Rating: PG-13

Stay

by Lisa

Rating- PG13 for language... And a little bit of HM canoodling :-P
Pairing- H/M, of course! What else is there?
Description- This is just a little ficlet I wrote for New Year's Eve. Author's notes at the end!
*Keep in mind this is my first H/M fic... Be gentle!*

"Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne!"

The unfamiliar sound of joy rang from the mess tent, where the entire 4077th had gathered. Another year full of sorrows and joys, memories and forgotten events had passed.

From beside Hawkeye, BJ sighed. "Well, Happy New Year, Hawk. God, I wish Peg were here..."

Hawkeye nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, me too."

Normally, he would have listened to his friend, but his attention and concern were focused on someone else. From across the room, he noticed Margaret sitting by herself in a corner, far from the assembled group.

"What's with you? Drink's gone to your head?" Beej asked, gesturing to the empty martini glass Hawkeye held in his hand.

"Sure", came Hawkeye's distracted response. He stood up and made his way through the crowd to Margaret's table.

Margaret looked up to see Hawkeye smiling down at her.

"Mind if I sit here, or are you saving seats for the camp?" He grinned.

Margaret shook her head wordlessly.

Hawkeye took a seat beside her. "You okay?"

The words triggered something in Margaret. Fear... Self-defense? Even she didn't know. Nothing was clear to her anymore.

God dammit, Margaret, you idiot. Why did you have to make it so obvious? Set yourself apart from everyone else like this, of course someone will notice!, she chastised herself. And of all people, Hawkeye...

He decided to try again. "Margaret?"

Go away, just... Go. I'll be fine! Oh, yessir, don't you worry about me. After all, I'm head nurse. I can stand on my own, I don't need anyone to lean against. I don't..., Her mind raced as she tried to convince herself that those were her true feelings.

Clearing her throat rather loudly, Margaret found her voice. "I'm fine, Captain. You've nothing to be concerned about, and even if you did, it's none of your business." She snapped.

"Margaret..." he began softly, laying a hand on hers.

She drew in a sharp breath as she fought desperately to hold back the tears welling in her eyes.

"You know I'm here. "

She did know. That was the problem. She trusted him more than she trusted Donald... And herself.

Donald.

The name brought back pangs of pain and anger, and she clenched her hand into a fist, digging her nails into her skin.

"Excuse me." She said tightly, standing up and slamming her empty coffee cup on the table. She stalked out of the mess tent, and into the cold night.

"HALT!" Klinger came out of the shadows, dressed in a long wine-coloured evening gown and black heels.

"Go eat your garter belt." She said miserably as she brushed past him.

Back in her tent, Margaret hurriedly pulled off her fatigues and slipped into her pajamas. Flinging back the covers, she sighed and sat on the edge of the cot. Her head hurt, her back ached and her stomach was doing cartwheels.

How could he hurt me like this? AGAIN? Wasn't once enough? Wasn't that man ever satisfied?, she raged silently, pulling at her blonde hair in anger.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and she jumped. "WHAT!"

"Margaret, it's me."

Margaret's perfunctory response of "Go away!" was on the tip of her tongue, but she stopped herself, remembering what he'd told her in the mess tent; remembering what she herself had told him after that night in the abandoned hut.

Despite her anger, a small smiled played on her lips. She hadn't lied in her letter. The night she spent with Hawkeye was one she would never forget for as long as she lived.

Pulling on the blue silk robe she so often wore, she answered in a voice barely above a whisper. "Come in."

The door opened and Hawkeye slipped inside, a coffee cup in one hand and his martini glass in the other.

"I brought you some fresh coffee from the Mess Tent." He said, placing it on her bed table.

"Thanks, but I'm already sick as it is" she said bitterly.

"Sorry. Look, um... What's bothering you?". He drew in a deep breath, waiting for what he hoped would be an honest response. The air carried her scent and he breathed in again.

She looked up at him, into his caring face and knew she couldn't tell him anything but the truth.

