Evelyn wearily stepped out of the old truck, the rusty door seeming heavier than usual. It had been a long day and covering a partial shift at the hospital hadn't been a good idea, but she just hadn't been able to make herself say no. Grabbing the two bags of groceries from the back, she made her way into the cool, quiet house, wanting only to put her feet up and rest for a few minutes.

The sight of the messy kitchen with the breakfast dishes still piled haphazardly on the drain board, brought a groan to her lips. Danny was supposed to have cleaned up after he got home this afternoon. 'Rafe is going to have a fit when he sees this,' she couldn't help but think.

Sighing she moved aside a pile of plates and set down the groceries. Best to get it cleaned up quickly, she decided, because she had no desire to referee another fight between Danny and Rafe. Evelyn didn't know what she was going to do with them. In the past few weeks her easy-going son had become sullen and uncommunicative and her husband had become a bear. Danny's sullenness was understandable to a degree considering his age and the fact that he had been grounded from flying for three weeks and counting. But Evelyn had the feeling that it was more than that. He had been looking at her strangely lately. There was so much hurt in his eyes, as if she had wronged him in some way, though for the life of her she couldn't think of how.

She would have to have another talk with him soon. Their last one hadn't gone too well and she was loath to repeat it, but something had to be done. Rafe wasn't likely to give in first, considering the fears and nightmares Danny had unwittingly awakened. In their fifteen years of marriage Rafe had never been the one to give in first where emotions were concerned, it just wasn't in him. She had to try to explain that to Danny, to make him understand that Rafe's love of him and his fear for his safety were what was causing this wall to grow between them, not any disdain or disapproval.

Hopefully tonight's dinner wouldn't be difficult. Evelyn was too tired and the constant tension was wearing her down. After dinner she would take Danny aside, maybe go for a little walk and try to explain things. He was a very caring and rational boy, hopefully once he understood what was going on with Rafe he would extend an olive branch instead of continuing this wounded silence.

By the time the kitchen was clean all hopes of a short nap were gone. Evelyn was focused on what to cook for dinner when she heard the front door open and slam shut.

Curious, she walked into the living room. "Rafe?" she called. He grunted in response as he walked heavily up the stairs. Evelyn sighed, her shoulders drooping as she stared after him. He was in one of his moods again. This was not going to be a good night. She could only hope that it had nothing to do with Danny.

Absently she turned back into the kitchen and opened the icebox, staring unseeing into it's interior. She could feel a headache coming on.

"You trying to cool the whole house like that?" said a familiar voice said from behind her.

Hand pressed to her pounding heart, Evelyn shut the icebox and turned to face her friend. "You startled me," she told him unnecessarily, waving for him to enter. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that," she teased, "it's bad manners."

"Sorry," Danny replied, coming inside. "I didn't think I was particularly quiet. I'll try to remember to stomp louder next time." He shifted awkwardly in front of the screen door, his hands shoved deep into his pockets as he rocked back on his heels. He offered her a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Evelyn's smile faded as she took a good look at him. "You do that," she said absently, though the teasing note was gone. She could tell something was wrong. "I was just about to start dinner," she began, her eyes worriedly skimming over her friend's tense face, taking in his pursed lips and reddened eyes. "What's wrong, Danny? What's happened?" she asked, crossing over to him and placing a hand on his arm, the muscles tense beneath her touch.

Danny looked down at where her small white hand rested on his tanned forearm and a tortured look crossed his face, his eyes suddenly becoming unfocused as they stared unseeing for a long moment. He deliberately he took a small step away from her and Evelyn's hand fell to her side.

He cleared his throat. "Is Rafe here?"

"Yes," Evelyn answered slowly, a deep frown marring her smooth brow. "He came in a few minutes ago – through the front door. He didn't say anything, just went upstairs. Did you two have a fight or something?"

Danny shook his head, his hands digging even further in his pockets as he hunched his shoulders, something Evelyn hadn't seen him do in years. "No, no, we didn't have a fight. Not really. We just… It's… Danny," he finally said.

"Oh lord," Evelyn said, sitting down at the table as she absorbed his distressed expression. "They finally had words didn't they?" She didn't know whether to be frightened or not. She was afraid that their tempers might get the best of them and they might have actually said something to hurt each other.

"No," Danny shook his head. "Danny and Rafe haven't spoken." He pulled out a chair and sat down heavily across from her, his elbows resting on his knees. He stared absently at his grease stained hands. "I…" he began hoarsely, then shut his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Danny came to the barn this afternoon…" He sat up and ran his hands through his hair, struggling to find words.

