CHAPTER 17

Margaret was half awake and tried to roll over in bed, but there was something that was preventing her from doing so. She opened her eyes slowly and found that her face was pressed against Hawkeye's chest. His arms were what was preventing her from moving. "Hawkeye," she mumbled.

"Hmm?" He moaned.

She closed her eyes and didn't say another word. There was no use in trying to kick him out of her bed now. Dan was gone to work and it was just the two of them in the house. She felt bad that he had to sleep on the couch and knew that he couldn't have slept well. She felt better with him by her side anyway. She moved closer to him and went back to sleep.

Having Hawkeye's arms wrapped around her made her feel more relaxed and secure. She hadn't slept too well in that strange house without him. It may have been his childhood home, but to her it was a creaking old New England home. With Hawkeye there next to her he made it feel more like a home and less like a strange place. It was too bad that Daniel wouldn't allow them to sleep together, but she understood. She would never think to disregard his wishes.

Margaret slept for another hour and then opened her eyes again. She turned her head and glanced at the clock, it was almost ten thirty. Beside her Hawkeye was still sleeping peacefully. He probably hadn't slept at all on the couch, maybe it was a good thing Daniel had gone to work for the morning. "It's okay, he'll be gone until one," a soft voice muttered into her ear. "You can relax."

"You better be sure about that."

"Don't worry, I am," he breathed.

Margaret wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him warmly. "Thirty more minutes and then we have to get up."

"Okay..."

He started to place light kisses on her neck. "Hawk, don't even think about it."

"I didn't do anything wrong."

"Spare me." She gave him a kiss on the lips and then buried her head in him. His body was warm and comfortable. She closed her eyes and fell asleep once again. It was just too easy when his arms were wrapped around her.

Hawkeye smiled to himself. Maybe he wasn't going to have sex, but he did make his way into bed with her. At least he won in some aspect. His father would never be the wiser, or so he thought. Daniel wasn't stupid and he knew his son well. He would bet his life on it that Hawkeye ran upstairs after he heard his father's car start.

Margaret woke up more than an hour later. Her back was to the clock so she nudged Hawkeye instead. "Honey..."

"Hmmm?"

"What time is it?"

He looked at the clock. "Noon."

Margaret pulled herself up. "Noon? Get out of here. Go shower. No, I'll go shower and then you can shower. Your father will be here in an hour."

"Exactly. An hour. Calm down. Relax."

"We have to look at houses today, remember?"

"Baby, relax."

"It's going to take me an hour just to get ready," she said sitting up.

Hawkeye grabbed her arm. "We don't have a set time. My dad's just supposed to come home around then. Just as long as we're not in bed together he won't care."

"We need to look at as many houses as possible today."

"And we will, but we can still have a restful morning."

"I'm going to take a shower," she said standing up. She was acting as though she hadn't heard a word he'd said.

Hawkeye rolled onto his side. "Didn't you just shower last night?"

"Yes, but I need another."

"Maybe you should let me go first," he suggested.

"No way, I know how you are. By the time you get out there'll be no hot water left."

"Fine," Hawkeye stood up. He walked past her and into the bathroom. "Then it just looks like we'll have to take one together."

Margaret followed him, hot on his heals. "Hawkeye!"

"Margaret!" He mocked her.

She stood in the doorway to the bathroom and stomped her foot in frustration. "Get out!"

"No. My dad said we couldn't sleep together here..."

"And yet you still crawled into bed with me."

"I didn't hear you complain then." He turned on the water in the shower to let it get warm.

"Pierce, get out."

"Pierce, huh? That can't be good." He still ignored her wishes and started to strip. "You mind closing that door? I don't want the cold air to get in."

Margaret stepped inside and shut the door. "You should get out. What if your father comes home and..."

"Who cares? He never said anything about us showering together. Live a little." He walked over to her and placed a kiss on her lips. "I thought you liked taking showers with me."

"I do, but not now."

"Why?" His lips moved across her jaw and started to kiss her neck.

She let her head fall back against her better judgment. "Hawkeye," she moaned. "You're going to get us in trouble."

"That's okay." His hands moved to the buttons on the front of her shirt. "I'm marrying you anyway."

Margaret pulled away. "Stop it, please."

Hawkeye looked into her eyes. "If I keep my hands to myself, can I take a shower with you?"

She sighed. "Fine, but in and out quickly."

"I don't believe I've ever heard those words from you." He grinned widely.

She gasped and then slapped him. "Hawkeye!"

He started to laugh and then moved away from her before she hit him again. He got into the shower and under the hot running water. "You going to join me?"

"I have to now." She started to strip down. If she waited to take one after him she would be taking a cold shower. She looked at the door trying to find a lock. "There's no lock."

He peered out the curtain looking at her. "I know."

