in the afternoon with our children. That worked with Bonnie amazingly well, and I believe that Jade is more charming than even Bonnie."

"Do you really think Jade is more charming than Bonnie?"

"Yes and no. I believe that Bonnie had more natural charm but because she was such a brat one rarely saw it."

"Rhett. No regrets."

"Lots of regrets but that is what is making me a better person."

"Alright, Dear. I think Jade is much smarter than Bonnie."

"Unquestionably. Can I move back in tonight?"

"You can sleep here tonight. We will get your clothes in the morning.

Scarlett and Rhett's first night together after so many years was wonderful for both of them. Rhett was not the man he had been when they had gotten married. He was almost ten years older. Time and his lifestyle had taken a toll on his body yet thankfully that night he had still been able to perform. Afterwards as they were lying together, Rhett said, "Was it as good as that night?"

"Better."

Physically it had not been as good as that night but emotionally it had been far superior. Rhett had made Scarlett feel loved and cherished. She knew Rhett was going to be beside her in the morning when she woke up and that was a wonderful knowledge. She now knew Rhett would be beside her every morning until one of them was no longer breathing. As the 'what ifs' tried to enter her brain she refused to let them enter.

Rhett and Scarlett had both needed to be broken. Rhett had been broken by Bonnie's death and Scarlett had been broken by Rhett leaving her. Separately they both had come to the conclusion, that they would never have achieved happiness together until they were both broken. It was sad but true.