"Gilligan! Gilligan!" Mary Ann shouted as she made her way toward her husband. Gilligan turned his head sharply in Mary Ann's direction, while still keeping one eye on his radar screen. From the line up of coordinates, he knew what Mary Ann was coming to tell him... they were approaching their island. "Oh Gilligan! You did it! I knew you could! We're almost there. It won't be long now. Perhaps in the next hour... you know, I was really disappointed when you got me those binoculars for our anniversary last year, but now I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world!" She exclaimed.

"We're really that close, huh? Boy oh boy! I sure wish I could turn up the speed on this boat. Think of it, Mary Ann... fishing all morning, snoozing all afternoon, barbecues down by the lagoon, moon lit walks, late night swims... and all the coconut and pineapple I can eat!" Gilligan said with excitement. Mary Ann smiled as a warmth came over her. Now this was more like it. This was the Gilligan she remembered. Out of everyone else on that island, Gilligan was the one that had considered it the most like home. He loved it there. Oh, of course, Gilligan had never gotten it into his head to want to live there permanently. He knew the best place for his family to be was in Honolulu. There was no way he would have ever denied his children a real home, with real beds, hot running water, and a formal education... though the Professor would have been quite capable teaching all of the children. His children had gotten to, and would get to, experience things that he had missed out on for six long years.

"S. S. Mary Ann to the S. S. Islander. S.S. Mary Ann to the S.S. Islander, come in please," Gilligan said as he spoke into the speaker of his transmitter.

"This is the S.S. Islander. What is it Gilligan? Is everything alright?" The Skipper replied over his speaker.

"Wonderful! We're almost there! Mary Ann just spotted the island through her binoculars."

"Great job, Little Buddy!' The Skipper exclaimed. "Looks like you're going to win this race after all. You've done me proud."

"Well, I had the best Skipper around... what do you expect?" Gilligan said, who was now grinning for ear to ear.

"Hey everyone! Were're almost there!" Gilligan could hear the Skipper shout to the crew and passengers aboard his boat. Cheers went up all around. Similar cheering could be heard from the S.S. Mary Ann over the Skipper's transmitter.

Once arriving at the island, Jimmy quickly went to working anchoring the boat, first on the port side... then dropping another anchor off of the starboard side as well. While he was doing this, Gilligan began to help the other passengers off of his boat.

"Daddy, is this where you and mommy lived for so long?" Abby asked, as she tugged on her father's sleeve.

"It sure is, little buddy," he said as he lifted his seven year old daughter up into his arms.

"Hey! That's my nickname!" Grace protested as she folded her arms in a pout.

"You're both my little buddies," Gilligan exclaimed, "besides, it was my nickname first and I can hand it down to anyone I want to. Even you're little brother is my little buddy. Aren't you, kiddo?" At this, Gilligan began to tousle the hair of the toddler that was standing beside his mother.

"Oh Gilligan! I'm so proud of you!" Mary Ann exclaimed, as she threw her arms around him and began to kiss his face.

"Aw honey... not in front of the kids," Gilligan said humbly, as his cheeks were turning a rosy pink. In reality, Gilligan loved it. If he hadn't been sure before, he was sure now that Mary Ann had to be the sweetest woman alive. In fact, the older she got, the sweeter she got. It was hard for him to imagine that at one time he had feared showing his feelings for her.

"Excellent sailing, my boy! Simply marvelous," Mr. Howell remarked, pulling Gilligan away from his thoughts.

"Thank you, Mr. Howell."

"My dear boy... such an enjoyable trip... the refreshments were divine, and the crew was friendly... but where the devil are we?" Mrs. Howell asked, just a bit puzzled.

"Mrs. Howell, I know you don't recognize it now, but we're on the island that we were stranded on for years... we haven't been back in eight years. " Mary Ann explained.

"If we left, why in the world did we come back?" Mrs. Howell asked, as she took in the sights all around her. It did look vaguely familiar to her, yet it felt like deja vu... or like a dream she had long ago that she was struggling to remember.

"Hey little buddy!" Gilligan heard the Skipper shouting from his boat.

"Oh, hey Skipper!" Gilligan shouted upward as he waved to his best friend.

As Jimmy and Sam finished securing each of their captain's respective boats, everyone else gathered on the shore.

"Ah, God's beautiful and magnificent creation," the Professor replied, as he took in a breath of fresh air.

Morning has broken, like the first morning. Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird... Jolani sang softly. Even though she had spent the first seven years of her life on a tropical island, it had been so long ago. The last couple years of that she had lived in fear and torment as she watched her people being terrorized and threatened by a tyrant. All that had changed when she had come to this island. She was showered in love by her mom and pop the moment she arrived. Well... her pop had been distant for a brief period, but she understood. The man was hurting inside. He had been afraid to love, and had felt guilty over any healing that may have started in his heart.