"It's... It's Donald," she began slowly, trying to calm her stomach. "He's leaving me."

Hawkeye's eyes widened. "He's what?! For who?"

"Darlene." She spat out the name as if it carried a bad taste. "That...whore he wrote that letter for, do you remember?"

"Margaret, I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't be! I'm sure I'll be much happier without him. Look at all the pain he's caused me. Yeah, I'll be fine!" She said in a strained voice, smiling forcefully.

"I don't buy that for a second." Hawkeye said, looking her in the eye.

She scoffed. "Neither do I." Looking down, she sighed heavily. When she met his gaze again, there were tears running down her cheeks. "Neither do I".

The silence was deafening, until Margaret sobbed.

"Why does this always happen to me? Why am I always alone? Did I do something, did I say something?! Did I not do or say *enough*? Every man, every relationship I have goes to the dogs! Frank Burns... He was married, for god's sake! And dumb as a box of hammers! And Donald Penobscott is a two-timing snake in the grass! And YOU..."

"ME?!" Hawkeye repeated incredulously.

"YOU! You're always looking for a quick lay, a good time! You never spend more than a night on a nurse before you move to the next one. You spend one night with me in a hut, then the next day it's Oh, I'm so glad they found us! Hooray, time to go home and take another nurse, then move on to another as if she were nothing more than a toy!"

"Margaret, that's not how it is! You know how I feel about you!" He said, grabbing her hand.

"You don't give a damn, do you? You don't know how it is! You had a love. Carlye what's-her-face!"

He took her shoulders, turning her to face him "That's just it! Had. I don't have her anymore! She's married, gone, I don't know if she has kids or what she's doing now! Do you think that's easy for me? I know exactly what you're going through. You're not alone in this!"

"Then why do I feel as if I am?", she asked. Her crying subsided, at least for the moment, and she lifted her head to look at him.

"I don't know. But... You're not, Margaret. You have me." Hawkeye reminded her gently, wiping the fallen tears from her cheek.

Slowly, as if she were unsure of her own actions, she leaned into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry.. I didn't mean what I said about you and the..."

'I know, I know," he said, trying to comfort her. " Shhh. It's ok... You're angry, I understand." He said softly, stroking her hair. The sympathetic action brought Margaret to tears again.

He held her like that for a long time, just petting her hair as she let out the frustration and anger that had been building up inside for so long.

Finally, she sniffed and looked up at him. " Thank you"

"It's nothing. This shirt was due for a wash anyway."

She laughed for the first time that night.

He smiled and moved closer, so there was only so much space between them. Tilting her chin upwards, he bent down to capture her lips in a kiss. It was gentle at first; loving and soft. Tangling his hands in her hair, he deepened the kiss, pulling her closer. She returned it wholeheartedly, wrapping her arms around his waist. She slid her hands ever so slowly up his back and ran her fingers through his hair. She thought she felt him shiver and smiled inwardly.

He pulled away to study her expression. She smiled at him gratefully as she brushed an errant lock of black hair from his forehead.

"I should go", he said quietly, letting go of her and turning to leave.

"No. Please...", she reached out and took his hand.

Hawkeye looked back at her.

Her delicate fingers flirted with the belt of her robe. "Just for awhile... Stay."

And he did.

~The end!

A/N-This is a song-fic... Originally it wasn't going to be, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how fitting it would be. Many thanks to Summerleisur for being such an awesome beta reader. Couldn't have done it without you! *Hugs*

STAY Lyrics--

Stay
Just a little bit longer
Please please please please please
Tell me that you're going to

Daddy don't mind, do you
Mama don't mind, no
If we have another dance
Just one more time.

Oh, won't you stay
Just a little bit longer,
Please let me hear
You say that you will
Say you will

Won't you place your sweet lips
To mine
Won't you say you love me
All of the time

Come on stay,
Just a little bit longer
Please please please please please
Tell me that you're going to
Oh, come on stay, come on come on come on, stay
Come on come on come on, stay
Come on come on come on, stay


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