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Shadows of the Past

Series Master List:

Chapter 1

https://kp9983.tumblr.com/post/689329623304142848/shadows-of-the-past

Chapter 2

https://kp9983.tumblr.com/post/689338953760997376/shadows-of-the-past

Chapter 3

https://kp9983.tumblr.com/post/689353717389082624/shadows-of-the-past

Chapter 4

https://kp9983.tumblr.com/post/689371163086012416/shadows-of-the-past

Chapter 5:

https://kp9983.tumblr.com/post/689408464025468928/shadows-of-the-past

Chapter 6:

https://kp9983.tumblr.com/post/689435629164068864/shadows-of-the-past

Chapter 7:

https://kp9983.tumblr.com/post/689592979469565952/shadows-of-the-past

Chapter 8:

https://kp9983.tumblr.com/post/689622300856909824/shadows-of-the-past

Chapter 9:

https://kp9983.tumblr.com/post/689659962165690368/shadows-of-the-past

Chapter 10:

https://kp9983.tumblr.com/post/689718185801482240/shadows-of-the-past

Series Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5pWiUE8pzjg2VnPKwLzeAS?si=qRyS2GFCRdWE8ONOvg6C6Q

Shadows of the Past

Chapter 20: Please Don’t Leave Me

When they arrived back at the house, Bradley came around the front of the Bronco to open Shadow's door, reaching out for her hand while wrapping his arm around her waist for support. They slowly made their way up the front walkway and into the house once the front door was unlocked. Rooster took Y/n to the couch and got her settled in with the blanket from the car ride while he went to the kitchen and got her a glass of water. He watched as she took a few small sips of the water before handing back the glass that he placed on the coffee table. He sat down on the couch beside her and pulled her feet into his lap, handing her the remote.

"Turn on one of those girly movies you love so much, or even Disney if your feeling it. It's been so long since we've had a movie night, I've missed your crappy picks." He joked lightly giving her a wink,

"I'll have you know my picks are always great. Without me you'd have never known that The Longest Ride was such a great movie." He held his hands up in defeat and started rubbing the arches of her socked feet that resided comfortably in his lap. After the first 30 minutes of Finding Nemo, Rooster looked over to find Shadow softly snoring on the couch beside him. He smiled and readjusted the blanket to cover her shoulders, he sank back into the couch to be more comfortable for the rest of the movie.

An hour later found Shadow screaming herself awake, quickly scooting into a sitting position on the couch. Frantically she looked around the room in search of her friend, coming to the realization that she was all alone. She had just fell into hysterical tears when the front door opened revealing the mustached man carrying a bag of food from the restaurant around the corner. He quickly dropped the bag and lunged across the coffee table to get to the sobbing woman’s side, he put his hands on her knees trying to get her attention.

“Shadow! What is it? Is it the baby? What’s wrong? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong sweetheart..” she looked up into the warm brown eyes staring back at her and finally took a breath,

“I’m..I’m fine. I just..had a nightmare. Please don’t leave me Rooster, I can’t lose you too.” The taller man moved himself onto the couch and pulled the small woman into his lap, wrapping his tanned arms around her.

“I’m right here Shadow, I’m not going anywhere I promise.”

Shortly after Bradley was finally able to get Y/n calmed down and convinced her to get something to eat. Afterwards he walked her up to her bedroom and waited outside until she emerged with wet hair and pajamas to which the shirt allowed her baby bump to peak out at the bottom. He reached for her hand and guided her under the blankets, pulling them up to her shoulder. Upon turning to leave her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist,

“Please stay, I don’t think I can be alone Bradley.” He nodded and walked to the other side of the bed, pulling a throw blanket from off the chair and laid on top of the bedsheets. He threw the blanket over his legs overtop of his clothes and reached out to lay a hand on Shadows back. It wasn’t long before he could hear soft breaths coming from her parted lips letting him know she was finally asleep. When he was certain she would be able to rest peacefully, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

Taglist:

Shadows of the Past

Chapter 19: See Ya Later

Minors DNI 🔞

(Brief mentions of sex to follow)

The next week passed in a blink and before they knew it, the day before Hangman was to deploy was upon them. He’d spent the day on base for the briefing and Y/n spent her day preparing for her own version. Shortly after 8 PM she heard the front door open and close and her husbands voice ring out with a call of her name. She heard him make his way into the bedroom and heard his chuckle when he noticed the lights were off and the candles lit in the room.

“Hey Bug I’m home!” He kicked his shoes off right as she replied,

“Be right out!” Hangman took a seat on the edge of the bed as the bathroom door opened, revealing Shadow wrapped in a bathrobe with her hair in a bun on top of her head.

“How was your day honey?” She smiled and walked over to stand between his legs,

“It was fine, how was yours?” He sighed at her scent filling his nostrils,

“It was alright, you know how mission briefings are.” She nodded as she studied him,

“I do, which is why..I’ve prepared a little briefing of my own..” she punctuated the pause in her words to untie the belt holding her robe together and allowing it to fall to the fall, revealing a set of black of lingerie underneath. The set consisted of thong bottoms and a top that was black lace covering her breasts that turned into a sheer bodice that parted in the middle, curtaining her pregnant belly. She reached up to her hair clip and pulled it out, shaking her hair free to cascade freely down her back. Jake raked his eyes up and down his wife’s figure and his mouth fell open as he took in the sight of her. He reached out to place his large hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him.

