AN: Sequel to Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, so if you haven't read that one I suggest you do before reading this one as it will help you to get to know the characters. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Pearl Harbor I am merely borrowing them.

Rating: T (May change later)

Back to you.

By

Everysonghasanending

Chapter One: Easier said than done.

Bonnie Walker was a strong willed woman, she had always been, as a child it had been a defence mechanism, it helped her block out the pain of emotionally neglectful parents, she acted as if she did not care that her mother wasn't the type to sit and braid her hair, bake cookies and play with her in the garden. No, her mother's idea of parenting was pawning her off on other relatives or staff as she pampered herself or enjoyed cotillions. Bonnie had never meant to be born, her mother often reminded her and although it had hurt her at first, she built up strong barriers to deflect the hurt; Pamela had never had a maternal bone in her body. So you could imagine Bonnie's surprise when she received a letter from her 'dear' mother asking if she could see her grandchild. The request conflicted her at first, she wondered what motive Pam could possibly have; when Bonnie had left home four years ago, her parents told her never to come back and she didn't. When she had become a nurse, she wrote home with no reply. When she had married Danny, she wrote again and again no reply. When she had given birth to Betty, she wrote once more, at first she thought she would be snubbed once again but four months later her mother wrote asking her to come and visit. Bonnie deliberated for a few weeks before replying, saying she would be there in two weeks. That was well over a month ago and although Bonnie had only meant to stay for a few days, a week at the most, she couldn't deny her daughter a good roof over her head and decent food in her belly simply because she couldn't stand her own mother.

It had been a hot morning and even hotter afternoon, it easily match the heat in Hawaii and usually on such days their little group would go down the beach and spend the day swimming, laughing and lazing in the sun, but that was in a time before the war, before death claimed her friends and loved ones. No, she couldn't bear to go to the beach, it brought back too many memories, happy memories at that, but memories that made her think of all which she had lost. Instead she lay out a woollen blanket by the swing which hung from the large oak tree in the magnificent back gardens of her father's estate. With Betty nestled in her lap sleeping soundly, Bonnie sat leaning against the thick trunk of the tree, sweat prickling her forehead, eyes drooping as with the heat came exhaustion. She was just thankful that summer was almost over and soon autumn would set in bringing cooler winds.

When they had first arrived, Bonnie thought she had seen a flash of excitement and happiness flash through her mother's eyes; she had taken her granddaughter in her arms and sated how beautiful she was. Bonnie had the naivety to believe she had changed in that moment. Yet she soon came to realise nothing had changed that much with her, granted the first couple of days she had genuinely been happy to see them but it didn't take long for the snide comments to begin, mainly about her marriage to Danny and how any daughter of hers could have possibly married a lowly farm boy, it did not bother her that her daughter was a grieving widow, left behind by the man she loved with all her heart. No, that did not matter to Pamela Lexington; all she could think about was how they were better off without him. In that instant Bonnie was ready to leave, but her mother had rolled her eyes told her to stop being stupid and asked if she wanted to starve on the streets with her child. Of course the answer had been no and maybe that made her a coward but she had been strong for so long it was becoming increasingly tiresome; she could say what she wanted about Danny but she could never change her opinion of the man, for he was kind and loving and nothing what that woman said would change her mind.

Following her daughter into an afternoon slumber, Bonnie hoped to see Danny in her dreams and that she did. "I can feel your arms around me" she murmured lazily.

Danny smirked, nuzzling his nose into the curve of her neck leaving a trail of feather light kisses to her ear as he whispered "that's because they are."

Bonnie's lips stretched into a large smile as she sank further back into his arms "I've missed you sweetheart."

"I've not been anywhere" Danny sighed running his hand gently down his wife's cheek "why don't you open your eyes Bonnie." She shook her head firmly causing Danny to laugh lightly "why not?" he asked.

"I'm afraid you will disappear" choked Bonnie, a tear spilling from her tightly closed eyes.

Placing a kiss on the back of her head Danny laced his fingers through hers, running his calloused thumb over her soft knuckles "I'm here as long as you want me Bon, now open your eyes" he whispered softly.

