Sandra sent Danny, Rafe and Red out to the back porch when dinner was over that evening.

He volunteered to help clear the table for her, but she insisted that her husband take the boys outside while she took care of the kitchen. She felt bad for turning him down because he was so good about helping but she was feeling a little overwhelmed with all of the people in the house and needed some time to take a breath.

Evelyn volunteered to put Ann down for the night and Sandra was grateful. She was only four months along and had just begun to show. She didn't really feel too much heavier, but she was also running around after a sixteen month old toddler who had just recently learned to walk and she wanted to walk everywhere.

Sandra learned quickly that a trip to the beach tired her little girl out, so she began to take her there every day when she would need some quiet time. That way Ann would tire out and sleep for awhile and Sandra could rest if she needed it. She wondered if she was being a good mother by doing it and had resolved to ask Ev's opinion when she returned from Ann's room.

"The bed in Ann's room is a little narrow for two people Sandra." She heard Evelyn observe as her friend walked into the kitchen.

"Ev." Was all Sandra said as she turned around.

She smiled. "I know no arguments. And I won't. But I have wanted to tell you for the longest time that I really love what you've done with the house. It feels so familiar because we lived here for so long, but you and Danny have really made it your own."

Sandra smiled back at her friend as she hung the dishtowel on the towel rack to dry before she plugged in the coffeepot. She watched it for a moment to make sure it was beginning to percolate before she sat down at the kitchen table and Evelyn sat down across from her. "I never told you this and I know Danny would never tell Rafe, but it was so odd for us here the first few weeks. We were so used to this place being yours and even after we put out all of our own things it still took awhile before we got comfortable with this being our house."

Evelyn reached over and took her hand for a moment. "Does it feel odd having us here knowing that?"

"Of course not. We've been here long enough now that it's become our house. And I know you wouldn't have wanted it any other way."

"You're right about that. Another thing I've wanted to ask is how you're doing? Danny was telling us on the way over that everything has been going well for you."

Sandra nodded. "Oh it has Ev and it's such a relief. It seemed that with Ann, every time something cleared itself up something else would happen. And the truth is, we worried that something would be wrong with her when she finally came. We felt so lucky that after everything, she was a perfectly healthy baby."

"It's always a worry when something goes wrong and you pray that the next one won't have to go through it." Evelyn agreed.

"It's been uneventful so far and I'm certainly not taking it for granted."

"I'm glad Sandra, I really am." Evelyn smiled at her.

"So am I." She agreed as she heard Danny come in from the back porch.

"Why don't you girls come on out back? It's a beautiful night and the coffee can wait."

Sandra glanced over at the percolator and saw that it was almost finished. She looked back at Danny and smiled. "Why don't you go back out to the porch and if Ev wouldn't mind, help me bring out the coffee?"

"Of course I don't mind." She answered as she stood up and joined Sandra at the counter. "Just tell me what I can do and we'll get it out there in a jiffy."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Danny knew a losing battle when he saw one and his wife was being unusually stubborn that night. He knew better than to try and talk her out of leaving the coffee in the kitchen and left her and Evelyn to put everything together.

When he walked back out to the porch, Rafe and Red stopped talking long enough for Rafe to ask him where the girls were.

"The coffee is just about ready and Sandra and Evelyn will bring it out."

Rafe grinned. "That wife of yours seems to be developin' somethin' of a stubborn streak."

He grinned back. "She ain't developin' it Rafe, it's always been there. You and Evelyn just ain't seen it much."

"I can't argue with that." He replied.

"So tell us more about you joinin' the Reserves." Danny pressed. "What made you decide to do it?"

"Why the hell do you think?" He answered good-naturedly. "I missed flyin' more than I thought possible the longer I was home. I remember tellin' you that I wanted out of the Air Corps because it wasn't the same once the war was over. Anthony and Billy were dead and Gooz had gone home. It was different for Evelyn too. Most of the girls had gone back to New York and you and Sandra were goin' to get married."

"You put yourself through hell decidin' to leave and I know it wasn't an easy decision for you to make."

Rafe nodded. "I did what I felt was the right thing to do at the time, but I also knew practically from the time we got back to Tennessee that I'd made the wrong decision. Bein' in the Reserves helped me feel that I put some of that wrong to rights."

"How did Evelyn feel when you told her?" Red asked.

"She wasn't too surprised when I told her I wanted to do it. The one thing I remember her sayin' is what took me so long." He admitted with a laugh. "I'll say this though, if she'd been dead set against it, I wouldn't have joined up but she also knew how much I'd missed it."

Danny finally understood. "And that's why you came in on a transport and wore your old flight jacket when you flew in today."

"I haven't worn that jacket since I got my separation papers a couple years ago because I didn't feel I had the right to. I wasn't in the Air Corps anymore and I wasn't a pilot anymore."

He laughed. "I'd never thought of you as anything but a pilot."

"So are you flying yet?" Red wanted to know.

"Not yet. It's goin' to be awhile before I get to do that since we ain't flyin' P-40's anymore."

"That's true." Red chuckled. "But flying those jets is a lot more exciting than P-40's."

Danny nodded in agreement. "It's like night and day. Durin' the war, we thought our planes couldn't get any better and I was wrong. When you finally get the chance to fly Rafe, you'll see what we're talkin' about."

The screen door squeaked and Danny looked up as Sandra laid a hip against the door to open it and he jumped up to hold it for her. He was rewarded with a smile and a "Thank you."

She set the tray she'd been carrying down on the table and Evelyn followed a moment later with the pot and put it down next to the cups and saucers. Sandra began to pour, but Evelyn insisted that she sit down and proceeded to top off everyone's cups before she handed them around.

"So what were you boys so animated about?" Evelyn asked as she sat down next to her husband and slipped out of her shoes before she tucked her feet under her. Danny glanced at Sandra and they smiled at each other. Some things never changed.

"Rafe was just telling us about joining the Reserves." Red commented.

"And don't think I'm not up nights worrying about that." She answered. "But my husband is a pilot and always will be."

"Is there any chance that you might come back this way?" Sandra asked with a hopeful smile.

Danny watched his best friend and his wife and tried to decipher the look that passed between them. He couldn't tell and wasn't going to press the matter. "Well honey they're here now, for the week at least."

"And since they are, I'd like to propose a toast." Red said as he stood up with his cup of coffee. "To good friends, good times and good memories."

"Here, here." They answered with smiles as they settled back for the evening and continued to catch up.