Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Forty-Nine

By the middle of February, Rhett was spending more time on his skates than on his backside. Every other day Rhett would take Wade skating. When Scarlett had found out that Claude liked to skate also, she had arranged for Claude to come to work with his mother and for Rhett to pick him up at the shop. Rhett truly did like children. And he truly did wish he could have a houseful, but he knew that would not become his reality therefore having a substitute child was nice. Wade liked Claude a lot and Claude liked Wade, but more than that Claude liked getting away from his Grandmere. She really could be a harridan.

It was lonely at the house for Claude now that Antoinette was working full time at the shop. Coco and Scarlett probably could have gotten by with the seamstresses they had but employing Antoinette just made everything work better. Even if most of what Antoinette did was clean up after everyone else. Much to Scarlett's happiness Antoinette had taken it upon herself to make sure the sewing notions and supplies were organized and fully stocked. She had gotten her new dress and hat made before Christmas. Her mother and Scarlett thought Antoinette didn't have any better taste than Gabrielle but neither woman said a word to the young girls. The women knew the girls had to develop their own style. Of course, Pierre praised Antoinette on her new dress and how nice she looked in it.

Coco had said to Scarlett, "I don't know if he is just being nice to the girls or if he really likes their dresses."

Scarlett smiled and said, "Probably a little of both."

The women had laughed.

Soon it was the first anniversary of Gerald's death. Scarlett was gloomy that day. She spent the evening talking about her father. Not all the stories were sad but there was a melancholic tone to her voice. At the end of the evening, Scarlett said, "Do you think he gave up the will to live?"

"Not exactly. I think he stopped caring about life. He didn't understand what was going on. He was in an unfamiliar house and area."

"I know it wasn't an option, but do you think if he been able to stay at Tara he would have lived longer."

"Maybe. Or being at Tara may have been worse with him searching for your mother all the time."

"I guess we will never know."

"No, we won't."

"I'm going to go get ready for bed."

"Alright. I will come with you."

In March Rhett took the family to Philadelphia for Scarlett's birthday. They explored all the sights to see. Independence Hall, and the Liberty Bell to name a few. Rhett and Scarlett had supper a few times with his business colleagues. One of the wives said to Scarlett, "You must be something special. We never thought Mr. Butler would marry. We all thought he was a confirmed bachelor."

"He was until he met me. I think he is something special also."

The other woman smiled.

In April Ashley and Melly moved into their own home. With the five hundred dollars he had gotten from selling his first story, the three hundred for selling the rights to his second story, and the royalties he had gotten so far, they had enough for a new home with five bedrooms and new furniture in every room. It was a nice house in the Georgian style. It was close enough to the Butlers that they could still walk to each other's homes.

In May of 67, Ina May and Scarlett were there when Melly welcomed a baby girl into the world. The delivery was no easier than it was with Beau, yet Ina May was there at all the critical moments and made sure nothing went wrong.

Scarlett had asked Mammy to watch all the children, which she had agreed to do. She wanted nothing to do with helping Miss Melly deliver a baby. With her hips it was going to be hard for her to do, therefore Mammy wanted to stay far away from any disasters. Mammy had that mind set because of all the years she had lived as a slave. Far too often a slave was the scapegoat for any disaster.

Rhett and Ashley sat in the parlor and talked. The men always had a lot to talk about which always made Ashley laugh. He guessed they were raised and educated the same way, and, in this lifetime, they had both by choice given the Southern lifestyle up.

Ashley said, "My sister, India, wrote and asked if she could move in with me."

"That is great news."

"Yes, it is but she will once again shun me. I do not want my sister living with me. She will be steep too much in the Southern ways and I believe she will be bitter about Stuart Tarleton." At Rhett's quizzical look, Ashley added, "The man Scarlett stole away from her. That is another reason why I said no. You and Scarlett are too involved in our lives and her hostility at Scarlett would just be too much to bear. I have a happy home and a happy life. I am not going to let anything put that in danger."

"I think you are wise to protect your happiness. I know how quickly one can lose everything worth having."

"Do you regret your decision?"

"Not really. That first month after I was disowned, I certainly did but after a month I had landed an awesome job and for the most part I haven't regretted it since. I'm sure it is probably the same way you feel about having moved to New York instead of supporting the Confederacy."

"Even after all this time I still have a couple of regrets, but if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. Especially after I got my job with the New York Times." Ashley laughed and said, "Now that Scarlett is no longer hostile towards me my life is probably the best it can be in these troubled times. I can't say forgiven me because she will never forgive me."

"No, she won't."

Both men laughed.

Rhett said, "I read your book War and Peace. You have quite the imagination."

"Thank you."

"I am glad you had J.R. get his emotions together and start functioning as a mature adult."

