Part Two: Nicolette

"This is it for the summer." Nicolette and Perdita threw their arms around each other before Perdita's plane would take her home to Mill Valley. The two teens embraced and secretly, out of the sight of Nicolette's parents' eyes, swapped rings.

"Be good, or I'll come kick you!" Perdita threatened with a laugh.

"I will if you will!" Nicolette replied smartly. "Be good, and don't be afraid. Call me right after you do. 6pm your time Sunday night I'll tell mum and dad then too." The best friends hugged each other closely and shared a quick kiss on the cheek.

"That's my flight I've got to go. Love you!" Nicolette and Perdita bid farewell and Nicolette and her family left the airport.

In her room that she shared with Perdita, Nicolette wondered how she could tell her parents. She was sure they'd hate it. She felt safe with her father; she'd been able to tell him anything, except this. Every night when she came home from school, he'd ask her with a twinkle if she'd fallen in love. With the same twinkle, she'd swoon into his arms before telling him he was the only man in her life. Nicolette was sure after the years they'd carried on with that joke that her father wouldn't like her news at all.

Nicolette Margaret Pierce was born October 19, 1954. She was the first of five children to bless the Pierce household, which was now inhabited by Daniel Pierce, his son Hawkeye, Hawkeye's wife Celina and their five children Nicolette Margaret, Philippe Henry, Daniel Jacques, and the twins Gabrielle Maria and Antoinette Elizabeth.

"Nicolette, Nicolette, where are you? Ma petite!" It was her mother, a French woman who had lived in America since she was tiny but unable to loose her accent and often worked in phrases of her own language when talking to her bi-lingual children.

"Oui mama?" Nicolette dragged herself off her bed to open her door. Her mother stood at the door.

"Your aunt Marguerite is on the phone." Nicolette smiled, her aunt was only honorary, but she loved Margaret and Margaret loved her like they were flesh and blood.

"Merci mama." Nicolette said and went to the lounge where Gabriella had the phone and was talking nineteen to the dozen.

"Gabriella, Margaret wanted to talk to me." Nicolette wrestled the phone from her sister and sat down in the armchair.

"Hi Margaret!"

"Hello, how's my namesake?" Margaret had been a very close friend to her father all through the Korean War while at the same MASH unit and when Nicolette was born, she was named after the woman who had so helped to make Hawkeye who he was.

"I'm okay I guess aunty Margaret." She said softly, uncertainly and Margaret twigged immediately.

"Nicolette, what's wrong? You don't sound happy." Margaret knew her favourite niece was upset.

"Well, it's just that mum and dad won't like what I have to tell them."

"Can you tell me first?" Margaret asked, hoping telling someone would ease the girl's mind.

"Okay, just a second. Antoinette could you tell dad I'll be in for supper in a second? Thankyou darling." Margaret gave a little chuckle. "Well, I'm in lo. . . Margaret, I can't say." Nicolette hastily stopped her sentence as her brother entered the room.

"Let me guess, you're in love." Margaret said softly. "And you know that Hawkeye and Celina will accept that, but it's who you're in love with that you're not sure they'll like." Her aunt could read her like a book.

"Exactly, Margaret. You know exactly what I mean. I really don't think they'll approve"

"Well darling, I can't stay on the phone forever, who is it? Maybe I can help."

"Perdita." Nicolette replied with confidence, she knew that Margaret would love her no matter what.

"I see. Well honey, just tell them. And if it all goes wrong, I'm here for you. Hawkeye will be fine with it, I know him better than anyone else. Remember, I'm coming to visit next week, it'll be fine. I can hear you being called for supper, so I'll let you go now. Love you beautiful."

"Love you too, see you when you come."

"One more thing honey, what about Perdita?"

"Oh she knows, she's the one who made the move. I've really got to go."

"Darling, just tell him, Hawkeye will love you whoever you are. Bye sweetie." Margaret hung up the phone and Nicolette went to supper.

"Just tell them it'll be fine." She told herself and Margaret's words swimming in her head, she went to sleep that night, dreading 3pm the next day when she would have to tell her parents she was in love with a girl.