Somewhere around midnight Margaret woke up hearing whispering in her room. She sat up quickly thinking it was Hawkeye talking to her in her sleep but couldn't find him in the shadows. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw a woman sitting at a chair in the corner. The woman wore a pale yellow nightdress that was too light to keep her warm in the cold whether. She had long black hair that went down past her waist and she holding what looked like a bundle and was whispering to it. As Margaret continued to stare at the woman the bundle began to cry softly and that was when she realized it was a baby.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing here ma'am? Are you cold?" she asked softly so she wouldn't disturb the baby. Surprisingly she wasn't angry or anything as she watched the mother and babe. She actually felt peaceful.

The woman looked up calmly and smiled softly at Margaret. Margaret was a bit taken aback. The woman looked a lot like Hawkeye. She had the same hair color and same shape of the face. The woman opened her mouth and whispered, "Make Hawkeye happy." Then she slowly disappeared with the baby crying faintly.

Margaret shook her head and looked again at the chair. She got up and placed her hand on the back of the chair. It was colder than the rest of the room and it smelled faintly of roses. Margaret shivered and quickly went back to bed. She laid there trying to fall asleep but the woman kept haunting her thoughts. That must have been Hawkeye's mother. Hawkeye did look a lot like his dad but there were things that were different now she knew where they came from. Finally she drifted off to sleep and didn't wake up until late morning.

Margaret got dressed and followed the aroma of bacon downstairs to the kitchen. The room was quite cheerful with the yellow paint job and the sunflower décor. Hawkeye already sat at the table while Daniel made breakfast. The table was already covered with many plates with all sorts of delicious looking food. She sat down and started to heap her plate.

Hawkeye looked up from his own plate and smiled at Margaret. "Good morning Margaret."

Daniel turned and said good morning too.

"Good morning everyone. This looks great Daniel."

"Well dig in Margaret because this is the only meal my dad's good at," said Hawkeye teasingly.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Don't listen to him Margaret. It isn't like his cooking is any better."

Margaret smiled as the Pierce men continued to bicker about each other's cooking. Finally Daniel broke it off and turned back to the food on the stove. "How'd you sleep Margaret?"

Margaret choked a bit on the bite of bacon she had just taken and replied, "Fine, fine." She cleared her throat and asked, "Is this house haunted?"

Daniel turned around and looked at Hawkeye worriedly who looked at his dad the same. "Why would you ask that Margaret?"

"Well last night I think I saw someone in my room."

"Well this house is older than it looks so I wouldn't put it past ya that this place has a few spirits in it," said Daniel lightly.

The rest of breakfast was quiet except a few 'pass the toast's. Daniel got ready to go to the practice on the other side of town. It was Hawkeye's day off so he could entertain Margaret before she left that afternoon.

"Bye Hawk," called Daniel to the back of the house. He turned to Margaret, "Well it was nice meeting you Margaret. I hope you can come see us again soon."

"Goodbye sir. I hope I can too." She gave him a quick hug and watched him get to his car. Then she turned and set out to find Hawkeye.

She found him in the kitchen washing the dishes. She started to dry them and stack them.

"You don't have to do this Margaret you're a guest," said Hawkeye as he scrubbed at a skillet.

"That's okay it could give us time to talk. You didn't tell me what you've been up to last night."

"Well I work at the family practice and am still Crab Apple Cove's top bachelor. I'm very busy at this time of year keeping the town's women warm," grinned Hawkeye. He looked at Margaret from the corner of his eye and said, "Well maybe I can help an outsider keep warm too."

Margaret gave him The Look. "I don't think so buster."

Hawkeye shrugged. "Good thing I thrive on your rejections. How about later today we go out for a walk by the cliff? There's someplace I want to show you."

Margaret eyed him. "Okay as long as you don't try anything."

"Me? Try anything? I can't believe you would think I would do anything," said Hawkeye trying to act innocently.

"Well I wasn't the one to offer to keep me warm."

Hawkeye shrugged and they continued to wash the dishes and tell each other things that have happened to them in the year they had lost contact. Margaret told him about the cheating scoundrel who had wanted her to quit the Army. Then Hawkeye told her about how his part of the practice was going. It was doing well but he wanted to get back into surgery in a hospital somewhere but he didn't want to leave his childhood home.

"Maybe I can apply to Augusta Hospital," thought Hawkeye out loud.

"I bet they could use a professional doctor there who has seen more damaged bodies than all of them put together," encouraged Margaret.

Hawkeye nodded his head thoughtfully and looked at the sink. There weren't any more dishes to wash and Margaret had just dried the last pan. "Come on go get you jacket and other winter clothes. Lets go on that walk you promised me."

