𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐍

↳ 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝
'we were liars in love and we danced,
swept away for a moment by chance'

━━ 𓄼 𓄹 ━━

. . . SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

THE DINING TABLE WAS COVERED with food. Hands passed the bowl of mashed potatoes around, and Theo ran back and forth intermittently with burgers fresh of the grill. There were carrots, strawberries, cold pasta salad. Everyone was gathered and Cam finally felt like she was home. Theo and Alayna had been just as much part of her childhood as the rest of her family. That was the way it had always been for Bradley and Cam. What's mine is yours.

"Cam was saying that you're thinking of selling the hangar, Mr. Mejia?" Bradley said.

"Unfortunately," he sighed. "Benny, my brother, he pulled out his shares of the old place. We're both getting old, and we hardly fly enough to justify it. But we'll see. These things have a way of working themselves out. Now, tell me about the Navy. I'm sure Rooster and Berlin have stories to tell, yeah?" He said eagerly.

"Marco, give them a break. I'm sure there are other things we can talk about," her mother said, taking a calm sip of water. Cam had a sinking suspicion that it was more than boredom that made her shut the conversation down.

"Of course, my love," Marco said nonetheless.

"I have a question," Amari announced.

"We're all ears," Theo said, grinning at her.

"What's a Berlin?" Amari finally asked.

"It's the capital of Germany," Joanna informed her.

Cam swallowed her water hard, trying not to laugh. "Yes, it is. It's also my callsign, the name they use when I'm up in the plane."

Amari pointed her fork at Bradley, like a queen commanding her charge. "Do you have a callsign?"

"I do."

"What is it?"

He braced himself. "Rooster."

Amari burst out laughing, almost knocking her fork off the table. "Rooster! Roosters can barely fly!"

He feigned ignorance. "They can't? Well, I guess I'll have to change it to something different."

"You should, Rooster is stupid."

"Amari," Sofia said, raising a dark brow. "Don't be rude."

"I'm just saying," she said.

"You want to know something really funny, Amari?" Theo said from the end of the table. He leaned forward conspiratorially. "My brother's callsign was Goose."

That did it. Amari was in a fit of laughter so strong, she slid to the side and flopped right out of her chair and onto the floor.

When the plates were beginning to be cleared, the only ones who remained at the table were Cam and Bradley. Amari was still seated across from them, picking at her remaining vegetables and staring outside.

"Papá can we get a trampoline?" She yelled into the kitchen

"No, Amari," Max's voice came. The sink splashed on as he rinsed his dish.

"That's okay, I'll ask again in a few days. You'll probably forget you said no."

Bradley stifled a laugh. Under his breath he said, "She's just like you, Cam. Absolute menace."

Cam grinned through a mouthful of food. "I've taught her well."

"Why aren't you married?" Amari asked suddenly. Her brown eyes were piercing as she stared at Bradley. "Don't you think she's pretty?"

Cam almost laughed again, but the edge behind Bradley's eyes told her to keep her mouth shut. The words looked like they had struck him hard for some reason.

"I think she's really pretty." He wasn't just indulging Amari. Her breath hitched when he turned and stared at her. "Truth is, if I asked her to marry me she would never say yes."

Cam smacked him in the shoulder but her face still flared with heat.

Outside, they all sat around the fire pit in the Bradshaw's backyard. The smell of the woodsmoke reminded her of all the summers they used to do this very thing. She still had a scar on her ankle from the night her brothers decided to see who could jump the furthest over the burning coals.

There was also a time she recalled when Pete Mitchell had been around. Back when they were younger, when Bradley still looked at Maverick like he was god on a red motorcycle. He had spent the day with Theo and Alayna and Bradley had begged and begged for him to stay the night. Cam still remembered the sound of the motorcycle engine echoing in the moonlight when he finally left. She had stood at the front window watching him fade into an insignificant dot on the road while Bradley dozed on the living room couch.

