Disclaimer: SM put them on this earth. I get to put them in the sky. While SM owns the Twi universe, the remaining content is all mine. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without my express written authorization.

EPOV

I stared at my green 'Peter Pan' hat, still placed on the dresser where I tossed it over a week ago. The hat looked even sillier now that it was out of its element, but it was something tangible that reminded me of that incredible day. Thinking about the last time I had it on, I couldn't help but recall a beaming Bella in her yellow hat, running around with me at the Fair with her hand in mine. Innocent thoughts came first, followed by images of her on that Ferris Wheel.

That not-so innocent ride had rotated in my head over and over again, especially while lying in a lonely hotel room bed for the past few nights. I had never done anything so bold, so public before, but I just couldn't hold back my desire for her. It had been building up the entire day. Bella just had that affect on me. There was no way I could shake her, not that I wanted to of course.

It was difficult heading back to work solo after spending time with Bella. While we had been fortunate to share assigned flights and have a couple of dates, our schedules were not going to be in sync for the next few weeks. Having conflicting schedules would soon become the major drawback of the career I had chosen. It sure did not make it easy for a guy like me to court a girl. Neither of us held seniority nor did I have any juice in the company, so aside from praying to the Pan Am scheduling gods, I could only hope we would have more simultaneous pockets of free time or mutual flights in the near future.

Sure it would be challenging to find time to be with Bella, but I knew she was worth it. Even if we couldn't have spontaneous dates like most couples, our time together would be even more cherished.

Plus, it helped to know we had already gotten past one important hurdle. I had Brady to thank for that. Victoria was now public knowledge, and I knew about that Mike guy as well. Bella seemed a little nervous about telling me that she had rejected his marriage proposal, but it sounded like she never loved him. I honestly didn't put too much thought into it as I'm sure she had her reasoning. I couldn't live my life thinking that every girl would turn out to be like Victoria.

During my time off, I decided to call over to Bella's place and spoke with Rosalie on the phone. Sadly, she confirmed what I already knew, that Bella was working out of Cincinnati. I had hoped her schedule might have changed so there would be some time for us to squeeze in a quick date. Rose shared with me what she knew of Bella's upcoming flight schedule, giving me a better sense of some free time the two of us might have in the near future.

The rest of the week, I kept busy by running errands and meeting the guys at a bar to watch some baseball and have some brews. I also found myself motivated to play my guitar, something I hadn't touched for months. Even though I may have looked preoccupied, Bella consistently remained in the forefront of my thoughts.

Time went quickly, and before I knew it, I had to get back on a plane. I caught a cab and headed to the airport for a series of Dallas-based west coast flights. I couldn't help but feel a little heartsick as the driver took me past the Fair. Everything about it now screamed Bella. Seeing the famous U.S. Royal Tire was cruel, and I felt my pants grow a little snug. Oh, Bella, August can't come any sooner.

As I got to Kennedy, I stood outside for a few minutes to enjoy some fresh air and solitude before engaging in the hustle bustle of the terminal. I looked up to admire the massive structure that was known as WorldPort. Its four acre roof resembled a large flying saucer. I felt so small compared to it.

I was pulled out of my musing when I heard a little boy excitingly point me out to his parents. I turned toward his direction and noticed a red-headed boy staring at me with big, bright eyes. He caught me looking at him and took it as his opportunity to scurry on over.

"Excuse me, Mister Pilot," he said with a slight lisp. "I'm Riley, and I was wondering if I could ask you a question?"

"Sure, son," I eagerly responded, lowering myself so as to be at his eye level.

"What kind of planes do you fly? Do you fly those big jets or the ones with propellers?" he asked, flashing me a toothless grin. The freckles on his cheeks were highlighted by a recent sunburn. He reminded me of that kid on Andy Griffith.

"Well actually, I fly several kinds of planes, but I also fly the largest plane out there, the Boeing 707."

"Wow, that's so neat, Mister!" The boy proceeded to ask me several questions, while his parents silently thanked me for being attentive to their inquisitive child.

