Author's Note: As the summary says, here we have three (fairly lengthy) stories in one, taking place at various points in time: before the first film, in between the first and second film, and after the second film. Chapter 1 is all about Penny and the most important relationships in her life. Chapter 2 stars Iceman, and acts as a sorta sequel to Everything and Nothing. Only the first section or so of the chapter make reference to it, so you shouldn't be too lost if you haven't read the first story. Chapter 3 is Rooster's story.

This story was written a little while ago to celebrate the release of the amazing Top Gun Maverick.

I hope you enjoy it!

[Content warning: References to domestic abuse, internalized homophobia, trauma, and grief]

Chapter 1: 6 Dates

The sails of a boat are not unlike the wings of a plane.

Both helped the wind work in your favor. It was all about physics: aerodynamics and hydrodynamics, the force of the wind and water and its effect on your speed, and how to manipulate it. The sails and the wind, the keel and the water.

This is how Penny explained the art of sailing to Pete, and it seemed to help him understand. It would take him a while to become as proficient as Amelia, and even longer before he was as good as Penny. And that was only if he wanted to bother to keep up with his education.

Whatever he decided, Penny just wanted him there with her. She prayed–although she was not the praying type–that he would make it home in one piece. She stood by the stern, watching the hazy horizon. The rising sun had just begun to burn away the fog of dawn. She couldn't stop imagining Pete and those kids, flying out into dangerous and far off lands, knowing they may not come back but going anyway, because that was who they were.

Penny crouched down and stared at the water, listening to the gentle sounds of the ripples on the hull. She attempted to track the direction of the wind. It was an ever present force, something you needed to watch closely. It could help, or it could hurt, if you were not careful. The wind reminded her of Pete. He was certainly a force to be reckoned with, for better or worse. She hated to use the term "free spirit," but it did describe him fairly well. He went where his heart took him. He was headstrong and passionate. He made his own path in life.

Penny admired these qualities…and at the same time, they worried her. These traits were the reason she'd fallen in love with him…and the reason she'd so often ended up with a broken heart. But she had a feeling it would be different this time. He was different from the man she'd met all those decades ago, and she was different too.

"Everything looks good!"

Penny almost jumped out of her skin. She'd forgotten she wasn't alone. She was not usually so prone to getting lost in her own mind, but stress does crazy things to a person.

She put on her sunglasses and carefully stood up, the boat creaking under her. Thankfully, she didn't have to worry about a bit of mind-wandering. Her daughter, Amelia, was the captain this afternoon. Penny found her by the wheel.

The kid smirked at her. "Have a nice nap?"

Penny rolled her eyes. She checked the position of Amelia's hands on the wheel. Then she peered up at the sail. "Well, looks like you have everything under control."

"Yeah, of course. I tried tacking for a while."

"Really? Good job."

Amelia scoffed. "You weren't even paying attention! How would you know?"

Penny raised her eyebrows at her. "Because we didn't capsize, that's how I know."

"Okay, okay, I guess that's fair," Amelia chuckled through her words. The wind picked up, suddenly far stronger than before. She lifted one hand off the wheel, trying desperately to push her hair back, and at the same time spitting it out of her mouth. "Pfft! Eww, eww, so gross–"

"All right, kiddo, you're relieved of duty!" Penny waved her away and took hold of the wheel. "I told you to put your hair up!"

"I thought I could handle it!" Amelia pulled a hair-band out of her shorts pocket and quickly tied her hair back.

Penny shook her head disapprovingly, but couldn't help smiling. She stared out ahead at the beautiful sky, the shimmering waves, the seemingly infinite ocean…then her mind wandered back to him. Her smile left as easily as it came.

"He'll come back, Mom."

Penny whipped her head around. Amelia stood nearby, frowning up at her. Penny nodded a little and forced a smile, probably the saddest and most unconvincing smile of all time. "Absolutely," she murmured. She nervously drummed her fingers on the wheel. "Amelia, you know, I…I've actually been meaning to talk to you about something."

"By 'something' do you mean Pete?"

"Yes."

Amelia muttered under her breath, "Yeah, he is 'something,' that's for sure."

Penny snorted. "Well, you're not wrong." She took a breath. "Anyway, I wanted to let you know…when–when Pete gets back…we're going to be…getting back together." She looked at her daughter out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge her reaction.

Amelia's sardonic expression did not change. She gave a shrug. "Yeah, I figured you would. Seemed like things were getting pretty serious."

Penny frowned in confusion. "Yeah? What makes you think it's serious?"

"Well, I wasn't sure at first. But then I saw him jump down from the second story window…"

Penny groaned, her face burning with embarrassment. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. He's not good at being sneaky."

Amelia chuckled. "No, he is not."

"Did he catch you catching him?"

"Umm, yeah!"

Penny scowled at the water. "Well, he didn't tell me about all this." She pointed an accusatory finger at her daughter. And you didn't tell me either!"

Amelia's grin stretched from ear to ear. "I was just waiting for the right moment."

Penny couldn't hold back a smile. God, they were far too alike. "I swear I'm gonna make you walk the plank!"

"We don't have one!"

"I'll get one just for you!"

Amelia snorted with laughter.

Penny felt a little lighter now. Her daughter had that effect on her. "So whataya think?"

"About the plank?"

"About Pete and me getting back together."

"Pete and I."

Penny snorted. "Seriously. I want to know. Are you okay with this?"

Amelia rested her head in her hand, her eyes darting around as she thought. She breathed out a sigh. "Honestly? No."

Penny looked at her, mouth agape. "No? No you're not okay with this?"

Amelia shook her head. "No," she repeated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He's far from the worst guy you ever dated. But he broke her heart, like, a billion times. You cried over him for forever. I'm worried he's gonna hurt you again. So no, I'm not okay with this."

Penny stared out at the waves. She had no idea what to say. She was blindsided.

"But I don't think it matters what I think," Amelia went on. "You're the adult. You're the one who's dating him. It's your choice, not mine. So if you want to date him, if you think it's gonna be better this time, then…go for it. I'll support you, whatever you choose."

