I don't own MASH or any of the characters.

Potter's office was smaller than Becca had imagined, but still cozy. Potter sat across from her as Dr. Winchester stood next to the door. She was also face-to-face with a blonde haired woman and a man with a strange hat but very kind eyes.

"This is the majority of my senior staff," Potter said. "I'm still missing two doctors that are currently on leave in Tokyo. This is our head nurse, Major Margaret Hoolihan." He gestured to the blonde woman. He then turned to the kind-eyed gentleman. "This is our priest, Father Mulchay."

Becca smiled at the man, but had to try and remember what the term priest meant.

"The two missing doctors are Captains Hawkeye Pierce and BJ Hunnicutt. You've already met Winchester."

Becca refrained from looking back at the man. When he examined her before it had been unnerving. He didn't hurt her or do anything she found uncomfortable, but the sensations his touch invoked confused her. She wanted to run from them while at the same time explore them in more depth. It was better to just ignore them for now.

"My name is Becca Coals."

"Becca? Isn't that short for Rebecca?"

She turned to Margaret with a confused look. "I've never heard that name before. Becca is pretty common when I'm from."

"When?"

Becca turned her attention back to Potter. She smiled her practiced smile, the same one she used when dealing with those higher up than her. "Yes, when. I'm afraid the situation is quite complicated. You see, I'm not from this century. When I'm from it's 2152, 200 years in the future."

Winchester spoke this time. "You must have been more dehydrated than we thought to spin such wild tales."

Becca kept smiling, keeping her focus on Potter. "No tales. I'm actually from 2152." Becca looked at the group as a whole before reaching into the knapsack Potter had kept for her in the office. Being careful not to reveal too much, she turned to the picture of Potter and opened it to that page.

"This is you, Colonel Potter. This is taken at the 8063rd two days after the war ends." She showed them the picture. Even Winchester seemed surprised.

Potter took the book from the girl's hands and started to turn the pages. "Please don't!" He looked up at her in surprise. "Looking into the future, even me revealing the little I have already revealed could have dire consequences in the future." Potter closed the book and handed it back to her, which she then slid back into the knapsack.

"So, you know everything that is going to happen?"

Becca shook her head. "Not exactly. History is taught more as lessons on life rather than specific details. War is declared because Country One wanted control of Country Two. 37,000 people died, Country 2 was never obtained. No change in political power in Country Two. Country One tosses out old regime, changes to democracy and goes into trade with Country Two. How those 37,000 lives could have been saved is what we focus on. Avoiding conflict by seeing how futile similar movements in the past were. It's all black and white."

"Then why did you even have a book like that?" Charles said firmly.

Becca turned to Charles. "Just because we don't study those aspects of History doesn't mean they don't have value." She turned back to Potter. "I was working with a science team in this area doing experiments with time fields and memory windows. It was an attempt to try and take a person back to before their minds were damaged to find the route cause so the patient could be helped. My lab partner, Freddy was working on the time fields and I was working with memory windows.

"When I arrived at work today I found Freddy trying to move the experiment forward without my help. When I tried to stop him it exploded. I woke up about 2 miles from here with just my knapsack nearby. I don't know where Freddy is or even if he ended up in the same time as me."

The room was quiet, each person trying to work out if the was something she really believed and it was all crazy talk, or was it all true.

Finally Potter broke the silence. "Let's say, for a moment, that we believe all this to be true. How are you planning on getting back to 2152?"

Becca's eyes widened as the thought occurred to her. She didn't know how to get home. "I'm not exactly sure." She sighed. "Without knowing exactly what Freddy did I have no way of knowing how to reverse it. Even so, I would have to find counterparts here to recreate the explosion that sent me here in the first place. My only option is to remain close to my original landing site and home that, somehow, my people can figure out a way to reopen the time window and bring me back."

Potter looked into Becca's eyes across the desk. Her green eyes were clear and firm. There wasn't a single hint of deception in them nor a single hint of disbelief. This was the truth as she saw it.

Either way, he could see the determination in her eyes. She was here to stay.

"Alright, this is what we are going to do," he turned to Margaret. " Is there any spare room in any of the the nurses' quarters?"

