Hey guys! It's great to be back. I lost motivation for writing during my final year of school but I've been finished for nearly 7 months and I'm settled at uni so I thought it was a perfect time to come back and grace you all with more of the lovely Danny and Charlotte. Plus, I missed you guys! Anyway, this chapter, hopefully has more passion than the last and I hope you guys enjoy it!

June 25th, 1941

It had been a week since we received the news about Rafe. A week since our lives were shaken up and the reality of this war had finally hit us. The war was coming, I could feel it. Rafe dying was just our signal to prepare ourselves, but no one believed me when I said so.

I sat down at my dressing table and began to pin my hair for work. The reflection who stared back at me was someone I had hardly recognised. The young girl that arrived on base has disappeared in seven long days. My eyes were swollen and red from crying, there were bags under them from sleepless nights and more work than usual. There was a grey hair sprouting just above my ear. Grief was my daily expression. But I had to be strong; strong for Danny and for Evelyn.

"Breakfast is ready," said Betty as she came in quietly.

"I don't feel like food today," I told her and then looked at my watch. "Besides, I'm late."

"I haven't seen you eat in three days. You've been working yourself too hard," she said moving over to me and massaging my shoulders.

It felt good to have a massage; I could feel my body tense with every passing day. It was hard to relax when everything and everyone around you was wound up like a ball of yarn.

"I've eaten, I had a banana and some toast yesterday," I told her.

"You're going to shrivel up. You have to take care of yourself Charlotte. How can you look after Danny is you yourself are on the brink of death."

I suddenly turned to her. Her hands flew off my shoulders as I did so and the expression on her face was one of shock and guilt.

"Don't you dare," I said through gritted teeth. How dare she bring up death when Rafe has only left us a week ago. How dare she joke about it. I was livid.

"Charlotte, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"Then how did you mean it Betty!? I guess you'd probably have no idea seeing your only just a child," I snapped. "Take a lesson in being a grown up darling. Learn to have some tact, learn to think before you speak. Maybe you won't make so many mistakes." I stood up from my seat, grabbed my purse that lay next to a picture of all of us at the farm when we were younger and stormed out of the house. When I was half way down the stairs that's when her sobbing started.

My shift finished late and when Barbara came to cover me she gave me a big hug and told me that Betty would forgive me when I explained to her what had happened. I felt terrible for treating her that way. It has just been such a stressful week and I had been bottling my emotions. But it was still no excuse to lash out on Betty.

Instead of going home that night, I went to Danny's plane hanger. He was almost always there late nowadays. He hated going to his cabin early and having to pretend to be fine when seeing all the camaraderie between the other boys and knowing he'd never have a best friend again.

I'd also wanted to go because I haven't seen him in a few days. He said that he'd been busy training, but I think he just wants time to himself. But I missed him too much. I missed his gap toothed smile and his voice and his jokes. If my body wasn't aching enough from losing Rafe, this just added more pain.

As I approached the hanger, I saw him standing on the wing looking for some tools I assumed. He looked so handsome under the last rays of the Hawaiian sun. I was terribly lucky to be able to call him my boyfriend.

"Hey stranger," I called out to him when he didn't recognise me there. He startled but then smiled softly when he saw me.

"Hey Char, come on up," he said gesturing to a ladder. I gathered my skirts and climbed up, taking his hand to then get myself onto the wing. He laid down his jacket for me and helped me sit down. He's still such a gentleman.

"Rough day?" he asked me as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Just a long one," I told him as I looked up to him.

"Red told me what happened with Betty. She called him this morning before we went to head out to training," he said after a pause.

I sat up and covered my face with my hands. Tears had begun to fall; tears for Rafe, tears for Betty and tears because I was just overwhelmingly sad.

"I feel terrible," I sobbed. Danny grabbed my hands and bought them down. He then took his thumb and wiped away the tears on my face.

"She understands Char, she is not upset at you. Just upset at herself for making you react that way. Everyone is concerned about you."

"I'm fine," I lied. "It's Evelyn they should be worrying about."

