A/N: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a new chapter! Amazing! Okay, so I'm sure many of you thought I had died or something, right? C'mon, let's see a show of hands. Who thought I had dropped off the face of the earth?

Anyway, I'm back now after a lot of illness and subsequent making up of mountains of homework. This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I thought it was a good place to end it. It will probably take me a while to get the next one out, as my life is filled to the brim with school right now, but hopefully there won't be another wait as long as this one has been. I apologize to all my readers who have been awaiting this, and I hope at least some of you are still with me.

I got a request to see some of Rhett's thoughts in this chapter, so I sat down to write a short bit about them. As usual, my writing decided to have a mind of its own, and it turned into 2,000+ words of Rhett's thoughts. I hope that's all right with everyone.

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 6

Rhett stood alone in the large dining room of Scarlett's house. He still wasn't completely sure that all this was actually happening, and it wasn't just another of the nightmares his Scarlett-crazed mind had been torturing him with ever since her disappearing act.

When he had left her in Charleston, still worn out and frail from their accident, he hadn't thought about her. He had been selfish and only thought about putting as much distance between them as possible.

He had felt the tight hold he had maintained on his desire for her weakening every day she had spent in Charleston, and when he thought he had lost her, when she was lying on that beach as pale as death, any remaining threads of resistance had broken. He had taken her then, not being able to hold himself back one moment longer. Again he had been selfish. In that moment, he hadn't considered her condition, hadn't asked if she'd wanted him, probably wouldn't have cared if she hadn't.

But then, when he had realized what he had done, and what it would mean to her, he had panicked. He wasn't ready to admit defeat. Because that's what it was. The mighty Rhett Butler had been defeated by his wife and his own desires. But that's all it was. Desire. He refused to entertain the possibility that any other emotion had played a part in his demise. And so he had lashed out at her. He had said the most hurtful things he could think of, in an attempt to drive her away from him again. He couldn't go back to that hellish existence, to that nightmare of a monstrosity they had called home. There would be no happiness left for him there now that his darling Bonnie was gone, and once Scarlett tired of him and decided she still carried a torch for the wooden-headed Ashley Wilks... What would be left for him then?

But even those horrible words he had spoken to her in the shack—he cringed every time his mind forced him to hear the vile words that had fallen from his tongue in his moment of panic—even those words hadn't been enough to drive her away. So he had done the only thing he could think of. He had run.

He had left her that dammed note and run like a coward. He hadn't actually gone far away as he had intended. As much as he tried to convince himself he didn't care about her any longer, he couldn't tear her from his mind. He couldn't go so far away that he wouldn't be able to get to her if she was more damaged by the accident than the doctors had said. He had cursed himself and his weakness, but he had not gone farther than a few days journey from Charleston.

And once he had checked into a hotel, he had gone back to drowning himself in alcohol, trying to forget her. Trying not to think about how close he had come to losing her forever. Trying not to envision her lying in her bed at his mother's house, waiting for him. Trying to keep himself from seeing the smile on her face as she reached for the letter he'd left, thinking it contained a declaration of his love, or at the very least, wishes for her speedy recovery, and how her face would fall when she read what he actually had to say. Refusing to allow himself to imagine that his words could have brought her to tears. But it was all in vain.

No matter how much alcohol he had forced down his throat, he couldn't erase her face from his mind. No matter how many whores he had "attempted" to bed, he could not forget the feel of her beneath him. No matter how many reasons he came up with to convince himself to stay away from her, he couldn't ignore the aching emptiness in his chest.

He resisted it as long as he could, but eventually, he could resist no longer. He had returned to Charleston as quickly as possible, had gone straight up to her room as soon as he had arrived, and upon finding it empty, had searched the entire house for her. After he couldn't find her, he had paced the parlor floor, all the while attempting to decide what he would say to convince her of how wrong he had been. He had paced and worried himself into a state of nervous anxiety by the time his mother and Rosemary had returned from whatever social engagement they had been at all day.

