Airman Annabeth Chase, USAF (callsign Catch), Andrews Airforce Base, 221st Daggers
Fortunately, civilian air traffic control was relaxed that day, allowing the two ships to just make the return trip together. It was high time too, during her dogfight alone Annabeth had burnt through nearly half her fuel. They flew in relatively close formation. Dagger flight making up the left, and Vagabond the right-wing of their cut of the wedge formation.
She would have preferred to stay off right of Percy's wing but understood why that couldn't be done. All jets were loaded with live ordinance, and should any incident arise, Annabeth's flight might get called off on some intercept. Though, in this situation, Annabeth was quite sure that her husband's two ships would not be able to resist the temptation of joining them.
By now dusk had very much settled in, while at Angels forty they were still entertained to a gorgeous sunset, the countryside below them was already cast in twilight. To her surprise, the overcast had mostly cleared, offering a clear, but very cold night. At forty-thousand feet it was around minus seventy degrees outside and by now they were facing a strong headwind of almost a hundred knots.
Due to not having a filed flight plan, it was fairly obvious that Air Traffic Control really didn't want to have to deal with them. Fortunately, they were flying well above most civilian traffic, and as such weren't really in anyone's way.
"Vagabond +1, descend to flight-level thirty, change course to two seven zero," the air traffic controller ordered.
Reyna confirmed the order and after Percy exchanged a wave with his wife both Tomcats banked left simultaneously and turned to the new heading. He would have looked back but now he had work to do.
"Thrust half, nose down five," Reyna ordered.
They did just that and began their descent towards the airfield. Soon they were back in the Contrail zone and at twenty-five thousand feet they left it again. They left the sunlight and dipped below the horizon into the twilight and flicked up their sunshields. They further descended as they approached the capital and Air Traffic Control had them circle twenty miles away from the city in a descending holding pattern until they were finally cleared to enter the restricted area at five thousand feet altitude to make their final approach, expecting Andrew's runway zero one left.
They listened as Annabeth's flight received clearance to land ahead of them and could watch as the two Vipers progressed through their finally and finally touched down.
"Okay," Piper suddenly announced. "Reyna goes down first, we follow her into the short final, make one last lap, and then full stop."
Understood," Percy announced and slowed down to maybe two hundred knots. They followed Reyna down and watched as she finally touched down. Percy eased the throttle forward to full mill, picking up speed again and at the end of the runway banked left and made one long lap that almost brushed up against the no-fly zone over DC, likely making the secret service very nervous in the process, before lining up to the runway himself.
Landing lights were switched on, gear and flaps were lowered, the anti-skid/spoilers armed, and landing checklists were followed.
Finally, they were on short final themselves, the runway dead ahead of them. Percy slowed down even further, to barely over one hundred seventy knots, and flared his nose down to arrest his vertical speed. Piper stayed silent to allow him to enjoy the closing moments of his flight.
A few seconds before touch down Percy flared, pulling his nose up to a positive five-degree inclination, and managed an ever so gentle touchdown. The moment weight rested on the wheels the spoilers on the wings were raised, disrupting the airflow over the wings. Additionally, Percy opened the rear-mounted air breaks and felt himself being pulled into his harness and they began to slowly decelerate. He sped past Annabeth and her flight lead who had already reached some sort of holding area and soon after that passed his own flight lead who was taxing to the parking spot.
They quickly bled of speed and at around seventy knots Percy kicked both of his foot pedals forward, engaging the wheel breaks and also reengaged nose wheel steering.
"Okay, turn off the runway here," Piper announced suddenly and Percy did as he was told and then turned straight left again and they rolled after his flight lead.
"Okay, just roll after Queen. We'll get our weapons disarmed and then proceed to parking," Piper announced.
"On it," Percy replied and pulled up in the holding area next to Reyna, Annabeth, Percy, and Luke.
"Percy, switch to 123.250," Piper warned and Percy did as she said.
Suddenly he was on a much more busy frequency. "Vagabond 2, confirm Master Arm safe and parking brake on," one of the enlisted approaching his planes from the side radioed.
Percy engaged the parking brake, double-checked that his Master Arm was off, and then visibly raised his hands. He knew that this was a Navy thing, not done by the airforce but Percy considered it good form regardless. He had had nightmares about some poor technician getting his face burned off by an AIM-54s rocket motor while trying to set the weapon safe. He knew that many had little patients for such procedures, but hey. A live weapon is always live and Percy was quite sure the chap who was responsible for almost burning down the aircraft carrier USS Forestall had also been really confident.
