At Evelyn's invitation, Ann met her at the beach two days after New Years.

She tried to turn her down because Ann knew it was the time of day when Danny and Hank took their run on the beach. But Evelyn wouldn't take no for an answer. "He's noticed that you haven't been here in a long time and I thought it would be a nice surprise for him." Evelyn explained as she laid out a blanket on the sand and sat down.

When Ann tried to object, she shook her head. "You don't have to talk to him and he may not even stop but I think it would do a world of good for the both of you to see each other."

"Why are you doing this?" She was curious as Evelyn took her arm and pulled her down next to her.

"I'm doing this because I think he's falling in love with you and doesn't even know it." She smiled. "And his spirits have been better in the last week than they have been since we started spending time together."

Ann knew why but she couldn't say. "Sarah told me that he's putting in a lot more flight hours."

Evelyn nodded. "That's usually the way it works before the Air Force starts putting the pilots into combat rotation."

"My dad told me that."

She touched Ann's arm. "I can't help but think about every woman who's ever lost her heart to a man in the service and never told him. Then when the unthinkable happens and he doesn't come home, she's got to live with that for the rest of her life."

Evelyn sounded cryptic again.

"It sounds as though you may have had some experience at that."

She shook her head. "Not me, my mother."

"What happened to her?" Ann asked and wasn't sure if she should.

"There was a boy she went around with in high school and he was killed at Pearl Harbor. On the surface of it there wasn't anything special about him and he joined the Navy after he graduated to help his family during the Depression. No one seemed to have any money in those days and one of the most secure jobs a guy could get was in the service. Anyway, they corresponded all through his basic training and after he got posted here. Mom said that she fell in love with him because of those letters but never told him. It wasn't until after he died that she found out in his last letter to her that he loved her too. It took her a long time to get over it and it wasn't until after she met Dad that she was able to put it in the past."

"Does your Dad know about him?"

"He does. He often says that he knew Mom was falling for him because she eventually stopped talking about her lost sailor. She calls him her life preserver because he kept her from drowning in self-pity. That's why I made the decision a long time ago to never fall for a man in uniform, too much heartache."

Ann couldn't help but laugh. "And to reinforce that you work on a military base."

Evelyn smiled back. "That was their call, not mine. I worked for my firm as an intern all the way through Colorado College. They were really good to me when I graduated and it didn't seem right or particularly fair to tell them I wouldn't come here. That's why I spend only the hours I need to on base and don't fraternize with any of the military personnel."

She was confused. "But you fraternize with Danny."

Evelyn looked self-conscious. "How should I say this? I like Dan, I really do but he's a military pilot. He's a part of that culture I want to avoid and he's always understood that."

"And that's why things never got serious." She began to see light at the end of the tunnel.

"That and the fact that he was still with Caroline. Dan is a loyal guy, even with someone who didn't deserve it. As to why I fraternize with him? I'm comfortable with him because I know he doesn't expect anything from me."

Danny tried to tell her that and she wouldn't hear it. She saw a past that wasn't there and pushed him into a situation where she could have lost a chance with him if Evelyn wasn't the woman she was.

"Have I given you enough to chew on?" Her voice was gentle. "I've never met two people who were meant more for each other than you and Dan. And when I take myself out of the picture, because it's time I do you need to give him a real chance and not be afraid of it."

"Do you think that's the reason I wanted him to do this, because I'm afraid?"

Evelyn nodded. "But it's perfectly natural. You've know him for most of your life and from what he said you didn't see much of each other while he was away. When you went back to Colorado to see him graduate you expected to see the boy you grew up with and he wasn't there, he was this handsome pilot that you didn't recognize. Do I have that about right?"

She nodded.

"Do you mind if I say something else?"

Ann shook her head.

"I think you're falling in love with him and can't admit it."

The thought was too much. "I don't think so."

Evelyn laughed. "Dan said the same thing when I mentioned it to him and I didn't believe him either."

