Hello everyone! Thanks for being patient as I slowly get these chapters out. I haven't abandoned this story by any means (if I didn't and it took me two years to update, two months should be nothing). This one is a lot longer than past chapters because...I wanted to?

Thanks for sticking with me as I write this. I've really enjoyed coming back to it. Who knew it would be so much harder to write with a full-time job than it was balancing grad school and an assistantship?

Anyway, enjoy this next installment of "An Astronaut's Wife." Show quotes from Downton and The Astronaut Wives Club are italicized.

Chapter Ten

August 29, 1954

Dayton, Ohio

"Come to Grandma, George," Cora coaxed the little boy gently from her seat on a dining room chair.

"I don't even think Matthew remembers it's our anniversary today," Mary told her mother with a sigh, watching as her fourteen-month-old son pulled himself up on the sofa.

George thought about it for a moment before toddling happily over to his grandmother with a squeal of delight, barely missing one of the unpacked boxes still on the floor.

With her grandson in her arms, Cora was finally content to answer Mary.

"You've only been here for two weeks. Matthew just started classes at the Air Force Institute, and I'm sure he's a little distracted," Cora offered.

"I don't know why you always have to take his side. You and Papa both," Mary complained.

"We do not," Cora said, running her fingers through George's shock of blond hair before kissing the baby's forehead. "Just try to give him the benefit of the doubt. I've been married a lot longer than you have, my dear."

Mary raised her eyebrows, but did not offer a rebuttal.

Now that she thought of it, both of her parents have been acting strange all week. Whenever they came over to help her unpack the apartment while Matthew was in classes or working...allegedly...things seemed off.

"You know, Mama, Matthew doesn't work on Sundays," Mary said, her suspicions increasing as she watched her mother avoid her gaze.

"Doesn't he? Hmm," Cora murmured, eyes remaining on George. "I don't pretend to know his schedule. Perhaps they needed his help with something."

Mary simply stared resolutely at her mother, refusing to look away until Cora finally glanced up from the baby.

"I told you, I don't know anything," her mother said, wary.

Mary had an idea. She stood, smoothing down her hair.

"Well, I guess I believe you," she said. "And as long as you're here to watch George, I might as well take a bath. I know you don't mind watching him for me, and then we can unpack the rest of these boxes. We don't have anything else to do all day and George will need a nap soon-"

"Fine, fine, I surrender," Cora conceded as George wandered off for a toy. "You don't have time for a bath because, well, Matthew isn't at work or studying. And he didn't forget your anniversary, I promise. But-but I'm not supposed to say where he is."

"Mama! Come on, that's unfair! Why do I have to be the one in the dark? Does Papa know as well? Have you all been conspiring against me?" Mary questioned.

George retrieved his stuffed lion and made his way over to Mary, his arms held out for his mother. She picked him up and pulled him into her lap. She kissed the little boy's cheek and he giggled.

"Not against you, for you," Cora insisted, making Mary huff. "You'll be pleased, I promise."

"It's not a new vacuum, is it?" Mary asked. "Because I'd rather have some other eternal punishment. Or better yet, I'd love to get back to work. Oh, is my gift a flight instructor interview at AFIT?"
Cora rolled her eyes at her daughter. "You're a mother now and you don't need to work, do you? Matthew has a good job and is trying to finish his degree. Which you were able to do in Germany, if I remember correctly. Not that I don't love watching my grandson, but who would take care of the house?"

"I like working," Mary replied, suppressing her own eye roll. "And the house would be fine. I wouldn't have to work full-time, part-time instructing would be fine. I just can't take being stuck in the house, day after day, with no adults around. I mean, I love George, but I always wanted more for my life than being a wife and mother. Matthew used to understand that. But men have short memories, don't they?"

You're too brilliant to let it all go to waste.

Cora didn't respond as George let out a big yawn, signaling to Mary that it was time for his nap.

"I'm going to lay him down," she said getting to her feet, making sure George didn't drop the stuffed animal.