"No sir, we're full up. I even had to put those two extra nurses from I-Corps in my tent with me. We can't have her sleep in Post-OP either. We need those beds for the wounded."

Potter nodded. "We'll figure this out. Klinger!"

A man rushed into the room. He was a skinny man with darker skin and dark hair. He had a big nose and an even bigger smile. Becca liked him instantly.

"You rang?"

"Do we have any spare cots anywhere on the compound right now?"

Klinger shook his head. "No sir, all available cots are being taken up by the wounded we got in today. They won't be able to ship out until next week at the earliest. The only spare bed we might have is in the the doctors in the Swamp."

"Preposterous!" Charles exclaimed. "We can't have the girl sleeping in the same tent with three men."

"I have to agree with the Major on this one," Margaret said firmly. "Sir, we just don't have any room for her right now."

"I don't mind sharing with the doctors."

Five sets of eyes turned to look at Becca. She stood and tossed the knapsack over her shoulder.

"What?"

"I said that I don't mind. It is not uncommon for men and women to share the same sleeping quarters when space is limited."

Potter studied the girl again, as if trying to see through her. Margaret spoke instead. "We can't have you in the same tent as Pierce. Charles is a gentleman and BJ is happily married. Pierce is the only real problem."

"How would Pierce be a problem?" Becca asked with genuine curiosity.

Charles answered this question. "Hawkeye Pierce finds women extremely interesting and thinks himself charming. If he found himself suddenly sharing living quarters with an attractive woman we would never be able to sleep."

Becca raised an eyebrow as she ignored the happy feelings invoke by hearing Charles say she was attractive. "So...you are concerned because Pierce can be charming?"

The other man, who Becca understood to be Klinger, chimed in. "He's saying Hawkeye would try to seduce you."

Becca tried to remember what that mean. Seduce, like priest, was not a word she had heard before. She didn't know it's meaning or why it would be a problem.

"You can understand now why this would be a bad idea," Margaret said before turning back to Potter. "She can't stay here. It's against regulations."

"Don't quote me on regulations Major. I was following them before you were born." Potter looked at Becca again. "We really don't have the space for you."

Becca stood tall. "I'm not leaving. If there is any chance I can return home from my original landing point then I'm staying as close as I can to it. I'm sure that I can defend myself against Pierce's attempts to seduce me."

Potter looked at the other occupants of the room, all looking doubtful, before focusing on Charles.

"We have no other place to put her so she will stay with the doctors in the Swamp." Charles went to protest. "I will hear nothing more on the matter Major. I'm placing her under your supervision while she is here."

"But sir..."

"Dismissed!"

Charles looked like he wanted to say more, but instead turned and left the room in a huff. Margaret and Father Mulchay followed slowly after.

"Klinger, show her to the Swamp."

Becca smiled at Potter. "Thank you sir." She followed Klinger out the door.

Potter sat back down in his chair and sighed. It wasn't that he didn't trust Pierce, but the man did have a reputation when it came to women. He just prayed that this wasn't going to blow up in his face.

It was late when Charles finally returned to his tent. He was glad the day was over and that he could relax in peace without those two idiots making a racket.

He opened the door and walked in, surprising himself at forgetting that he did have a new tent mate.

Becca was sleeping on top of the covers, understandable given the unbearable heat. There was a thin coat of sweat on her body that made her skin seem to glow. He found himself admiring her without even realizing it.

She had very shapely legs, dainty feet, her stomach that was showing slightly under her top was flat and firm. Her breasts seemed to strain against her top, almost wanting to be free of the garment. Her arms were stretched over her head at the moment, making her breasts the center of his attention. He could almost imagine her without the top blocking her bare skin from his view. He took a step towards her before he remembered himself.

He was a Winchester and he would not be tempted by the beauty of a woman, no matter how enticing she was.

He turned and climbed into his own bed after removing his shoes and pants. He shook his hands as the memory of Becca's skin under his own came back to him. As he lay in the darkness, he could hear her even breaths as she slept. Images of her formed in his mind and he shook his head to free himself of them.

He was stronger than this, stronger than lust. He would win.

He turned on his side, his back to the woman, and fell into an uneasy sleep.