Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[1985]

Long Beach's awakening was rude and unpleasant, the cool air of the room's ac at full blast hitting her back at full force, no mass next to her or covers over top of her to block it.

She grumbled mildly, her still half awake brain barely comprehending anything but the cold on her bare body.

She shifted under the covers, wrapping them around herself more in order to stop the chill from biting at her shoulders, though it was a futile effort.

Light brown hair laid out over the white fabric of her pillow, the strands seeming to paint an almost beautiful picture of a tree with deep roots and thick branches dead in the midst of winter.

She pulled the blankets over her shoulders further, tighter. The Hawaii summer heat proved too much for both her and Enterprise, so the latter turned on her fan the night before, or was it earlier in the night?

God, what time even was it?

Tossing and turning even more, Long Beach eventually just rolled onto her side and opened her eyes, deciding sleep would allude her for as long as it could, facing the unknown abyss of the dark bedroom she found herself in.

It wasn't her bedroom.

The mildly messy state gave it away more than anything, but the various posters of bands and the old naval hat resting on the dresser definitely helped.

It was Enterprise's.

Just an average "date" night out had, of course, culminated in Long Beach waking up once more back at the aircraft carrier dorms with some rather sore hips.

It wasn't really a "date," per say, but Enty always thought of any time they went somewhere as one, and Long Beach could never bring herself to rain on the other's parade.

That was when something suddenly struck the cruiser. An odd sensation of something missing had filled her through unwanted waking up, and now, with an, at least, mostly awake brain, it set in what it truly was...

Where was Enterprise?

There was no weight to the left side of the bed, no mass blocking the airflow and keeping her warm, no arm slung around her waist, pulling her in against a firm torso and full breasts.

She shouldn't be worried.

It was Enterprise, after all. If she vanished from her side during the middle of the night, while annoying, it was just a standard occurrence.

...

So why couldn't she shake that overwhelming feeling of something being wrong?

It wasn't exactly uncommon for Enterprise to get up in the middle of the night, whether to just use the bathroom or even go out of the room for a midnight snack.

Long Beach crawled across the bed, getting to the edge of what was normally Enterprise's side, and looking at the dim red light of the analog clock, her azure eyes slowly adjusting to the reading of "4:26".

It was definitely more than a midnight snack then.

She wanted to go look for her.

Something felt wrong. Like it was just itching in the back of Long Beach's brain in a place she just couldn't scratch, feeding her with doubts and worries.

She stared out into the dark room, silent, before stopping and closing her eyes, just listening to all the slight sounds that flooded her ears.

There she remained for a solid minute or two, just trying to make out something, anything, that would tell her if her suspicions were well based or the product of her mind worrying for nothing.

When she'd sat still so long she'd almost returned to slumber, the hum of the box fan lulling her back to the dreamy paradise like a siren telling her everything was fine, she heard it.

Her ears picked up something, a sound she couldn't exactly explain that was just barely audible over the high spinning blades of the fan. It was coming from the direction of the bathroom.

It reminded her of someone gasping, panicked, trying to catch their breath as it alluded them.

The cruiser finally opened her eyes for the last time, the bristles of sleep once more being cast off as she focused her gaze on the door to the bathroom in the room's corner.

Open.

But no light.

Nothing illuminated the small room, so surely Enty couldn't be in there... right?

After debating it for a moment, Long Beach decided that it wasn't implausible for her partner to not turn on the light in an effort to attempt to not wake her in the process.

But even then, Enty could've just shut the door and turned it on all the same.

Was something wrong?

Was...

Was it an episode?

Long Beach hadn't even considered the possibility in her half awake state, but now that it struck her, a feeling of dread flooded her body.

She wasn't able to hear the sound any longer. Without directly focusing her attention on it, it'd just blend in with hum of the fan.

She stared at the space even further, a pit of foreboding filling in her stomach to the point where she almost didn't want to face whatever awaited in that dim corner of the room.

But she moved anyway.

Sitting up and shuddering due to the new lack of covers protecting her from the chill of the bedroom, Long Beach sat for a moment, collecting herself further before scooting off the bed, her feet muffled and protected from the cold wood floor by the carpet.

