Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

Chapter Two

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

The italicized words are from the canon.

The hotel really was haunted by Bonnie and her brother Gerry. They had both died tragically. Neither person knew for sure what Gerry's name was going to be because he had not been born, but they both knew their mother had already given him a name. Sadly, their mother had been so happy when she thought she was carrying Gerry. She had already been talking to him.

Bonnie and Gerry were ghosts who lived at Butler House. It was where they had died after all. They had refused to move on. With their strong wills, they had been able to refuse to move into the light. They were so excited. Someone had finally entered the building that they could send back in time. They were going to send Derek back to correct their fate in life. He would save their lives and fix their parents' marriage, so they didn't divorce and live the rest of their lives unhappily. They could send Derek back because their Daddy's blood flowed through his veins.

Derek woke up the next morning in a strange room on the floor. He laid there wondering where he was. He had not had that much to drink last night that he should have experienced a blackout. He laid there for about five or ten minutes. He didn't know how long it was because he did not have his watch on. The only thing he had on except his underwear was his wedding ring and his pinky ring. He started to take his wedding ring off and then changed his mind. He didn't know where he was or how he was going to get back to the Butler House, so he might have to pawn it to get money. The pinky ring had been his great, great, great grandfather's. The family lore was that it was the first piece of jewelry he bought himself after he had been financially stable. He had been disowned by his father for some reason. That had not gotten passed down to his descendants. Derek had just gotten it from his father at his wedding reception.

Derek heard a woman from the other room. He heard her say, "Rhett, I've decided that I don't want any more children."

There was a pause before a man answered. He said, "My pet, as I told you before Bonnie was born, it is immaterial to me whether you have one child or twenty."

"I think three are enough. I don't intend to have one every year."

"Three seems an adequate number."

"You know very well—" There was a pause before the woman added, "You know what I mean."

"I do. Do you realize that I can divorce you for refusing me my marital rights?"

"You are just low enough to think of something like that. If you had any chivalry, you'd—you'd be nice like—Well, look at Ashley. Melanie can't have any children and he—"

"Quite the little gentleman, Ashley. Pray go on with your discourse." There was a long pause and Derek guessed the woman didn't have anything else to say.

The man continued, "You've been to the lumber office this afternoon, haven't you?"

"What has that to do with it?"

"You like dogs, don't you? Do you prefer them in kennels or mangers? What a child you are! You have lived with three men and still know nothing of men's natures. You seem to think they are like old ladies past the change of life. Scarlett, understand this. If you and your bed still held any charms for me, no locks and no entreaties could keep me away. And I would have no sense of shame for anything I did, for I made a bargain with you—a bargain which I have kept, and you are now breaking. Keep your chaste bed, my dear."

Derek heard the woman scream, "Do you mean to tell me, that you don't care—"

"You have tired of me, haven't you? Well, men tire more easily than women. Keep your sacredness, Scarlett. It will work no hardship on me. It doesn't matter. Fortunately, the world is full of beds—and most of the beds are full of women."

"How dare you say that, Rhett Butler? You mean you'd actually be so—"

"My dear innocent! But of course. It's a wonder I haven't strayed long before now. I never held fidelity to be a virtue."

"I shall lock my door every night!"

"Why bother? If I wanted you, no lock would keep me out."

Derek heard a door close. He wondered who had left the room. Probably the man.

In the quiet afterwards, Derek wondered what the woman's name was. It was Scarlett, wasn't it? Yes, the man had called her Scarlett. The man's name was Rhett Butler. That had been the patriarch of the family's name.

Everyone in the family knew of Rhett Butler's rise to fame and fortune. To the Butlers, he was as infamous as John Rockefeller or Andrew Carnegie. Everyone spoke of him in such glowing terms. The man who had amassed a fortune after having been disowned. Quite the rags to riches story. When his nana had shown him Rhett Butler's picture, Derek had thought, 'What a cocky man.' And 'We have the same jaw line.'

Judging by the couple's words, the woman was Rhett's wife, Scarlett. Derek wondered how he had been able to hear their conversation so clearly. He then saw the door leading into the other room.

Derek heard the woman crying. He heard her say, "That was a big mistake. I lost Rhett in my bed all for nothing. There is no way I can tell Ashley that Rhett and I are no longer sleeping together. I didn't gain anything, except for not having any more children. There is that. It still isn't worth it. Listening to his stories before we went to sleep was the best part of the day. I wish I had thought of that before I said anything to Rhett."

After that Derek heard the woman crying harder.

It was strange that the man's name was the same as his great, great, great, grandfather. His great, great, great, grandmother's name had been Agnes. He knew that for a fact because when his nana had said it, he had thought, "Agnes. What an ugly name.'

All Derek knew about them as a couple was that only one of their children survived, which started the family curse. His name was Alex. Their other child had been named Eugenie. Family lore had it that Alex was quite ruthless in business. Probably Rhett also. In the Butler family that was not something to be ashamed of, but to be proud of.

