Thank you to everyone who reviewed the past chapter and sent messages, it is always so appreciated!

A special thanks to MissTricey, to whom this chapter is dedicated. Your encouragement over the past few years is not to be underestimated and a reminder of why this community is so awesome!

Enjoy!


~January 1866~

A week after Scarlett learnt of Rhett's imprisonment, she stood in front of the jail, her thin boots sinking into the mud as she plastered a smile on her face and brushed invisible dirt off the front of her new green gown, fashioned, under duress, by Mammy from Ellen's drapes.

"I'm here to see Captain Butler" Scarlett said to the guards at the door. Her voice sounded strong, no waver, for which she was pleased.

"Oh, you are, are you?" One of the men said, raising his eyebrow. "And who might you be to him?"

"I'm his sister" Scarlett lied, forcing a smile onto her face. "Why I travelled such a long way to see him when I heard about the awful situation he'd gotten himself in to. I'd be most grateful for a moment with my dear big brother."

"Hmm, wait here a minute missy" the guard said, disappearing into the building. Scarlett could hear Mammy muttering behind her, but she could not afford to be distracted. Mammy had been grumbling all morning and Scarlett knew full well it was because her actions 'jus' weren't proper'.

A few minutes had passed when the guard reappeared.

"You can see him, follow me", he said, before turning on his heel, and opened the door for Scarlett. Her heart began beating so loudly she was sure the guard could hear. It was because of the nerves she told herself. If Rhett didn't give her the money, then Tara would be lost for sure. She only had one chance to secure the money but he had said he loved her, and he surely wouldn't see his son homeless. For the first time in a long time, she felt her odds were most favourable.

She was led down a final corridor, before a metal-barred stable door was slid open, and there he was. The familiarness of his face made her breath catch in her throat.

She had spent month after torturous month carefully burying any emotions she might once have felt for the man in front of her. When fear and hunger had taken over, she had focused solely on the survival of herself and her family. Any feelings that were a distraction to this end had been concealed so deeply within herself that she no longer knew they existed.

But now, standing in from of him, Rhett's eyes boring into hers, she felt a surprising flame flicker within her frozen heart. A flame that she had squashed down so purposefully, so strongly that even now she could barely acknowledge its existence.

She hardly noticed the guard excusing himself, as she stepped carefully over the threshold and into his prison cell, her eyes never leaving his.

"My dear sister!" Rhett said, breaking the silence that was growing ever thicker. A grin graced his tanned face as his eyes swept downward, studying her carefully and she took a moment to do the same. He looked no worse for wear than when she'd last seen him, not like the poor starving soldiers who had been crawling over Tara, with their missing limbs and broken bodies.

Rhett was beautifully whole, his tanned skin belied the fact he was being kept in a jail, his hair was as dark and neat as ever and moustache clipped to perfection. In a white shirt and black britches, he looked better than Scarlett had dared dreamed. All of a sudden, she felt self-conscious in her drape-made dress, knowing that underneath her body was likely as unwomanly as it had ever been as months of starvation and hard labour had taken their toll. After a moment, she met his dark gaze again and took a breath to steady herself.

"I... I...I need three hundred dollars!" She hadn't quite known what she would say when she saw him and was thankful that the first words that burst out of her were of a practical nature, as an unwelcome churning feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. Evidently, he seemed to be just fine and hadn't bothered to let her know, and she didn't know why that bothered her so much. She just had to keep calm, and she would get what she'd come for.

He raised an eyebrow.

"And here I thought you'd come because you missed me!"

"Missed you? I thought you were dead" she said, forcing a small laugh. Scarlett didn't see the very real look of distress which passed like a shadow over his face.

"Why, I couldn't think of any other reason you'd stay away from the son you claimed to love for so long. You didn't even send a note or a message somehow, and I know you have ways. I had to hear from Ashley Wilkes that you were here." She saw him wince slightly at her whispered yet venomous accusation. This was certainly not what she had planned to say, but seeing him again drove all rational thought from her head and she had to take a moment to calm herself before continuing.

"But no matter, I can see you're fine" she said, flicking a black curl over her shoulder as she peered up at him through her eyelashes.

