It was what she asked him to do for her, but Ann wasn't prepared for the sight of them together.

The McCawley's were at her parent's house for Christmas Eve and Danny was there with Evelyn. She explained that with her workload she couldn't get home in time for Christmas but that she made arrangements so that she would be home for New Years to ring in 1965 with her family.

As the evening progressed however, Ann came to realize that her initial dislike of Evelyn was unfair because she really seemed like a nice girl and went out of her way to engage Ann in conversation. She grew used to Danny being referred to as Dan by someone other than Hank because it fit his adult status as an Air Force pilot.

Evelyn was curious about her childhood and how it felt to grow up on Oahu and a military base.

"Dan talked a lot about this place when he was at the Academy and how he missed the winters here." She smiled. "He never got used to Colorado."

"I know what he's talking about." Ann replied. "My family spent every other Christmas in Ohio with my mother's parents when I was little and I never got used to it either."

"I'm from Chicago and I don't think they make winters any colder than they do there."

Ann was curious. "Then how did you end up in Colorado?"

"I wanted out." She said simply. "Don't misunderstand, I miss my family like crazy and wish I could get back to the States more often to see them but when you've been through a few Chicago blizzards anything is bound to be an improvement."

Ann couldn't help but smile. "But it snows there too."

"But nothing like Illinois. I certainly never expected to end up in Hawaii."

"I can't imagine living anywhere else."

Evelyn looked thoughtful for a moment and seemed to choose her words carefully. "But what if you end up marrying a military man? He's bound to be transferred a few times in his career."

Ann didn't know what to make of her comment. "I hadn't really given it any thought. I haven't even graduated high school yet and I'll more than likely end up at the University of Hawaii."

"You wouldn't consider going away to college?" She seemed genuinely curious.

"I don't know why. Sarah's there and will be graduating in June and Joe's in the middle of his freshman year." Ann explained. "It seems to be the family thing to do."

"You think of yourself as part of the McCawley family then." She asked.

Ann's own curiosity was peaked with all of Evelyn's questions. "Our dad's grew up together in Tennessee and went through their flight training together. Danny's dad went over to England as part of the Eagle Squadron during the Second World War and it was the only time that they were ever separated. Dad says they grew up like brothers and because the six of us grew up her together it was kind of like that for us too."

"You seem to get along really well. Not a lot of families can say that."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know if it's because we're Air Force families or because of where our dads came from but we've always tried to look out for one other."

"And with you and Dan being the oldest you had more responsibility." Evelyn concluded.

"Danny was never one to share the responsibility" Ann clarified. "And it didn't matter that I was the oldest of my sister and brother. Danny was the oldest and he looked after all of us."

She gave Ann a look of sympathy. "That had to chaff sometimes."

"When I got older it did because Shelby and Tom started listening to him and not me." She admitted. "I talked to Dad and Mama about it and they always asked me to be patient because Danny wasn't always going to be around."

"How do you get along now?"

It seemed a perfectly innocent question but Ann felt her face flush. "We get along fine, when we see each other."

"I was thinking maybe now that he's home you can set aside old grievances and bury the hatchet, so to speak. He's easy to talk to and not too hard on the eyes."

"I hadn't noticed." She lied and didn't like it.

Evelyn seemed to take it at face value. "That could be because you grew up with him, but there are plenty of girls who have been giving him the eye."

"Does that bother you?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing new. All the pilots, especially the young ones get the attention and it doesn't matter if they're married or have a steady girl. It's part of the mystique. Would it bother you?"

"If I knew that he cared for me and I could trust him it wouldn't bother me."

"Good girl." Evelyn answered with a cryptic smile.

Ann didn't have the chance to ask her what she meant when her father approached. "Annie, why don't you and Evelyn come and join us by the tree. We're goin' to exchange presents now."

Evelyn looked puzzled. "You don't wait until Christmas morning to open your presents?"

"We open our presents with our family on Christmas morning and then everyone else in the afternoon. But it became a tradition when we managed to all here together on Christmas Eve that we would open one present from someone in the other family."

"I didn't bring anything."

"It's all right, you didn't know."

"Thanks." Evelyn smiled at her and seemed grateful.

Ann led her to the tree as her father began to go through the presents. One by one he handed them out and that included Ann's present to Sarah, an Air Force Academy sweatshirt.

