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🏷️ slow burn, strong language, troubling family dynamics, death of a parent/sibling, godmother reader, inexperienced/mildly insecure reader, mentions of an abusive relationship, physical violence later on (one scene, maybe two), romance, sexual themes/references (I mean smut!).
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Summary: Your sister Ridley has passed away, leaving behind her ten-year-old daughter Sadie. The Dagger Squad go out of their way to ensure you and Sadie have people you can count on. Boring Saturday nights turned into game nights, rowdy dinners, and cheering events at Sadie’s soccer games. Any milestone or opportunity they want to be there. But the last to join the group is Hangman. The moment you met Jake Seresin, your heart screamed the cocky pilot was looking for a good time, not a long time. Deciding to keep him at a distance to protect your heart, Sadie has other ideas when she learns he was purposely left out.
A03 | Wattpad
Masterlist:
Part 1 - Be Still
Part 2 - Hello, I love you
Part 3 - Southern Nights
Part 4 - Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress
Part 5 - Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Part 6 - Three Little Birds
Part 7 - Oh What A Night
Part 8 - Drift Away
Part 9 - Hang on, Hang On
Part 10 - Let's Dance
Part 11 - Dream On
Part 12 - Blue Healer
Part 13 - Sons and Daughters
Part 13. 5 - Bradley Bradshaw Oneshot - Way Down we Go
I hope everyone is having or has had a wonderful Easter Sunday.
As I celebrate today, my mind goes to the sad fact that today should also mark my stepfather's 48th birthday, but he is not here to celebrate it with us.
The man who inspired William in the Lucky Penny and Second Chance at Love series should be 48. Instead, he is forever 39.
When they first dated in their teenaged years, my stepdad would tell my Mom: "I'm not making it to 40." To which she would hit him and say "Yes you are, you idiot."
Unfortunately, for one of the few times in his life, my stepdad would be correct and we lost him to Stage 4 Lung Cancer in 2016, just one month and 3 days after his 39th birthday. He truly didn't make it to 40. He barely made it to 39.
Next month will be 9 years since that day, and somehow, next year will be a full decade. That doesn't seem right, and it's definitely not fair.
I hope he is having a wonderful birthday party wherever he is today, and I want everyone to know that William, his fictional counterpart, will be returning soon.
Happy Easter everyone! And Happy 4/20! The most appropriate birthday ever! :)
“I wish you would have told us, Liz,” Nat said, staring down at Tyler's letter in her hands.
The Daggers showing up at your house unannounced was a common thing before Sadie. Your place only being 5 minutes down the road from the Hard Deck made it the perfect crash pad when they would go a little harder than they should sometimes or if they just wanted a place to escape.
However, they rarely got a day off during the week. Even if they weren’t flying, they were usually doing something on base. So when Bradley, Nat and Jake showed up at your door while Sadie was at school, it was obvious it wasn't for a social visit.
Due to a faulty coms tower and gas leak in the hangers, they had a week off. And the first thing they wanted to do was corner you on your couch and talk about Tyler. Jake had told Rooster, so naturally, Rooster would have told Nat.
You rarely saw Jake in the weeks that had passed since New Year’s Eve. With the weather being what it was and their training schedules being a mess from the last mission, Saturday nights hadn’t resumed back to their normal status.
You didn't know where you stood with Jake after that Night. The line between friendship and something more was being distorted. The better part of you, the one who constantly had Ridley's voice in your ear, was telling you to buck up and ask him about it. The other part of you, the more reserved, saying not to because you were probably making a bigger deal about it than you should.
A kiss on New Year's Eve, even an almost kiss such as that one, could be shared between friends, right?
It was a miracle if you got to see any one of them for longer than five minutes unless Bradley was picking Sadie up from School. Such as life in the Navy, you thought. That part of their life came first.
Jake had kept the letter from you, which you were semi-grateful for. Your nerves had severely calmed down since not being able to pull that stupid thing out to look at it every time Tyler entered your mind.
“Is it bad I don’t want Sadie to know?” you couldn't help but feel a little shameful for not telling her. But you knew your niece, she would be constantly worried about looking over her shoulder if she did know.
Jake was quick to answer you. “No. She doesn’t need any more on her plate.”
Rooster stood off to the side, leaning against the wall while twirling his thumbs. “How much does she know about Tyler?”
You bit your lip, looking up at Jake. He gave you a soft smile and an encouraging nod. Maybe it was time you told them the full story.
“Enough to know he’s not a good person,” you offered. “When she was born, Ridley and I swore we wouldn’t sugarcoat things with her. And that she wouldn’t go through what we went through.”
Nat placed a hand on your shoulder. “You’ve never really told us about it.”
You shook your head. “It’s not something I like to talk about. It has nothing to do with you guys.”
Bradley shook his head fondly. “That explains why she’s so well-rounded.”
You chuckled softly at his words before starting to cite the story to Nat and Rooster, much like you did with Jake that day on the hike, telling them about you and Ridley's escape from your childhood home and the worst of Tyler.
You couldn't take your eyes off Jake as the details of your past spilled out of you. He offered you a comforting smile or encouraging words when you struggled, reminding you to breathe. And when you finally reached the part about Tyler, Rooster and Nat saw red.
Rooster pushed himself off the wall, ranking his fingers through his hair. “I swear to god, he’s dead if he shows his face around here.”
“Get in line, Bradshaw." Jake's voice was firm. "I called first dibs.”
“Nope, ladies first," Nat pipped up. “Nobody is going after my niece. I get the first punch.”
You didn't know whether they were being serious or not, but their banter was doing wonders to lighten the mood. But then the shrill ringtone of your phone put a stop to their discussion of who would get to beat the shit out of Tyler first almost instantly.
There were times you never really answered the phone when the caller ID came up as unknown. But Sadie was at school, and you knew you couldn't let it go to voicemail for whatever reason. Even if seeing that 'Unknown' across the top of your phone triggered instant panic throughout your body - nothing good ever came from a phone call like this.
Bradley, Nat and Jake all remained silent as they watched you answer the phone.
“Hello?” you asked hesitantly.
“Hello, is this Elizabeth Beck?”
“Speaking?”
“It’s Mrs. Kirkland from Child Protective Services. Are you able to come in on Wednesday at 3:30 for a quick chat?”
You shouldn't have answered the phone. You were nervous as fuck.
“Um.. yes, I can.”
“Great, it shouldn’t take any longer than 15 minutes of your time.”
Your mind was on autopilot, your brain subconsciously offering the words before you could really formulate them. “Sure.”
“Great, we will see you then! Have a good day!”
“You too,” your voice quiet, though the click on the other end of the line told you the reply wasn’t needed. Dropping your phone into your lap, you hugged your chest.
“Liz?” Jake asked, sitting up in his chair and leaning forward. Nat turned to face you on the couch. “Is everything alright?”
“Um... that was CPS. I need to go in again,” you sniffed, pushing a piece of hair behind your ear. “On Wednesday at 3:30.”
“It’s probably the review,” Bradley pipped up. Jake glared at him, hoping he would take the hint and shut up.
“Shit, I have work. I have to close that night,” you realized. "I need someone to pick up Sadie from school and drive her to Penny's. Amelia has her car that day."
You immediately faced Rooster, a hopeful look on your face. Bradley grimaced, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Liz. I’m going up with Mav to the research camp the day before to help with a test flight.”
Your mind instantly went to Lyssa next, but she couldn't do it either. Will had a hockey game. And you knew Penny would instantly try to find a way to take your shift off your hands if she knew, but you didn't want to take advantage of her kindness. She already did enough for you.
Natasha was about to open her mouth when suddenly Jake pipped up next to you. “I can do it.”
You stared at him, shocked. "You wanna pick Sadie up from school? Are you sure?"
He nodded. "I don't mind. I'm not doing anything else, and I wouldn't mind spending some time with her."
Your face softened, but you cautiously eyed Rooster, preparing for a snide remark or another red-faced tomato moment in protest. Instead, you were surprised Bradley was looking at Jake almost appreciatively? Nat, however, was looking at Jake suspiciously.
"I'll call the school Wednesday then to let them know. And if you find Lyssa, Sadie will know where to go to find you," you told him.
Rooster walked over to Jake to stand in front of him, a funny look on his face. "And the one rule..."
“Don’t flirt with Courtney Slack," he was quick to reply. "I know."
It surprised you, Jake remembering such a small detail, even if you almost killed Rooster over it. However, you wouldn't blame Jake if he did. Jake was flirty by nature, and you were nothing like her.
“Besides, how hard could it be?”
Rooster chuckled, dropping his head before slapping Jake on the back with a shit-eating grin.
“Dude, you have no idea what you just agreed to.”
___
The morning of your visit with CPS, you made sure to call the school to let them know Jake would be picking Sadie up. Thankfully, when you explained the Tyler issue, they hadn’t swept up your concerns under the rug. Sadie’s file had the names of everyone who could call or pick her up, the list probably longer than most kids at that school, now even longer with the addition of Jake.
On the nights you would close the Hard Deck, Penny would have Sadie sleep over at hers. As much as you appreciated the support, you had a feeling it was more for Penny's benefit than yours. She adored Sadie, and you often wondered if she was missing when Amelia was her age.
So here you were, dropping off Sadie's bag before starting the painstaking journey to the CPS building.
“You know, I could have covered your shift,” Penny said as she took Sadie's overnight bag from you. You shook your head, crossing your arms as you leaned up against the side of her house.
“You already take enough of my shifts. Besides, it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway. Somebody would still need to pick up Sadie.”
