the dove and her rooster [bradley bradshaw]

Chapter 15 (Bonus #1)

What if...?

What if Victoria never went to the Naval Academy and had a falling out with Bradley?

When Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky got sick, his eldest daughter, Victoria, decided to change her plans, wanting to be close to her father. So, instead of applying to the Naval Academy at 17 as she planned, she decided to finish high school normally and enroll in community college. The thing is, she had a plan with her best friend Bradley for them to enroll together again in 2 years so they could go to the Academy together. That ended up not happening, which resulted in a huge fight between the two because Victoria told him that his papers getting pulled by Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell was maybe a sign. That did not sit well with Bradley, which resulted in the two falling out and never speaking again.

They each went different ways in life. Bradley ended up becoming one of the best fighter pilots out there, even going to TOPGUN just like his old man. Victoria finished San Diego Miramar College getting a degree in public administration. She worked various jobs through college so that she had enough experience and knowledge to work at TOPGUN after getting her degree without her dad having to pull strings.

She didn't regret her decision, she liked her job and she was still involved with flying in some way. She handled all the admissions, paperwork for training, missions, callbacks, etc. Anything you can imagine. She was even head of HR. How she managed to handle everything was beyond anyone, but she enjoyed it for some reason.

When she found out about the special mission and that Bradley would be among the pilots that would be called back, the whole world stopped for her. She hadn't talked to him since her graduation day, which was about 15 years ago.

The weekend was coming up, so Victoria decided to go to the Hard Deck to drink her worries away. There, she ran into her uncle Pete, who was there for the same reason. They had that in common. But when Pete went to the bathroom, Victoria decided to help Penny out behind the bar as it was getting quite crowded.

Two words. Big. Mistake.

Why? Because at that moment Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw walked through the door and went to order himself a drink.

"What can I-" the blonde stopped talking as she turned around and saw the man in front of her. Seeing her childhood best friend again went above any expectations she had. He was tanner than the last time she saw him and he had a mustache now. One that looked exactly like his late dad's. And the worst part. He was even hotter than the last time she saw him.

The brunette man was also shocked, to say the least. He remembers seeing Victoria with her father at different ceremonies or functions, but he never got a good look at her. She was a woman now, in her early 30s just like him, and she was even more beautiful than he remembered.

"Vic...hi." he was the first one to break the silence, "Hi Bradley." the blonde sent him a small smile.

Neither of the two knew what to say next, so this time, Victoria broke the silence by finishing her sentence from before. After he got the beer he wanted, he went over to his fellow friends and colleagues to say hi and catch up. But he couldn't help himself. He stole glances at Victoria throughout the whole night. Even when he sang Great Balls of Fire, all he cared about was if she was watching.

At the end of the night, he managed to catch her before she left and asked her if they could talk so the two decided to take a walk along the beach.

"I regret that day, you know? I hate that I yelled at you and ruined everything."

"Don't worry, I forgave you a long time ago."

That day, the two talked about everything that happened in the 15 years they haven't talked. Victoria even opened up and told him the story of her ex-fiancée who she dumped 2 years ago when she found out he was cheating on her. Meanwhile, Bradley opened up about his many failed relationships and how he just decided to give up on them completely.

That was the day the two rekindled their old friendship. At least a little bit. They had a long way to go before their friendship would be back to how it used to be.

When her dad passed away after a long battle with lung cancer, Victoria shut herself out from everyone. She became a zombie of sorts. Her siblings and mother tried their best to get her to snap out of it but she refused. She just wanted to be left alone.

Finally, Bradley managed to catch her in the parking lot as she was leaving work. She tried to avoid talking to him by saying that she was tired and just wanted to go home and sleep but he wasn't having it.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself. To the people who care about you. We have watched you shut everyone out and disappear in front of our eyes. I know it's hard losing a loved one, especially a parent, trust me, I do, but this isn't the answer. If you want to cry, cry, if you want to yell, yell, do whatever the fuck you want but don't do it alone. Let people in, let them be a part of your support system. Talk to us, to me, heck, talk to Cyclone if you need to. Just don't shut yourself in. Please."

That was the moment the blonde woman came undone. Tears flowed down her cheeks as sobs escaped her mouth. She couldn't keep her emotions in any longer. He hugged her tight and didn't let go until she was done crying. He knew the pain and he remembers how important the support he got after both his parents' death was.

Even after all these years, Bradley was the person that could get Victoria to open up. And vice versa.

After the pilots got back from their special mission Bradley Bradshaw knew there was one thing he had to do (other than go to therapy for the trauma he'll probably have from this mission and his near-death experience).

He knocked on the apartment door he knew too well and just as the door opened he started talking.

"Just hear me out, please. I know I'm really stubborn and not the easiest person to deal with. I have treated you awfully in the past and the fact that you forgave me so easily is still so crazy to me. But I have always known one thing even though I didn't want to admit it but I have been crazy about you forever. It sounds crazy, yes, but I can't imagine my life without you in it. I want to be with you and only you, if I have to I'll move to the end of the world if it means I get to be with you. So please Dove, give me a chance, give us a chance, and be my girlfriend."

"What happened to hi Vic, I'm okay Vic, I didn't die, how are you, what have you been up to all day except worrying about my stubborn ass?" Bradley was at a loss for words, he just poured his heart out for this girl and she decided to be sarcastic. What in the-

"Okay okay hold up. I wouldn't be that dramatic and hold a whole ass speech as soon as you open the door." Victoria snorted at her husband's comment because they both damn well knew that yes, he would be that dramatic.

"Sure honey whatever helps you sleep at night." Bradley rolled his eyes at her sarcasm, "See, one thing that is accurate in every Universe is your sarcasm even when it's not needed." now it was her turn to roll her eyes.

"Whatever loser. Be glad that I'm worrying about your ass in every Universe and not dumping it because of how stubborn you are."

The brunette man poked his tongue out at his wife before asking her a question.

"But if I was that dramatic and held that long speech...What would you say?" the blonde smiled up at him.

"I'd say...No matter how crazy you make me from worrying about you my answer will always be yes because I can't imagine my life without you either."

With that, the couple shared a kiss.

They like to believe that they are together in every Universe. They'd find their way to each other no matter what. And no matter what, their answer to each other will always be yes.