We had many practices runs with Dad's plan and we had to do it when the children were not around and the neighbors were not watching. Mainly, we worked at night, when we expected our visitor. Traps were set all across the yard without anyone watching and little feet in the way. Then, from above, Larry would pour ocean water or muck from the wetlands and I had flour to make our person stick. Hawkeye was supposed to be watching from the living room and doing tackle. Dad was on the porch with his weapon of choice.

Before we all went to bed that night, everyone picked up the items and we waited dawn, sleeping in intervals. Nothing happened and we watched for days afterward. In the weeks after my exam, it was the same. Then, in the middle of October, I received word that I was officially a nurse for the state of Maine. This was the chance of our intruder and we prepared.

This was cause for a celebration though. We invited all of the neighbors and our friends to Eddie's Bar for dinner and drinks. It was going to be a wonderful time, despite the wary attitude.

The night we were set to go to dinner, Hawkeye and I also had a surprise visitor at the door. Trapper had driven up from Boston unexpectedly and on some vacation time he was trying to kill. He brought bottles of scotch and some cigars.

"I heard Jeanie is a nurse again," he said lamely at the door with his offerings. "I come bearing gifts of great joy."

"Which we will vanquish once we complete our quest," Hawkeye said in his best kingly voice. He wrapped an arm around Trapper's shoulder. "Come, Sir Trapper, Knight of the Dire Women, we are to head out and slay the dragon."

"Beer?" Trapper asked excitedly.

"Anything you wish to drink," Hawkeye revealed. He let Trapper inside and closed the door. "This shall make us forget the princesses we have offered to rescue."

At that point, I was readying the children. Once they saw Trapper, that was the end of it. All four of them rushed to meet Tuncle and Hawkeye had to step aside before he was trampled. Once more, Trapper was entirely engulfed in the love they gave him. He dropped the bottles and his cigars and hugged all four of them at once.

"Ok, ok, I've got all of you," he told them. "Tuncle is here."

"Please join us," I offered again. "We are going down to Eddie's."

Dad heard the commotion and came downstairs fast. "Trapper! What a surprise to see you."

Trapper released the children and did a silly salute at Dad. "Tonight is a good night to revel. I've got some goodies to keep us going long after the party."

"You might have more company," I warned.

Trapper shrugged his shoulders. "The more, the merrier. You know that, Jeanie."

Behind him, there was a knock on the door. It was Mrs. Bretton and her husband, Mrs. Pettigrew and Larry and his girlfriend. Trapper and Hawkeye moved to one side so they can enter. Immediately, the discussion turned to getting to Eddie's. There was the debate on who was taking what vehicle and meeting up at Eddie's with the rest of the neighbors.

Mrs. Pettigrew pointed at Trapper with her parasol. "That scoundrel can walk. I've had enough of his foolishness since he arrived here."

"Ahh, Madam, you do not know me." Trapper reached for the wrinkled hand and kissed it gently. "I am a gentleman of the trustiest order."

"The Beer Order," Hawkeye added.

Mr. Bretton was interested. "Oh? What competition?"

"They are joking," his wife said. She slapped his hand.

Mrs. Pettigrew was having none of it. She pulled her hand away. "I shall see you at the establishment."

Dad defused the situation and settled the rides. Mr. Bretton was going to use his new Bel Air to get to Eddie's and offered to bring Larry and his girlfriend. Dad was going to drive the Packard and have Mrs. Pettigrew as his passenger. They were going to take the twins. Trapper, Hawkeye and I were going to walk and bring Shannon and Annabeth with us.

It was not a bad arrangement. Patrick and Danielle were obviously disappointed that they were not going with Tuncle. Shannon gloated that she and Annabeth were Tuncle's special nieces. This lasted all the way out the door, when we were on our way and walking. Even letting her and Annabeth run ahead did nothing to stop her from dancing around in excitement.

Hawkeye, Trapper and I watched them from a distance. I stood in the middle between the pair and linked my arms with theirs. When I started talking animatedly about our little fete, Trapper grew more excited. This prompted Hawkeye to talk more about what we were planning at Eddie's – drinks, company, food and dessert. He promised me a cake.