Penny raised her eyebrow.
“So Hangman volunteered to pick her up?” she asked, copying you by resting up against her door frame. She was examining you, seeing if, at any point, you’d fess up to something shouldn’t have done. You very much felt like a child being called out by their mother, but you weren’t sure why.
“Yeah, Sadie named him as an uncle, so he wanted to spend some time with her.”
“Oh,” she said, shoving her hands into her pockets. “So his has nothing to do with what happened on New Year’s Eve?”
You stiffened. Shit.
You should have known Penny would have seen you, seen what had happened. Nothing happened in the Hard Deck that she didn’t know about. You had hardly accepted it had happened, and you certainly didn't want to be having this conversation with her.
“Penny..” you said meekly, staring at her wide-eyed.
“Do I need to throw him out of the bar?”
“What?" you admonished. "No, absolutely not.”
“And here I thought you wouldn't give into him!"
“Penny, stop. Jake’s not that bad.”
"And now you're going to leave me!" she cried out. "You were my best, and he got to you!"
"Penny," you started to laugh. "I'm not leaving you. Nothing happened."
"Really?" she threw her hands up. "What do you call what happened that night then?!"
You crossed your arms, head turning to frown at her flower garden.
"I don't know," It came out sadder than you intended, your voice wavering as you tried to make sense of it all. "I told myself when I met him for the first time that I wouldn't get involved. Then Sadie.." you sniffed, wiping at your face.
"I think I like him," you admitted. "But I'm so fucking confused. And I don't want to disappoint you."
Penny suddenly looked sullen, realizing as you spoke to her that maybe she took this a little too far. She reached up and placed a hand on your shoulder before moving to your face.
"I'm sorry, Liz," she pressed the palm of her hand to your cheek. "I don't want you to feel as if you cannot come to me with these things."
You shuttered a breath, and Penny stroked a piece of your hair back behind your ear, reminding you of how you would do that with Sadie.
"It's just... you've never had a boyfriend," she chuckled softly. "I don't want you to get your heart broken."
Your laugh came out of nowhere. "I'm too much of a worry-wart to have a romantic relationship."
Penny smiled softly. "No, I think you care too much."
She pulled you into a hug, her head resting on your shoulder. "If Jake is serious about you, I won't stand in your way."
You shook your head, pulling back to smile at her. "Thanks, Penny, but I think he just wants to be my friend, which is totally fine. I just need to get over whatever this is."
Penny frowned at you but didn't press you further. She walked you to your car, hugging you goodbye and wishing you luck with the meeting. After you climbed into your car, she placed her elbows down on the open window of your car.
“Can I at least drag him for it?”
You thought about it for a second. You knew what she was doing. Starting your car, you put on your sunglasses and turned to face Penny, calling out your window, “Don’t leave him squirming for too long.”
___
Jake knew he was attractive. He often used it to his advantage to get what he wanted, enjoying the looks he'd get walking into a random place or when he was out on the street.
But the predatory glances he was receiving on a black top full of married middle-aged women?
It just freaked him out.
Maybe he would have thought differently once upon a time. But he also knew how catty women could be - if the way they were covering their mouths and leaving over to gossip to one another as he walked by meant anything. The minute Sadie found him, he knew your name would be whispered around like it was a dirty secret in some sorority magazine.
He found Lyssa where you said she'd be, leaning up against the wall near the basketball hoops. She waved him over, a smile on her face.
"Enjoying all the attention?" she said, greeting him.
"Have these women never seen a man before, or am I going to cause a riot?
"You're fine," she shrugged. "Just watch out for Ursula."
"Ursula?" Jake asked. Lyssa grinned, realizing he didn't know. "Will and Sadie call Courtney Slack Ursula ever since what happened with Rooster."
"Why do they call her Ursula?"
Lyssa only laughed, offering a vague, "You'll see."
Jake suddenly found himself not wanting to find out. Hoping Sadie would hurry up, he kept his eyes glued to the door, waiting for her to emerge. Sure enough, a bright green backpack caught his eye a few minutes later as one of Sadie’s teachers walked beside her.
He spied her, turning around and searching the crowd until her eyes finally landed on him.
“Uncle Jake!” It was a loud scream, Sadie’s joy infectious as she started to sprint from the front door and away from her teacher. Jake shot the person a wave, the teacher returning it before heading back inside.
If Jake wasn’t as fit as he was, he was pretty sure Sadie would have knocked him over with how heavily she flung herself into him, arms and legs completely wrapping themselves around his body. It took him a second to recover, but he returned her hug, laughter shaking his body as he asked, “How was school, Bug?”
“Boring,” she called out dramatically, sliding down to the ground before glancing up at him hopefully. “Can we go for a drive?”
“I have to get you to Penny’s.”
“Text Aunt Liz. She won’t mind.”
Jake was about to open his mouth to reply before a shrill feminine voice caused him to stop.
“Well, Hello there. I thought I would come over and introduce myself.”
Oh no, Sadie thought upon hearing that voice— the Wicked Sea Witch.
She turned on her heel, staring up at Rebecca’s mom. And she had her sights set on her Uncle Jake.
Nope, this would not happen. She had already ensnared one Uncle, and Uncle Jake wouldn’t fall under her spell if she had anything to do with it.
"I'm Courtney Slack. Which one of Sadie's uncles are you?" she attempted to flirt, sending Jake a doe-eyed look.
Eyeing Mrs. Slack carefully, Sadie went to stand in front of Jake, subconsciously puffing out her chest.
She felt her uncle Jake place a hand on her shoulder. Sadie tilted her head back to look up at him from upside down. He gave her a knowing look, raising his eyebrows at her.
Sadie prided herself on being able to read people's faces. And if she was reading this right, and she was always right, her Uncle Jake was telling her to play along. She was going to but couldn’t keep the chant from her head.
Please don’t be like Uncle Roo. Please don’t be like Uncle Roo.
She watched as her uncle Jake squared up the witch, a fake smile on his face as he said, "Oh, I'm Elizabeth's boyfriend."
Sadie tried as hard as she could not laugh, biting her lip hard to keep herself quiet.
Definitely not like Uncle Roo.
The flirty grin on Courtney's face dropped. "Oh, she never mentioned she was seeing anybody."
Reaching up to squeeze her uncle's hand on her shoulder, Sadie felt him squeeze it back.
“Didn’t know she had to,” he replied shortly, sending Courtney nothing but a scathing glare. “But now I can see why she didn’t.”
“I can’t imagine where she found you,” she tried again, another attempt at a seductive tone. “Elizabeth never seems to want to join our little meetings.”
"Not wherever you got your hair done, that's for sure."
Sadie caught herself in a sort, watching Courtney's face turn red. Sensing sea water was about to blow out of her nose, she wanted to get as far away from Rebecca's mom as she could.
“Come on, Uncle Jake,” she said, grabbing his hand and tugging it as she leaned back. The sooner they both got out of there, the sooner her uncle would be safe from the crazy sea witch. Whatever spell she had cast on her Uncle Roo hadn’t worked with Uncle Jake, and she didn’t want to see what else she had up her sleeve.
“Duty calls!” he shrugged at her. “It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Flack… I mean Slack!”
Lyssa snickered as Jake and Sadie left, watching Jake peel Sadie’s backpack from her shoulders to sling around his. Looking at Courtney, she could see the gears turning in her head.
“Sorry, Slack. Looks like that one’s taken.”
Courtney turned to face Lyssa, her face red. “Your seriously telling me Elizabeth Beck bagged him?”
"Bagged him, captivated him, charmed him, take your pick."
"But she's so.."
"What? Not like you?" Lyssa snarked. "Thank god for that."
Courtney spluttered, her words coming out in a jumbled mess of how dare Lyssa say such a thing about her and that anyone, let alone a naval officer, would be grateful to be with her.
Lyssa just shrugged, reaching out to take Will's hand before walking off. If anyone saw her throw her middle finger over her head, she'd never admit to it.
The second Jake and Sadie had made it to his truck, the both of them stared at each other. Sadie squinted her eyebrows, and Jake held his breath. It only took three seconds before the pair of them started to lose it, laughing over what had happened. Sadie’s high-pitched giggles mixed in with the occasional snort from Jake.
“Is she always that bad?”
“Worse,” Sadie replied. “She usually seeks out Uncle Roo. He forgets I’m there for a second.”
That sobered Jake's laughter, a frown now etched across his face. “You don’t have to worry about that with me.”
“No?” she asked him, her eyes wide and innocent.
Jake shook his head. “We can look out for each other when I do. I need a wingman to deal with Ursula."
Sadie’s eyes lit up. She knew she wasn’t the only one who noticed it. “She’s totally a sea witch, right?!”
"I think it's the hair. Maybe that's where she hides her tentacles."
Sadie squealed out in another fit of laughter. She knew her Uncle Jake wouldn't treat her like that. As her laughter died down, Sadie marched to the back passenger seat of Jake's truck, all the while saying, "Come on! We need to go for that drive."
Jake shook his head and came around to help her get up into the seat, carefully shutting the door behind her. But coming around to the back of his truck, he stopped realizing he needed to message you, knowing with everything going on, how important it was for you to know Sadie was with somebody safe as soon as possible.
Pulling out his phone, he sent you a text.
I have her. She wants to go for a drive.
You texted back within a few seconds.
Good luck.
And then...
She wants to talk to you.
Seeing your message, Jake suddenly understood what Bradley was talking about. It wasn’t Slack he should have worried about.
