Chapter 4. The Hardest Choice.

The Saturday that Jake had planned a spectacular date for he and Kate, she was called into the lab for another server intrusion. This one clearly originated from China. And it went on like this for weeks straight. Finally, Kate demanded that a secure internal network be established. It took another week to get that set up, installed, and accessible, but this seemed to stem the intrusions for the time being.

Things began to settle into a routine on base and off base. Phoenix regularly trained with Kate for their plane mounted probe tests that would be coming up in the next month, and Jake worked with Hans. Phoenix was impressed with Kate's strength and athleticism; Jake was less than impressed with Hans.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon, Phoenix met with Kate in the flight school room to go over concepts like pitch and yaw. Kate was incredibly smart and could calculate rates faster than most people. At that same time, Jake would be in the flight center, using the gimble mounted simulator to prepare Hans. Inevitably, as the simulator would pitch and roll, Hans would grab for the paper air sickness bag and hurl. Then, the teams would switch rooms and this was the one chance each of those days that Jake had to see Kate. He had started passing her clandestine notes as they walked by one another, and she would return them later. The first one read:

Dinner tonight, Sebastian's? Check yes or no.

There were two little boxes beside the yes or no. It hearkened back to middle school, but they were enjoying the courtship. Kate and Jake continued to see each other, but so did Kate and Rooster—despite their rocky start to their friendship, and they had grown closer too.

Late one Friday night, she and Rooster found themselves curled up together on top of an old plaid blanket he kept in the back of his Bronco. Jake had been held back on base by Maverick to handle some plane maintenance and cleaning (Kate believed this was coordinated with Rooster, so he could invite her out). They had watched the meteor shower from a secluded section of the beach. Lying on their backs and staring straight up into the pre-dawn night sky, the Milky Way dust showed faintly on the dark backdrop of the sky. The meteors began to streak across the sky, and this was the first time she had seen them in person. It was a marvel to behold.

"Look!" she had pointed as one seemed to cut its way across the sky. Turning to him, she noticed he hadn't taken his eyes off of her the entire time.

"You haven't seen any of them?" she had asked.

"Sure, I have—I've seen them through your eyes…" Her heart melted in that moment, and he kissed her. This time, it was not gentle or soft, it was full of passion and desire. They found themselves tangled up in each other's arms, and the blanket. They were tearing clothes off. His shirt and ribbed tank top, her button down. He slipped one strap of her bra over the edge of her shoulder, so he could kiss her neck and collarbone, then over to her shoulder. The gentle glow of the campfire embers kept them warm in the cool ocean breeze. He grasped at the clasp on her bra and as he finally managed to unhook it, a wave crashed over them, spilling into the campfire pit, causing it to hiss and steam. Kate squealed as they were soaked from head to toe. Needless to say, their clothes went right back on.

Early this Friday morning, Kate was dressed in a flight suit as she walked into the laboratory. The aviators, already in the hangar, were listening to Maverick explain defensive loop flying, which would be a necessary maneuver for the probe flight plan. Both Jake and Rooster saw her out of the corner of their eyes, and they couldn't help but look. She looked like a dream come true to both of them. Tall, slender, but with the right curves. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun like Phoenix's hair always was. She didn't have any squadron patches on her flight suit, but her last name was emblazoned on a patch over her left chest.

"Rooster, Hangman…" Maverick recalled their attentions, "You can ogle Dr. Norris later." Both men blushed, they had been caught. Phoenix laughed loudly,

"Hey Mav, can we actually make her a pilot—she's taking this training better than anyone I've seen?" Maverick chuckled lightly,

"I believe the question to ask is, whose backseat will she be? Rooster's? Or Hangman's?" The room fell deathly silent, no one dared speak. Finally, Phoenix spoke,

"Or maybe mine…" B.O.B. glared at Phoenix,

"Thanks Phoenix."

"Oh, B.O.B., you know I could never get rid of you." But the tension in the room had been dissipated and everyone returned to their lesson.

Kate was firmly fixed in front of her computer in the lab when Hans walked in wearing his flight suit.

"I feel like a green bean." he muttered as he sauntered up to her. He patted her elbow,

"How are you Dr. Norris?"

"I'm well, Hans." she typed rapidly on her laptop.

"Are you nervous for our dunk test today? I am told that this is one of the last hurtles for us to clear before we can be airborne."

"Not really." She said coolly.

"I'm afraid I will run out of air and drown!"

"Just take lots of rapid breaths before you become submerged." She said kindly, "That will decrease the carbon dioxide in your blood and trick your body into thinking it can operate for longer without a breath."

"Human physiology is fascinating." he mused. The doors to the lab opened and Maverick walked in,

"Doctors, can I borrow you for a moment?" Kate closed her laptop and she and Hans followed Maverick into the hangar. They walked up the aisle between the rows of aviators at their desks and chairs. Maverick faced them out to the aviators at the front of the hangar,

"Today, you both will be graduating from your flight training. You will go through the dunk test and take your first flight this afternoon with your trainers. Phoenix and Hangman, you have done an admirable job training these two and although they are not pilots, based on their rapid progress, they should be proud. Civilians are not often allowed in our aircraft, but this is a necessary step in the success of this mission." He smiled with a crooked little smile, "Let's head to the tank!" Everyone cheered. Kate and Hans looked nervously at one another. Phoenix and Hangman hurried up to their trainees.