She had to wonder what Maverick was doing with this furlough, assuming he even received one.

The night eased into her, cool damp air pressing in with the smell of woodsmoke. She smiled easily and she knew she hadn't been this content in years. Happy, even.

Amari and Jo were making s'mores. This consisted of Amari roasting and setting marshmallows on fire until a pile accumulated on the ground behind her and Max had to take over, showing her how to do it properly.

"Slow and steady, mija."

She pouted. "But I want it now."

Jo was still wearing her soccer uniform and watching her younger sister with a rare grin.

"How nice it is to have everyone all together," Cam's father began, bright eyes shining in the firelight.

"It is," Cam agreed, glancing at Bradley. He sat across from her, right between his aunt and uncle. She hadn't been sure about it at first, but she had to admit that he pulled off the mustache well. Especially when he was smiling at her like he was right now.

"Almost everyone," her mother butted in. For the first time all day, she met her daughter's eyes. Disappointment still burned.

"Ah, Gabriel will come back in his own time," her father said. Cam flinched. "For now, it's better that we accept the blessing that we have here instead of the ones that we're missing."

"Ella sabe," her mother muttered, a voice just loud enough for Cam to hear. The sharpness cut like a knife. She knows what she's done to this family.

"No hagas esto," Cam said back. Her voice came out louder than intended and everyone stared at her. She hardened her voice and said what needed to be said. "Don't turn me into the villain, Mamá. Not unless you would like to call two children stranger."

"Cameron," her father chastised.

Cam let out a noise of disbelief. She was almost thirty years old, and still she was treated like the youngest child who didn't know what was best for herself. They couldn't even begin to understand the weight that she was forced to carry each time she was in the cockpit of an F-18. A terrible daughter, a terrible sister, a terrible friend. It would never end.

Cam stood. "I'm going to head inside," she said in a pitiful explanation.

"Mija," her father began, reaching a hand out to her.

"No, it's okay," she assured them, especially when she saw the disappointment in Amari's eyes. "I'm feeling a little tired."

No soy yo mismo.

The screen door to the back porch slammed behind her as she reentered the house. A puff of frustration passed through her lips, but that was all she allowed. She could hear Max outside inciting another bout of laughter. This wasn't fair to him, either. The oldest son, forced to make amends for the differences his brother and sister couldn't reconcile.

Luckily for Cam, there were still dishes left in the sink so she didn't have to stare off into silence or run back to her own home.

Water splashed over the cups and halfway up her arms. She worked furtively on the dishes, ignoring the echoes of conversation and the sharp scent of a bonfire outside.

"You really don't need to do that."

Cam glanced over her shoulder and shut off the faucet in the same motion. She hadn't even heard the door open, but now Bradley stood in the kitchen with her. "I know, that's why I'm doing it."

The first notes of a song danced through the open window. Someone must have gotten the speaker out. Clearly, the same someone had let her dad pick the music.

"There was no use talking, there was nothing to say." The sound drifted in. "When the band began to play and play."

Bradley leaned on the counter and smiled. "You used to love this song."

Tossing the red-checkered towel over her shoulder, she leaned with her back to the sink. "I still do."

"You're not very convincing."

She folded her arms and shook her head. Bitterness had always been the easiest thing. She spared a long glance out into the darkness, knowing that from this angle she could neither see them nor be seen. Effectively invisible. "I know she doesn't mean what she says. She misses Gabe, and I know she doesn't mean to blame me. But it still–" she gave up searching for a word.

"It hurts," he nodded with understanding. "That's why I came in here to check on you."

She didn't fight the smile. "I appreciate that. But you can go back outside, enjoy the music."

"I can hear it fine from here." He stepped around the counter and held out a hand. "C'mon. For old times sake."

She heaved a long sigh in an effort to pretend like she didn't care. But she did care, she cared a great deal that he was here with her right now. Cam put the towel on the counter and put her hand in his. Suddenly he yanked her hard on her arm and pulled her into his chest, dragging her immediately into a very messy, chaotic waltz.

