'Winchester has had a suggestion, Major,' Potter said, sitting beside Alex in the mess tent.

'Oh?' Alex said, looking up from her tray. She'd been picking at something brown that the cook had said was meatloaf, but Alex had never seen meatloaf that could be eaten with a straw before.

'He wants you to go to Tokyo and have your arm checked by the doctors there,' Potter said.

'Every doctor who had passed through this unit has checked me over,' Alex said exasperatedly. 'And all of the surgeons here have checked over me at least a dozen times each.'

'Charles says Tokyo will have better equipment than us. They might be able to pick up something we missed,' Potter explained. 'I thing it might be worth doing.'

'So you're giving me leave to do this?' Alex asked. 'Does Margaret know? She deserves R and R more than I need a physical.'

'She knows,' Potter replied. 'Pack your bags, a jeep will be waiting for you at seventeen hundred today.'

'Thank you, sir,' Alex said at the CO stood up.

'Come by my office when you've finished eating, and I'll give you the details,' Potter said, striding off. Alex sat at the table for a moment, decided the meatloaf was better left to its own devices then stood up to follow Potter to his office.

'This is stupid,' Alex said after chasing Hawkeye from the Swamp while packing her bags. He'd been trying to "help" Alex by packing irrelevant things like BJ's spare pair of boots and Charles' favourite record. 'What are the doctors in Tokyo going to find that you guys didn't?'

'Faith, Alexia,' Charles said. 'The surgeons at Tokyo General have far more sophisticated equipment than in this…' Charles paused for a moment as he searched for an appropriate word. 'Cesspool,' he finished with a slight sneer.

'How did you talk Potter and Margaret into agreeing to this anyway?' Alex asked, shoving a shirt into a gap down the side of her duffel bag.

'I have my ways,' Charles said mysteriously.

'Potter wouldn't tell me either,' Alex said, sounding annoyed by not angry. A jeep horn sounded outside, and they both looked up. 'Tell Hawkeye and BJ I said bye,' Alex said, planting a kiss on Charles' forehead before running out of the tent to the jeep. Charles just watched her go silently.

Alex tapped her fingers impatiently as her call was put through. After a whole week of being poked and prodded by every single doctor in Japan, plus some who'd made special visits just for her and without finding anything, she was feeling harassed and looking forward to going home to the Swamp.

'4077th MASH, Captain Hunnicutt speaking,' a voice finally said.

'BJ! It's Alex,' Alex said, glad to hear a familiar voice. 'How is everyone?'

'They're ok,' BJ said cautiously. 'Did they find out what's wrong with your arm?'

'No,' Alex said making a face, even though she knew he couldn't see her. 'I hate being a patient, though. I can't wait til I get back to the 4077. Is anyone else around?'

'Charles is in Post op, I'll go get him,' BJ said. There was a thump on the other end as he put the receiver down, and Alex waited.

'Hello?' someone said on the far end a few minutes later.

'Charles,' Alex said, unable to keep the grin off her face. 'It's Alex.'

'Alexia,' Charles said, sounding pleased. He was the only person apart from her mother who could get away with calling her "Alexia". Anyone else to call her that was promptly kicked. 'How are they treating you in Tokyo?'

'I never want to come to the hospital here ever again,' Alex said, sounding cheerful, but being deadly serious. 'I'm coming back tomorrow.'

'Don't do that!' Charles exclaimed. Alex was confused as Charles regained his composure. 'You deserve a break,' he said, more calmly this time. 'Have a few days in Tokyo. Tell Colonel Baldwin you're a friend of mine, he will see to it you are well looked after.'

'Isn't that desertion?' Alex asked. 'I'm due back at camp tomorrow.'

'I've already organised it through Klinger,' Charles replied smoothly. 'You have an extra week. Just find Colonel Baldwin and he will take care of you. Just make sure he doesn't get the wrong idea about your intentions.' Charles sounded slightly sour with this last comment.

'Ok, Charles,' Alex said. 'If he touched me, I'll make sure I hit him in the eye on your behalf.' She grinned, imagining Charles' expression.

'Remind him he owes me $672.17,' Charles added. Alex smiled.

'Ok, Charles,' she said. 'I've got to go now. Say hi to everyone for me, and tell Hawkeye if he so much goes near any package of mine that might be rum brownies, I'll put something nasty in his cot when I get back.'

'Goodbye, Alex,' Charles said, hanging up somewhat hurriedly.

At the 4077th, Charles turned to BJ.

'You didn't tell her about Hawkeye?' he asked. BJ shook his head.

'No,' he said. 'She doesn't know Hawkeye is at the mental institution in Seoul.'

Alex rang the 4077 again after the week was finished.

'There's a nursing course in Tokyo. It goes for three days. Colonel Potter has already agreed it would be an excellent program for you to attend,' Charles said when Alex mentioned coming back to camp the next day. Alex, who had been feeling slightly suspicious all week, suddenly flared up.

'Are you trying to keep me away from you?' she demanded.

'No!' Charles said.

'Are you interested in one of the other nurses and need me out of camp to make a move?' Alex asked, ignoring him.

'No!' Charles repeated.

'Or are you just trying to get rid of me? Decided I'm not good enough for you after all and now you're keeping me in Tokyo until you transfer out?'

'Alexia--' Charles pleaded.

'Or have you--'

'ALEX!' Charles yelled. 'It is because I love you that I want you in Tokyo!' There was a long quiet over the phone.

'What?' Alex asked.

'If you're in Tokyo, there is less chance of you being hurt,' Charles said tiredly.

'You're doing this to protect me?' Alex asked. Her head was swimming with emotions, so she took hold of the closest one.

'You think I need protecting?' she demanded angrily. 'After all I've been through? Listen, Winchester, I've seen close friends killed in front of me, been raped by the enemy, lived through numerous bombings, survived being overrun by damn North Koreans and had to endure hours of lying in a dead colleague's blood. After Isaac died, do you think I had anyone to protect me? I still managed to survive, didn't I? I'm capable of looking after myself!'

There was a deafening pause over the phone as Alex calmed down. Oh my god, she realised. I've turned into an army officer. I've turned into Margaret Houlihan.

'I'm sorry, Charles,' she said, aware she'd probably ruined their relationship irreversibly.

'It's why I wanted to protect you,' Charles said quietly. 'Pierce and Hunnicutt told me about your life through the war in return for post op duties. They told me about Andrew, the engaged man who had been killed in front of you, and your brother, Isaac, who died because of the inept doctors at the unit he was taken to. You had been through so much, I didn't want anything else happen to you.'

'I'm sorry, Charles,' Alex said. Her paranoia will probably drive him away, she realised. She'll have lost him forever.

'I love you so much, Alexia, I thought if I could keep you in Tokyo, you wouldn't end up like Isaac, or worse, Hawkeye,' Charles said.

'What happened to Hawkeye?' Alex demanded. She heard Charles curse himself quietly on his end of the phone. 'Charles, what happened to Hawkeye?' she repeated, more demanding this time.

'He was taken to Seoul for psychological analyse,' Charles said. 'I didn't want you to worry.'

'I'm coming back,' Alex said.

'Don't,' Charles said.

'Why not?' Alex asked.

'It's dangerous,' Charles said. 'Ever since the rumours of the end of the war, it's been despicable here. And Potter already signed your discharge.'

'Discharge?' Alex asked. 'What discharge? Charles, why am I being discharged?'

'Stay in Tokyo, and I will come for you when the war ends,' Charles said.

'Charles!' Alex yelled into the phone, but it was too late. He had hung up.