“Sorry it doesn’t flatter me like it use to before..” she looked down at her belly that was now pressed against his own stomach,

“Are you kidding? I’ve never been more turned on in my entire life. You are so beautiful it hurts..” He looked up into her eyes so she would understand she was sincere,

“In that case, prepare for your at home briefing Lieutenant..” She put a hand against his chest and gave him a gentle push that had him falling back onto the bed as she crawled on top of him,

“Oh yes ma’am. I’m all yours..” she smiled down at him before connecting their lips.

The next morning started bright and early at 5:30 with Jake having to be on base by 7. Y/n had barely been able to sleep even after the way he’d made love to her the night before had them both falling asleep immediately after her falling onto his chest. Hangman came down the stairs with his duffle bag in hand, taking the travel mug of coffee she held out to him and bending to kiss her forehead. She looked up into his eyes and opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted by a knock at the door. She waddled through the living room to the front door and opened it to reveal the tall mustached man on the other side.

“Good morning beautiful, morning munchkin.” Rooster greeted the woman before him with a kiss to the top of the head and a soft pat to her belly for the baby inside. She moved to allow him inside and the two made their way to the kitchen.

Within 10 minutes the three were loaded into Roosters Bronco and headed for base. They pulled into the parking lot in front of the hanger, getting out they walked Hangman to the door and he turned toward his wife,

“Jake..” he shook his head at her,

“Don’t say it Bug..” she looked at him with a confused face,

“Don’t say what?” He gave her a soft smile,

“Goodbye. Cowboys don’t say goodbye Darlin’, they say see ya later.” She let out a tearful chuckle at his statement, she always loved when pieces of his Texan upbringing peeked through his everyday life.

“Okay, see ya later then baby..” he smiled and bent down to kiss her as deeply as he could, parting and kneeling in front of her to caress and kiss her round belly.

“See ya later Levi, you take care of your mama okay?” He kissed her belly once more before standing and hugging her one more time. He turned to his best friend and gave him a tight squeeze, then he grabbed his duffle bag and headed through the glass door. Rooster stepped over to Y/n’s side as they watched his back retreating into the building. As soon as he was out of sight, Shadow was overcome with emotion and the tears started rushing down her cheeks without her consent. At the first sob her knees threatened to give out, the man at her side wrapped his arms around her and held her up. She buried her face in the fabric of his tank top to muffle her cries.

“Come on sweetheart, let’s get you and the munchkin home..”

Rather than risk her falling as a result of her grief, Rooster leaned down to secure a hand behind the small woman’s knees and swept her up into his arms. He carried her back to the car and got her settled in his passenger seat, buckling her seatbelt and wrapping a blanket over her lap from the backseat. Walking around the other side he climbed into the drivers seat and pointed his Bronco back toward the Seresin home.

Taglist:

Shadows of the Past

Chapter 18: Favors

Y/n felt her heart leap into her throat at her husbands words. Her mind quickly spiraling into panic. Her worst fears all bubbled to the surface at the knowledge that her support system would soon be leaving her and their unborn child alone and with the ever present possibility of never returning. At seeing his wife’s reaction Jake wasted no time crossing the floor to her and guiding her carefully into a kitchen chair.

“Baby it’s okay. I need you to take a deep breath and try to calm down okay? It’s not good for Levi for you to get so worked up. It’s going to be okay Bug, I promise.” With both her hands gripping onto his forearms as he knelt in front of her she slowly took a few calming deep breaths to steady herself before responding,

“What if something happens to you? What if you don’t come home? What if your not back in time for the birth? I can’t do this alone Jake not this..” he pushed a piece of hair back behind her ear and pressed his palm to her cheek that she immediately leaned into.

“It’s all going to be okay Bug. We’ll call Rooster, I know he’d be glad to come stay with you until I’m back which I’m sure will be in no time. And you’ll have Gunner here with you too, between the two of them you know nothing bad will happen to you or Levi okay?” Looking into the green eyes staring back at her she slowly nodded,

“Okay, okay. We’ll be okay. But you’d better not miss the birth of our son Jake I’m serious.” He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her lips,

“I won’t miss the birth honey I promise I’ll do everything I can to make it back here in record time.”

While Shadow made her way up the stairs to their room to get changed, Hangman picked up his cellphone and made a call to his wingman.

“Hangman to what do I owe the pleasure?” The blonde man smiled at his friends voice,

“Bradshaw. Well I need a favor, it’s not really for me it’s for Y/n..” he barely got the words out of his mouth before his friend replied,

“What’s wrong? Is she okay? What do you need?” Jake smiled at Shadow reappearing in the kitchen and digging through the fridge likely in search of a snack.