Penny blinked the tears out of her eyes. God, who was this girl? She sounded smarter than her own mother. "Thanks."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Well, geez, don't cry about it."

Penny laughed. "I can't help it!" She put an arm around her and pulled her into a hug. "You're awesome."

"I guess." Amelia patted her mom on the back before letting go. "I promise I'll go easy on him."

"Yeah, you better. I mean, one of us has to." Penny tapped the wheel with her pinky. "You wanna take over?" she asked, and her daughter readily grabbed onto the wheel. Penny took a deep breath and looked out into the distance once more. She tried to hold onto the happiness, tried not to worry.

"He'll come back, Mom."

Penny smiled. "Absolutely."

Closing Time

Penny would play that song on the jukebox every morning. All the regulars heard it and immediately knew it was time to head out. But there was no crowd to clear out this morning. As the sun began to peek over the horizon, the Hard Deck bar was nearly empty. There was something eerie about that Semisonic song echoing in that deserted place.

As Penny wiped down the counter, she looked around at all the empty glasses and haphazard arrangement of chairs, and she remembered the night before. The bar was packed. Rooster and Phoenix and Bob and Hangman and all the other aviators were there, along with the regulars and bar hoppers and partying college kids that just happened to wander in. It was more of a ruckus than usual–but in a good way. Rooster played the piano and got everybody singing. Hangman put his phone on the counter, and his checking account was promptly drained as he paid for everyone's drinks. Phoenix kept ordering increasingly expensive drinks just to keep his tab up. Coyote demolished the competition at the pool table. Bob lost his glasses at one point.

Most of them had left hours ago. The only ones still there were Pete and Bradley. Pete busied himself with picking up glasses and straightening chairs. Bradley was somewhere outside, saying goodbye to friends.

Penny finished washing up the counter and tossed her rag into the bin. She tried not to laugh at Pete as he struggled towards the counter, cradling an armful of drinking glasses. "I appreciate the help."

He grinned. "It's no problem." He carefully unloaded the glasses onto the counter, a few umbrellas tumbling out.

Penny grabbed them two at a time and loaded them into the dishwasher under the bar. At this point, she and Pete had a pretty efficient system: he'd gather up everything and she'd wash it.

Pete sat with a sigh on one of the stools and rested his head in his hand.

Penny chuckled. "Let me guess: you can't party like you used to."

He rubbed at his forehead, eyes nearly closed. "No, what makes you say that?" he mumbled.

Penny just shook her head at him. She closed the dishwasher just as Bradley wandered back in. "Hey, welcome back, Bradley."

He flashed a polite smile. "Hey." He sat beside Pete, whose eyes were now completely closed. He looked him up and down. "You good, man?"

Pete mumbled something unintelligible.

Bradley nodded at him. "Cool." He looked over at Penny, halfheartedly waving her over. "Excuse me, m'am–"

Penny interrupted him with a little laugh. "No, no, just call me Penny, all right?"

"Right, okay, m–Umm, Penny." He pointed vaguely towards the wall of bottles. "I know you're closing, but if it's not too much trouble–"

"Sure!" Penny walked over and grabbed a beer bottle off the shelf. "The usual?"

"Yeah, thanks." He pulled out his wallet and handed her a few dollar bills. "Thank you."

Penny set the bottle down in front of him. "Bradley, after what you went through a few weeks ago, you deserve it."

He cracked a smile. "Well, I'm not sure about that, but I appreciate it." He held up the beer for just a moment in a sort of "cheers" motion.

Pete yawned and opened his eyes again. He looked at Bradley, then at the beer he was holding. "Oh, hey, is that your second beer?" he commented lightly.

Bradley kept his eyes on the bottle. He cleared his throat. "Umm, yeah, you know, I just…I don't drink as much as my friends do, so…"

Pete said quickly, "Hey, that's fine, no big deal."

Penny busied herself with the cleaning and other closing duties as the boys chatted. At this point, she knew very well the history between them. She'd noticed some tension at first, but it seemed to be quickly dissipating, especially after the mission. The story of all that happened was still so unbelievable to her.

Several minutes later, Bradley departed, leaving Penny and Pete (and the half-drank beer) alone. By that point Penny had finished her duties and it was time for her and Pete to head home. Hmm. Was it their home yet, or was it still her home? Pete sort of split his time between the house and the hangar. She knew the hangar wasn't going anywhere, obviously, and that was perfectly fine. But why did he still spend some nights there? Maybe he was just trying to take things slow–his version of slow, at least. She figured they should have a talk about it sometime soon.

Penny locked up the bar and headed to her car. By now the sun was halfway over the horizon, casting a golden glow over the beach. Pete had to ride his motorcycle, so Penny drove home alone. He beat her to the house, of course. She found him standing in the yard, staring out at the ocean and occasionally scrolling through his phone.

"God, what a view," he commented.

Penny paused for a moment to admire the sunrise. She was so used to the view by now, she sometimes neglected to appreciate its beauty. "Yeah, it's really something," she replied. She put the key in the lock and opened the front door. "I'll be out in a sec, okay?" He gave her a thumbs-up and she ducked inside. She tip-toed up the stairs and down the hall. She very carefully cracked open the bedroom door to find that Amelia was still asleep. She tip-toed back down the stairs and then stepped outside into the cool, dawn air.

Pete moseyed over to her, one ear-bud in. "What're you in the mood for?"

"Anything but the Moana soundtrack."

Pete chuckled. "What? What's wrong with that?"

"It's okay," Penny sighed. "It's just that Amelia had it on repeat for a full year and it drove me completely insane." She took the other ear-bud and twisted it into her ear. "So I'm fine with literally anything else."

Pete nodded slowly as he scrolled through his phone. "I'll try not to disappoint you."

The two walked down the path and out onto the sidewalk. The street lamps had just begun to turn off. It was the weekend, so the distant hum of traffic was largely absent. The loudest sound was the chirping of crickets in the shrubbery.

Penny felt Pete squeeze her hand. The ear-buds were not wireless, so they had to stay close together. A jaunty tune came through her ear-bud.

Penny smiled. "Van Morrison. Great choice."

Pete nodded. "Yep. 'Bright Side of the Road.'"