"For what it's worth, you're a wonderful mother," Cora said, kissing her grandson as Mary passed.

Again, Mary suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She knew her mother was only attempting to flatter her to appease her ego, but the compliment was moot. It didn't make Mary feel better.

As she laid George down to sleep, her unease only grew. She hoped to God that Matthew's anniversary gift wasn't some kitchen appliance or a new set of dishes to replace the ones they couldn't take with them from the air base in Germany, but she also grew more resolute in the idea that she needed to work. Her instructing credentials weren't exactly up-to-date, but that would be an easy enough fix. A few boxes checked and she'd be able to find something to do with herself rather than wash diapers, scrub the floors, and vacuum all day. Those things didn't exactly thrill her on the best of days.

As she watched her son fall asleep, for the first time that day, she felt at peace. George quickly drifted off and she smiled at how easy-going her little boy was. Mary loved her son, loved her husband in spite of the fact that he drove her crazy sometimes, but she needed more to fill up her life and the hours in the day.

Now all she needed was to make Matthew understand that.

"It's nice to finally see you in a dress for a change," Cora said, admiring Mary's choice of a blue and white polka dot dress with some matching low heels.

"You informed me I should look nice for this alleged surprise," Mary said, glancing at the clock over the mantel. It was quarter to five. "But if Matthew isn't going to show, I might as well change back into my capri pants and get back to unboxing the pots and pans."

"He'll be here any minute," Cora said. "Oh, I just love the 'New Look,' don't you?"

"You did give this dress to me," Mary reminded her. "Military men are hardly millionaires."

"Well, Matthew will love you in it, I'm sure," Cora said.

Mary offered her mother a smile, her thoughts flitting to the evening and whatever her husband had in store.

"Thanks for watching George tonight," she told her mother. "I wish I know what was going on, although my outfit makes me think we're not going to a barbeque-"

"I'm happy to do it," Cora said with a smile, still unwilling to divulge any information as she flipped through an issue of Vogue she'd brought for her evening in with George.

Mary sighed, chewing on her bottom lip as she perched on the arm of the sofa. If only her mother would give her a hint about what the evening held, maybe she could relax, but Cora was about as willing to share as George liked to share his blocks with another toddler.

As though the universe sensed her curiosity couldn't take waiting any longer, the front door opened and Matthew sauntered inside. He too was dressed nicer than the usual requirement that he wear his uniform or at home he settled for a simple button up shirt and trousers; he wasn't Ricky Ricardo.

Now, Matthew was wearing a black suit and tie, his hair slicked back.

"Getting ready to go sing at the club, Mr. Arnaz?" Mary asked, raising her eyebrows. "Well, I don't want to be in your show."

He laughed, approaching Mary where she sat on the sofa.

"Are we re-enacting some scene from I Love Lucy? Because I'm afraid I forgot my script in my other getup," he teased, hands resting on her waist.

"I thought you had forgotten it was our anniversary," Mary said, tilting her head to the side and giving him a look of irritation.

"I could never," Matthew said, his gaze steady but boyish. "I was finishing up my surprise."

"One that led me to believe you'd forgotten about today and that Mama has told me nothing about," Mary stated, stressing how unhelpful she found her mother.

"It's well worth the wait," her husband insisted, leaning down to give her a kiss.

"And it's not an appliance?" she questioned as he pulled away.

"I know you better than that," Matthew retorted with a wink.

She would feel unsettled until she saw the evidence for herself.

Ten minutes later they were in the station wagon driving to their still undisclosed destination.

"You know I don't like secrets, Matthew. So why don't you just tell me where you're taking me?" Mary instructed him.

"You know your 'Mom' voice doesn't work on me like it does George, so you might as well stop asking," Matthew replied, a roguish grin on his face as he glanced at her, changing gears as they got off the highway finally.

