A lighthearted remark from Evelyn had sparked the whole thing.

Danny and Sandra had been asked by Rafe to come and watch the kids for the evening about a month after they had become engaged because he wanted to give Evelyn the one thing he'd never had the chance to, an engagement dinner.

"It's a little late for that now, ain't it Rafe? Ya'll have been married for over three years and you have another baby on the way." Danny grinned at him.

"I know that. But it's somethin' that's been on my mind since she mentioned it. I want to do it because she'd never expect it." Rafe explained to him.

He clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Of course we'll watch them. What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinkin' I'd take her where you took Sandra, the Royal Hawaiian."

Danny nodded his approval. "You couldn't do better than that. It was a real nice place and I'm glad I took her there."

Rafe grinned at him. "All right then. I figure I'd make the reservations for this Saturday about six?"

"We'll be there at five thirty." Danny assured him.

And true to his word, that Saturday evening Danny and Sandra were there to see their friends off for a romantic evening. The children had been put to bed for the night, so the house was quiet.

They looked at each other and smiled because they'd been here before. But the circumstances had been very different because they had not been engaged.

"I guess we can think of this as a test flight." Danny smiled at her.

Sandra shook her head. "Spoken like a pilot. It's a little strange to think that this will be us in a couple of years."

"Sooner than that, if I can help it." He laughed.

She smiled back. "Oh honestly Danny." And she walked out to the kitchen. Evelyn had told her if she wanted to make something to eat to go ahead. Danny had followed her and she asked if he were hungry. "I didn't have a chance to eat anything before we came over."

"What ever you make is fine with me." He told her.

"Good answer. Because after we're married you won't have a choice."

"I sometimes wondered if we would get here. And now instead of talkin' about gettin' married, we're talkin' about after we get married. I like that a whole lot more."

"So do I."

As Sandra made them both a sandwich, they talked about their future and that of the McCawley family.

"I really wish Rafe would reconsider goin' home." Danny told her. "He's a damn good pilot and the Air Corps could really use him."

"I'm sure he's considered all of that Danny. But you said yourself that he'd ready to go home." She commented as she sliced his sandwich and handed it to him.

He nodded. "That's what he says, but what I see is somethin' different. He walks around the base like he's tryin' to remember everythin' and lookin' more lost every day."

"It's going to be so strange to see them go. It was hard enough when the girls went back to New York and now I'm living with a bunch of nurses I don't know. But when Ev and Rafe leave with the kids it's going to be even harder." She sighed before she took a bite out of the sandwich she had made for herself.

Danny looked at her. "We could move up the weddin' date if you want. Then you could live with me." He finished with a grin.

She flushed. "If I didn't know you better I'd say that suggestion was less than altruistic."

"It would work out for the both of us. You wouldn't have to live with a bunch of strangers any more and I'd get you all to myself." His grin got wider.

"And what would you say if I said it was all right?" She countered.

Danny put his sandwich down just as he was about to take a bite. "You would give up your weddin'?"

"No more than you would be giving up yours. We'll only get one chance at this and if you want to get married without our friends and our family there then we can go to a justice of the peace and do it. But our getting married should be something that we can look back on and remember as a day we spent celebrating with everyone we care about."

He smiled at her and took her hand. "I knew you would say that and I agree with you. I tease you about this because I know that you'll put me in my place and remind me why I love you so much."

She smiled back at him. "If it weren't so important to the both of us we could have gotten married without any fuss. But I know how much you want Rafe's parents here and for him to be your best man. And I can't imagine getting married without my dad walking me down the aisle."

"You're right about my wantin' Rafe's parents here because they always treated me like a son and gave me a sense of security that my daddy never could."

"You were a very lucky boy Danny."

"Don't I know it. And it's because of the McCawley's that I know I'll be a good daddy."

"Leave it to you to bring the conversation back around to that." Sandra shook her head in amusement.

Danny laughed and squeezed her hand. "Honestly honey, that's not what I meant."

She didn't have a chance to say anything because young Danny began to cry. That got his godfather out of his chair and he and Sandra rushed to the boy's room to see what was wrong. She stepped in ahead of him and after she turned on the light, walked quietly over to the bed. Danny stood in the doorway and watched as she spoke softly to the child and tried to get him to calm down.

He walked in and sat down behind her. "Hey there Danny, everythin' all right?"

The young boy looked at his godfather and shook his head.

Sandra told him quietly. "He says there's a monster under his bed."

"What kind of monster?" Danny asked him.

"A big one." The boy answered.

He tried not to grin. "What does your Daddy do?"

"He turns the light on and scares him away." He explained.

"Do you want me to look and see if he's gone?"

He nodded and Danny got up off the bed and looked underneath. He looked back up at the child and smiled. "He's gone Danny."

"Are you sure?" He seemed a little dubious.

"I can check and make sure, if you want me to." Sandra offered and she followed Danny's lead and looked under the bed as well. "He's right Danny, the monster's gone."

"Okay." And he sighed.

Danny got up off the floor and helped Sandra up. "Do you want us to leave the light on?" She asked the boy.

He nodded and smiled.

"We'll be out in the kitchen if you need us, all right?" Danny told him.

He nodded again as Sandra pulled the blankets back up under his chin. "Sleep well Danny."

He closed his eyes before Danny and Sandra left the room and walked back out to the kitchen. "You did real well Sandra."

"You didn't do so bad yourself Danny. Our kids are going to be very lucky."

"With you as their mama, I won't argue with that." He smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her.

"Oh honestly Danny." She smiled at him before he pulled her to him and kissed her the way he'd wanted to all evening.