Reaching down and finding one of Enty's shirts to slide over her nude form, the brown haired woman was elated at the extra protection from the cold before her attention was once more captured by the open bathroom door.

Her steps were slow.

Her heart was fast.

An undiscribable feeling of anxiety washed over her as she slowly approached the door, turning her stomach into knots.

Why did she feel such a way?

What was so heart-pounding that it took her breath away, much like whatever her mind conjured to be behind this door?

The sound was much more audible now.

As she stood in front of the cracked door, she could hear the labored breaths, but now, when face to face with it, she could understand better what it sounded like.

Hyperventilating.

Long Beach's body only filled further with anxiety, her eyes closing for a moment before opening back up to face whatever awaited in the darkness.

She pushed open the door...

Nothing was really visible at first glance. Only the shapes of the shower and sink and toilet were able to be made out, but one of a person was nowhere to be found.

Was Enterprise... not here?

Long Beach almost questioned her sanity and turned to move on to searching elsewhere before her eyes flicked to the light switch on the wall next to the door.

After a moment of deliberation and a deep breath to try and quell her growing fear, she hit the switch.

...

Her eyes widened the second they adjusted to the first real light she'd seen after waking up, and when she saw her, they only remained wide.

Long white hair, almost grey in color, messy and tangled, cascaded over fair shoulders, running down her back and over her face and arms, which were wrapped tightly around her knees.

Unlike like Long Beach, she'd not taken up any clothes to brave the cool tile of the bathroom floor, leaving her still as naked as the night before.

She sat there, in-between the sink and toilet, shaking, her breath coming in heavy doses.

Long Beach's heart was in her throat at the sight of her girlfriend cowering like a dog, her head tucked into her knees.

Enterprise had been sitting her... in the dark... just shaking...

An aircraft carrier so brave, so decorated, surely the strongest in the Navy curled up so pathetically.

After a moment more of gawking, her legs finally received the signals her brain had been giving, and she quickly rushed over towards the other shipgirl.

Her arms wrapped around the shaking ball of a formerly confident woman, pulling her close as best she could with the position she found herself in.

"H-hey, E-enty... shh. Shhh. It's okay..."

PTSD.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

It was something Long Beach, and honestly, most shipgirls had at least mild amounts of. But Enterprise's case... the buildup of pent up childhood trauma plus the hell that was Vietnam all culminated in a case worse than Long Beach had ever seen, a case that some confession on a dock or closure about the reality of the war could never fix.

After having talked to North Carolina one time, the battleship confirmed that Enterprise's namesake also had a horribly similar severeness of the disorder.

It almost had Long Beach thinking of the possibility that the increased anxiety of it could be genetic, not that it mattered.

All that mattered was the woman in front of her.

Things like this were normal, not an every night or even every week affair, but they still came and went, and Long Beach did her best to deal with it.

But this was probably the worst she'd ever seen it.

At most, at least during the times she was in Enterprise's bed when it occurred, the carrier would shoot upward in a panic, sweating bullets, sometimes calling out to whatever she saw in her nightmare. Anything further than that she'd never beared witness to.

Always shaking and crying, wanting to be comforted, which Long Beach would always oblige... just like right now.

"Shhh... shhh... Enty, I'm here. I'm Long Beach, I'm here."

Her voice was quiet and calm as she held onto the other shipgirl as best she could, trying to gently scoot her out of the spot she'd stuck herself in.

She needed to be reassuring. To remind Enterprise of where she was. To remind her of who she was.

The other woman still didn't look up at her. No violet orbs met her gaze.

Long Beach would like to think after 10 years, she'd gotten at least alright in calming the other woman during her episodes, but they were so unpredictable...

But Long Beach always knew one way to catch the other's attention, though...

Her fingers slowly trailed down her partner's right arm, gently running over where the skin split and ghosting further down.

She already noticed the woman's shaking still not ceasing, but rather her head moving slightly.

She continued to where the scar began in between the index and middle finger before finally intertwining their fingers, their conjoined limb casting a shadow on the floor.

It had worked.

It always worked.

Enterprise finally looked up.

Purple eyes, full of fear, met Long Beach's own, orbs so afraid that they could hardly even be recognized as Enty's own. The carrier's mouth sat slightly agare as heavy breaths came from labored lungs.