"What are we doing all the way out here in Miamisburg?" Mary asked, looking out the window. "We're almost to the airport." She paused, pursing her lips as she thought. "Oh! Are we flying off to some beach? I don't remember Mama secretly packing a bag for me, but maybe you already did it?"

"You keep talking, see what happens why don't you?" he teased, still driving in the direction of what Mary knew to be the airport. She got her pilot's license here when she was only sixteen, so she was very familiar with it.

"Is that where we're eating dinner? The airport? I mean, I don't even think they have restaurants here. Maybe we could grab something from a nearby diner," Mary continued, watching as Matthew indeed turned off at the airport drive, the sign for "Montgomery County Airport" coming into view.

Mary turned her head and watched Matthew, his expression difficult to read as he focused on the road. However, his eyes flickered ever-so-slightly as he turned and failed to follow the main road up to the airport parking lot.

"Matthew," she tried to draw it out of him again, her confusion only growing as he stopped the car at a security gate where a guard sat in a little booth.

"I'm Captain Matthew Crawley, U.S. Air Force," Matthew said, pulling out his wallet to flash his military identification at the airport employee. "This is my wife, Mary Crawley. I believe we're expected."

After a quick look at the I.D., the man in the booth said, "Yes, sir, you can go on through."

Mary conveyed her shock by letting out a low whistle.

"What kind of favors did you have to call in for this, Captain?" she questioned.

"Very few," he replied, steering the car through the security gate and pressing down on the gas pedal as they headed for the tarmac.

"What, are we eating dinner on one of the runways? Because that seems insane," she ventured as Matthew stopped the car near one of the airplane hangars.

Mary watched her husband as he exited the car and came over to her side. He extended his hand to her after opening the passenger door and Mary frowned as she took it.

"Now what?" she asked, looking around the airfield. Was his surprise really to re-certify her dressed like this?

Matthew smiled, clearly enjoying himself as he kept hold of her hand.

"Follow me, please," he said, leading her toward the closest hangar.

The large doors were slid shut on the building, a deadbolt keeping them locked in place, but that didn't deter Matthew. He dropped her hand upon reaching the door, fishing a key out of his pocket to remove the deadbolt.

"If we drove for over half an hour just for you to bring us here to have some odd anniversary airplane hangar escapade that ends in my murder, I'm going to come back and haunt you, Matthew Crawley."

With a shake of his head, he rolled his eyes, casting her an unimpressed look as he put the key and deadbolt in his pocket.

"Seven years of marriage and I think that wit is starting to wear off," he teased with a grin.

Mary pursed her lips to keep herself from smiling, but now that they were no longer in transit she couldn't wait to see what Matthew had in store for their evening. Her gift for him, a new watch she had wrapped in paper borrowed from her mother, was still on the floor of the car. She'd forgotten about it in her haste to find out what was going on.

Sensing her excitement, Matthew paused, stepping away from the hangar door.

"Oh, so now that we're here you don't mind seeing my surprise?" he asked, approaching Mary.

"If you would ever get to it," she said, her retort less serious now that she was trying to keep a smile in check.

He ignored this, his arms snaking around Mary's waist to pull her in close.

"Happy anniversary, baby," Matthew said, his voice warming Mary down to her toes and making her at last break into a smile.

"Happy anniversary," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Matthew leaned his forehead against hers for a moment before touching his lips to hers. After a few seconds, Mary broke the kiss.

"Show me my gift, Crawley," she demanded, ruffling his hair before pulling back.

He laughed, releasing Mary's waist in order to walk back to the hangar door.

She waited, feeling impatient as she watched him push the door out of the way. She wasn't sure what she expected; a dinner for two where they could watch the evening private and cargo planes take off as the sun set on the horizon. What Matthew unveiled was beyond her wildest dreams.

"Ta-da!" he said, not breaking a sweat as he stood by the opening to reveal an airplane.

"Wait...what is this?"

"A Beechcraft Bonanza Model 35. The Bonanza is a six-seater, single-engine aircraft first introduced in 1947-"

"No, I know what it is," Mary said, taking a few steps forward. "But what is is it doing here?"