She sighed. "You're going to get me in trouble with your father by the time the weeks out."

"If you would stop procrastinating and get in then we might be able to finish before my father gets home," he said from the shower.

Margaret pulled the shower curtain back and looked at him, she put her free hand on her hip. "Finish?"

He rolled his eyes, he had promised to her that he'd keep his hands to himself. "Wash, finish washing up..."

Margaret seemed to take a moment to decide, but eventually she got into the shower with him. "Hand me my shampoo please." Hawkeye reached up and over and then handed it to her. "Thank you."

He watched her soap her hair as he lathered his body and then rinsed. Hawkeye washed his own hair and then pulled her close to him and kissed her. Knowing that she would object, he quickly let her go and got out. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked her.

Margaret smiled, "No."

Hawkeye smiled back at her. He understood her concern about having sex, but at least they could still act like the couple they were. "I'm going to shave," he told her and let go of the curtain.

"Your stuff is still in the bedroom!" She called out to him.

Hawkeye went to the bedroom. His old bedroom which had now become hers instead of theirs. She had made him pack his toiletries in a small black bag that she had bought for him. Normally he threw all his things in a small plastic bag, but not this time. He grabbed the little bag and went back to the bathroom. "You almost done? I need to use the water."

No sooner had he said that then she turned the water off. "Would you hand me a towel?"

Hawkeye grabbed a towel off the rack and handed it to her. She wrapped her hair in it. "Another?"

"Please." She wrapped it around her body and stepped out. "Thank you."

"Did you grab my things?"

"No."

Margaret opened the door again and headed back to the bedroom. She had all of her things in a small basket that she could carry to the bathroom and take back to the bedroom. Hawkeye was shaving when she walked back into the bathroom. She was glad that he was shaving instead of going scruffy. Sometimes that could be sexy, but she wanted him to look nice when they went out looking for homes. "I forgot to shave my legs."

"You're not using my razor to do that." Last time she had done that she didn't tell him and he ended up cutting himself with his own razor.

"I'll just do it tomorrow. I guess I have to wear pants."

"You were going to wear shorts?"

"No. I was going to wear a dress." She watched him in the mirror for a moment. "Maybe I will shave my legs."

"Go ahead." He wasn't paying too much attention to her at the moment.

"I will." She grabbed her own razor and some shaving cream and sat on the edge of the tub to shave her legs.

Hawkeye paused and watched as she lathered her legs and then carefully began to shave. The way she positioned her foot on the edge of the tub and stretched out her right leg intoxicated him. He watched as she ran the razor from her ankle to the top of her knee in smooth strokes. After a moment he realized he was starring and rinsed off his face and dried it with a nearby hand towel.

He patted on some aftershave lotion and a placed dab of cologne on his neck. Once he'd found his comb and hair gel he combed his hair neatly and then took a seat on the side of the tub to watch her. Margaret smiled when she noticed the concentrated look an his face. "Don't you think you should go get dressed before your father comes home?"

"Nah, we have time." He didn't even bother to look up at her.

"I just don't want to get caught like this," she told him. "Your father would die if he caught us sitting together in our bath towels."

"Margaret, we won't get into trouble, I promise. I'll be out of here and dressed before he gets home."

"Just don't get distracted," she told him. She didn't want him to lose track of time and not realize his father was home until he could be heard on the stairs. Margaret scooted closer over the edge, "Can you turn on the warm water for me?" She was ready to rinse her legs.

Hawkeye turned around and turned on the spout. He tested the water temperature with his hand. "I think that's good."

"Thank you." She moved over to sit beside him so she could rinse her legs without getting water on the floor. Hawkeye looked her up and down, she looked so cute sitting there in a towel.

Hawkeye watched her rinse her legs off. Sometimes he forgot how sexy her legs were. She pulled the towel from her head and dried off her legs and feet before standing up. "Toss it in the hamper," he pointed.

Margaret threw the towel in the corner of the room. "You have the toothpaste in your bag, don't you?"

"Yes." He handed it to her and then put some on his own tooth brush. They took turns spitting in the sink. Something they had perfected living together for five months.

Margaret walked out of the bathroom when she was finished and back to her room. Hawkeye followed her like a little puppy. "What time is it now?"

"Twelve thirty."

"We need to hurry up." She started to pick through her suitcase to find the right dress. "Oh shit. I need to iron this. I meant to do it last night when we got here, but I fell asleep." She looked at Hawkeye. "How did I get into this bed anyway?"

"I carried you. The iron is downstairs in the kitchen."

"Honey," she smiled.

"What?"

"Could you do your fiancé a big favor?"

He rolled his eyes. "What?"

"Could you get dressed quickly and iron this dress for me?"