"We've got to get you in your full gear." Phoenix said to Kate. The two women headed off to the ladies' lockers while Hangman, Hans, and the rest of the male pilots crowded into the men's lockers. Hangman tossed a blank white helmet to Hans,

"If you pass, you'll get your callsign. Typically, you get your callsign when you get your squadron assignment. So, make me proud, Hans." Then he proceeded to help Hans get all of his flight gear on before they walked out of the lockers. Kate was already in full gear, helmet on, gloves, vest. Hangman admired her as she stood at the edge of the pool. She had already completed the 50 laps in full gear weeks ago, he had watched her determination as she fought the heavy soaked fabric as it tried to pull her down. Hans managed to get all 50 laps in, but it took him 2 hours—it took Kate half that time.

"You'll go in together." Maverick announced as he entered, "So, jump in." Kate smiled as she gracefully stepped off the pool deck and slid effortlessly under the water. She bobbed back up wiping the water from her mouth. Hans sat down on the edge of the pool and lowered himself in like a child. Above them, a large cylinder, meant to represent the size of a plane's fuselage, descended toward them. Inside were two chairs with seatbelts to strap the scientists down.

"The barrel will descend halfway down so you can strap yourselves in. It will raise up, the water will run out and then it will descend quickly to simulate a water landing. You will have to unbuckle and swim out—keep in mind, it may roll and up may become down very quickly. Your job is to get out, do not help the other person. There is a red button attached to each of your seats, if you cannot get out, punch that button and the barrel will raise up out of the water in 10 seconds. Good luck."

The barrel dropped into the pool and filled halfway with water. Kate swam in easily and belted herself in. Hans doggie paddled and eventually got himself strapped in,

"If I die, Dr. Norris, please ensure that my remains are sent back to Germany…"

"Hans, you'll be fine." She gave a thumbs up to the operator on the opposite side of the pool. Even though she was nervous, she was ready to be done with this training. Three long beeps sounded and the barrel raised up out of the water, up and up it went. Kate peered out the open side door and down at the clear blue pool below. They must have been 8 or 10 feet above the water. A long beep sounded and then they were free-falling. It felt like an eternity before it smacked into the pool water, jarring them to the bone. Water began surging in through the open doors. Kate instantly felt the barrel pitch and roll to the side. She grabbed her seatbelt and waited to unbuckle until it stopped rolling. The water was up to their waists, now their shoulders. Kate took 5 quick and deep breaths and held the last one as the water rushed over her head and helmet. She unbuckled and opened her eyes. The water made everything blurry, but she could see Hans struggling. She swam over to the nearest door and looked back at Hans; he still couldn't get his buckle off. The instructions were clear—get out and do not help the other person—but Hans was panicking.

On the pool deck everyone was watching, it had only been a few seconds. Kate appeared on the surface of the water,

"Something's wrong with Hans!" she shouted, "I'm going back down for him." She disappeared under the water.

"SHIT!" Rooster readied to jump in after her.

"No." Maverick ordered, "Stand down. She can do this."

"Damn right she can." Phoenix beamed with pride.

Under the water, Kate swam back into the barrel to find that Hans was frantically tugging on his seat belt. She grabbed the buckle and it unlatched easily. She grasped hold of the strap on his vest and tugged him toward the door. He was heavy, but she was stronger than she looked. He was still coherent, but panicked. His arms and legs were flailing desperately. She pulled him through the door and helped him to the surface. As he broke the surface, he gasped for air, sputtering and coughing. Kate helped him over to the edge of the pool; she was breathing heavily herself. She lifted herself up out of the pool and everyone was impressed by her strength, the weight of her water logged gear alone probably doubled her weight. She collapsed onto the pool deck in a puddle of water,

"Did I pass?" she asked.

"Twice." Maverick beamed, "Hans!" He turned to the other scientist, "You will retest when you are ready. Reset the barrel!" Maverick shouted to the operators. The barrel rose up from the water, with a waterfall pouring out and back into the pool. Phoenix walked over to Kate and extended her hand to help her up,

"Good job, Katie." she said with a smile, "You did me proud out there. I'll take you as my back seat any day." She helped the soaked scientist to her feet, and a wash of water poured out of Kate's helmet onto her shoulders.

"Thanks, Phoenix. I'd be honored—that is—if B.O.B. wouldn't mind sharing you." She glanced over at him and he nodded,

"After that performance, I'll cede to you any time."

