"Jesus Christ!" Hawkeye exploded.

"Watch your mouth!" I snapped back. It had been about two weeks since I'd told Hawkeye about BJ and I, he hadn't taken it well, and we were incapable of argument-free conversation. The rest of the camp and I were still fighting too, and very few kind words were exchanged.

In five minutes, I'd used every four-lettered word known to mankind, and called Hawkeye so many unsavoury names, I'd lost count. Not that he'd been good either, swearing and calling me insults that I'd never heard before.

"You do something like that, like, like SLEEPING with another man, my best friend no less, and then you come over all pious and tell me not to take the Lord's name in vain! God you're a hypocrite!"

"Oh, come on Hawkeye, I didn't have sex with BJ, hell I wasn't even in his bed for more than half an hour! For the love of god, I didn't mean to, nothing was further from my mind."

"Then why in . . ." Another string of curses, "Did you do that, was it some ploy to hurt me?"

"Hawkeye! God no, I would never do anything to hurt you!"

"Then why the hell did you do that? Because cheating on me is a sure-fire way to hurt me!"

"Hawkeye, Ben." I amended, as I thought the use of his real name would show how serious I was, as I only called him 'Ben' when I said I loved him. "Ben, I'm sorry, so sorry I didn't mean to, it was a bad, one-off accident, I will never do anything like that again. God, you have no idea just how sorry I really am do you?"

"Not half as sorry as I am Annabelle. I'm sorry that I wasted so much time on you, that I married you, and dammit, I'm sorry that I loved and trusted you like no one else on this earth, and I don't think I can ever love or trust you after this."

"Hawkeye no!" I gasped, reeling backwards as though I'd been hit. There was an audible gasp and I remembered we were at BJ's party for little Erin's birthday, but instead of having fun, they were more interested in listening to Hawkeye and I screaming.

"Annabelle yes, I can't bring myself to just forgive something like this. After everything I did, waiting for you to be ready, waiting for Trapper to be ready to give you up, waiting until we were married before I took you to bed, I've spent nearly 2 years with you, and then you repay me by something like that "

"Hawkeye, I no intention of hurting you . . ."

"Well you did a damned fine job!"

"Pierce! We're having a fine time without your yelling and screaming. Take this away and talk it out in private like a normal married couple!" Potter stepped between us as another set of insults began to pour from my lips.

"What do you mean married couple?" We asked together with such fierceness, even Potter backed off. We obeyed him though, heading back towards the camp, neither of us talking, but both of us obviously stewing about the definite way we'd both questioned our marriage.

"What the hell was that about?" We snapped once we were alone.

"What do you mean what was that about?" I asked him.

"The whole 'what do you mean married' line that you used?"

"You said it too!" I shot back furiously.

"So, I meant it, you were just arguing with the Colonel!" Hawkeye shouted, his face red and angry.

"Was I?" I bit immediately. "Maybe I meant it too!" I went to leave, turning my back on Hawkeye.

"Well if you mean it, say it!" Hawkeye grabbed my arm and yanked me to face him. My hand flew up and hit him hard on the cheek. That was when he hit me; just the slap I'd given him, and not half as hard as mine had been, merely a warning blow, but it was enough to infuriate the both of us further. With a loud cry, we both totally lost it and set into each other, throwing ourselves in the dirt in an effort to hurt the other.

"Hawkeye, Annie? Stop this!" Someone tried to drag us apart, but we were both hell-bent on doing damage to each other, and half the camp came down to see, most of the nurses, Klinger and Soon-Lee keeping the kids away.

I was still fighting when BJ, Father Mulcahy, two MP's and Margaret separated us. Hawkeye came out of it worse than I, with two black eyes, a split lip and a distinctly out-of-shape nose. I wasn't looking my best either, my face was filthy and teary, I had a nosebleed and the beginnings of a black eye were forming near my left eyebrow.

"Dammit Annie, stay still!" I was still trying to get free, and BJ and Margaret were having a rough time holding me, the MP's had taken Hawkeye, because they believed him to be my attacker being a male. Margaret finally stopped me, looping her hand in my hair. My head snapped back and I settled down.

"Okay release her Houlihan, thankyou men, no need to worry about court martialling, I'd say she started it" The MP's released Hawkeye and Margaret let me go. We stood there facing each other furiously while Potter attempted not to explode. He was silent, so was everyone, as they waited to see what we'd do.