“You coming?” Sadie called out impatiently through the open window at the back of the truck. She had stuff she needed to talk to her Uncle Jake about and couldn't do it here.
“Just sending a text to your aunt,” he called back before glancing at Sadie through the window, realizing Rooster was right.
He really didn’t know what he was getting himself into.
___
When Sadie asked to go on a drive, Jake didn’t really know where else to take her other than the lookout. It was a spot he found a few weeks after the uranium mission when he learned the team would be staying together. It was off on some random stretch of road that overlooked the ocean, the small parking lot randomly appearing after some twist in the road.
He'd come here when he needed an escape or to be alone. And if you were right, it would be the perfect place for Sadie to talk with him.
Jake backed his truck into a parking spot that overlooked the ocean. Helping Sadie out of the truck with a hand, he proceeded to flip the door on the back of his truck bed down.
Sadie instantly caught on, trying to climb up but failing miserably to bring her body onto the door. She shamefully turned to Jake, a quiet peal for help on her face. Jake said nothing, pulling her up before sitting beside her, legs dangling over the side.
The two sat silently for a while, Jake listening to the waves crash up against the shore, waiting for Sadie to feel comfortable enough to say what she wanted to tell him.
It was a few minutes before he heard her ask, "Do you like my aunt?"
Jake watched Sadie play with the end of a piece of thread hanging off her jeans before answering, "Yes, what isn't there to like about your aunt?"
“No, but do you like, like her?”
Give it to Sadie, to be blunt. Jake carefully thought about what he could say back to her.
"You mean as in.." he trailed off, hoping it would prompt Sadie to speak further. But she didn't. Instead, she turned her head away so Jake couldn't see her face.
And then he knew.
"Is that why you sent me that photo of her?"
Sadie blushed, dropping her chin to her chest. "Please don't tell her I did that."
Jake tried to keep his voice level as he answered, "If you don't want me to."
“It's just..." she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "She needs somebody in her life to remind her she’s worth it.”
Jake nudged her. “Aren’t you that person?”
Sadie pondered Jake's question, squinting her eyebrows together as if she had to really think about her answer.
"It's different with me," She shrugged. "She's my aunt. I can only do so much."
"So you think I'm that person?" he asked her.
Sadie raked her eyes up and down Jake's body. “You wouldn’t be the worst choice.”
"Thanks, Bug," he said sarcastically. But Sadie's next words were like a cold rush of water over his body when she finally spoke up after a few seconds.
"But you make her happy. And she hasn't really been happy since Mom passed away. She's never even had a boyfriend."
Despite Sadie's admission, he gave her a soft smile. "You know that's not true. She's happy when she's around you."
"Yeah," she looked down at her hands. "But she's scared she's going to do the wrong thing. I just wish she'd know it's okay for her to ... not be so strong around me. Maybe she would stop worrying about everything if she had someone who cares about her like that."
Jake wrapped an arm around Sadie's shoulders, bringing her tight to his side. "You know that's because she loves you. As well all do."
Sadie sagged most of her weight into Jake at his words. "Thank you, Uncle Jake."
"So," she said after a while, picking at the frayed fabric of her jeans. "If you did want to be that person, I'm okay with it."
Jake couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, Bug."
"Besides," She smiled to herself. " If you mess up, I'm coming for you."
As if he didn't already know that.
---
Penny was waiting for the pair of them on her front step when Jake pulled into her driveway. He called after her to be careful when she jumped out of the truck before he had even stopped, Sadie sprinting to jump into her Aunt's arms. Jake shook his head, reaching over the seat to grab her backpack before getting out and walking up to her front step.
“What do we say to Uncle Jake, Bug?”
Sadie peeled herself out of Penny's arms, stepping down the few steps to give him a hug. She dramatically said in a sing-song voice, “Thank you, Uncle Jake.”
Leaning over, Jake returned her hug. But Sadie went up on her tiptoes, pulling Jake down and whispering, “Think about what I said.”
She happily hopped back to Penny, wrapping an arm around her waist. She ruffled Sadie’s head before asking, “Why don’t you head on inside? Fresh cookies are on the table, and your aunt dropped off your bag earlier.”
Sadie frowned. Adults had funny ways of getting rid of her. And her Aunt Penny knew chocolate was one of her weaknesses. Still, she needed to know why she needed to shove out.
"I need to have a talk with your Uncle," Penny offered when she didn't move.
“Talk or have a discussion?” she pressed.
Penny shook her head, placing a hand on her back and lightly pushed her towards the door, where she stumbled into the hallway. “Get in there, you insect.”
“It’s Bug!” she shouted, already dead set on finding those cookies. Whatever her Aunt Penny had to say to Uncle Jake, she made her point earlier. There was chocolate up for grabs.
Jake faced Penny with a smirk on his face, thinking she wanted to ask about Sadie.
“So, New Year's Eve,” she started, a healthy pause before she spoke again. “Do I need to ban you permanently from the Bar?”
The smirk dropped.
"Penny..."
“I told you!” She shoved her finger into his chest angrily. “She was off limits! Not her, Hangman!”
Jake held his hands up. "Nothing happened!"
"Really? So what was that kiss? Cause I see everything in my bar."
"It wasn't really a kiss?" he recalled, shrugging his shoulders. Penny reached up and smacked him on the back of his head. Jake winced, a hand coming to rub at the spot.
"What are you doing with her, Jake?" Penny sighed. "She's not some girl you can mess around with for a night and go on as if nothing happened."
"You don't think I know that?" he snapped. Penny was slightly taken aback by his words.
"Liz is..." he started, pausing to understand exactly what he was feeling. He raked his fingers through his hair, turning in a circle before facing Penny once more. "She's never once treated me as if I was undeserving of something. That I didn't have to earn a place in her life. Or Sadie's."
He was breathing hard. Harsh pants that racked his chest as if he had pulled harsh G's in an F-18.
"And she's not afraid to put me in my place if I'm out of line. She doesn't expect anything from me either. She simply just wants time."
Feeling overwhelmed, Jake took a moment to take a deep breath. He knew he was rambling to Penny, but he was past the point of stopping. "And I don't know if I can give it to her."
There were a few moments on that last deployment where he thought he wasn't going to make it back. And the time away changed his priorities. Somehow, you and Sadie became the reason he stopped thinking about the inevitable moment he would burn in and, instead, the reason why he needed to stay alive.
Jake flew like he had nothing to lose. But now? He had everything to lose.
"She's... she's a possibility of someday," he breathed out. "And if I cannot be in her life, in Sadie's life, I don't know what I'll do."
Penny took a moment to take in Jake's words before replying, "You care about her, don't you? The both of them."
Jake gawked up at Penny as if she had just dealt him a fatal blow, as if he didn't just spit his heart out to her. He knew she wasn't really asking. Rather, she was confirming what he could never voice out loud.
So he found himself absentmindedly nodding along to Penny's statement. "The both of them."
"Are you serious about this, Jake?" It was rare for Penny to call him by anything other than his call sign. “Cause I’ll tell you, Liz has never had a boyfriend in the time that I've known her. And I've known her while.”
"I know. I think I just got some ten-year-old version of a shovel talk from Sadie."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Sadie gave you a shovel talk?"
"Of a sort."
Penny glanced back at the house with a smile before taking a look at Jake one last time before making her way up to her front door. Taking it as a sign that Penny wouldn't ban or rat him out any longer, he returned to his truck.
Though he wouldn't be surprised if she did ban him, or worse, set Mav on him for good measure during a dog fight.
Jake gripped the handle of his truck, about to step up onto the ledge after opening the door, when he heard Penny’s voice call after him. He turned around to see her grinning at him from her doorway.
“She’s closing by herself tonight," a knowing smile across her face. "Could you make sure she get’s home alright?”
___
Closing the Hard Deck late at night used to freak you out.
The hours after midnight, when it was just the wind, the waves, and the night sky, only added to your fear something was lurking outside or in the water. It was much like a kid's reaction when waking up in the middle of the night, the dark shapes of objects in the room making it feel like somebody, or something, was with them in their room watching.
That was until you realized you could play the Jukebox as loud as you wanted.
You had locked the front door to the Hard Deck a little over a half hour ago. It had been such a quiet night you found yourself doing the random odd tasks that never seemed to get done. Deep cleaning the sinks, cleaning out the fridges, and making new labels for the working stations around the bar.
That also included the now regretful decision of mopping the floors, considering you would now get out of here much later than you intended. But you weren't as upset with yourself as you should have been.
Music always had a way of calming you down. It was a habit you always seemed to have growing up. If you hurt yourself or you were upset, you'd retreat to a world full of beats and lyrics. Though, looking back on photos of yourself as a child, chunky earphones almost always on your head, you started to get it. It was evident Ridley was, in a way, protecting you from the worst of your father.
Which was how you found yourself swaying back and forth, eyes closed as you brought the mop across the floor, moving along and getting lost in the music. The Hard Deck was your safe haven, and moments like this allowed you to forget everything else going on in your life.
Anticipating a swell in the music, you smiled to yourself, your eyes still closed as you spun on your heel. But something pulled the mop from your hand, and a shrill gasp escaped your lips when your back hit a firm chest, a hand now gripping your wrist softly.
“You really need to lock that back door.”
Jake spun you out under his arm, pulling you back to him so he could see your face. You shuttered out a laugh.
“Jesus, Jake. Don’t do that!”
He chuckled under his breath. "Hi, darlin'."