"Kate, you can head to the lockers and clean up." Maverick instructed. Kate nodded and hurried out of the tank room. She stepped into the women's locker room with a weight lifted off her shoulders. The wet gear was harder to remove than she had anticipated, but she had a fresh set of dry clothes and Navy issued garments in her locker. She pulled open her locker and a dozen roses wrapped up in a bouquet fell out at her. Catching them quickly, she looked at the card,

To the most amazing woman I know. There was no signature on the back. The handwriting looked like Jake's, but she wasn't sure until she heard his voice behind her,

"You rocked that test." he whispered. She turned,

"You're not supposed to be in here." a smile found its way across her pink lips.

"Well, I had a special delivery to make." He pulled her close and kissed her.

"I'll see you back out there—I told them I was headed to the bathroom, so…" he trailed off and squeezed her hand before sneaking back out. She dried off, and dressed in fresh clothes and a dry flight suit before heading back into the tank room. As she walked back in, Hans was still resting on the edge of the pool.

"You've got this Hans." she walked over to him, crouched beside him, and gave him a supportive pat on the back. He smiled lightly,

"I am not the athlete you are, Dr. Norris."

"This isn't about athleticism, it's about survival." she said softly as she stood up, "That makes all the difference in your mindset. Calm yourself down. It's peaceful under the water." He nodded with a new found outlook on the test.

"I'm ready." Hans slid back into the pool and tread water until the barrel was in position. He swam in and buckled himself in. And like before, the barrel rose up, and then dropped into the water. In moments Hans was submerged, but this time, he was less panicked. He calmly felt the buckle and unlatched it, assessed the easiest way out of the barrel and appeared on the surface of the water in under 30 seconds.

"Pass!" Maverick shouted, "Phoenix, Hangman, this afternoon, you will take your scientists up for their first flight to familiarize them with the standard maneuvers of the planes and get them accustomed to the speed and intensity of these maneuvers."

While Hangman and Hans were talking, Rooster hurried over to Kate and gave her a huge hug.

"You showed us all up. None of us went back for the other guy when we were trainees." He kissed her cheek so no one would see. She smiled at him and his heart nearly beat out of his chest,

"I'll admit though," he said, "When you said you were going back in for Hans, I was ready to dive in after you."

"Oh, ye of little faith." she giggled. Phoenix sauntered up to them,

"Rooster, you don't mind if I borrow Kate from you? She and I have some girl talk to get to…" Phoenix led Kate back into the ladies' locker room and shut the door.

"So…" Phoenix began, "We are going to a club downtown tonight to celebrate. It's a Friday, and we've decided we're going to get wild...will you be my wingman tonight?"

"Absolutely." Kate beamed. It was an honor to get asked that by a real aviator.

"Good." Phoenix opened her locker and pulled out a black sequined dress with spaghetti straps and a black satin romper,

"Which one do you want to wear? We probably won't have time to run back home, we'll have to leave straight from here... Oh, I have shoes too…" she rummaged through her locker, "You and I are literally the same size, you're just taller…" She pulled out two pairs of strappy black heels, and two push-up bras.

"You pick." Kate said.

"Fine. You snooze, you lose. I'm taking the dress." She tossed the romper to Kate who stowed it in her locker and then handed her a pair of black strappy heels. Kate looked at them,

"These are Stuart Weitzmans!?"

"Yeah, I thrift shop outside of Beverly Hills, and got those—practically new in the box—for $50…"

"You're kidding!" Kate burst.

"Come with me some time." Phoenix offered.

"Yes—100%, I will!"

After lunch in the cafeteria, everyone returned to the hangar where two painted helmets sat on the front table. Maverick proudly stood at the head of the room as everyone filed in.

"Kate, Hans, please join me up here with Phoenix and Hangman." The four stepped up to the front with Maverick.

"Kate, Hans, you will receive your callsigns today. Each sign is your identifying name so wear it with pride. We all had a say in your name, although pilots typically chose their own—you are civilians—so we decided to pick yours. Traditionally, these names have struck fear into the enemy—names like Slayer, or Killer. But today, these names echo our unique personalities." Kate had been waiting so long for her callsign. Jake had refused to tell her.

"Hans, Hangman. Step forward and present the helmet." Hangman picked up the helmet that read Mr. Rogers,

"Hans, for your impeccable style choices, we have chosen the callsign Mr. Rogers for you." He plopped the helmet on Hans' head. The paintings mimicked Mr. Rogers red cardigan, and along the back it read Welcome to the neighborhood, Motherf #$*&! Everyone laughed, even Hans, who was surprisingly pleased with his callsign.

"Kate, Phoenix." Maverick gestured to the two women.

"Kate," Phoenix began, "You have been a dream to have as a trainee. You are smart as a whip and I've learned so much from you. I could tell from the first time I met you, that you were an educator and a lover of learning." She picked up the chalkboard themed helmet, painted to look like a classroom with scribbling across the front of the helmet,

"We have chosen the callsign Professor for you." She gently seated the helmet on Kate's head and everyone erupted in applause.

"Phoenix, Hangman, get you and your trainee geared up, and do pre-flight checks, then let's get them airborne!" Maverick instructed.

Kate and Phoenix, with their gear on, carrying their helmets, walked out on the deck to inspect Phoenix's plane. The pilot explained what she was looking for, any leaks, puddles of fluid, issues with the wings, loose weatherstripping—it was a massive list. Kate marveled at the F-18 before her.

