Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Seventy-Two

Scarlett hosted Christmas dinner. She invited Cathy and Calvin and Patrick, and Alice, and one of Rhett's new business acquaintances, James Stewart and his wife, Gloria. They had a goose, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, pecan pie (with pecans that Scarlett had Careen mail to her) and buttermilk pie. And a small bowl of yams for Rhett.

When he saw the yams, he said, "How? They don't grow here."

"No, but when Careen mailed me the pecans, I had her toss a couple of yams in the box. Merry Christmas, Baby."

"Is this one of my Christmas presents?"

"Of course, Dear. You are too hard to shop for not to take advantage of any gift that comes my way."

After Rhett and Scarlett got into the bed that night, he said, "When do we have to stop being intimate?"

"February first."

"Good. Come here, my love."

Scarlett got the telegram three days later. Eulalie Boykin was dead. She was going to be buried at Tara. They would have a small service and reception. Scarlett telegraph back that they would not be attending.

After Scarlett told Rhett about her aunt's death. He said, "If my mother wants to attend, I will take her."

"Alright."

"I won't go if you think you might need me."

"I won't need you until February first."

"All right. Let me go talk to her."

Rhett liked being able to walk to his mother's home. He liked the way his mother had decorated her townhouse. He liked the style of clothing she was now wearing.

Elizabeth had gone with Rhett to the opera one night when Scarlett had begged off with a sick headache that Rhett knew was fake. He let her get away with it, because she hated the opera so much. She usually went with him, so he was alright with giving her a night off so to speak. The fact that she was very romantic when he got home was a nice reward for letting her get away with lying. No, what was a nice reward for letting her get away with lying to him was the big smile she gave him when he accepted her lie. Full well knowing he knew she was lying to him.

Rhett knocked on Elizabeth's door. The door was answered by the butler. Butler was a fancy term for the man. He was more of a footman, but since Elizabeth was paying his salary, it wasn't any of Rhett's business what the man called himself. The man could call his job title anything he wanted.

The butler, whose name was Alfred Pennyworth, showed Rhett into the parlor where his mother was sitting. Elizabeth got up and gave her son a kiss on his cheek. She said, "Come sit down. What a nice surprise."

"I have bad news, Mother."

"Which one?"

"Mrs. Boykins."

"It won't be long before Pauline passes away also."

"I believe you are right."

"Their life was over when they had to move to your wife's family plantation."

"Scarlett had no other choice. She could not support them and their Charleston lifestyle."

"Rhett, I love the fact that you jumped to Scarlett's defense, but I was not criticizing her. In truth, I think she was kind to let them move to .. Tara?"

"Yes. Tara."

"She could have cut them off without a cent. They were never going to be grateful. They would never realize that nobody had any money anymore. They would never realize that they were no longer Charleston grand dames."

"I told them something similar."

Elizabeth smiled and said, "Probably not very politely."

"I was blunt, yes."

"They wrote and asked if they could move in with me. I told them no. I am glad I did. If they had been in the house, Rosemary probably would not have been as brave as she was to marry Derek."

"Or she would have married him sooner to get away from them."

With a smile on her face, Elizabeth sanctioned her son by sternly saying, "Rhett."

Of course, any chastisement was lost when she giggled.

Rhett asked, "How were you friends with them?"

"Before the war, they weren't as priggish, but the loss of their wealth and their children caused them to cling to the old ways."

"Why didn't you cling to the old ways?"

"Scandal after scandal made me question the old ways."

"I'm glad you did. I'm glad you are living with us in Boston. So, to speak."

"No, I don't want to go, but thank you for being willing to escort me to it."

"I never said a word."

"Aw, but I know you, Rhett. You really are a good boy."

Rhett thought, 'At least she thinks I am a good boy. Maybe Ella does too. Nobody else would ever think I was a good boy.'

As of the first of the year every evening a tutor was going to come to the townhouse to teach Prissy how to read. His name was Elijah McCoy. He was a young man of African descent who was an inventor. He was struggling to feed himself until he invented his great invention. Rhett paid him for an hour, but he was soon spending a lot longer at the brownstone.

As predicted by everyone, Pauline Williams passed away less than a month after her sister. When Scarlett got the telegram, she said to Rhett, "Why do you think some siblings are close while others aren't."

"I think it has to do with dissimilar personalities."

"Go on."

"I think you and Suellen were not close because you were a selfish, self-centered person who wanted all the male attention and so was Suellen."

This shocked Scarlett. She said, "You think Suellen was selfish and self-centered?"

"And eaten up with jealousy."

"She may have had reasons to be jealous. I was definitely Pa's favorite and maybe Mammy's."

"I don't know about that she did choose Careen over you."

"No, I didn't need her. Careen, Will, and Cassie certainly did need her. They still do. Will would have been lost if Mammy hadn't gone to Tara to take care of Cassie after Suellen ran away."

"And Will."

"Then Careen."

