Dear readers! :)

Thank you for your reviews, they always inspire me! Thank you so much!

So, according to my plans, this story should be finished by November, but we have some more dramatic and happy events! Another 3-4 chapters are definitely waiting for you:)

I've also finally decided on the plot for the Halloween story :) So I really hope I'll be able to write it in time.

And... I have an idea for this November-December:) I'll keep it to myself for now, but you know, it's so great when there's something inside you that you want to share... It always brings a smile to my face, really:)

Okay, now for our heroes :) The main words have been said and they need some time to get used to each other. They haven't had much time together, there's been a war, they're not married, so I think they'll be a bit confused now, especially Scarlett, because of their age difference. But I believe in them, they have already met each other and now they have to learn to move together, in the same direction, hand in hand:)

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 17.

"Scarlett..." he whispered softly, then there was a long pause and she pressed herself against his chest again, covering her eyes to listen to the pounding of his heart as she heard, "I love you," and opened her eyes sharply.

It was so good... So unreal, too... How could he love her? Just like that, her...

"Is it true, Rhett?" he heard a soft and disbelieving voice say.

"Yes."

Rhett felt her hug him tighter around his waist and he pulled her gently against him, kissing her hair again and covering his eyes slightly.

"Me too..." he heard a soft voice and opened his eyes at the same moment.

Hearing the last soft sentence, Rhett suddenly drew back to meet her green eyes. Oh, how easily he had always read them! And now he found in them what he had once seen, a tenderness and a sparkle that did not speak but shouted of her feelings. Her feelings for him... He could not believe it, so he just asked again in a hoarse voice, "Is it true? Please tell me honestly, Scarlett."

She smiled the same smile he'd dreamed about nights before and said simply, as if she'd always known, "Yes, Rhett, it's true."

Suddenly he was pulling her to him in a passionate kiss, as if everything he had been hiding in his soul, all his feelings, had washed over her.

Scarlett could feel him kissing her again and again, his hot lips, his strong hands, his breath coming and going. She could feel his body trembling and waves of pleasure washed over her. She was dizzy and felt like she was going to faint from the intensity of his feelings.

"Rhett..." she whispered as he broke the kiss for a moment, "please..."

She heard his intermittent and heavy breathing, then opened her eyes weakly and whispered softly, "I'm dizzy... I'm going to faint."

He smiled, pulling her closer and whispering back, "Maybe I want you to faint... Maybe I've been dreaming about this, baby."

She giggled softly and he took her hand, led over to the couch, sat her down and sat next to her.

They both breathed heavily, trying to calm down. Silently, Rhett took her hands in his and looked at them, trying to gather his thoughts and start a conversation. He looked at her thin fingers, the white skin, the barely visible light pink scars that spoke of her strength and endurance. Thin blue wreaths and no rings. He stroked with his thumb thoughtfully over the place where the wedding ring should be and thought with a sinking heart that he would soon be putting on it by himself. She would officially be 'his'.

Scarlett looked around the familiar room, the fireplace, the curtains, the clock in the corner, the portrait of young Aunt Pitty in a pink dress, that had witnessed their passionate embrace a few minutes before, the coffee table in front of them, the old carpet and two pieces of paper on it... Scarlett's heart sank at the thought that these were the 'terms of their deal', which Rhett had cancelled by his gesture and confession... Her rosy cheeks grew even redder at the thought of his love for her, and trying to hide her excitement and break the silence, she asked quietly, without looking at him, "So the deal's off, Rhett?"

Rhett suddenly squeezed her hands lightly, lifted his eyes to hers and laughed merrily, "Scarlett, you're incorrigible! So naive, and yet businesslike, direct. Please don't change, I fell in love with you just the way you are!"

At first she wanted to take offence at his laughter and his words, but when she heard the last sentence, she just flared up, then looked at him and said indignantly, "Must you always laugh at me? Above all, I don't understand what funny thing I said! You came so unexpectedly and... And..." here she carefully took out her hands and spread them slightly in a sign of confusion, then tried to fix her hair, avoiding his burning eyes. Goose bumps were already running up and down her spine...

