The medical team gave me the all-clear. I was told to rest. Viper told me to shower and then meet him in his office to discuss what happened. I wanted to stay in the shower, just to let the water run over me, but I knew I should not keep Viper waiting. I dressed in my khaki uniform and headed to his office.
Passing by the window to stand by the door, I could see that bulldog was already in there. I could not hear what was being said, but Viper and Jester's faces did not look happy, and all I could see what Bulldog's back. I was only standing for five minutes before the door opened and Bulldog came out, he started to walk away when I called his name, asking if he was ok, but he kept walking.
"Rose"
Viper called to me. I walked into his office, holding my head high. I know I did nothing wrong, or I hope I did not. Jester stood leaning on the window sill as Viper sat at his desk, his hands cupped together and rested on his desk,
"Do you know what happened up there?"
Viper asked me. I shocked my head,
"No, sir, all I know is that my RIO was behind me one moment, and the next, he was not. I don't know if there was a malfunction in the yet,"
I told him. Viper nodded his head before turning his head to look at Jester,
"Did anything else happen?"
"No, sir"
Viper looked back at me again as he leaned back in his sit,
"Are you positive?"
I did not understand his questioning. It felt like they knew something but wanted me to tell them when I didn't know what it was they wanted to know,
"Rose, BullDog, told us he ejected because he worried for his life that you would do something stupid. What the stupid was, he would not say. He just said that what he felt in his gut."
I could not believe what I was hearing at first,
"Sir, I don't understand."
I did not. Why would BullDog say he was worried for his life? I have never put his life in danger. He's my RIO. It's my job to keep himself, so why would he say that after two years of working together,
"Rose, until we know that you were not in the wrong, we temporarily place you on RIO work. I know you have had training in that before. We are just waiting on a new Pilot. Until he comes, you are grounded, but you are still to attend any fight briefing."
I was lost for words, RIO work, not that there was anything wrong with that, I just felt like I was getting punished for something I had not even done,
"I know you are a good pilot, but when someone feels they have a strong need to eject from a jet because they feel their pilot is unsafe, we need to investigate it,"
Viper then added. I nodded my head. I understand what he is saying there. Rules are rules,
"Yes, Sir, I understand, sir."
"Go, now we have an after-flight briefing to go to,"
I was not paying much to what was being said. They were just going over Ice and Hollywood run, I was sitting between Mav and Goose as always, but I could feel people's eyes on me, I saw BullDog as I walked in, sitting by Slider at the back of the room, but I did not say anything to him, I could not even look him in the eyes I just found my set and sat down,
Charlie walked back and forth, pointing at a screen with our flight data. Viper and Jester were here until they were called away to deal with something, leaving just Charlie,
"Now, let's go over the 2nd run, not that there is much to go over."
I closed my eye for a small moment, knowing what Charlie was not going to ask,
"So Bradshaw, what happened up there?"
She asked, stopping in fount of me, Mav, and Goose,
"Ma'am we..."
Goose started to talk, but she cut him off.
"Goose, if I wanted you to talk, I would have said Goose."
God, she did not sound happy. I wonder if it was because of Mav missing the date or something else. I looked up at her, thinking of the right words to say,
"My, My RIO ejected, Ma'am."
I told her, and well everyone in the room, I don't know if they all know what happened or whatever story BullDog has told them,
"And why did he do that?"
I felt like she was going to ask me that same question Viper asked me, but she was not being nice about it,
"I don't know."
Not a lie, I don't know why he did it, he said he was worried for his life, yet I had done nothing,
"Well, that's not was BullDog told us. He told us he Ejected because he worried for his life, that you said you were going to do something stupid, to try and win the Top Gun trophy, you want to be the first woman to win it."
I shook my head to her words as she came to stand close to me, looking down at me like I was a child. Everything was starting to make sense, him saying one thing but turning it around to say he never, questioning me on what I was doing. I should have known something was up when he never talked to me at all today, I should have, but I never did because I never thought someone I trusted with my life would turn around and stab me in the back,
"No? Is that not what happened? Let me ask you something. Why do you not have a callsign?"
"I just don't have one."
I replied, she just smiled at me, but it was not a friendly smile, far from it,
"Could it be because no one trusted you? BullDogs has been your RIO for two years, yet in them two years, he never gave you a callsign."
"No, unless you class Bitch one."
I did not even know I said the words out loud until Charlie laughed,
"I am not shocked he calls you that, but what about everyone else? Hell, Even Maverick and Goose have not given you one."
"I call her Rosie."
Goose jumped in,
"That's a nickname, Goose, not a callsign, it's because No one trust you enough to wanna give you one, you don't have everyone's trust, and you never will, you now an RIO, and your probably going to stay like that for the rest of you time in the Navy."
