Epilogue

5 Years Later

Cecelia was sitting in the living room of the Bradshaw household, a Disney movie on in the background. Her and Bradley had gotten married a little over a year after the mission. Planning had taken longer than they had expected, especially with a surprise but very welcome addition to their lives.

Nicole "Nikki" Bradshaw had been quite the surprise to learn about. Bradley swears to this day Maverick almost fainted the day they had told him. (Amelia fully backs him up on it too.) Although Phoenix may take the cake for her overall reaction to the news. Hangman still maintains that he lost some hearing in his right ear after from the screech she let out finding out.

Nikki was born almost ten months after the mission and quickly became the apple of her parents' eyes. The little girl was four now and the spitting image of her father, something he was very proud of. Bradley was the ultimate girl dad. She was his little girl, his princess. All she had to do was put on the big eyes and he melted. It was something Hangman never let him live down. He was quickly shut down when Cecelia reminded him that he couldn't tell her no either.

The family of three couldn't have been happier. With Bradley home for a while due to the mission success and Cece pregnant, they got a lot done and ready long before Nikki made her entrance into the world. And while the girl might be the spitting image of her father, she was showing quite the entertaining personality. Neither Bradley nor Cecelia would force her into anything she didn't want to, but right now it was a toss up if she would take either of her parent's careers.

But something has to throw a wrench in their plans. Their son, Lucas 'Luke' Bradshaw , named after Cecelia's grandfather, was born about two years after Nikki. With Cecelia being almost five years apart from Ronen and Bradley not having any siblings, it was definitely a challenge dealing with two kids under the age of two.

Both of their families and all of their friends were there for any help they might have needed. It was a sight to behold whenever there was a gathering, seeing all of these top notch Top Gun pilots turning to literal mush around these kids. It was a spectacle to behold, especially for younger pilots who looked up to them. Not surprisingly Phoenix was the overwhelming favorite of the two, as well as Bob. The pilot and wso were one hell of a team in the air and while babysitting. But the surprising one was Hangman. Nikki loved him, much to Bradley's dismay.

And when Bradley was away on a mission or deployed, the offers stood even more. Maverick and Penny were there the most, being the unofficial grandparents on Bradley's side. But even they had difficulty at times, primarily because the Bradshaws were headquartered in New York. Cece was still doing shows, while not as frequent, but she needed to stay around the area. Not to mention, her parents still lived there, so the kids had their other grandparents to hang out with. Let me just say, Sophie and Riccardo took to being grandparents a little too well. These kids were spoiled so much, they wanted for absolutely nothing.

Now, with her daughter tucked into her side and her son sitting on the floor in front of her, Cecelia reminisces about the past few months. It had been hard, with Bradley being deployed for the past six months. But they had talked before this last one and he had said he was ready to take a step back. After the mission, Rooster had been promoted to Lieutenant Commander, and just recently had made the jump to Commander.

He would still be active in the Navy and on reserve for any special mission they may need him for, but he wanted to stay as grounded as possible to be with his kids and wife. The family was ecstatic about that. Luke was too young to fully comprehend what was happening, and while Nikki didn't get all of it, she still knew that her daddy wasn't home.

But luckily for her, he was coming home the next day. She didn't know that, however, as Cecelia and Bradley had decided to keep it a surprise. So a few bedtime stories later, and both kids were down for the night, letting Cecelia bask in quiet for a little while before heading to bed herself.

The next morning, Bradley had texted her, letting him know he was only a few minutes out. Calming herself down so she didn't give anything away was definitely a challenge, as she was just as excited to see her husband as the kids would be. Once she did, she grabbed her phone so she could record the moment.

When a knock sounded on the door, she went to get it, telling the kids she would be right back. This gave her and Bradley at least a mini reunion together. As soon as that door was open, she was wrapped around him like a vine. Arms around his neck and legs around his waist, Cecelia quickly kissed his lips. His arms wrapped around her waist, responding just as fast as she did. They took as much time as they could before Nikki became curious and walked over.

