Whoa! Long Chapter! Enjoy!

Charles waited until later in the evening when Pierce was working the late night Post-OP shift before approaching Becca about her fear of Hawkeye. BJ was nowhere to be found in the Swamp and Charles preferred that. He didn't want anything to change between him and Becca now that the two buffoons he shared his tent with had returned.

She was sitting on her cot reading over her notes from the day. When she glanced up she had a moment of fear cross her face before relaxing into that smile he recognized as the one she smiled just for him.

"Thought you might be Dr. Pierce," she explained with a small laugh. Again Charles couldn't believe he was going to do this.

"You know," he said sitting on the end of her cot next to her, "you don't have to be afraid of Pierce."

Becca looked up at him with shock in her eyes. "Was I that obvious?"

Charles smiled softly at her. "Not many women run from Hawkeye Pierce the way you did."

Becca returned Charles' smile. "I'm glad you were there when I met him. I think I would have actually ran had I been alone." She moved her papers and then moved closer to him before leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder. Charles froze at the closeness of her body. "I know you said I don't have to be afraid of him," she said softly, "but I still am." Charles looked down at her and couldn't stop himself as he lifted his arm and wrapped it around Becca's shoulders, her head now resting against his chest.

She was so close to him that he could feel her curves against his body. He swallowed past the nervous lump in his throat. "Don't worry. If Hawkeye ever does anything that makes you uncomfortable, just run to me and I'll protect you."

Becca wasn't sure why she had basically snuggled up to Charles. Physical contact was not something that was done unless necessary in her time, but since coming here she couldn't help being close to Charles. It was uncontrollable, this urge to be next to him all the time. Anytime she wasn't around him was so lonely, she almost couldn't stand it. She took a deep breath.

"I'm glad to hear that."

They sat like that for a few minutes more, both not caring that anyone walking by could see them. Charles watched as Becca yawned. He moved to stand and found himself stopped by Becca's hand on his knee.

A jolt of sexual awareness flashed through his body at the gentle touch.

"Don't leave me alone just yet," she said softly before looking up at him. "I know it sounds childish, but would you stay next to me, at least until I fall asleep?"

The girl was going to kill him. He wanted nothing more than to shut off the lights, engulfing them in darkness before taking her into his arms. He knew that he wouldn't do that, but every second she looked at him with those innocent green eyes chipped away at his resolve a little bit more.

"The cot only holds one person," he said softly, almost as a means of defense.

I know, but I could move mine next to yours, just for tonight?"

Charles already knew that this would end badly for him. Having her across the tent when she slept was torture as it was, having her within arms reach would be murder on his self-control.

But she looked so scared and worried that Charles couldn't find it in his heart to say no to her.

"Okay, I'll help you."

Together they moved the small amount of furniture on their side of the room so Becca's cot would fit next to Charles' and keep the entrance to the tent unblocked. When they were finally situation, Becca smiled at Charles.

"Thank you for this, I really appreciate it."

Her smile made the agony at the thought of her so close to him vanish. "Of course."

Becca crawled into her cot. Again she slept without the blanket covering her and Charles wasted no time shutting off the lights and crawling into his own cot. Even in the darkness, Charles could still make out Becca's wide eyes from the little bit of light coming into the tent.

"Goodnight Becca," he said softly.

She smiled softly before reaching out and taking one of his hands in her own. Charles could feel the warmth surge through his blood, but he pushed his desires down. This was to help Becca relax around his fellow tent mates so she wouldn't up and leave the tent.

Charles didn't want to think about her leaving at all.

"Goodnight Charles."

He watched as she shut her eyes and drift off to sleep. He wanted to remove her hand from his own, break that connection, but instead he left it and drifted off to sleep with their hands still holding each other.

This was how BJ found them a couple hours later when he returned to the Swamp from helping Hawkeye with a complicated surgery. It took his eyes a minute to adjust to the darkness of the tent and when it did he found the touching scene.

Becca and Charles were deep in sleep, deeper than Charles had ever slept before. They were lying on separate cots right next to each other, facing the other, and between then, lying on Becca's cot, was their hands, holding each other as if that was the only thing keeping the other tethered to this world.

BJ almost laughed because he had never seen Charles act like this before, like a lovestruck teenager. However, he found that he couldn't find the humor in it. Instead he felt immensely sad.

Becca was from another time, the future. Her presence in the past was fleeting when it came to an end they would be left with a heartbroken Charles.

From what BJ could tell and had heard the two were damn near perfect for each other and there was something between them that was powerful. But at the end of the day, it would never last.