"I thought it was obvious," Matthew said, moving toward her, an easy smile on his face. "It's for you."

Mary's eyes widened. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed.

"Not very lady-like," he said.

Mary ignored this, launching herself at her husband and kissing him hard on the mouth. As she crashed into him, Matthew stumbled backward but easily caught her in his arms.

They kissed for a long time, until both were breathing heavily and Mary pulled away, blinking back tears in her eyes.

"Well someone could just knock you over with a feather, couldn't they?" Matthew asked, his forehead against hers again. But he frowned when he looked at Mary. "What is it, babe?"

"I just can't believe you bought me a plane," she said, taking a step back in order to wipe at her eyes.

"Well, Robert helped," he admitted, a bit sheepish, but gaining his confidence back by the minute. "I know you've missed flying. And we'll save a hell of a lot of money on airfare."

The teasing note in Matthew's voice, the airplane, all of it made Mary feel what she had when she had looked at George earlier that day.

Peace.

July 27, 1960

Virginia

"Susan, George, off to bed, both of you," Mary said, shooing the children away for the final time. She finally wanted a chance to sit in front of the television and watch the nightly news before Jack Paar and The Tonight Show came on.

Summer vacation had been an endless parade of pool parties and forced gatherings with the other astro families so that TIME Magazine could keep them in the press as often as possible. Not that America had yet tired of the seven clans and the men about to lead them to space.

But Mary had. Especially of the photographers.

As the phone rang, she heard giggling down the hall.

"In bed now," Mary called out as she sat down on the couch, tucking her feet beneath her as she reached for the phone and pulled the base into her lap before picking up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," Matthew's voice spoke through the other end of the line. In the background on his end she could hear music, but that wasn't unusual for a hotel, for who knew how many other guests were staying at the Holiday Inn at the same time.

Mary leaned back, her eyes flicking to the television set and the picture of Walter Cronkite, who was speaking about the current Republican National Convention where Eisenhower's Vice President was being nominated as the presidential candidate to run against John F. Kennedy. Mary wondered if she could feign interest in that over Matthew's call.

"How's the Cape?" she asked instinctively, her curiosity over how work was going on the program now that the men were down in Florida for a few weeks overruling her conflict of speaking with her husband.

Ever since Christmas things had been strange between the two of them. Mary was still uncertain about her feelings toward him, and with the guys training in Pennsylvania and Cleveland as well as traveling down to the cape for rocket tests, they hardly saw each other enough to understand the other.

But at least Mary had her plane back.

"Sunny and hot, if we're ever outside to see the weather. And some rain, you know Florida. But listen, Mary, we're sending up a rocket with a Mercury capsule on top for the first time, can you believe that?"

He sounded excited, and she couldn't help but reciprocate.

"This will be the eighth unmanned test," she said, leaning forward slightly as she counted them out on her fingers. "If they're sending up the capsule, I mean, a manned launch will be just a few months away! Maybe closer."

"You mean a Matthew'd launch, cause that man is going to be me," he replied, cocky. "You know it will."

But Mary didn't mind it, just the idea of Matthew possibly being the first man into space, well, it was too exhilarating. Instead, she laughed.

"Oh, is it too much to ask that they make the capsule bigger so I can come too?" she asked with a sigh.

"I can't make those modifications myself, but I wouldn't mind you riding along with me," he added, and from his voice Mary could tell he was smiling.

She didn't say anything, just waited for him to continue.

"You'd be proud of me, Mary, I been working hard, staying out of trouble," Matthew told her, his voice honest.

"Is that so?" she asked, feeling at ease when they spoke about science and the program rather than home or the more perfect lives of the others.

"You know me, nose to the grindstone when there's work to be done. Oh, hold on a second, okay?"

"Alright," she agreed, waiting as Matthew probably went to answer the door. She kept the phone up to her ear in case he came back on the line.