For the carrier, it was as if before laying her head down into her knees, the sights and sounds of burning jungle filled her eyes and ears, only to raise it and be met with the sight of the sight of the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen, now in her bathroom.

Long Beach returned her gaze with the softest smile she could muster, "Hey. I'm here. Don't worry." She spoke, the words sending shivers down the nude woman's spine.

"Are you alright, Enterprise?"

The ever so slight, shaky nod she'd earned gave the brunette the confidence to continue speaking, "You gave me quite the scare."

The slight chuckle that Long Beach's tone delved into during the end of her sentence seemed to soothe the other shipgirl ever so slightly. It was a gentle, familiar sound.

Then the carrier's voice came, quiet, broken, and shaky...

"I'm a murderer..."

The words nearly knocked Long Beach on the floor. She stared, for how long, she didn't know, but she stared before doing the only thing she could do.

She wrapped her arms around her once more, holding the panicked woman tight, and simply whispered.

"No. No, you're not."

They just stayed there in silence for quite the moment, Long Beach holding her, letting her know that she wasn't going anywhere, that she was cared for, before finally speaking.

"Do you wanna come back to bed?"

The following nod earned a further smile from the cruiser, a sign of progress, as she moved to help the other nuclear-powered girl up onto wobbly legs.

Helping her walk out of the small bathroom, she made sure to hit the lights before helping her partner further to bed.

Enterprise quickly scooted under the blankets when presented with them, embracing the warmth of her bed rather than the biting cold of the bathroom floor.

She took the wall while Long Beach took the outward position, so in the event Enterprise tried to get up again for whatever reason, she'd be the first to know.

Enterprise immediately buried her face in her partner's neck the moment she'd fully entered under the covers with her, her hands clinging onto her shirt, the right being looser than the left.

Long Beach couldn't help her smile, wrapping her arms back around her taller girlfriend and holding her against herself, whispering encouragements in her ear, soothing.

It was a while before Enterprise spoke.

Her heavy breathing had returned to normal, her shaking had stopped, and the force in which she was clutching onto Long Beach lessened.

Then she whispered.

"I'm sorry..."

Long Beach felt her face fall as the words reached her ears, her attention shifting to look down at the other woman rather than the wall past her.

"Don't be, really..."

Enterprise only sighed into her shoulder, seemingly fully pulled out of her episode after around the clock work, the sun slowly peaking over the Hawaii mountainscape and barely bleeding through her blinds.

She buried her face in further, inhaling the scent of the woman she loved and mumbled.

"I love you."

The cruiser closed her eyes in return, resting her head against her pillow. Hearing those words after Enty faced such distress... it made the losing sleep so worth it.

"I love you too."

---

The bright Pearl Harbor sun beamed down on Long Beach as she hopped up onto the dock off her ship, her jacket slung over her shoulder in an attempt to quell the heat.

"Yo! Long Beach! Me and Bainbridge decided on going to get something to eat, you comin'?"

The brunette's gaze swiftly turned towards the sight of the imposing woman making her way up the dock behind her, white hair slicked with sweat and jacket dragging along the floor, flanked by a shorter girl with hair as black as night and crimson eyes.

Long Beach really didn't know how Enterprise did it.

She could relive the worst experience of her entire life through the night and be fine by the next couple of days or even the following morning, laughing and cocky as ever.

She really was an amazing woman.

Long Beach chuckled slightly and shook her head, stopping to allow her friends to catch up.

"Actually, I want to speak with the flagship if I'm able to. But I'll catch up."

Enterprise blinked at that, sunglasses falling to the bridge of her nose as she leaned down and gave a questioning look, "Nimitz? What do you wanna talk to her for?"

Thankfully, Bainbridge's whining began before Long Beach had time to come up with some excuse.

"What!? Come on! We're gonna get burgers! You're not trying to switch to another strike group, are you?"

Long Beach couldn't help the smile or eyeroll that followed.

She loved these two. More than anything. In different ways, sure, but she loved both Enterprise and Bainbridge.

"No, I'm not." She answered, lightly pushing the smaller cruiser into Enterprise, before turning to look up at the carrier in question, "I'll catch up, I promise."

