Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Life moved along for the Butlers. Rhett and Scarlett were becoming a couple, and the couple was becoming co-parents. They had never co-parented Bonnie. They were more mature. They were happy together. Yet it wasn't easy because they both had strong opinions on everything. Furthermore, they thought they were always right.

The family went sailing often. Scarlett made the children take swimming lessons. She and Rhett already knew how to swim. Everyone enjoyed the activity. Everyone had to wear a bathing suit. Scarlett wore a big floppy hat, and she got out on the deck.

Ella willingly wore a big hat. She didn't want to develop freckles. She knew she wasn't attractive, and she didn't want to make it worse.

Rhett hired a couple of day laborers to work the sails. He was not a young man and he had not taken the best care of his body. The truth was that he just didn't want to work that hard anymore. He had enough money to pay someone else to work that hard.

Rhett had made some money from his investments; therefore, he had not told any of his lawyers to send him his money. If they returned to the United States, the transfer of his money would be so much easier.

One morning when Rhett was coughing up a lung, he woke Scarlett. There was so much concern on her face. She said, "Please, quit smoking."

"I think I shall. I can't get my favorite brand of cigars anyway."

"Rhett, you must do everything you can do to live a long life. The boys would be too much for me to raise alone."

Rhett knew they would not be. His amazing Scarlett could do anything. Nonetheless, he was not ready to leave this world. He was not ready to leave her now that they were happy together. They deserved eleven and a half years of happiness. They had eleven and a half years of unhappiness. It was only right. He wanted a lot more than that, therefore he would start taking care of himself.

The next month had not been easy for either Rhett or Scarlett, but they both wanted him to become a non-smoker, so they persevered.

Three months after joining the Sydney Police Force, Wade was unhappy. He was working by himself now, which was good, but the job was not what he had thought it would be at all. As a patrolman, he just took the criminal complaint then turned it over to someone else. It was not exciting. It was not interesting. It was downright boring. He had also found out that it would be years before he had a chance at becoming a detective.

After Wade told his mother that he wanted to go to college, she knew they would be sailing back to the United States soon. All the children wanted to return to the United States. She would talk to Rhett about moving back.

That evening Scarlett spoke to Rhett. She said, "Wade wants to return to the United States and go to college. He doesn't like being a policeman.

"I want to go back to the United States, also."

"Alright. Why?"

"I don't like it here. Like you said it is so far away from our family and friends. It is so far away from everything."

Scarlett in her maturity did not question Rhett's statement. She knew he could never cut the ties that bound him to the South. He hated the South, but he loved it also. He couldn't break all ties. Isn't that what he had said that awful night? She said, "Let's return to the United States, but where?"

"How about the Northwest? We could move to Oregon. You could start a lumber business."

"No, Rhett, I will never work again."

Rhett knew that what Scarlett had said was false. She was a businesswoman, and quite a good one. Furthermore, it was something she enjoyed doing. He would make sure she opened another business. He said, "San Francisco?"

"Cambridge."

"Let's talk to Wade about it. He may not want his family going to college with him."

"I can let him go alone now, but we have to visit him frequently."

"Yes, let's. I love you. Convince me."

"Of course."

Rhett's member had not risen to the occasion, but he made sure Scarlett had an enjoyable time. Afterwards she said, "Rhett?"

"I couldn't."

"Oh, Rhett."

"Don't despair, my love. Sleeping next to you is enough."

Scarlett knew it wasn't, but she accepted Rhett's explanation. She knew if she questioned him, it would have embarrassed him so much more. She guessed he couldn't achieve an erection as easily as he had before. She felt great sadness. When he could, she had rejected him. Now that she wanted him so much, he couldn't. Scarlett was not unaware of the ironicness of the situation.

Scarlett hugged her husband closely. She tried to become one with him in another way. He held her closely also. Neither person said any more about it. It was the first time that Rhett's member had not risen to the occasion. There had been some action in his nether regions, but he had not become firm enough to enter her even after Scarlett had stroked him several times. Both were aware it would happen more and more until they could never be one again.

Rhett was not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. He was fifty-two years old, and he had not lived the healthiest lifestyle in those fifty-two years.

Emily had worked out at the store. In fact, she soon was as good as her father. Three months after starting work at the store the day after Scarlett and Rhett had decided to return to the United States, Emily said to Scarlett, "How much does it cost to buy a general store?"

"Emily, you are not going to believe your good luck. My husband and I have decided to move back to the United States. I will sell you Cooper's for what I paid for it, which was one hundred and fifty pounds."

"I don't have that much. I have some money my grandmother left me, but it is only one hundred and twenty-five pounds."

"I will take it. I will get my lawyer to write up the contract. It will be worth it to take the loss, just to get it sold in a hurry."