He looked at her affectionately and said, "I'm sorry Scarlett, I suppose I'm just used to making jokes of you, I think it's fun sometimes," he said with a smile, "but I came here, as you said, 'unexpectedly', because things had gone too far, because these secrets... They were hard to hide," he concluded, running his fingers gently through her hair, lightly gripping a loose strand.

"Besides, Tom came and told me off like a boy and then said I'd lose you if I didn't take control of the situation. And I did, Scarlett," he said earnestly, then suddenly leaned over and whispered, "I almost lost you once, back in jail... I don't even want to think what would have happened... No! But I don't want to lose you again, now, and I don't want to lie anymore..."

His whisper made the rhythm of her heart uneven, she covered her eyes for a moment, but then remembered something and opened them abruptly.

Pulling away from him, she asked seriously, "Rhett, and your 'private meetings'? They're... You were..." She didn't know how to ask a question that sounded embarrassing in itself, and she was afraid to hear his answer too.

He took her hand, touched it lightly with his lips, shook his head negatively and said, "I was in my hotel. I was upset and angry, until Tom came... Then he told me what made me come here. And what you so easily confirmed, Scarlett."

There was another pause between them.

The conversation wasn't going well, Scarlett was worried because she didn't understand how they had come to something that still seemed unreal to her this morning. How could he feel the same way about her as she did? How could they work and communicate now? How could she stop looking away and look into his eyes? She felt very young next to him, such an experienced man in every way.

So she did what she could. Looking up at him, Scarlett clenched her hands nervously and said in a quiet voice, "I don't know what to say, Rhett."

He looked at her carefully and asked quietly, "Do you regret telling me?"

She thought for a moment and shook her head negatively, remembering how hard it had been to distance herself from him for weeks.

Rhett breathed a sigh of relief, smiled and asked, "Do you regret what I said?"

She smiled and suddenly touched his hand, then shook her head negatively again.

"Then," he continued with a smile, covering her hand with his, "I guess we'll just have to get used to the fact that we're not just working together now, Honey, that's all."

She nodded and suddenly realized what she wanted. She hadn't eaten since the morning, when their breakfast had been interrupted by Tom and she'd been nervously waiting for a meeting at the sawmill, then she'd come home and hadn't had time to eat, and now she suddenly realized that she hadn't just missed lunch, but dinner too.

She smiled at him and stood up, "Come into the kitchen with me Rhett, I'm hungry, let's have some tea, I think there's some peach pie left," she said, taking his hand timidly and pulling him with her.

Rhett smiled as he stood up and when he felt the touch of her cool palm on his warm one, he thought he would have followed her anywhere.

"It would be my pleasure, Scarlett," he replied softly.

As she heated the water for the tea, as she took the pie out and sliced it to put on the dessert plates, she decided that Rhett was right and they needed some time to get used to what they'd said to each other. So she decided to act usual around him.

Rhett didn't think about their behaviour, but watched her every move without taking his eyes off her. He didn't have to hide his feelings anymore and it was exhilarating. He admired her hands, the way she made tea, admired her thin wrists, admired her smile when she told him something about Wade that he hadn't even heard.

As they drank their tea, he watched how easily emotion changed her face, how the lines of her face became softer, when she talked about Tara, how she laughed when she told the story of Aunt Pitty, and how serious she became when she remembered Wilkerson.

"I wanted to say thank you again, Rhett," she said as she finished the last piece of pie, "for what you've done for me... For all of us... You helped me to revenge on my parents."

Noticing how sad her eyes had become, he reached up and stroked her cheek affectionately, "Don't thank me, Scarlett. I just want to be there for you, to take care of you. That's all."

She smiled gratefully at him.

Noticing that he had finished his tea and pie, Scarlett offered him more, but he just smiled and shook his head. Somewhere in the parlour the clock struck eight and she looked at him.

