FLYBY (b. bradshaw)

𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙍𝙏𝙔-𝙏𝙃𝙍𝙀𝙀

She could feel his presence, as she sat on the loading dock, staring onto on to ocean. She twirled her old dog tags between her fingers, ignoring the man that sat down beside her.

"You knew," Not a question, a statement.

Maverick didn't try to lie. "Yes."

"'Unstable'." Lilah quoted, refusing to meet the eyes of her mentor, her role model. "Who came up with that, you or or the admiral's?"

Maverick huffed out a laugh. "You know, of course you know."

Lilah didn't smile as she said, "I didn't doubt for one second that he would be flying, that he'd find a way." She finally faced him. "I just never thought that you would be the one to help him, that would label me unstable."

"We made promises, promises that we intend to keep."

"What about your promises, Maverick?" she snapped and his face fell. "The promises you made before I was even born? To protect him, to protect Bradley?"

"He doesn't need protection," Maverick argued firmly, almost convincing himself of it. "Not from me, not from you. He's an adult."

"So am I!" Lilah yelled and scrambled to her feet. She started to pace. "I am not a child! I am a pilot, a naval officer, a Captain! I do not need saving."

"Ice -"

Lilah cut him off, "Is dead. Granddaddy is dead, and there is nothing anyone can do to change that. The pain we all feel, it hurts, but it's life. And now I need to get on with my life. I have a little brother who I made a promise to, a promise that Bradley and I would make it home."

"You can keep that promise, you can both make it back today."

Lilah hated herself for it, but she shook her head. "No, one of us won't make it out alive. You've said it before, it's the pilot, not the plane."

"Bradley is capable of doing this."

Lilah almost laughed as she walked away, the words she knew would hurt the most on the tip of her tongue. "That's easy for you to say. You don't understand the fear. You're alone in life, you don't have a wife, or children, but I have Bradley, and you just sent him up there to die. You might've had me, but you just lost me, Mav."

Either he didn't have the heart to respond, or he didn't couldn't find the words, but he let Lilah leave.

She passed Warlock on the way out. He grabbed her by the arm, keeping her from running away. He yanked her close, right to where he could whisper in her ear.

"I don't for one second believe that you are unstable, or will ever be unstable. You are a fighter, Lilah Kazansky, just like your grandfather. Make us proud out there, Captain, and come back alive."

He let Lilah go and kept walking towards Maverick's figure in the distance. He turned around to watch the scene and, even far awake, she swore that he had a proud parent expression on his face.

She followed Warlock for a moment with her eyes, until he was about 10 feet from Maverick. His words were indistinctive as she found the staircase and started the long climb to the ready room.

★★★

When she entered the ready room, all of the pilot's were geared up, no matter if their job was to sit on the runway for backup. Her own flight suit was tied around her waist, her mess of curls in a ponytail at the nap of her neck.