"It's too soon." She reasoned.

"He told me not long ago that when he got home and saw how much you'd grown up everything that happened from that point was out of his hands. Would you say that it's been pretty much that way for you too?"

"Pretty much, but I still can't help think that he should find someone his own age."

"Ann, can you honestly tell me that when his arms are around you and he holds you close to his heart that you want him to be with someone his own age?" Evelyn asked her. "How did it feel when you knew that we were spending time together? Did it make you feel any better that I was his age?"

Her argument was effectively deflated because Ann knew the answer before she told Evelyn. "Deep down I never worried that anything would happen because he told me how he felt. But the time that he was with you, I wished that he were with me and it didn't matter that he was older."

"And that's how it should be when you care for someone."

Ann thought about that before she looked at Evelyn. "Can I tell you what makes me afraid about this?"

"Of course."

"Every time we've been together things go a little bit farther than they did previously. And the more we're together the more difficult it becomes." Ann sighed.

She frowned. "Are you saying that you don't trust him to stop if you ask him?"

Ann felt her cheeks flame hot and struggled to find the words to explain. "It's not that I don't trust him because I do, but it's more that I don't trust myself."

Evelyn looked as though she tried not to laugh. "And that's why you trust him because you know that as far as you might want to go, he won't let it because he cares about you too much."

"How do you know when you're in love?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me because it hasn't happened yet. But I think that if you listen to your heart and pay attention to how you feel when you're with him, you'll know."

"Good afternoon ladies." Ann looked up at the sound of Hank's familiar voice and next to him she saw the man that made her heart stop.

"You picked a very nice day to run Henry." Evelyn smiled as she stood up. "So why don't you cool off by walking me to my car."

He grinned at Ann and she felt her face warm. "Yes Ma'am."

"It was really nice talking to you Ann." Evelyn waved a hand as she led Hank up the beach and away from her and Danny.

The gentle tension that she'd felt from him on Christmas Eve was there. "Would you like to sit down? You look like you can stand a breather."

He hesitated and it surprised her. "I'm not exactly fit to sit next to."

"It never seemed to matter to you before." She couldn't help but laugh.

"That's because I was trying to shake you up." He smiled back and looked less tense.

"It worked." She told him and put her hand down on the spot next to her. "Please."

He looked pleased at her insistence and finally sat down. There was more distance between them than she wanted and knew that he wouldn't move over, so she did. His skin was damp from the exercise and warm from the exertion. It was a combination that made her light headed.

"What are you thinking Annie?" Danny asked her softly as he took her hand in his and she put her head down on his shoulder.

"I'm thinking how much I would like it if you would kiss me." She smiled.

"You mean out here in broad daylight?" He asked and Ann thought he sounded a little too sarcastic so she sat up and looked at him.

"You have a short memory Lieutenant. Those were your choices, not mine." Ann reminded him.

"I like it when you call me Lieutenant." He smiled again. "No one says it quite as nicely as you do."

"I'm so proud of you and what you've accomplished." She added. "You set your mind to something and went after it."

"Which you should know something about by now, don't you think?"

"Yes, I should." She nodded and put her head back on his shoulder.

Danny leaned over and Ann thought he was going to kiss her. "Do you still wear my sweatshirt?" He asked her instead.

She smiled and quietly admitted. "I sleep in it if you must know."

"My sweatshirt is very lucky." He answered just as quietly and smiled at her. "Does this mean that you'll have dinner with me now?"

"After putting you through what I did the last few weeks, do you still want to?" She asked even though she was almost certain of the answer.

"Of course I do. I did what you asked because I wanted you to understand how much I care about you. My condition that you have dinner with me was so that everyone else would know it too."

"So you realize then that we're going to have to tell our parents about this." She sat up again and looked at him.

Danny raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Tell them what, that I've been ravishing their daughter? I don't think that would go over too well with your dad."

