A/N: Hey there! And I'll start this update like I start most others…Sorry for the delay (hey, at least you got something you can always count on, AEM being unable to update on a regular basis). This chapter's excuse: I was having problems writing the next chapter after this and making it make sense and I kept having to change things in this chapter to make it fit in with stuff that happens in the next chapter, then while I was working on all that, I was moving into my dorm room, where they haven't put in internet yet, so when I finally finished working out all my problems with the next chapter, I couldn't even put it up, so I do it now while I'm home for Labor Day weekend. Hopefully, the internet will be up in my dorm soon (if not, I'll just use the computer lab or something) so I can put up the next chapter, cause we're finally coming to the end of the story! After two years! …Wow, I'm sad, aren't I? I'm thinking about 5 more chapters or so…

I'm also thinking of writing a sequel to this and perhaps also a prequel (someone requested one a while back). I've got ideas for both. Any takers? Lemme know!

And review this one! As if I have to tell you by now…I'm over 100 now, I'm really excited about this! Thanks everybody for everything and enjoy!

-AEM

"…So then he just leans over and kisses her and I swear…it musta gone on for about five minutes, wouldn't you say, Hunnicut? Then finally these two break apart, and wouldn't ya know, they acted like nothing had happened! He tells her "So long" and she responds with a nonchalant jerk of the shoulder and a "See ya"". Finally, this was too much for Colonel Potter, who, after chuckling throughout the entire story of Hawkeye and Margaret's goodbye kiss, which he was relating to Becky and Cathy McIntire, who hadn't understood the why Hawkeye and Margaret had kissed so long at the end of the ceremony, dissolved into laughter, which the rest of the adults at the table joined in with.

"Man, I would have given anything to see that!" Trapper exclaimed

"Oh me too, but then sometimes I felt like I had!" agreed Father Mulcahy

"Whaddya mean?" asked Hawkeye, suspiciously. He hadn't very much enjoyed the reliving of the now-infamous kiss. Not because he hadn't enjoyed the kiss, but because it was almost like they were making a mockery of his and Margaret's relationship, which, if the kiss hadn't happened, none of them would have been there in the middle of a Memories of the MASH 4077th Marathon, he reminded himself, a bit bitterly. For a group of people who claimed to be so happy for him and Margaret and claimed to have known it was going to happen all along, they didn't seem to have much respect for the event that had made this 'thing they had known all along' a reality.

"Don't you remember?" laughed Father Mulcahy "After the war ended I went to the 8063rd to help them disband along with Margaret and Charles. We were there for a week. During that whole week, Charles teased Margaret constantly about that kiss. He rehashed it so many times I felt like I was a witness to it myself!"

"Oh he did, did he?" mumbled Hawkeye, his annoyed mood not improved by this story "I'll have to talk to ol' Chaaales about that" he drawled, very annoyed now, glaring over at the offending man, a few feet away chatting with Margaret near the bar.

"Oh Hawkeye don't be such a stick in the mud. It was all in good fun. Besides, in response to Charles' teasings, Margaret got in a few good ones herself!"

Hawkeye was cheered up a bit by this. His improved mood improved a bit more when his wife…God, he couldn't stop saying that, he couldn't get over it…his wife came over smiling that gorgeous smile of hers saying it was time for dancing.

The bride and groom traditionally danced the first dance alone. As the song ended, the rest of their wedding party joined them. Hawkeye and Margaret had been careful to arrange the members of their wedding party so that the ones that were a couple were paired together, so BJ was dancing with Peg, Klinger with Soon-Lee and Radar and Patty. As for the rest of them, Charles was dancing with Margaret's friend Lorraine, who had come to the 4077th the time they had swapped a doctor and a nurse for ones from the 8063rd and Margaret had remembered that Charles and Lorraine had gotten on very well together back then. The same seemed true now for Lorraine was laughing at something Charles had whispered into her ear, and she looked happier then Margaret had seen her in years. This left Trapper with Margaret's favorite cousin, Annette and they seemed to be enjoying the dance as well, thought Hawkeye noticed his eyes straying back to Louise a lot. Louise didn't seem to be mad that her husband was dancing with another woman; on the contrary she was happily chatting to Mrs. O'Reilly. Judging from Louise's nonchalant reaction to Trapper dancing with another woman, Hawkeye figured that Trapper had told Louise he hadn't cheated on her since Korea, and this plus the fact that Louise seemed to believe him, made Hawkeye happy. He was glad that his friend's marriage, which had always been somewhat shaky, was finally off the rocks that they had been on for so long.

