Author's note: Hey! This is a new chapter! I added this to write more about the training process that Danny and Rafe went through before they went on the actual raid. I am hoping that this will slow down the story. I could not think of much to add in the previous two chapters. Please read this and review! Maybe you can give me some ideas on how to make this story better. Remember to review!

Chapter 6

Rafe woke up, feeling confused. He had been about to ask the man what he meant when his alarm clock went off. He did not like these strange dreams. They seemed so real, as if he was transported to another place in his sleep. Now that he came to think about it, that old man did look familiar. Rafe just did not notice in the past. But who was he?

Rafe rubbed his sleepy eyes in frustration. He had too much on his mind, and he could not think straight. He went to the bathroom and doused his face in cold water. That's much better. Rafe looked at the clock and all other thoughts fled from his mind. It was 8.45 am, and they were due to report to Doolittle at 9.15!

"Danny, wake up! We are going to be late!" Rafe shouted at the top of his lungs, shaking Danny furiously.

"What the…" Danny sat up, looking around blearily. Rafe pulled him up and pushed him into the bathroom. He almost smiled to see that familiar confused look on Danny's face whenever he woke up in the morning. He had almost forgotten how Danny always managed to sleep through any alarm ever invented, and it had always been his job to wake Danny up on time. It had been so long since the last time he woke Danny up that he had forgotten how it was like. This simple routine restored Rafe's confidence and brought his old cocky smile back to his face. Things were going on as normal. He was just thinking too much.

Danny emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, wiping the water off his face. He looked at the clock, and Rafe caught a glimpse of Danny's wide-eyed look. "Oh my goodness, it is so late!" Danny groaned. Grabbing a piece of bread from the cupboard, Danny dragged a comb through his hair, slapped his hat onto his head and dragged Rafe from the room. "We are going to be so late!"

Rafe allowed himself to be dragged along. It felt so great to see Danny acting normal again. Danny seemed to have forgotten what had happened the day before, all his attention focused on getting to Doolittle's office before 9.15. Rafe remembered the days they had spent on Long Island, training.

In those days, Rafe and Danny almost always woke up late, and they had to rush to get to the assembly area every morning. These had become so frequent that they treated being late as part of their daily routine. There were one or two times when they got caught by "the Doolittle", as they liked to call General Doolittle, who was Major Doolittle back then. They earned themselves a few punishments and a couple of warnings, which they never listened to. Rafe was sure that they had been the most difficult soldiers that Doolittle had ever come across. They had the talent, but sometimes it was just hard to get them to co-operate.

Afterwards, he had gone to England, to war. In a war, there was no room to allow for late-coming. It was essential to get out of the building as soon as possible after hearing the siren. Both for the sake of the country and one's own safety. Rafe had seen one pilot who had just been half a minute behind the others when the planes took off and his plane was caught by a bomb blast that killed him. Time was of essence, and they could not afford to waste a single second on trivial things like late-coming. Rafe had been so well-trained in England that he had made a habit to be punctual. He had forgotten how it felt like to be late, and amazingly, it felt good. It was almost like they were back in Long Island, when there was no war, no Evelyn, just him, Danny and the training.

"Rafe! What are you doing? We have to go in!" a fierce whisper interrupted Rafe's fond recollection of the past days. He looked up, and saw Danny glaring at him. They had arrived at Doolittle's office with barely five minutes to spare, and here he was staring into empty space, engrossed in his own thoughts. Rafe smiled sheepishly at Danny, straightened his uniform and strode into Doolittle's office with Danny close behind him.

Both of them stood at attention and saluted the general. The familiar sight of Doolittle busying himself with documents on his table reminded Rafe of the many times he had to be called to Doolittle's office for "disciplining". The general made no sign that he had noticed them coming in, so Rafe made the first step. "Congratulations on your promotion, sir." The rest of the meeting went basically the way it had before.

After giving them a brief overview of what the mission required of them, Doolittle gave them an expectant look. Images of Rafe's tears and Evelyn's pain-filled eyes crowded Danny's mind, and they sent a strong reminder for Danny to fulfill his promise, both to Rafe and to Evelyn. Before Rafe could answer, Danny blurted out, "I'll go sir."