"Annabelle may I talk to you in private?" Hawkeye said at last. I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes Benjamin, I think that would be wise, I'm sorry for disturbing you like that." I addressed the group.

"Don't let that happen again." Potter warned with a low growl, herding everyone back to the party.

"Shall we Annabelle?" Hawkeye asked, opening the door to the Swamp. I entered and sat on Charles's bunk, normally I would have flopped on BJ's, but I thought that would be unwise.

"Phew, you're some fighter." Hawkeye was dabbing at his lip with a hanky.

"Yeah, but I mean it says something if we've resorted to this. How could we have resorted to half-killing each other?" I was stopping the blood from my nose.

"You have a point, I can't believe we did that, mind you I can't believe a lot of things lately." Hawkeye agreed.

"Maybe it's for the best if we . . ." I didn't want to say it, but my eyes told the truth.

"Yeah, perhaps we should, after that, how are we going to react next time something serious happens?"

"We'll probably have a duel." I gave a remorseful laugh, feeling sore, and not just physically.

"So, I guess we should then?" He whispered uncertainly.

"Yes, I think so Ben." I nodded, my eyes not meeting his.

"At least it will be easy."

"It won't be easy, but there are far less strings to tie up than Margaret and Donald had. No bank account, no possessions, no house, nothing." There was a wistful sadness in both Hawkeye's eyes and my voice.

"That's what I meant, fewer strings. I said it badly, it's never easy, how many times have we seen it happen?"

"Too many." I mumbled.

"Let's clean up and join the party." Hawkeye stood up offering me his hand. We went and fixed our wounds, bathing cuts and grazes, dressing Hawkeye's lip. We returned to the party and absorbed ourselves fully in the activities, determined to make the most of it and not let the horrible sadness in our lives ruin the occasion further.

"Annie, why you cry?" Soon-Lee had cornered me, and although I wasn't crying I looked sad.

"I'm not crying Soon-Lee." I replied, stubbornly, turning my face away.

"But you do cry, here," She placed her hand on my chest "Your heart is crying. I not see tears, but still they fall."

"Soon-Lee, if you didn't know, Ben and I are having a fight."

"Please, who is Ben?" She asked with a sweet lilt in her voice.

"Hawkeye, Ben is his real name. We are fighting, and it makes us sad." I tiptoed around the real answer.

"You and Hawkeye are married, you not end marriage? What is word, Max says . . . divorce? You not get divorce?" For some reason Soon-Lee's eyes were scared, but she'd caught on quickly.

"Perhaps we will." I lowered my eyes feeling the bitter sting of acknowledgement.

"No, do not, you will loose each other, like I loose family. Please, you are only happy thing in war, you, Hawkeye and baby." She said, a determined pout forming on her face.

"I'm sorry Soon-Lee, but that's what we want." I replied sadly. "Thankyou, though for caring."

"You not understand, you have a baby inside, you must be together for baby, it is hard not having family. I know."

"I know too, my father died when I was two, I know what not having a family is like Lee, not the same as you, but I do know." Sometimes we just called her Lee, as it was easier.

"You not listen to me! I will talk to Margaret, she know what divorce is, she make you change mind!" Said Soon-Lee as she walked off.

"Great, thanks." I said, sarcastically.

"Please, you play?" A child was tugging on my shorts. He was holding a ball out to me, I had to smile, they were so eager. I joined the game, chasing kids, picking them up, swinging them round, and letting them tackle me down.

"Annie, I'd like a word?" Margaret was calling. I put Kyung a small girl down, and explaining to the kids in Korean that I'd be back, went over to Margaret.

"Yes Margaret?" I read her face, Soon-Lee had told her, and now she was trying to change my mind.

"Soon-Lee talked to me just before, about you and Hawkeye. You've worked so hard for what you have, don't throw it away on the account of a fight."

"Margaret, it was more than a fight, we got physical, we really tried to hurt each other, what if something else stands in our way, we can't very well call a duel."

"Annie, just think about it, please." Margaret said. "What about your baby?"

"We know I'm having a baby, but we can't live together if that's how we're going to sort things out." Tears shone in Margaret's eyes as she hugged me. I knew she wasn't the only one who'd be crying when it was properly announced.

"Look Margaret, it's for the best that we do this. Please, don't try and change my mind. All I really need now is a friend, and that's all Hawkeye will need. We don't want people trying to tell us we're wrong."