The song ended and another one immediately started. Due to the fact the both Hawkeye and Margaret had only one remaining parent each and that parent was of the wrong gender for the traditional 'Groom dances with his mother, bride with her father' dance, they had decided all along to forgo that. Others joined them on the dance floor; Colonel and Mrs. Potter, Trapper had been the only one to abandon his former dance partner and he returned to his wife. Hawkeye's dad had asked Margaret's mom to dance and their children were pleased to see that they seemed to be enjoying each other's company.

A few songs later, Hawkeye found himself with no partner. Everyone wanted a chance to dance with the bride, and as such, he hadn't had a chance to dance with his own wife since the third song. Hawkeye took to observing the dancing instead. It was Colonel Potter's turn to dance with Margaret and he was spinning her around the floor with quite a great amount of strength for an older man. Colonel Potter's wife was dancing with Hawkeye's dad, Radar with his mother, Trapper and BJ had swapped wives and each seemed to be enjoying their new partner, and vice versa, which pleased Hawkeye for Peg hadn't seemed very happy lately, since she and BJ had been fighting quite a bit lately. Hawkeye wanted to chalk it up to the strain of having houseguests, but something told Hawkeye that that wasn't the reason at all, and it had more to do with whatever Peg hadn't told BJ last week, which Hawkeye knew still was bothering BJ. Hawkeye somewhat wished that she would just tell BJ whatever was on her mind, for if she did, they wouldn't be fighting, Hawkeye reasoned rationally. But then again, Hawkeye, remembering the incident where Erin as a baby called Radar 'Daddy' by mistake, thought that BJ had a tendency towards paranoia when it came to his wife and a habit of blowing things way out of proportion, so Hawkeye had a sneaking suspicion that it was BJ who was starting all the fights, since he had the habit of driving everyone around him crazy when he didn't know something that he thought he had the right to know.

"Thinking deep thoughts, Pierce? Shouldn't do that, might kill the few brain cells you have left."

Hawkeye, startled from his thoughts, looked up and smirked at Charles, who was coming towards him. "Very funny, Charles"

"I thought so. Not one of my better ones, I must admit" Charles sat down next to Hawkeye

"What's up with you?" Hawkeye frowned at him, knowing Charles well enough to know that it wasn't in that man's habit to admit something he said or did wasn't perfect "Where's Lorraine?"

"Getting waters. And what praytell makes you think that my mood swings or lack thereof have anything to do with her?"

Hawkeye smirked for Charles was distracted enough to feed him a perfect opportunity to make fun of him "Well you two seem quite chummy, in my opinion at least. You haven't left each other's company all night after all" Hawkeye grinned, and elbowed Charles kiddingly, raising one eyebrow "Something going on, eh, Charlie? We all going to be getting together for another wedding sometime soon? Or are you worried that Mumsie and Daddy won't approve?"

Charles scowled, though whether it was due to the tease about him and Lorraine, the fact that Hawkeye had called him 'Charlie' or the fact that Hawkeye had referred to Charles parents as 'Mumsie and Daddy' was unclear. "For your information, Pierce, not that you have any right to know any aspect of my personal life, might I remind you, that I have not seen Lorraine in many years, so there is little chance of anything more serious than a few casual dates between Lorraine and myself anytime soon. Not to mention that if something did possess me to introduce her to my parents, I would neither care what they thought, even if they thought she was the devil himself, nor would I even want to put her through that torture, for that matter"

Hawkeye stared at his friend. "Those are pretty harsh words, Charles. Something happen between you and your parents? I notice that they aren't here. I know Margaret invited them and Honoria."

