Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Fifteen

It was March the first before Rhett's ship sailed into Charleston. He had docked, he had concluded his business with one of the brokers, he said goodbye to his second in command and left the dock. He hailed down a cab for he had several boxes, not the least being a hat box. He had bought Scarlett a new blue hat. He hoped she liked it as well as she had liked her green hat. That thought made him smile when a picture of her in the green hat popped into his head.

Rhett also had several boxes of food supplies for his family at Middleton Acres. He even had a cage full of chickens. That had certainly not been worth the time and effort it had taken him to bring them across the ocean. If he ever saw chicken shit again it would be too soon. He had no idea how much chicken shit ten chickens could produce in one day.

Rhett had thought to take a couple of the chickens to Scarlett but now he just had to get rid of every damn one of them. He would buy her some chickens in Atlanta. Paying the extra money would be worth it so he didn't have to clean up chicken shit again.

Rhett had the cab take him to a livery stable where he rented a wagon. He put all of his purchases in the back of the wagon. He then went to the townhouse. He left his trunk and the gifts he had bought for Scarlett, Wade, and Miss Melly in there. He left the books there also. He guessed he could give a few of the books to his family but for some reason he didn't want to do that. He wanted all the books to go to Scarlett. When Rhett thought that he contemplated the thought. It was a strange thought for in truth none of the books were for Scarlett. He shook it off and decided not to think about it anymore.

Instead, Rhett went to his room in the townhouse and packed favorite mementos to take with him to Atlanta. He packed a sexton that his grandfather had given him. He packed the first deck of cards he had gotten as a gift from his parents. He smiled as he thought of all the money he had made off of Robert until his parents found out the boys were playing poker together. That wasn't bad. The bad part was that the boys were playing for real money. Rhett was basically taking Robert's allowance from him every week.

Rhett packed a model sailboat that he had made when he was thirteen. He packed all his jewelry including the ring his grandmother Kennesaw had given him before she passed away. It was a sapphire. It had been her engagement ring. She had given it to him as her oldest grandson.

Rhett would give it to Scarlett. Rhett didn't let his mind go to what the significance of him giving Scarlett a ring would be. He just kept telling himself that he would give it to her when she agreed to be his mistress. He packed up the rest of his cherished mementos including his dueling pistols that his father had given him when he had won the shooting competition at the University of South Carolina in his freshman year. He packed the Colt his father had given him when he won the competition again in his sophomore year.

Rhett went out and sent Scarlett a telegram. All it said was I will be in Atlanta tomorrow. He then tried to find some place to eat dinner. Not very many places were open. He finally went to a café near the harbor. He was more successful there although the food wasn't extremely good. He had ordered chicken noodle soup although there was extremely little chicken in the soup. There weren't that many noodles in the soup either. After he had finished eating, he paid the young boy who he had hired briefly to watch his wagon.

Rhett smiled as he noticed that one of those damn chickens was gone. Now he only had nine. He certainly wouldn't condemn the boy for taking advantage of the situation. Most of Rhett's food supplies were still there so he was happy enough. If he hadn't had the boy watch the wagon all the food supplies would have been gone.

Shortly after noon Rhett was on the road to Middleton Acres. It was a good hour to the plantation. He was going to spend the night. He just felt like it would be a while before he returned to the Charleston area, if he ever did.

When Rhett got to the plantation, he found his mother in the kitchen. He gave her some money and said, "You are going to need it."

Elizabeth took the money and slipped it in her pocket. As she did, she thought, 'How clever Rhett is to give me a hundred dollars in five-dollar bills. Ones would probably be better to fool Marshall with but then the wad would have been too bulky. Although I'm not sure that I am actually fooling Marshall. I mean how many times can I find money that I didn't know I had.'

Elizabeth said, "Thank you."

"Why are you making supper?"

"Loretta has run off and nobody else knows how to cook. I don't either but Daphne and I are muddling our way through it all."

"Do you know how to cook a chicken?"

"Chicken yes."

"I brought you a bunch of them. We can have one or two for supper."

"Luther has gone missing."

"Oh, no! When I get to Atlanta, I will telegraph a man I know who lives in Washington."

"I'm sure Rosemary would appreciate any news."

"I wonder how many more men are going to have to die before the Generals and the politicians realize it is lost."

"I don't know, Son. Tell me of your travels. Is this really going to be the last time you run the blockade?"

"It really will be. I sold all my ships. I brought enough fabric for everyone in the household to have new clothes. I also brought you some chocolates."

"I hope it is a big box."

With a smile, Rhett said, "Yes, it is."

Rhett started telling his mother of his time in England, and in France. Daphne joined them in the kitchen to help get supper started. After an hour, Rhett said, "Let me go find Father."

"Alright, Son."

Although Elizabeth could not believe Rhett was actually looking for his father, she was not going to say anything about it.