The look of surprise on Sarah's face made Ann smile. "Annie, how on earth did you do this?"

"When Danny was taking you around campus the day before we left, I asked Hank to take me to the student P X. I told him what I was looking for and he helped me find it. I hope you like it."

"It's wonderful, and it's big!" She smiled.

"I know how much you like your sweatshirts oversized and I thought that would be big enough."

"It's perfect, thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Annie, there's a present here for you from Danny." Her father handed the package to her and she couldn't think of what it could be from the size of it. A glance at Danny yielded no clue.

She unwrapped the box and when she opened it, folded in the tissue was an Academy sweatshirt of her own. It was the same type that she gave to Sarah, but because it came from Danny it seemed so much more personal.

"You stole my thunder Ann." He said quietly. "Here I thought I'd found a unique present and my sister gets one from you."

She started to pull it out of the box when she found a second gift tucked into the folds. It was a snow globe with a silhouette of the Air Force Academy. She looked at him again and didn't know what to say.

"It was something you said when you were back for graduation." He seemed to understand her confusion.

"What did I say?" She honestly couldn't remember.

"When Hank and I were taking all of you to the dining room for dinner after ceremonies we were talking about what the campus looked like after the first real snow of the year. You mentioned how you wished you could have seen it."

"And you remembered that?" She shouldn't have been surprised but she was.

He nodded. "Before I left the Academy to come home I found that and figured that it would be your birthday present or Christmas present."

"Thank you, for both gifts."

"You're welcome."

Ann felt a gentle tension from him and sensed that he wanted a more personal thank you from her but couldn't request it.

"I think he deserves a hug for that Ann, what do you think?" Evelyn asked her. "I don't think he'll mind."

"Will you?"

She shook her head. "I won't mind at all."

Ann looked at Danny again and he appeared casual as she set the box aside and stood up. She tried to adopt his attitude as she approached him. "Thank you." It came out as a whisper.

"You're welcome." He answered as she put her arms around his neck and sensed his self-control as he put his arms around her. "I'm glad you liked them."

She wanted so much to keep her arms around him and cursed herself for the deal she'd forced him into. But he wasn't hers to hold onto and as she took her arms from around his neck willed him to let go of her, which he finally did.

"The two of you obviously don't see what you're standing under." Evelyn's voice seemed amused and when Ann looked up she and Danny were under a sprig of mistletoe. "So you know what that means."

If Ann didn't know better she would swear that Evelyn deliberately put them in the position that they found themselves. She knew that he wouldn't kiss her the way she was sure he wanted to, not in front of their families or Evelyn for that matter. But she was closer to him than she'd been since the night of the dance three weeks earlier.

He looked as uncomfortable with the situation as she felt but made the best of it. He leaned over and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas Ann."

"Merry Christmas to you too Danny." She answered him before she walked back to the sofa and sat down.

"Dan if you wouldn't mind, would you take me home?" Evelyn requested as she stood up. "I want to call my parents before it gets too late back there so I can wish them a Merry Christmas. I can never remember the time difference."

"Sure Evelyn." He said and headed to the front door.

She looked at Ann for a moment and then smiled. "I hope you get everything that you want for Christmas Ann, I really do."

Evelyn sounded cryptic and Ann still didn't know what to make of it. "Thank you Evelyn. I wish the same for you."

Her voice was low when she leaned over. "You probably think I'm a little batty for throwing you and Dan together the way I did. But you're all he talks about whether he realizes it or not and he hasn't been able to take his eyes off of you all night." And she straightened up. "I just thought you should know that."

As Danny waited for her, Ann's father joined him.

"You're welcome to come back son." He told Danny. "We ain't goin' to be doin' much, just havin' some eggnog and cider and singin' Christmas carols. But you're welcome anyhow."

"Thank you Major, I appreciate the offer. But if it's all the same to you once I get Evelyn home I'm going to head back to my quarters. It's been a long day and I really need some sack time."

"I understand. I know how much your daddy likes to start openin' presents early." He grinned.

"Yes Sir he does." Danny smiled back. "He's usually the first one up."

"I know. He would wake up your grandparents and me at the crack of dawn on Christmas mornin' wantin' to open presents."

"But we always had to wait until after church, didn't we?" Major McCawley laughed.

"That we did Rafe."