Margaret did as she was told and waited for him at the door with all her winter things on including a pair of snow pants. Hawkeye came walking out with a black winter jacket and red mittens and hat.

Margaret giggled, "You're matching quite well aren't you?"

"Well I could say the same about you," replied Hawkeye with a smile.

"Touché. Lets get going. I have to get back and make sure every things all packed before I leave."

"Okay. Follow me." Hawkeye lead her outside and to the back of the house. He turned right and took her to a lookout point at the end of the cliff. Margaret looked down and saw stairs going down to the beach. She looked at Hawkeye and he nodded to her to go down. She took a step, slipped and landed on her bottom. Hawkeye's mouth started to twitch and she glared at him. She stood up and took another step and just fell down again. Then Hawkeye lost it and started to laugh while covering his mouth so she couldn't hear him, but of course she could. Then he slipped and fell which made Margaret start to giggle. He sat while pouting at her because she was laughing at him now.

"Stop. It wasn't that funny."

"Yes it was. What makes you think it isn't funny when you fall but it is when someone else does? 'Do onto others as you would onto you.'"

Hawkeye sat up and continued to lead her down the stairs to the beach. When they got down he stepped aside and let her walk down a bit by herself to look at the beauty by herself for a moment. The sand was all frosty looking but there wasn't any snow because the waves had washed it all away except for a few piles up next to the cliffs. The waves themselves were a clear blue like glass. It was much colder down there than it was up the cliff and she grasped her sides trying to keep warm.

She started to turn to look for Hawkeye when she felt something hit the side of her head and laughter. She felt the side of her face and found it was wet with snow. She turned all the way and found Hawkeye grasping the railing to the stairs laughing at her.

"Pierce! What the hell was that for?" she yelled at him.

"Well, that was for laughing at me when I slipped," he replied as he grinned at her.

Margaret stood shaking with fury but laughed. "Oh, do onto others as you want onto you." She scooped up her own ball and hurled it at him. It got him in the face, which shut him up.

"Ohh. You're asking for it." He scooped up another ball and threw it at her, which made her duck and it missed her.

Soon they were laughing and throwing snowballs at each other. They continued to taunt and tease each other. After a while they ran out of ammo and Hawkeye started to chase her around. She screeched but he kept at her until he finally caught up to her and grabbed her by the waist. He pulled her down with him and started to roll around on the beach until he was on top and was pinning her hands above her head.

He grinned down at her, which made her warm up. "Gotcha," breathed Hawkeye.

"What are you gonna do now?" asked Margaret her voice barely a whisper.

Hawkeye looked down at her studying her then leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. He parted and looked at her nervously.

"That best you can do?" asked Margaret with a seductive smile.

Hawkeye smiled and leaned down and kissed her again. Now it lasted much longer and more hungrily. She wiggled under him trying to free her arms but he held them fast. After a few moments he sat up and looked at her. She looked at him a bit quizzingly.

"It's a bit cold. Isn't it?"

She smiled and nodded. They sat up and made their way up the stairs. This time none of them slipped because they knew it was slippery. They kept stealing glances at each other but then shyly looking away. They both had a new emotion bubbling inside of them but couldn't think where it was coming from.

As they walked back to the house Margaret stopped. Hawkeye kept going a few steps but turned back to see what was keeping her. She had fallen over on to the side of the path and was now waving her arms and legs back and forth. He walked back until he could see what she was doing.

After a minute she stopped and looked at Hawkeye. "It's been such a long time since I've done this. I haven't exactly been near much snow in private."

Hawkeye smiled. She looked very much like the person the print was making. She cautiously stood up and stood by Hawkeye admiring her work. The snow angle looked like any other snow angel except this one had a small halo from her pom-pom hat.

She giggled, tagged Hawkeye and ran toward the house. "You're it!"

Hawkeye gave a chuckle and ran after her. He hadn't had this much fun since sadly enough when he was in the Army. He caught up to her just before she got to the door and grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up, which made her squeal in surprise.

"You're it," whispered Hawkeye into her ear as he put her back down. Margaret shivered, which Hawkeye thought was from the cold. "Come on let's get inside before you catch a cold young lady. And maybe I can help keep you warm."

Margaret shook her head hopelessly. "You'll never quit with the sexual impositions are you?"

"If you put it in a technical term." He looked up as if thinking deeply with his hand on his chin. Then he looked at her with his head still raised. "I guess until you break."

"What makes you think I'll break to you?"