Charles shoved back his chair quickly and loudly "For God's sake, Pierce! For the last bloody time! If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, since we shared that abominable hellhole you called a tent in Korea, you have no more right to know what goes on in my personal life than you did back then and most certainly not what happens between myself and my so-called parents! Quit bothering me, got that, Pierce!" And with that, Charles stalked away towards Lorraine, who was coming over with the drinks, and looked a bit surprised when Charles grabbed her arm and led her to the other side of the room.

"What's with Charles?" BJ asked, approaching Hawkeye.

"I dunno," Hawkeye stared after the balding surgeon "I was teasing him about Lorraine and I mentioned his parents and he just blew up. I think something happened between him and his parents, but he won't say what it is. I'm kinda worried, Beej, Charles had always been kinda secretive when it came to telling us about his personal life, but it's not like him to behave this way"

BJ's face mirrored the concern that Hawkeye felt "I dunno either, Hawk" he said slowly "I would ask him, but I know I'd just get the same riot act I overheard him read you. But you're right, it is unlike him to treat either of us this way. He's always treated us with contempt, but not this kind of contempt. But, Hawk, it's your wedding day, don't let it bother you"

"You're right, Beej" Hawkeye admitted "The thing I will let bother me is the fact I haven't danced with my own wife in over an hour"

BJ grinned "And it's gonna be even longer now, buddy. It's my turn to dance with the bride" With that, BJ walked away and cut in where Margaret was dancing with Colonel Potter and began dancing with Margaret.

Despite himself, Hawkeye grinned broadly and shook his head. He went back to observing the actions of his friends. Klinger and Soon-Lee were walking, hand in hand out of the room. Hawkeye assumed they had been checking on their baby, who was with the rest of the children; Becky and Kathy McIntyre and Erin Hunnicut, all under the watchful eye of Frank's daughter, Hawkeye had forgotten her name again…right, it was Stephanie…But as Hawkeye studied the children, all grouped together so their parents would be able to enjoy themselves without their children underfoot, he noticed Stephanie Burns wasn't among them, which somewhat annoyed him as Stephanie had been the one to offer to keep an eye on the children so their parents wouldn't have to worry, and now she was gone. She had set up the kids in a room exactly across the hall from the ballroom they were in now. You could see what was going on in that room from the ballroom and vice versa. But perhaps Hawkeye just felt this contempt towards Stephanie because he hated her father so much…Hawkeye scanned the room and finally found Stephanie entering the ballroom with Frank. He had his arm around her and was whispering into her ear. Whatever he was saying, didn't seem to appeal to Stephanie, because she was frowning at her father, but Frank, noticing this in an act of observation Hawkeye wouldn't have thought possible from Frank, squeezed her arm and said something, which seemed to make Stephanie happy. She smiled and Hawkeye could clearly see her mouth move to form the words "All right, Daddy". Frank grinned, or at least that's what Hawkeye thought he was trying to do. It wasn't really clear since his eyes turned even more squinty, his forehead wrinkled and his chin disappeared, so he could have been constipated for all Hawkeye knew, but Hawkeye had the feeling that whatever Stephanie was agreeing to made him happy for he gave the girl a hug and she went back over to the children, where Peg had joined Klinger and Soon-Lee to check on her own child. Frank on the other hand dropped his so-called smile the second his daughter left his presence. He jammed his hands into his trouser pockets and frowned. His beady little eyes darted back and forth and left the room again, scowling.

Hawkeye suddenly had a bad feeling. He suddenly realized that he had barely seen Frank all evening, not that he had missed him or anything, but Frank had only been in the room for the food and that was it. He had been highly conspicuous by his absence, especially considering that he had left his daughter there the entire time, in the company of relative strangers. Hawkeye was also surprised when he remembered that, with the exception of the initial incident when Frank had walked into the wedding and gotten made fun of by the men of the wedding party, he hadn't raised a stink about anything. He hadn't gotten angry and crazy when he learned that Margaret's groom was none other than his most hated adversary, who had, once again gotten something he desired. In fact, Frank had taken the entire thing quite well, he had even congratulated Hawkeye quite politely when he was going through the receiving line after the ceremony. Yes…Frank was taking the entire thing quite well…too well in fact and that, plus Frank's obviously sneaky actions were what was scaring Hawkeye. When Frank was plotting anything, it never came to anything good.