"Sadie made it out okay?" you asked as he placed a hand on your waist. He pulled you to the side, his hand sliding up to thread his fingers through yours, as he replied, "Safe and sound at Penny's."
You follow your arm to observe Jake's hand in yours, then peering up at him curiously, "What are you doing?"
"Slow dancing."
"No, what are you doing here?" you tired again. "It's past midnight."
"Penny said you were going to be by yourself. I wanted to make sure you made it out okay."
"I've closed by myself before, Jake."
For a split second, you thought he was fixated on your lips. But you didn't have a chance to confirm it as Jake spun you once again.
"That was before I came along." He said, pulling you back to him. "My ma would kill me if she knew I left you alone."
"Jake, I'm perfectly capable of ..." you didn't get to finish your sentence. Jake spun you once again before dipping you backwards rather dramatically. Giggling as he brought you up, his arms wrapped themselves around your waist, pulling you into his chest.
Taking the moment to ground yourself, you slid your hands around his back, your hands resting between his shoulder blades. Feeling dizzy, you pressed the side of your cheek into Jake's chest, letting him gently sway you back and forth as the song played from the Jukebox.
You were sure minutes could have passed, but it was only mere seconds. You felt safe in Jake's arms, content to let him hold you, to press you into his body. He was fitting so perfectly into the moment you had created for yourself where the world outside didn't exist, and it was just the two of you here, listening to music.
But the lines for you were still blurred, and the urge to ask him about New Year's Eve was still there. You felt it on the tip of your tongue, ready to come forth and burst this little bubble of joy you were taking for yourself.
“The results of the review came in,” you said instead, chickening out at the last second. Jake stopped swaying the both of you, his hands on your hip tightening as he leaned back to focus on your face.
“And?”
You remain silent.
“Liz?” he questioned you, eyes becoming slightly frantic. You dropped your chin to your chest, hands slightly gripping Jake’s bicep and shoulder tighter.
“Elizabeth, what happened?!”
You lifted your head, a wide grin spreading across your face. “There was nothing wrong. At least with the paperwork. It’s ironclad.”
He blinked. “Sadie’s staying?”
“Well, till she’s 18 or goes off to school or breaks my heart when she gets together with Will,” you shrugged.
Jake surged forward, his arms wrapping around your waist, pulling you up. He buried his face in your stomach, muffled shouts of ‘yes!’ making you laugh harder. Your nose grazed his hair, smelling his Moroccan shampoo as you tried to avoid hitting the ceiling.
"Jake! Put me down!" you laughed as he twirled you around in a circle.
"Hey," he said, setting you down. "Our girl deserves the best. Somebody needs to give him the shovel talk.”
Our girl.
You smiled softly at his protectiveness for Sadie. “He’s eleven, Jake.”
“Then he’ll think twice before making a move on her.”
"She's going to be dating eventually."
"Hey, I'm taking my newly appointed Uncle duties very seriously."
You pressed your forehead into his chest, soft chuckles shaking your body. Jake placed a hand on the back of your neck, the other resuming its place on your waist, as he resumed swaying you back and forth along the Hard Deck Floor.
Even with all the shit that happened - with everything you figured was still yet to happen - being here with Jake felt like nothing else mattered. The discussion about whatever happened on New Year’s Eve could wait. You didn’t want to risk ruining this bubble over both of you.
And even if you never brought it up, that would be okay too. What you had here with Jake, swaying in the middle of the night at the Hard Deck, was enough.
Jake was your friend who helped you through a stressful time.
It had to be enough.
He waited until you finished closing up to leave with you, watching you from a bar stool with a happy smile. After you shut off the lights, Jake followed you to the front door, stepping out first to look into the parking lot before holding it open.
You spied his truck and another car you weren’t familiar with but weren’t surprised. Surfers often stayed on the beach, in all seasons or weather, to catch those first morning waves. Penny not having an overnight parking rule made the Hard Deck a prim parking spot.
Though it was a bit early for the surfers to start pulling their parking lot sleepovers.
Locking the door, you felt Jake’s hand on your lower back. “Can I walk you to your car?”
You met his eyes. “I walked here.”
A pause. “Can I drive you home?”
“It’s five minutes, Jake.”
“It’s on my way,” he replied, holding out his hand for you.
You made a show about answering him. But honestly, you really didn’t need to think about it.
“Alright,” you said, placing your hand into his. “I’ll let you drive me home.”
Any more time you could spend with him was just a bonus.
You guys might not have to wait long for the next part 👀 With the threat of pitchforks still looming, I might have written part nine before part eight.
📜 Have fun with this one! We got reunions! We got tension! We got some heat packing 👀
P.S..... Don't kill me for the ending.
❗ 18+, strong language, godmother reader/original female character, original child, sexual themes, mentions of violence/threats
#5.9K words
Part 6 | Masterlist | Part 8
This wasn’t the first time you worked New Year's Eve, but it was the first time you were staying past midnight.
Penny always had a rule. If you didn’t work Christmas Eve, you worked New Year's Eve. You always found it fair, though you never drew the short end of the stick when you worked for her during school.
New Year at the Hard Deck was always fun. The students in the Top Gun program would be the rowdiest, whether it permitted them to let loose or enjoy the holiday. And the locals loved it here.
Penny would decorate the bar, banners strung from the ceiling and balloons on random chairs. She’d leave the Christmas lights up to make it look festive, and she always splurged on confetti canisters for when the clock struck midnight.
And the best thing? The harbour across the water from the Hard Deck would put on a fireworks display, the best view being from the back deck—where Sadie, Will and Alyssa were currently settled in.
When Alyssa learned Sadie would tag along with you tonight, she took pity on her. She decided to forgo her New Year's Eve plans of sitting at home, watching the Ball Drop with Will, to spend it with the pair of you. Penny had graciously set up the Adirondack chairs and a small heater for the three of them as they waited for the display you knew was the only reason Sadie agreed to come.
The bar hadn’t become as busy yet as you expected, but the anxiety for the rush tonight was driving you mad. Penny had run out to do a last-minute errand, leaving you and Jimmy to cover any early customers. You found yourself double-checking and triple-checking the inventory, leaning down occasionally to make sure the bottles of sanitizer were full in the bottom cupboard, despite having just filled them.
And that stupid keg with the loose nozzle was still causing issues.
“Come on, you stupid, goddamn thing!” Huffing in frustration, you kicked it, knowing it wouldn’t solve anything. “Why do you have to do this to me? On today of all days.”
“What did that Keg do to a beautiful woman like you?”
You froze.
Turning around, you couldn't believe your eyes. There was Jake, just like the day you met him, leaning up against the bar with the same cocky Mona Lisa grin, taking in your reaction to his sudden appearance.
“Jake!” you almost squealed, quickly making a run for the opening of the bar. Jake laughed wholeheartedly as you slid coming around the corner, hand whipping out to balance yourself before throwing yourself into him.
Jake bracketed his arms against your back the second you leaped, pulling you further up and into him tightly, your legs swaying as you continued to laugh happily.
“When did you get back?” you managed to ask through your laughter.
“Late this morning,” he chuckled into your shoulder. You didn’t want to let him go. He was here. He was back. And suddenly, the mystery ache in your chest from his absence was disappearing with each second he held you.
“Where are the others? Are they here?”
“Not yet,” he said, putting you down but not letting you go, hands travelling to your waist. “On their way, I might have snuck out early.”
“Jake, please tell me you're not going to get into trouble.”
“Nah, I just got my report done before everyone else.”
You unwound your arms from behind his neck, your hands sliding down, slowly coming to rest on his chest. Peering up at Jake, you couldn't help the gentle smile.
"Hi."
He returned your grin before looking down at your mouth, murmuringly lowly, “Hi, darlin’.”
“You want to see her?” you asked happily. Jake's stare lasted a few seconds before a soft smile stretched across his face, and he nodded. “She’s here?”
You couldn’t help your glee. Sadie was going to be so excited.
“Jimmy!” you shouted, turning in Jake’s arms. “Can you handle the bar for five minutes? Somebody needs to say hi to Sadie!”
The door to the kitchen swung open, and Jimmy walked out to smile at the sight of Jake standing next to you.
"Ah, Hangman! Welcome back!" he exclaimed, reaching out his hand. Jake gripped his forearm, his grin wide as he greeted him back. “Jimmy, it's good to see you.”
“Everyone made it back, okay?”
“Just by the skin of our teeth.” He joked. Something made you uneasy about how nonchalantly Jake spoke, whether he was serious or not. You knew you couldn't really ask what happened while they were deployed, but that didn't mean you weren't concerned for their well-being.
“Go say hi to our girl. I can take care of it,” he winked at the both of you.
Jake held your hand as you led him out to the back deck, coming to stop just before the doors. You turned to him, pressing a finger to your mouth, telling him to be quiet and to remain hidden.
When you stepped outside, Sadie and Will were deep in a conversation, Alyssa with her nose buried in her phone. She looked happy, you thought, a different comparison to Christmas day. While she seemed to have a good time, the traditions that she and Ridley had that you tried to keep up only made her sad. And you couldn’t help but shed a few tears when she admitted she thought she could be making new traditions with everyone else while opening her gifts, staring at the ones she left under the tree for her aunts and uncles.
“Bug!” you called out to her.
She turned her head mid-conversation, and you resisted the urge to laugh, her entire body, minus her head, encased by the big fluffy blanket she had brought with her.
“There’s somebody here to see you!” you called out to her, barely containing your excitement.
