Here is a one shot for Top Gun Maverick. It is also on Tumblr.
Summary:Pete Mitchell's daughter never felt good enough for her father as she never wanted to go into the military or go to college for anything other than art. As a result, Jessica Mitchell hasn't spoken to her father in 15 years. Now that he has been called back to Top Gun, can he mend their broken relationship?
Disclaimer: I do not own Top Gun or Top Gun Maverick.
All her life, Jessica Mitchell had felt as though she was completely useless in the grand scheme of things. Her father was a very good Naval Aviator and considered the best of the best after serving 30 plus years in the Navy. Jessica, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of her father. While her father had wanted her to join the military or pursue what would be considered a stable career, Jessica preferred being involved with the arts. She loved painting, drawing, anything she could get her hands on that would be considered artsy. All throughout her high school career she had been the one to make all of the school costumes by hand for every school production and even designed all of the sets for the drama club to make. When she first told her dad what she was doing for the drama club, he thought it was simply a pass time she had picked up to do as an extracurricular. She could tell her father wasn't going to take her seriously with what she felt like was her calling. As she continued high school, she got a few commissions for paintings and drawings to do from some teachers and classmates, but her biggest accomplishment was when she had been picked to be the main showcase for her Senior project. She had told her father and close family friends about it excitedly because she had done a whole collection of different fighter jets throughout history as well as using some of the callsigns of people she knew - with their permission of course.
-Flashback-
17 year old Jessica Mitchell stood dressed nicely by her large collections of paintings she had done for the school showcase. It was a good way to get art colleges to notice potential students as well as to start building a clientele as they were allowed to sell the work they did. She had been tasked with only making at least six pieces in six weeks but had gone slightly overboard and made 15 pieces in the allotted time. She had told her father and a few of her family friends about the showcase while sending a picture of one of her pieces to hopefully entice them to cme. The beauty about this showcase was the students kept 95% of the money from the sell as the school's art department made most of its money from admissions and the snacks it had for sale on the patio.
Her brown hair was curled and half pinned up in the back as she eagerly awaited people to show up. For the first hour, she gave steady smiles to many parents and even sold a couple of her paintings with the older models of fighter jets to Vets who had come as the school had posted about her collection on social media. Her green eyes brightened as she saw her uncle and aunt Tom and Sarah Kazansky. She quickly hugged them and showed them some of her paintings. As she showed them around, she hadn't noticed someone else come in whom she had also invited. A yelp left her mouth as she was suddenly picked up and brought into a tight hug. Her green eyes went wide as she saw her honorary brother, Bradley Bradshaw, hugging her tightly. Jessica gave a squeal of happiness and hugged him tightly, shocked that he was there. She had extended the invite as a courtesy not realizing he had moved heaven and hell to make sure to be there. Her green eyes were dancing with excitement as she showed the three adults to her two biggest paintings. One showed an F-18 shooting straight up. The painting was on a 36 inch by 48 inch canvas and showcased the sunrise in the background. The detail of the plane made the painting look more like a photo than a painting. The pilot could also be seen in the cockpit showing the slightly contorted look on his face from the force of the Gs he was feeling. Jessica watched as Bradley went wide eyed seeing how the helmet of the pilot was painted causing her to giggle as her honorary brother realized she had painted him in the cockpit of the plane. The second painting that was right next to it was also on a 36 inch by 48 inch canvas. The plane painted on this canvas was an F-14 that was in the opposite direction of Bradley's F-18. There were two people in this plane, and Jessica could see both her uncle and brother choke up realizing just who was in the plane. Her father hadn't shown any interest in coming tonight and never told her if she could use his callsign or not in her paintings. She had to improvise as a result of no answer. Bradley had told her she could use his old man's sign, and her uncle Tom had also told her she could hissign. As a result, she had painted both her uncle and Bradley's father in the F-14 together. A smile graced Jessica's lips as Bradley hugged her again seeing his father looking happy. "I wanted to somehow honor the most important men in my life, and I thought what better way than a set of paintings showing the past and the present," Jessica said simply.
