In The Eye Of The Beholder

by Falcon and HM Writer

FINAL chapter is up. Please leave a final review. We hope you enjoyed it.

7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

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Despite what I just said I'm going to try to answer some of them.  Someone left a review about being disappointed.  All you said was that you wanted more of the story.  No one else is writing and good fan fiction at the moment so it's hard for us to get inspiration to continue.  You seemed to have a real attitude about not updating sooner and believe me you're not helping the story come any sooner. 

BTW, we didn't say we would definitely do weekly updates, we suggested it.  We have most of this story complete and need to get it into chapters, so you'll just have to wait until the two of us can do that.

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When he got closer he saw that Margaret wasn't in the middle of the crowd, but she was at the back of the crowd on a sand dune standing with her father and her uncle. Her hands were on her hips and her lips were moving. She seemed to be doing fine, but there was no telling how long that would last. After her breakdown earlier that day he didn't know what to expect from her. He stood off to the side and listened to them for a moment.

"Margaret, look at yourself!" Al yelled. "You're disgracing this family."

"I didn't do anything wrong!" She stood up to him, but didn't yell.

Al looked her in the eye. "You don't call that nothing?! You show up here, don't say a damn word..."

"Me?! You're the one that's not talking to me!"

Al ignored her. He didn't want to hear that so he pretended that he didn't. "You're almost naked walking around like its nothing and you were putting on quite the show out there for everyone to see."

"I wasn't putting on a show."

"You don't call that a show? You were all over him like a little slut!"

Hawkeye's eyes filled with fire. There was no way in hell he was going to let someone talk to her like that. The look on her face broke her heart. Her jaw dropped and instead of clenching it in anger like she normally would have, it started to quiver.

Hawkeye walked up behind her and placed one hand on her hip and the other on her shoulder, he stood directly behind her and held her close. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He demanded. "You have no right to say that to her or any other woman!" His voice was cold and full of hate.

Al's eyes flared. "Get the hell away from daughter," he growled. "This is between me and her."

"No," Hawkeye tightened his grip on her and held her closer. "This is between me and you."

Alvin clenched his fists, "You're lucky I have a heart problem or I'd knock you flat on your back."

"The hell you would," he said evenly and full of confidence.

Al glared at him trying to get the young man to back down, but it wasn't happening, so he turned to Margaret. "Get the hell away from him. Don't let him put his hands all over you!"

Margaret looked to Hawkeye for help. He stood next to her with his arm around her waist, his hand resting on her hip claiming her. "Margaret is a grown woman. She knows how to take care of herself and knows what she wants. If she doesn't want me to touch her, then she'll tell me. Not you!"

"Why you little bastard," Al said. "If I were you I'd run away from here as fast as you can."

"I don't run away." He felt Margaret lean against him more. "I'm going to marry your daughter whether you like it or not. She loves you, although I can't see why. Don't make her chose."

"There's not a question in my mind who she would choose. She's always chosen me." He said with a cocky grin.

Margaret's hurt was quickly turning to anger. She mustered up the courage and looked in her father's eyes. "Believe me; you don't want me to choose."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You know what it means," she said coolly.

Al narrowed his eyes. "You'll regret this for the rest of your life."

Margaret had gained some more strength with Hawkeye next to her. He was willing to stand up for her, and if he would do it to her father than he would do it to anyone. "No I won't."

"If you don't get away from that man right this moment..." Alvin pointed his finger at Hawkeye.

"You'll do what?" She snapped.

"You marry him and you'll find out," he threatened.

Margaret looked at her father in astonishment and sadness. "How could you say such a thing? Why can't you just be happy that I've finally found someone who loves me for me?"

Al glared at Hawkeye, "Oh I know he loves you, I saw what you were letting him do to you."

Margaret's anger rose. "We were not doing anything," she told him sternly. "And if we were, it wouldn't be any of your damn business anyway!"

"Don't give me that! I saw how you let him feel you up!"

Margaret took a deep breath and looked away. She was going to blow up if she didn't calm down. "We went for a swim and then we got out, that's all." She said in a calm voice.

"I saw the way he was looking at you, ogling you in that...that thing! It's disgraceful, you running around half naked!" He shouted, gesturing to her exposed stomach.

For a second Margaret wished she had never worn it. All it seemed to do was add more trouble to the troubles she already had. Then she realized that there wasn't anything wrong with what she was wearing. She wasn't exposing herself in any away. Everything that was supposed to be covered up was covered up. She looked at Hawkeye and wrapped her arm around his waist. "There isn't a damn thing wrong with what I'm wearing," she said to her father. "It's not my suit you have a problem with, it's me."

"Margaret Elizabeth Houlihan, I order you to take your hands off of him! Look at that 'man' you're hanging onto. He's Italian for God sakes."

Hawkeye's eyes shot daggers and Margaret cringed. She didn't know what he was going to do. He took a couple of deep breaths and looked at her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes."

"Can you go get our things?"

She didn't know if she wanted to leave him alone with her father. After what her father had said about her and him she wasn't sure what was going to happen. After careful but quick thought, she agreed. "I'll be right back." Whatever he was going to say to her father was deserved. Al had stepped over too many lines in that small amount of time.

Margaret reached up and gave Hawkeye an assuring kiss. She wanted him to know that she was on his side. Then she turned and walked away. She saw her sister standing to the side and walked over to her. Passing her she said, "Come with me."

Katie followed her older sister hot on her heals. She couldn't believe the scene that had just played out in front of everyone, and there was more to come. Katie was glad to go with her sister down to the water. She wasn't sure she wanted to see Hawkeye and Al together like that. When they were out of ear shot from everyone Katie ran up so she was next to her sister. "What are you thinking?! Are you crazy?!"

Margaret turned around; her jaw clenched and she placed her hands on her hips. "Me?" She said coolly. "You think I'm the one that's crazy! Did you hear what he said?"

"Well....no, but..."

"But nothing! I'm not letting him walk all over me any longer. Standing up to him was the second smartest thing I ever did. I'll get him off my back and the rest of those assholes up there will follow."

