2015, April 24 – 18:34 – Anchorage , Alaska, United States

"Anak!" William stuck his head out from the kitchen, yelling up the short flight of stairs for his child. "Dinner's ready!"

There was a loud thud before Greyson started trotting down the steps. She made a beeline for the living room first, switching the channel from the Supernatural marathon to the Channel 11 news.

"—the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps. Less than twenty-four hours since a kaiju surfaced near Canadian waters." The screen switched out to feed of a giant robot and the monster they code-named 'Karloff'. "Citizens near Vancouver are on Cloud 9 now that the Jaeger Program is in tow. Around the world, people are…"

Greyson had turned the volume up on the television set before pivoting on her heel, moving towards the dining table. "Our counselors at school have been asking us where we were planning to go after graduating," she told her father as she helped finish set up the table.

"Oh?" Setting down their food, Will asked, "So, what were you planning?"

She spooned freshly cooked rice onto her plate before answering. "I was thinking… taking a year off?" Greyson replied cautiously. "Or, you know, not. UAA and APU have contacted me." The girl shrugged slightly. "Maybe I'd join the National Guard, or the Army, or the Jaeger Program — who knows?" She pulled the plate of food closer to her. "I bet Tito Jasper can get me a shot. They're recruiting their first group of pilots soon."

"You want to go into that training?" William inquired, raising a questioning brow. "Even going into tech could be dangerous." He gave her a glance, ready to put his foot down, if need be.

"Oh, come on." Greyson took a bite of her dinner, listening to her dad's words. "You know I've always wanted to go into something that would help people. I mean, there was that FBI phase."

"Oo, alam ko," her father muttered. Yeah, I know. "And I also know that in times like these — no one gets out alive. Especially with those fuckers coming out of the ocean."

2015, May 8 – 20:51 – Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Raleigh Becket would say that he knew his best friend pretty well. He knew her likes, dislikes, fears, and dreams. Greyson Darcy loved Rocky Road ice cream but hated spiders with a passion. She wasn't much of a school formal kind of person, but when Raleigh and their friends were by her side like tonight, she tended to enjoy herself.

It should've been glaringly obvious, even in the low-lit gymnasium where they were holding their Spring Formal. Another thing he knew — at least, after someone else pointed it out to him — was that Greyson liked something else: his older brother. Watching from the side, it was easier to feel the jealousy bubbling inside of him. The regret of convincing Yancy to turn in a guest form so he could attend their dance was slowly following suit. Raleigh stood by the punch bowl, seeing his group of friends on the dance floor while he took a breather, but he couldn't take his eyes off of them.

Greyson and Yancy were belting lyrics of 'Shut Up and Dance' into each other's faces, jumping around and smiling so wide that it actually hurt to see. She looked beautiful, especially in the simple navy-blue cocktail dress that she'd worn to match Raleigh's blazer. He couldn't help the broadening grin pulling at his lips as she threw an arm around their friend Anna's shoulders, laughing among themselves.

But then the song changed, their movements along with it. Raleigh noticed some stragglers run into the crowd of sweaty teenage bodies as the first few chords of The Pussycat Doll's 'Buttons' started playing. Anna and Greyson swayed to the beat, forgoing the awkward two-step that most people were doing, to basically dance on each other. The eyes of Yancy and their other friend Monty grew to the size of saucers, jaws dropping as the girls popped off to the raunchy song.

Raleigh almost choked on his drink when Greyson wrapped her hand around Yancy's tie and pulled him flush against her front, continuing to sway her hips. When his hands fell to her waist, Raleigh already knew Yancy'd had her in his sights and he was too slow to realize it.

2015, June 4 – 13:59 – Anchorage, Alaska, United States

It had taken thirty seconds for Greyson to stop laughing when she saw Raleigh had fallen out of the tree in his backyard, and only two minutes to rush to get both of their fathers to bring him to the hospital. He shrugged off the fall, but she realized that he was just trying to push the pain.

William had to drive Raleigh and his dad Richard to the hospital because their own car was in the shop, which left Greyson and Yancy alone since Jazmine was at a friend's house for the week. She'd been in the middle of rearranging her room when it all happened, but her neighbor offered to help given that there was nothing else to do.

"Do you think Rals is going to be okay?" Greyson asked, handing over an unrolled Age of Ultron poster to Yancy.

"He'll be fine," he said. He took the poster from her, shaking his head with a smile on his face. Yancy walked to her desk, picking up thumb tacks from a container. "It isn't the first time he's hurt himself being a dumbass."

She scoffed, blinking at the blond. "Seriously?"

"Did he never tell you about when he sprained his ankle in Budapest?"

