For those of you who have not read my previous stories, I changed a few things from the movie. Danny and Evelyn never get involved, Evelyn does get pregnant but the baby is Rafe's and Danny does not die in China.

This story takes place at the end of World War II, before Rafe and Evelyn return to Tennessee.

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The doctor would later ask her how she knew but it was something that Evelyn couldn't explain. She was going to have a baby.

She'd miscarried their third child soon after finding out she was expecting again, when Sarah was only three months old. She had carried a lot of guilt over that because she'd felt that if she'd wanted the baby more, the miscarriage wouldn't have happened. As a result of that and the guilt that Rafe had also been feeling, they'd both agreed that they would wait until the war was over before they would attempt to have another.

Everyone had gathered at their house when Rafe and Danny had returned from a mission and they all knew about the bombing of Hiroshima Japan. They thought the end of the war had finally come, but the Japanese were not about to give up. It wouldn't be until a second bomb was dropped three days after the first that the Japanese would finally surrender and the war really would be over.

But that first morning, it didn't matter.

Evelyn laid in the quiet of the early dawn and reveled in the idea that her husband would not have to leave her or their children anymore and she smiled. She didn't know Rafe was awake until she heard his voice, still very heavy with sleep. "Hey Mrs. McCawley, what are you smilin' at?"

She turned her head to look at him and he had that insufferably cocky grin on his face. She knew what he was smiling about. They had been so careful over the last year and a half whenever they had been together that it wasn't what it had usually been. So with an unspoken agreement that it wasn't necessary anymore, Rafe and Evelyn had thrown caution to the wind.

It was a night neither one would ever forget because to them it signaled that their lives could now move forward into a safer world and God willing, they would be able to expand their family.

Even though they had been married for three years already, Evelyn still flushed. That fact was never lost on Rafe as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She snuggled against him and sighed. "It's finally over, isn't it?"

"It looks that way."

"Rafe?"

"What is it honey?"

"What are we going to do now?"

He laughed softly. "I know what I'd like to do."

She shook her head and tried not to laugh. "The way your mind works."

He loosened his hold so he could look at her. "I love you Evelyn and I've missed bein' able to show you, the way I really want to." He was serious now and the sincerity of what he was saying did not go unnoticed.

"I love you and I've missed it too." Evelyn admitted.

That cocky grin was back. "Well then, since the kids are still asleep why not take advantage of it."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Why not?"

And they took advantage of it.

For lunch that afternoon, they also decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and take the kids to the beach. Danny loved going and if it weren't for Rafe and Evelyn telling him not to get too far ahead, he would have beaten them all there.

Evelyn carried the picnic basket while Rafe carried the blanket and their daughter. She was a shy child and never strayed too far away from her parents. Danny had been the same way and Evelyn hoped Sarah would outgrow it as her brother had.

It was a breezy afternoon as they found a spot near the water and Rafe put Sarah down on her feet to help Evelyn lay the blanket on the sand. With that done, Sarah tugged on her father's hand and pulled him toward the water. He grinned at his wife, "Duty calls."

Evelyn sat down on the blanket and started to unpack lunch. She watched Rafe with their children and not for the first time counted her blessings that she was sharing her life with him. These were the times that made her the happiest because they were all together.

She thought back to what she'd asked her husband earlier that day about what they would do now that the war looked to be at an end. Surely he would not have to fly any more missions and he could stay home. But where would home eventually be?

Rafe had already expressed the desire to go back to Tennessee when the war was finally over. Evelyn had fallen in love with the place after they had traveled back when Danny was a baby and she would have no objections. The kids might not like it though because they had both been born in Hawaii and it was the only place they knew as home. It was something she and Rafe would really have to talk about when the time came to make a decision.

In the meantime, she had everything laid out and was about to call her family to come and eat when she saw Danny walking down the beach toward them. When he finally reached their spot, he looked like a man on a mission. "Hi Danny. We were just about to eat. Would you care to join us?"

"Thanks Evelyn, but I can't stay. I'm meetin' Sandra but I wanted to get your and Rafe's opinion about somethin'."

She was suddenly very curious. "You never ask my opinion, this must be pretty important."

"It is." And Evelyn saw him flush, but he wouldn't say anything else until Rafe came back up from the water with Sarah on his arm and Danny running ahead of them. He ran straight into the arms of his godfather. "Daddy's home!"

"He sure is. That makes you real happy, don't it?"

Danny nodded before his godfather put him back on his feet.

Sarah squirmed out of her father's arms and Rafe put her down on the blanket next to her mother. "Hey Danny, want somethin' to eat?"

"Evelyn already offered but I can't stay. I did want to ask you both somethin' though."

Rafe looked to his wife for an answer, but she only shrugged her shoulders. "What's up?"

"I wanted to ask what you thought about this." And he pulled a ring box out of his jacket pocket. When he opened it, he showed Rafe and Evelyn a small diamond engagement ring. "You think she'll like it?"

Rafe grinned at his best friend. "You son of a gun! When did you decide to do this?"

"Before we went out on our last mission. Sandra and I have been talkin' about it, but we knew if we did it wouldn't be until the war was over."

"When did you get the ring?" Evelyn asked him as she settled the kids down to eat.

"Before we left. I was downtown waitin' for Sandra because we were goin' to see a movie when she got off duty at the hospital. The jewelry store was on the way to the movie house, so I started lookin' and saw this."

"Danny it's beautiful, she'll love it." She told him as she stood up to hug him.

"That's if she says yes."

"She'll say yes." Rafe stated it as fact.

"If she does, you'll be my best man." Danny told him.

"You'd be in a lot of trouble if I wasn't."

"You're right about that." He grinned.

"Are you sure you won't have something to eat?" Evelyn asked him. "You shouldn't propose on an empty stomach."

"Thanks Evelyn, I 'preciate that. But I'm takin' her out to dinner tonight and right now I couldn't eat a thing."

"Weddin' nerves already and he ain't even proposed yet." Rafe clapped his friend on the shoulder. "She'll say yes, she'd be crazy not to."

"Well McCawley's, I've got to go. I do appreciate the offer of lunch and I'll talk to you tomorrow and let you know what she says." And he waved at the family before he jogged up the beach and headed back to the barracks.

Rafe sat down across from his wife and settled Sarah in his lap while Danny sat next to his mother and started to eat. "What do you think Mrs. McCawley?" He asked her.

"I think she'll say yes. They've been seeing each other all of this time and I think she's been waiting a long time for him to get up the nerve to ask."

"Does she love him?" That seemed to concern him.

"Sandra has always been the type of girl to keep things to herself, so I honestly couldn't tell you for sure. But I have to believe that because she hasn't been seeing anyone else in all of this time, she must really love him."

"I want him to be happy Evelyn. If anyone deserves it, it's Danny." Rafe told her quietly as he helped his daughter to eat.

"You're such a good friend Rafe." She smiled at him.

"My folks and I are all he had for a long time and now he has a chance to have his own family. I hope she says yes." He sighed.

"He'll let us know Captain McCawley, so relax."

Rafe looked at his wife and smiled. She was right of course because there was nothing they could do but wait, so in the meantime decided to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with his family.

Danny would let them know soon enough.