Hello, lovely readers! Here is another chapter for you all!

Every great love story has a love triangle. Shall we expand upon that with the addition of the colorful, spirited and mysterious Margaret MacNeill? Yes, please, let's do!

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Neil sat at the table as Margaret moved around the room. She had changed to a simple outfit, suitable for the cabin, and was cleaning up the kitchen with more effort than she had ever tried to before. Neil dared to wonder what would have happened if they had always been like this. What if she had just stayed? What if he had tried harder to keep her? What if he had looked beyond his own pain long enough to help heal her pain? What if they had loved each other like they had vowed to? She was about to lift the dish water and carry it outside when Neil set aside his pipe and stood.

"Let me do that," Neil said, putting his hand on her frail arm.

"Thanks, Mac," Margaret smiled.

He easily dumped the water and hung the pan back on the wall peg. When he turned around she was staring at him, the most sincere and deep look he had ever seen on her face.

"Mac… I'm sorry."

"What?" Neil choked. Margaret MacNeill never apologized for anything.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you. Caused us. We could have worked if I had tried. But I was so stubborn. So stupid. And too blind to see what an amazing thing I had here with you."

Neil swallowed and shook his head. "I could apologize for the same thing."

Margaret smiled. "Mac, can we start over? I mean, do you still want to try this marriage thing with me?"

"Christy's pregnant," Neil suddenly announced.

"Excuse me?" Margaret paled, her tone sharpening.

"We had a visitor in the cove a couple of months ago. He….he raped Christy. She's pregnant."

"Oh God. I'm sorry, Neil. I know how much she means to you."

Neil nodded and looked down.

"Is she okay?" Margaret asked.

Neil noticed how genuinely concerned Margaret sounded. "I don't know. I haven't done a check-up or anything yet."

Margaret nodded and bit her lip. "Mac… do you love her?"

Neil sighed and looked up at her. "I don't know."

Margaret noticeably had tears filling her eyes up.

"I'm married to you," Neil said.

"I left you."

"You came back."

"Do you still love me?"

"I thought I didn't. I told Christy I had finally moved on. But now… now I realize that I haven't."

"You have to choose between us, Mac."

"I know."

Silence.

"She should marry him," Neil stated.

"The preacher?" Margaret asked.

"Yes."

"I told her that yesterday."

"You did?"

Margaret nodded. "At the teahouse."

"What did she say?"

"She said that she knows."

"He's a better man."

"For her maybe…" Margaret said, looking him straight in the eye. "You're perfect for me."

Neil abruptly changed the subject. "I'll take the cot down here if you want the bed."

Margaret smiled. "Thanks."

"I put your things away in here," Neil said, heading to unlock the laboratory.

She wanted to follow, but noticed how he guarded the door with his body as she followed. "Still won't let me in?"

He turned toward her with a pained expression. "Margaret…"

She moved closer, so that they could both feel each other's breath on their faces. "You never did trust me enough."

"It's not that I didn't trust you. I just…"

"I didn't respect your research, Mac. I understand. But tell me one thing. Has Christy been in here?"

He sighed. "Yes. But only because I needed her help. Once your mother was sick and she had to break in for medicine, and another time Becky O'Teale had trachoma..."

"Did it work?" Margaret interrupted quickly.

"Did what work?"

"Your experiment…with Becky's eyes."

Neil was surprised she cared. "Yes."

She smiled, her eyes lighting up. "Good for you, Mac. I knew you'd do it someday."

She respectfully stepped away to allow him to go retrieve her things. He came back with a trunk and she followed him as he carried it upstairs to the bedroom. It had been so long since she had been in this room, the emotions of it all nearly knocked her off her feet. She sat on the edge of the made bed and scanned the well-kept room with her eyes. So many things had happened in this room; their first night together in the Cove and their last, and the loss of their first child, only three months after conception. Even her nosy mother hadn't known about the baby. She and Neil had dealt with the loss on their own, and each in different ways. It may have been their last straw.

Margaret let her eyes land on the strong man before her as he gathered his things to take downstairs. She vividly remembered how he had stayed by her side all through that terrible night. He had very tightly held her hand, trying desperately to comfort her through the pain. When at last it was all over, he had held her as they both sobbed. It was the last night she had ever let him hold her like that. It was the last night she had ever told him she loved him. Three months later she had faked her own death, no longer able to bear his concern or his declarations of love. No longer able to bear the pain of him telling her he was sorry that he couldn't save the baby.

Neil noticed her eyes on him, and looked up at her as he grabbed a pillow from the bed. "What?"

Margaret snapped out of her daze. "Nothing. Just reminiscing I guess."

He slowly nodded and broke away from her gaze. "Goodnight."

"Night, Mac."

He closed the door behind him and she made her way to the trunk. Opening it, she saw her purple dress on top and a smile and gasp left her. Digging further through, she found a nightgown and began her preparations for bed, closing the chest and the memories it had in it.

Neil awoke to screaming coming from over his head. Trying to figure out what was going on, he laid there until he heard it again. Realizing it was Margaret, he rushed up the stairs and into the bedroom. She was still asleep, but tossing wildly in the bed. He hurried to her and gently shook her.

"Margaret…" Neil said softly.

She jumped and woke up, reaching for the blanket to cover herself. Neil wondered for a half-second why she was worried about covering herself up when only a day ago she had been dancing in a tea-house in her undergarments in front of a room full of men.

"You were having a nightmare…" Neil said, explaining his presence. "I had to wake you."

She placed her palm to her forehead. "I'm sorry I woke you, Mac. You need your sleep."

"Never mind that, I'm more worried about you."

"It's the medicine I've been taking for the tuberculosis. It makes me have nightmares."

"What have you been taking?"

She moaned. "I can't remember what it's called… it's on the dresser."

Neil moved to the dresser and read the medicine bottle in the moonlight. "Has it been helping?"

"Yes. But the nightmares…"

Neil moved back toward her. "Are you alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"They give that medicine to tuberculosis patients either when treatment was successful and it's the final treatment or it's a last effort for unsuccessful treatment."

"Treatment was successful. I wouldn't have come back and risked infecting everyone if I still had it, Mac. It was selfish to come the first time."

He released a breath of air. "So when the pills are gone, it's over."

"Yes. And it's about time, really. Treatment was like going through hell and back. I'm looking forward to putting this behind me."

Neil placed the bottle back on the dresser. "That's good."

She nodded. "Mac…would you mind sleeping in here? It helps with the nightmares if I'm not alone."

Neil was silent for a moment, and she desperately wished she could see through his very well-practiced poker face. "Let me get my pillow."

When he came back, she had moved over to the side she had always slept on. He slipped in beside her, noticing the distance between them. Silence ensued for a while before Neil broke it.

"Are you going to stay this time or are you going to leave me?" His voice was full of emotion.

Margaret moved toward him, snuggling into his side. She soaked up his warmth, though he had tensed at her presence. "I'll stay if you want me, Mac. I promise."

He slowly softened and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He didn't say anything, and she knew thoughts of Christy were still plaguing him, but she hoped someday she would once again have his heart.