It had been Rosemary that told him of Scarlett's departure. She had complained about how boorish it was for Scarlett to leave without telling anyone, and without even leaving a note. She had assured him that she had no idea where Scarlett had gone, and flatly stated that she had no desire to know.

After that, Rhett had spent several days attempting to locate her. He checked the house in Atlanta, at Tara, and had even asked old Henry Hamilton for news of her, but none of his searching had yielded even the smallest hint of her whereabouts. He had gone back to Charleston defeated, where he had resumed drinking and berating himself for telling her to leave. He had existed in this state for several days before deciding that if Scarlett wanted to leave without a word or a thought for anyone else, then he shouldn't feel guilt about doing the same thing. She had obviously grown tired of playing her games with him, and given up the act that she was in love with him. He had suspected that at that very moment, she was in the company of her darling Mr. Wilks.

That thought was what had done it. As irrational as it may have been, he couldn't shake it. It haunted him, and ultimately, it drove him to file the divorce papers.

He had half-expected her to come bursting into his mother's house declaring that he couldn't do this to her, but she never had. It had been that, more than anything that had finally convinced him that she never truly loved him. He had just been something elusive. Like some sort of twisted game of tag, Scarlett had enjoyed trying to catch him. She had evidently grown tired of the game though, as he hadn't heard from her again.

And then he had gotten himself in that mess that had resulted in his marriage to Anne Hampton. He still couldn't believe that he had actually done the honorable thing and proposed. He had never cared about honor before his Bonnie had been born, and he hadn't cared about it after she had died, so what had driven him to make that proposal, he didn't know. Maybe it was because he did feel a slight affection for the poor girl and didn't want her reputation to be ruined because of an accident. Maybe it was because he had still been trying to do anything he could to distance himself from Scarlett. Maybe it was a combination of things.

Whatever the reason, he had proposed, and she had accepted, as he had known she would. He had known for some time of her infatuation with him. He had thought it rather adorable that such a proper, reserved young lady would be so enamored with the black sheep of the Butler family, but that opinion had changed after they had married.

But now wasn't the time to think about that. He wasn't in Charleston now. He was in Ireland, at Scarlett's home, about to begin a relationship with his daughter. His daughter. He had thought he was never going to be a father again, which somehow made the discovery of his child all the more amazing.

Yes, it was amazing, and yet... He was still unsure whether he wanted to strangle Scarlett or kiss her. He was absolutely furious that she had kept his child from him, but as angry as he was, he couldn't deny that he understood her reasons for doing so. Would he have done anything differently if he had been in her position? That was an impossible question to answer, but he had a nagging feeling that he wouldn't have.

Rhett gave himself a mental shake. He didn't want to be angry right now. Any minute, his daughter was going to come through that door, and he didn't want her to see anything in his eyes but love and happiness. It wasn't hard to fill his heart with those emotions when he thought of Cat. What a beautiful child she was, and her eyes... Rhett wasn't sure if her eyes were going to be a blessing or a curse. Those eyes had been the first thing he had noticed about her because they were Scarlett's eyes. The exact same color and shape. When Scarlett had been explaining that she called their daughter Cat because her eyes reminded her of a kitten,, he couldn't help but think of all the times he had thought the same thing of Scarlett's eyes.

"Scarlett." He hadn't meant to utter the name aloud. He glanced surreptitiously over his shoulder and relaxed when he didn't see anyone. It would not do to give Scarlett any more reasons to suspect that he wasn't as unaffected by her as he maintained. He had already allowed more of his emotions to show than was advisable. He supposed it was just the shock of seeing her again that had thrown him off his guard, but he knew he had to control himself before he revealed even more.