"Penny for your thoughts, Hawkeye?" a female voice asked, startling Hawkeye from his thoughts. He blinked up at Peg Hunnicut, who was coming up to Hawkeye

"It's probably nothing" Hawkeye murmured, more to himself than anything, too busy watching Frank standing at the private door that led to the outside from the private room of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in which the ceremony was being held.

Peg moved closer to Hawkeye, her eyes moving from studying Hawkeye to look in the same direction in which he was staring to try to figure out what he was staring at. "You sure?"

Hawkeye shook his head, trying to get thoughts of Frank out of his head. It was Frank Burns for God's sake. He couldn't have a sneaky thought to save his life, Hawkeye tried to convince himself his imagination was running away with itself, like it was prone to do. Determined to get Frank out of his mind, he asked Peg to dance.

The two approached the dance floor and began to dance. BJ and Margaret danced close enough so the two pairs could talk

"Hmmm…nice partner you got there, Hawkeye" commented BJ dryly, raising his eyebrow mockingly towards his wife, making her laugh

"And yours" returned Hawkeye, mirroring BJ's grin "Wanna trade?" he waggled his eyebrow at his own wife, who grinned back

BJ pretended to ponder "Nah…" he finally said, remembering that Hawkeye had complained about not being able to dance with his wife for ages and began to dance Margaret away.

"Nice seeing you again, Margaret" Hawkeye kidded

"Funny, Pierce. Next dance, is all yours." Margaret raised her own eyebrow mockingly in a fully conscious imitation of her husband, who grinned at this.

Hawkeye laughed and watched the figure of his wife dance away with a look of awe in his eyes "God I love her" he said softly

"I noticed, actually" Peg commented

Hawkeye laughed again, this time at Peg "Oh did you?" he raised his eyebrow again, this time at Peg.

"I did actually. You guys make a great couple, you know"

"I know. And I am the half that makes it great, of course"

Peg pretended to ponder that for a minute "Nah" she said finally

Hawkeye let out a bark of laughter "Oh you think that do you, well as for you and BJ, you wanna know what I think of that?"

But what exactly Hawkeye thought of Peg and BJ was never discovered for as Hawkeye went to say the next part of his sentence, Peg, who had been laughing hysterically, suddenly stopped and doubled over.

"Peg? What's wrong? Are you okay?" asked Hawkeye, a touch of fear infiltrating into his voice and unconsciously looking over his shoulder for BJ, but BJ was on the other side of the room with Margaret near the back wall; the only wall in the room that overlooked the back lawn of the hotel.

"Yeah I'm fine" Peg waved away Hawkeye's hand of support, but remaining doubled over "I just need to sit down a minute" she straightened, with visible effort and pain and began walking over to their table.

"Fine my ass" declared Hawkeye, following her "People just don't double over in pain for no good reason, Peg. There's gotta be a reason for this one. I should know, I am a doctor after all. Have you forgotten, you can't fool me, or BJ or half the people in this room for that matter by trying to tell them that you didn't double over in pain for a reason. Hell, even Frank knows that, for God's sake! Well, probably not Frank…" he said after a moment

Peg and Hawkeye reached the table at this point. Peg looked up and fixed Hawkeye with a glare "For your information, Hawkeye Pierce, I did not double over in pain, I'm suddenly feeling dizzy and nauseous, if you must know, though why you think you have the right to know is beyond me"

Hawkeye was speechless for the moment. For one thing, this was the second time in the course of an afternoon he had been delivered this lecture that he didn't have the right to know something, from two separate people and for another thing, Peg didn't speak so harshly to anyone, much less him, they had always gotten on quite well together whenever he had visited. Despite all this, Hawkeye fixed her with a look that signaled that Hawkeye had stepped out for a moment and Dr. Pierce had taken over "But Peg," he protested "if you're sick, you should lie down and have someone look at you. You might have caught that flu that Erin had, and if so, you shouldn't be here. We're in a hotel, you can lie down in someone's room and someone can take a look at you. And you can even have your pick of doctors" Hawkeye tried to insert a joke, seeing Peg's face darken even more with annoyance.

