Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW. I am not making any money on this writing.
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Thirteen
Suellen, Will, and Ellen had slept in Scarlett's room and she had slept in the parlor. Suellen was nursing her child because there wasn't a wet nurse to be found on Tara, therefore she needed privacy.
Suellen didn't enjoy nursing Ellen, but she also didn't hate doing it. She had noticed that she was losing her stomach pretty quickly. Another good thing.
The ceremony was held at one.
As Rhett and Scarlett were reciting their vows, Mystic Rhett knew she could not see the love he thought was shining out of his eyes. In truth, there was nothing in his mannerism that would make her think Rhett loved her.
After the ceremony was concluded, the priest moved forward and said, "Scarlett and Rhett have graciously allowed their niece Ellen Solange to steal their limelight. I will be baptizing the child. Suellen and Will come stand in front of me with the baby. Rhett and Scarlett stand on either side of the couple.
Suellen had named Rhett and Scarlett as Ellen's godparents. If nothing else, they could support the child.
After Ellen was baptized, Scarlett said, "That is the gown I baptized Wade in. Where did you find it?"
"In Mother's dresser drawer. Mammy said it was the gown we were baptized in."
"That is amazing."
Scarlett spent all her time with Rhett. She didn't even think about Ashley. Rhett loved her and he had wanted to marry her over all the other women in the world. He was such a worldly man. That made him marrying her such a compliment.
After Rhett and Scarlett's first night together, she thought, 'That wasn't very much fun. It wasn't much better than with Charlie. At least Charlie was fast.'
When Rhett wanted to have relations the next morning, Scarlett allowed it to happen, but once again she was not impressed. Furthermore, strangely to her it seemed he was holding himself back.
Rhett was extremely disappointed in their sexual sessions. All Scarlett did was lie there. She hadn't even commented on him practicing coitus interrupts for her. That was difficult to do.
Rhett and Scarlett's honeymoon was much the same as it had been the first time. She had paid a lot more attention to him this time though. It had been wonderful.
Scarlett had once again shared with Rhett about Mammy calling them jackasses. As last time Rhett had laughed and said, "She is a wise old bird."
Scarlett had once again pouted for the rest of the afternoon. Rhett had taken her to a restaurant she had liked a lot, and their happy relationship was restored.
The night finally rolled around that Scarlett had sighed.
Mystic Rhett kept saying, "Don't sigh." Repeatedly. Finally, the couple was lying there, and she was thinking how wonderful everything was. She thought, 'The only thing that could make it better was if Ashley was lying beside me instead of Rhett. Of course, Ashley will never have the money Rhett does. He would have to behave dishonorably in order to amass that much money.'
Scarlett rolled over so she was facing Rhett. She laid her head on his chest and marveled at how wonderful it felt to be lying next to him. Mystic Rhett said, "You know now that you have hooked your star to Rhett, you will never be hungry again. He would never let that happen." She giggled and thought, 'Certainly not for honor's sake.'
Rhett said, "What is so funny?"
"I was thinking that now that we are married, I don't ever have to worry about ever being cold or hungry again."
"No, you don't have to worry about it."
All night long Mystic Rhett kept waiting to disappear, but he didn't. In the morning, he knew that had not been the solution. He truly hoped he wasn't trapped in Scarlett's brain forever. Although he was glad that there weren't two of him trapped inside Scarlett's brain.
Mystic Rhett realized that Scarlett was behaving the way she was in the bed because she didn't know any different. Also, because she thought that was the way ladies behaved in the bed. After the second night of her honeymoon, he decided that he was going to start giving her some suggestions for making their intimate time better. If she didn't think of it as a chore, her life would be better.
For the next several weeks Mystic Rhett made suggestions to Scarlett about how to make her intimate time with Rhett better. It started off extremely simple. He said, "Rub his back and shoulders." After Scarlett did, he said, "You don't have to just lay there. Push back against him." After a few nights she did. A week later, he said, "If you moan or groan, he will then know what feels good to you."
After one of these suggestions, Scarlett had thought, 'That doesn't seem very ladylike.'
Mystic Rhett had replied, "It must be ladylike. You thought of it, and you are a lady."
'True.'
When Scarlett had reached her hand out to touch Rhett's member all on her own, Mystic Rhett was pleased.
A month later Mystic Rhett said, "Call his name so he knows you are thinking of him."
Scarlett replied, "Who else would I be thinking about? That's silly."
"You could be pretending he was Ashley."
That night as Rhett was making love to Scarlett, she tried to pretend he was Ashley. Mystic Rhett sighed. Talk about a sentence backfiring. After a few minutes, she thought, 'No, I don't like that. It takes too much work to continually be thinking of Ashley. I like it better when I am thinking about Rhett, and I can just lay back and enjoy myself. Besides, Ashley would never do the wonderful things Rhett is doing.'
"True. It wouldn't be honorable."
When Scarlett giggled at her joke, Rhett stopped doing what he was doing. He said, "What is so funny?"
"That just felt strange, but don't stop doing it."
