Well, this is the final chapter of my story. I can't believe I've finally finished it. In all honesty, I didn't think that I would.

I want to thank the following for reviewing:

MoroTheWolfGod, CaptainEvermind, saturn22a, GuerradeNervios, cedarrapidsgirl78, smellerby, Kooshball, dcn1989, Peacefulla, SecretPleasures, MadameJavert, hawkeye-heart'nseoul and finally, Hawk'sSoul who encouraged me to continue writing. You're a great friend, Steffie!

Thank you for all your support, guys! Many hugs and kisses to you!

So here it is guys, I give you...the last chapter! Please review.

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September 1st 1998

Trapper lifted the lid off the urn and scattered the ashen remains under a large oak tree. When the urn was half empty Trapper replaced the lid and shakily stood back up. This tree had apparently been Hawkeye's favourite growing up and he requested that half of his ashes be spread there and the other half kept by whoever succeeded him.

Hawkeye had died the day after his 78th birthday after he suffered a massive stroke. He and Trapper had been eating a quiet celebratory dinner when all of a sudden Hawkeye went ridged and fell face forward into his pasta. He died in hospital 12 hours later.

Trapper was still adjusting to the rather substantial loss and was prone to bursting into tears at a moments notice. The funeral had been a week ago and all of the surviving members of the 4077th and their children had attended to pay their respects to the late Hawkeye Pierce.

After staring aimlessly at the tree for a few more minutes Trapper headed home. He and Hawkeye had moved to Crabapple Cove after the two doctors retired. They had wanted to spend their retirement someplace lovely and peaceful 'to make up for all the chaos of Korea' as Hawkeye had said.

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That night Trapper began sifting through all of Hawkeye's things. Trapper had been avoiding this up until that moment because he knew that he would start crying at the sight of his husband's belongings.

After some difficulty, Trapper managed to bring down a very large, very dusty old shoe box from the very top of the closet.

'I've never seen this before.' Trapper muttered to himself as he carried the box to the bed and sat down.

Trapper opened the box carefully and perused the contents. On top of everything else sat a pair of dog tags. Hawkeye's dog tags. Trapper lifted them up and traced his fingers along the writing.

Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce US12836413

Trapper slowly placed the dog tags around his neck and continued to look through the box. There were many photographs, at least 40 of them and more than half of those were black and white shots of Korea.

Trapper lifted out a few of the Korea pictures and looked through them.

The first picture was of him and Hawkeye out the front of the Swamp just after they had painted the door. Their fatigues were spotted with paint and they had their arms around one another proudly.

The next shot was of their freshly built distillery. He and Hawkeye were toasting the cameraman (most likely to be Radar) and just visible in the background was Frank scowling at the Captains.

There were many candid shots including one of Frank fast asleep, draped with Klinger's pink feather boa; Spearchucker throwing a football around with Trapper; a very rude shot of Margaret running across the compound naked after Hawkeye had stolen her towel from the shower.

That woman deserves the medal of honour. Trapper thought as he continued to flip through the photos.

The final shot of Korea made Trapper laugh out loud. It was just him, Hawkeye and Henry standing in the middle of the compound laughing their heads off. Trapper remembered that day well.

Just as Radar was about to take the picture, Frank had run out of Margaret's tent topless as Margaret chased him with her riding crop. Radar had snapped the photo when Henry, Trapper and Hawkeye spotted the two Majors and cracked up.

Trapper laid the photos of Korea down and picked up 10 coloured shots of their wedding in Vermont. September 15th 1990. They had chosen that date because that was the day they had met in Korea exactly 40 years before.

Four people had attended the small ceremony, BJ, Kathy, Charles and Margaret. Six of the shots were of Trapper and Hawkeye standing with their friends, but the final four was just of the two of them hand in hand, staring at each other lovingly.

Trapper's throat went tight and he quickly placed these photos on the bed before the tears began to fall silently down his cheeks.

The final items in the box made Trapper laugh through his despair. A coil from the still and a magazine called 'Nudist Monthly'.

Trapper lifted the magazine from the box and tried to figure out its significance. It was very old, the woman on the front looked like she was from the 50's and the pages had turned yellow. After studying the cover further, Trapper spied the date: September 1950. Then it dawned on the doctor, this was the magazine Hawkeye had been reading the day Trapper had arrived at the 4077th.