Rhett found his father and Marshall smiled at him and said, "Welcome home, Rhett."

Ever since Marshall had stopped trying to tell Rhett how to live his life the two men had been getting along better. That is as long as they didn't spend an excessive amount of time together. The men talked about the plantation and how many of the slaves had run away. Marshall said, "If I lose any more, I may have to stop production. I have even had to help with the physical labor."

"I didn't realize things were so bad."

"I guess in the end the path you chose appears to have been the better choice."

"It was for me. You know I have always hated living in the country."

"True. You are lucky we could spend so much time at the townhouse before the war."

"I was. I wonder why the generals just don't surrender."

Dryly Marshall said, "It is not the honorable thing to do."

"But sending thousands of men to their deaths is?"

"Yes, just as participating in a duel for honor is also.

"I certainly would never participate in a duel for honor even if I am one of the best shots in the South."

Marshall smiled and said, "Did you enjoy your time at USC?"

"Yes, I did. I certainly enjoyed being part of the shooting team and taking part in competitive shooting matches."

"Probably because you always won."

Rhett smiled and said, "Probably. I have always enjoyed besting other men."

"Yes, you have but at least you have grown out of bragging on yourself."

"Not completely. I would have happily gone back to USC except I got married instead. After Caroline died, I had to get away from the South and everything that reminded me of her."

Marshall had heard the rumor that Rhett was so devastated by his wife's death that he would never marry again. Marshall knew it was all poppycock. The boy just didn't want proper women chasing after him, but it seemed he had changed his mind about all proper women. Marshall said, "Yes, you did. It is a shame that Caroline died."

"Yes, it is. Her entire family died, didn't they?"

"Yes, they all contracted scarlet fever. It is amazing you didn't catch it."

"Yes, amazing."

It wasn't that amazing. Rhett never spent that much time with his wife or at their townhouse. All the townhouse had been was some place to take his meals at and sleep at. Rhett smiled. He hadn't even nursed her while she was sick because it wasn't proper for her husband to be in her sick room even when she was dying.

Rhett thought, 'I have probably spent more time with Scarlett already than I did with Caroline despite us having been married for over eight months and sleeping in the same house every night.'

Marshall watched his son's face soften and he wondered if he was thinking about that girl in Atlanta that he was always visiting. Elizabeth had told Marshall all about the romance. She had gotten all the information out of her friends because he knew that Rhett hadn't told his mother anything about the girl. Marshall knew for two reasons. One Elizabeth would have told him, and two Rhett had always kept his feelings to himself. Marshall knew that he would have to wait until Rhett decided to share information.

Marshall's relationship with Rhett had been awkward ever since he had turned fourteen. Ever since Rhett had started questioning everything in the society that they lived in. Marshall had tried to explain why things were the way they were but very few fourteen-year-olds truly wanted an explanation of why things were the way they were. Most of them just wanted to scoff and make fun of the old ways. Rhett had loved to mock and make fun of people. Make fun of people and their core beliefs.

As Marshall thought of the past he had truly been surprised when Elizabeth had been able to talk Rhett into marrying Caroline. Rhett had always been a stubborn young man, but he had done it. All three of his children had made excellent matches. If Rhett married that girl in Atlanta it would still be an excellent match because the girl was a Robillard on her mother's side. It wouldn't matter that her father had started life as an Irish peasant. That is no more than it mattered that his father had started life as a Welsh peasant. Marshall was much happier with people knowing that his father was a successful pirate than that he had once been a peasant.

Marshall also knew that Rhett thought he had something to do with the broken buggy wheel, but he hadn't. He had just taken advantage of the situation. He would not have staged something like that because he had known how stubborn his young and foolish son could be. In fact, he would have bet money that his son would not have married Caroline. Marshall smiled. He guessed Elizabeth's powers of persuasion were better than he had ever known. At least where Rhett was concern. He was glad. He had certainly not wanted to disown his eldest son. By the time Rhett had refused to take over the management of Middleton Acres, Marshall had known that his son had wanderlust and would truly not be happy living his life stuck in one place.

Marshall also knew that Elizabeth was taking money from Rhett. He was alright with it. They needed to eat and Rhett's money allowed them to eat. He was also fine with neither Elizabeth or Rhett making him acknowledge that Rhett was supporting the household to a large extent.

The men talked for a while longer about the war and the plantation until it was time for supper.

Over the meal Rhett said, "I will leave early tomorrow morning. I have to catch the train to Atlanta. I have some business deals working there," He turned to Rosemary, and said, "I have a contact in Washington. I will find out where Luther is."

"Thank you, Rhett."

That night at supper, Elizabeth had served a couple of the chickens Rhett had brought her. Rhett got great pleasure out of eating that damn chicken.

The family talked about happy memories from the past. Elizabeth was afraid that was all the happy memories the family would ever have ever again. Happy memories from before the war.