Cam laughed harder than she had in weeks, throwing her head back. "You are a terrible dancer. I'm glad that hasn't changed."

He spun her away from the countertop and she almost slipped on the puddle of dish water that was on the floor. He caught her by the elbow, also laughing. "I am an excellent dancer."

The song ended and she came down from the clouds. Cam stepped away, moving to continue washing the dishes. "You should go back outside," she told him over her shoulder. A last chance for him to leave.

His hand closed gently around her wrist and turned her to face him. Her eyes met his, and she knew he was thinking the same thing. In the bathroom earlier, she had almost kissed him. And since then, it was all she had thought about. All the way through dinner. All the way through sitting around the fire. He was lucky that both of their families were around because otherwise she would have kissed him until he forgot his own name.

Why should she do something for herself? She had never deserved it less.

And yet, she wasn't moving away now.

"I wish I would have called you," he told her quietly. He lowered his gaze. "Done anything, really. You deserve so much more than I've given you, Cameron."

Cam shook her head. In this kitchen, she could turn the dial and still see the two of them as things fell apart. "I said worse things to your face and behind your back. I avoided you whenever I knew you were here. It was my fault too."

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. Unexpected was the comfort, the ease. When she pulled away, she didn't want to. But she needed to see his face.

In his eyes was more inherent longing than she had ever seen. Pleading, begging, he moved his hand to brush her curly hair away from her face, nose brushing against hers.

When their lips met again, it was without hesitation. She tilted her head to the side, deepening the kiss. His free hand lifted her shirt, pressing his hand to the skin of her back. Her resolve to stop was thin as paper. She let him push her up against the countertop, relishing the feeling of his muscular body pressed tight to hers. He smelled like smoke. Like summer. Like everything she had missed.

Cam heard the footsteps first. Quickly, she pushed herself off of the counter and quickly moved back to wash the dishes, throwing the faucet on to erase suspicion. Bradley grabbed a glass in an attempt to look busy.

Max walked in and looked between them once. As he grabbed another beer from the fridge, he said, "You two really aren't fooling anyone."

Cam almost choked on her spit. "Excuse me?"

Max leaned in close. "Admite que estás enamorada de él."

"Shut it," Cam hissed.  Bradley stifled a laugh and she whipped around. "Don't tell me you're suddenly fluent."

"I'm not, I'm not!" he said, hands up. But the glint in his eyes told her he had understood every word.

Max soon walked back out to the fire. Cam was reeling. That might have been a mistake and she was too afraid now to see where it would lead. It was too much with the weight of her guilt. "Listen, Rooster. We still have this mission to get through. We don't have to talk about this again."

"Cameron," he said softly. "What makes you think that I want that?"

"It doesn't matter what you want," she snapped, afraid. It doesn't matter what I want, it never has. "After Topgun, we'll be reassigned and that'll be the end of it. No questions asked."

He was taken aback. "Don't tell me you mean that."

"I said it, didn't I?"

She kept her back turned until the door had shut behind him. Only then did she allow the tears to fall.

𓄼 𓄹

THERE were barely any goodbyes for Cameron Mejia when they left the next morning.

Her father held onto her so tightly she thought her stomach might explode, and Max had reassured her that he would be on base in a blink of an eye if she so needed it. So maybe there were goodbyes for Cam. Even Alayna and Theo told her they hoped to see her again soon.

But her mother had said nothing.

Sarah Mejia had stood silently in the doorway, watching while Jo and Amari clung to their aunt's legs begging her to stay longer. Her mother watched it all with those all-seeing eyes, right until the moment Cam turned to get into her truck. The door slammed and she leaned out the open window to wave.

Her mother was already out of sight.

All the way back to base, Cam was fuming. She had tried for so long to learn not to blame herself. All the therapy, the late nights, the never-ending guilt, and still she could buy herself no peace with her mother. Until the day Gabe himself strode up to the house, Cam suspected she could consider herself as good as a stranger. Her mother had made her choice, Cam would learn to live with it.