“She’s fine Rooster, I’m being deployed next week. New admiral trying to flex his muscles I guess, went over Cyclones head. Anyway I need someone to stay with my girl and make sure she’s okay until I get back. Can you handle that for me?” He bent forward to kiss her forehead as she pressed herself against his body,

“Of course. When do you need me there?”

Taglist:

I think I forgot or it probably wasn't mentioned but was Y/N's last name (before they got married) ever mentioned

Shadows of the Past

Chapter 17: Obstetrics and Obligations

Jake was startled from his mindless television watching by the sound of the bathtub in their shared bathroom turning on. He smiled and made his way up the stairs, going through the open door that led into the en-suite. He was met with the sight of Shadow laying back in the water, her bump making a small dry island from the water that her cellphone resided on. Upon further investigation Hangman heard the dulcet sounds of The Righteous Brothers drifting around the room. He squatted down by the edge of the large bathtub and ran his fingers through his wife’s damp hair, meeting her eyes as she looked up.

“Whatcha doin Bug?” She rubbed a hand across her belly at his question,

“Letting Levi listen to music. The doctor said it’s good for his brain development remember?” Jake chuckled and put his own hand over his wife’s.

“I do remember now that you mention it. What better to let him listen to than some of his mamas favorites.” The peace in the room was interrupted by the sound of the home phone ringing from the kitchen. Hangman pushed himself up and hurried down the stairs to reach the phone before it stopped ringing

“Hello?” He nestled the phone between his cheek and shoulder as he rifled through the mail on the counter.

“Lt. Seresin. This is Admiral Jones. We’ve not yet been introduced, but I’m Admiral Kazansky’s replacement. And I’m calling to inform you that you’ll be flying a mission in 1 week. Arrive to base at 1900 hours sharp for the briefing.” Jakes mouth hung open for a moment before replying,

“B..but sir my..I’m not supposed to fly missions until..my wife she’s 8 months pregnant and…” The other mans voice interrupted him before he could finish,

“Last time I checked Lt. your military obligation has nothing to do with your wife’s condition or lack thereof. I’ll see you at 1900 hours or else I’ll have you declared AWOL and you will face subsequent consequences.” The other line went dead before he could respond and he slowly put the phone back on it’s hook.

“Who was that?“ the blonde man turned to meet his small wife’s form covered in a fluffy robe with wet hair.

“I’m…I’m being deployed…in a week…”

Taglist:

Shadows of the Past

Chapter 16: Munchkin

Jake couldn’t help but to notice Y/n was starting to fatigue more easily around the 7th month of her pregnancy. There were good days and bad days and on said bad days it was hard for her to walk from the car to her office in the heart of the base. She had been put on desk duty shortly after her pregnancy had been announced, and while she was disappointed to not be flying she was happy to still be around her husband and her best friend. And also getting to assist the new recruits in other ways. Cyclone had also on occasion given her small projects to help him complete to make sure she still knew she was needed. Hangman knew it was going to be a bad day when he woke to the sight of Shadow running into their en-suite bathroom to be sick. He had followed her into the room and held her hair back as he rubbed soothing circles into her lower back that he knew had to be aching, even though she hardly ever complained. He had tried to convince her to stay home that day and rest but she was having none of it and had gotten dressed all the same in her newly procured duty pants that would fit her growing belly and her top gun crewneck with the sleeves rolled to the elbow.

They arrived slightly later than they typically did and Jake carefully helped his precious wife to her office before making his way to his own office beside Roosters. The other man noticed his arrival and came out to speak with him,

“Hey man, everything okay? You guys are usually here before me, is Shadow okay?” Hangman smiled at his friends worry about his wife, glad to know she had someone else in her corner.

“Yeah it was a rough morning, she’s okay. She’s not been able to eat much lately everything makes her nauseous. We got her to hold down a grilled cheese and some fruit yesterday, the doctor tried to put her on some meds but Levi didn’t appreciate that at all and made her even more sick. Will you help me keep an eye on her while we’re here? I’m really worrying about her..” Bradley nodded,

“Of course I will. I’ll have to have a talk with my nephew when we have some spare time, talk some sense into that little munchkin.” Jake chuckled at the use of the nickname,

“Your not actually going to call my kid munchkin are you Bradshaw?” The mustached man met him with a smirk,

“Oh yeah for sure I am. Any kid that comes from Y/n has got to be a munchkin.” The two shared a laugh and made their way out to the hanger to get the classes for the day started.

Around midday Y/n felt her stomach growl and thought back to how little she’d been able to eat the last few days. She carefully pushed herself out of the chair and headed in the direction of her husbands office. She leaned against the doorway as she got there and he looked up from the papers strewn across his office to greet her, smile faltering as he took her in. She had a few beads of sweat rolling down her face and her typical pregnancy glow had been replaced by a pale flush. He stood and made his way over to her,

“Y/n? Hey Bug…are you feeling okay? You don’t look so good right now…” he reached out and allowed her to slip her hand into his own, holding onto her elbow for added security. Since reaching the office Shadow had begun to feel lightheaded and the room was slowly tilting on his axis. Her knees gave out and Jake scrambled to catch his wife and carefully lower her to the ground with his hand behind her head.