"1979."

"The '70s. Great decade for music."

"The best decade for music."

They walked in silence for a minute or so.

Then Penny scoffed. "God, we're old."

Pete laughed. "Not that old!"

"No, we are," Penny chuckled through her words. "We are that old!"

The couple rounded the corner and ventured down the next deserted street. They had yet to see anybody else. No pedestrians out for an early walk. Not even a single car drove by.

Penny asked, "Who was that woman you were talking to? An old friend?"

Pete thought for a moment. "You mean the woman with the white hair with the pink stripe?"

"Yep. She's pretty hard to miss."

"Yeah, that's Tracy. She's a lot of fun. Sorry I couldn't introduce you before she left."

"You two seemed really close. How long have you known her?" Penny felt his grip tighten on her hand. His small smile had dissolved, his eyes turned downcast.

"I've known her for years. Ice introduced me. She was one of his best friends. They met at the center decades ago."

Penny just nodded. It was so crushing, watching him grieve. Almost any time his friend was brought up, the light would leave his face. Sometimes she'd find him out in the yard, all alone, sitting on the bench and staring out at the ocean, looking pensive. It wasn't like him to be so sad and quiet and yearning to be alone.

Pete put on something like a smile. "She told me she and her friends are gonna have a celebration of life kinda thing. You can come, if you want."

"Yeah, that sounds nice," she replied quietly. "I wish I'd gotten to know him better. You always spoke so highly of him."

"He was…He just meant so much to me." He let out a long sigh. "I knew this was coming. He'd been sick for a long time. I just thought…I donno, that I'd be prepared or…Guess I was pretty stupid to think that that was even possible."

Penny pressed close to him. "Sometimes…you think you're going to be ready. But losing someone you love…I don't think you can ever be ready for that."

Pete sniffed. "Yeah…"

"You know…you can talk to me about him, if you want to."

"Yeah, I know. Thank you. I just don't think I'm ready yet."

"That's fine."

They got quiet again, but it wasn't an uncomfortable quiet. Penny had known him for so, so long at this point, constant talking was not necessary to make her feel comfortable.

It was Pete who broke the silence. "So how did Amelia's science project go?"

"Oh, really good. She got an A."

Pete shrugged. "I offered to help her take care of the plant, but…she said she could do it on her own."

"Yeah, she's an overachiever. You can offer to help, but she won't want anything to do with it."

Pete frowned pointedly. "I don't think she wants anything to do with me."

Penny considered her next words carefully. She certainly wouldn't repeat what her daughter had said regarding their relationship. That would be a massive betrayal of her trust. Plus, it would only serve to make Pete feel more discouraged and hopeless. But she couldn't lie and tell him it was gonna be all sunshine and rainbows either.

"She'll come around eventually," she said. "Give her time."

Pete raised his eyebrows. "Eventually?"

Penny suppressed a sigh. Of course he would zero in on that word. "Be patient. Try to think about it from her perspective."

Pete looked away from her and stared out at the road ahead. Penny noticed him wince, just ever so slightly. It was something you'd only notice if you knew him as intimately as she did. That one expression was worth a thousand words.

Penny offered, "If it makes you feel any better, you've already put in a lot more effort than her dad ever did."

Pete shook his head. "No, that doesn't make me feel any better." He chewed on the inside of his lip, his gaze turning from dull and dejected to bright and angry. "He doesn't want anything to do with her, does he?"

Penny drew in a sharp breath. She didn't like to talk about her ex-husband. She certainly didn't talk to Pete about him–other than a few choice remarks she couldn't help but let out.

She explained, "Things were good for a while. Then…when things got tough, he…didn't show up for me. I was trying to get the bar going, I was struggling, and he didn't want to help. He didn't want anything to do with that." She let out a sad chuckle. "Then I got pregnant, and he really didn't want anything to do with that."

Pete studied her face, his mouth slightly open while he waited for the right words to show up. "I'm sorry."

Penny wouldn't let herself wallow in dark memories. She promised herself long ago not to expend any more energy thinking about that man. She put on a smile and said lightly, "And that was one of the few times my six date rule didn't work."

"What rule?"

"Well, everyone has their own version of the rule. Basically, it's the exact number of dates it would take to determine whether a person is worth being with. I've gotta go on six dates with a guy before I know if he's an asshole. Maybe for you it's five, or three, or–What?" Penny broke off with a chuckle. With every word she spoke, Pete's smile grew and his face began to crumple. She could tell he was barely holding back a laugh.

"I've never, ever heard this before," Pete explained slowly.

"Seriously? When you date a person, you don't think about this stuff at all?"

Pete chuckled and shook his head. "No, no I don't."

"Well, most people do."

"Are you sure? Seems like a 'you' thing."

Penny couldn't help but laugh, because he was most likely correct. She was probably just projecting. "Well, it's a good rule, trust me."

Pete grinned. "Did it work for me?"

Penny looked him up and down. She shrugged. "Meh."

He chuckled. "Aww, come on!"

"Okay. It mostly worked. I mean you're mostly not an asshole. And here we are at date…whatever number we're on, so…not too bad."

He squeezed her hand tighter. "I'll take it."

Penny awoke to the sound of clinking plates. The kitchen was directly below her bedroom, so she could hear almost everything that went on. She sat up and stretched her arms with a groan. She noticed Pete was already gone. Not unusual: she was usually the last one up.

Penny kicked the sheets off and reached for her hair-tie on the nightstand. Tying back her hair was the only thing she bothered to do when she woke up.

She walked leisurely down the stairs. She found Amelia lounging on the couch, staring at her tablet like a zombie.

Penny snapped her fingers in front of her daughter's face, causing her to practically jump out of her seat in surprise. "Good morning, Amelia!"

She shot her a quick, impatient glance. "Morning, Mom."

Penny tapped on the tablet. "How long have you been on this thing?"

"Just a half hour. I swear."

Penny snorted. "Okay. Just try to limit your screen time, all right?" She ruffled her daughter's hair before heading to the kitchen. She froze in the doorway, eyes widening in shock. Pete stood at the stove with a spatula, shoveling pancakes onto a plate. "Umm, what is going on here?"