Greyson frowned, brows going up on her forehead. "I don't think so."

"My dad got called for a job in Hungary when I was, like, eleven. We spent Christmas there, playing with a flashlight like we were superheroes in an abandoned factory." Yancy stood in front of her bare wall, raising the poster up. He turned his face to look at her. "This good?"

She hummed, "Move the left side up a bit." Greyson stepped back from the wall, tilting her head slightly. Referring back to his story, she segued, "So. Abandoned factory. Sounds safe."

Yancy straightened up before pushing the pins into the wall. He smirked slightly as he answered her, "Yeah, the kid tripped into an open ditch. It was really fuckin' hilarious. You should've —" The blond huffed out a quiet "fuck" when he stepped on his own shoelaces and the throw rug, gravity taking over.

Greyson burst out in a full cackle, almost doubling over when he face-planted onto the floor. "Damn, I wish I could've caught that on camera," she mused, swallowing back another laugh. As he started to push himself into a sitting position, the brunette kneeled down to tie his shoes for him, wiping tears at the corner of her eyes.

His face was bright red with embarrassment, but he didn't say anything. Yancy watched Greyson as she made sure to tighten his laces, rising to her feet and extending a hand to him. An easy chuckle escaped her lips as she used her counterweight to pull him up. When Yancy's gaze flickered down to her lips, she felt heat rush to her cheeks, the breath in her throat abruptly cutting off when their eyes locked.

The air surrounding them was thick, electric. Neither of them dared to move even as they started to share each other's air. Greyson never noticed before now just how icy blue Yancy's eyes were, searching for an answer in her brown ones to his silently asked question. She carefully gripped at the front of his shirt, leaning her weight on her toes.

She kissed him, lightly brushing their lips together. A harsh shiver ran down her spine when Yancy leaned into it, exhaling through his nose as he raised a hand to cup her face. But just as soon as it started, he was pulling away, brows knitted together.

"Wait, Sonny…"

Greyson opened her eyes only to see his were still closed. "Yance?" she whispered, reaching up to slide a hand up to his shoulder.

Yancy licked his lips; his eyes found hers again, blown wide with lust. Even before the words left his mouth, she had an idea what he was going to say. "I don't want to take advantage of —"

"It's not taking advantage if I want you to," she said firmly, playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck. And on God, she wanted to. Maybe it was the pent-up sexual tension, or maybe it was the line they'd both blatantly crossed during Spring Formal.

His hands framed her face, and he looked at her with such an expression of deep longing that she wanted to kiss again right then. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Greyson sighed, smiling.

"I've, uh, never actually —"

"Me neither."

Their second kiss was sloppy and hasty as they wrapped their arms around each other. Greyson locked her hands behind his head as Yancy gripped her waist. Her head was buzzing and swimming all at once, and she reveled in the feeling of his soft lips slotting against hers.

2015, September 23 – 12:09 – Anchorage, Alaska, United States

"You're kidding, right?" Greyson was standing with Raleigh just inside the door of the classroom. One minute until the lunch bell was going to go off. "Rals, tell me you're kidding."

"Not one bit!" Raleigh was leaning against the door frame, shaking his head at her. The Becket's hair had grown out in the month since school had started up again — their junior year.

When the bell rang, the two of them were the first to exit through the door. Raleigh slung his arm over her shoulders as they walked down the ever-energetic hall. "Just imagine it with me, Sonny. Forget about the National Guard; we could be in the Jaeger Academy in less than a year!"

She swung her backpack to her front, rummaging in its numerous pockets for her ear buds. "I can show you a Jaeger," she started in tune to Aladdin's 'A Whole New World'. "Shining, shimmering, splendid!"

Raleigh shoved her lightly, rolling his eyes meanwhile. However, he couldn't help but laugh. "C'mon. It's six months for Basic training after recruitment."

"That is if you get recruited," she guffawed, maneuvering her way in between walking bodies.

Defensively, Raleigh muttered, "Well, shit, that ain't so bad."

"Yeah, it is. What about school? You know — graduation?" Greyson's eyes bulged out of their sockets, trying to make a point. "College? Have you even applied for anywhere?"

Raleigh tossed his backpack under the cafeteria table they usually sat at with his sister Jazmine and their friends. Greyson set her own bag beside his chair, taking a seat to his left. As Raleigh took his seat, he answered her; "No, Yance and I decided we're not going to college. We're joining the Rangers."

A soft crease formed on Greyson's forehead. She tried (and likely failed) to hide the disdain on her face. Yancy had taken a gap year to work and save money for college after he graduated, and that was all he ever talked about whenever they were together. Wanting to join the ranks of the Defense Corps was definitely news to her.