Hawkeye looked at her for a moment and then smiled. "Under one condition."

Margaret tightened her grasp on her towel. "It depends on what it is."

He took a step towards her and put his hands on her arms. "I just want a kiss," he smiled.

That seemed innocent enough; she could at least give him that. Margaret put her hand on his cheek and pulled his face down for a kiss. They kissed for a moment or two and then pulled away and smiled at one another. "How's that?"

"Wonderful," he smiled. Quickly he pulled her close to him again and kissed her deeply. Margaret gave into him for a few moments and then almost reluctantly broke the kiss. They'd agreed not to go any farther then that until after the wedding, but it was still nice all the same. "I'll get dressed now," he said as he let her go and turned to get his clothes together.

Margaret stood there watching him. He pulled out a nice pair of pants and a decent looking shirt. She was very impressed. Hopefully he could wear a pair of matching shoes so she didn't have to dress him. "Since I can't get dressed, I guess I'll do my hair and makeup."

"Fine." Hawkeye dropped his towel and reached for a pair of boxers. Margaret stood there and watched him for a moment not thinking of anything but what was in front of her. When Hawkeye had pulled them over his waist he looked at her. "Did you need me for something?"

"Oh, no. I need to get my hair dryer though." She pointed in front of him. "Thank you," she said when he handed it to her. She had everything else in the bathroom so she was all set. She left him to get dressed.

Hawkeye grabbed the dress she had laid out on the bed once he had his pants and shirt on. He went to iron her dress for her. When had he become so domesticated? She really did something to him. Never in his life had he ironed a piece of clothing until he moved in with her. He had now become a master ironer because of her. He had ironed her uniforms time and time again. He was beginning to wonder if she knew how.

Margaret blow dried her hair and styled it. Hawkeye still wasn't back yet so she started on her makeup. Sometimes it was easier to have everything done and then when she slid her dress on she would be ready to go. Her shoes were picked out ready and all she needed was the dress and she and Hawkeye would be ready to go.

"Honey," Hawkeye called up the stairs.

"Is it done?"

"I burnt it."

Margaret darted out of the bathroom and to the top of the stairs. "You what?!"

He smiled. "I'm kidding. Here you go."

Margaret sighed and rolled her eyes. "You are not funny." She started to walk down the stairs to get the dress. "And where are your socks and shoes?"

Hawkeye looked down at his bare feet. "Upstairs. Bring them down when you come down, will ya?"

"Fine. What are you doing?" She took the dress from him.

"Finding something to eat. Unless you want to eat out."

"Doesn't matter." She headed back up the stairs and she heard his bare feet slapping against the wood floor as he walked to the kitchen. "Thank you," she called.

When Daniel walked back into the house he found his son sitting at the dining room table eating a sandwich. He was surprised to find him dressed and even shaven. Dan had half been expecting to walk upstairs and find the two of them in bed together, but it appeared that he'd been proven wrong. "Hello Ben," Daniel greeted the younger man as he set his satchel down on the floor.

Hawkeye looked up from the newspaper he'd been reading. "Hi, how was your morning?"

"Hectic," was all he said and walked over to the refrigerator.

"Hectic?" Hawkeye looked at his father curiously. He'd never known him to refer to anything as hectic. Hawkeye folded the newspaper and set it down on the table. "What happened?"

Daniel poured himself a tall glass of milk and pulled out some left over ravioli. "The entire town came in the office today, asking about my son's wedding."

Hawkeye wasn't sure whether to smile or look horrified. Both he and Margaret had agreed on a small wedding, the last thing they needed was four hundred extra people. "And what did you say?" He asked carefully.

"I told them they'd have to talk to you."

"You didn't?!"

"They don't listen when I tell them that you're having a small wedding. You and Margaret will have to talk to them about that."

"Dad. I don't want her stressed out anymore than she has to be. We have so much we have to do already."

"Hey, it isn't my fault that you're having a small wedding. It's up to you to tell them, not me."

Hawkeye shook his head and stood up. He started to fix another sandwich. "I guess I'll have to fight them off today. We're going to meet Jimmy and look at some houses."

"If you're sneaky you may be able to avoid all of them."

"I'll try."

Daniel sat down at the table with his food. "What time are you leaving?"

"As soon as Margaret eats. Speak of the devil." He smiled at her when she walked in the room. "You look beautiful." He walked over and gave her a kiss.

"Thank you. Hi Dan."

"Hi honey. You do look wonderful."

"Thank you." Hawkeye handed her a plate with a sandwich on it. "What's this?"

"Lunch. I'm going to call Jimmy and see if he can meet us somewhere so we don't have to go to the office." He kissed her on the cheek once more. "Your drink is on the table."

She smiled and sat down. "You raised a very good son."