“Y/n?? Baby can you hear me? Open your eyes for me honey! Y/n!!” Rooster who had been walking back from the cafeteria after grabbing his own lunch heard the yelling and rushed to the doorway, he lingered for a split second before rushing into the room at Y/n’s other side.

“What happened??” Hangman had never been more grateful to see his friend as in his panic all his first aid training had went out the window. Bradley pressed his fingers against her neck, feeling a steady pulse beneath his fingertips.

“She just fainted she’s okay Jake, here help me hold her legs up…” the two of them each grabbed one of Y/n’s legs and held them up at a 45 degree angle to help encourage blood flow back to her head. Slowly but surely they noticed the color returning to her face, watching as her brow furrowed and she opened her eyes. They carefully lowered her legs back down and Hangman moved back to his wife’s side, holding her small hand in his own.

“Jake? What happened?” Her words slightly slurred as she was still coming back to herself.

“Your okay honey, you just fainted. You probably have low blood sugar because you haven’t been able to eat very much. Here why don’t you sit up and try to drink this…” Bradley eased her into an upright position with Hangman sitting behind her to allow her to lean back against his chest. Rooster produced a random partially empty Gatorade seemingly from thin air. Shadow took a few small sips and sighed as the cool sugary drink was already helping her feel slightly better. A few minutes passed until Y/n finally came back to herself to actually realize what had happened.

“I’m sorry for taking your drink from lunch Roost…” he smiled at her waving it off,

“Don’t worry about it there’s plenty more. Besides, you and the munchkin are welcome to my Gatorade anytime.”

The two walked her down to the infirmary at Jakes insistence that she get checked out by the medical staff before taking her home. After being given the okay to head home with strict instructions to rest, one of the nurses on duty had talked to Shadow about wristbands that she could try to help with the nausea she’d been having and even produced a set from her bag. She assured the pregnant woman that she was done having children and had no further use for them. As they walked out they met up with Rooster who had seated himself in a chair outside waiting for them to emerge.

“Everybody okay?” Shadow smiled at him rubbing a hand over her belly,

“Yeah, Levi just likes to keep me on my toes. They said the same thing you did, one of the nurses had some suggestions that helped when she was nauseous during her pregnancy. I’m supposed to rest for the next few days so no work.” Rooster nodded,

“You make sure you listen to them. Gotta make sure little mama and munchkin are both happy and healthy.”

The three of them parted ways with a handshake for Jake, hug for Shadow, and a warm palm over her belly for Levi. The couple made their way to the car and Hangman drove them home, Y/n falling asleep along the way. When they arrived he emerged from the car to unlock and prop open the front door, lifting his pregnant wife into his arms and carrying her inside. He made his way to their bedroom and deposited her on the soft bed, removing her shoes and pulling a blanket over her. She sighed in contentment and nuzzled into his scent that covered the bed. Jake ran his fingers through her hair and pressed a kiss to her head before bending down and caressing her belly.

“You be good for mama Levi, let her rest and take care of herself. She’s the most important thing in the world to both of us and we have to take care of her little man.” He softly padded over to the door, pulling the door slightly closed on his way. If he’d have lingered just a moment longer he wouldn’t have missed Y/n’s soft smile at her husband having a conversation with their unborn son.

Taglist:

Words Left Unsaid

PG 13 content to follow, read at your own discretion!

Chapter 5: Getting to Like You

The more time Rooster spent around Hummer the harder he fell for her. In the weeks leading up to their first mission together all his time was either spent in her presence or thinking about her. Unbeknownst to Y/n he had begun teaching himself sign language so that in the event they were out and she wanted a hearing break she could still communicate with him if she needed to and vice versa. The mission itself was successful, they were to fly air cover for a friendly aircraft carrier moving through some potentially hot territory. Everyone had came home safely and there were no major malfunctions to speak of. In the days following the team still had dinner together for 3 of the 4 days, having gotten so use to being around each other that not seeing each other felt strange. Bradley had invited Y/n over to his house in the evening for dinner after spending the day on the beach with the others.

She arrived at his front door right on time and knocked, smiling at the sight of him appearing in the now open door. He smiled back in return taking in the sight of her wearing black Nike shorts and an oversized black hoodie,

“Hey B.” He stepped back to allow her into his living room,

“Hey Y/n, hope you didn’t get too sunburned today?” She chuckled back as they sat down on opposite ends of his couch,

“Not too bad, just a little on the shoulders.” He nodded,

“Same here. Hey I have something for you wait right here, you want a drink?” She scooted back into the corner of his couch making herself comfortable,

“Beer?” He nodded and walked into the kitchen, coming back with a gift bag and a bottle of beer. He held out both items to her and seated himself back across from her. She took a long drink out of her beer before turning her attention to the bag in her lap. She dug inside and removed the contents, breaking into a wide smile as she realized what was inside. From the bag she removed a large throw blanket that was black with white bats on one side and a color inverted version of the pattern on the other side. Her mouth fell open in excitement as she ran her fingers over the soft material.