That was all Enterprise needed.

With a simple smirk and shrug, she leaned over and captured her lips in a brief kiss, Bainbridge audibly gagging in the background, before pulling back and spinning on her heel, "Kay! But it's your loss."

"I don't think I'm missing out on much." Long Beach called back in amusement, watching as Bainbridge took after Enterprise like a lost puppy, yelling back a goodbye.

After pulling her hand down from a wave, Long Beach let out a mild sigh, stretching her arms and turning towards the direction of the large office on the base.

Nimitz had decided that she'd dock at Pearl for a small bit before going back to Norfolk, participating in some exercises with the rest of the fleet, and it gave Long Beach the opertunity she was looking for.

It'd been a week since Enterprise's last episode.

She'd already scheduled a meeting with the flagship and got her answer, considering while she wasn't someone like Enterprise or Midway who could just walk in and immediately receive an audience with the newest lead carrier on the block, Long Beach wasn't exactly an unknown.

Entering the building she gave a quick wave to Miss Lexington, the older carrier returning the gesture, who seemed to be making sure Theodore Roosevelt's nose was jammed down into a book about naval history and tactics 24/7.

Thus was the role of a training carrier, Long Beach supposes. But while the correct class, Teddy wasn't the ship she was looking for.

After maneuvering through the winding halls of the building, Long Beach found herself in front of a simple wooden door, the Eagle Union's crest in the middle and the name of the woman she was set to meet on a gold nametag.

Tucking a hand in her jacket and turning the knob, Long Beach entered the room, the light cast through the blinds highlighting some of the particles in the air.

Small knick knacks littered the bookshelf behind the oak desk in the center, one that stuck out to the cruiser being a VHS propped up in front of some books, the cover featuring a large aircraft carrier in the midst of a storm with a blonde woman in the corner, eerily similar to the woman sat at the desk.

The hat seen on the cover sat on the desk, hanging from a small lamp. Documents and papers lay spread out, ranging from planned fleet exercises to proposals for new implementations to the Union, all the way to new shipgirl designs.

Tired blue eyes flicked up from their former position of staring down at a document, noticing Long Beach and causing the woman to sit back, pushing her blonde hair out of her face.

"Ah, Long Beach, how are you doing?"

The brunette smiled as she made her way towards the seat opposite of the woman, "Fine, just a tad sore from the latest exercise. This isn't a bad time, is it, Miss Nimitz?"

Nimitz huffed slightly and shook her head, "No, it's fine. But don't call me 'miss,' you're still my senior."

"Ah, my bad." Long Beach nodded with a slight smile as she pulled out the chair and sat in it. She let out a slight sigh as she leaned back into the cushion, her tired body being mildly relieved.

"Don't worry about it." Nimitz answered, tapping her pen against her desk lightly, giving a curious expression to her fellow nuclear-powered shipgirl, "Now, you never informed me what this meeting would be about, but assured me it was important. Should I be expecting something crazy?"

Long Beach shook her head in response, letting a low sigh escape her lips, "No, it's... It's Enterprise."

The blonde cocked an eyebrow, surprised, but didn't interrupt.

Long Beach couldn't help but release another sigh as she rubbed the back of her head, "She's just been... really messed up since the war. I know everyone who was in it probably is, and she definitely isn't as bad as when she was actually in it, but still..."

"She's already said she wasn't interested in therapy and that just talking to me would be better... but I just don't have the kinda skills to really help her."

"The episodes and attacks she's had are only getting worse as the years go on, and she's never found a way to deal with it, and she doesn't even ever take leave or slow down with training, and..."

"I'm just... really worried about her."

Nimitz hummed in response. She could obviously understand why Long Beach was concerned. Enty was known to be a little self-destructive, and she was still clearly suffering from Vietnam, even if she tried to hide it from most of the general public.

"You know I can't force her to go to therapy, right?" Nimitz asked, still a bit confused about what exactly was being asked of her.

Long Beach shook her head quickly, "No, no, I'm not asking anything like that." She glanced towards the VHS on the shelf before turning her attention back to Nimitz, "I wanna ask a favor."

"A favor?"