"It's smaller than I thought…" she mumbled.

"And even smaller in the cockpit." Phoenix replied, "We're about to get real cozy." Phoenix climbed up into the pilot's seat and Kate followed into the backseat. They put on their helmets, belted in, and performed the last checks. Maverick came out and checked in with them both,

"Everything looks good from my stand point." He snugged Kate's seat belts and checked her mask seal, "Enjoy the ride, Kate. Phoenix will show you a good time." He winked and Kate laughed lightly behind her mask. Phoenix radioed to the tower and taxied into position on the appointed runway. She throttled up and Kate could feel the power of the engines behind her, only held back by Phoenix's foot on the brake.

"Green light, go." was the last thing Kate heard on the radio before the engines roared and Phoenix let her foot of the brake. The plane seemed to hurl down the runway and before she knew it, they were in the air and banking around.

"What do you think, Professor?" Phoenix asked.

"I think this is the coolest experience of my life." Kate replied. The canopy was nearly all glass and gave her a fabulous view around. Phoenix rolled the plane and pulled up, running through many of the basic maneuvers before Hangman and Hans joined them,

"Good afternoon, lovely ladies." Hangman's voice came over the radio. Back in the hangar, Rooster rolled his eyes hearing Hangman address Kate and Phoenix that way. The two planes flew in formation and ran through a basic set of aerial maneuvers and speeds. Kate took careful mental notes of how the plane felt and what g-forces she could informally assess. When they all landed and started to climb out of the planes, Rooster came running out to see Kate. As she dropped down to the ground, he scooped her up in his arms and twirled her around. Phoenix climbed down and poked fun at Rooster,

"Too bad neither you or Hangman got to pop her first-flight-cherry...that was all me."

"I'm a little jealous, Phoenix." Rooster admitted as he released Kate and tucked his arm around her waist. Hangman and Hans climbed out next and it was clear their flight had not been nearly as fun as the women's.

"He puked all over my cockpit!" Hangman grumbled as he dropped down to the deck and walked over to where Kate, Rooster, and Phoenix were standing, "I'm covered in it!" He shook his arms and headed inside to clean up, not noticing how close Rooster and Kate were standing.

"So," Phoenix turned back to Rooster, "Are you and Hangman coming tonight? Payback and Fanboy are in, Harvard is a yes, Yale—no. Coyote and B.O.B.—maybes. Hans…"

"We need to at least invite him." Kate said sympathetically. She looked over to Hans who was struggling to walk back inside the hangar, his mouth had a crusty ring of vomit around it. She started toward him when Rooster caught her hand,

"I'll go invite him." He trotted over to the weary scientist and helped him. Phoenix looked at Kate,

"He really, really likes you. I've never seen either him or Hangman like this." Kate blushed, but Phoenix continued,

"So...you've been kind of seeing them both for a month or two...who are you going to choose, because I have money riding on this…" Kate looked surprised,

"I don't know. Honestly...the crazy thing is I can see a future with each of them…"

"Personally, I've known Rooster for a long time. He is not the most open about his feelings, but he also can't hide them. Everything he shows you is genuine. Hangman is a smooth operator...he shows you what he wants you to see."

"It's interesting to see your take of them. You've trained with them, gone into combat with them…They really are so different."

"Okay, okay...I've gotta know, who is better in bed?" Phoenix had to know. Kate blushed,

"It hasn't gotten that far...I think if it does—then that's who I choose. I don't think I'd sleep with them both."

"Kate! Please! It is the 21st century, I don't think they'd bat an eye if you slept with them both at the same time." Kate's eyes grew wide,

"Oh, I couldn't...no…"

"Don't be such a prude. What happens if you sleep with Rooster and he's just okay...but then you miss out on Hangman because you don't think you could sleep with them both? They don't care. MEN don't care." Kate's cheeks were on fire from embarrassment,

"Well, when I make my decision, you'll be the first to know so we can split the money you win betting on it." she said with an uncomfortable laugh as Rooster trotted back over,

"Hans is not coming; he says his stomach is in knots." The women seemed very quiet and Rooster noticed,

"What? Is there puke on me?" He twisted around to look at his boots and flight suit. Phoenix leaned in to Kate,

"I'll see you in the ladies' locker room…" She hurried off leaving Rooster and Kate to saunter back into the hangar alone. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in close,

"Your voice was so happy on the radio." he said softly. She smiled,

"It was amazing. I'm a little jealous that you get to do this for a living."

"If I could take you up every day, I would." He kissed the top of her head as he walked her to the entrance of the ladies' lockers. She grabbed the collar of his flight suit and pulled him in for a kiss, before disappearing into the locker room.

Kate walked over to her locker and sat down on the bench. She was exhausted and laid down along the bench. Phoenix sauntered over,

"I didn't mean to put you on the spot." She said to Kate.