Scarlett had taken less for the store than she had paid for it because Emily was not an attractive woman. She was a plain woman with mousy brown hair and flat brown eyes. She was sweet and nice, but Scarlett already knew that Emily was smart. Furthermore, she didn't mind anyone knowing she was smart. She had reminded Scarlett of Melly, although Melly had a pleasant heart shape face. The bottom line was that Emily was going to have to support herself the rest of her life.

As Scarlett was leaving to go home for dinner, she said, "Emily, tomorrow morning I will show you how to do the books."

"Thank you, ma'am."

The next day Wade quit his job with the Sydney Police Department. His sergeant was aghast. This was a good paying job for someone as young as Wade. Finally, the sergeant decided that Wade's age was why he was quitting. He was too young to know when he had it good.

Because Wade was no longer working, he was at the dining room table for dinner. Scarlett said, "Wade, what are you doing here? I thought you had to work today."

"If I was still working, I would, but I quit my job today."

"Alright. Will you join Rhett and me in the parlor after dinner?"

"Of course, Mama."

After dinner Ella and the twins went upstairs to play in the twins' room. The boys had stopped even being made to lay down after dinner when they turned six.

Rhett, Scarlett, and Wade were sitting in the parlor. Scarlett said, "We are going to move back to the United States. Probably to San Francisco. Would you like to live with us."

"Why can't we move back to Cambridge? I want to go to Harvard like my dad."

Rhett said, "We wanted a city that neither of us has a history with."

"You can go to Harvard, Sweetheart, it will just be alone."

"Will you come visit me?"

"Yes." With a smile Scarlett said, "I will let you ride the train back and forth by yourself. After all, you are a mature man of eighteen."

"If I don't like Harvard, I can find a school in San Francisco."

Rhett said, "That sounds like a good plan. We will tell the children over supper."

"Of course, Dear."

Supper was steak and kidney pie. It did not go unnoticed by Scarlett that everyone was pushing the kidney part out of the way, even Rhett. Rhett said, "We have decided to move back to the United States. We are moving to San Francisco while Wade while be going to Harvard in the fall. We will be leaving in about a month. We have to sell the horses and the ponies. The store…."

"I have already done that. I sold it to my new employee Emily. I have to go see Mr. Jefferson about the contract."

"My sailboat, and anything we can't fit in our trunks. You all will be happy to know that we will be going back in a first-class cabin. The largest one they have."

"Thank you, Dear."

Kenny said, "I'm going to miss my friends. I didn't have friends before."

"You will have friends in San Francisco because you are now a well-behaved young man like Gerry."

"Thank you, Mama for turning me into a well-behaved young man."

"Me too, Mama."

Wade said, "Me too."

"No, Melly and Mammy turned you into a well-behaved young man. I just gave you spirit."

"Am I a well-behaved young lady?"

"You know you are. With an amazing imagination."

"Thank you, Mama."

Rhett said, "Now, everyone, eat up. What is for dessert?"

"We are not having dessert. I was quite sure nobody would finish their steak and kidney pie."

"You were right, my love."

The next day Rhett drove Scarlett down to Tom Jefferson's office in their buggy. After the couple was seated in Tom's office, he said, "How nice to see you again, Mrs. Butler, Rhett. What can I do for you?"

Scarlett said, "I am going to sell my store for one hundred and twenty-five pounds to Emily Dickenson. Will you draw up the contract?"

"Of course. I can have it done in two to three days. I will send you a note when the contract is ready to be signed."

"I will bring Emily down at that time and we will sign the contract." Scarlett stood up and said to Rhett, "I'm taking the buggy. You can get a taxi home."

"Very well, my dear. I will see you at dinner."

"Of course."

After Scarlett had left the office, Tom decided that Rhett had been kidding about his wife stealing his sons and running away with them. It was obvious that the couple was very much in love.

Rhett said, "We have decided to return to the United States. I need to sell my sailboat and get out of my lease on the house."

"The penalty for breaking the lease is one month's rental payment."

"That is fine."

"As it turns out I know someone who wants to buy a sailboat. How much do you want?"

"One hundred and fifty pounds."

"That is twenty-five pounds more than you paid for it."

"Yes, but I have to make up for having to pay an extra month for the house."

Tom smiled. He said, "I will contact him."

"I was going to invest some money with Mr. Graham, but I won't. Would you contact him and let him know?"

"Gladly. What about your other investments?"

"I only have one more still in the works. It should be finished by the end of the week." Rhett stood up and said, "Now I have to go book our passage to San Francisco. I am not looking forward to being trapped in a cabin for two months with my sons. They are very spirited."

"That is why I have never left Australia. It is too far to travel to anywhere."

Rhett smiled. The men shook hands and Rhett left the office. He took a cab to the White Star Cruise Line. He booked their passages to leave in three weeks. He had wanted to leave in two weeks, but he was informed that a three-bedroom cabin was available if he waited another week. The extra space was worth waiting for. If they hadn't sold everything by then they would just leave what they hadn't sold behind. He took a cab back to his home.