By some miracle only known to whoever is up there, Maverick and Rooster managed to not only survive but make it back. 

They had stolen an old F14 Tomcat, gotten it to fly (which was a feat in and of itself), taken out two Gen 5 fighters (with an asset from Hangman on the third) and landed on the carrier. (Although they had needed the net, as getting that old relic to fly had taken their landing gear.) 

It wasn't just Dagger Squad celebrating on deck. Half the carrier was up there, happy the mission was successful, and everyone came home. 

Jo was hugging the life out of Phoenix before moving to yell at Rooster and eventually hugging him as well. She even hugged Hangman, which surprised everyone. 

“Looks like you finally learned how to work with others, Seresin. I'm proud of you.” 

Jake only smirked at her before he was swept away by some of the crew. 

Things had started to calm down as they made their final approach back to base, when a lieutenant stationed on the carrier came running over. 

“Agent Kaufmann! Agent Kaufmann!” 

She turned, looking for the person calling her name. “Yes, Lieutenant?” 

He held out a SAT phone for her. “Call just came in for you, ma'am.” 

She takes the phone, thanking him in the process. “Kaufmann,” she answers. The others can see the shift in her eyes. Something isn't right. 

“Sam, slow down. What's your ETA?” She waits for his answer. “We should be making port in about 30. Meet me at bay 4. I'm sure I can stock up in the carrier's armory.” 

Those words solidify to everyone that there is a situation. “I'll be in range for the comms in 15, I'll check in as soon as I get signal. See you then.” 

The lieutenant who brought her the phone was still there. “I need you to take me to your armory. Now.” Her tone leaves no room for argument, as the man leads her to where she needs to go. 

She loads up while down there, checking everything to make sure it passes her inspection. As she's doing so, they finally reach comm range. “Fatima, Roundtree, you there?” 

It crackles for a second before, “we read you loud and clear Jo.” 

“Good. We dock in about 10 minutes. Sam knows my ETA, give the others an update. I'll be meeting them there.” 

As she goes back to the deck, she gets the official okay to take the weapons off the carrier. (She was probably going to take them anyway, but this way, she's less likely to be in trouble later on). 

Javy looks over as she makes her way to the group. This time, she's clearly suited up, for lack of a better term. A case that definitely has some sort of semi-automatic is in her hand. 

“I guess you've got to run, huh?” He asks once she's in earshot. 

She nods her head while giving a small shrug. “Duty calls. But I plan to come back here once it's over. After all, we have a very successful mission to celebrate.” 

He gives her a smile then. Happy she's not just going to run off to work and never return. 

She manages to surprise him once more by grabbing the front of his flight suit and planting one big kiss on him. Javy and Jo tune out the cheers from their friends, happy to finally be together. 

And once the carrier docks, the team watches as Jo practically bolts to a black car sitting just along the edge. A man who could probably bench press them as a whole was leaning against it, clearly waiting for her. 

Jo is quick to get the equipment into the car before they peel out like a bat out of hell, leaving nothing but smoke and skid marks in their wake. 

☽☆☾   ☽☆☾   ☽☆☾

For being thrown into a firefight right after completing probably the most daring mission of her life, Johanna was feeling pretty good.

After a brief reunion with her team, she took some of her vacation days to head back to Fightertown. 

After all, she had a promise to keep. 

Finding her group was too hard. Even if Penny had taken her own vacation, the Hard Deck was the main hangout spot. Jo didn't even bother checking anywhere else. 

And as she walked into the bar, Javy was the first to spot her. He put his drink down and walked towards her with a clear purpose in mind. 

Before Jo could even react, Javy had his arms around her waist and her feet slightly off the ground, as he spun them in a circle. Jo only laughed, waiting to be put down. As soon as her feet hit the floor, she was leaning up for a kiss. 

Cheers from all around the bar sounded, as the couple separated. They stayed close to one another, with Javy's arm around Jo's waist as they made their way to their friends. 

Jake looked at the two. “So I'm assuming your other mission was a success?” 

Jo gave him a deadpan expression. “Well, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't, dumbass.” 

Jake only smiled. “Glad to have you back, Nyx.” It was the first time any of them had used her old callsign. 

And truly, none of them would know how much it meant to Jo that they were now comfortable using it. To her, this was the ultimate sign of trust. They trusted her and believed in her enough to include her back into the world of naval aviators with a simple title. 

Javy could see the emotions in her eyes, giving her a squeeze. 

“It's good to be back.” 

✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈

Word count: 955

THAT'S IT!! THAT IS LOVE AFFAIR!! don't worry, we've got an epilogue and some bonus chapters, so it's not over, over. But Top Gun: Maverick is officially finished!! 

Also, full disclaimer: I know nothing about how these ships work. But I'm fairly certain Jo wouldn't have been able to walk off the ship with weapons from their armory so we are extending our disbelief here, just a little bit. 

Had to add in some NCIS:LA action before we finished though. 

So here's to hoping you all enjoyed this ride. I'll see you in the epilogue. Bye guys!!