Then and Now

A/N: Ok now that I'm done with it, it doesn't stand out much. Read "Everything is Gonna be Alright" BEFORE this. I really like Danny Jr. I think I'm going to make a Triligy. Since I got really good reviews for them. I want to say thanks to everyone who reviewed my last story, and I had a suggestion to make him fall in love. Maybe my next story….. neways ENJOY!

Diclaimer: I own NADA except for maybe Taylor n the idea!

Like Father, Like Son (A sequel to "Everything is Gonna be Alright")

I will never forget the night by the lake were I met my father. Rafe walked me home, tears now freely falling from his eyes. In away, I was mad at him, cause dad left when he came, but it's like my dad said, He does love me.

I'm back in my bed now; if I concentrate really hard I can here Rafe telling my mother what happened. I hear her sobbing. I put my mind back on my father's face. He looked young; I suppose he is shown the same age he was when he died. Maybe in his early twenties. Wow, not that much older then me. Looks just like me. Now I realize why I make my mother so sad and Rafe so angry. Whoa… back up, I make them sad and angry? Well isn't that just dandy. God damn it, I hate this. My mother cant stand to look at me cause she cries, and Rafe sees me and constantly blames himself for my father's death. Maybe their better off without me. I yelp and try to banish that last thought from my mind, but it's there. I fall asleep thinking about tomorrow.

I wake up around 11. Oh gosh, school, no wait its Saturday. That's really late for me, must have been the fact that I didn't go to sleep until around 6:00. I look at the calendar next to me. It's December 6. No snow covers the ground, but it is cold out. Tomorrow we are going down to the graveyard. It will be Pearl Harbor anniversary. I need to talk to someone. I need help. I pick up the phone and dial my best friend. His name is Taylor. Actually, his father was in Pearl Harbor with Rafe and my father. Apparently they knew each other. His father's name is Red. Anyway I call him up, I tell him I need to talk to him. He comes over. We walk down by the lake. I concentrate very hard on our reflections as I reel of the details of last night. I expect him to make a sarcastic comment, or at the very least tell me it was my imagination, but he doesn't. Then he tells me a story about how his father had a fiancé during Pearl Harbor. He said her name was Betty and like my father Danny, died in Pearl Harbor. He thinks that he once saw her, even though she is not his mother, she loves Red and has visited them before.

I sit quietly and think. It all comes down to one thing. Those damn Japs. (A/n I have nothing against them personally, just describing Danny's feelings) The screwed up my life. If only Danny was still alive, then I'd have a father, and wouldn't have actually sort of in a twisted way considered suicide like I did last night. Never, I am never going to do that to myself. I think my mom would die. Dad said Rafe and her loved me. They love me, they do! Goddamn it, I never used to cry. Why do I keep crying all of a sudden? Taylor comforts me without speaking; I don't know it's a best friend thing. He's my other half, my brother.

We sit like that for a while and he announces that he has to leave. Before he goes he whispers to me "Its not your fault." He couldn't possibly know what I was thinking about could he? "Taylor, lets go flying" I yell at his retreating back. He turns, I see that half cocky half crazed smile play across his mouth. Must be because of his dad. The guy loves to fly.

This time I asked Rafe if I could go. He smiled and said yes. Then he said, "Go play some chicken!" Chicken, god that was the first thing Rafe and Red showed me and Taylor to do. Apparently it saved Rafe and Danny's life in Pearl. I look up and see Taylor's plane in the air. Damn it, he beat me. I run to my cockpit and in about 2 minutes, I'm free. Up here everything is always right. Now chicken in the old crop planes we are in is very different from the fighters Rafe and my father used to fly. I think its more exciting. More of a risk. "Left?" I say into the speaker then Red made for Taylors plane and mine. "Uh huh" I head right for him.

"Now" I say

No reply…

Then "DANNY THE ACCELERATORS NOT WORKING GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Taylor screams into my speaker.

Shit, to late to turn, I'm heading right for him. Only one thing to do, I switch downward and the top of my plane skims the bottom of his. My roof of the cockpit caves in a bit. The top hits my head. Hard. His plane passes, and I hear him say "Danny?? You ok? We had a small collision," pause… "DANNY?"  I go to reply, but my head hurts too much, I can't focus. I feel so dizzy. "DANNY?" is constantly being screamed. I get one thought in my numbing brain. 'Land the damn plane'. I head toward the ground in as much control as I can. Its rough. I don't understand how I made it, by all means I should have smashed headlong into the ground, but I made it. I hear screaming, but I can't reply. My vision becomes dark. I pass out.

I'm in some weird place. Everything is white. "Hello?" I call out. Am I dead? This is weird. I look around. "DAD!" I saw him, sitting against the wall. I walk over to him,

"Hello Danny."

"Am I dead?"

"No, I pulled your plane out so you made the landing" he replied. So that's how I got the landing. "Its not your time, you will be back their soon. I love you." he said and disappeared. The white room began to fade.

Someone's shaking me, I open my eyes a little, but it hurts a lot. "Danny?? Come on Danny! Answer me!" It's Rafe. He has tears all down his face; Taylor is in the back with his arm around my mother, who is a complete mess. I try to answer, but it comes out as "ugh"

"Danny! Oh god, are you ok?" Rafe says.

What does he think? I want to say that, but instead I keep my eyes open, though it's a fight and say that I am fine. Rafe is in shock. He starts shaking uncontrollably. My mother walks over too me. She gives me a huge hug and starts to check my body for any major injuries (she is a nurse people). Taylor walks over and begins talking really fast and really nervous "God Danny, I don't know what happened I tried a practice and shift left a bit, damn crop plane accelerator busted, wouldn't let me turn at all. If you hadn't gone under me, we would both be dead. I'm sorry, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I noticed that I was having a hard time moving up from my spot against the side of the plane. Taylor helped me up. And I started walking back to the house with my arm over his shoulder. I didn't see Rafe behind me….

(Rafe's POV)

"Oh Hell. Oh Hell. Oh Hell." I sat with my hands in front of me, ripping out pieces of grass and occasionally glancing at the plane that Danny landed so perfectly, despite his head wound."

I looked up at the sky "You saved him didn't you? He would have died. I am so sorry…. So sorry…. Oh god Danny (a/n he means his best friend) your son almost died, my fault, I am so sorry." I stopped for a moment then "He looked just like you, before you died. Leaning against a plane after an accident. Half conscious. Saying how he was ok. I was half expecting the Japs to come up and kill him, like they killed you. I love him, I don't want him hurt. What should I do, if I don't let him fly, he will hate me more then he already did. But what if next time, it's his accelerator or rudder that's breaks, can Taylor do that dive? Probably not. That's something that only you and me could have done. And him, cause he's your son. A gift from god, a free spirit. Just like you. Do me a favor Danny, watch out for him. I know you will and I know you love him, but I don't think Evelyn or I could stand losing him. Protect him. Thanks. I love you"