Obeying, Bonnie slowly opened her eyes, the sun blinding her almost immediately, blinking rapidly she let her eyes adjust to the light. The bright light dimmed and she looked out, no longer was she sat in her parents back yard but rather in front of a large lake, the sun beginning to set behind it painting the sky with a array of colours, looking around her she was in a field of wild flowers and finally she craned her head around slowly. Her heart skipped a beat when her eyes fell upon Danny's beaming, handsome face. Bonnie's breath hitched in her throat as his hand wiped away one of her tears. Launching herself at his lips, Bonnie melted into Danny's arms as the couple deepened the kiss "I have missed you so much" she spoke breathlessly between kisses.

"Bonnie!" An impatient voice tore her away from Danny, looking back she saw a woman heading towards the. "Bonnie!" she shouted again, closing her eyes Bonnie groaned loudly, upon opening them her view changed, she was back in her parents back garden, Betty was in her lap and Danny was gone, again. Blinking back the tears, she saw her mother stood on the veranda waving towards her "Bonnie!"

"Yes Mother?" she called back shifting Betty into her arms.

"You have a letter."

Standing up, she carried her still sleeping daughter into the house, god that child could sleep through anything a trait she definitely inherited from herself. Reaching the house, Bonnie climbed the steps and walked into the grand house, the letter was waiting for her on an ornate colonial dresser by the staircase, immediately she knew who it was from. Smiling wildly she hurried up the stairs and into her bedroom, placing Bonnie into her crib and sat herself in the cushioned rocking chair beside the cradle. Delicate fingers tore at the envelope, careful not to rip the letter inside and pulled it from its sleeve.

Dear Bonnie,

I am so sorry it has taken me this long to write back to you, the hospital has been manic! There has been an influx of new recruits and guess who has the privilege of training them? You've guessed it! Yours freakin' truly! So I have spent the last three weeks trying to teach the girls how not to kill their patients or telling them that their romantic notions of healing a wounded soldier and falling in love are a load of bullshit! Oh I'm just being miserable, they aren't so bad; not so different from us when we first started, it could make me laugh how naïve we were Bon.

I am missing you terribly but I think it is a good job you left, the hospital has been inundated with casualties from the Pacific. It's a sad, sad sight hon and so many young boys! It breaks my heart everyday and I see Billy's face in all of them.

In regards to your last letter, no I am not seeing anyone and I don't think I will until this bleedin' war is over, I don't think I would be able to survive another loss, there has been too many in our lives already! Anyway, I will stop with the miseries now and move onto a lighter subject, oh but before I do let me say you are a saint for putting up with your mother for this long, from your letters she sounds like a real cow! Flee toots! Flee!

Your latest picture of Betty is so gorgeous Bon! She looks just like her mama, although I have to admit she does have her daddy's eyes, speaking of which, how are you doing hon? I wish I could be there with you, helping you through like you did with me and I feel as if I'm a terrible friend for not being there. Just know that you can call me anytime for anything and I mean anything!

I think Ev is just about ready to leave, so don't be surprised if you receive a letter or call from her in the next month saying that she is back stateside. I'm sure you have heard from Rafe that he is heading back to Europe and as you can imagine Ev is pretty distraught over the whole thing, although they aren't fully back together, he is excellent with Danny Jr, dotes on him as if he were his own. This whole thing is one crazy situation if you ask me but then again you can't blame the child for the mistakes of the mother.

Sorry to cut this letter short hon, but I'm writing this on my break and well, time is just about up! I love you and Betty very much; tell that little tyke that her Auntie Barbs can't wait to cuddle her again! That goes for you too by the way. The three B's will be reunited soon, I promise! Now I will leave you with my love and I look forward to your letter.

Always,

Barbara.

A smile spread across her face and a familiar prickle in her eye, Bonnie folded the letter back up. Walking over to her boudoir, the blonde placed the letter into one of the draws along with other correspondents, making a mental note to reply later. The thought of Evelyn coming back stateside excited her yet filled her with an emotion she didn't think was possible to feel for a friend. Bonnie had thought she had moved on from the incident but how could you ever really move on from your husband cheating on you with one of your best friends? Like Barbara said, it was a crazy situation. She hated them both so much for what happened but then Pearl was attacked, Bonnie was born and then Danny died, they never had time to sit down and talk about where this left them, it was just all so rushed, the story of her life really.

