Say You Won't Let Go

Aviation Basics

     Jake helps her back onto her feet, hooking a hand around her waist. She sighs disappointedly as they trekked back inside to wait for Miami and Mallard to show up for their training practice.

     Since the mission calls for stealth, obviously the crew had to be very familiar with the terrain and style of flying that it calls for. They had to prepare for this mission similarly to the one that was done last year. So Abigail stuck herself inside of an empty classroom, focusing on the screen that carefully showed the flight maneuvers and approaches she needed to be ready for.

      Abigail had to admit, she felt very rusty despite the fact that she had spent the last year teaching Top Gun approaches to new students. She had forgotten the tensity and anxiety the preparation brought.

      She could handle this, right?
-

     "Why do you put up with me? Surely there's better things you could be doing in your life than dealing with a basket case." Abigail questions Jake as they pulled into the driveway of their home. The once lovely plants her mother brought over had scorched in the sun due to the exposure on the front porch.

     Jake turns to her with an exasperated look. "We've been married for four months, surely you still remember my honest vows to you." He says plainly, placing his elbow on the console that was dividing them. Abigail's lip quivers as she recalls the vows they made to each other as if they said them yesterday. She nods softly.

     "I'm going to love you until my lungs give out, sweetheart. We'll grow old and grey together. I don't care if you wake up one day and decide to hate me, you're stuck with me because I made a promise to you." Jake smiles softly, placing his hand on her left leg. She hates that she can't feel the touch.

      Abigail sniffles. "I'll never hate you, Jake Seresin. I thank my lucky stars that I ran into you, even though sometimes I feel like I'm burdening you."

    Jake shakes his head, removing his hand from her prosthetic leg and placing it on her cheek instead. His thumb wipes away the tear that had fallen. "You do not burden me. I'm so in love with you that I'd do anything, so let me do this. I want to help you get better, I want to see you get better."

    She leans across the console and wraps her arms around him, his lips pressing a kiss to her forehead. A playful smirk spread across her face. "You'd do anything for me?" She questions, eyeing the front door. Jake chuckles, seeming to catch onto the idea. "Yes, anything."

     They exchange glances, sharing the same spark in their eyes. She grins "Then how about taking me upstairs?"
-

     Miami was fifth-wheeling a few nights later when the chosen group went out to hang together at the Hard Deck. Rooster and Mallard were particularly close tonight, and apparently they had been on quite a few more dates after Rooster expressed his admiration to her.

    In fact, they even made it official as of yesterday. Rooster had a girlfriend, and he couldn't look more happy.

      Jake was bragging on and on about his three air-to-air kills when Liliana and Bradley ditched them to go sit at the piano together. They started playing little jingle duets, laughing along with each other when one of them messed up the note.

     Abigail shakes her head at the smitten couple, turning back to Jane and Jake. "I don't think I've ever seen Bradley so happy." She chuckles, taking a drink of her beer.

     Jane nods. "Yeah, same with Liliana. He's all she'll ever talk about now, makes me want to throw up." She grabs the pool stick and hits the ball, the spheres of all colors clatter together in a satisfying sound.

     Jake throws a peanut at Abigail and when she turns to give him a look, he grins. Turning back to the pool table, Abigail readies her stick, and purposefully hits Jake in the kneecap as she pulled back, then hits the white ball. She hears him groan in pain, and when she looks over at him she sees him clutching his kneecap with his open hand.

      She sends him a sweet smile, to which made him forget all about the knee. He smiled back at her. She loved having him fall under her spell.

     The familiar introduction to a song starts playing loud enough for the entire bar to hear, and the attention is drawn to the couple sitting at the piano. Abigail chuckles. Rooster is always the performer.

       "Oogum oogum boogum boogum boogum now, baby, you're castin' your spell on me."

     The three by the pool table make their way over to Rooster and Mallard, who were singing along together. They truly were a match made in heaven, Abby thought.

      "I say, oogum, oogum, boogum, boogum, boogum now, baby, you're castin' your spell on me."

       Jake puts and arm around Abigail, pulling her into his side. He sets his other arm on top of the wooden piano that the performers were using.

     "You got me doing funny things like a clown. Just look at me."

    "When you wear your high heeled boots with your hip hugger suit, it's all right, you're outta sight."

    "And you wear that cute mini skirt with your brother's sloppy shirt. I admit it, girl, that I can dig it."

     "Well, then I says oogum, oogum, boogum, boogum, boogum now, baby, you're castin' your spell on me."

    "I say, oogum, oogum, boogum, boogum, boogum now, baby, you're castin' your spell on me."

     "You got me doing funny things like a clown. Just look at me."

     "When you wear your bell bottom pants I just stand there in a trance. I can't move, you're in the groove."

     "Would you believe, little girl, that I am crazy 'bout you. Now go on with your bad self."

    "My, my, my baby's castin' her spell on me."