Rhett was sure he had been acting like a jealous idiot at the hunt. He had seen Scarlett with that man, the one he hadn't known was her cousin, at the fair, and she had been carrying a child in her arms. The thought of Scarlett having another man's children had been driving him crazy. In all honesty, he had been amazed he had managed to control himself as much as he had. Then she had been flirting with Bart Morland, and Bart had made no secret to him that he found Scarlett enchanting. Every smile Scarlett had directed toward Bart, every glance Bart had stolen of Scarlett had sent daggers of jealousy through him, though he continued to tell himself it was only anger that he felt for her.

He had felt himself being drawn back into her web, just as a spider draws a fly, except this time, Scarlett hadn't been attempting to lure him in. This time it had been he and he alone that had been the cause of his reemergence of feelings, so he had done what he always did to keep himself from revealing his feelings to her. He had insulted her, taunted her, berated her.

But when he had pulled her into that room so that Wade wouldn't hear their argument and his body and been pressed into hers, that's when he knew that he could lie to himself all he wanted, but he would never be free of her. God help him; he still wanted her. Badly. He had broken away and put as much distance between them as possible with his back facing her. He had to hide the desire he knew was burning in his eyes as well as his very noticeable arousal.

After that he had tried to remain as cold and aloof as possible, but then Wade had let Scarlett's secret slip in his moment of rage, and Rhett had felt anger, worry, elation, and so many other emotions all at once. He hadn't known one person could feel so many emotions in a single moment.

Wade was another topic entirely. Rhett couldn't blame him for being angry. The boy had always been very protective of his mother, defending her vehemently whenever any of the neighborhood children had repeated the gossip they had overheard from their parents. Wade had obviously become even more protective since the divorce. It was clear that he considered what Rhett had done to be a betrayal and abandonment. He seemed to know a great deal more about the situation than Rhett expected at first, which meant it would take a lot of explaining to dampen Wade's anger toward him.

But that was a problem for later. Right now, Rhett was going to concentrate on getting to know his daughter.

***

After Scarlett had left Rhett standing in the dining room, it didn't take her long to find Mrs. Fitz and the children. They were all in the back yard. Ella and Cat were chasing a butterfly under the watchful eyes of Mrs. Fitz, who was seated on a bench not too far away from them. Wade was leaning moodily against the trunk of a nearby tree with his arms crossed over his chest, staring out across the fields.

Scarlett walked over and took a seat next to Mrs. Fitz.

"Could you please prepare a room for Captain Butler, Mrs. Fitz?" she asked without taking her eyes from the form of her youngest child.

"He's staying then?" Mrs. Fitz asked, sounding surprised, and not a little disgruntled.

"Yes," replied Scarlett shortly.

"And you're alright with this?"

"He's Cat's father. Whether I am or not, he has the right to spend time with her."

"I don't like it," Mrs. Fitz stated, as though with those words she could drive Rhett Butler from the shores of Ireland.

"He said he wasn't going to try to take her away from me, and maybe I'm crazy, but I believe him," Scarlett said, finally turning her gaze to Mrs. Fitz.

The look on Mrs. Fitz's face showed plainly that she was not so willing to take Rhett at his word, but she rose to see to his room nonetheless.

"Put him in one of the rooms across from Cat's," Scarlett instructed.

Mrs. Fitz nodded, but as she walked away Scarlett was sure she heard her mumble, "I'd rather put him in the stables."

Scarlett grinned, but it soon faltered when she happened to glance over at Wade. He hadn't moved from his previous position, but his eyes were no longer focused on the fields. He was staring at her, and the anger she saw in his eyes left no doubt that he had heard every word that had passed between her and Mrs. Fitz. "I have to learn to have my conversations in places where Wade can't overhear them," she thought.

Scarlett sighed and called the children over to her. Ella and Cat both came running toward her, but Wade appeared to be in no hurry to obey.

"Momma, me stay," Cat asserted immediately upon reaching Scarlett.

"Yes, precious," Scarlett affirmed as she settled Cat on her lap. "You aren't going anywhere. I promise."