Derek stood up and really looked around the room. It looked like a huge closet. There were hats, shoes, pants, shirts, and some drawers that he thought probably contained socks and underwear. He got up and put on a set of the clothes. Judging by the style of the clothes he wasn't in modern times. How?! Not only did he need to find out where he was, he needed to find out when he was. After putting the pants on, he discovered there were buttons in the fly. There were a few pairs of pants sold with buttons in the fly, but most of them had zippers. When did they start putting zippers in pants? He didn't know. He finished getting dressed. He had to get out of the room and explore. He had to find out where he was and when it was. The pants were a little loose but not so they wouldn't stay up. He just tightened up the belt. He put on some boots and then grabbed a hat. He didn't know where he was going or what he was going to do if he ran into someone, but he couldn't hide in that room all day. He had to get some answers. He had to find a way back to the Butler House and maybe back to the twenty-first century.

After Derek left the room, he looked around at the hallway. It was plain to see that it was the same hallway as in the Butler House although the décor was not the same. This décor was ugly. Scarlett must love red and mirrors. When he got to the grand staircase, he knew it was the same one in the Butler House. He was in the Butler House when it was still a home. He was beginning to believe he had traveled back in time. How? What year was it? Why had he been sent back? Could he get back to his time? He didn't know. He needed a toilet right now.

Derek made it downstairs without running into anyone. He looked at the entryway and he knew he was back to when the hotel had been a family home. It was a mansion at that time. He had traveled back in time. No! That just couldn't be.

First things first. Derek needed to use the bathroom, so he went in search of one. After opening almost every downstairs door, he realized there wasn't a bathroom, but an outhouse. He went outside and saw it. He used it and returned to the main house. As he had opened all the doors, he had become even more convinced of two things. He was in the Butler Mansion and Scarlett had awful taste. What year was it.

Another thing Derek had found while opening the doors was a full-length portrait of a woman. She wasn't beautiful. Yet she was striking. He bet she would be hard to forget. He guessed that was Scarlett Butler. The woman had reminded him of Alice.

As Derek walked back into the house, he ran into a tall man with swarthy skin and black hair. The man was good looking and had a mustache. The man looked remarkably familiar to Derek. He reminded Derek of his father, especially his jawline. Suddenly he knew who the man was. It was Rhett Butler. It was his great, great, great grandfather, Rhett Butler. He didn't know what year it was, but he was in the nineteenth century. He would wonder about how later. He had to think about what he was going to say to this man.

The man reached in his coat pocket and withdrew a gun. It was a small gun, probably only had two bullets, but it would only take one to kill Derek. The man said, "Who the hell are you and why are you in my house?"

With a gun pointed at him, Derek said, "I am your great, great, great grandson and I have somehow travel through time to help you with your situation."

Derek didn't know what situation he was referring to, but if quizzed he would think of something.

The man burst out laughing. When he sobered, he said, "There is no such thing as time travel, and I don't need anyone's help."

"I believe you do. You quite skillfully kicked yourself out of your wife's bed."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Rhett? Can I call you Rhett? Grandpa just doesn't seem right."

"Yes, go on."

"I was in your changing room and …"

"How did you get in my changing room? Are those my clothes?"

"Yes, and I don't know. That is where I woke up. I heard your entire conversation with Scarlett. She said, 'I don't want to have any more children.' You jumped to separate bedrooms. Call her bluff. Wear a condom! Are there condoms in this time?"

"Yes, go on. What do you mean call her bluff?"

"Can I get you to lower the gun, and we go to another room where no one can overhear us?"

"Yes, we can go to my office."

"Can you get me something to eat? I am hungry."

"Yes, I can."

After the two men were settled in Rhett's office, Derek looked around the room. It was the room that was being used as the bar now in twenty twenty-four. Although they had enlarged the room.

Rhett stared at the stranger. The young man reminded him of his brother, Robert. He was handsome with a mustache just like Rhett. He had black hair. Rhett said, "What color are your eyes?

"Dark brown like yours."

Rhett waved his hand horizontally toward the other man, and said, "This is impossible."

When Rhett waved his hand, Derek saw the pinky ring. He said, "I can prove it sort of. I am wearing the same pinky ring as you."

Derek thrusted out his hand so Rhett could see the emerald pinky ring.

Rhett looked down at his hand and his emerald pinky ring was still there. Rhett said, "Let me see your ring. My ring has a flaw. That was how I got it at a cheap price. It is the first piece of jewelry I ever bought myself. I wanted it because the color reminded me of Scarlett's eyes. Not that she has ever noticed."

Derek handed Rhett the ring. Rhett reached into his top desk drawer. He dug around in the drawer and finally dragged out a jeweler's loupe. He put the loupe to his eye and studied the ring. He said, "It has a chip in the same place. I don't really believe this is true, but you have the Butler jaw line, so I am willing to see where this leads. You will be my ward, who has come to visit me. You are from New Orleans."

"Perfect. That is actually where I am from."