With the exception of a lighted lamp by the living room window, the Walker's house was dark when Danny walked Ann to her door.

She knew that he'd promised her father that he would have her home by eleven and at nine thirty, they could have stayed out longer, but after their unplanned sunset dip they were both still damp. He was concerned that she would catch cold once they came out of their blanket cocoon and wanted to get her home so she could get into some dry clothes.

Ann knew better than to disagree with him because there was no way to persuade him that she was all right.

"What would you say to swimming tomorrow?" He suggested as he held her close against him. "We'll do it right though and actually wear swimsuits."

"I kind of like the way we did it tonight." She laughed.

"But it wasn't part of the date." He reminded her.

"I know that, but it's the part of our first date that I'll remember the most."

"So will I." He admitted before he leaned over and kissed her.

Ann couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something different in the way he kissed her. It felt to her as though more of his emotions were in it and she wondered what it was that he was feeling. Her feelings for him since Christmas were changing rapidly and knew that she was falling in love with him. It was something that she figured would happen the more they saw of each other, but Ann didn't count on it happening as quickly as it did.

But Gramps had told her that once Cupid's Arrow found her, she wouldn't have any say in the matter. He was right.

"You shouldn't be thinking when I'm kissing you Ann I'll get a complex. That or I'll just have to try harder." His gentle admonition brought her thoughts back around to his warm lips and solid frame as his hands began to wander down her back. As they slipped down past the small of her back, he got her full attention when his lips found a sensitive spot behind her ear and began to trail down her neck.

Ann had gotten a shock the first time she felt his hands on her bare skin, but it wasn't anything like the feel of his lips on her as they moved down toward her collar bone and things were moving too fast. She shook her head in an attempt to let him know that it was too much and to her relief he seemed to understand because his hands moved up to the middle of her back and he held her close. She could feel the rapid beat of his heart under her trembling hand and knew it affected him as much as it had her.

"I'm sorry." He sighed as he ran a soothing hand across her back. "I should have been thinking."

"What are we going to do?" She asked him with a whisper because she couldn't seem to find her voice. "We can't keep doing this."

"I think the way we're doing this works, for us. You keep me in check and I drop you in the ocean." His voice sounded thick with emotion as he tried to tease her. "As long as we know what our limits are, we'll keep putting the brakes on things."

She'd had a conversation with Evelyn about this very thing right after New Years. "But what happens when we can't do that anymore, or for that matter don't want to? Then what are we supposed to do? Danny, every time we're together things go a little bit farther than they have before and it seems to me that we're getting dangerously close to jumping off a cliff."

The look on his face told her that he was thinking the same thing. "I made your dad a promise and I don't intend on breaking it."

"I believe that you believe that and I know that Dad's holding you to it. But can you honestly tell me that you'll always be able to remember that?" She turned out of his arms and sat down on the swing.

He followed and sat down next to her on the opposite side of the swing. "Do you ever think about it?"

She glanced at him and felt her face flush. "Of course I think about it. Why do you think we're having this conversation?"

"Because we can't keep our hands off of each other?" He grinned.

His remark hit too close to the mark for Ann and she punched him in the arm. "Don't do that, this is serious."

"I know it is but it doesn't change the truth of it, I like touching you. I like the feel of your skin because it's so soft and I like the feel of your hands on me." He was dead serious as he rubbed his arm. "And I know how much you like the feel of my hands on you too."

She did, more than he could know but couldn't possibly say it out loud so she nodded instead. She felt the swing move as he slid over next to her and took her hand gently in his. "Ann, it isn't easy for me to say these things because what I feel for you I've never felt for any other girl. I say what I do because I want you to know how much I care for you and how much I like being with you, even if it's something as simple as holding your hand and sitting next to you on a swing."

Ann put her head down on his shoulder and felt his grip become more firm. "This whole thing scares me sometimes because there are situations that I find myself in with you that I never would have been in with anyone else. And I've started to wonder what it would feel like to go to sleep in your arms."

"I know Annie, I have too." He admitted as he rested his cheek on her hair. "But there isn't anything wrong with that and as much as we might want to, we aren't going to act on anything we feel."

"No."

She felt him sit up and he squeezed her hand. "Let's go over to my parents house for awhile, if you can stand the knowing looks we'll get from our brothers and sisters. I think you'll feel better if you can see your mother."

"We can't exactly go over there looking like this." She sat up and smiled at him. "The looks we would get would be very confused."

"I didn't mean now. I'll go back to my quarters so I can shower and change and give you time to do the same. Then we can walk over there together." He stood up with her hand still in his and pulled her up next to him. "It's been quite an evening Ann and I'm glad I got to spend it with you."

"Hold that thought until after we've gotten the third degree from our families. If we get through that, then I'll agree with you."

"I stand by what I said." He took her other hand and gave her a light kiss. "I'll be back in a half hour."

"I'll be ready." She promised as he let go of her hands and stepped off the porch. He walked down to the front gate and as he turned up the sidewalk, raised a hand. She waved back and as he disappeared up toward his parent's house she turned around and walked into the house.

The house always felt so different when her family was gone because the heart of the house was gone. It was dim but the stove light was on and cast some additional illumination into the living room.

She walked down the hallway to her room and turned on the light. The first thing she saw was the snow globe from Danny on her nightstand and she smiled at the memory of that Christmas Eve.

She went through her closet and decided on one of her everyday dresses and a pair of sandals to change into before she headed to the bathroom and showered off the Pacific Ocean.

As she promised, Ann was back on the front porch a half-hour later when Danny pulled up in front of the house. He was in his favorite off duty uniform of dungarees, a tee shirt, beat up loafers and a Hawaiian shirt. This was the Danny that she was used to and it eased the tension from earlier when she saw him standing in her living room. "I called my parents and told them we were coming."