"Aunt Pitty will be back soon, she had dinner at the Elsings' tonight," she said thoughtfully, "and India was reading to Wade upstairs, perhaps he fell asleep... I need to go to him, Rhett."

They got up from the table and he said quietly, "I have to go, Scarlett, I really want you to get a good night's rest. Are you sleeping well, baby?"

The nightmares hadn't plagued her these weeks, just the dreams in which he... Her cheeks turned slightly pink, and when she met his gaze, she simply nodded and said, "Yes, Rhett, thank you."

They stood at the white wooden door in this little kitchen, both knowing it was time for him to leave, but neither wanting to.

Finally, Rhett leaned slightly towards her, Scarlett felt his hands on her waist, her heart dropped instantly and she heard his whisper, "You know how much I want to fall asleep with you, like I did in Tara..."

She swallowed and his arms pulled her closer.

He whispered again, "You know how much I want to sleep with you, to protect you from nightmares."

Her breath caught, his breath grew hot, his moustache tickled the soft skin of her cheek and he whispered again, "If you knew how hard it was for me to leave you in April... If you knew how hard it is for me to leave now... If you knew how much I want to be with you, how much I want you..."

His words made her belly clench and she unconsciously arched against him, feeling him slide his lips over hers and then down her neck, leaving a wet trail on her skin.

A soft moan escaped her lips and it was enough for Rhett to press her against the door, exploring every exposed inch of her skin with his lips and the seductive curves of her body with his hands.

Scarlett stroked his back, and at one point her hands found their way under his jacket, but the thin fabric of his shirt prevented her from feeling the warmth of his skin, so she held him tighter. Rhett, who had been kissing her, felt her palms on his back and, remembering their night in Tara, pulled away abruptly, breathing heavily.

"Scarlett, Darling, even a man's endurance has its limits, baby. We have to stop," he told her with an affectionate smile, trying to catch his breath and meet her gaze.

"Rhett..." he heard her quiet voice and took her hand, kissing it gently.

He straightened and without letting go of her hands, reading her confused and tender look, suddenly asked quietly, "Do you want me to come over tomorrow, baby?"

She smiled and nodded and he continued, "I'll come with Tom and we'll all go on a picnic together, okay?"

Scarlett smiled again then suddenly gave him a quick, tight hug and whispered in his ear, "I wish 'tomorrow' would come sooner, Rhett!"

Rhett gave her another quick and passionate kiss and they walked out into the hall where he took his white hat. At the same moment they heard the sound of a carriage passing and Scarlett looked up nervously. The last thing she wanted to do now was reassure a worried Aunt Pitty.

But the carriage passed and Rhett, stroking her cheek quickly, left the house.

Scarlett closed the door behind him and leaned against it, pressed her palms to her chest as she tried to calm herself.

She took a few deep breaths, still not believing what was happening, quickly walked over to the mirror, which was slightly tarnished from time, and looked at her ruddy face. She adjusted the neckline of her dress and smoothed her hair a little.

"Okay, I hope India doesn't ask many questions," she thought as she walked up the stairs.

But when she opened the door to her room, she saw her son and his aunt, both asleep with a book. Chuckling softly, Scarlett walked over to them and India opened her sleepy eyes anxiously.

Scarlett put her finger to her lips and gestured to Wade, who had fallen asleep.

As she tucked her son in more comfortably, India was waiting for her at the door with a book of fairy tales in her hands.

"Sorry Scarlett, I think we both fell asleep, reading," she said in an apologizing whisper.

Scarlett just smiled politely, mentally glad that Rhett's visit had gone almost unnoticed. Unless the old cook had something to say...

They heard the sound of the door opening and Aunt Pitty's wailing downstairs, and with a nod went quickly to their rooms.

As she fell asleep beside her son that night, Scarlett couldn't believe what had happened that evening.

"It's hard to believe... Rhett Butler is in love with me... This is no joke... It means..." At the thought of their future together, her heart pounded in a frantic rhythm. Sharing a bed with him, becoming his wife - it all seemed incredible. But then another thought suddenly sobered her.

