Some of the dialog comes from the book. Some of the dialog is paraphrased. I do not own GWTW

Scarlett sat on her bed and cried. She was completely alone now. Melanie had just died, and Rhett was leaving her. How had her life managed to fall apart all in one day? She laid down in her bed thinking about all of the regrets she had in her life. She had done so many things wrong; she didn't even know where to start. She wished she could go back to the past and correct the sins of her past. If she could do that maybe she wouldn't be in this mess. She closed her eyes and began to sob uncontrollably.

When Scarlett woke up a short time later, confusion overwhelmed her. At first she didn't know where she was. As she glanced around the realization that she was in her old room at Aunt Pitty's hit her.

"Why on Earth am I here? And how did I get here?" she wondered to herself. She looked down and realized she was wearing the dress that she had worn to Frank's funeral. She was certain that she had thrown the dress away after the funeral; she had never wanted to see it again. She didn't know what was happening to her, but she was frightened.

There was a knock on the front door. She heard Rhett's voice drifting from downstairs. "He must have changed his mind! He doesn't want to leave me!" she thought.

"I think she'll see me," Rhett said to Aunt Pitty.

"She's prostrate with grief. She isn't seeing anyone." Aunt Pitty told Rhett.

"I think she'll see me. I'm going away tomorrow, it's very important that I see her."

"God's Nightgown! It's the night that Rhett proposed," Scarlett thought to herself.

"I'll be down terrectly, Rhett," She called down to him. Scarlett glanced at herself in the mirror; her eyes were red and swollen and her hair was unkempt. She did her best to tidy herself. "At least I'm not drunk this time," she thought.

Rhett was caught off guard by the look on Scarlett's face. Despite the fact that her eyes were red from crying, her face lit up with what looked like genuine happiness from his presence. The only person he had ever seen her bestow that look upon was her precious Ashley. Rhett figured that Scarlett was just happy that she wouldn't have to pretend to be the grieving widow for his benefit.

Scarlett wanted to pull Rhett into an embrace, but she couldn't because this Rhett wasn't her husband yet. Besides, Aunt Pitty would probably spread gossip about her conduct so shortly after her husband's funeral.

"Scarlett, I hate to intrude, but I had business with Mr. Kennedy that was very important that I need to discuss with you."

"I didn't know you had business with Mr. Kennedy," Aunt Pitty said.

"He was a man with wide interests. Shall we go into the parlor?" Rhett asked.

"No!" Scarlett exclaimed. Even after all these years Scarlett despised the parlor. She could never be in that room and not see Frank's accusing face.

"Please use the library," Aunt Pitty said. Aunt Pitty begrudgingly went upstairs. Scarlett and Rhett entered the library; Rhett quickly closed the doors behind him. Scarlett knew she had a part to play, she couldn't let on that she knew he was going to propose.

"I didn't really have business with Frank, I just wanted rid of Miss Pitty."

"Oh," Scarlett knew it was a foolish thing to say, but she couldn't think of anything else.

"Have you been crying over Frank leaving you?" Only Rhett would question a lady's appearance. She couldn't tell him the tears were because Melly died and he was leaving her to go back to Charleston, he would think she needed to be committed to an asylum. She couldn't think of anything better to do, so she nodded her head yes.

"Are you feeling guilty?" Scarlett did feel guilty but not over what Rhett was thinking about. She supposed that somewhere deep inside herself, where she never looked at, she still felt guilty over her past with Frank. But what she was currently feeling guilty was the fact that she had barely given Frank a second thought once he was buried. She felt guilty because she never took the time to talk about Frank to Ella. She never told her daughter that her father was a very kind man that basically saved Scarlett's family. Again, she simply nodded.

"Dear, you did what you had to do to survive. You might think you would do things differently, but faced with the same situation you would be faced with making the same decisions."

"Yes, Rhett, but I could have made him happier, it wouldn't have taken much."

"You could have, if you were someone else. Now let's change the subject, I have news that will amuse you. I'm leaving tomorrow, and I wanted to tell you before I left."

Scarlett could barely contain her excitement he was about to ask her.

"Where are you going?"

"To England and I may be gone for months. Don't you want to hear my news?"

"What's your news?" she asked with giddy anticipation.

"My news is this, I still want you more than any woman I have ever seen and now that Frank is gone I thought you would like to know."

Scarlett wasn't sure how to reply. Last time she excused him of asking her to be his mistress again but she knew that wasn't what he wanted.

"Oh," was her reply. She stared at Rhett with what she hoped was a blank face.

