Title: Strings
Summary: An scene between Charles and Hawkeye.
Notes: I recommend you listen to the piece of music Adagio for strings by Samuel Barber if you've never heard it before. A beautiful piece of work.
A line or two have been stolen from Wikipedia.
Charles Winchester sat reading the letter his parents had written him in the peace of the tent, apatly named The Swamp.
He called this a good week. Of his two tent mates, one BJ Hunnicutt was currently on R&R but due back soon and the other, Hawkeye Pierce, was blessedly quiet for a change. They had received mail today, but nothing had come for Pierce this time, so he'd taken the only book from his shelf, Last of the Mohicans and started reading.
A sigh later and Charles looked from the letter to see Pierce placing the book back on the shelf.
"Still can't manage those big words?" Charles said.
"I'm not in the mood for indians." Hawkeye said. After a few minutes of silence in which time Charles went back to his letter, Hawkeye began to hum a tune, much to Charles' annoyance.
Looking back over at Hawkeye, Charles said, "Can't you read the book again? At least you were quiet then."
"I'm just humming quietly." Hawkeye said, innocently.
"I'm trying to read." Charles said, holding up his letter.
"I thought you could read, Charles." Hawkeye shot back, receiving a glare from the other man.
"If you insist on humming, at least do it quieter." Charles said, holding the letter up again.
Charles continued to read and Hawkeye continued to hum. It was more acceptable than Hawkeye's attempts to sing. And in all fairness he had gone a little quieter.
It was a few more moments before Charles interrupted Pierce again. "What is that?"
Hawkeye had drifted away a little, browsing through a few of his photos and wasn't sure what Charles was talking about. "What's what?" he asked.
"What you're humming?" Before Hawkeye could answer he moved across to his record player. "I know it." Charles said. He started to hum it himself, louder than Hawkeye had. "Adagio for strings."
"Yeah." Hawkeye said confused as to why he was fussing.
"I have a superb recording, Pierce. May I share it with you?"
Hawkeye smiled, amused at Charles' question. "Sure."
Charles, who had already put the record on the player by now, moved the arm across and gently placed the pin to play the song. The soft, gentle music started to play. Neither man spoke while it was played.
Once the piece finished, Charles took out the record and placed it back in it's sleeve.
"I did not think that someone like you would appreciate such a fine piece of music, Pierce."
Hawkeye smiled. "My dad used to listen to that at nights sometimes when he was, you know, he'd had a bad day. He said it was music to fit his mood."
Charles nodded. His love of music over took him. "What I find astonishing is the arch form the piece uses, employing and then inverting, expanding and varying a stepwise melody. That last note is simply, chilling."
Before Hawkeye could say anything, Radar came in. "Am I interrupting?" Radar asked.
"Certainly not. I was attempting to broaden Pierce's mind with music. I quickly realised that it was impossible as I had nothing with which to work."
Hawkeye said nothing, surprised by Charles' sudden U-turn. "What's up Radar?"
"Uh, Hawkeye, this magazine for you got left behind in the office. Sorry."
Hawkeye reached out for the magazine. "Oh goodie, it's my nudest magazine." Hawkeye said, smiling broadly. "Strange that this got left behind, huh Radar?"
"I don't know what you mean, Sir." Radar said shuffling away quickly.
Charles watched Pierce flick open his magazine as he placed his record back amoung the others in his collection. A scowl of distaste was displayed on his features as he picked his letter up once more and continued to read.
"You're something else, you know that Charles." Hawkeye said, not looking away from the magazine.
"I don't know what you mean." Charles said.
"You have a personality that you switch on and off." Hawkeye elaborated.
"Save your childish comments, Pierce."
"You want to know what that piece of music means to me? You want to know what I think about every time I hear it?" Hawkeye asked.
Charles looked away from his letter, but only his eyes ever moved. "What?" He asked curious despite himself.
"Really? You want to know?". Charles nodded, looking up from his letter. He met blue eyes with a fierceness in them that he'd seen a few times before. "I'll be damned if I tell you anything, especially about a topic you enjoy so much. I wouldn't want to get in over my head" There was a scathing tone to his voice.
Charles would never know how Hawkeye's father would listen to that music at night after his wife had died and left him to raise his son alone. And he'd never know how Hawkeye used to sneak out of his bedroom and listen to it from the top of the stairs. How he memorised the tune.
Charles would never, ever know that now.
Hawkeye got up from his cot, leaving the magazine behind as he made his way out of the Swamp.
"Pierce." Charles called before he went passed the door. Hawkeye turned round, holding the door open with one hand. He didn't say anything, just glared at Charles. "I'm sorry. Truly, I am."
Hawkeye heard the sincerity in Charles voice, the look of sorrow on his face. As their eyes locked for those few seconds, Hawkeye felt that the apology and sorrow were more than just meaningless words said without feeling, but that he for once, meant what he said. And that he was sorry for more than just his sudden turn in personality. That he knew there was more behind the meaning of that song that he had been told.
Maybe one day he would tell him. Maybe not.
Hawkeye gently nodded his head at Charles, letting him know that it was okay, he had no grudge against him.
And as Charles watched Hawkeye turn and leave he too thought about the real story behind the music that he too, might one day share.
-Fini-