𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢𝐢 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 ❝ 𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ❞ FAITH AND MAVERICK MADE THEIR WAY TO THE HARD DECK AFTER THE GRUELING BRIEFING SESSION.

Well, a briefing session where Faith and Cyclone were nearly at each other's throats, while Maverick and Warlock tried to be civil.

Their bikes were placed by each other's, the duo entered through the familiar doors of the Hard Deck, the overhead bell ringing in announcement. There's several personnel already at the bar, clad in their flight suits or casuals. Conversations echoed throughout the familiar place, and Faith felt herself smiling at the feeling of being back since what felt like forever.

It was good to be home.

There's a familiar voice to Faith, two of them, honestly, and her gaze shifts towards the corner of the bar, where two of her previous classmates stood before the dart board as they talked about.

Faith smiles to herself as memories from eight years ago resurface. Those puny staring competitions, all those pool games, the singing by the piano, and the guitar serenades.

Hangman scores two for two, as Coyote places a hand between his eyes and the board before them, the blonde scores once again, slapping the other man's hand in victory before walking over to grab the darts off the board.

There's a message on both their phones, probably from Ice on their group chat labeled 'The Golden Trio'.

Yes, the name was Faith's idea.

The woman sat beside Maverick by the bar looks down at her vibrating phone, elbows off the counter to not violate Penny's rules. Faith could only hope Mav would disrespect one of his old flame's rules.

Popsicle: That didn't go well.

Maverick : The kid's not ready for this mission.

Faith sighs deeply, shaking her head to herself. Rooster, had made quite a name for himself. He was good. Probably one of the best, the choosing of him for this mission was proof of that. But, he was slow in the air.

He sat perfectly on his porch, like he was waiting for the exact moment he could jump in and save the day. That was the one and only thing he had wrong when he flew. There just wasn't an immediate need for speed for the guy. And in real world missions, speed doesn't matter as much as skills do.

You can't think. You have to trust your gut and your wingman and just do it. From what Faith had read about Rooster, these things were not right there, present off the top of his mind, and she made a promise to herself right then and there, to push him as much as she could. no matter how much he could hate her.

Popsicle : No one is.

Popsicle : That's why the two of you are here.

Bird : You could have warned us.

The woman snorts, yeah, her father could've seriously given them a warning.

Popsicle : I bet neither of you would have come if I told you.

They just stare at their phones, looking over Ice's final words on text. The two of them knew neither of them seriously wouldn't have returned.

They're broken out of their trance as a familiar voice neither of them had heard since too long ago calls out, "Oh, you gotta be kidding me." There's a shift in the air, well, between Penny Benjamin and Pete Mitchell. Faith's grossed out at the lovey-dovey gaze her uncle gave the older woman.

"Pete. And Iceman Jr. How've you been ever since Budapest?" The older woman places a hand on Faith's hand on the counter top.

Before Faith can reply, Maverick cuts in, purely shocked, "Even Penny knows? Seriously?" Both women just give him a dangerously similar smirk, chuckling as they meet each other's eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Maverick asks Penny, completely turning his body towards her.

"I should ask you the same thing." The woman looks down as she cleans the counter, before meeting his gaze.

Maverick pauses for a brief second, "Well, that is a long story."

There's two replies to his words.

"No, not really." Faith shakes her head with a sheepish smile.

"I doubt that." Penny leans against the counter to reach Maverick's level. The man scratches the back of his head, not disagreeing with the pair of women, "Yeah."

"Who'd you piss off this time?" Penny questions, the Captains answer in unison, nodding their heads, "Another Admiral."

The woman at the other side of the bar gives Maverick a scowl he does not miss, "Are you made at me?"

"Oh, Pete. I can never stay mad at you. That's the problem." Okay, this was getting a bit.... Faith took Penny's words as her cue to leave the two of them alone, but Maverick, grabs onto her leather jacket, keeping her from going, his eyes still on Penny.

Penny scoffs, giving Faith a look that says 'seriously?'. The younger woman just nods, her own eyes wide at Maverick's audacity, slipping back into her seat.

"I gotta say, North Island is the one place I thought for sure I'd never run into you." Penny moves around the bar, grabbing a glass and cleaning it squeaky clean.

