Two Ghosts (A Rooster/OC/Iceman Fanfic)

Chapter 10

Maverick was off his game and everybody (including himself) knew it. He had been cleared of any wrongdoing in the accident, but he still experienced severe PTSD from it.

Maverick and Sundown landed.

Mongoose climbed out of her own cockpit, walking over to Iceman and Slider.

"We could've had him!" Sundown yelled at Maverick.

Maverick kept walking.

"Hey! We could've had him, man!"

Maverick spun around and grabbed onto Sundown's flight suit. "I will fire when I am goddamn good and ready! You got that?" He let go of Sundown and grabbed his helmet.

Slider shook his head and walked away.

"He needs help, Ice," Mongoose told him.

Iceman kissed her forehead. "I know he does, baby. But there's nothing we can do."

Mongoose ran after Maverick and cornered him in the locker room.

He was taking things out of his locker and putting them in a duffle bag.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"It's over, Noel. I'm done."

"What? But...but you can't be done!"

Maverick slammed his locker and faced her. "I can't do it! I can't fly without Goose!"

"You can't just quit Top Gun!"

"And why not!"

"Because students in the future will learn from you! Including me!" Mongoose's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth. She couldn't believe she'd just said that.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Just forget it."

"No, what did you mean by that?"

Mongoose sighed and put her hands on her hips. He wasn't going to let go of this.

"I know you as Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. You once slept with a girl named Penny Benjamin and Bradley is your godson."

Maverick scoffed. "Goose told you about Penny."

"Nope. I know because in the future you come back to Top Gun to teach a special detachment of former Top Gun pilots. Pilots like me and Rooster."

"Rooster? What does he have to do with this?"

Mongoose laughed. "He has everything to do with this, because your Bradley is my Rooster." She pulled off her dog-tags and put them in Maverick's hand.

One of the dog tags was hers and the other read "Bradley Rooster Bradshaw".

"Rooster is my wingman and my best friend. We met in the Academy and we've been flying together ever since. Wherever he goes, I go."

Mongoose left out the fact that it was because of Admiral Kazansky. He routinely pulled strings to make sure they were deployed together because Rooster refused to fly with another wingman.

"You're telling me...that you're from the future?"

"About 30 years in the future. I know it sounds crazy and I have no idea how I even got here. Let alone how to get back."

"But...you and Ice..."

Mongoose sighed. "Mav, I don't know if I'll ever get back. What if I don't? Rooster will be a grown man by the time I see him again. Tom is a good man and I'd like to think that Rooster would approve of him."

Maverick shook his head. "I'm sorry, Noel. I know you said that I'm a Captain in the future, but I highly doubt that. That could be another Pete Mitchell. One that isn't me."

Tears filled Mongoose's eyes. "So you're really gonna quit?"

Maverick nodded. "I respect your decision, but that doesn't mean I agree with it."

Mongoose hugged Maverick just as Iceman walked in.

"Mitchell," Iceman said.

Mongoose pulled away and wiped at her tears.

"I'm sorry about Goose. Everybody liked him. I'm sorry." Iceman wrapped an arm around Mongoose's waist and gently pulled her towards him.

"Goodbye, Maverick," Mongoose said. She started to leave with Iceman when she heard, "Noel!"

Mongoose turned in time to catch her dog-tags. She put them around her neck. "Thanks, Mav."

Iceman kissed her temple as he led her out of the locker room.

"Guess this means you're guaranteed to win the Top Gun trophy now," Mongoose tried to joke.

"Noel..." Iceman said.

Mongoose turned to him and put her hand on his chest, right above his heart. She looked up into his blue eyes, so different from the brown eyes she'd come to love. "Please. I...I can't cry anymore. I don't think I have any tears left in me."

Iceman cupped her face in his hands. "Everything will alright. I promise."

She opened her mouth to argue that he couldn't promise that, but he cut her off with a kiss.

They would be graduating soon. What if they were stationed on opposite sides of the country? What if she woke up one morning and was magically returned to her own time?

She needed to tell Iceman everything, but that moment wasn't right now.