They are seated in his office and their body language speaks volumes. Hawkeye is slumped in the chair looking worse for wear and miserable to boot. Margaret is poised with her hair pulled back and a stern look on her face.

"I'm sending both of you to a medical conference in Tokyo." He announces.

Pierce all but glares at him. That boy really can hold onto his feelings.

Her mouth opens in surprise but then closes just as quick. She knows better than to argue right now.

Surely, they can see what he is trying to do. He hopes they will take this opportunity before he has to put his foot down.

The next day finds them in Tokyo. Potter has pulled some strings and they are booked in a very nice hotel with rooms next to one another. He had entertained the thought of making them share a room but decided against it. He wanted them to work it out, not finish each other off and take Tokyo with them.

Margaret heads down to the bar to mingle with the other officers. She is dressed in a form fitting red dress and feels so much more relaxed after an invigorating massage. There was no harm in taking a bit of extra time to pamper herself.

She seats herself at the bar and orders a drink. Several different men stop by to speak to her but she gently turns them down. The last thing she wants is to make her life more complicated but she does smile at the attention.

He enters the bar dressed in his class A's. He has never liked wearing them but Potter made it clear how important it was for him to present a good image at this conference. Given the way things have been going lately, he feels he owes it to the man to follow this kind but firm suggestion.

Beside him is a pulmonologist named John that he has met at these conferences before and happened to run into in the lobby. They decided to catch up over a drink and Hawkeye could use the down time.

The bar is crowded with army brass and beautiful women. The cheerful atmosphere is relaxing and the drink flows freely.

"Whoa, take a look at that one!" John says his voice filled with interest. He follows the man's line of sight to a blonde in a red dress seated alone at the bar.

She is facing the other direction watching the dance floor with a slightly wistful look on her face. Together they watch as a Colonel approaches and slides in close to her.

He forces himself to remain seated when the man reaches out to slide his hand down her arm as he leans forward to whisper in her ear. It shouldn't bother him but it does on so many levels that he carefully avoids examining any closer.

He grips his tumbler tightly as she leans back and gives the man a soft smile before taking his hand in hers. She pats it the way he has watched her do to the wounded in post op and with that smile still on her face she sends him on his way.

He releases a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

John has also taken in the sights and eyes the situation appraisingly.

"I'm going in!" the man calls out as he leaps from the table and makes his way across the room to try his luck.

At first, he is bothered by the man's eagerness to get at the major, but he tempers himself with knowing if she is going to turn away a Colonel that his Captain friend has no chance either.

Perhaps the bar was a bad idea, she thinks. She wanted to just be in a crowd but be alone with her thoughts. She forgot what men were like when they see a woman on her own. She has turned away several advances already. Another man slides close to her.

From his vantage point at the table, he watches John take a casual stance leaning against the bar beside her. He leans in to her and smiles, chatting her up in some way. Years of service have taught Margaret how to hide her feelings but he knows her too well and can see from the way she purses her lips that she is annoyed.

John won't notice though as he is too busy trying to find a hook to reel her in like a prize. He thinks for a moment that he should be angry at the man but he soothes himself knowing he has no claim on her at all. Besides, John has no idea the roles they play in each other's lives.

Soon enough, John makes his way back to the table and she returns her gaze out to the dancing couples as the band plays on.

"Strike out?" He asks teasingly.

"Yeah" John says with a resigned shrug, "Said she's waiting for someone."

This gets his attention. She has many "friends" amongst the brass and he knows that a beautiful woman like herself has no trouble attracting men. He gets a sinking feeling in his stomach that this is will be like the Donald disaster. He hadn't been sure how to behave after she told him and BJ the news. She was bubbling over with joy and it felt wrong to come between her and her dreams.

Later though, her crippled marriage and a night under fire pushed aside any reservations he had about getting in the way and things picked back up again. At the time, he was not willing to admit just how much he needed her and that her engagement and subsequent marriage had almost been his undoing. He sublimated it into crazy stunts, practical jokes and of course drinking. At least, he handled it better than Frank did with his very public breakdown. He tries to not be bitter about his former bunkmate.

The two doctors sit and chat a bit longer but his eye is always on her as she continues to sit alone and brushes off the advances of drunken officers.

Surgery requires skill and confidence. A good surgeon knows the limits of medicine and what the human body can do. A brilliant surgeon pushes those limits and challenges Death himself. No one ever accused him of being humble. Making his decision, he stands and makes his way across the room.

John gives a small laugh watching his friend move towards the blonde. Pierce never did know when to give up.

The dancing couples have her attention and she is a bit lost in a day dream when he draws near. Her field of vision is suddenly blocked by a wall of brown and she grits her teeth in annoyance at another interruption.

This annoyance melts into surprise at the source of the interruption.

He gives her one of his dazzling smiles, with his blue eyes twinkling. "Hawkeye Pierce" he introduces himself, offering his hand.

For a moment she stares at him in confusion. She looks at his offered hand and places her own in it slowly.

"Margaret Houlihan" she responds with uncertainty.

He holds her hand in his and smiles again. "Would you like to dance?"

She finds herself nodding as she slides from the barstool and he leads her to the floor. The band is playing a slow song so he pulls her close.

There are so many things he should say to her. He reflects on the last two years. This thing between them has been both their Achilles' Heel and their saving grace. It frightens him at how quickly they both came apart when they fell out of step with each other. He had barely survived it before but this time she was lost too and that had magnified the imbalance. It hits him just how much they need each other.

"I'm sorry." He finally says in a low voice.

She smiles up at him. "Me too."

Holding one another close, they fall back into step with one another.

Upstairs the glow from the city is their only light as they continue their dance in private. Each can tell that something serious has shifted between them and it carries a weight that they can't ignore anymore. Even after everything that has happened they are still afraid to put it to words so they let their bodies do the talking.

Author's Note: there is more to come.