"Hawkeye, it's too much," I protested.

"Naw, not for our little nurse," Trapper said.

"Besides, we thought you'd like to be treated a little," Hawkeye added.

"Well, she's not so little anymore, is she?"

"She is petite. You can pour water on her and she'll grow like a weed."

"Dandelion wine?"

"You two are horrible." I nudged both of them with my shoulders. "I don't deserve all of this."

Again, Trapper and Hawkeye objected that I did, the latter most of all. All the while, my eyes did not peel away from those girls. I was suddenly so nervous for some reason. I shouldn't be. Shannon and Annabeth took care of themselves. They watched out for strangers and did not accept things from them. They comforted each other when they were hurt. They knew to come to us when there was trouble.

Then, why should I worry?

I tried interacting with Hawkeye and Trapper, but it fell flat. Even they noticed. It was enough that they made fun of me for my unexpected gloomy behavior. Hawkeye promised me so much in the bedroom when we returned home later that night. Trapper hoped to watch us and record it for prosperity's sake.

"You have a star's future," he said. "You need just the right director and actors."

They did not hear the car racing close behind us. I did. Before Trapper or Hawkeye could do anything, I shoved them both to the side of the roads and dashed forward, to the girls. I screamed at them to move aside. I did not care if I was hit. It would hopefully slow down the maniac behind us and miss my daughters.

I reached Annabeth and Shannon before the Desoto did. I grabbed them and pulled them to the side of the road. I acted so fast that all three of us skidded and fell into the sand. I rolled them further in, covering them with my body when I could. When we stopped and I had the pair facedown, I tried getting the license plate for the Desoto, but did not see one.

Hawkeye and Trapper yelled from behind us. I waved without looking back, to show that we were ok. Then, I checked on the girls. Other than some skid marks on their hands and sand marks on their faces, they were unharmed. I was relieved. I didn't want them standing up yet. I had to check the area, to ensure all was well, and that Desoto was not coming back. I didn't see it and was about to tell them all was well before I heard a familiar noise.

That was when the shots were fired.

I closed my eyes and searched for a helmet that was not there. When I remembered that there were little bodies on the ground, I covered them with mine. My hands went over my head. It was a desperate effort to keep the bullets from hitting my most sensitive spot. I knew it was futile.

I didn't know when it all stopped. I knew there was a round fired and then returning fire. Someone was yelling and then a vehicle sped away. The next thing I knew, a police officer was pulling me off of Annabeth and Shannon and trying to calm me down. The two of them were crying hysterically and I could not understand why I was being told to quiet my own hysterics.

I was drowning…

Hawkeye took over. I was in his arms in seconds. Trapper held the girls. He picked them up together and told them everything was going to be ok.

"It'll be perfect," Trapper promised. "You see over there? Eddie still has his party going."

Hawkeye kept petting my hand, shaking too. "You all right?"

"I don't know." I felt my chest tighten. "They could have killed the girls. We could have lost them!"

I couldn't understand what I was saying, what I was feeling. When I realized that I thought that I was in Korea, I was angered. This wasn't a war zone. This was civilian life. Sure, people had guns. I knew Crabapple Cove had its hunters. But to see it coming towards you and your family, with no intention of sparing life, was unbearable. It burned me.

Hawkeye had to wave the incoming crowds away and try to keep order before gossip swallowed us whole. In between, he was telling the officer what happened and trying to get a word or two out of me, just to make a statement. I was not having it. My eyes saw red revenge.

"Mrs. Pierce?" Now, the officer was trying to get my attention. "Do you have anything to add?"

I shook my head and could not face him. I was crying into Hawkeye's shirt now and gripping it tighter. I kept telling myself that this was not real. I should not be irate about being shot at again. I should not have born witness to my daughters' danger. For God's sake, I was a mother and wife who should be safe in my own home.

Trapper was right though. The show must go on. Hawkeye urged me to move forward and to hide my feelings for now. That was no problem. As a nurse, I've had to comfort the dying and reassure the frightened. My face betrayed that I had been crying, but I was as stoic as a statue. Nobody will know if I was happy or upset when there was a genuine smile on my face.

