( ii. of reunions and bitter phones )

***

( three years ago. )

"WHAT'S YOUR STATUS, CASINO?"

"This is Vegas," Beck grins behind Max, responding to Bradley. "Lucky says that we should bet on black, and also the over on the Lakers tonight, Bryant's going to score like 40 points, I'm telling you."

"We're twenty miles out, Rooster." Max rolls her eyes as she often did when Beck leaned into the gambling theme of their nicknames. He always said it was a match made in heaven when they were assigned to each other. "Altitude good, right behind you."

"Permission to slow down, Lucky?" Bradley's voice sounds over the intercom and Max shakes her head.

"We're on time, Rooster, let's stay that way okay?" She frowns, hand on the speed control. She knows Bradley, and this is the point of the mission where he second-guessed himself and gets cautious. It happens every time.

Sure enough, his voice crackles over the headset not a moment later. "Lucky, I'm slowing down."

Max pulls the control towards her, stalling the fast climb of the plane, and descending to a speed much more comfortable.

"What the fuck, Rooster?" Vegas groans.

"Just regaining control, Vegas."

"Don't fuck this up Bradshaw," Out of the corner of her eye she can see Beck shake his head behind her, and Max's mouth dries a little. But it's nothing but open sky in front of them and they're still technically on time, she understands where he's coming from though. They had momentum riding in, and it feels like they're losing it by the minute.

"Stop bitching, Newman." Bradley sighs, "Clear skies ahead. It's reconnaissance, just get in and out."

Max frowns and watches Rooster pilot ahead of her. His plane is steady and sure, the way he always was. He was reliable, a constant, and he knew what he was doing. But though all those things were true, she couldn't shake the frog in her throat.

"Rooster, speed back up." Admiral Fry's voice comes over the comms. "You're losing ground, son."

Max watches as Rooster sped forward in a quick spurt and then slowed. What the hell was he doing?

"Turbulence ahead." He said.

The force against the plane was light if noticeable at all, and Rooster sped up again once it passed.

"Back up to speed, Sir," Max said increasing her own speed as Rooster moved further in front of her. "Time to target 10 minutes. Vegas checking cameras now."

She hears Vegas click the controls for the satellite camera behind her. For the reconnaissance mission, they have to swing low over a valley and break the hard deck to get a view of an ally's base. It was a group mission, sanctioned by both countries to suggest ways to better conceal the armaments from enemy aircraft. They were quickly approaching land, but for the moment they still sped over water, their plane's reflection a shimmer across the waves.

"Cameras all set, Luck." Beck nods as the picture shows up on his display.

"Full steam ahead, Lucky." The Admiral says. "Get there and get back."

Rooster pushes further ahead, whatever trepidation he had felt earlier seemingly melting away. "Aye, aye, Admiral."

***

( present day. )

LATER THAT NIGHT, MAX FOUND HERSELF AT PENNY'S YET AGAIN. Maverick had wanted to go out for a drink, and she was more than happy to coordinate their unofficial reunion. If she played dumb and acted like she forgot that Penny would be at the bar then so be it (even if she was sure that her Uncle Mav wasn't exactly buying it completely.)

"When did the promotion happen, big shot?" Maverick asked her as they sat at the wooden bartop. "And how come you never call anymore?"

Max smiled slightly and shrugged. "Last year, it's unconventional but it lets me take on more teaching responsibility. It's not like they're in any danger of me actually having to command a squadron." She took a sip of her beer, sighing as the cold drink traveled down her throat. "And I'm sorry for not calling, Mav. Things have been busy lately."

Maverick waved her off dismissively. "I know how you kids are, just shoot me a text more often, Max."

She nodded and laughed, enjoying the company of her uncle after so long.

"When was the last time you saw your godfather, Kiddo?" Maverick asked.

"A few weeks ago, I meant to visit today, but Cyclone cut my vacation short," Max said bitterly. "Aunt Sara keeps on inviting me for dinner, I feel bad."

