Talon • B. Bradshaw

e p i l o g u e

ARDEN STOOD IN THE BATHROOM, the pregnancy test in her left hand. Her wedding ring sparkled on her finger as she flipped the test over to check the results.

Positive.

A smile broke onto her face at the two lines that were clear as day on the test. This would be her and Bradley's second child. They had gotten married three years ago, and their first child was born about a year after that. His name was Peter Nicholas Bradshaw. Arden had insisted that they name him after Bradley's father, and he had wanted to throw Maverick in there as well. Peter of course wasn't Maverick's actual name, but it was close enough.

She opened the bathroom door to see her two year old sitting on the floor, grinning up at her. She laughed at his face covered in chocolate, and scooped him up, resting him on her hip as she walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Arden had moved into Bradley's house with him shortly after she had been cleared to fly after her surgery. He had asked, and she didn't see why she shouldn't, so she agreed.

It was the perfect home to raise a family in. There was plenty of room inside, and they had a decent sized backyard, so that Peter could run around with their golden retriever pup, Milo.

"How did you get chocolate hmm?" Arden asked her son as she sat him on the counter. Peter had Bradley's curls, and her eyes, making him probably the cutest kid ever. She wiped his face off with a paper towel, and then dried it with one of their towels.

"Sorry Admiral Bradshaw, he seemed like he needed a little sweet treat," she heard. She turned to see her husband walking out of their shared office. She hadn't realized he was home.

"Well Captain Bradshaw. Maybe next time, don't give him a sweet treat right before dinner," she chided, and Bradley just grinned at her.

"Yes ma'am," he said, as he pulled her into him, his hands on her hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her, smiling as Peter whined at them. Arden remembered when she had gotten promoted to Captain. It had been right after she had gotten cleared to fly. She had gone in to speak with Cyclone and Warlock and they had offered her a promotion. She gladly accepted the rank, on the condition that she still got to fly in her squadron. Warlock promise her that he would pull some string, and he kept his words. Arden was able to fly with the Red Falcons as a Captain.

Bradley had been promoted to Captain about two weeks before they had gotten married. She remembered him coming home with a huge smile on his face, and a new patch for his flight suit. Of course he got a few other things, nameplates, and a new uniform, but he was most excited for the patch.

Arden had gotten promoted to Admiral when she came back from maternity leave, after having Peter. She hadn't been expecting it at all. She had been called in by her admiral, who told her the news. She wasn't sure what that meant for her flying wise, but she was more willing to step down from piloting because of Peter. She was asked to become a Top Gun instructor, and she immediately agreed. She worked alongside Warlock, as Cyclone had gone on to other things. The two had become good friends, and they were an amazing team.

Occasionally Arden would get up in the air to teach, but the majority of the time Warlock was the one in the sky. However, every time she was in the cockpit, the students were blown away by how good she was. It was something she enjoyed very much.

Arden also didn't let Bradley forget that she was a higher rank than him, and it was one of her favorite things. He would do something to make her upset, and she would remind him that she could ground him. He tended to apologize and fix his mistake quickly after. Not that he wouldn't have anyways, because he was always good at apologizing and making it up to her when he messed up, just as she was.