Dear readers, good evening!

Before I post the next chapter, I really want to thank all of you for your reviews! Those who write them all the time, and those who write such detailed messages (thank you Guest:)), and those who write in private messages, and those who just read!

Truly, it's very pleasant and inspiring, thank you!

I'm very glad that some of you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it.

The new chapter is here, the action and conversations are running parallel.

Enjoy reading!:)

P.S. I wrote the last passage in the exact weather described there. And we have such weather tonight:) It's just a coincidence:)

I own nothing in regard to GWTW.

Chapter 8.

A new day was beginning in Atlanta, a new sunny morning had come. In the Peachtree Street mansion, two people were sitting at the table, father and daughter.

Rhett and Bonnie had awakened early, without conspiring, and were in a hurry to finish breakfast so they could go to the post office and send a letter to Savannah.

Bonnie drew a new picture of her mother as a 'princess' in a green dress. Rhett suspected that Melanie had helped her with the drawing, but Bonnie had spent a long time colouring it with awkward, childish strokes, afraid of messing it up.

The result was marvellous in his daughter's opinion and she asked him to sign the drawing again.

"What should I write, baby?" asked Rhett quietly the night before as he tucked his daughter into bed.

"Daddy, write to Mummy that she's beautiful, like a princess, and that I love her so much," Bonnie replied, then added, "and write about yourself, Daddy, you love Mummy, don't you?"

Rhett froze with pencil in hand. Of course he did.

Bonnie looked at him questioningly and he smiled and said, "Baby, this is your drawing and I'll sign it on your behalf and your Mummy will get a letter from me, okay?"

Bonnie nodded and the inscription, "Mummy, you look beautiful, like a princess and I love you so much!" was written on the back in Rhett's handwriting and signed "Bonnie."

That night, Rhett thought long and hard about what to write to her, how to start the letter, how to address her. He spent a couple of hours and a stack of paper starting another letter before he went to bed. It wasn't his style, he always kept his correspondence clear and to the point. Business correspondence. But what could be done about the fact that it wasn't business correspondence at all. He didn't know how to write to the woman he loved, how to show her that he missed her too, that the days were dragging on, that he was sorry he had let her go at all. Finally, after much deliberation, he figured out how and what to write. Yes, Scarlett didn't understand the hints, but he believed she would remember.

Scarlett was finishing breakfast with Wade and Ella, gently admonishing the children about manners. It had been two weeks since they'd lived here, the third week was beginning, and she was calm. The children were with her, she was less and less annoyed with them, they had found relatives who were kind and open people. She was going to get close to Gladys again and never lose touch with her. Now Scarlett realized that loved ones were a gift from heaven and "so easy to lose," she thought sadly, remembering Atlanta, their mansion and the cold man with the steely glint in his eyes.

In James, Scarlett found a pleasant and calm interlocutor, not prejudiced, not judgemental. He did not evaluate her and her actions, just tried to explain how he sees this or that situation from the point of view of an outsider, from the point of view of a man. The most interesting, exciting conversations they had were about Rhett.

The conversation about her husband came up casually, but James always said exactly the opposite of what she thought of him, leaving Scarlett pensive.

She remembered their last conversation, which had ended with James saying, "You know, Scarlett, you asked me how to surprise me. Well, what I'm wondering is, what did your husband do that was so special, what did he say to you that you believe everything he says so unquestioningly? Honestly, Scarlett, I'm very surprised."

Scarlett just shrugged and said something like, "You don't know Rhett, James," to which James replied with a smirk, "You don't know men, darling."

They said goodbye and today, finishing their breakfast, Scarlett decided it was James' turn to tell her about himself.

When she saw him from a distance on the beach, wearing a light sandy linen suit and brown hat, she waved at him and he took off his hat in greeting.

He watched her hurry towards him, in her light blue dress and unchanged straw hat, and smiled at her.

Rhett had just come out of the post office with Bonnie, holding her hand. They had charmed all the workers again, Bonnie saying loudly that they were sending a letter to their 'beloved mummy' and would be going to come to her soon, that she was on holiday.

