Author's note: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad that there are still people following the sequel, haha, it is very encouraging. :D Sorry for the delay in updating, I had quite a bit of trouble in the inspiration department. ^^"

Chapter 2

When they reached the ballroom, Danny caught sight of his friends sitting around a table at the side, and happily led Gabby over to join them. Soft, jazzy music was playing in the background and the dance floor was relatively empty at this stage, with most people chatting quietly as food was served. Gabby's eyes darted towards the empty dance floor, then sideways towards Danny, a grin spreading on her face as she swiftly made plans to brighten up her night.

Come to think about it, she had never seen Danny dance, so she had no idea whether he could. Gabby couldn't imagine how she'd never felt curious about this before, but now that the idea was stuck in her mind, she was dying to know. Still, knowing Danny, he would never dance in front of so many people even if he knew how to. He was never the type to flaunt his skills. She was going to have to find a way to get him on that dance floor…

As they got nearer, with a slight pang of regret, Gabby realised that she didn't recognise the people seated around that table. Apart from Rafe and Evelyn, that was. In the past, she would have known the names of every pilot on the same mission…she missed the times when she could sit around a table and joke around with Gooz, Red, Anthony…Anthony had died on the Doolittle Raid, and the rest of the friends she used to have were scattered throughout the world now. Though Danny rarely talked about it with her, she knew there were a handful who were already not with them…

Subconsciously, she tightened her hand around Danny's as he introduced her to his friends, smiling politely as she exchanged greetings with all those friendly new faces. Rafe waved them over, shoving his friends aside as he pulled Danny down onto the only empty chair beside him.

Gabby glared at Rafe with mock irritation, but Rafe only shrugged at her. "Aw, too bad, Gabby dear, seems like there isn't enough space here for you…"

Before Danny could protest on her behalf, Gabby smiled sweetly at Rafe, then promptly pulled up a chair and went over to where Evelyn was sitting on Rafe's left. Evelyn looked up in amusement, then laughed when she saw Gabby's puppy-eyed expression. Shifting to the side so that there was enough space for Gabby's chair, Evelyn smiled apologetically at her. "Ignore Rafe, he's just being silly as usual."

Gabby gave Rafe a victorious smile, then planted herself firmly in the middle of the two of them. She raised her eyebrows at Rafe, as if daring him to protest. Rafe heaved a massive sigh, throwing his friends a betrayed look when he caught them sniggering. "What?"

"You ought to have learnt your lesson after all these years, Rafe." Danny chuckled, pushing a plate of chicken towards Rafe. "Eat up and stop wasting everyone's time."

Rafe wagged his finger at him. "You watch out, Danny. That girl's too sharp for her own good, you're going to get bullied for the rest of your life if you stay with her. Run now, while you still can."

Danny glanced over at Gabby, who was now happily engaged in conversation with Evelyn, and smiled softly. "I don't mind."

Rafe rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless, you know that?"

"Yeah, you told me." Danny reached for the bowl of fries and stuffed some into his mouth.

"I'll have no choice but to continue watching out for you then." Rafe heaved a long-suffering sigh. Throwing his arm over Danny's shoulders, he pulled his best friend in closer. "So, to repay me for my sacrifice, help me on this one?"

Danny looked over at Rafe, still chewing fries in his mouth. "On what?"

Gabby glanced suspiciously at Rafe as he whispered something in Danny's ear. "I think those two are up to something."

Evelyn chuckled. "They always are." Her eyes shone with obvious affection as she looked over at them. "But I wouldn't change that for the entire world."

Gabby had no choice but to smile. "Me neither."

"I just wish they could come home more often though." Evelyn sighed as she picked at the peas on her plate. Ever since America joined the war, she rarely got to spend more than two weeks with Rafe at any one time. The only exception had been after the Doolittle Raid, where the boys got three whole months of leave…but that was because they had almost died doing it. She wasn't about to let them do that again.

Gabby sobered. She understood how Evelyn felt, of course. For a brief second, she felt bad for sitting between Evelyn and Rafe and taking up the precious time they had to spend with each other…then she remembered the true culprit, and shot another glare in his direction.

An all-too-familiar voice came from behind. "So, what's cooking?"

Doolittle.

Evelyn looked on with amusement as Gabby straightened her back almost reflexively, placing her hands in her lap and uncrossing her legs to put her feet flat on the floor. A quick sweep across the table showed that most of the pilots had done the same. It was quite remarkable to watch, actually. Although she had spent one year away from the army, Gabby was still very much one of them.