"You didn't...you just got me thinking...I've been putting it off because I can't hurt either of them, but putting it off is actually hurting them…"

"Well, tonight would be a good night to get that ball rolling…" Phoenix smiled slyly.

The men had gone back to their dorms to change since they had relatively little distance to walk versus the women (whose dorm was almost 3 miles away). Rooster, Hangman, and Payback had cars on base and were automatically volunteered to drive to the club. Kate and Phoenix walked into the cafeteria and the men nearly fell out of their seats. Both women were naturally beautiful, but now, they stood before them, like models.

"Boys, pick your jaws up off the floor—I told you we were going clubbing tonight." Phoenix twirled in her sequin dress with spaghetti straps. Her hair was down and wavy, and her make up a little more than she usually wore, with bright red lipstick. The heels gave her a little height, but not enough to overcome Kate. The scientist was towering in heels, and the satin, V-neck, camisole style romper accentuated her legs. She put a black blazer over top and rolled the sleeves a little. Her hair was long and wavy, little flecks of bronze trailed down her back, her hair had a multidimensional shine. Her dark eyes were rimmed by a smokey eye shadow and long lashes. But her lips stayed that same soft pink. The men all wore button down shirts and jeans—nothing fancy. Jake stood first and walked up to Kate,

"Wow…" Rooster elbowed him out of the way,

"She's riding with me." Jake squared off,

"I'm driving too. The lady can decide for herself." Phoenix piped up,

"She and I are riding with Payback." Phoenix took Kate's arm and pulled her away from Rooster and Hangman's squabble. And soon enough, they were on the road to the night club called Frixion. Apparently, it was pronounced like "friction." By the time they arrived it was dark, and no one had eaten since lunch. Everyone paid the cover charge and headed inside. The club music was thumping so loudly that Kate could feel it rattling her chest. She could barely hear Phoenix who was barking to her about getting a table and drinks. Kate pointed to a large table that was just vacated by a group of college age kids. Phoenix hurried over and everyone else followed shortly behind.

"Boys, get us some drinks, Kate and I are going out on the dance floor!" She pulled Kate out onto the dance floor while the strobe lights and lasers illuminated their silhouettes. Rooster came over with some shots and the three downed them quickly before dancing to the driving beat. He pulled Kate close to him and she wound her arms around his neck.

"I bet every guy in here is jealous of me right now." he shouted down to her. She could barely hear him.

"What?!" He leaned into her ear,

"Every guy in here is looking at you—and I'm the lucky one who has you." Coyote and Payback joined the trio on the dance floor while the others stayed over at the table. Jake watched Rooster carefully.

"Man," Fanboy leaned over to Hangman, "If I was watching Rooster with her like that, I'd be right up there to pull them apart."

"Naw, I'm not worried." He watched as Rooster tried to pull Kate's hips against his and she turned away, "It's all in the hips." he mused as he took a swig of his whiskey. More shots made their way to the group on the dance floor. Kate was beginning to feel more comfortable. They danced for—what seemed like—hours, but was only about 5 or 6 driving songs. Rooster twirled her around and then dipped her on the dance floor and leaned in to kiss her. The music was loud and everything was overstimulating. Her head was suddenly throbbing as Rooster raised her back up and she felt the room begin to spin.

"Whoa…" Kate felt a hand on her waist, steadying her, and pulling her away from Rooster who was headed over to the bar. It was Jake. He quickly pulled her through the crowd and to a quiet table near the back,

"Do you want to get out of here?" he asked.

"My head is killing me." she rubbed her temples.

"Well, you've had two big shots and nothing to eat since lunch." he reminded.

"Let's go." she gave the order, and he helped her up. His strong arms bracing her as they walked to the dance floor. He tapped Phoenix on the shoulder,

"Kate is not feeling so well, I'm going to take her home." In truth, Kate felt sick. Phoenix hugged her,

"You are a total light weight, but I love you—feel better." Rooster was over at the bar getting more shots, and Jake knew it. He ushered Kate out the door and helped her to his car before Rooster could try to intervene. He handed her a plastic bag in case she felt sick and drove carefully back to her house. She handed him her keys as he helped her out of the car. Stumbling, she leaned against his car.

"Here. I've got you." He scooped her up and carried her to the front door. Without even setting her down, he got the door unlocked and carried her inside. As soon as he set her down, she felt her stomach churn. She bolted for her bedroom and the en suite bathroom. Jake hurried after. She flipped up the toilet lid and hurled right into the toilet, just in time. He pulled her long wavy hair back and sat beside her, rubbing her back.

"Get it out." he cooed.

"Ugh.." she wiped her mouth with a piece of toilet paper and flushed the toilet, "I hate liquor...beer is fine...liquor and I do not get along." He laughed lightly,

"That's why I frequent The Hard Deck and not clubs like Frix-ion...however the hell that's pronounced." Kate laughed lightly, before quickly turning back to the toilet for a second round of vomiting.