Maverick hums in response, "How long have you been here?" Penny meets his eyes when she's back in front of him, looking at the slow crowd.

"Bought this place 'bout eight years ago." Penny looks down, wiping the counter top, a glint in her eyes when she meets Faith's. There's a small reminiscing smile on both their faces.

"Eight years?" Maverick's eyes shoot up in disbelief, hands shooting up beside him. Penny hums an answer, confirming his suspicions. "Not long after you got shipped off to the desert for pissing off that other Admiral." The woman continues, Faith looks down at her empty glass of water, thoughts of Hurricane telling her how Maverick had become a pain in his ass.

Maverick meets Penny's eyes, head tilted in total disbelief, "That was eight years ago?" Penny doesn't give him an answer. Instead, she continues, "You must be in a lot of trouble. No way you'd come back here willingly." Her uncle's eyebrows raise in amusement.

"Well," Penny grabs the glass from before the two Captains, moving away towards the sink, "You'll sort it out."

Her uncle deflates like a balloon out of air, palm against the hard wood of the counter, "No, I think, I think this is it."

"C'mon, Pete. You've been saying that as long as I know you. You said that after they busted you for taking me on a joyride in that F/A-18. Then the next thing I know, you're off to Bosnia. Then Iraq, both times." Penny returns with two beer glasses full of the beverage, leaning against the bar in front of the man, smirk on her face.

Faith's head is in her hands.

"You get in trouble. Iceman makes a call, and you're back in the air." That's the story of Maverick. Since, well, forever. As long as Faith's known her uncle. Her and her father were constantly pulling him out of trouble, and he'd jump right back, deeper each time. Faith's head perks up at the mention of her father.

The cancer had returned. Nearly five years ago. And it had come back stronger than ever. The doctors had told the Kazansky's that he had not long. So, Faith kept those thoughts out of her sight, and out of her mind. She met up with her family as frequently as she could about four years before, but now, it had been, three years she hadn't seen her father. Sure, they talked virtually, her and her father, her and her mother, her and her nephews, nieces, brothers, sisters. But it wasn't the same. Being with the Avengers gave her the chance to stay with her family, but then her father urged her to look after Maverick too.

"Penny, this is different." Maverick nods his head once, unaware of who he was actually trying to convince. Before he can continue, Penny jumps in, "Pete. Trust me. As improbable as it seems right now, somehow you'll be back in a fighter plane with your tail on fire." The woman gives him a smirk, knowing Maverick's way around things. He's been long enough in the Navy to know exactly what to do when he's in trouble. And, if he couldn't get himself out, then Ice, or Archer, would always hop in the line of danger with him.

Her uncle looks down, beginning to ask Penny the question he's been wanting to ask since the moment he saw her behind the bar, but the woman knows, "Too late." Maverick meets Penny's eyes and smirk once again, confusedly raising one of his eyebrows, "What?"

"You were about to ask me what time I get off." Penny jerks her head in Maverick's direction. Faith's head is flat on the bar counter, glass in her grasp, as she groans to herself at the pair of oldies flirting.

What had she done wrong to get stuck between the two of them?

Maverick's eyebrows are completely raised, wrinkles on his forehead and cheeks as he gives Penny the signature smile, filled with amusement and surprise how the woman truly knew him and his antics.

"Don't give me that look." Penny's whispering now, in a somewhat, vivacious manner. Faith groans again, bringing her palm against her face.

"I'm not giving you any look, I swear." Maverick's response makes Faith scoff, her head still down against the counter, as she calls out, "Shut up, you definitely are." Her words make Penny chuckle, looking down before looking back up at the Mitchell, "It always ends the same with us, Pete. Let's not start this time."

Faith looks between the pair beside her, hands still sprawled out on the counter, brows up at Penny's response. She swore Penny looked at Maverick's lips. Faith's lips jut out in disgust, brows furrowing.

Wait, ew, why did she notice that?

Maverick nods, completely disagreeing with the woman, but giving her a simple, "Okay." Penny too, responds as she repeats his words, "Okay."

A tiny pause, before Maverick's back with his tactics, "You look good." There's no answer from the woman. She just smiles at Faith, who returns it with an amused one, knowing what Penny was going to pull on the man. Slowly backing up, Penny raises her hand to the rope, grabbing it before looking at Pete, and ringing the bell.

