Hawkeye carried Margaret's bags upstairs to the spare bedroom. It was lavishly decorated with ornaments and many photos.

"Mum decorated this room, well she decorated all the rooms but this one has lots of her treasures" Hawkeye looked around the room sadly. "I hardly ever come in here" he said absently placing the bags down as if talking to himself.

Margaret walked over to the double bed and sat down brushing her hand over the quilt cover.

"Mum made that too" he said pointing at the patchwork quilt.

Margaret looked up at him. He had never spoken much about his mother in Korea. In fact, it had taken her a while to find out that she had passed away when he was only ten. It was so obvious that he missed her. When he did speak about her his face became very sad, no wisecracks for this topic that's for sure. Margaret got up off the bed and hugged Hawkeye to her. She didn't know what to say to him, without sounding typically 'sorry'. This topic was way to sensitive and she felt well out of her depth.

"Goodnight Hawkeye" she said to him and looked into his eyes.

Hawkeye placed a kiss on her forehead and walked out of the room silently. As Margaret got unchanged she thought about how absent Hawkeye was. The real him was lurking deep inside his soul, merely shadowed by his depression and years of pain. After years of beating his conscience, Korea had killed his spirit temporarily.

Margaret got into bed and unlike her usual sleeping pattern fell asleep peacefully. For once her tears didn't hit the pillow before she did.

Meanwhile Hawkeye was feeling somewhat better having seen Margaret. He lay in his childhood bed thinking of just how amazing she was. Within a few hours she had made him the happiest he had been since he returned from Korea.

"Imagine what she could do in a lifetime" Hawkeye thought to himself. Then Hawkeye realized what he had said. Could it be true that she was the one for him. Had he confused his feelings of compassion for Margaret with love. He began to compare his relationship with Margaret to his previous relationships with women. He had always thought that Carlye was the love of his life, and when she left him he felt as though he would never find a companion. He simply loved his medicine more. He compared Margaret with his love of medicine and decided if he had to have one, he would have Margaret. Hawkeye couldn't believe his conclusion, after years of believing he could never fall in love with someone like that, he had.

He couldn't tell her though, "she doesn't feel the same way" he thought, "the story of my life as far as women go!". He rolled over, he couldn't be rejected again. When Carlye walked out on him, both times he felt as though his heart had been ripped in two and trodden on by a dozen horses. The pain was excruciating and he didn't want to feel that way ever again. His eyelids started to lose the battle against sleep. He didn't like that point in the night, once his eyelids gave up he was subject to the war again in his sleep.

"Aaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhh" there was a scream of fright from Hawkeye's room. Margaret sat up and wondered what on earth he was doing. The scream was then repeated over and over again, followed by a large thump. Margaret could hear footsteps running down the hall and Hawkeye's door open. Margaret leaped out of bed to see what all the commotion was about.

She ran into Hawkeye's room. He was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands sobbing through labored breathing. Daniel was kneeling next to him trying to get Hawkeye to calm down.

"It's ok Ben, your home, it's alright" Daniel was now fighting off Hawkeye punching. Daniel looked up at Margaret. His eyes were pleading for help. Margaret nodded to Daniel and knelt down next to Hawkeye as well.

"It's alright Daniel, go back to bed, I'll sit with him for a while, you have to work in the morning, go get a good night sleep" Daniel smiled at her and walked out of the room. He was amazed at Margaret, she was so calm about the situation.

Hawkeye had fallen out of bed. He was sobbing violently. Margaret moved towards him gently and placed her hands around his and pulled them away from his face. His face stained with tears and he looked like a lost child. She reached for a tissue off the bedside table and gently wiped his tears away. Her gentle nursing qualities were automatic, she didn't even think about it, every move she made was autonomous. Hawkeye continued to stare at Margaret, she looked so beautiful.

"Shhhhhhh" Margaret said gently, rubbing Hawkeye's back, trying to calm him down. It was like she was next to a little lost boy.

Hawkeye started to calm down and he placed his hands around Margaret's wrists to stop her from wiping his face. He just looked at her, his eyes once again showing years on heartache. He started to sob again when he came back to reality and Margaret took him in her arms and cradled him. Hawkeye placed his head on her chest and Margaret continued to rub his back and run her fingers through his hair soothingly. His baby boy tears started to cease and Margaret just continued to hold him. After a few moments, she helped Hawkeye off the floor.

"Are you hurt?" Margaret asked full of concern. Hawkeye just shook his head, wiping the damp hair of his face. She placed Hawkeye under the covers.

"I'll be back in just a moment.ok?" And with that she walked out and down the hall.

Margaret returned to the dark room with a cold hand towel, too cool him off after his nightmare. He had become very hot and sweaty. She wiped down his face and the back of his neck.

"Goodnight" she whispered to Hawkeye, and started to push herself off the bed, only to be pulled back down.

"Please stay here tonight" even in the dark room, she could see his eyes were pleading with hers.

"Hawk, I'm just across the hall" She said emphatically, she didn't know if it was right to sleep in his bed with him.

"Please" he pleaded with her again.

Without saying anything, she climbed into the bed with Hawkeye and wrapped his arms around her waist. Hawkeye cuddled her to him, placing his arms around her. Margaret felt quite at ease in his arms. She knew he wasn't going to seduce her or anything like that, she knew he just needed to feel that she was there. They both fell back asleep again.

