Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ellen had written Scarlett back telling her that no she could not have Mammy. She had added that she would be lost without Mammy. If Scarlett wanted, Ellen would get her father to give her Prissy to take care of her baby. Would Scarlett and Rhett be able to come for a visit before she had to go into her confinement? Ellen had also added that Melanie Hamilton had written to Ellen asking for Scarlett's address. Ellen had given it to her. She hoped that was alright. It didn't matter to Scarlett. It was fine. If Melanie Hamilton wrote to her, that didn't mean Scarlett had to write her back.

As Scarlett thought about it, she probably would write Melanie back. Melanie was a victim of Ashley as much as she was. Maybe more. Ashley had actually made a commitment to Melanie, whereas to her he had just visited her every week without making any commitment.

In truth, Scarlett was better off with Rhett than with Ashley. Just as Melanie was better off with… what was his name? She remembered Matty Perry. She had remembered because Perry was the last name of the rubber band inventor and Matty because it was so unusual.

When Beth got her bathing suit about a month after she had ordered it. It was orange with white trim. When Percy saw it, he said, "I would have thought it would be blue."

"No, orange is my favorite color."

"Beth, you need a whole new wardrobe."

"Not yet. People are already talking about me enough right now, but each new dress I buy will be in a brighter color than the dresses I have now. Here is your bathing costume." Beth held it up and he saw that it was white with red stripes around it. She said, "Do you like it?"

"Next time get blue stripes, but I will wear this one for now."

"Shall we try them on?"

"Yes."

Percy didn't care about if the bathing costumes fit or not. He just wanted Beth to take her clothes off. He was pleased that he had the sexual ability of a thirty- year- old man.

After everything was said and done, he let her model her bathing suit for him. He even tried his on also. He looked in the mirror and was glad he had always taken care of his body. As he looked at his wife in her bathing suit, he was glad she had taken care of her body also.

Two months after their first sailing trip, over supper Percy said, "Now that the weather is warmer, what do you think, my love, shall we go sailing again?"

"Grand idea. Felicia sent me a note saying we needed to get together and discuss the wedding. I will invite the Moon family to go with us.

While out sailing Felicia, Beth, and Daphne discussed the wedding plans. At one point, Rhett said, "Would you like to go to Boston for your birthday? I need to make some sales calls up there and schmooze with some of our customers to keep them happy."

"Schmooze?"

"It means to impress or charm someone into doing what you want them to do."

"Oh, I am sure you are good at that."

"Yes, I am."

"Sounds like fun. We should go before we both can't fit in the sleeper."

"I agree."

This time Beth provided the picnic dinner and Rhett really liked those sandwiches also. He was also surprised because in his over twenty-four and a half years of living, he had never known his mother to serve sandwiches. These were chicken salad sandwiches. They had grapes, pecans, celery, and a dressing that contained dill. It was really good.

Scarlett said, "Mother, you will have to share this recipe with me so I can have our cook fix it when we finally move out."

Beth laughed and said, "Silly girl. I have no idea what the recipe is. Go visit the cook and get her to tell you how she makes them."

Before Christmas, Scarlett would have been offended with the way her mother-in-law was talking to her, but now she could enjoy the joke also. Scarlett was never actually going to prepare the chicken salad either. She would just pass the information on to her cook.

Beth said, "In that same light Felicia, I love this tomato and cucumber salad. Can you find out the recipe from your cook and give it to me to give to my cook?"

"Before we left England, I quizzed my cook on how to prepare my favorite dishes, therefore I do have this recipe which I will copy and send over to you."

"Wonderful."

Later in the day, Rhett watched his parents being openly affectionate to each other. He smiled. He thought, 'I didn't think the old man had it in him to melt that ice princess that was my mother. Kudos to the man. Maybe he isn't as proper as he has always appeared to be. Of course, he isn't, or he would never have given me money to give to Robert to use a whore. I don't care. Life is certainly better for me and the rest of the family. Except maybe Grandmother, but that is alright. She is an antiquated dinosaur.'

Rhett would be highly amused if he had known his parents had been walking the same path Rhett and Scarlett had walked. Percy was slowly introducing different things they could do in their marital bed. Unlike Scarlett, Beth was always eager to try something new. She figured she had lost twenty-six years of having a fun time with her husband and she wasn't wasting any more time.

Later that night in her bedroom Beth said to Percy, "Felicia is my first friend."

"I'm glad you have become friends with her. Europe is far ahead of us in medical care. Ask her if there is something Scarlett and Rhett can do to make sure she doesn't die while giving birth to her baby."

"Of course, my love. I will ask her next week when she comes over for tea."

"You are having her over for tea?"

"Her and every other woman who wasn't born in Charleston. That is just ridiculous to look down on a woman because of where she was born."

"When do you want to go to Myrtle Beach?"

"After Robert and Daphne get back from their honeymoon. You can be away from the plantation then. We have to be back by August first though. Just in case Scarlett is early."

"Perfect. Now come to bed."