"I understand, and if a friend's what you need a friend's what you get. I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time about BJ too. You took all the extra work very well though."

"And I'm sorry for arguing with you. Now, I have an entire camp to make up with." Margaret and I had a hug, and I called everyone. I climbed onto the bonnet of a jeep and stood there while everyone settled down.

"Okay, listen, I know you're all mad at me, about BJ and I and because there's not one person who I haven't yelled at for no reason. But I wanted to say that I'm really sorry. Sorry for what I did, and sorry for how I acted towards you. You're all like my family, and I don't want to hurt you like that again because I love you all." There were a few responses and smiles, I knew I'd done the right thing and we were all even again.

"For that you're forgiven!" There was one reply that surprised me as it was clearer than the others, I looked down to see Hawkeye looking directly at me. I knew he meant only for cheating on him, we were still separating.

"Come down from there." BJ came over to me, and lifted me down. "Oh, Annie, I'm sorry for how I acted, now talking to you, not even looking you in the eyes. I was just so worried about what I'd done how unfaithful I was to Peggy, everything."

"It's okay Beej, I did the same thing to you, but I think we can be friends again, all four of us. That means Margaret and Hawkeye too." He hugged me so tightly I heard my spine crack.

"What's happening between you and Hawkeye?" BJ asked at last. "Have you two made up?"

"Well, he just said he'd forgiven me, but we've decided to file . . ."

"Oh god no Annie!" He'd already got the meaning before I finished my sentence.

"Beej, yes, we're going to tell everyone on the last night, please don't tell anyone, but Hawkeye will want a friend. I don't know if he's forgiven you yet, but he will want to talk." BJ agreed and we resumed playing with the kids.

"Colonel Potter, may we have a word to you?" Hawkeye and I walked into his office, he was still reading the large list of things he could do with Mildred once he got back.

"Sure, take a seat." Hawkeye sat in the chair and I propped on the edge of his desk. Like I used to lie under Henry's desk when I wanted to talk, I sat on the edge of Colonel Potter's.

"Sir, we're very sorry for the upset we caused today. And we'd like to apologise to you."

"Yes, sorry Colonel." Said a quiet, brooding Hawkeye.

"I trust you've sorted out your indifferences?"

"In a manner of speaking yes." I replied.

"What does that mean?" Colonel Potter asked.

"That we've decided to file for divorce." Hawkeye said.

"Oh, I am right sorry to hear that. Isn't there something you can do?"

"No sir, but if you would keep that quiet, I'd appreciate it very much. We just thought you'd like to know." I replied. Hawkeye and I had had another talk, and decided it really was the best thing we could do after everything, and as soon as we got back home we'd get done so we could start new lives as quickly as possible.

"I will keep quiet, but there is someone who I'd like you to talk to first." We agreed to talk to Sidney, but he couldn't change our minds and even he gave up at last.

"Catch!" I began throwing boxes up to the driver on the back of the truck. The bulk of the camp's things were heading home the day before we did, and I was helping to load one of many trucks. My stuff would all wind up at Daniel's house, as we'd packed and addressed things before Hawkeye and I had decided to divorce.

"Annie, you shouldn't be lifting those things like that, they're heavy!" Hawkeye protested coming out with a last box. With a grin I stepped aside, only slightly flushed from the activity.

"Ow, ow, jeez, how do you lift these things?" Hawkeye nearly gave himself a hernia as he tried to lift a box. Smugly, I lifted the same box and swung it up to the driver.

"I'm fit as a fiddle!" I beamed back at him, throwing another box up. He made a few muttered comments, and between them, he and BJ lugged a box onto the back.

Preparations were well underway to going home, tonight we were going to have a last dinner together and then in the morning we'd leave. No one was sad, we were all too elated about seeing our families after so long. Sure we'd miss each other, but we knew we'd hold the precious memories we'd take from here forever.

"Up you get missy!" BJ and Hawkeye lifted me between them, and I rode on their shoulders into the hospital where we were seeing off our last patients. The camp was really and truly packing up this time, not hurriedly for a bug out and not the half-arsed attempts at cleaning, but slow, thorough and effective packing.

"Man you're heavy!" BJ laughed as they carefully got me onto the ground. "Come on, we've got work." I took the cue and continued helping with the dismantling.

