Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Twenty

As Rhett walked out of the lawyer's office, he thought about him using Mr. Mobbs instead of Hugh's father. In the past, Rhett had used Hugh's father because Hugh's father had let him try to deal with Rhett's contracts. Now, he didn't want Hugh knowing any of his business. He hadn't dropped Hugh as a friend per se, but they spent a lot less time together than they had in the past. Rhett had even started going to another saloon and brothel than the one Hugh frequented just to make it less likely Rhett would run into his friend. These days Rhett wouldn't tell Hugh anything about Scarlett because every time he mentioned her in Hugh's presence his friend got a knowing smile on his face. The last time he had talked to Hugh the man had said, "You must be saving yourself a small fortune now that you don't have to pay for it."

It had made Rhett so mad. Hugh had implied that Scarlett was nothing more than a free piece of pussy. Even if he had thought something similar to that when they had first been married, he didn't think that way about her now. He would not let anyone else think about her that way either. He had grabbed Hugh by the lapels and said, "If you ever imply that is all Scarlett is again, I will call you out. Also, if you ever give her a lustful look again, I will call you out for that also. And stop fantasizing about her while you are fucking some nameless whore."

When Rhett had let go of Hugh's lapel's he had pushed the man. Hugh had fallen down. Hugh was not a small man, but Rhett outweighed him by at least twenty pounds and was at least an inch taller than the older man. Hugh had scrambled away from Rhett while saying, "Never again, Rhett, never again."

"Be sure you remember that."

"Sure, Rhett, sure."

Hugh was talking to Rhett's back because the younger man had already walked away. Hugh wondered how Rhett had known he had been fantasizing about Rhett's wife all the time. Not just when he was fucking some nameless whore, but when he was masturbating also.

As Rhett got in Scarlett's buggy outside Mr. Mobbs' office, he smiled. She had insisted that he take her buggy to run his errands that afternoon. She had said, "It has barely been a month since you got knifed. You are still not at full strength. And after dinner you are going to lay down and rest. It would be better if you took a nap, but I will be happy with you at least resting.

He loved it when she fussed over him. He once again wondered if she loved him. Wouldn't she say something if she loved him? Who knows? He told himself, 'It doesn't matter. What we have is pretty darn good. Especially considering we were strangers when we had gotten married. I can't sit here daydreaming. I must check on my businesses.'

The shipping business was running smoothly. Rudy had gotten an update from Eleuthere. He was able to keep both ships mostly fully stocked with shipments. The profits were rolling in.

At the bank, Rhett received some distressing news. There was a man, Herbert Hoover, who was buying up everyone's shares of the bank. He had already bought up fifty-one percent of the bank. He had fired the manager and had replaced him with himself. Rhett knew he would no longer have a say in the way the bank was run. He walked over to the manager's office and spoke to his secretary. He said, "My name is Rhett Butler. Can I speak with Mr. Hoover?"

Scarlett would have been amused to know that Rhett still introduced himself like he was the most eligible bachelor in Charleston. The secretary said, "I will see if he will see you Mr. Butler."

The young man came out of Mr. Hoover's office and said, "He will be happy to see you, Mr. Butler."

Mr. Hoover was standing up when Rhett entered the man's office. The man was in his fifties with a stout body. He had light brown hair and brown eyes. He stuck out his hand and said, "Herbert Hoover."

Rhett clasped the older man's hand and said, "Rhett Butler."

"What can I do for you?"

"Make me a reasonable offer and you can buy my part of the bank."

"How much do you own?"

"Fifteen percent."

"I don't need your share, but as a kindness I will offer you two hundred dollars."

"That is not a kindness, but an insult. My share of the bank is worth at least five hundred dollars. Maybe more since you have taken over management of the bank."

"Two hundred dollars. Take it or leave it."

"I will leave it. Everything you do to make you money will make me money also." Rhett stood up and said politely, "Good day, Sir."

Rhett turned and walked out of Mr. Hoover's office. He just hoped the man didn't run the bank into the ground. Strangely, Rhett thought he was going to make even more profit with Mr. Hoover in charge.

Rhett went home and had dinner. He did lay down after dinner. Partly to please Scarlett, but mostly because he was exhausted. He had even taken a nap. After he had gotten up from his nap, he took Scarlett Christmas shopping. They bought the presents for the residents of Tara first. She bought Pa a deck of cards, her mother some new perfume, Careen some more ribbons and hair clips, and Suellen a copy of the book Frankenstein. She told her husband, "That was a really delightful book. I'm sure Suellen will enjoy it while she is bored at Tara."

Rhett suspected that Suellen wasn't any more of a reader than his wife had been until he forced her to start reading. He knew she had given it to her sister because her sister would hate getting a book as a present. He knew Scarlett had last year when he had given her a book as one of her presents, nonetheless, he would give her another book this year. In fact, he had already bought it. He bought his father-in-law a bottle of Irish whiskey. Rhett thought it was neat to give an Irishman Irish whiskey.