Rhett noticed Mrs Meade at the post office talking to someone off to the side and thought that in an hour the whole town would know about it and shook his head. He was beginning to understand Scarlett now, feeling the constant stares of strangers on him who were smiling at him and his daughter but, God knows, what was being said behind their backs. More and more he began to wonder if this was what he wanted for his children. For them to grow up among these two-faced people and play roles? To have multiple faces? He increasingly wondered if the price he had paid for the infamous "campaign to restore reputation" was too high. He had put his wife and their marriage on one scale, and on the other the chances of their children, their daughter, living in a society he despised. Was that what he wanted?

Rhett stood, immersed in his thoughts, holding his daughter's hand tightly, and didn't immediately realize that a man's voice had called out to him.

"Rhett, Rhett Butler, is that you?" and a good-natured, dark-haired man with a beard, about forty years of age, held out his hand in greeting.

Rhett smiled back at him in surprise, let go of Bonnie's hand for a moment and answered cheerfully, "Who do I see! Colonel Anderson himself! Didn't expect to see you here!"

"And I you, Rhett," replied the colonel and turning his attention to Bonnie, who was studying him intently, asked, "Is this the charming little miss, your daughter, Rhett?"

Rhett smiled, picked up his daughter in his arms and proudly said, "Yes, this is my youngest daughter, Bonnie," and the Colonel smiled affectionately and Bonnie smiled back embarrassed.

"Youngest daughter, Rhett? So there are older children? And your wife? I remember while we were marching through the fields of Virginia, you didn't tell me about them," Colonel Anderson said, and Rhett remembered how they had met on his first day in the army, when his heart had burst with terror and anxiety for her. Yes, he'd left her in the middle of the road, between two armies, and then he hadn't slept well at night for months and months. Colonel Anderson didn't sleep well either and they often shortened their nights together, sometimes sharing their thoughts.

"Anderson, how long are you in town for?" suddenly Rhett asked him and set Bonnie down on the ground, she was already bored and was looking around.

"I'm passing through, Rhett, going home to Augusta, I still have three hours before my train and wanted to have lunch," replied the Colonel

"That's fine," said Rhett suddenly, "if you don't mind, I'll keep you company, just taking my daughter to her aunt's, okay? You can wait for me at the hotel and we can have lunch at the restaurant there?"

The Colonel nodded with a smile and Rhett drove with Bonnie to the Wilkes' house.

James and Scarlett stood by the water, the sky was cloudy and there were waves on the water. Wade was trying to make a castle in the sand, Prissy was helping him, and Ella was collecting seashells, occasionally running up to her mother to brag about her find. James smiled every time he looked at Ella, she reminded him of his daughter.

"James," Scarlett turned to him, twirling her engagement ring nervously, "we talk about me so much, but maybe you could tell me something about yourself?"

"What would you like to know, Scarlett?" he asked calmly and added, "I'll tell you"

She twirled the ring nervously again and James suddenly stepped closer to her and asked seriously, "What's wrong with this ring, Scarlett?" He noticed that she kept twisting it around and trying to take it off.

"My husband brought it to me as a gift from Europe for our engagement. I suppose he chose such a fancy ring to make me feel uncomfortable wearing it. But," she grinned, "I loved anyway. The ring," she clarified for some reason.

"You twist it around all the time," he remarked calmly.

She only shrugged her shoulders.

He suddenly reached for her hand, said quietly, "I apologize, but..." then carefully removed a large emerald ring from her finger and held it out to her.

"Here," he said to her "ready, Scarlett. You will wear it when you wish it yourself."

She looked at her hands, at the empty space and she suddenly felt lightness. There is a simple gold ring left from the wedding day on the other hand.

"Thank you, James," she replied with an awkward smile, tucking the ring away in a small pocket that was hidden in the folds of her light blue muslin dress.

"Tell me about your wife, James," Scarlett continued, "you loved her, didn't you?"

"I did," James replied quietly, looking out at the waves.

Rhett and Colonel Anderson were sitting at a table, they had already ordered, and Rhett asked him about his family, his two sons, and when he got answers, he heard a counter-question.

"Rhett, tell me about your wife," said the colonel, "I'm pleasantly surprised you're married. You gave the impression of a man who would never marry, and now you have a family. She must be a very special woman, huh?"