In the background of the call she heard a startling, but muffled, conversation, as Matthew was likely holding the phone to his shoulder and it wasn't blocking much of the sound.

"You've got a double bed in there, right?"

It was the voice of Tony Gillingham.

"Yeah," Matthew replied.

"Well, my room's only got two singles in it. Do you mind switching rooms for the night?" Tony asked.

Then came the voice of a woman.

"It's not easy being a superhero. I'm gonna help him relax."

"She is," Tony's voice agreed.

Mary felt her stomach contract as she realized what she was hearing.

Without listening to another moment of the conversation, she set down the receiver, shocked, but not surprised by what she had unintentionally been privy to.

She felt frozen with dread and irritation all at once, as well as mixed sympathy for Mabel Gillingham. She knew what it was like to have a cheating husband. Hell, maybe Matthew had been lying to her and he'd been cheating on her down there too.

Working hard? She thought to herself. But why would he call me just to lie about it?

It was clear there was some kind of party going on at the hotel the guys were staying at, and obvious there were women a that party, too.

For a second time that night, Mary picked up the phone, dialing the number of LIFE Magazine executive, Dunkin Porter. Mary clicked her tongue as the phone rang and she waited for him to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mr. Porter, this is Mary Crawley," she said, stomach still in knots.

"Yes, hello, Mrs. Crawley, what can I do for you?" he sounded like he was working, but Mary knew he was down at the Cape for the launch.

"I just had an idea. The ladies and I were talking today about the Mercury test launch and we were thinking, well, it's a shame that we can't be down there at the Cape to cheer the guys on," she began slowly, scheme growing with each passing second. "Wouldn't it be a great if we flew down for the Mercury-Atlas test launch coming up?"

Dunk hesitated, but then gave a grunt of admiration, as though it was a shame he hadn't thought of it first.

"Yeah, sure, that would make a nice picture. Ladies on the beach," he agreed. "And it's been awhile since we've had any space-related content for the magazine. The readers are dying for something that's not a pool party."

Aren't we all? Mary thought.

"Oh, and we actually want to surprise the guys with our visit, if that's okay," she said. "I can fly everyone down in my plane so that we avoid tipping off reporters."

"Sure, I think it's a great idea," he said.

"Thanks."

"I'll set you up to leave in the afternoon tomorrow, so you can be down there in the evening, how about that?" Dunk said, thoughtful.

"Sounds peachy keen," Mary told him, borrowing a phrase from Lavinia.

"Perfect."

After exchanging goodbyes, the call disconnected and Mary put the phone aside, her stomach still tight as she thought about the conversation she overheard.

"Remind me what we're doin' in Florida again?" Sybil asked, tugging her suitcase out of the back of the cab.

They'd all tidied up at the airport after disembarking from Mary's airplane, some more excited about the surprise trip than others (Edith complaining it was too short notice to pack quickly when Mary had called her that night, but still arriving on time with her bags).

"To surprise the guys," Lavinia said, cheery but oblivious. Rose was the only one who Mary had told the sordid details to, although Sybil was well aware of Tony Gillingham's roving eye after that conversation in Mary's kitchen the previous year.

"I can't wait to see the look on Matthew's face," Mary whispered to Rose as they headed for the hotel entrance.

"Ugh, this humidity is already doing a number on my hair," Rose complained aloud. "Let's just find the guys."

"Is there a party going on?" Mabel asked as they walked into the courtyard that led to the pool where a large group of people were gathered about, including women in bathing suits.

To the right was the bar, where others were ordering drinks and milling around talking as music played over a radio.

In the middle of the pool was a boat, just a small motorcraft, but one that definitely didn't belong in the pool.

"What the H-E-double hockey sticks?" Rose asked, irritated by the scene before them.

Mary too was furious. This is what the guys did when they were supposedly working hard? She narrowed her eyes as she looked for Matthew.

