Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Sixty-Three

The wedding went off without a hitch and the reception was lovely. Scarlett had thought about telling Careen how much fun could be had in her marital bed then realized there would be no fun in Careen's marital bed only duty, so she kept her mouth shut. When she had that thought, she searched for her husband. He was with Ashley. She wondered which ancient tome they were discussing. Rhett knew so few people who had read those ancient tomes also that he would have a conversation with just about anyone to have someone to talk to about them.

Scarlett smiled. She was so lucky not only did he satisfy her in the bed, but he also found out how to prevent her from getting with child, then he had found out about ether and chloroform. He also took her places. If she had been married to Ashley none of that would have been true. She also was going to stay far away from his discussion with Ashley.

Most people started leaving the reception around five o'clock. Suellen had chosen to leave George at Twelve Oaks, which Scarlett thought was a shame. She would have liked to see the little boy. Scarlett hadn't even gotten to see Mammy because she was taking care of George. Scarlett hoped Mammy didn't get attached to George like she had with Tommy.

Rhett and Scarlett stayed another week. Scarlett had visited with Cathy at the reception and saw that her friend was with child again.

Rhett and Scarlett had taken the carriage into Atlanta and visited with Melly and Matty. It was a good visit, but it was plain to see that the couples were just superficial friends. Nonetheless, Scarlett and Rhett would continue to call on them when they came to Georgia. Scarlett and Melanie would continue to correspond.

At supper Rhett and Scarlett's last night at Tara, the men were having a political discussion. During the discussion, Brent said, "If they don't make Kansas a slave state, we will just take our slaves up there and thrash them."

Not surprisingly Rhett, Gerald, and Scarlett stared at Brent like he had just fallen off the turnip wagon, but so did Ellen and even Careen. When Careen rolled her eyes, Scarlett knew that her baby sister had lost her rose-colored glasses. She was sorry it had happened so quickly, but she had known it would happen.

The Butlers and Agnes returned to Charleston. Gerald and Ellen were sorry to see the grandchildren go. Despite the fact that Suellen and George lived next door to Tara, Gerald and Ellen rarely saw their grandson. Suellen just didn't bring him over very often. She always said she was too busy to have time to call on people.

Rhett and Scarlett were hauling a lot of cargo all through the summer and fall of fifty-six. Whatever northern city they went to Rhett looked for business ventures to invest in and made sales calls. Most all Scarlett did during these trips was stay in the hotel room and read the newspaper. On June sixteenth, Scarlett was reading an article in the New York Tribune. It was written by Horace Greenly. She read the words 'bleeding Kansas.' Later over supper she told Rhett about the words and asked, "Is it really that bad?"

"It is very bad. People in Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska are fighting to the death over the matter of slavery."

"To the death?"

"I have heard there have been at least forty-five documented murders. There are probably more that are questionable."

"Rhett, do you think there is any way to settle this peacefully?"

"No, there is no middle ground. A person either believes slavery is right or wrong. There are a lot of people who do not own slaves, but they still believe owning another person is acceptable. There are people in the North who don't care to get involved in the slavery issue, but they still believe that it is not alright to own another person."

"What your father did was so very brave?"

"Yes, and costly. His slaves were valued at half a million dollars, and now because someone contaminated the water supply at Middleton Acres, the land is worthless."

"Someone contaminated the water. I thought they all die from disease."

"No, we have no proof, but Father and I are pretty sure they were murdered. That is why Father sent them North."

"To protect them from more retribution?"

"Yes."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Very well. What do you want to name our next child?"

"Why? I'm not with child."

"I'm very much aware."

"Are you going to go play poker?"

"No, I tried to only play poker in Charleston nowadays, besides I have left you alone all day. I am not going to leave you alone all evening also."

"Thank you, Rhett."

"I have to maintain my status as the best husband ever."

"Yes, you do."

"I have made some risky investments, but most of them have paid off quite well. A few I lost money, but I am worth twenty thousand dollars now."

"Wow!"

"Yeah."

"Eat up. We will go for a walk."

"Alright."

The year moved along. Tommy turned five in August. Luckily his parents were in port for his birthday party. His grandparents were not, but they had promised to bring him back a nice present.

On Tommy's fifth birthday, Rhett asked him if he wanted to move into his own room. The boy had looked at him and simply said, "No, Daddy. I like sleeping in the same room with Agnes and Grace."

"Very well, Son. Maybe when you turn six."

"Yes, when I turn six." In September, Alex turned four. That time Rhett and Scarlett were at sea, but Alex's grandparents were able to attend the party.

Amazingly because Rudy and Rhett could get the shipped cargo to the other destination faster because of Percy's ship, they were keeping all four of their ships constantly on the water. They also were not shipping any of their cargo with du Pont shipping, therefore the four ships were picking up that cargo also. They tried not to send one of their ships into the Gulf of Mexico, but sometimes they had to for a big customer. Either Rhett or Percy would take those assignments because both Rhett and Percy were charming enough to usually line up another cargo.