Ann laughed. "You know darn well that isn't what I meant. And I don't think it would go over too well with your dad either if he knew his son was ravishing his best friend's daughter."

Two could play at that game.

He leaned over again and said softly. "But you didn't seem to mind, did you?"

Touché.

"No." She said.

"I didn't think so." He answered with a grin.

She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder and felt his head rest on hers. "How about I walk you home?"

"Would you mind if we stay here for a little while or do you have to get back?"

"I'm sorry Ann, but I can't stay. We're going back up in a couple of hours and I really need to get back to my quarters." She heard the regret in his voice as he sat up and as much as she wanted to sigh, didn't. This was something she would have to get used to if things got serious between Danny and her. And Ann had no doubt they already had.

"Have you heard if they're planning on putting you into combat rotation yet?" She didn't want to ask because she didn't really want to know, but she did want to be prepared.

"Not yet, but the way things have been accelerating I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't in the next couple of months." He answered her in a matter of fact way and squeezed her hand. "Ann, I'll tell you as much or as little as you want me to, at least what I can tell you. I don't know what's ahead and I sure don't know what to expect once I get up there but I promise you that I'll do my very best to come back."

"I know you will." She answered as she sat up. "It just never occurred to me that I would end up dating a pilot and one that will have to fly in combat."

His laugh was gentle. "You grew up on a military base and you never considered that you might end up with a guy in the service?"

"Don't be smart." She smiled. "Up until the time that you came home, I hadn't given any consideration to dating anyone seriously."

Danny looked at her. "What about that kid that was supposed to take you to the dance?"

"You really do have a short memory, I went with you." She stated the obvious and knew it.

"And Hank says that I'm a smart-ass." He said to know one in particular. "What about him?"

"It's too embarrassing." She confessed but with an exasperated look from Danny she continued. "The truth is he asked me to go with him so he could try to make another girl jealous. He was very up front about it so I didn't have any illusions. Apparently it worked though, because when he called to break our date he told me that she'd asked him earlier that day and would I mind?"

"So he missed out on seeing you in your mothers dress." He frowned.

She felt her face warm because she had a confession to make. "He wouldn't have seen me in it anyway. The truth of the matter is, I hadn't planned on wearing Mama's dress until Dad told me that you said you'd take me."

Ann smiled at his look of surprise. "You wore that dress for me?"

"Sarah told me that she was going to wear your mother's dress when she went with Hank, but since the boy I was going with wasn't really a date I didn't want to wear my mother's."

"We didn't actually have a date." He reminded her.

"I know, but I wanted to wear something that would make an impression on you."

"It did. And if you hadn't talked me into getting you to the dance I would have let you know then." He told her as he stood up and offered his hand to her, which she took and he pulled her to her feet. She helped Danny pick up the blanket and shake the sand out of it and fold it up.

When they finished he took it out of her grasp and took one of her hands in his and walked her up the beach toward her parents house. The closer they got though, the grip on her hand became lighter. "You can let go if you want to, I understand."

"After all of my talk." He frowned.

She stopped him with a tug on his hand. "If you had more time I wouldn't have brought it up. But it's inevitable that if my parents or yours saw us this way they'd want to know what was going on and how long it's been going on, you know that as well as I do."

"I don't want to hide this." He squeezed her hand. "I was serious when I told you when we got through this that I didn't care if the entire state of Hawaii knew how much I cared for you. And that includes our parents, our brothers and our sisters. I don't want to feel like I can only kiss you on a deserted beach or in my room so that my sister won't catch us. And if it still bothers you that I'm five years older there's nothing that I can do about that because I was born five years before you were.

"For the last five years I had a girlfriend who wasn't much of a girlfriend and I didn't much care if I saw her or not. I wanted to get into the Academy in the worst way and once I got there I had to work really hard to stay there. Now, for the first time I have a girl that I want to be with because I enjoy being with her and she makes me happier than I've ever been. She looks at me with such trust and has a touch so gentle that it keeps me awake at night wishing she were with me.

