Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Forty-Three

Later as Scarlett was walking Rhett to the door, he said, "I like the pecan pie."

"Thank you."

"It almost made up for the disappointment of there not being any yams. I was looking forward to them."

"There were yams."

Rhett smiled and said, "Cooked yams with brown sugar."

"We didn't have brown sugar while we were starving."

"That's too bad. There was plenty of it in Europe. Just no yams." Scarlett smiled at Rhett's joke. Rhett continued, "How long did Mr. Stern say your divorce was going to take?"

"The soonest would be six months, but probably a year."

"That is going to throw off our timeline."

"Our timeline is already thrown off, which is sad because I wanted her back, too."

Rhett said, "What are you saying?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Good night, Rhett."

"Scarlett…"

"Go Rhett."

Clarence said, "Let's go. Don't push. She doesn't know what she wants at this moment. We will talk outside."

"Not until you kiss me."

Scarlett gave Rhett a relieved smile and said, "All right."

Rhett kissed Scarlett in a passionate kiss. A kiss like he had on the day he asked her to marry him. After a few moments, Scarlett drew back and said, "Don't save that kiss anymore."

"All right."

"Rhett, nothing can be resolved tonight."

"You could tell me you love me."

With a sad expression on her face, she said, "I think I do, but I'm scared of that man you became after the last time we got married."

"After what a horrible person I was to you, it is amazing you trusted Mr. Green enough to marry him."

Scarlett stared at Rhett and said, "Yes, it is."

"I wonder why or how?"

Scarlett gave Rhett a brief kiss then said, "Go now."

Rhett smiled and said, "I think I shall leave now." With those words Rhett walked out the door.

After a block, Rhett said, "If she says she loves me, is that enough to void the contract?'

"I don't know."

"Is there someone you can ask?"

"Let's review what Marvin said to you."

To Rhett's utter amazement, he saw a scene being played out in thin air. He could see and hear everything so clearly. He noted that he had really been sick. It probably had been his last night on earth. Marvin looked the same. He heard Marvin say, "That is what I like about you, Rhett. Everything is dollars and cents with you. You think you can buy anything you want. It will cost you your soul if you fail to win Scarlett's heart.

Clarence said, "I don't think you have to get her to marry you. I just think you have to get her to say she loves you."

Rhett said, "I can do that."

Clarence said, "Wait a minute. Someone from above is talking to me." The angel looked at Rhett and said, "He said, 'Love without trust isn't love.' I think that is a no."

"I didn't trust Scarlett, but I loved her."

"Did you really love her, or did you just want to own her?"

"Yes, I loved her." After a minute Rhett said, "I don't know. I didn't trust anyone, not even Bonnie. I didn't believe that she would keep on loving me unless I gave her everything she wanted. I didn't believe she would love me the most unless I made sure there was no competition." Rhett smiled and said, "I know I was just buying her love. I know I love Scarlett now."

"Then let's work on getting her to say yes. I think you will have at least another six months, probably a year, to prove to her that you are worth taking a chance on. That you will never become that horrible man again."

"Indeed."

Rhett usually dropped by the store two to three times a week. He even sometimes rode with Scarlett when she went to visit her mills. At this point, Rhett could honestly say they were great friends. They talked about their marriage and their misunderstandings. Rhett talked about his insane jealousy of Wilkes. Scarlett talked about her extremely selfishness of never considering his feelings, especially in regard to children and Ashley.

Rhett said, "Yes, I want children, but as I said before if you don't then we won't have any."

"Maybe we will have one or two."

"Thank you."

It wasn't just Scarlett's statement that made Rhett happy, but the fact she was seriously considering marrying him again.

Rhett had attended Wade's birthday party. He and Clarence had gone shopping together to make sure Rhett didn't buy a present that would cause Scarlett pain. Rhett had attended Wade's birthday supper although PittyPat was still not happy with Rhett being in her house so often. Henry had told her that there wasn't anything PittyPat could do about it. Scarlett was supporting her and through Wade, Scarlett had ownership of the house.

The next time Rhett stopped by the store, Scarlett said, "Are we doing anything on February second?"

"We could go to supper with the Powes?"

"No, Suzanne is in her confinement."

"I thought she wasn't going into a confinement."

"Social pressures. She still wants to belong."

"At least we don't have that problem."

"You don't have that problem. That was most of my problem with the matrons. I wanted to be included, but I also wanted to spit in their faces."

"I will never understand why women hate you so much."