That night, the whole group collected in the Mess Tent, we laughed, sang, drank, toasted, ate, and had fun, making the most of our last hours. Everyone was saying what they'd be doing, nurses were resuming old positions, enlisted returning to their old lives, everyone had plans to return to their families.

"I'm going to a stateside hospital, regular hours, regular shifts, and regular diseases!" Margaret laughed. She'd completely ignored the job offers her father had arranged for her to do what she wanted.

"Which hospital?" Someone called.

"Well," She beamed at Hawkeye and I, "Portland General, Portland, Maine." She told us, I shrieked and dragged her down into a hug. BJ told us he was returning to Peggy and Erin, no big surprise. Charles was becoming Head of Thoracic Surgery at Boston Mercy, and finally acknowledged Margaret's help in getting him the position.

"I'm going to be Mrs Potter's Mr Potter!" We cheered and clapped, after so long apart, Colonel Potter was semi-retiring and going home to a lady who'd waited so patiently for her husband to be a husband.

"Annie, Hawkeye, what does the future hold for you two?" BJ asked. Hawkeye and I stood up, since the day before we'd been talking and laughing, good friends, only our eye-conversations telling the truth. Everyone assumed that we were staying together.

"Well, you know that BJ had an little - ahem - encounter and Hawkeye was pretty upset."

"You also know that Annie and I had a good shot at each other." There was a laugh at that; we had matching black eyes and his lip still looked pretty swollen.

"Well, we decided that if we were going to try and bash the daylights out of each other we probably shouldn't be together, I mean, what sort of an example is that for our baby?" I asked.

"So, Hawkeye, Annie, what's happening?" Kellye asked.

"Colonel Potter, Margaret and Beej already know, so does Soon-Lee, which probably means that Klinger does too, which means all of you know doesn't it?" I asked.

"Know what?" Someone asked, telling me that Margaret had been the only person Soon-Lee told.

"That Anne and I are divorcing." Hawkeye said quietly. There were several gasps and curses, and a couple of people started to cry.

"We're going home and once we're there, we'll file and get it over and done with, we want to do it as quickly as possible." I explained.

"What about your baby?" Margaret asked anxiously.

"I'm not leaving the Cove, even if we are divorced, I want bub to be able to see her dad whenever she wants."

"I have access to my boy whenever I want!" Hawkeye added, there was a laugh as he said that, and I realised that I had referred to the baby as a girl, and Hawkeye had referred to it as a boy.

"It's a pretty amicable separation." I assured them. "It's just that after everything, BJ and I, Hawkeye being in hospital, beating up on each other like that, it's not right."

"Do you still love each other?" I don't know who asked that, but Hawkeye and I met each other's eyes for a long while, not talking, and trying to decide how to answer.

"Not with that all-consuming passion." Hawkeye replied, "Sure I love my Anne, but I can't keep loving her how I did." His eyes were hurting, begging me not to hate him.

"What Hawkeye said, sure I love him, to me he'll always be my Ben, but it's not the same anymore. Excuse me." I left the tent, crying. I heard someone follow me and I started to run as Potter yelled at whoever asked the question.

"Annie, where are you?" I heard Hawkeye's voice moving around the camp. Knowing where to find privacy I'd gone straight to Supply. To my surprise 'our' mattress was still there and I was sitting on it, having a big long cry.

"Hawkeye I'm here." I called and he came into the tent.

"Oh Annie, I didn't mean to hurt you. Great I know coming from me who wouldn't believe you when you said that but, I'm sorry." He sat down beside me.

"It wasn't what you said it was the realisation of it all."

"It's a bitch huh?" I had to agree with him, and then I realised he was hurting just as much as I was.

"Queen-size." I murmured. BJ put his head in briefly, and got the message when he saw Hawkeye put his arm around my waist. I heard him reporting to the camp that we needed to talk a bit, and that was all.

"We're lucky to have him as a friend." I sighed, while Hawkeye rubbed my back.

"Aren't we? Do you care to tell me what's going on in your beautiful head?"

"That question, do we still love each other?"

"You too huh? I can't decide." I looked up to his face and somehow our chins bumped. Soon enough the bump turned into a passionate kiss. The kiss quickly became a whole lot more.

Sometime later as our bodies pressed together, moving slowly, trying to undergo fusion, my nails raking lightly over his back, and little sighs so alike in pitch it was hard to tell whose mouth they came from, we discovered that we still loved each other somehow, somewhere in our hearts but not enough to stay together. The next morning we were woken early by BJ and he sat on a box and talked to us while we got dressed.