"Well eventually you'll give in and wonder what it's like to make love with a master." Hawkeye stepped into the house and shut the door. After a moment when Margaret didn't come in he poked his head out. "You coming?" Margaret closed her mouth and nodded.

She walked in and took off her winter things. She looked in the den and found Hawkeye helping himself to the liquor cabinet. She walked past thinking he could watch himself long enough for her to take a quick shower. She looked out the upstairs window and saw it was starting to snow quite heavily.

"It'll clear by the time I'm done," she thought to herself.

She took a shower much longer than she had planned. It just felt so good after that walk outside. She was just putting on her panties and bra when Hawkeye knocked on the door and immediately after that opened the door. He stopped where he was going and stared at her. She was just standing there with her panties and was just putting on her bra. They stood like that for a moment until Hawkeye cracked open a grin.

"I was wondering where you had gone. Why do women take so long to take a shower? Unless of course I was with them then I would understand."

"GET OUT!! GET OUT!!" screeched Margaret as she grabbed the closest article of clothing, which was a pair of pants and tried to cover herself.

Hawkeye ducked as she threw her hairbrush at him and quickly left before she could throw anything that would find its mark. He went down to the den and shook his head up at the ceiling.

Margaret took several deep breaths and calmed herself down so she could concentrate on putting on her clothes. She stepped out of the bathroom and looked out the window again. It looked the same except if it was possible it looked like it was snowing even harder. She sighed. There wasn't anyway she was going to be able to leave with the weather like this, which meant she would have to stay with Hawkeye longer than she expected.

She crept to her room and changed into something more comfortable than her jeans and black sweater. When she came down she found Hawkeye in front of the fireplace with a blazing fire in the love seat. She sat in one of the chairs after she got herself a drink and watched the fire crackle.

Hawkeye didn't look up from the fire. "I thought you were leaving soon."

"The weather doesn't seem to want me to leave. It looks like a blizzard out there. I don't think I would like to leave with a blizzard blowing around," she replied.

Hawkeye looked up worriedly to the window and saw that it was snowing quite heavily and it was dark outside too even though it was about one in the afternoon. Just then the phone rang. "I'll get it," he said as he quickly set down his drink.

"Hello?"

"Hi son. I don't think I'll be able to come home tonight. It sure is blowing out there. Don't worry we have electricity and blankets and food," said Daniel calling from the practice.

"Are you sure it's okay Dad? If you want I can come over and…"

"No I don't want to hear about it. You just stay there and don't get in trouble. Is Margaret still there?"

"Yeah. She doesn't want to leave in this weather either. Or it could just be an excuse to be with me," he said cheekily.

Daniel chuckled at his end of the line. "Now behave Hawk. I would like her to come over again sometime when she could so don't scare her off."

"Don't worry Dad. I won't do anything unless she goes along with it," said Hawkeye grinning.

Daniel chuckled again. "Bye Ben. See ya tomorrow I hope."

"Talk to ya later Dad." Hawkeye hung up the phone and ran his hand over his mouth. He walked back into the den and sat down.

"Was that your dad?" asked Margaret.

"Hmmm? Yeah. He's stuck in the practice so he was just letting me now I'm on my own." He winked at her. "And I have you with me so I don't get into to much trouble."

Margaret gave him a bemused look.

"So I'm in your good graces now?"

"Yes."

Hawkeye gave her a mock shocked expression. "After the way I behaved Margaret Houlihan isn't even going to try to get even? Well I never thought I would see the day that would happen."

"Well I've been taking some anger management classes so I'm not all that angry. But that doesn't mean you can just do that again. Because if you do you'll be in a world of hurt buster," said Margaret trying to sound threatening.

"I wouldn't dream of it," said Hawkeye with another wink.

"Have you ever thought of marriage?" asked Margaret out of nowhere. As soon as she spoke it she immediately wished she hadn't because Hawkeye looked at her with a 'Are you crazy?' kind of look.

"Well yes I have but when I was much, much younger before I knew the fun of being a bachelor," replied Hawkeye with his left eyebrow raised.

Margaret blushed and studied Hawkeye. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"That, raising your eyebrow. I've always wanted to do that," said Margaret rather sheepishly.

"It's just a natural born gift," said Hawkeye dramatically. Then he leaned her way, which made her lean in and whispered loudly, "Well, that isn't all I can raise."

Margaret leaned back with a shocked yet bemused look on her face. "Is that a fact?"

Hawkeye grinned. He studied her for a moment. "You know what those pajamas look quite nice on you."