"They don't hate me anymore. They still like to gossip about me, but there is no longer the strong hatred. They just can't understand why I am not ashamed of not behaving properly. During our first timeline, they hated me because every man wanted to be with me. They hated me because I enjoyed stealing men away from other women. They hated me because I really didn't care about what they said about me. I remember after Frank died you said something about me being like a thief who isn't sorry for having robbed someone, just sorry for having gotten caught. That is true. Sort of. I wanted to do what I wanted to do, but I didn't want people to speak badly about me for having done it. With Frank running away the total absurdity of their attitude has become clear. My husband ran away with another woman. He took all our money and left me to starve. Yet it will be shameful of me to divorce the maggot. I can't believe it."

"We can live in the North."

"And we will as soon as this issue with Frank and Suellen gets resolved. I just have to get Will and Careen married then Tara will be in safe hands."

"She isn't going back to the convent?'

"No, I think she is scared to return to that environment, and I think it has been long enough that her grief over Brent has faded. Tara has given her a purpose in her life. I know she already thinks of Susie as her daughter."

"That is good. If Tara is in safe hands, you will be more likely to move to the North with me."

Scarlett didn't respond to his statement, but instead said, "Where are we going to eat February second?"

"That new restaurant on fifth."

"What kind of food do they have?"

"Just regular food. I have been there, and the food was good."

"Do you get tired of eating out all the time?"

"Not really. I although I did enjoy making myself a sandwich in the middle of the afternoon especially when we were going to attend one of those Scallawag suppers. They never served the food until nine or ten o'clock."

"You couldn't have shared that with me? I was always starving by the time the meal was served."

"I thought if you were hungry, you would fix yourself a snack."

"I never thought about it."

Rhett laughed. He said, "It might have been common ground."

"I was too busy pretending to be a woman who never burped."

"Or farted."

"Rhett Butler, don't talk that way."

"Are you claiming you have never farted? I know differently."

"No, but you don't talk about it."

"I do."

"What? Fart or talk about it? I know you do both. Now hush, Rhett."

Rhett complied with Scarlett's request. After a few minutes she said, "I remember in our first timeline, Frank would do it all the time and claim that he hadn't done it." Rhett burst out laughing. Scarlett continued, "I don't know what was worse. His farting or his body odor from not bathing." Rhett burst out laughing. Scarlett continued, "One night for some reason after we were in bed, he raised both his arms over his head. I nearly threw up right then and there. I fell out of the bed looking for the bed pan. I ended up sleeping on the floor. It seems the stench rose to the ceiling."

"Why did you marry him again?"

"To get the three hundred dollars and to get my Ella."

Rhett had reached out his hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, but his arm stopped in midmotion. With a harshness Scarlett hadn't heard in this timeline, Rhett said, "You married that fat, stinky, stupid, old man to get your Ella back, but you won't marry me to get your Bonnie back."

Scarlett looked at Rhett's face and there was no emotion on it. His face was as hard and cold as it had ever been when they were married. As always when he behaved that way, he frightened her. She mustered up all her courage and as calmly as possible, she said, "First off, I could bully Frank so marrying him was no big deal. After I was sure I was carrying Ella, we never had relations again. Most important I can't go through our baby dying again."

Scarlett watched Rhett's body relax. He said, "Why do you think Bonnie is going to die again, but you don't think Ella is going to die?"

"Because we killed Bonnie last time. Me with neglect. You with overindulgence."

"You are right. I killed her."

"We killed her. I could have told you not to let her make that jump."

"I wouldn't have listened."

"So that makes it all right that I didn't try. No, it doesn't."

"Our relationship was so bad that if you had said the sky was blue, I would have said it was orange."

"And I would have walked away because it wasn't worth fighting about. Nothing was worth fighting about. You always won all the fights."

"I didn't win the fights. I just made you surrender. You surrendered to get away from the pain I was inflicting upon you."

"I was in my cocoon. My cocoon of brandy, Ashley's love, and you paying the bills."

"I love you. I will listen to you. I won't spoil her like I did last time."

"We can't get her back because of the timeline."

"Then whoever we get. I must go."

"Rhett?"

"We must think. Something we never did during our marriage. I will see you in a couple of days."

"All right."

"Let me kiss your hand."

"No, my cheek."

"All right."

Rhett briefly kissed her cheek and then walked off the store porch. He never looked back. He was so confused.

Clarence was walking beside him. The angel never said a word. He was confused also.

Once Rhett and Clarence were back at the hotel suite, Clarence said, "She loves you, and she wants to believe that you two could be happy."

"I agree. I just must continue being a good guy."

With Suzanne Powe being in her confinement, Scarlett forced PittyPat to go with her and Rhett to supper. The trio had an incredibly good time despite PittyPat's initial reluctance about attending the supper. The food was good, the conversation good, and the champagne extremely tasty. PittyPat even had a glass full.

Rhett and Scarlett did not talk about their daughter except in vague ways because of PittyPat's presence. Rhett made a comment about wanting to teach his daughter how to ride a horse. Scarlett talked about wanting to teach her daughter how to play the piano. And on and on.