Tom Kazansky - call sign Iceman - smiled proudly at his niece. He knew that Pete Mitchell - call sign Maverick - and one of his good friends did not really support his daughter in her venture to try and be an artist, but Tom didn't understand why because Jessica was an amazing artist. Her showcase was the perfect way to tell people just how good she was. Tom glanced at his wife, Sarah, and nodded as she snuck off to go buy the painting that showed him and Goose while Bradley gushed to Jessica how amazing all of her pieces were. He had already been planning to buy a few pieces that she had done to hang up at Top Gun, but this one was the one he had wanted to hang up in his personal office. He would happily support Jessica in anything and everything she did with her art as she had a real future in it.
-End Flashback-
Jessica had made quite a large amount of money that night as she was the only student to sell all of her pieces. Many veterans and even some active duty personnel had bought her paintings as they reminded her of the good times and the bad times that the soldiers had gone through in their life. That was the night her father had given her an ultimatum. That was the night that she had cut off all ties with her father. She had moved out of the house right after he had left for the mission he was sent on and moved in with her aunt and uncle until she had enough money to go to art college to get her degree.
Now, Jessica was 32 years old and had quite the portfolio built up. She had done a lot of commissions over the years for a wide variety of people - from celebrities to high ranking military officials to political figures. She had made a good amount of money and could be living anywhere in the world right now, but she chose to make her permanent residence in Miramar, California aka Fightertown, U.S.A. She had moved back at 29 when she had been commissioned by not only the Mayor of San Diego, but also commissioned by the Admiral of the Marine base nearby to do two large murals. The San Diego Mural was in the heart of Downtown and showcased hundreds of different species of sea life with divers mixed in. She had named the mural "Friends Among Us" and made a very pretty penny off of it. The mural for the Marine base was spread out between seven different walls and was the largest mural she had ever done. Each wall had a set of years since the school had been started showcasing members of the school who had fallen from each year. She was especially happy to add Goose to the mural, sending the picture to her honorary brother she had kept in touch with over the years. When she had finished these murals, Jessica had connected with one of her father's old flames, Penny Benjamin, and decided to still do commissions while working at the bar that Penny had bought. Jessica happily took up Penny's offer to decorate and paint the inside of the bar after the older woman had remanded the bar The Hard Deck.
Jessica loved working at the bar and seeing the numerous locals and Top Gun students that passed through. Time seemed to fly by for Jessica as now here she was 3 years later and working at the bar still. The brunette had decided to take a small break from taking commissions as she had enough money to live comfortably for a while as she did still have the steady income from the bar. The 32 year old artist was currently manning the bar as she had insisted Penny have a night off to spend with her daughter Amelia. The night had been relatively easy so far as there were only a few locals and very few pilots. Her world froze, however, as she turned when someone called her name and Jessica saw her father…whom she hadn't spoken to in 15 years. Jessica swallowed thickly as she finished wiping out the last of the shot glasses she had been cleaning as her father, Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell sat at the bar in slight shock seeing his daughter all grown up. "What can I get you?" she asked lightly.
Pete gazed at Jessica in complete shock for a moment before registering what she had said. "Just a beer," he said lightly. He wasn't sure how to act around his daughter. He hadn't spoken to her in 15 years and felt incredibly guilty for what he had said all those years ago after her Senior showcase. He couldn't stop staring at her as she handed him his beer while he flashed back to the night everything fell apart.
-Flashback-
Pete Mitchell looked at the paperwork he had started filling out for his daughter. He didn't like how she didn't show any kind of interest in the military. He wanted her to have a stable career and knew that if she pursued her art she would only be disappointed. He looked up as his daughter came home from the senior showcase that had been put on by her high school and cleared his throat just before she could go up the stairs for the night. His green eyes were hard as they stared into his daughter's. "We need to talk. You need to listen to what I have to say."