Bradley also said nothing the whole way back. She had rebuffed him without cause or explanation, and quite frankly without reason. The truth was she would kiss him again right now if he would let her. The truth was she did not deserve to be held by him again.

𓄼 𓄹

MIRAMAR NAVAL AIR STATION
San Diego, California

IF Maverick had assumed the furlough would save him the work of making them work together as a team, he was sorely and utterly mistaken. Monday morning arrived and they all sat in the same divided seats as before. Rooster still refused to even breathe in Hangman's direction.

"Good weekend?" she asked Fritz as he took his seat next to her.

"Went to the beach, went to the bar, read some of my book," he shrugged. "Not much to report. How's home?"

"Gabe wasn't there," she said. He could fill in the gaps; he knew the whole story.

"Ah, that's too bad," he told her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Cameron."

"It's the way it is," she shrugged, bristling at his pity even when she knew she shouldn't. God, she needed to get her shit together.

So far, Maverick hadn't made his appearance in the tactical auditorium. They all sat waiting until Cam felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Pete Mitchell added you to a group message. She scrolled through the names. Fritz, Natasha, Bradley; all of them were in it.

There was one text: Meet at the beach behind hard deck. Thirty minutes, don't be late.

"What a dramatic son of a bitch," Fritz grinned.

A two word text from Natasha lit up her phone next: bring dog?

Cam smiled. D-e-a-l.

In the space of twenty minutes, Cam had stopped by the house, grabbed a very excited Basil, and drove to the beach. Most everyone had arrived by the time she got there.

"Who is this?" Hangman exclaimed as Basil bounded across the sand. The dog ran right up to him and barked once as Jake scruffed at his golden ears.

"This is Basil," Cam said, and she couldn't help her smile.

"Oh, you're a good boy," Fritz cooed, and Basil flopped onto the ground at his feet.

Maverick walked up to the group of them, holding a football under each arm. He looked down at the dog that had suddenly stolen everyone's attention. No one had even noticed him standing there, they were all too busy fawning over Basil. "Seriously, Cam?" His eyes were all laughter. "I can't compete with a dog."

Cam whistled once and Basil reluctantly sidled up to her and planted his butt on the sand, enjoying the sunshine.

"Glad you all got my message," Maverick nodded.

"Why are we here?" Bradley asked.

"Your objective for today is team bonding," Maverick said, annunciating each word. "Though this may be a foreign concept for some of you, I have high hopes that you'll all benefit."

"And the footballs?" Natasha asked, pushing her sunglasses up onto her head.

He gestured over his shoulder at where Hondo stood closer to the shoreline. The Warrant Officer waved. Cam could see a whistle hanging around his neck.

"Dog fight football."

They split into two teams with Maverick and Rooster as captains. It was automatic and unspoken, and Cam supposed that they had all mutually agreed that the two people with the biggest grudge should be pitted against each other.

It was quiet at first. Almost silent save for the waves thundering against the short. Then Hondo blew the whistle and the silence was broken immediately as the shouting began.

Both quarterbacks snapped at the same time and both teams scrambled. Rooster managed to make a pass to Omaha and Maverick got sacked. It became clear very fast that the goal was to sack Maverick more than it was to score. Even Basil had gotten in on the chaos, darting around them and barking like mad.

The boys had immediately taken their shirts off and for a moment Cam had been prepared for what was doomed to be another opportunity for them to show off. But it didn't happen, and for the first time in weeks, she saw something she hadn't seen out of them before.

Teamwork. The magic word.

Finally, it came down to Fritz and Cam.

"I'm gonna enjoy this," he told her, standing right in her way. His dark curls shone with sweat.

She had the ball tucked squarely in her arms. "We'll see about it."