With a heavy sigh Bonnie did her best to forget about the betrayal, she had decided to try and move on because life was too short but that was then. "I shall talk to Rafe about it" she thought out loud.

PHPHPH

Having decided it was best to have her phone call with Rafe away from her mothers prying ears, Bonnie headed into Charleston which wasn't far from her families home and luckily one of the maids had offered to keep an eye on Bet. Pulling into Charleston's centre, Bonnie cut the engine outside a general store, who had a telephone booth. Walking inside she groaned seeing somebody already inside chatting idly to whoever was on the other end. After ten minutes of impatient foot tapping, Bonnie had finally had enough, tapping loudly on the glass, she pointed at her watch as the man turned his head to look at her. It seemed to do the trick as he quickly hung up and excited the booth. Opening the door he tipped his hat to her "Sorry Miss" he began.

"Yes, yes whatever" Bonnie brushed him off, hurrying into the booth, closing the door behind her. Her heart quickened as she spoke to the operator and then heard the dialling tone, she had spoken to Rafe quite often since she left Hawaii whether it be by phone or letter but the topic of Evelyn had yet to come up, something which made her a little nervous.

"Hello" His soft southern voice sounded over the line, putting her immediately at ease.

"Rafe its Bonnie" she smiled warmly, just his voice soothed her, it reminded her so much of Danny on a little deeper and gruffer but the same Southern twang was present.

"Hey Bon! How are ya?"

"I'm good thanks. Are you busy? Or do you think you could talk?"

"Ah you know I'm never busy for you darlin, what eatin' at ya?"

Bonnie paused for a moment, trying to find the words, instead she let out a small laugh "If I'm truthful, Evelyn."

There was silence on the other end of the line and hearing Rafe clear his throat, Bonnie winced thinking she must have put her foot in it. "How so?"

Sighing the blonde rested against the wooden panel "Your gonna think I'm stupid-"

"-Nah you know I'll never think that of ya. Just tell me what's wrong."

"We never got time to talk about what happened. Time went by so fast after the attacks, you and Danny left and I just pretended things were okay because I thought we would sort it out when he-he got back. Then he died Rafe…" Tears began to fall "…and, well I tried to forget about it because I had Betty to focus on and I didn't want to tarnish Danny's memory or put more stress on Ev because of the baby, so I suppressed it, tried to convince myself that it never happened. But it did happen and now I don't know what to do or how I feel about it!"

Rafe sighed softly "I know Bon… Look, I can't begin to imagine what this must have been like for you. They thought I was dead and although the thought of them together still makes me angry at times I can understand Ev moving on. But like I said I was dead, you weren't and it makes me angry to think of the pain they caused you; you have a right to feel this way. But we got to think of the kids here, I don't want Danny growing up without his sister or Aunt, so I think it would be best if you talk to Ev about how you feel when she get back at the end of the month."

"Your right, I won't deny Betty family member just because her mother holds a grudge."

Rafe chuckled lightly "You're a good woman Bon, one of the best actually and remember it won't always be this hard."

"I know, I know."

"How is my little niece doing anyway?"

Bonnie smiled thinking about her daughter "She's good, growing like a weed, I don't think you'll recognise her when you next see her."

"I don't doubt that. Say Bon, I'm back stateside within the next two weeks, how you fancy meeting up? I would love to see you and Bet."

"I would like that" A loud knocking on the door caught Bonnie's attention, turning her head she saw a rather impatient looking woman waiting to use the phone, this was her karma for rushing that man earlier "Look Rafe I have to go there is a queue behind me, I can't wait to see you."

"Me neither darlin' I will ring you nearer the time and let you know the details. Take care Bon, give Bet a kiss for me and don't worry your pretty little head about it, we'll talk when I get back."

"Thanks Rafe. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye Bon."

Hanging up Bonnie felt as if a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders, with Rafe's help there was no doubt that she would be able to move on from this.

AN: Yay first chapter is up! I hope you enjoyed it. Just a heads up this story will heavily feature Bonnie, Rafe, Barbara and Evelyn. Danny will come into a main role again about half way through, but there will be doses of him so don't worry Anyway I hope you are with me on this new adventure, stay tuned for the next chapter! Bye!