Maybe she was right. Katie didn't know. She wished she had to the nerve to do that though, but unlike Margaret she didn't have her husband standing by her side. Rick would never do that. Katie shook herself out of her thoughts and saw that her sister had walked further over to the spot where her things were. She ran over to her. "What was the smartest thing you ever did?"

She pointed to Hawkeye. "You see that man up there? The smartest thing I ever did was accept his proposal."

Katie half smiled. "You really are crazy. Love does some funny things to you."

Margaret rolled her eyes and chucked. She tossed the towels into the beach bag and started to put her shirt and shorts back on. "We're going to get out of here."

"Okay. Are you still going to take the baby for me?"

"Of course." She buttoned her shorts and then looked at her niece. "Tell Mommy she's going to have to unglue you from her hip first."

"I just don't want any of them to take her," she referred to the crowd of people. "I don't think that they would hurt her, but still..."

"I know what you mean."

"And you were a little busy this afternoon."

Margaret tossed the beach bag over her shoulder and grabbed the umbrella. "Do you want us to take her or will you bring her by?"

"It's up to you. What do you want?"

"We can take her now. All of her things are at the hotel already."

"Sounds good to me." She looked up to see what her father and Hawkeye were doing. Hawkeye's hands were flying as he yelled. She knew he was holding back his anger. Al's fists were clenched as he was yelling. She could see that he too was holding back some of his anger. "I've got to break that up. Why don't you meet us out on the road?"

"Alright." Katie was relieved about that. She wanted to get out of there. As soon as the baby was with Margaret she was planning on getting into her car and leaving too. "Do you need any help?"

"No. I've got it all under control." Margaret took a deep breath and headed back up.

Margaret avoided the glances from her family and bypassed them all, walking around the crowd so she wouldn't have to subject herself to the possibility of another confrontation. She made her way back up the beach and walked to the road where she waited for a cab. By the time she had flagged one down, Hawkeye was on his way towards her, trudging angrily through the sand with his jaw clenched and his head held low.


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They sat in silence the whole way back to the hotel. Hawkeye sat close to her, his arm wrapped possessively around her shoulders as he held her tight. Margaret wasn't overly anxious to hear about what had happened. The whole day had been one giant snowball, continuously building up until that final moment. She could feel how restless and uneasy he was, he needed to vent his emotions, but the back of a cab wasn't the best place to do it.

When they got back to the hotel, Hawkeye grabbed their things as Margaret carried Janie in her arms. Again, they hardly said a word as they rode up the twenty five stories in the elevator. Hawkeye stood beside her with his free arm encircled around her waist and held her close to him.

As soon as he had the door unlocked and they were inside, he dropped the things he had been holding in his hands and immediately started taking off his wet clothes. "Fuck him," he muttered as he took off his shirt and threw it across the room. He was beyond livid at the moment. "He can go to hell, him and all those goddamned bigots!"

"Hawkeye, Janie's here."

"I know!" He stomped off toward the bedroom.

Margaret put Janie down on the living room floor and gave her some things to play with. "Can you entertain yourself for a little bit? I need to go cool down Uncle Hawk." Margaret walked into the bedroom, but Hawkeye wasn't in there. She heard the shower running and walked in. "Hawk?"

"What?!"

"Don't be mad at me."

"Sorry."

She peaked in the shower. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not now. Let me shower."

She knew he needed some time to himself and she needed to get back to the baby. She didn't like leaving a four month old alone. "Okay." She walked back out into the living room and sat down on the floor. "I'll have to talk to him in a few minutes. So, that gives us some time to play."

Hawkeye stayed in the shower much longer than Margaret had expected he would. All he wanted to do was forget about what had happened, he stood beneath the water and tried to let his anxieties wash down the drain. He was afraid that if he went out there too early he'd take his frustrations out on Margaret, and she didn't need any more drama for the day.

Eventually Hawkeye got out of the shower and emerged from the bathroom. He felt a little better, but not much. Margaret heard him from the living room and picked up Janie and carried her into the bedroom. She found him sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out into space. "Honey?" Margaret asked when she saw him.

"Hmmm?" He was lost in thought.

Margaret set Janie down on the floor. She sat down on the bed beside her fiancé. "Are you okay?"

Hawkeye seemed to have suddenly realized she was sitting there. "Yeah, I'm fine." He turned to face her and stroked her cheek with his finger, "It's you I'm worried about."

Margaret held his hand against her cheek. She sighed, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I promise you'll never have to," he leaned in and gave her a loving kiss

"Good," she smiled when he pulled back. "Because I couldn't handle that."

He didn't want to get himself worked up again, so he focused on her. "How are you feeling?"

She sighed and leaned in against him. "I've been better."

He wrapped his arm around her. "I know, and I'm sorry."

She pulled back and looked at him. "You have nothing to be sorry about. You did all the right things."

"For once."

She smiled. "For once."

"Hey."

"I'm kidding. But really, I think I'm okay for now. Besides, I can't fall apart. I have a baby to take care of."

He smiled. Hearing those words come out of her mouth was something he didn't expect to hear. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. "Well, she seems to be doing fine." He looked at the baby on the floor. "She entertains herself pretty well."

"She does. Why don't we let you get dressed though? Then we can talk. It's almost time for her bottle and then she'll be down for a nap."

"Okay." He leaned in and gave her a tender kiss. "Don't keep things inside, honey. I'm here for you to talk to me."

"I know." She stood up and picked up the baby. "And I love you for it and so much more."

After Hawkeye had finished getting dressed he walked out to find her sitting on the couch in front of the television. He sat down beside her and looked at the baby in her arms. Janie was fighting to stay awake, but it was a losing battle. "Look how sleepy she's getting," he commented as he watched her.

"I know," Margaret rocked her gently in her arms. "She's had a busy couple of days."

"Poor thing," he said. It was terrible that she was always getting caught in the middle of those messes.

"It looks likes it going to be a good night for all of us," she looked up and smiled at him. Hawkeye returned her smile and kissed her.

"I'll put her down," he opened his arms to take the now sleeping child.

