𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

↳ 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬
'epilogue'

━━ 𓄼 𓄹 ━━

TWO YEARS LATER

FROM ABOVE, the world was nothing but peace.

Fields of brown and green rolled beneath her, playing tag with the dusty landscape of the orange desert. As she flew low, sunlight scraped across her field of vision. The plane roared beneath her as the landing gear engaged and Cam landed smoothly on the runway.

Even before she was fully out of the plane, Ruby was running towards her. The twenty year-old was always brimming with questions to ask and worries to voice.

"I was gone for two hours, what could have possibly happened?" Cam sighed as she pulled off her headset. She stretched out her back as Ruby spoke.

Ruby looked at the list in her hand. "Harley left early and I had to fend for myself," the girl defended, flicking her curly hair out of her face. "I got three phone calls from Rieker Farms asking when you'd be out there. Your brother stopped by to drop off the new generator. And then there was a message from that guy in Reno, and then the faucet started leaking again so I had to replace the washers." By the time she got done talking, she was red in the face and out of breath.

Cam hefted her bag out of the passenger seat of the Cessna. "Ruby, you know we aren't running a high stakes operation here. It's alright."

"I know, I know," the girl muttered.

Ruby Kain was their intern, a community college grad desperate to prove herself. Cam could only afford to keep her on because she had settled for the low pay for the sake of experience. Between her other pilot, Harley, and their mechanic, they needed someone to handle the administrative side of things. It was something Cam had thought of only after she had lost bills and invoices countless times. Now, their office was clean, organized and they even had a voluntary media manager.

"I'll call back Rieker Farms," Cam assured her, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Thank you for fixing that leak. Try and get some rest this weekend."

"I actually don't sleep anymore, I lie awake at night staring at the ceiling and wondering if there's going to be another water main break." Ruby wiped a hand at the sheen of sweat on her freckled cheeks. "Also, there's an invoice that came today. I left it on the desk in the office," she called over her shoulder as they parted ways.

Cam huffed, adjusting her backpack strap on her shoulder. "I'll look at it on my way out." She was already late as it was.

Outside, the sun was beating down without mercy and even the short walk over the office felt like a slog in the heat. When she pushed open the door, she was greeted by a crisp breath of air conditioning. A picture hung in the doorway of two Navy pilots standing in front of an F-18. The dark-haired girl was mid-laugh, and the blonde girl smiled widely.

After everything at Top Gun, it had only been natural that everyone involved in the mission received special attention. Bradley had been promoted to squadron leader back in Virginia, Fritz had stayed on as a flight instructor at Top Gun, and rumor had it that Hangman was involved in missions so secret, he wasn't allowed to say where he was stationed. Natasha had taken a command staff role that she had long coveted, and Bob had moved across the country to become an aviation safety officer.

Cam had moved back home and her father and uncle sold her the old runway for a remarkably low price. They had been ecstatic that it wasn't going to be torn down to make room for a subdivision. Cam had poured her savings into resurfacing the cracked pavement and spent months working on the hangar. She had turned the old building into an aerial surveying business and rented out use of the hangar to a nearby flight school for extra cash.

It had been a long road to breaking even, but now that they were actually making money, Cam had finally relaxed into her new life. It wasn't much, but it was perfect for one person and one dog. Cam had built something to be proud of.

And now in the sunlight of the fading day, she sat at the new desk in the office and poured over the invoice that Ruby had already paid. There was a message on the notepad from the guy in Reno, which was about the air race she had entered and would be leaving for in a month.

There was a knock on the door. Without turning away from the paper in front of her, Cam said, "Ruby, I told you, you can go home."

"I'm looking for my fianceé. You haven't seen her anywhere, have you?" A deep voice asked.

Cam whipped around. It wasn't Ruby in the doorway. It was Bradley.

Without any pretense, she stood up from the chair and launched herself into his arms. He laughed and buried his face in her hair with a deep sigh.

"You're here," Cam breathed, relaxing into his hold. She kissed his cheek, which was rough with stubble. "You aren't supposed to be back for three more days!"

He smiled into the sun that filtered through the dust of the window. "I got lucky. Thought I'd surprise you."

"Good surprise," she said, unable to stop grinning at him.

He lifted the blinds and stared out beyond the window. "You weren't kidding when you said Ruby is tightly wound. I thought she was gonna shoot me when I walked up here, she got so mad, started yellin' about trespassing until I told her I was here to see you."

