Author's Note: I know it's been a long time since I added anything to this, sorry! Let me know what you think please!
Margaret awoke slowly to the sound of birds chirping outside her bedroom window. That certainly wasn't something she heard in Boston. She rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes and sat up in the bed, stretching. Not only was the décor in the guest room gorgeous, but the bed was incredibly comfortable. She's fallen asleep the second her head hit the pillow the night before, which she also attributed to the full day and the late hour. Her, Hawkeye, and Daniel had truly enjoyed supper the night before, and Margaret found it unbelievably easy to talk to the senior Pierce. He was funny, like his son, but with a mature attitude that made him seem like a second father to her already. He had retired soon after supper, leaving Hawkeye and Margaret alone. They had walked down to the actual cove from which the town got it's name, and they had enjoyed a nice stroll on the beach, watching the sun go down. Margaret had never seen anything more beautiful in her entire life, and she was amazed at how his adorable little town was starting to feel like home to her. They had returned to the house, and Hawkeye had suggested a drink, which she readily agreed to. He had disappeared into the house, and returned with an excellent bottle of red wine. They sat on the swing on the porch for almost three hours, enjoying the wine, the evening, and most of all, each other's company. One of them had finally suggested that they turn in, and Hawkeye had walked her to her room and kissed her goodnight before heading off to bed himself. Margaret sighed, remembering the kiss. She could still feel the tender touch of his lips on hers.
She climbed out of bed, grabbed her bathrobe, and headed for the shower in the ensuite bathroom. She let the pounding hot water remove the last thoughts of sleep from her muscles, and she forced herself to think as she washed her hair. Was this moving too fast? She couldn't tell. Sure, that kiss in Korea had been good, but was that enough to base all of this on? They had tried this once before, and it hadn't worked out at all. Of course, the circumstances now were completely different. She had been married to Donald at the time, and her and Hawkeye had turned to each other out of fear and necessity rather than attraction. She knew they had also both matured quite a bit since then, and become true friends rather than rivals. She thought about Donald. She didn't want the same sort of thing to happen now that had happened with him. But Hawkeye wasn't Donald, and it wasn't fair of her to compare the two. She decided to enjoy her time here with Hawkeye, and to follow her heart for once in her life. She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, drying off and wrapping her hair in a towel before walking back into the bedroom. She chose a pair of dark jeans and a fitted black long-sleeve shirt for the day, remembering Hawkeye's warning that the forecast predicted low temperatures. Daniel had invited her to see his office today, and then her had Hawkeye had planned to go shopping in town.
She finished dressing, then quickly did her makeup. She let her hair loose, and dried it as best she could with the towel, not worrying about blow-drying it today. She looked at her watch. It was ten o-clock in the morning. She couldn't believe she's slept so late. She knew that Daniel must already be gone, and she wondered why Hawkeye hadn't woken her up. She left the bedroom and walked down the stairs to the main floor, smelling the delicious scent of bacon and eggs. She moved to the entrance to the kitchen, and leaned against the edge of the doorway, watching Hawkeye. He didn't know she was there yet, and he stood in front of the stove with his back to her, cooking breakfast. He put the eggs and bacon on two plates, and as he turned to set them on the table with the two glasses of Orange juice, he saw her out of the corner of his eye. He grinned at her, setting the plates on the table and walking over to her. He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist and gently kissed her lips.
"Good morning." he whispered.
"Good morning yourself." she replied, looking into his eyes and smiling. "Why did you let me sleep so late?"
"You're on vacation!" he said, grinning. "When I heard you get out of the shower, I started breakfast so it would be all ready for you. Hungry?"
"Starving!" she said, her stomach rumbling in an impatient response to the smell of food. "This smells much better than the mess tent!"
"It better!" he said, grabbing the coffee pot as she sat down. She jumped a bit as the toaster popped, announcing that the toast was finished. Hawkeye poured them both cups of coffee, put cream and sugar in them, and then grabbed the toast before sitting down himself. "How did you sleep?" he asked.
"Like a baby. I was gone as soon as my head hit the pillow. That bed is SO comfortable." she said.
"Good, I'm glad." he said with a smile. They ate their breakfast in comfortable silence, still grateful for good food after 4 years of the mess tent. They lightly joked around with each as they cleaned up from the meal, Margaret washing the dishes, and Hawk drying them and putting them away. Margaret noticed again how well they worked as a team, and thought about his mentioning that the position of head nurse was available in Portland. She would have to seriously consider that.
When they finished cleaning up, Margaret sat in the living room and waited while Hawkeye went back to his room to change into clothes for the day. He too put on a pair of dark jeans and a brown button-up long-sleeved shirt which he did up but didn't tuck in. He also left the top two buttons undone, making him look well dressed, but also casual. Margaret couldn't believe how good he looked when he dressed that way, and she certainly wasn't used to seeing that side of him, but she liked it.