One of These Days, You're Going to Love Me

by SaRa



A hotel room in Tokyo, Japan, 1952

This was the second time since her marriage to Donald that she'd been able to see him, and she was very grateful that Potter had given her the pass. She expected that the few arguments they'd had were long since forgotten by him. He expected that his "forgetting" to mention that this was his second marriage didn't matter to Margaret. Both of them had expected wrong. All they did was argue.

"How could you have forgotten to tell me that, Donald? I mean, first marriages aren't usually something you forget to tell people about!" Margaret said.

"I'm sorry, I just forgot! It's not like you didn't forget to tell me what exactly happened with you and that Frank Burns character," Donald defended himself.

"I told you about it before you and I got married, but I can't say the same for you and your thrilling story about your ex!"

"Oh, shut up already! You're worse than she was! Complain, complain. A man should be able to tell his wife what he expects of her without her nearly killing him!"

At first, Margaret had nothing to say in response to that. Suddenly, a thought came to her.

"And I'll bet that's why she left you! You told - what's her name? - Darlene what to do so much, she just couldn't stand you any more, so she left. I don't blame her! A few more days of this, and you'll be having a sense of déjà vu, buster!"

"Hardly! You wouldn't leave me if you're life depended on it!" Donald laughed.

"You won't be laughing when I leave you!"

"You don't have the courage. You'd be afraid for the rest of your life that I was going to come seeking revenge!"

"Ha! Now, that's funny!"

"Stupid woman! Don't you know by now that you should listen to me?"

With that, Donald shoved her. She lost her balance and fell.

"Aww...I guess I should help you up," he said very sarcastically. He kicked her in the stomach. By now, she knew better than to fight back.

4077th MASH, a week later

"Okay, Margaret, what's the problem?" Hawkeye asked as her barged into her tent.

"Don't you ever knock?"

"I'm sorry," he said. He walked out and knocked. Then, he barged in.

"I guess that's an improvement."

"Okay, what's up?"

"What do you mean?"

"What's wrong, Margaret?"

"Nothing, Captain."

"Don't give me that. You've been moping around since you came back from Tokyo. Did you two fight?"

"No, not that it's any of your business anyway."

"You're lying."

"How could you tell?"

"I couldn't; that was to trick you into confessing you were lying. It worked, too."

"Do you really want to help me?"

"Yeah."

"Then, leave me alone."

"Margaret, what is wrong?"

"That's none of your business, Pierce."

"Margaret, we're friends, right?"

"I'd hardly refer to us as that, but if you say so..."

"Friends tell each other what's going on. Now, what's going on?"

"Please, leave."

"Only if you'll tell me what's wrong."

"No."

"Then, I guess we're going to be bunking together for some time."

"Uh-uh. No way. Get out."

"Please...Margaret, tell me what's wrong; I wanna help."

"Hawkeye," she sighed, "I wish I could. I don't even know what's going on."

"Okay...what happened in Tokyo?"

"Nothing," she replied. Donald had told her to keep her mouth shut and she did because she was afraid of the consequences.

"Honest?"

"No...I can't talk about it, though."

"Why?"

"Donald made me promise not to say any..." she trailed off, noticing that she might as well just tell him everything about it, now that she had said that much. She couldn't bring herself to do such a thing, though.

"I need time to think about it. I'll let you know when I want to talk, okay?" Margaret said.

"Okay," agreed Hawkeye.

Then, he left. Margaret laid down on her cot with the intention of sleeping. She couldn't. The whole night, her conversation with Hawkeye haunted her. Not only that, but her trips to Tokyo to see Donald replayed themselves in her mind. She gave up trying to sleep and just laid on her back and stared at the roof of the tent.

Mess Tent, the next morning

"G'morning Margaret," Hawkeye said as she sat down next to him at the table.

"Morning? It can't be...I'd swear it was the middle of last night...I didn't sleep at all," she said.

"Oh? Aren't you feeling well?" asked Charles.

"I'm fine, Charles. Something is bothering me, that's all."

