Goodness

Lana put her hair up in a bun, Harper walked in and smiled. "Well look at you, when am I am going to see the action?" Harper asked and Lana looked up at her sister. "When you become a pilot, duh." Lana said as she made sure everything looked good. "Whatever, have great time LT. River." Harper said as she grabbed her keys to her car. "Harper, remember what I said." Lana said sternly. "Don't do anything damn stupid Harper." Harper replied mocking Lana from yesterday.

"I was serious." Lana mumbled. Harper chuckled and said "I know, don't worry I'll be fine, you have fun." Harper said as she left. "What the hell am I going to do with her." Lana said as she grabbed her keys and locked up the house.

.......

Lana pulled her car up to parking lot of Hard Deck. She parked her car and turned off the engine. She sighed as her mother came across her mind. Her mother was highly against her being a pilot but support her no matter what. She stepped out of her car and walked inside.

"River!" She turned her head to see Penny call for her. "Hey Penny." River replied as she walked up to the bar. "Let guess you want your usual?" Penny asked and River nodded. "How have you been?" She asked. "Just handling one day at a time, but without my mother, it's been a constant struggle." River replied. "Oh I bet you two were close." Penny said. "My little sister thinks I need someone in my life but my heart is set on this." River said. "Maybe..." Penny said and River gave her a look. "If your heart wants something, go for it." Penny said and River nodded.

Penny handed her drink. "Thank you Penny." River said with a smile. Penny nodded and attended to someone else. "River!" She heard Phoenix exclaimed which River got excited. "Hey Phoenix." River said as she made her way to her and pulled Phoenix into a hug. "It's so good to be back." River said and Phoenix nodded. "Who's your friend Phoenix?" Someone asked. "Back off Bagman." Phoenix shot back. "It's Hangman." He corrected her. "Whatever." Phoenix said to him. "but seriously." He said as looked into River's eye. "River.' She told him, he smiled a bit. "See Phoenix was that so hard." Hangman said to her. "I don't know but you don't want to meet her sister Harper." Phoenix said as two pilots groaned in the back. "What's up...." River said. "Payback, Fanboy and I am Coyote. That name is familiar because Payback and I played with someone name Harper just two nights ago when we got in, we bet and lost against her." Coyote explained which caused River's eyes to widen. "Does she have dirty blonde hair and brown eyes by any chance?" River asked them. "Yep." Payback and Coyote both answered. "Damn it Harper!" I exclaimed. "What's wrong with her playing pool with them?" Hangman asked. River looked at him, "Harper is my little sister like Phoenix said, who only is seventeen. Damn it!" River exclaimed as she panic. "Hey it's alright." Phoenix said to her as she calmed her down.

"Wait Wait, she's seventeen, we got our ass kicked by seventeen year old?" Payback asked and River looked at him. "She told us she was eighteen." Coyote said, River bit the inside of her cheek, before she could say anything else she saw the man who was wiping crumbs off of his pants, everyone else looked too.

"When did you get in?" River asked him. "I've been here the whole time." He replied to her. "Interesting." River replied "Well.. man's a stealth pilot." Hangman said. "Weapons Systems Officer actually." The man corrects him, clearly not catching the joke. "With no sense of humor." Hangman says under his breath which caused River to give him a look.

"What do they call you?" Phoenix asks. "I'm Bob." He says uncomfortably. "No, your callsign?" Payback smirks. "Uh Bob..." It comes out more of a question. Everyone chuckled which the tension was gone. "Never heard of Callsign like that but hey it's unique." River said to Bob. "Really what callsign would you give to your sister?" Coyote asked, She glared at him sternly. "Trouble because she can't stay out it.... but I'll leave that to her." River said before sighing. "She wants to become a pilot?" Fanboy asked. "Yeah... I think a lot has to do with me and plus losing... never mind." River said and then it went to silence before Phoenix broke it asking Bob

"Bob Floyd? You're my new back seater? From Lemoore?" Phoenix asks him shocked,Bob nods. "Looks like it. yeah." Bob says smiling at her. "Nine-ball, Bob. Rack' em." Phoenix said as she hands him her pool cue. River smiled softly at him.

"Bradshaw? " Someone called out. River looked over and saw her best friend come into Hard deck. She shook her head when she saw he wasn't wearing his uniform. "Yep, that's a Rooster move for ya." River said with a smile as she walked over to him. "Well would you look at this." Rooster said as she approached him. "River and Rooster, everyone's favorite duo, reunited." She said with a smile and he pulled her into a hug.

