Hope | R. Floyd

1

Oh Goodness

Dove looked into the mirror in her car before stepping out. She walked into Hard deck, took a breath. "Dove!" a voice called out. Dove looked to see it was Phoenix which caused her to smile. "Phoenix!" Dove called out as she walked to Phoenix. Phoenix pulled her into a hug. "It's good to see you." Phoenix said. "Same here." Dove said. "Look what the cat dragged in." A voice said.

Dove to see it was Hangman and few more pilots. "Bagman, what a lovely surprise." Dove said as she rose a brow. "It's Hangman." He corrected her as she rolled her eyes at him. Dove looked at the pilots in the back, "You three?" Dove asked. "That is Coyote, Payback and Fanboy."  Phoenix responded. "This here is Dove, one of the greatest among us, if you didn't catch it earlier." Phoenix said, Then Everyone looked at the man who was wiping crumbs off his pants, as soon Dove made eye contact with him, her heart fluttered.

"When did you get in?" Coyote asked surprised. "Oh, I've been here the whole time." The man replies with an awkward smile. "Well.. man's a stealth pilot." Hangman said. "Weapons Systems Officer actually." The man corrects him, clearly not catching the joke. "With no sense of humor." Hangman says under his breath.

"What do they call you?" Phoenix asks. "I'm Bob." He says uncomfortably. "No, your callsign?" Payback smirks. "Uh Bob..." It comes out more of a question. Everyone chuckled which the tension was gone.

"Bob Floyd? You're my new back seater? From Lemoore?" Phoenix asks shocked. Bob nods. "Looks like it. yeah." Bob says smiling at her. "You all know what I like Bob, lovely to meet you." Dove tells everyone with a smile. He smiled back at her. "Dove, you like anyone." Hangman said. Dove looked at him with a serious look, "Hmm can't say the same about you." She fired back. Everyone snickered as Hangman continue to do what he was doing. "Just ignore Hangman, I was pretty serious, you are cool, we should hang out sometime when we aren't training." Dove tells Bob and He nods at her "I would like that." Bob tells her, she smiled at him. "Nine-ball, Bob. Rack' em." Phoenix said as she hands him her pool cue. Dove smiled softly at him.

"Bradshaw? " Phoenix called out. Dove looked over and saw her childhood best friend come into Hard deck. She shook her head when she saw he wasn't wearing his uniform. "That's Rooster for ya." Dove said to herself as she walked over. "I hope missed me there Rooster." Dove said which caused Rooster smile at his best friend. "Dove." He said as he hugged her. "Long time no see." She said with a smile. "How's your dad doing?" He asked. "Oh... just being Merlin." Dove said as she shook her head. "Even though my father doesn't really associate with the whole life of being pilot since that last mission most importantly when he took me in but he does keep in contact with everyone." Dove added "Send him my thanks for checking up on me every now and then." Rooster said which caused her to smile. "Of course." Dove replied.

Dove and Rooster walked over to where everyone else was. "Bradshaw, as they live and breathe." Hangman said to him as he made his way over with a few more beers. "Hangman. you look... good." Rooster replied. "Well I am good, Rooster." He said as he takes pool stick from Bob which caused Dove to bit the inside her cheek as she then made eye contact with Hangman. "I am very good. In fact, I am too good to be true." He finished.

Dove and Rooster made eye contact with each other, the both shook their head. "So," Payback interrupted. "Anybody know what this special detachment is all about?" Payback finished. "Well a missions a mission. They don't confront me." Hangman resumes his game of pool. "What I wanna know, who's gonna be team leader? and who's gonna have the guts to follow me?" He asked. Dove shook her head.

"Hangman, the only place you'll lead anyone is an early grave." Rooster retorts. Dove chuckled quietly. "Well, anyone who follows you is just gonna run out of fuel." Hangman shoots right back at him, with that grin. "I love this song." He said with a smile before he had a chance to walk away. "You know I prefer to run out of gas then death." Dove shot back which caused him to look back at her. "Don't forget Dove, your father was a backseater." He shot back and she glare at him. "Yeah... but his daughter is one of the top pilots to come back here and not mention a badass who flies solo, so don't get it twisted Bagman." She fired back. He walked away.

"Whose your father again, Dove?" Fanboy asked her. "Merlin." Dove said as she smiled softly. "He's not hard to miss as he will chatter your ear off but he sweetheart, I'm proud to call him my dad." Dove added, Rooster smiled at his best friend knowing she was right when it came to Merlin. Dove then looked to Rooster and Phoenix.

"Some things haven't change including him." Dove said as looked back at Hangman as he was busy again. "Nope, he sure hasn't." Rooster said as he made his way to the piano after he pulled the plug to the jukebox which everyone wasn't happy about. Dove smiled knowing what Rooster was about to do then she went to Bob. "You don't want to miss this." She said to him as she held out her hand, he took it and she led him to the piano.

"You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain." Dove smiled instantly recognize the song and began to sing along with her best friend. Bob looked at her and couldn't help but smile at her. "Too much love drives a man insane. you broke my will, but what a thrill." Everyone suddenly joins in with the pair. "Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

Dove giggled, she couldn't help but think back when she was a child, there were times Maverick took over and he would babysit her, that's one of the reasons she was so close with Rooster most importantly, adored his father. "I laughed at love 'cause I thought it was funny" Rooster plays on the keys of the piano, he looked up at Dove. "Just like old times." He thought before he sung the next line. "But you came along and you moved me honey!"

"Now come on everybody, sing with us!" Both Dove and Phoenix shouted.

"I changed my mind, this love is fine. Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!" Rooster continued to sing with the crowd. Dove looked around her and everyone was just smiling away. "Kiss me baby. Ooh, that feels good baby. Hold me baby. I wanna love you like a lover should."

"You're fine, you're so kind." Phoenix sung.

"I'mma tell the world that you're mine, mine, mine, mine!" Dove sung loudly.

"I trim my nails and I twiddle my thumbs. I gettin' nervous, but it sure is fun." Dove smiling from ear to ear at this point, she wondered if her father knew of this tune that Goose played a lot when her and Rooster were kids. "Come on baby. you're driving me crazy. Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

Rooster goes on with a piano solo to the song. Bob looked at Dove. "This song has a place in your heart." He said to her. Dove then looked at Bob, "It does, from my childhood." Dove said , then smiled at each other, Then comes the singing again. "Kiss me baby. Ooh, that feels good. Hold me baby. I wanna love you like a lover should. You're fine, you're so kind! I wanna tell the world that you're mine, mine, mine, mine!" everyone sung. "I trim my nails and I twiddle my thumbs. I gettin' nervous but it sure is fun. Come baby, you're driving me crazy. Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!" Everyone howls as Rooster finishes and cheer. Then they started cheering for Rooster, which Dove couldn't help but giggle and smiled at her best friend as he was showing off.

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