Two more times she puked, and by the time it was over, she was wiped out. She slid out of Phoenix's borrowed shoes and pulled off the blazer, dropping it on the bench at the foot of her bed. Jake followed her as she wavered around the room. She pulled a sweatshirt and shorts out from the nightstand and turned to him,

"No peeking." He turned back to the bathroom in an attempt to make good on his no peeking, but in the facing bathroom mirror reflection, he could see her stepping out of the romper, wearing a pair of black lace panties that were rather cheeky on her toned behind. He could only see her back, but it was clear she had no bra, her back was bare as she pulled the sweatshirt over her head and pulled it down. He wanted to turn around, to let her know he saw her, that he wanted her. Just do it! His brain screamed. He turned and walked over to her as she tried to step into her shorts. She sat down on the edge of the bed and he knelt down in front of her, helping her get into her shorts, and pulling them up around her waist,

"I peeked."

"I wanted you to." She was so candid. The liquor was like a truth serum.

"I want you, Kate." he said softly, "I want you to be mine, and I want to be yours."

"Then make it happen." she urged.

"Believe me…" he breathed, "I want nothing more than to make love to you right now. I've wanted this for months." he rested his hands on her thighs, "But you are drunk, and my parents raised me right—I am a gentleman, despite what Rooster and Phoenix would have you believe." She touched his cheek,

"Thank you." Her dark eyes met his blue-green eyes. He knew that if she wasn't drunk, he would have, in a heartbeat, made love to her.

"I am starving…" she mused. He smiled back at her,

"Well, it's a good thing I'm also a chef."

While Kate relaxed on the couch, watching the Collin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice (her favorite drunk, comfort movie), Jake cooked up his tried-and-true hangover cure: the hamburger. He found some ground beef in the freezer, thawed it, seasoned it, and cooked it to perfection on the stove. He served it up on a plate with some fried potato skins and made a second plate for himself. He plopped down on the couch with Kate and he watched her take the first bite of the hamburger. She chewed slowly, deliberately. When she had swallowed, he looked at her expectantly.

"That is amazing." she took another huge bite. He was thrilled,

"It's my mom's recipe. She is an amazing cook. Good 'ol Texas cookin'" He exaggerated his accent on purpose. Kate finished the burger before Jake had really even started on his. She devoured the potato skins just as quickly. He was astonished. She laid back on the couch and turned to the tv,

"This is my favorite part…" she said softly as she turned up the volume. In the scene, Collin Firth as Mr. Darcy was pouring out his heart to Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennett, despite her being below his station and not a suitable marriage partner. Jake never understood the movie nor women's fascination with it. Kate sat up and paused the show as if she knew he was confused by everything,

"At this moment, Elizabeth hates him. He ruined Jane's match with Mr. Bingley, he (although it turns out Elizabeth is wrong about Mr. Wickham) took away Mr. Wickham's inheritance, he is the worst man—worse than Mr. Collins. Elizabeth would rather die an old spinster than ever consider a match with Mr. Darcy…"

"Wait—I thought every woman was madly in love with Mr. Darcy—he sounds like a jerk?"

"He's proud—which in the regency era—was jerkish. Hence Pride and Prejudice. Darcy is pride and Elizabeth is prejudice at the beginning and then they switch roles here. She has wrong opinions and so does he. And don't get me started on Lady Catherine…" He looked at her, she was drop dead gorgeous. Her make-up hadn't smudged, her hair was perfect, and those dark eyes sparkled at him. She smiled softly and turned the movie back on. He wondered if he had ruined his chance with her by pulling back tonight. But he knew he wanted them to both be sober, coherent, and engaged when that moment arrived. Jake finished his meal and settled in to watch the movie, kicking off his shoes and pulling a throw pillow up on his chest and crossing his arms over it.

The scene on the tv showed Elizabeth visiting her aunt and uncle, they were traveling in a horse drawn carriage and talking about touring Pemberly, Mr. Darcy's estate. Elizabeth was clearly nervous, but reassured that Mr. Darcy was not home at the moment.

Jake continued watching, and before he knew it, he had watched the end as the credits began to roll.

"That wasn't bad, actually." he mumbled. He looked over at Kate and she was fast asleep. She lie on her back, covered by a warm blanket, with one arm over her stomach and the other propping up her head which was turned toward the tv. He smiled to himself as he watched her sleep. Slowly, he pulled himself up from the couch and stretched his tired body. The truth was that piloting fighter jets was not easy on your body. He twisted his body trunk around and let his back crack a few times. Glancing down at Kate, he felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest.

He scooped her up off the couch, blanket and all, and carried her into the bedroom to tuck her into bed. She nestled into the cocoon of pillows on the bed and her eyes flickered open,

"Hey…" she whispered as she reached for his hand, "Stay…" she patted the empty side of the bed. He couldn't say no. He turned off the lights in the house and made sure everything was locked up. As she fell back asleep, he took off his jeans and socks to slide into bed in his boxer briefs and t-shirt. Inching toward her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and dreamed of falling asleep beside her every night and waking up to her every morning.

It was 3:00 am and the remaining pilots at Frixion decided to call it a night. No one was in good enough shape to drive, so they grabbed some greasy food at the food stand down the street to sober up, and walked back to their cars where they promptly climbed in and fell asleep.