Margaret smiled at his enthusiasm and gently handed the baby over. Hawkeye took her and placed her in the bassinet across the room. When he came back he sat down and laid his head in Margaret's lap. She stroked his hair and leaned down and kissed him again. "Are you ready to talk about it yet?"

"Margaret, he just made me so angry. I don't know if I've ever been that mad before."

"I know."

"I don't know what happened. Once I saw that crushed look on your face I couldn't hold back anymore and then the anger just flowed after that."

"I could tell."

"Did I go too far?" He looked up at her.

"I don't think so. It's my father that went too far. He crossed too many lines this afternoon."

"I just love you so much and when I saw what he was doing to you, I snapped. I didn't mean to make a scene..."

"Hawk, it's okay, really it is. You protected me."

"You're not mad at me?"

"No, of course not."

He smiled and pulled her head down for a kiss. "How are you?"

"You don't want to know...I don't even know."

He sat up and looked at her. "I do want to know."

She leaned against him needing to feel his arms around her. "I'm confused. I feel so many different things right now."

After a moment of pause where he was waiting for her to continue, he spoke up. "What do you feel, baby? You know you can tell me."

Margaret leaned into him and hugged him tighter. "I'm mad of course, I've never been so mad at him before, after what he said."

"Well that's to be expected," he said as he held her close.

"But on the other side...I...I have this incredible urge to cry. All I've ever wanted from my father was his approval, and now he hates me. I was hoping he'd accept us and be happy for me for once, but I guess I was just being silly."

"No, you weren't being silly," he told her. It hurt him to see her in pain. "You just happen to love your father, that's all."

"Even though he doesn't love me," she sighed against his chest.

"No, don't say that. I know he loves you and so do you. I just got in the middle."

Margaret sat up and pulled his face down to hers. "Honey, you didn't get in the middle," she told him. "If my father never said another word to me I think I would eventually learn to deal with it, but if I didn't have you..."

"I feel the exact same way," he knew what she was trying to say. He kissed her forehead. "I love you so much." Margaret smiled and closed her eyes at his touch; he was such a wonderful man.

"One day, in the future, I'll try to fix things with your father."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to do that. I may not like the man, and he may hate me, but that doesn't change the fact that both of us love you. We're going to have to learn to share you."

She smiled at him and hugged him tightly. "I love you."

"I love you. You talk to me if you need to, okay?"

"Okay."

"You promise?"

"I promise," she smiled.

"I won't have to drag it out of you?"

"I didn't say that."

Hawkeye chucked. "I'll accept that."

"Good."

"Now, what do we do while the baby's sleeping?"

She held on to him still. "Maybe I'll go take a shower and wash all the sand and salt water off of me."

"Can I watch?"

"No. You have to be able to listen for the baby."

"Ah...that's no fun."

"Yeah, but someone has to stay with her."

Hawkeye frowned; he wanted to stay with her. "What if we kept the door open and moved her into the bedroom?"

"I won't be long," she kissed him and stood up.

Hawkeye groaned, he wanted to be with her. "But baby..."

"I promise we'll do something later. I just can't stand this gritty feeling."

Hawkeye relaxed a little bit and sat back. "I know."

"I'll be back before you'll even know I left," she said as she walked off to shower.

"I don't see why you're bothering; you're just going to need to take another one later!" He called after her.

Margaret paused, "Do you want me covered in sand?"

Hawkeye thought about that for a moment. "Second thought, you'd better go."

She smiled at him. "That's what I thought."

Hawkeye lay back down on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. It had been a tiring day and it was only four o'clock. He glanced over at the baby in the bassinet to see if she was okay, and then he closed his eyes. He didn't want to fall asleep, he just meant to rest his eyes for a few moments, but that didn't happen.

When Margaret got out of the shower she went to check on Hawkeye and the baby. She saw that Janie was still sleeping peacefully and Hawkeye had joined her in her nap. She covered Hawkeye with a blanket and then went back to the bedroom to get dressed. She contemplated what she should wear, and decided that even if they went out for dinner a little later, they had a four month old with them so they wouldn't be going any place that required certain dress attire. She pulled out a comfortable pair of shorts and t-shirt and threw them on. Hawkeye hated when she wore that because he couldn't see much skin, but it was comfortable and she wanted to wear it.

She made a phone call to her sister to see how things were going and to let Katie know that her daughter was doing just fine. Then they chatted for a few minutes like sisters do before saying goodbye. With nothing left to do but think of the days events, she decided to get busy doing something. She didn't want to dwell on things. The maid had come in and cleaned the room, so she couldn't do that. Hawkeye was asleep, so she didn't have anyone to talk to. Then she spotted the newspaper on the table by the window. Smiling she picked it up and decided to sit down and read about what else was going on in the word besides the disastrous Houlihan reunion.

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Hawkeye woke up about an hour later. He looked through out the entire room for Margaret, but he couldn't find her. With no idea where she had gone, he checked on the baby and then went to use the bathroom.

Margaret walked back into the room a few minutes later. She had only stepped out briefly to find some ice. Instantly when she walked into the room she noticed that he was gone. Margaret set the bucket down on the table and then went to go find him.

"Hey," she said when she opened the door to the bathroom. Hawkeye was washing his hands.

"There you are," he smiled when he saw her. He turned off the water and dried his hands. "Where did you go?"

"Just down the hall to get some ice."

"I missed you." He turned off the light and gave her a pouty look.

Margaret laughed, "I was only gone for a few minutes."

Hawkeye backed her into the bedroom. "It was too long," he told her. "After what happened today, two seconds is even too long to be without you."

Margaret walked backwards as he advanced on her. "You just want to get into my pants."

"You're not wearing any pants."

He kept walking backing her toward the bed. She smiled. "Then you want to get into my shorts."

He grinned and laid her on the bed. "Maybe I do." He fell lightly on to her being careful not to put too much weight on her body.

Margaret wrapped her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. "Maybe I want you to."

Hawkeye smiled and kissed her gently. "You're even sexy in this ugly old t-shirt." He cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "You are so beautiful and I'm sorry about today. I promise to make the rest of our days here much better."