"I'm asking you to marry me. Would you be convinced if I knelt down? I've always intended to have you, Scarlett, since the first day at Twelve Oaks. I have always intended to have you one way or another. But now you have a little money I know you won't be driven to me with interesting propositions of loans and collaterals. So I see I'll have to marry you."

Scarlett knew she had to make this a little difficult for him. She knew that he would be suspicious if she were to say yes right away.

"Rhett Butler, is this one of your vile jokes?"

"No, Scarlett, this is an honorable declaration. I'm leaving tomorrow for some time and I fear that by the time I return you will have married someone else with a little more money. So, I thought why not me and my money. Really, Scarlett, I can't go my whole life waiting to catch you between husbands."

"I shall never marry again," it hurt Scarlett to lie to Rhett.

"Yes, you will you were born to be married. Why not me?"

Scarlett found herself at a loss for words yet again. The first time he proposed, she told him she didn't love him. But now she did love him and desperately wanted to be his wife. She tried to think of a different excuse.

"I don't like being married."

"You've never really been married; once for spite and once for money. Did you ever consider marrying for fun?"

"Fun! Fun for men you mean. All women get is a lot of work and a baby every year."

Rhett laughed loudly at her remark. Scarlett was happy to hear him laugh again; she couldn't remember the last time she heard him laugh. But Scarlett remembered where she was or more accurately when she was and told him to hush. Mammy was somewhere in the house and she didn't want her interrupting his proposal; she would be likely to kick Rhett out of the house. She couldn't wait to see Mammy again, it had been months that she had left and gone back to Tara.

"You've been married to a boy and an old man. Why not marry a young man with a bad reputation and a way with women?"

Scarlett had enjoyed being married to Rhett. At least in the beginning she had before everything had fallen apart.

"Name the day. We can wait a decent interval for your reputation. What is a decent interval?"

"I haven't said that I would marry you."

"I told you I'm leaving tomorrow; I'm too ardent a lover to restrain my passion any longer." Rhett knelt down on the floor; one hand on his heart, the other held Scarlett's hand. "It cannot have escaped your notice that for some time past the friendship I have had for you in my heart has ripened into a deeper feeling, a feeling more beautiful, more pure, more sacred. Dare I name it? Ah! It is love that makes me so bold!"

Scarlett wished she had paid more attention to Rhett's words the first time he had proposed. He had just admitted his love for her; Rhett was typically his most honest when he was trying to hide behind his teasing.

"Say you'll marry me."

"I told you I don't want to be married again."

"You're not telling me the real reason."

Scarlett's face went soft at the memory of how he got her to say yes the first time. The kiss they had shared that day had evoked feelings in her that she hadn't known existed. That day she had felt like he had cast a spell over her making her say yes to his proposal. She wondered if he would kiss her again.

Rhett was mesmerized by the look on Scarlett's face; he had never seen such soft beauty on her face before. Then a realization hit him. "Wilkes! It's always Wilkes with her," he thought to himself. He cursed at her and wrapped her in his arms.

"Scarlett O'Hara, you're a fool!"

Shivers of excitement overwhelmed Scarlett as Rhett's lips claimed hers. She had forgotten how safe and secure being wrapped in his arms could make her feel. She hadn't realized these past few years how much she had missed his embraces. She had been desperately unhappy and now she knew why; she had gotten strength from Rhett.

"None of the fools you've known have kissed you like this, have they? Your precious Charles or Frank or your stupid Ashley."

Scarlett didn't want to think about any of those men, especially not Ashley.

"I said your stupid Ashley. Gentlemen all, what do they know about women? What do they know about you? I know you." Rhett's lips claimed hers once again. Scarlett feared she might faint from the overwhelming joy of receiving Rhett's kisses again. She had been such a fool all these years to deny herself from this man.

"Say yes! Say yes, damn you, or." This was the moment Scarlett had been waiting for. Even though it had been her intention to say yes all along, again she felt as if she were under his spell.

"Yes," she whispered. He drew a quick breath and Scarlett could tell her acceptance had caught him off guard.

"You mean it? You don't want to take it back?"

"No," she stated.

"It's not just because I swept you off your feet with my ardor?" Scarlett knew this was her chance, she could tell him that she was in love with him.

"No, Rhett, I said yes because I love you." Scarlett waited for his reaction. Just this morning he had told her that he had been in love with her for years. Scarlett looked into Rhett's eyes; briefly she thought she caught a look of absolute joy pass through his face. But the look was quickly replaced by a look of suspicion.