One time Percy had taken a cargo to New Orleans then another to Galveston then another one back to New Orleans then one to Miami. Rhett and Rudy were quite impressed. Percy said, "I am a very charming man."

Percy took most of the assignments because Scarlett was getting very reluctant to leave her children behind, but Rhett usually took every third one. Nonetheless, it was getting harder and harder for her to leave her children behind especially when Tommy started crying as Scarlett and Rhett were leaving the townhouse. When Grace had started crying also, Rhett had to force Scarlett to leave the townhouse. Yet, he did. He still wanted her with him all the time. He loved his children to the moon and back, but their mother was his whole world. Rhett smiled regrettably as they boarded the ship one more time, maybe she was their whole world also. No, not their whole world. They were his children. He was part of their whole world. Rhett had smiled and thought, 'Maybe the children aren't just crying because their mother is leaving, but their father is leaving also.'

Yet, Rhett had to do what he had to do for everyone's future. He hoped he didn't live to regret his decisions.

There were a lot of people in Tommy and Grace's lives. Scarlett was always arranging playdates for her children. There were their parents, there were their grandparents, there were their cousins and their Uncle Robert and Aunt Daphne, there was Agnes, and there was their Aunt Rosemary. The two people who were constantly in their lives were Agnes and Rosemary.

When Grace had called Rosemary Mama neither Agnes nor Rosemary reacted to it, but when she did it again the women knew they had to nip this in the bud. They knew Scarlett would be devastated. She might never leave her children again which would cause problems between Scarlett and Rhett. Everyone knew that Rhett demanded that Scarlett travel with him. Fortunately, when it happened Scarlett and Rhett were out to sea.

For the next three days, both Agnes and Rosemary worked with the little girl to get her to call Rosemary Aunt Rosemary. By the third day Grace was consistently calling Rosemary Auntie. For the next month if Grace called Rosemary Mama both women continued to correct the child. They both prayed that Grace never did it in front of Scarlett. Rhett would be able to handle it, but Scarlett would not handle hearing Grace call Rosemary Mama even once.

Tommy called Agnes Aggie and luckily Grace did too. Tommy rarely called Rosemary by name therefore Grace had not had an example to go by. Although Grace had called Rosemary Mama when she saw Scarlett she never failed to call her Mama as well. So, all was well now.

Scarlett found out that Careen was with child. It was expected in March. Scarlett briefly wondered if Mammy would return to Tara after Careen's child was born.

By coincidence all the Butlers were in port for Grace's second birthday party.

The family had a nice Christmas dinner. Percy and Beth were not going to be back until Christmas eve which meant all the planning of the meal had fallen onto Scarlett's shoulders. She had been doing a lot more in the management of the household with Beth being gone so much. Beth had accepted that things were not going to be done her way when she was not in residence. After a month of menu planning, Scarlett had told Rosemary that she was going to have to do it every other week. She was not going to be making those decisions all the time. Then she had told Daphne that she needed supper suggestions from her. Again, Scarlett was not going to be making those decisions all the time. Rosemary and Daphne were agreeable to help Scarlett with the menu planning. Daphne knew it was a thankless chore and after her first week Rosemary knew it too.

Rosemary once said to her sisters-in-law, "How can a person decide what they are going to want to eat a week away?"

Scarlett said, "I know what Rhett's favorites are, so those are the ones I select for supper a week away."

Daphne said, "Good idea."

Rosemary said, "That doesn't help me. I don't have a husband."

"Then choose your favorites or find out Doug's favorites and invite him to supper."

The Christmas dinner was chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, greens, mashed turnips, roasted vegetables, and corn bread. The desserts were mincemeat pie and plum pudding in honor of Warren and Felicia. The couple was still missed by everyone except the children. That had made Daphne cry. Her parents had been a major part of her boys' lives, but now the boys didn't remember them at all. She knew it was just a fact of life. Children didn't have long memories, but at least she had her memories of her parents with her sons.

It soon became fifty-seven and Kenny was celebrating his third birthday. Robert and Daphne were going to start trying to make a girl. Of course, if they got a boy, they would be disappointed, but they would love him anyway.

On February fourteenth Rhett and Scarlett were in Washington, D.C. They only had two days in the city. They had gone to see the Washington Monument that was only half completed. Scarlett said, "Why is it only half done?"

"They ran out of money in fifty-four. They couldn't find anyone to donate money to the building of the monument. In fifty-five the architect died. I think his name was Mills. I think after that there wasn't anyone to keep pushing the project or charm people into donating money. In fact, I read somewhere that some of the people that were part of the project did more harm than good in regard to the people who had money to donate.

"That is kind of embarrassing. The monument that is supposed to honor our most important founding father is only half finished and nobody cares enough to get it finished or give money to the cause."

"True, Baby."

Author's Notes: Work was not started on the Washington Monument again until eighteen seventy-six. That was when congress assumed the duty of funding the project. The job was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, led by Lt. Col. Thomas Lincoln Casey.