"Darling, I'm not the marrying man," he told her once, and she looked nervously at the ceiling. As she fell asleep, only one question swirled in her mind and stirred her soul, "What does he want from me?

On Sunday morning, Rhett could hardly wait until nine o'clock to knock on the door of the little house where Tom lived.

When he saw his friend opening the door himself, slightly sleepy and holding a cup of coffee, he smiled and stepped inside, uninvited, under his surprised gaze.

"Tom, good morning! Mmm... I can smell fresh coffee, I'll have some too, if you don't mind while you getting ready," Rhett said cheerfully, taking a seat on the sofa and noticing the steaming coffee pot on the small table.

Tom looked at the man who had come into his home like a hurricane and the first thing he asked was, "Black or with milk, Rhett?"

He looked at him happily, looked for a cup, and only replied, "Black and strong, Tom! I'll pour it myself, only I need a second cup... I'll find one in the kitchen..." he mumbled the last sentence to himself as he stood up and turned to Tom, "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

Tom grinned and said, "Thanks for asking. I'll chalk up your excited state of mind to the fact that you seem to have taken my advice last evening, eh?"

Rhett just nodded, smiling broadly, and Tom continued, "The cups are in the kitchen, you'll see them in the cupboard to the right of the window. At least tell me where you're taking me on a Sunday morning, you, crazy man?"

Rhett gave him his mischievous pirate smile and said quickly, heading for the kitchen, "To the picnic with Mrs Hamilton and Miss Wilkes."

Tom looked at his friend curiously, whispered, "Crazy man," and went quickly up to his bedroom to dress and take a small silk handkerchief, finely embroidered for India. He hadn't had a chance to give it to her before, and the Sunday picnic was as good a time as any.

The Peachtree Street house was also abuzz in the morning. Scarlett had shocked Aunt Pitty and delighted India at breakfast with an invitation to a picnic from Captain Butler and Mr Allen.

And for the first time, Aunt Pitty decided not only not to hide from her duties as eldest lady to her nieces, but also to accept the invitation, which shocked both young ladies in turn.

"I'm going to dress, girls," she said, fixing her curles, "I mustn't forget my smelling salts and my fan, because it's going to be so hot out soon... And we should ask the cook to put a light snack for us... Oh, girls," she wailed as she went upstairs to her bedroom.

Scarlett and India looked at each other and suddenly both burst out laughing. Both realized that their aunt's appearance had not been in the plans of the gentlemen who had invited them, but that only made it funnier.

An hour later, when they heard the carriage pull up, the four of them went out, along with a frowning Uncle Peter, who was worried about his mistress going out alone without him.

All the way to the river, on whose bank they had decided to spend their time, Scarlett held back her laughter as her eyes met India's.

It seemed as if she would remember for the rest of her life the long, shocked faces of Rhett and Tom when they saw Aunt Pitty with them.

Nevertheless, with polite and gallant greetings, they seated her and Wade, then helped Scarlett and India into the open carriage and drove out of town.

All the way Scarlett watched Rhett's handsome, broad back in his white light jacket, and Tom, who sat beside him and said something to him quietly.

"Well, thank you, Rhett," Tom murmured quietly as they stopped near the shallow river and laid down a blanket under a spreading tree, "I've been dreaming of a picnic like this, under Aunt Pittie's watchful eye!"

Rhett grinned, it made things difficult, but there were two of them. "Tom, listen, I'll take care of Auntie first, take her, Scarlett and Wade to the river and then you distract her, okay?"

Tom looked at Rhett sceptically but nodded.

Somehow it was Rhett's company that the elderly lady preferred that day, whether it was walking along the bank or asking to be taken under his arm. "Oh Captain Butler, it's so dangerous to walk in the bright sun at my age, oh..." the elderly lady complained, and Scarlett, who walked a little behind him with Wade, giggled quietly.

Rhett heard the giggles behind his back and frowned slightly, but he also politely accompanied Miss Pitty and listened to her complaints and gossip.