Tom Branson and Evelyn Napier getting out of a car. They both had briefcases, as though they'd only just come back from the Air Force Station. But the rest of the men were already off the clock and enjoying themselves.

Lavinia and Sybil broke off from the group to meet their husbands, the rest of the women moving forward toward the pool. And that's when Mary saw him.

Unlike Atticus, who was by the pool in his swimsuit, Matthew was swimming fully dressed. As though he hadn't been able to wait before jumping into the water.

He swam up to the side of the pool to fetch his beer and Mary's heels clicked against the cement as she stepped over to him, his face falling as he saw her.

"Is this what you call working hard?" she asked, her glare stony.

"W-what are ya doin' here?" he asked, heaving himself out of the pool, sopping wet so that Mary had to back away in order to not be dripped on.

"Dunk thought it would be a fun surprise and make for a good picture tomorrow with the launch," she lied easily. "You're all obviously very focused."

"It's been a stressful few weeks. We're just blowing off some steam," Matthew muttered.

The rest of the wives were slowly finding their husbands, the whoops behind her confirming that most of the reunions were more joyous than Mary's had been.

But not all.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mary saw Tony Gillingham's head come up from the lower deck of the boat. She knew there couldn't be much room down there. And he hadn't been alone. A blonde woman was with him, although Mary had no idea if it was the same woman from the previous night, but her own stomach sunk as she realized what a horrible idea her plan had been. Not only had she ruined Matthew's night, a small benefit, but Mabel could no longer hide Tony's womanizing.

Everyone would know.

"I'm just going to get a drink," he said, not noticing all the wives about. His arm was visibly around the woman's shoulders.

"Okay, well don't fall in," she teased as he started to pull away.

"Darling, hi," Mabel called out, drawing her husband's attention to her. Mary glanced at Matthew, who pretended to be absorbed in reading the label on his beer bottle.

Tony lifted his head and he looked caught, his arm dropping from around the other woman, but all he could do was wait for Mabel to continue.

"I'm going to go unpack. I'm tired. It's been a long day," she said with a smile, although anyone could tell she was putting on a front.

Mabel turned and made her way out of the courtyard, the tension remaining in her wake.

And Mary knew it was all her fault that everything had happened so publicly, that Mabel was clearly embarrassed. But none of the other women went after her, she wouldn't have want them to anyway. Mary wouldn't have even known what to say to her, they were hardly friends.

"So, this was Dunk's idea?" Matthew asked through the strained silence, the only sound that of the radio playing an Elvis Presley song that Mary barely heard the words of and other guests that hadn't noticed the awkward exchange between Tony and Mabel, the former who was now following his wife out of the courtyard.

"Mm," Mary murmured, noncommittal and unwilling to look at her own husband. "We're here for the launch."

"Right the launch," Matthew said, his voice flatter than Mary expected. She looked up, surprised to find that he looked disappointed.

And she didn't understand what he meant by it.

From where the seven wives stood on the sands of Cocoa Beach they could see the Mercury-Atlas launch site barely two miles away across the water at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base. Somewhere over there the guys were working on the last minute details for the launch, which Mary hoped would go over better than the last test launch they saw nearly a year ago.

"Who's idea was it to have us watch one of these again? I hate even hearing about them," Sybil admitted, wringing her hands as they all waited in anticipation.

The head journalist and a photographer from LIFE were both on the beach with them, ready to snap pictures and taking notes as they waited for the launch.

"It's been over a year since Little Joe 1," Mabel said, standing off to the side and away from the group. Mary had a feeling she was nervous about being around the others, but couldn't show it. "There have been many successful launches."

"And partly successful," Rose added in an undertone to Mary. "Yes, I wonder whose idea it was."

"Quiet," Mary shot back in a whisper. She held binoculars to better see the launch with.

She didn't want anyone else to know it had been her hairbrained scheme to fly down here. One that was rather spectacularly failing. But she too felt uneasy about the launch, especially since everything that could go wrong since they'd arrived had.