"And when did you come to this happy fact?" By Rhett's cold, mocking tone Scarlett realized she might have told him her feelings too soon. She didn't know what to say Rhett. She couldn't tell him that she had only realized it this morning because the things that helped her figure out haven't happened yet. Scarlett felt very confused. She desperately searched her memory of her friendship with Rhett at this point in her life, when she remembered something.

"I've known for a while now, Rhett. Do you remember when you came to visit me after I had Ella?" Rhett nodded his head.

"Well, I missed you desperately at that time. You are the only person I can be myself around. And you have always been there whenever I needed you. Around that time there were rumors going around town that you had a sweetheart, that you were going to be getting married and I was consumed with jealousy. I couldn't bear the thought of you with another woman. But I was married to Frank, so I couldn't tell you my true feelings." Scarlett was shocked by her admission. Everything she had told Rhett had been the truth; had she really been in love with him all these years? She was afraid to look back even further or she would discover what a stupid fool she really had been. It made Scarlett sad to think about all the happiness she had thrown away all these years. She looked into Rhett's eyes hoping to see that he believed her, hoping to see the happiness of hearing the words he had waited years to hear from her. But his eyes still held the same look of suspicion. Scarlett realized this wasn't going to be as easy as she thought it was going to be, he clearly didn't trust her. He was always going to assume that she had an ulterior motive. He always claimed that he could read her like a book, so she couldn't understand why he couldn't see the truth written on her face.

"I told you once I could stand anything from you except a lie. And now I want the truth. Is it my money?"

"No, Rhett, it's you." She could tell he still didn't believe her. "I have my mills, the store and what Charles left me; I could live a comfortable life. I'm not saying I would marry you if you were penniless, because money does help, Rhett."

"Ah." That was all Rhett said. Scarlett could feel her temper and frustration rise. Maybe he had been lying to her this morning when he had told her that he was in love. Maybe all he really did just want her and marriage was the only way he thought he could have her. The thought that she had been so terrible to Rhett that he distrusted her made Scarlett uneasy. Scarlett wondered if this wasn't her second chance with Rhett; maybe she was supposed to turn him down to save them both from their miserable marriage. Maybe their marriage could never be any different than the way it was. Scarlett was driving herself crazy with all of her thoughts of maybes. Besides, she knew now that she could never let Rhett go.

"So, just why do you want to marry me for then," she snapped at Rhett.

"I told you, darling. I want you and I intend to have you."

"You're not in love with me?" Scarlett could see Rhett hesitate. A brief bubble of joy floated up in Scarlett; he did love her, he was just afraid to admit it.

"No, my dear, I'm not in love with you; and if I were you would be the last one I would tell. God help the man who really loves you. You'd break his heart, my darling, cruel, destructive little cat who is so careless and confident she doesn't even trouble to sheathe her claws." Scarlett wanted to cry at his words. Even after all these years, his careless barbs could cut her like a knife. She tried to bring a look of cool indifference to her face.

"In all of your novel reading, Rhett, did you ever come across the one about the disinterested husband that fell in love with his wife?" Scarlett could barely contain her chuckle at the look on Rhett's face.

"No, I can't say that I have." Rhett's face still held the look of suspicion. Scarlett was going to do everything in her power to make him believe that she really was in love with him.

"Tell me what I shall bring you from England? A ring? What kind would you like?"

"Yes, Rhett a diamond, but tasteful, elegant." Scarlett loved her original ring, but she knew that everyone else thought it was too big and vulgar. At first she was even embarrassed to wear it.

"Tasteful? Elegant? I figured you would want something you could flaunt in front of all of your friends." Rhett was studying Scarlett's face as if he had never seen her before. Her behavior today was not at all like herself. He didn't know what she was after with her declaration of love, but he wouldn't allow himself to believe it. He knew sooner or later she would reveal what she was truly after as was her nature. He wasn't about to tell her his real feelings because once she got what she wanted from him, she would throw the words back in his face. Rhett turned to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"To my rooms to pack."

"I hope you have a nice trip."

"Thank you. I'll write let me know if you change your mind."

He made his way to the front door and Scarlett trailed behind him.

"Aren't you going to kiss me goodbye?"

"Haven't you had enough kissing for one day?" he said with a chuckle.

"No," she said simply. She wrapped her arms around Rhett's neck and brought his face down for a kiss. She could tell that she had caught him by surprise. Briefly, his arms tightened around her and he intensified the kiss. He broke the kiss and intensely studied her face again. Abruptly, he turned and walked out of the house. Scarlett watched at the door until his figure disappeared.

Scarlett started to feel very tired. She was scared to go to sleep. She didn't want to wake up and find herself back at her Peachtree Street mansion.

let me know what you think :)