Into Your Arms

The Divorce

Blaze. You got your call sign because you tended to always be the fastest within your class. Some might say reckless, but you liked the thrill of speed. Your real name was Elena. You graduated Top Gun years ago, at the top of your class, and if that didn't make you feel like a total badass, what would?

After graduation, you took a step back in your career and joined the life of domesticity, alongside your husband, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. Navigating a relationship throughout your time at Top Gun was not an easy ride, and although settling down was something you had always planned for in your future as a little girl, something never felt quite right. You could navigate an F-18 better than you could your life on the ground. You never felt whole, like a piece of your puzzle was always missing. You gave up flying, and ultimately graduated with your degree in Registered Nursing. You were always told that flying was not a safe career choice, should you want to build a life including children. Nursing was something you were always passionate about, and it was "safe." You absolutely loved your job, but yet again, it didn't completely fulfill you the way that flying did.

One late night after getting off of a shift at the ER, everything came crashing down. Pete knew that you were unhappy, but the desire for a wife who was safe on the ground, in his bed every night, outweighed the pros of letting you back in a fighter jet. He had always wanted children, and you both had tried for years with no success. Resentment ensued from every direction, and there was no turning back. You had came home late that night, deliriously tired, and not wanting confrontation. After getting screamed at all day by patients, ordered around by doctors, and held over by management, all you wanted was a shower and your bed to strip away the horrible shift. Pete was sitting in the living room, lights dim, with a half empty bottle of bourbon in his hand. You have tried for the last year to block out the memories of that night, and all of the words that finally came to the surface after being buried in your conscience for so long.

"So you finally decided to grace me with your presence?" Pete immediately questioned. You attempted to ignore him, knowing that he probably wasn't in the right state of mind, and now was not the time for either of you to be hashing out feelings. "I don't know how to fix this. I don't know how to fix you, or us, or anything about this marriage and the life we built," Pete continued. You finally turned around from the fridge while grabbing a glass of water, simply stating "that's the problem, I don't need to be fixed." Your relationship began when you were both in Top Gun. It was fun, reckless, easy. You were both doing what you loved (and who you loved), but over time, everything changed. Pete had tried so desperately to make you want the life that he did, but you didn't, and you couldn't force yourself no matter how many times you tried. You settled for a job that you didn't want for the rest of your life, you settled for a house in the suburbs of a small county in the California, and you started to realize that you settled for..him. "So, what? We just call it quits? After all of this time? Throw the towel in like nothing between us matters anymore? We've been together for 5 years, and I don't even know my wife anymore," Pete questioned, with tears brimming in his eyes. Despite not wanting to engage in this discussion tonight, you knew it was time. "I'm not in this anymore. This life isn't enough for me, and this marriage is only bringing both of us down. We're spiraling, and have been for a long while. You refuse to admit it. It's time, Pete. We're not who we were when we were younger. We have grown, and ultimately grown apart. This life is not what we had both hoped it would be," you calmly replied. You had never seen Pete look so hesitant, not sure what his next words should be. "Then that's it..we're done. I can't keep trying to bring you back to the ground while you're up in the skies, dreaming of a life that we no longer have," he said shakily. You had thought about divorce for a long while, but when your husband finally called it quits, it did sting. Pete packed an overnight bag, and went to stay with an old friend, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky. Ultimately, you two signed divorce papers a few short months later. Pete let you have the house, and moved his belongings out. You two did not have much interaction, if any at all. You had no children or ties to each other, which tended to make separating a lot easier on both of you. You always wanted the best for him, and wished him well, but you knew that your failing marriage was not the right answer.

It has been one year since your divorce from Pete Mitchell. You had continued working as an RN at your local ER, Sharp Memorial Hospital, in San Diego. You flooded yourself in work and tried to stay as busy as possible, always picking up extra shifts. You were now 36 years of age, and trying to rebuild your life from the ground up. Until you got the call.. "Elena Mitchell, this is Ace calling from the Naval Air Station, in Nevada. Your presence is requested as a Top Gun instructor, effective immediately. You have been selected among various other possible instructors, to help guide our current class of flyers to complete one of the most difficult operations we have encountered. Do you wish to accept this offer?" You couldn't believe your ears. Your breath caught in your throat, but no words would form. "Mrs. Mitchell?" the man on the other end questioned. "Y-yes, I'm here. For starters, I am divorced, and no longer Elena Mitchell. Call me Blaze; I'm on my way."