"Did you get stuck in the middle again?" Evelyn asked sympathetically, her heart going out to her friend. It didn't happen often, but occasionally Danny and Rafe butted heads over how best to deal with Danny.

Danny cleared his throat. "It's not that exactly," he told her. "You see, Danny came to the barn…and he was upset. He… He knew, Ev. He knew." Danny looked at her, his eyes shimmering.

Evelyn just stared at him, her hand coming to rest on her throat where she toyed with her necklace unconsciously. Her stomach suddenly felt leaden. 'He knew,' she repeated silently to herself. Afraid to ask, but knowing she had to; Evelyn took a deep breath, "He knew what, Danny?"

"He knows that I'm not his father," Rafe's harsh voice cut through the silence of the kitchen, causing both occupants to jump.

Danny sighed and nodded sadly

Pale and trembling, Evelyn looked between the two men, silently wishing that this wasn't really happening. It wasn't that she didn't want Danny to know the truth; it was that she didn't feel able to deal with it right now; not with Danny and Rafe barely speaking to each other.

She had always thought that one day they would sit him down and explain everything to him calmly, but she kept putting it off; that one-day getting further and further away. She wasn't ready. She knew Danny deserved to know who his father was, and Danny, her good friend, deserved to be acknowledged for the sacrifice he had made for everyone's benefit all those years ago, but she just wasn't ready to share her son yet. She wasn't ready and so she had stalled, even though she had known it was well past time. She told herself it was because she didn't want to see Rafe hurt when Danny realized he wasn't his real father, but the truth was she didn't want to see the disappointment in her son's eyes when he realized what she had done at Pearl Harbor, how she had betrayed both Rafe and Danny.

As if in slow motion Evelyn raised her hand to her mouth, a small sob escaping as tears began to fall silently. "How?" was all she could manage to ask.

Danny sighed heavily, his head hanging. "As far as I can tell, he ran into Mrs. Gorf, the old county librarian, in town. She said something that got him to thinking and then Grace…Grace decided to investigate us." He looked at Evelyn, a wry smile playing across his lips. "She wasn't writing a paper on the our war years, she was…trying to figure out if what Mrs. Gorf said was true."

"Why didn't he just come and ask us?" Evelyn whispered, glancing over at Rafe who remained stonily silent in the doorway, his arms across his chest and his feet planted firmly. He looked ready to fight.

Sighing, she knew exactly why Danny hadn't come to them first. Rafe was extremely intimidating when he was in a mood, and he had been like this for weeks. "I always knew we had to tell him," she said thickly, "but for him to find out like this… What does he know exactly?" she asked Danny.

"He asked if it was true," Danny began, "he wanted to know if we dated and when… I answered his question as best I could, but…"

"That's convenient," Rafe interrupted sharply, his face hard. "I thought we agreed to tell him together."

"We did," Danny replied, his eyes measuring Rafe warily. If anyone knew Rafe's moods, Danny did. He sat back in his chair and looked evenly at Rafe, doing his best to hide his own inner turmoil. "But none of us thought it would happen this way. I tried to get him to wait, but he wanted answers right then." He turned to look at Evelyn, letting her see his pain. "I couldn't not answer him, not after he…" Danny faltered momentarily. "He thought I didn't love him, that I didn't care. I couldn't let him…."

"Oh, of course," Rafe interrupted again, his voice shaking. "Make sure good ol' Uncle Danny is still untarnished. You didn't give a damn how everything would effect me and Evelyn!"

"Of course I did!" Danny answered back defensively, his eyes flaring angrily for an instant. "But I didn't see a way for me to refuse without hurting him further."

"Hurting you, you mean," Rafe returned snidely.

"No, hurting him, Rafe," Danny replied calmly, though his hands were clenched tightly on the table. "This is about Danny, not me." He sat back, making an effort to relax. "We should have told him years ago," he finally said sadly, his eyes focused on the tabletop.

Rafe took a step into the kitchen. "So this is my fault?" he snarled.

Danny shook his head tiredly. "I didn't say that," he said, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

"But that's what you meant," Rafe countered. "Admit it."

Danny raised his eyes to look directly at Rafe. "Fine. Yes, I wanted to tell Danny two years ago, when he turned 13, but you wanted more time. I didn't want to come between you then and I don't want to come between you now, but damn it Rafe," Danny said, his voice becoming louder, "he thought that I didn't love him… That I abandoned him…"

"Didn't you?" Rafe asked softly, his eyes narrowed at his childhood friend.

"Rafe!" Evelyn gasped. Neither man paid her any mind.

Danny paled visibly as he stared with open shock at his best friend. "That's not fair Rafe and you know it."