River and Rooster walked over to where everyone else was. "Bradshaw, as they live and breathe." Hangman said to him as he made his way over with a few more beers. "Hangman. you look... good." Rooster replied. "Well I am good, Rooster." He said as he takes pool stick from Bob, which caused River to make eye contact with Hangman. "I am very good. In fact, I am too good to be true." He finished.

Then River and Rooster made eye contact with each other, Rooster just shook his head as River listened. "So," Payback interrupted. "Anybody know what this special detachment is all about?" Payback finished. "Well a missions a mission. They don't confront me." Hangman resumes his game of pool. "What I wanna know, who's gonna be team leader? and who's gonna have the guts to follow me?" He asked.

"Hangman, the only place you'll lead anyone is an early grave." Rooster retorts. River looked at them both not saying a word. "Well, anyone who follows you is just gonna run out of fuel." Hangman shoots right back at him, with that grin. "I love this song." He said with a smile before he walked away

"Some things haven't change." Rooster said as looked back at Hangman. River hummed. "It sure hasn't." Phoenix said. Then River saw Harper stormed in there. River and Harper made eye contact. Harper made her way to the pool table. "What the hell you two?" She yelled at Payback and Coyote. "What did we do now?" Payback questioned then his eyes widen when he saw Harper. "Well you two are in for it now." Fanboy said to both Coyote and Payback. "You guys gave me counterfeit money?" She questioned them. Rooster looked at River then Hangman looked at the seventeen year old. "Well that is karma for lying about your age and lying to our dear friend which happens to be your sister about where you go?" Coyote said as he pointed to River. Harper gulped. "How much do they owe you?" River questioned her little sister. "$40." She replied. "Payback and Coyote, give her money for real this time, I'll pay you back... We are talking about this in the morning." River said sternly. "But Lana.." Harper said but River interrupted "No... that's final." River said sternly. They gave Harper her money and she stormed out of Hard Deck.

River sighed, kicked the leg of the pool table which caught everyone's attention. "Hey." Rooster and Phoenix said to calm her down. "Things have been rough since my mother's passed." River said as she bit her lip. "Don't stress yourself out about this but I think I know something that will put your mind at ease." Rooster said as he led her to the piano and sat her down. He unplugged the jukebox which everyone got frustrated, Rooster sat down beside his best friend. "I bet you remember this." Rooster tells her.

"You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain." River smiled instantly recognize the song and began to sing along with her best friend.. "Too much love drives a man insane. you brought my wheel, but what a thrill." Everyone suddenly joins in with the pair. "Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

River smiled and remember the first time she remembered this song, her mother was really good friends with Rooster's father and Maverick, She remember she sat on top of the piano along side Rooster as his father would play this song. "I laughed at love 'cause I thought it was funny" Rooster plays on the keys of the piano, he looked over at River. "Just like old times." He thought before he sung the next line. "But you came along and you moved me honey!"

"Now come on everybody, sing with us!" Both River and Phoenix shouted.

"I changed my mind, this love is fine. Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!" Rooster continued to sing with the crowd. River smiled as she saw everyone singing along. "Kiss me baby. Ooh, that feels good baby. Hold me baby. I wanna love you like a lover should."

"You're fine, you're so kind." Phoenix sung.

"I'mma tell the world that you're mine, mine, mine, mine!" River sung loudly.

"I chew my nails and I twiddle my thumbs. I gettin' nervous, but it sure is fun." River smiling from ear to ear at this point, the anger from earlier had just disappeared at that moment. "Come on baby. you're driving me crazy. Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

Rooster goes on with a piano solo to the song. River bopped her head. "Kiss me baby. Ooh, that feels good. Hold me baby. I wanna love you like a lover should. You're fine, you're so kind! I wanna tell the world that you're mine, mine, mine, mine!" everyone sung. "I chew my nails and I twiddle my thumbs. I gettin' nervous but it sure is fun. Come baby, you're driving me crazy. Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!" Everyone howls as Rooster finishes and cheer. Then they started cheering for Rooster, which River couldn't help but giggle and smiled at her best friend as he was showing off. "Your such a show off!" River shouted at Rooster which caused him to giggle at her.

...................