She stepped off the porch and Danny took her hand. "I'll let go before we get to the house."

"You don't need to." She gripped his hand. "You said yourself that you didn't want to hide this."

"I did and I don't. But my parents are still getting used to the idea." He explained.

"I understand. It's probably just as well that my parents don't see it either." She agreed as they turned onto the sidewalk and strolled down to the McCawley's house. The front door was open and Danny opened the screen door and waited for Ann and then followed her in.

The house was quiet except for the voices of their parents on the back porch. "Dad, Mama, we're here."

"Come on back son." Ann heard the voice of Major McCawley and she followed Danny to the back porch. He held the screen door open for her and she walked out ahead of him. It squeaked as it closed and she felt him come to a stop close behind her.

Her mother and Mrs. McCawley were sitting on the sofa and Major McCawley sat in the overstuffed chair. Her father was leaning against the porch rail with a beer in his hand and he had a guarded look on his face. "Y'all decided to change."

"Yes Sir we did. When I took Ann home I suggested coming over here and I thought she would be more comfortable if we changed." He fabricated the reason.

"And you're early." He continued.

"The only thing that we could agree on turned out to be a war movie." Ann stepped into the breach. "So we went down to the beach and watched the sun set instead."

Danny's father sighed. "I wish they'd stop makin' those damn war pictures. They ain't anythin' like it really is."

"How was dinner?" Danny's mother asked as she glanced with concern at Major McCawley. "Dad and I haven't been to the Black Cat in a long time."

"It's a quaint place." Ann told her. "The minute we walked in I heard Glenn Miller playing on the jukebox."

"He was always one of Martha's favorites." Mama smiled. "When we were sharing quarters, his records were all she played. And when he made a stop here on his way overseas, she was practically in the front row."

"And don't forget that 'Moonlight Serenade' was the first song that you and Danny danced to." Mrs. McCawley said to her.

"It was a night I'll never forget." Dad said quietly as he looked at Mama. "It wasn't exactly our first date because I didn't ask you out but it was the first time I ever held you in my arms."

"I remember." She smiled at him and then she looked at Ann. "Did you have a nice time?"

"We did. It was something that I'll always remember." She smiled at her mother.

"I'm glad to hear that." Mama smiled back at her and looked as though she had a million questions.

"We've got some Cokes in the icebox if you'd like to have one." Mrs. McCawley offered.

"Thanks Mama but I'll pass. Would you like one?" He looked at Ann.

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm still full from dinner."

Major McCawley laughed. "They still over do the portions, do they?"

"Yes Sir."

"As I recall, there was a retired Navy cook there when we were young. I wonder if that old geezer is still there?" He wondered.

"Or maybe they just found another retired Navy cook." Dad grinned. "They made the best coffee I ever had."

"I like that Daniel Walker." Mama raised her eyebrows in protest.

"They made the best coffee I ever had in a restaurant, how's that?" He laughed.

"That's better. So have you made any more plans?"

"Yes Ma'am. We're going to the beach tomorrow afternoon and go swimming." Danny glanced at her and tried not to smile but it didn't seem to be lost on his father.

"Is there somethin' that you want to tell us son?" It was almost as though Major McCawley knew what happened.

"No Sir. We were watching the sun set and the surfers were out, so I suggested that we go for a swim." There was a sound in his voice that was almost defensive.

"Where is everybody?" Ann asked their parents. "I thought for sure they'd all be running around out here."

"They're in our room watching television." Mrs. McCawley answered. "It's not something Rafe and I usually encourage but when Danny called we thought it would be easier if you weren't peppered with questions from a lot of people."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome honey. Are you sure you wouldn't like a Coke?" She asked.

"Thank you Mrs. McCawley but I'm fine."

She felt Danny's hand on her shoulder. "If you're ready, I'll walk you home. It's time that I get back to my quarters and get some sack time."

"All right."

"You're welcome to stay here Danny." His mother told him. "You always come for breakfast and since you're already here it doesn't make sense for you to go all the way back to your quarters."

"I guess it doesn't." Ann could hear some hesitation in his voice before he agreed. "Thank you Mama. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He opened the screen door and waited for her.

He'd gotten a little tense and she didn't want to add to it so Ann walked out ahead of him and moved toward the front door. She pushed open the screen door and waited for him to follow her out to the front porch. When the door closed behind him, he took her hand as they strolled down to the sidewalk.

"I hate telling her no." He finally said.

"You didn't want to come back tonight did you?" She asked even though she knew the answer.

"I don't usually mind staying at the house, but I have the feeling my parents are going to have some questions for me after your parents go home. And the truth is, I don't really want to talk about it."

"If it makes you feel any better, my parents are probably going to have some questions for me too. Dad seemed awfully curious as to why we'd changed and he's going to want to know why." She sighed and she felt a gentle squeeze on her hand.

"It's my fault. If I hadn't taken you into the water we wouldn't have had to change."

"That's true, but I didn't really give you much of an option." And she stopped. "You were right when you said that we know our limits because one of us manages to stop anything that starts to get out of hand. I walked out of the theater and you tossed me in the Pacific, it all evens out."

"You think so?" He smiled at her as they walked into her parent's yard and stepped up on the porch. "One was a little more extreme than the other."

"I gave you cause." She shrugged her shoulders as a way of acknowledging how difficult she'd made things for him.

"So after all of this, do we still have a date at the beach tomorrow for a swim?"

"We still have a date for a swim." Ann smiled as she put her arms around his neck.

"I can think of a better place for those hands to be." Danny grinned back at her and she knew exactly what he meant.

"I know you can. And that's exactly why they're going to stay where they are." She smiled back as he leaned in and kissed her goodnight.