Betty had gotten used to seeing Danny pace around, but try as she might the sight of seeing him so happy was still something novel to her. Not that she didn't like it, but it was new. Danny was usually pretty moody, especially after his death. But today he had happiness written all over his face.
"What is it, Danny?" she asked, laughing. "Get it off your chest. Spread the joy."
Danny's eyes glowed. "He knows who I am. My son. He knows I'm his father." He smiled blissfully. "Have you any idea of how wonderful it feels to be called 'Daddy'?"
Betty shook her head. "No, seeing as I've never been," she said, "but I can imagine. Good for you. But what are you going to do now that you've been recognised? Don't tell me you're still going back to him?"
Danny hesitated. "Well, just one more time. I need to wrap things up, y'know?"
Betty nodded in approval.
Danny went on. "And if you can believe it, I have another piece of good news." He took a breath. "I think the Pearl Harbor memorial is going to become real. Rafe's writing a petition for it, and I know a lot of people are going to sign it. They can't ignore something like this!"
Betty's eyes widened. "Oh God," she murmured. "I thought that was just a rumour!"
"For now, it is," said Danny. "But I'm sure it isn't going to be for long."
***
November 7, 1947
Rafe was a very busy man nowadays. For the most part of the day, he was at work. His free time was spent trying to gather signatures for his petition. Evelyn helped, but she too had her hands full at home, what with household chores and Danny Jr. There wasn't a school nearby their farm, so Evelyn had chosen to teach him everything herself. It was slow going, and sometimes tedious. Rafe's aim was for five hundred signatures - and they only had a month in which to finish. They planned to present the petition on December 7.
Rafe was getting frustrated as he looked over the petition and counted the signatures again. Only four hundred and twelve! They were still far from their target. Sighing, he threw it down on the coffee table and went out to visit Danny's grave. It always had a calming effect on him.
He sat down in front of the headstone and cleared the dust away. "Sorry, Danny," he said aloud. "I know I haven't been coming regularly nowadays. I hope you forgive me." He paused, and touched the engraving of Danny's name lightly. "You know what, Danny?" he said in a hushed, excited voice. "I've been trying to finish up a petition to have a memorial built at Pearl Harbor. But it's tough, getting signatures." He sighed, and added softly, "I wish you could help me."
***
I wish I could too, Rafe, thought Danny. He'd thought of rounding up Betty and all the rest of the people who died in Pearl Harbor, and getting them to sign, but he knew that the government would never accept the signature of a dead man. He phased into invisibility, and went in search of Danny Jr.
He found him in the usual place, near Rafe's plane in the big open field. He was running around with Danny's old plane in his hand. Danny felt a now familiar surge of fatherly pride welling up in him. He slipped into visibility.
Danny Jr. spotted him, and a huge grin spread on his face. He ran up to Danny. "Daddy!" he cried.
"Shh, Danny, not so loud," whispered Danny, lifting his son up and swinging him in the air. "Someone might hear you."
"Daddy?" asked Danny Jr. "Can you do me a favour?"
"Anything for you," said Danny as he fondly kissed his son.
"Can you sign Uncle Rafe's petition?"
Danny's face fell. "I can't do that. I'm dead, remember?"
"It won't matter!" said Danny Jr. "There's going to be hundreds of signatures! They can't check all of them."
Danny pondered. He does have a point! he thought. "But just my one signature isn't going to help much, Danny."
Danny Jr. shook his head. "Never mind, Daddy. Just do it."
Danny nodded resolutely. "I'll do it, Danny." Then his smile faded a little. "But for now, let's just talk." He pulled the boy over to him, and bent down to his height. "I don't think I can come back any more."
Danny Jr. looked crushed. "Why?"
"Because you know who I am," said Danny. "And I'm supposed to be dead. It's been wrong of me to have challenged fate for such a long time, and I know you're going to grow up just fine with your mother and Uncle Rafe."
Danny Jr. blinked a few times, and Danny could see a sudden, occasional flash of tears in his eyes. "But are you going to keep watching over us?"
"Yes," said Danny emphatically. "You won't see me, but I'll be here whenever I can. I promise."
***
Evelyn felt mentally drained. Rafe had already gone to bed. He was such a poor thing, thought Evelyn, having to contend with work and the petition, and the December 7 deadline drawing ever closer.
She decided to go out and visit Danny's grave. Maybe talking to him would clear her head.
She went out and sat down, facing the marble headstone. She laid a hand on it. It felt cool to the touch. It was an unusually hot and windless night. There was a shining silvery full moon in the sky. Evelyn smiled, remembering all the wonderful moonlit escapades she and Danny had had together. Those were the days, she thought, then laughed aloud. She sounded like an old woman. But how she missed those pre-war days, when all she ever knew was happiness and love, first in Rafe's arms, then in Danny's. But the war had come, and she had watched so many of her friends die needlessly. "Oh, Danny," she said, feeling tears course down her cheek. "I miss you. And I love you."
"Evelyn."
Her head snapped up, and she looked wildly around. That voice had been too familiar. She was about to dismiss it as a phantasm, when suddenly a figure behind a tree caught her eye. It was a person she'd known, back in those days. A man with caring brown eyes, tousled dark hair, a gentle smile, and the warmest embrace she'd ever felt.