Rafe stared at Danny in disbelief. After all he said to him yesterday, Danny had just volunteered to go on the mission. He had volunteered to get himself killed! Danny purposely ignored Rafe's stare, all the while looking calmly ahead at Doolittle.

Now that Danny had volunteered, Rafe had no choice but to agree to the mission. Doolittle nodded and sent the both of them out of his office, going back to his work as if nothing had happened.

On the way back to their room, Rafe was fuming silently. What did Danny think he was doing? I was supposed to be the one to agree first. This was not how it was supposed to be. Rafe remembered how reluctant Danny was to agree to the mission. He knew that Danny did not like the idea of leaving Evelyn behind. But now, Danny seemed eager, too eager in fact, to go on the mission. Something was not right.

Rafe was about to ask Danny why he had agreed so readily when he realized that Danny was not beside him. He looked around, and saw Danny striding in front of him. Danny was walking at twice his normal speed. He was avoiding Rafe again. Rafe was puzzled at Danny's odd behaviour, and he walked faster to keep up with Danny. He was determined to have a proper serious talk with Danny, and hopefully get everything straightened out so that history would not repeat itself.

Once they were out of Doolittle's office, Danny walked quickly back towards their room. He did not want to talk to Rafe at the moment. He knew that Rafe was going to prevent him from going on the mission from the venomous glares that Rafe had been sending his way ever since he had agreed to go on the mission. Danny smiled bitterly. Rafe had his best interests at heart, and he was grateful for this. But he had to do what he had to do. Anyway, back then, Rafe had done the same when he volunteered to go to war in England. Back then, Rafe did not take his warnings seriously either. Danny could tell that Rafe did not understand why he had been so eager to go on the mission. He had always been a lover of peace, and it was not like him to be enthusiastic about going into war.

Danny wished he could explain everything to Rafe. About how he had heard their conversation, how he realized that he did not want to continue hurting Rafe and Evelyn, and how going on this mission was the only solution. Danny had made up his mind. If he went on this mission, he would be in the position to make sure Rafe got back safely. He was willing to sacrifice himself just to let Rafe come back to Evelyn. Going on this mission would allow him to protect Rafe. It was not as if the mission was a suicide mission. They would still have a chance of coming back. Danny just wanted to make sure that Rafe got back. If the both of them got back safely, Danny would have made a huge contribution to the war effort, and he would then be in the position to request for a transfer of posts.

He decided that it would be hard for Rafe and Evelyn to get back together if he was around all the time. Danny could not bear to think of how awkward it would be for the three of them in future. The best way would be for him to leave. After he completed the mission, he could ask General Doolittle for a transfer out of the base at Pearl Harbor. Preferably to a base far away from Pearl Harbor. He did not want to cause any more discomfort. Even though leaving would tear him apart, at least he would be the only one to suffer. He had caused enough pain for Evelyn and Rafe. It was right that he should undergo some sort of punishment for his selfishness.

What hurt Danny most was that before they had boarded the plane, and Evelyn had come to see him off, Rafe had given him a pat on the back, and Danny had seen surrender in Rafe's eyes. Rafe NEVER surrendered to anyone. But he had given up on his love just to make Danny happy. The look of defeat in Rafe's eyes sliced deep into Danny's heart and it hurt even to think of it. He never wanted to see Rafe look defeated. Never again.

As much as he wanted to, Danny knew he could never explain to Rafe. He could imagine how Rafe would react if he knew what Danny was planning. He would probably shout at him for being silly, rail at him for days on end, and if that could not change Danny's mind, Rafe would most likely transfer out of Pearl Harbor along with him just to make his point that he wanted Danny to be with Evelyn. Danny just wanted to leave quietly. He did not want Rafe to think that he was responsible for his transfer. He just wanted to redeem himself, and silly as it may seem, this was the only way he could think of.

He could hear Rafe's footsteps quicken in rhythm and he knew Rafe was catching up. He increased his speed. He did not want to face Rafe just yet.

Forgive me, Rafe. Danny thought silently.

P.S. Hope you liked this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think!