Bradley is woken up later in the evening by his phone chiming. Careful not to wake up Cecelia, who is heavily napping next to him on the couch, he looks at the message. Phoenix was letting him know that the group was going out to the Hard Deck for some drinks and to relax from another hard day of training.

Sighing, he answers her, informing that Cecelia is completely asleep and that he was woken up by the message. To which Phoenix responds that they aren’t that old yet, so to get their asses up and enjoy a night out.

He just chuckles before putting his phone down. Looking over to the other side of the couch, he debates how he wants to go about this. Eventually he just decides to go for it. Gently shaking Cecelia’s shoulder, Rooster softly calls her name to wake her up.

“Baby,” he coos out. “Cece, wake up,” still whispering softly, he watches as she begins to wake up.

“What? What is it?” she asks, voice still heavy with sleep. She was having a great nap after having such an eventful day.

Bradley can’t help but find this adorable. Anytime she is woken from her sleep, she gets this little crease between her eyebrows as she scrunches her nose at the sensation. Chuckling softly, he responds, “Phoenix texted to let me know everyone is getting together at the Hard Deck. her exact words were ‘You are not that old, so get your asses here or you’ll have to deal with my hungover ass tomorrow.’”

Giggling, because she can just see Natasha typing that, Cecelia sits up from her spot on the couch. “Ok, let's get ready. No need to make her grumpy as well as drunk.”

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Arriving at the Hard Deck, Cecelia immediately tries to locate Natasha. Spotting her with Payback, Fanboy, and Bob by the pool table. Grabbing Rooster’s hand, she drags him over to the group of four.

Seeing them approaching, Phoenix loudly exclaims, “about time you got here. I was beginning to think you had just ignored me.”

“We could never ignore you Nat,” Cecelia teases lightly.

“No matter how hard I tried,” Rooster sighs out, faking sadness. This grabs a laugh from everyone else and an elbow to the stomach for him.

Without the group noticing, Coyote and Hangman wander over to the group, ready to ask a question that had been plaguing everyone, except Phoenix of course.

“So how exactly did you two meet?” Coyote asks

Hangman nods, taking a sip of his beer. “Yea, I still don’t understand how Rooster over here managed to snag ‘Broadway Royalty’ as I’ve been told.”

Rooster, always quick to fire back at Hangman, flatly says “I didn’t snag her. She isn’t some prize that I won.”

Trying to diffuse the tension, Cecelia takes Rooster’s hand, pulling him into her. “Well what do you all want to know? I’d be happy to answer your questions.”

It’s actually Bob who pipes up first. “How did you two meet in the first place? I can’t see Rooster going to a Broadway show on his own.”

“Well it’s actually a story that began five years ago.”

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Cecelia stood just behind her grandfather during the ceremony. She was immensely proud of him, for all he had done long before she was born. As the last surviving member of his unit from the Korean War (that was actually more of a conflict but don't mention that around him).

As the speaker began to address the crowd, Cecelia's eyes began to wander. All Navy personnel on the base were outside for the ceremony as well. Scanning the officers, she saw a number of women, something she was proud to see. But someone in particular caught her eye. A boy, well man really, with beautiful dark brown eyes. When their gazes locked, the world didn't stop turning. No fireworks went off, and they could still hear everything around them. But they were intrigued.

Bradley was in the front row of officers, standing in formation. He had glanced at the family being honored a few times, curiosity peaking when he caught the gaze of the young woman. Eyes that appeared to be green or blue, he couldn't decide.

When the ceremony was over, neither had a chance to catch another glimpse, as both were swept away in the crowd. But fate would not let these two go too Lang without a proper introduction.

Later that afternoon, Cecelia was taking a walk around base. She had requested off for the day from show rehearsals, but now she was stressing over the day missed. No matter how long she had been doing this, she always got nervous about messing up.

Not paying attention to where she was going, she bumped into someone else. And low and behold, those same brown eyes from this morning were staring back at her.

"Sorry! I got lost in my head and wasn't looking where I was going," she quickly apologized, slightly embarrassed. The man just shook his head, a small mile sitting on his lips.

"It's no problem, Miss. All in a day's work," he joked. He could see her shoulders relax, that sentence putting her at ease, knowing she didn't mess up. "And what might be your name, miss 'lost in my head'?" He questioned.

"I'm Cecelia," she easily replied. A smirk started to form on her lips, knowing what was more than likely about to happen. "Cecelia Marcellini."

He looked slightly shocked, but didn't react otherwise. "Was it your grandfather that was honored today?"

Cecelia covered her own shock well, surprised he didn't mention anything about her parents. He gained a little more respect after that. "Yeah he was. He never really talks about what he went through, but I'm proud of him nonetheless. And what is your name," she quickly looks at his attire, "lieutenant?" A question in her voice, also asking if she got his rank correct.

"Bradley," he responds, copying her introduction. "Bradley Bradshaw, but around here they call me 'Rooster'. And yes, I'm a lieutenant. Naval aviator to be precise."

She nods, impressed. Her grandfather was on the ground fighting, he didn't do well with planes, so she had never met an aviator before. "Well, I've never actually met a Naval Aviator before. Maybe you can educate me on what it is you do? A d why exactly you are called 'Rooster' of all things," she slyly implies. Cecelia knows a handsome face when she sees one, even if she is only there for the day. May as well shoot her shot.

He smiles and gestures to the town. "Can I buy you a drink, then? This may take a while," Bradley flirted right back.

They just smiled at each other, neither knowing that this small interaction, this one decision to get a drink, would change their lives forever.