"Thank you," he smiled warmly at her before he took another bite of his ravioli. "I was so lost after his mother passed away, you don't know what it means to me to hear someone that."

Margaret's eyes misted a little bit, she'd never heard either one of them talk about Hawkeye's mother before. She'd known she'd died when Hawkeye was very young, but that was about it. "Well you did a very fine job."

Daniel nodded, "He's a good man."

Margaret smiled again and took a another bite of her sandwich. "Speaking of which," she said once she'd swallowed. "Why is he calling Jimmy? I thought that was all taken care of."

"He's making plans to meet some place other than his office."

"Why is that?" She took a sip of her drink.

"I think maybe you should have him answer that question, he said it was a touchy subject between you too."

Margaret could tell from the look on his face that Hawkeye must have just walked back into the room. She was right, within moments she could feel his hands on her shoulders. "He gave me the address of the first house, we're going to meet there," she heard him say from behind her.

"Why?" She turned and looked up at him.

"Did you want to see his office?"

"Hawkeye," she warned.

"Okay," he sighed. "Dad said that the town is after us. They all wanted to come to the wedding."

"What?"

"We're keeping it small. They're not invited, but I wanted to avoid the crowd."

"Does that mean we can't go into town this week? Will the entire town hate me?"

"No," Hawkeye said with a smile. "Don't worry about it, honey. Just finish eating and we'll go meet Jimmy." He gave her a kiss on the head. "Dad, what are you doing this afternoon?"

"Getting the yard ready."

"Wait for Hawkeye to do that." Margaret volunteered him. "You shouldn't be doing that on your own."

"Yes Dad. I'll be back in a few hours. Take a nap or something."

Dan rolled his eyes. "I'm not an invalid."

Margaret looked at the older man. "Please wait for him. I'd like to see what we can do about setting things up out there. Wait for us."

"Fine. I suppose I can find something to do."

Margaret had finished her sandwich and stood up to place the plate in the sink. She gave Dan a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. We'll be back soon."

"Bye."

"Bye Dad." Hawkeye grabbed his fiancé's hand and they walked to the door. Margaret grabbed her purse and the two of them got in the car to go meet Jimmy at the first house.

"What was wrong with that house?"

"Nothing, it was a nice house," she told him.

Hawkeye smiled and looked away for a moment; he knew pretty well what she was up to. "Yet you didn't like it."

"Who said I didn't like it?"

"I know when you don't like something..."

Margaret put her hands on her hips. "Honey, I never said I didn't like that house."

"But..."

She sighed; she knew what he was getting at. "It's too expensive," she finally admitted.

Hawkeye smiled, he'd known that's what the reason was, she wasn't giving into any of them because she thought they were too expensive. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Don't worry about the money for now, we're just looking. If you like something, I want you to tell me."

"No, because you'll put us into horrible debt if I say that.  You're going to buy something too expensive and it won't work out in the long run."

Hawkeye smiled.  "Stop worrying.  I won't buy anything without you knowing.   Your name will be on those papers too and I can't sign for you."

"Honey, what good is looking at these houses going to do us anyway?   We can't buy any of them."

"Just tell me what you like about them.   If we need to we'll ask Jimmy to find us something similar on a smaller price scale."

"Fine, but I still don't see what good this is doing.   Seems like a waste of time to me."

"Not to me."

She sighed.   "I don't understand you."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek.   "That goes double for me."

She rolled her eyes.   "We have so little time to find a house and here we are..."

"Margaret," he silenced her.   "Stop worrying about that."

"You haven't worked in a while and things..."

"Margaret! Stop it.   What do I do for a living?"

She looked at him thinking that was a dumb.  "You're a surgeon."

"And as a surgeon I'll be making damn good money.  I don't want to live in a house that's less than we can afford either.  This is where we'll be living for the rest of our lives.  Who the hell cares if we have to pinch some pennies for the first year or so.  Eventually we won't and we'll even have a nice nest egg."  If she wasn't going to just take him at his word he was going to have to explain things to her.  Maybe it was time he told her the truth about a few things.

It was about four thirty and the couple was walking across the lawn of their fourth house. They both agreed that they wanted a house with a large yard and plenty of privacy. So far most of the houses they had looked at had fit that criteria, Margaret was just hesitant to admit it because of the cost.

"Are you hungry at all?" Hawkeye asked her as they walked through the grass.

"I thought we were going to look at one more after this."

"It's almost five," he told her. "We can do this another day."

"But people are going to arriving tomorrow."

"Margaret," Hawkeye stopped her. "Couldn't we just spend tonight together? With my family and our friends coming we won't get another chance."

"I want to find a house. We're doing this together. Its just the two of us."

"Fine." He was getting a little fed up of her not liking anything, or at least not being honest with him about it.

