FF: Another Day

[elliestories]

Title: Another Day
Author: Ellie (windblownellie@yahoo.com)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The story picks up where the novel "Scarlett"
left off. Scarlett and Rhett begin to rebuild their
relationship and their life together.



She roused unwillingly, her body thrown awake as it was
thrust back against the cushions of the train seat,
shifting her head from the comfortable pillow of Rhett's
shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open to find him watching her
with that inscrutable look she'd always wondered about when
they were married. Now she understood, and smiled up at
him as she attempted to stretch muscles sore from a nap
spent contorted between Rhett and the window.

"Are we back at last?" She stifled a yawn as she turned
from him to look out over the twilit countryside, slowly
disappearing into the outskirts of Galway. Scarlett turned
back to face Rhett, taking in Cat curled up asleep on his
other side. "How long has she been asleep?"

"Yes, my dear, we are. And Cat's only been asleep half the
time you've been. But then, she didn't spend last night
riding across half of Ireland, witnessing urban warfare,
and seeing her home burned to the ground. I believe she
slept through most of that." Laughter danced in his eyes,
mingled with admiration. He would never cease to be amazed
at the strength this woman had.

Their gazes met for a second, before Scarlett's returned to
Cat. "I'm worried she understands more of what happened
than she seems to. She's so terribly smart." She reached
across Rhett to stroke her daughter's hair, just lightly
enough to reassure herself without rousing Cat.

Rhett sighed, and looking up at him, Scarlett could see
worry there for one of the first times in her life. It did
little to reassure her about Cat, but much to reinforce
Rhett's new candor with her. "She takes after her mother
in that, I believe. Which would also lead me to believe
she's possessed of the mental fortitude to deal with it.
Someone very wise once told me that you were always able to
bear what the good Lord saw fit to give you. Never once
have I doubted that, and I don't doubt it about Cat,
either."

Scarlett smiled and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Thank
you." She was at a loss, now, unsure of how to proceed
once the train stopped back in reality. "Rhett...how
do...where do we go now that we're here again?"

"Your things are all still at the hotel aren't they?"
Disheveled hair slid farther out of place as she nodded the
affirmative. "We'll go back there, then. At least for
tonight. All of us are in need of a good night's sleep.
I'm sure you of all people will appreciate the desire to
put of thinking of all that until tomorrow."

Reacting with mock indignation, she punched him lightly in
the arm. "I'll have you know I've gotten much better about
that. Its not just my tomorrow I have to worry about
anymore."

The train finally ground to a stop at the terminal, with
people pouring off and into the city's crowds. Only then
did Scarlett's hand wander over her unruly hair and rumpled
clothing. "Oh, I really must look as if I've been running
back and forth across the country for two days. The hotel
does sound like an excellent suggestion, Mr. Butler."

"I've seen you look much worse, Scarlett."

"I don't know if I'm going to like all of this new
honesty."

Rhett's laugh was loud enough to awaken a confused Cat,
making it easier for the three of them to disembark from
the train carriage.

They drew a few odd looks as they hastily passed through
the hotel lobby on their way to her rooms, but Scarlett was
too tired to care. Cat had gone to bed with only one brief
story from Rhett. Scarlett had lingered in the doorframe
listening to a tale of blockade running she'd never heard
him tell before, tears of emotion and exhaustion rising to
her eyes. Rhett looked at her with some concern as he made
his way out of the room.

"What's wrong, Scarlett?" One of his strong arms wrapped
around her waist and drew her out onto a chaise with him.

She met his eyes but shook her head, unsure of her voice.

Rhett pulled her into his arms as he had during her
nightmares years before, making no demands and providing
the security he knew she needed.

"I-I...You're so wonderful with her, Rhett, just like you
were with--with Bonnie." The last two words slipped out
sotto voce, belying her fear of revisiting their past.

Rhett remained silent, his hands continuing to caress her
back. He could feel her heart racing, and her heaving
breaths as she fought for control of suddenly irrational
emotions.

Scarlett steeled herself and continued, letting the words
she needed to say tumble out, painfully aware of the sore
subjects she was broaching. "I'm sorry, Rhett, for the way
that I, um, turned you out after Bonnie was born. I
shouldn't have, and I'm sorry for it. And then I fell, and
lost the first baby I really wanted. I mean, wanted
before..." She floundered, unsure of how to voice what she
was thinking. Realizing Rhett had never judged her for
speaking her mind, she went ahead, sparing the delicacies
and letting her tears flow onto Rhett's broad shoulders.
"I wanted that baby with you, Rhett, and I lost it. I was
even happier when I found out about Cat, because I had one
last chance to have something of us. I want more children
with you, Rhett, but when Cat was born, there were...I
don't know what exactly happened, I was in so much pain,
lost so much blood, and had long since passed out before
she came, but I can't...they had to cut her out of me,
Rhett." She took a breath, trying to collect her thoughts,
to tell him the one thing she knew he'd be most upset to
hear.