"What's Cat talking about, mother?" Ella asked curiously.

"Nothing, darling. Don't worry about it," replied Scarlett, giving Wade a warning look when he looked as though he was going to say something to contradict her. "Now, I have something to tell all of you."

Wade already knew what was coming. His mother had decided to allow Rhett to stay in the house. Never mind that he had done everything that he could to hurt her. Never mind that he had already threatened to take Cat away once—he had gathered that much from Cat after she had finally calmed down. Apparently it didn't matter what Rhett Butler did. His mother would welcome him with open arms regardless, it seemed.

"Rhett is going to be staying with us for a while," Scarlett told them, making sure that her voice was light and there was a smile on her face.

Ella smiled widely and began to bounce up and down on her seat in excitement.

"Really, mother?" she exclaimed. "How long is he staying?"

"Who Rhett," Cat asked before Scarlett could answer.

"He's that man mother was talking to inside," Wade said scathingly.

Cat looked fearfully up at Scarlett, as Wade knew she would. It wasn't that he wanted to make his baby sister afraid, but he thought it would be interesting to see how Rhett felt about his child only wanting her mother. God knows his mother had to endure enough of that from Bonnie. "Let's see how Rhett likes it," thought Wade.

Scarlett had been soothing Cat, but Wade had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had missed it, though he was sure she had taken the time to throw him several reproving glances. He had regained the thread of the conversation enough to know that his mother was about to suggest that they all go inside, when Ella decided to speak up again.

"Mother, Wade's in a bad mood. He wasn't being nice to Uncle Rhett and he won't tell me why."

Wade scowled at her and Scarlett looked unsure of what to say. She certainly wasn't going to ask Wade to explain his behavior to Ella. There was no telling what would come out of his mouth, and it was difficult enough with one of her children knowing so much about her and Rhett's relationship.

"Wade's just a little upset with Uncle Rhett right now," she finally decided to say, hoping that this would be enough to explain Wade's behavior. Unfortunately, Ella was a very curious child and seemed to have a great affinity for asking questions.

"But why?" she queried.

Scarlett shot a look at Wade that clearly said, "now look what you've done," but he only shrugged and left her to deal with Ella's inquisitiveness.

"I don't have time to explain now, Ella," Scarlett told the child, hoping that she would forget about it before she had the opportunity to ask again. "Now let's go inside."

Ella jumped up. Apparently her excitement to see Rhett again had triumphed over her curiosity of Wade's odd behavior. Scarlett was very grateful for this, as it saved her from having to come up with answers to more of Ella's difficult questions. She rose to her feet, keeping Cat in her arms and glanced over at Wade, communicating silently to him that he was to follow her.

They made their way back across the lawn to the house and then inside to the dining room, where they found Rhett, still in the same place Scarlett had left him. He looked up when he heard them approaching and smiled.

Ella bounded over and threw her arms around his waist.

"I missed you, Uncle Rhett. Why were you gone so long?"

He ruffled her hair as he replied, "I'm here now, Ella, but I missed you too."

Ella beamed at him.

Rhett looked up and focused his attention on Cat, who promptly hid her face in Scarlett's neck. The smile that had been adorning Rhett's face faltered momentarily, but he forced it back the next moment. He reached down and disentangled himself from Ella so that he could take a few steps closer to Scarlett and Cat.

"Don't I get to see that beautiful smile of yours, Cat?" Rhett asked brightly, attempting to draw Cat out.

"No," Cat said without turning her head.

"It's alright, Kitty-Cat," Scarlet encouraged. "Can you say 'hi'?"

"No," she repeated.

There was a quiet snort of suppressed laughter from the corner, and both Scarlett and Rhett looked over to see Wade lounging against the wall with his arms crossed. Scarlett decided to ignore him in hopes that Rhett would do the same. She turned back to Rhett.

