I lay on my pillow and watched Hawkeye sleep. I loved to watch him sleep; especially the peaceful and exhausted sleep he slept after we'd made love. His face was so calm and happy, all his worries were down the latrine, he was back in the Cove as a child playing with his friends, or sleeping with me in our bed in the States; a bed we didn't even know, one we only dreamed of. But mostly, I felt safest there, and even though I was probably at my most vulnerable, naked, half-asleep, dreamy and not even a boot within reach as protection, our mattress in Supply was the safest place I knew.

"Rise and shine." BJ came in. He was the only one, in this life or the next, who could enter Supply when Hawkeye and I were in there without waiting for permission.

"Mmm, morning BJ." I rolled over sleepily and for half a second, he looked like he was going to cry, I realised that again, I reminded him of Peggy.

"You sounded just like Peggy then Anne, god you look like her too, you have to stop doing that." He smiled reproachfully and sat down beside me, smiling at Hawkeye who still slept blissfully.

"I came by 2am to get you two into bed, but you were dead to the world, so I left you two alone. You've swapped sides though, you were where Hawkeye is." BJ remarked teasingly, knowing full well what had happened.

"Ah, you found us out, we went back for seconds." BJ laughed and I reddened as we glanced at Hawkeye's obviously contented sleep.

"He's very lucky man, you've obviously tired him out." He teased and I slapped BJ playfully.

"Yes, well, what brings you in at this hour? It's what, 7.30?" I waited expectantly and clapped my hands as BJ pulled mail from his shirtfront.

"Thankyou BJ! No, let him sleep" I grabbed the letters and shifted my head onto BJ's knees, so I could read the letters at a better angle. It was the routine family mail, and as I flicked through it, a letter that was either months old, or had been written by someone who did not know of my promotion and marriage caught my eye.

"Lt. Annabelle F.A.J Dawson, MASH 4077, Ouijongbou, Korea." I turned the letter over, it was unnamed and as neither the address nor handwriting was familiar, I ripped it open. The messy doctors' scrawl was at once familiar, I read barely two lines when tears blurred my sight and I dropped the letter.

"Anne, what is it?" I handed BJ the letter shakily, and he read it.

"My Darling Annie,

I hope that this letter finds you okay, I have no idea where you are, as neither of us bothered to keep touch. There's so much I want to say, it's been forever since I kissed you goodbye, I really don't know what I want to say first.

I guess you want to know that I got home alive and well. Being on Boston soil again is a dream come true. But I've heard that pride comes before a fall, and it's true. Louise met me at the airport divorce papers in hand. She couldn't stand knowing I was in Korea with all those young women, she knew what I did, even though I never told her. The divorce was finalised this afternoon.

So I'm really taking pen to paper tonight, as I sit alone in my apartment to ask you to come back to me. Annie, do you remember what we had, how in love we were? I loved you then, as my sister, friend and potential lover. I love you now even more so.

Are you still you? The sweet, innocent girl I fell in love with, the girl who was fighting off men for the sake of her virtue? I hope that you are and that you haven't changed too much. I have changed little, slightly older and greyer, but still the same troublemaker you fell for.

I know you were engaged to Hawkeye when I left, and please don't hate me for saying so but I doubt that you two lasted together. He was the love-you- and-leave-you type. I bet he found a new nurse in Tokyo, and I hope you were not too badly hurt.

I'd never hurt you like that Annie, you mean too much to me. I could never do that to you, not now, not ever. Would you believe me and marry me?

Annabelle, I love you very much and I am praying as I write that you can accept my offer and the next time I see you, you will be the future Mrs Trapper MacIntyre.

All my love, Trapper xxx"

BJ looked amazed, he knew fair bit about Trapper and I, how close we were and how much we meant to each other, he also knew he'd filled most of Trapper's position and he was doing it well, but like myself, he could not believe what he had just read.

"Anne, we need to talk, and I don't think Hawkeye needs to know about this." BJ knew that reading it would only upset Hawkeye. Hawkeye wouldn't want to know what his friend really thought of him.

"Agreed." I grabbed my letters, dressed quickly and tiptoed from the room, leaving my husband to sleep quietly.

"Margaret, we've got a little dilemma here, and we're going to need all the help we can get." BJ tapped on her tent door.

"Which patient?" She opened the door sleepily, peering at us.

"No, read this." I handed her the letter and she scanned it.

"How dare he! How on earth could he have the nerve to write something like that to you?" She spat furiously but BJ put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Ssh, we need your help finding a tactful way of letting him down. 'Dear Johns' aren't my thing." BJ explained.

"Nor mine, I really need help Margaret, please." I knew my plea would soften her up and though tired, she relented.

"Okay, but I think we'll need more than just my help." She agreed and as we shut the door to allow her to dress properly, BJ smiled.

"Okay, I think we can do this." I felt better just hearing his words.

"I don't want Hawkeye to read this, it'd make him go insane."

"Don't worry Anne, we'll get this letter in today's mail, even if we have to enlist the help of the entire camp to do so!"

"Start with an affectionate entry." Colonel Potter said. We'd met in his office to write the letter. Margaret, BJ, Colonel Potter, Father Mulcahy and Charles were helping.