Maverick doesn't look up until the crowd's raised their beers up at the sound of the bell, cheering at their free drinks and whistling and howling. Faith slaps her hand against her uncle's shoulder, a smirk on her face. Another man comes up from behind, arm against Maverick's shoulder, "Much appreciated, pal. Hey, Arch!" Faith simply waves her hand in response, a huge smile at the reuniting with one of her crew when she used to lead the Avengers.

Her uncle just looks at Penny, a smile still slapped against his lips, but brows furrowed in confusion, "What am I missing?" There's no reply from either of the women, Penny just moving to the side to bring notice to the sign that said, "Disrespect a lady, the Navy, or put your cell phone on my bar..." Maverick hoists his phone up as he stops at his mistake.

Penny and Faith continue for him, eerily similar smirks on their faces, "And you buy a round." The two of them and Amelia had together carved out the words on the sign eight years ago, when Penny had brought the place.

Maverick looks around the bar, "For everyone?"

"I'm afraid, rules are rules. You're lucky it's early." Is the only response from Penny.

Faith nudges her uncle's shoulder, muttering, "I'll be right back." Before she makes her way to the pool table, where Hangman and Coyote were.

"Oh, come on!" Coyote's muttering in disbelief as Hangman's scoring a ball in the net.

Jake says nothing, looking up at the new entry into the bar, calling out in his usual Southern drawl, "Well, what do we have here? If it ain't Phoenix! And here I thought we were special, Coyote." The woman mentioned, followed by Payback and Fanboy, crossing their arms. Jake sits against the pool table in front of the trio who had entered, that Jake smirk on his face that Faith wanted to slap off, "Turns out, the invitation went out to anyone."

Faith steps in, moving into the light from the side, standing between the two sides, Phoenix and Jake, calling out, "Not just anyone, Bagman."

Phoenix and Jake look at her in absolute disbelief, before Faith speaks up, smirking and eyes on the only other woman, "Miss me, 'Nix?" Natasha just pulls her into a hug, arms wrapping around her back.

She whispers into the hug, slapping Faith on her back, "You know I did, you asshole." Faith chuckles, pulling away as Natasha does too. Faith turns to Payback and Fanboy who were just staring at her, before the two of them are pulling her into a hug, making her laugh. She pulls away, smiling at the pair, before she's placing her hand around Natasha's shoulders, who wraps her arm around her waist, smirking at Jake and Javy in front of them, gazing at them like they'd seen a ghost.

Jake's quick to cover up his surprise, when Natasha brings up, eyes looking to the side when she's mentioning to Payback and Fanboy behind her, "Fellas, you're looking at the only naval aviator on active duty with a confirmed air-to-air kill." Jake looks to the side with a smirk, before looking back at the women in front of him, lowering his voice to say, "Stop."

"Mind you, the other guy was in a museum piece from the Korean war." Faith continues for her best friend. Coyote cuts in before anyone else says something, brows furrowing, "Cold war."

Payback's right behind the two women, standing up for them, "Different wars, same century."

Fanboy backs them up, "Not this one." The four of them smirk at Jake.

"Hey, Coyote." Natasha and Faith look to Jake's side, and the man calls out, "Hey."

"Who's he?" Natasha gestures to the side with her head, still looking at Coyote. Faith looks to her right, everyone following her gaze. There's a man, with glasses, sitting on a chair, wiping off peanut shells, feeling everyone's gaze on him, he looks up. Coyote asks the man, "When did you get in?"

The man's eyes widen, stuttering a bit before he replies, "Oh, I've.. I've been here the whole time." Faith smiles when he meets her eyes.

This guy was cute.

The man returns the smile, feeling at comfort just a bit, before Jake looks at the two women, with raised brows, "The man's a stealth pilot." Coyote continues for him, "Literally."

The blonde with the glasses sat on the chair mentions, "Weapons systems officer, actually." Jake nods at him, looking back at Phoenix and Faith, "With no sense of humor." He hands Faith the pool stick, who just grabs it as Jake moves off to the side.

"What do they call you?" Phoenix asks the man, elbow propped up on Faith's shoulder. He responds, "Bob." He nods with a smile.