Margaret looked down at herself. She was wearing a new pair of pajamas that had cherries printed on it because it was Michigan's prize fruit. The bottoms were baggy yet stuck close to her body showing off her flat stomach. The top was a button down that was about a size to small that fit snugly around her breasts and curves.

She blushed and slid down the back of the chair until she winced when she felt a pain in her neck. Hawkeye looked at her concerned. "Come here let me look at you neck." She got up and sat down by him rubbing her neck. It must have become sore while they were outside.

He started to massage her neck, which made her sigh. It was loosening the muscle and him touching her made her shiver with pleasure. Hawkeye felt her shiver under his touch and gave a little smile.

"This feel better?"

"Mmmmm, yeah."

Hawkeye continued to massage her neck and shoulders longer than needed. After she was in an almost doze he leaned forward moved her hair to the side and started to kiss her neck. She woke up feeling something on her neck and noticed it was Hawkeye.

"Hawkeye?" she whispered.

"Hmmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"What does it feel like I'm doing? Do you want me to stop?"

She didn't do anything and just sat letting him kiss her neck and let his hands wander to her waist. "I should stop him before he gets to the sweet spot on my neck. Right now. Right now. Right now…"

Hawkeye got to the hollow of her neck where if he got it just right she would be at the place of no return. He got it just right in the hollow of her neck by kissing, licking, and sucking at the skin. Margaret moaned and wiggled in his grasp. Hawkeye liked that when she did that and did it again. Now he started to turn her around until she was kneeling in front of him running her hands through his raven black hair. His hands wandered to her butt and gave it a squeeze. She gave a little yelp and glared at him accusingly.

"Hey, my hands did it on their own."

She smiled and moved in to continue kissing him. Then suddenly he flipped her so she underneath him. He lay on top of her and parted her lips with his tongue, which started to explore her mouth like an unexplored cave. His hands rested on her hips. She moaned and moved with him. She placed her hands on his butt and gave a slight squeeze.

He got a harder grip on her hips and started kissing her rather roughly. Margaret stopped pressing on his butt and started tugging on his shirt to come over his head. She whipped it off of him and almost made it fall into the fire. She let her hands roam across his well-toned body. Hawkeye was just about to pull her hair away from her face so he could get to her beautiful face when the phone rang.

"Damn it! That stupid phone just had to ring." He looked down at her longingly but when the phone rang again he sighed and went to pick it up.

Margaret sighed and placed her hands behind her head and waited for him to return so they could continue with their rendezvous. Hawkeye came back and stood in the doorway gravely. Margaret sensed something was wrong and sat up. He came over and sat down and ran his fingers through his hair. Margaret lightly placed her hand on his thigh in a friendly manner.

"What's the matter?"

"I can't believe it."

"Did something happen to Daniel?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"My cousin Nathan almost got in a car accident. He was going too fast and ran into a patch of ice. Luckily he got the car under control before he almost hit a tree," Hawkeye said as he sighed. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I don't think we're doing anything else tonight."

"How's he doing?" asked Margaret concerned.

"He's doing okay but he's pretty shaken up and they think he might have pneumonia. He was like my best friend when we were younger. Then when I went to that fabulous party in Korea he got married and had a kid. When I got back I didn't even know him. He used to be careless about everything like me now he worries about everything."

"I'm sure he'll be okay. Everything will go well."

Hawkeye nodded and left her to go call his father about what had happened. Margaret watched the fire for a while. When it was on it's last embers she looked around the room and saw Hawkeye sitting in one of the chairs with his eyes closed and it looked as if he was asleep. Margaret smiled, got up and kissed him on the cheek goodnight. She found a blanket and covered him so he wouldn't get cold when the fire went out for good. She almost thought she saw him smile just a tinny bit when she covered him. She tip toed up to her room and soon fell asleep.

She woke up hearing a baby crying and someone trying to soothe it. She sat up and found the same woman and child in her room. The woman smiled at her and motioned for her to come closer. Margaret got up and went to her. The woman looked very real and she guessed that if she held out her hand that the woman would be very solid. The woman tilted the baby up so Margaret could see the baby's face well. It looked very much the mother.

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled again and looked up at the dresser at the only object that sat up there. Margaret went over and picked up the frame. The picture inside showed a family of three. There was a man that Margaret was sure was Daniel when he was quite younger. There was a young boy that she guessed was Hawkeye at 10. He looked like a very mischievous little boy. Then there was the woman holding Hawkeye and Daniel holding her. Margaret looked behind her to ask the woman if she was Hawkeye's mother but she wasn't there. Again it smelled like roses in the room. Margaret smiled and got back to bed. She liked her resident ghost.