He seemed so excited to speak with a real pilot. Moments likes these made me feel the most pride about my chosen profession. I also couldn't help but think about having a son or daughter of my own one day. Suddenly an image of Bella, round with child, flashed in my thoughts. I kind of liked it.

Before excusing myself, I gave Riley a Pam Am pin that I had on my lapel. He jumped up and down, enthusiastically thanking me before running over to his mother and father to proudly display my little gift. They smiled back at me as I waved goodbye.

I opened the door of the terminal and joined the masses. The place was a madhouse this morning with frustrated travel experts trying to weave themselves through the thick crowds. Even with people rushing to and fro, some still stopped to give me nods and other friendly formalities as I made my way through the airport. My uniform always seemed to garnish a lot of attention, especially if there were no stewardesses around. I couldn't blame the girls for taking attention away from me.

"Cullen!" I heard my name being called, just as I felt a hard tap on my hat. I turned around to find my pal, Emmett, looking at me with a wide grin on his face. He was a Second Officer like me, and we had been hired around the same time. That's about where our similarities ended as he was nearly twice as big as me. "What-say, man?"

"Hey, Emmett. Good to see you, buddy. How's it going?"

"Not bad. They still have me out in Honolulu. You?"

"Everywhere in the forty-eight continental states! I have the Dallas to the west coast runs this week. When I saw you in San Francisco not too long ago, you said they might pull you off the Hawaiian trips."

"Yeah, couple more weeks and I'll be back in Manhattan. Home sweet home. Say, you heading to the office?"

"Yes."

"Good, walk with me." We started to make our way towards the operations office before Emmett spoke again. "So you mentioned that stew, Isabella, last time. Anything ever come of that?"

I nodded, finding it hard to suppress my smile. "It's going well. She's something else, but finding time to spend together sure isn't easy."

"Yep, that's the hard part of dating one of them. Aren't we just a gluttony for punishment? But, I'm glad to hear that things are going good for you two." Emmett playfully smacked me on the back, but with his strength I almost fell forward and through the glass of the office door. "So speaking of girls, that blonde, Rose...Rosalie Masen...that's your girl's roommate right?"

"Yes..." We stepped into the office and headed over to the check-in desk. I looked curiously at Emmett. "Why do you ask?"

"So what's the skinny on her? She have a steady? Think she might be interested in-"

"You?" I laughed as I quickly cut him off from his barrage of questions. "Listen, next time I'm able to speak with my girlf-, um, Bella, on the telephone, I'll be sure to ask her, okay?"

"Sure thing." He nodded his head, suddenly looking happier than a kid on Christmas morning. "Mahalo, Cullen. That means thanks in Hawaiian."

"Show off! But seriously, it's not a problem, Em."

"Say, maybe if Rosalie is game, we can do a double when I get back from the islands next month?"

"Sounds good. I'll find out for you," I assured him.

"Well, I better split and head over to my flight. Nice seeing you again." We shook hands before I turned my attention to the lady behind the desk, who was trying to hand me my flight information.

Emmett started to walk off, but quickly turned around. "Oh and Cullen?"

I looked up from my papers. "Yes?"

"Don't think I didn't notice that you nearly called Bella your girlfriend!" He gave me a wink before joining the throngs of people in the noisy terminal.

Bella and I hadn't officially used those kinds of terms for each other, but sometimes the subconscious can be rather revealing.

After spending yet another week away from the city, it was nice to be back in my own apartment. It was nearly half past eleven at night, and I tossed my travel bags into the bedroom. Usually I craved the solitude of my small apartment, but tonight was different. I wanted it to be alive, to be filled with her. Sadly, it was too late to call over to her place. We spoke briefly a few nights earlier as I couldn't bear not hearing her sweet voice any longer. She told me she had an early reporting time tomorrow, so any prospect of seeing her before my next series of flight was impossible.

I flipped on the radio and plopped myself down on the couch. I had opened the windows all the way and had the fan running on high in an effort to keep cool from such an oppressively hot summer night. Since it was finally August, I knew there was only a few more weeks left of the heat before it would start to get cool.