"And clearly you're not, Mrs Hamilton, otherwise you wouldn't be here begging for my money." He took a step back and leaned against the wooden table in the centre of the small cell.

"Although I will admit that not many ladies have such… finery these days" he replied, his expression mocking and Scarlett felt her pride take a slight sting.

His initial eager gaze had settled on her face, looking at her as though they had seen each other just yesterday.

"Tell me of Wade, is he well?" he asked suddenly.

"Wade is.. fine" she muttered. It was true, Wade was recovering well, there was no way she would have left his side otherwise.

"Fine? I haven't seen him in over a year and all I get is 'fine'?"

"And who's fault is that? You were the one who left us if you don't remember?" it was said flippantly, but Rhett caught a glimpse of anger simmering in her emerald eyes.

"Well, you seem to have pulled through fine without me." Rhett said, "Just as I knew you would."

"You're right. I didn't need you" she said coolly, "but I do need three hundred dollars to pay the taxes on Tara. You're the only person I know with that amount of money. I can't lose Tara Rhett, I just can't." She took a step forward to play her trump card. "It's Wade's birth right, his home". Rhett stood, an unreadable expression on his face. He turned to face the barred window for a brief moment and Scarlett waited in anxious anticipation. Surely he would give it to her. A second later he turned back to her.

"You are sadly misinformed, I don't have three hundred dollars, Mrs Hamilton." His tone, like his face, was inscrutable.

"But they imprisoned you for stealing away the confederacy gold!" Scarlett said, desperation creeping into her voice.

"If I had, I'd be a fool to touch it right now. Why, the Yankees would be on me like a duck on a June bug if I so much as spent a dollar!" he replied.

"Oh you varmint! If I don't have that money, I'll lose Tara. Would you really see your son homeless?"

His eyes narrowed and he gripped her wrist, inadvertently pulling her towards him.

"Don't you dare use my son to blackmail me, Scarlett. That's low, even for you." Scarlett could sense the underlying anger in his voice, but her response got stuck in her throat as she looked up and all thoughts abandoned her.

He was so close she could feel the heat emanating from his powerful body and his breath on her face. She met his gaze head on and for a wild moment she didn't know if she wanted to slap him, or kiss him and drown herself in his very presence. Summoning every last bit of willpower, she closed her eyes, breaking his hold on her.

"Let go of me you fool, you're hurting me" she bit out, he let go and she stumbled back, rubbing her wrist where she could still feel the echo of his grasp.

"You must be desperate. To come here like this. I thought you couldn't care less if you ever saw me again." Rhett said with no small amount of nonchalance, and saw her frown slightly in confusion.

"I can't get you your money now Scarlett, but fear not, I hear they hope to hang me soon and then Wade will be the richest four year old this side of the Mason-Dixie line. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to help out his scheming mother." It was said in mocking jest and Rhett was sure Scarlett didn't believe him; however, it was true. Before he had joined the army, he had written a will leaving everything to his son to be held in trust by Scarlett until he came of age, under the guise of Wade being the closest thing to a ward he had. If, heaven forbid, he had died on the battlefield, he would at least rest easy knowing his son was taken care of.

Scarlett didn't appreciate his jibe. "Well I hope you suffer! Hanging is too good for you!"

And with that biting remark, she swept out of his cell and back through makeshift jail, her blood pounding in her ears. She had failed to get the money, there was no back-up plan and Tara would be lost. Stepping out into the sun, an image of Rhett crossed her mind, not as he was today, but how she remembered him before her fateful return to Tara and the thought crossed her mind that, perhaps, she had just lost something else too, a loss too unbearable to even contemplate right now.

That notion was swiftly put aside as she joined Mammy, to whom it was clear from the grim look on Scarlett's face what the outcome of the meeting had been.

"Let's go home, Mammy. While we still have a home to go to." Scarlett said bitterly.

"Oh come Miss Scarlett, you can't give up jus' yet. Lord knows this family is due some luck."

As they made their way down the road, Scarlett scanned the sorry sight that was the main street of Atlanta, when her eyes caught sight of a familiar figure.

"Why Mammy, isn't that Frank Kennedy over there?"


