The next morning Dani woke up on Bradley's chest. She hummed. She looked up at him and smiled. Bradley stirred. He opened one eye and smiled.
"Good mornin' Darlin'." He said with a slight drawl.
Dani chuckled.
"Good morning." She brushed back his wavy hair.
Her alarm went off. They both sighed. Dani went to get up, but Bradley pulled her into him. She smiled.
"Come on we'll be late." Dani chuckled.
"No I want to stay here." Bradley said sounding very genuine. Dani kissed him.
"Come on Cowboy." Dani grabbed his hands pulling him up.

"Good morning. The uranium enrichment plant that is your target will be operational earlier than expected. Raw uranium will be delivered to the plant in ten days' time. As a result, your mission has been moved up one week in order to avoid contaminating the target valley with radiation." Warlock informed.
"Sir, no one here has successfully flown a low-level course." Phoenix said.
"Nevertheless, you've been ordered to move on." He looked up to see Maverick. "Captain."
"We have one week left to focus on phase two. It's the most difficult stage of the mission. It's a pop-up strike with a steep dive, requiring nothing less than two consecutive miracles. Two pairs of f-18s will fly in a welded wing formation. Teamwork. Precise coordination of these aircraft is essential to both the mission's success and your survival. As you know, the plant rests between two mountains. On final approach, you'll invert directly into a steep dive.
This allows you to maintain the lowest possible altitude and the only possible attack angle. Your target is an impact point less than three meters wide.
The two-seat aircraft will paint the target with a laser bull's-eye. The first pair will breach the reactor by dropping a laser-guided bomb on an exposed ventilation hatch. This will create an opening for the second pair. That's miracle number one. The second team will deliver the kill shot... And destroy the target. That's miracle number two. If either team misses the target...

"That's a miss." Dani said, looking up.
"The mission is a failure." Maverick looked at her.

They all tried, now it was Phoenix's turn with her team. Dani sat by the radio listening to them. She felt like she blacked out because out of no where she heard Phoenix shout "EJECT!" Dani and everyone's heart started to race.

Dani and Bradley sat in an empty hospital waiting room. Dani paced back and forth. Bradley had his face in his hands.
"Dani. You gotta sit down." Bradley looked up a her. Then Maverick walked in. They looked to him.
"They'll keep Phoenix and Bob in the hospital overnight for observation." Maverick stared. "They're gonna be okay." Maverick smiled.
"That's good." Dani smiled.
"I've never lost a wing man." Bradley said looking off. Dani and Maverick looked at him.
"You're lucky. Fly long enough, it'll happen.There will be others." Maverick said, feeling like it was a jab at him.
"Easy for you to say. No wife." Bradley said. Dani looked at him. "No kids." Dani's bottom lip trembled. "Nobody to mourn you when you burn in." Bradley looked up at Maverick.
"Go home." Maverick said quietly. "Rooster." Dani said. Bradley looked at Dani.
"What? Is it not true?" He asked upset. "He pulled your papers and mine!" He yelled. He looked at Mave.
"Why did you stand in our way!" Bradley stood.
"You weren't ready." Maverick said.
"Ready for what?" Bradley yelled.

"Rooster!" Dani yelled the two looked at her. "Bradley.... what you said was not true." A tear fell down Dani's cheek. "He has a daughter. And that's me!" She practically yelled. "I'm Daniella Mitchell. Daughter of Captain Pete Mitchell and Charlotte Blackwood."
"Dani." Maverick whispered. Dani stared at Bradley.
"So you lied to me. You told me...." Bradley put his head down. "Is everything else a lie too?" He asked. Bradley looked at Maverick.
"My dad believed in you." He looked at Dani. "I'm not gonna make the same mistake." Bradley walked out of the waiting room. Dani fell into the chair Bradley sat in.
"You never told them we're related." Maverick said. Dani nodded.
"It was my choice. I wanted to become a pilot on my own. Not Rebel, daughter of the legend Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell." Dani looked at her dad. Dani got up.
"I'm going to the bar." Dani and walked out.

Dani sat at a bar she knew pilot's didn't really go to. She ordered two shots and downed them.
"I'm surprised you're not at the HardDeck." The bartender said. Dani looked up at him.
"I wanted to be alone."  Dani said. Bartender nodded.
"Well I guess you ain't the only one." He pointed to a guy over in a booth.  She looked over her shoulder to see him. Dani grabbed her wallet and slapped the money on the counter and stormed off. Bradley looked up and saw her leave. A tear fell from his eye but wiped it away. Dani drove off to her trailer. She sat on her bike crying. She made her self cry ever more blaming everything on her.

"Captain Mitchell is no longer your instructor. And as of today, there are new mission parameters.
Time to target is now four minutes." Commander said. "You'll be entering the valley level at reduced speed. Not to exceed 420 knots."
"Sir, won't we be giving their planes time to intercept?" B.O.B.
"Well, lieutenant, you have a fighting chance against enemy aircraft. What are the odds of surviving a head-on collision with a mountain? You'll be attacking the target from a higher altitude, level with the north wall. Gonna be a little harder to keep your lase on target, but you will avoid the high-g climb out. We'll be sitting ducks for enemy missiles." Then the sound of some radio went off. "Who the hell is that?" He asked. Dani looked at Bradley. He looked up concerned, his eyebrows furrowed. He didn't look at her though. She actually didn't sit with him she sat behind Hangman.  They listened to Maverick as his goes through the course.  He made it. Dani smiled.

Later she soon found Ice had passed in his sleep. She held it together well until she got home. She felt like everything was falling apart and she couldn't mend it.

Dani walked up to the stand in the church. She took a deep breath.
"Ice... Tom was a great man. He treated my dad like a brother. He treated me like a daughter. He was like an uncle. He was there when my mom feel sick. He was there..." she paused a tear fell. Rooster looked up at her. "He was there when my dad was deployed. He was there.... He was there when my mom passed. He will be sadly missed." She looked down at her hands. "I love ya Ice." She whispered.

They were getting ready to bury Tom. She looked forward think of all the good times with family. Thinking what life with Rooster. Dani jumped a little when the first gun shot went off, knocking her out of her day dream. Rooster looked down at her. Her face was stoic. He knew she was holding back. He looked forward, he took his pinky and grabbed hers.