"Rhett, I'm sure she'll come around. It's just that she doesn't know you yet," Scarlett said in an attempt to gloss over the situation.

Apparently Rhett had decided to ignore Wade as well because he quickly replied, "Well, that's something we will have to remedy then. Why don't we all go on a picnic for lunch today?"

Ella was quick to let them all know that she approved of this suggestion whole-heartedly. Even Cat was pleased enough to peak out from the protection of Scarlett's shoulder. Wade was the only one that didn't communicate his agreement, and Scarlett knew without asking that he wasn't happy about the turn of events. She was just debating on whether or not to say anything to him in front of Rhett when she was relieved of the decision by the arrival of Mrs. Fitz.

"You're room is ready for you, Captain Butler," she stated, and though her tone was polite, it was impossible to miss the coldness that emanated from her.

"Thank you," Rhett replied, though he made no move to follow her to said room.

"Would you like me to show you where it is?" Mrs. Fitz inquired, still using that frostily polite voice.

"I'm sure I can see it later. Right now I'd like to spend some more time—"

"Isn't it time for Cat's morning nap, Mrs. O?" Mrs. Fitz interrupted.

"Oh, yes. I'd nearly forgotten," Scarlett said as she looked down at Cat just in time to see her yawn widely. "I'll put her to bed and be back in a moment."

"Now, would you like to see that room Captain Butler?" inquired Mrs. Fitz.

Rhett looked coolly at her, leaving no doubt that he knew exactly what she had been trying to do, but eventually he nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Fitz led him up the grand staircase and down a wide hallway. Rhett could hear Scarlett speaking in a quiet voice to Cat as he passed by a door situated near the middle of the hall. To his surprise, Mrs. Fitz stopped in front of a door almost directly opposite to it.

Mrs. Fitz opened the heavy wooden door, and Rhett followed her inside the large room. It was very tastefully decorated, something he had noticed about the entire house, as it was so different from their home in Atlanta. There was a large four poster bed in the center of the room, with a nightstand on either side of it. There was also a large chest of drawers and several comfortable looking armchairs situated in front of the hearth. All of the furniture in the room was well crafted of dark wood and was very substantial without being overpowering. It fit the room perfectly and gave it a cozy feeling that Rhett thought he would enjoy.

Rhett had been so intent on examining his surroundings that he hadn't noticed that Mrs. Fitz had halted in front of him and was staring directly at him with a stern expression on her face. When he did finally notice, he nearly flinched at her proximity, but quickly recovered himself.

"The room is very nice. Thank you, but I think I can manage from here," he said, making it clear that she could leave. However, Mrs. Fitz appeared to have no intention on leaving him alone quite yet.

"I'll know what your intentions are for being here, Captain Butler," she said firmly.

"Excuse me?" Rhett asked, not sure he had heard the woman correctly.

"I'll tell you now that t'won't only be me that'll be asking for your intentions. Mrs. O'Hara and her children are well loved in Ballyhara, and there's not a man here that wouldn't hesitate to run you out of here if she gave the word."

"I see," Rhett replied with a smirk. He was trying very hard not to laugh at this overly stern housekeeper threatening to have him run out of town.

"T'will be better for you if you do. I'm telling you now that if you do anything to upset Mrs. O'Hara or any of the children again, I'll personally see to it that you are given a rather unpleasant farewell," Mrs. Fitz added harshly, and before Rhett could do more than stare at her in mild shock, she brushed passed him and closed the door sharply behind her.

Rhett stood still for a moment, processing what had just transpired before laughing heartily. He had been threatened by Scarlett's housekeeper. What next? He supposed he had better watch his step around the gardeners and stable boys. He laughed even harder at that thought before remembering that Scarlett was trying to put Cat down for a nap just across the hall. He quickly smothered his laughter, so as not to disturb them. If the rest of the residents of Ballyhara were anything like Mrs. Fitz, his stay would be rather interesting indeed.