Nova shut the door in his face.

Well, she tried to. He stuck his hand out to catch the door before it was completely shut.

"We need to talk Nova. You can't avoid this any longer," Jake tells her as he keeps the door open. She keeps trying to push it shut, but Jake is a lot stronger than she is.

"Yes I can. I'm very good at it," Nova insists just before she gives up. She had just gotten out of a relaxing bath. She was not up for this tonight.

But there was no way Jake would take no for an answer. He was just as stubborn as she was. Pete Mitchell was known for his stubbornness and it clearly passed on to his daughter.

"Just come in," Nova sighs, gesturing inside the door. Jake makes his way past Nova, observing the entryway to her house. It wasn't anything flashy, but it had the right amount of home touches to make it cozy and comforting. It screamed Nova.

Nova herself was trying not to scream. Here Jake was standing in her front room, two years after they had broken up. She had done everything she possibly could to avoid the man, regardless of the feelings she felt creeping back up. And the conversation with Ice just that afternoon was at the front of her mind.

She would have this talk with Jake. If not for her own closure, than for Ice and everything he had done for her.

She gestures for Jake to have a seat on the couch as she takes the chair. She knew better than to sit on the same seat as him, she would fold way too fast if she did. Nova was naturally cold and Jake was a human furnace. As soon as she felt a hint of his body heat, she would be sliding over to soak it all up like she used to.

"You wanted this talk, you start it," she got straight to the point. The faster this talk was had, the sooner he could leave.

Jake signed, running a hand through his hair, unsure of where exactly to start. Eventually, he figured he would just rip off the band-aid.

"Bradshaw came by my place last night."

Nova drops her head. "I told him not to do anything."

Jake shakes his head. "Yeah he didn't listen, shocking." But that got to Nova, who would always defend her big brother.

"You don't get to say that. Not after what happened in training today." Jake knew this was coming, but it didn't help at all. "How dare you bring up his father. You don't even know half of what actually happened. It was not my father's fault, despite what he thinks. And neither Bradley nor his mom have ever blamed him for what happened. So no, the past that you unburied and displayed for everyone this afternoon has nothing to do with what is going on between those two."

Nova was on a roll and didn't let Jake get a word in. "I don't know what is going on between you and Bradley, I never have. But whatever it is stops at your history with each other. If you ever bring up anything other than history you were involved in, you will regret it."

Jake listened to what she had to say, of course he did. But he wasn't going to just roll over and not add his side to the story.

"Bradshaw is too careful for this mission. Hell, he is too careful for a lot of missions. I know he can be better, but he gets stuck in his head and ruins whatever advantage he has. So yea, I've got an issue with him when every decision he makes directly affects anyone in the air with him. And I'm well aware of how hypocritical I'm being but that's been the truth since I first met the man."

Nova was stunned to say the least. This was the most information she had ever gotten about their rivalry. But Jake wasn't done.

"I'm sorry I brought up his history with your dad. I am. But after he came to my place and told me to stay away from you, I was pissed off. He doesn't get to tell me what to do, especially when it comes to you."

Jake was breathing slightly more heavy than normal, finally letting things off of his own chest.

"He said what?" Nova asked for clarification. She wouldn't put it past Bradley. He had always been protective and after the discovery he made about her past relationship, it doesn't really surprise her.

"He told me to stay away from you," Jake reiterated before continuing. "Of course, I figured he was just being territorial with you until he let slip you were his little sister." He shoots her a very pointed look, knowing for a fact she had never mentioned him while they were together. She had mentioned a friend who was so close, he was family, but Jake had always assumed that was JJ Kazansky after watching them interact on multiple occasions.

"I have always kept my relations within the Navy a secret, you know that. Too many people would try to take advantage of my connection," she defended herself. "Besides, it's not like I was really hiding him. I've got pictures all over the place with him in them."

That much was true. Even if Bradley stopped talking to Maverick after he pulled his papers, there was no way he could cut off Nova. Not his sister. Pictures of his high school graduation with Nova on his back stood next to a recreation at his college graduation. And right below are pictures from Nova's graduations with Bradley on her back. (Right before they fall over.)

