Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

A tiny bit of mature content.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Later that night, Rhett gave Scarlett a box of chocolates, a box of stationery, and a diamond necklace. She had thanked him and kissed him several times. She then said, "I don't know how to pleasure you that way."

"You take me into your mouth then move your head up and down while sucking on it. I don't want you to do it right away. I want to get more aroused first."

"Alright."

Rhett did everything he always did. He kissed her until she was breathless. He caressed her breast until she was aching for him to suckle on her breast, he would caress her stomach and her legs until she was squirming around desperately wanting him to touch her special spot, he kissed his way down to her womanhood and orally pleasured her until she had at least one orgasm but usually two. It was at that point that he whispered, "Now."

"How?"

"I told you how."

"But how do I get down there."

"You can just go down there, or you can kiss your way down there."

Scarlett had just gone down there. She had not done a particularly good job at pleasuring Rhett orally, but it had been enough that she had taken him into her mouth and tried to pleasure him that way. He would give her more instructions later.

That made Rhett think of Mrs. Taylor. That first month after each one of their sexual sessions, she would give him a list of things he had done wrong before she would banish him to his bedroom. Hearing all the criticism of his sexual skills had certainly been humbling. There were so many times he had wanted to lash out at her, but he had stuffed it down because he had needed the woman's financial support. At that time, he could not support himself. Now he was glad of her brutal honesty. He would not be brutal with Scarlett. He would not hurt her feelings. He would gently tell her what she needed to do in the future.

Scarlett interrupted his thoughts. She said, "I want a piece of chocolate."

"Do you want me to light the candle?"

"Yes, so I can find the chocolates you gave me for my birthday."

Rhett sat up and found his lighter. He flicked it and lit the candle. Scarlett found her box of chocolates and got one out. He smiled to himself when she closed the box without asking if he wanted one. He loved that she was who she was. They were her chocolates. He could get his own.

The next morning as Rhett was getting out of the bed, Scarlett woke up. She smiled and said, "Stay."

"Of course, my favorite type of relations."

"I know. Before we get started, I want to tell you that you are going to be a father."

Rhett had already known that Scarlett was with child, yet her words filled him with great joy and excitement. He said, "Really?! What a gift! Thank you."

"I love you."

"I love you."

"After the baby is born you promised to use preventatives."

"And I will. I promise."

"Thank you, Rhett."

"Baby, I love you so much."

"I love you just as much."

"I know you do, or you would not have done what you did last night. Baby, remember you are a lady no matter what you do."

"Thank you for saying that, Rhett. I am a little bit embarrassed that I did that."

"I hope with time you will not be embarrassed but I understand your embarrassment. Let me lock the door. By the way why has Wade stopped waking you up every morning?"

"Hattie won't let him."

Rhett laughed and locked the door. He got back in the bed and started kissing Scarlett and soon neither person was feeling embarrassed. After they had caught their breaths and Rhett had lit his cigar, he said, "When is the baby going to arrive?"

"September, I think."

"I don't know when the war is going to end. Soon I hope but, Baby, once you are in your sixth month we will not be traveling. And especially not to the war torn South. We will have to wait until the baby is born to check on our families."

"I will not be able to travel for at least six weeks after that. I guess you could go by yourself."

"No, I cannot. I will not ever leave you behind."

"Rhett…."

"No, on this issue I am adamant. I will never leave you."

Scarlett smiled and said, "Thank you.

Rhett didn't understand why he was so inflexible about never leaving Scarlett but deep in his heart he knew he had to be.

The next night after Rhett and Scarlett had gotten in bed, she ran her hand down to his scar and said, "How did you get that?"

"By being a foolish young man. One of the things I learned from my experience with Mrs. Taylor was that there were a lot of middle-aged widows that appreciated having a young man to escort them places."

"Just escort them?"

"If they wanted me to escort them to their bedroom, I was happy to do that. Remember, Sweetheart, at the time I was a man without a moral compass. I didn't get that back until you said you would marry me. I wanted you to be proud of me. I wanted our children to be proud of me."

"I am proud of you. Go on with your story."

"It wasn't just the sex that I would get for free."

"Rhett!"

"Darling, rarely does a man turn down free nookie."

"Scarlett blushed and said "Nookie?"

"You know what I mean. Relations."

"I guess not. You have never turned me down."

"And I never will, until I no longer can perform. On with my story. These women were giving me gifts. Anything from jewelry to a gold cigar case to a new suit. I accepted them all. Not to brag on myself but of the wealthy widows in New Orleans I had made a name for myself as a good escort."

"Rhett, that is nothing to brag on."