"Affectionate?" I asked. "Remember I'm telling him no."

"But you want to remain friends don't you? Be warm, but not too touching, let him know you want to be friends, but let him know where he stands." Potter explained.

"Be gentle my child, Trapper was a good man and he means no harm." Father Mulcahy pressed gently.

"How about Dear Trapper?" I asked, Margaret shook her head.

"Too distant try Dearest. Don't rub it in, just tell him as shortly as you can."

"Yes, the Major is right Annabelle, were I in MacIntyre's position I know I would not want somebody gloating about what I could have had but cannot." Charles said. Surprisingly, he was being a lot of help, and was successfully making this letter more sensitive.

"Okay," I scribbled a few lines and handed them to Margaret who read them aloud.

"Dearest Trapper, I don't know how to say this without causing you pain. But I am married and promoted. I'm Mrs Hawkeye Pierce and I'm sorry but my heart belongs to him. Not bad." She smiled, handing me the paper as she did so.

"Annabelle, I'm being presumptuous here, but I believe this MacIntyre knew you extremely well, in every sense."

"No he didn't Charles, Hawkeye and only Hawkeye has known me in the sense you're referring to." I corrected, knowing full well what Charles was hinting towards.

"Do forgive me Annabelle, it just appeared you were very close. I've heard a lot."

"Through rumours of course." I added, knowing exactly what Trapper and I used to get up to was spread around the camp in rumours that made us either sound like a pair of cootie-shy four year olds or insatiable, untameable sex-craved maniacs.

"Did you know that Annabelle is really 50?" BJ stage-whispered to Margaret.

"Really? It makes sense now, I'd heard that Hawkeye is barely half her age!" She whispered back.

"Can it you fools. Let Winchester say his bit."

"Thankyou Colonel, if he knew you, he'll know what you're trying to say, he should therefore understand, you shouldn't have to sugar-coat it."

"But Charles, I don't even know what to say." I protested.

"Klinger!" Potter called suddenly, making us all jump.

"Yessir oh your royal Colonel-ness sir?" Klinger swept into the office.

"I want you to patch a call through to Boston, Massachusetts and get a Dr John MacIntyre on the line." My face turned red, and I gaped, and tried to make an escape from the office, but BJ apprehended me, standing in front of the doorway.

"No way, I'm not talking to him." I ducked under BJ, but he put his hand down, catching me across the front. He hauled me up and we both looked awkwardly at the place where his hand rested. His arm lay across my chest, his hand cupped over my breast and his fingers resting just in my armpit. Potter caught the look that passed between us and cleared his throat. BJ removed his hand and escorted me firmly - hand on shoulder - back to the desk.

"Potter, we've got him." Klinger called. He lifted the phone and handed it to me.

"Talk, Captain." I was ordered firmly, hearing the voice on the other end of the line calling for someone.

"But Colonel . . ." I protested weakly.

"Are you really going to argue Lieutenant?" Potter bawled, I reluctantly lifted the phone to my ear. He wasn't serious about demoting me, but it was his way of making a point.

"Hello?" I spoke nervously.

"Annie?" The voice to me was much loved and painfully familiar.

"Trapper?"

"It's so wonderful to hear your voice again Annie darling. You got my letter then?"

"Yes, I did. I'm sorry about the divorce." I realised that BJ, Charles, Margaret and Colonel Potter had gone outside to listen on Klinger's phone.

"So, did you think about it? Darling, I'm serious." I propped on the edge of the desk.

"I got it an hour ago. But I've had plenty of time to think, I knew the minute I read it." I began, realising I was beating around the bush so I forced myself to be more direct.

"Okay Trapper, it's not Lieutenant anymore. It's Captain, I'm officially the Assistant-Head-Nurse. But it's not Dawson either. It's Pierce."

"Who's the lucky guy?" Trapper wouldn't believe that Hawkeye and I were wed.

"Hawkeye is! He may have seemed like the type to find a new nurse but I was serious enough to make him serious. And no, I didn't sleep with him to get him to propose, he did that of his own accord."

"When'd you tie the knot?"

"October 24 1952. Listen, I have to go, we'll lose the line soon"

"Okay Annie, I understand, you must be one amazing girl to have turned his head around that much. One more thing are you still the girl I love?"

"Trapper, if you're asking did we have sex, yes we did. Yes we do, I'm still at the 4077. I don't mean to rub it in, but I'm very deeply in love with Hawkeye. I love you too, but only as my brother and friend. I'm very sorry, in another time, another place, another war, maybe we could have gotten together, who knows, maybe we will. But until then, I'm sorry."

"I understand, Anne, don't be upset."

"I'm not. I'm sorry, but I have to go, we're losing the line. Take care Trapper."

"Goodbye Annie, I love you."

"You too Trapp." The line went dead and shaking I replaced the phone.

"See, you don't need to write the letter. My god Annabelle, you're shaking. Get a grip on yourself woman." Charles came back into the room, followed by the others.

"I'm just amazed it was that painless." I shook in BJ's arms.

"There, it's over! Simple!" Margaret announced happily. Thank god she was right.