Cam took off, weaving in and out of his way. She would have made it, too, but without even a hint of mercy, Fritz dove for her legs and sent both of them tumbling to the ground. Cam was surprised her sunglasses stayed on her face from the force of it as she rolled over onto her back, wheezing with laughter. Fritz held out a hand to help her up.

"You deserved that," he said, clapping an arm on her shoulder. For a spare second, he reminded her of Gabe. All long limbs and a big heart.

"Probably did."

Coyote and Bradley jumped and bumped chests and Bradley did a little dance in celebration, swinging his hips in a way that made it impossible for Cam to not watch. His muscular chest shone in the light of the golden sun and he looked nothing short of happy.

"Staring at the competition?" Natasha said, coming up from behind Cam with the ball in hand, already ready to go at it again.

"Just sizing them up," Cam said, not resisting another half glance back at him.

On the next play, Cam threw the ball in an arcing spiral to Mav, who easily passed it to Phoenix. She made the touchdown look effortless. The game didn't stop for anyone, even after Hangman shoulder-checked Maverick and sent the pilot straight to the ground. Cam watched Rooster almost walk past, and then stop to grudgingly help him up. It had to have been the first remotely friendly interaction they had shared. Not long after, Hangman helped Rooster up off the wet sand. Another truce of sorts.

After one more gratuitous touchdown, to a chorus of booing, Maverick headed off to go sit and have a break.

Hondo stepped in to take his place but as soon as he got the ball, everyone had the same unanimous thought to tackle him down out of the touchdown. As soon as the ball left his grasp, Cam saw Basil move out of the corner of her eye.

"Basil, no!" Cam yelled, but she was already laughing too much as she watched the dog snatch up the football and take off running down the beach. Jake and Bradley sprinted after him, which only made Basil run faster, kicking up sand in his wake.

Natasha lifted her hands to her mouth. "Touchdown!"

In this light, everything was made from gold. She saw passed the group of pilots, gaze darting between the surfers out in the waves and the kite being flown from the hands of a young boy. All of this was a life, and one that was made easier by the people she was surrounded by now. She had long feared becoming attached to another person again after losing Kit, but there was something in her that loosened now.

She watched Bradley parading around with Bob on his shoulders. This was a life.

𓄼 𓄹

Much later, when they called it a day, everyone started to head home. For the first time, Bradley felt content with this assignment. Comfortable, and maybe even dangerously confident.

He looked for her, immediately catching sight of her a ways up. Cam clipped on Basil's leash and led him back up through the sand and into the parking lot. The poor dog was bone tired, exhausted from trying to keep up with them all afternoon.

"Cam!"

She whipped around at the sound of his voice. Her hair was hanging loose in the breeze, sunglasses pushed up at the crown of her head. In nothing but dark shorts and a black tank top, Cameron Mejia was the epitome of good looking. Holy hell, it was difficult to look away. It couldn't be forgotten where they had left things. They had barely had a real conversation since what had happened in the kitchen, and he would be damned if he didn't think of the feeling of his lips on hers looking at her now.

"Can you give me a ride?" Bradley asked, bending down to give Basil an obligatory scratch behind the ears. "You can just take me to yours and I'll walk the rest of the way."

"Ride fall through?"

"Nah," he shook his head. "I rode here with Bob, and he already left. Told him I could catch a ride from you."

"And what if I say no?" The way she was smiling at him made his stomach twist.

"Then I guess I'm walking all the way," he grinned, but he knew she saw straight through the bravado. This was a pretty big gamble to be making, even for him.

"Guess it's your lucky night. I'm feeling kind." She looked him up and down. "Just don't get sand on my seats. And put a shirt back on."

"Why?" he mused, leaning with one muscular arm balanced on the side of the truck bed. "Distracted?"

With the way she looked at him, he thought that the answer might actually be yes. "Don't flatter yourself."

The drive was silent, but the good kind. The pensive kind that allowed him to roll down the window and let the California breeze in, balancing his arm on the edge of the open window and letting his free hand ride the wind.