"Shhh, Scarlett, I told you long ago that it was immaterial
to me how many children we had. Yes, I loved Bonnie, and I
was devastated by your accident, and I love Cat now. I'm
sorry for what you had to go through, alone, to bring her
into this world. If I had known, I would have been there
with you. As wonderful as other children would be, we have
Cat, and I'm happy to have her in my life now."

Sniffling, she looked up at him. Concern for her welfare
was overshadowed only by love for her and for Cat. "Thank
you for understanding, Rhett. I love you, and I'm sorry
for this whole terrible mess I made of our lives."

"I love you, too, and will not have you taking all the
blame for what went wrong between us. It's as much my
fault as it is yours. Let's just put all that behind us
for now. You're exhausted and need to sleep."

Rhett lifted her easily into his arms as she wrapped hers
tightly around his neck. He made his way carefully around
the foreign rooms, laying Scarlett gently on the bed as the
nearby church bells struck out the ten o'clock hour.

"You always take such good care of me," she mumbled
drowsily, trying to muster up her energy reserves.

"Scarlett, try to find a nightgown. I'm going to put out
the lamps and check on Cat. I'll be back in a minute."

She pondered that as she rummaged through her changing
room. Finding several, she debated between a new, crisp,
lace-trimmed one that was to be for her honeymoon and a
comfortable old favorite. One hung in either hand as Rhett
stepped into the room, silently raising an eyebrow at the
sight of her standing frozen, eyes traveling between what
were to him nearly identical pieces of white material.

"Either is fine. I've seen you in and out of nightgowns
before." His arms encircled her waist from behind, drawing
her back to him as her mouth fell into an "O" of shock.

"Don't act so surprised, Scarlett, it doesn't become you.
Besides, we are both far to drained right now to
contemplate anything besides simply sleeping. Though I
make no promises as to my behavior tomorrow morning."

The lacier gown dropped from her fingers into a heap on the
floor as she smiled. "Oh, I think I could stay awake a bit
longer if given the right motivation. But right now-" the
falsity of her claim was made evident by the yawn that she
didn't bother suppressing. "Oh, maybe not. Could you undo
the little buttons down my back?"

"At your service, as always." Rhett chuckled as he undid
the row of tiny buttons, kissing the nape of her neck as it
was revealed. "There. Do you need any other help?" The
lilt of his old teasing snuck in, and she smiled.

"No, but thank you so very much for your assistance." The
dress pooled at her feet next to the discarded nightgown as
Rhett made his way out of the room, glancing back at her
revealed form with admiration.

When Scarlett emerged from the dressing room, Rhett was
already asleep. She took in his features before she dimmed
the lights. Scarlett remembered how much older than she he
was, and resolved to stop wearing him out in chasing her
around and saving her. Yet in sleep, his features
softened, appearing not much older than her own. Smiling,
she extinguished the lamp and curled up in bed beside him,
snuggling deeper as one of his arms reached out and pulled
her closer.

"Scarlett, darling..."

She turned deeper into the pillows, burying her face from
the bright morning light and the voice tickling her ear.
Her brain, not yet alert, said that the voice was a dream.

"Scarlett. I'm counting to three, then I'm pulling back
all the covers. This is much more pleasant."

She made an incomprehensible noise as she rolled onto her
back and cracked her eyes open. Rhett was already out of
bed and half dressed, leaning down over her. Suddenly, her
mind shot awake, remembering last night. He couldn't be
leaving her, not now. Could he?

Doubts were dispelled as he kissed her, gently and
passionately. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. It's nearly
nine. I thought you and Cat might like some breakfast."

"That would be just divine, Rhett. I can't believe she's
still asleep, she's ever so fond of waking me up in the
mornings by jumping on my bed."

"Actually, she came in and woke me up, asking if we could
go have breakfast with the big people downstairs. I told
her to go pick out a dress and I'd wake you up."

