A/N: I kinda ran out of steam with this and floundered. I hope you like the ending anyway.

Both Charles and BJ were in the Swamp when Hakweye got back.

He was frustrated after talking to Potter and he was exhausted to boot.

"Hey, you are back. I heard a rumour," BJ greeted warmly.

"Ah Pierce the lice have missed you greatly." Winchester added.

Hawkeye wasn't in the mood for banter so shot Charles a dark look instead. "See that little trip away did a lot to improve your mood," Winchester sniped.

"It's coming back here that spoils the mood," BJ said, sensing Hawkeye wasn't in the right frame of mind for Charles, he decided he best be on side. Hawkeye didn't seem to be quite himself. "Want a drink, Hawk?" BJ asked, getting himself one from the still.

"No," he said a little tersely before adding "Thanks."

BJ shot a discreet look to Charles telling him something was up with Pierce. Winchester took that as his cue to leave. As Charles exited the tent, Klinger entered it. "Sorry to disturb you Sirs, but Colonel Potter wants you in his office right away."

"I just left his office," Hawkeye complained loudly.

"I just deliver the messages Sir," Klinger deflected and carried on with the rest of his duties.

The pair headed into Potter's office. If Potter had thought Pierce was a little cold before, he was outright frozen this time. He stood there, arms crossed looked anywhere but at Potter. The truth was, it wasn't the most urgent business in the world, just some scheduling conflicts that needed working through. Hunnicutt was more forth coming with help, Pierce only spoke when BJ outright asked him if he'd be able to cover certain shifts. It took around ten minutes to get the duty roster sorted thoroughly before Potter dismissed them, but asked Pierce if he could have a word.

BJ had no idea what was causing Hawkeye odd behaviour but he saw how tense his friend became as he nodded and said "Sure," to the Colonel's request.

"I'll see you back at the Swamp, Hawk," BJ said as he left, troubled by what was happening.

As soon as BJ was gone, Potter turned to Hawkeye. "Look son, you can turn the hostility down okay? I didn't men to come on so strong before, I was just concerned that's all." Hawkeye didn't react to the words, but he hadn't left either. "I'd hate to think that when you needed to talk things through, I'd slammed the door in your face by being too stubborn to wait until you're ready." Hawkeye winced at that, "So take your time. My doors always open."

"Right," Hawkeye said, leaving in much the same mood as he'd arrived.

On his way back to the Swamp, Scully had tried to call him over to the Mess tent but that seemed like far too much effort. The mess tent would be full of people and he couldn't stand one more person asking about his business.

He could see BJ inside, writing a letter but Charles was still absent. He headed inside, mood still sour but BJ paid little attention to him besides from acknowledging which of his tent mates had entered.

Hawkeye sat on his cot and pulled his boots off before he carefully laid down, eyes closed in near exhaustion. He was mindful of his back and the knot at the back of his head was painful if he laid a certain way but he soon got comfortable.

"Hawk?"

"Yeah?"

Hawk's voice sounded so fatigued that BJ almost just left it there, certain his friend wouldn't even notice. "I'm here if you need me, okay?"

"I know,"

BJ didn't lave the Swamp until Hawkeye had been sleeping for almost an hour. He was reluctant to leave his friend in case nightmares plagued him, worried he'd wake up alone. But it seemed his body was exhausted enough to let Pierce have some peace.

He left the Swamp and BJ and headed over to the mess tent grabbing a coffee before sitting down beside Potter and Margaret. Potter looked up when BJ sat down, looked around for Pierce.

"You bought your other half?" Potter asked.

"Nope. Left him at the creche." BJ said.

"He still throwing his toys about?"

"Sleeping."

"Sleeping? Hasn't he just got back from R&R?"

"Relax Margaret, it was one day. Besides I don't think he had much of either."

"Well if Pierce decides to act like a cretin on his R&R that's hardly my problem," Margaret replied.

"Right," BJ agreed. "You know Scully was at heading to the officers club earlier, right?"

"Scully? What's he doing here?" BJ just smiled as her and shrugged. "Well, I... probably should go and see him and say hi."

"Of course." BJ said as Margaret up and left. Once she'd gone, Potter put aside the letter he'd been absorbed in. "So, what's Pierce told you?"