She smiled and kissed him. They rolled around on the bed for a few minutes kissing each other. When hands started to roam they heard the unfamiliar cries of an infant. At first neither thought anything of it. They both dismissed it as someone out in the hall or in another room. Then the cries got louder and Margaret knew it was Janie. She pushed Hawkeye off of her and he fell onto the floor. "I'm sorry," she chuckled as she ran out of the room.

Hawkeye laid on the floor rubbing the side of his hip he fell on. "You sound real sorry about that." He got up and walked into the living area where Margaret was bouncing the baby gently to calm her down. "What's wrong with her?"

Margaret looked over at him. "She just woke up and no one came to get her. I think she thought she was all alone." She kissed the baby on the cheek. "I'm sorry. I forgot you were here, honey."

Hawkeye walked over to the two of them and placed his hand on the baby's back. "Aunt Margaret isn't very good at taking care of you. Good thing I'm here."

"Pierce!"

He smiled. "I'm kidding."

"You better be. It was your fault anyway."

"Mine?! Just because you can't control yourself and loose your sense of hearing when I kiss you, don't make it my fault."

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "You're really full of yourself."

"I'd rather you be full of me."

Margaret gasped and placed her hand over the baby's ear pressing the innocent child's head against her shoulder. "Watch what you say!"

"What? She doesn't have a clue what I just said."

"But still," she cradled the baby in her arms.

Hawkeye leaned down and talked to the baby, "You wouldn't mind if I stole your aunt for about an hour would you? She needs to help me with something."

"Pierce!" She pushed him away from the child and shielded her with her arms.

Janie laughed. "See, she doesn't mind," he told her.

"I don't want to talk about S-E-X in front of the B-A-B-Y."

Hawkeye looked at her as if she was crazy. "Margaret, she's less than a year old."

"I will not have your dirty mind corrupting my niece."

Hawkeye pretended to be appalled. "Dirty? You dare call something as sacred and beautiful as our love, dirty?!"

"When it comes out of your mouth," she shot back with a leer.

"Oh yeah?" He walked up behind her and pressed his hips into her back. "Well this isn't from my mouth."

Margaret moved away from him. "I think you need a cold shower. That may solve your problem."

"Problem?" He acted horrified. "I don't have a problem."

She rolled her eyes. "On top of being over dramatic, you're a little too... ah... what's the word?"

"Horny."

"Yes! Now stop talking like that in front of the baby."

"She doesn't understand."

"What's going to happen one day when we have children of our own? You better learn how to watch what you say now or we'll end up with a three year old who knows every swear in the book!"

He laughed. "And you call me over dramatic!"

She looked down at the baby. "Your uncle is crazy."

"Uncle?"

"Well, you will be soon."

"How soon?" He asked curiously.

Margaret pointed across the room to the diaper bag. "Will you get me a diaper out of there?"

"You're changing the subject." He picked up the yellow bag.

She laid the baby on the couch and gave her a toy to occupy her. Hawkeye handed her the diaper bag. "Will you get a diaper out for me?"

He pulled one out and handed it to her. "There. Aren't you going to answer my question?"

"You already know the answer." She told him as she changed the baby's diaper.

"I know, but I'm getting anxious. I just don't want to be your fiancé; I want to be your husband. Once we get married, we can do whatever the hell we want."

"We already are doing whatever we want."

"But we can't tell anyone, we have to be so damn secretive."

Margaret glanced at him, "My sister doesn't need to know anything about us besides the fact that we're getting married."

"Yeah," Hawkeye scratched his chin. "It wouldn't look so good if she found out what we did while we were watching her daughter."

"What we did?" She pinned the new diaper in place and looked at him.

"I'm thinking about tomorrow morning," he grinned.

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?"

"I need something to look forward to."

"If you want to ever get me back on that bed, you better start watching what you say." She warned him.

"Okay, you win. No more talk about S-E-X."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I knew you'd realize I was right."

"Oh, I didn't say you were right."

She glared at him. "Why do I put up with you?"

He leaned down, "Because I'm good at this," he kissed her. "And that," he pointed to the bedroom. "And I'm one hell of a nice guy."

"It was a rhetorical question." She picked the baby up and placed her on her lap. "What should we do tonight?"

"I don't know. How's Janie to take out?"

"You're engaged, and she's a little young for you."

Hawkeye groaned at her teasing. "You know what I mean."

She smiled. "I don't know. I'm sure she's fine. She's been an angel for the past few days and every situation she's been in has been new to her. What did you have in mind anyway?"

He took the baby from her. "We could go out to dinner or something. We don't have a carriage for her, do we?"

"No, Katie didn't give it to us. That doesn't matter anyway. We can hold her." She stood up. "Are you sure you want to go out with her?"

"Why not?"

"You might get too attached and want one of our own right away. We'd have to get married," she smiled. "You don't want a pregnant bride do you?"

He didn't even answer her. She was just trying to get his goat. She knew very well that he didn't want any children yet. "So, Janie, what should we do tonight? Do you have any ideas?" She smiled and reached for his nose. "What is with you babies and my nose?"

"Because it stands out so much," Margaret said on the way out of the room.

"You're aunt is so funny today." He said sarcastically.

Margaret changed her shirt; she wanted to wear one slightly nicer to dinner. She ran a brush through her hair and found a pair of sandals to slip into. When she walked back out in the living room she found that Hawkeye already had the baby ready to go. "Here, I'll take her," she took Janie from him. "We'll wait for you while you put on your shoes socks."

"Okay, I'll only be a second." He walked back into the bedroom and gathered his things. "Margaret!" He called back out a minute later.

"Yes?"

He appeared in the door, "What did you do with my shoes?"

Margaret thought about it for a moment, "They're under the bed." She finally told him.

"Under the bed?" He disappeared again.

"I had to shove them some place where they wouldn't be seen."

"What was wrong with my suitcase?"

"It was filled with crumpled clothes."

"And you say I can't pack." He walked back out with his shoes on. "All right, I'm ready."

"Do we have everything?"

"Diaper bag?"

"Check." Margaret patted it as it hung from her shoulder.

"Baby?"

"Check." She gave Janie a kiss.

"Yep, we have everything, let's go." He opened the door and together they left.