"She doesn't mess around."

He pointed at the table behind her. "New desk?"

Cam nodded proudly. "Found it on the side of the road last week."

He crossed his arms, looking at her as if for the first time. "Do you remember that day I met you for the first time and you said that you owned this place?"

"I do. I think I used to tell people at school that I flew the planes, too."

"You always had such big dreams."

"It's actually referred to as being a pathological liar," Cam said, closing the blinds and turning the air conditioner down for the night.

Bradley continued to watch her as she moved through the room. "She would be so proud of you, Cam. Little you."

Cam thought of that girl, small and steadfast. What would she think of her now, standing in this office again as an adult? No doubt her younger self would barely believe the things that had transpired. All of the choices that had brought her right back to this room.

"Well," Cam said, smiling as she stepped towards him. "She sure as hell would never believe that she ended up engaged to Bradley Bradshaw."

"Don't say it like it's a bad thing–" he began to protest, but Cam silenced him by pressing her lips against his. He pressed a hand to the back of her head, smiling into the kiss. The amount of time he was gone for only kept getting longer and longer. This made up for all of it.

"Come on," she said, finally pulling away. "We're gonna be late."

"For what?" He looked slightly dazed as he stared at her.

"Family dinner."

By the time they reached the house, everyone was already there. Gabe out front grilling and Basil was running back and forth across the lawn while Amari, who had helped babysit him for the day, threw his ball.

"Bradley!" Gabe called. His glasses were pushed up in his hair and it looked like he had been out in the sun all day. "Thank God you're here, I have about three too many burgers."

"I'll eat them! I'll eat them all!" Amari, who was now seven, ran across the lawn to tackle her aunt in a hug. "I took such good care of Basil today, Cam. You should let me keep him."

Cam ruffled her unruly hair. "We'll see about that."

Basil flopped down on the ground and started rolling around, waiting for Cam to scratch his belly. The gold band on her left hand caught in the sunlight. It never failed to send a jolt of elation through her.

"You're wearing the ring," Bradley said, surprised. Normally, she wore it on a chain around her neck so it didn't get covered in engine grease.

"I think it's time," Cam told him.

They still hadn't told anyone about the engagement. It had happened a month ago when Bradley was last home and he had left for the other side of the country right after. But now they were all home, and there would be no hiding it any longer. Some part of Cam still worried that everything might fall apart again. Even though her mother had apologized and Gabe was no longer estranged, it might all still combust.

"Time for what?" Gabe asked. He put down the spatula and closed the grill.

Cam glanced once at Bradley, who gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We're engaged."

For a second, he just stared at them. It was agonizing. But then his face morphed into elation and he began to laugh. "You're engaged? Since when?"

The porch door slammed shut. Jo stepped out first, and then Max appeared with a plate of buns for the burgers. Her biggest supporter, he was wearing a shirt that read, MEJIA AVIATION. "Who's engaged?"

Gabe continued his gleeful laughter. "Cam and Bradley!"

Max dropped the plate and hamburger buns rolled onto the grass. Basil, ever the opportunist, immediately began eating them while Amari and Jo scrambled to pick them up. With his hands now free, Max engulfed both Cam and Bradley in his arms. "I'm just, so happy for you guys."

Once released, Cam saw her brother wipe at his eyes. "Max, are you crying?"

He shook his head. "No, I had to cut onions for the burgers. Yes, I'm crying. My baby sister, all grown up and engaged! I can't believe it."

Cam wanted to argue that she had been grown up for a very long time, but decided to let Max have his moment.

"And there's more news," Bradley said.

Cam frowned, suddenly worried. "There is?"

He nodded. "There's a reason I came home early. My request for a transfer finally went through." He paused, waiting for her to put together what he had just said.

Cam gasped. "You're moving back to California?"

He gave her his signature, cocky grin. "That I am."

"You didn't tell me you had even filed a request!" Cam said in disbelief.

"Surprise," he grinned, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.

By the time Cam's parents came outside and heard the news, there was nothing but noise. Shouts of laughter and plans for a wedding that barely felt real drifted through the air of another summer night.

This was not the life she had predicted. Two years ago, she imagined herself wasting away, collecting dust in a forgotten corner like another relic. Loss still washed over her on the bad days, and she felt the past like an old wound.

But it was the future now, and it was hers. Theirs.

Anything was possible.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃

━━ 𓄼 𓄹 ━━