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 Twelve

The first few days after Scarlett's return to Atlanta, she spent it going over the books. She would be lucky to break even that month. It seemed neither Johnny nor Hugh could sell. At least, they could both manage their mills. Johnny was better at it than Hugh. Probably because Hugh was too soft.

Scarlett knew she would have to sell even harder in the next couple of days. Marrying Rhett was looking better and better, foolishness or not. Scarlett laughed at her thought. He would never ask her to marry him.

Those days she took Wade with her almost every day. They could sell together all day long. They would pack their dinner and just pull over to the side of the road underneath a shade tree and eat their dinner.

One day Wade happily said, "Aunt Melly said she would teach me to read if I wanted her too."

Scarlett sharply replied, "I will teach you to read. Not your Aunt Melly."

Upon seeing Wade's face fall Scarlett quickly said, "After all, isn't that what a Mama is supposed to do." She then tickled the boy until he was smiling. From that day forward, she started teaching him the letters of the Alphabet. It really became a fun game for both of them. She would say, "Find me a …" then say a letter. After Wade did, she would say, "What sound does it make?" Wade would reply with a sound. If it was correct, she praised him. If it was incorrect she would simply say, "No, the correct sound is…." She tried to never yell at the boy. She had already done that far too much. After Wade knew his sounds, Scarlett would say find me a … It would be a small word. Soon he was just calling out the words he knew as they drove by the signs.

Scarlett left Wade with Melly one afternoon. She told the boy, "I have to talk to some men who don't talk very politely. In fact, they use bad words. Words I don't want you to hear. Just this afternoon, you will stay with your Aunt Melly. Alright?"

"Alright, Mama."

Wade loved going with his mother while she was out selling lumber, but when he occasionally had to stay home with his Aunt Melly, he wasn't unhappy. He loved his aunt.

Scarlett went to Kennedy's to buy Wade a primer and a few other miscellaneous items. She had left Wade with Melly because she always felt awkward when she was flirting with a man in front of her son. There was nothing wrong with her flirting with men. After all, she was a widow. Unfortunately, the man she wanted to flirt with was Wade's Uncle Ashley thus making it awkward. Besides, she wanted to pretend to be the young girl she was before the war. Ashley always made her feel that way. The young girl she was before her world had been destroyed.

Scarlett did flirt with Ashley, and he flirted back, but it wasn't as satisfying as it usually was. She made her purchases and continued flirting with Ashley until he had to go wait on another customer. She wasn't really that disappointed he had to leave her.

Mystic Rhett knew all of Scarlett's thoughts and wondered if she was beginning to realize she didn't love Ashley. He just didn't know.

Rhett came to call. At the end of the evening, he said, "Will you see me out Scarlett?"

"Of course."

"Since your sawmills are so successful, you will never come to me for another loan. I have waited for you longer than I have waited for any other woman. I guess I will have to marry you."

In outrage, Scarlett said, "Have to marry me?! Have to marry me?! I don't see anyone holding a gun to your head."

Mystic Rhett smiled. What an ass he was sometimes just so he wouldn't have to admit he cared anything about Scarlett at all.

Scarlett continued, "Go and don't come back."

"Now, Honey, don't be mad at me. I said it all wrong, but you have to remember I have never done this before. Let me start over. We are fond of one another, and we enjoy each other's company. You would like to have access to my checkbook, and I would like to get access to your body. We both get something out of the deal."

"Do you love me?"

"No more than you love me."

"Then why did you tell me you loved me the night you abandoned me in the middle of a war zone."

Rhett had been caught off guard. She had never mentioned his declaration of love, therefore he thought she had forgotten all about it in her anger and the hardships of the following months. He smiled and said, "To soften your anger at me for leaving you and joining the Confederate Army."

Mystic Rhett screamed, "He is lying. He loves you."

Scarlett thought, 'He is a fairly good liar. If I didn't know better, I would believe him. Besides, no man marries a woman just to have access to her body.'

Although Scarlett was perfectly happy to marry Rhett, she had to make it difficult for him to obtain her yes. He would not value anything easily obtained. She also wanted to see what he would offer to get her to say yes.

Scarlett smiled and said, "It didn't work. No, I think not. I will not marry you. I don't want to have any more children or endure a man's foolishness again."

"If you call it foolishness you have not been with the right man. All you know is a young boy who probably didn't know anything about making a woman happy."

"Don't talk that way. I don't how in the world you can make the foolishness fun."

"I assure you, I will."

Scarlett started thinking about Rhett's checkbook and all the things she could buy. She said, "Maybe you can make it fun, but you cannot do anything about getting me with child."

"If you say yes, I will do my best to not get you with child."

Mystic Rhett thought, 'How? We don't know how to not get a woman with child. She mentioned not wanting any children in the first timeline, but I had not done anything to prevent conceiving a child. Not even getting the information. I hope my other self gets the information this time.'

Scarlett said, "I will accept your promise. We will suit. Let's get married on the day the war started."

"Not get married until April. I don't think so. Tomorrow."

"Two weeks. I have to arrange the reception, and you have to arrange the judge to come to the house and preform the ceremony."

"Who are we going to invite? Nobody likes us."

"It is for Wade's sake."

"Very well. Two weeks from today on June twenty second."

"Alright."

"We will go out tomorrow and buy my engagement ring. We will pick out wedding rings at the same time. You will wear a ring."

