Danny, Rafe and the other pilots came home for the last time that August of 1945.

They'd been away on a mission when the news had come that a B-29 had dropped an atomic bomb on a city in Japan. It was inevitable that the war was going to end now because the Nazis had finally surrendered earlier that year and Hitler had done the world a favor when he took his own life. The Allies had bombed Germany into submission and now it was time for the Japs.

Sandra had declined Evelyn's invitation to go to Hickam with her to welcome the boys home because she wanted to drive herself. She explained to Evelyn that this was something she wanted to do alone.

"You don't need to explain anything to me Sandra, I understand what you're feeling. I just offered because I wasn't sure if you wanted to be alone."

"I appreciate it Ev, I really do. But this is different from the last time we went to the airfield together. Danny's home for good."

Evelyn smiled at her. "And you want him all to yourself."

Sandra could feel a flush creep up her neck. "Something like that."

Her laugh was gentle. "It's all right. I know how much you love him and how much you miss him when he's gone."

"Gosh Ev, I can hardly believe that it's finally over. None of the boys will have to fly out on any more missions."

"It'll be nice to have Rafe home for more than a few weeks at a time. He'll actually get to see the kids growing up and not be sending letters asking me how they're doing." She smiled at the idea.

Sandra wondered what she and Danny were going to do. They had talked about marriage but had never made a clear decision if they would go through with it and as much as they had talked about it, he had never actually proposed. She wondered if he would now.

Sandra waited for Danny that late Saturday morning and wondered where Evelyn was. There were so many wives and children there and she couldn't help but feel a little out of place. Part of her didn't feel that she had a right to be there because she and Danny were not married. She had expressed that feeling to Evelyn who told her that she had as much a right as anyone to be there. The man she loved was home and if she wanted to be there, she should.

Her heart started to pound as she saw the transport finally appear as a mere speck in the sky. It grew larger and got louder as it got closer to the airstrip and began its final approach. She had a sudden urge to cry and she wasn't sure why. Danny was home for good and she would never have to say good bye to him again.

The wheels of the transport screeched on the runway and it began to slow. It rolled to a stop and it seemed to Sandra that it took ages for the side door to open and the stairs lowered. She saw pilot after pilot step off before she saw Gooz and right behind him, Red. She felt the tears start to come because she saw Rafe step off but Danny was not behind him. She saw Evelyn run to him and throw her arms around his neck. They held each other for a few moments before they let each other go and after they had exchanged some words, walked away. Where was he?

If something had happened to Danny, she knew that Ev and Rafe would not have left.

She hadn't realized that she had held her breath until she saw Danny step off the transport and she gasped. Without a second thought, she ran to him. She saw a smile spread across his face as he spotted her and he walked toward her and put his arms around her as she reached him. She held him so tightly and it was only then, when she could feel him in her arms that she did start to cry.

His voice was soft and very gentle. "It's all right honey, I'm home and I ain't goin' anywhere."

She didn't answer him, she just nodded.

He whispered in her ear. "I love you."

It was then that she pulled away from him only enough to look at him and smile. "I love you too Danny."

He pulled her back to him and held her as close as he could and kissed her.

When he finally let her go, she felt her face burn with a blush and her smile got wider. "Ev invited everyone over to the house for lunch. Are you hungry?"

"I'm starvin'." He grinned at her and picked up the travel bag he'd dropped when he saw her and took her hand. "Before we head over there, I wanted to drop off my gear. Is that all right?"

"If that's what you want to do, it's fine with me." Sandra smiled at him. She didn't care what he did, as long as he didn't leave her behind again.

They walked to his car and he helped her in before he tossed his bag into the back seat and got in next to her. The drive back to the base was short and the MP waved Danny through the gate. The barracks was deserted when they walked in and Sandra figured that the boys were probably at Ev and Rafe's already. She stood at the door and waited for Danny to drop his bag and join her.

He shoved his bag under the bed and looked at her with a grin. "Have you noticed that we're all alone? Red and Gooz will be over at Rafe's and the other pilots will probably be at the Hula-La for the rest of the night, celebratin' the end of the war and all that."

"What are you suggesting Captain Walker?" She asked as she felt her face get hot.

"Why don't you come over here and find out."

She had rarely seen this side of him and she didn't know quite what to make of it. He was being very clear about what he wanted and it thrilled her and scared her. Her fear wasn't that Danny would press the issue if she didn't want him to, but that she wouldn't be able to say no. With all of the discussions they'd had about marriage, there had still been no proposal.

"Why don't you come over here so we can go to the house." She stated.

"Are you sure about that?" His grin got wider.

"I'm sure that I don't want my first time with you to be in an Army barracks or on an Army cot for that matter." She couldn't believe she'd actually said it and it felt as though her cheeks were on fire.

His grin softened to a gentle smile as he walked back to her. "Fair enough. But how 'bout bein' kissed in an Army barracks?"

"Oh honestly Danny." And she smiled back at him as he leaned over and gave her a light kiss.

"We'll have folks waitin' on us, so we better get movin'." He told her as he took her hand and walked with her back out to his car.

By the time they reached the McCawley house Sandra could see that everyone was there. The front door was open and Danny opened the screen door and waited for Sandra to walk in ahead of him. She heard voices and Danny called out, "Where is everybody?"

She heard Rafe's voice from the back porch. "We're in back Danny. Make yourself a sandwich, grab a beer and come on out."

He grinned at her. "You heard the man. Let's eat." And while Danny went into the kitchen to get himself a beer, Sandra started a sandwich for herself. It didn't take him long to put something together when he'd returned from the kitchen and they walked out to the back porch and joined the others.

They were the last to leave that night and had made a promise to come back to the house in the morning for breakfast as Rafe and Evelyn walked them to Danny's car. They stood in the quiet of the evening and tried to say goodnight but no one wanted to because with the end of the war at hand, no one knew what was going to happen.

Rafe had expressed the desire to return to Tennessee when the war was over and it seemed to Sandra that Danny was taken by surprise by that news.

When they finally said goodnight, Evelyn and Rafe waved as Danny pulled the car out of the drive and headed toward the nurses quarters.

"You didn't expect that did you?" She asked him.

He shook his head. "I really didn't. For some reason I thought that we'd all stay here."

"If you're not going to stay in the Air Corps, then why?"

He glanced at her for a moment. "Because I like it here and I don't know that I want to leave."

"It never occurred to me to stay. I always thought that once the war was over I'd go home."

He glanced at her again. "You wouldn't stay in the Navy?"

She shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about that either. I don't need to be in the Navy to be a nurse."

They had reached the nurses quarters and he shut down the engine. He turned to look at her and she couldn't make out what his expression was in the dark. "Would you stay if I wanted you to?"

"Are you proposing?" Sandra felt her heart start to beat double time.

"I'm just askin', that's all."

She sighed. "Give me a reason to stay Danny and I'll think about it." And before she got out of the car, she kissed him in a way she never had before. It was with a passion she'd never allowed, but she wanted to give him something to really think about. "Goodnight." And she didn't wait for him before she got out of the car and ran up the front walk and into the house.