𝐌𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐘 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 | 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐠𝐮𝐧.

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 - 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.✈️.* :☆ﾟ｡･ ───

It didn't feel real. It could never feel real.

Ashley stood in front of her bedroom mirror as she adjusted her black guards uniform and clipped on her medals to the front of the jacket. She looked up at her reflection, her face was slightly red and puffy from crying and mourning, her hardened exterior was crumbled.

"Mom?" Bob's voice spoke, snapping Ashley out of her daze, "Are you okay?" He asked

"Of course, baby" She smiled

Bob stepped into her bedroom and over to where she stood, "You were thinking about dad, weren't you?" He questioned, wrapping his arm around her shoulder

"Yeah" Ashley nodded, "I was. It never gets easier, burying someone you love"

"I know, but uncle Tom wouldn't want you to be upset" Bob said

Ashley gave her son a tearful grin, "You look very smart. Your dad would be so proud" Ashley said

"I wish he was here" Bob sighed

"Me too, baby" Ashley said, "Me too" She wrapped the boy in a hug and the mother and son stayed like that for a few minutes.

"Ash? It's time to go" Bradley said, joining the two

"It's time to say goodbye" Ashley said, pulling away from her son's embrace and the trio made their way to the graveyard.

Bradley and Bob stood with the rest of the pilots and officers while Ashley and Maverick stood side by side.

They stepped over to the casket and removed their pilot badges that they recieved during their training and punctured them into the varnished wood of Iceman's casket before saluting him when the planes flew over the graveyard, in a mark of respect for Iceman.

Once Iceman had been buried, the congregation dispersed and Ashley found herself in front of Trevor's grave, that lay next to her brother Rob's.

"Look after Ice for me" Ashley muttered to the headstone, as if Trevor could hear her

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see Maverick standing behind her, "Hey" She said

"You okay?"

"We just buried our wingman, Mav," Ashley said

"No more"

"What?" Maverick questioned

Ashley let out a small sigh, "No more funerals. I can't bury anyone else that I love, not you, not Bradley, not Bob" Ashley teared up, "If I have to bury anyone else, I'll lose my sanity, I can't do it anymore" She said

"This job is costing me everyone I love"

"You're not giving up, are you?" Maverick asked

"Mav, I never said that, but in the last thirty years, I've buried five people I love, and we'd be lying to each other if we said it doesn't hurt but it's does"

She walked away from Maverick, leaving him alone in front of Trevor and Rob's gravestones.

Ashley and Maverick stood in front of Cyclone's desk as the pair were silent and heartbroken from their recent loss of Iceman.

"I can only imagine what you both must be feeling right now" Cyclone said, "Take some time. Whatever you need"

"We appreciate that, sir" Maverick said

"But the mission," Ashley interrupted, "There's no time to-"

"-I'll be taking over the training from here" Cyclone interrupted Ashley

"What?"

"We both know you didn't want this job, Captain Mitchell" Cyclone said, sitting back in his seat

"Sir, they're not ready yet" Maverick reminded him

Cyclone sat up, "It was your job, BOTH of your jobs to get them ready" He said

"They have to believe that this mission can be flown" Ashley said

"And, so far, all you've both managed to teach them that it can't" Cyclone spoke

"Sir-"

"-You're grounded, Captain Mitchell" Cyclone said, "As are you, Captain Thompson... Permanently" He said before dismissing them from his office

"Unbelievable" Ashley said, walking out of the office.

Later that evening, Ashley sat on her front porch as Maverick made his way towards her

"What are you going to do now?" Ashley asked

"Ice is gone... What choice do I have?" Maverick said

Ashley let out a sigh, "I'm still here" She said as she and Maverick looked at each other. His face broken with grief, his green eyes clouded with tears.

"No, Ash.. I'm out, this is over" Maverick said

Ashley let out a scoff and stood up and stepped down off the patio and into the small garden, "Mav, you've got to keep fighting. I know you, you wouldn't give up" She said, "Not now"

"That night, the night before graduation and I begged you to stay because it's not what Goose would've wanted," Ashley said

"It's not what I want for you. We found each other after thirty years and I'm not going to lose you all over again" She spoke as tears fell down her face, "You left me once, but not again. We had a plan, Mav... We were going to grow old together and have a family, then you left and I moved on" She said

"Ash..."

"Just let me finish..." She shook her head, "He fought for you, Ice fought for you to come back, would he want this?" She said, "I don't want you to go, we need to prove to Cyclone that we can do this mission"

"How?" Maverick asked

Ashley looked down before looking at Maverick, "We fly the mission tomorrow when he's teaching, to prove it can be done"

Maverick looked at Ashley and came to some sort of realisation. She was right. Of course, she was right.

His Ashley had come up with a plan to keep their jobs and for them to grow old together afterwards.