“Roo this is perfect, I love the black and the bats and it’s not even…” he interrupted her to finish her thought,

“Not one of the scratchy material blankets that you can’t stand. I spent a good while in the store feeling all the blankets and when I saw that one I knew it was perfect for you. I know you say you always wish you’d had a blanket to take with you when you deploy, now if you ever have to you’ll have one.” He had looked down at his lap in the middle of his explanation and was met with the sight of tears welling in Y/n’s eyes as he looked back up at her. When he gave her his classic half smirk that quirked up one corner of his mustache is when she lost all self control and threw herself across the couch toward him, smashing their lips together. He was in shock for a split second before wrapping his large hands around her hips pulling her to straddle his lap, letting them rest there after pulling her closer to his chest. Y/n felt like she couldn’t be close enough to him and had her hands resting carefully on the sides of his face. They allowed their lips to part so they could pant to catch their breath as they looked deep into each others eyes. At her nod Rooster stood with the small girl in his arms, making his way up the stairs toward his bedroom but not before stopping against the wall outside to pull her hoodie up, allowing his hands to roam around the exposed skin.

Once in his bedroom he carefully crawled up the bed with her, laying her down underneath him and hovering above her.

“We…we don’t have to if you don’t want to…just say the word and I’ll stop right now..” she looked up into his hazel eyes that were almost black from lust and in that moment she had never been more sure about anything. Without saying a word she reached up to his Hawaiian shirt that was hanging open between them and used both hands to pull him back fully on top of her. The two took their time undressing each other, caressing each new part of skin that was exposed. Even though it wasn’t the first time for either of them, it might as well have been thanks to the passion in which they made love to each other way into the early hours of the morning.

When he woke Bradley rolled over and was met with a sight that almost made his heart stop. Y/n laid with her long hair draped all over the pillow partially in her face. They had decided to shower together very late the night before and he ended up taking her against the wall of the shower one last time before getting cleaned up and dried off. He had given her one of his T-shirts and she had quickly fallen asleep when she laid down, wrapped in his arms. Coming out of his thoughts Rooster reached over to her, carefully brushing her hair back from her face and allowing the back of his hand to brush along the soft skin of her cheek. She stretched in her sleep and slowly her eyes slid open, smiling at him laying beside her.

“Good morning beautiful.” She reached out and rested her palm against his bare chest,

“Morning B.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to first her forehead, then her lips. She chuckled as he pulled her so she was laying on top of him, nuzzling her face into his neck. He ran his hands up and down her back, the touch of his fingertips causing goosebumps to rise on her skin. She turned her head slightly to press light kisses against his neck, quickly escalating to full open mouthed kisses against the warm skin there. At the first brush of her tongue against the sensitive spot at his pulse point he let out a low groan,

“Mmm baby…” he stiffened suddenly as he realized what he’d allowed to slip out in his distracted state,

“Say it again…I like it when you call me that…” she pressed more kisses against his neck, moving to allow her teeth to lightly graze against the skin of his shoulder. She smiled at the breath that caught in his throat both at the new sensation and her admission,

“Baby do you even realize what your doing to me?“ he pulled his shirt up her body so he could put his hands at the tops of her thighs as she sat up, still on top of him.

“Oh you haven’t seen nothing yet Bradshaw, I’m nowhere near finished with you…”

Taglist:

Shadows of the Past

Chapter 15: Back to Work Part 2

The morning seemed to fly by as Shadow busied herself filling out some of the maintenance paperwork that had been collecting in piles on her desk during her sabbatical for their honeymoon. Before she knew it the time for lunch had come and she made her way slowly down to the cafeteria to find herself at least something small to snack on. She had been craving almost nothing but watermelon and it also happened to be one of the only things she was sure wouldn't make her sick. She scanned over what they had to offer and was very disappointed at the sight of honeydew rather than watermelon. Without her permission she felt her eyes get watery from unshed tears and te the urge to cry was almost overwhelming. She was making her way back toward her office with tears streaming down her cheeks when she bumped straight into none other than Rooster.

Meanwhile across the base Jake had just finished his morning hop with the new group of kids when he noticed his sandy haired friend looking around frantically and sprinting towards him when he spotted him behind the crowd,

"Hangman! Jake...you've got to come with me it's Shadow." The two took off running with Hangman still having his helmet clutched in his hand. They made it to Y/n's office in record time and burst through the door. Jake was surprised to find his small wife with tears still streaming down her face as she tried to sniffle them away. He quickly made his way to squat down in front of where she was seated and wiping her tears with his thumbs,

"What's wrong honey what happened? Are you okay? Is it the baby? Talk to me Bug tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it..." Jake could feel his heart breaking as he watched his wife rub at her tears with closed fists trying desperately to stop crying.