Sadie leaned forward in her chair, thinking somebody might be behind you before looking to the door with a curious gaze. You motioned for Jake to leave his hiding spot. He took a gigantic step, placing himself in her line of sight and out of from behind the door frame, his voice loud as he said, “I heard somebody missed me?”
It took Sadie all but three seconds to gasp.
“Uncle Jake!” she shrieked, blanket floating behind her as she practically flew out of her chair. Sadie slammed herself into his legs, gripping him tight as the first bouts of happy tears started to make themselves known. Jake did a double take, registering what Sadie had called him, a new weight settling in his chest.
Sadie wanted him in her life. She wanted to have him as one of her honorary uncles. A slow smile spread across his face at the thought. He leaned down to peel her off his legs, picking her up and spinning her in a circle while laughing with her.
“Wait, does that mean Auntie Nat and Uncle Roo are back? Uncle Bob?” she asked as he came to a stop, putting her down.
“Coyote, Payback and Fanboy, too,” he nodded, kneeling beside her, his hand coming up to wipe at one of the tear tracks on her face. You never saw her smile as big as she did then, dimples on full display as she tilted her head back towards the sky, shooting her arms up in joy, before going to hug Jake once more.
You weren’t surprised Sadie didn’t want to let him go - her hand was small in comparison as it rested against his wide shoulder. But it seemed like he didn’t mind, looking at you with a smirk every so often as Sadie filled him in on what he missed before looking back to her with interest. He latched on to the warplane museum story, asking her about all the different planes she saw; Sadie happily named off the ones she remembered.
Alssya came to stand beside you, bumping your hip with hers as she watched the pair interact with each other.
“Whose this hunk?” she asked, making googly eyes at Jake. “Is there something you're not telling me?”
“What, Jake? He’s just a friend.”
She scoffed. “Yeah, friends.”
“Lyssa, don’t. He doesn’t really have anyone else. And Sadie adores him.”
Alyssa stared at you, really stared at you, before shaking her head. She leaned down next to your ear as she returned to her seat.
“Just friends don’t look at each other like that.”
____
You got another break when Penny returned from her supposed errand, though it was more like a 'supposed reunion' with a certain Captain. Bob, Fanboy and Payback had followed her in not long after. Sadie booked it from sitting on Jake’s knee, crashing into them while crying and hugging them.
Then shortly after, Rooster, Phoenix and Coyote arrived. Rooster hung back as Nat swept Sadie up in a full-bodied hug, Coyote also picking her up, much like Jake did and swung her in a circle. But last to the approach was Rooster, Sadie turning to spy him nervously, smiling at her as he held out his arms. Sadie stood stock still, tears welling in her eyes and her face becoming red as she held out her arms in front of her, racing to Bradley as he knelt down, pulling her into his arms.
Out of all the people she welcomed home tonight, Rooster’s welcome made her cry the hardest.
The night progressed. You noticed Jake and Coyote playing a game of pool from behind the bar. Sadie had spent, and was still spending, a good chunk of time curled up in Nat's lap, retelling her the stories of what she missed while coming down from her crying spree. Bob was with them, sitting next to Sadie while striking up a conversation with Alyssa. Fanboy and Payback had left after saying hi, explaining they already had plans to go back home for the rest of the holidays.
And Rooster found his perch, sitting at the piano taking requests.
Your found family was back. And you couldn’t have been happier.
You were saying goodbye to a customer when Coyote approached the bar, smiling as he ordered more drinks for himself and Jake.
"How was she?" he asked as you reached down to get two beer bottles. "While we were gone?"
“She was miserable. Worrying about you guys every day,” you answered, taking each bottle to the opener fixed to the door. “The video chats really helped. I’m sorry I couldn’t speak with all of you guys. Cyclone made me choose.”
Coyote shook his head, chuckling to himself. “It’s okay, Liz. We knew you were thinking about us.”
"How was everyone else?" you placed the beers down on the counter. Javy turned, looking out at the rest of the squad.
"Missing home,” he said while looking at Jake.
___
Penny finally came to relieve you again a half hour before midnight.
You found a quiet booth no one had touched yet, sliding all the way to the back to put your legs up on the bench, sighing in relief when the pressure came off your ankles. You tilted your head back against the wall and closed your eyes. You finally felt like you could breathe and take a moment for yourself.
Till you felt a hand on your bottom ankle, lifting up your legs so somebody could slide underneath them.
“Whoever that is, you have five seconds before I kick you off this bench.”
“And here I thought you missed me?” Jake replied back amusedly, hand resting on your calf. You kept your eyes closed, though you smiled fondly.
“I’ll still kick you off this bench. This is the first time I’ve sat down in hours.”
"Nope, I don't think so." He said, pulling your legs forward and trapping them in his hold as your butt slid forward on the slippery wood. You let out a startled laugh, your hand whipping out to grasp the table to prevent the back of your head from connecting with the wall.
"Hey, watch it!" You called out, laughing with him as he dramatically held your legs closer. That was until he caught you staring off into the distance, eyes unfocused, once he noticed your laughter dying down.
“What’s wrong?”
You jolted. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. Just tried."
He didn't buy it. “I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me what’s wrong.”
He could read you so well, you thought. You weren’t fine. Ever since finding the letter, you were on edge, looking over your shoulder in parking lots and grocery stores, making sure you were never late to pick up Sadie from something. Or if Penny or Alyssa did, you’d stress making sure they let you know when they had her.
It was only a piece of paper. And yet, it was burning a hole in your pocket.
Sighing, you slid your legs off Jake’s lap, using the momentum to sit next to him and pull Tyler’s letter out of your back pocket. It had been folded over so many times from you looking at it that the page was starting to crease.
“Take a look at this. I found it in Ridley’s stuff.”
You held it out to Jake. You couldn’t help but leer at his hands, prominent veins moving while long fingers worked to unfold the piece of paper. You watched his eyes scan the page, eyes tracking over the words until they paused at the bottom. You knew the exact moment he realized, his body becoming stiff and tense sitting next to you.
“That fucker.”
You gulped. Jake turned to face you, harshly throwing the letter down to the table. “Do you think he’s the one who put the review in?”
You shook your head. “I don’t think he can.”
“Liz, he was threatening her." His words made you drop your head to the table. Your voice was muffled as you replied sadly, “And Sadie.”
The contents of that letter scared you more each and every time you looked at it. Tyler had written inquiring after Sadie, demanding your sister return her to him or else. There was no legality in what he was requesting, Tyler having signed his rights over. And after witnessing what he did to your sister, there was never a hells chance you'd let him get close to her.
You’d sooner die than let her suffer at his hands.
It was a quiet cry on your lips when threading your fingers through the roots of your hair, you admitted, "I'm so scared, Jake."
“Did you take this to the police?”
“What good would that do?” you cried out, pulling your head back up. “They’ll probably tell me there’s nothing they can do without evidence he’s actually been in contact with me. That letter is how many months old, Jake.”
You picked it up, playing with one of the edges, bending it back and forth.
“I keep looking over my shoulder. Worrying about Sadie while she’s at school. That he's going to do something,” you sniffed, pressing the heel of your hand into your eye before letting the letter fall once again to the table.
"Elizabeth."
You turned to face Jake upon hearing your name. He looked furious, his jaw firm and a vein on his forehead protruding angrily. "I'm not going to let that happen. He'd be flat on his ass in two seconds before he got that close to Sadie," he spoke harshly before his face relaxed slightly. "Or you."
"I can't ask you to do that. You're not getting in trouble for us."
"Too fucking bad."
Feeling overwhelmed, you pressed your forehead into the side of Jake’s shoulder, taking the opportunity to try to compose yourself before turning to rest it against his shoulder. Jake turned his head, pressing his lips to the top of yours, murmuring into your hair, “I won’t let anything happen to her.”
You leaned back, looking up at Jake thankfully. However, you were suddenly confused by the look of determination on his face.
Liz," he said softly. "There's something I need to tell you."
You straightened a little, placing your hand on top of his resting on the table. You couldn't hide the concern from your voice when you replied, "Of course, Jake. What's wrong?"
Jake took a deep breath, turning his hand over on the table to grasp yours. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he noticed the worry in your eyes.
Unfortunately, in that hesitation, it took almost two seconds for Bradley to slide into the booth opposite, a permanent scowl on his face as he immediately remarked, “And what do we have going on here?”
“Hi, Rooster,” you said, turning to him while attempting to force a smile on your face, letting Jake's hand go to place it under the table.
“You two seem pretty close. Something you want to share?”
The heat in his voice caused a bundle of nerves to form in your stomach. You knew what it looked like, you and Jake being this close to each other. You hadn’t really told him about Sadie, and you knew any attempt to tell him now would only result in complete denial, to cover up whatever he thought he knew.
You picked up the letter on the table before looking up at Jake.
"It's up to you," he told you, not bothering to once turn towards Bradley. “I’m not saying a word.”
Jake’s choice of words didn’t help either. But you respected that he was letting you choose to tell Bradley about the issue with Sadie for yourself. And something told you he would back you up either way.
“Bradley, whatever your thinking...”
“I don’t know, Liz,” he interrupted you. “I think you didn’t listen to us when we told you to stay away from him. That he's bad news."
"Wow, subtle Bradshaw."
Rooster ignored Jake, still eyeing you harshly.
"Are you fucking him?"
You felt Jake tense beside you, a hand coming out to grip your thigh. Instead, you calmly asked, "How much have you had to drink tonight, Roo?
He didn't answer, too caught up in his words to listen to you. “Are you even thinking about Sadie? What this might do to her? Do you even care to think about her first? You're her aunt, you should be!"
