Again, an episode helped me write this chapter. Yay for Netflix!
Disclaimer: I do not own Calvin and Hobbes.
Enjoy!
As the next week goes by, Hawkeye and Margaret adjust to married life at home while not openly displaying the information at work. Coming home from work on Friday, Hawkeye and Margaret walk into the house eager to relax and enjoy each other. They count the week as a victory, especially when no one questions them out right about the couple's being gone at the same time.
"Dad?" Hawkeye calls out as he takes off his medical jacket. Not hearing anything, the man heads to his father's study. Margaret goes to the kitchen to figure out what to make for dinner. Finding leftovers in the refrigerator, the woman sets out to heat the food. Just as she turns the oven on, her husband walks in saying, "Dad left us a note."
"What does it say?" Margaret asks as she grabs two plates from the cabinet. Placing them on the counter, the woman takes the leftovers and puts them in the oven. Looking over the paper once more, Hawkeye shrugs answering, "To have a nice night and enjoy ourselves. He's playing cards with some friends tonight and not to wait up. You know what that means?"
She merely smiles in response as she kisses her husband.
"Dinner first though. I'm starved. What do you want to drink?" The man asks grabbing two cups from the cabinet. Placing the cups on the table, the man adds once he opens the fridge, "We have milk and beer."
"Milk sounds good," Margaret states as she checks to see if the food is warm. Pouring their drinks, Hawkeye comments, "You know if you keep checking the food every few minutes it'll never heat up."
She looks at him answering, "I know that. I'm just hungry."
"I am too. You know nurse, I have an idea of what we can do while we wait," Hawkeye answers with a sly grin. She smiles back allowing her husband to kiss her before mumbling, "I'm going to go change. Do you want to join me?"
Remembering their food twenty minutes later, the couple heads down stairs. An hour later, Margaret washes the dishes while her husband pretends to help. Rolling her eyes, the woman says, "If you keep singing in my ear like that I won't be able to-"
"You're cute when you're domestic," Her husband teases kissing her neck. Margaret soon forgets about the dishes.
The next couple weekends pass the same way. Daniel leaves his son and daughter- in- law the house for the night leaving the couple to have some time to themselves. The third time the house is left to them, Margaret asks Hawkeye, "Do you think your Dad is okay with this arrangement?"
"What arrangement?" Hawkeye asks as he grills a couple burgers outside. Getting up from her seat, Margaret answers, "This. His leaving the house to us every Friday night?"
Looking at his wife curiously, the man asks, "Are you sure you want to give that up?"
She sighs answering, "No, but we need to talk to him. For all we know he leaves because we suffocate him."
"Suffocate him? Margaret, for all we know he just wants a grand kid out of us before he gets too old," Hawkeye answers wondering which of them is correct. Later that night, Hawkeye and Margaret sit in the living room when Daniel comes in the house.
"Hawkeye? Margaret?" He calls out wondering why they leave the light to the living room on.
"In here, Dad," Hawkeye says. Seeing the couple sit in front of him, he jokes, "Am I in trouble?"
Shaking her head, Margaret answers, "No, we just want to ask how you feel about our living arrangement."
Looking from his son to his daughter- in- law, Daniel asks, "Are you two looking at moving out?"
The older man really has no idea how to approach such a conversation. He knows his son loves him, but as he sits down, he does not see himself living in a big house by himself very well. Daniel is brought from his thoughts when Hawkeye answers, "Only if you want us to, Dad. See Margaret thinks your leaving every weekend is because we suffocate you."
"Don't say it like that, Hawk," Margaret chastises slightly as she explains, "I just think that in some ways, I've taken over somehow. Too much."
"You both are barely here," Daniel answers citing that the couple is usually at work most of the day as he is himself. He continues by saying, "I remember what it's like to be married. With you both keeping it a secret at work, I just thought that maybe you would want more time together. Besides, Calvin Hobbes and the boys have been begging me to play poker with them for years. You both are the perfect excuse."
"We've been used," Hawkeye remarks to his wife who merely looks at Daniel asking, "You seem lost sometimes though. Is there a way we can make this easier for you?"
Giving the woman some thought on her proposal, Daniel answers, "Just let me make breakfast every morning again and we'll call it a deal. I'll let you cook dinner if you want, but leave me the breakfast."
A small smile playing on her face, Margaret nods in understanding. As they all head to bed that night, Hawkeye crawls into bed asking, "How did you know Dad likes to cook breakfast so much?"
"He'd continually try to help me no matter what I made," The woman answers slipping into bed beside her husband. Nodding, Hawkeye scoots closer to his wife as he says, "You know he's cooked breakfast for me ever since my mom was sick?"
"Yeah?" She asks staring at her engagement ring. A simple silver band with a tiny diamond inlay is one of the rings to adorn her ring finger, and Margaret cherishes the treasure. Catching his wife's gaze, Hawkeye states, "Dad wasn't the richest man after the war. He used his first paycheck from his first job to pay for it. He simply got himself a small band. Dad gave it to me the day after he met you."
"He knew?" Margaret asks wondering how she can be so lucky to belong to such a caring family as the Pierce's. Breathing in, her husband answers, "Wouldn't let me forget it until we got engaged. Did you change lotions?"
"No, I don't like the smell of mine anymore. It's the same kind I would buy during the war, so I guess a change will be a good thing," She tells him before shutting off her lamp. Snuggling a little closer to his wife, Hawkeye realizes he really likes her lotion. He has no idea why she needs to change it; however, he surmises that there are various ways to deal with the pain of war. Lotion may be Margaret's.
The next Monday, Hawkeye wakes up to his wife opening every dresser drawer in their room. Sitting up, the man asks, "Margaret, are you okay?"
"I can't find it," Is all she says. Putting on his robe and following the blonde out the door where a confused Daniel stands in the hallway, Hawkeye asks, "Margaret, what are you looking for?"
"Do you need me to help?" Daniel voices as a cushion from one of the hallway chairs lands near his feet. A little shocked, the man looks at his son questioningly.
"Relax, Dad. This is how she always is when she loses things," Hawkeye explains as his wife continues to look for the necklace she continues to wear at work. She is not supposed to, but it holds her rings.
"Margaret, what did you lose?" Hawkeye asks before helping her search.
"My necklace. It holds my rings while I'm at work," She answers brushing past him.
"How thoughtful," Hawkeye quips before asking where she remembers it being. He gets a vague response before heading back to their room and finding the necklace hanging on the knob of her dresser. Holding it up to her, he says, "Margaret, I found it."
Her eyes lighting up, Margaret kisses her husband saying, "Thank- you!"
"Anytime. Now, go eat something so I can leave before you and not arouse suspicion."
Rolling her eyes, the woman kisses her husband again before heading downstairs where Daniel makes breakfast. Dressing and making sure he is presentable as a surgeon, Hawkeye listens to his wife and father talk and is happy that the woman he loves can now have a good paternal relationship. A small smile playing on his face, the man hopes he can have the same relationship with his child the way he and Margaret have with Daniel.
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