Rafe said nothing, his jaw clenched tightly as he continued to stare at Danny accusingly.

"Don't be a bastard Rafe, this isn't…"

"Me a bastard?" Rafe interrupted incredulously, taking another step into the kitchen. "You had no right to tell Danny everything without me and Evelyn there," he said angrily, his voice almost a shout.

His chair fell over as Danny stood up abruptly. "No right?" Danny countered, his voice eerily quiet compared to Rafe's, yet just as harsh. "He came to me, me Rafe, asking if I was his father. What was I supposed to do? Lie to him?" Danny asked, his voice rising. "He's my son! I had every right to…"

"It wasn't your place to tell Danny without us there! You had no right," Rafe said through gritted teeth. "You gave up your rights years ago when you stood in this house and told him to call you uncle."

Danny's face flushed bright red as he leaned over the table towards Rafe, his arms trembling in anger. "Like I had any choice in the matter," he whispered softly, his dark eyes piercing Rafe who took a small step backwards before he could stop himself. "I may have given up the right for Danny to call me dad, but that was because I thought I was doing what was best for him…for all of us. I never gave up the right to love him or care about his well being. And there is no way in hell that I am going to lie to him or push him off just to make you happy. Danny asked and I answered, so deal with it!"

"Why you…" Rafe took a threatening step towards Danny, his fists clenched.

"Stop it!" Evelyn cried, standing up and finally reminding them of her presence. "Just stop it!" Confused, both men looked at her, seeing the tears streaming down her face. It was obvious that they had both forgotten that she was there. "This isn't about you two," she told them shakily. "This is not helping. This is about Danny."

Immediately Danny relaxed. He righted his chair and sat down, his hands covering his face. Finally he looked over at her, his expression tired and worn, his shoulders slumping with exhaustion. "I'm sorry, Ev. You're right of course."

Rafe said nothing, but he relaxed his fists, his eyes still looking harshly at his friend.

Evelyn wiped the tears from her eyes. "Now, we need to find Danny," she told them, doing her best to act calm. "We need to explain some things to him. Where did he go?"

"I'm right here," Danny's voice came from the porch.

He stepped into the kitchen from the shadows, his eyes were red and he had a smudge of dirt across one cheek where he had wiped away his tears.

"Danny," Evelyn's voice broke at seeing the pain and confusion in her son's face. She took a few steps towards him, wanting to hold him in her arms, but he shied away from her, hunching his shoulders as he backed into a corner, his eyes moving warily from one adult to another, giving the impression of a hunted animal.

"Honey, I was just about to make dinner. Are you hungry?" Evelyn tried again, her voice soft and soothing.

Danny shook his head. "No thanks. I'm not hungry. I just came to get my sleeping bag," he told them.

"Where are you going?" Evelyn asked calmly, though her eyes widened in panic.

Glancing up at her, Danny smiled wryly. "I'm not going anywhere, Mom. I just don't feel like…sleeping here…tonight."

Rafe snorted derisively. Both adults glared, but young Danny refused to look at him, his eyes staying focused on the floor.

"I need some time alone," he told them. Shoving his hands into his pockets he looked over at his mother from underneath his long bangs, his eyes pleading.

"We're all here now," Evelyn offered. "We can sit down," she motioned to the table, "and talk. We can answer anything you want."

Danny started shaking his head, his eyes filling with tears again. "No," he said hoarsely. "I think I've heard enough for today."

"Only what he told you," Rafe interjected.

"No," Danny replied, finally looking at Rafe with hardened eyes. "I've heard enough from all of you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rafe snapped.

"Nothing," Danny said with a sigh before he turned back to his mother. "I just want to get my sleeping bag. I'll go sleep at the clearing. It's warm enough at night. And it's not going to rain," he added, knowing that Evelyn would protest. "I'll be fine. I just need some time to think."

"All right then," she told him hesitantly. "We'll be here…when you want to talk. Do you want me to make you something to eat? You might get hungry later."

Danny shook his head. "No thank you." Skirting around the table, he made his way through the kitchen and past where Rafe stood near the doorway to the living room without meeting anyone's eyes. Nobody said a word as he walked to his bedroom and then, a minute later, walked out the back door again with a mumbled, "Goodnight."

Silence reigned in the kitchen as the three adults stared at the screen door. With a muffled oath, Rafe turned around and stomped off to the front door, practically tearing it off its hinges as he opened it



Evelyn watched Rafe's retreating form, the tears she had been holding back in her son's presence now streaming unchecked down her face. "Rafe," she whispered as she finally broke down, sobs racking her frame as she leaned back against the cupboards, her legs unsteady. The one thing she wanted was for Rafe to hold her, to comfort her, but he had left.