"Look," Danny said seriously. "I know you're hurting too. I haven't exactly been the best partner in terms of supporting you. You've been taking care of me since we found out and I am so thankful, and you've helped me so much. I still miss Rafe and I still get angry and emotional every once in a while and then I remember all of us back at the farm, and our future together and how Rafe would want us t have everything we can possibly have and that helps me. He wouldn't want us to be here crying our eyes out darling."

"But, you needed me and I didn't and I still don't want to burden you with my feelings. He was your best friend," I cried.

"He was yours too. He wanted the best for you," he said kissing my forehead. "Did you know it was him that basically convinced me to go to New York and get you back?" Danny said smiling.

"Really?" I asked him.

"Yes really! He was a romantic at heart and he hated seeing me blue and I think he knew that we were always meant to be."

"I am just going to miss him so much. It's going to be so different when we go home," I said drying my tears.

"It will be and that's okay. He'll still be there everywhere we look and every time we take a trip to the diner I'm sure he'll be beside us sipping on his beloved chocolate milkshake with sprinkles on top." I snorted at the memory of Rafe ordering off the children's menu back home. Danny smiled too.

"He was always such a big kid," I said.

"The biggest! Once we went out to the lake and he dived into the water but hit some mud and I swear he cried when he had to wash his hair. There was dry mud stuck it for days," Danny reminisced.

"He was also such a girl! He always spent ages on his hair before a date too," I laughed.

There was a pregnant pause between us as we looked out the hanger and saw the sun setting. It was beautiful. A sunset just for us that made me feel like Rafe had sent it.

"There will never be another like him," Danny said softly. I just nodded my head and grabbed his hand. Rafe really was irreplaceable and I had finally come to peace knowing that wherever I was in life, he'd be beside me the whole way, guiding me like a brother and a best friend as he did in life too.

July 2nd, 1941

The girls had all decided to go out for dinner. It had been such a down couple of weeks, but everyone was feeling much better than usual today and funnily enough, no one was working either. It was a real miracle.

Evelyn was starting to smile more too. Barbara had made a joke about her breasts and I swear Evelyn almost split in two because she was laughing so hard.

We sat down in the lounge room and got each other ready. I put Betty's hair into a intricate bun with curls and was putting the final touches when she hushed us all to make an announcement.

"Well, what is it?" Sandra said impatiently.

"So, I was just thinking that after these past few weeks, no one really knows what's going to happen and it just made me realise how much circumstances can change."

"Spit it out!" Barbara yelled jokingly.

"Okay, okay!" Betty said giddily, "Red and I have decided to get married at the end of the year! Like we wan to have all you guys there and have it on the beach. It's going to be so amazing!"

The girls cheered and hollered. Finally there was some exciting news in a patch of darkness. We continued to get ready and go out for dinner. It was so nice to feel carefree again and drink to much that we could hardly walk when we had finished our meals. Everyone was happy. It's exactly what we needed.

When we left the restaurant late, we walked passed Danny. He was too oblivious to notice the group of drunken girls so I ran up behind him and scared him.

"Boo," I yelled as I grabbed him. He turned suddenly and relaxed a little when he saw me.

"What are you doing out?" he asked smiling as he saw the girls come closer, but I detected a hint of sadness in his voice.

"We just had a nice dinner out! Take out mind off things," I told him.

"Hey Danny," the girls greeted as they reached us.

"Hi girls," he replied.

"What are you doing out?" Sandra asked.

"Just going for a walk, it's such a nice night," he said politely.

Barbara sensed the sadness too and decided to leave us alone. "Well it was great to see you, we'll leave you two lovebirds alone."

When they were gone I turned to him, "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Just a rough night," he said. I nodded. I was about to say goodbye when Evelyn rushed over.

"Thinking about Rafe?" she asked sadly. Danny nodded.

"Me too," Evelyn said. "I miss him."

"Maybe you guys should go on a walk together, just chat and remember Rafe," I suggested.

"I don't want to bother Danny," Evelyn said, "I just wanted to let you know you're not alone."

"It's alright, I'd love to hear stories of Rafe I'd never heard before," he said.

"Okay, let's go," she said shyly.

"Bring her home soon," I said kissing Danny on the cheek. The turned around and walked off towards the beach. At least they had each other, Rafe was everything to both of them.

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