Faith returns the smile, whispering in her best friend's ear, "He's kinda cute." Natasha nods, turning her head to give her a smile.

"No, your callsign." Payback continues. The man looks to the side before looking back up, "Uh.. Bob."

Phoenix connects the dots audibly, as Faith connects the dots in her mind, thinking back to the briefing with Cyclone, Warlock, and Mav. This guy was Phoenix's back-seater. She hides a smirk, sharing it with Fanboy and Payback when she looks behind to look at them, a thought of setting the both of them up crossing her mind.

"Bob Floyd. You're my new back-seater? From Lemoore?" The man in question nods, smiling at Natasha, pressing his glasses further up the edge of his nose, "Looks like it."

Natasha says nothing, moving closer to the man. She hands Bob the cue stick Faith gives her, telling him, "Nine-ball, Bob. Rack 'em." He looks at the cue-stick in Natasha's hands, looking at Faith who stood behind Natasha with her arms crossed and smile on her face, nodding when she meets his eyes.

Bob smiles, standing up as he takes the cue-stick from Natasha's hands, muttering an "Okay."

Hangman returns with five beers in a tray, handing each of them off, before announcing rather loudly, "Alright, alright, Faith, Nattie, Jake, and Javy. A game? For old time's sake?"

Faith looks at Natasha who was glaring at Jake at the nickname, when she turns her head with a smirk to look at her best friend. Faith returns the smirk, before the two women look at Jake, determination across their faces to completely beat the men.

"Game on, Bagman."



































✈ ✈ ✈



ABOUT THREE QUICK ROUNDS OF NINE BALL WITH EVERYONE ENGROSSED IN THE GAME, THE GROUP OF THE TWO WOMEN WIN.

Jake had been groaning in absolute displeasure at his loss, punching his fist against the pool table and laying his head against it as he lets out cries at losing. Faith and Natasha were hugging each other's sides, laughing at the green-eyed blonde's antics.

Then, there's a sudden shift in the atmosphere, and Faith's smile drops immediately.

He was here.

The bell rings, announcing his entry. Natasha looks at Faith's gloomed face, before looking at the door. Natasha rubs her hand against the woman's back as they keep their eyes at the man who had entered.

Bradley Bradshaw.

Aviators perched on nose, classic Hawaiian shirt and white tank on the inside. Those blue jeans. That smile she'd seen him give when she first met him. His father's watch, his sandy blonde hair, his perfect lips and that mustache that she loved to feel tickle against her lips when they kissed that day.

Faith swore she felt her knees buckle, and she would've fallen if it wasn't for Natasha. There's a breath stuck in her throat, a hitch. She couldn't bare looking at him anymore.

She's telling Natasha in a matter of seconds, her words coming out in an extremely low voice with a sense of deep vulnerability in it, "Don't tell him I'm here." Natasha can barely say yes when Faith's making her way towards Maverick still sat at the bar. He notices her slump down on the chair she sat previously, and then he hears someone call out.

Payback's calling out in excitement, "Bradshaw!"

Maverick looks to his other side, noticing the man who'd entered the bar, before he's looking back at Faith who was asking Penny for tequila shots. Everything else is hazy. The music, her gaze, her hearing, Maverick's comforting words as he pats her back and understands her pain.

Maverick decides it's time for the both of them to leave, one arm still on Faith's back, bringing it to rest on her shoulder when she gulps down her final shot of tequila, eyes still on Bradley as he talks with Hangman.

"How about ringing me up before the evening rush?" Mav places his card on the bar counter, and Penny takes it with a smile, turning her worried gaze from Faith to the man. She seems to feel at ease as the alcohol burns it's way down her throat.

Penny returns, placing the card on the counter in front of her uncle, "It's been declined." Their conversation snaps Faith out of her trance as she gives a hint of a smile to Penny, who rubs her hand in comfort. "You're kidding." Maverick shakes his head in disbelief.

The music stops. Groans and 'come on's echo around the bar at the sudden halt of the song. Then, there's those few similar keys to the song they'd first sung together, and it all comes back to her.