"It's so stupid Jake but I can't help it I don't know what's wrong with me..." he shushed her and rubbed his hands up and down her thighs,

"Hey hey, it's not stupid if it's got you upset. Your pregnant baby there's nothing wrong with you at all, can you tell me what's wrong so I can help you?" Y/n took a shuddering breath trying to calm herself before replying,

"I really just want watermelon but they don't have any and I just got really upset for no reason." Hangman gave her an understanding smile,

"I see why your so upset honey it's okay. Do you want to take off early today and I'll stop on the way home and get you some watermelon? I'm really sorry they didn't have it today, we'll make sure we bring some from home from now on does that sound good?" Shadow nodded and gave him a watery smile as he kissed first her forehead and then her belly.

Together the two men helped the smaller woman collect her bag and get her settled into the car with the air conditioner running,

"Thanks for coming to get me Bradshaw, it's been a rough few weeks for her with such a big adjustment." Bradley nodded,

"I was just so worried when I saw her crying I thought something was really wrong. Hell I think I'll start stashing watermelons all around the base if it means the two of them will be happy!" The two men shared a laugh before shaking hands and Jake climbed into the car heading for home, but not before stopping at the grocery store to buy as many watermelons as would fit in his arms much to Shadow and his unborn sons delight.

Taglist:

Words Left Unsaid

Chapter 4: Getting to Know All About You

The next few weeks went well for the group. They were use to working as a team by this point and having Hummer as an addition seemed to just be an added bonus. They maneuvered around each other in the air as if they had been flying together for years. Bradley had just finished his own hop when he made his way into the lounge to find Y/n, Phoenix and Bob who had taken the first hop earlier in the day. Rooster grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge in the corner of the room, passing by Y/n seated in one of the chairs pouring over a book in her lap.

"Hey Hummer." As he retracted his hand from the fridge he realized the woman hadn't responded. He made his way toward her and noticed her hearing aids laying beside her on the table. He walked around into her line of vision and waved to her so she noticed him without startling her, and when she did she smiled and waved back. He seated himself in the chair across from her as he watched her put her hearing aids in.

"Sorry Roo, you were talking to me weren't you?" He chuckled at her shy smile,

"Nothing much just was saying hi, is it too loud in here for you or you just taking a hearing break?" He had a worried expression on his face as he asked which caused her heart to warm,

"No, just a break. It isn't too loud in here now that Hangman and Coyote went to get changed." Rooster nodded in understanding,

"Well if you want to continue your break I can spot for you? Or I think we're done for the day if you wanted to go get something to eat? Unless you had plans already..." she smiled at the pink on his cheeks as he stuttered through his thoughts out loud,

"That would be nice. I think I'll shower and get changed first though. Meet me outside in 45 minutes?" The woman swore she had never seen him smile so wide in the weeks since she met him,

"Yes ma'am, I'll see you soon."

The two parted ways and true to his word Rooster was waiting by his Bronco 43 minutes later and was met with the sight of Y/n emerging from the door to the locker room. She was wearing a form fitting pair of jeans and a plain black T-shirt paired with a black set of Doc Martens. He was glad her casual choice of dress would match his own jeans and Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned over a white wife beater. She smiled when she saw him and he opened the passenger side door, allowing her to slip inside and buckle up before he closed the door behind her. Climbing into the drivers seat he turned toward her,

"So, what are you in the mood for?" She pondered for a moment pressing her lips together causing the cutest pair of dimples to emerge in her cheeks that Bradley swore would be the death of him one day,

"Breakfast! I really really love breakfast..." he smiled at the giddy look that was plastered across her face at her choice,

"Whatever the lady wants."

They drove for a few minutes in silence before Rooster decided to ask a burning question,

"So I can't help but to notice your affinity for the color black? Black shoes, black shirts, your sunglasses are black along with your nails. Are you secretly from Transylvania and this is part of your evil plot to get to drink my blood?" the woman in the passenger seat threw her head back in a full blown laugh at his question.

"How did you find out about my sinister plan?! No, not from Transylvania pretty far from it actually I'm from South Carolina. But I really loved superhero's as a kid especially Batman. When I was growing up I really related to him because I lost my parents when I was young, so I guess his proclivity for black kind of transferred over as a personality trait for me." She shrugged at her response and he noticed her slightly withdraw into herself toward the end clearly not use to talking about herself,

"I liked them as a kid too don't worry. I'm sorry about your parents, I lost my dad when I was young and my mom passed in high school so I know where your coming from." He replied as they pulled into the parking lot of a diner closest to the base. She smiled in return as they climbed out and made their way inside.

Bradley was extremely amused throughout the meal at Y/n's explanation to why she liked pancakes more than waffles and why the chocolate chips inside with strawberries on top were a must. Back in the Bronco they both rolled down their windows as they headed back toward the house Hummer was staying in on base for the time being that was just down the block from Roosters own. She suddenly became very serious as she turned to him,

"Question. Do you have CDs in here?" He leaned over to pop open the glove box for her and watched as she dug around until she found one, pulled it from the case and pushed it into the player.

"Wanna see something that I think is really cool?" He nodded as he met her eyes that seemed to be sparkling even in the low light. He watched as the black devices in her ears were removed and the volume knob turned up high as the opening notes to "Bang Your Head" by Quiet Riot bounced around the small cab.