That evening Scarlett had wrapped the presents. Rhett would take them to Charles in the morning. Charles was one of the footmen. Charles would crate them up and Rhett would take them to the post office.

The next day Rhett and Scarlett went Christmas shopping again. They were shopping for Rhett's family. He quickly bought his grandmother a box of chocolates, and his mother her favorite cologne. For the rest of the family, they discussed and talked about what would be the perfect present.

Scarlett said, "Can I give Simone a present?"

"No, Honey, it would make the other slaves jealous."

"I would think they would be happy at least she was getting something."

"Unfortunately, they wouldn't be."

"Alright, Dear."

Rhett and Scarlett decided to give Rosemary a diary and some hair clips. She was fourteen now and could wear her hair up if she wanted to. For Robert, they gave him a couple of bottles of fine wines to share with Daphne and Mr. and Mrs. Moon. For Percy, they couldn't think of anything.

The couple was able to take an evening walk that December night because it was warm for December. Nonetheless, they were both bundled up.

As Rhett and Scarlett walked along, she said, "Do you think your father wants grandchildren?"

"Every man wants his progeny to live on."

"Do you?"

"Yes, but not yet."

"I missed my last flow."

"I know, but maybe you missed it because of your anxiety and stress over having a husband almost die."

"Maybe, but I am also sick every morning."

Rhett stopped walking and turned to Scarlett. He said, "No matter what if you are with child, you are having the child."

"I know."

"The timing is not great, but at least we got over a year and a half of living rent free."

Scarlett smiled at him. She said, "We are both too strong of people to let anyone tell us how to raise our child. Let's not move out."

Rhett walked along. Not speaking, just thinking. His thoughts were: 'Was he knowingly willing to take on the challenge of getting his mother to not interfere in his and Scarlett's raising of their child?' He answered himself, 'Yes, to get them that much closer to the goal. The goal of him being independently wealthy. Besides, it would be Scarlett doing most of the fighting. I just have to back her up. Then get thanked in that special way she has of thanking me.'

Rhett said, "Let's not move out. I will ask Rosemary to move to another room so we can have her room for our baby's nursery."

"We will have to get a nursemaid. I wonder if Mother will let me have Mammy."

"Mammy?"

"My mammy."

"She is still around?"

"Yes, she was my mother's mammy."

"Probably not. Your mother still needs her for your sisters."

"True. What about your Mammy?"

"No, she has been dead for many years."

"What did she die from?"

"A fever. Rosemary had just turned five. Mother assigned one of the slave girls to take care of her, but that girl works in the fields now. I will buy you a woman to be our baby's mammy."

"Can we offer the position to Simone?"

"No, I want our baby's mammy to belong to me."

"Very well. Although all this might be a moot point if I start my flow tonight."

"Indeed, it might."

They walked a little longer. Rhett said, "When do you think it happened?"

"We didn't use protection in New Orleans that first time we were intimate after you were knifed."

"You didn't think I would be able to do it, did you?"

"No, I thought you would be in too much pain."

"I was in some mild pain, but the pleasure pushed all that out of my thoughts."

"Afterwards?"

"After I knew you were asleep, I got up and got some laudanum."

"You couldn't walk."

"The pain was so great I had to get relief. Furthermore, I couldn't admit to you that having relations was a damn stupid idea."

Scarlett burst out laughing. When she sobered, she said, "We did it the next night."

"And I made sure the laudanum was much closer."

"Are you still using it to dull the pain?"

"I'm not in pain anymore. So, I don't use it. I don't want to be addicted to anything, but you."

"Me neither."

Rhett and Scarlett walked along silently. Neither person wanted to ruin the moment. It was the closest they had come to admitting that the other one was extremely important to them.

A week before Christmas Day, Robert had asked over the supper table, "May I invite the Moons for Christmas dinner?"

Elizabeth said, "No."

Percy said, "Yes, the more the merrier. Maybe Mrs. Moon can bring a typical English Christmas dinner dish. Ask her to do that, Robert."

Percy was doing that more and more. Overruling Elizabeth. Ever since he had overruled Elizabeth on the menu for Christmas dinner the year before, he was asking himself why not. Scarlett having yams, rolls, and pecan pie had made her so happy. It had made her feel like she was part of the family and not some no-account girl from Georgia. He had finally decided this was the Butler family not the Kennesaw family. Therefore, they would behave as such.

In public Percy knew he would still have to behave as properly as Elizabeth, but in the privacy of his own home he would behave as he chose to. Most of the things Elizabeth was saying no to were because of some outdated rule book she was following. She herself didn't even know why she was saying no. She was saying no because that was what one said.

Rhett watched as his mother tightened her lips. There was going to be yet another foreign dish on her Christmas dinner table.