Nova and JJ standing proudly next to Bradley at his Naval Academy graduation follow, along with different places around the world.

If Jake looked closely, he could see just how intertwined Bradley was with Nova's life. He had been there for far longer than Jake could have fathomed.

"I can see that now. Very clearly," he was just a tad sarcastic, but how else was he supposed to respond? Nova gave him a look, but he simply shrugged. He wasn't wrong. But there were other matters they still had to discuss, no matter how uncomfortable it might be.

"Nova," he began once again, his tone much softer. And she could sense what he was going to say, stopping herself from stopping him. She knew it had to be talked about, no matter how much she tried to avoid it.

"When we left things two years ago, I didn't want that to be the end. I told you I would always be there for you, no matter what. But you never called. I got more updates from Javy about what was going on than anything from you," he laid out his truth to her. He had known they needed a break to regroup themselves before they could fix their relationship, but he had always thought they would come back together when the time was right.

Nova looked like she was struggling for an answer, so he continued. "And then I came back to North Island one time." And Nova almost stopped breathing. He had been there since their breakup? How had she not seen him?

"You were at the Hard Deck and as I looked in, all I saw was you hanging off of Bradshaw, singing your heart out with a bigger smile than I had seen in months. I hadn't seen you smile like that for almost 4 months before we broke up." Jake keeps eye contact with Nova, seeing the tears well up in her eyes. She truly hadn't known he was there that night.

"And since I didn't know what I know now with him being your brother, I had thought you moved on. And I was angry. Because I still care a lot for you Nova. I always have."

Nova was, for the second time that day, trying to reign in the tears. And once again, she was failing.

"I'm sorry I didn't reach out. Yes, I was getting better. But I was so afraid that if I contacted you, I would slide back. My mental state was so fragile, you saw that. And I was only just beginning to put it back together. I hadn't even given myself time to process our break up, not really." Nova takes a deep breath before venturing on to the next part of her story. Not many people knew about this stage of her life.

"It wasn't until Penny asked how I was doing one day that it hit me. And it hit hard. I did slide back at the beginning when I thought about you. Because the heartbreak I was feeling hurt more than anything else. And I couldn't risk that by talking to you."

Jake hesitates before holding out his hand. It didn't matter how long they were apart, seeing Nova in tears always managed to break him a little inside. And he knew she wouldn't accept a hug just yet, so he would settle for holding her hand. If she would let him, of course.

(She did.)

“I never stopped loving you, despite what you think.” Nova looked Jake right in the eyes as she said this. He had always said he could tell her true emotions by looking into her eyes. They were truly the windows to her soul. And all Jake saw was unbridled love, with just a hint of despair. Because despite those feelings never going away, they were a far cry from acting on them just yet.

He simply squeezed her hand before releasing it. "I never doubted that, Nova. Because I never stopped either. A love like ours doesn't just end the way we did two years ago. And if, after this mission, you never want to see me again, I'll do that. Because this time, we are both in a better space to make that decision."

She took a deep breath and paused for a few moments to collect her thoughts. "It hurts too much right now. Today was not a good day, and having to relive all of these emotions is not helping. I know you aren't expecting an answer right now. All I can give you is that I need time to think. And at this moment in time I can barely do that."

Jake nods his head, standing so he can leave. He knew tonight would be hard. But it had to be done so they could both move on with their lives. If that happened to have each other in them, so be it. But if she wanted to let him go and completely move on, he would let her. He loved her too much to take away her choice like that.

"For what it's worth, it has been good to see you again. And I'll try to tone it down at training." Nova gives him a brief nod before looking away. It still was a bit much, after everything that was said tonight.

"I'll see you tomorrow Nova." And then he's walking out of her house, like that night two years ago.

And just like that night, Nova bursts into tears only moments after.

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Word Count: 1,897

So there you have it folks. Nova and Jake FINALLY talked it out. And it is clear that neither of them is over the other.

How with this affect things moving forward? You'll just have to wait and see. But I can tell you this.

Dogfight football is next!! And something interesting may just happen after the game.

So I leave you with that little cliffhanger of a teaser. Until next time, bye guys!!!