"It kind of is."

Scarlett burst out laughing and Rhett joined her. He continued, "It turns out one of those widows wasn't a widow."

"No!"

"Her husband came into the saloon that I was playing poker at. I noticed the man immediately. Probably because of the angry looks he was shooting my way. The man didn't have a clear plan. With a knife he jumped over the table at me. Because I could see it coming, I was able to push myself away from the table enough where the knife didn't sink too deep. There was a doctor in the bar that night. He sewed me up right there on the saloon floor." Rhett paused. He smiled and thought, 'Once again God's divine intervention occurred.' Rhett continued with his story, he said, "The proprietor of the saloon let me sleep in her rooms until I was well." Scarlett snorted. "There wasn't anything else. I couldn't do anything else. As soon as I was well enough to walk to the train station, I left town. Probably much to the Madame's disappointment, I didn't do anything with her in the bedroom."

"You left town with your jewelry and new clothes."

"Of course. I sold most of my clothing and jewelry when I got to New York."

"Why?"

"Because the clothing was too elaborate to be worn every day. It was more suited for swanky social engagements that I was escorting the widows to. I sold the jewelry, so I had cash for my next business venture."

"That makes sense."

"I never escorted widows around town again. It was too dangerous."

"I am glad you survived."

"Me too."

"Now let's take advantage of the fact I can't get any more with child."

"Yes, let's."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Ina May came over the next Thursday and much to Scarlett's mortification, Rhett said, "I will leave the room while you are examining my wife, but I want to hear for myself everything she needs to do to prepare for the baby."

"Rhett!"

Ina May said, "It is not proper for a man to be involved in those discussions."

"I don't care if it is proper or not. I want to hear the information myself."

"Very well, Mr. Butler. I will call you into the room."

"You are not going to be in the room when the baby is delivered."

"Of course not, Sweetheart."

Scarlett didn't believe a word Rhett was saying.

To Scarlett's increased horror, not only did Rhett listen to everything Ina May said but he also asked a lot of questions, and he didn't use any euphemisms. Scarlett admittedly was embarrassed by Rhett's words, but she found she actually wanted to hear what the answers to the questions were.

As Ina May was leaving, she said, "I will be back in a month. If you have any questions…. Wait. Wait. Mrs. Butler, if you have any questions send me a note. You, Mr. Butler, can wait to ask me your questions when I return in April."

Rhett smiled and said, "Very well, Ina May. Let me show you out."

Scarlett didn't say anything to Rhett about his actions regarding the midwife and the baby. It would have been pointless. She already knew that her husband was going to do what he wanted to do. They did talk about baby names. Rhett wanted Alexander for his grandfather and Scarlett wanted Gerald for her father. When Scarlett suggested Ellen if it was a girl, Rhett agreed and then suggested Elizabeth as the child's middle name. Scarlett agreed.

After Scarlett's birthday celebration, Ashley started thinking about Mr. Lincoln's death. He didn't remember exactly when it happened, but he decided that if the man didn't die the aftermath of the war would be better for Southerners. He remembered that Mr. Lincoln had been shot while attending a play at Ford's theater. Ashley thought the play had been My American Cousin.

Ashley knew he had to act. He had to try to stop the travesty from happening. Ashley wrote Mr. Lincoln a letter beseeching him to not go to Ford's theater in April. Ashley had explained in his letter that there were a group of Southern sympathizers who were planning on killing Mr. Lincoln. Ashley stated in the letter that if Mr. Lincoln went to Ford's theater in April, he would die. Ashley had stated that he learned this information through a psychic vision.

When Coco had found out Scarlett was with child, she started designing some maternity dresses. She fashioned out four. They all had a high waist and ties in back. There was a panel in the back, so the dress ties didn't have to be tied tight. Coco also had Scarlett make herself matching shawls for her to wear when the back of the dress began to show too much. Scarlett thought she looked pretty in her dresses, but not as pretty as she did in her regular dresses.

Rhett would not tighten up her corset up very tight, so the garment was not providing her with a lot of support. Therefore, Scarlett made herself a half corset that didn't squish the baby at all. That one Rhett was willing to tighten up.

Since Rhett had learned that Scarlett was with child, he had been completing all his less than legal money-making schemes. He had also been trying to find someone who he could ask about preventatives.

Rhett knew he could wear a condom and thus not get Scarlett with child again, but he wanted to know what the other preventatives were. He had only worn a condom with the whores and the widows so as to not get any sexually transmitted diseases. Using a condom was another lesson Mrs. Taylor had taught him. His only problem was he didn't know who to ask about preventatives.