(*(*(*(*(*(

They walked down to the nearest restaurant and sat down to eat.  Janie was eager to get some food into her belly so Margaret started to feed her while she and Hawkeye waited for their food.   

Hawkeye watched her, she was a natural. One day, when they had kids of their own, she'd be a great mother. "That's okay," he said, then in a lower voice so only she could hear, "That just means you'll have to take another shower when we get back."

Margaret fed the baby a small teaspoon of mashed vegetables. "You still can't join me," she told him.

Hawkeye frowned; he'd momentarily forgotten Janie was staying the night. It was all right, he was growing to love her more and more every time he saw her. Besides, he'd have all of the next day to make up for lost time. "Do you want a steak too?"

"I suppose, with a salad. Why don't we just get one to share?"

"You're right, that's my best bet to eat something tonight. We'd better make it a big one."

"What are you saying Pierce?" She eyed him.

"That I'm wasting away because you eat everything I order," he exaggerated. Well, she was eating all his food after all.

Margaret laughed, "You are not wasting away." It was true; he weighed almost ten pounds more than he had in Korea, a good part of that being muscle.

"Well I will be if you don't let me eat something."

"We always share, you don't starve."

"Ha! I beg to differ."

"So you only take a few bites of your own, but then you always eat all of mine."

"That's besides the point," he waved his hand in dismissal.

She chuckled. "I have a better idea, why don't you order for us? I'll have what you're having."

"Okay." That sounded easy enough. Why hadn't they done that before? "You want scotch like usual or a martini like me?"

"Neither," she put some more food into the baby's mouth. "I've had enough the last few days. I'm all set."

He chuckled. "Okay. Water it is." He watched her with the baby for a few moments wondering why that was so natural to her. He had never seen her with children; at least not like that. She was always an excellent nurse to them, but she didn't allow herself to get close to them. Maybe that was the difference. She wasn't afraid to get close to Janie because she'd always be around. Those other children back in Korea wouldn't. Then he thought about that baby that was left on the Swamp's doorstep. She was different with that little girl. She took care of her and even volunteered for the job.

Margaret noticed that he seemed to be far away. "Hawk, you still here with us?"

He shook his head slightly trying to get the thoughts out of his head and smiled at her. "Yeah."

"You okay?"

"Uh huh. Oh, there's our waiter."

Hawkeye ordered some drinks and the meal for the two of them. They didn't want to wait since they were both starving and Hawkeye knew what he wanted. He ordered them each a New York Strip with mashed potatoes, sautéed mixed vegetables, and a salad to start with. He was looking forward to actually being able to eat his whole meal. It was simple, but it still made him happy. He had developed a love of food that he never had before once he left Korea. That was why he started to work out and take better care of his body. He loved to eat, but on the same hand he didn't want to become a glutton. Once he had gotten started with the running and working out he became addicted to that too. It all worked out well in the end too. Because on top of that his fiancé loved his new body. And the more he could turn her on, the better he was.

Within ten minutes their salads came. Their big green leaves and bright orange carrots caught Margaret's eye instantly. Hawkeye could see how much she wanted to dig right in, but she was still concentrating on the baby. "Here, let me hold her while you eat."

Margaret looked at him with a small smile, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm not very hungry at the moment." It was a lie, but he wanted to save room for that cut of steak they were bringing him. "Here, give her to me." He held out his arms to take her from Margaret. Margaret made sure Janie was secured in her arms and then gently passed her across the table. "Hey," he greeted the baby in a playing voice. "Do you feel better now that you've eaten? I can't wait until my food comes."

Margaret smiled as she prepared her salad. "Hmm," she commented when she took her first bite.

"Good salad?" Margaret nodded, her mouth was full. "Good."

She swallowed her helping. "Do you want a bite?"

"Nah, I'm saving myself for something slightly more manly," he said in a deep voice. Margaret smiled and took another bite. "All though, those croutons aren't looking too bad."

She smiled and filled her fork with some salad making sure to get a crouton in there for him. "Here you go," she put it up to his mouth.

"Mmm," he closed his eyes.

"You had a good idea to come here."

He smiled. "I'll be the one to pick out the food and the restaurants from now on. How does that sound?"

"I don't know. You eat some pretty gross things."

He sat strait up pretending to be offended. "I beg your pardon. I am known for my fine taste."

She chuckled. "I'll let you believe that." She put some more salad into her mouth.

Hawkeye looked at the baby. "Don't listen to her. I have wonderful taste. I picked out this restaurant, and..." He tried to think of something else that he did that showed his good taste.

"Can't think of anything, can you?"

"Well," he grinned. "I was going to say I picked you, but I changed my mind." He felt a foot hit his shin under the table. "Ouch!"

She glared at him with a small evil smile. "You deserved that. Anyway, you didn't 'pick me out'. I wasn't in a line up. You make it sound like I was in the running with other women."

"Are you kidding? You beat out every last one of them long ago." She gave him a genuine smile. He winked at her. "Now how about another bite of that salad?"

She fed him another bite. "I'll take her now. You can eat."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She pushed her plate away. "I'm saving some room for the real meal." He passed the baby back over the table and started in on his salad.

Hawkeye only ate half of his salad, he didn't want to fill up on greens and miss his only chance at a real steak. The food at Katie's had been okay and so had the pasta in the hotel dining room, it didn't really bother him though, she ate half his food for him anyway. It would take a real steak to satisfy his hunger. Margaret had been right; he only cared about food and sleep.

Finally after half an hour their food came. Hawkeye was so eager. Along with the steak he had also ordered a tall, cold beer and a side of fries. "This looks wonderful." Margaret exclaimed when her plate was set in front of her. For Hawkeye it was beyond wonderful, he was well past the verge of salivating.

Hawkeye picked up his fork and steak knife in preparation to dig in. "Wonderful? I haven't been so excited all day." His mouth was watering and his stomach was doing somersaults.

Margaret looked up at him with a curious glance. "That's the understatement of the world."

Hawkeye cut off a small piece and took a bite. He looked like he was going to roll over and die. "I might need a smoke when this is over."