"Changed your minds? You sounded pretty serious last night." He queried with a laugh.

"Hmm, what?" I asked once I'd wrestled the tight shirt over my head.

"Annie, they probably heard you clear in Seoul!" Hawkeye teased.

"Oh!" I caught on, my face reddening instantly.

"He's teasing Anne-girl. You were vocally appreciative, but not so loud as he's insinuating. They would've only heard you as far out as Ouijonbou" BJ assured me. "Have you two changed your minds at all?"

"No Beej, we haven't, I'd like to tell you that we have, but unfortunately we haven't. We got closure I think, but we're still getting divorced." BJ looked crestfallen.

"I feel so guilty. I mean I egged you on, when you asked me to dance." He said.

"Don't be, I could have pulled back, and I chose not to. Now, what's going on this morning?"

"Klinger and Soon-Lee are getting married, and we're going home." BJ explained, as Hawkeye and I demanded an explanation, that Klinger had decided to stay with Soon-Lee and help her find her family. "Oh and you're the bridesmaid Annie."

"Wow!" Was all I managed. I went and got dressed in my Class-A's, I was travelling home in them, and I figured I might as well look neat for the wedding.

Klinger and Soon-Lee we wed by Father Mulcahy and this time Klinger didn't wear a dress. They left soon after on a cart. This was it, their departure meant everyone else's.

The other girls were the first to go, they were to help out at the 8063rd, and with many, many tears we parted. We gave promises to write, to call, and to even put in a visit once we'd got home. Hawkeye kissed all of them goodbye briefly, and their bus left.

I had a jeep to take me straight to Seoul, we'd come clean with the army, almost, saying that we'd only just discovered I was pregnant, even though we'd known for over a month. I'd kept my word to Colonel Potter, and reported the pregnancy on August 1, but seeing as I was going home a week later, I wasn't even worried about.

The jeep came into the compound tooting the horn loudly. It stopped and the driver loaded my suitcase and duffel bag into the back. "When you're ready ma'am."

"God bless, my child, god bless you and the baby."

"God bless you father." He kissed my forehead gently, and I stretched to reciprocate.

"Charles, what can I say?" I turned to the tall man, whose blue eyes were filled unusual warmth.

"Don't say anything Annie, just promise you'll come and visit when you have the baby, we'd love to have you, you and Honoria would get on really well."

"Of course I will Charles. And keep calling me Annie, I like it." I smiled and before he could move, I hugged him. Surprised he hugged me back.

"Good luck Annie." He whispered, smiling. I turned now to Margaret, and faced her silently for several seconds.

"You take care now, and I'll see you in Portland sometime!" Margaret spoke first.

"See you soon." Our goodbye was not as emotional as it could have been as we knew we'd be together soon. It didn't stop us from sharing a big hug.

"Colonel Potter," I smiled and turned to him.

"Listen, you're meant to have kids, just take care of yourself, and Annie Junior."

"Thankyou Colonel, you've been like a father to me, and I don't know what this would have been like without you." I fighting tears now as he squeezed me so tightly it almost hurt.

"Anne-girl, d'ya reckon we can manage a kiss?" BJ asked when it was his turn. I smiled, and took his face in my hands, studying the green eyes thoughtfully.

"I think we can, you gonna tell Peggy?"

"Yeah, in time, when I get back. Now, that kiss?" I stood on tiptoe and kissed him shortly, he returned it and picked me up in a tight hug, holding me a foot or so off the ground.

"God I'll miss you my Anne."

"I'll miss you too Beej. I'll bring the baby west some time though. I have to see little Erin again." He put me down, and I hesitated, the only person left was Hawkeye.

"See you at airport Annie." We'd got the same flight back.

"Yeah, see you then." I hugged him and Margaret and BJ moved in for a hug too.

"Remember all we need is a phonecall." BJ said.

"We'll be there as soon as we can." I said.

"The four of us." Margaret said.

"Friends for life. Divorced or not." Hawkeye finished. We shared a last hug and kiss, and I climbed into the jeep.

"Bye guys, I'll miss you, but I won't mope!" I called as the engine started. I twisted in my seat to see my friends waving. I waved back and as they faded from sight, I sat down again.

August 7, 1953 I was finally going home.

The End