Now, it wasn't Charles's nature to stick his nose into other people's lives, but he had to ask, "What is it?"

"Why can't everyone just leave me the h*ll alone!?" she exclaimed as she stood up and ran out of the mess tent.

"Margaret!" Hawkeye called as he stood and ran after her. A few minutes later, he found her under a tree in the field next to the camp that did not come with mines included. "Margaret?" he asked as he walked towards her. When he got closer, he could see that she was hugging her knees to her chest, crying her eyes out.

"Do you wanna - "

"No."

"Are you - "

"Yes."

"It might - "

"It won't."

"Margaret, you've got to talk. You're hurting. It helps."

"No, it doesn't. Please, leave me alone."

"Start talking and I'll consider it."

"No. Hawkeye, it's something that you can't help. You might make it worse, even."

"Oh?"

"It's Donald..."

Everything that had happened between her and Donald came pouring out. She ended it by asking him what he thought she should do. He didn't know. She said that she'd figured as much. He had an idea of what he would do, though.

"I'll beat the crap out of him for you, though," Hawkeye said seriously.

"No! Don't you dare! And don't tell anyone, either. I don't need you sticking your nose into my life."

"So what if I tell someone?"

"I'll deny it. It's your word against mine."

"No, it's not," he said as he stood and began to walk away. She stood up and ran after him.

"Hawkeye, if you're really my friend, you'll let me handle it how I want," she said when she caught up with him. "Anyway, it's in the past; it doesn't matter."

Hawkeye gave her a gentle shove.

"Hey! What was that for?" she exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter; it's in the past."

"Hawkeye!"

"Margaret, that's how you're looking at this whole Donald thing!"

She was about to protest, but realized it was true.

"Margaret, if I tell someone, one of these days, you're going to sit down and think...you're going to sigh a little and maybe even cry a little, but one of these days, you're going to love me."

She hugged him and they walked back to camp hand in hand.

Tokyo, a few months later

"Congratulations, I'm just so happy for you. I can't contain the way I feel. So what? Who cares? I swear, if I hear another word about candlelight and roses..." Donald snapped as he shoved Margaret. This time, she didn't give in. She shoved him right back. Little did Donald know that Hawkeye was standing outside the door in case he was needed.

"You never learn, do you?" asked Donald.

"Yes, I do. I learned not to let you do this anymore and I learned what true love is!" she yelled. Hawkeye heard her from his position just outside the door. He smiled to himself.

"You really shouldn't fight back if you're not as strong as the person you're fighting...it's easiest to give in," Donald taunted.

"You should take your own advice sometime," Margaret shot back.

"Margaret, you might not realize this, but after this little fight is over, you're going to sigh a little and maybe even cry a little, but one of these days, you're going to love me."

She bit her lip and shook her head, "No, Donald. You'll be the one to look back at this and realize what could have happened...one of these days, you are going to love me, but I'll never love you. I love someone else." She then pulled some papers out of her pocket and thrust them at Donald. "I'm sure you know what these are...you went through this before with Darlene." With that, she walked out of the hotel room.

"I didn't think it would go that good," Hawkeye said as he hugged her.

"Me neither. I'm starved...want to go get something to eat?"

"Sure."

At the restaurant, while Margaret was looking out the window at the beautiful sunset, Hawkeye set something on the table in front of her. When she turned back around, she saw it. She glanced at Hawkeye, wordlessly asking him if it was what she thought. He nodded and so she said, "I love you and trust you very much, so, I'm willing to be your wife. Do you honestly love me?"

"I do. Do you honestly love me?"

"I do."

Well, that's an all-purpose phrase and a few weeks later, they used it again. This time, it was at their wedding.

Maine, 1955

"Margaret, now that you're in my life, I'm so glad, 'cause you showed me the way to happiness...because you love me...I believe in things unseen; I believe in the message of a dream, and I believe in what you are because you love me. With all my heart, and all my soul, I'm loving you and I never will let go. Every day I'll let it show, because you love me," Hawkeye said as she climbed into bed.

"I love you, very, very much," was the reply.

The End

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