Their friend Monty sat at Greyson's other side, setting down his lunch tray. "What's this about joining the Rangers?" he inquired.

Greyson turned to him, over-exaggerating her actions as she raised a thumb in the blond's general direction. "Raleigh thinks he should go train with the PPDC to be a Jaeger pilot."

"Ranger Raleigh Becket." Monty tested the name out, rolling it around. "Sorta has a ring to it, dunnit?"

Raleigh reached over gave Monty a high-five in gratitude. He turned to Greyson again. "I mean, they've already gotten the first line of Jaegers out. And Brawler Yukon was such a badass." He ran a hand through his shaggy, blond hair. "Did you see her take out Karloff? Holy shit!"

"Yeah," she agreed, a proud smile on her face, "Caitlin and Sergio are total badasses."

"So," Raleigh started, unceremoniously scooching his chair to her side, "you coming with us to join the big leagues?"

"Ask her again when you're actually old enough to join," Jazmine laughed, kicking her brother under the table.

Greyson rolled her eyes at them, turning her focus to her phone. She typed in her passcode, the lockscreen photo of her and Yancy wiping away to reveal her wallpaper: One of the propos posted in almost every city across the globe, the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps' logo.

2015, December 24 – 21:53 – Anchorage, Alaska, United States

The Beckets had a yearly tradition where they'd celebrate Christmas Eve with their friends, and more often than not, it would be spent at their house. Yancy wasn't sure when it started — probably a couple years ago when Greyson's dad Will had to work during the holidays, and his mom made sure that she wasn't alone — but it was always, always a good time.

Raleigh had thrown on Die Hard after everyone had their potluck dinner, settling himself at one end of the couch. Greyson was slouched against the other end, absentmindedly carding her fingers through Yancy's hair, who was sitting on the floor. Monty was sitting in their dad's lounger with Anna on his lap while Yancy's friends Dante and Marko had just come in from the kitchen after hunting for some dessert.

Heavy footsteps came from the staircase as Jazmine ran down, shouting, "Guess what I found!" Everyone's heads turned as she came into the living room, carrying a yard stick with a white string tied to a festive-looking mistletoe hanging from it.

"Jazzy, are you serious right now?" Raleigh complained, pulling a face of irritation.

His sixteen-year-old sister had a mischievous glint in her eye as she swung it over to where Anna and Monty sat. Anna laughed but turned back to kiss her boyfriend anyway. They returned to watching the television as if nothing happened.

"Hand that over, Jazmine," Marko called, stretching his hand. Jazmine walked it over to him, and before Yancy could even question the why, the mistletoe came dangling over his head. The only one nearest to him was—

Yancy felt his heart jump, but he let out a nervous chuckle. "Very funny."

He could hear the grin in Marko's voice. "C'mon, man, don't break the rules," he teased.

The blond opened his mouth to protest, stopping short only when Greyson leaned down to place a quick peck to his cheek. Yancy looked at her over his shoulder, raising a brow in question: They'd both been quiet about the extent of their sort-of relationship since the summer, and as far as he knew nobody was the wiser.

But Greyson had a smile tugging on her lips, and before he could really talk himself out of it, Yancy angled his head up to meet her in a proper kiss. Her lips were soft, pressed firm against his. She tasted like oranges.

"Holy shit, I didn't think you were actually going to do it."

"I… I can't unsee that," Raleigh sighed with a frown.

Jazmine let out a disgusted sound. "That's grody!"

Anna's voice piped up with a high-pitched, "It's a Christmas miracle!"

They pulled away from each other, hovering close enough to share breath. Greyson chuckled, hooking a finger under his chin to pull him back in for another kiss. Yancy's neck ached a bit from the angle but he couldn't find it in himself to care.

2016, May 18 – 19:41 – Anchorage, Alaska, United States

"But Dad!"

"I said no, Greyson. That's final."

They had been arguing about it for weeks now. The seventeen-year-old Filipina wanted to enlist into the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps. The Becket brothers were doing it, so why couldn't she? Even if she couldn't become a Jaeger pilot, Greyson knew that her Tito Jasper would be able to find her something to help out with.

She pleaded with her father, but it was difficult to get him to listen to her when he was shitfaced drunk. The frustrated tears in her eyes went away as it turned into a new resolve. "I'll finish my education, I swear. I'll take online classes after training or get my GED, but —"

"Then go. Leave! Sige, umalis ka!" Will swayed as his balanced faltered, and then took a swig from his beer. "Leave just like your fucking mother… Go off to war and never come back."