"I've talked to Enty's mother, North Carolina, and she said that her namesake would have something to help her cope. She made models of planes and ships and things, and it helped her with her stress, lowering the severity of some of her own attacks, and gave her something to do that she liked..."

The younger shipgirl nodded as the pieces seemed to fall into place, "So you want her, and maybe yourself, to get time off to find something she likes in order to help her mental health?"

Long Beach was silent for a moment before smiling a tad sheepishly, "That's part of it, yes..."

"Part of it?"

Long Beach took a deep breath for what was the moment of truth and began to speak, "I know it's a tall order... but you've been in a big movie before, and you're the flagship, so you're bound to have some connections..."

"Enterprise has told me before that ever since she was a kid, she always wanted to be an actor, so if you were able to find something for her, then maybe... I don't know..."

Long Beach finally gave up her small rant, letting a breath escape her in mild defeat as Nimitz just stared at her.

"You want me to see if I can find a part for her in some movie?" The blonde finally asked, only to be answered with a nod.

"Something like that, yes." Long Beach sighed, "I've decided on it after some thinking, and I do think it would really help her in some ways. Shipgirls have done movies before, including you and her aunt, and it would be something she'd devote herself to."

Nimitz was never really close with Enterprise, surprisingly, considering them both being the only two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the world at one point.

But from the moment they met during F-14 testing and throughout the years, they never grew that close... but they never grew apart.

The flagship huffed slightly, fingers tapping against her desk.

"You should know that isn't something I can really control..."

Long Beach's head tilted down at that, almost like a sad puppy, a bit defeated, "Obviously, I know it's not that simple. But if the opportunity ever-"

"But I'll see what I can do." The cruiser paused at that, eyes a bit wide as Nimitz continued, "I'll have someone ask around a bit, and if some director were to come to the Navy that wanted to do a movie with a carrier in it, I'll recommend Enterprise over anyone else, but its still unlikely that such a thing even happens."

"I can't guarantee anything."

"Somethings better than nothing." Long Beach answered gratefully and stood up from the chair with a slight chuckle, a smile on her face, "Thank you, though, Nimitz. Really."

The blonde aircraft carrier simply smiled in return, looking back up at her, "I have a lot of responsibilities, Long Beach. The well-being of my fleet is one of them."

With a nod of understanding and a goodbye, the cruiser exited the room, leaving Nimitz alone in the dim office.

She sighed after hearing the door click, leaning back into her chair.

She'd keep her word and be on the lookout, sure, but such a thing was highly improbable.

She only hoped Long Beach had another way to help Enterprise when it became more apparent that such an occasion would never arrive...

---

Nimitz sat in her office, slack-jawed, her desk phone held up to her ear as she listened to a man speaking on the other end.

There was no way.

There was no feasible way.

"You wanna use some shipgirls for a movie? No, It shouldn't really be a problem." She talked into the device, listening and responding with interest and honestly a bit of disbelief, "Well, what kind are you looking for?"

"..."

"Aircraft carriers? No, I'm sure most would love to volunteer."

Whatever twist of fate the universe had pulled left Nimitz utterly flabbergasted at the position she found herself in.

"And what exactly are you looking for in the lead actor you wanna enlist?"

They wanted whatever aircraft carrier they got to be similar to the protagonist they envisioned, to match her in a lot of ways.

They wanted someone cocky and a bit arrogant but still likable.

A kind of reckless soul, a military maverick, ironic considering that was the protagonist shipgirl's name, Maverick.

Someone who could also realistically appear concerned for others while also being able to play someone grieving.

Nimitz had asked around a bit and made it known that the Eagle Union Navy was willing to use a shipgirl in a film under the right circumstances, and here this proposal came about a film set at the Eagle Union's top naval aviation school, and they needed two real carriers.

It seemed too good to be true.

Nimitz was finally snapped out of her little daze by a question from the man on the other side of the line, a question that brought a slight smirk to her face.

"Do I have someone in mind?"

She could ask some other carriers about the deuteragonist, but for the lead? She couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, I do."

---

"Yo! Nim! What's up!"

The fleet's commander nearly jumped out of her seat at the sound of her door getting kicked open unceremoniously, the woman entering now reduced to a laughing fit.