Becca would have to return home. She didn't have a place in 1952 and while Charles might enjoy her company, BJ knew that he would abandon her if his parents disapproved of her. There was no future for this relationship.

BJ moved across the room to his own cot and laid down with one last glance at the sleeping couple.

He just hoped that they realized that before someone got hurt.

Hawkeye knew that he could get Becca to trust him, but it was difficult.

Despite Charles telling him that he had spoken to her, Becca still seemed to avoid him. Finally after 2 days of this, he was able to catch up with her as she was writing in the Swamp, alone.

He had seen her writing a lot and didn't know why she did it, but maybe she would give him an opportunity to find out.

He walked in and watched as she glanced up to see who had entered. Her eyes widened and Hawkeye instantly raised his hands, as if trying to calm a spooked horse.

"Please don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," he said not moving towards her. "I just wanted to talk."

Becca seemed to study him with those wide, green eyes before she nodded to the chair nearby. Hawkeye moved and took a seat, his eyes never leaving hers.

For a few minutes, neither one of them spoke, both just watching the other. Then Hawkeye blinked and cleared his throat.

"So, what are you writing?"

Becca blinked, almost in surprise, before she looked down at her notes. "Just notes about this time. The way things are done in this time is quite different from my own. Even though there isn't a military in my time, learning about such things is still quite interesting."

Hawkeye was the one surprised now. "No military?"

Becca shook her head. "No, as the entire planet is under the World Order there is no need for a military. There is no war. In fact, the last war on the planet was in 2062. From this war rose the World Order measures that we follow today."

Hawkeye nodded, but didn't know how such a world could exist without a military of some kind. "You seem to find this place rather interesting."

Becca nodded. "I have always been rather curious. When I was younger I took apart the toaster to learn how it worked. Mother was not pleased. However, my curiosity did lead me towards a career in the scientific fields and to where I am today."

"What do you do for fun?"

"I do many things. For example, I'm learning Walker's Ninth Symphony on the piano. I also enjoy listening to many styles of music. I enjoy reading and studying our history more in depth. I also take time to read and write scientific essays to keep myself up-to-date, or assist others with their research."

Hawkeye started to ask another question when he noticed Becca turned and looked out the side of the tent. He followed her gaze and found himself looking right at Charles. He turned his eyes back to Becca.

It was in that moment that Hawkeye realized two things about Becca. First off, she was very intelligent, much more than almost anyone he had ever met before. Secondly, she already had eyes for someone else.

BJ had warned him about this, but Hawkeye hadn't noticed it before. Becca's green eyes focused on Charles across the camp with an intensity that shocked Hawkeye. She was smiling softly in a way he had never seen her do so before.

"So, you and Charles huh?"

Becca turned back to Hawkeye with a confused look on her face. "He is a great person. I am proud to call him my friend."

Hawkeye knew that there was more to it than that. He wasn't going to win this against Charles. He lost the minute she learned the word seduce, the day before even meeting him face to face. Hawkeye smiled. "I hope that we can be friends too."

Becca eyed him suspiciously, as if trying to figure out Hawkeye Pierce. "Perhaps," she replied before moving to stand. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

Hawkeye nodded and didn't move as Becca again bolted from him and out the door. He watched her as she moved across the camp straight to Charles. Charles turned as the sound of her voice and Hawkeye watched as the two interacted.

BJ was right, she was unofficially taken. Hawkeye never had a chance. He took a deep breath and sat back in the chair, just looking at the happy couple. Although he knew that he should give up, he found that he wanted Becca to smile at him like she did with Charles. He wanted her to stop being afraid of him. He wanted her friendship, even if she gave him nothing else.

After that day, Hawkeye spent as much time trying to get Becca to like him as possible. He had given up on any type of romantic interest in her and instead focused on friendship. However, it seemed Becca couldn't tell the difference because she still made excuses not to be alone with him and would run to Charles whenever it happened.

BJ spent most of his time focusing on watching Charles, looking for any sign that what Charles was getting annoyed with Becca's constant presence and hoping that he would see the futility in such a relationship with her. Charles didn't seem to notice, completely fine with Becca spending all her time with him and running to him whenever Hawkeye drew near.

The rest of the camp had also taken notice of the four occupants of the Swamp. It was obvious to everyone, even up to Colonel Potter, that Becca had a preference when it came to her fellow tent mates. However, it was Margaret who was the first to approach her.

Charles was working on some delicate work in OR during his shift leaving Becca hiding from Hawkeye in Post-OP. Margaret found her there and asked her to her tent under the pretext of giving her an old army manual full of regulations and regiments that she thought Becca would enjoy.

Becca jumped at the opportunity.