"You never smoke afterwards," she exclaimed. "In fact, you don't smoke at all."

"I can't cuddle with a steak after I've eaten it,"

Her eyes widened and she looked around the room to make sure no one had heard that. "You are...are..."

"Wonderful," he smiled.

"That's not what I was going to say!"

"Oh?"

"No! You're the most crude man I've ever met in my life!"

He smiled. "Thanks."

"That wasn't a compliment!"

"Margaret, calm down. You're going to make a scene."

"Me? You're the one talking like that."

"Just eat." He pointed to her steak and then took a bite of his own.

"I can't cut it with the baby."

He moved his plate out of the way and took hers. He cut up half of her steak and then handed it back to her. He knew that she wasn't going to eat all of it. She never did. "There you go."

"Thank you." She said quietly. She glared at Hawkeye for a second but couldn't hold the glare when he started to grin. "Why can't I just stay mad at you?"

"Because you love me too much. How's your steak?"

"Delicious." Janie reached for some food. "No, no, honey. You're too little to eat that." She scooped up a little bit of mashed potatoes and blew on them to cool them off and then let Janie taste them. "You like that, don't you?"

Apparently she did, because she opened her mouth wide waiting for more. Margaret was more than willing to oblige and gave her another helping. Once she had that eaten, she gestured to Margaret for more. "I think you started something," Hawkeye smiled as he watched the little girl slurp the mashed potatoes off the spoon.

"I think I might have too."

"You know something," he said. "This is probably the first time she's ever had something other than baby food."

"You might be right."

Hawkeye took another bite of his steak. "We're corrupting your niece. Her mother's going to take one look at her tomorrow and know something's different."

Margaret gave him one of her famous looks, "Especially since all you do is talk about sex."

Hawkeye pretended he hadn't heard her. "We've let her sleep extra hours, we're feeding her adult food. By tomorrow she won't be the same baby."

"Heaven forbid it," she held the child close. "She's prefect."

"You've got me there," he smiled.

Margaret smiled brightly. He had taken so well to her niece in a matter of days which was making her more curious about how he was going to be with their own children. She always knew that Hawkeye Pierce had it in him to be a wonderful husband and father, and she was looking forward to seeing that come true. Margaret shoveled some more mashed potatoes in to the baby's mouth and in between that she was taking bites of her steak.

"She's an eater, isn't she?"

"Must run in the family," Hawkeye said without missing a beat.

Margaret wasn't about to take the bait. "She's behaving so well too."

"I know." He smiled at her and gestured to the baby that was trying her best to chew mashed potatoes. "Now you know what its like not to be able to eat your own dinner."

She chuckled. "Yeah, but unlike you, I don't mind sharing."

"Hey, that's not fair. I always share with you."

And he did. He would tease her, but that's all it was. "Yes you do. How would you like to take this little eating machine so I can eat some more of my dinner?"

"I'd love to." Hawkeye put down his fork and reached across the table for the baby. "You can have some of my mashed potatoes. If you're anything like your aunt, you're going to think the ones that are on my plate are better."

Margaret fixed him with on her looks. "Not funny."

Hawkeye fed her some of his mashed potatoes; she was a very good eater. Not only had Margaret already fed her, but she was eating from both their plates. After eating a good portion from Hawk's plate, Janie decided she was full and leaned against her soon-to-be uncle. "Now that would make a darling picture." Margaret pushed her plate to the side and looked at the pair.

"I think she's getting sleepy again," he commented softly as he watched her.

"She's had a big day." Between the excitement at the beach and visiting a strange place, she was sure to be tired. "Do you think she'll sleep okay?" Margaret didn't know how she'd react to spending the night in a strange place.

"I'm sure she'll be just fine," he said as he rubbed her back. "She's been a prefect lady all afternoon."

"Yes, she has." Margaret smiled as she watched the baby's eyes start to droop.

"Hey, do you want desert before we go?" Hawkeye asked when he noticed they were both done eating.

"I'm not sure. I really should say no, I'm afraid I'm gaining weight from all the rich food we've been eating."

"Take it from the man who's seen and experienced your body, you look fantastic."

"That's sweet of you to say." Then as if she'd caught him she said, "But I know what you're gunning for."

"Gunning for?" He pretended to be surprised, "Can't I pay my fiancé a compliment without thinking I'm looking for something in return?"

"I know you, I know what you want," she caught him.

Hawkeye, in his own low and demure way mumbled, "You seemed to enjoy it the seven times you let me yesterday." Then with an evil grin he added, "In fact, wasn't it you who was begging me to get on with it?"

"I'd really rather not talk about that here." She said lowly.

He smiled. "Maybe we should go now. Does she always fall asleep this early?"

"Katie said she just falls asleep for about a half an hour or so once her tummy is full. She goes down for the night at eight thirty."

"Okay. Maybe we should get dessert so she can sleep a little before we start walking."

"You get dessert. I'll share with you."

He smiled. "I knew you couldn't go all night without eating off of my plate!"

Margaret pushed her chair out and stood up. "Get something good. I'll be right back." She gave him a quick kiss.

Margaret went to the ladies room and was gone for about ten minutes. When she got back the baby was still asleep on her fiancé's shoulder and dessert had come. He ordered strawberry cheesecake. "Just in time." He said with some food in his mouth. "I almost ate it all."

She took her seat and asked for the check as the waiter passed by. "I just want a few bites."

Hawkeye passed her the plate and she ate the rest of it. He didn't say much only enjoyed holding the baby in his arms. There was nothing sweeter than holding a sleeping baby. He was beginning to fear that Janie was having a bad influence on him. Being with her was really making him want one of his own.

"Here you go, sir," the waiter placed the bill on the table. "I hope you enjoyed your meal."

"We did," Hawkeye assured him.

The young man placed a hand on the baby's head stroking it gently. "I've got one just about her age at home. I don't know about you, but being a father was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Hawkeye opened his mouth to correct the young man, but Margaret beat him. She smiled. "He's a changed man."

The waiter smiled. "Have a nice night."

"Thank you," Margaret said smiling at Hawkeye.

