Devil's Bargin •Bob Floyd•

Chapter 13

The briefing was today, Abigail choose to not go, despite Mav and Ice both encouraging her to be there, she wouldn't keep her professional facade up having to look the team in the eye whilst the mission parameters were explained to them, the teams were decided between Maverick, Cyclone, and Iceman, she was told afterwards.

They'd be placing Fanboy as Phoenix's backseater and they were to keep watch from the air.

And Jake and Bob were to find the information, that only they, on the day, and the Admirals knew.

"I'm busy!" She called to the person at her door.

"Too busy for an apology?"

She looked up to Bob in her office doorway holding a small bouquet.

"I guess I have time for an apology," she said crossing her arms on her desk.

"I went to a small flower shop to get you something but they don't really have a specific bouquet for 'I'm sorry I accused you of sleeping with your boss's boss and then being a complete ass about it and not believing you could handle yourself and needed my protection' so I just picked flowers I thought you'd like," he told her handing her the bouquet of white and purple bellflowers.

"They're pretty" she agreed.

"Listen, Abigail, I've been an ass to you since Christmas and I'm sorry, you are a grown woman, you can 100% handle yourself in any situation you find yourself in and I shouldn't intervene unless you ask me to, I understand your job causes you to keep secrets and I understand why you had to and I promise not to hold it against you if you're being secretive which you inevitably will be"

"You're right Floyd, you were an ass to me and I'm honestly slightly offended your first thought was that I was sleeping with someone, an' that I needed you to protect me"

Bob's shoulders dropped slightly

"But I accept your apology, thank you for the flowers"

Bob smiled brightly "Thank you"

"Did Phoenix talk to you?" Abigail asked

"She helped me fully realise exactly how bad I was but the flowers were actually Admiral Kazansky's idea, he told me how much you didn't want to keep things from us"

"I'll have to thank him as well" Abigail nodded "And tell him to stop meddling but still thank him, now you probably have some important training to do for this mission and I know I have a million things to do and fill out and do and all that so, I'll see you later," she smiled.

"Do you want to get dinner with me tonight? Not at the Hard Deck, I feel like I still owe you for how much I messed up our friendship" he asked.

"I'd love that,"

"Great, I'll pick you up,"

"Where are we going? How do I dress?" She asked quickly.

"You'll look great in anything, just wear what you would at a nice restaurant," Bob said turning to leave.

"Admiral" he nodded leaving.

Soon enough Bob was replaced by Iceman.

"The hard part has been done," Iceman said closing the door behind him.

"It's not though, we still have the mission to get through," she said looking back at her computer.

"You're no longer keeping things secret, Lieutenant Floyd seems to no longer be mad at you and seems to have realised that he was in the wrong"

"Yes well I have you to thank for the flowers don't I?" She chuckled.

"I merely suggested that flowers would be a good addition to his apology," he said innocently.

"Training begins tomorrow, for the mission, they're being briefed on the planes and tactics right now," he told her.

"How are they all?" She asked.

"Processing, as anyone who was being told they or their friends and teammates are going into a potentially deadly mission, more deadly than their last deadly mission," Iceman told her.

Abigail nodded quietly. "The doomsday clock begins."