A/N: First, this is 100% movie based. (No Wade, Ella, etc) I understand the sequel isn't popular, but it holds a place in my heart. I used to write on here years ago and stopped. This thought has been wandering around in my head for a bit, and it's what brought me back. Of course, I've been lingering and reading all of your fics, and I love them.
Quick refresher: In the sequel, Scarlett and Rhett have one last night together before he divorces her. She becomes pregnant, but he marries someone else, and she moves to Ireland and keeps the baby a secret. That's all you need to know because I'm re-writing the rest. Enjoy!
Chapter One- Rhett
Anne breathed softly beside him, exhausted from the day as usual. Pregnancy was taking her strength in a way that it never had with Scarlett, who had worked until the last acceptable moment and never seemed bothered- aside from the complaints about her changing figure. Anne, in almost every single way imaginable, was the exact opposite of Scarlett.
A walk around their home's garden was the day's exercise, and after, she required a nap. She was ill every morning, and she barely ate despite him buying all manner of treats for her. She never complained, though, seemingly accepting that this was part of her life as a woman. Those extreme differences were what had first intrigued him after all.
His mother was overjoyed, of course, at the prospect of another grandchild. She'd never gotten to enjoy Bonnie, and it was a regret he would carry with him to his grave- along with others.
Inevitably, thoughts of Bonnie always led to thoughts of Scarlett. Rhett still couldn't wrap his head around that Scarlett had taken up and moved to Ireland. He'd thought of little else since the foxhunt fiasco and, later, their upsetting meeting at the hotel.
Rhett had convinced himself he was going to the hotel to make sure she was genuinely okay from the riding accident, but he knew at least a part of him had gone in response to the startling headline of her on the front page of the Irish Times. His southern belle had turned landed gentry in Ireland and was introduced to the Viceroy- and was escorted by an English Earl.
There was a time that he would have found a snide comment about her beguiling yet another man, but even he knew he had no leg to stand on as he'd married less than a year after their divorce. Still, the calm, adjusted Scarlett from the county fair in Ireland that he had first seen was not the image he had spent the last two years envisioning. The Scarlett he pictured was always one of two versions: first- still chasing after the bone-headed Ashley Wilkes, or second, depressed and pining for him, still waiting in their atrocious house in Atlanta. He'd never considered a third option.
Now back home in America, for at least the next 4 months until Anne gave birth, Rhett found he had little to do aside from thinking. Anne didn't want him traveling as she neared her confinement, and he found he didn't want to argue the point. For the most part, his business ventures handled themselves.
Sally had stopped by the previous morning, casually mentioning that she'd received a letter from Scarlett. His old childhood friend seemed strangely loyal to his ex-wife, and he thought the two women might actually care for each other. It was a novelty as neither woman made it a habit to ingratiate themselves with other women. While Sally spoke respectfully to Anne, there was never the connection that she and Scarlett seemed to share. If Anne noticed or minded, she once again remained silent. She was, in all definitions of the word, the perfect wife, and Rhett loved her for it. He was also completely and utterly bored.
The letter to Sally detailed that Scarlett would be making a trip to America in the coming months. She'd mentioned that she'd planned on never returning but that Suellen- whom Scarlett now had an amicable relationship with- had requested her presence as soon as she was able to discuss their youngest sister, Careen. She'd given no date, but Sally assumed it would be when the weather had warmed, and the journey would be easier.
Rhett understood that he'd given up the right to know anything about Scarlett's doings or travels when he divorced her- or, more accurately, the day he left her on Peach Tree Street. Still, there was a strange, unsettled feeling knowing that she might drift in and out of the country- so close to him and yet so far- and he would never know it until after. He wanted to ask Sally to keep him appraised, but he refused to satisfy her. Rhett was reasonably confident she found a sick satisfaction in telling him how well Scarlett was doing without him. He never asked for updates, but Sally always provided them. He wondered if she did the same to Scarlett- did Scarlett ask after him? Did she care at all?
Anne shifted beside him, moving closer to him- seeking warmth. He placed a hand on the swell of her stomach beneath her night dress. He'd never considered another child after Bonnie; even when he'd proposed to Anne, he hadn't thought of having more children. Fate seemed to have other plans, and shortly after their wedding, Anne told him she was expecting.
That first month was a hodgepodge of emotions. The idea that he might have another person to love warmed Rhett's still-aching heart. Still wracked with guilt, he worried that his parenting might also lead to killing this child. He vowed to be less indulgent. He marveled at seeing his wife be happy and excited about a pregnancy- something he hadn't experienced before. When no one was around, he cried at the idea that Bonnie would never know their sibling.
Accepting that sleep would not come that night, Rhett slowly moved from the bed, careful to not wake his wife. He covered her with an extra blanket, casting one more look at her as he slipped on a pair of pants and shirt and exited their bedroom. Rhett walked through his old ancestral home and went outside. Like usual, he was led to the stall where his favorite horse roamed. The beautiful roan moved toward him on sight, and for just a moment, he thought he saw Scarlett sitting atop him. He shook his head and sighed, not for the first time wondering if he had gone a bit mad.