Scarlett smiled, knowing how impatient Cat would be once
she was ready. "You really do spoil me, Rhett Butler. And
I'm sorry she's awake to prevent me from giving me the
proper good morning you deserve." Her eyes sparkled as she
tumbled out of bed towards the dressing room, glancing back
at him with a pout. "Oh, I haven't been this hungry in
years. It must be since lunch yesterday that we had
anything to eat."

"We'll have whatever you'd like at breakfast. I hear this
hotel is well known for its food."

"Don't let Cat hear you say that. She'll have nothing but
a big plate of pastries if you let her."

Rhett's hearty laugh was like music to her and she dug
through the clothing discarded in the dressing room,
wishing it had been a bit more organized before she'd gone
to bed. "I'm willing to let her if you are, my dear. Can
you button yourself up more easily than you can undo them,
while I get our daughter ready?"

"I'd much rather have you button them." She batted her
eyes at him, flirting as she had at half this age before
growing serious. "But things would go much faster if you
got Cat ready. Heaven knows what sort of thing she's
picked out. And I suppose you'll have to go get the rest
of your clothing today. Not that I'd mind you being
without clothing, but it would make going out for food
difficult."

The day passed rapidly for them, as Scarlett realized
calling off a wedding to one man while simultaneously
arranging marriage to another was quite an affair. She
sent a telegram to Fenton calling their wedding off; in her
mind, the faster she was out of Ireland with Rhett, the
better. Rhett had retrieved his baggage and contacted Bart
Morland, asking him to stand up for them at a quiet civil
service the next day. He'd been more than willing, if a
bit shocked at the news. Cat was simply pleased with the
new mint green silk frock purchased for her appearance the
next day. Scarlett and Rhett had been hard pressed to find
a moment alone in the hustle until dinner was over and Cat
was settled into bed.

Scarlett quietly wrapped her arms around Rhett as he stood
at the window, looking at the moonlit rooftops of Galway.
"It's been a long day again." She scanned his face, deeply
contrasted in moonlight and shadow. Perhaps she should've
left more lamps on.

"Yes it has, Scarlett. And it will be again tomorrow, and
the next day." There was something resigned in his voice,
a tone she wasn't used to hearing from him. She pulled
back slightly, massaging his back with her hands.

"Tomorrow will be a happier sort of busy, though. Not
tying up old loose ends, like today. We'll finally be back
on track where we should be--together."

He turned to her, his back leaning against the window
frame. "This optimism is a new leaf for you. It will take
getting used to, but I think I like it very much."

"I like it, too. Except I don't know that it's optimism.
I'd say more realism, but also trusting myself for the
first time in a long time. Maybe ever. It started slowly,
after Cat came, and I started putting my life back
together. After so long feeling lost, I realized that I
could do what you knew I could do all along-stand on my own
two feet and make something of myself. Having you here
makes it easier, though. Better." She stretched up and
kissed him softly on the cheek.

"I'm glad. I may end up loving this new you even more than
I loved the old you."

"Do you really think I've changed so much?"

Rhett pulled back and met her gaze. "You have changed very
much. Maybe it's who you would have been if the War hadn't
come into your life. Or maybe it's that we needed to go
through all of this separately so we could end up being on
the same page at last."

She shook her head slowly. "I wouldn't have been this way
without the War, and all the other terrible things that
have happened and that I've done. I don't love what it did
to me, but I'd have never grown up without it. I'd have
married a boy from the County, raised a family, and ended
up unhappy without ever realizing why."

"Have you developed some sort of psychic gift of which I'm
unaware, my dear?" Rhett laughed and kissed her then,
drowning out all her solemn thoughts of what might have
been with a blissful realization of her reality. They
parted reluctantly, panting to catch their breaths.

"Shall we adjourn to the bedroom?"

"Yes." Scarlett wasn't sure if she spoke or just sighed,
but she was propelled tenderly there by Rhett's strong
embrace.

His hands felt warm even through the layers of her dress,
teasing at her sides and the edges of her breasts. Silver
moonlight filled the room as they fell back onto the bed
and Rhett began teasing open the dress's buttons in a
manner that left no doubt that he was not simply being the
helpful gentleman of the night before.

"I'd been meaning to tell you," he paused dramatically as
he pulled Scarlett's dress away, leaving her exposed in
undergarments, glowing in the pale light. "I love that
you've given up those foolish corsets. This has to feel
even better for you than it does to me." His hands ran
over her torso, toying with the buttons and ties still
holding a layer of fabric around her body.