From across the bight they could hear the countdown over the loudspeaker signaling the moments leading up to the launch.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1. All engines running. Launch commenced. Liftoff. We have liftoff."

They watched, Mary anxious but in awe, as the Mercury spacecraft left the earth, smoke billowing out as it headed for the sky.

Mary brought her binoculars to her eyes, shutting out the rest of the scene as she focused in on the launch and counted up in her head to gauge the time the spacecraft had been off the ground.

She knew what it was supposed to do, for she had goaded Matthew into telling her the previous night as they sat around the pool talking about the program. The launch was intended to carry out a suborbital test flight of the Mercury capsule and then allow for a successful reentry and collect data for subsequent tests and the eventual launch of a Mercury astronaut (in Matthew's words, him).

"This is even better than the last launch we saw, I'll say," Rose said.

"The guys must be thrilled," Anna agreed.

"Soon it'll be one of them," Mabel voiced as they watched the rocket climb higher in the sky.

And then it exploded.

"Damn it," Mary muttered under her breath, dropping the binoculars as the rest of the women gasped and she watched the rocket explode over the water.

The other women looked visibly shaken, more so than they had at the first launch they had witnessed nearly a year ago. Mary herself felt let down. She'd put so much faith in NASA, but it kept letting her down when she needed it most. She was just as rattled.

"No more photos, okay. We'll take today off the record," the journalist covering their stories, Max, said to the photographer.

"Wasn't that the Mercury capsule?" Edith was the first of the wives to speak.

"Are they kidding?" Anna questioned. "They must be kidding."

"They're going to put a man in that-that thing?" Rose asked, agitated.

The entire group was unnerved.

"I swear, my heart stopped beating," Lavinia said, hand on her chest.

"Tom is never going up in that thing," Sybil agreed, taking Edith's hand. "Do they even know what they're doing?"

"I'm sure they'll learn from their mistakes...have learned from their mistakes," Mabel said, her level-headed exterior shining through as always.

Mary wondered how Mabel did it, how she managed to be so composed even when the world was clearly toppling in around her. She herself couldn't do it.

"It's why they have these tests," Mabel continued, and Mary watched as Rose's mouth fell open in shock. "It's fine."

Unlike the last time there were no children around to blunt their moods.

"It isn't fine," Edith shot back angrily. "That could've been my Michael in that thing!" Remembering herself, she bent down to pick up her purse. "I better go before I say something I regret."

And with that, she hurried for the lot and her car, leaving the others to look at Mabel in shock.

Rose was the next one to speak up, still rattled by the event.

"A rocket explodes, 'It's fine.' Your husband's unfaithful-"

"That's fine, too," Mary interjected with a scoff. She couldn't help herself. She didn't like Mabel much, but she knew she deserved better than Tony's treatment of her and she wanted her to know.

Mabel looked taken aback. "You don't know a thing about it. Tony loves me."

Mary stepped forward, feeling responsible but also a sense of kinship with Mabel that perhaps the other woman didn't realize they shared.

"You don't have to put up with him, you know. Being a modern wife means challenging your husband to be better. You should know that," Mary told her.

But as Mabel removed her sunglasses, her eyes narrowed, Mary could tell she didn't reciprocate.

"As I said, you don't know what you're talking about. And my husband is better. We're partners as husband and wife and this competition. Don't forget, it is a competition. So may the best man and the best woman...win," she said, confident.

Behind her, Mary heard Rose snort.

And with that last word, Mabel turned on her heel and walked off, heading for the cars as well.

"Lady Mabel and Lady Mary," Rose muttered.

"I was just trying to help her," Mary said, frustrated as she turned back to those who remained.

"Mabel never wants our help," Anna said sighing as the men from LIFE had moved off. "She just wants to keep reminding us that it's a competition."
"But we're not even the one's competing," Mary complained, wishing all the same it was her dealing with the fallout from the rocket explosion. Then she wouldn't be stuck here on the beach arguing with Mabel about her cheating husband.

