Disclaimer: I don't own MASH. If I did, it would've been even slashier than it already was, if that's humanly possible.

Challenge: Response to Lisa's ABC challenge: Write a fic for every letter of the alphabet.

A/N: F, furthermore. Hawkeye's POV. I suppose I ought to do Potter, and Charles, and Klinger…later. Mm, this is the longest chapter so far. It breaks 1000 words.

Random trivia: "I" Corps. Not Icor or any permutation thereof. Just so y'all know.

Furthermore

I frown, a little, as I watch B.J. sleep. I've moved to a chair now, but I still watch him. I do that a lot, but he never wakes up. Whenever someone watches me sleep, I feel their eyes on me and wake up immediately. Normally, the tension fades from Beej's face and he looks happy or peaceful as he sleeps.

Tonight is different. Tonight, he looks troubled, and the tension has increased if anything.

I sigh. He's really taking Jacobs' death hard. He's had to deal with death before, but I guess this time he feels like it's his fault. But it isn't, damn it.

It must be about time for B.J.'s shift. I check my watch.

I rise from my chair, and then take one last look at him. I turn toward the door, and then I hesitate and turn back. I lean down and brush a light kiss across his forehead, then slip out into the dark compound. I cross to Post-Op.

"Pierce?" Charles questions when I step in. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm covering for B.J.," I reply. "He's having a hard time, what with Jacobs and everything."

Charles looks as though he's about to say something, but thinks better of it. He leaves. I call after him, though I'm not sure he can hear me, "Don't bother him!"

It's a quiet night in post-op. The remaining five patients are all sleeping comfortably, and they're all relatively healthy. Kellye is the nurse on duty, and she looks up occasionally from whatever she's writing, but she's mostly absorbed in that.

I've never been one for silences, so after about an hour of quiet, I ask softly, "What are you working on?"

Kellye looks up at me. "Oh…nothing," she says, blushing a little.

"Writing a romance novel?" I tease her gently.

"Well, you're half right. I am working on a novel," she admits.

"Yeah? How are you doing?"

She smiles. "I've got the first draft nearly done, but there's a lot of revisions I need to make."

"Good for you," I say, and mean it.

"Thank you," she replies, and then looks back at her papers. Apparently, she doesn't have the aversion to silence I have.

I sigh and decide to use the time to decide what to say when I drop the other half of the bomb on B.J.…or whether I should drop it.

When B.J.'s shift is over, I go back to the Swamp. I haven't decided on much of anything, but I'll play it by ear. Besides, now is hardly the time to tell B.J. something like this. He has enough to deal with as it is.

I open the door slowly, so as not to wake anyone (well, mostly B.J.) and slip inside. I immediately see that my caution was unnecessary; Charles is snoring and B.J. is lying awake, staring at the ceiling again. He looks over at me as I walk in, and I'm struck by a sudden feeling of déjà vu.

"I thought you'd be asleep," I whisper, sitting in the chair between our cots.

He shrugs. "Couldn't sleep. I still feel so damn guilty about Jacobs." I open my mouth, about to protest, but B.J. continues, "Logically, I know that it wasn't my fault. But my brain isn't getting the message through to my heart. I can't help feeling that there was something more I should have done."

I consider for a moment, and then ask hesitantly, "Do you think Sidney could help?"

He shakes his head. "No, I'll work it out."

"I hope so," I reply. We sit in silence. It's funny, how silences with Beej seem so natural.

Finally B.J. breaks the silence. "I might as well have gone to post-op."

"Why's that?" I inquire.

"I woke up right as you left," he replies. He sits up before going on, "I didn't actually get much sleep."

I panic with quiet grace. He must've woken up because I kissed him. I only hope he didn't wake up as I kissed him. "Any, uh, interesting dreams?" I ask.

"Some that were somewhat unpleasant," he says, frowning. "Why?"

"You looked troubled."

He smiles a little. "There was one that was pleasant though. You leaned over me and…" He trails off, blushing.

"And?"

"I uh, don't remember," B.J. says quickly. A little too quickly.

I gather up my courage and blurt out, "I don't think it was a dream."

He scoffs and says scornfully, "I highly doubt that you kissed--" He stops suddenly, and then looks away.

"But I did. Beej, I wanted to tell you earlier tonight, when I told you the other thing. I think I've managed to fall in love with you."

B.J. looks shocked. I stay this time, waiting for the next emotion.

It stays shocked.

"Um…B.J.?" I say hesitantly.

He shakes his head, then says, "I…didn't expect that, Hawk. Even less than I expected…the other thing."

"But you said your 'dream' was pleasant…?"

"I'll admit, I do have some feelings for you--don't look at me like that, you must have noticed--but…but love…it's such a strong word, Hawk. And one that carries a lot of meaning. I…I couldn't possibly ever say it to anyone but Peg."

I try to shrug, but I think all I do is twitch. "I didn't think you would."

"I don't want to hurt you, Hawk--god, that's the last thing I want--but…well." He pauses, and then continues delicately, "We both have feelings for one another." Another pause and his next words are shy. "Maybe we should act on them?"

I can't suppress the smile that spreads across my face. "Why would that hurt me?"

"Well…if you supposedly love me, and I--"

"It doesn't matter," I say firmly. Then I lean over to him and press my lips to his. I hear a muffled groan, though whether it comes from me or B.J. I neither know nor care.

He pulls away. "We can't do this, not with Charles here," he murmurs.

"You're right." I'm quiet for a moment, and then slowly a grin spreads across my face. "But he's not always here."

B.J. smiles too, for the first time since his initial operation on Jacobs. "You're right too."

"Of course I am."