Danny's father walked to the door. "Son, why don't you sack out at the house? I know your mama would love to have you and so would I."

"If you wouldn't mind."

He grinned. "I wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it."

Danny smiled and it was the first time Ann saw it all evening. "Thanks Dad, I'll take you up on it."

"That's more like it. Mama left a light on in the livin' room so just make yourself at home."

"Thanks again Dad." He replied as he waited for Evelyn to say goodnight to Ann's parents. She thanked them for their hospitality and walked out ahead of Danny. Then he was gone.

"All right, ya'll. The cider's hot and Rafe here promised that the eggnog ain't spiked. So why don't you get yourself a cup and pour yourself somethin'." Ann's father ushered everyone to the dining room table where her mother's Christmas china was laid out.

Ann stayed on the sofa with the snow globe in her hands. She shook it and watched as the flakes floated down on the cutout of the Academy and wished she'd been able to thank him the way she really wanted to.

"That was a very nice thing for him to do." Ann heard the gentle voice of her mother as she sat down. "He's always been a very thoughtful young man."

"Mama, I don't remember telling him that." She admitted.

She shrugged. "You may not have been that specific, but it was enough that it stuck in his mind. Your dad's like that too. I can mention something about a book or a recording I heard about and if it's within his power to do so he'll present me with that particular book or the record. It just means that they're good listeners." She explained. "The sweatshirt was nice too."

"It was."

"Why don't you take those back to your room and then join us for some cider?" She smiled and stood up. "Ev's mother sent fudge from Philadelphia and Gram sent her sugar cookies. So if you don't want your brother and sister and Sarah and Joe eat everything, don't take too long."

"I won't." Ann said and watched as her mother joined her father at the table. She stood up and put the globe in the box, picked it up and walked back to her room. She closed the door behind her, sat down on her bed and set the box down next to her. It might have been more prudent to put the globe on her dresser so that it wouldn't appear to be such a personal gift. Instead, she put it on her night table so that she would see it first thing when she woke up.

She took the sweatshirt out of the box to get a better look at it and a folded piece of paper floated to the floor. She picked it up and saw that it was a note from Danny. Her heart began to beat a little faster because she'd never seen anything written in his own hand and wondered what it was he wanted to say to her.

The sweatshirt she held in her hands was his.

He explained the sweatshirt that now belonged to her was something he wore for the four winters that he's spent at the Academy. He wanted her to wear it often and when she did imagine that his arms were around her.

Ann didn't understand until that moment how the simplest gifts could be the most romantic. She now had a tangible part of him with her and suddenly didn't miss him so much.

She put his note under her pillow and at his request put the sweatshirt on. It smelled like him, a combination of soap and shaving lotion. It was soft and warm against her skin and she could almost feel his arms around her and she felt safe.

She would have felt much more self-conscious about the fact that she wore his sweatshirt when she walked back out to the living room if Sarah didn't have hers on as well. She smiled at Ann. "I like your sweatshirt."

"I like yours too. Someone really nice must have given it to you." She smiled back.

"Well if it ain't the Bobsey Twins." Major McCawley grinned at them.

She and Sarah looked at each other. Bobsey Twins?

"Dad, would it be all right if we went for a walk?" Sarah asked him as she tucked her arm through Ann's.

He looked at his watch. "It 's all right with me if it's all right with Danny or Sandra. But don't be long."

"We won't." She promised as she approached Mrs. Walker. "Would it be all right if Annie and I took a short walk?"

She looked at her watch as well. "If it's all right with your father or your mother, it's all right with me."

Sarah smiled. "He said it's all right and I promised him we wouldn't be long."

"I'll hold you to that then. Ten minutes and no more, all right Ann?"

"Ten minutes, we won't be late." She promised as Sarah pulled her out the door.

Ann thought for sure that Sarah would head for the beach, but instead walked to her house. "So what do you think about Evelyn?" She asked as they walked inside and sat down on the sofa.

The question didn't surprise her because for the last three weeks, Sarah had tried to find out what was going on. "She's really nice."

"It is kind of hard not to like her, which I was ready to do at the dance. She just seemed to show up out of nowhere."

Ann shrugged. "It's just one of those strange coincidences that make it seem as though it was planned. Hank was pretty rude to her about it."

Sarah looked puzzled. "He never explained why."