It was still fairly light outside so the couple decided to walk around. They looked through store windows but never went inside, it was too nice of an evening. Janie didn't seem to mind the stroll; in fact she continued to sleep the entire time. By the time they made it back to the hotel it was practically dark and the baby was waking up. Margaret wanted to let her get down and play so she'd sleep through the night.

"Who's the cutest baby in the world?" Hawkeye was playing with her as they waited for the elevator, he was carefully holding her above him. Janie giggled as he brought her down and then hoisted her up again.

"Careful," Margaret reminded him. She knew he would never drop her, it just made her nervous to watch.

"Relax," he said still looking at the baby. "If I can carry you than I can certainly carry her."

"Watch it pal."

"Well it's true, she's no more than fifteen pounds and you're..." He saw the look on her face, she was warning him. "Perfect."

"Nice save."  She congratulated.  The door opened and they walked in. Margaret pushed the button for their floor.

"I don't see why you're so shy when it comes to your body. You look," he looked her up and down. "Really, damn good."

Margaret seemed not to have heard his compliment, "Watch your mouth!" She scolded him.

Hawkeye looked up at the baby, she was still smiling. "One night with us is not going ruin her for life."

"I don't want a hair on that baby's head to have changed by tomorrow." She told him.

"This baby doesn't need to be corrupted by you."

"Me?" He said. "I'm not doing anything. Look how happy she is. She loves being with us."

Margaret smiled at the baby and brushed some hair on the child's head. "She is having fun. And why wouldn't she? She's eating real food, being spoiled rotten. Other than that nap she had earlier she hasn't been put down."

"We'll be fun parents."

She chuckled. "Yeah, and have children that are spoiled little brats."

He smiled and raised the baby up in the air again. She laughed and gurgled. "You're so cute," he smiled. "I just love to see that smile."

They rode up to the floor focusing on nothing but the baby. Hawkeye had taken so well to her and hadn't let Margaret have her since dinner. He just refused to hand the child over. When they got to the room Margaret sat the diaper bag down by the couch and kicked her shoes off. "Do you want to give her a bath?"

"Me?" He wasn't so sure about that. Then he looked at the child. "Does she like the water?"

"Her mother tells me she loves it."

"Yeah," he said after a moment. "I think I can do that."

"Okay. Everything she needs is over there on the mini bar."

Hawkeye looked over and saw that the bar had all kinds of baby things on it. He hadn't noticed it before. "Okay Miss Janie, I'm going to give you a bath and then we'll get some more time to play!" She squealed at the sound of his voice. "You like that, huh?"

Margaret smiled as she listened to the two of them. She walked off towards the bathroom to get the tub ready for her niece. The day had turned out pretty well since they left the beach. She was glad that she would still get to see her sister and her niece for a few more days. They were the only two people that were a joy to be around.

Margaret sat and watched as he gave the baby a bath. He seemed to enjoy it just as much as Janie. They both laughed continuously and splashed. By the time he was done, Hawkeye was soaked. He pulled her out and held her up so Margaret could wrap her in a towel.

"Hey there," Margaret smiled as she collected the baby in her arms. "Did you have fun with uncle Hawk?"

"What kind of question is that?" He retorted, "Of course she did."

"I can see that." She looked him up and down, his shirt was completely wet.

Hawkeye lifted his head, "I needed a bath anyway."

"What happened to wanting to shower with me?" She played.

A bright smile spread across his face. "One can never take too many showers."

Margaret rolled her eyes, "What is it with you lately? Is it the salty air that's making you act like this?"

"The three years of Salt Peter is finally wearing off."

Margaret laughed hysterically. "I never would have thought."

"Oh surely you've noticed a difference, you've known be for four years and we've been sleeping together for a few months."

"Not really, you never could keep your hands to yourself."

"It wasn't my hands that the salt peter affected."

She rolled her eyes and walked out of the room with the baby wrapped in a towel. "Your uncle has some serious problems."

"I heard that," Hawkeye called from the bathroom. He had tried drying his shirt with a towel, but that wasn't working so he just took it off.

"Good." Margaret laid the baby on the bed and sat down drying the child off. "Does Mommy put lotion on you? She said you like that and it keeps your skin soft." Janie smiled up at her and reached for the towel. She stuffed a tiny portion of it in her mouth and started to chew on it. "That taste good?" Margaret squeezed a little bit of baby lotion in her hand and warmed it up in her hands before putting it on the baby. "You're such a cutie."

"That's because she looks like you." Hawkeye smiled. Margaret glanced over at him and smiled. She made sure that the baby was covered in lotion from her neck to her feet and then let her play with the towel for a few minutes. Hawkeye took a seat on the other side of the baby. "Do you still want to go home as soon as you can?"

"No," she smiled. "The reunion is over. Besides, how can I leave this chubby little girl sooner than I have to?"

"We can't take her with us."

"I know." Margaret looked at her niece. She didn't want to think about leaving her. "Lets get you into a diaper before you have an accident all over our bed."  Hawkeye took that as his cue and walked across the room to get Janie's bag. He set it on the bed beside the baby. Margaret noticed how ridged he was standing; his face looked contorted with pain. "Are you hurting?" She asked him somewhat sympathetically, taking her attention off of the baby for a moment.

"Yes," Hawkeye stretched. "That floor made my back stiff."

Margaret noticed he really did look uncomfortable. His back was arched and he was trying his best to relieve the tension with his thumbs. She knew he wasn't using it as a come on, he was really hurting. "Let me calm her down and put her to bed and then I'll give you a back rub."

Hawkeye nodded. "Okay."

She put a clean diaper on the baby and put her in her little pajamas. Margaret picked Janie up and cradled her in her arms. Immediately the little girl's eyes started to flutter. After a long day, a full tummy, and a warm bath she was exhausted. Margaret walked around for a bit, calming the baby down until she was sure she was asleep. Gently she placed her in her bassinet in the living room and watched her sleep for a few minutes. When she was sure she'd be all right, Margaret walked back to the bedroom and closed the door a crack. Hawkeye was lying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. "You must have done something else to it," she said to him as she put on something a little more comfortable.

"Nothing that I can remember," he groaned.