"I thought you wanted to find a house today. You were the one that said it was possible, not me."

"I know." He didn't want to fight with her at the moment. "Fine, we'll go to the last house."

"Thank you." She was a little irritated that every house they looked at seemed a little out of their league, but she still wanted to look at the last house.

"Lets get back in the car."

Neither one of them said a word as they walked to the car. They were both upset for different reasons, but not angry. They didn't want to fight. They just wanted to get it over with now. Hawkeye wanted to get her alone later that night and talk to her. He didn't want to do it in the car or while they were looking at a house.

Margaret showed a little more enthusiasm towards the final house they looked at, but Hawkeye knew she was just doing it for him. He knew she loved the hardwood floors, the balconies, the ocean front view; she was just too timid to say so. Hawkeye needed some time to himself, he needed to get his priorities in order. If they were going to get married and buy a house together, he needed to be totally honest with her.

"Hi kids." Daniel was cooking supper in the kitchen when they walked in.

Margaret walked into the kitchen and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "How was your afternoon?"

The sound of Hawkeye's heavy footsteps pounded on the stairs. Daniel and Margaret turned to look at one another. "What's with him?"

Margaret shook her head and went to set her purse down on the counter. "I don't know. I asked him, but he insists nothing's wrong."

"Don't worry about it honey," Daniel said as he stirred his sauce. "He's just being his usual moody self."

"I know he his, believe me." She took off her shoes and set down her purse. "I'll be right back, I'm just going to go change before dinner."

"Take your time; it's going to be a while." Dan dipped his finger in the pot and brought a drop to his lips. "And tell my son that we're having company for dinner tonight, so he better snap out of whatever mood he's in."

Margaret chuckled as she headed for the stairs. "Don't worry, I will." She walked upstairs and opened the door to her room. That was where she found Hawkeye digging shirtless through his suitcase.  "What are you doing?" She tossed her shoes in the corner of the room.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He held up a shirt and put it back down deciding that he didn't want that one. "What's a good color on me?"

"Blue. Do you even need to ask?" Margaret started to go through the drawers where she placed her own clothes the night before. "Your father said we're having company for dinner."

"Who?" He didn't look up in his search for a blue shirt.

"I didn't ask."

"You should have."

"I don't know anyone. They're only names to me. What should I wear?"

"How should I know? I don't know who's coming to dinner."

Margaret rolled her eyes. She found a pair of white Capri pants and a nice blouse. "This should work."

"Yeah." He didn't even look over at her.

"And dinner will be a little while."

"Fine."

"Should we make dinner for your father one night? This is two nights in a row that he's made it for us."

"If you want."

Margaret slipped out of her dress and into her Capri pants. Then she held up the blouse and looked at it. "This needs to be ironed too."

"Dad will show you where the iron is."

She pulled a t-shirt out of a drawer and slipped it on. "Your father had another message for you." She was getting upset with him now. He was giving her mostly one word answers, and the ones he decided to elaborate on weren't too hot either.

"What's that?"

"To get out of whatever damn mood you're in!" She said with gritted teeth. She didn't want to yell, but it was tough not to.

Hawkeye stood up and calmly turned around and looked at her. "What?" He didn't have a clue as to what she was talking about.

Her eyes were narrowed and her jaw was clenched. "You've been in a bad mood all afternoon and I'm sick of it!"

Hawkeye looked at her like she was crazy. "I haven't even said anything! Why are you yelling at me?"

"That's exactly it; you haven't said anything to me! I'm sick of being on the receiving end of your cold shoulder."

Hawkeye shook his head and turned his back to her. He started rummaging for his blue shirt again. "I'm sorry if that's what you think, but there's nothing wrong."

"Nothing is wrong?!"

"Don't get so worked up. "

"Hawkeye!"

"Found it." He pulled out the shirt he had been looking for and slipped it on. "This looks okay on me?"

"Yes, fine. You're avoiding the subject."

"No I'm not. There's nothing to talk about." He took the blouse she had in her hand. "I'll iron it for you." He gave her a peck on the cheek on the way out of the room. Margaret huffed, but didn't say anything as he left. She grabbed her makeup bag and headed for the bathroom to touch up her face and hair.

Hawkeye walked into the kitchen where his father was cooking. "Hey old man. Smells good in here."

"Your mood seems to have changed."

Hawkeye grabbed the iron and the ironing board. "What mood? I wasn't in any mood, Dad. What's with you two?"

Dan looked at his son. "Don't play dumb with me. What's going on with you? You have that woman up there on the verge of tears or screaming. I can't tell which."

"Screaming."

Dan chuckled. "Tell me what's going on."

Hawkeye looked around and listened to make sure Margaret was still upstairs. "Okay. I haven't told her yet."