A few hours later, Margaret could feel and hear Hawkeye's breathing become only more labored. She rolled over onto her other side so she was facing Hawkeye and held herself up on her elbows. She soothingly stroked her hands through his shiny thick black hair and lightly made patterns with her fingertips over his face. He was struggling with his subconscious and woke up in a sweaty panic. Once he felt Margaret's presence, he calmed down again. These short episodes repeated themselves through the night.

Morning started to break at the Pierce residence. She could hear Daniel was up downstairs making breakfast. She just lay in Hawkeye's bed, he had his arms wrapped around her still and his head nuzzled into her neck. God he hoped Daniel hadn't walked into check on Hawkeye. He probably thought they were up to no good. Margaret had little sleep, but this wasn't unusual to her. She just lay there thinking about the man who lay next to her. She couldn't believe that she had nursed him through the night. This was the man who was her rock in Korea and it broke her heart to see him falling to pieces, just as it had broken her heart when he went to the mental hospital in Seoul. She continued to lay there, in his strong muscular arms. She was about to untangle herself from Hawkeye's grip around her waist only to feel his grip tighten. He wouldn't let her go. Margaret didn't want to put up a fight. However as she lay there, she felt Hawkeye's body moving further into hers. She lay there stiff like a plank of wood, what was he doing? Then he started to kiss her neck, slowly and passionately. It came as a shock to Margaret and she turned her body to look at him. He was still asleep but woke up abruptly as Margaret pulled away from him. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy it, but she had been here less than 24 hours and she didn't want to complicate her life any further. Hawkeye just looked straight back at her. He didn't know why he proceeded to kiss her like that, he just felt like it, it felt so right having her in his arms.

"I'm just going to get some breakfast" Margaret said, as though nothing happened and briskly walked out of his room. Daniel hadn't left yet, so Margaret sat down at the table with him.

"Long night?" Daniel said to Margaret, "Thank you for staying with him, can I get you a cup of coffee."

"Yes, thank you, that would be nice"

"Now I would love to stay and chat with you but I best be off, see you later" Daniel smiled as he placed the coffee in front of her and walked away. "Make yourself at home, won't you" he said as he stepped out the back door.

It took another hour or so for Hawkeye to come downstairs. He wasn't asleep, he just lay in his bed staring at the spot where Margaret had laid next to him all night. She had left her scent over his pillows and sheets.

"I can't let go of her" he thought. But he didn't think she cared for him as more than a friend. He thought back to the time Margaret looked at him with a tear-stained face and told him she was getting a divorce. The time she wasted with Frank and countless generals and Sergeant Scully. All the while he wished it were he. He saw the way the men strolled into her heart and then tried to take it from her. He ventured into her love life once, and the consequences initially had been fatal, but in the long run, it only made their relationship stronger. And then there was that night that Margaret had told him about her version of an ideal man. In a way he had been honoured that she include him in her list, but 10% of his character just wasn't enough. He was on par with the likes of Scully in her perfect man and somehow had to gain another 10% to be equal to her father to make her happy. She would never have him, Hawkeye thought. He feared the same rejection he faced after Carlye left, the emptiness and the loneliness. He got up and went downstairs.

Margaret was watching television in her pyjamas. He decided the best way to be this morning was to act as though nothing had happened that morning.

"Margaret" he said bright and cheery, he appeared to be in a better mood, "This is unlike you, I thought you would be up and dressed and ready for the day ahead"

"Pierce this is my time off, I'll stay in my pyjamas until you tell me you'll take me somewhere!" she simply shone through her smile. She too was trying to forget that morning.

Hawkeye went to fix himself breakfast. When they were both showered and dressed (no not together) they met downstairs. Hawkeye was taking Margaret to lunch at one of the sea side restaurants. Hawkeye couldn't wait to show her around and introduce her to everyone. He almost felt like she was something that needed to be shown off, so everyone knew that she was with him. Margaret was sitting on the lounge when Hawkeye came bouncing down the stairs. He had a simple shirt and jeans on and was grabing his jacket from the stand and the front door.

"Ready?" he said with a huge smile on his face, jingling his keys. Margaret could feel his excitement. Hawkeye had never been more excited to go into town. Margaret got up and walked over to him. He opened the door for her and shut it behind them.

"Look Margaret." he began glancing at her while he was driving. He had an uneasy feeling in his voice. "I want to thank you for."

"Its fine, really"

"And I am sorry about.."

"Its ok, all forgiven" she looked at him with a reassuring smile. They were close to the town now and Hawkeye pulled up outside his favorite restaurant. He was going to take her for dinner but he just couldn't wait that long.

As they sat overlooking the water, Hawkeye could do nothing but watch Margaret. He loved everything that she said. The way every word rolled off the tongue full of passion. He was engrossed in her beautiful eyes, her hair, her smile. But he didn't believe he could have her. He had to get better before he could have her.

Margaret stayed for the rest of the week at the Pierce residence. Margaret and Daniel noticed the change in Hawkeye. He was slowly returning to himself. Daniel was in ore of the effect Margaret had on Hawkeye. Margaret slept in Hawkeye's bed every night, nursing him through his horrific nightmares. The frequency and vivacity of the dreams were subsiding slightly. Having Margaret there seemed to make his fears disappear.