Dear readers, good evening (or rather night)!

The new chapter is here, a little shorter than usual. In the next chapter we will be leaving Atlanta. That's enough of our heroes of this city, it's time to move on!

Thank you for reading and leaving reviews, sharing your thoughts. It means a world to me!

Enjoy reading!:)

I own nothing in regard to GWTW.

Chapter 22.

Wade woke up to voices in the hallway, and at first he thought he was dreaming, but the noices got louder and louder, and when he opened his eyes he recognized his mother's voice.

Quickly standing up on the soft carpet in his bare feet, Wade wrapped himself in a blanket, crossed the nursery, pulled open the white wooden door, and found himself in the corridor.

He saw the tall figure of his stepfather, in a white shirt and with a jacket in his hands and his mother pushing him into his chest, talking in a voice so sad he'd never heard from her before. His mother was almost crying and it frightened the little boy, he froze, looking at them fearfully, wrapped in a warm blanket and silent.

Scarlett saw her little son, then cast a confused look at Rhett and quickly walked over to the boy, knelt down in front of him and put her arm around his shoulders, whispering, "Wade, honey, I'm sorry, did we wake you?"

She had no idea if she was acting right now, she was acting on instinct and some childhood memory of when she had also caught her mother explaining something very seriously to her father. It seems then was the first and last time her always calm mother was angry with her father and even raised her voice. Scarlett had been seven then, younger than Wade. She didn't remember what her parents had said, but she remembered her mother's reaction, and the memory helped her react properly now.

"Honey," she said quietly again, hugging her son and looking ahead of her into the dark corridor where there was only a strip of light from their bedroom... Her bedroom... "Wade, come on I'll go tuck you in," she said in a questioning tone and stood up. Wade only nodded and trustingly reached out to his mother, holding the blanket with his other hand.

"Son," Rhett called softly to him, who stood watching mother and son. Scarlett looked at him and for the first time saw the confused, guilty and slightly frightened look in her husband's eyes.

Wade turned around and looked at Rhett incredulously, but he swallowed and asked, "I'll join to you and your mother in several minutes, can I?"

Wade nodded, but Scarlett gave him another confused look and they disappeared into the nursery.

Rhett walked quickly back to their bedroom where all his things were. He washed his face with cool water to refresh and sober up a bit, changed his shirt, and ran a hand through his hair before heading quickly to the nursery, where he saw his wife sitting on the edge of the bed and his son, who was lying down but not yet asleep.

He walked over to the bed, took the chair that stood by the window, and sat down against the headboard, looking at Wade, who was watching him.

He'd never felt so confused in his life. Clarifying a relationship in front of the children was something he had tried to avoid at all costs during their bitter marriage. Children weren't supposed to be entangled in the web of their relationship and it had to all happen right now when they were trying to get their lives together!

"Wade, son, can we talk for a bit?" he said in a quiet voice, looked at Scarlett with an apologetic look and gently placed his hand on hers, which was lying next on the blanket. She looked at him seriously, but didn't remove her hand.

Wade nodded and suddenly asked himself, breaking his silence, "Uncle Rhett, I saw you fighting with mother. Did you hurt my mother?"

Scarlett looked nervously at her husband, and Rhett without taking his hand from hers, ran the other through the boy's hair and replied seriously, "Yes, son, I did."

Wade, apparently not quite expecting such a direct answer, looked up in surprise, and Rhett continued, "You see, Wade, sometimes people react to situations emotionally without thinking. Like getting angry without thinking and doing stupid things in their anger..."

"You did a stupid thing today, didn't you, Uncle Rhett?" asked Wade quietly and Rhett nodded, looking at Scarlett again. She looked back at him but continued to remain silent.

Wade continued thoughtfully, "The thing was stupid, maybe just apologize and forget about it?"

Rhett grinned crookedly, then said, "I'm afraid it's not that simple son. Your mother was hurt for real..."