"At least Tom's having a good time," he thought, glancing round to see Tom and India talking quietly in the shade of a large tree, the way he gently took her hand and then took a handkerchief from his pocket, the way she smiled back at him...

Rhett turned his head towards Scarlett, who was saying something to Wade by the river, making distinctive hand motions. While Aunt Pitty was distracting by searching for smelling salts, Rhett walked quickly over to them. To his favourite woman and her son. The boy he had come to think of as his own.

Wade was the first to notice him coming towards them andnconfidently walked over to Rhett who immediately took him in his arms.

"Wade, what was that interesting thing your mother told you?" asked Rhett with interest, glancing at Scarlett who blushed slightly at his gaze.

"Mummy said she could swim and she was going to teach me," the little boy replied cheerfully, and Rhett smiled, then glancing at Aunt Pitty, he said, "Wade, please help your auntie, I think she needs to go into the shade, especially as there was a nice peach pie to eat. Can you help her?"

Wade nodded and, pulling himself out of Rhett's arms in a mature manner, walked towards the old lady. Rhett saw, how they slowly went towards the tree and sighed in relief, coming even closer to Scarlett. She was staring at the water, pretending to be distracted by the glare of the sun, but he was standing beside her, lowering his hand and gently taking her palm, which she was hiding in the folds of her dress.

A shiver ran through her at the touch and then at his whisper, "Scarlett, it is a torture..."

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly, not turning her head.

He squeezed her hand a little harder and spoke in a quick whisper, "Not being able to touch you, to kiss you, to talk to you... Confess you, little naughty girl, did you persuade Aunt Pitty to come with us?"

Scarlett giggled and looked at Rhett, "No, Rhett, I didn't... Honestly, India and I were quite surprised..."

Rhett remained silent, not letting go of her hand, and Scarlett continued, "Apparently she has decided to keep an eye on your behaviour, she feels that anything can be expected from a varmint like you."

Rhett grinned, then said quietly, "I hear you want to teach Wade to swim, but don't you think that's a father-son thing?"

Scarlett looked at him in surprise and turned to him, gently releasing her hand.

"What do you mean?"

Rhett looked at her carefully and simply said, "I want to marry you, Scarlett."

Scarlett looked at him in disbelief, suddenly finding it hard to breathe because of the corset, and just turned around and said, "I have to go back, into the shadows. And... You're crazy, Rhett Butler!"

She walked back quickly, but Rhett caught up with her in two steps and pulled her behind the trunk of a large tree, put his arm around her shoulders and, despite her feeble protests, pressed her against the tree that hid them from prying eyes.

"That's no answer, Mrs Hamilton!"

"You haven't asked me anything, Rhett Butler!"

He suddenly pressed her against the trunk and passionately covered her lips with his, she responded immediately to his kiss and his hands slipped from her shoulders. He ran his hands along her curves, from the breasts to her waist, hearing her soft sigh, barely able to pull away from her lips.

His breath evened out as he watched the shadows of the leaves play across her face and the golden sparkles in her green eyes.

"Let me go, you, rascal! Rhett!" she whispered desperately.

"I'll let you go when you answer my question, Scarlett. Will you marry me?"

She suddenly smiled mischievously and said, "I would marry you, but where is your courtship, Captain Butler?"

He looked at her in confusion, but she quickly freed herself and walked out along the path that led to their tree.

"Will you come with me, Mrs Hamilton?" he began in a cheerful tone, catching up with her.

"Where to?" she asked with interest, quickening her pace.

"Anywhere - dinner, dancing, a picnic, a park?"

"I'd go if you'd remember your manners, Captain Butler!"

"I'll remember, Darling, I promise!"

She giggled and then turned to him, they were already close and Wade was walking towards them.

"We'll talk tomorrow at work," she said, looking into his eyes, then quickly added, "and my answer is "yes", Rhett."

Trying not to notice his broad smile, she turned to her son and walked quickly towards him, feeling Rhett's gaze on her back and gently smiling.