"Maybe we can go together?" Maverick suggested. "Sometime this week?"

"And we can both complain about how he put us on this assignment." Max grinned. "Sounds like a plan, Mav."

"Just let me know what day works for you, I know Ice always wants to see you."

Before Max could respond, she heard the faint sound of the entrance bell ringing over the din of the crowd. The figure that walked in was one she'd recognize anywhere, even though the tan Navy uniform helped to distinguish him even more.

"Are your friends here?" Maverick gestured to Hangman.

Max nodded and he chuckled. "Go on, we'll have plenty of time to catch up, Commander."

By the time she had said a quick goodbye to Maverick and left her barstool, Jake had already noticed her and greeted her with arms wide open. "Lucky!"

She slid her arms around his center, laying her head against his chest. Jake laughed deep and fast, and she relished the way the rumble felt against her head. "Hey, Hang."

He squeezed her shoulder tightly, hand running down the length of her arm until it gripped her hand. "How's my girl?"

Max grinned and pulled back so she could look at his face, their hands still connected. "What do you think?"

Jake raised her arm and spun her in a circle. "Beautiful as ever, Luck."

She beamed back at him and nudged his arm. "Not too bad yourself, but I'm sure you already know that with how much time you spend in front of mirrors."

"Okay, okay, I see that the teasing has already begun." He said, swatting her arm away. "I'm in for a rough couple of weeks, I can imagine."

"You don't even know what your mission is yet," Max chided. "But with me as your instructor, you might be right."

"My instructor?" Jake raised an eyebrow. "What exactly am I learning?"

Max mimed locking her lips and threw the metaphorical key behind her back. All in all, it probably didn't matter much what she did or didn't tell Jake about the mission, it was just more amusing to watch him squirm. "That's confidential, Lieutenant." She teased. "But as a consolation, I'll go get you a beer."

He nodded and waved her off, playing hurt. "It's the least you could do, Max."

Max rolled her eyes at him but made her way to the bar, sliding into a seat across from where Maverick sat alone. The phone that was previously in her hand was quickly shoved into her pocket, she had made the mistake of placing it on the bar one time too many.

"Back so soon?" Penny leaned against the counter. "I thought you were going home?"

She raised an eyebrow. Penny obviously hadn't seen Maverick yet. "Top Gun's in session, Pen. Special assignment," Max said. "Can I get a beer for Hangman?"

"Of course, Max." Penny reached for a bottle and twisted the cap off. As she handed it to Max, the condensation dripped all over her hand, the cold a welcome reprieve from the body heat the patrons packed into the bar emitted. "How is he?"

"Still incredibly full of himself, if that's what you're asking." Max laughed. She found him across the room. Coyote had evidently arrived, and in the few moments since she had left they had already begun playing a game of darts. "But I think I missed him more than I realized."

"It's always good to see old friends, Sweetpea." Penny smiled, wiping at the water that had dripped from the bottle. "Reminds us where we came from."

Max winced, Maverick still in her view. "I'll tell you this because I love you, Pen, but don't turn around now," She said as Penny raised her eyebrows. "We have a mutual old friend in the building tonight, I brought Maverick with me."

"Maxine!" Penny swatted at her arm with the rag she had slung over her shoulder. "Not cool, young lady!"

"Oh, what's that?" Max pretended to hear Jake calling her name, placing her hand against her ear. "I think I'm needed, Pen."

She rose from the barstool grinning, "I'll let you two catch up, alright?"

Penny swatted at her one last time, a smile breaking through with the action. At least now Max didn't feel so guilty about her guest.

Javy and Jake were deep in their game, so when Max approached she chose instead to sit back and watch, amused at the tricks they were trying to pull off. Jake had Javy throw with his left hand, and Javy jumped at the chance to cover Jake's eyes and make him throw blind, which would have been a hazard if they hadn't been honing their skills in Navy bars nonstop for the past eight years.