Pete jerked his head up. "Oh, hey, good morning!" He greeted her with a smile, which quickly melted into concern when he saw her face. "You okay?"

Penny cracked a smile. "You cook now?"

"Umm, yeah, for quite a while now, actually. I started with breakfast foods, then–"

"Pete this is awesome! Last time I saw you it was all Stouffer's and Pop Tarts."

He handed her the plate piled high with little pancakes. "You want these? I'm gonna make a bunch more."

"Sure!" She took the plate from him. "Has Amelia had any?"

"Yeah, she had a ton."

Penny grabbed the bottle of syrup from the fridge and drizzled a thin layer over her short stack. "That's great. She can be pretty picky, believe me." She ate her first forkful of pancakes. It was perfect. Not too rubbery, not too fluffy. "Wow." She pointed to the food with her fork. "These are fantastic. Thank you."

Pete grinned. "You're very welcome."

Penny finished up her delicious pancakes while Pete entertained her with stories of his journey learning to cook. Most of them involved him burning himself or breaking something in an especially dramatic fashion.

Several minutes later her dog wandered in, so Penny poured his usual food into his bowl, plus a pancake as a treat. Pete grabbed a plate of pancakes for himself and headed out into the living room. Penny hung out in the doorway to ensure Amelia behaved herself.

"Hey, Amelia!" Pete took a seat beside her on the couch. "How's it going?"

Amelia didn't look up from her tablet. "Fine."

Pete pointed to his plate. "There's more pancakes if you want some."

"Okay, thanks," she replied in the most lifeless monotone imaginable.

Pete quietly ate his pancakes for a bit. He took a few quick peeks at the tablet, trying to be nonchalant. "Whatcha watchin'?"

Amelia sighed quietly. "Just a let's-play that Jamie did."

He nodded. "Cool." He figured she would say more. Nope. "Sooo…Jamie…is he–er, she–er, umm, they…Is Jamie a friend of yours?"

She rolled her eyes. "She is a friend, yes."

He watched the video with her, though he really didn't have the slightest clue what was going on. It was some bizarre world made entirely of blocks. "Umm…so what do you do in this game?"

She still didn't look at him. "Just…you build stuff."

Pete drummed his fingers on his leg. This was frustrating–he couldn't get more than a few words out of her. He must be doing something wrong. He racked his brain. What were zoomers into, anyway? What would she want to talk about? Then a lightbulb went on.

"So, uhh, do people still do those challenges? Like the ice bucket challenge?"

Amelia's eyes lit up as she turned to him. "Yes, absolutely! We should do it!"

Pete smiled. "Yeah, that sounds great."

Amelia's smile grew. "You don't mind having a bunch of ice cold frigid freezing water dumped on your head, do you?"

"Umm, no, I guess not–I mean, it's for charity, right?

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, totally! Do you have a bucket?" She hopped out of her seat, eyes searching the room. "Maybe there's one around here somewh–"

"Amelia!" Penny cut her off. "That's enough." She was barely able to hold back a laugh. She was a girl after her own heart.

Her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the text. It simply said

hey

She frowned. Who would send something like that? Then she saw the sender. Riley. Her whole body turned to concrete. Why? Why? Why was he texting her? Then another–

can we talk?

She stared down at the phone, her mind drained of all thought and reason. She just wanted to throw her phone in the garbage and run away.

The phone rang. His name on the screen–

RILEY

Shit. Don't answer it. But she couldn't just ignore it. Better to just get it over with. Get rid of him as soon as possible.

Penny hurried into the kitchen and answered the call.

She muttered into the phone, "Yeah?"

"Hi, Penny, good morning!" His voice was gravelly and low and lethargic as usual, but his tone was light. "How are you?"

"Fine."

"That's good. I'm doing well," he told her, even though she hadn't asked. "So…how's everything at the bar?"

"Why are you calling me?" Penny couldn't help herself. She already had a strong suspicion that this phone call was a waste of time. History indicated that that would most likely be the case.

"Wha–I just wanted to talk to you," he replied gently–the tone was phony, as far as Penny was concerned. "Just wanted to see how you're doing."

"Oh, yeah?" Penny let out an angry, frustrated chuckle. "I don't hear from you for five months but suddenly you're just so interested in my life that you just had to call me on some random morning while I'm just trying to relax!" She winced at herself. She had planned on keeping her voice low, so that Pete and especially Amelia did not overhear. Yet with every angry word her voice grew louder and louder. Her boyfriend and daughter must have noticed, because their conversation stopped abruptly.

Riley stammered for several moments before getting out: "I-I'm sorry–I just–I didn't hear from you, so–"

"Yeah, okay," Penny interrupted, struggling to keep her voice down. "I texted you a few times and left a voicemail." The only reason she'd even reached out was because at one point, his child support payments were late–which turned out to be an issue with the post office. She figured he wasn't trying to sneak out of it, she just wanted a little assistance with the situation, and to see if he knew anything. Yeah, fat chance. Helping was not really his forte.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I don't think I got any of those. My phone must be on the fritz."

Penny chewed angrily on the inside of her lip. "Wow, really? What is that, the third phone in a row? You must have the worst luck on the planet."

Riley chuckled. "Yeah, maybe!"

Penny rolled her eyes. Either he didn't catch her tone, or he was ignoring it–she'd believe either.

Things were quiet for a bit. Penny considered hanging up on him. If he had no more to say, she had no interest in forcing a conversation.

Then at last, he spoke. "Penny," he sighed. "I am sorry, you know. I haven't been the best dad…"

You haven't been a dad at all. Penny barely bit back that retort. Instead, she said, "Okay."

"But…I'd really like to see her. I want to talk to her."

Penny raised her eyebrows. Well, this was a surprise. He'd seen Amelia only a handful of times and didn't seem to miss her. She had trouble believing him. However she'd become quite an excellent lie detector after dealing with his bullshit for so long…and it all sounded truthful.

He went on, "One day, I…woke up and…I can't explain it. It just hit me–how much time had passed. So many years, just…gone. I really, really want to see her. I-I know I could never make up for all that lost time. And that kills me. But I want to see her. I want to know her."