The support staff reinserted the safety pins into the missiles. Percy kelt glancing over at Annabeth but behind his own flight leads much larger plane there wasn't much to see. Sadly Percy the two vipers were ready first and taxied back to their hardened bunkers. Maybe thirty seconds after Reyna Percy too headed to the parking space.
Soon it was their turn. When they made the short trip Percy noticed that an uncommonly large crowd was waiting close to the tin half hangars that were basically only a roof. Something was different about them though, they just looked oddly out of place.
"Blackjack, you on frequency?" Reyna suddenly called in.
"I've got you five by five, Queen," Percy replied.
"Be advised, your families are here so look lively. Charmer, are Blackjack's and your parents close?"
"They are in contact," Piper confirmed.
"Well, he is there too with a few cameras," she announced.
"I think this is about the wedding," Percy realized.
"You figure? They got us good," Piper muttered.
Soon after Percy spotted his mother and little half-sister among the crowd. Little thirteen-year-old Estelle was pointing in awe at Reyna's massive warplane and waving enthusiastically before Sally pointed at them. Then it was Percy who was receiving enthusiastic waves. He waved back at his little sister, taken aback by how much she had grown. He spotted Piper's father with two guys with cameras, one held one of that really expensive reflexum camera, the other a video camera. Percy instantly recognized him from a number of action movies, the same movies the squadron had insisted on watching again and again just to mess with his RIO. Whether he was here for the wedding or to just get a few good shots of his daughter climbing a cockpit was hard to tell. Perhaps both?
Finally, Percy pulled up into the hangar, aware that he was being watched and pleased with the gods of Chaos that nothing embarrassing happened as he pulled into the half hangar and finally floored spotted a female airman on the ground with two orange button lights, directing him on. Percy turned around and pulled into the indicated parking lot and stopped dead when he was told to do so.
Sadly parked Percy locked the wings into their closest parking settings and when the airman or in this case airwoman flourished her baton Percy dutifully pulled the throttles out of idle into the fuel cutoff procedure, killing the fuel pumps. The constant wine of engines suddenly died down and Piper opened the canopy as Percy finished off his shutdown checklist.
Immediately icy cold wind bit against the exposed parts of their skin.
Finally, someone slapped a ladder to the side of the cockpit and technicians appeared.
"Welcome to DC," an eighteen-year-old-looking guy greeted him brightly. "Good flight?"
"Took of a bachelor, landed as a married man, could be worse," Percy reasoned and flicked the master power off.
A second one began to tend to Piper and helped her disentangle themselves from their harness and the wires that linked their G-suits to the airplane.
"Those aren't dummy weapons, right?" the technician asked.
"Nope," Percy confirmed. "They are live ordinance, actually belong to the Nimitz. Not sure how we are supposed to handle this."
The guy shrugged. "Don't worry. It's just I'll have to have an MP guard the planes until we can toe the planes into proper hangers. We'll call some of the Navy techs over and have them help us handle the weapons and put them into storage."
Finally, Percy pulled his helmet off and rose from his chair right after Piper climbed out. Once he was safely back on terra firma the crowd rushed forward. First to make it to him was his mother and sister and pulled him into a tight group hug. "Oh my god, it's been ages. And you are all married now!" Estelle yelled.
"A moment," Percy begged and looked at Piper who untangled herself from her father and hurried over.
"Yes, sir?" she asked.
"Don't drink anything, don't go too far away. We still haven't gotten new orders," Percy said softly.
Piper nodded and glanced at her father. "Hope he understands that. Dad isn't used to being told no."
"Just blame me, tell him we are guarding the White House or something," Percy hissed.
"Isn't your wife doing that?" Piper asked pointedly.
"These are civilians, I wager all our jets look the same to them," Percy replied quietly.
"All look the same," Piper huffed with a grin. "That is racism."
She winked and returned to her father while Percy tightly embraced his mother and sister.
"I bet Annabeth is going to be looking so beautiful," Estelle gushed and Percy ruffed up her hair. "Yes, and as much as I would like to spend hours with you guys, I actually want to see her. So may I be excused?" Percy asked.
"Yeah, sure," Sally said and kissed him on the cheek. "How fast you've grown up. Flying big fighter-jets..." she shook her head sadly. "Go to your wife!" she encouraged.
"I recommend you guys get out of the cold, maybe wait inside?" Percy suggested, already shivering.
Percy glanced at Piper again and made a circular motion with her finger to her who nodded and together they made their way through the small crowd towards Reyna's plane. Finally, Percy found himself face to face with his beaming father-in-law. "Congratulations on the wedding and the victory," he said and they embraced.
"Do you know where my daughter is?" he asked.
"Still at her plane, I'll imagine, we'll be out soon. Why
It took a while, as friends and family insisted on congratulating him.