Jessica frowned at the look she saw in her father's eyes and swallowed thickly as she slowly sat down in front of her father. She saw the paperwork in front of her father and frowned almost immediately. She could see the paperwork was for colleges that didn't have the program she wanted as well as paperwork for the Naval Academy. "Not this again, Dad," she stated simply and flinched slightly as her father got angry.
"You have these colleges as your choices or the Naval Academy. Doing Art is not going to be stable enough for you to be comfortable in life. It would be best to have it as a side project, Jessica," he said with a very obvious bite to his voice. He was tired of her having the fantasy that her art would get her somewhere in life. He saw Jess flinch slightly as she looked away from him. "I mean it, Jessica. You need to choose one of these colleges."
"And if I don't?" Jessica whispered lightly.
"Damn it, Jess! I am trying to make sure you can succeed in life! Either you go to one of these colleges, or you are no longer welcomed here! I have entertained this pastime of yours long enough. Being an artist will not get you where you want to be in life!" Pete yelled, slamming his fist on the dinner table as he let his anger get the best of him. He frowned seeing his daughter's eyes tear up.
Jessica bit the inside of her cheek as she stared at her father wide eyed. She suddenly realized she would never be good enough for her father. She would never be able to make him proud. She would never be able to follow in his footsteps like Bradley had done for his father. Her lower lip trembled lightly as she bolted from the table and up the stairs packing her large duffle bag and grabbing a few items she needed. She didn't know how much time had passed as she packed, but she ignored her father calling her name. Jessica ran down the steps as quickly as she possibly could with her school things and a duffle full of personal items. A glare set on her face seeing her father trying to block the front door. "I don't want to join the military! I don't want to go into engineering or mechanics! I want to do art! I am happy doing art! I see now that I will never be good enough for you. I don't know what I did that was so wrong, but you will never see me as a good daughter! Uncle Tom and Aunt Sarah and Bradley all support me! Why can't you?! I HATE YOU!" she cried out loudly as tears streamed down her cheeks while she pushed her father out of the way and ran out of the house vaguely hearing the front door slam shut behind her.
-End Flashback-
Pete felt his heart break that night for the first time in a very long time. He hadn't had the courage over the years to reach out to apologize, but he did keep tabs on her over the years. He saw that she had in fact made a very good life for herself. He had heard rumors she had done a very large commission for the Marine Base nearby as well as the city of San Diego, but he hadn't gone to see the murals yet. The Naval pilot swallowed thickly as he held onto the beer glass his daughter had given her to hide how badly his hands were shaking. "Jess…" he started but was quickly interrupted by his daughter.
"I have customers to serve. Could you make it quick please?" Jessica whispered lightly.
Pete gazed at her and took a deep breath. "You look really good," he murmured to her genuinely meaning what he said. "I mean it, Jess. I know I made a lot of mistakes with how I tried to force you to do certain things with your life." He frowned as Jessica looked on the verge of tears. "Jess, I'm sorry," Pete whispered softly.
Jessica swallowed the scoff she was about to let loose back hearing her father apologize after 15 years. She could hear the genuine emotion behind his words, but everything still hurt. "15 years. It took you 15 years to say those words to me." The brunette bartender closed her eyes for a moment to get control of her emotions. "Right now isn't a good time, Dad. We'll talk in a couple of days okay," she said before smirking seeing his phone on the bar and shook her head. Jessica loudly rang the bell as everyone cheered. Her green eyes danced with mischief as she pointed to the sign that Penny had introduced when she bought the bar that said 'Disrespect a Lady, the Navy, or have your phone on my bar, buy a round for everyone.' "Penny's rules," Jessica said with a light giggle as she went about serving customers. Her green eyes looked up as one of the pilots that had walked in earlier came over with a $10 bill. She raised an eyebrow as he handed it to her asking for two more beers on the old man's tab. Jess took the money and got him two more beers while reading his name tag. "Seresin? What do they call you?" she quipped.
"Hangman, Sweetheart," Jake Seresin flirted in response to her question.