"Besides, you have me."

"Mr. Wonderful."

"I will accept the moniker."

Scarlett smiled and said, "The day we got married, Mammy was about to lecture me on how awful you were, but I stopped her and told her you were wonderful. Then a few minutes later, she told me she was going to stay with Careen. When I said I didn't have anyone, she replied, 'You have Mr. Wonderful.' While I did think you were wonderful, I didn't like her using my words against me."

Rhett laughed and said, "You can call me Mr. Wonderful anytime you want especially in the bedroom."

Scarlett smiled at her husband. She said, "Back to Suellen, do you really think because we were so alike is the reason we didn't get along."

"Yes, you didn't care about anyone, but yourself and she was jealous that you were always the winner."

"There were young men that would come to call on her and I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand that any man would prefer any woman over me."

"Scarlett, I have to ask. Why did you tolerate being second best in regard to Mr. Wilkes?"

"I wasn't second best. He had to marry her because of his family pressures."

Rhett waited. He waited for Scarlett to get there. She finally said, "I was a child. I only believed what I wanted to believe. If someone told me the truth or tried to get me to see the truth. I ignored them or got mad at them." They were both quiet. Finally, she said, "He lost all pretense the night Melly died."

"He finally told you the truth. Not in an act of courage, but as part of his total collapse."

With a wry smile, Scarlett said, "Yes."

To lighten the mood, Rhett said, "Back to Suellen. The only thing she had, so to speak, was Mr. Kennedy and you managed to take him away from her also. Like you said once, you know she took him back just to beat you at something."

Rhett's words did restore Scarlett's happy mood. They made her remember her triumph over Suellen. Rhett was afraid their children were going to be just too damn competitive.

Scarlett said, "I don't want our children to not like each other."

"Do Wade and Ella like each other?"

"Not in our first timeline. At least not until we moved to Boston."

"Wade will be hard because he will be so much older than the other children, but we will work at our children getting along."

"Did you get along with your siblings?"

"Rosemary was so much younger than me that we didn't have a relationship. Robert…. I don't know. We played together when we were children, but I was already a selfish, arrogant person, I don't know if he liked me. Not very many of the other boys liked me."

Maybe someday Rhett would tell Scarlett about his friend, Buddy Hackett, but he doubted it. It was just too painful to remember what he had done.

"None of the other girls liked me. It was because I didn't want to sit in the house and play with dolls. I wanted to run and climb trees."

"Mrs. Hilton liked you. Didn't you tell me she was your friend?"

"Yes. We stole beaus back and forth, but we never took it seriously."

Rhett thought of the callousness of that statement. Neither Scarlett nor her friend were the least bit concerned about the boys' feelings.

Rhett said, "What are you going to do about your aunt?"

"Send our regrets, of course."

"Let me go tell my mother right now, before I forget."

"Kiss me."

"You bet."

After an extremely passionate kiss, Rhett said, "We could go upstairs instead."

"No, it is too far to climb for that."

"I am not going to get offended by that statement, instead I will write it off to your condition."

"Good idea."

Scarlett and Rhett had a birthday party for Wade. They invited everyone in his class at The Branson School and several of Rhett's new business acquaintances. Everyone had a wonderful time, especially Wade.

On January twenty-sixth while Rhett and Scarlett were enjoying a rare sunny day by sitting outside, she felt a contraction. She was not concerned because she had been experiencing false labor since Wade's party. As she continued talking to Rhett, she noticed the contractions were getting stronger and more frequent.

Around ten-thirty, Scarlett decided this was real labor. She looked at Rhett with panic on her face. She clutched his arm and said, "I am in labor."

"It is too soon."

"I know, but I am in labor."

"Let me send for Mary."

"All right but come right back."

"I will be back in a few minutes."

Rhett was back in about five minutes. He helped Scarlett up the stairs. Once he got her on the bed and semi-comfortable, He said, "I sent Disney for Mary. Um Um."

"What, Rhett?"

"Do you want my mother in here? If not, I will tell her no."

"No, I don't want my mother-in-law in the room when my private parts are on display."

"All right, Dear."

"What does it say about being in your daughter in law's bedroom while she is giving birth in the Charlestonian proper behavior booklet?"

"I don't think there is such a thing."

"Just a minute, I have to endure a contraction." A minute later, Scarlett said, "What were you saying?"

"I don't think there is a proper behavior booklet."

"A Charlestonian proper behavior booklet. There must be. Every one of those witches behaves exactly the same. Not that your mother is a witch."

"Not now she isn't."

"Would you like me to get Mrs. Hilton?"

"No, I want you."

Rhett sat down on the bed and took Scarlett's hand. He said, "Very well. I will get my mother to stay with Ella, while I help you bring our Bonnie into the world."

"Thank you, Dear."

"Let me send Walt for my mother. I will be right back."

"Wonderful idea.

Neither person voiced their concern, but both of them were extremely worried Bonnie was coming a week early.