As a song was finishing up on the radio, I heard the distinguishable voice of the disk jockey come in. "Hello, New York! Ted Brown here taking your dedications. Have a message for a friend? A song to devote to that special someone? Give me a call, and I'll gladly play your requests."

A smile crept upon my face and soon I was dialing the WNEW request line. Bella had mentioned she tuned in to this station, but the chances of her listening right now were pretty slim. She was probably either asleep or about to hit the rack.

A husky voice answered on the other end. "Hello, this is Ted Brown. Got a request for me?" I spoke with him briefly and gave him my song dedication.

Some time went by, and I heard the disc jockey mention my request. "This song is for a special lady out there. Forks Girl, if you are listening, Edward has requested that I play "You Really Got Me Going" by The Kinks. I can't imagine why he calls you Forks Girl, but you must have some affect on Edward for him to request this song. So enjoy, sweetheart."

The Kinks soon filled my living room. I closed my eyes and imagined dancing with her to this one day. I hoped that she was listening right now, knowing that even though we couldn't be together, she was still very much on my mind.

A few more songs went by, and I was starting to day dream. However, I was quickly brought back to the present when I unexpectedly heard my name over the radio.

"Edward, if you are still listening, it looks as though your Forks Girl has a song dedication for you as well. Bella has asked me to play The Marvelettes 'Beechwood 4-5789' for you. Ladies and gentlemen, looks like we have a little love connection happening in the city tonight."

The song started to play, but Ted Brown's voice interrupted the opening bars. "Oh, and Edward, Bella wanted me to remind you to not call her Forks Girl, whatever the heck that means, you silly two."

I chuckled, loving the fact that Bella had heard my song earlier and had called in with a special request for me as well. She was indeed out there, and even though she couldn't be nestled here with me in my arms right now, we could still have some sort of connection, albeit for the WNEW listening audience to share in as well. As I said to Emmett, this girl was something else.

I relaxed further into the couch, listening to the lyrics of the song she specifically chose for me.

"Don't be shy... Just take-a your ti-ime...I'd like to get to know you...I'd like to make you mine (like to make you mine). Beechwood 4-5789, you can call me up and have a date any old time."

Was she asking me to propose a date? My heart broke just a little. Soon Bella, I promise.

Happily filled with thoughts of her, I started to nod off on the couch. The sounds of the fan and Ted Brown faded as I fell into a deep slumber.

A/N:

I know, I know. It's been some time since my last update. I did lots of research, possibly too much, and found myself a little stuck with the story. But with the help of some good pals, I think I got it on track now! It also helped to do some other writing before getting back into my main story. Chapter four was originally going to be much longer, but I decided to split it into two parts. As such, most of chapter 5 is written, and will be posted *very* shortly. It covers BPOV from the same time period. We are leading up to some fun stuff people, so stay with me please. Pilotward and Forks Girl will have their time together soon!

I want to thank my awesome beta, siouxchef, and iota, hopeful wager, for their support and friendship. If it weren't for their nagging and bitching, which I completely encouraged, this update might have taken even longer. Thanks to everyone who has stuck by me and for your supportive words. I only wish you could know how much your reviews and PMs mean to me. Group hug!

As I said, I have done some writing since my last update. Feel free to check out my Charlie fic I wrote for the "I Love the 80s" contest. Charlie's mustache is used in all its glory (ahem). I am also currently participating in the Fictionista WitFit writer's challenge. Every day this month, I am encouraged to write a drabble/story based on a prompt word or image. My daily pieces are posted on my LJ page (link in profile) and/or if Twilight related, will be here on this site. (See "Master of the House" and "The Newlywed Game").

Again, I beg for your reviews. They add more power to my jets, so help keep this plane in the air. As always, all reviews are responded to, and I include teasers. All reviewers get an early boarding pass! Lastly, come play on my twilighted thread. I'm feeling a little lonely over there.

xoxo, FLC