Part Four: Inklings of What Could Be
Ben read his birthday card again, it was simple enough.
"Dearest Ben, With all my love and best wishes on your birthday, now that you're so old! Take care now that you're 35! Lots of Love Margaret and Miranda, xoxo"
But however simple it was, Ben couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have Margaret tell him she loved him, or to say it to her, or to hold her close, or kiss that beautiful neck or to touch her beautiful body, or to make love with her. . .
Margaret ducked apologetically out of the bathroom.
"Sorry Ben, I had no idea!" She called through the door.
"That's okay Margaret," he called back, and in a second he appeared, fully clothed. She was staying with Pierces overnight as her neighbours' apartment was being painted and the fumes made her sick.
Margaret had become so welcome in the Pierce household, she was generally able to walk into a room without knocking, but this time she was left-red faced as when she'd walked in, Ben was just stepping out of the shower, with not so much as a towel to grace his body. As she closed the door behind her and set Miranda on the bench, Ben teasingly stuck his head back in.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" He poked his tongue out at her and she threw a towel at him. She ran a bath and she put Miranda in before getting in herself.
"D'ya know something Miranda, I like that man, I really do." Miranda blew a bubble by way of response.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ben poured the champagne, and held the glass out to Margaret. It was November 14, Miranda's first birthday but also a year since Rose, Molly and Rob had died. A year since the accident and a year since their lives had changed forever. He poured himself some too and raised his glass.
"To Rosemary Miranda Pierce, I love you now, and always. Molly Miranda my girl, I never once saw you, but I love you anyway." He glanced at Margaret who shook her head.
"No," She head practically denied her marriage to Rob ever since she'd found out he'd cheated on her.
"Cheers," Ben murmured, touching his glass to Margaret's, they gazed into each other's blue eyes and drank.
They continued to drink, switching to something harder and after their fourth, fifth, or possibly sixth drink, Ben leant across the two feet between them to plant a little, awkward, inexperienced and wobbly kiss on Margaret's lips.
She looked at him, wishing the world didn't swim so badly, she hadn't touched any alcohol since Korea and the first booze in a while had a dramatic effect on her body. She tilted her head, and like an eight-year- old, nervously kissed him back. They both blushed red to the tips of their ears.
"Well, I'd better go," Margaret stood up.
"You are too drive to drunk Margaret, never, you'll just have to stay here!" Ben ordered, it wouldn't have been the first time Margaret and Miranda had slept at Ben's house, they had spent nights there when they had visited too late and Margaret was too tired to drive home, or when Miranda had been settled and no one wanted to wake her.
Ben had also slept at Margaret's apartment on similar occasions, but after that kiss, they were both nervous. Not that anyone could have said the kiss was much, but although neither of them knew it, the idea had been very much on both of their minds lately and now that it had actually happened, they were unsure of what they felt.
Margaret sat down again, "Ben, I really can't keep crashing on you like this," she insisted.
"Margaret, don't argue with me!" Ben said playfully, wagging his finger at her. Margaret decided not to argue, and accepted the drink he handed her.
They kept drinking a little longer, and both definitely drunk, and tripping over, they made their way upstairs, hoping that neither Miranda nor Daniel would be disturbed.
At Ben's door they both tried to pass through the space together and nearly got stuck. He went to his wardrobe to pull out something for Margaret to wear, Ben turned and somehow, as she came forwards to meet him, they got tangled and then fell on his bed, side by side.
"Night," Margaret murmured and fell asleep. Daniel came in at 8, to find both people asleep, cuddled closely. He smiled softly at the couple and left. Ben heard him and woke.
"Margaret," He mumbled and at her name, she too woke and both people blushed at the realisation that they spent the night together. Ben broke the awkward silence, with a joke.
"I won't tell if you won't"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Maggie, it sounds like you're in love," Daniel teased gently, Margaret was like the daughter he and his wife had never had.
"I am not!" Margaret protested hotly, "I'm not. I just want to know what, knowing Ben is like, if you get my drift. I shouldn't be saying this to you, you're his father,"
Daniel smiled, "Maggie, don't worry, I think that day will come, now my lunch break is over, and I have to go." He smiled and left the cafeteria.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Beej, you think I'm crazy don't you?" Ben said, gripping the phone receiver.
BJ laughed, "Well, if you must know, you are. Margaret, I know how close you've become but wanting that . . . Hawkeye, I'll admit we've had some harebrained schemes in our day, but this tops them all. Look it might be 4 there, but it's 7 here and I've gotta grill some burgers for dinner." The conversation ended and Ben hung up the phone.
"Ben, what is it?" Daniel asked as he came in the room. Ben had flopped, full-length along the couch and was massaging his eyes.
"I want to know what it's like to wake up with Margaret in my arms every morning." Daniel almost laughed.
"Those two need to talk more often," He thought and then added aloud, for his son's benefit. "Ben, that day will come one day. You might just have to go after it a little. But not the way I heard you did in Korea. try to romance her a little."
"As if she'd want to anyway,"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ever since they'd woken up together, they'd avoided staying late enough to warrant sleeping at each others' houses again. They'd both had a taste of something nice, something they both wanted, but they just had to learn to go after it and trust each other.
