After the disaster that was yesterday's training, Maverick decided to try something different today.

The entire team had woken up to texts telling them to meet him at the beach in comfortable clothes.

Lex, who was banking with his girlfriend, told Ivy the day's plan. She was quick to check her own rotation schedule. Luckily, both she and Nadia had off, so she was texted as well.

It took some convincing, but eventually, Ivy and Lex got Nadia to join them.

You see, even though Nadia had lost her leg when she was a teen, she was still self-conscious about it at times. And while she had gone to the beach before, she was always with her best friend and no one else. This detachment had gotten to know her. She even, maybe, possibly, had some teeny tiny feelings for one of them.

None of them actually knew she was an amputee. They had heard her comment to Lex that first day, but he would never disclose that. Lex was the first person to know just how Nadia felt sometimes, having been there during her transition period.

But Nadia showed up, pulling in just after Lex and Ivy. She stayed by her car for a few moments, as Lex went to meet up with his group.

“It's going to be okay, Dia. No one is going to care about it. All they care about is keep them safe in their planes,” Ivy tried to reassure her. It wasn't working that well.

So, she positioned herself directly into Nadia's line of sight. “Nadia Novak, you listen to me.” She waited until Nadia made eye contact. “You are a badass. You survived on a deserted island for a month with no adults. You powered through any and all problems you faced there and when you got home and are who you are today because of it. Not having part of your leg doesn't change any of that. And I can guarantee that this,” she gestures to Nadia's blade-like prosthetic. “Will only make them respect you more.”

It took a moment, but Nadia nodded. “Thank you, Ivy. I needed that.”

So Ivy linked their arms, and the two women started making their way to the group, who was now completely assembled.

Everyone glanced over to see who the newly arrived were but quickly turned their attention back to Maverick. It wasn't until after he finished explaining the game, a weird combo of football and dogfighting to play offense and defense at the same time, that the group paid Ivy and Nadia any attention.

It was Natasha who noticed first.

“Nadia, what?” But she stopped herself. “Never mind. You don't have to tell us. It's your business.”

Her words had brought the attention of the group, who finally noticed Nadia's leg. Since she was at the beach, Nadia had on a blade type prosthetic, one typically used for running. It provided more stability when on the shifting sand and gave her the ability to run if needed.

She waved off Natasha's words. “It's alright. You were going to find out eventually.” Lex came over and gripped her hand. He was well aware of how difficult it was for her to recount the story.

“When I was 17, we had a trip for school. Lex had come along with his step sister, Daley, and that's how we met. To keep it simple, our plane hit turbulence, and we went down on a deserted island. Spent a month there before we were rescued.”

Coyote let out a whistle when Nadia paused. “Damn, girl.”

She had a small smile at that. “Unfortunately for me, just before we were rescued, I got a pretty bad cut, and it got infected. When the doctors got to us, they couldn't save my leg.”

Nadia gave a shrug at her last sentence. But it was followed by silence as everyone processed her words.

Rooster shook his head. “Now I know why you two are so damn close. That's insane. I'm glad you both made it out.”

Lex gave him a smile of appreciation. Most people tend to give their praise and sympathy to Nadia, rightfully so, but they also forget the fact that Lex had survived it too. And while being younger than the rest.

Nadia wanted the attention off of her. “Okay, now weren't you all brought here for a reason? Get to playing people, chop chop!” She even clapped her hands for emphasis.

Lex and Payback knew what she was doing. “You heard the woman, let's go!”

Soon enough, everyone on the beach was  shirtless, with the exception of Bob.

Two foam footballs, blue and red, were flying through the air. It was hard for Ivy and Nadia to keep track. One ball was going down the beach, and the other was coming closer to their chairs.

At one point, Maverick had the ball and threw it to Rooster just as Hangman threw the other to Phoenix. Both teams scored.

Then Rooster tosses it to Coyote, who scores and chest bumps the man.

Nadia was laughing as Lex ran in a score and celebrated by shimmying in their direction. Ivy only blew him a kiss, which he pretended to catch.

Fanboy even caught a ball or two, but on the last catch, he pointed over at Nadia, who could only let out a wolf whistle in appreciation.

The two women laughed when Hangman made a score and tossed the ball behind him, making the others fall in sync. But they did join in when Maverick decided to leave the game. They booed him along with the others but settled back down when the next round started.

They even got Hondo involved when he accidently caught the ball. Nadia and Ivy looked at each other before sprinting to join in on the dog pile.

The day was coming to a close when they all decided to get some food. It was at dinner when the question was finally asked.

“Wait,” Bob looked between Nadia and Lex. “I thought you were his sister?”

The two laughed. “I'm adopted. The Marins took me in after the island.”

Natasha looked over, taking a swig of her drink. “What about your parents? I would have thought they would be ecstatic to have you home finally.”

Lex rolled his eyes, always done with Nadia’s biological parents.

“They were, at first,” Nadia began. “But when they were told my leg needed to be amputated and I would need extra care and be handicapped for the rest of my life, they decided it was too much.”

Everyone got a bit quiet at her explanation. It was certainly not what they were expecting.

Nadia shrugged over the whole topic. “They at least had the decency to pay the hospital bill before they took off. My grandmother was the one to break the news to me. But she was in no state to take me in. Lex and Daley had to beg their parents, but they eventually agreed. I was already 17. They only really had to look out for me for another year.”

Rooster and Hangman both shook their heads in disgust. It was one of the first times they had ever agreed on something.

Mickey looked over at Nadia. “Well it was their loss. Clearly, they didn't deserve you if they left over something you had no control over.”

Nadia smiled in thanks to the man, who only gave her hand a squeeze under the table. Lex, Ivy, and Reuben exchanged looks, all smirking just slightly.

“Okay,” Ivy broke in. “No more sad stories. Give me some stupid stories from all your tours, I need new material.”

And the rest of the night went on just like that. Stories were flying around, ones people believed and ones they didn't.

Laughter was heard for miles, Nadia and Lex leaning on each other as they grasped their stomachs from laughing too hard. Ivy nearly fell off her seat before her brother caught her, resulting in even more laughter.

Lex and Ivy were very obvious about what they were going to do when they left the bar, with Nadia and Reuben gagging in response.

Nadia hadn't had a night like this in so long. It felt good to have so many people around again.

And as she ended the night, Mickey walked her to her car, wanting to spend just a little extra time with her.

It was getting harder and harder to deny those teeny, tiny, itty, bitty feelings that Nadia may or may not have.

And it was getting more and more obvious to those around her.

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Word count: 1,439

Fun day at the beach? Check!

Sad and tragic backstory for Nadia? Check!

Asshole parents but Found Family? Double check!

So yea, that's the main reason Nadia and Lex are so close. And why he is so protective of her.

But we get back into mission mode next chapter, so see you soon. Bye guys!!