Last night had given everyone a moment to forget about the mission. But this morning, it was all anyone could think about.

Natasha was up at the cracks of dawn, though she didn't leave the bed. She just enjoyed a precious few minutes in the arms of Emmett, soaking in and memorizing everything she could.

It was only about half an hour after she woke up that he did as well. And the two, despite knowing what was happening in only a few hours, decided to keep a happy atmosphere in the house. No somber moods, no worried faces. (At least for a little while.)

A nice, big breakfast later, they went to wake up Gena. She wasn't the happiest, getting woken up so early, but even she knew something was going on.

They had told her the absolute bare minimum, only saying that Nat had another mission to go on for a little while. And while Gena was sad, she understood. As she was getting older, she was getting a better grasp of what Natasha did and why she was always so in and out.

“Are you gonna be back for Daddy's playground?”

Gena hadn't quite figured out what the obstacles really were, so she resorted to calling them playgrounds, and she wasn't wrong. Besides, everyone loved it, so no one corrected her. (It would be corrected as she got older, but this concept worked for now.)

The adults stopped in their tracks, Liam having just come downstairs after waking up. Natasha, sitting next to her coloring, could only guess. “I hope so, but I'm not sure. If I'm not, make sure to give everyone a big hug from me, though, okay?”

Gena nodded. “Okay.” And went back to coloring in her rainbow cat.

Emmett, hearing his daughter's question and Natasha's subsequent response, was finally letting that worry sink in. Yes, realistically, they could be out for longer than his program was running.

But she could also not return at all.

Like she could sense his panic starting, Natasha looked up, staring into his eyes. “It's okay,” she mouthed to him, not wanting to alert the six year old next to her. But Emmett could only purse his lips before moving towards the two. He placed kisses on top of both of their heads before heading to the kitchen to wash the breakfast dishes.

“Uncle Li, this one's for you,” Gena pointed at the coloring page with a lizard on it. Never one to deny his niece, Liam sat down and began to color in the picture, occasionally asking Gena was color he should use.

And quicker than they would have liked, it was time for Natasha to head to base. Dressed in her uniform, Natasha had her bag and keys in hand before turning to her little family.

Liam pulled her into a tight hug, promising to look after the others, as always. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, forever grateful she had gained a brother the day she met Emmett.

Gena was transferred into her arms, squeezing her tight. She always hugged Nat extra tight before she left, a sort of protection she could give her. Natasha, with her eyes tightly shut, pressed kisses all over the girl's face until she was a giggling mess.

“I'll see you soon, my sweet girl.”

Liam took his niece so his brother could have a moment alone. But before they went inside, Gena turned around. “Bye Tashi, be safe!”

And then it was Emmett's turn. The couple locked eyes before wrapping their arms tightly around the other. Emmett was checking his emotions, refusing to let Natasha see just how worried he was. He didn't want to add to her own stress.

They broke apart, but only so Emmett could pull her into a heart-wrenching kiss, both pouring everything into it.

They stayed there for what felt like eternity and no time at all, but soon had to part for air.

“I promise to do everything I can to come home to you. Never doubt that.”

Emmett could only nod, pressing a hard kiss to her forehead.

“I love you. Be safe. Kick ass. And come home.”

☽☆☾   ☽☆☾   ☽☆☾

In the briefing room of the carrier, Maverick and Cyclone stand at the front, ready to assign placements for the mission.

"It's been an honor flying with you," Maverick starts, "each one of you represents the best of the best. This is a very specific mission. My choices are a reflection of that and nothing more."

He surveys the pilots he's been training for the past two-ish weeks. In his mind, none of them were ready, hell he was barely ready. But this had to be done. And some had more promise than others.

Cyclone stands next to him. "Choose your two foxtrot teams."

"Payback and Fanboy," Maverick lists the first pair. "Phoenix and Bob," he finished off.

Both pairs give nods, accepting their official positions and beginning to mentally prepare themselves.

"And your wingman," Cyclone continues.

After a moment of hesitation, Maverick calls out one name. "Rooster."

Cyclone looks slightly concerned while Rooster looks up in surprise.

"The rest of you will stand by on the carrier for any reserved role that's required," Warlock informs the rest. Hangman looks slightly downcast, hoping he had been chosen for the mission. "Dismissed"

As the other pilots begin to congratulate the mission team, they have their own thoughts and fears.

Natasha, despite talking with Emmett, was absolutely terrified. She had realized a long time ago that she wanted a future with him and Genevieve. So she made herself a promise.

She would be coming home from this mission. And she would make the most our of every moment forward.

☽☆☾   ☽☆☾   ☽☆☾

After dropping Gena off at daycare, Emmett and Liam drove straight to the Hard Deck to start setting up for the program.

The bulk of it was coming over in a few trucks later in the morning, with his crew coming to set everything up. But he had to plan out where specific obstacles were going and Liam was pretty good at assisting. (Mostly he was there to keep him busy and keep Emmett's mind off of Natasha and her mission.)

Penny was washing down her bar when they walked in. “Hello boys.”

They waved at the woman. “Hey Penny. Just trying to prep some stuff before the trucks show up.”

She put two glasses of water on the bar for them and got a third for herself. “Well, if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know. My cook is coming in after lunch to start getting the food prepped, so it's just cooking it tomorrow morning.”

“Perfect. Thanks again.”

The two brothers planned it all out, starting to mark the areas with different colored flags. About two hours after they had arrived at the Hard Deck, the trucks pulled up.

Then, the real work began. The fun was afterward, when the program was actually in full swing.

But setting up the course was a pain. It always had been, and it always would be.

It had taken them most of the day, finishing late afternoon, but it was all ready to go. Penny had stopped out a few times, making sure the crew was staying hydrated and had plenty of food.

Because of the setup, she had closed the bar for the night to make sure none of her drunk patrons went over to them.

But Emmett was ready for this program. He was ready for the distraction, but more importantly, he was ready for all the kids to just have fun.

After all, that was the reason he did these types of programs. It was all for the kids.

✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈

Word count: 1,297

So idk what I was on while writing the beginning part of this chapter but it had me tearing up, ngl.

But the mission is next, along with Day 1 of Emmett's community engagement program! Stay tuned, bye guys!!!