Scarlett had stormed out of the cell in a cloud of green velvet fury, and Rhett felt himself sag against the table before dropping into the chair. He couldn't give her his money now, he would be hung for sure, and no matter how much he might joke about it, he was not ready to die. However, he did have a loan he could call in, he just hadn't wanted to raise her hopes should it not come through. He would just have to wait for Belle's next visit and persuade her to pay the taxes with the money he had lent her. It was a long shot, yes it was his money, but Belle did not like Scarlett and Scarlett would be horrified if she knew his plan involved the local Madam. But Scarlett had been right, he would not see his son homeless if it was within his power.

Truth be told, Rhett had been both dreading and dreaming of seeing Scarlett again. Telling her he loved her that night at Rough and Ready was simultaneously the bravest and most foolish thing he had said in his life. But it had been a weight off his chest, and knowing that she hadn't wanted him to die, well surely, she must have some manner of feelings for him too.

As the months had gone on, that thought had kept him going as the ravages of war seeped into his bones. He had picked up scars, wore them with pride and when the end of the war finally came, he was free to go home. To Scarlett and Wade if they would have him, he had thought with pleasure as he made his way south. It took some time but eventually, he had reached Tara.

~Flashback to Summer 1865~

He had heard much about Tara over the years, Scarlett had regaled him with tales of her childhood at the plantation many a time. To hear her speak, Tara was a grand house, standing proudly against the backdrop of red clay and redder sunsets. Rhett was sure this must have once been true, but now, the house looked worn, dilapidated and as sad as the ground it sat on. However, it was still there. Rhett had passed many burnt out houses on the way and had been increasingly fearful for the survival of Tara and its inhabitants.

As the house came into view, he paused on the hill, taking in the scene. Returning soldiers had set up camp outside, and lines of rags he assumed were once clothes fluttered in the breeze. His eyes scanned over the groups of men when he fixed on a sight that spread warmth throughout his body. His son. There was no doubt that the small boy sat on the steps of the porch was Wade. A smaller child, he assumed to be the son of Melanie Wilkes, sat next to him and Wade was showing him something that he was too far away to see.

He let out a sigh of relief that his son had made it through the horrors of the war unscathed and just before he could break into a run down the hill to hold his boy in his arms, he saw another welcome sight. Scarlett. She was walking away from the house down a path, Melanie at her side. Without even realising that he had moved, he found himself halfway down the hill, following the ladies at a distance as they reached a woodshed.

Rhett had never felt the need to purposely listen in to other people's conversations, what he wanted to know, he was pretty good at getting people to tell him straight to his face. However now he stood out of sight, and as he wondered how to make his move, he couldn't help but overhear.

"I still can't believe it, Cathleen marrying Hilton, their old overseer?" he heard Scarlett say to Melanie as she set her basket down on a tree stump. Her voice was like music to his ears. His memory, and all the times he had dreamed of her had been a poor imitation for reality.

"It must be hard, Scarlett. So many young men lost in the war, poor Cathleen is doing what she must, just like all of us."

"Well, I certainly couldn't stoop that low" Rhett almost chuckled at her ever present high and mighty ideals, in stark contrast to her current situation it seemed as he had caught a glimpse of her worn dress, which seemed to be hanging off her worryingly thin frame. Luckily for her, he thought, she wouldn't have to stoop that low, if only she would agree to his proposal.

He had never been the marrying kind, but months of war, starvation, and watching his fellow men get maimed and killed was enough to put anyone's priorities in sharp focus and he knew with a certainty that he would do whatever it took to have Scarlett and Wade by his side. He turned his attention back to the ladies, intrigued as to the turn their talk had taken.

"Oh come, Scarlett, don't be mean. You never know what the future may hold" Melanie continued. "I know how tough it was for you, losing Charlie, but you know he would want you to be happy, as do I."

"I know" Scarlett said shortly, wondering where Melanie was going with the conversation.

"Have you had any thought as to whether you will marry again?" Rhett almost held his breath waiting for her answer.

"Marry, Melly?" Scarlett scoffed. "Fiddle dee dee, who would I marry? There's no one left. Besides, I'm doing just fine as I am." Rhett felt slightly stung at her words, but let her flippancy wash over him, he knew her well enough to know that she would likely not be truthful to Melanie in matters of the heart. Her decision to lay with him, a perfect stranger, her plan to hide her shame in a sham marriage to Charles Hamilton, Wade.. This was shaky ground for Scarlett and Rhett knew it.