"I'm so glad you're back. I love you so much." Cecelia whispered against his lips, not wanting to part but knowing they had to. Bradley pressed his lips back to hers for a second before responding. "I missed you and the kids so much more than I ever thought possible. I love you too."

Grabbing his hand, Cecelia led him towards the living room before stopping just before the entrance. Camera ready, she entered and Nikki looked up at her from the couch. "Who was it Mommy?" Kissing the top of her head, Cece answers her with another question. "Why don't you see for yourself."

That was Bradley's cue to step into the doorway where both of his children could see him. Nikki was up in an instant screaming "DADDY!" running as fast as she could. Bradley had crouched down so he was on her level, scooping her up in his arms and squeezing her tightly. And before she could move, Luke came over as fast as his little legs would let him. While he didn't scream out like Nikki had, his hug said it all. Neither child wanted to let go of their father, so he easily lifted them up and headed towards Cecelia. A proper family hug took place, the four of them just standing there for a few minutes.

Bradley set down the kids and went to change into regular clothes, but not before assuring them he would be right back downstairs. Cecelia was sending the video out to pretty much everyone, multiple group chats being activated and pinging her phone constantly. As soon as Bradley was back down, he was told in no uncertain terms by his four year old to sit on the couch. Even if he wasn't wrapped around Nikki's finger, he would have just so he could snuggle with his kids and wife for the first time in six months.

That night, the kids fell asleep on their parents and Bradley didn't have the heart to move them just yet. He just kept looking at them, mesmerized by their little faces before Cecelia got his attention. "What's going on in that head of your's Brad?"

Before he even thinks of an answer, he gives her a peck on the lips. It still hasn't fully sunk in that he was finally home, despite knowing this date for a while. "Just think of how incredibly lucky I got."

They stayed on that couch for a little while longer, basking in their kids and each other before taking them to their rooms. Cece was holding Luke, while Bradley was practically cradling Nikki, despite her being too big for it.

Eventually, the couple crashed into their own bed, both exhausted from the day but not ready to call it a night. They had six months to catch up on, after all.

The Broadway beauty and the Naval Aviator had one hell of a life together, one that had only just started. One that wasn't slowing down any time soon.

One that started with a chance meeting over ten years prior. Some may call it fate, others call it luck. But one thing was for certain.

Cecelia and Bradley are the definition of soulmates. And that's all anyone can ask for.

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Word count: 1,452

OMG! YOU GUYS!! This is it!! This book, this journey, is officially over. I cannot explain how proud I am of this. As I've said, this is my first ever story on this site, despite being on here for over 8 years now.

As of publishing this chapter, this book is at 10.5K!!! I really can't thank everyone enough.

Thank you to all those who have supported me throughout this process. I'm glad you loved Cecelia and Bradley as much as I did. This started as an idea after I saw the movie that I wanted someone else to write but I decided to take matters into my own hands. I hope I did it justice,

Just a few extra points. Based on research I found, the ranking relevant to this story is as follows:

Lieutenant: total of 4 years of service

Lieutenant Commander: between 9 and 11 years of service (pay grade equiv to Army Major)

Commander: minimum of 3 years as Lieutenant Commander and between 15 and 17 years of service

Captain: minimum of 3 years as Commander and between 21 and 23 years of service

If we do the math, Rooster was set back 4 years by Maverick, meaning he didn't enter the Navy until he was about 22. If we are saying he is about 35 during TG:M, he could have been promoted to Lieutenant Commander after the mission was over. With this Epilogue taking place 5 years after that, he would have completed the minimum of 3 years as Lieutenant Commander to become a Commander. But not quite long enough to be promoted to Captain.

If I got any of this wrong and anyone knows the correct order/ranking system, please let me know and I will fix it.

Now, I don't know about any of you, but I'm not quite ready to say goodbye just yet. And I had so many ideas for this story that didn't fit or make it in. SO...

I will be publishing a series of one shots/snapshots into events we didn't get to see. The intro chapter will be up tomorrow!!

But that's all I've got. So again, THANK YOU ALL. And see you in the one shots! Bye!


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