Penny stood in the middle of the kitchen, frozen. She was absolutely floored. She cautiously believed him. She hoped that maybe he had changed. It was possible. Crazier things had happened. Maybe he'd finally start being a dad, getting involved in his daughter's life and having a real relationship with her.

She began, carefully and quietly, "Okay…"

"Okay? Yes?"

"Wait," she said sternly. "I need to talk to Amelia first. I'll text you and let you know what she decided."

"I'll be in town for, like, two weeks," Riley told her cheerfully. "Plenty of time to hang out."

Penny smiled, just a little. But she'd been let down by him so many times, so she felt the need to guard her feelings. "Okay. Like I said, I'll let you know."

"Thank you," he murmured, warm and relieved. "I'll talk to you later, all right?"

"All right. Bye for now."

"Bye!"

Penny hung up. She took a full, deep breath for the first time in forever.

"Hey, Mom?" Amelia edged into the kitchen, Pete trailing behind. "Were you talking to Dad just now?"

Penny looked at her daughter. Her eyes looked big and hopeful, and suddenly she appeared so young and vulnerable. "Yes, I was talking to your dad," she replied slowly as she mulled over her next words. She locked eyes with Pete, who hovered close by. He blinked at her, a small smile twitching off and on, the expression of someone who didn't know what expression was appropriate for the situation. Penny gave his hand a quick squeeze and turned back to her daughter.

"Amelia. Your dad told me he's going to be in town soon. He says he really wants to visit with you. How do you feel about that?" Penny waited patiently for her answer. She expected to see obvious disgust or discomfort on her daughter's face at the mere mention of him. But she stared up at her mom, looking wholly unfazed.

After a moment, Amelia replied, "Sure. I'd like to see him."

Penny was surprised, to say the least. Like herself, she had a great BS detector. But Penny had to remind herself that Amelia was still just a kid. In many ways, she was mature for her age, but she was still so young. She hadn't been let down as many times as her mom. She still had hope. She still thought she could have a relationship with her dad. Penny hoped she was right.

"Okay. I'll text him and let him know."

Amelia nodded, a small smile crossing her face. Then she left the room without a word.

Penny pulled a chair out from the table and practically collapsed into it. She massaged her forehead, feeling a migraine coming on. Simply speaking to Riley brought back so many awful memories, and it twisted everything inside her into the tightest knot. She felt Pete squeeze her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

Penny gave a tiny nod. "I'll be fine." She reached over and touched his hand. "Could you please leave me alone for a bit? I need to think."

"Of course."

"Thanks."

He left the room. Penny sat there, alone, and thought. She thought and thought and worried pointlessly.

Please just let this work out.

The minutes, the hours, the days ticked by, every moment bringing them closer to Riley's visit.

Penny and Ameila hadn't spoke about him since the phone call. Penny worried Amelia had changed her mind. One night, she told her daughter that it was all right if she didn't want to see him. She was allowed to change her mind. But Amelia replied, without hesitation, that she wanted to see him.

Well, that was that.

Penny tried to stay busy to keep her anxiety at bay. She put in extra hours at the bar, scrubbing and cleaning and organizing and straightening until everything was beyond spotless. She could tell the neuroticism was worrying Pete and Bradley, who kept exchanging glances when they thought she wasn't paying attention.

Before she knew it, his arrival was only a day away. She took a breath and tried to stay positive. She reminded herself of her strong belief in second chances–even third chances, sometimes. It was a struggle to apply that principle to her ex, but she figured she'd give it a shot.

In the earliest hours of the morning, she found Pete in the office, as usual pouring over mountains of papers and mumbling to himself. The sun had not yet risen, so the only light came from an old, somewhat dim desk lamp. Penny supposed she'd better replace that…among various other things in the office. She hadn't used the room much since the early days of running the bar, so she'd more or less gifted it to Pete.

She knocked gently on the doorframe, causing him to jerk his head around in shock. "Morning! Sorry to surprise you." Of course, there was no way to avoid surprising him when he was in a deep state of concentration.

Pete nodded lethargically. "It's fine," he yawned as he returned his attention to his papers.

Penny came in and took a quick look at the paperwork, although it didn't mean much to her. Diagrams of aircraft and math equations and never ending dry-as-a-desert paragraphs. It reminded her of her late father's desk.

She asked, "Are you working on a new lecture?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "You know, I like giving lectures. Don't really like the whole researching part. Ice loved every part of this. That's why he was a way better instructor than I'll ever be." He turned to her, clicking his pen repeatedly. "Everything okay?"

Penny shrugged. "Not really? I'm just doing the best I can."

Pete frowned, eyeing her worriedly. "Okay…"

"So I was thinking of ordering from Jerry's Diner. It's pretty much the best place nearby. You wanna have a look at the menu?"

Pete raised his eyebrows at her. "Umm. Is it a good idea for me to come to this dinner?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"I mean…it's not gonna be awkward?"

Penny scoffed. "No. We broke up forever ago, he remarried–No. It's fine."

"Does he at least know I exist?"

"He'll find out when he gets here."

Pete rubbed at his eyes in frustration. "Okay," he sighed.

"Hey, it's not like he has to know beforehand. It's our house, not his." Penny realized what she'd just said. The words had just sort of fallen out of her so naturally. Our. Our house. She'd never said that to Pete before. She thought maybe he hadn't noticed. He was staring down at his paperwork and nodding, looking thoughtful.

Then he echoed, "Our house."

Penny smiled tentatively. "Well…it is, isn't it?"

Pete ran a hand through his hair, a small smile creeping across his face. "Yeah, I guess so. Umm. Yeah. We never really, uhh, talked about it, did we? It just sorta…happened."

Penny nodded. "Yeah." He looked up at her, his smile growing, and she smiled back. "It's been really nice."

"Absolutely."

"And you know…you know you can be here full time, right?"

Pete blinked at her. "Aren't I, though?"

"Well, yeah, like ninety-five percent. But I notice you're still going to the hangar some nights." She saw his smile fade, just a little. She gently probed—"Is there any particular reason why?"

