The next morning the couple packed up the camp and got ready to leave. Hawkeye had let his dad know what he was doing and that they might not make it back in time, but they wanted to get home and tell him the good news all the same.

"You know I thought of everything, Margaret. I even brought our swimming gear. It's a little chilly, but wanna go for a swim before we go?"

"Sure." They pulled on their swimsuits and got into the water. "BEN!" She shrieked as she barely had her feet in the water while he was already doing dives. "This is freezing!! I never noticed that last night!"

"That's because last night you jumped in to quickly your body just got used to it right away. It's the best way to do it. C'mere." He picked her up and dragged her into the water so she was in up to her shoulders in freezing water before she could do anything.

"Ben!! You're crazy!!"

"Are you cold though?"

"No."

"I told you, although I just realized I should have let you be cold, that way I could warm you up." He said putting his arms around her.

"Well, I can say that I'm not all that warm."

"Works for me." He mumbled against her mouth. His hand started to slip one of her straps down.

"Ben?"

"Hmmm"

"Are you sure we won't be disturbed? I don't want a bunch of old fishermen coming here and finding us here like this."

"Don't worry. No one's ever seen this place. It's my place. I even put markers here and things just to see if anyone else came here, but nobody came. From the coast you can't see this place, it's too sheltered."

"Hmm.I don't know." All of a sudden she reached down at his trunks and pulled out the knot in the drawstring before he could say anything his trunks were floating in the water.

"You were pretty eager on making that decision, weren't you?" He said smiling. Margaret just laughed and pulled him closer.

They sailed home excited to tell everyone their news, especially everyone from the 4077th, but at the same time reluctant to be giving up their own little private heaven on that beach.

"You know, no one will believe us. Especially Trapper. When he left we were still fighting like cats and dogs." Hawkeye said.

"Ben, should we call Frank? I mean, I'd love to see his reaction, but I really don't want him at the wedding, God knows what fuss he'll kick up, and he might even try to kill you. He went ballistic when I married that asshole, what will he think when I tell him I'm marrying you?!"

"Hey!" Said Hawkeye with a mock hurt expression.

"I mean, he hated you! He always said that! I can't imagine what he'd think knowing his enemy and his former mistress-God I regret that part of my life-getting Married!"

"I know, I know. Maybe it's best we not tell him. I mean, sure I'd love to see old Ferret Face's expression if we told him the good news, but you know. I do kind of, you know value your life, and I'm sure you don't want a whiny thing after you to leave me and go off with him and have sex."

"I knew you'd understand. Plus, I don't think you'd want Carlyle at the wedding so you know."

"Yeah. Most families from here that we invite though will have at least one person of the female persuasion that I either dated or asked out or constantly hit on."

"Well, I figured that. You are Hawkeye Pierce: Biggest player on Earth."

"Hey!! I'll tell you I may have been a shameless flirt, but I would never, ever go out with two girls the one time, or go out with a married woman, or anything with a married woman, well, except that time with you in that hut."

"Yeah, well, Ben, when I got that letter I knew my marriage was over. I was so glad you were there that night. I was just so upset, Hank." \

"I understand, Darlene." He said as they smiled at each other. They had reached the wharf and tied the boat on. Hawkeye grabbed Margaret's hand and led her off the boat, and held her hand as they walked home.

"Dad! DAD!! DAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!" Hawkeye yelled.

"Hawk! HAWK!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!!!" Daniel yelled back even though he was standing right next them. Then in a normal voice he said "I wish you'd give that up! I can understand when you were little, in a snowsuit and you had to do your peepee."

"Da-ad!!" Hawkeye said as Margaret just laughed.

"Anyway, what was it you were yelling out like a maniac for?"

"I'd like to introduce to you, the future "Mrs. Benjamin Franklin Houllihan Pierce!" Hawkeye said with a huge smile on his face holding Margaret's left hand out to show his dad.

"Ben I think I'd like to just be Pierce, and drop the Houllihan" Margaret said very happy that he gave her the choice to keep her old name if she wanted.

"Ben? You've finally caught a nurse!! I knew all that nurse chasing had you had to catch something! I'm so happy for you!" Daniel said as he gave his son a hug and Margaret a hug and a kiss. "Now listen, 9 months after your wedding, I want grandkids. I know you're both tired of the Army and I wasn't even in it, but I outrank you because I'm your dad. Margaret, call me Dad, none of that in-law stuff. You're now my daughter. So, I order you to have grandkids then! Not before though. At least that way we can say that you were good kids before your wedding."

"Da-ad!"

"I know, I know, it won't be true but at least it can seem that way."

"DAD!"

"Hey, I'm just saying it like it is!"

"You said you wouldn't mention that!"

"I didn't say I'd mention any other times. May I remind you that Margaret's been living here for three days and her bed still doesn't look slept in, and don't say you think you didn't zip those two sleeping bags together last night, Hawk. That's an old trick. I'm sure when you guys got engaged there was celebrating."

"DAD!! Please! You sure know how to embarrass a guy!"