"He was being a big brother if you ask me. You once told me how Danny could be such a pain in the neck when it came to your dates. Well it feels that way with Hank for me sometimes. He grills me about my dates and wants to know if it's affecting my schoolwork. He should know by now that I'm not really dating anyone and my schoolwork is just fine. Honestly Sarah, my own father isn't that bad." She sighed.

She laughed at Ann's situation. "Now you finally understand how I felt. But you know it's only because he cares about you."

"I know. And that's why I haven't said anything to him."

Sarah took her hands in hers. "I have to tell you that I was awfully disappointed that nothing happened with you and Danny after he broke up with Caroline."

It took all of Ann's concentration to keep her face cool but felt it warm anyway. She tried to look casual as she spoke to her friend. "And I seem to remember telling you that Danny should be with a girl his own age."

"I know you did and I still disagree." And she looked at her watch.

What was this about?

"I know you do and why are you looking at your watch?" It dawned on her that Sarah brought her back to the house for a reason. "You didn't tell your parents that you were going to call Hank for Christmas, did you?"

The look on her face told Ann she'd guessed right.

"Why not? It's not like it's a huge secret that you're seeing each other." And the minute the words were out of her mouth the front door opened and Danny walked into the house. He seemed to do the best he could to not look absolutely stunned and Ann tried to remember how to breathe.

Sarah stood up. "I'll use the phone in my parent's room. Give me five minutes and then we'll go back to your house." She said as she left Ann alone with Danny in the living room.

She stood up and after a few moments found her voice. "First Evelyn and now your sister."

"She doesn't know about anything that's happened." He said and she'd never heard his voice sound so husky.

"I didn't say she did." And she sighed. "Evelyn's really nice."

Danny nodded. "She is, but she's not you."

"Thank you for my presents."

He began to walk toward her. "My sweatshirt looks a lot better on you than it ever did on me."

She felt her face flush and she started to back up but the sofa got in her way. "I doubt that."

"I really want to kiss you." He said and got closer.

"I can see that." She observed. A glance behind her gave her a way out of his path and she moved behind the sofa, which effectively cut him off.

"Then let me." He wasn't deterred and followed her. "It's been the longest three weeks of my life and I've really missed you."

"You're not helping the situation." She admonished him and it came out as a whisper. "You agreed to give it a chance and it's only been three weeks."

"And you didn't give me a time limit." He countered.

"Three weeks isn't enough time." Ann said to hold him off because she knew he was right. "How can you know after three weeks?"

"Annie, I knew before I agreed to this." Danny put his arms around her and she looked over his shoulder. He seemed to understand her concern that Sarah could come out at any minute and find them together. "She's talking to Hank and I seriously doubt she's going to be out here in five minutes. She's going to shave it as close to ten as she can."

She shook her head and he took her hand. "Then you're going to have to trust me."

Trust him?

He tugged gently on her hand. "Please come with me for a minute."

"Where?" She asked and already had a pretty good idea of where he wanted to go.

"My room." He answered softly and she pulled her hand out of his grasp. "You can trust me that all I want to do is kiss you."

"Danny." She admonished him again because she knew darn well it wasn't all he wanted.

He smiled at her. "Okay, it's not all I want to do but I swear to you that it's all I will do."

"Danny." She repeated because she couldn't think of a reason not to go with him.

"I promise that you can trust me." He pledged and took her hand again and led her to his room. When he opened the door all Ann saw was pitch black. "I can turn the light on if you want."

She shook her head and walked in. The weak light from the living room didn't show her much and she didn't have time to really look before she felt Danny behind her. The room suddenly went dark as she heard the door close and his hands were on her shoulders. Her heart began to beat double time. "I shouldn't be in here."

"If this feels wrong we'll stop right now and you can go back out to the living room." She felt his hands drop from her shoulders and sensed that he'd stepped away from her. "I would never make you stay in here if it felt wrong."

The dilemma for Ann was that it didn't feel wrong, it felt very right and that was what scared her. "I put your snow globe on my night table so I would see it when I woke up in the morning." She finally said.

"I was hoping that you would like it." Ann heard his voice as he came closer and as her eyes adjusted to the dark room she noticed the moonlight that spilled through the half opened Venetian blinds. It also made it easier for her to see him as he closed the distance and he put his arms around her.