☽☆☾   ☽☆☾   ☽☆☾

Everyone listens intently, making sure they don’t miss any information. Whether to hear the story or to try and find some form of embarrassing blackmail, no one knows. Even Phoenix was deeply invested, despite having heard the story and been there for the last two years of their relationship.

“Wow,” Coyote is the first to break the soft atmosphere. “So your grandfather was in the Navy as well?”

“Yea, he just doesn’t really talk about it. He actually wasn’t the happiest when I formally introduced him to Bradley. Just knowing what he went through during his time, and the families of his Navy Brothers, it took him some time,” Cecelia admits.

“Hey, I got him to like me now. Hell, I asked for his blessing long before I asked for her father’s to propose,” Rooster tells the group. Even Ceclia hadn’t known he had asked her grandfather for his blessing.

Phoenix just smiles at the couple. “I’ve heard the story before and I still can’t believe it half the time. I swear you two were destined to be together.”

Smiling, Cecelia lets out a light laugh. “It gets even better because the first show of mine he saw, he was surprising me. Planned it with one of my co-stars and everything.”

Hangman jokingly lets out an aww at that. “Rooster has a soft side, who would have thought?”

Moving on from the topic of their relationship, Fanboy turns to Cecelia. “What shows have you been a part of? Are you just on Broadway?”

Bashfully, Cecelia claims they probably haven’t seen much of anything she has done, as she normally stays in New York. But before she can try and change the subject, Phoenix chimes in. “If you watched that Grease Live! Production that was broadcast on TV a few years ago, she was Sandy.”

“Oh yea, I watched that with my girlfriend at the time,” Payback says. “Wow, you were amazing, I was up and dancing to all the songs.” he admits, having no shame whatsoever.

Always ready to brag about his fiance, Rooster is quick to add, “she also does plenty of work behind the scenes. Cece here is a renowned choreographer, as well as an actress. A true Triple Threat in the entertainment industry.”

That everyone’s attention. “Ooh what have you choreographed? Any movies or shows?”

Smiling knowingly, Rooster and Phoenix share a glance. Cecelia answers slyly, “oh you know, a few movies on my resume include the High School Musical franchise, among others.”

Jaws just drop. “WHAT?!” is collectively shouted by pretty much everyone.

“I had originally auditioned for Sharpay, but when I didn’t get it, Kenny reached out wondering if I wanted to assist with the dancing. Ever since then, I’m always a contact for him if he wants a different perspective, especially when it comes to working with new stars,” Cecelia tells them. Every word she just spoke added to the jaws continuing to drop. By this point, every jaw was on the floor.

“So let me get this straight,” Fanboy begins, “legendary choreographer and director Kenny Ortega has you on speed dial for choreography on any of his projects? The Kenny Ortega who worked with Michael Jackson?”

Nodding her head, Cecelia laughs at the looks she is getting. “That’s the one. He’s become a good friend and amazing mentor over the years.”

Hangman once again looks over at Rooster, exclaiming, “Seriously, HOW did you score her?”

Shaking his head, Rooster just loops his arms around Cecelia’s waist. “I ask myself that every day, to be honest. But I wouldn’t change it.”

Phoenix just gags jokingly. “Well after that declaration of love, I need a drink.” Taking her leave from the group, Phoenix heads over the bar, flagging down Penny when she looks over.

Tapping his hand, Cecelia detachs Rooster from her body and joins Phoenix at the bar.

“Whiskey Sour please, Penny,” Phoenix doesn’t even need to ask, ordering Cecelia’s favorite drink when she sits down.

Glancing at her from the corner of her eye, Cecelia notices Phoenix looks tired. “You ok Nat? You look exhausted.”

Sighing, she nods. “It’s just been a long few days. With everything going on, I feel like I can’t slow down to think.”

“Well, how about tomorrow you come over to our place. I can kick Bradley out for a little while and we can have a girls night and catch up,” Cecelia offers up. “I’ve got that type of wine you like already chilling in the fridge.”

Laughing into her drink, Phoenix looks at her. “Now you’re speaking my language. Tomorrow night at 6?”

“I’ll be waiting,” Cecelia says. Then she cringes slightly, recoiling. “That makes it sound like you’re my lover. I love you, but not like that,” she continues laughing.

“Damn, I was so looking forward to seeing the look on Rooster’s face when I told him I stole his fiance from,” Phoenix smiles.

If only they knew what the next day would bring the team.

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Word count: 1,988

So now you know how they met!! A sweet meet cute that blossomed into a beautiful relationship.

HOLY CRAP!! 1.21K!!! I never would have guessed I would get to this. This is my first ever fanfic, even if I've been on this site for 8 years. Thank you all so much and I hope you continue to enjoy what I'm doing.

I had thought of the idea of Cecelia being in HSM cause I was watching HSM3 and wanted her to sing I Want It All but then realized I didn’t want her to be a world wide celebrity. But I love pretty much everything Kenny Ortega does, thus her being a close friend and choreographer for him.

Some quick background for their first meeting:
The Korean War was labeled a war, but no official Article of War was ever signed, so legally and officially speaking, it was the Korean Conflict. My grandfather served in the Korean War, so I know the lasting effects it had on people. My dad and his siblings didn’t even know he was in the Navy until they found his picture. He never talked about it. I just found it interesting when I was taught about it in school that it was technically never an official war.

Also, hope any Broadway people caught my little Anastasia reference in their first meeting. The song it's from is part of the playlist.

My classes officially start on Monday for my final year of college. The plan is still an update a week, just don't be surprised if I may update late.

Until next time, bye for now!!