Trapper grinned sadly and placed the magazine back in the box along with everything else he had removed except the dog tags and one photo from Korea.

It was a shot of Hawkeye and Trapper sitting outside the Swamp in their bathrobes, martini glasses raised, toasting the camera with mischievous grins on their young faces.

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'Here we are Captain McIntyre, tent number 6.'

Trapper stared at the dreary khaki monument with mounting distaste. Despite this, he looked down at the diminutive Corporal and grinned at him kindly.

'Thank you Corporal, I should fine for the moment.'

Radar nodded. 'Okay sir, oh by the way, you will be sharing this tent with Captain Pierce, he's also a surgeon.'

'Thanks kid.'

Radar scurried off in the direction of the helicopter pad and Trapper entered the tent cautiously.

The tent was nothing to look at. It appeared as though it had just been erected. There were three unoccupied cots spread throughout the room and a heater in the middle. To the right of Trapper there was a fourth cot in which a man with dark hair was sitting reading a nudist magazine. He looked up as soon as Trapper entered and grinned good-naturedly.

'Hi, welcome to paradise.'

Trapper scoffed and threw his bags on the cot next to the Captain's.

'It seems more like a swamp to me.'

The Captain laughed and sat up properly. 'So, did you volunteer or did they drag you over here kicking and screaming?'

Trapper flopped down on his new cot. 'The bastards drafted me, you?'

'The same, I tried hiding under my bed but that obviously didn't work.'

Trapper chuckled and extended his hand. 'John McIntyre.'

The Captain took his hand and shook it. 'Hawkeye Pierce.'

Trapper raised an eyebrow. 'Hawkeye?'

The Captain waved his hand dismissively. 'Well, my real name is Benjamin but my father nicknamed me Hawkeye after a character out of 'The Last of the Mohicans'.'

'Oh, you married, Hawkeye?'

The raven haired man shook his head. 'Nope, free as a bird, you?'

'Yea and I got two gorgeous daughters.' Trapper produced a picture from his pocket and handed it to Hawkeye. 'Their names are Becky and Kathy.'

Hawkeye grinned. 'Wow, Becky looks just like you. How old are they?'

'Becky is seven and Kathy is five. I missed Kathy's first day of kindergarten thanks to the army.'

Hawkeye handed back the photo and looked at the blonde sympathetically. 'That's too bad.'

The two men sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before Hawkeye spoke.

'Did you get a load of our CO Henry?'

Trapper smirked. 'Yea, he seems like a nice guy but I think that company clerk of his knows more than him.'

'Probably...I've only been here a day so I can't really judge.'

'What have you been doing for that time?'

Hawkeye shrugged. 'Mostly just chatting up the nurses, you know three of them came in this morning and we're expecting four more this afternoon.'

Hawkeye's cerulean eyes shone with excitement and Trapper couldn't help but feel mesmerised by them.

'Hey John, you okay?'

Trapper came back to reality and grinned at Hawkeye cheekily. 'Sure, I'm great. You can call me Trapper if you want. That's a nickname I picked up in college.'

'Should I dare to ask what Trapper means?' asked Hawkeye mischievously.

'Get under a cold shower and I'll tell you.'

The door to the tent opened at that moment and Radar entered followed by a scrawny looking man with a pointy face and beady blue eyes.

'Captain's Pierce and McIntyre, this is Major Frank Burns. He's a surgeon and he's going to be living with you guys.'

Frank turned to Radar and spat. 'That'll be all Corporal.'

Radar nodded and scurried out of the tent.

Hawkeye stood up to shake Frank's hand. 'Hiya Frankie, welcome to the Swamp.'

Frank shot Hawkeye a contemptuous look. 'I am a superior officer and you will salute me, Captain.'

Hawkeye exchanged looks with Trapper and both men put their left hands to the sides of their heads and waved at the Major.

Frank harrumphed and went about setting up his belongings on the opposite side of the tent.

Hawkeye turned to Trapper. 'So Trapper how would you like a tour of the 4077th?'

'That would be fantastic, Hawkeye.'

The two Captains linked arms and strolled out into the compound, laughing and joking as though they'd known one another for years.

END

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Well, there you have it...the end of 'Five Years is a Long Time'. Please leave a review telling me what you thought of the ending.

Again, thanks to my reviewers!

Until next time.

Abyssinia, Lucy