"And he does it again!"

Hangman turned and gave her a bow, making a show of his achievement before accepting the beer from her outstretched hand. "Thank you, Luck."

"Anything for my best friend," She smiled, taking a sip from her own drink before setting it down on the rim of the pool table.

"Care to play a round, Lucky?" Javy gestured to the pool table, but she shook her head gently. She was always a terrible shot when it came to pool.

He and Jake shrugged and began a game, Javy taking stripes and Jake solids. She watched in amusement as they banked shot after shot until new arrivals made their way through the bar.

"Phoenix!" She grinned, bringing the other woman in for a hug.

"Long time, no see, Lucky!" She grinned, returning the embrace. "Are you still teaching?"

"You could say that," Max replied coyly.

Behind Phoenix, Payback arrived with two pilots she recognized from Cyclone's presentation but had never actually met before.

After a quick hug, Payback introduced them as Bob and Fanboy. All the pilots quickly got to talking, pondering the nature of their recall to Top Gun and teasing each other, although the latter was mainly just Phoenix enjoying poking Jake's buttons, an activity that Max was also quite fond of. She played dumb when asked if she knew anything about the mission, figuring that it was better for them to enjoy themselves now and get to worrying about their possible suicide mission when tomorrow came. Besides, she was content to just be able to enjoy the camaraderie of other pilots for a change. She had made it a rule when she started teaching to not go out drinking with the students, so most of her time out was spent with Penny and the other older instructors, not people her own age. It was a breath of fresh air.

They were just about to place bets on the current game of pool when Max's phone buzzed in her pocket. When she picked it up, the word "Slider" flashed across the front.

"I need a minute, my Dad's calling." Max stepped away from the group, waving goodbye to Phoenix as she left. She went out the back door of Penny's to where it opened out onto the beautiful sands of the shoreline.

"Hey Slider," She sighed, leaning her back against the side of the building. The sun had just begun to set over the waves, the sky a beautiful shade of orange. "How are you?"

"I'm good, Zina." Her father said, dropping her childhood nickname that had been coined by a two-year-old Fred who wasn't quite well-versed in speech at the time. He sounded tired, but it was nearly midnight where he was, and Slider was never one for staying up late. "Is everything alright?"

"It's fine, Dad." Max tried her best to tune out the din of the Hard Deck, but it was beginning to become clear that she wouldn't be able to. She walked closer towards the water, kicking up sand absentmindedly as she went. "I didn't get a chance to see Uncle Ice and Sarah, I got called off vacation for a special teaching assignment. Mav did too."

"I actually called to talk to you about your Godfather, Honey."

Max swallowed, her mouth drying. "Is everything alright? I thought the treatment was working."

"Sarah didn't want to break the news to you herself," Slider spoke and she could hear the frown in his voice. "I'd try to get over there in the next week or so, Honey. Freddie's moving his schedule as much as he can, and I'm going to do my best to make sure El gets assigned to you."

"He put me on this assignment, Dad." Max's voice cracked as she felt a tear begin to well in her eye. She sat down in the middle of the beach, not paying any mind to how the sand was going to stick on her jeans after. "And I don't know why."

"And you can ask him, Zina, you can."  Her dad said, this time the sadness in his voice clear. "Just get yourself over there, okay? Promise me you will."

Max let out a sob involuntarily, which led to her father desperately trying to comfort her on the other end of the line, from thousands of miles away.

Finally, when she had calmed down, she responded. "Of course, I'll visit," Max said. "And you get yourself over there too, Dad, he needs you."

"He never needed me the way I needed him, Honey." Slider sighed, and after a long pause continued, "I love you."

Before Max could say it back he had ended the call. She turned the phone around in her hands, staring at it before stuffing the device into her pocket. She rose from the sand, wiping away the tears that had welled in her eyes and turning back to face the golden glow of The Hard Deck.

