Chapter Eleven: I have always believed that all things depended upon Fortune, and nothing upon ourselves. –Lord Byron

True to everyone's word, their house was bombarded with phonecalls and letters over the next few days, most in disbelief and full of congratulations and 'finally!'ies. With near demands of making a trip to Maine to meet the little girl, and plenty of open invitations to almost every state, both Hawkeye and Margaret knew that the choices they made weren't conventional, but were worth it.

Winter in New England, was turning into spring in New England, and the bright colours of new life were shinning through. Although the weather was still chill, no one seemed to care, as they moved throughout town with ease.

Their relationship was blooming, and with springtime, came lovers. They promised each other they'd take it slow, learn about each other, in a setting that wasn't a war. That didn't stop them from fully enjoying each other's being-when Daisy allowed. The child noticed the change in her parents, and Margaret could tell she loved the warmth of love around her. She was speaking more, although neither parent knew what she was saying most times, as it was just gibberish.

"And then the big bad wolf, blew and blew, until he couldn't blow anymore," Daniel read one night, sitting on the couch, Daisy pulling at the book. Margaret stood at the doorway and watched Hawkeye's father interact with his granddaughter. Daniel was a character, that Daisy was utterly in love with. She couldn't blame her, she loved Daniel as much as Daisy, he was everything like Hawkeye and even more. He seemed kinder and more gentle, the war changed Hawkeye, but she could see the love that he felt for her and Daisy.

"You ready to go?" Hawkeye whispered into Margaret's ear, making her jump slightly from the feel of his warm breath on her neck.

"Yeah," she smiled taking his offered hand, but not moving from her spot.

"Margaret?" Hawkeye asked, his eyes falling to where she looked. "What are you thinking?"

"That our years in hell was worth this feeling," Margaret said after a moment, and she felt the hand leave her own and wrap around her middle, and pull her closer to him, and his chin resting on her shoulder. "I'm serious Hawkeye, it was all worth it."

"To be surrounded by love?"

"Yes."

April 8th, 1955

"Welcome!" BJ said brightly standing at the arrival bay at San Francisco airport. "Look at you!" He smiled brightly grabbing onto Margaret and swinging her around. "You're beautiful!"

"You're lying and I love you for it," Margaret chuckled as her friend let her down. "Still have that silly moustache!"

Kissing her cheek, BJ pulled away and looked at Hawkeye, who was carrying Daisy. "So this is Daisy huh Hawk?"

"Yup, saw hi Peanut," Hawkeye smiled lifting Daisy's hand and waving. "It's good to see you Beej."

"You too, I'd hug you, but I kind of like your kid more," he winked smiling at Daisy. "Hi Daisy, I'm your Uncle BJ." Daisy looked at BJ and quickly buried her face in Hawkeye's chest, as all three adults chuckled. "She's adorable. Just wait till I get you back to our place. Peggy just brought the baby home yesterday."

"Oh she had the baby?" Margaret asked. "BJ you should have told us, we would have come another time."

"Nonsense, it's been far too long, and Peggy is dying to meet you three. And besides, JP needs to meet his namesake!" BJ smiled looping Margaret's arm in his.

"A boy, that's marvellous BJ," Margaret smiled as Hawkeye chuckled.

"Knowing my luck, I'll have a house full of women," Hawkeye smiled touching his friend on the back. "Congratulations though."

"Thanks," BJ said ignoring his friend's comment until they could talk alone. Margaret too who noticed his reference to having more children again, smiled and continued to walk. He had been saying things like that a lot lately, hinting at having another child, giving Daisy someone to grow up with. She had to admit, she liked the idea, but their relationship, their real relationship, was still new, and being tested in the real world, with a real child that could, and would, put them at odds. She didn't want to push their relationship to the brink where Daisy would be hurt, and see her father every other weekend and half the holidays. Okay, s she wouldn't be that extreme if they didn't work out, because she was the one who came to him, but the thought of losing what they had now, scared the shit out of her. She was finally happy.

"He's just precious," Margaret smiled as she cradled four day old James Hunnicut. The four adults were sitting in the kitchen drinking their morning coffee, as James lay peacefully in Margaret's arms. "They're so cute this small."

