Disclaimer - I do not own the character of Maverick, though I have changed the first name as I never saw him as a "Pete". The characters of Lee Sanders and Ashley (Kaz) Kazanski are the creation of a good friend of mine and fellow FanFic writer Alaarak and are the direct result of many late night conversations and two overactive imaginations. I do own Madison (Angel) Harris and all other characters in this story. My apologies to any die hard Top Gun fans as this really has very little to do with the original movie. I hope you enjoy my first publication anyway. Cheers and happy reading.

Chapter 1

Maddie closed her eyes, tightly gripping her M7 rifle to her chest as she crouched behind the rock formation, hoping fervently that it would give her enough protection from the terrorist sharp shooters that seemed hell bent on sending her to meet her maker.

She slowed her breathing, trying to steady herself, the adrenaline surging through her body as her quick mind looked for an avenue of escape. She had been separated from the rest of her Re-Con team, hell, she didn't even know if any of them were even still alive after the ambush they had stumbled blindly in to.

She took a mental stock take of her supplies. Two clips left on her belt, one in the magazine of her gun, against god knows how many enemy soldiers. She still had one stun grenade and a marine issue maghook. The odds weren't looking too great.

While she had always been aware that becoming a member of this team meant she risked death every time they were deployed, actually facing the reality was an entirely different situation. She was scared, something she hadn't allowed herself to admit for a very long time. Being a woman in a Special Forces Unit, she had always had to prove that she was just as tough as the guys, couldn't afford to show any fear or emotion, or it would bring her undone.

Her mind wandered to a safer and happier time. She visualized the unit's house back in Miramar, saw herself swimming in the pristine water of the private beach below, or mucking around with the other team members in the pool. She almost laughed out loud as she remembered Kaz drowning each and every one of them in turn before escaping triumphantly without any of them being able to lay a finger on her. Inevitably her thoughts wandered to Maverick. How many times had she longed to just drown in those bluer than blue eyes but had held back because he was the team leader and fraternization between team members was strongly discouraged. She was well aware of the unspoken attraction between them, the intense glances, and the subtle touches. Now it seemed unlikely that she would ever know what it was like to kiss him, to be held in his strong arms. An overwhelming sense of lost opportunities engulfed her. She shook her head, this kind of thinking was not going to get her out of here alive, and she was damned if she would just sit here and wait for them to come for her.

Carefully, she took stock of her situation through a crack near the top of the rock formation. She could make out at least six enemy operatives, each one having taken refuge behind rock formations similar to the one that now protected her. Unfortunately, her formation was the furthest away from the tunnel leading to the cave exit, and she would have to make it past at least four of the hostiles to escape.

The stun grenade would give her some coverage, but she would still be exposed to enemy fire for a distance of at least fifty yards. There was nothing for it, it was her only option.

She checked the clip on her M7 and pulled the pin from the stun grenade, throwing it as hard as she could into the middle of the large cavern. Then she ran, firing wildly in the direction of the hostiles as she went. The grenade had kicked up a lot of dust and this gave her some coverage. She didn't even feel the first bullet as it hit her in the left shoulder, she just kept running hard for the tunnel.

She felt a stinging sensation in her thigh and looked down at it briefly, surprised to see blood flowing freely. She felt her leg starting to buckle underneath her as another bullet hit her upper right arm. Funny, she thought to herself as she sank to the ground, I always thought getting shot would hurt more than this. She tried to drag herself towards the tunnel as bullets tore into the ground beside her, while others ricocheted off the cavern walls. She was so close, just a few more inches. The tunnel entrance began to swim before her eyes as she felt herself losing her grip on consciousness.

Suddenly, she was aware of movement from the direction of the tunnel and pandemonium let loose all around her.

Kaz knelt down beside her and felt for a pulse in her neck. Maddie slowly lifted her head and gazed in relief at the grinning face of her best friend.

"You hang in there Angel, it's not your day to meet God today." Kaz said to her before lining up a shot and taking out one of the hostiles. She grabbed Maddie under her arms and dragged her into the tunnel and out of the firing line.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." She squeezed her friend's hand reassuringly before running headlong into the cavern to join the rest of the team.

It was all over in a matter of minutes, all the hostiles had been neutralized and the mission objective had been achieved. Three of the team members pressed on deeper into the cavern to be sure that all of the enemy had been eliminated, while Kaz and Maverick hurried back to the tunnel to check on Angel's condition.

"I'm warning you Mav, she didn't look good." Kaz warned her Team Leader, watching his reaction carefully. She was fully aware of Maverick's feelings for Maddie. She had been watching them play an interesting game of cat and mouse ever since the unit had been formed. They found Maddie in the same position that Kaz had left her, and for a brief horrible moment, wondered if they were too late. Maddie groaned softly and Kaz allowed herself to breathe again. She had lost friends before, but this would be different. She had never allowed herself to get as close to anyone as she had to Angel. Maybe that was because Angel was the only one who really understood what it was like to be a woman and live this life.

Gently, she undid Maddie's bullet proof vest and cut her shirt away so she could get a better look at the extent of her injuries. The shot in her arm was a through and through and the bleeding wasn't too extensive. Her shoulder and leg were another matter entirely.

Kaz suspected that the bullet may have nicked an artery in her thigh, judging by the color and consistency of the blood coming out of it. She needed to get some pressure on it and fast or her friend was going to bleed out. Angel's breathing was labored and Maverick threw a worried glance at Kaz before calling for emergency medical assistance over the two-way radio. They didn't dare risk moving her as Maverick suspected that one of her lungs may have been punctured as a result of the shoulder injury.

Kaz grabbed Maddie's shirt and pressed down hard on the entry wound on her thigh, slowing the bleeding until the medics got to her. There wasn't a lot more they could do for her. Maverick sat behind her and gently lifted her head onto his lap. Her eyes fluttered open and she took a moment to focus.

"Well it's about bloody time you lot showed up." She whispered hoarsely, displaying that larrikin Aussie sense of humor they had all become so fond of.

"Sorry babe." He smiled at her. "Couldn't find a parking spot for the hummer."

"If I get out of this alive, you are so taking me on a date, Mitchell." She winced from the effort of speaking.

"You just try and stop me." He told her. She smiled at him, and then her eyes lost focus and her breathing became shallow.

"Oh no you don't." Maverick almost yelled at her. "Angel, stay with me. Maddie, look at me honey. You are not going to die today, do you hear me. God dammit, where are those medics?" He looked frantically down the tunnel before turning his attention back to Maddie. His eyes met with Kaz's and he could see tears beginning to form.

"She's going to be ok Kaz." He told her with a confidence he didn't feel. "The medics will be here any second and they'll take care of her."

Kaz lowered her eyes, unable to meet his gaze any longer. Maverick bent low and whispered into Maddie's ear.

"Don't you dare go and die on me Angel, do you hear me." He begged her. "Don't you leave me without giving me the chance to tell you how much I love you."

Her eyes focused again for a moment and she smiled gently at him.

"I know you do Mav." As she slipped into blissful unconsciousness, she remembered the first time she had ever looked into those mesmerizing blue eyes.