She managed a few steps toward her father before he shoved her forcefully, almost throwing her off balance. Despite bracing herself for it, Greyson still recoiled when he raised a hand to her face. The slap reverberated in her ears, bringing tears in her eyes.

"Daddy, please. You're drunk —"

"Fuck this Pan-Pacific bullshit… Bahala ka sa buhay mo." William slumped to the couch, leaning into the armrest. "Do what you want with your life, see if I care."

Tears pricked her eyes again, a frown forming on her lips. A lump caught in Greyson's throat. "You don't… you don't mean that…"

"Bahala ka na," William repeated, waving her away. He'd already turned on the television set, avoiding his daughter as if he hadn't just put his hands on her. The whiplash made her head spin.

Slightly jarred, Greyson quickly wiped away the tears that tracked down her stinging cheek. A million things ran through her head — she should fight back, or maybe take back her words, or just grab the fucking beer from him — but in the end, she elected to shelve it like she always did whenever her father got this way.

The wayward daughter grabbed her jacket and pocketed her phone after checking the time. Of course, barely eight o'clock and he's already too far gone. Hoping the clear air could take her mind off of the night's events, Greyson left out the back door and headed to the 24-hour Holiday Stationstore a few blocks away.

The cashier at the counter didn't look up when she entered the convenience store. There were only a couple people milling around, none of which she paid attention to. As Greyson wandered, the Anchorage Times newspaper caught her attention.

On the front page was a photo of a young Japanese girl, given the moniker Tokyo's Daughter, wandering in the aftermath of the most recent kaiju attack from a few days prior. There was a photo of Coyote Tango's pilots near the bottom: Stacker Pentecost and Tamsin Sevier. Apparently, the latter had blacked out during deployment and Pentecost had to finish off Onibaba by himself.

He ran the rest of the deployment on his own? He didn't die from the stress? Maybe, the girl wondered, if she got the chance to talk to him or Caitlin Lightcap again that she'd ask them how it was possible. She tucked the newspaper under her arm after purchasing it, nearly smacking a man in the face with the door at her exit.

Greyson apologized to the man she'd bumped into, wincing as her throbbing cheek met the chilled air. "Ah — sorry, I—"

"No, you're good, it was…"

It was Yancy. God knew why he was even there. Before she could hide her face — oh God, she must've looked a mess — his eyes were already widening.

"Babe, what happened to you?" He placed a hand on her chin when she turned, surveying the redness left behind by her father. "Are you okay?"

Greyson pulled away, trying to play it off. "It's nothing. Dad had too much to drink earlier and we got into an argument —"

"Jesus, next you'll say this isn't the worst." He brushed windswept hair away from her face, looking into her eyes. When she searched for his blues, all she saw was worry and something she couldn't quite place.

"I can handle it, Yance."

"I know." There was a short silence between them as they breathed each other's air. Yancy planted a feather-light kiss on Greyson's lips, and she raised her hands to cup his face.

The newspaper was forgotten on the snow-slick ground.

2016, June 19 – 11:17 – Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Dominique Becket had passed away in early Summer, leaving behind her husband and three children. They were all aware it was inevitable. For the longest time, Dominique had been a heavy smoker. For the longest three years of their lives, each and every one of them were followed by a dark cloud above their heads, reminding them that time was fleeting, that she was slowly striding towards Death's Door.

It was a relatively clear day in Anchorage. Weather was not harsh. They had come to pay respects and say goodbye before Yancy, Raleigh, and Greyson left for enlistment. The local graveyard was empty apart from the lone Darcy and the Beckets (and a young couple a few meters down from them, visiting their own sad little grave).

It was quiet. In fact, they were all quiet. Yancy was crouched along the freshly cut grass, reading and rereading his mom's headstone. He never moved. Greyson had the year-younger Jazmine tucked under her arm, shielding her from the unwelcomed winds and imaginary monsters that lurked in the shadows created by the tombstones.

Raleigh was stood beside them, humming a song, occasionally muttering a distinct lyric. It was French; Greyson gathered as much by the words "ne me quitte pas" that she continuously heard. Possibly something Dominique had once listened to.

Greyson kept her silence when Jazmine started to palm the forming tears from her eyes. To her humming brother, the youngest Becket said, "Shut up."

2016, June 21 – 06:40 – Jaeger Academy, Kodiak Island, Alaska, United States

Raleigh was so busy looking around the Jaeger Academy center for a Jaeger pilot-lookalike that he didn't watch where he was placing his feet. After some time, with the stumbling of said feet and bobbing of heads, the younger Becket voiced, "Is that Sergio D'onofrio?"

"For the sixth time, Rals, none of the Rangers are here." Greyson had the one strap of her small backpack slung over her right shoulder, boots stomping along the linoleum flooring. There were people everywhere; would-be hopefuls from all around the state, the country, the globe.