Rhett smiled and said, "Alright."
Later in the session, Scarlett did call Rhett's name. Her conscience didn't know if she had done it on purpose or if it had just slipped out. He didn't care. She had done it.
The suggestions continued and the sex act got more and more pleasurable for Scarlett. She now reached her satisfaction regularly. Rhett stopped holding himself back and just thoroughly made love to his wife.
Mystic Rhett and Scarlett's connection was pretty strong now. Most of the time when he made a suggestion, she responded to it almost immediately. She would either do it or reply to him. The only suggestions she rarely responded to were suggestions about Ashley. Although, any statement about Ashley's honor being a pain in her behind was received positively.
After the couples' return from New Orleans, they moved into the National Hotel. Rhett got them a suite with three bedrooms. One for Wade, one for Mammy, and one for Rhett and Scarlett.
As soon as Wade and Mammy got off the train from Jonesboro, Rhett told the boy, "I am your mother's husband. That makes me your father. You are to call me Dad."
"All right, Daddy."
Scarlett was pleased. Mammy scowled at Rhett.
Rhett took Scarlett to some of the Republican and Scallawag social events. She always had an enjoyable time. All those people were happy and carefree. They never talked about the past. Once a week, Scarlett went out to inspect her sawmills. The first week she said, "Will you go with me?"
"To keep you safe?"
"Yes."
"That is what a good husband would do so, of course, I will."
Scarlett smiled and said, "Thank you, Rhett."
Rhett going out to the sawmill with Scarlett became a weekly thing. On the way out to the mills, Scarlett talked about her business and Rhett offered advice. A lot of time she would say, "I was thinking just that." She was thanks to the voice inside her head. Her conscience. Although sometimes her conscience wasn't very nice. There were also a lot of times that her conscience reminded her of Rhett. Rhett would not qualify to be anyone's conscience.
After two months of marriage both Scarlett and Rhett were content enough. The relations weren't as good as Rhett had thought they would be, but night by night Scarlett seemed to be loosening up. Scarlett was content because she didn't have to worry about the bills. Rhett had said she could use his money for anything she wanted to use it for, but her sawmills. Although she was thinking about selling the sawmills. It was a lot of work that she didn't have to do. Besides, she was too busy having fun with Rhett, the Republicans, and the Scallawags. Not to mention building her house.
One night after the couple had come back from a party and they were disrobing, Scarlett said, "Those people are so much fun."
"Enjoy your lowlife friends now. They will be gone in a couple of years."
"No, they won't. We will be under martial law for a long time."
"No, we won't. Politics and money will end martial law in the South within the decade."
"No, it won't."
"Yes, it will, my pretty jackass."
Scarlett quit speaking and continued disrobing. After Rhett joined her in the bed when he made advances, she let him, but she didn't participate in the act at all. In fact, she was thinking about what she was going to do at the mill the next day. Rhett did not let her lack of participation deter him from his goal.
Mystic Rhett was ashamed. He was ashamed that his other self had called her that ugly word after she had shared what Mammy had called them in confidence. He was also ashamed that despite it being obvious that she didn't want to have relations that night his other self had more or less forced her to anyway.
The next day Scarlett went to her sawmills by herself. She was rethinking selling the sawmills. Rhett could not be trusted.
Scarlett did not speak to Rhett for the next week. In fact, she avoided him. Mystic Rhett was pleased that his other self had not forced Scarlett to have relations again. Although what his other self did was almost as bad.
After the dust had cleared Mystic Rhett knew that his other self had lost a lot of progress in winning Scarlett's love. He was not surprised when she stopped by Kennedy's a few times to pick up a few items and flirt outrageously with Ashley. Mystic Rhett groaned when each time she left the store she was thinking, 'Ashley would never treat me as badly as Rhett is treating me right now.'
Mystic Rhett had to agree with her. He was such a jackass sometimes.
After a week Rhett had enough of Scarlett not speaking to him, so he left in the middle of the day. He had left her a note on her vanity table. It said: Gone to New Orleans. The worst part was that he had taken Wade with him.
Scarlett had been at a tea one of the Republican women was having that afternoon. She really didn't like the woman, but she was avoiding Rhett, so she had to be out of the hotel suite. She was horrified when she returned home and found out what Rhett had done.
Mystic Rhett was horrified also. How could his other self be so cruel as to run off with a woman's child without warning much less permission?
For the next week Scarlett fretted over where Wade was. As far as she was concerned Rhett could stay in New Orleans. As long as he left his check book, of course.
That week Scarlett had tried to sell lumber, but her heart wasn't in it. Every time she walked back to her buggy and Wade wasn't quietly sitting there, she was reminded again that the boy was gone. Gone!
Scarlett's thoughts would go crazy. What would she do if Rhett never returned with Wade? How could she ever find Wade? She would calm herself down by thinking, 'I will find Wade no matter what. No matter how much it cost.'
Mystic Rhett was being supportive of her thoughts and feelings, but he just didn't know what his other self would do. He would never have thought he would take Wade and run off to New Orleans.