At 7:00 am, Jake rolled over and looked up at the ceiling fan in Kate's room. The sun poured through her sheer curtains, creating a gentle morning glow. Kate slowly stirred; she placed a hand on her head as if it was pounding horribly. Jake rolled back toward her, putting his arm around her, under the covers. She smiled, and stretched. As she did, Jake felt her sweatshirt shift and his hand explored her bare abdomen.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked,

"Best sleep I've ever had. You?"

"Same. Although, I think I might need something for my headache…I haven't been that sick since undergrad." She slid out of bed and into the bathroom. Jake decided he was going to make her an omelet for breakfast. He threw on his jeans and got to work in the kitchen while she was in the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Kate washed her face, and as she looked into the mirror, she asked herself: is this what you want? If you do this with Jake, you are done with Rooster. You can't keep leading them on like this. They deserve better.

"Yes…" she said aloud. This was what she wanted. She had made the hardest choice. She brushed her teeth, thoroughly and fluffed her hair, put some concealer over the dark circles under her eyes, and pinched her cheeks so they would be a nice rosy hue.

"It has been a hot minute...just like riding a bike…" she gave herself some last minute courage and walked out of the bathroom to find Jake sitting on the bed with an omelet on a plate and a glass of orange juice. Another plate and glass were on the night stand for him. She felt her heart melt for him. He must have seen the look on her face,

"I just thought you might be hungry."

"I am." she smiled as she sat down next to him. They curled up in the bed and ate the omelets before falling back asleep in each other's arms.

The other pilots had a much different night. They woke up in shifts to climb out of the cars and puke in the parking lot. Rooster, opened the door on his Bronco, leaned out and barfed,

"Whose idea was this? And where is Kate?" He leaned his head against the closed door and fell asleep.

Jake woke up, face-to-face with Kate. She was sleeping so serenely, he didn't want to wake her up, but he longed to kiss her soft pink lips. Gently, he brushed his lips against hers. She stirred slowly. He kissed her sweetly, and she kissed him back. He rolled on top of her, and she wrapped her legs around him. He pressed his hips into hers, and as he did, a loud knock came from the front door.

"Seriously?!" he croaked, "If that is Rooster...so help me…" Kate climbed out from under him and peered out the window,

"It's an MP...I'll answer it." She hurried to the front door in her sweatshirt and shorts,

"Hello?" Jake could only hear part of the conversation.

"...yes...I'll drive over now...I just need to change clothes." The door closed and the MP walked back up the front walk to his jeep. Kate stormed into the bedroom,

"Another Chinese hacker got into Hans's server!" she fumed as she pulled a pair of leggings out of a drawer, and tossed them on the bed, "I have to go deal with it on base again." He hurried to her and immediately drew her close,

"I'll make Hans pay for it on Monday when I take him up for a practice flight." Kate laughed,

"Good." He kissed her,

"We'll pick this up again soon." He was already formulating a plan for a spectacular date for next weekend, while Kate was beginning to wonder why the universe was pulling them apart.

Once they had both dressed and gathered their things, they headed out the front door. Kate locked up and they walked to their cars on the street. Jake pulled out first and sped to base, followed by Kate.

Driving onto base Rooster saw Kate following Jake. He was immediately incensed.

"That son of a…"

"Take it easy on him." Payback said as he rubbed his aching hungover head.

"He is always with her!"

"No. He. Is. Not." Phoenix grumbled, "You have driven her away…with your jealous attitude...That's all she sees is you being pissed at Bagman and he has his eyes on the target, you have your sights set on him—I bet if you actually showed her who you are, she'd pick you in an instant..."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Rooster rolled up to the gate and showed his ID badge, everyone else held theirs up to the windows of the Bronco.

"Hey Rooster." the gate guard greeted him.

"Hey, Carlson. Did Kate and Hangman drive through here a bit before us?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Just curious…" Rooster waited for the gate to swing up and he accelerated through.

The conference room was a buzz over the latest intrusion to Hans's server—which was supposed to be on a closed local network.

"An open, global network-connected device must have access to his server." Kate said coldly. Admiral Simpson was none too keen to have been called in to work on his day off, and neither was Kate. As the meeting wound down and no further solutions to the issue were discussed, the tech staff were dismissed. Admiral Simpson stopped Kate before she left,

"Dr. Norris? A word, please?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I wanted to commend you. Both for your efforts here with the probe development, and I am told, you performed better than most pilots during your training. Maverick had especially glowing reviews about your dunk test. I don't think, in all my years, I've ever seen someone go back for their partner during the test—it's always a competition for the fastest time. You showed true grit and loyalty to the team."

"Thank you." Kate smiled.

"On a more related note, what security measures are in place on your server? Our head of IT security mentioned your server has gone without intrusion so far."

"I have my own set of firewalls and checkpoints. It's more than just a password that everyone knows." She pulled up her ID badge and attached to it was a small key fob with a screen, she pressed a button and a series of numbers and letters appeared for 30 seconds.

