Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Thirty-Three

The next morning, Scarlett, Rhett, and Prissy spent packing up everything they owned. Rhett had gone out and found a trunk to buy because they didn't have enough space in their current luggage. He paid too much for it, but Rhett had to have some place to put all his books. While he was out, he sent a telegram to his family telling them that he was moving to Tara out of Jonesboro. He also told them that Scarlett's family name was O'Hara. Just in case they needed to get in touch with him. He did not expect a reply. He would not have wanted a reply. His family needed to save their money for food.

Scarlett drove herself to the hospital to tell everyone that they were leaving, and to say goodbye.

Dr Meade, Mrs. Meade, and Dr. Harper all expressed regret that she was leaving. They all gave her a hug goodbye.

India said, "I will walk with you to your buggy." As the ladies talked on their way out of the building, India continued, "I have decided that if my child is a boy, I will call him John Yerkes."

"That is a wonderful choice."

"I am going to miss my father for a long time, maybe forever but I have to do, what I can do for the living."

"I wouldn't be leaving but I feel like I have to be a Tara."

"I will miss you. I wouldn't be married to Yerkes, if you hadn't gotten Father to let me stay in Atlanta."

"India, Dr. Harper is so much better than Stuart would ever have been."

"Don't I know it. You were right Stuart was a lame brain."

"We will drop Prissy off, as we are leaving town. Take care of her. She is a nitwit and lazy, but I am still fond of her."

"I am fond of her also. I will take care of her."

The family ate dinner in the dining room of the hotel. By one o'clock they had dropped Prissy off and were on the way to Tara. Rhett and Scarlett chatted happily the entire time. Rhett made a few teasing comments, but Scarlett knew he always would. Wade kept moving from Scarlett's lap to the space between her and Rhett. Every time Wade did Rhett scowled at him. When Rhett would scowl at Wade, the boy would smile up at him and say, "Dada." Scarlett would smile at the boy and the man. She guessed they were both going to be vying for her attention probably from now on. Fortunately, she had experience dealing with two males who both wanted all of her attention.

At one point, Scarlett said, "Always remember, Darling, I was his mother before I was your wife. But I do love you more."

Rhett smiled and replied, "Not by much."

"No, not by much."

In truth, Rhett didn't mind that Scarlett loved her child so very much. That was what he wanted a woman who loved her children with a ferocity of a mama bear. With a chagrin smile, he thought, 'You can't have her undivided attention and her loving her children so very much. Make the better choice.'

A few minutes later, Rhett said, "Is there a back way to Tara, so we can get off the main road?"

"Yes, through Rough and Ready but it is longer."

"We will take it though because it will be safer, I think."

"Alright. I will tell you where to turn."

About five miles later, Scarlett said, "Take the turn on the left." Rhett did. She continued, "We will go about two miles then we will be in Rough and Ready."

When Rhett and Scarlett got to Rough and Ready, he looked around the town which was really just a wide spot on the road. He saw the general store. Rhett couldn't understand it, but everything looked so familiar to him.

Scarlett interrupted his thoughts by saying, "That lane there to the right."

Rhett looked at the lane which was really more of a path. He said, "How far is all that overgrowth?"

"Just a mile or two."

"Before we take that turn, let's allow the horse to rest. We don't want him to get tired in the middle of all that overgrowth. I don't think I could get out of the buggy to force him to start walking again."

"Alright, Honey."

While sitting there for the first time Wade said, "Poo."

Scarlett just stared at the boy. Rhett smiled and said, "Take him to the bushes and take off his diaper. Let him squat in the bushes."

Scarlett did. She returned in a few minutes, she smiled at Rhett. She didn't know why this news made her so happy and proud of Wade, but she bragged to Rhett, "He was successful."

Rhett forced himself to smile at Scarlett and Wade and said, "Good boy."

Rhett was very uncomfortable, and he didn't know why. He never got uncomfortable. Well, except for when he was revealing more of himself to Scarlett. He was also beginning to feel sick to his stomach. Rhett said, "Let's go."

"I thought we were going to let the horse rest. Why are we leaving so quickly?"

"I have a really bad feeling about this place. I know it is strange to say what I am going to say because I have never been here before, but I feel like I did something inexcusable here."

"Let's just go. I know you would never do something inexcusable."

Rhett helped Scarlett back into the buggy and his feeling got more intense. He had such a strong feeling that he had done something inexcusable to Scarlett here but that just couldn't be he had never been at Rough and Ready. Obviously, he hadn't done something inexcusable to Scarlett. She was still looking at him with love in her eyes.

Rhett did not get back into the buggy but instead led the horse through the thick overgrowth. Once they were through it, he got back in the buggy. For the next ten minutes, Rhett didn't speak. The further they got away from Rough and Ready the better he felt.

