⇢ one - great balls of fire ⇠

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

-TWO YEARS AFTER GRADUATING FROM TOP GUN-

      ELLIE CARRIED HER MOVING BOXES INTO HER HOUSE. SHE HAD MOVED from Maryland to California to return to Top Gun after her father called her back for a mission.

      The blonde set down her last box, taking a deep breath as she looked around her living room. She had a beachfront house on base, her family lived only a couple of houses down from hers.

      Ellie had gotten a text from her mother earlier, telling her that they wanted to see her. The blonde quickly unpacked a box, placing all her stuff in the living room. She then left the room, grabbing her keys from the dish and left her house.

      She climbed into her jeep, turning it on and leaving the driveway. The blonde only drove for a couple of minutes, turning into her parent's driveway. A smile appeared on Ellie's face when she saw her younger brother and sister playing around in the front yard.

      Ellie stepped out of the car, leaning against it as she waited for her siblings to see her. Annie looked over and stopped chasing after Ben, a wide smile on her face when she spotted her older sister.

      "Ellie!" Annie exclaimed, running over to her sister.

      "Hey, sis!" Ellie smiled, catching her sister in her arms. "Oh, my God, you've grown so much!"

      The now fifteen year old hugged her sister tighter. "I missed you so much."

      "Me too," Ellie rubbed her back.

      Annie wrapped her arm around Ellie's shoulder, walking together as they made their way towards the house. "How's the Navy life been treating you?"

      "Fine," Ellie replied. "How has mom and dad been?"

      Annie's expression dropped, licking her lips. "Uh, it's come back."

      Ellie stopped in her tracks. "What?"

      "Yeah," Annie nodded. "There's nothing they can do."

      A lump formed in Ellie's throat and she nodded as she took a breath. "Okay."

      Annie gave her a small smile, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder. Ellie hugged Ben, saying hello before she made her way into the house. The blonde closed the front door behind her, looking around for her parents.

      "Ellie."

      The blonde turned her head, seeing her mother coming down the stairs. Ellie felt the tears as she approached her mom, pulling her in for a hug.

      "It'll be okay," her mom told her.

      "Is there really nothing they can do?" Ellie asked.

      "No," she replied. "It's come back... permanently. Even talking is painful now."

      "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner," Ellie said as she pulled away from the hug. "If I knew, I would've been here a long time ago."

      "Don't apologize, sweetie," her mother replied, caressing her daughter's face, gently rubbing her thumb across her cheekbone. "Your father understands."

      "Where is he?" Ellie asked.

      "Through that door," her mother replied, pointing at the door behind her.

      Ellie looked over her shoulder and sighed, turning around and approaching the door. The blonde ran a hand through her hair before placing it on the handle and opening it.

      Ellie stepped through the door, seeing her father sitting in a chair as he let out a small cough. She tucked her hands into her pockets, her eyes softening as she took a step forward.

      Her father heard her footsteps, glancing up and smiling when his eyes landed on his eldest daughter. Ellie smiled softly as he got to his feet, pulling her in for a hug.

      Ellie wrapped her arms around her father's torso, hugging him tightly as she let out a small sigh. "Hey, dad."

      Her father pulled away, still smiling as he placed his hand on the side of her face. They both then took a seat and Ellie sighed again, wiping her hands on her jeans.

      "How are you?" Ellie asked.

      He reached over and typed on his computer and Ellie looked at it, reading the words on the screen.

      I'm good now that you're here.

      Ellie smiled and chuckled softly. "I wasn't expecting to be called back to Top Gun."

      You're one of the best.

      Ellie rolled her eyes playfully, leaning back in her seat. "Yeah, well, I'm not the only one."

      Her father nodded and smiled, leaning back over to type on his computer. Ellie looked over, her mouth going dry when her eyes landed on the name.

      Bradley will be here, too.

      Ellie looked down at the ground, feeling her father's eyes on her. "Yeah, I figured. We've not talked in so long, dad. What if he-"

      Her father grunted to cut her off and she looked at him, seeing him shaking his head. Ellie tilted her head at him, watching as he typed on his computer again.

      The second he sees you, anything he had against you will disappear.

      "I don't know about that," Ellie replied. "What I said was pretty shitty."

      Ellie met her father's eyes, seeing the look he was giving her. The Kazansky girl smiled and raised her hands in surrender, nodding her head.

      "All right, I believe you."

      They both got to their feet and her father pulled her in for a hug, kissing the side of her head. Ellie smiled, knowing that her father was right.

      Ellie stepped out of her jeep, heading into the Hard Deck bar. She fixed the collar of her uniform before tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, walking through the door.

      Penny was behind the bar, giving out drinks when her eyes landed on Ellie. "Ellie, hey!"

      Ellie smiled. "Hey, Penny. How have you been?"

      "I've been good," Penny replied. "What about you?"

      "Uh, well, I've been better," Ellie replied. "But other than that, I'm good."

      "Well, what can I get you?" Penny asked.

      "Just a beer," Ellie replied. "I'll probably be back for another after talking to Hangman."

      Penny chuckled, grabbing a beer and handing it to her. Ellie took it with a smile and gave her some money before walking off toward the pool table.