"What is that?"

"A form of multi-factor authentication. It generates a key that is required for access to my server."

"Does Hans have that?"

"No, we discussed setting it up for his server and he was very adamant that he would lose the fob or someone would take it."

"Nonsense. I am going to insist he secure his server with...whatever you said that was." Kate laughed lightly,

"I'll expect an email from your aide for the details?"

"You know me well, Dr. Norris. Thank you." And he watched her leave with a heavy sigh. If there was some way he could get her a permanent posting, he would find it.

As Kate was leaving, Rooster caught her by the door,

"Kate!" he almost startled her.

"Rooster...you look...good?" he looked like he had been run over by a truck and he smelled like road kill too.

"Last night was rough...I missed you—Phoenix said she saw you take off with Hangman."

"Yeah, Jake drove me home. I was pretty sick…"

"I think it was the drinks in that place. They messed with everyone's stomach."

"I'm glad you made it home alright." she said sweetly.

"Hey, what are you doing this afternoon?"

"Today?"

"Yeah."

"What time?"

"Like now." he said, "Well, give me 10 minutes to shower and change clothes...there's something I want to show you off base."

"Okay…" she was intrigued, and walked back inside, "I'll be in my lab, come get me when you're cleaned up." It felt like she had just sat down at her workbench when he came walking into the lab,

"That was fast." she was clearly surprised.

"You learn to shower fast when you live on a boat." They walked outside and Rooster led her to his Bronco. It survived the puking fits of last night just fine,

"I can drive." he said coolly as he opened the passenger door for her. They sped off base and out toward the desert. Their conversation was light, mostly about the previous night. Rooster couldn't help but tell Kate how stunning she had looked. The roads were long and you could see for miles. In the distance an old Navy hangar came into view and a runway. Rooster pulled in and drove down an old dusty lane to the hangar. The building's white paint showed its age with long streams of rust appearing over top from the water runoff.

"What is this place?" Kate asked as he shut off the engine. They stepped out of the Bronco and the dry, hot, desert heat hit them full on. Hurriedly, they entered the hangar which felt cool and damp.

"This is one of Maverick's hangars. Since he and Penny are married, and live together, he gave me the living space here…" He flipped a huge breaker, and the overhead lights slowly began to kick on with a dim glow and faint buzzing sound. Kate could see an old P51 Mustang, WWII fighter plane.

"No way!" she dropped her tote in a chair and ran to the plane, "Is this Maverick's?"

"Yep. He and I work on it." Behind the plane was a wall of photographs, trophies, awards. Kate looked and she saw Maverick and Rooster celebrating on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

"That was after we stole the F-14…" Rooster walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as she looked at the pictures. Kate leaned into him,

"Who are all these pilots?"

"Iceman—he was the former commander of the pacific fleet for aviation. That's Hollywood, Wolfman, Merlin, Lonestar. I think that's Viper and Jester—the instructors..." He paused and pointed to his father and Maverick, "That's my dad, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw."

"I bet he is so proud of you." Her voice was sweet and sincere. Rooster kissed her cheek. Her eyes fell upon a picture of Goose holding a young boy and a beautiful blonde woman beside him,

"Is that you?" She pointed to the toddler.

"Yep."

"You were a little blondie?" He laughed,

"Yeah, that's my mom." Kate knew that both his parents were gone. She turned to face him, drawing her arms up around his neck,

"Why show me this place?"

"Because, I want you to see...me…" He leaned down and kissed her. Shit, her mind thought. Now what do I do? Hangman or Rooster…She closed her eyes and saw Jake. Instinctively, she kissed harder. Rooster wanted her in the worst way. He kissed her more passionately, running his hands through her hair. She pressed her hips against his, and he grabbed her, pulling her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her back to the camper parked inside the hangar and opened the door. Climbing the stairs, he carried her inside and they toppled onto the bed. He pulled his white t-shirt over his head and helped her remove her Navy emblem sweatshirt revealing her lacy bra underneath. His lips found her neck, and chest, her abdomen before returning to her petal soft lips. She ran her hands through his hair as he traced the curve of her hips with his hands. He unbuckled his belt and slid his jeans off, before slipping the waistband of Kate's leggings down to expose her black lace underwear. She quickly kicked the leggings off over the edge of the rickety old bed, and pushed him down onto the mattress. She climbed on top of him and leaned down to kiss him with a wild abandon. He was mad with passion as he grabbed her hips and twisted her around underneath him.

"...god, I want you, Kate…" he heaved as he pressed his body against hers. She kissed him deeply,

"...don't stop…" she breathed as they removed the last barriers between them, and they made love, passionately, feverishly. They were tangled up in each other all afternoon, finally falling asleep as the evening sun dipped low on the horizon. Her head lay on his bare chest as they were hardly covered by the threadbare sheets of the camper mattress. He could feel her soft breaths on his skin and he looked down at her as she slept,

"Someday…" he whispered, "I'm going to marry you." and he kissed the top of her head. She stirred slightly, but remained asleep in his arms.