"I'm none the wiser. Once he came back from you he went to straight to sleep. Maybe he'll wake up in a better mood."

"There's more to it than that, I just don't know what it could be. And besides from Pierce, Scully's the only other one who seems to have a clue and he's not saying a word either."

"The one thing I've learnt about Hawkeye is he's as stubborn as they come. Reminds me of a certain Colonel I know." The Colonel gave BJ a sly smile at that. "If he doesn't want to talk about something, he's not going too."

"Right," The Colonel agreed. "Though I was thinking it's time that Sidney came for a visit."

"You don't think that's a little unsubtle?"

"Strictly for poker. If Pierce wants to take advantage of the fact that he's there then that's up to him. I won't even mention it to Sidney."

The poker game ended up a wash out. Hawkeye only slept for a couple of hours, so by the time poker came round, he was starting to get drowsy again. By the time they were ready for poker, Hawkeye was half asleep on his cot and sleeping ten minutes into the game.

Sid commented that it wasn't like Hawkeye to miss out on poker but also mused he did seem tired. But he wasn't concerned, had no reason to be. He knew that these people looked out for one another. If any of them had a concern that they felt Sidney could help with they'd certainly come to him.

Sidney left, $46 lighter.

It was the next morning that Charles went into the shower when Pierce was in there and spotted the flash of heavy bruising on Hawkeye's lower back. He hadn't noticed Charles entering and Winchester almost closed the door before barking at someone near him, telling him to watch where he was going.
Charles was met with an odd look from the Private, who was nowhere near the man, but the result was that when he opened the shower door, Pierce was suitably covered. He stared at Charles like a rabbit caught in headlights. "Everything okay?" Charles asked, and that snapped Pierce out of it.

He nodded. "Water's cold," was all Hawkeye said as an explanation as he headed back outside the shower room.

Things returned to a relative state of normal.

Hawkeye pulled himself together, got over the shock that he was in fact, in a war zone. And everyone else let it go.

Except Charles. Who couldn't forget the bruising he saw, try as he might.

He waited until they were alone one night, BJ on the night shift in post op and when Hawkeye was hopefully drunk enough that he'd be a little less guarded but not too drunk he'd get fired up.

The tent was fairly dark, a light only on over Charles' side as Pierce lay on his cot, martini glass in one hand, the other laying idly across his chest.

"How did you come across that bruising on your back?" Winchester asked.

No run up to it, no idol chatter first, he decided directness was the way to go.

When no answer was forthcoming he simply turned over the page in his book, kept reading. "I saw it a few days ago. Not that I was looking, mind."

"So... what?" Hawkeye asked.

Charles could hear the defensive tone. He knew BJ had been concerned about Hawkeye and the more direct, caring approach hadn't worked. Maybe some indifference to sympathy might be the way. He shrugged. "Just looking for something I hadn't heard before. A good story..."

"Good story?" Hawkeye repeated, voice tinged with anger. He'd explode with rage, one way or another, Charles just had to make sure the explosion came out at him and didn't end up hurting Pierce any more. "You don't have the first clue about what really goes on in this world, in this war."

"No? I don't serve in the same hospital, don't stand in the same O.R?"

"You've not seen it like I have," Hawkeye said. "I..." he started before closing his mouth, thinking better of saying another word. "You must have been seeing things Charles. A trick of the light."

Charles felt a swell of disappointment sure that he was going to get somewhere until Pierce shut down. A different tactic then. "Very well." He took out a bottle of cognac and poured himself a glass, put it beside his cot before he moved over to Hawkeye's bunk and took the Martini glass from his hand and gave him the empty glass. Hawkeye took it without a word and Charles poured a glass, setting the bottle down beside Pierces bunk. He then went back to his own bunk, settled down on it and picked up his glass. Pierce watched every move he made and he toasted the air between them.

"My sister Honoria used to struggle letting things out. She bottled her feelings for fear of causing a scene should her emotions get the better of her. When something was troubling her, even though she seemed okay on the outside, I always knew. I'd go to see her just before our bedtime and she'd switch the light off and somehow, being in the dark allowed her to tell me the things that troubled her. She rarely needed advice or help, just to vent things that troubled her. And when the light came on we never talked about it. But it always helped."

He took a chance, switched off the light.