She went to speak, but what she was going to say was left unsaid and what she said instead was a curt "Excuse me" and she swept by Hawkeye and made a beeline for the bathroom off the hallway that led into the room from either the hotel or the outside door, which Frank was no longer standing by, not that Hawkeye cared about that anymore. He was filled with concern for Peg. And he still needed to find BJ, he needed to know his wife was sick. Scanning the dance floor for BJ, he found her still with Margaret, exactly where they had been when Hawkeye had been looking for him before. He stepped towards the dance floor when suddenly someone stepped into his way.

"Excuse me, Dr. Pierce?" Stephanie Burns was looking up at him nervously

"Yeah, it's Hawkeye" mumbled Hawkeye distractedly, brushing his dark hair out of his eyes (dammit he had forgotten to get a haircut, fine time to remember…and how had he gotten away with that with Margaret around, anyhow?)

"Yes, Hawkeye" Stephanie blushed furiously "Erin wants to talk to you. She wanted to know why her mother just ran out of the room. She wanted to come over herself, but I wouldn't let her cause there's a lot of people around, so I left her with Cathy and Becky and told her that I'd go get you"

"Yeah, okay, I'm coming" Hawkeye said, still distracted. He glanced over at BJ and Margaret again. He supposed that Erin took precedence and he would talk to BJ in a minute…

Meanwhile, Margaret laughed uproariously after leaving the company of Hawkeye and Peg. She looked after her husband, dancing away as she leaned on BJ for support "God I love him" she said finally, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes

"You know what, I noticed that" commented BJ

Margaret shot him an amused look "Oh did you?"

"I did actually. You guys make a great couple, you know that"

"Oh I know," she smiled fondly at her husband's figure "But of course…" she changed her gaze for the first time to study BJ rather than Hawkeye "You're just saying that because your best friend's part of the couple" she poked him lightly to let him know she was teasing

BJ caught on immediately "You got me, Margaret. No, seriously, you guys are great together. You know when I first got to the 4077th, even though you fought constantly back then, I had a feeling you two would be great together."

Margaret laughed "Even though we hated each other?"

"Yeah…well the real thought was 'If they could get along for five minutes without trying to kill each other, they would be great together'. And I see my thought was right"

"You were right, BJ" Margaret said, softly, her gaze returning briefly to her husband, before coming back to BJ when he addressed her.

"Are you happy, Margaret?" BJ asked, his voice full of compassion

"Oh God, BJ, yes! Happier then I've ever been in my entire life. Nothing, not even the Army has made me feel this fulfilled, like for the first time ever, I'm actually doing things right…doing things right for me"

BJ smiled "I could tell. It's great to see you so happy. I've never seen you like this, so happy…so content with yourself. You're positively glowing, Margaret."

"Oh it's hard not to, BJ. I never knew it was possible to be so happy being just what you are, rather than being happy for the possibility of improvement, which is the only way I knew to be happy back in Korea...back when I was in the Army. Hawkeye finally helped me realize that there is nothing more important than being happy with yourself, not even improvement in a job. That there's more to life than the moving up the work ladder. Those were the words I was looking for, the man I was looking for. Someone who liked me for me, not because of my rank or because I was looking for a way to get to the top. Someone who thought that because I was who I am, I already was at the top of the only ladder that counts"

"Hey Margaret" BJ smiled down at his friend "You remember on the day when we left Korea that I told you that I hoped you find a good man because you deserve the best?"

"Of course. I've never forgotten"

"You did"

"Oh BJ…" Margaret breathed and leaned into BJ, wrapping her arms around him in a hug, squeezing her eyes closed to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. BJ squeezed her back, wrapping his arms tightly around Margaret, but the arms suddenly squeezed tighter, not in love, but in protection as the next thing the two suddenly heard a great rumbling sound sounding like it was coming from overhead, and suddenly all over. But this was the last thing they heard as the walls came tumbling down…