"I've gone farther with you than I ever did with Caroline because I never thought about holding her as close to me as I've held you. And I've wondered more than once since I felt your hands on me how they would feel when we made love."

He actually said it.

Ann was absolutely stunned at his heartfelt soliloquy and his admission. Deep down she understood what he felt on those occasions they were together, when the both of them began to explore the feel of the other and become comfortable with it.

Danny seemed to think that he's shocked her with his frankness and let go of her hand. "I shouldn't have told you that. It's not something that you needed to know."

"Isn't this exactly something that I should know? The man I've come to care for much more quickly than I ever thought possible tells me that he's wondered how it would feel to make love and he doesn't think it's something I need to know?"

"This is moving too fast, isn't it?" He sighed.

"Don't throw my words back at me Danny. I said that because out of the clear blue on Thanksgiving you kissed me and I had no idea you'd been thinking about it. You seemed to forget that I tried to avoid you for almost a month after that because I needed time to think about what had happened. I kept some distance between us because all of the sudden, because of your kiss I had feelings for you that I never thought I would have."

"Is that why you asked me to do this?"

She nodded. "Evelyn helped me to see that."

"She's been talking to you a lot, hasn't she?"

"When I think about it now, she was letting me know how much she thought you cared about me and that she didn't care about you in that same way."

Danny laughed. "She called herself Cupid's Helper."

She sighed to herself in relief when she heard him laugh. It seemed as though they'd worked their way through a rough patch of conversation and come out all the stronger for it. "I really do like her."

"She really likes you to and didn't hesitate to tell me so." He answered. "She also understands why you asked me to do this."

"Do you?"

"Yes. I also knew that if I didn't you wouldn't give me a chance."

"I just needed to be sure."

Danny took her hand again and began to walk her to her parent's house. "I know you did and as my reward, we get to go out on a real date."

"Do you think we should talk to our parents before we do? Then it won't be such a surprise when you show up at our doorstep." Ann wondered.

He shrugged. "We can if you want but I was thinking about talking to your dad tomorrow anyway. Now that things between us are settled I'd like to tell him what my intentions are."

She smiled and felt her face warm. "I already know what your intentions are."

"But your dad doesn't need to know that." He grinned. "Our families have always talked things out and I don't see why this should be any different."

As they approached her front yard she let go of his hand. "At least until you talk to Dad."

Danny smiled at her. "Fair enough. I'll take this with me and give it back to Evelyn tomorrow." He held up the blanket.

"She's probably wondering where it is." Ann told him as they stood at the fence.

"I'll talk to your dad tomorrow and then I'll make reservations for dinner. After I do that I'll call you and let you know when."

"All right."

There was a look in his eyes that Ann hadn't seen before. "I really don't want to leave you like this."

"I know, but until you talk it's best." She reasoned with him.

"You're going to keep me in line aren't you?"

She laughed softly. "I think we're going to keep each other in line."

"As long as we do it together that's all right by me." And he smiled at her before he tucked the blanket under his arm and began to jog up the street.

She stood at the fence and watched him as he jogged out of sight.

"Danny is quite the chivalrous young man." Ann was startled to see her mother there. "This isn't the first time you've encountered each other and he's walked you home."

"He was raised by his parents the way you and Dad raised us, to be ladies and gentlemen." Ann smiled at her.

Mama didn't look quite convinced. "That's true and I must admit that if he didn't walk you home, I'd be sorely disappointed in him."

"His parents would be too."

"Ann is everything all right, you look a little flushed." She frowned in concern.

"Everything is fine Mama." Ann tried to reassure her concerned parent.

She still didn't look convinced but didn't say anymore. "Is your homework finished?"

"Yes Ma'am. I finished it before I met Evelyn at the beach."

"Then would you do me a favor and set the table for dinner? Dad's going to be home soon."

"Sure Mama." She answered and followed her mother into the house.