Well, pretty much everyone under Doolittle's command would have this reaction when their commander comes around. The standards of discipline he expected from his men was well known throughout the entire army. Even though they liked him, few pilots would dare to fool around in his presence, even if it was in an informal setting like this.

Few, that was.

Evelyn was somewhat surprised to see Danny smiling at Doolittle and giving him a small nod. Danny used to tense up even at the slightest mention of Doolittle's name…Evelyn rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then chuckled silently when she saw that Rafe still had his arm draped across Danny's shoulders. He also had the nerve to wave at Doolittle as if greeting a friend. "Nothing, sir. Care to join us?"

"Maybe later, I've got to say hi to a couple more people." Doolittle smiled and clapped Rafe on the shoulders, his usually stern brown eyes twinkling as he looked at his men. "At ease, gentlemen. We're at a party, for goodness sake."

Then, like a breeze of wind, he was gone, moving on to the next table and easily achieving the same effect on his next wave of victims. Gabby heaved a small sigh of relief. It seemed like Doolittle hadn't noticed her...well, she had her back to him, and he had never seen her dressed up as a girl, so it wasn't surprising that he didn't recognize her. Secretly, she was glad he didn't. She had no idea what to say to him if he did.

Danny gave his comrades at the next table a sympathetic look, and shook his head. "I swear he does this on purpose."

"Of course, he's not Doolittle for nothing." Rafe shrugged. "I don't think even a firing squad would be able to remove that evil streak in him."

"I can hear you, McCawley." Doolittle's calm voice wafted towards them. Rafe promptly choked on his food, and his friends erupted in laughter.

Thankfully, dinner was rather uneventful after that. People chatted with each other, competed for that last drumstick on the plate, bullied each other into silly dares which ended up with lots of alcohol being drunk…Gabby couldn't help noticing that no one spoke of the mission they just finished, and there seemed to be an underlying heaviness in the atmosphere which the pilots were trying to cover with light jokes and laughter.

She understood what these pilots were going through. She'd been there herself, after all. Every one of them were survivors, and this party was meant to celebrate their success, their victory. They had survived another mission, another brush with death, to be able to sit here and chat with their friends as if nothing was wrong in the world. They have more than earned their right to enjoy themselves, even if it was only for one night. Goodness knows when they would be called up for the next mission. It could be tomorrow, or next week, or next month, if they got lucky.

But with everyone gathered around a table like this, it would be hard not to remember those who weren't as lucky. Those faces which they had once shared dinner with, but would never get to see again. And there was no way of knowing which of these people sitting and talking with them right now would be the next one to go missing from the next party.

Gabby looked around the table at the laughing and talking faces of the pilots she didn't know, her heart in a complex mix of sympathy, respect and regret. Her eyes finally fell on Danny smiling quietly as Rafe cracked another of his lame jokes, and suddenly, she wasn't sure if she wanted him to tell her all about the mission anymore, if it would only mean making Danny go through all those unwanted memories again...

Sighing, Gabby shook her head and turned back to her dinner. She was thinking too much. Just then, the lights above the tables dimmed slightly, and the empty dance floor lit up. It was time to dance. After a moment's pause, the band struck up a lively tune, and eager couples began entering the dance floor. Gabby's eyes brightened as she remembered the "entertainment" she had set her mind on, her dark thoughts effectively swept away into a corner of her mind as she grinned. This was going to be fun.

Rafe stood up and held out a hand towards Evelyn, grinning at her as he bowed slightly. "May I have the honour, my lady?"

Laughing, Evelyn took his hand. "It will be my pleasure, captain."

Gabby looked enviously at the two of them walking towards the dance floor, then glanced expectantly at Danny, who developed a sudden interest in the baked beans on his plate. The other pilots had all left the table as well, flocking towards the other end of the room where a couple of nurses were hanging out, no doubt going to do their best to win a dance partner for the night. It was just the two of them at their table now. Even if Danny was too shy to ask her for a dance in front of his friends, the fact that he wasn't opening his mouth now made it obvious that he had no intention of dancing.

Gabby wasn't about to let him off easily.

Heaving a huge, exaggerated sigh, she shifted across the empty chair between them and planted herself next to Danny. "We are at a party, you know?"

Danny could feel her eyes boring a hole into the top of his head. Determinedly, he kept his head down as he fished through his beans to pick at a stalk of broccoli.

"Everyone's having fun." Another huge sigh from Gabby. "Everyone except me."

The corners of Danny's mouth twitched.

"I came all the way from Tennessee, stood under the hot sun for hours, dressed up in your favourite dress…I did all those things, you know? Don't you think I deserve to enjoy myself at a party like this?"