Your heart dropped into your stomach.
“Jake, let me up. I need to get back to Penny.”
He didn’t move. “Your break isn’t over yet.”
“Too fucking bad.”
Noticing your need to escape, Jake stood up to let you out. He reached out when you weren’t mindful of the coat hook above your head in your desperate urge to flee. His hand prevented what would have been a painful moment for you, and despite the pain on your face from Rooster’s words, you managed a small smile in thanks after your head bumped his hand.
You took two steps forward before deciding to stop, turning around in a silent rage, only to throw Tyler’s letter to the table to stare dead into Bradley’s eyes.
“It is about Sadie, you asshole.”
Jake watched as you stomped off back to Penny, helping to relieve her of the sudden line forming around the bar. Penny’s face was one of gratitude as more people eagerly gathered in line to get their next drink before midnight. As he sat back down, Rooster watched you march off with an open mouth.
“And here I thought you liked staying on that perch,” Jake leaned back, staring at Bradley while crossing his arms. “Observing, learning everything before you made your move.”
“Fuck off, Hangman.”
“You might want to take a look at that before you start mouthing off. Least of all to poor Liz.”
Rooster glared at Jake before looking at the piece of paper you threw down to the table, reluctantly picking it up. Jake remained seated as Bradley read, his eyes frantically moving back and forth the longer he read, and not unlike Jake’s reaction, Bradley reeled back, dropping the letter to the table as it burned him.
“Motherfucker.”
“My sentiments exactly.”
Rooster eyed the piece of paper wearily. Then he started to put two and two together. Jake knew something he didn't. And he didn’t like that.
"What's going on, Hangman?"
It took Jake a moment to think about what you’d want him to say. Bradley was always a stubborn person. He didn’t know your reasons for not telling the rest of the Daggers what had happened. But if Tyler really was going to follow through with his threats, Sadie needed to be protected. Bradley needed to know.
“CPS called Liz in a few weeks before we left. Somebody put in a review on the paperwork for Sadie’s guardianship.”
Rooster was stunned. Out of all the things he expected Jake to say, that wasn't certainly one of them. Jake's words sobered his rage, at least for the moment.
“Can they do that?” he asked, throwing himself back into the seat in disbelief.
Jake nodded, replying, "Somebody requested it from the outside. It wasn't internal." Bradley took a moment, staring at the piece of paper now in between them.
“She says the list is non-existent, though my money is on Tyler if his letter isn't a dead giveaway," Jake glanced down, picking up the letter. He was brought back to that day of the hike when you told him of Tyler and your family, how you told him about the promise you ensure Sadie never suffered the same trauma you did growing up. He folded it up as you had done and pocketed it into his pants. “Regardless if she says he can’t.”
Rooster thought about his words before asking, "Why didn't she come to us?"
“If you haven’t noticed, she puts up a mask whenever she’s around you guys.”
Rooster scoffed. "How would you know? You’ve only really known her for less than a month.”
Jake didn’t hesitate when he answered, “She’s the first to ditch on a Saturday night—collecting the dishes and disappearing when nobody else is looking, not bothering to ask someone to help to carry them in. And you should know better than anyone, Liz doesn’t have a tendency to ask for help.”
It was true, Bradley thought. Not once did you ask for help with anything. He practically had to sweet talk you into letting him pick up Sadie from school. But regardless, if it was about Sadie, you still would have let them know.
"She still would have told us."
“Really? Cause I think it’s no wonder she didn’t trust you if you’re resorting to calling her names because you saw something you didn’t like.”
Bradley had enough, sliding out of the booth and starting in the direction of you to set the picture straight.
“Bradshaw,” Jake called out after him. “Have you really asked her how she’s been since bringing Sadie home?”
Bradley stopped but didn’t turn around. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t be the only one that notices she clams up when her sister is mentioned. Whatever you see, It's clear she’s not grieving.”
Bradley turned back around, staring at the floor for a few seconds before looking back up at Jake.
“Whatever resentment you have for me, can you at least can it for now? Until we figure out who's targeting Liz and Sadie.”
Rooster sighed, making his way back over to the booth and popping himself back into the seat.
“Okay, fine,” he relented. “Until Sadie and Liz are okay.”
“For Sadie and Liz," Jake nodded, looking down to straighten his nameplate. “Besides, I’ve officially got Sadie's stamp of approval. What type of Uncle would I be if I didn’t look out for her?”
Looking back up at Bradley, Jake had to give Sadie credit.
Her statement about his ability to turn 'Red as a Rooster' was surprisingly accurate.
___
At five minutes to midnight, you found yourself ringing the bell three times. Jake and Bradley were the closest to you, having stayed in the booth talking. You’d be stupid not to realize Jake would have filled in Bradley regarding the issue with CPS. It was the longest you’ve ever seen them together in each other's company, let alone that close to each other, without deciding to tear one another apart.
The minute the guy realized, somewhat drunkenly, he would be manhandled by two naval officers out of the bar, he quickly got up with both hands raised. Jake led him outside with a hand on his shoulder while Rooster stayed behind, observing you somewhat regretfully.
“I’m sorry, Liz.” As he spoke, you didn’t look him in the eye, deciding to polish a glass instead. This only made Bradley feel worse, hating that you were treating him like he wasn’t in the room.
"I should have..."
"Should have what, Bradley?" you snarked, pulling the rag from your shoulder and throwing it into the small sink under the bar. "Should have asked why I was so upset before jumping to conclusions?"
You glared at him, leaning forward on the edges of the makeshift counter. "For thinking that I don't put Sadie first? For thinking that I was fucking Jake?"
Some of the older patrons sitting at the bar shot you a look. You grimaced at your choice of words, but it didn't stop you from raging. Lowering your voice, you continued, "You know damn well I don't do anything without making sure she'd be okay. That she comes first before all else."
“I just wish you would have told us. We could have helped.”
You sighed, looking down and picking up your rag. “Honestly, Bradley. If I told you why, you’d hate me.”
Rooster paused for a second before replying, “Because of Sadie.”
You looked up at him, instantly regretting it once you saw the look of pity on his face. You couldn’t stand his face, suddenly deciding you needed to collect the empty glasses Penny had left on the side of the bar. Only Rooster followed along the opposite side, coming to stand directly in front of you.
"Bradley, don't."
He didn't listen to you. "She's always with us. Saturday nights, special occasions, simply hanging. If not, your working."
You placed the whiskey glass in your hand down, head hanging low as you fought the pressure behind your eyelids.
"You don't want her to know what is going on. And I don't mean with Tyler or CPS, but with you."
You gripped your forearm, bracing yourself for his next words.
"It's okay to grieve Ridley, Liz."
His words made you crumble.
God Dammit, Rooster.
"I'm sorry I said you don't put Sadie first. I know you do. We all do," he said gently. Then his next set of words surprised you.
"And I'm glad you at least told someone. Even if it was Hangman."
That made you pause, finally deciding to look him in the eye and let your arm go, already knowing you were going to forgive him for his words about Sadie. But while you didn't care for the implications behind his words regarding you, there was something you needed to get off your chest. Your voice was fierce as you gave into that split-second urge to divulge the one thing that had been bothering you since after the Hike.
“Don’t shit on Jake all the time, okay?”
He gave you a look, arching a brow almost playfully, but dropped his face the minute he realized how serious you were being.
"I get it. To you, he's rude, ignorant, and defiantly says the wrong thing at the wrong time. And he might be a womanizer, but he's been nothing but good to Sadie, okay? And me."
Bradley’s face remained blank as you continued. "Sadie's picking up on all the animosity and hates it. So either you get over whatever issues you have with him and be there for Sadie, including letting Jake be involved in her life, with the rest of the Daggers in line, or I don't accept your apology.”
"Okay."
Wait, What?
You looked at him shocked. He nodded to you once, knocking on the top of the bar twice with his knuckle before turning on his heel to leave. There was no way it was that easy, especially with Bradley.
"Why the sudden change of heart?" you called after him.
Bradley whipped around, hands gesturing out as he replied, "Because you asked," before continuing his walk to reclaim his previous spot at the piano bench, calling over his shoulder, "Besides, it's a new year. We need to make resolutions and shit!"
You had no idea what happened after you left Jake and Bradley to their own devices, but you couldn't help but chuckle, even somewhat nervously, at Bradley's sudden carefree attitude.
How long it would last was another thing.
After a quick bathroom break, you caught yourself in the middle of the Hard Deck as the final countdown started. You spied Will and Sadie with the sparklers you had brought, waving them around to match the numbers being said aloud.
Alyssa had joined Rooster momentarily at the piano, and you had a feeling she was purposely putting herself in a place where she’d be easily accessible for a midnight kiss. Something you'd be grilling her about the next time you saw her.
Coyote was standing next to the girl he had been chatting up all night, Bob and Phoneix were shouting the countdown together, and Penny and Mav smiling at each other.
But Jake was nowhere in sight.
You sighed, turning around to go back to the bar, anticipating the rush once Penny popped the bottles of champagne. You were one step in the opposite direction before hitting a solid chest, a cry of surprise escaping your lips as a pair of arms came to stop you from toppling over.
Jake was coming back into the bar when the countdown started. In years previous, when he wasn’t stationed somewhere or found himself out celebrating, he’d generally chat up a girl to seal the deal with a midnight kiss, which would usually end the night in someone’s bed.
He had nothing but you on his mind, searching for you as he walked, finding you staring out the back doors to look at Sadie and her friend before your eyes travelled the rest of the room. You were there, standing in the middle of the floor, and as he told you not once, not twice, but three times now, you were beautiful.