"Of course, my dear. Now kiss me."

After a few passionate kisses, Rhett left. He knew whether he wore a ring or not he would do what he wanted to do. Besides, most whores didn't care if a man was wearing a ring. Just if he had the asking price.

Scarlett went back inside. She walked into the parlor and with an almost defiance, said, "Rhett and I are getting married two Saturdays from today. The ceremony will be here. We will have a small reception afterwards."

Ashley stared at Scarlett. He wouldn't speak. He wouldn't do anything to ruin Scarlett's chance at happiness. This was best. He would do nothing to stop her from marrying Rhett Butler. If she was another man's wife maybe he would stop dreaming about her in a sexual way. He said, "Congratulations. I hope you are happy."

PittyPat said, "Dear, if you marry him, you won't be received."

"I'm hardly received now. Everyone is saying I unsexed myself by running two sawmills, but I managed to keep my family fed by doing it."

Henry said, "Will he move in here?"

"I don't know. I will have to ask him. Melly, will you continue to receive me?"

"Of course, Darling. I would never shun you."

"Thank you. Now, I am going to retire. I will let you know the time later."

The next day, Rhett and Scarlett went shopping after dinner. He bought her the largest diamond ring the jeweler had to sell. Mystic Rhett noted that it wasn't as big as the last one he had bought for her, but it was the largest in the shop which had made Scarlett happy. She said, "The matrons will be pea-green with envy."

"I don't know about that, my dear."

The wedding rings were not as ornate as last time, which Mystic Rhett thought was a good thing also. That night forward he started saying, "All the wonderful things Rhett is buying you is because he made a fortune on the war. He was able to make a fortune because he wasn't bogged down by honor." Mystic Rhett didn't know how the thoughts got to Scarlett, but he hoped she could hear the disdain he had said the word honor with. He added, "Unlike Ashley." He didn't know why she had sighed that night in New Orleans, but he had known that she had been wishing he was Ashley. Mystic Rhett had to stop that from happening again. It was bad enough him being trapped in Scarlett's mind. He didn't need another entity trapped in there also. He couldn't go through that year and a half of hell again either.

After Rhett and Scarlett's visit to the jewelry store, Scarlett said, "Are we going to live at Hamilton House?"

"No, Peter would murder me in my sleep."

Scarlett giggled and said, "No, he wouldn't. If we aren't going to live at Hamilton House, where are we going to live?"

"At the National until you get our house built."

PittyPat was the only person who was happy about Scarlett moving out. Henry wanted her to stay to help foot the bills, Ashley wanted her to stay so he didn't have to invite India to live with him, and Melly wanted her to stay because she thought she and Scarlett were best friends. She also got to live with her nephew. All good things. In truth, everyone was a little bit happy that Scarlett was moving out. Her waking up in the middle of the night screaming was hard to tolerate. Everyone was pleased that was now Rhett's problem.

Rhett told Scarlett they would be gone from Atlanta for three weeks. They were going to New Orleans. Scarlett left Johnny and Hugh in charge of their mills and selling lumber. Neither man was particularly good at selling, but she knew they were better than no one.

Suellen and Will came up for the wedding in the wagon that Rhett had stolen. They brought Ellen and Mammy with them. They would be taking Wade and Prissy back with them, also. Mammy decided that she wanted to return to Atlanta, but she would wait to return until Scarlett and Rhett returned from their honeymoon.

Scarlett decided to send her son down to Tara. The boy enjoyed being there. Will and Suellen would take loving care of him. Besides, she wanted to get him away from Melly because she didn't want Wade getting any more bonded with his aunt. Scarlett knew that she was Wade's favorite person now and she didn't want to lose any ground with him. She would fight to the death to remain Wade's favorite person in the entire world.

After Scarlett told Careen about her wedding to Rhett, the younger woman asked, "Is Suellen coming up?"

"Yes."

"We you allow me to have a priest there to baptize Suellen's baby?"

Scarlett wanted to say – No, this was her big moment. Mystic Rhett said, "Look at her face. This is especially important to her. She believes in heaven and hell. She doesn't want her niece to go to hell."

Scarlett did look at her sister's expressive face and acknowledged this was important to Careen. Scarlett also believed in heaven and hell, so she agreed as long as it was after the wedding ceremony.

Mammy said to Scarlett, "If I had known you were going to do this, I would have talked you out of it."

"Why? Rhett is handsome and rich."

"He is also unreceived. He is a jackass and by marrying him you have made yourself a jackass also."

"Those are some hurtful words, Mammy. If you can't keep a civil tongue in your mouth, you can stay at Tara."

"No, I will live with you. I have to take care of Miss Ellen's grandchild."

"Ellen is Mother's grandchild also."

"But she is not in as much danger of being corrupted as Master Wade is."

"Very well, but just remember if you can't behave, I will not allow you to live in my household."

"Yes, Miss Scarlett."

Mystic Rhett remembered Scarlett telling him about Mammy's words. He remembered that he had laughed at her distress and anger at the situation. He really was a jerk. No wonder she prefers Ashley to me. He treats her like the lady she is.

Mystic Rhett had been proud when Scarlett had told Mrs. Merriwether she would marry Rhett even if he had fought for the Yankees. He wondered if he had ever been so forceful in his loyalty to Scarlett. Sadly, he knew he had not.