A/N: I don't own the lyrics to "Only Time." (I don't own anything. It's not fair!)

From the first time I saw the Pierce house, I wondered why Daniel and Hawkeye had continued to live there, even when Calla (the mother, not my daughter) died. There were seven bedrooms, four bathrooms (Hawkeye said that Daniel had installed them in 1960), three fireplaces, and the parlor was big enough to fit the entire upstairs of our house in Stockton.

So far, the Waterses (and two that were part Pierce) had taken over four bedrooms.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to Hawkeye. "If I would have known they were coming I would have suggested they stay in a hotel. No. I would have ordered they stay in a hotel."

"This is the most people our house has had staying in it since the Pierce reunion in '62," said Hawkeye. "Besides, if we need more room, we can always double up in beds."

"Wouldn't Grace love that?"

"I know I would."

"Jaclyn, come up and help your father with the baggage!" Mother shouted.

"Coming," I hollered back. "It's not even been an hour and she's already giving me orders."

I was upstairs when the phone rang. Figuring it was for Hawkeye, I asked Mother, "What possessed you to come here?"

"Didn't you miss us?" Mother said.

"Yes, I did, but aren't you always preaching to us not to come uninvited?"

Indignant, Mother pursed her lips. Before she could say aynthing, Hawkeye shouted, "Jac, come down here!"

Glad for the interruption, I went downstairs. "What?"

He beckoned for me to listen in on the conversation. I put my ear to the phone.

"...upstanding citizen in the community, I believe that we can ignore the counseling sessions," a man was saying. I recognized him as James Kildow from Daniel's funeral.

"So we can just sign the papers?" Hawkeye asked. "No Dr. Freud?"

"None. Can you be here in half an hour?"

I nodded.

"Sure. See you then," said Hawkeye.

He hung up. "Well?"

"I'll go tell my family," I said, walking up the stairs. I felt like I was in slow motion.

This is what you wanted, I told myself.

Somehow, that sounded like what I had told myself fifteen years ago.

XXX

Exactly half an hour later, we arrived at the attorney's office.

"We'll wait out here," Michelle said, sitting down on a leather couch.

Calla, unusually somber, asked, "And what's going to happen to me?"

"Jaclyn, may we, uh, speak outside?" Hawkeye asked.

"I think we'd better."

We walked into the drizzle and I pulled my navy coat tighter around me. For spring, it was awfully cold.

"I have a question for you," said Hawkeye.

"Shoot," I said.

"Will you re-marry me?"

My jaw dropped. "Are--are you serious?"

"I must be, I brought the ring." Hawkeye extended the blue engagement ring that I hadn't seen for over a decade. "Don't sign the papers."

It was like a dream. I felt tears come to my eyes as I said, "Kildow's going to have to find someone else to use his forms."

"He can give them to his wife." He paused. "Come on, the ring's getting wet."

I laughed. "Of course I'll re-marry you!"

"That's--that's--" Hawkeye sputtered, and kissed me.

It had to be a dream, I decided.

As we drew apart, he slipped the ring onto my finger.

"We'd better go back inside," I said. "Calla's going to go insane when she finds out."

"Hopefully in a good way. After you, Mrs. Pierce."

I walked into the room. Calla was sitting on the floor, reading Newsweek. Elliot and Michelle were on the leather loveseat, and my parents were sitting across from them in matching chairs. (Grace had been purposely "forgotten".)

"Let's go," Hawkeye said.

"But you have to sign the papers," said Mother . "Don't you?"

"Sorry, Mother," I said. "I guess...you still have a son-in-law."

Calla was the first one to react. She dropped the magazine and stood up. "You're staying married?"

"Once I gave her the ring, she just latched onto it," commented Hawkeye. "I couldn't get it back if I wanted to."

Calla flung her arms around Hawkeye's neck. "I knew it. I knew you'd propose."

This wasn't a dream.

XXX

That night as I was getting out of the shower, I stopped dead in my tracks.

On the mirror, written in the steam, was:

Name your second child Daniel.

Fin

A/N: They were begging for a happy ending!

Thank you all for sticking with this, even with all the short chapters and twists. I think I'll be going through some withdrawl, because this has been a part of my (fan fiction) life since last year, when I wrote the original version on my typewriter. (The ending for that is VERY different. This just kind of took off on its own.

The title for this is taken from an Enya song, "Only Time." There are some lyrics that kind of struck a chord with me for this story:

Who can say where the road goes,
Where the day flows?
Only time.

Who can say when the roads meet,
That love might be,
In your heart.

And who can say when the day sleeps,
If the night keeps all your heart?
Night keeps all your heart.

Thanks again for all your support!

(c) 2006 by Christine Ruud