Rhett was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes, special."

"She was a special woman, Scarlett," James narrated, looking in front of him, and Scarlett listened intently.

"As soon as I saw her, I knew she was my woman. We met while visiting her sister, at a dinner party and she was already engaged. We talked to her all evening and the engagement was cancelled soon after and I proposed to her straight away, it was just after the war."

"What was special about her to you?" asked Scarlett quietly.

"It's hard to explain Scarlett, we just thought with her in the same way. I could start a sentence and she already knew the end. When she came along, it was like my life put together a whole picture in front of my eyes and I immediately knew what I wanted out of this life, what I dreamed of. She was the missing element, she brought meaning to my life that is not commonly talked about. She filled my life with light, warmth, care and peace. She gave me a daughter," James said, and Scarlett's heart sank at his words about the strange woman, and her only thought was that she wished someone could love her the same way someday. She wanted to be worthy of such love.

"She's special," Rhett replied, "the first time I met her on the first day of the war, she caught my eye immediately. I realized even then that she was different from the others and she was my woman. But, she managed to marry hastily and we met when I was in the blockade. She became a young widow."

The colonel listened with interest, but did not interrupt.

"She had a son, he practically grew up in my arms. He's nine now."

"You proposed to her before you left to the army?"

Rhett grinned nervously, remembering the 'proposal' he'd made to her at the time and shook his head negatively.

"No, then we met after the war, she immediately married a second time and had a daughter," Rhett told him and shuddered as he remembered how she was carrying another man's baby and his heart was aching day by day from the desperate that he himself had pushed her into the arms of another man and from desire that baby was his.

"But," he continued, "her husband died soon after and I proposed to her right away," Rhett finished and added with a smile, "I have an older daughter, she's almost five."

Colonel Anderson looked at Rhett with surprised eyes and said, "Wow, Rhett, what a hard way you've travelled. But, you're together now, that's valuable..."

Rhett thought for a moment and then replied, "Yes, from the very first time we met, I realized that we were so much alike, we thought alike. I was won over by her courage. She also understands my jokes, it's a pleasure to make her laugh! Later I've realized that she is the missing element and she can give me the life I dream of. She is shifting as the wind in the sea, but she is the only one I am interested with. And she gave me a daughter," Rhett finished, smiling, and they were just about to be served. The colonel was struck by the change in his companion's look, in his eyes. "Yes, this man is madly in love with his wife," he thought, and they went on with their meal, continuing to share the news of their lives.

After eating and talking for nearly two hours, Rhett accompanied the colonel to the station, to the train.

When he said goodbye, the colonel invited him to visit them with his family, and Rhett thanked him for the invitation and promised to come.

As Rhett drove to pick up Bonnie, he had a warm, joyful feeling in his heart. Just discussing his wife with someone, telling how he felt about her, and he felt like he was closer to her, that they were going to be okay.

"She'll soon get our letter..." he thought warmly as he approached the door of the Wilkes' house.

James and Scarlett were heading towards the house, they had already missed lunchtime because of talking and now they were trying to hurry.

Scarlett was impressed by James's story about his wife, trying to compare her to herself, wondering why she couldn't be the kind of woman they were talking about.

Finally, in answer to her question, James said with smile, "No, I wouldn't marry you, Scarlett."

"You mean I'm not good enough for you as a wife?" she asked jokingly, "Or have you become a 'not marrying man' too?"

"No, Scarlett, it's just that our temperaments, they're different. Your temperament is bright, feisty. But not everyone is ready to get caught up in a storm of emotion. My late wife used to give me peace."

"So I can't give anyone peace, can I, James? You know, it's kind of a shame..."

"You're missing the point. Scarlett, darling, the point is, not everyone needs that peace. Your husband, from the looks of it, doesn't need it at all... He needs a storm, a tempest."

"Don't talk about Rhett now, James..."

"Scarlett, I didn't mean to offend you with this conversation. You know, when I met you, I was struck by the way you looked at me. Belligerently, but desperately. You're like a little wounded warrior...You and I are too wounded, Scarlett, too wounded. You may not realize it yet, but you can only be healed by the one who wounded you so badly. Only he can give you love and healing. And you might be able to do that for him..."