I was clenching my jaw at this point, I felt anger building in me, but I also felt the need to run to get out of here more. I felt Mav move beside me and the hand sitting behind me on my seat clenching into a fist.
"And this, always sitting between Maverick and Goose, you never sit with your RIO, but you will sit between Maverick and his"
She just kept going, pushing me more down and down into the dirt with every word, I felt my hands shaking and my foot tapping on the ground out of my control,
"Can you even function without them two? Every time I see them, you are always there. If I put you at the other side of the room, would you even know what to do, or are you lost without them?"
"Blackwood, that's enough. She always sat with us. It's just how things are, there nothing wrong with it, she knows how to function, it's not her fault her RIO is a fucking Dickhead"
I've never in my life heard Mav sound so angry, especially to a woman,
"You would say that, won't you about your little shadow,"
Before anyone could say anything else, the open opened, and Viper walked in. As he did, Charlie was quick to move away as if she was not just in my face belittling me,
Viper told us all we could go and that we had tomorrow off, I was the first to get out and move the moment he said dismissed, almost tripping over Mav's feet getting past him. I had left all my stuff behind, not even thinking about it. I just wanted out. I need air,
As I almost ran out of the building, I heard Mav calling after me, but I did not stop. I just kept going outside. Mav finally caught up with me. By this time, I was crying. I could not hold it in anymore. Seeing this, Mav pulled me into a hug swaying us side to side.
"Ignore her, ok. She not worth listening to, you a good pilot, I don't know what shit Bulldog is going around saying, but he can fuck off before I punch the fuck out of him."
As I cried into his jacket, he told me,
We stood like that for some time before Goose came out. I did not look at him when he came over to us. I kept my face berried into Mav.
"I've got your stuff. I'll drop it off home for you."
I heard him say, but I did not say anything back,
"Take her home Mav, because the wicked witch comes out."
"Yeah, I'll see you later."
Mav ushered me over to his bike, not saying anything to me. He got on and then helped me, not needing to tell me to put my arm around him. I did it as I placed my forehead in the middle of his shoulder blades. As he was about to start the engine, I could hear Charlie's voice calling to Mav. Ignoring her, Mav turned his back on revving the Engine as she came to stand almost right in fount of his Bike.
"We need to talk."
I don't know if she was trying to make it sound like an order, but Mav was not having any of it, revving his engine, again and again, every time she went to say something,
"I can't hear you."
I heard Mav say before speeding off. My hold on his was alright, tight that I did not feel like I would fall off like I usually do. As he speeded up the road, I could hear car horns going off behind us,
"You have to be fucking kidding me."
Mav spoke out, slowing the bike down and pulling over to the side,
"What wrong?"
I asked him, thinking there was something wrong with the bike. Mav took hold of my hands, moving them off him as he somehow got off the bike with me still on the back,
"Just stay here, ok."
I nodded, watching him walk off, following him to see that Charlie had followed us.
"What the hell is wrong with you? You call me reckless, yet here you are chasing after me. What is your problem?"
I heard Mav shouting at her,
"My problem is you, Lieutenant."
"Oh, really, and how is that?"
"You missed our date and won't even give me the time to tell me why. I found out from Slider that you were playing a game with him on the beach that night, and then you left with her"
So that was why she was made, him missing the date and that he gave me a lift home,
"Yeah, I was playing a game, and I lost track of time, and yes, I gave Rose a lift home."
"She could have got a lift from Goose. He was there."
I could not hear much of what else was said as a load lorry went past us,
"You wanna know something? That night I talked to you at the bar was a $20 bet to see if I could get you to come home with me. I just did it for fun. I lost the bet on purpose to make my friend feel better since he lost all the others. I was not interested at all,"
I head Mav tells her, I was now finding it hard to stay on the back set of the bake me ass kept sliding forward, instead of fighting it more I left myself slid into the fount set, only my tiptoe could touch the ground,
"So if you excuse me, I'm going to take Rose home after you belittle her in front of everyone. You know what? Maybe you should ask BullDog out on a date. I'm sure that fucking prick would love to spend some time with you,"
I could hear Mav walking back over as the sound of a car door slamming and tired screeching off followed,
Coming to stand beside the bike, Mav looked at me, tilting his head,
"Are you driving now?"
He asked, smiling at me,
"No, I slipped forward."
I told him as I was about to get off, but he stopped me putting his hands on my hips, lifting me like I was nothing placing me back on the backseat before getting back on the bike, being careful not to kick me as he did, I stopped him before he could start the bike up again,
"Mav, I don't wanna go home. Just take me somewhere, please."
"I'll take you anywhere you want."
That was all he said before starting his bike, turning us around, and heading back the way we came.