Time has a funny way of changing your priorities. Time spent away from your friends, family and home. Moments when you have nothing but time, waiting around for something to happen. Instances where, in life-or-death situations, you found yourself wondering how much time you had left.
Would he ever own up to the fact that one of the photos Sadie must have accidentally sent him ended up in his cockpit? A photo of you from the picnic when Sadie was messing with the blanks. You weren’t looking at the camera, not even aware she had pointed it at you nor taken it, but rather staring off over the lookout, a soft smile on your face.
And on those runs, the ones where enemy fire was inescapable and on the ones where they’d simply fly over doing recon, he’d look to that picture and think about you.
He thought about how you scared him with your presence, how you cared. You challenged him to think more about life in the sky, the impending moment he would eventually burn in, simply by allowing him to see into your and Sadie’s lives. How much more time would he have left to be a part of your lives?
Women always told him he wasn’t the type you’d settle down with. He was the one-night stand, the fling from the bar the night before deployment because it would be the last time he’d ever feel something. Being involved with him came with consequences, and it was just too high of a price to pay.
And yet, before he left, you told him to come home. On that video call, you told him to come home. Sadie even wrote to him on the back of her plane photo she wanted him to come home. So he secretly found himself looking at your picture, at Sadie’s, wanting to come home to both of you.
You were off limits.
But he was tired of listening to what others were telling him to do.
If the world, fate, or whatever guiding force was telling him all those other times weren’t right to kiss you, a kiss to start a New Year had to be it.
He found himself behind you, about to say your name when you turned, slamming yourself into his chest with a cry, and wobbled, so close to falling over. He reached out to grab you, pulling you upright and into his body.
Ten, Nine, Eight…
"Jake?" you asked concerningly. His eyes were blown wide, just a bare line of green making up his irises. Looking up in worry something might be wrong, you found nothing of the sort.
“What’s..” you started to say, but the words died in your throat. Jake’s hand came up to grip the side of your face, fingers hooking themselves around the edge of your jaw, pausing momentarily before sliding to the back of your neck to find a grip within the roots of your hair.
You drew in a sharp breath, feeling like your body was drowning underwater, ears muting out the shouts of everyone counting down around you. Instead, the voice in the back of your head took over, strangely sounding a lot like your sister's, attempting to encourage you to believe It must be lust.
Seven, Six, Five…
He found himself tilting your head back, pressing forward where your noses nudged together. Your fingers mocked his, slipping delicately up his cheek and settling into his hair. Finding yourself thinking, what harm would it do if you did give in to whatever this thing was if it felt so right?
Four…
As Jake’s grip got tighter on your waist, you started rising on the balls of your feet to meet him, pressing your body into his. Ridley’s voice, a mantra in your head, was screaming fuck it, fuck it, fuck it as you felt the warmth of his breath caress your lips.
And Jake, wondering how you’d feel under him. What would your lips taste like? Would they be as soft as he’d imagined on those sleepless nights on the carrier during his deployment? Or would you kiss him as you did in his dreams, the ones that would make him startle wake?
Three…
But then came the little traitorous thought, ‘Would you care for it if he did?’
Two, One…
At the last second, just before the final shout of Happy New Year, Jake moved, pressing a delicate kiss to the farthest corner of your mouth instead. The sound of popping outside overtook the sound of your heartbeat as you registered the softness of his lips just on the barest part of yours, his hands relaxing their grip on the back of your neck and waist.
His words warmed your cheek as he pulled back an inch; his breath was shallow as he spoke, “Happy New Year, Liz.”
You almost chased his lips, eyes fixed on his mouth, as you managed to choke out a reply.
“Happy New Year, Jake.”
Hehe, I'm sorry for another 'almost' kiss. I promise stuff is happening soon.
❗️18+ minors DNI. Ageless and blank blogs are blocked without warning.
🏷️ Original Female Character, Slow Burn, Smut, frenemies to lovers, social media themes, Strong Language, Fluff and Angst, and Relationship difficulties.
🔊 Playlist
1/2 Series
Summary:
You weren't exactly pleased when your boss asked you to spend the better half of a year in Austin, Texas for your job. You've never been away from home for so long, especially in another country altogether. To make matters worse, the minute you arrive, you get lost. Your AirBnB messed up the date, and you’re on the verge of losing it if your luggage didn't arrive with you. But when you receive an offer from a co-worker to stay with her and her family on their ranch, you don’t know whether to be excited or look a gift horse in the mouth - especially when you can’t stand her brother’s girlfriend.
Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia and Baylie "Lucky" Steele are two of the best naval aviators in the country, they are also in a secret relationship and have been for years. They are called back for a mission that will test their limits and their love. Follow the journey of the girl who finds pennies everywhere and her nerd through the good times and the bad.
Sneak Peek
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen 1/2
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Other Works of Lucky x Fanboy
Red = SMUT (18+)
1:13am
Mirrors
Jealous Lucky
House Hunting
Suspicious Mind
Runnin' Red Lights
A Very Miami Christmas
Wrapping Paper and Bows (+Spicy/Rooster and Cinco/Hangman)
Besties for the resties: @dragon-kazansky @gracespicybradshaw @mrsjaderogers @callmemana @ladylanera @kloofspeaks @callsignthirsty @cycbaby @likelyrowdy @roosterscockpit @notyoursbutlewis @starlit-epiphany @askmarinaandothers
The men of Hermes' squadron lied through their teeth on the mission debrief and they interrupted her at every chance. If looks could kill? They'd all be as dead as they wished she was.
The fire in her eyes was running wild, and they had no idea how burned they were about to get.
Their Admiral announced that their squadron was being invited back to Top Gun per one Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky. That made Lucky smirk, they all celebrated but they had no idea.
When they boarded the plane, Lucky sat alone. Her notebook full of their mistreatments tucked safely in her bag. She was scrolling through pictures on her phone when she comes across one of all of their Chaos Family at their wedding. She knew that everyone in this picture would have her back in California, and she felt safe.
-----
Ice was pacing back and forth. Their plane was landing soon and he couldn't decide whether he was going to hug his girl or punch Hermes first.
Dragon already knew what she was doing, she was holding her girl, Mickey could kiss bricks if he thinks he's getting the first hug.
Cin was also freaking out, Jake had told her that Lucky was almost home and though she knew her friend would never blame her for sending her on this mission. She didn't want Lucky to think she did it on purpose. All she needed was to see her friends smile as she was reunited with them all.
Jake had gathered Bradley, Javy, Rueben, Phoenix and Bob in the rec room as they awaited the plane. He finally told them what he'd done for Lucky and about the report she'd filed aganist Hermes the first time they'd been at Top Gun. Bradley obviously was the most mad about it, but the others were just as angry. They would all stand behind her during the meeting.
Mickey was more than excited, he was finally going to have his wife in his arms once more. He knew he probably wouldn't get the first hug, but once he did? He wasn't letting go.
-----
"You must think you're tough shit coming home."
"Well Hermes, unlike you I have friends."
"You sure know how to be nice."
The bus takes them from the airport to Top Gun. The boys seem to think they are about to be rewarded by THE Iceman for a job well done.
Waiting outside was the entire Dagger Squad, in the middle stood Ice and Dragon with stony expressions.
The men all climbed out of the bus first forming a line, Lucky behind them the smirk on her face obvious, she bypasses their formal line and half-runs to the group standing there. Mickey takes a step forward and catches her duffle bag when she throws it into his arms. She reaches Cin and hugs her friend as tight as she could.
"I'm so sorry Lucky."
"Don't you dare apologize babe. I love you."
"I love you too." Cin tears up and cries into her shoulder.
She can hear the men making comments, she doesn't care. This is her home, these are her people.
After Cin had been properly hugged, Dragon stepped forward and took her daughter into her arms.
"Welcome home baby." She whispers in her ear.
"Thanks Momma."
"They'll never hurt you again."
"Can we get this little show on the road?" Calls out Hermes, and Lucky can feel Dragon tense up.
"Well gentleman, I suppose we can do that." Ice says, as Lucky makes her way to Mickey's arms. He kisses her forehead and doesn't let go.
Hermes steps forward, "I'm sure you understand how important this mission was and it was a success."
"Was it?" Jake says. "Was it really?"
"It's good to see you again Hangy." Hermes smirked.
Lucky goes to remove herself from Mickeys grip but he just tightens his hold around her waist.
"I wouldn't call almost killing the best aviator in the Navy, a successful mission." The voice that spoke was Dragon's, but she sounded nothing like how anyone had ever heard her before. Sure they'd heard her angry, but this? This was a whole new level, this was Dragon.
Hermes straightened up at that but he kept that damn smirk on his face, "I don't recall almost dying on this mission Commander Kazansky."
Lucky growled at that comment and Mickey had to tighten his grip again, thankfully Payback, Coyote, and Rooster were all there to offer hands to keep Lucky from beating the shit out of Hermes despite them all wanting to let her go.
"And I don't recall you ever being a good aviator." Dragon retorts.
"Oh you were talking about Lucky weren't you? She's fine, obviously she has all her little boytoys..."
He doesn't get to finish his statement, Lucky manages to shake off all her "little boytoys" and stomps her way over to Hermes.
"You can be an asshole to me all you want Hermes, but you say one word about any of my family? There won't be a body for your poor mother to bury."
For what it's worth, Hermes stands his ground too.
"Well damn Steele, no need to throw a temper tantrum."