Max reluctantly trudged back towards the bar, kicking up sand onto her jeans as she went. She would gather her things, say goodbye, and then go home. She had a date of a pint of ice cream and an 80s chick-flick planned out in her mind, and nothing could ruin that.

"Max?"

Her head shot up at the sound of Maverick's voice.

"Are you leaving already?" She asked, hoping that all the signs of her crying session had already faded away, or alternatively, that it would just be too dark for her uncle to see them. She would work up her confidence sometime in the next week to tell him about Ice, but she knew that talking about it right then and there would only lead to more tears.

"My card got declined." Maverick grinned. "I was pretty unceremoniously thrown out by who I think might be some friends of yours."

Max laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "Shouldn't have put your phone on the counter, Uncle Mav."

He smiled at her unapologetic shrug and waved her inside. "Don't worry about me." He said. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow for training."

Max nodded and waved goodbye, easing open the door to the sound of the piano playing and Hangman's jukebox music gone. She found him leaning against the bar, shaking his head in disapproval at the piano player.

"How'd your call go?" He said as she approached him. From their vantage point, she had a hard time telling who exactly was playing, but she could see Pheonix and Payback along with some of the other students gathered around him, dancing to the tune. "Your old man on you about something again?"

Max shrugged in response, not wanting to go into the specifics of the call. "He just needed to tell me some news, that's all."

Jake turned to study her face, eyes searching for a tell that she was lying to him. When he couldn't find any, he leaned back and nodded. "Whatever you say, Max."

"I think I might head out," Max said, "It's getting kind of late, and we both have class tomorrow."

"You don't want to see the boy wonder?" Jake groaned, gesturing towards the piano player who was now finishing his song.

"Who is it-"

Her question was immediately cut off by chants of "Rooster!" from the surrounding bar patrons. When he stood up her mouth dried. She'd know that Hawaiian shirt-wearing, blonde head of hair anywhere. Bradley had finally arrived, and even though she knew that she'd have to see him, Max was hoping that it could wait until they were in training, in an environment that she controlled, instead of at Penny's with the whole squadron.

"Definitely not staying," Max grabbed her jacket from where she had stashed it behind the counter and pressed a quick kiss to Jake's cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Wait, Luck!" He grabbed a hold of her wrist with his free hand.

She sighed and turned around, arms crossed against her chest.

"I've been meaning to ask you for a favor," He said. "I know that Admiral Kazansky is your Godfather and that he's tight with your Dad, so I was wondering if you could put in a good word for me. I've been requesting a transfer from Lakehurst for years now, I want to actually be a fighter pilot again, not just run drills all day, you know?"

The sighting of Bradley must have put her emotions off-kilter because, at the sound of her Godfather's name, the tears started to build up again as she remembered what her father had told her.

"Are you okay, Max?" Jake asked, loosening his grip.

She didn't say anything, just nodded and took her purse from the bar, making a b-line for the door and fighting the blurriness in her eyes.

Well, she was making a b-line before she ran into someone's chest, and felt liquid spill all over her top from the beer that had sloshed out of their bottle.

"I'm so sorry, let me help you-" The voice belonging to the chest said, pulling her aside from the jumble of the crowd. The voice stopped in its tracks when it recognized who it had run into. "Max?"

She shoved Bradley's hand off her shoulder and pushed forward towards the door, still slightly aware that he followed her as she left.

"Maxine!" He yelled into the night, the door creaking shut behind him. "Please, wait up!"

Against her better judgment, Max stopped and turned to face him, wiping quickly at her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Bradley asked, taking a step towards her.

"I'm fine, Bradshaw." She frowned, shoving her hands into her pocket. "What do you want?"

He shrugged. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"I think you know why," Max said. The mission, the crash, Vegas. It could all go unsaid. Bradley knew what he had done.

"Max-"

"Goodbye, Bradley."

She turned to walk towards her car. This time, he didn't follow.