"You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"

"Shannon!" Her mother spoke, her father did not.

"No-" She continued to shout. "-You have the audacity to pull the Admiral card right now, at a time like this?!" She pointed an accusing finger at him. "Absolutely not!"

A shouting match had erupted in the Kazansky family kitchen.

Now her father spoke. "Shannon, I won't let you throw away your career because of this-"

"You 'won't let me'? I'm an adult! And this is so much more important than if I ever fly again! Besides, after the crash you were encouraging me to take some time, and now you want me to just get back up there like nothing ever happened!"

"Yes, but that was before this. I just don't know how much time we have-"

"No, don't say that, don't say it." As if not saying it would make it any less true.

"It's true."

Shannon's grief and sorrow had quickly flown into a rage when her father made it very clear that he would not even entertain the idea of her staying grounded. But it wasn't his choice to make - it was hers and hers alone.

"And as both your father and an Admiral, I want you to put your career first-"

"No, absolutely not-" Tears filled her eyes, spilling over. "-Because I will sure as hell not be up there when you go down down here." With that she stormed from the house and out into the driveway, getting in her car and driving away to who the hell knew where.

Once far enough away, she pulled into a lot and phoned Brad. "Hey Brad, can you meet me somewhere?"

"Yeah Shan, everything all right?" Her deafening silence on the other end of the line was his answer, and he quickly left to meet her.

They settled on a familiar place from their childhood: a diner that served burgers and milkshakes that they had frequented as kids with their Uncle Mav, back when he and Bradley were still speaking and still close.

They sat in their usual booth by the window. They sat in silence for a while, sipping milkshakes, and Bradley never once pushed or rushed her, just let her take all the time she needed.

She spoke. "It's back Brad, the cancer. And it's more aggressive this time, there's nothing they can do." She spoke the words for the first time herself.

"Oh Shan - that's so shitty, I'm so sorry."

"I'm not going back up there," she said firmly, decided. "I mean ever since the crash I've been hesitant anyways, and now this."

He nodded, understanding. "And now this."

"He doesn't want me to, but I'm not going anywhere. Especially now we know there might not be much time left..." She didn't want to say it, but now that this grief was all spilling out from her, the reality of the situation came crashing down on her all at once.

He reached out and took her hand across the table, and then she started sobbing into her vanilla milkshake. He came around the table to sit in the booth next to her, holding her as she cried.

She got home late. The light was on for her and she guessed that her parents had gone to bed. She didn't go inside right away. Instead, she parked her car in its spot in the driveway and headed around back to sit on the back porch and look up at the stars that her mother, a NASA scientist, loved so much.

Not long after she'd sat down, the porch light went on and and the back door opened and her father - she didn't need to look to know it was him - came and sat next to her. Looked like he had waited up for her, like he had in her teen years.

He spoke first. "I'm sorry this all ended in a big fight."

"Me too." But she still didn't look at him. It was like the longer she avoided it, the less true the diagnoses was, even though it made no difference really. "It's not fair."

"Life often isn't fair."

"But you're still so young!"

He chuckled. "It doesn't always feel that way."

"But you are! I don't want you to be in pain. You deserve to live till you're one hundred, passing peacefully at home surrounded by mom and your children and grandchildren."

"Grandchildren?" He looked at her pointedly.

"I know, I know, I'm the only one who has anything to do with that."

"Yeah, you and Bradley might have to get on that."

"Dad!" She flushed furiously.

He chuckled. Even the pain wouldn't and couldn't take away his sense of humour.

"But you know what I mean."

He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close against him. "I know, kiddo, but don't think I'm not going down without a fight. And this is only the beginning."

He didn't say it, but she knew what he meant: the beginning of the end. "I know." A pause, then, "I don't care about my career - I'm not leaving you like this."

"As much as I don't want you to throw away your career, I don't want you to leave either."

"Oh, Dad-" She hugged him. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Let's just make the most of every moment," he said.

"Absolutely. I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Shan." He kissed her head. "My little Elvis."

Shannon was brought back to the present as chatter filled the radio.

Payback's voice: "Rooster, we've gotta pick up the pace, we're falling behind!"

"I know, I know." Brad's reply.

Come on, Brad, she silently urged him on. You can do this.

They all could.

Work is very busy, but here's a little heartwarming and heart wrenching flashback for you - I need more Ice!

Back to the present next, the mission itself!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope, as always, that you enjoyed! :)