There was a huge, joyous yell when we arrived at Eddie's. It was enough to put my hands to my face to hide my mouth opening in astonishment. This was the perfect cover-up. I smiled behind the digits and exclaimed over every congratulations. It was more than the whole neighborhood that arrived at Eddie's. Most of Crabapple Cove was crowded into the small establishment.

Lucy found all of us a place in a corner and made sure we all sat together, despite the lack of tables. Trapper had calmed the older girls and had them in giggles by the time we sat with them. Dad, Mrs. Pettigrew, Mr. and Mrs. Bretton and Larry and his girlfriend sat in the two stalls next to Trapper. The twins were under the table, playing with wooden blocks.

There was so much action that I could not keep up. I was eating, laughing, drinking and talking all the time. The all-women band was playing again. People were exchanging more than words and alcohol, but the depths of their souls, in exchange for some love and care. Eddie was yelling at his kitchen to keep up the orders. In the background, I even heard the fishermen behind us, calling out their fares.

He casts a shadow down the block.
He can't remember just how
To start or when to stop.
Fight or defend her?

He shines the light into the dark
And empty corner, right where
The past had left its mark.
Too late to warn her.

But she's fine, she's not innocent.
She's fine in all her discontent.
She knows it's always been the same.
It'll always be that way, hey.

Dinner was fabulous. Dessert was just too much, just as I thought. The large cake came out as promised. Chuck and Paulie rolled it towards me on a cart and presented me with the instrument to cut into it. I laughed and took it, standing up to better reach the food. A million flashbulbs went off in my face.

Even during and after dessert, the alcohol was flowing freely. The gunfire from earlier was forgotten next to the drunken memories of a beautiful landscape that was bombed and burnt. My eyes saw everyone at Eddie's, but were also wading in blood. My boots were rubbery and red.

Eventually, Larry and his girlfriend joined the women on the stage. Mrs. Pettigrew glared at him viciously, but he ignored it. Larry was so happy. He encouraged everyone to dance. This is when Hawkeye took me and the children centerstage and we moved together. The twins were in our arms and the older girls were holding their arms around our legs.

I did not know how much I laughed and laughed. Around and around we went in that circle, almost like we were playing before the gurney in the OR. It was repetitive and gory to relive that damned nightmare, to have these children caught between agony and bliss. I was no better than the Front Line soldier. I could not see past the shadow of death.

The rest of the evening went in a blur. I could not remember it all. I began shaking out of it when the gin really hit me. Trapper, Hawkeye and I were walking home. Dad took all of the children with him this time, not knowing what conspired earlier. He thought we were too drunk to carry anybody back except ourselves and required some time alone. He never caught on that I saw.

We were halfway through the trek. We reached one of the numerous benches that dotted the road, next to a dune. I stumbled into one of them, hiding my face in my hands. Jesus Christ, I was so scared. I was a mother bear that had been spooked and was willing to tear the throat of the people who threatened my babies. I was the Army nurse that had been intimidated and was willing to stab the people who threatened my sanity. I could not reconcile the two separately and merged the two into a complete maniac.

Trapper and Hawkeye sat on either side of me. They too felt the same pain I had, but did not grasp that holy terror of having two little bodies underneath me for protection. The two pulled me into an embrace together. It did not calm me. It brought me closer to revenge. It was one thing to bring spoiled animals and blood to our doors. It was another to attempt murder.

"The children are staying inside unless Shannon has to go to school," I blabbed, almost like a distraught girl. "We have to stay with them at all times."

"Until this is over," Hawkeye promised.

"You know no harm will come to them," Trapper said.

"Then, why do I feel like I'm back in that cursed place?" I begged. "It won't go away. I heard a gunshot and I hit the deck. I see a vehicle and think I have to run faster to keep up. I should not have been there. Nobody should have. It was useless."

Hawkeye and Trapper said nothing because they knew it was true. They allowed me to sob until I was practically dried of all tears. We had to leave. It had been some minutes since we left and I was sure Dad was getting worried. For the second time in so many hours, I smiled away the anguish and only showed red cheeks and eyes.

Simultaneously, we all rose. The conversation did not go back to the easy drunkenness we were so used to. We tried to keep it lowkey though. We could not afford to return to the seriousness from before and did not wish to allow anyone else to come in.