Enterprise wheezed as she used the chair in front of her as a crutch, her right arm's exoskeleton making a klink against the wood as she tried to support herself.

"Y-you... you really need to get used to that, Nim. If that startles you, how are you gonna deal with a Northern missile coming at you?"

"I'd be fine." Nimitz grumbled through her teeth, narrowing her eyes slightly at the woman's smug smile, almost deciding to go back on her words before sighing, "Don't call me that."

"Oh, someone's in a mood." The older carrier hummed, plopping down in the chair and crossing one leg over the other, her attention right on the othed woman.

Sure, Enterprise was straight up disrespectful most of the time, but she still recognized the younger girl's authority to some degree.

And to be called to her office must mean it was something.

Nimitz sighed as her pen danced across the document in front of her, "You're being stationed at San Diego for the summer and possibly longer. Long Beach will accompany you."

Now, that did catch the carrier's attention. Being restationed after doing so many exercises. Was something wrong?

"Can I ask the reason?"

Nimitz nodded as she got up from her desk, walking around it to meet her senior face to face, "You'll see when you get there, but for all intensive purposes, think of it as taking some leave and doing some pr work."

The frown was visible on the normally outgoing carrier. Pr work had a her a bit confused, but leave? "With all due respect, If it's some vacation, then give it to Kennedy or Ranger or someone. They work way harder than me. I'd be better off-"

"You're going."

Nimitz voice and stern tone cut her off instantly. Enty almost didn't know the younger girl had it in her.

Nimitz let out a breath as she now stood in front of the other woman. She understood what Long Beach was talking about, and she wasn't having one of her best dropping dead under her supervision due to stress.

"What about Bainbridge?" Enty questioned, voice a tad concerned, though it was barely audible.

Nimitz shook her head, "Sorry, but she's needed here. All you need is yourself and one escort, so we can't spare anyone else."

"She's gonna be pisssseeed." Enty chuckled.

At the tease, Nimitz rolled her eyes, "We'll compensate her in some way if you really want us to." She stared at Enterprise for a moment, eyes fixed on the woman she called her senior.

She'd never seen the things Long Beach described, nor did she necessarily want to. Imagining someone like Enterprise being reduced to a pathetic mess from mere nightmares was almost unbelievable.

But she didn't think Long Beach would lie about such a thing.

"That's all I need from you." Nimitz nodded, gaze returning down to a few papers on her desk.

Enty let out a yawn as she stood up and stretched, grinning, "You know, you should really start doing simple requests like this over the phone and not waste everyone's time."

"Just get out." Nimitz huffed, waving away the cackling carrier. She knew Enty would give her a hard time, regardless of her ranking higher than the older woman...

"Pack your bags..."

The blonde's words turned Enty's head, the chrome haired carrier raising a brow at the cryptic words.

Nimitz flashed back a smile.

"You're going to TOPGUN."

Chapter Text

The hot Californian sun beamed down onto the city of San Diego. People swarmed the beaches and sea in order to cool off from the hot summer's day.

Several walked along the streets of the city, up and down the sidewalk, all in attempts to waste it away by spending time with friends and family.

But some people, a decent number, gathered among one of the city's many piers, looking out for a chance to see, and maybe even meet if fate willed it, the two behemoths closing in from the horizon.

Two ships sailed next to each other.

One was large and imposing, a giant beast of a warship whose flat deck took up nearly a quarter mile. Planes of all kinds lay littered on its flight deck, running along the edges like a castle wall.

The island that rose from the flat surface sported many a mechanism and radar, windows running around it.

The ship next to the monstrous aircraft carrier was smaller, not that it came in as less inposing, like a royal guard to a king.

Two missle launchers lined the front, an intimidating sight that wouldn't hesitate to act if its liege was put under danger.

A odd box of a bridge sat atop the cruiser, windows lining the top and bottom of the radar system that the other ship formerly held as well.

But one thing both ships had in common was a woman standing on each of their bow.

Silver hair whipped in the wind, held down by a black cap with the name and number of the ship on top of it in yellow. A large black coat followed suit, a gold tassle providing the only spot of color aside from the white "E=MC^2" written on the collar, the inside a dark crimson, the piece of clothing mildly warn from wear.

