Hello again! As I promised the last chapter ,an addendum.

15 years later... Rhett's worst nightmare comes to life!

Thank you all for your support and i hope to "see" you again soon!

As always I own nothing. Everything belongs to M.M. Estate (although I fear that if our beloved writer knew what I have done to her Rhett, she would faint, at least! LOL!)

You know what you have to do now! Read, enjoy and if you feel like it review!

Father of the Bride

Rhett holding a glass of whiskey in one hand and one of his favorite Cuban cigars on the other, was wondering around from one room to another. People congratulated him in every step and gave their best wishes for the children. All his friends and relatives were there but he could feel no joy. He left the gathering and tried to find some peace. He continued moving from one room to another when he found himself alone at last. Then he looked around. He was at the library.

He silently laughed at the irony of the situation. It was in this same room that everything started, 20, no 25, years ago. Could it be that long? For him it feels like it was yesterday that in this same room, the library of the Twelve Oaks plantation he saw, or heard to be exact, a 16 years old girl fiercely declaring her love for a man. Ashley Wilkes. It was far more than a decade that he had accepted Ashley as a friend and a cooperator but tonight he felt all his old envies and contempt for the man to reemerge in all their glory!

It wasn't because of Scarlett of course. He had no doubts that he and only he was the man she truly loved. He knew that even before she, herself realized that. In a weird way it was Bonnie, his little girl that had betrayed him.

Bonnie. Bonnie Wilkes. The mare reference to his daughter with her married name left a bitter taste in his mouth. He couldn't believe that Bonnie got married. To Beau Wilkes of all people. He sighed. He let his mind go back to how everything started, about one year ago.

Life was calm and peaceful at the Butler household. Rhett, for the first time in his life felt absolutely content. Everything was as it should be. He didn't want to change a spot in the picture in front of him. He had his wife's love and devotion, and the business was thriving. Every summer, since the twins were old enough, they traveled around the world. His dream life with Scarlett took finally shape.

Also all his children were remarkably well. The twins were going to finish school this year, and along with their cousin Scally were already planning their Grand Tour in Europe. Wade had just finish his studies in economics at Harvard and now he was one of the most promising young stockbrokers in Wall Street. Much to Scarlett's disappointment, he had chosen to stay in New York and not in Atlanta. But Rhett couldn't complain. He understood his need for independence, which reminded him his own need at the same age, and he was content that the boy was doing so well in his life. Wade visited them often enough and they paid him visits even more often. He was sure that Scarlett's constant nagging was due to the fact that she knew that the time she would have a Yankee daughter in law and Yankee little grandchildren was rapidly approaching. Ella in her own way was really happy too. Loyal to the family tradition she was married at sixteen, exactly like her mother and grandmother did before her, to Napoleon Picard, Maybelle and Raoul's son. They run together both the Kennedy's Emporium and the Merriweather's bakery and all Atlanta's Old Guard were loyal customers of them. Ella had inherited her mother's hardworkingness, her father's good will and her stepfather's business instinct which made her the most successful and beloved businesswoman in town. And then there was his Bonnie. Rhett was so proud of her. She had finish school two years ago, she had myriads of beaus, but she didn't show special preference at any of them and she declared that she wasn't interested in getting married just yet. She also informed her parents she wasn't interested in working in family business. She wanted to do something new. She asked them money to buy the store next to Ella's and there she created a small "boutique" as they called it in Paris. A place where women could find and combine all the necessities for a full wardrobe, from dresses and lingerie to hats and shoes. Bonnie soon became known for her good taste, which she could have inherited only by her father, as gossip mongers used to say and her store had a tremendous success. Father and daughter often traveled together in Paris and London, where they visited the most famous ateliers, which already knew very well and respected the name Butler in order to import the merchandise.

Rhett was the happiest man on earth when his dream crumbled. It all started when Beau returned to Atlanta after finishing his studies. He was studding law at Harvard, along with Wade and unlike his cousin he was eager to come back. He was meant to work, and maybe one day inherit his Uncle Henry's law firm. Ashley and Melanie weren't living in Atlanta anymore. Ashley decided to retire early and he hired a manager to run the mills on his behalf. He used the profits of the skyscrapers business to buy back his family's plantation from its new owners and now he was able to live his dream too, to spend his life "happily buried" as he used to say at the Twelve Oaks. They had already rebuilt a big part of the house and now he was busy with the reorganization of the gardens, with Melanie's help of course.