      "Well, look at what the cat dragged in," Hangman said as he walked towards her. "Winters."

      Ellie tilted her head and gave him a sarcastic smile. "Bagman," she looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Coyote."

      "Winters," Coyote nodded. "Nice to see you again."

      "Likewise," Ellie replied.

      Coyote's eyes landed on something behind her. "Oh, come on."

      "What do we have here?" Hangman asked. "If it ain't Phoenix! And here I thought we were special, Coyote."

      Ellie turned around, seeing Phoenix, Payback, and Fanboy walking up to them. The blonde smiled, her eyes meeting Natasha's, who smiled back.

      "Turns out the invite went to anyone," Hangman said, his gaze briefly landing on Ellie, who rolled her eyes at him.

      "Fellas, this here's Bagman," Phoenix said.

      "Hangman," Jake corrected her.

      "Whatever," Phoenix replied. "You're looking at the only naval aviator on active duty with a confirmed air-to-air kill."

      Hangman smiled and leaned forward. "Stop."

      "Mind you, the other guy was in a museum piece from the Korean war," Phoenix smiled.

      "Cold war," Coyote corrected her.

      "Different wars, same century," Payback replied.

      "Not this one," Fanboy commented with a shrug.

      "Who are your friends?" Coyote asked.

      "Payback."

      "Fanboy."

      "Hey, Coyote," Phoenix said.

      Coyote nodded. "Hey."

      "Who's he?" Phoenix asked.

      "Who's who?" Coyote retorted.

      Phoenix looked over, causing everyone to follow her gaze. Ellie saw a man sitting on a chair, wiping off the peanut shells on his seat.

      "When did you get in?" Ellie asked.

      "Oh, I've been here the whole time," he replied.

      "The man's a stealth pilot," Hangman said.

      "Literally," Coyote added.

      "Weapons systems officer, actually," he corrected them.

      Hangman sighed. "With no sense of humor."

      "What do they call you?" Phoenix asked.

      "Bob," he replied.

      "No, your call sign," Ellie said.

      "Uh," he paused for a moment. "Bob."

      "Bob Floyd," Phoenix said. "You're my new backseater? From Lemoore?"

      "Looks like it," Bob replied. "Yeah."

      Ellie looked around for a moment, seeing if she could spot Bradley, but it didn't look like he was here yet. The blonde's eyes then landed on someone else, a small smile appearing on her face.

      "Daniel?" she asked, walking around the pool table, holding onto the cue stick.

      "Hey," Daniel replied.

      "I didn't think you'd be here," Ellie told him.

      "Well, who else would be your backseater?" Daniel asked with a smile. "Who else is here?"

      "Phoenix, Coyote, Payback, Fanboy, and..." Ellie trailed off with a sigh. "Hangman."

      "Oh, great," Daniel replied sarcastically.

      "Well, how has my backseater been?" Ellie asked with a smirk.

      "I've been good," Daniel replied. "Very good."

      Ellie chuckled and nodded, leading her friend over to where everyone else was. Phoenix heard their footsteps, a smile appearing on her face when she saw Daniel.

      Daniel and Natasha said their hello's to each other as Ellie walked over and stood next to Bob, leaning down and hitting the cue ball with her cue stick.

      Bob and Ellie played for a while until she heard Phoenix call out, "Bradshaw!"

      The blonde straightened up immediately, looking over her shoulder to see Bradley walking over to them. Ellie forced herself to look away from him, continuing to play the game.

      "This is how I found out you're stateside?" Phoenix asked.

      "Yeah, I just thought I'd surprise you," Bradley replied.

      "Hm," Phoenix hummed and nodded.

      Daniel looked in between Bradley and Ellie for a moment, noticing that Bradley hadn't looked her way just yet, then he smirked. "Yo, Winters, you want another beer?"

      Ellie closed her eyes and sighed softly, straightening back up again and turning to face Daniel, who had happened to be standing right next to Bradley.

      Ellie's eyes landed on Bradley for a moment before she looked back at Daniel, giving him a small nod. "Sure."

      "Great," Daniel nodded with another smirk. "Be right back."

      Ellie's jaw clenched as she watched as Daniel walked away. The blonde rolled her eyes, going back to the game when someone walked up next to her.

      "Didn't think you'd be here," Bradley told her.

      Ellie looked over at him, turning her body to where her back was facing him. Then she pulled back the cue, hitting him in the gut. Bradley grunted and doubled over, holding onto his stomach.

      Ellie turned toward him as the ball went into the hole, tightening her grip around the cue. "Guess I surprised you."

      Bradley chuckled and looked up at her. "It's good to see you."

      Ellie smiled and nodded. "Good to see you, too."

      Bradley patted her shoulder and smiled, walking around her. Well, he didn't seem too mad with her anymore. Ellie's eyes followed him, seeing Daniel walking up to her with two beers in his hand.

      Ellie gave him a look, taking one of the bottles from him. "I honestly hate you."

      "Yeah, I'm sure you do," Daniel replied sarcastically, nudging her side.

