Forty-ish Hours ago... more or less...

It was a small group of that stood on the tarmac at Naval Air Station Miramar, saying goodbye to five of their number that were departing as ordered for a crisis situation half a world away. Wolfman stood at his pilot's shoulder, Ice and Slider on his other side, as they watched Maverick say goodbye to Carole Bradshaw while holding her son, Bradley, who was crying and didn't want to let go.

Maverick looked for all the world like he wanted to stay right here on the tarmac and see THEM off instead, but finally he met Wolf's steady gaze, took a deep breath, and turned his full attention to the five year old in his arms. "Bradley-"

"Don't want you go!" Bradley yelled, voice shrill, and they all winced.

Maverick sighed. "I know you don't, kiddo. I know. Look at me, huh?"

"Don't want you go," Bradley said again, hands clinging to the name patch on Mav's flight suit. "Don't go."

Mav stared at him, then hugged him tighter. "I have to go. Orders."

"Orders stupid."

Maverick heard several snorts of laughter at that and tried to smile. "Yes. The orders are stupid, kiddo. But they are still orders, and I still have to go. I'll be back."

Bradley blinked up at him. "Back?"

"Yes, Bradley. I'll be back. Okay?" His gaze shifted to Carole for support, and she moved in and hugged them both. They stood there like that for long minutes before Ice cleared his throat and Carole pried her son away from Maverick, taking the name patch with him. "Uh..."

Carole was reminded of the last time he'd done that, only to his father on deployment, and shook her head in sad amusement. "I keep forgetting those are Velcro. Give it back to him, Bradley."

"No," Bradley said and tried to hide it.

Carol sighed. "Bradley..."

"Want Uncle Mav. Stay."

"He has to go. People need help out there. He'll be back. Give him the patch, all right?"

Bradley stared at the name patch in his name, then reluctantly handed it to Maverick. "People help?"

"Yeah, Brad-Brad."

"Come back?"

Maverick tried to smile, but failed miserably. "Yes. Carole, I..."

Carole looked beyond him to Ice, Slider, Hollywood, and Wolfman. "I'm trusting you all to come home safely, you hear?"

Slider found his voice first, nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

"And I know it's a tall order, but do keep Pete out of trouble," then she nudged Mav with her free hand. "I mean that. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Maverick stared at her, at how casual she was being, trying to give him a semblance of normal in the middle of this mess. "Carole?" She simply smiled knowingly, or tried to. It didn't entirely reach her eyes. Then he nodded.

"We'll be here. Go."

A firm hand landed on his shoulder, and Maverick startled at the contact. "Come on, Mav. Transport's loading."

He glanced over his shoulder at Ice's impassive, but not entirely unemotional, face, then nodded and reached out to ruffle Bradley's hair one last time, and Carole stepped back to join Commander Metcalf and Lieutenant Commander Heatherly.

Twenty-seven or so hours after that...

Twenty-seven hours after seeing them off, Carole Bradshaw received a message brought to her by Commander Metcalf, who stayed while she read it.

"Arrived at ship, air conditioning still broken. Miss you both."
"Mitchell is somehow adorable when napping on a transport. Who knew?"
"Got to go to Hawaii. Only saw tarmac at Pearl. Again."
"Why do ration packs ALWAYS taste like chicken, even when it's supposed to be Mac&Cheese?"
"It was raining on Guam. Still only saw the tarmac. Miss Miramar already."
-Mav, Ice, Hollywood, Slider, Wolfman

"My sincere condolences, Mrs. Bradshaw. He was a good man."
-CDR Tom "Stinger" Jardian, C.A.G.

She frowned, finding the name of the CAG familiar from her husband's letters, then looked at Commander Metcalf. "Did... did... is that the same ship they were on before? Why is the air conditioning broken?"

Viper nodded, then smirked. "Because it's always broken on that carrier. And yes."

"Always?" The thought of that made her laugh and she wondered if that had been Maverick's intention. Probably it was.

The message she had Viper send back: "The tarmac at Pearl and Guam is better than NOT getting to go to either of those places. Glad Mav took a nap. Yes, he's adorable. Still laughing at about the permanently broken air conditioning. Ration packs? Huh? Tell CDR Jardian thank you for me."