"Her last name isnt Steele anymore." Mickey says walking up behind his wife. "It's Garcia."
"I guess my invitation got lost in the mail, since you have me to thank for getting the girl."
"I would have never said yes to you." Lucky says her voice dark, not liking where this was going.
He looked around at his men then at the crowd behind Lucky, then back down at Lucky.
"Men, you all just had the opportunity to fly with the only pilot who had to bang her way to the top. I mean look at all the men back there supporting her. You got Rooster and Hangy who can't deny a pretty girl. Hell I bet she's even rolled around with Coyote and Payback though I wouldn't imagine they are really her type. Maybe even sweet Bobby over there has had a chance. You think Iceman would be pulling out all the stops if he didn't know just how good that pus.."
When the fist connects with Hermes' face time stands still. Lucky has to look down at her own hands to make sure she hadn't punched him. No, it hadn't been her. It had been her husband. Her sweet, kind, goofy husband had punched the motherfucker.
Mickey stood over where Hermes lay on the ground holding his nose. "Never ever talk about my wife like that again or it wont just be a punch." He then turns around, grabs Luckys hand and walks her into base, bypassing even all their friends who try to stop him.
He guides her to the rec room, and once he decides they are far enough removed from the situation he turns around and kisses his wife soundly on the mouth.
"That was very sexy of you Mr. Gracia." She says as they pull apart.
"Yeah, now I know why you like punching people so much. It felt good."
Lucky smiles up at him, "can I see the damage?"
He holds out his right hand, and they both cringe a little when they see how bruised the knuckles already are.
"You pulled a real me out there." Lucky teases as she digs the first aid kit out of a cabinet.
"He wasn't going to finish that statement, not about my girl." Lucky opens her mouth, but he stops her, "I know you can handle yourself Bay, but I did vow to always protect you."
Lucky just smiles at him as she makes him sit on the worn out couch, and straddles his lap. Taking his hand in hers, she begins to take care of his knuckles.
"It's odd being on the other end of this." Mickey comments as he watches his wife concentrate on wrapping his hand.
"Oh shut up."
"Pretty sure I also vowed to annoy you the rest of our lives."
"That was Spicy's speech not your vows you dipshit."
"Spicy is smarter than I am."
"I'm glad you finally realize this."
He laughs, "I missed you."
"I missed you more."
"Impossible because I missed you way more than he did." Cin's voice carries through the rec room.
"Cin!" Lucky jumps off Fanboy's lap and runs to her friend and gives her another crushing hug. "I missed you so much too."
"Wow okay, I'm just chopped liver then." Mickey says sarcastically.
"Shut up Mickey." Both girls say at the same time.
"Where the fuck is my sister and my hug from her?"
"Roo!" Lucky catapults herself into his arms.
"God I missed you sis."
"Awww you missed me?"
"Don't ruin this nice moment."
The others joined them and hugs were given all around. Rueben picked her up and spun her around. Javy kissed her cheek.
Jake leans against the doorway taking in the sight.
"I guess I'm happy to see you back here in one piece." He says and Lucky whips around.
"Oh Jake, thank you so much." She says as she hugs him tight. "I guess you aren't so bad."
"Wow thanks babe."
"Hey now, that's my wife Seresin." Mickey teases.
"Oh you can have her Garcia!"
"Oh come on, I'm a delight and any man would be lucky to have me."
"Only Mickey is crazy enough to love you." Jake jokes.
Lucky smiles at her friend, "thanks again Jake. It meant alot for you to actually do what I asked."
"Only for you, you chaotic woman."
Rooster interrupts to say "Spicy just text, they're shutting down the Hard Deck for a special someone's coming home party."
"What about our pals that totally are never flying for the Navy again?" Lucky asks and Cin speaks up.
"Their meeting with all the higher ups is set for tomorrow. They think it's just a debrief and maybe some rewards." She gives an evil smile.
"Then let's go drink!"
"I get first dibs at Spicy, Chicken."
"I swear to God I will race you for that."
"And there they go." Jake sighs as the two run out to their cars.
Once they got to the Hard Deck, Lucky didn't even give the car a chance to be put in park before she was climbing out and running inside the bar.
"Where's my wife?" She calls out to the empty bar.
"Baylie!" Spicy comes running out of the kitchen.
"Grace!"
The two meet in a huge hug where neither want to let go first.
A/N: I apologize for the wait between 25 and 26. It's been a long couple weeks and I've had zero oomph for this story. Don't worry it's not ending anytime soon. I love these two idiots too much. Also, sorry this is kinda short, next chapter heads will roll.
Tagging the besties for the resties: @mrsjaderogers @gracespicybradshaw @dragon-kazansky @askmarinaandothers @callmemana @ladylanera @kloofspeaks @milesdickpic @notyoursbutlewis @cycbaby @starlit-epiphany
Lucky was done waiting around for these idiots to be ready for the mission. She knew they were pushing it back to grate on her nerves, and damn it they had been successful.
"We run the mission tomorrow Hermes, I don't care that you think your men aren't ready. They are."
"Alright Steele, let's see if you're right." Hermes smirked at her.
She doesn't correct him.
-----
Meanwhile back in California Jake was also tired of waiting, he gathered all the reports he had found and printed them out. The stack was disgustingly tall, and with them in his arms he stormed to Ice's office.
"You have to pull Lucky from the mission." He said slamming the files on Ice's desk. "The men she is with shouldn't even still be in the Navy."
"What is all this Jake?" Ice asks.
"They are formal complaints made aganist all the men on Hermes' squadron. I've highlighted all the important parts. There's a long history of abuse and misogyny between all of them."
"Why did you do this research?"
"Lucky asked me to, she wants to bury them, but they are going to get her hurt if they run this mission."
"Well Jake, I appreciate this. But I can't pull Lucky from the mission."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"They took off earlier, they're running the mission right now."
Jake sees red. "If anything happens to her in the air..."
Ice nods, "I know Jake, I know."
-----
"Come on Hermes, get the hell out of my way." Lucky shouts.
"No can do Steele." Hermes replies.
"Bogey at ten o'clock." Joker announces, which causes Hermes to hang a right leaving Lucky totally exposed to the bogey.
"Are you shitting me?"
"Prove you're the best Steele."
Lucky takes a deep breath and reminds herself that she can do this. She pulls off a cobra maneuver that Mav taught her once and shoots down the bogey.
None of the men speak through the comms, in fact once the debris clears she can't find any of their jets.
"Hermes? Check in."
Nothing.
"Chaser?"
Nothing
"Jinx? Joker?"
You guess it, nothing.
They left her, they really fucking left her alone in enemy airspace. They were going to pay for this.
-----
The air in Ice's office was tense. Ice was sitting behind his desk, Jake was pacing behind him as the Admiral read all the reports he'd found. Cyclone and Warlock were sitting across from the desk also reading reports. Then there was Slider, Dragon, and Whiskey sitting on the couch fuming.
The phone rings and they all pause a moment before Ice answers and they hear his side.
"So the mission was successful?"
"What do you mean you don't know where she is?"
"You don't just lose a jet!"
"If she is hurt in anyway, I'll have your head."
Dragon is the first one to jump when the phone is hung up. "What the fuck do you mean they don't know where she is?"
Ice looks at his wife, and he sees the fire in them. The Dragon was about to be unleashed.
"They landed a little bit ago, everyone but Lucky."
"They just left her in an enemy airspace? How dare they. Jake is the only one allowed to hang her out to dry!"
"Hey, even I'm not that bad!"
"I know Jake, but it's kind of your thing."
-----
Pissed was an understatement, Lucky was fuming by the time she landed. She threw her helmet on the dash and climbed down, stomping her way to the rec room where she heard the laughter of the men who'd left her for dead.
Their laughter dies down when they see her walk in, fire in her eyes.
"I hope you all enjoyed your last flight for the United States Navy." She says, before heading to the women's locker room and digging through her locker for her phone.
-----
Jake's phone started playing "Cold As Ice" and he digs it from his pocket, he sees the confused looks around him.
"It's Luckys ringtone." He says trying to explain before he answers putting her on speaker and placing the phone on the desk.
"Jake, you need to take your findings to Ice right now." She says and they all hear the waver in her voice, she's angry. "We ran the damn mission and Hermes put me in the damn line of fire then they left me out there by myself. I had to dogfight my way back alone."
"What do you mean you had to dogfight alone?" Ice asks and Lucky doesn't even seem surprised to hear him.
"I had three bogeys on my tail, I took care of them myself. Plus the one that Hermes put me directly in front of. I was all alone, but I wasn't dying out there."
Looks are shared around the room, their girl had been in so much danger, but she'd fought tooth and nail to make it back to them.
Dragon walks over and speaks into the phone, "Baylie, I'm so proud of you."
They hear a noise over the phone and Dragon realizes first that she's crying.
"Oh baby, I wish I was there with you." Dragon says.
"I was so scared..."
"I know baby, but you're okay now, and you're coming home to us."
Lucky just cries on the other end, the sound breaking all their hearts, even Cyclone's cold, black heart.
"They'll pay for this Lucky, don't worry about that. You just get home." Hangman says.
"Thanks Jake, I have to go and debrief with these fucking idiots."
"Give them hell girl."
The line goes silent right as the door opens and reveals an out of breath Fanboy.
"What's going on in here?" He asks. "I thought I heard her voice."
Everyone looks at him.
"Okay you guys all looking at me is freaking me out."
Dragon makes the few strides to stand in front of him, and hugs him.