Pete hesitated a moment. "Uhh. I guess I just—Sometimes I get nervous I'm gonna…screw things up again." His eyes darted anxiously. "I've hurt you so many times I—" He broke off with a sigh. "God, I'm so sorry." He reached out and held her hand lightly.

Penny grinned. "Don't get nervous about stupid things like that. If you don't want to screw it up, then you won't. Simple."

Pete nodded, his smile beginning to return.

"Well, Pete, I gotta run a few errands, so—" She started towards the door— "I'll see you this aftern—?"

"Hey. Hold on a sec." He crossed the room and pulled her into a tight hug.

She eagerly hugged him back, not realizing how much she needed it until it was happening.

"Take your own advice," he whispered into her ear. "Don't worry about Riley, okay? No matter what happens, you're gonna be okay."

His words were simple but effective. Just like that, she felt (some of) the weight of her worries fall away.

Penny held onto him just a little bit longer, letting herself warm and relax against him.

The day had come.

It was a mild day, turning slightly cooler in the late afternoon. The sun had begun its large, slow arc downwards, casting long shadows across Penny's yard. The quiet woosh of ocean waves echoed in the distance. Birds chirped to alert everyone to night's imminent arrival.

The beautifully calm atmosphere went completely unnoticed by Penny, who paced around the grass like a mad woman. Pete sat on the old bench, watching her with a frown.

"You okay?" he asked in a whisper.

"Fine." Penny paused by the rose bush to yank out a few stubborn weeds.

"Need anything?"

"No. Thanks."

Pete pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Bradley sent a cute dog video. He said he hopes it'll help you relax. You wanna watch it?"

Penny took a deep breath. She stood up, dusted herself off, and took a seat beside Pete. "Okay. Let's see it." She watched the short video of a golden retriever puppy playing tug-of-war with its owner. It was indeed cute. Bradley had good taste in animal videos. He sent a lot of videos of dogs playing, as well as strange lizards doing strange things.

A car door slammed somewhere close by. Penny turned her head to see Riley walking up the driveway. She sighed quietly as she rose to her feet and crossed the yard. Here we go, I guess. She slapped on a polite smile and waved to him. "Hey!"

He jerked his head around. He smiled back—maybe a polite smile, maybe a genuinely happy smile. It was hard to say.

Penny opened the yard's gate for him. "Hey, how are you?"

He nodded. "Good. Good. How are you?"

"Not too bad."

He was a tall guy—well, taller than her, at least. Not quite six foot, but close enough. He looked about the same as the last time she'd seen him. Placid smile and bright hazel eyes, his beard nicely manicured.

"So how's Marcie doing?" Penny asked.

Riley shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He had been somewhat fidgety a moment ago. "Oh, she's doing all right. Just visiting her mom in Minneapolis."

"You didn't want to go with her?"

"Meh." He shrugged. "Probably best that I didn't. Her mom never really warmed up to me. Plus that city's always way too cold or way too hot."

"Yeah, can't disagree with that." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pete approaching with that big dumb grin on his face.

Riley's smile faded away upon seeing her boyfriend. He stared at him, his gaze cold and prickly.

"Hey, how are you? I'm Pete Mitchell." He held out his hand.

Riley looked at his hand for a few slow, agonizing moments, then reluctantly made eye contact. "Riley," he murmured, and shook his hand.

Penny held her breath. The awkward silence threatened to swallow them up. Riley kept staring blankly. Pete smiled expectantly at him. She couldn't take the quiet.

"He's my boyfriend," she blurted.

Riley snorted derisively. "Yeah, I know." He turned to the house, squinting to see through the glare on the kitchen window. "Where's Amelia? Is she here?"

"She'll be back soon," Penny told him.

Riley frowned pointedly at her. "Why isn't she here? Thought she wanted to see me."

"She does. She's just visiting friends right now." Penny watched him roll his eyes. He grumbled something she couldn't hear. Her face burned with anger. The hell was he so upset about? He hadn't been at her home five minutes and he was already switching to full asshole mode. She needed to get away for a moment. Almost anything she could possibly say at this point would probably result in an argument. And she hoped to avoid that for the entirety of the visit.

Penny took her phone out of her pocket. "I'm just gonna text Amelia real quick and see what she's up to," she said to both Pete and Riley but sort of also to nobody. As she walked away from them—just a few feet, to hang by the back window and put some distance between her and her ex—she made fleeting eye contact with Pete. She could have sworn that through his sunny disposition, she caught a pleading look in his eyes that seemed to say please don't leave me alone with this guy! But she told herself she was probably projecting. She texted Amelia, all the while keeping an eye on the guys. God, they both had such different energies, even at a glance. Pete was sunny and warm and bouncy. Riley was cold, still, an unwelcoming statue. How had she ever found her ex even the least bit attractive? She supposed everyone had different sides to them, and Riley simply hid his messier, darker, meaner side in order to reel her in. Nowadays, he seemed unwilling or unable to hide the more undesirable parts of himself.

Pete seemed ever so slightly on edge as he rocked back and forth on his ankles, hands shoved into his pockets. He pushed through it with ease. "So! Whataya do for a living, Riley?"

He sniffed. "I sell life insurance."

"Oh, all right. How do you like it?"

"Pretty boring. Not exactly what I dreamed of doing when I was a kid."

"What did you dream about?"

He rolled his eyes. "Being a race-car driver." He snorted. "Yeah, as if."

"That's awesome! I'd love to get behind the wheel one day. Just as a hobby, though. I still prefer flying."

"Come again?"

"Well, I'm a fighter pilot."

Riley's face lit up. "Dude, seriously? That's freaking badass! Air force?"

"Navy," he told him proudly.

Penny watched them from a distance, cracking a small smile. She was relieved to see that the awkwardness was gone. Even so, there was something off-putting about seeing Riley so happy. She supposed she didn't trust it, because it never lasted long.

Riley was no longer still and stiff. His limbs seemed lighter and free and his hands were animated as he spoke. "You probably been in a long time, right? What's your rank? What do they have you doing these days?"