"About what?"

"She's trusted me so far when I tell her something is about business and she doesn't ask me to elaborate, so I haven't told her."

"You mean she doesn't have a clue?"

"Not a single clue." Dan rolled his eyes. "I know, Dad. I don't know how to tell her."

"There's something I don't understand about this. Why is she upset? What happened today?"

"She thinks all the houses we looked at today are too expensive. She won't tell me what she likes and what she doesn't because she's afraid that if she does I'll go and buy a house we can't afford and put us in debt we shouldn't be in."

"Come clean with her."

Hawkeye sighed, "It looks as though I'm going to have to."

Daniel stopped what he was doing and looked at his son. "You're scared to tell her, aren't you?"

With a slight nod he said, "In a way, yes."

"Well, you already said she knows you're into something, she just doesn't know what. I don't think she'd be mad to finally be let in."

Hawkeye leaned against the wall. "This is kind of a big deal; she's going to be mad that I kept it from her for this long."

Daniel untied the back of his apron. "Don't over estimate her son."

"I know." Hawkeye picked up the ironing board again. "I have to iron her blouse, I'll be back."

Dan didn't say a word. He just went about his business. His son seemed to make a bigger deal out of things than needed. He was dramatic like his mother.

Hawkeye ironed the shirt thinking the whole time about what he was going to tell Margaret. His mind was so far gone that he hadn't notice that he burned her shirt. He turned the iron off and headed back upstairs to her. She was back in her bedroom putting her things away when he got up there. "Here honey."

"Thank you." She took it. "You burnt it!"

"What?" He took it from her and examined it. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'll buy you a new one."

She shook her head. "Its fine."

"Let me iron something else for you."

"No. I'll find something else."

Hawkeye felt horrible. "No, no. I'll iron another one."

"It's okay. I have something else I can wear with this and it doesn't need to be ironed."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She pulled out a pale yellow shirt. "I think I like this better anyway."

"I'm really sorry."

She gave him a small smile. "Hawkeye, I don't care about the shirt. It's just a dumb old shirt. What's with you?"

He waited until she had the shirt on and then took her hand. He led her to the bed and they sat down. "Tonight after dinner I'm taking you on a nice walk. I want to talk to you privately."

"There's no one in here. Talk now."

"Not now."

"At least tell me what's been wrong with you this afternoon."

"Later." He gave her a kiss. "I promise. I'll tell you everything about me that you ever wanted to know."

"Everything?"

"Yes, but you have to wait for tonight."

Margaret didn't understand why he couldn't tell her then, but if that's what he wanted then she could wait. "All right, I'll wait."

Hawkeye gave her another kiss, "I'm sorry for getting you upset."

"Don't worry about it." She put her arms around his shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. "I just get worried about you." They sat in each other's arms for a little while longer. Finally Margaret said, "Although I am a little angry that you burned my blouse."

He lifted his head up off her shoulder. "I didn't mean to ruin it!"

Margaret laughed and gave him a kiss. "I'm teasing you."

"Seriously, I want to make up for it," he told her.

"Stop it, its okay."

Hawkeye pretended as though he hadn't heard her. "I'm going to buy you another one."

"No you're not."

"You don't want to fight with me," he told her.

"You're going to lose."

Hawkeye pushed her onto her back. "Don't make me ravish you right before dinner."

"You wouldn't dare..."

"I wouldn't?" His mouth closed in on hers as his body pinned hers to the bed.

Margaret let him kiss her without thinking about another thing. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close never wanting to let him go. It wasn't until Margaret heard Dan's voice yell up the stairs that she came back to reality. She mumbled something to Hawkeye, but his lips were pressed against hers so he assumed she was moaning. She moved her leg and her arms and pushed him off of her. "Dinner."

"I like feasting on you better."

"No." Margaret stood up and started to straighten her clothes and fix her hair. "Your father called up."

"Oh, dinner isn't done yet." Hawkeye sat up and grabbed her by the hips pulling her onto his lap.

"Hawk," she tried to fight, but her smiling didn't allow Hawkeye to take her seriously.

"He just doesn't like us up here together." His mouth moved back to hers.

"Mmm, no." She stood up. "We should go back down there. Maybe he needs help."

"Maybe he doesn't."

"Maybe he does."

"We're being quiet, it's making him nervous," he told her.

"I think we should go downstairs and help him."

Hawkeye tilted his head to the side, "I wish you were still wearing that dress."

Margaret chose to ignore that comment. "Comb your hair before you come down."

"You know, it's moments like these when I think we should've rented a room."

"Don't take too long," she said as she walked through the door and down the stairs.