"What about you? Your happiness?"

"I was happy once before, Darling. I have a daughter."

"But since you were happy once, you can try again."

"Anything is possible, Scarlett, anything. But, I'm not looking, I'm not waiting. I'm just living."

They were silent for a while, walking along the shore and looking up at the cloudy sky.

"Speaking of the storm, Scarlett. It looks like there's going to be a thunderstorm, the air is stuffy and immovable like it usually is before a storm and that smell... Can you feel it?"

Scarlett smiled and shook her head negatively and they walked on, quietly discussing the children, the future trip into town and their meeting with Gladys and his little daughter.

James was right and the storm started that evening. Scarlett asked Prissy to leave some of the windows ajar to let the damp, cool air in.

First she saw the bright reflections of lightning in the sky at dusk, then she heard the rumblings of thunder. Scarlett had never liked thunderstorms, even was afraid of them as a baby, and liked to fall asleep on such evenings in her father's arms.

The rain came suddenly and she heard the sharp clatter of raindrops against the tiled roof. Then the rain pounded on the windows harder and harder, and the lightning was brighter and more frequent.

"Mummy, Mummy," Scarlett heard a child's voice and went to the children, pulling her dressing gown tighter around her.

"What's wrong, children?" she asked quietly, walking in on them.

Prissy smiled guiltily, "I'm sorry Miss Scarlett, Miss Ella is afraid of the thunderstorm and I can't calm her down."

"Go Prissy," Scarlett let her go and sat down on the bed beside her daughter. Gently taking her in her arms as Gerald had once taken her, she placed her daughter on her chest and began to stroke her back slowly.

"Ella, baby, don't be afraid of anything, it's only rain. It will pass soon, Honey," Scarlett continued to stroke her daughter's red curls affectionately, and gestured for Wade to sit down next to her. He looked scared too, though he hid it.

So the three of them were sitting in the dark nursery, lit only by lightning.

Ella had fallen asleep and Scarlett quietly moved her to her bed. Wade was almost asleep too and Scarlett helped him to lie down and waited until her oldest son was finally asleep.

Then Scarlett went to the window and looking out at the rain that was slowly dying down, she remembered another night. A stormy night in New Orleans.

"Scarlett," Rhett told her with a laugh, sitting on the bed in his dressing gown, "you're scurrying around the room like a scaredy-cat. Calm down, it's only a thunderstorm."

She had just brushed her hair and dressed in her nightgown, paced around the room, looking nervously out the window.

"Rhett, I just haven't liked thunderstorms since I was a child, that's all," she said quietly, and not noticing the tender look he gave her, she continued, "I used to fall asleep in my Pa's arms on nights like this when I was a child. Fortunately, thunderstorms aren't a common occurrence in Georgia."

Rhett looked at her and said suddenly in a quiet voice, "Then come here, Scarlett..."

She looked at him uncertainly, but pushed her hair back and cautiously sat down on the bed, then closer to the headboard and immediately found herself in the strong, warm embrace of a man. Her husband, whose wife she had been for a little over a fortnight now.

He hugged her gently but firmly, one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist, and Scarlett rested her head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart, which gradually merged with the sound of raindrops on the window.

Rhett, stroking her hair, asked after a couple of minutes, "Is that better, Honey?"

Scarlett nodded, and then in a burst of emotion and gratitude, reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips. It was the first time she'd ever kissed him herself.

She remembered how he had suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back with hot, demanding kisses.

Somehow her appreciative kiss had affected him in that way.

In a couple of minutes, he was kissing her snow-white neck, his hands gently stroking her curves, and he had already slid the fabric of her nightgown off her shoulders, touching them with his lips, moving lower.

Scarlett only sighed with sweetness and anticipation and quietly ran her fingers through his black hair.

He was already so low, her nightgown had almost slipped down her breast, and between his hot kisses, she heard his husky voice whispering her name,

"Scarlett, Sweetheart..."

Scarlett squeezed her eyes shut and opened them. The rain had almost stopped, the drops were falling less and less, and the air smelled of wet earth, plants, of the sea storm.

At that moment, all she wanted was to be in his strong arms.