As they entered Margaret's tent Becca couldn't help speaking about her excitement. "How often can one say they get the experience of studying military regulations from an actual military text of that time?"

Margaret shut the door behind her and turned to Becca. "Becca, please have a seat."

Becca narrowed her eyes in confusion, but still sat on the chair Margaret was pointing at. Margaret took a seat on her cot across from Becca.

"Honestly I didn't ask you here to give you a manual. I wanted to talk to you about Charles."

"What about him?"

Margaret took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's obvious to everyone that you prefer his company to Pierce and Hunnicutt. Maybe a little too much."

Becca tilted her head slightly, as if thinking it through. "I don't understand. We are friends and it's true that I hold a fond affection for Charles that I don't for the others. Am I interfering with his work? He's never said anything to me about it."

Margaret shook her head. "An affection?" She looked at the girl in surprise. Was it possible she didn't see it? "You and Charles are practically inseparable, more so that before. That's more than plain affection."

The confusion on Becca's face had Margaret wondering just what life was like in 2152. How could she not understand? Margaret decided to try a different approach.

"How do you feel when you around Charles?"

Becca smiled and Margaret knew that the rest of this conversation was going to be difficult. "He makes me laugh. He's very kind and helpful towards me. Even though I'm sure I annoy him with my endless stream of questions he is still patient to answer them. When he comforts me when I'm afraid my heart starts beating faster and my face flushes as a result. I enjoy sitting and talking with him or just enjoying some music. Someone the music seems more powerful and beautiful when I'm listening with him then when I'm alone. I guess, I feel safe when he's with me."

"You sound like you're in love with him."

Becca blinked, suddenly confused. Another word that she didn't know. "What does that mean? Love? I've never heard it before."

Margaret nodded, confirming to herself what she had already guessed based on what she knew of the girl. Becca had no idea what her feelings really meant and, as such, had no way to really deal with them. As the Colonel had already pointed out, this would end badly for them both when Becca returned home if it wasn't dealt with now as Margaret was pretty sure Charles was in love with Becca too.

"Love is a powerful emotion between two people. It's so complex that even people of this time have a hard time explaining it. Basically, you feel it when you meet someone who completes you, who makes you feel safe and warm when you are with them and you worry about them when they are away. You wonder where they are and what they are doing and if they are safe. You may not have noticed it, but when you look at Charles everyone can tell how you feel about him, even if you don't realize it yourself."

Becca sat back in the chair, her mind racing with this new information. Love? She was in love with Charles? Granted she did feel all those things Margaret had explained, but even Margaret had stated that it was difficult to explain. Perhaps it wasn't love. They were just good friends and it was affection, like with Freddy, that she felt for him.

"Don't friends feel that way about each other too?"

Margaret nodded. "They can, but they don't look at each other the way you and Charles do. You don't blush or feel your heartbeat increase. A friend is someone you confide in and talk with, and someone you love is a friend plus so much more."

Becca shook her head. "I still don't understand this."

Margaret moved forward and took Becca's hands in her own. "I want you to think about this. First close your eyes." Becca did so. "Now imagine your friend, Freddy, didn't make it after the explosion sent you here. He died. How do you feel?"

With her eyes still closed, Becca answered. "Sad, but I know that this is as it should be."

"No tears for your friend?"

Becca kept her eyes closed and shook her head. "No, he has moved onto the next plane, a better place. I know that he wouldn't have cried for me either."

Margaret took a deep breath. "Now, instead of Freddy you see dead, imagine it was Charles."

For a moment Becca didn't react. Margaret worried that perhaps in 2152 that the way one showed deep affection for a friend was the same as love was now and she had been completely wrong all along.

Then she saw the tears.

Becca's face contorted as if in pain and she crumpled over, her hands pulled free from Margaret's and covered her face. She sobbed softly, but Margaret was close enough to still hear her.

Margaret grabbed her second chair and moved next to the girl, pulling her into a hug. Becca gratefully went into it. As soon as the sobs started to subside some, Margaret pulled back and looked into Becca's red-rimmed eyes. "What did you feel then?"

Fresh tears filled Becca's eyes and Becca did nothing to stop them as they fell down her cheek. "Pain, overwhelming pain. My whole body hurt and I felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside. I tried to keep the tears back, to tell myself that this was okay, like Freddy, but it didn't work." Becca wrapped her arms around her stomach as she continued to speak. "I could see Charles in my mind, he was dead. It was the worst experience I had ever felt in my life. I wanted to be dead and I couldn't help thinking that it should have been me, not him. Why did it hurt so much?"

Margaret gave the girl a sad smile before pulling her back into another hug.

"Because it's love."