"I don't know if I prefer them like this, or running around like a hooligan," Peg chuckled as she ran a hand over James' head.

"Daisy was a hooligan from the start. Don't get me wrong, I love her to bits, but that girl is her father, personality and all," Margaret explained as Hawkeye leaned forward on the table and stared at Margaret.

"I don't know, she's like her mother, same temper," he pointed out as BJ leaned back in his chair to watch the two parents, his friends, bicker like a married couple. He didn't dare say anything to either that they were in fact more in love than they realised. He was glad that they finally realised they were meant to be together, just a little late, and a little out of order, but together was all they needed to be.

Later that afternoon, when Margaret and Peg went to put the children down for a nap, BJ looked at his friend, as they sat outside drinking ice-tea he smiled. "So thinking about more kids?"

"I'd love to have more children with Margaret, I want a chance to do it right with a child, get married first, be there at the birth," Hawkeye explained with a sigh. "I never got to do that with Daisy, wasn't there to hear her heart beat, or hold her until she was a few months old. I just, want a chance to do it right."

"I understand, believe me, with JP, I just want to be there for everything I missed with Erin," BJ explained as he looked at Hawkeye, moving his sight to the house where his kids were sleeping. "You never know how much you love someone until you have kids."

"I love Daisy more than I ever thought possible," he mumbled as BJ chuckled holding his glass to his lips hiding his smile. Hawkeye a father was something he never thought it possible that Hawkeye Pierce would ever become, let alone wanting to have more kids. One wasn't enough, he learned that quickly when he and Peg found out they were expecting another child. James Pierce Hunnicut, was his pride and joy, his son. Named partially after his best friend, BJ knew that Hawkeye would always be there for both his kids. Although he always thought he'd make a fantastic father, watching him with all those kids in Korea, and how he tried, and what came out, was Hawkeye learning to be a father for the children he was bound to have.

"From what BJ tells me, you and Hawkeye weren't even friends when he arrived?" Peg asked as she gently rubbed JP's back, encouraging the burp from his latest feeding.

"Yes, but I think that is what makes us so strong now, because we could overcome our hatred towards each other," Margaret replied, taking a sip of her own iced tea. "In turn we learned to love each other."

"I'm happy for you," Peg smiled. "So I did notice that Hawkeye has been hinting at more children?"

"That's been a topic on his mind for a while now I think," Margaret said thoughtfully, remembering back to his first mention of having more children. "I think he feels guilty about not being there for Daisy until after she was born. To be honest, I don't blame him. But he couldn't have handled the pressure of being a new father after what happened to him in Korea."

"Do you want more children?" Peg questioned lifting her eyebrow.

Taking a breath, Margaret looked at the younger woman. "Honestly? I would love them, but in a reality, at my age, it's not a perfect time. I always imagined having a whole slew of children running around my house. Five, that was the perfect number. Two girls, three boys. But that's changed, Daisy will probably always be our only child. I just hope he can settle for that."

"I'm sure he will, he's just dreaming," Peg smiled softly.

"So you and BJ finished wreaking havoc?" Margaret teased she as she picked up Daisy from the floor.

"Yes," Hawkeye smiled leaning over and taking Daisy into his own arms. "Hi baby. You're getting so big." Daisy smiled and reached up to grab his nose, before giggling. "What's this fascination with my nose?"

"It's there," Margaret teased, as she watched Hawkeye interact with their daughter. She couldn't believe how much the two bonded, and how easily Daisy moulded into his life. Their life. She loved every moment she got to watch Daisy and Hawkeye together, in these times she wished they could be a true family…or were they already true family? She wanted everything she didn't have, a husband for her daughter to always call Daddy. A husband that she could call hers. It was something she wished for, and knew that one day it may never come true, after her disasterous first marriage. But maybe she needed something else, a baby that was wanted by both…

She was thinking far to much, and it wasn't like Daisy was unwanted, okay at the time, when she first found out, the thought passed through her mind. But she loved the little girl, always and forever.

"What are you thinking about?" Hawkeye asked looking at Margaret with a smile, as he bounced Daisy on his knee.

"Nothing," Margaret smiled back. Where in reality, she was thinking about everything.