"Sorry, military business to attend to," Percy announced apologetically.
Reyna and Jason awaited them next to their plane, both grinning from ear to ear.
"Blackjack all tangled up now," Reyna said sadly. "A loss for female kind."
"Thanks, Queen!" Percy replied and they embraced.
"Look lively, only gets harder from here. If marriage becomes unbearable, I am sure I can find a place for you in her majesties Dambuster's. That is if you have the stomach for the Tornado. Could use a good chap like you..." Jason offered, grinning broadly, and they shared a quick manly embrace.
They hurried over to the alert hangars just as both fighter jets disappeared inside and the heavy doors slammed shut again. He should have expected it but of course, they were stopped by two MPs, armed with M16s.
"So," Reyna announced, her voice suddenly crisp and professional. "I know it is strictly against regulation to enter an alert hanger, but it seems prudent to conduct our post-mission debrief away from civilian ears. Also, I bet we won't be alone in there."
The MPs gave him them tired looks and Percy realized that his wedding reception was the only reason they were forced to stand in the cold.
They looked them over, all four of them still in their flight suits and clearly having just climbed out of planes that nearly cost forty million dollars each.
Then after muttering something derogatory about the Navy they were waved through and stepped into the blissfully heated hangar.
Both F16s had been pushed back into their parking spaces and Luke's plane was already being refueled and the planes were being checked by maintenance personal. About thirty other pilots, clearly other members of the squadron were following the spectacle with clear amusement.
While Percy would normally be fawning over the two gorgeous fighter jets, he only had eyes for the blond, gray-eyed beauty sitting on the top of her jet with tears running down her cheeks while an elderly man that Percy recognized as Chaplin runner waited at the bottom of the latter in his wheelchair.
"You are a combat aviator, girl. For god's sake, pull yourself together and get down here," the Chalpin ordered. "Don't make me come up there, Mrs Jackson!"
"You can't walk, sir!" Annabeth sobbed.
Just then Luke came walking over, shaking his head, and spotted the four of them standing at the door and winked.
"Come down here, Catch!" he snapped. "You are embarrassing the squadron in front of the fucking Navy!"
This was supported by a few cheers. Annabeth's head snapped around and stared at Percy with wide eyes.
Percy only grinned at her. "Hey Wise Girl," he said walking up to the plane and stood next to the Chaplin.
Suddenly a bald man, a lieutenant colonel according to his pins, briskly walked up to them.
"Looks like you beating her might have broken her," he announced in a good-natured manner and shook Percy's hands. "Mind policing your wife?"
"What's the problem," Percy asked patiently.
"I'm crying, and you are all laughing at me," Annabeth sobbed, though a smile was written across her face.
"Come down here Catch," Percy ordered sharply.
Annabeth chuckled but slowly did come down and jumped straight into his embrace and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
He held her for a few long moments before kissing his wife on the lips for the very first time.
There were some cheers and whoops from Annabeth's squadron mates and Percy picked his blond up and spun her around a few times, earning a few happy punches in the process.
Percy breathed in her scent and buried his face in her air. "I missed you," Percy whispered into her ear,
"Missed your too," Annabeth admitted with a whisper.
They kissed again, this time for real. It was a good, solid, deep kiss, that only ended when three bucket loads of water were dumped on top of them.
"What the fuck!" Annabeth spluttered, pushing her hair back out of her face.
Percy too looked around. Three of Annabeth's squadron mates stood around them, holding now empty buckets, looking awfully pleased with themselves. "It's in the dead of winter!" Annabeth complained.
"Relax Wise Girl," Percy said and pulled her closer. "You gotta respect traditions. When are you of the Alert rotations?" he asked.
"Tomorrow," Annabeth moaned.
Fortunately, her Lt. Colonel Miller only laughed. "You still have a job to do, Mrs Jackson. Lieutenant Jackson, you can have your wife tomorrow at o'six hundred hours. Until then her ass still belongs to the USAF."
"After that your ass is mine," Percy whispered in her ear and earned a choked-off laugh/sniff. This comment earned them a loud round of laughter and Percy was sure that for the next six months Annabeth would be asking questions what he had been doing with her ass.
"How about we join the others," Percy suggested, grasping her and.
Annabeth only nodded, holding his hand tightly. "Just a few more hours, then we'll find some privacy."
Something told Percy that privacy would mean the two of them spending their first time in bed together as a newlywed couple sleeping off a sleepless night.
Hi guys, this will get some editing down the line. I am just really tired now. I hope you've enjoyed yourselves so far. I might expand on this AU if there is any interest. In any case, let me know. Do let me know what you think so far.
Henry Locker over and out.