"Jeez you are in a tough spot," BJ muttered after Hawkeye had told him the events of the past two nights.
"Tell me about it."
BJ looked at his friends closely, wondering how to advise him. Hawkeye had called him early that morning saying he needed some help and asking if he could stay with him and his family for a night.
"How does Margaret feel about it?" Hawkeye stood up and began to pace back and forth, agitatedly running his fingers through his hair.
"How on earth am I supposed to know? Do you remember what happened last time I asked her to marry me?"
BJ rolled his eyes in aggravation. "You didn't propose to her, not really. Now sit down, you're making me nervous."
Hawkeye sat down wearily and smiled slightly as Michael, BJ and Peg's nineteen-year-old son walked into the room.
"Hey Mr. Pierce, what are you doing here?"
Hawkeye stood up and smiled. "I'm here on a short business trip. Your Father and I were just heading out for dinner." Mike nodded and waved goodbye as he darted outside and hopped into his new car, a gift from his parents.
"Why are we going to dinner? Peg has a perfectly good meal planned for…"
Oh stop whining and get your coat," Hawkeye muttered agitatedly. BJ groaned and pulled himself off the old sofa.
"Alright, hang on a minute while I go tell Peg."
"Mom, are you alright?" Lizzy asked anxiously.
Margaret jerked her head up and smiled. "Sure I'm fine. I just spaced out for a minute." In truth, Margaret had been trying to remember when she had kissed Ben. It had been years since they had really kissed, and now Margaret was searching every part of her brain to remember what happened. Normally she would have asked Lizzy, but her daughter seemed to have an overactive imagination lately.
Lizzy sat down beside her mother on the couch, smiling happily at the Christmas tree.
"Aren't the lights beautiful?" she asked, not caring about an answer.
"Yeah they are," Margaret agreed, her eyes beginning to twinkle. "But they would certainly look better if you had been able to keep your Father away from them."
Lizzy laughed gaily, nodding her head in agreement. "True, but the wires being tangled hopelessly gives it that nice homey touch."
"But isn't it possible that she feels differently now?" BJ argued. Hawkeye shrugged and took a large bite of pasta.
"I guess, but I don't know how I feel. What if…?" he paused wondering if he should attempt to explain his jumbled thoughts. "What if we did get married and then we realized that what we felt wasn't really love? Can you imagine what that would do to us? What it would do to Lizzy?"
BJ rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you flew all the way out here to tell me you don't know if you love her. Jeez Hawk, you've been practically living with the woman ever since you came back from Korea!"
"I know it," Hawkeye snapped.
BJ smiled and shook his head. "I was half expecting you were flying out here to show me the ring."
Hawkeye smiled genuinely for the first time in hours. "Ah, now that I do have." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a faded, black velvet box, and handed it to his friend. BJ opened the box and whistled.
"I've had that ring for eighteen years. I've just never really known what to do with it."
BJ laughed as he motioned for the check. "You've known exactly what to do with that ring; otherwise you never would have bought it."
Hawkeye nodded solemnly, "Yeah I guess you're right but I've always felt that you shouldn't mess with a good thing."
Early Christmas Eve, Hawkeye quietly walked into the house and threw his jacket on the couch. He listened intently to try to determine where Margaret and Lizzy were. He heard Margaret shriek in the kitchen and he smiled and made his way across the room.
"Elizabeth, don't even think about it!" He heard his daughter giggle viciously and he cracked open the kitchen door. Margaret's back was to him, her hair full of flour. Lizzy was walking steadily towards her mother, her face splattered with cookie dough and a cupful of flour in her hand.
She saw Hawkeye and he motioned for her to be quiet. He slipped in behind Margaret and scooped up and handful of flour from the counter.
"Oh fine," Lizzy said in feigned exasperation. "You win, although you're evil and I'm tempted to give you a shower bath."
Margaret smiled victoriously and began to shake the flour out of her hair as she turned around to finish a batch of gingersnaps she had started.
When she turned, Hawkeye tossed the flour into the air, blinding Margaret for a moment. Lizzy burst out laughing and Margaret sputtered and choked, while blindly groping for her adversary.
"You!" she gasped, when she could finally see. "What are you doing here?"
What, aren't you glad to see me?" he asked pretending to pout.
"Oh no, I'm glad to see you, it's just that I was hoping to have these cookies done when you came back." As Margaret had been speaking, she was inching closer to her bowl of cookie dough.
"Well no matter," she continued. "I guess you can have them now." With that, Margaret grabbed onto the bowl and flung the sticky batter into his face.
Not wanting to be left out of the fun, Lizzy approached her mother and handed her two eggs. "You're forgetting a few ingredients," she said slyly. Margaret nodded and took the eggs. She tried to add them to the heap of batter on Hawk's head but he was far too quick.
"Nice try Hot Lips," he laughed, pinning her hands at her side. Margaret tried desperately too free her hands. She finally gave up and lifted her head, giving him a look that said 'now what?'
Hawkeye smiled gently as he looked at Margaret's face. She had bits of batter everywhere and a streak of flour on her cheek. He saw Lizzy out of the corner of his eye and he looked directly at her. She was smiling victoriously at him, her smile seeming to taunt him.
"I told you so," she mouthed silently. Hawkeye immediately dropped Margaret's hands and backed away. He quickly pasted on a fiendish smile and headed for the door.
"I bet I can make it in the shower first," he laughed while running into the next room and bounding up the stairs, leaving a very disgruntled Margaret behind.