"Danny..." she whispered, reaching out for him.
He nodded once and smiled.
Then she blinked, and he was gone.
Evelyn wondered if she'd imagined it. But she saw the leaves around the base of the tree flutter around, guided by an unnatural, unseen wind, and she knew she hadn't.
***
Danny faded into invisibility, and phased into the livingroom where the petition was kept.
He wasn't sure that showing himself to Evelyn had been the best thing to do, but he knew he hadn't been wrong. She had seemed so upset and dejected. He hoped that seeing him would set her heart at rest and stiffen her resolve.
Hope. He smiled to himself. That was the one thing she and Rafe needed most at this time.
Perhaps seeing my signature on this petition will help, thought Danny. He opened the chest of drawers where the petition was kept. Without bothering the read it, he reached out and picked up a pen. With unsteady fingers - he hadn't had occasion to write in a long time - he signed his name. Daniel Walker.
Danny was about to put the petition back into its drawer, but a sudden thought made him change his mind. He placed it on the coffee table, where Evelyn and Rafe were sure to see it the next day. Then he opened it to the page where his name was, and set the pen down right next to it.
He said a silent prayer for Rafe and Evelyn. You've got to hold on! he thought. I'll be here for you. Then he phased out completely.
***
Rafe got up the next day in a gloomy mood. After breakfast, he headed for the livingroom to get the petition, and saw it lying on the coffee table.
"That's strange," he remarked aloud. He reached down and was about to pick it up, when the signature next to the pen caught his eye and made him start.
Daniel Walker.
Danny...? he wondered. He turned and motioned for Danny Jr. to come over. "Did you sign this?" he asked.
Danny Jr. shook his head. "But I know who did, Uncle Rafe. My daddy did."
Rafe stared at the name incredulously and blinked a few times in surprise. He reached forward and touched the ink to see if it really was there. "Danny..." he murmured, by now oblivious to Danny Jr.'s presence. "Oh, Danny..."
Evelyn came in. "What's the matter, Rafe?"
He showed her the petition, not saying anything.
Evelyn's eyes travelled down the paper. Then they widened, and her hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes flicked upwards to look at Rafe. He nodded. "It's him." He smiled through his tears. "He came back to sign this, Evelyn."
Evelyn's eyes filled. "I...I saw him last night, Rafe. He smiled at me. Rafe, that was when I knew everything would be alright."
Rafe looked out of the window at Danny's distant grave, his tears now flowing freely. "Thank you, Danny," he whispered. "Thank you."
***
December 7, 1961
It was a cold, windy night.
Years had passed since Rafe's successful petition and Danny's final talk with his son, now a bigger, older boy of nineteen. The Arizona Memorial, built to honor all who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor, had finally been constructed. Rafe, Evelyn and Danny Jr. were at the memorial for their first ever visit.
Danny watched, invisible, as the three of them made their way down the quiet hall. Rafe was silent, and had a look of reverence on his weathered face as he read each and every one of the names inscribed on the large wall tablet. Evelyn's expression was more pained. She cried openly and freely. Danny Jr.'s face was as a child first discovering something new and breathtaking. There was wonderment, but there was sadness as well.
Danny watched all this. He was glad he'd been able to make a difference, all those years back when he'd signed that petition. As his precocious young son had predicted, the government had been so bowled over by the massive number of names that they hadn't chased down every single one of them for enquiry. And now here he was, walking around in the Arizona Memorial, remembering, and watching.
***
Tennessee, December 25, 1961
Danny Jr. had always enjoyed Christmas Day as a child, and as an almost-adult of nineteen, things were no different. After their dinner, the family had relaxed by the fireplace together. But Danny Jr. felt as if there was something missing.
Daddy, he thought. I miss you.
After he'd gone to bed, the feeling of emptiness remained, however much he tried to shake it. He normally felt like this every Christmas, but this year's feeling was especially strong. He thought he knew why. The Arizona Memorial had just been built, and seeing it had been an incredible experience for him. It made him miss his father even more, even though he didn't die at Pearl Harbor. He had, after all, been part of World War II.
On an impulse, he jumped out of bed and rummaged about in a drawer. He pulled out a toy plane. It was the same one his father had given to him when he was a boy of five.
He ran down the stairs and out the door as quietly as he could manage. Then he went over to his father's grave, knelt down, and laid the plane next to him. "Daddy, I miss you," he said. "Please, if you're here now..."
He didn't have to continue further, for just then he felt an hand land lightly on his shoulder. He looked up.
There was his father, smiling down at him. Danny Jr. smiled back.
His father winked. Then he disappeared.
"Thanks Daddy," said Danny Jr. aloud. "I needed that."
He could almost feel his father's eyes smiling back at him. Watching.
***
Author's Note:
There you have it. The final, and longest chapter of "Watching". I've really enjoyed writing it, and I hope you liked reading it too. I apologise for any historical inaccuracies. I'd also like to mention here that I am merely fifteen and have no idea what an official petition looks like or how many people ought to sign it, so forgive anything that sounds farfetched, okay? Thanks! I'm going to be writing a prequel of sorts, so watch out for it, 'k? As always, read and review, and thank you to all who have stuck with this fic since Chapter One. You guys rule. ~HuntressMinerva