"Oh, it does. Much less restrictive. I've been learning
to free myself over the past few years." She batted her
eyes at him mischievously, as both of them grinned like
Cheshire cats. "Of course, it now appears that the
clothing situation is unequal, and I won't stand for that."
She began toying with the buttons of his shirt, taking her
time exposing the well-defined chest beneath.

Garments were shed like the wrappings of well appreciated
gifts, strewing shirts and petticoats around the periphery
of the massive bed. They were consumed with a fervor long
suppressed and ignored, out of pride and fear. Those
barriers were at last breaking down, crumbling as the
inhibitions of once-foreign bedmates became the tender
lovemaking of equals. They took their time exploring one
another, examining old familiar bodies from new
perspectives. One new mark stood out from the rest as
Rhett pulled away Scarlett's chemise.

The scar had faded with time. It was no longer the raised,
angry red it had once been. A few years had faded it to a
soft pink, so that it almost blended into the flushed flesh
of her abdomen. Rhett's index finger traced slowly along
the silky line, his eyes coming back to meet Scarlett's,
filled with questions he didn't dare to ask.

She nodded, barely trusting her voice, overcome with
passion and a sudden rush of emotion. "Yes. Cat."
Scarlett couldn't explain, barely knowing herself. What
she had told Rhett the night before was as much as she knew
of Cat's birth.

He accepted the answer, dropping his lips down to place a
row of kisses along the scar. Her hands tangled in his
dark hair as his lips roamed lower. For all her sentiments
towards Rhett, she still knew very little about how much
pleasure was to be given and received. Shadowed memories
of a drunken night and a shipwrecked beach flickered
through her mind, even as she realized there had been
reservations even in those moments.

Scarlett found herself amazed at the feelings Rhett
appeared instinctively able to tease out of her. As they
collapsed together in bed, he surrounded her with his
presence, both of them nearly spent, her brain struggled
back to coherence, memories of their time together flitting
past. She knew he'd been with other women, much more
experienced women than herself. For while Scarlett had
been with more men in the course of her several marriages
than other proper women she knew, no proper woman she knew
had any desire to reciprocate the pleasure her husband gave
her as she did.

Rhett's fingers trailed down the cooling flesh of her arm.
"How are you feeling, my love?"

She hesitated, turning to face him to buy time as she
formulated a response. "Rhett, that was...was...thank
you." She kissed him tenderly, unsure of how she should
respond in this new situation.

He chuckled as they broke the kiss. "I'm glad you enjoyed
yourself as much as I did."

"Did you really?" She peered up at his shadowed face above
her, shocked at her own bluntness.

"What makes you ask that? Of course I enjoyed making love
with the woman I love."

"Well, I mean, you've...There have been other women in your
life, women who-who knew what they were doing in bed."
Suddenly she was glad for the dimness, hoping that the
redness of her cheeks would be less apparent. "And while I
admit that our time together before was better than with
either of my previous husbands, I never much cared if you
enjoyed it. I just assumed men did, always. But...should
I...is there something else that I..." She floundered, at
a loss for words and ashamed at how embarrassed she was to
be discussing this with the one man on earth who wouldn't
think badly of her for asking.

Rhett let out a hearty laugh until he saw the trepidation
in her features. "Scarlett, I assure you that was better
that anything I've ever done with any woman, if for no
other reason than the fact that it was with you, and you
were enjoying it." He paused, watching worry change to
relief on her face. "But I'm sure both of us
could...improve our techniques. And that only happens with
plenty of practice."

"Oh, you are incorrigible!" She slapped him lightly on the
arm.

"We'll have plenty of that, I'm sure. But go to sleep now,
dream of where you would like to go. We can go buy tickets
tomorrow. I'm sure Cat will love the idea of a trip."

"She will, very much. She was always so jealous of me,
running off every weekend to parties and hunts. Going on
so many trips is fun for her. I just don't know how to
tell her this isn't a weekend house party, but goodbye."
Without meeting his gaze, Scarlett rested her head against
his chest, lost in thought.

"We'll figure out how to tell her together, once we figure
out where it is we're going. Cat won't mind very much so
long as she's going with the both of us." His hands
tangled in her hair, grown longer over the past few years.

"You know her so well after so little time. You always
knew me so well, too."

"I know her because she's so very much like you were. And
now you're constantly surprising me."

"We'll keep you on your toes, Mr. Butler."

"I have no doubt of that. In fact, I'm looking forward to
it."

They fell comfortably asleep in each other's arms. Neither
of them heard the chiming bells, signaling the passing of
another day as the world moved once more from night to
morning.