"Certainly, Dear."

The couple was going to be in Boston on Scarlett's actual birthday; therefore, Rhett took Scarlett out to supper the night before they departed from Charleston. He wanted her to have one of her presents for the trip. He took her to Fleet Landing Restaurant. They had oysters as an appetizer. He had shrimp and grits. She had seafood pasta. They had a lovely time. For her present, he gave her a pair of ruby earbobs and a red carpetbag. She liked both of the gifts very much. Not enough to give Rhett his special thank you, but enough to be very warm and willing when Rhett made advances later that night. Rhett did stimulate her orally, which she appreciated very much.

In a room down the hallway, Beth took off her dressing gown and walked to the bed completely naked. Percy thanked God his cock was working one more time. It had never failed him, but he knew one day it would. Until it did, he was going to enjoy having fun with his wife.

March the fifteenth Rhett and Scarlett were on the train to Boston. He had promised her that they would go visit her parents before she had to go into her confinement. Scarlett had prepared their food for their trip to Boston. If Rhett got off the train to get food, it would be by choice not because he had to. Scarlett did what Rhett suggested. She got all the food she thought they would need, then got half again. By the time they had reached Boston train station, she was glad she had.

Rhett and Scarlett's first night on the train, he set up their bed. He quickly climbed into the berth and leaned over to help her up in the berth. When he grabbed her arm, she said, "You are squeezing my arm too tight. You are hurting me."

Rhett loosened his grip. He said, "I don't want you to fall and hurt yourself." By that time Scarlett was in the berth. He said, "As soon as we get home, we will go to visit your family. I don't want you climbing in and out of this berth any further along than you are."

As Scarlett was lying down on top of Rhett. She said, "Alright. I don't want to be climbing in and out of the berth with a load in front of me. Although we will not need a sleeping berth when we go to Tara. It is only a twelve-hour train trip."

"True. Maybe I should start helping you in out of the bunk from the ground."

"Yes, you should."

Rhett said, "Let me tell you about the first time my father took me sailing." He told her that story and several more stories about his childhood. Scarlett interrupted him to say, "I am amazed at the change in your mother. What do you think brought it about?"

Rhett lied and said, "I have no idea, but I'm glad that whatever happened, happened."

"Me too, Baby, me too."

The couple had supper almost every night with one of Rhett's customers. He had done a lot of schmoozing and charming with the gentlemen. Scarlett had smiled and made small talk with the other ladies. During the day, he had gone out to make sales calls in the morning. After dinner, they had taken in the local sights. The freedom trail, the harbor where the patriots had thrown tea into the harbor, the parks, and the zoos.

Rhett rarely went to the saloon to play poker anymore. Scarlett knew that part of it was because she didn't have a monthly anymore, but she felt the real reason was that he knew he had been so lucky to have survived a knife attack. He had been so lucky there was a doctor in the saloon to sew him up. He had been so lucky that his wife had taken him back to the hotel and had nursed him through the entire ordeal. That his wife hadn't killed him herself.

One of their rare nights alone, Rhett looked at Scarlett across the table in the restaurant and marveled that she was his wife. That she enjoyed being intimate with him as much as he did. Sometimes he thought she liked it more than he did because most of the time he did all the work. Not that he truly minded. He just thought himself lucky that she was the girl in the buggy incident and not some ninny.

Rhett and Scarlett spent ten days in Boston. By the time the couple got back on the train, he had five new clients for the shipping line. He got the berth ready. As she was climbing into the berth, he put his hand on her womanhood and pushed. When she scowled at him, he grinned. He said, "I wasn't trying to feel your private parts. It was just the best area to push you up from. It was just a side benefit that I got to touch you there."

As Scarlett scrambled into the berth, she said, "It is not like you haven't touch that area before."

As Rhett lifted himself into the berth, he said, "But not tonight."

"Rhett it is amazing you were able to get yourself in the berth on our way back from New Orleans."

As Rhett laid down and Scarlett laid on top of him, he said, "I guess I knew I had to do it. You certainly didn't have the strength to get me into the berth. There was only so much you could help because you didn't have the strength to help any more than you did. You gave me all you had to give."

"I was so afraid you were going to die."

"I was too, but I had my own personal warrior to protect me."

"Who?"

"You. You stormed into the saloon and dragged your husband out of there."

Scarlett giggled. She said, "More than you know. When we got to the Inn, we couldn't lift you to carry you across the lobby. It was all we could do to get you to the lobby. So, we dragged and pushed you across the lobby."

"I am certainly glad I was passed out."

"I had to take care of you. I could only do that at the Inn."

"No, you certainly couldn't have spent the night in a brothel."

"No, I couldn't. I couldn't even let you spend the night at a brothel."

"I am going to tell you about the first time I entered a saloon. I was scandalized at how little clothes the women were wearing. I soon figured out they were whores." As Rhett told his story, Scarlett didn't ask any questions. After all a lady doesn't speak of those things. Furthermore, she didn't want to know.

Soon they were both asleep.