Into Your Arms

W.T.F

You couldn't believe your eyes. Was your sight going bad? That had to be the case, because there was absolutely no way that sweet lord above had this much of a sense of humor. You both stood in shock, for what felt like hours, but ultimately was only a few seconds.

"What are you doing here..?" Pete questioned, while you were wondering the exact same question about him. "I got offered an instructor position for the new Top Gun class, that's what I'm doing here. Any excuse for yourself?" You retorted, with the tiniest hint of sass. At that, Pete's mouth dropped open. You knew that couldn't be a good sign. "Well, it appears that we will be in close quarters for the next couple of months then, because I'm the second instructor," he replied, almost too calmly. How was he okay with this? The last time we were here together, we were planning our wedding. Now here we are, almost fresh out of a divorce. You had no words, you gave a half-assed smirk, and walked inside. You wanted to call Ace, turn down the offer, and get back home to San Diego. You paced the floor in your kitchen, downing your coffee. Maybe, Pete would give in. Maybe, once he sees that you can handle this on your own, he will be the one to revoke his acceptance, and go back home. Wishful thinking on your part, you knew that wouldn't be an option. With that, you grabbed your purse and the rest of your items, walked out to your car, and drove to the station. You kept telling yourself the day would get better, and everything would be fine, yet..you didn't know what other surprise was awaiting your arrival at the base.

You pulled up to your designated parking spot, with Pete riding in right next to you on his bike. You both walked up to the class session, noticing that Ace had already been giving his welcoming speech. It was an honor to be back here, with the best of the best in the country. Despite your feelings for Pete, he was also the best of the best when it came down to being a pilot, and you knew that was why he got the same phone call that you did. He was a damn good pilot, and you two were even better together. You can't lie to yourself; some of your old feelings came rushing back as you stood off to the side, staring at Pete, reminiscing on the years past. You can still remember the glints of happiness in his eyes whenever he was up in a jet, and how you shared that same exact feeling. It was magical, to say the least. It was also the main thing that brought you two together.

Your reminiscing was cut short, as Ace was getting ready to introduce the instructors to the class. "It is with great honor to introduce the two instructors who are the most elite pilots in the country. They kicked ass and took names. They will be leading all of you to that same victory. Please give a warm welcome to Elena "Blaze" Peterson, and Pete "Maverick" Mitchell." You both walked up to the stage, heads turning to stare, and silent whispers floating around the room. You both approached the podium. You gave Pete the go-ahead for a speech. "In front of us, I see numerous individuals who believe they have what it takes for this mission. However, we will be the ones deciding that. You must show both of us what each of you are made of, individually, and as a team. We will push you and test every single one of your limits. You think you know everything in this manual? Cool, because so does your enemy. You will leave here being the best, not just good enough. Don't let us down. Let's do the damn thing." Pete stepped away from the podium, and all you heard was whispers, all of which included the name "Maverick." To be quite honest, he was a legend. You stepped up to the podium, and right before you began your speech, someone caught your eye in the audience. You would know that tanned skin and mustache anywhere. You immediately froze, and it appeared that the man in the audience had the same reaction. Bradley was sitting not even twenty feet away from you, as one of your Top Gun students. You spoke "Good morning class, and welcome to Top Gun. I, myself, along with Pete, graduated years ago, at the top of our class. We have now returned to help lead you to victory. As Pete said, we will test and push you to your limits. Some days you will go home never wanting to see our faces again, but in the end, we are the faces you will be thanking. I would like to challenge all of you this morning to get up into the air with me, because I would like to see what you're working with. Show me what you got, and don't hold back because I'm a female; I can assure you, I've even kicked "Maverick's" ass back in the day." You heard hooting and hollering from around the class, and a couple of "hell yeahs!" Both you and Pete let out a chuckle before dismissing the class to get ready to fly. Pete walked ahead of you to get dressed in his gear and give his jet a once-over. Someone seemed to be lingering around, waiting on you. That someone happened to be none other than Bradley.