"Can you feel it?? This is my favorite thing to do, sometimes it's just as fun to feel the music as it is to listen to it!" He offered her the biggest smile in response to her almost yelled explanation over the loud music and nodded his own head along with hers to the beat.

The song ended just as they arrived in the driveway in front of her house. He turned off the engine and turned toward her.

"Thank you for showing me that, I definitely have a new appreciation for this song now. And thank you for coming to dinner with me, it was really nice to get to know you alittle better. I'd like to do it again sometime if your okay with that?" Both their cheeks flushed slightly pink as she replied,

"Definitely. Thanks for inviting me, I had a really nice time Roo. I'll see you in the morning for the briefing?" He nodded,

"For sure. Goodnight Y/n..." she smiled at his use of her first name as she closed the door behind her.

"Goodnight Bradley..." she made her way up the path to her front door, passing though and closing it behind her but not before offering him a wave from inside. He waved in return and waited until he saw the upstairs light turn on before he backed out of her drive and headed toward his own home. And if he replayed the song just how she had played it for him shortly before, no one would ever have to know.

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Words Left Unsaid

Chapter 3: Getting to Know You

The next morning saw the aviators back in the hanger, Hummer sitting in the row behind Phoenix and Bob with Rooster sitting in the row behind her. They were briefed by Maverick on the exercise for the day and they were dismissed to complete their preflight routines.

Y/n was walking slightly ahead and Rooster hesitated for a moment before quickening his steps to reach her, placing a light hand on her shoulder. She turned toward him fiddling with one of the black devices he finally noticed seated behind both her ears.

"Uh hi...I just, wanted to introduce myself properly. I'm Bradley. Sorry about last night I didn't realize.." he motioned toward his own ear and she gave him a smile.

"Oh it's okay, most people don't. Phoenix told me you thought I was ignoring you, I'm really sorry about that. Loud noise bothers me still so if the places I am are too loud I usually take my hearing aids out and either read lips or just use sign language. It's nice to meet you Bradley, I'm Y/n." She stuck her hand out and shook his firmly, he was surprised to hear the lilt of a Southern accent on her tongue as she spoke. He smiled back at her, enjoying the feeling of her small hand in his.

"Probably should go get settled, see you in the sky Roo.” She winked at him before walking off toward her own jet leaving him blushing in her wake.

Rooster and Hummer were paired with Phoenix, Bob, and Hangman for the first exercise. This time the single seater duo were against Hangman and Phoenix as bogies, the first team out loses. They got off to a good start until Hangman caught up and took off hard on Roosters tail.

“Where’s your wingman there Bradshaw? Nobody to save you now.” Just as his finger hovered over the trigger to get tone he heard a strange melodic sound come over the comms as a streak of F-18 broke between he and Rooster giving the other pilot the chance to break away.

“What the hell was that?” Hangman quickly changed direction to give chase to the new jet in his sights. Phoenix let out a smug chuckle,

“Fellas, now you know why we call her Hummer. You’ll hear her before you ever see her coming and when she’s on, she’s one of the best you’ll ever see.”

The group of aviators landed not long after, with Rooster and Hummer emerging as the victors. Once she had climbed down and removed her helmet allowing her long braid to cascade down her back, the others made their way over to the small pilot.

“Where did you learn how to fly like that?” Y/n shrugged,

“Lots of practice? Being the only girl has its perks I suppose. Pushes you harder to achieve.” She gave them a squinted smile in the bright sun as she fitted the black devices back into her ears to carry on the conversation.

Rooster hung slightly behind as he watched the others walk back into the base toward the locker room trying to calm his racing heart at the realization of just how quickly he was falling for this unique woman. When he made his way through the door and around the corner to his locker he was met with the sight of a half naked Y/n. He couldn’t pull his eyes away from her shirtless chest as her flight suit hung unzipped around her waist. He could hardly keep from making an audible groan at the sight of her tanned skin and hint of a tan line at the edge of her black bra that was pressing her breasts together in a way that had his own suits crotch feeling a little too tight. Phoenix gave him a gentle nudge on her way by and he was quickly brought back to the present and turned to collect his things to go have the coldest shower he possibly could.

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Shadows of the Past

Chapter 14: Back to Work part 1

A few months had gone by in the blink of an eye, Shadow was now 5 months pregnant and her bump was finally starting to show. They had found out that they were having a little boy and decided his name would be Jacob Levi Seresin. Y/n wanted to name their son after Jake, but they would call him Levi.

Shadow was roused by the sound of someone speaking quietly, she looked to her side and found Hangman missing,

“And you’ll have your mamas nose, she has the most precious nose. Maybe my eyes, green isn’t a dominant gene so you might get your mamas baby blues but I think that’d be just fine too…” y/n felt his lips press against her belly and peeled back the covers to reveal her husband sprawled on his stomach, talking to her bump.