The entire place was a grossly heated locker of sweaty bodies.

As they walked to the back of the center, Greyson's eyes traveled from person to person; all intent of joining the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps flew directly out the frosted window. "I can't believe you guys actually talked me into doing this," she grumbled aloud. "I can't believe my dad let me leave."

Yancy slowed down to walk beside his girlfriend. Greyson hooked an arm around his waist when his arm went around her shoulders (It wasn't so hard, considering she was roughly six inches shorter than he was). He said to her, laughing the while, "We would've dragged you here anyway, kicking and screaming."

The trio got in line behind the rather large crowd of people, waiting to get their identification cards. Greyson made sure to stay between them, avoiding the feeling of being pushed up against other strangers.

When the three of them got to the front of the line, they were ushered to one of the eight opened windows. Respectively, all three gave the teller their names. "Becket, Raleigh and Yancy. Darcy, Greyson," the raven-haired worker said in monotone. His piercing, green eyes rested above darkened eye bags, and Greyson's eyes followed his tattooed arm as he reached out with the cards. "Here're your ID's. Follow everyone to the auditorium for the opening address." Oscar, his nametag read, pointed towards the opened double doors not too far away.

Darcy and the Beckets walked around the impressively large auditorium, waiting for the Opening Ceremony of the recruitment event. Greyson was keeping an eagle eye out for Stacker Pentecost; she had heard from her uncle that he was forced to retire after his last run in his Jaeger, Coyote Tango. Later assigned as Marshal and decided to teach future Ranger and pilot recruits at the Academy.

She wondered if the ex-Ranger still remembered her; she assumed he didn't, considering he was a bigshot and a single father. Greyson was probably just a little blip on his radar.

"Look at all these people," Raleigh said in astonishment, watching the growing throng of strangers among strangers. "Some of these guys look a lot more serious than us." He was having a bit of trouble clipping his ID to his hoodie, and Greyson helped him out, much to her own chagrin.

Yancy didn't look at his baby brother or girlfriend as he replied: "Most of them are a lot more serious than us." Upon seeing the shared looks from Raleigh and Greyson, he stepped in between them, resting firm, reassuring arms around their shoulders. "Hey, no pressure."

Greyson shook her head, chuckling.

"We'll have a laugh, we'll get ditched in the first cut, and we'll go home," Yancy finished listing.

It was ten to seven when everyone was called to the stage, wherein a large podium stood. The Jaeger Academy emblem was displayed proudly at the front of it, with the PPDC insignia on the far back wall. Numerous flags were hanging from the high ceiling. If she wasn't so entranced with the setup, Greyson would have made a joke about it looking like a ComiCon panel.

Someone shoved into her as they passed by to get a closer look, didn't even bother to apologize. "Excuse you," Greyson hissed to the stranger, offended that he kept on his merry way. Raleigh put a warning hand on her shoulder before she could say anything more.

The guy was wearing red suspenders over his blue button-up. Most of his face was obscured by a cap. "Sorry, Short Stack." And then he was gone like the wind, disappearing into the crowd like a ship at night.

"Hey, asshole —" Greyson had taken after the stranger before the Beckets even noticed her assent.

As if acting on a reflex, Yancy grabbed her wrist before she got too far. "Sonny, c'mon," he said to her. "Let it go, sweetheart."

In response, Greyson muttered curse words into the wind, both Filipino and not. A few people gave the three odd looks, but then quickly turned away.

The room's atmosphere had changed dramatically, from being a tsunami of multi-lingual waves to a softer drizzle of lingering voices. Raleigh grabbed their attention immediately, pointing out that the new Marshal was on stage.

Greyson huffed, crossing her arms and turning herself to face the front stage. If not for the large speakers, she probably wouldn't have been able to hear the Marshal with how far back they were.

"…This isn't summer camp," Marshal Pentecost said over the loud-speaker. "If it seems like we're trying to break you, it's because we are. The kaiju won't hold back, so neither will we."

Raleigh leaned into Greyson's side, muttering under his breath, "Well, at least he's honest." He snickered when she rolled her eyes. A corner of Yancy's lips quirked up.

She stayed quiet as Pentecost continued on, unwavering: "We will grind you to dust, and only when we fail to do so will we find the stuff of legend — like the D'onofrios and the Gage twins — and all those whose names will live forever for having what it takes to be the knights of our time, standing watch at the edge of our world — ready for the dragons ahead."

Thousands of voices raised in cheers. Yancy nearly pissed himself laughing when Greyson flinched at the sudden noise.

A/N: Updated 8/2/20