Usual disclaimers: I don't own the shows nor the characters from the shows. I'm only doing this for fun.

Note: This isn't the last chapter in case you were wondering... and sorry for taking so long to finish this chapter up.

~Captain Gutterman's POV~

I walked out of the Sheep Pen, which is our officers' club on the island, and spotted Morgan heading over to the planes with what looked like a bag slung over her shoulder. I glanced at my watch and it read four-thirty in the morning.

"Hey, Morgan," I shouted, running to catch up with her. I'd probably get it from the guys when they heard me, but I didn't really care.

She turned around. "What are you doing up? It's really early" she asked, looking practically asleep herself.

"I was going to ask you the same thing" I replied.

"Jim, I'm leaving in a half of a hour. Going on to my next destination" Morgan said, shifting the bag to her other arm.

"Haha, very funny. No, honestly what are you doing?"

Morgan frowned at me and my eyes widened when I realized that she was dead serious. "You aren't joking are you?" She shook her head. "When did you find out?" I asked.

"Last night after Casey took me to see Pappy-"

"I thought you were going to be here longer. Why didn't you tell me?" I interrupted.

"I thought Pappy did. Besides I figured you'd be glad when you noticed that I was gone," she said. "Technically I wasn't even supposed to be here."

I reached out to take her bag. "I got it" Morgan said quickly, pulling it up higher on her shoulder.

"Why are you so independent?"

"Cause I like being it," she snapped. Morgan stomped off to the airstrip and I ran to catch up, again.

"Are you coming back here when you've completed your assignment?" I asked curiously, taking her bag. This time she let me carry it for her.

"I'm not going to be coming back" she said quietly.

"You mean you aren't stopping at La Cava. That's fine," I shrugged. "I could always meet you at-"

"I am not coming back" Morgan repeated firmly, emphasizing each word.

I reached out and grabbed her arm so we could stop walking. It took me a few minutes before I could even say what I was thinking. "This is a suicide mission, isn't it? That's why you aren't saying anything" I spluttered.

"Something like that" she replied hesitantly.

"Why, why would you take something like that?"

"It wasn't exactly a choice or an order... I can't explain. It's too confusing. You wouldn't understand or believe me if I told you."

"Try me," I retorted, folding my arms across my chest.

~Major Boyington's POV~

The only way that I saw Jim and Morgan ahead of me was from the strip lights hanging by the planes. Then I noticed that Morgan looked uncomfortable and decided to tell her to stash her bag. Jim handed it to her and she hurried off to put it away in the Dauntless.

"Do you know what they told her to do?" Jim asked me once she was gone. "They told her to go on a suicide mission, that's what."

"Did she say that?" I was hoping that Morgan was using this as a cover story.

He shrugged. "Not in so many words, but it doesn't take much to see that she is going on one. Greg, how could they send her on something like that?"

I was getting concerned by how he was acting. "Jim, are you falling for Morgan?" I asked carefully, dreading the answer.

"What? No way. Are you sure you are alright to fly? Cause you sound like you're sick or something," he said quickly. I raised my eyebrows and he sighed. "I've never known anybody like her. Heck, I've never met a girl who would actually fist fight me. She's different, Greg..."

More different than you will ever know. "Listen to me, I want you to forget about Captain Morgan Assunta. There is absolutely no chance that she's coming back. You understand?" Okay, so I was lying to him but there was no way that I was going to tell him the truth. I could barely believe it myself and there would be no possible way that he would.

"Yeah, Greg" he muttered. He was obviously mad at what I was telling him.

"Pappy, it's time to go" Morgan called to me. I gave her a nod and turned back to Jim. "See you in a few days. Keep out of trouble, huh?" I said, giving him a slap on the shoulder.

"Sure, Greg. Sure," he replied dully and I climbed into the Dauntless.

Morgan peered down at the ground and watched the retreating Captain. "Hey, Tex!" she shouted when he was on the edge of the tarmac and he swung around to look back at her. "Semper fidelis." (1)

A cocky smirk lit up Jim's face. "Semper Fi, to you too, tiny!" he yelled back.

I yanked the canopy shut and started the aircraft up. "Let's go ya meatheads" I ordered into my radio.

~PraiseworthySea's POV~

After a lot of island and carrier hopping we all landed safely in China. All I could think of was a song from "The Happiest Millionaire" when the butler was talking to the rich kid and trying to convince him to leave, or was it stay? I couldn't remember because I hadn't seen it in a while, but the line "...I'm off to China now!" kept ringing in my head.

Not a whole lot happened while we were there. Well, not as much as earlier when this crazy adventure started. A jeep did go missing and I suspect that one of the Sheep "borrowed" it. Then there was some incident at the bar but I never got the details on that. The Major managed to get somebody from one of the branches of the U.S. military to take me to Africa. I think having some sort of forged papers with the words "Top Secret" stamped in red ink across them helped. That and the fact he kept saying I was a General's Captain daughter. I'm not even sure if I want to know how all this came to be. Pappy, French, Boyle, and Anderson had been here for a few days and were now heading back to Vella La Cava to continue on with their lives. If all went well, I'd be back where I belonged real soon, too.

I stared at the Corsairs and the Dauntless. I kind of wished I had gotten the chance to fly on my own, but then the more I think about it I'm glad I didn't.

"Came to see us off?" Boyington asked. I turned around and saw a slight smile flicker on his face.

"I figured this is the last time I'll see you. Then again, knowing my track record, that statement might turn out to be wrong" I commented lightly and shook his hand.

He let go and we stood there for a moment, both of us not saying a thing.

"The boys and I better get going. It's a long way back to La Cava" he said breaking the silence.

Without thinking, I gave him a hug. "Thanks Pappy, for everything. I think all of this fun will last me several life times over."

He hugged me back and laughed before climbing on to the wing of the plane and into the cockpit. I ran to the side of the airstrip to watch them leave.

"See you in the future, Morgan" Pappy shouted over the roar of the planes. I waved until they were out of sight and that was the last time I saw or heard from Maj. Greg Boyington, USMC. Known to me as plain old Pappy.

(1) "Semper fidelis" (also called semper fi) is the motto for the U.S. Marine Corps. It's Latin for "always faithful".