When the Butlers were fifteen minutes away from Rough and Ready, he then felt a shiver go down his back. He felt like someone was walking over his grave. No, that someone was walking over Scarlett's grave. Tears sprang into his eyes, and he couldn't stop a couple of them from running down his cheeks. He quickly looked at her and was relieved to see she was alive and well. He quickly brushed the tears away although he knew she had noticed. He stopped the buggy because he had to get his emotions together.

Scarlett looked back at him with a concerned look on her face. She said, "Rhett, why have we stopped. What is the matter? You have gone pale."

"Nothing." Rhett was grateful she did not mention the tears. He put a smile on his face and said, "Let's get to Tara."

"Alright."

Yet Rhett continued to sit there and stare out at the landscape. Every thirty seconds he looked at Scarlett and then at Wade. Rhett felt like the inexcusable act had hurt Wade too. Finally, Rhett took a deep breath and said, "Let's get to Tara. Do you think your father is still going to be mad that you got married without his permission?"

"Yes."

Scarlett knew something had happened back there, but Rhett wasn't going to tell her, so she let it drop. She did smile when she realized that indeed Pa was still going to be mad about her marrying without his permission.

The further the Butlers got from Rough and Ready, the better Rhett felt until he felt normal again. The incident had left him shaken though. It made absolutely no sense to him at all. But he swore he would never do anything inexcusable to Scarlett or Wade. He would always protect them with his life if needed.

When the Butlers got to Tara, Gerald indeed was still mad at Scarlett. He said to her, "Katie Scarlett, running off and getting married is not the proper way a lady behaves."

"Pa, you knew that eventually Rhett was going to ask me to marry him. He told you that his intentions were honorable. If you hadn't wanted me to marry him, you should have told me you didn't approve of him. Since you didn't, I assumed you sanctioned the match. Besides, Pa, Rhett is a great catch. He is rich, handsome, and socially prominent in the South.

Scarlett didn't add that he was often mocking and had a cynical way of looking at the world. Or that she knew he had made a lot of his money in questionable ways. She also knew that often he didn't behave as a gentleman should. Her father didn't need to know all that. Besides, it didn't matter she was married to him now.

Ellen stepped forward and said, "All of that is true. Welcome to the family, Rhett."

"Thank you, Mrs. O'Hara."

"No, you will call me Mama."

"Yes, ma'am"

"Come along, Scarlett, Rhett, let's get you settled. Scarlett, you are going to have to sleep in the guest bedroom. Your bed is far too small for you and Rhett."

"Yes ma'am."

Scarlett did wonder how her bed was too small for her and Rhett, but it wasn't too small for her and Charlie. Maybe because her mother was more impressed with Rhett's pedigree than she had been with Charlie's. Or she was just more impressed by Rhett himself than she had been with Charlie. Which was only logical. Charlie had been a boy while Rhett was a man.

Scarlett would have died of embarrassment if she had known that the real reason she and Rhett were being put in the guest bedroom which was down the hall from her parents' bedroom. The reason was that Gerald and Ellen had heard her and Charlie when they had relations. After the fact, Ellen could not think of a reason to move Scarlett and Charlie down the hall except the real one which Ellen could not mention.

As Scarlett ascended the stairs with her mother and Rhett, she said, "How is Melly?"

"She is not doing good at all."

"Rhett and I will go get her and bring her to Tara tomorrow. I can browbeat Ashley into letting her move to Tara for a while. I will tell him the Melly needs experienced women helping her deliver her baby."

"I will go with you. Between the two of us, we will convince Ashley that Melly will be better off with us than at Twelve Oaks. Not the least being that there is no one at Twelve Oaks to help Melly birth her baby."

"Let's go tomorrow morning."

Rhett said, "Do you really need me to go?"

"Who is going to drive the buggy if you don't go?"

"You or your mother could drive the buggy."

"No! Mama and I are going to be too busy taking care of Melly. You have to drive us."

"Of course, Dear."

Rhett smiled. He had wanted an assertive wife and that is what he got. He would have to deal with all that entailed. He would because he wouldn't want it to be any other way.

Scarlett got the couple settled in the guest bedroom while Rhett went downstairs to take the bag of pinto beans to the cook. After that he would visit with his father-in-law. He was hoping Gerald had some whiskey or moonshine available. In his hurry to get Scarlett to Tara because of her feeling, he had not bought himself a bottle or even stocked up on his cigars. He guessed he could drive back into Atlanta and get both. He would if Gerald didn't have any alcohol. He wouldn't go just for the cigars. He was going to quit smoking. He was starting to do a lot of hacking whenever he woke up. He also needed to increase his stamina to keep up with his wife. When he had been with a whore, he had finished fairly quickly because in truth he didn't care about the whore's pleasure. With the women he had been intimate with just for fun, he had tried to last longer to make sure she had a good time also. Mainly so she would invite him back into her bed. With Scarlett he wanted their love making sessions to last forever because when they were joined together it made him feel like he was in Paradise.