Beau came to visit the first day of his arrival at Atlanta and Rhett found it completely normal. And then he kept coming every day, but this didn't worried him either, since the children grew up together. He wasn't alarmed when he slightly noticed that all Bonnie's suitors were suspiciously vanished the last few weeks. So he absolutely didn't see that coming when the news hit him during an, otherwise completely common, Butler/ Wilkes family dinner. Scarlett, Melanie and Ashley were excited when Beau and Bonnie, (What a name for a couple! It was ridiculous! Why everyone refused to see his point was beyond his understanding!) announced their engagement. Beau of course excused himself for not properly asked for Bonnie's hand from him first, but he declared that he always felt as a member of the Butler family and that this marriage was the best way for them to become one big happy family as he always felt they were. Scarlett and Melanie, totally moved, with tears in their eyes embraced the couple and Ashley proud of his son followed. At the same time Rhett, sure that all these were terrible lies, just stared at him angrily and thought that his wife was rapidly turning into a sentimental fool. "For Christ's sake, Scarlett" he mentally scolded, "He is a lawyer, he knows how to deliver a lie. Definitely there is no reason to cry!" Only Bonnie was able to sense his hesitation and he was able to sense her anxiety. It was then when he realized how right Scarlett was. It was indeed exasperating when someone was able to read you like an open book all the time. Bonnie looked at him, with these big blue eyes of hers, waiting for his answer, pleading him silently not to ruin the best day of her life. That was all that he needed to relent. Since she was a baby, he couldn't deny her anything, even when it was for her own good. So he went near them, he kissed his daughter on the forehead, he shacked hands with Beau and accepted the proposal. And from that moment his only thought was to find a way to cancel the wedding. But he found none.

Of course he had tried to stop this madness. Of course he had tried to persuade his daughter that a Wilkes wasn't the right man for her. But his efforts were in vain. The whole world seemed to be against him. The whole Atlanta seemed to be thrilled with the idea. And the person who was more thrilled than all, even more than Bonnie herself was Scarlett and that was what unnerved Rhett the most.

The following days and weeks both the Wilkes and Butler families with all their members, adults and children were engaged in organizing the wedding. Rhett reluctantly participated mostly by paying enormous bills and by nagging, constantly and mostly to Scarlett because he didn't want to upset his daughter.

A few weeks later Scarlett just had enough of this absurd situation. Her patience over him evaporated, besides, patience was never her strong suit, and she couldn't stand him anymore. A tantrum overwhelmed her and a quarrel like the ones the used to have during the first years of their marriage, started. She was yelling that he was ungrateful, that he should be glad that his daughter was getting married to the man she loved, and that this man was a handsome, rich, well-educated boy, from one of the best families in Georgia. She accused him of being a black- hearted selfish cad who put his personal feelings and his ancient jealousy above his daughter's happiness. This was the first serious fight they had in ages. Since that God- damned trip to Charleston with Bonnie. Their lives were utterly changed since then. Now he was a happily married man and he found out he just couldn't stand been separated from his wife. So when Scarlett completely indignant by his behavior took the twins and went to Tara (Bonnie was in New York with Ella, who was going to be the Maid of Honor, and Wade, Beau's best man, for wedding shopping) he was shocked and felt lost in the world. After he spend three days all alone in the Peachtree street mansion, he was forced to reconsider his attitude towards the marriage. Scarlett returned to him only when he swore that he would make a real effort to sincerely come to fond his future son-in-law.

He realized that it wasn't that difficult after all. Beau, thank God, was mostly his mother's son and not his father's although he looked exactly like Ashley when he first met him. He was smart, dynamic, open minded, excellent to his job and he got enough patience to handle Bonnie's fierce character. He realized that this relationship wasn't like the "Scarlett-Ashley" story all over again. It was the "Scarlett- Melanie" story all over again. He had to admit it. They were made for each other. They were the perfect match.

