Disclaimer: Don't MASH and never will!

A/N- This chapter may be a little out there but I'm angry. To get rid of the anger I am writing another chapter and giving you all an update for Mr. Oliver Burkemann's stupidity. You also get some backstory finally. Oh and please review by clicking the little purple button at the bottom of the page. This chapter is longer than most for this story.

Alice Pierce crossed another day off her calendar. There was still more time left on her tour and there was a high chance she would be coming back again. This was actually her second stint in Iraq and that hadn't accounted for the time spent in Bosnia or Afghanistan either. She had joined the army at an early age.

As a child Ally had been pure genius. It wasn't her fault. Her mother was a lawyer and her father had been a high school math teacher. That was only the beginning of her smarts, considering her father's parents respectably had been a doctor and a nurse. Her mother's parents had both been engineers. Then it all came down to one car accident. It had left 18 month old Alice and six month old twins Albert and Dominic Pierce orphaned. Grandpapa Hawkeye and Grandmamma had taken them in. Very quickly, it became apparent that Ally was no ordinary child and so she had required extra education to keep from being bored. The twins turned out the same. Graduating from med school so young had been challenging. How many hospitals would legitimately believe she was a real doctor with an MD?

Following a good lead, she turned to the US Army. They had gladly accepted her for all her education and worth. Through them, she became a trauma surgeon specialized in head wounds. The army had also given her a social structure she badly needed. It's awkward being the one kid out with all the brains. Here, she learned discipline, order, competition, and finally understood and knew how to play football.

For all her grandparents hard work in raising her, she ended up in the same situation. But today would be happy, the mail had come, and in it was a letter from home.

Dear Ally,

You can only imagine how much we miss you. At least now I have an approximate timetable to start a countdown on. I hope with everything that your tour is not extended this go round. So three months it is? We'll just have to survive then.

Three months is actually somewhat good news. At least then you can be home for Albert's graduation. Your brother just got yet another Ph.D. I'm beginning to think it's a syndrome in this family. Albert's excited in getting Ph.D. # 4, this time in English! At least Dominic was content with his two in Physics and Criminal Justice. Tell me again, how does one get two degrees that so obviously clash? And how did I ever spawn a family of too highly intelligent offspring? I suppose I shall never know. It must have something to do with your mother's family.

On another note, we just held the annual MASH 4077 reunion. Everybody was showing off their kids, grandkids, and asking Potter to tell more stories 'bout the big war. His ability to outlive us all is another question I'd like answered. This year we were without another face, it being Sidney. But such is life, we all die at some point, young or old.

In your last letter you mentioned creamed-recipes. You really don't want to know the answer to that. It was more than disgusting. It was just plain wrong. In the end it was mostly due to a lack of water. Here's a tip though, I wouldn't ever try creamed liver.

Your MREs are better than that. And that my dear, is saying something.

The gang says hi from the states. BJ became a great grandpa recently. I have yet to have that happen but please don't be in a hurry. I really don't know if I want to have to walk you down the aisle.

We all love you Alice. That's one thing you can always count on.

Love,

Grandpapa Hawkeye

She smiled at the letter. Many suspicions were true and she could imagine how creamed liver would taste worse than MREs. Then again, she was crazy because she actually liked that bizarre standard army food. As for Albert, he was crazy too. Her little brother loved languages. He already held doctorates in French, Classical languages, and German. But he was loveable and was engaged to a sane law student. Dominic worked for NASA. He was unique, a bachelor, and totally ready to take over the White House as soon as he married. Her brother had explained it simply as being very un-American not to have/had a wife as President and not too traditional either. Besides, he wouldn't really have time to be First Lady and Mr. President.

Sighing, she reread the letter. This one really hit it hard. She missed Grandmama, Grandpapa, and her brothers. Where would she be without her family of geniuses? And what would it have been like if her parents had lived to see her now?