"It's not that you're not capable, my darling" Melanie continued, "it's just, wouldn't you want some company, brothers and sisters for Wade?"

"Not really" Scarlett said, wishing for an end to the conversation. It wasn't that the thought hadn't crossed her mind, but she hadn't enjoyed being married to Charles, had enjoyed being a widow even less. She wasn't about to tie herself down to anyone if she could help it, and quickly batted away image of a dark gaze which intrusively flickered through her head.

"I had rather thought.." Melanie began, trailing off as a blush rose up in her cheeks, "I'm sorry I shouldn't pry."

"What is it?"

"You and Captain Butler seemed to get on well… In Atlanta" Melanie finished. See, Rhett thought triumphantly, even Mrs Wilkes knew they were meant to be.

"Captain Butler?" Scarlett said scathingly. It was the first time he had been mentioned since their dramatic arrival at Tara, and Scarlett feared for a brief moment that Melanie had seen into her mind.

"And Wade seemed quite taken with him too" Melanie persisted, her warm brown eyes glancing at Scarlett. There was no way that Scarlett could tell her that Wade was exactly the reason why she would never marry Rhett, if he was even still alive. Their boy was growing more into his father's image every day, and she simply couldn't risk having her darkest secret exposed. The two of them in close proximity, under the same roof every day, was just asking for trouble.

"Heavens Melly, you do run on. It's not like there were many choices for company back in Atlanta. Captain Butler was a convenient person to know, nothing more." She said hotly, turning away towards the house so Melanie wouldn't see the rush of blood that threatened to rise up her cheeks. It had been a long time since fear of discovery had played on Scarlett's mind and she knew she had to squash this foolish idea of Melanie's before it went too far and everything unravelled.

"Wade and I are just fine as we are." She bent down to pick up some wood for the fire. "So, I'll thank you to mind your own business. If I ever do remarry, it most certainly will not be to Rhett Butler. Why I couldn't care less if I ever see that man again."

Round the corner, Rhett stood frozen in silence and was taken back to a memory, a library, where a young, precocious girl had tried to chastise him.

"Sir, you should have made your presence known!" Scarlett had stammered.

"And interrupt that beautiful declaration of love?"

"Eavesdroppers" she began,

"Often hear highly amusing things" he had grinned.

Well, he was no longer amused. He had prided himself on knowing Scarlett better than she knew herself. He had felt sure that a proposal of marriage, a promise to take her away from her hardships here would elicit a positive response. Even if she did not yet love him, he had thought she at least cared for him somewhat and they would have a chance for a future together.

Part of him told him that Scarlett didn't mean what she said, she was scared and clearly under a great deal of stress. The other, increasingly dominant part told him to run for the hills. His battlefield ideals of a happy family began to waver as doubt crept into his head for the first time since he set off on this mad crusade back south. Scarlett and Wade were alive and as well as could be, they didn't need him, not really, he reasoned.

With a heavy heart, he watched as the two ladies walked back to the house, Scarlett ruffling Wade's hair as she passed him on the porch.

He didn't run right away. He sat under a tree and watched Wade play in the distance until Scarlett called him in for dinner and as the sun set on Tara and its occupants, Rhett slipped away into the darkness.

Scarlett's scathing words had cut deep, whether she meant them or not. Yes, he had survived the war, but he didn't think he could survive the rejection from Scarlett that was sure to come if he stayed.

~End of flashback - January 1866~

He had quickly regretted it, of course. Just a couple of days after his aborted visit to Tara, he resolved to return. His foolish pride had stopped him from holding his son, from sharing a private conversation with Scarlett where maybe she might be more receptive to his ideas. However, it was not to be. He was arrested that morning in his room at Belle's, and his plan to win back the only woman he had foolishly dared to love was over before it even began.

Now, he had been given another chance. Yes, she had been shameful and cruel with her scheming and he had responded in kind. But underneath it all, he had seen how he had hurt her, and if she was hurt, then maybe, just maybe, she still cared.


So what will happen next for our favourite couple? Will Rhett manage to get the money before Scarlett does something drastic?

Stay tuned!