Pete chuckled. "Yeah, it's been decades. I'm a captain, and I—Well, up until recently I was a test pilot. Now I'm an instructor at Top Gun."

Riley's eyes practically popped out of his skull. "Bro, Top Gun?! So you went there back in the day?"

"Oh, yeah, of course! It was absolutely incredible! Seems like a lifetime ago at this point. I was in my twenties when I got my orders."

"You fly Tomcats?"

"Sure did!"

Riley threw his head back with ecstatic laughter. "Holy shit, dude! Those planes are freaking amazing!"

"Yeah, they're the best! I love Hornets too, but, man, nothing quite like a Tomcat."

From then on, the conversation became increasingly technical, and Penny checked out. She was relieved to not have to make conversation with Riley. Nowadays their talks were always forced. After complaining about inclement weather in their respective areas, they pretty much ran out of things to talk about. Once in a blue moon he'd ask about Amelia, but if he didn't ask, then Penny offered nothing.

Eventually, as it got darker and colder, they moved indoors. Pete and Riley talked non-stop, combing over every minute detail about the F-14 Tomcat and FA-18 Hornet, the variety of classes offered at Top Gun, the dog fights, all the colorful characters Pete had met over the years—whether they be admirals or pilots or RIOs or WSOs, et cetera, et cetera. Penny barely managed to break into the conversation to get their dinner orders. She called the diner immediately after, and as brief as that transaction was, it was the longest conversation she'd had all evening.

Penny plopped down on the couch, waiting for both the food and Amelia to arrive. At some point Riley left for the bathroom, finally putting a pause on their passionate conversation.

Pete took a breath, seemingly his first in a while.

"Wow," Penny chuckled. "You guys can really talk."

He shrugged. "Hey, if somebody wants to talk aviation, I'm always down for that."

Penny smirked. "Sure you don't wanna dump me and date him instead?"

Pete frowned. "Meh. Not my type."

Riley returned and the aviation conversation started up again, full force. But it ended shortly thereafter. The front door opened and there was Amelia. Riley immediately whipped his head around and jumped to his feet, like a loyal golden-retriever that had been waiting all damn day for his master to return.

"Hey, Amelia!" He waved enthusiastically. "How are you?"

She stared at him in wide-eyed surprise for a moment. She smiled—the small, quivering, nervous kind—and greeted him. From then on, the aviation talk with Pete was abandoned as Riley and his daughter caught up. They had an awful lot of ground to cover. When the food arrived and they moved to the table, Riley and Amelia were talking so much they barely ate.

Penny was pleasantly surprised. Riley spoke with his daughter, enthusiastically asking all sorts of questions, and listening in rapt attention to the answers. He had this glow about him—a warmth in his eyes that Penny had not seen in ages, something that she had forgotten he was capable of. For the first time ever, she was hopeful for the future, hopeful for the beautiful father/daughter relationship that was blooming before her eyes.

But the dark, impossibly heavy weight of the past kept her feet on the ground. She saw her ex's smile, but it didn't mean much to her.

What made someone a bad person? People always said that good people did bad things, but that didn't make them a bad person. Well, what did? How many bad things does a person have to do, and how bad do those things have to be, before they're considered a bad person? Perhaps it was simply a matter of watching the scales, seeing which way they tipped. After a few years with Riley, the bad certainly outweighed the good. And when Penny found herself pregnant, it was over. But she stayed with him anyway. Although the writing was on the wall, she refused to read it. She clung to those good memories, all the smiles and love from a hazy past that grew more difficult to see with each passing day.

Riley didn't want her doing anything that didn't revolve around him. He hated the bar. Hated the boating. And he seemed to hate the baby that had yet to arrive. His verbal abuse wore her down. She was a shell. A fragment. A ghost. Nothing. Some late nights, during her third trimester, she'd go to her office, a place where he couldn't hear, and cry. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know it was possible to feel so alone. She wanted Riley gone, she never wanted to see him again. But without him, who would help care for the baby? All of her relatives lived far away these days, and all of her friends had their own kids to take care of. It was highly likely that even if Riley stayed, he would have her do all the work anyway. But if he was gone, she was absolutely guaranteed no help—or so she thought. She learned later that abusers clouded your judgment. They isolated their victims, brainwashing them into believing that they had no one to turn to.

Thankfully, she eventually extricated herself from that hell. It was one of the hardest things she'd ever done, but she was so happy she'd found the strength. She ran the bar. She took care of her daughter. It wasn't always easy, but she knew how much worse it could have been had she continued clinging to him. She made the right decision.

Penny tried to look at it from Amelia's perspective. She knew some things about her mom and dad's relationship, but not everything. Certainly not the most gorey, horrid stories of their time together. Penny always debated with herself how much to share with her daughter, or when was the right time, if ever. Maybe she'd messed up here and there—telling too much or too little.

But tonight, she looked at Riley, and looked at Amelia, and they were happy. "Penny and Riley" was not "Amelia and Riley." They were two totally different beasts. Well, so it would seem. Maybe this time the good would outweigh the bad. Maybe this time the smiles would last.

She hoped they would. She hoped and hoped and hoped.

Riley and Amelia talked late into the night. Penny and Pete listened, only occasionally interjecting. Eventually Riley had to head back to his hotel room. He didn't hug or kiss his daughter, but he gave her shoulder a squeeze and told her he loved her before departing. Amelia went straight to bed afterwards, sleepy but still smiley.

Penny was tired too, but still buzzing with nervous energy. She couldn't just go to sleep after an exciting night like that. She went around the house, searching for chores. She filled the dog's water bowl. She thought about doing some dishes, but then remembered that Pete had already done them hours ago. After he'd cleaned up, he'd gone out to the backyard. Perhaps she'd join him.

Penny looked out the back window. Pete sat on the bench, staring out at the ocean. Maybe he wanted to be alone. She supposed there was no harm in asking. She crossed the yard, the cool night breeze washing over her.

Pete turned to her with a smile. "Hey."

Penny smiled sleepily back at him. "Hey. All right if I sit with you?"

"Yeah, absolutely."

She took the spot beside him, immediately laying her head on his shoulder. He put an arm around her, his hand gently massaging her shoulder.