"Ev, Ev, it's going to be okay," Danny whispered as he gathered her into his arms.

Gratefully she sank into the warmth of his embrace, seeking any comfort she could get. She had been right earlier – she wasn't prepared to deal with a fight between Danny and Rafe. Her head was pounding and she felt nauseous. How was she going to explain everything to her son?

Of course, she had started out with the best intentions, didn't everyone? She told everyone that she had named her son after her dead friend - friend, not lover. Lord help her, how could she explain that she used to pretend that she was pregnant with Rafe's child, not Danny's. How desperately she wished it were so. What would that do to her son? What would that do to her relationship with Danny when he found out?

It would all come out now; they would know how she had been relieved that Rafe had been the one to survive and not Danny. It wasn't that she wanted Danny to die, never that, but if she had had to choose, her heart had wanted Rafe.

Her whole life had been a game of pretend from the day Danny had told her that Rafe had died. Pretend to go through the motions of living. Pretend to be in love with Danny. Pretend that her child belonged to someone else. Pretend that the guilt of her betrayal of the two men in her life didn't eat away at her.

When Rafe had come back into her life, accepted her and her child as his, everything had been perfect. Almost. She became his wife and her son became their son. Yet there was still guilt, guilt for betraying Danny who had given her a lovely child and done nothing more than be her friend when she needed it. And she had used him horribly. She had managed to live with the guilt, burying it deep within her heart and mind. She consoled herself with the fact that she had come to love Danny; just not in the way she led him to believe. But the guilt was always there.

And then he came back and he'd been so caring and so understanding, letting her carry on her charade without questioning. His deep love of Kate did little to ease her own guilt. She was relieved that he was so happy, but it didn't change her betrayal in their past.

"I'm sorry," Danny's whispered words finally broke through her thoughts. "I'm so sorry, Ev."

"No," she croaked, looking at him sadly. "I'm sorry. We should have told him years ago before it came to this. We should have told him when you moved back here. He could have adjusted to it easier that way. But I… I didn't want to give him up. I didn't want to…share him…with you." Her voice cracked and more tears began to fall. "You had every right…after what you did…what happened and I… " Her voice broke and she could no longer continue.

"It's okay Evelyn," Danny reassured her, his arms tightening around her, though his voice was pained. "I understand."

"Do you?" she sobbed brokenly. "Do you really?"

"I think so," Danny replied, his chin resting on the top of her head as he continued to rub her back. "I think you're torturing yourself right now because all you've ever wanted is for Danny to be Rafe's son and not mine."

Evelyn gasped and froze in his arms.

"Am I wrong?" Danny asked gently.

Wordlessly Evelyn shook her head, though she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.

"It's okay, Evelyn. I do understand. I feel the same way about Grace. I can't imagine what it would be like if Michael were still alive – let alone living next door."

"But he wasn't a…good man," she interjected softly.

"It doesn't matter, Ev. The feelings are still the same and since Rafe can't…" Danny's voice faded away uncomfortably.

"Have any children," Evelyn finished for him, sadly.

"Right," Danny agreed. "Well, I can imagine the feeling is even stronger – to want to preserve your family. Not that having more children would have…changed how you – or Rafe – feel about Danny, it just would have made it…easier."

"But he's your son," Evelyn whispered.

Danny sighed. "Yes."

"We should have told him…instead of continuing to live a fantasy…"

"It's too late for should haves," Danny chastised her gently. "Right now Danny needs to know that he's loved by all of us and I think he needs to understand why we made the decisions we did…I tried, but…"

"This isn't going to be easy," Evelyn admitted in a small voice. "I don't want to lose him. Either of them," she added, her eyes looking towards the front of the house where Rafe had gone, lost in his own misery and pain.

"I don't want to lose them either, and we won't. As long as we tell Danny the truth he'll understand eventually. He won't…he won't hold it against us."

"No, he won't," Evelyn agreed, finally pulling away from Danny and giving him a watery smile. "He's a lot like you that way." Her smile faltered. "But what are we going to do about Rafe? Danny and he…" her tears started again.

Danny smiled shakily, and leaning forward placed a soft kiss on Evelyn's forehead. "I'll go talk to him, see if I can get him to calm down. Hopefully between the two of us we can get Danny to understand." He took a step back and looked down at Evelyn, a frown forming. "You have another headache don't you?" She nodded reluctantly and he began leading her towards the living room sofa. "You need to lie down. Kate says you haven't been feeling well, this isn't helping, I'm sure…."

