Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

Sorry for the late posting but fanfiction was down.

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

The night that Rhett carried Scarlett up the stairs, they both had a wonderful time. Rhett told Scarlett he loved her repeatedly. She was planning to use his love against him, but she was also planning a reconciliation. When he wakes up, he runs away to Belle's. When he returns, they are once again at cross purpose with both of them trying to preserve their pride. They both jumped to the wrong conclusion, and they have another big fight.

Chapter Forty-Two

Rhett walked away whistling a tune. He walked through the park and sat down on the same bench he had sat on a week ago. He looked around. When he knew he was alone, he said, "Materialize." Once Clarence was visible, Rhett said, "What do you think?"

"I think you made real progress this afternoon. You talked about issues instead of hurling insults."

"Good. What do I do now?"

"I don't know. Let's think about it."

Rhett smiled and said, "I have plenty of time for that now that I'm not going upstairs at Belle's. I can't do it anymore knowing you are in the room."

"All right."

Ella's birthday party was a grand success even if the birthday girl didn't know what was going on. She liked Rhett's present and Scarlett seemed to like it too. Scarlett gave Ella a ragdoll. Although Rhett still thought it was ugly, he did acknowledge it was a lot better made than the one she had given Bonnie all those years ago. It was also plain to see that Ella loved the doll. Rhett admitted to himself much the same way Bonnie had loved her doll.

A few days after the party, as Rhett and Scarlett were sitting on the porch at the store, he said, "I noticed you gave Ella a rag doll for a present."

Rhett noticed that Scarlett had gone perfectly still. She curtly said, "Yes, I did."

"Where you the person who had given Bonnie a rag doll on her first birthday? I had always thought it was Mammy."

"No, it wasn't Mammy. It was me. I made it myself."

"I would like to say that if I had known it was your gift to her I would not have given her the big, prettier rag doll. I only gave her the bigger one because she loved the first one so much."

Gently Scarlett said, "You would like to say that, but we both know you would be lying. You did everything you could to separate me from my child."

"Yes, I did."

There was a silence between Rhett and Scarlett until she said, "And?"

Rhett smiled and ruefully said, "I'm sorry now. I really did want her to be just my child."

"She was."

"No, she wasn't. She loved you. You were the one she wanted to watch her make that amazing jump."

"Yes, I was. I wished I didn't have that memory trapped in my brain."

"Me too."

"I wish you could hold me."

Rhett got up and sat down next to Scarlett. He put his arms around her. She leaned into him. He said, "To hell with those nosy old biddies."

Rhett heard Scarlett giggle and sob all at the same time. They stayed like that for about five minutes. At last, she stood up. Without looking at Rhett, she said, "I have to go back to work. Please, come back tomorrow. I'm not up to talking anymore, but I will be by tomorrow."

"I'm not either and I will also be ready to talk more tomorrow."

Scarlett walked into the store without looking back. As she walked to the front counter, she thought, 'He is almost perfect.'

All through the fall, Rhett and Scarlett visited once or twice a week usually at the store. They still had their monthly supper with the Powes which was fun for everyone.

Rhett and Scarlett were both trying not to be too serious. They talked about their entire relationship. They laughed at some of their shared memories. They talked about Bonnie. They were making progress on healing their relationship.

On November sixteenth, Scarlett gave Rhett an envelope. He looked at the envelope and said, "What is this?"

"It is a birthday card. Now that you have quit smoking and drinking, I have no idea what to give you as a present."

"Thank you for the card. Anything you give me would be wonderful."

Scarlett did not respond. Rhett and she were both thinking of the sapphire cufflinks. He knew it would be a long time before she ever gave him another present. That was fine. He could buy himself anything he wanted. Anything, but Scarlett O'Hara.

One night at the end of November, Rhett said, "Our relationship didn't work because we were both used to being in charge of the relationship. We were used to our partner giving us everything we wanted."

"Yes." With a smile Scarlett said, "We were both selfish and self-centered. That trait does not make for a happy relationship."

"We still are, but not as much as we once were."

"True."

It was the middle of December and Rhett and Scarlett were at the store. She said, "I'm sorry I called you a murderer. You weren't a murderer you just were …"

"An arrogant knuckle head who thought he knew best in all circumstances."

"You knew better about the jump. You just didn't understand that you are sometimes being kinder by saying no."

"We were hurting. We had been for a long time. You thought by hurting me you could stop the pain. Nothing stopped my pain. I just learned to live with the pain. Sort of. The second worst day in my life was when Mr. Powe told me you had signed the papers, and we would soon be divorced. I was hurting, and I thought by hurting you that I could stop the pain. Instead, my pain just got worse. You were lucky. You found someone to help you heal. Someone who gave you a safe haven."

"That is what Patrick was a safe haven."

"Go on."

"My life from the night we left Atlanta until Melly's death was like a tornado. Occasionally, I would be set down in a quiet spot, but most of the time it was round and round I went. I had already left the South. I had already bought my brownstone. I didn't know anybody really. Patrick became my friend and my safe haven. I could be happy with him. Boringly happy."

"And?"

"And I'm still making up my mind about my future. Stick with me for a little while longer. Let me work it all out."

"I will stick with you as long as you let me hang around. What are you going to do about Frank?"

"File for divorce on April fifteenth of next year."

"Do you want me to see if there is a better attorney than Mr. Powe?"

"Yes, I want it finished as quickly as possible. I want to see the reaction of the matrons to my divorce."

"You know what their reaction is going to be."

"Yeah, I would be willing to bet Will doesn't get as much grief as I do."