"I liked it very much and wished I could have thanked you properly." She said as she rested her hands on his chest and felt his rapid heartbeat and firm muscle under her fingers.

"Now's your chance." She could vaguely see a smile and it made her smile back as she suddenly felt his lips on hers as he pulled her close to him. She moved her hands up his chest and wound them around his neck to pull him even closer as she responded.

In the back of her mind, she never lost the sense of time because what felt like hours was probably only minutes as Danny's strong hands roamed up and down her back. She threaded her fingers into his hair to learn the feel of it and that seemed to prompt his hands to slowly find their way under his sweatshirt that she wore and her blouse as well. It was a shock to feel his hands on her bare skin as they caressed her and she understood what it must have felt like for him. But she also remembered that when they'd reached that point, they knew it was time to stop.

He seemed to sense it too because he moved his hands on top of the sweatshirt as his body told her how much the feel of her affected him. "You need to go now Annie."

She kept her arms around his neck and nodded.

"The way you do that is to let me go." He sighed.

"I know."

He took her arms from around his neck and kept her close enough to give her a soft kiss. "You should probably go into the bathroom and put yourself back together and let me go to bed."

"I know." She repeated and for the first time wondered what it would feel like to fall asleep in his arms.

Danny walked to the door and opened it before he looked down the hall. He glanced at his watch before he closed the door again and took her hands in his. "It's been about five minutes and she's still on the phone."

Only five minutes? It felt like hours.

"I'll give you a chance to get in the bathroom and get back out to the living room before I go knock on the door."

"All right." She agreed.

"You do understand how difficult it is for me to let you go, don't you?" He asked and his voice grew husky again.

She nodded. "Yes."

"Merry Christmas Annie." And he kissed her again.

"Merry Christmas Danny." She answered before she kissed him back. He walked her to his door, opened it and she looked down the hall. The McCawley's door was still closed. She stepped out and Danny nudged her toward the bathroom.

When she stepped inside, she turned on the light but didn't dare look at her reflection in the mirror because she didn't know what she would see. Instead, she tucked in her blouse and pulled Danny's sweatshirt back into place before she turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face. She picked up what she recognized as Sarah's hairbrush and ran it through her hair.

She finally glanced at her reflection and she still looked flushed. But there wasn't anything she could do about that so she turned off the light and walked back to Danny's door where he waited for her.

"You looked much prettier the other way." His smile was gentle and he put a hand to her cheek. "Go have a seat and I'll go get Sarah."

Ann walked back out to the living room and found the place where she'd sat when Danny first came home and took her seat. She heard a knock on his parent's bedroom door and heard his voice. "Sarah, you need to get off the phone now and get back to the Walker's."

"In a minute." She heard faintly and smiled.

"Sarah Jane, Ann told me that you promised Dad and Mrs. Walker that you'd be back in ten minutes and you're time is just about up. So tell Hank Merry Christmas and then tell him goodnight." He sounded like the big brother he was and she tried not to laugh.

She didn't hear anything for a moment and then heard the door open. "Scrooge."

"Fine, I'm Scrooge. But if you'd just told Dad and Mama about this you wouldn't have had to use Ann as an excuse to leave the Walker's. Besides, this is going to show up on their long distance bill and then what are you going to do?"

"Then I'll tell them." She frowned. "Hank says Merry Christmas to you and to Ann."

Ann stood up and walked over to Sarah, which brought her closer to Danny. "I'll thank him for that when he gets back. In the meantime, we need to get back to my house."

She took Ann's hand. "I'm sorry about the subterfuge. I just wanted to be able to talk to him without everyone knowing about it."

"I understand Sarah." Ann smiled at her and a quick glance at Danny told her that he did too.

"I'll let Dad and Mama know that you're home." Sarah told him before she hugged him. "Merry Christmas big brother."

"Merry Christmas to you too baby sister. I'll see you in the morning." He let her go. "Merry Christmas Ann." He said to her and headed to his room.

"He looks tired." Sarah commented as his bedroom door closed behind him and they walked to the front door. "He's in the air more every day and his training flights are getting longer."

As they stepped out on the porch Ann nodded. "Dad says Wheeler is ramping up the training for their new pilots though he doesn't know when they'll be put into combat rotation."

They turned out of the front yard onto the sidewalk and made their way back to the Walkers.