"Hangman? Is that because you leave people out to dry?" she quipped back with sarcasm and sass. She went wide eyed as she heard the familiar voice of her brother in everything but blood.
"Hangman. You look…good. Now quit flirting with my sister," Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw said as he walked into The Hard Deck. He came up beside Jessica behind the bar to give her a big hug while giving a light glare at Hangman.
"Seriously? This is how Phoenix and I find out you're back stateside?" Jessica snapped, slapping Bradley's arm with her towel. She rolled her eyes at the pilot and continued serving the customers of the bar for the rest of the night. Even having three of the pilots toss her dad out cause he couldn't pay his tab from how high it was. Jessica smiled hearing Brad play "Great Balls of Fire" but quickly noticed the pained look on her father's face as he listened, realizing he was flashing back to Goose playing that song. The brunette bit her lip lightly with a light sigh. Maybe she could reconcile with her father after all these years.
-A few days later-
Jessica stood wearing all black under the heat of the Miramar sunlight. She had a black palette on her thumb with many different colors. The 32 year old was doing everything in her power not to cry as she painted the scene of the funeral with a F-14 in the sky with her uncle's call sign on it. She had known the cancer was back, but she hadn't expected to pass like this. Her uncle was more like a father to her over the last 15 years than her own father had been. She glanced up from the canvas she was using to paint the scene and saw her father saluting her uncle's casket with tears streaming down his own face. Jessica closed her green eyes as tears finally slid down her own cheeks as the pain of losing another family member finally got to her. She set down her brush and palette on the small stool she had in case she wanted to sit down and met her father's eyes when he turned to face her. The talk she had said they would have was long overdue even if their emotions were at an all time high right now with Tom's death. She felt another set of eyes on her and looked over at Bradley who looked about ready to crack as well. Tom "Iceman" Kazansky had been there for both of them. He had believed in the both of them…in what they wanted to do with their lives…and now he was gone.
Almost two hours later, Jessica was finishing the last little details of the painting her Aunt Sarah had asked her to do for the family as one last memento of her uncle. The brunette wiped the sweat off of her face and turned to see her father waiting there for her.
"Jess-" Pete started softly but was quickly stopped by his daughter.
"You…you can't just say sorry. You can't just expect that one little word is going to change everything…to make everything better. You can't just waltz into my life after 15 years, say you're sorry, and expect us to be okay! I waited 15 years to hear you say that! I waited even longer for you to support my passion! My dreams! I am not a little girl any more seeking approval from her father who doesn't even care about what she wants in life! He was more of a father to me than you EVER WERE!" she exclaimed loudly pointing at her uncle's coffin that had her father's golden aviation wings on them. She panted heavily trying to get her emotions under control but failed miserably as her knees buckled and her father caught her in his arms holding her for the first time in 15 years.
Pete rushed forward catching his daughter in his arms as she almost fell to the floor. He wrapped his arms around her as she cried and sobbed and broke down. One hand gently cradled her head as she almost immediately nuzzled into his dress uniform to let out every emotion she was feeling in that moment. Tears began streaming down his own cheeks again hearing how broken his daughter sounded. He hated how much she was crying and wanted to do everything in his power to reconcile for everything he had done to her. "I am so sorry, Jess. I never meant to make you feel like you weren't good enough. I am sorry I wasn't the best father. I am sorry I didn't support your dreams and passions. I want to do better. Please," he begged softly as he held her close. He pulled away slightly looking down at the beautiful woman whom his daughter had become. Pete lightly wiped away her tears and leaned forward gently kissing her forehead like he used to do when she was a little girl. "I love you so much, Jessica. You are the one thing I am the most proud of in my life," he whispered lightly with a soft smile.
Jessica looked at her dad with a small yet watery smile. She knew there would be a lot of work that they would have to do to get to the point where they trusted each other again, but he was her father. Even over the 15 years that they didn't speak, Jessica never stopped loving him. "I love you too, Dad," she whispered back before hugging him again. She was going to make sure that she and her dad would be on better terms before he left California again for god knows how long.