"Probably because his wife ran off with another man. What good woman would do that?"

"I still can't get my mind around that Suellen ran off with Frank."

"They must be happy. She hasn't returned."

"Pray she doesn't, Rhett. At least not until Will divorces her."

"Are you going to help Will divorce Suellen?"

"Of course, because you will help me just to get me free."

"I will, indeed."

"Come to Christmas dinner. Will, Careen, Susie, Mammy, and Ida are coming up for the meal." Sourly Scarlett added, "And my aunts."

"You mean I am finally going to meet Will."

"You could have met him any time you wanted last timeline. You would have just had to go down to Tara."

"That was an asinine thing to do. To not go down to Tara with you at least once. To not take you down to Tara when you were recovering from your fall down the stairs and your miscarriage. To not let you take your daughter to Tara. I'm sure she would have loved it."

"She probably would have. Tell me a funny story or just tell me the story of Mamie losing her skirt one more time."

"I will be happy to change the subject."

Rhett told Scarlett some funny stories until Hugh came out and needed to ask her some questions. She stood up and said, "Come by later this week while the weather is still so pleasant."

"Of course."

"No presents between you and me. You can bring presents for the children and Aunt PittyPat."

"For the children, yes. Miss PittyPat, no."

"Bring her a box of chocolates. If she doesn't get anything she will be so hurt."

"All right, Sweetheart."

Rhett leaned forward and kissed Scarlett's cheek. He lifted his head up and smiled at her. She smiled back.

Clarence was happy with the couple's progress, but worried. Rhett and Scarlett talked, he teased, she got mad, but not as mad as she once would have gotten, they talked about almost everything, but their future, she flirted with him and he flirted back, they were both smiling a lot. Yet Clarence was afraid that Scarlett would not commit to Rhett completely. Fortunately, Rhett had the rest of his life to win her love and she seemed happy to give him the rest of hers.

For Christmas dinner Rhett had given Scarlett some money. With a twinkle in his eye he said, "All I require is that there be yams on the table."

Begrudgingly Scarlett had said, "All right."

Christmas dinner was good. Mammy, Ida, Prissy, Joyce, Ella, and Susie were all up in the nursery which in the Hamilton House was just one large room although not as large as PittyPat's room. Wade had been allowed to join the adults at the dining room table. He had asked to sit next to his Aunt Careen.

Scarlett had smiled and said, "Of course."

Rhett whispered in her ear, "You are still the favorite." Scarlett had smiled at him. He added, "As far as I am concerned, also."

Scarlett gave Rhett a kiss on the cheek. She said to the table at large, "Find some place to sit."

Rhett helped Scarlett with her chair then sat down next to her.

There was a goose, green beans, beets, carrots, mashed potatoes, and two uncooked, raw yams. As he sat down, he smiled and said, "Why aren't the yams cooked?"

"All you said was that there would be yams on the table. You didn't say anything about them being cooked."

Rhett burst out laughing. He almost couldn't stop laughing. It was the first time Scarlett had gotten the better of him in a joke. Finally, Scarlett said, "We who were at Tara ate them every day for almost eighteen months."

Will said, "Some of us ate them longer than that."

Will smiled at Careen and she smiled back. When Scarlett saw the exchange she thought, 'Good. Good. I hope Careen and Will end up together.'

Rhett said, "Next year I will have to be more specific."

"Indeed, you will."

Scarlett said, "Will, when you get the supplies in April we will go to my new attorney, Howard Stern. He wants to be able to file the paperwork for our divorces on the very first day. He thinks it will take as long as six months."

"All right. I will send you a note when I am coming into Atlanta." Scarlett looked at Will questioningly. He smiled and said, "Careen has taught me how to read and write over the winter. Although I have a long way to go before I would say I was …" He looked at Careen and said, "What is the right word?"

"Literate."

"I believe I am off to a great start."

"How wonderful, Will."

Eulalie said, "Scarlett, you are going to file for divorce."

"Yes, my husband has abandoned me. I don't have any choice. I am divorcing him so I can move on with my life."

"What if he comes back?"

"That is another reason not to wait. I don't want to be married to any man that is so much of a coward he would run away from me, his daughter, and his problems."

Pauline said, "The shame."

"You are right Aunt Pauline. The shame of a cowardly man and a selfish woman who didn't care about their spouses or their children. Will and I are not going to be bound to such despicable people the rest of our lives."

Careen said, "Scarlett and Will are doing the only thing they can do after their spouses abandoned them for their self-absorbed reasons. Susie was six-weeks old when Suellen left her in the care of a wet nurse and her two great-aunts. Ella was six months old when she was left in the care of her wet nurse, Mammy, and her great-aunt. A person would have to been subhuman to leave their child behind."

"Furthermore, Aunt Eulalie and Aunt Pauline, we haven't heard a word out of the runaway lovers in over six months. No, Will and I will not feel one ounce of shame for divorcing those uncaring and inhuman people."

Will said, "Of course, if Scarlett and I are embarrassing you, then you can always move away from Tara. We would not want to force you to take our charity."

The older women didn't say another word. There was a long silence until Rhett said, "Have you heard from my mother lately?"

Both women's faces turned red. Nobody knew what the jab was not even Rhett, but everyone could tell that somehow Rhett had put the women in their places once and for all. They did not answer Rhett. They just kept eating their meals.

Finally, Rhett said, "I guess not."

Everyone laughed except Eulalie, Pauline, and PittyPat. PittyPat didn't laugh because she didn't know what was so funny. Henry laughed because the sisters reminded him of all the prissy matrons in Atlanta who he could never laugh at.