Hawkeye sat on the bed for a moment longer and then got up and recombed his hair. When he was sure that both his father and Margaret would be satisfied he went downstairs. Both Daniel and Margaret were sitting on the couch chatting when Hawkeye came down. "So dad, who is it that's coming to dinner?"

"Bill."

"Really? No one else?"

"No. I wanted to keep them away since they haven't been invited to the wedding. You know Bill, he doesn't care."

"Yeah. He just wants to get a good look at my fiancé." Hawkeye sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "He's not touching her."

Margaret leaned into him and could tell that he not only combed his hair, but he also put cologne on. "You smell good," she said softly.

He smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You stay away from Bill."

Dan rolled his eyes. "He's not that bad. Don't let Ben fool you. He likes Bill. Used to spend a lot of time with him growing up."

"Yes, and that's why I'm this way now."

"Oh stop it," his father told him. Margaret smiled; Hawkeye could be extremely touchy at times.

"I'm serious, if he touches her..." Hawkeye warned.

"Will you knock it off; he's not going to try anything." Daniel looked at his son. "You're just being paranoid."

"Oh I am not. If you think..."

"Boys," Margaret interrupted their debate. Both men stopped and focused their attention on her. She subconsciously scratched the back of Hawkeye's neck, "I think you're getting a little carried away."

"You just tell him to settle down," Daniel pointed at Hawkeye.

Hawkeye rolled his eyes mildly and looked away. "It's not too late to call Jimmy up and tell him which house we want," he whispered to her. "I'm sure we could move in tonight."

Margaret smiled.  "You two are like children."

Dan looked at her.  "We're giving you practice."

"Ah," she nodded.  "I don't think I need any practice just yet."

"I hate to tell you this honey, but you're marry a man that will be a child forever."

"I already know that."   She leaned into Hawkeye more.  "He'll be a good playmate when we have children."

Hawkeye wrapped his arm tighter around her.  "Why is Bill coming anyway?"

"To meet Margaret, and to see you.  He didn't get to see you a few weeks ago when you were up here."

"Yeah, I know.  I was a little busy.  I didn't get to see many people."

"And we have to keep it that way for now," Margaret added.  "I don't have anything against all these people that want to come to our wedding, but to me their all strangers."

"They won't be for long," Dan said.  "Once they find out where you two live they'll be knocking on your door for a while until the whole town as met you."

Hawkeye looked into her eyes.  "I know all of them and I don't want them there either. This wedding isn't for them. It's for us."

Dan didn't feel the same way as the two of them. Hawkeye was his only child and he was hoping that he would have a big wedding and would be able to invite the whole town, but that wasn't going to happen. On the other hand Dan was just happy that Hawkeye was getting married. "Bill should be here soon and dinner's almost done. I'll go set the table."

"No," Margaret said. "I'll do it."

"I'll come with you." Hawkeye stood up after Margaret.

The three of them walked into the kitchen, Daniel checking the food and Margaret and Hawkeye collecting the dishes. "Set those plates right here," Daniel pointed to the counter space beside the stove. "I'm going to dish up in here."

Hawkeye set the plates down as Margaret collected the silverware. In the dining room he collected four crystal wine glasses from his mother's china cabinet and then assisted Margaret in setting the table. When they were done he sat down at the table and pulled her onto his lap. For once she didn't fight him, but sat there and put her arm around his shoulders.

"You're being awfully quiet," she softly said to him.

Hawkeye looked up and met her gaze. He'd been thinking about how he was going to tell her later on that evening. "Maybe I'm just a little tired."

She kissed her forehead gently, "Well the couch is always waiting."

"You're not very funny." He hated that damn couch. It was worse than sleeping on the floor. At least when he slept on the floor he had Margaret with him.

"I'm sorry." She wiped some lipstick off of his forehead. "Four days left now and you and I will be married and on our way to one of the most beautiful tropical islands."

"With one bed that we share."

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, in our bed together. No one to tell us we can't sleep in the same bed ever again."

"I'm sure you're parents would try."

"They wouldn't succeed." She looked away from him trying to conceal the look on her face. Her parents were a sore subject right now because they both refused to come to the wedding. Margaret knew her parents and she knew that they would forever try to deny the fact that she and Hawkeye were married. Even after children came they would still be like that.

Hawkeye lifted his hand to her chin and made her look at him. "Maybe one day they'll come around."

"Maybe," she said doubtfully. "I don't want to talk about that now. I only want to focus on the good for the moment. Later we can deal with all the problems, but not this week."

He nodded. "Yeah." He was about to add another problem tonight, but he had to tell her. It was time and in all fairness he should have told her a while ago.

They sat like that for a little while longer. Hawkeye kept his arms wrapped securely around her, holding her close. They talked softly but said very little.

"Ben, get the door!" Daniel called when the doorbell rang.

