"What Am I To You?"

When War Looms

Everyone went out to eat at the bar they normally go to.

Bob was sitting there when he heard his phone ring. He looked at it and saw Fiancé.

He raised a brow and was curious why she was calling so late. "Hello?" He said as he walked outside.

"Hey..." she said tiredly.

"You okay hun?" He asked worryingly. She didn't say anything for a few moments.

"No... no I'm not." She said sadly. Bob sat down on a chair and listened.

"I wish I could've been at mavs promotion ceremony. He sent me a picture, but I felt so bad. Him and rooster told me that he wanted me to pin him, and was going to try to but, I was only near the California coast for a few minutes." She said.

"You can't control that, you were sent out. And didn't he tell you he's going to let you pin him when you get back?" Bob said. Rooster had brought him up to speed.

"Yeah... but I just feel so bad. He was sad when I told him I wasn't going to make it." She said.

Bob understood. He wouldn't have been too excited either.

"It'll be okay. I promise you." He said.

"I know..." she sighed. "Well, sorry for bugging you I'm gonna go to sle-"

The alarm went off again. She sighed and hung up on him. Bob knew what the alarm was. He knew she was under a lot of stress, so he wasn't going to hold it against her.

As he turned off his phone, Rooster sat next to him and handed him a beer. Bob took it and sighed. "I'm worried." He said.

"About?" Rooster said.

"Phoenix... and this war. She called me, and she felt so bad about not being able to be here to pin Maverick with you, and she just got called into combat again a bit ago, and it sounded like she was resting in her barracks." Bob said. Rooster sighed and nodded.

"Yeah... she didn't take it well when she found out she wouldn't be there for his or Ices promotion." He said as he looked at the sky.

"A war is looming over us Bob... and we're key players in it now. You're lucky you get to sit back and watch, but... you're risking losing friends and maybe a fiancé." Rooster said as he took a sip of his beer.

Bob hated thinking about it.

He had people he cared about getting into harms way.

"I'm risking my husband, sister, fathers, and some of my greatest friends." Rooster said.

"Do you think you're gonna lose anyone?" Bob asked.

"At this rate, and how scary everything is getting.... Yes." Rooster with no change in his voice.

"What will you do then?" Bob asked. Rooster stared at this beer. "Fight for them... so that those guys over there will know better."

Phoenix landed her plane and sighed as she parked the plane. She opened the canopy and took her helmet off.

Her short hair fell into her face as she climbed down. She saluted her maintainers and continued into the lower part of the ship. "Hey! Trace!" A voice said.

She turned and saw a couple guys hanging out in a little lounging area. "Yes?" She said as she walked over to them.

"Do you really not have a backseater anymore?" They asked her.

"No... not anymore. I fly solo." She said as she turned.

"It's really weird seeing a girl not have a back seater anymore. Lemme guess, was it a guy?" He said. She turned and glares at him.

"Yes he is." She said as she took off her gloves. Her engagement ring caught the attention of all of them that were talking to her.

"Ohh isn't that sweet. The wannabe ace has a boy." He held her hand as he looked at her ring. She promptly slapped him and pulled her hand away.

"Yes my fiancé. He was my back seater. He's now retired and teaching, but if he wanted to he would beat your asses hard. And don't worry, I'll be an ace before you know if." She flipped him off and walked down to her room.

She placed her bag by her door and laid down on her bunk. She took a deep breath as she pulled her phone out and texted Bob.

Phoenix: hi.... Just finished my mission. Sorry I hung up. I didn't have time. I'm sorry...

Bobby: sweetheart. It's okay! No need to apologize. Im just glad you landed safely. Get some rest okay? I know it's getting late over there.

Phoenix: damn I love you. Good night sweetie. <3

She placed her phone down and sighed as she took off her gear.

She thought of those boys out there.

She couldn't believe they said all that stuff. She didn't need a back seater as a female pilot, and she most definitely wasn't a wannabe ace. She needed one more kill...

She was closer than all of them. None of them were close at all. That irritated her a lot. She pulled all her flight gear off and laid down again.

"I miss Cali... and all of them." She said quietly. She closed her eyes and finally was able to get some sleep.

She was more worried about her flights tomorrow, cause she might get into an actual dogfight tomorrow.

She was scared.

She's done this so many times, but she was terrified every time before. She knew she would be okay the moment she got into the air, but those guys out there were who she was going to be flying with.

She had a bad feeling about the next week, hell... even the next few months .

She just closed her eyes and imagined her and bob getting married. She dreamt about her dress and them dancing. She smiled as she drifted to sleep.

She considered Bob her soulmate, and couldn't wait to enjoy married with him.

She couldn't wait.