"But dinner…" Evelyn protested half-heartedly.

"I'll send one of the boys over with some leftovers," Danny reassured her. "Though I don't think anyone is going to be very hungry tonight."

After Evelyn laid down, Danny spread a blanket over her. He smoothed it out, tucking it under her chin and then he kissed her cheek. "It's going to be alright, Ev. Danny's a good boy and Rafe's a good man. They love each other – and you. We'll all get through this just fine."

Evelyn tried to smile for his benefit, but couldn't. Instead she closed her eyes to stop the tears that wanted to fall.

Danny watched her for a few more moments, perched on the coffee table. Then he shifted his gaze to the porch where he could just make out Rafe's shape through the curtains. With a sigh, he stood up and walked to the front door. Hopefully Rafe had calmed down enough to talk reasonably.



Danny quietly closed the front door and stepped out onto the porch. Rafe was standing on the top step his eyes staring off to the horizon. Coming to stand next to him, Danny glanced up at his profile and almost sighed out loud. Rafe's jaw was still set and his eyes were hooded. He was still brooding.

"You still here?" Rafe finally asked when Danny remained silent.

"Looks like it," Danny replied in a neutral voice, his eyes staring straight ahead.

"I'm surprised you didn't run off to 'explain' more things to Danny without us there," Rafe said harshly.

Danny felt a twinge of irritation but took a deep breath to control his temper. "He said he needed time. I can wait until he's ready to talk." Rafe snorted and Danny's eyes narrowed. "Besides, I couldn't just leave Evelyn crying in the kitchen." Danny knew it was a low blow and he wasn't surprised to see Rafe flinch at his words, though it gave him no satisfaction. He did not want to get into a pointless argument with Rafe.

Without a word, Rafe angrily stomped down the stairs away from Danny. Danny did sigh this time. He couldn't let Rafe's anger dictate this conversation, which meant he couldn't allow his own temper to get the better of him. He had to stay in control if they were going to work this out. Slowly he followed his friend into the front yard, coming to stand beside him once again.

"So, now you're a better husband and father than me?" Rafe asked bitterly.

Danny couldn't help looking up at his friend, totally dumbfounded. "You selfish bastard," he said in a low voice. "Stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about the other people in your life!"

Angrily Rafe turned to face Danny, but Danny stood his ground, refusing to flinch away from his friend's thunderous expression. "It's all well and good for you, isn't it, Uncle Danny?" Rafe grated. "You have the perfect little family and now you can just add one more. While I have nothing!"

"Bullshit," Danny answered automatically, his tone impatient. "You have a wife who loves you and needs you right now and a son…"

"Your son," Rafe retorted.

"A son," Danny continued, though his voice began to raise, "who loves you and is very confused right now. Nothing that happened today changes the fact that you raised him for 15 years."

Rafe remained stonily silent and Danny felt his frustration and anger grow. "Jesus, you always do this," he said bitterly. "Would you think of someone else for a change, for Christ's sake? There are more people affected by today than you! Evelyn and Danny need you…"

"You're closer to Danny than I am," Rafe interrupted. "He hates me."

"He does not," Danny replied in exasperation. He was sick and tired of Rafe hiding behind his self-pity and whatever inferiority problems he seemed to have with regards to Kate and his family. "He's a teenager, for goodness sakes! You think I don't have problems with Grace? And Sam? I am not some paragon of fatherhood, Rafe. This is not some test or contest between us. I am not perfect…and neither are you."

"He talks to you…."

"Yes, he does," Danny agreed, making an effort to calm down. "Just like Sam talks to you. I can't change that fact, but it doesn't mean he loves you less. You don't stop loving someone because something changes. I think we both learned that lesson a long time ago," Danny added softly.

Rafe seemed to relax for a moment at Danny's words, but an instant later his anger was back. "Why didn't you wait to tell him?"

"Like I told you before," Danny bit out angrily, tired of Rafe harping on the minor details of something that couldn't be changed. "I had no choice."

"Hah!" Rafe smirked. "You just wanted to be the wonderful dad; to out do me and make me look bad," he said scathingly. "You've resented my role in Danny's life and you've been trying to undermine me for years!"

Danny shook his head sadly as he stared at his friend with pity, his anger ebbing away. "I'm not doing this Rafe," he told his friend, refusing to rise to the bait and start another argument. "You can feel sorry for yourself all you want, but Evelyn needs you right now. And Danny will need you later. So you better get yourself figured out or you're going to end up losing everything."

"Is that a threat?" Rafe challenged.

Danny shook his head. "No it's the cold hard truth," he stated simply before turning and walking away.