The Good Ending

Chapter 7. Lowering the Hard Deck

"Get out of my office." ~ B.C.S.

"The hard deck is 5000 feet above ground level." Admiral Simpson began. "A parameter not just set for the safety of our pilots, but for the safety of their aircraft." Maverick and Goose were standing still as they listened the Admiral berate them. 

"5000 feet is not just a rule. It is a law!" Cyclone was now yelling at the pair as the two of them kept looking at each other, wondering if they should chime in. 

"The hard deck will be much lower for the mission, Sir." Maverick stated calmly. 

"And it will not change without my approval! Especially not in the middle of an exercise!" Cyclone yelled back. Maverick was used to this, but Goose hadn't been talked to like this since his Top Gun days. "And that Cobra maneuver of yours? That could've gotten all four of you killed. I never wanna see that shit again." Cyclone said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Sir-" Goose began to speak but was quickly cut off by the angry Admiral. "And you." He started, pointing a finger at Goose. "I thought you were so worried about your son's safety! And then you go ahead and let him do something this stupid!" Simpson yelled as he gestured his hand out the door to where Rooster was standing. 

The four of them were silent as they all tried to regain their composure. "What exactly did you think you were teaching them, Captain?" Admiral Bates chimed in, trying to diffuse the anger in the room. 

"That as good as they are, sir, they still have something to learn." Maverick answered. 

Cyclone looked up at the two with annoyance. "You are talking about the best fighter pilots in the world, Captain." He said in a sharp tone.

"And they've been told that their whole career. With little to no dogfighting experience." Goose chimed in, causing Maverick to give his friend a half smile. Cyclone pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance before he leaned closer to the pair. 

"Okay, you have less than three weeks to teach them how to fight as a team. And how to strike the target." He said as he pushed the tips of his fingers together, moving them up and down to emphasize his words. 

"And how to come home." Goose added. 

The two Admiral's looked at each other in silence with an unreadable look on both of their faces. "And how to come home, Sir." Maverick repeated with a concerned tone, noticing how neither of them said anything. 

The Admiral leaned back in his chair as he pursed his lips together before continuing. "Every mission has it's risks. These pilots accept that." Simpson stated as he gestured to the door once again. 

"We don't, Sir." Maverick stated plainly as he and Goose looked at each other. The two Admiral's looked at each other once more before changing the subject.

"Every morning from this day forward, you will brief us on instructional plans in writing. And nothing will change without my approval." Simpson said as he became stern again. 

"Even the hard deck, Sir?" Maverick asked calmly. 

"Especially the hard deck, Captain." Simpson yelled, getting tired of having this discussion. 

Goose proceeded to place a folder down on the Admiral's desk before returning to his stance. "What's this?" The admiral asked pointing at the folder. 

"It's a request to lower the hard deck, ir. To practice a low-level bombing run per the mission parameters." Maverick said as he tried to keep a straight face. Both Goose and Admiral Bates had their lips pursed together, trying not to laugh. 

"Get out of my office. And tell your son to come in." The Admiral said once more before pointing to the door. Maverick and Goose silently made their way to the door as the other pilot walked in.

-

Goose and Maverick decided that after their busy morning and their long lecture from the Admiral that they wanted to get Dinner together. The duo sat in silence, practically inhaling their food. 

"You know, we really need to work on our timing." Goose said with his mouth full, placing his sandwich on his plate. 

"No kidding." Maverick responded as he nodded, also placing his sandwich down. The two just looked at each other for a moment, playing with the cutlery anxiously. 

"Look, Mav." Goose finally spoke up. "I'm sorry I shoved you." He had an apologetic look on his face. 

"I understand. That's your kid up there, and I put him in danger. I'm so sorry for that, Goose." Maverick apologized to his RIO, understanding how desperate he was to protect the only family he had left. The two nodded at each other before picking their sandwiches back up and continuing to eat.

Goose felt his phone buzz and when he looked at the message, it was from Bradley. 

"Huh." Goose muttered as he read the message his son had sent him. 

"What?" Maverick asked, giving Goose a questioning look. Goose handed the phone to his friend to show him what the message said.

It's been approved.

The two looked at each other in confusion. "So, I guess we get to practice our low level bombings." Maverick said with a smirk on his face. 

"I don't like that look, Mav." Goose said as he watched his friends smirk turn into a giant grin.

"It's the only one I got." He said with a shrug before handing his phone back to his friend. 

The two spent the rest of their time at the diner just catching up. Maverick explained in detail what he did to get shipped off to Miramar and Goose talked about how Bradley gave up a few years of flight school to help him take care of his mother before she died. 

"How are you doing, Nick?" Maverick asked which caught Goose by surprise. His face quickly turned sad as he thought about her. 

"I miss her so much, Mav." He said quietly as he looked down. It was as if saying her name would make it even more painful than it already was. 

"I know. I miss her too." Maverick said as he reached over the table to pat his friend on the shoulder, causing him to look up. When he did, Maverick noticed he was crying. 

Goose quickly wiped the tears from his face before changing the subject. "We should probably start planning tomorrow's exercise, huh?" He asked his friend. The duo just smiled at each other as the began to scheme, just like the good old days.

A/N

I know this more of a slow chapter but I just wanted establish a bit of a relationship between Maverick and Goose now that they're older and are both looking out for Rooster's safety. Also it was my birthday yesterday so if y'all could share this story with someone who you know would like it that would be the best birthday present ever. Andddddd, I'm going to Fan Expo in 9 days so some of my stories might be a bit late but I'll try to remember to schedule them.

Let me know if you have any likes or dislikes and I'll try to add them into my next chapter. If not I'll update again in two weeks!

~ Jo