Somewhat resignedly, Danny finally put his fork down. His dark brown eyes were full of amusement as he looked at her. "So?"

"You said you wanted a reward, didn't you?" Gabby wrapped her arm around his as she pulled him up from his seat. "Then dance with me."

"Are you sure about this?" Danny raised his eyebrows. "During my high school prom, my dance partner ended up with a ripped skirt."

It was Gabby's turn to raise her eyebrows. "You're kidding."

"Nope. Perfectly serious. I've never stepped on the dance floor since." Danny laughed at the suspicious expression on her face, then raised his arms in surrender. "Hey, if you don't mind taking the risk, I'm more than happy to do it."

Gabby pretended to consider it carefully, then squared her shoulders. "I'll risk it."

Danny couldn't help laughing, aiming a gentle flick on her forehead. "Alright then. There's something I need to do before that though, so let go of me, would you?"

Gabby narrowed her eyes. "You're going to run, aren't you?"

Danny grinned, then bent down to peck her lightly on her cheek. "I won't."

Before she could react, he swiftly slipped away and headed towards the band. Gabby almost followed after him, then decided against it. The band was on the stage at the other end of the room, so if Danny wanted to escape, he wouldn't be going there. Curious, she watched as he went up to a man dressed up in a suit and a tie, probably the host for the dinner. Whatever he said, the man appeared to like it very much indeed, laughing and clapping Danny on the back, nodding his head enthusiastically as he got up and disappeared around the back of the stage.

Danny made his way back towards her, grinning happily as he took her hand. "That's done. We can dance now."

"What was that about?" Gabby couldn't help asking, but he only winked at her. "You'll find out soon enough."

The band struck up a slow, soothing tune just as they reached the dance floor, and Danny's hand went naturally around Gabby's waist as he led her through the dancing crowd, stopping when they reached the centre. The bright orange lights above cast a warm glow on Danny as he turned and extended a hand towards her. "May I?"

Gabby's breath caught in her throat. Even though it was hardly a private setting, all the other couples seemed to fade into the background, and that charming smile on his face was all she could see. There was nothing nervous or awkward about the way he smiled at her. Eyes sparkling with anticipation, she took his hand, smiling up at him as he swept her easily into a waltz.

"I thought you said you couldn't dance?" Gabby whispered softly as they waltzed through the crowd, immersed in their own little world of music and light.

"I never said I couldn't." Danny grinned.

"But, your dance partner…"

"She stepped on her skirt just as the dance was ending. I managed to stop her from falling onto the floor, but she'd already ruined her skirt with her heels."

"You said you've never danced again since!" Gabby shot him an indignant look.

"That's because I didn't have anyone I wanted to dance with." Danny said softly as he pulled her in closer, leaning his forehead against hers. "Happy?"

Her indignation dissolved into one huge pool of happiness at those words. Smiling, she tilted her chin and stole a swift kiss from him. "Happy."

They enjoyed the rest of the dance in amicable silence. Gabby contented herself with basking in his warmth, laying her head on his chest and closing her eyes as she let him guide her through the dance floor. As usual, time flew by whenever they were together, and soon it was almost time for the dance to end.

As they came to a slow stop, Danny drew her into a tight hug and kissed her forehead. Looking down into her shining eyes, he whispered softly. "That was the best dance I've ever had."

"Me too." Gabby smiled. "If it weren't for the fact that I'm starting to feel hungry again, I won't want to stop at all."

"Before we go back to our food, there's something else you wouldn't want to miss." He said in a conspiring tone, grinning as he took her hand and started moving towards the centre of the dance floor.

Puzzled, Gabby followed close behind. Suddenly, the lights overhead dimmed, leaving only the centre of the dance floor fully illuminated as the surroundings were cast in shadow. Soft murmurs of surprise filled the room as everyone unanimously turned to look in the direction of the light.

It was just Rafe and Evelyn standing in that column of light, and at that moment, Gabby realised what was going to happen…

Evelyn's eyes widened in surprise when her surroundings suddenly became dark, and for a brief second, she thought how lucky she was that the light bulb above her head was working…something didn't feel quite right. Wasn't it too much of a coincidence for the light bulb above her head to be the only one that was still working?

And they happened to be in the middle of the dance floor, where everyone could see them…

There was complete silence for a brief second. Suddenly, someone in the crowd started cheering, and soon, there were whistles and shouts of support as Rafe started going down on one knee. Her mind became a complete blank. She could only watch as the man of her dreams took out a small velvet-covered box from his pocket.

"Evelyn…would you marry me?"

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