It was cold that night and the radio had said there was a very good possibility of a blizzard, but for Evelyn it didn't matter. She was at home with a fire in the fireplace and she and the girls had started to decorate the tree. Christmas was still a week away and they all had plans to go home to their families, but they had also decided that they wanted a tree of their own. Their parents had sent some ornaments from home and they had bought a few new ones to hang.

Bob Hope was on the radio and Evelyn smiled to herself because Rafe had told her that Bob could always make him laugh.

"What's the smile for Ev?" Barbara asked her with a grin.

Evelyn could feel her face start to warm into a blush and tried not to glare at her friend. The situation with Rafe was still so new and she didn't want to have to explain anything to the other girls. "It's almost Christmas and I get to go home for a whole week."

Barbara looked like she wanted to say something else, but had also decided against it. "That would make me smile too Ev."

Evelyn looked at her and didn't know whether to be exasperated or relieved. As they continued to decorate the tree, the telephone rang and Martha, who was closest to the phone, asked Evelyn if she would answer it. "My hands are full." She said as she started to put tinsel on the tree.

She picked up the receiver before the third ring and when she heard the voice on the other end, was glad she'd been the one to answer it. "Hello Evelyn, it's Rafe."

She glanced at her friends and hoped they wouldn't see her pink cheeks turn red. "Hello."

"You're not by yourself are you?"

She could almost hear the grin in his voice. "We're just finishing with the tree."

"We have a small one in our barracks but is sure ain't the same." He told her.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She answered.

"I'm off duty and was thinkin' about comin' to New York for a few hours. Since it's still early, I thought you could meet me at the coffee shop."

She looked at her watch and it was only six o'clock. "If it's that important, I can leave in ten minutes."

"They still don't know do they?"

"That's right."

"Ten minutes would be fine. It'll take me at least twenty minutes from the time I leave Mitchell, so we should get there about the same time."

"I'll be there."

"I sure hope so. I'll see you soon." And he hung up.

Evelyn sighed because she had no idea what she was going to tell the girls.

"Is everything all right Ev?" Sandra asked. "You look so serious."

She was struck by an inspiration. "That was the hospital. There was a mix up with some of the files and I need to go straighten it all out." She didn't like to lie and it was difficult for her to be less than truthful with her roommates. She was grateful that Barbara didn't call her on her fib.

"Will you have to be long?" Martha asked with concern. "We were going to have cider and cookies later."

"I'm not sure how long I'll be, so I'd say to go ahead without me." Evelyn told her.

"Are you sure?" Betty asked her.

"You girls go ahead and if I get home in time I'll join you, how's that?" And she headed toward the stairs.

Twenty minutes later she pulled the car into the hospital parking lot. She'd hoped that he would be on time but needn't have worried. What were the odds that she would park her car next to his? She didn't realize that he was there until she saw him and without a word he offered his arm to her and she took it. It was too cold to talk so they walked in silence until they reached the coffee shop and Rafe ushered her inside.

There was something so clandestine about what they were doing and Evelyn felt increasingly more uncomfortable about it. But as uncomfortable as she felt, she was not ready to talk to her friends about what was going on. They sat at their usual table and ordered coffee and pie and as they waited, they talked.

It was something that came so easily to them now and they talked about everything. They hadn't even known each other for three weeks yet and Evelyn felt she'd known him for much longer than that. The more they were together the more she realized that they fit; she couldn't say that about anyone else but him.

They always lost track of time too because when Evelyn finally thought to look at her watch, it was nearly nine thirty. It was time for her leave because she had an early call at the hospital. "I hate to do this, but I have to go."

Rafe looked at his own watch and nodded. "Yea me too. Flight trainin' comes early."

He paid the check and then helped her on with her coat before he got into his own jacket. She put her gloves on just before he took her hand and they walked outside.

"Mama would say it's as cold as a witch's elbow." Rafe observed about the weather.

Evelyn smiled. "Dad would put it a different way."

And they laughed together as he walked her to her car. "Thanks for meetin' me tonight. I know it's been hard not tellin' your friends about this."

"It has." She admitted.

"We can always tell them, you know."

She nodded. "We can, but I'm not ready to."

He grinned. "Fair enough."

As they stood next to her car, they kept a hold of the other's hand. "So what are your plans for Christmas?" Evelyn asked him.

"Danny and I are goin' home to Tennessee. I haven't seen Mama or Daddy in six months and I really want to see them. You'll be goin' home to your folks?"

She nodded. "Yes. It's been about that long since I've seen my parents too and I really miss them."

"I'll miss you."

She felt her face flush. "You'll be too busy with your family to miss me."

Rafe let go of her hand long enough to put his arms around her and he was very serious as he pulled her to him. "I'll never be too busy when I'm home to miss you." And he kissed her.

Evelyn put her arms around his neck and kissed him back. She loosened her hold enough to whisper in his ear, "I'll miss you too."

She woke with a start.

Evelyn looked over to the other side of the bed and Rafe was not there. Christmas Day had come and he'd not made it home. She was worried but maybe Martha had been right about no news being good news. She'd called Wheeler Field on Christmas Eve to see if they could tell her anything and she should have known better than to ask because all they told her was that the mission was classified.

She'd forgotten about that night in New York until a few days ago and it was a nice memory to relive, if only in her dreams. What she wouldn't give to be able to go back there and not be in the middle of a war. On the other hand if she could she wouldn't be married to Rafe or have his children.

The girls had gone home to their families, but Evelyn had decided to stay in Hawaii. His parents and hers had wanted to come back, but for anyone who wasn't in the military it was almost impossible to travel during the holidays. So instead they each sent boxes of Christmas gifts for Evelyn to put under the tree for her family.

She didn't have the heart to open the gifts that morning and luckily, Danny and Sarah were too young to grasp the idea of Christmas. The one gift that she had been sorely tempted to open was from Rafe. He'd made sure to buy presents for his family and even wrapped them. He told Evelyn where he'd put them and asked her to put them under the tree for him if he wasn't going to make it home.

She'd sat by the tree early that morning and held the wrapped gift from him. But as much as she'd wanted to open it, she wanted to wait until he got home. Danny had been lucky enough to have his Daddy home for Christmas the year before and she wanted Sarah to have him home too if it was possible, even though that might mean they'd open presents in January or February.

She hadn't realized when she and Rafe had gone to the beach the day after Thanksgiving that that would be the last day they would spent together; he was gone early the next morning.

She missed him and she wanted him home, but he had a job to do and she knew that. She looked at his empty side of the bed again and felt a mixture of such pride and fear for him and for what he was doing. He was a pilot trained for combat and he'd already been shot down once but he'd come back to her. Her greatest fear was that he'd be shot down again and she wouldn't be as lucky the second time.

She sighed and moved over to his side of the bed and burrowed her face into his pillow. There was still a faint scent of him as she wrapped her arms around it and went back to sleep.