“Good morning Bug, you look absolutely beautiful.” That caused y/n to bust out into chuckles,

“Oh I’m sure I do Jake wearing your Navy T-shirt and my hair all over the place I’m sure I’m the picture of beauty.” He sat up and pressed a kiss onto her lips,

“Your always beautiful to me.” Shadow flushed pink as she looked away,

“You talking to the baby?” Hangman nodded in response,

“Yeah the doctor said he can hear us right? I know he hears your voice all the time, I just wanted to be sure he’ll know me too…” y/n smiled at him,

“He’ll know exactly who you are don’t worry.”

Jake carefully helped his pregnant wife out of the bed and through her morning shower routine, the two of them not having to be to work until later that morning. They cooked breakfast together and got dressed, Hangman helping Shadow into her 4Runner and driving them both to the base. Upon arriving he wouldn’t let her carry in her duffle bag as was usual, and they were greeted by Maverick and Rooster on the way by.

“How’s my favorite mama doing today? And how’s my precious nephew?” Rooster first pressed a kiss to y/n’s forehead before bending down and pressing another against her T-shirt covered bump.

“We’re both doing good Roost, morning Mav.” The older man wrapped the girl in a side hug pulling her close,

“Good morning Shadow. You ready to take on the new group with us Hangman?” Jake chuckled,

“As ready as I’m going to get.” The three parted ways to allow Hangman and Y/n to change into their flight suits, y/n hadn’t flown since she found out she was pregnant but old habits die hard and she wanted to wear her flight suit while she was at least still able to tie it around her waist. Jake had waited for her outside the locker room and whistled when he saw her,

“Wow Bug, I’m gonna have a hard time keeping my hands off you when you look like that.” He leaned down to put his hands on her hips, starting to kiss at her neck. She fell into giggles before carefully pushing him back,

“You have a class to help teach Lieutenant, better get out there before your late.” He gave her a salute in response,

“Well yes ma’am, after you.”

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Words Left Unsaid

Chapter 2: First Encounters

If there was one thing Bradley Bradshaw typically wasn’t, it was nervous. Although the feeling he was experiencing currently had to be the closest he’d been since being a teenager in high school. He was currently perched on a stool by the beloved pool table as he covertly watched Phoenix and Y/n chatting with Penny at the bar. Bob seemed to be the only one who noticed his staring and leaned over to talk to his friend,

“Phoenix said she’s a really nice girl, maybe you should go talk to her Rooster? Find out for yourself..” Bradley looked over at the man beside him who gave him a reassuring smile.

As if fate had the same idea Phoenix had excused herself to the bathroom and Penny was currently serving customers sat at the opposite end of the bar from the girl in question. Gathering his nerve he stood from his seat and made his way across the crowded room toward her. As he got closer he could smell her perfume that lingered around her, she was wearing a pair of blue Jean shorts and a form fitting long sleeve black shirt. He propped himself on the chair back beside her and cleared his throat trying to get her attention. The woman didn’t seem to notice his presence or was purposefully ignoring him, Phoenix chose that moment to make her way back to her friend.

“Oh hey Bradshaw, have you met Y/n?” At the mention of her name she turned toward Phoenix and seemed to suddenly notice Rooster standing so close to her.

“Bradley Bradshaw this is Y/n L/n, Hummer this is Rooster.” Not knowing what else to do Rooster stuck his large hand out toward her and she placed her smaller one inside his giving it a firm shake, he looked up from their conjoined hands into her deep blue eyes. She met him with a warm smile and a small wink before turning back to Phoenix and listening to the story that she had been telling before leaving earlier

Feeling defeated Bradley made his way back over to his original seat, Bob placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. The night carried on with Coyote, Hangman, Payback and Fanboy playing various games of pool. It was around 11 before Rooster watched the mysterious woman make her way out of the bar, keys in hand. Phoenix walked over to her group of friends, taking a seat at Roosters other side.

“So what did you think? You like Hummer?” The dark haired girl waggled her eyebrows at the taller man, causing him to let out a scoff.

“I don’t know what to think, she ignored me at first until you came up. Then she didn’t even talk to me.” Phoenix tried to suppress a smile by curling her lips inward,

“Awe sweet little Bradley has a crush and thinks she doesn’t like him, poor Bradley.” He shook his head, cheeks turning slightly pink from her teasing.

“Don’t worry lover boy, she wasn’t ignoring you at all. She’s mostly deaf so she has to wear hearing aids, but the bar noise was too much so she had taken them off shortly before you came over. She can still hear without them to a degree but not normal conversation in a crowded bar.” Bradley’s mouth formed a confused o as he took in this news,

“And she’s a pilot? How does that work?” Phoenix took a drink of her beer before continuing,

“She had already proved herself as the top 1% starting TOPGUN when it happened, one of the guys decided to play a prank and hide her earmuffs when they were watching a demo on enemy aircraft low level maneuvers. The jet taking off damaged her hearing in both ears, he didn’t realize what he’d done he was just playing a prank. Their still friends, still talk every few months. The comms in her helmet are specially engineered to amplify sound so she can hear everything just like the rest of us.” Rooster took in this news and was even more intrigued by the small dark haired woman that had caught his eye. He didn’t know hardly anything about her, but he wanted to and was determined to find out more.

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