"Captain Grumby... this island is more beautiful than I could have pictured it," Nate said in awe.

"Just wait until you see the rest of it!"

"Ryan... don't do that," Donna whispered to her son, who was currently spinning in circles and humming to himself. She turned a slight shade of red against her will. True, he wasn't hurting anyone, but Dexter, Grace, and Isaac began to giggle... and whether the adults realized it or not, they were all staring at him... or perhaps they were staring at her.

"Oh, he's okay," Doris replied, "just think about how exciting this is for him. To tell you the truth, I'm pretty excited myself. Jonas and I haven't been on vacation in nearly seven years."

"Thanks Doris," Donna replied, "I don't mean to get embarrassed... I just wished he wouldn't... I mean none of the other kids are spinning and humming. Does that make me a horrible person?"

"No...every parent feels like that. Why last week, I took my kids to the grocery store with me. Jolani began to beg and whine for some teen magazine that had John Travolta on the cover, and Isaac started following me around, nearly crying that he wanted a box of the sugariest, and most expensive cereal on the market. It didn't help that I ran into the church's choir director, and one of the client's that comes into Doctor Hartman's office all in the same trip. Ryan's a good boy... he just does things a little differently, that's all."

"Doris... I appreciate what you are trying to do... really I do. Yet, it is still different with Ryan. Your kids are being... well... just kids. You set rules, and when your children don't listen, they face consequences. Sometimes, more often than not, embarrassing themselves is the worst punishment there is. You know what I'm saying?" Doris nodded to show Donna that she understood. Donna then continued.

"When Ryan acts out... I often don't know what has triggered it. I can lay down the law all I want, and I'm never sure if he understands. If he wants something in the store, a simple "no" just doesn't suffice. He'll grunt and holler, pull on my sleeve, stick the item in my face... more than once I've had to leave a cart full of groceries just to drag him out of the situation... and that's getting harder all of the time. We don't really travel either. Ryan is unpredictable...sometimes he enjoys a road trip, and other times he is antsy and restless. He'll rock back and forth and hum real loud. I've gotten so much unwanted advice and dirty looks from other passengers on trains and buses that I don't know what to do with myself." By this time, Donna was in tears.

"Oh Donna, i wasn't trying to normalize your situation... our even compare my kids to yours. I'm sorry. I just don't want you to fret over Ryan this week. This is your vacation too... and you deserve it. Please, tell us how we can help make this easier for the two of you."

"Oh Doris, I wish that I could... but I don't know myself. I just thank God that I have you and Jonas looking out for me."

"How about Sam?" Doris' question made Donna blush just a bit.

"Especially Sam... oh Doris, I don't know what I would do without him. I love him so much. I knew there was something special about him the first time I met him... those deep brown eyes, that warm smile, the way he immediately took up with Ryan without all the intimidation that most folks go through when they first meet him. I feel almost guilty. I know David's been gone for three years, and that David would want me to be happy, but I fell for Sam pretty hard... and pretty fast."

"Donna, did I ever tell you about how I had met Jonas years before I had landed on this island? We had met while we were in the Navy... before either one of us had been shipped over seas for World War II. We met in a night club. The moment he smiled at me, my heart began to melt. I had never been in love before... and for years I carried a torch for him before I reluctantly moved on. Yet, somewhere deep in my heart, I held out hope that I might see him again one day. It didn't happen quite the way I expected, but that doesn't matter now. Believe me, I know all about falling hard for someone. Jonas is a good man... and so is Sam. I can tell he loves you very much. You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about.

"Thank you," Donna replied, now feeling more relaxed, "you know... sometimes I wonder how Sam could have jumped back in the game so soon after his wife's death. A year is a respectable amount of time to wait... but still... you know, he rarely ever talks about Elsa. I know some things about her... I've seen pictures... she was a very beautiful woman. I know she was very devoted to Sam...and to Nate. He was her pride and joy. Sometimes I wonder what Nate thinks of this whole situation. I wonder if he likes me... approves of me. Do you know what I mean?"

"Nate is a very level headed boy. I'm sure he misses his mother terribly. They were very close, as you've said. Sam was gone a lot, and so I know Elsa had to be mother and father sometimes. It only stands to reason that he would miss her. Yet, that boy is so in tune with his spiritual side. He knows his mother is in a better place. He doesn't understand why her death was necessary, but he keeps reminding himself that God is in control of all situations. Don't be so fooled by Sam's calm demeanor either. Before he met you, he had reluctantly started back on the dating scene. Also, one of the reasons he and Nate moved to Hawaii is because he couldn't stand to live in Seattle any longer. It wasn't enough to just move out of their family home. The whole area reminded him of Elsa. I also think that if Sam approves of you, then Nate approves of you as well. I'm sure he just wants his father to be happy." Doris said, as she placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'm hoping you're right Doris... because I have a feeling Sam is the one. I love him very, very much," Donna confided with Doris.