"That'll be Bill," Hawkeye said lightly in her ear. Margaret rose to her feet and he followed suite.

"Remember what I said," he said to her. "If he so much as touches you..."

Margaret kissed him softly. "Then I deck him myself."

Hawkeye chuckled and kissed her again. "That's what I'm worried about."

Again the doorbell rang and he disappeared into the dark hallway. A moment later Margaret heard the door open and the introduction of another voice into the house. She walked out and saw her fiancé and another man shaking hands by the stairs. The shorter man turned and his eyes widened when he spotted Margaret. "Ah, this must be her!" He instantly let go of Hawkeye's hand and rushed toward her.

"Yes, this is Margaret. My fiancé," he stressed.

Bill took Margaret's hand and kissed it. "Its a pleasure to finally meet you, darlin'. I've been waiting for months now."

Margaret smiled. "Nice to meet you too. Hawkeye's told me a lot about you."

"He has? Don't listen to him. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Not always."

Hawkeye walked over to Margaret and wrapped his arm around her securely holding her tight forcing Bill to drop her hand. "Dad's in the kitchen."

"I don't care about dinner anymore." Bill maneuvered Margaret out of Hawkeye's grasp and into his own smoothly. "Its this gorgeous woman that I want."

Hawkeye rolled his eyes. "Sorry to say, but you can't have her." He pushed Bill toward the kitchen. "You're too old."

Margaret smiled and so did Bill. "Old, but not dead."

"I'm taken. Sorry." Margaret moved away from him and to Hawkeye. She put her arms around his waist and gave him a tender kiss. "You're too late." She was still looking into Hawkeye's eyes.

Hawkeye smiled back and lovingly touched her face. He leaned down and kissed her gently, just as she had to him. She shifted in his arms a little so they were standing face to face as she moved her arms around his neck. Hawkeye had the urge to deepen the kiss when he heard his father's voice behind him. "That's enough, you two knock it off." They parted lips and looked around at the older gentlemen. Daniel had an unreadable look on his face. "Come on, dinner's ready."

Hawkeye picked up her hand and together they walked behind Bill and Dan. Margaret made sure to sit close to Hawkeye at the dinner table, Bill had unnerved her a little bit. Now she knew why he had told her those things. "So Bill, how are things?" It was Hawkeye's attempt at conversation.

"Just fine, just fine. The store is keeping up and we're having good luck with the traps."

"Bill said he wants you to go out with him one of these days," Daniel told his son as he sat down.

Hawkeye looked at Margaret. "Uh...maybe once we get settled."

"Lobsters are really pulling good," Bill said. "It would be a shame for you to miss it."

"Well, we're pretty busy at the moment."

"Not from what I hear."

"What are you talking about?"

"The news about town is that your fiancé there didn't want to invite everyone. How busy could you be? The wedding is pretty small."

Hawkeye eyed him closely, not sure what he really wanted to say. It sounded like he was insulting Margaret, but he wasn't so sure. "Since it's our wedding that makes it our business. We need to start our life together. We don't even have a house yet."

"That shouldn't be too hard to get for you."

"You ever bought a house?"

"Not really." Bill had inherited his father's house and had never married.

"Its not that easy. Dad would you pass the..." Hawkeye pointed to a bowl on the table.

"Yep." Dan said before Hawkeye had to say anymore.

"Maybe Margaret here would like to go out on the boat with me."

Margaret smiled politely. "I'm not much for the water. I get sea sick very easily."

That was news to Hawkeye, but he was glad to hear it. "No matter how many passes you make at her, she's still mine."

Bill grinned. "Its still fun to try."

Hawkeye rolled his eyes and shook his head. Bill was fine as long as women weren't around, and it was worse with Margaret. Hawkeye never liked men making passes at her, but someone that he didn't trust at all doing it was worse. "Baby, you want some?"

"Please." Margaret held her plate out for him to place a roll on. "Thank you."

Dinner was over and the two of them were walking through the along a darkened road. Margaret didn't have a clue as to where they were, but Hawkeye seemed to know where he was going. "You have an awfully serious look on your face Dr. Pierce," she said, breaking the silence.

Hawkeye looked over at her and grinned, he squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry about all of that back there."

"Don't worry about it, he wasn't that bad."

"I'm surprised he didn't try to slip his hand up your shirt."

"Then we would have had a problem," she laughed.

Hawkeye let go of her hand and moved to pull her against him as they walked. "I love you," he said as he kissed the side of her head.

Margaret melted into him and wrapped an arm around his waist. "I love you too."

Hawkeye took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. "I hope you still feel that way in a minute."

"Why do you say that?" She picked her head up and looked at him.

"You'll see."

"What are you talking about?"

Hawkeye pulled her to the side where there was a nice grassy spot. "Let's sit down."