"Long day?" he whispered.

"The longest." She yawned and finally let her eyes close. She listened to the distant sound of the waves, the crickets chirping in the shrubbery nearby. Pete felt warm and strong and steady as she leaned into him, his chest rising and falling with his breath in a slow rhythm. This was peaceful. Perfect.

She murmured, "Thank you."

He stopped rubbing her arm for a moment, probably taken aback. "For what?"

"For…just being who you are. Being there for me. Thank you."

A few moments ticked by. He was silent. Then he squeezed her shoulder and whispered, "Is everything okay?"

She chuckled. "Yes, everything's okay. I promise."

Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

The next two weeks ended up being quite busy for Amelia. Riley visited her every day and together they went to the park, the aquarium, the movie theater, and more. Penny always interrogated her daughter after those outings, wanting to be sure everything was going well. But it was pretty obvious from the massive grins on her face that she was having a wonderful time with her dad.

Penny didn't talk to him much beyond a simple "hello/goodbye," and inquiring about his plans. But that was fine—she preferred these perfunctory interactions. Before she knew it, it was time for him to leave.

The early morning sun had begun evaporating the dew, and a hazy glow floated over the grass. Penny paced around the yard, not really doing anything in particular. Occasionally she cast a glance at the driveway, where Amelia and Riley were saying their good-byes. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but both smiled ear to ear. They hugged briefly, then Amelia went inside. Riley looked to the backyard, eyes locking with Penny's. He smiled politely, and she tried to do the same as he approached.

"Morning," he said.

"Good morning," she said.

They didn't say anything more. Seconds ticked by. Penny looked at her feet, at the house, the street. Riley never stopped looking at her.

"She's really special, you know," he murmured.

Penny jerked her head up to make eye contact, her eyebrows raised. "Yes, I do know." Better than you, that's for sure.

Riley cracked a smile. "I'm glad I came."

Penny nodded. "Yes, me too. Amelia said you guys had a really good time."

He shoved his hands into his pockets, his feet shuffling nervously in the wet grass. "I'd love to keep visiting her."

"If that's what Amelia wants, then sure."

He nodded, chewing on his lip as he considered his next words. "I, umm…I mean…I'd like to visit with you, too."

"You did visit with me."

"Yeah, but I'm talking about, just…one on one, just the two of us."

Penny blinked at him. This surprised her.

Riley's eyes darted between her and the ground. "I'm hoping, maybe, we can be friends."

She shook her head. "No, Riley, I don't want to be friends with you," she replied slowly and calmly.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He closed it again, his mouth a tight, hard line cutting across his frustrated face.

She looked him in the eye. "Do you understand why I feel that way?"

He lowered his head, eyes locked on his fidgeting feet. "You know…I am sorry. I'm sorry about the way things went, Penny."

She just stared at him. Did he really think his words mattered at this point? "No," she started, still calm and quiet. "Sorry is what you say when you spill a glass of juice on the new floor, or step on someone's foot. There is—" She had to pause a moment, take a shaky breath. "What you put me through…there is no sorry big enough to make up for that." She shrugged. "There just isn't."

He looked at her, his face unreadable. Finally, he gave a nod.

She went on, "If you want to keep visiting my daughter, then I can facilitate that. But other than that I want nothing to do with you."

He nodded slowly. "Okay." He began to lift his arm, perhaps to pat her on the shoulder, perhaps to shake her hand, but then he changed his mind and lowered it. "Take care, Penny," he said, forcing a smile.

"You too."

Riley left the yard. He got into his car and drove off. Penny watched him go, wondering when—or if—she would see him again.

It was a clear day. Bright, beautiful, endless blue sky. A slight breeze. A perfect day to be out at sea. Like last time, Penny let Amelia take the wheel. Her daughter was proficient in the art of sailing by this point. Penny kept an eye on her and the boat, but slowly she began to realize she didn't have to. She watched as her daughter scanned the waves, keeping an eye on the sails. She looked so grown up in that moment.

Penny hopped to her feet and joined her beside the wheel. "You're doing a great job."

Amelia grinned. "Yeah, I know." She shot a glance at her mother. "Dad doesn't get sea-sick, does he?"

"Not sure." That was the truth. Riley avoided the boat like the plague, but Penny was fairly certain he only did that to smite her.

"I'd love to take him out on the boat. That would be super cool. Has he texted you?"

Penny shook her head. It had been a little over a week since he'd left, and she hadn't heard from him. She worried he was ghosting them, but to be fair, it was too early to tell.

Amelia frowned. "You didn't want Dad to visit, did you?" Her mother started to reply, but Amelia spoke over her: "I know you were super crazy anxious after he called. Pete and Brad noticed too. Like, literally everybody in town noticed!"

Penny chuckled. "Literally everybody, huh?" She ruffled her daughter's hair. "Yeah, you're right, I didn't really want him to visit. I didn't want him showing up and…letting you down."

"But he didn't!"

Not yet, Penny thought bitterly, but she kept that to herself, because she didn't want to crush her hope. Plus, there was at least a small chance she was wrong.

She rubbed her daughter's shoulder. "I just hope I made the right choice, letting him back into our lives."

Amelia stared down at the waves, deep in thought. "Well, I mean…even if things go bad, it's not your fault. You were just giving him a second chance."

"Maybe. I guess a part of me thinks, geez, should I have caved to him? Like—"

Amelia scoffed. "Caved? Mom…you're a good person." She glanced over her shoulder, shooting her a pointed look. "That's why you gave him a second chance. It wasn't weakness, it couldn't be, 'cause you don't let anybody walk all over you. You're a good person and that is never a weakness."

Penny stared at her, once again so impressed.

Amelia watched her out of the corner of her eye. "What, what's wrong?"

Penny chuckled and gently elbowed her daughter's arm. "How did you get so smart? Because it can't be anything I did."

Amelia smirked. "Okay, come on, you don't need to be that self-deprecating." She surveyed the expanse of sea. "So where do you wanna go now?"

Penny gave a salute. "That's up to you, captain."

Her daughter cranked the wheel and off they sailed, off towards the shimmering horizon.