Rating: PG

Little Red Dress

by Mrs_Tuttle

Margaret cursed as she stubbed her toe on the desk. She still wasn't used to the new layout of the tent. Someone opened the door to the tent and Margaret whirled around with an angry scowl on her face.

"Can't you read you imbecile? The sign says..." her words drifted off and she stared him at across from her in shock.

Hawkeye Pierce smiled cockily and moved towards her. "Sorry Hot Lips, I know what the sign says, but I really do hate knocking, and you no longer outrank me."

Margaret relented and smiled. "Well this certainly is a surprise." She found herself hoping that there had been a mix up with his travel orders and he was now stationed at the 8063d.

"I can't stay long," he informed her; her heart sinking in disappointment. "I have a chopper waiting for me."

"Well what are you here for?" she asked bitterly, her voice betraying a bit more emotion than she would have liked.

"I didn't like our goodbye kiss." He said simply. "I mean, I enjoyed the kiss but I had a little speech prepared to go with it but you ran off right afterwards."

Margaret rolled her eyes scornfully and crossed her arms in anticipation. "Well alright, what was your speech?"

Hawkeye took another step towards her, resting his hands lightly on her shoulders. "I wanted you to know that I always thought you were a pain in the ass, but I learned to enjoy every minute of it."

"Gee thanks," she commented sarcastically, but Hawkeye held up his hand to silence her.

"I'm not done yet. I wanted to know that you became a damn good friend to me. You usually put up with my tantrums and you were never afraid to tell me when I was acting like a jackass. I told you once that a relationship would never work with us because we're so different, but I realize now that we're not so different after all. I want to get to know you more, Margaret; the real you. I wanted to tell you that I would love to take you home with me, show you around my nice little town; take a shot at a normal relationship; dating with restaurants and flowers."

Hawkeye paused and shook his head playfully. "God, what wouldn't I give to see you in a little black dress?" He tilted his head and frowned. "Correction... a little red dress."

Margaret started to speak again but Hawkeye cut her off. "Don't say a word. I know you don't feel the same way. The army is your life, it always has been and I know you could never leave; and I couldn't stand being connected to the army in that way."

He smiled and kissed her forehead firmly. "Well that was my speech. Now I have to go."

And with that he slipped out of her tent and headed for the awaiting chopper.

Daniel watched his son come in the house and head straight for the pot of coffee on the counter.

"How was your walk?" he asked sociably.

"Boring as usual," was Hawkeye's bland response. Daniel sighed and turned his attention back to his newspaper. Hawkeye had been home for two weeks and during that time he had done nothing but skulk around the house, slamming doors, banging dishes, and muttering under his breath. Daniel had tried to find the reason behind his son's mood. At first he thought the young man might be having trouble adjusting to being back home, but Daniel quickly realized that there was something else.

"Do you mind telling me why the hell you've been in such a rotten mood?" he asked abruptly, throwing down his newspaper.

"It's this town!" Hawkeye shouted. "I can't take it anymore! It's dull, it's boring, and I'm sick of hearing you read the damn obituaries!"

Daniel rolled his eyes patronizingly. "So you're bored? Why don't you get a date? I'm sure plenty of girls in this town would be happy to go out with a surgeon and ex-captain."

Hawkeye sat down heavily in the seat across the table. "They're just stupid, immature, whores."

Daniel raised his eyebrows in shock and crossed his arms. He hadn't heard a remark that bitter come out of his son's mouth in years, and he had certainly had never heard an ill-word about a woman. Daniel began to piece together what his son's trouble was.

He wanted to ask who the girl was that Hawkeye was so obviously swooning over but the doorbell rang and Daniel looked at his son expectantly.

"Don't look at me," Hawkeye growled, throwing his hands in the air. "It's probably one of your friends and if they want to see me just tell them I died."

Daniel rolled his eyes and slowly got up, making his way to the front of the house. "Who is it?" he called as he crossed through the living room.

"I'm looking for a Doctor Benjamin Pierce," a feminine voice answered.

Daniel opened the door and smiled. Standing in front of him was a woman he recognized all too well from his son's pictures; except she certainly looked different now. Her hair was spilling around her shoulders and curled slightly. And in place of the grayish-green uniform she was wearing a little red dress.

The End