"But you try apologizing, Uncle Rhett," Wade said impatiently and added in a childish, sad voice, "I don't like this house. You fight here, mummy is sad again, like she used to be, and you're brooding and not smiling. In Savannah and in Charleston at Mrs Butler's, you're different. I'm glad we're leaving."

"What about Beau and your Aunt Melly?" suddenly broke the silence Scarlett.

Wade looked at his mother and replied, smiling shyly, "You promised me you'd call them to visit and let me go to them."

Scarlett nodded, smiling, and Wade said impatiently again, turning to Rhett, "Uncle Rhett, you wanted to apologize...".

Rhett looked at the little boy, with brown eyes like his father's with a soft gaze, and sighed. "Things are easier for children than they are for adults," a thought flashed through his mind, but he didn't want to disappoint the boy in any way, so he looked up at Scarlett and said to her affectionately, "I'm sorry."

Scarlett smiled strainedly and with a nod said, "Okay, Rhett... Now, Wade, let's try to go back to sleep, okay, Honey?" and gently releasing the hand that Rhett had covered with his own, Scarlett began stroking her son's brown hair again, not looking at her husband. They had a real talk to have.

Wade fell asleep quickly enough, comforted by the fact that his parents were no longer fighting. Rhett sat brooding, looking at the portrait of Charles that hung above the bed next to the saber. Wade didn't know his father, but he was proud of him. Wade knew him, but would he be proud of him? Rhett had always wanted to be a better father, not like his own, a cold and prim man. His father often liked to get into arguments with his mother loudly, so that the whole house could hear and today, Rhett was horrified to realize that he was behaving the same way tonight. It depressed him, he didn't want that for himself, his wife and his children. They needed to find a way out and talk.

Finally Wade's breathing became even and quiet, and he fell into a deep sleep, and Scarlett looked up at Rhett, who was already looking at her expectantly. They nodded to each other and Scarlett, with a final adjustment of the blanket on her son, was the last to leave the nursery and closed the door behind her.

"Scarlett," Rhett called to her quietly and continued in a calm tone, holding out his hand to her, "Come downstairs with me... We need to talk."

She looked at her husband questioningly, somehow imagining their conversation in the bedroom, but agreed and, taking his hand, followed him down the servants' side staircase that led to various rooms, including the kitchen.

Once in there, Scarlett sat down at the table and Rhett stirred the coals in the cooker, lit a few candles and said, "I've had too much to drink tonight, but I need a clear head, so I want coffee," he finished and for some reason smiled awkwardly, then took a china cup from the shelf and continued, "Besides, it'll help keep me awake quickly, even though I'm damn tired tonight..."

"Tired of partying in a brothel, Rhett?" he heard her sarcastic voice and frowned. This wasn't going to be an easy conversation.

"Scarlett..." he answered her in a stern tone, "let's try to talk to you without accusations."

She looked at him angrily and then, suddenly, covered her face with her palms and sighed tiredly.

Rhett, who had been watching her, quickly moved away from the cast-iron cooker that was warming up and sat down in front of her, gently taking her hands away from her face.

"Scarlett, let's talk... Let's not distance ourselves from each other now, after all, you and I have been close these past months," he said in an affectionate tone, and then added quietly, "I'll admit, they've been the best months in our life... In my life..."

"And you give up everything so easily, Rhett! You're not coming to talk to me, but..."

"Scarlett..." again he tried to interrupt her, but, she rose suddenly from her chair and continued with a loud voice, "You made a mistake by going there again! You took the wrong direction, Rhett, damn it!"

Rhett stood up quickly too, clenched his hands into fists, then suddenly shouted, "I was scared!"

"Of what?!"

"To witness some tender scene between you and this 'little gentleman' and realize that everything that had happened between us over the last few months was just my fantasy!"

She faltered and fell silent for a moment, then said in a quiet voice, "But it was and it is between us, Rhett! And it's real! Your fantasies are ruining everything between us again, can't you see that?!"

