Only one or two more chapters left. Sorry I've been so horrible abour replying to reviews. I've been insainly busy with work and finals and weddings and birthdays. lol. Anyway, I hope you like the update I'll be wrapping up this story pretty soon.

I'll be posting two new stories fairly soon. One is titled "Our Girl" which is actually a request from... um...ascii27? I think that's right. (Sorry!) The other one is titled "Three Strikes And Your In?" (Or something to that effet. I'm bad with titles. I need to look at a few songs to get some inpiration.lol.) I should have them posted fairly soon.

anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter!
-Major-Baby

Margaret sat on a park bench contentedly watching Danny attempt to chase a squirrel out of a tree. "Be careful," she called as he tried to climb onto the first branch. He smiled and laughed at her and Margaret smiled sadly. Everything he did reminded her of Hawkeye.

A breeze floated through the park and Margaret shivered. It was starting to grow dark and she stood up. "We'd better go," she called out to Danny.

He swung down from the branch disappointedly and ran over to her. "But dad won't be home for a long time."

Margaret doubted it, she was fairly certain Hawkeye would try and get Danny away from her as soon as possible. "Well then we'll have to play a few games of poker until he gets home."

Danny nodded happily and they began to walk down the sidewalk hand-in-hand. "Hey!" Danny called out suddenly. "That's Miss Johnson."

Margaret turned in time to see a blue Chevy truck driving down the street, three suitcases piled in the back. "Where's she going?" Danny asked in confusion.

Margaret shook her head absent-mindedly. "I'm not sure."

She heard Danny gasp and looked down at him curiously. He was staring at something behind her with his mouth hanging open. She was about to turn around when she was suddenly flooded with a putrid stench as water poured over her.

She puttered angrily as she tried to wipe the water from her eyes. She felt something sticking in her hair and she pulled it out. A piece of a fish fell into her palm and she shrieked angrily. She turned just in time to see Larry, the man from the pitching booth, running away with an empty bucket in hand.

Without thinking Margaret began to run after him. "Hey!"

He looked over his shoulder and then began to run faster. However, Margaret was in much better shape and she quickly overtook him and shoved him against a tree.

"What the hell is your problem?" she shouted at him.

"Get off me, lady!" he griped. He struggled to get away but Margaret had him pinned firmly to the tree. "You're the one with a problem."

"Fine." Margaret smiled cynically and backed away. He straightened his clothes and was about to leave when Margaret called out to him. "Hang on a second."

He turned just in time to receive a heavy blow to his face. He stumbled backwards and tumbled onto the pavement, watching in shock as Margaret walked back to her son who was doubled over with laughter.

Hawkeye shuffled up to the front door and listened carefully to see if Margaret was inside. He didn't hear a noise so he opened the door in relief. "Danny?"

"In my room!"

Hawkeye chuckled and climbed the stairs. "Did you have fun?" he asked, poking his head into the boy's room. Danny jumped up from his desk, where he had been drawing, and trotted happily to his father.

"Yeah! We were almost home and then Mom—"

"Tell me about it in a minute," Hawkeye interrupted gently. He really wasn't in any mood to discuss Margaret. He just wanted to take a long shower and try and forget about the past two days. "I'm going to get cleaned up first, okay?"

"Okay," Danny shrugged and walked back to his desk. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Where'd Miss Johnson go? I saw her driving past the park but she didn't stop."

Hawkeye exhaled sharply and frowned. "She had to leave," he grumbled angrily.

"When is she coming back?"

Hawkeye chuckled cynically at his son's persistence and rubbed his forehead in frustration. "She's not coming back."

"Oh. You're gonna miss her, huh?"

Hawkeye just turned and left his son's room without responding to the question. "Damn woman," he muttered of Margaret. "What the hell does she think she's doing? As if she could—"

As he opened his bedroom door he could hear water running in the bathroom. He frowned in confusion and opened the door. A cloud of steam enveloped him and he could hear Margaret humming softly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sharply. He heard Margaret gasp and the knob in the shower squeaked loudly as she turned off the water.

"Sorry," she apologized as she reached out to grab a towel. "Danny said you wouldn't be home for a while so—"

Hawkeye sighed deeply and shook his head. "It's fine," he grumbled. "Finish your shower."

Margaret hesitantly disappeared back behind the shower curtain and turned the water back on. With another sigh Hawkeye walked out of the bathroom. He made it halfway across the bedroom before falling onto his knees in frustration.

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath. "Damn you, Margaret." Tears began to stroll down his cheeks unnoticed as images of her startled expression from a few moments back drifted through his mind.

She missed him, he knew that. He saw it on her face from the first moment she had walked up to him the day before. Erica was right; there was no way he would be able to stop loving her. She was his wife. Through everything she was still his wife. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to forget everything she had put him through. But was it possible? Could he forget everything she had done? Could he forget how she had broken his heart? What if she broke his heart all over again?

Hawkeye looked around the room and his mind suddenly reverted to the night he had watched Margaret walk out of the bedroom. He had ended up in the same position he was in now. He could recall so clearly the heart wrenching sadness that had overtaken him. And then the excruciating pains that came later when he realized she wasn't coming back.

He sighed and looked back at the bathroom door and tried to steady his breathing. He needed her. But could her trust her again? He slowly stood up and raked his fingers through his hair. He couldn't think about himself. He had to think about Danny.

Hawkeye took a deep breath and steadily walked back to the bathroom door.