Ben read his birthday card again, it was simple enough.
"Dearest Ben, With all my love and best wishes on your birthday, now that you're so old! Take care now that you're 35! Lots of Love Margaret and Miranda, xoxo"
But however simple it was, Ben couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have Margaret tell him she loved him, or to say it to her, or to hold her close, or kiss that beautiful neck or to touch her beautiful body, or to make love with her. . .
Margaret ducked apologetically out of the bathroom.
"Sorry Ben, I had no idea!" She called through the door.
"That's okay Margaret," he called back, and in a second he appeared, fully clothed. She was staying with Pierces overnight as her neighbours' apartment was being painted and the fumes made her sick.
Margaret had become so welcome in the Pierce household, she was generally able to walk into a room without knocking, but this time she was left-red faced as when she'd walked in, Ben was just stepping out of the shower, with not so much as a towel to grace his body. As she closed the door behind her and set Miranda on the bench, Ben teasingly stuck his head back in.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" He poked his tongue out at her and she threw a towel at him. She ran a bath and she put Miranda in before getting in herself.
"D'ya know something Miranda, I like that man, I really do." Miranda blew a bubble by way of response.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ben poured the champagne, and held the glass out to Margaret. It was November 14, Miranda's first birthday but also a year since Rose, Molly and Rob had died. A year since the accident and a year since their lives had changed forever. He poured himself some too and raised his glass.
"To Rosemary Miranda Pierce, I love you now, and always. Molly Miranda my girl, I never once saw you, but I love you anyway." He glanced at Margaret who shook her head.
"No," She head practically denied her marriage to Rob ever since she'd found out he'd cheated on her.
"Cheers," Ben murmured, touching his glass to Margaret's, they gazed into each other's blue eyes and drank.
They continued to drink, switching to something harder and after their fourth, fifth, or possibly sixth drink, Ben leant across the two feet between them to plant a little, awkward, inexperienced and wobbly kiss on Margaret's lips.
She looked at him, wishing the world didn't swim so badly, she hadn't touched any alcohol since Korea and the first booze in a while had a dramatic effect on her body. She tilted her head, and like an eight-year- old, nervously kissed him back. They both blushed red to the tips of their ears.
"Well, I'd better go," Margaret stood up.
"You are too drive to drunk Margaret, never, you'll just have to stay here!" Ben ordered, it wouldn't have been the first time Margaret and Miranda had slept at Ben's house, they had spent nights there when they had visited too late and Margaret was too tired to drive home, or when Miranda had been settled and no one wanted to wake her.
Ben had also slept at Margaret's apartment on similar occasions, but after that kiss, they were both nervous. Not that anyone could have said the kiss was much, but although neither of them knew it, the idea had been very much on both of their minds lately and now that it had actually happened, they were unsure of what they felt.
Margaret sat down again, "Ben, I really can't keep crashing on you like this," she insisted.
"Margaret, don't argue with me!" Ben said playfully, wagging his finger at her. Margaret decided not to argue, and accepted the drink he handed her.
They kept drinking a little longer, and both definitely drunk, and tripping over, they made their way upstairs, hoping that neither Miranda nor Daniel would be disturbed.
At Ben's door they both tried to pass through the space together and nearly got stuck. He went to his wardrobe to pull out something for Margaret to wear, Ben turned and somehow, as she came forwards to meet him, they got tangled and then fell on his bed, side by side.
"Night," Margaret murmured and fell asleep. Daniel came in at 8, to find both people asleep, cuddled closely. He smiled softly at the couple and left. Ben heard him and woke.
"Margaret," He mumbled and at her name, she too woke and both people blushed at the realisation that they spent the night together. Ben broke the awkward silence, with a joke.
"I won't tell if you won't"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Maggie, it sounds like you're in love," Daniel teased gently, Margaret was like the daughter he and his wife had never had.
"I am not!" Margaret protested hotly, "I'm not. I just want to know what, knowing Ben is like, if you get my drift. I shouldn't be saying this to you, you're his father,"
Daniel smiled, "Maggie, don't worry, I think that day will come, now my lunch break is over, and I have to go." He smiled and left the cafeteria.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Beej, you think I'm crazy don't you?" Ben said, gripping the phone receiver.
BJ laughed, "Well, if you must know, you are. Margaret, I know how close you've become but wanting that . . . Hawkeye, I'll admit we've had some harebrained schemes in our day, but this tops them all. Look it might be 4 there, but it's 7 here and I've gotta grill some burgers for dinner." The conversation ended and Ben hung up the phone.
"Ben, what is it?" Daniel asked as he came in the room. Ben had flopped, full-length along the couch and was massaging his eyes.
"I want to know what it's like to wake up with Margaret in my arms every morning." Daniel almost laughed.
"Those two need to talk more often," He thought and then added aloud, for his son's benefit. "Ben, that day will come one day. You might just have to go after it a little. But not the way I heard you did in Korea. try to romance her a little."
"As if she'd want to anyway,"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ever since they'd woken up together, they'd avoided staying late enough to warrant sleeping at each others' houses again. They'd both had a taste of something nice, something they both wanted, but they just had to learn to go after it and trust each other.