"Otherwise, the ending would just be too sad."

"I do find it strange that you made it where Sue Ellen couldn't have any more children."

"That was to add to the misery of J.R.'s life."

"It certainly did. I was surprised at all the unladylike things you had Pam do."

"That was to show that Pam was a survivor. J.R. needed that example of how to survive."

"I guess so. That Pam character reminded me of Scarlett especially the way she could get any man."

"I did give Pam that trait that Scarlett has."

"Where you attracted to Scarlett?"

"Yes, that was why I called on her every week for two years when I was promised to another. Any man with a pulse would be attracted to her."

Rhett laughed and said, "The bane of my existence but I wouldn't want it any other way. I thought you said you weren't calling on her."

"I lied. She needed me to lie to her."

"I guess so. Is Ray based on me?"

"Yes, but I doubt if you would do all the unscrupulous things Ray did to get rich."

Rhett sidestepped that statement and instead said, "Anyway, it was a good book."

"You aren't the only one who thinks so. It has already sold six thousand copies which netted me a hundred dollars in royalties."

"It looks like your gamble paid off. Invest in U.S. Savings Bonds. It is a safe investment."

"Is that what you are invested in?"

"It is what I told Scarlett to invest in. I have more riskier investments but I am a gambler so it is natural that I would gravitate towards the riskier yet lucrative."

"True."

They talked about literature and politics. They talked about what was going to happen to the South. Three hours later, Scarlett walked into the room with a bundle in her arms. She said, "It is a girl."

Ashley stood up and said, "Good. Good. That was what Melly and I wanted."

Rhett and Scarlett shared a sad smile. They were both thinking of their baby girl. They both shook off those thoughts. This was not the time to be sad but the time to rejoice in Ashley and Melly's happiness. Scarlett said, "Melly is doing great. As soon as I get the room cleaned up, I will come get you."

Rhett said, "What is her name?"

"Martha Blanche for our mothers. Aunt PittyPat told us that Honey has had a girl, which she named Martha also, but the girls will never interact with each other, so it is alright for them to have the same name."

"I suppose that is correct."

Scarlett came back into the room and said, "The room is cleaned up. Ina May and Melly are waiting for you."

Ashley stood up and walked out of the room with his baby in his arms.

Scarlett said, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, you don't want to say goodbye to Ashley and Melly?"

"I already told Melly we would be leaving as soon as the room was cleaned up."

"Alright."

The couple walked back to their almost mansion while holding hands. Rhett said, "We can try to have a little girl if you want."

"No. It is strange, but I do want to have a daughter, but I can't take the chance of having another miscarriage. That was physically and emotionally hard on me."

"It was hard on me watching you suffer and not be able to do anything about it."

"I know, Sweetheart, but you were a rock during all of that."

"I didn't feel like a rock. I felt like a marshmallow."

"It didn't show."

"I'm glad. It might have destroyed the hard, cold image you have of me."

Scarlett laughed.

Ashley never heard another word from his sisters, but Melly did hear from PittyPat that India had moved in with her. She had traveled to Atlanta for a visit, but she didn't have the money to get back to Macon. India swore she could no longer live with that cretin her sister was married to. PittyPat and Henry took her in because they just weren't hard enough to turn her away. Surprisingly, Frank Kennedy had started calling on India.

Although Frank was immensely popular with the single ladies of Atlanta, he had not found one he was willing to marry. PittyPat believed that he was still carrying a torch for Suellen. When Melly told Ashley that he said, "No, it is because Frank Kennedy is as fussy as an old maid. He always wants everything to be perfect before he moves forward. He and India will be a good match. They are both old maids."

Amidst her laughter Melly tried to chastise Ashley but she could not stop herself from laughing long enough to do so.

When Melly could speak, she said, "Aunt PittyPat says that they seem to spend all their time talking about their time in Clayton County before the war."

"Isn't that what old maids do? Talk about how great the past was."

Ashley's statement made Melly laugh again. As he looked at his wife, he thought, 'This is good. This is much better than our first timeline together.'

Of course, Melly told Scarlett about Frank calling on India over supper one night. Scarlett said, "There are so many better choices in Atlanta, why would he settle for India."

Ashley said, "Maybe he likes courting India because she reminds him of the good days before the war when he was a cotton merchant and made hundreds of dollars in an afternoon."

Scarlett said, "And India would be extremely grateful to anyone who was willing to call on her."

Although Ashley did laugh, Rhett and Melly smiled but they didn't laugh. Rhett didn't know the woman so he couldn't truly appreciate Scarlett's reference to the other woman. Melly didn't because she was just too polite to laugh at India's misfortune. At least in public she was. She would giggle about it later after the Butlers had left.