We soon came to a stop by the beach. Turning off the bike and kicking the stand down, we just sat there for a moment, placing my cheek onto this shoulder and turning my head so I could look at the sea,
"I'm sorry. I promised to tell you if anything happened with Bulldog, and I never did."
I spoke out after being silent for some time. I then just spilled everything to him. The day I almost crashed into Jester, I even told him about my talk with Ice, how he said he heard Bulldog say same stuff, and just everything else that happened. By the end of it, I was crying again,
"What have I done wrong, Mav? I must have done something for him to turn around and hate me."
"You've done nothing wrong, don't even think that. I don't know what Bulldog is playing at, but he's the one that is in the wrong, not you,"
Mav tried to reason with me, but I was not working. Hopping off his bike, I walked a little onto the sand before turning back around as he got off the bike.
"Do you think she right? that no one trusted me, that, that's the reason I don't have a callsign. I know I never cared for one before, but is she right?"
I asked him as he slowly walked close to me, placing his hands on my face making me look at him,
"No, she not, people truth you Rose, she just saying that, and I feel like I need to say sorry for it, missing that date got her pissed and she taking it out on you because am always with you."
"Because I am your shadow."
I corrected him,
"A cute one"
I went to push him away, but he was faster than me and cached my hands in his. He looked down at me. I could see his eye looking all over my face as he opened and closed his mouth like he was trying to work out what he wanted to say,
"You wanna know the real reason I skipped the date"?
I nodded my head, not wanting to say anything.
"I skipped it because of you. I've skipped a lot of dates because of you, and now don't pull that face. Let me finish."
I did not even know I was pulling any time of face,
"You have always been that girl I thought I could never have, the girl that off limits. I always thought Goose would kill me if I tried anything with you, so I never did. I flirted, but nothing more even though I wanted to so bad. I've lost count of how many times I could have kissed you."
His laugh made me laugh. Mav had let go of my hands, letting them fall to my side as he moved one back to my face again and the other moving hair out of my face,
"Then yesterday, when Hollywood got water all over you, and I give you my shirt to put on, I know I could not keep going on that way anymore thinking I could never have you. I remember the date, but when I came to get a drink seeing you in my shirt, something inside me snapped, and I know that was it,"
I felt like I was dreaming that this was not happening, that Mav was not telling me he always wanted to be with me but never did anything, just like I have always wanted to be with him. I moved my hands up his chest, still in his uniform. I did not know what I was doing. I just wanted to touch him to see if he was real,
I had a word with Goose after you fell asleep last night. I told him about the date. I asked him what he would say and do if I wanted you. You know what he said?"
"Something along the lines of the only person I ever wanna see you with?"
I asked, my arms not looped around his neck as he moved one hand to the bottom of my back, pulling me close to him so there was no space left. He then pressed his forehead onto mine,
"I got his blessing. All I need to do now is ask, So what you say, Rose, wanna stop this dance we got going on and start a new one?"
I could not help but laugh at his words, reminding me how Goose said we were dancing around. I bit my bottom lip as I nodded my head,
"No, I wanna hear you say it, please I've wanted years for this."
"Yes, Pete Mitchell, I wanna start a new dance with you."
The moment the words left my mouth, his lips were on mine. It was heated at first but soon slowed down when we realized we had all the time in the world. I pulled away first, needing to take a breath of air as Mav kissed my cheek,
"Do we tell anyone?"
I asked once I got my breath back,
"How about we just tell Goose and Carole put them out of their misery and leave the rest, We know top gun won't be happy, not in the rule book."
"Like most of all the other stuff you do is not in their rule book."
Mav laughed, ticking my sides, making me let out a small shriek trying to push his hands away from my sides. Once I had his hands off me, I ran down the beach, getting away from him, but he just ran after me picking me up and spinning me around,
"Feeling better now?"
He asked me once he got me back on my feet, kissing my cheek,
"Yeah, I just let them get to me that all",
"Remember, you always have Goose and me, and you're always going to sit between us because were we like you best, save between us,"
I stole a kiss from his lips when I could not think of anything to say back to him and his sweet words, taking hold of my hand Mav started to pull me back towards his back,
"Come one, let's get you home, and then, you, Me, and Goose are going to the bar as Carole and Bradley sleep."
I let him lead me over before getting on. He spun me around, trapping me between his bike and his chest as he kissed me again. I let my fingers run in his short hair, then down the back of his neck. As the kiss heated, I allowed his tongue into my mouth, letting him control me completely.
This day went from Good to bad, to worse, to excellent,
------------------------------------------
I really hope this is ok, am worried it sounds bad,
Also sorry for making Charlie a bit of a bitch,
As always tell me what you think good or bad.