"Not in the same way," Lavinia agreed. "It's just a bake show. It's like it doesn't even matter that some of us are college graduates."

"Sometimes I wonder how baking a pie is going to help Tom get to space," Sybil said, commiserating.

"It isn't," Mary confirmed, her eyes falling on the trail of smoke that led down to the water where the rocket crashed during their exchange. But she hated to admit that Mabel might be right. That was the role they all had to play.

And maybe it could be her eventually.

The air remained humid despite the fact that the sun had set over an hour ago. Mary sat on the edge of the pool alone, her feet dangling in the water as she looked at the stupid boat that was still floating in the center. No one had bothered to move it from the night before. Earlier, when Rose had asked why it was in the pool, Atticus had claimed when they'd had it out on the ocean that it was too rough and everyone had spilled their drinks. The pool was calmer.

Mary thought they were full of it.

None of the other wives wanted to be outside after the failure of the test launch, and only a few of the guys had filtered back from the station. No one had wanted to throw a party, not after the day that had been had.

Matthew hadn't arrived yet, but Mary wasn't exactly waiting on him. The last test launch she'd witnessed had resulted in an argument and she really wasn't dying to fight with him again. It wasn't like she didn't know that the tests could fail, that it wasn't his fault, but that of the engineers and that they were intended to plan for a successful mission.

Besides, he might be getting drunk like the last time.

Mary focused on making a figure eight with one of her feet, her mind so distracted that she didn't hear anyone come up behind her.

"What are you doing out here?"

Matthew's voice caused her to jump.

"God, you scared me," she said, turning her head as she looked up at him. "I was just enjoying the water. I didn't think you'd be back until later."

"We're finished for the night," he said, placing his briefcase on the ground before lowering himself to a sitting position next to her. He slipped out of his shoes and socks, rolling up his pant legs before placing his feet in the water next to Mary's. "Didn't you see John and Tom come back? And Atticus came back with me. The others are on their way."

"Who knows with some of you. Maybe with the wives here you were having a party somewhere else," she said, tired.

"Nothing ever happens at those parties. Not really," Matthew replied, his own weariness showing.

Mary turned her head, eyebrows knit as she looked at him. "Like when you and I were on the phone two nights ago?" she questioned.

He blinked, thinking for a few moments, his eyes growing wide as realization flooded him.

"Oh, my God," he said. "Is that why the seven of you showed up? You overheard?"

"No," Mary backtracked, "it was Dunk's-"

"Don't feed me some shit about it being Dunkin Porter's idea for all of you to come down here. Don't play with me. I don't deserve it. Not from you."

Mary sighed. "Oh fine, I'm the one who called Dunk," she admitted. "And honestly it would have been worth it if only for that stupid look on your face when we showed up yesterday, but I feel a little bit bad about Mabel. But only a little because she was a nightmare at the launch. Said Tony was 'the best' when all of us know that's a load of garbage."

Matthew snorted. "He's not all bad. Hell of a pilot."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, you better be working your ass off so that he isn't the first man in space, alright?" she said.

"Yes, ma'am," Matthew agreed with a salute, giving her a grin.

Mary figured that meant he wasn't all that annoyed about her deception to get the seven wives down to the Cape, not that she really cared if he was.

"So what was the problem today?" she asked, directing her gaze back to the water.

"They still have to dredge her out of the water, but a couple of the engineers actually thought we should have waited until there was better weather. There was some cloud cover on our end that didn't help visibility. But it might be that the fiberglass fairing on top of the capsule broke lose and punctured the Atlas LOX tank. Once we've recovered the capsule and diagnostics can be run, we'll know more," he explained.

"At least they're getting closer," Mary said.

"Closer to me not burning my ass off, let's hope," Matthew said, laughter in his voice. Mary shook her head as she looked up at him again.

"Would that really be such a loss?" she replied in a teasing tone.

He snorted and bumped his foot against hers in the cool water.

"Don't even joke."