"What about your fantasies, Scarlett?! You accused me of something I didn't do!" he asked her wryly.

"I did it out of anger, out of pain, out of your behaviour! You went to YOUR bedroom, damn it!"

He fell silent, then said seriously, looking into her eyes, "Nothing had happened, Scarlett. Believe me."

"Just like you believe me, Rhett?" she replied feverishly.

Both fell silent.

Then Scarlett looked him hard in the eyes and said in a quiet voice, "I believe you, Rhett. If you'd had something in there tonight, we wouldn't be here. We'd be gone, Rhett. I will... I will no longer tolerate you being with anyone else but me," she said the last words in a whisper, her cheeks flushed and she lowered her eyes.

Rhett looked at her fondly, smiled faintly, and was at her side in an instant, hugging her tightly to him. In that moment, he felt her love in him keenly.

He whispered, "I'm sorry," leaned down and kissed her on the lips. She hugged him back and gave herself to warm embrace.

The embrace and caresses were getting hotter and hotter, and he'd long since forgotten about coffee and sleep. Instead, Rhett lifted her gently and sat her down on the kitchen table, the linen tablecloth had creased, and she heard his hot whisper in her ear "I've been dreaming about this since that morning in Savannah, do you hear me, Scarlett?"

She only nodded unable to ponder or remember clearly. Being under the power of his touch, at the peak of emotion after their fight and his apology, she wanted only one thing and he knew exactly what it was.

All she remembered was him holding her tightly around the waist with one hand, his other hand resting on hers on the table. He was leaning over her in kisses. Scarlett remembered their intertwined fingers, his hot and heavy breathing, the strong and sharp movements that brought her closer to release, the linen tablecloth beneath her, the sound of the china cup shattering, the taste of his lips with the light smell brandy on it.

Both wanted so badly to belong only to each other that at the moment of release, he whispered hoarsely in her ear, "I love... Mine...You're only mine..." and she only wrapped her legs more tightly around him. There were two of them, but they felt like an extension of each other. It was an unconditional love.

In the morning, sitting at breakfast in the dining room, they glanced at each other in a way that even Mammy noticed something unusual as she walked Wade to help him change into his riding suit. Rhett had some free time on his hands and decided to go riding with the boy while Scarlett went to the shop to check on things, as she hadn't been there in a long, long time.

But, there was still an important question and as soon as they were alone, she, adjusting her simple dark green dress with the lace trim, started the conversation by standing up and walking over to him.

"I'm going to tell you something, Rhett and I don't want you to overreact," Scarlett said with a brave smile.

After what had happened between them in the kitchen, she could hardly hide her sparkling eyes, and she wanted to giggle like a girl all the time, especially when she heard Mammy complaining this morning and trying to find out from the servants who had broken the pretty china cup. And when Scarlett simply said it didn't matter, she caught such a suspicious look that she quickly changed the subject to moving to Savannah. And now, she had to talk to Rhett about dinner at the Wilkes'.

He looked at her face, rising one brow, put off the newspaper and said with a light smile, "From the look on your face, I'm not making any promises, Scarlett."

Scarlett said, trying to be serious, "Melly had us over for a little family dinner yesterday afternoon, Rhett. The Hamiltons, the Wilkes and we. Rhett," she continued, quite seriously, "she's very sad we're leaving and I couldn't refuse her."

Rhett nodded briefly, took her hand and kissed it, then said, "Yes, of course we'll go, Scarlett."

She looked at him in surprise and said thoughtfully, "Hmm, you're so calm... I thought I was going to argue with you again."

Rhett smirked, stood up, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered to her as the servants cleared the table, "This is the perfect opportunity to get even with Wilkes and show him that now I have something he will never have!"

Scarlett hissed indignantly, "Rhett Butler, stop talking about me like I'm a trophy! I'm your wife, by the way! And please, no more antics, Rhett! Leave Ashley alone, okay?"

Rhett only smirked again and quickly left the dining room to find Wade while the maid was distracting Scarlett.