"Maybe it's just the tension, I know how ridged you get when you're upset."

"Yeah."

She got changed quickly and then disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes. When she came out she had taken off her makeup and had a bottle of lotion in her hands. "Roll onto your stomach and I'll give you that back rub."

He did as she said and laid flat on the bed. "Ah," he jumped slightly. "That's cold."

Margaret was straddling him and had just squirted the lotion onto his bare back. "Stop being a baby."

"Its cold. I saw you warm it up in your hands for the baby. Why can't you do that for me?"

"Sorry." Her hands moved over his back. "I will next time."

"You just like her better than me."

She smiled. "She's a baby. I forgot for a moment that you were too."

"Ha, ha." He said sarcastically.

"You really are tight." She was working on his lower back. "I'm sure its the stress. It has to be."

"Yeah." He closed his eyes and let her hands work their magic. It wasn't often that he was the one getting the back rub. Normally that was her. Sometimes she would come home from a hard days work and he would take care of her. Because he wasn't working right now, his life was pretty stress free.

She felt him start to relax under her and then his breathing turned deep. "You sleeping?" He didn't answer her, so she took that as a yes. She stopped and moved off of him.

"Don't stop," he mumbled.

Margaret smiled and stroked his hair. "You're falling asleep on me."

"It's really helping, just a little longer," he mumbled against the covers.

"If I keep going you'll fall asleep, and I can't move you."

"Then I'll move," he said as he lifted up and moved so he was resting against the pillows. He worked with the button on his pants and took them off so he was lying there in his underwear.

"I'll tell you what, get under the covers and I'll massage you from behind." She was getting tired too and knew he wouldn't last long.

"Okay." He held up the sheets and let her crawl under with him. She turned off the light and then scooted so she was pressed up against him.

"Turn around," she instructed. Hawkeye rolled onto his other side. Slowly Margaret worked his lower back with her thumbs. Within minutes he was asleep and Margaret soon followed.

Neither one of them moved during the night. The only thing that changed was that Margaret's arm wrapped around him instead of massaging. It had been pretty early when they went to sleep, but that didn't change the fact that Margaret was still tired when the baby woke her up at seven. She stumbled out of bed and found her way out into the living area. Janie was crying now.

"I'm here, honey. Hang on one second." She picked the baby up and held her against her chest. "Its okay. Calm down before you wake up the entire hotel. I know, honey. You were scared when no one was there. You don't like to be alone, but I'm here now." Margaret bounced her for a little and calmed her down. "There you go. All better now." Margaret wiped some tears away. "Are you hungry for a bottle? I think you are."

Margaret made a bottle for the baby and sat down on the couch with her cradling while she ate. The baby closed her eyes again when she was finished with the bottle. Katie had told Margaret that every time the baby ate she always fell asleep for a little bit. She held the baby because she didn't feel like getting up.

Margaret tried to keep her eyes open, but it wasn't working. She was still very tired and wanted nothing more than to go back and join her finance in bed. When she was sure Janie was asleep, she gently got up and placed her in the bassinet. She didn't want to risk falling asleep with the baby in her arms.

Quietly Margaret drifted back to the bedroom and slipped in beside Hawk. He hadn't even stirred when Janie started crying, he was still lying in the same position she had left him in. Margaret curled up beside him and laid her head on his chest. He took up a lot of space, his arms and legs were outstretched so she couldn't help but touch him.

About an hour later Janie woke up again. This time Hawkeye heard her as well and beat Margaret to her side. He was quick to pick her up and immediately started rocking her in his arms. "I'm surprised," Margaret yawned. "It's only eight o'clock and you're up."

He looked at her groggily no reply came; he was too tired to argue. "Let's take her with us back to bed."

Margaret yawned again, "I don't see why not." They carried her back into the bedroom and climbed in, settling the baby between them on the large bed. Hawkeye reached out and let his hand rest on Margaret's hip. With Janie being content between them, they both feel asleep.

Janie had fallen back asleep too, but only for a few minutes. She was ready to play in the mornings. She reached over to her side and found her aunt there, so she tugged. She had a small grip on Margaret's shirt and wanted to get that piece of material into her mouth. Margaret groaned. "Not now, Hawk." The baby gurgled then and Margaret opened her eyes. "Hi, honey. You're a pretty face to wake up to." Again Janie giggled and tried harder to stuff her aunt's pajama top into her mouth. "You want to play, don't you?"

"Yes." Hawkeye said moving his hand down her thigh.

Margaret looked at him and smiled. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I was, but your voice woke me up."

"Funny, that doesn't work at home."

He grinned and placed his hand on the baby's chubby tummy. "Morning kiddo. What are you trying to do, take Aunt Maggie's shirt off her? I have to ask you to stop. That's my department."

Margaret rolled her eyes. "You're horrible." She rolled out of bed and picked the baby up. "We're going to order some breakfast. You want anything special?"

"No. All set." He yawned and rolled onto his stomach. "I don't know why
I'm so tired today."

"Because we haven't been getting much sleep since we've been here and it's
been torture with my family."

"True."

Hawkeye let Margaret and Janie go without another word. He drifted back to sleep easily without thinking about getting up. The thought of getting out of bed never crossed his mind. Food sounded good, but he was hoping his fiancé would bring it to him. She hadn't given him any indication that she was going to do that, so he was pretty sure she wouldn't.

After breakfast was ordered Margaret sat the baby down on the floor and gave her some toys to play with. Margaret took a seat on the couch with her feet curled under her looking at the baby play. She could practically hear her biological clock and it was telling her to start trying as soon as possible. She didn't want to listen, however, because even if she and Hawkeye were married at the moment, he wouldn't be ready. Since he would be their child she thought it would be better to wait until they were both ready for that. Watching Janie made her realize just how much she really wanted children and that she found the perfect man to have them with.

There was a knock at the door fifteen minutes later. "That should be our food," she told the baby. "Maybe we can find something to give to you." She stood up and went to the door making sure she had her robe tied securely around her before she opened it. She placed her hand on the doorknob and opened the door, but she wasn't expecting to see the person standing there. "Katie?!"