So this is how he found himself to the wedding of the year, according to Atlanta's, Clayton County's and the whole South's busybodies. This time his Scarlett surpassed herself. She spent his money as if they were growing on the trees. She had invited practically the whole Atlanta and the whole Clayton County. She has ordered the bride's dress as well as her own, Ella's, but also Wade's costume and his own to the "Rue de la paix" boutique in Paris. She had chosen the most extravagant menu for the reception and she had haired the National's Hotel cook to prepare it. She had personally undertaken the decoration of the Twelve Oaks plantation, where the wedding would take place, after Melanie's and Scarlett's insistence. They considered it a sign, the fact that the children planned the wedding for April, just a quarter of a century later to the day all the four of them met for the first time at that last barbecue before the war, and they insisted that the wedding had to take place there to bring them luck.

He was ready to start nagging all over again, in order to bring his wife back to her senses when he understood the reason why Scarlett was acting so crazy. This was her first chance to organize the perfect wedding. All her attempts in getting married were rushed or had to be kept secret and low-profile. Ella on the other hand didn't let her interfere as she wanted to keep things simple (wise girl, Rhett thought!). But Bonnie left her mother a free reign. So Scarlett saw it as an opportunity to materialize her long ago abandoned girlish dreams. "This is how her wedding with Ashley would look like if things had turned out differently" he bemused. Suddenly, he couldn't bring himself to do anything to stop her. She was totally worth the sacrifice.

Scarlett entered the room and broke his reveries.

"Rhett darling, I knew I would find you here" she said as she approached him. "I want to tell you how proud I am of you! I know how you feel about Ashley, but you accepted him for Bonnie's sake. Oh Rhett I am so happy for her!"

"Why? For becoming Mrs Wilkes?" he asked but there was no maliciousness in his voice. It was a friendly teasing.

She sighed in relief. She knew his mood was changed for the better. She playfully answered "How do you run on, Rhett! No, I am happy because she married the man she loves, we both know how important this is"

"I know it because I married the woman I love. But what do you know about this, miss O' Hara? Did you married the man you love?" he asked while he was embracing her and started dancing with her, or better moving along with her to the rhythm the music coming from the parlour gave.

"It's Mrs. Butler for you, sir. Well, you know I am married to a conceited varmint. It took him about ten years to admit his feelings. Can I tell you a secret Rhett?"

"Pray tell, Mrs Butler,"

"I love him very much,"

"Really?"

"Really, and don't you dare turn me down because I remind you that there is still a lot of crockery in this room!"

"Don't worry my pet, your secret is safe with me,"

She couldn't answer as she found herself overwhelmed by emotion. They just continue dancing in utter unanimity for a while. She put her head on his chest, he hid his head in her hair, inhaling their intoxicating scent. "Thank God, some things never change," he thought. Then Scarlett remembered the reason why she was searching for him in the first place. She drugged him from the sleeve.

"Rhett, we must return to the reception,"

"No, I am not going anywhere right now,"

"I am sure you don't want to miss our Bonnie leaving for her honey-moon. She told me she was going nowhere without kissing you goodbye and she sent me to find you while they were getting ready,"

Rhett's familiar infuriating grin appeared on his face once more.

"Is that so?" he asked her

"Yes, you conceited cad! Let's go or we will miss it,"

They entered the parlour. The guests were all gathered there already. Rhett observed the family. Ashley and Melanie totally overwhelmed, Wade and his little brother Gerald who they were talking and grinning over something in a way that reminded of their father suspiciously much, Ella with Leanie and her little cousin Scally. And then he saw Bonnie. She was standing on the top of the stairs smiling, radiating with happiness, holding Beau's hand. She threw her bouquet according to the well-known custom and when she saw her parents she just yelled "Daddy" and running she descended the stairs and straight went in his open arms. Rhett wished them a happy honey-moon and holding Scarlett's hand tightly, farewell them.

Many hours later, he entered Scarlett's old room at Tara. He found his wife combing her hair a hundred times according to her personal night ritual. He extinguished his cigar and took the comb from her hand while he whispered in her ear

"Darling, I think it's the right time for a third honey moon,"

She gave him a dashing smile. "Oh Rhett, how heavenly! Where are you taking me this time?"

And this wasn't nearly the end...