When Margaret entered her tent, there was a large white box, tied with a pink satin ribbon, sitting on top of her desk.
First, she gasped in delight, but the frowned, thinking that the box was from Frank. No, it could not be from Frank, he was too cheap to make the package look so nice.
Curiously, she opened the card lying next to it. Happy Birthday Hot Lips! I know what a pain this place can be. I hope this gift brightens you day. (Oh and this is only part of your present) With all my annoyance, your number one nemesis, Hawkeye.
Margaret practically fell apart; she was shocked with herself, at what a little bit of sincere attention could do to her. She eagerly opened the box and pulled out a light blue sundress and a pair of white heels.
Smiling, she quickly pulled off her fatigues to model her new outfit. She slipped the soft material over her head and grinned at her reflection in the mirror.
"It's been so long," she muttered aloud. The dress had a white ribbon running under the bust that tied in the back in a neat bow. Other than that the dress was relatively simple and yet stylish.
A sudden knock on the door caused Margaret to jump nervously. She frantically looked around for her bathrobe, not wanting anyone to see her. She finally found it crumpled under her cot. She threw it on and cautiously opened the door.
"Are you ready yet?" Margaret stared blankly back at Hawkeye. He was carrying a huge basket and a blanket.
"Ready for what?" she asked dumbly. He only grinned and looked down at her shoes, grabbing her hand to pull her outside.
"Hang on, I'm not dressed." She pleaded.
"You normally wear heels with your bathrobe?"
Margaret sighed and relented, slipping her housecoat off and joining Hawkeye outside, silently praying that no one would see her.
She tagged along silently a few steps behind Hawkeye, who was whistling a familiar tune. She was not sure what to think. She was slightly annoyed at Hawkeye's stubbornness in making her come outside in her dress; but then again, he was the one who bought her the dress in the first place.
"Thank you for the dress," Margaret said nervously. She was not sure what to say to him; she had never really been alone with him before.
Hawkeye smiled and nodded. "I'm glad it fits, I had to guess your size." They fell silent again and Margaret closely studied Hawkeye out of the corner of her eye. Why was he doing this? Margaret tried not to be so suspicious, but she was not used to Hawkeye acting this friendly toward her.
"Here we are," he announced cheerfully. Margaret looked around her but did not see anything other than a few trees and shrubs.
"What are we doing here?" Hawkeye smiled mischievously and stretched the blanket out, underneath a tree. Margaret smiled brightly as she realized what the basket was.
"A picnic?" she raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "I've personally seen how several picnics of yours have turned out." She teased.
Hawkeye smiled and bowed. "I promise to be a perfect gentleman. Now if you will be seated M'lady." He grinned and gestured to the blanket. Margaret nervously sat down on the red checked blanket.
"Where did you find this blanket?" she asked curiously. Hawkeye smiled and shrugged.
"A magician never reveals his secrets." He teased. Margaret waited in dread as he began to unpack the basket; wondering what type of food she would be forced to politely eat. He pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses, which he sat to the side. Next, he pulled out a plate of cold, fried chicken. Margaret's mouth dropped open in amazement and she suspiciously picked up a piece and sniffed it.
"Don't worry, it's not poisoned," Hawkeye reassured her playfully. Margaret's wonderment increased as the plate of chicken was followed by corncobs, rolls, and chocolate cake. Margaret's head was spinning. How on earth had he managed to pull this off? Finally, Hawkeye reached to the very bottom of the basket and pulled out a plate of watermelon.
Tears sprung to Margaret's eyes as she suddenly realized what he was doing for her. "You remembered," she whispered.
He smiled, "I thought you would like it." He replied smugly. Margaret smiled and wiped away the few tears on her tears, feeling incredibly foolish for crying over something like watermelon. Hawkeye smiled at her and pulled out two plates and some utensils and they began to eat.
Margaret moaned with pleasure when she bit into a slice of cake. "You have to tell me how you got this food!" she demanded. They had been gone for almost two hours and Margaret was shocked at how sincere and charming Hawkeye was acting towards her. It made her feel special to know that the person who detests her the most would bite his tongue for one afternoon, just to make her happy.
"You sure you want to know?" he asked, his eyes twinkling as he teased her. Margaret pouted playfully and Hawkeye propped himself up on his elbows.
"Well, once I figured out when your birthday was I wrote to my dad and asked him to send me everything."
"Everything?" Margaret was shocked, how could they mail this much food?
Hawkeye chuckled to himself, "Yeah, I told him your dress and shoe size and told him to pick out something summery and blue. Then I gave him a list of the food I wanted and he packed it in dry ice and mailed it to me."
"That must have cost a small fortune!" Margaret shouted in surprise; would he really spend that much money on her?
Hawkeye shrugged, "I thought it would cheer you up. Did it?" Margaret smiled brightly and nodded.
"Thank you so much Hawkeye." She said sincerely. Hawkeye raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"What did I say?" she asked curiously.
Hawkeye smiled and began to pack up the empty dishes. "That is the first time you have ever called me Hawkeye."
Margaret's mouth dropped open, words of denial about to slip from her tongue when she realized he was right. Hawkeye laughed at her expression and stood up. He offered Margaret his hand and pulled her up. They walked back to camp, chatting easily about nothing in particular when Frank trotted up to them.
"Margaret, I didn't mean it, honest. I didn't know that was hers." Margaret rolled her eyes and tried to push Frank out of their path but Hawkeye was intrigued.
"What didn't you do Frank? He asked, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Oh buzz off, this is none of you beeswax!" Frank protested.
Margaret was humiliated with what Frank had tried to do and she desperately didn't want Hawkeye to find out about it.
"Hawkeye, please don't." she begged, pulling on his arm slightly. Hawkeye looked down at her anxious face and shook his head in annoyance. Frank must have really embarrassed her…again. Hawkeye smiled and nodded, silently promising to leave the subject alone.
"You look beautiful petal, come back to camp with me and we can talk." Margaret rolled her eyes and scooted closer to Hawkeye, hoping Frank could take a hint. A sudden thought entered Hawkeye's mind and he grinned wickedly, before leaning over to whisper in Margaret's ear. She glared at him and shook her head violently. Hawkeye shrugged and the two fell silent, as Frank followed them, pleading with Margaret the entire way.
Finally, Margaret couldn't take it any more. "I think I'll take you up on that offer," she said, turning towards Hawkeye. Hawkeye smiled and stepped close to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Frank watched in shock as Pierce leaned forward and kissed Margaret firmly. Frank's shock soon turned into horror when he saw that Margaret was kissing that scum back! Frank said still for only a moment and then stomped off in a fit of rage.
Hawkeye broke the kiss and smiled at Margaret. "That's one way to get rid of him." Margaret laughed nervously and nodded and they started back to camp. Hawkeye had offered to kiss her to get rid of Frank and she had accepted, that was all there was to it. So why was her heart racing and her knees weak? Margaret shook her head in an attempt to clear the curious thought racing through her mind.