      Slow Ride began to play on the jukebox and Ellie walked over and gave her cue to Bob before she stood next to Bradley, leaning against the wall as she watched Hangman walk up to everyone again.

      "Bradshaw," Hangman said, taking the cue from Bob. "As I live and breathe."

      "Hangman," Bradley nodded. "You look... good."

      "Well, I am good, Rooster," Hangman replied as he hit the cue against a ball. "I'm very good. In fact, I am too good to be true."

      Ellie chuckled to herself, taking a sip of her beer and sharing a look with Bradley. Her eyes met his and she shook her head, both of them rolling their eyes at Hangman.

      "So, anybody know what this special detachment is all about?" Payback asked.

      "No, mission's a mission," Hangman replied. "They don't confront me. What I want to know: Who's gonna be team leader? And which one of y'all has what it takes to follow me?"

      "Hangman, the only place you'll lead anyone is an early grave," Bradley replied.

      Fanboy let out a small whoo! as Ellie glanced at Bradley. The blonde then shared a look with Natasha and Daniel as Hangman smiled and walked around the table to face Bradley.

      "Well, anyone who follows you if just gonna run out of fuel," Hangman smiled once again. "But that's just you, ain't it, Rooster?"

      Ellie looked in between Bradley and Jake, letting out a small sigh as she took another sip of her beer. She wouldn't be surprised if either one of them threw a punch.

      "You're snug on that perch, waiting for just the right moment..." Hangman trailed off for a second. "That never comes."

      "Slow Ride."

      "I love this song," Hangman smiled before he walked off.

      Ellie pushed herself off of the wall, standing right next to Bradley as Natasha and Daniel joined their side.

      "Well, he hasn't changed," Natasha said.

      "Nope," Bradley shook his head. "Sure hasn't."

      "Check it out," Fanboy said. "More patches."

      Ellie looked over her shoulder, seeing more aviators walking in as Coyote spoke up, "That's Harvard, Yale, Omaha. Shit, that's Fritz."

      "What the hell kind of mission is this?" Fanboy asked.

      "That's not the question we should be asking," Phoenix replied. "Everybody here is the best there is. Who the hell are they gonna get to teach us?"

      Suddenly, someone had unplugged the jukebox, silencing the music as all the customers groaned and complained. Ellie realized that Bradley wasn't standing next to her anymore, so she looked around and spotted him at the piano.

      His fingers grazed over the piano keys and Ellie smiled, looking over and whistling to gain Natasha and Daniel's attention. They both looked over and smiled.

      "Hey, guys," Natasha said to Bob and Fanboy. "Come on."

      Daniel, Natasha, Mickey, and Bob all followed Ellie over to where Bradley was playing the piano, leaving Jake and the others behind at the pool table.

      Suddenly, the bell rang and everyone cheered once more, indicating that someone was buying them another round.

      Ellie approached Bradley from behind, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, a smile appearing on his face. The blonde smiled back, leaning against the side of the piano as Natasha, Bob, and Daniel walked to the other side.

      "Overboard! Overboard! Overboard!"

      The shouts continued as Hangman, Payback, and Coyote carried someone out of the bar. Ellie couldn't tell who it was from here, but she smiled to herself before she turned her attention back to Bradley, who continued to play the piano.

      "You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain," Bradley sang as everyone else began to join in.

      "Too much love drives a man insane. You broke my will, but what a thrill."

      All together, everyone sang, "Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

      "I laughed at love cause I thought it was funny, but you came along and you moved me, honey!"

      Ellie was too busy singing and laughing with the others to realize that Bradley was staring right at her when he sang those lyrics.

      "I changed my mind, this love is fine!"

      Once again, they all sang, "Goodness gracious, great balls of fire! Kiss me, baby!"

      Ellie laughed with the others as Bradley did his piano solo, the blonde looked around the bar, seeing everyone dancing. Then her eyes landed on Maverick, who was standing outside and his eyes were solely glued onto Bradley.

      The blonde's smile faded, she felt bad for Maverick because she knew he used to sing this song with Goose.

      Ellie set her beer down and made her way outside, pushing the doors open. Bradley watched as she left, confused as to why, not seeing her approaching Maverick.

      Pete began to walk away, but Ellie called after him, "Mav?"

      He stopped in his tracks, turning around. "Ellie?"

      "Yeah, I know," Ellie smiled. "I grew up."

      Pete chuckled. "Yeah, you did."

      Ellie smiled softly, crossing her arms as she approached him. "Are you and Rooster still...?"

      "Yeah," Pete sighed. "I don't think he'll ever forgive me."

      "I think we will," Ellie replied. "If you tell him why, he'll understand."

      "I can't," Pete said.

      Ellie's eyebrows furrowed, tilting her head in confusion. She hummed and nodded, she wasn't going to ask further as to why he couldn't. The blonde knew he had his reasons, so she left it at that.

      "All right, then," Ellie nodded, looking over her shoulder and seeing everyone beginning to leave the bar. "Well, I guess I'll see you around."

      Pete smiled and nodded. "Yeah, see you."

      Ellie gave him one last smile before she turned on her heel and entered the bar, catching up with the others.