Dad was on the front porch when we walked into the driveway. He rushed to meet us and to look us over. When I thought he missed the action, it was the opposite in reality. He moaned over the scraps on our hands and faces, hidden by hair and the dimness of the light. Immediately, he had all of us inside and had drinks in our hands while he tended to our physical wounds.

"This is no accident," Dad said when he first kneeled before Hawkeye. "Someone went after us. And they aimed for the children." He was angry.

"Ow," Hawkeye groaned. He jerked when he rubbed too hard. "Dad, it was not just the children he went after."

"We were targeted," Trapper added. "We war veterans do not take kindly to gunshots."

"Gets the locals all rowdy," Hawkeye said.

"We're outnumbered six rounds to three chickens," I drew out in my best southwestern accent.

Dad finished with Hawkeye and moved to me. He was rough. "That means it's all of us they're coming after. Why though? I would have not cared if it was me. I am sure all of you would have taken the fall. My granddaughters are not to be used in any fight."

I winced. "Dad, this means they'll be back."

"The question is when?" Hawkeye said.

Trapper was confused. "What are you talking about?"

Quickly, as Dad patted me and ended to Trapper, we filled him in on what happened the past few years and what we found out so far. Trapper nodded in prudence at our plans to capture the scoundrel. He offered to join Hawkeye in the living room, reasoning that two strong lunatics were better than one. He did not think Dad was up to being backup alone.

"We need to get Larry," Hawkeye claimed. "We begin tonight."

"He walked his girlfriend home," Dad told him. He moved to Trapper. "He'll be back soon."

It was not until eleven at night when Larry arrived, lipstick on his collar and blood to his face. Hawkeye woke him up from his fantasy with a cold glass of water and instructed him to get on the second floor with the wetland muck. I was supposed to be in the attic with the flour. Dad set up the small traps, from the driveway to the steps of the front porch. He hid in a chair outside, shovel at the ready. Hawkeye and Trapper turned off all of the lights and we waited for each other's signals.

I knew all of us were tired from the day's events and dozed off once in a while. Most certainly, I did, and kept jerking myself up. All I saw was Korea though. I was back in the barren wasteland without escape. I was back in the Swamp, pouring my heart out to the total stranger in Hawkeye. I was being covered in Mess Tent food. I was raped and then pregnant. I endured one surgery after another and one boredom after another. There was Dean and Henry, alive and well. Faces of soldiers and personnel passed through my tired eyes.

Then, I heard a familiar whistle. I was out of Korea and back in Crabapple Cove. The cold air hit me in the face. I shook my head and listened again. It was Hawkeye!

I peered down from my open window and saw a shadow dancing across the sandy walkway. Then, I heard the whispers of a man stepping on things not meant for his feet and something shaking in his hands. I readied my bucket. I had to wait for Larry to immobilize the intruder momentarily and I poured the icing on the cake.

Something stopped me. The figure was definitely familiar, I noted as it drew closer to Dad and our desired spot. The drunken stance and the wisdom of his walk gave him away.

The breath in my lungs was snatched away. I almost did not hear Larry whistle his tune. He had to remind me four times before I realized that it was my turn. Once more back in reality, I dumped the white substance below. Some of it dripped off of the side of the house. A large spray of it coated our intruder. It was enough that he really could not move. Everything in his hands dropped and dribbled all over our front porch. It hardened almost immediately.

"Dammit, all of you, get me out of here!" a voice yelled at us.

I heard the rumble of footsteps below me. I copied them. The anger inside of me bubbled again and held me over until I joined the others. Soon enough, we all crowded outside. Our voices echoed the million-dollar question. Dad was the only one who was quiet. He too knew who we had caught.

I shoved everyone aside. I did not care that I was causing a commotion. I wished nothing more than to confront the man who was intent on hurting my family. I was going to beat him and nobody was going to stop me, not even Hawkeye. But when I reached the front though, I almost lost my resolve.

I was staring into the sad eyes of Jake.

Following lyrics are from the Antigone Rising song "She's Not Innocent". And momoflanda, thank you for your kind words. This is for you, with all of the suspense. :)