"Yeah, well, I'm your Dad. I'm supposed to do that." He said with a cheeky smile just like Hawkeye's. Now, c'mon I'm sure you've got a few phone calls to make."

Hawkeye and Margaret sat on the couch cuddled up with a phone and a list of numbers. "Who should we call first?"

"How about the colonel?" Margaret suggested. He was always like a father to her.

"Sure." He dialed the number and waited for that familiar voice,

"Hello? Doc Potter here."

"Hello Colonel." Hawkeye said.

"Pierce? Well how are ya son?!"

"Great! The reason I called is because I got some great news! I just wanted to let you know that I've finally settled down and am engaged!"

"Holy Hemostat! That's great!! Who's the lucky lady that finally managed to get you to settle down? She must be one fine girl to do that!"

"Hello Colonel!" Margaret said.

"That's not-Margaret? Are you two-Well Great Pablo's Potatoes! Congrats to both of you!! You know, I knew that goodbye kiss you gave each other was more than that between friends. Oh, and don't think I don't know about the time when you were lost somewhere between the four oh double natural and the eight oh sixty third. I knew you two were smiling at each other, though you two never noticed the other. I'm proud of you two! So when's the big day?"

"Well as soon as we can get everybody up here. We want it soon, but not rushed. We want everyone from the 4077th, except Frank, and we want it to be a nice wedding, but we'll send out invitations by mail. Colonel, we'd love to talk more, but I'm afraid we have a whole list of people to tell. Actually you're the only person who knows except for my dad" Hawkeye said.

"I'm flattered to hear that son. You go ahead, some people might not believe you right away and might think it an elaborate joke. Who is it Macintyre, if when he left you were acting towards each other like the first while I was there, he's gonna have a hard time to believe you. By the way, call me Sherm. I gave up the Colonel part as soon as we got home."

"Only if you call us Hawkeye and Margaret! It could get confusing with Pierce and Pierce!"

"Yeah, that it could. Well, I'll let you go now and call everyone else. Congrats again, and I'll see you at the wedding. Goodbye!"

"Bye Sherm" They both said as they hung up.

"Who do you want to call now?" Hawkeye asked.

"Well, Ben. I'd kind of like to call my Dad. Then Mom. Mom will be thrilled, but Dad, well-"

"I know, I know. He hates me just 'cause I'm not regular Army. I just don't see the need of the senseless killing like he does."

"Yeah, and I haven't told him that I resigned from the Army yet. He's gonna be really upset. But, could I call him alone?"

"Sure." He got up and kissed her on her head as he got up.

"Ben." She said looking up at him. He turned around. "You can do better than that, now kiss me, and that's an order."

"I was never one to follow orders, but that's one I don't mind doing." He went over and kissed her passionately, leaving her breathless. "That better?"

"How do you do that?"

"Do What?"

"You make me breathless every time you kiss me, as if we've never kissed you before. It's amazing. I love you Ben."

"I love you too. I'll go upstairs now and give you some privacy." He jogged up the stairs and Margaret sighed and stared at the phone. She was afraid to call her dad. Slowly, she picked up the phone and dialed the number.

Hawkeye knew that the call would not go over well. He stood in his room with the door open, listening for the first sign of trouble. He listened for a few minutes and Margaret told her father that she was getting married to Hawkeye, and that she quit the Army. Soon after she was crying

"Daddy! Don't make me choose! I can't! Daddy I love him! I love him very much and he loves me! Why can't you understand that?! I've just had enough to do with the Army and Hawkeye had nothing to do with that decision! Daddy? Please Daddy, I can't choose."

Hawkeye was almost in tears himself. He had to do something. He ran downstairs cuddled up behind her and whispered, "I love you. I love you so much I would never hurt you. Therefore, I want you to choose your dad. I don't want to break up your family. So go to your dad." He was worried to loose her, and didn't know what he would do without her, but he couldn't let her choose him over her own father.

"Daddy" Margaret said between her tears "Ben just told me that he loves me so much he could never hurt me and would never want to break up our family, so he told me to choose you. That tells me that he really and truly loves me, and you can't understand that. You are making me choose. I don't want to loose you daddy, I was hoping you'd walk me down the isle, but I'm choosing Ben. Goodbye Daddy." Margaret hung up the phone and buried her head in Hawkeye's chest and sobbed. "I Love you Ben."

"I love you too. I didn't want to break up your family."

"Look Ben, you are my family. We're gonna make a family. When we get married, we'll have a house full of children. They always say, 'if you love something, let it go. If it doesn't come back, it was never yours, if it stays, it will be yours forever.' I love you."

"Margaret I love you so much. I can't wait to get married. I can't wait to have a house full of children like you said. I can't wait. I know it's a long way off, but you and me, and baby makes three. We'll be happy in my Blue Heaven."

"You want to get married in two weeks? That's enough time to plan a wedding, isn't it?"

"You got it. What my Major Baby wants, my Major Baby gets."

"Thank You, Captain Sexy" She kissed him. "Let's go! We've got a wedding to plan!!"