Fly With Me // Bradley Bradshaw

Chapter One

Sophie took in the bar scene as she walked through the doors of the Hard Deck. The loud music, ocean air, and laughter made her feel alive. God, she missed this place. It was practically a second home to her and every other aviator who came through Top Gun. It's been two years since she graduated from the program, but it felt like no time had passed. She felt right at home.

She looked towards the pool tables seeing two men in their tan uniforms, one dirty blonde-haired fighter pilot sticking out in particular. She smiles and yells, "Hangman."

The man looks up and sees his lifelong friend, causing his usual arrogant demeanor to fall and be replaced with a genuine smile. "Soph," he puts his pool stick down and turns his attention to the brunette.

She runs towards him and jumps into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and hugging him. "It's been way too long. I've missed you."

"We just saw each other in April," he laughs, but he agreed. He missed her as much as he loved flying. Hangman had a feeling Sophie would be here, but everything had been such a whirlwind since he'd gotten called back to the North Island that they hadn't had time to talk. He was happy to be reunited with her, even if it was only for a few weeks.

He puts her down and leads her to their normal table in the bar. It might as well have had their names written on it during the thirteen weeks they'd been in the program. "So, how is Pensacola," he asks. They had so much to catch up on since they last saw each other. Sophie and Jake talked regularly, but things were always hectic in their lives, so they knew things got left out.

"Amazing," she gushes, "I love Florida. You need to come visit me." Sophie couldn't have asked for a better place to be stationed. She loved living near the beach and being in the warm weather most of the year.

"Already planning my trip."

"Alright," she pats his shoulder, "Let me get a drink and then I'm expecting nine-ball and dancing," she points to her friend, expectantly. He gives her a salute, ready for the night ahead of them.

Sophie slides into a barstool, patiently waiting for Penny to come over to her. The bar was starting to get busier so she had no problem waiting for the woman. She was like a badass bartending aunt to all of the Navy. Though, Sophie always thought she had a soft spot for the Top Gun recruits. "Razor, it's good to see you," Penny warmly smiles at the girl, "What can I get you?"

"I'll just take a Bud light, please," she slides her card over to open a tab, "How are things here?"

Penny grabs a bottle of the requested beer and easily opens it, sliding it over to the young Navy woman. "Things here are good. I'm happy to see you and the others back in my bar."  She smiled at the older woman, happy to know that her business was thriving. This place brought so much joy to so many different people, herself included. Some of her favorite memories are from late nights at the Hard Deck.

Sophie notices a familiar face confidently striding into the building with two men following her. "Phoenix," she calls out to the woman and waves her over. She gets up to give her a quick hug. The two had become fast friends while they were in the Naval Academy, being part of the much smaller women-to-men ratio. She was also one of the most talented pilots she had ever flown with.

"This is Payback and Fanboy," she introduces the two men standing closely behind her.

Sophie shakes their hands, "It's nice to meet you both. Callsign is Razor." The four of them make a little small talk about what squadron they're a part of. Payback and Fanboy weren't on the same squadron as Phoenix, but they were all stationed in Lemoore, so they hangout pretty regularly. The trio heads over to the gradually growing group of aviators at the pool tables with Sophie promising to meet them over there soon.