Her breath is woozy, her gaze fixed on Bradley's back and his beautiful, soft, sandy-blonde curls, the way his fingers slid perfectly across the keys of the piano they'd sat on beside each other as they sang his favorite song. Him on the piano, and her right beside him with her guitar. The look he gave her since the very first day she crashed into him, the heaviness on her body from that time he'd laid on her on her couch, face nuzzled into her neck. Their noses brushing against each other, their hands in each other's hair.

Maverick pulls out a wad of cash, skimming through it, "How about..." But Penny looks down at his hands, smiling as she hands him the bill and Maverick takes it, incredulity flashing across his face. "That won't cover it." Penny tells her uncle honestly, and Faith, distracted from the piano's beautiful sound, covers up her laugh with a cough.

"Uh, I'll come by tomorrow and bring you the cash." Maverick suggests, but Penny moves towards the bell, one finger held up as her other hand reaches for the bell once again, "I'm afraid, rules are rules, Pete." And then the bell rings once again, for more time than before. Her uncle tries to stop Penny, waving a hand, but it's too late. The crowd is yelling and whooping, shouts of 'overboard' make their way around the bar.

Hangman, Coyote, and Payback make their way towards the pair of Captains, as Jake calls out for Faith, "You need a lift, Arch?" Faith shakes her head, moving towards the blonde who smiles at her before picking her up in his arms bridal style, Coyote and Payback moving towards Maverick, grabbing his hands hand legs as they move towards the exit.

Penny calls out for her uncle, huge smile on her face, "Great to see you, Pete!" The man can only give a smile at the woman as he's pulled out of the bar.

Jake gives her a smirk, and she returns it with a sheepish smile, hitting him in the back of his head. He just chuckles, making their way out of the bar.

When they're out, Payback and Coyote throw Maverick down on the sand, as Jake lets Faith down on her feet, the woman muttering a 'thank you' with a sheepish smile. The blonde calls out for her uncle, "Thanks for the beers! Come back anytime!" Coyote and Payback meet her eyes, slapping her on the shoulder and saying their byes to her before making their way inside.

Before Jake goes back in, Faith calls for him, "Jake, wait." The man turns around, looking at Faith with furrowed brows and sheepish smile.

"Uh.." Faith looks down at her shoes, smoothening her shirt and jacket out, before she meets Jake's eyes. She was sure she could see some concern in the cocky blonde's eyes as he looks at her.

"Don't tell him that I'm here." Nodding, her voice is full of sensitivity, eyes full of sadness yet hope.

Hope that he'd still have her.

Jake says nothing for a moment, and Faith swore she saw sympathy in his eyes, and then he's spoken, twisting the dagger called love ever so deeper into her heart, "He broke your heart that bad, huh?"

Faith looks down, hands fiddling, heart dropped like shattered glass. There's a shiny glint in her eyes, probably from the still fresh wound of heartbroken-ness.

She tries to keep her voice unwavering, and the tears in her eyes, as she tells Jake the truth, "No, Jake." There's worry in his eyes, as he steps forward towards her.

"I broke his." He's silent at the truth, and it speaks loud.

Then Jake speaks up, amused smile splattered across his face as he nudges Faith's shoulder with his fist, "Never took you as a breaker of hearts, Fae."

The woman, scoffs, a hint of her own smile on her face, "I didn't have a choice." The smile falls as soon as it came, and then there's flashes of her and him in her head.

She closes her eyes, shaking her head at herself, "Or maybe I did have a choice." Jake's hand rubs against her shoulder.

"Maybe I made the wrong one." Faith gives him a sheepish smile, pressing her lips in a thin line.

She scoffs once again, the thought of why she was talking to Jake, of all people, about her stupid decision, "Anyway, thanks for the lift, Bagman."

Jake shakes his head with his usual smirk returning, "I'll give you a lift, anytime, babe." They chuckle together.

"See you at work." Faith turns around with another smile at Jake, who turns around to walk towards the bar, "See 'ya, Fae!"

The woman drops her facade, shoulders drooping down, silently making her way towards her Kawasaki, when she hears them all from the bar.

















































author's note:

three chapters into act 2, how do we feel???

next chapter's the one you've been waiting for, yes, they finally meet once again!

please do tell how you've liked the chapter, and give suggestions on how i can improve.

thank you for choosing 'the archer' to read!

love,

destiny <3.