Soon enough, too soon, they were back outside of Cam's apartment. It was less of an apartment, more of a condo with a door on the ground level that led to her place. She opened the door and Basil lumbered inside.

"Cam," he said, stopping her. His throat felt like he had swallowed all the sand on the beach.

She looked at him, almost hopeful. "Yeah?"

"Cam, you know I still care about you," he began, trying and failing to explain his racing thoughts.

"Bradley." She just sighed. "I know you do. I care about you too."

He shook his head. "Not just care. More than care. I've just had my head too far up my ass to do anything about it."

She sucked in a sharp breath, hand still balanced on the door handle as if she couldn't decide whether to stay or leave. "If this is about what happened in the kitchen, I'm sorry I snapped at you–"

"It isn't about that," Bradley insisted.

"It's okay if it is," she assured him. "Maybe we just were never meant to work out at the right time."

"God, I hope not." His heart echoed in his throat, and he was half afraid she could hear it, too. "I know what you said, about just going on with our separate lives when this is done, but you have to know that I don't want that to happen. I'm in love with you, Cam."

Cam cocked her head to the side and her lips parted. Then she was turning and walking into the house without saying anything. He followed. All of a sudden, she whipped around again and he saw her face. Cam was fuming. Cheeks flushed, lips pursed, chest heaving fuming.

"No. You know what, no! You can't just say that!"

"Well, it's how I feel!" He threw his arms out, frustration clawing at his throat. Exposed would be an understatement; she could see straight through to the sinews and bones that held him together.

"You can't," she shook her head, eyes narrowed. The words came out fast now. "You can't just say you're in love with me when I spent half of my teenage years thinking you would never ever think of me that way! It isn't fair."

He was taken aback. "Hold on, are you saying you had a thing for me?"

"Jesus Christ, Bradley, are you really this dense? I would have done anything for you until you broke my heart."

"You never said anything!"

"I was scared!" She defended. "I was naive, I was stupid and eighteen. But you can't just tell me now that I spent twelve years learning that I would never know you again just to admit that it was for nothing! What am I supposed to do with that?" she demanded. She repeated the words again softly, meeting his eyes. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

"Whatever you want to," he said gently, as calmly as he could muster. "It's your choice, Cameron, it always has been."

She just blinked. Then, she said, "Don't call me that. You never call me that."

"Fine, Cam," He breathed heavily, chest pressed up against hers. "My Cam," He lifted a careful hand and ran it through her dark hair, relishing the feeling of her skin against his. "All I'm sayin' is whatever happens now is your call. Completely yours."

At this point, he was unsure exactly what they were arguing about. He was caught staring at the curve of her lips, the spray of freckles across her cheeks that had always reminded him of a charted constellation. Those brown eyes, the color of a forest of tree branches backlit by spring sunlight.

When she kissed him, it wasn't tentative. It was heavy with lust as she lifted a hand and pressed it against his chest. Hot breath coated his ear with the sound of a moan, and her body arced against his. She smelled like mint. Her head drew back, lips finding his again as they pushed into her bedroom. He shoved the door closed behind him with his heel, not daring to let go of her. It was the sweetest ache, an incurable desire for her.

"Bet you wish I'd kept my shirt off now," he managed, lifting the hem of her own with his thumb. Her skin was still warm from the sun and he could taste the salt from the ocean as he kissed her collar bone, working his way across her chest.

He felt her shake with laughter, and then she shoved him down onto the bed. When she looked down at him, he thought he might die to deserve this. "Do you want to start arguing again?"

He laced his fingers through hers as if leading her in another dance and pulled her down on top of him. "Never."

━━ 𓄼 𓄹 ━━

a/n wooo she's back!

I know a lot of people have been waiting for me to update this story, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait!  I would love to hear what you guys are thinkin :)

no promises on regular updates, but I do want to have this fic finished by the end of the summer.  Top Gun is just such a summer concept in my mind haha.

--nat