A grey mechanical limb attached itself to the woman's right arm, going over and tightening around the sleave of the jacket, pistons and metal eventually accumulating into the glove worn on her hand, the prosthesis sitting atop it and connecting like boney fingers.

The attire under the jacket was a simple affair, a white shirt tucked into her pants, a sort of avator harness strapping around her torso and connecting to her belt. The sides of the tight shirt were cut to give hip windows, for both style and performance, the left giving the slightest glimpse of a black inscription on her skin under the cloth.

Heeled boots with red soles finished her attire, along with the small peace sign necklace around her neck, and the aviators on her nose.

In her left hand, she spun a small radio absentmindedly before bringing it up to her mouth and clicking the button on its side.

"I still don't know why their sending me here, Beach. I already graduated." She whined, her expression taking on a bored appearance.

The other woman, abruptly named Beach, or Long Beach if you were to be more accurate, only giggled back into the receiver.

Shoulder length straight brown hair fluttered in the breeze kicked up by the two's movement. Her jacket, a normal size rather than the large coat of the carrier, didn't follow in the breeze, her hands tucked into the front pockets, keeping it in place.

Under it lay a simple black tank top, contrasting with the various patches on the front of the jacket, in particular the star and "CGN-9" that ran down the side. But what did seem to fit with all the logos was a simple silver peace sign dangling from her neck, matching with the white-haired woman's one, along with an old camera attached to an event older strap.

Her fair thighs were unprotected from the sun's rays, her tan shorts held up by a belt that had most of its length untucked.

She took her own walkie-talkie from her jacket, clicking its red button and speaking into it, "Well, we're going to TOPGUN, aren't we, Enty? That probably means they have better training than you got before, and they wanna give it to you now."

Long Beach, of course, knew the real reason behind their visit. She was ecstatic whenever Nimitz informed that she had indeed, somehow, gotten Enty a part in a film, and the cherry on top? She was the lead.

She still hadn't disclosed the info to the other shipgirl. While it was admittedly a little cheeky, she wanted to see the carrier's pure reaction when she found out what exactly the "pr" she was helping with entailed, along with the fact that upon finding out without being in the moment, Enterprise could possibly try to abort the task.

"I mean, maybe. But that seems way too contrived. Not that I'm complaining about getting some extra training in."

The carrier answered in return, much to Long Beach's dismay. Couldn't Enty just stop asking questions? It was getting increasingly hard on Long Beach to continue to lie, both morally and physically.

"Look, I have as much of a clue as you, but we're here now. Nimitz mentioned it was for pr, right? It might not have anything to do with actually training."

"Maybe they want you to inspire the next generation of carriers?" Long Beach giggled.

Enterprise hummed at that statement as she spun the walkie in her hand absentmindedly.

It made sense.

If it had to do with pr, then it probably wasn't training related. Maybe they were just there to show how cool and strong the navy was while just standing and looking pretty for cameras.

There'd be no story, no character to play, no substance...

God, that sounded boring.

"Well, whatever it is, we're approaching the base... Bye, love you."

Long Beach's following giggle was heard through the speaker, the sound filling Enterprise's ears and making her chest feel all warm and tingly.

"Love you too."

---

Enterprise stretched her arms over her head as she walked along the base, Long Beach following at her side.

The docking of the two was without issue, though Enterprise's mind was more focused on their reason than their destination. What were they here for?

It was eating away at her.

She didn't like being left in the dark, and Nimitz had skimmed around whatever their actual task was so much that the carrier had gotten fed up with her junior and just gave up on asking.

As far as she knew, Long Beach knew as much as her, which only made her feel more annoyed.

"You'd think shr'd tell us what we were actually doing over here, but no, Nimitz has to be all mysterious and shit."

The taller woman's complaint earned a chuckle from her escort, a sound that seemed to lessen her frustration every time she heard it, a small smile building on her face.

"Well, it doesn't matter." Long Beach answered with shrug, "I bet if we find Ranger, she'd probably know what we need to do."

The carrier's violet eyes lit up bright, her mouth widening into a toothy grin.

"Hey, that's right! She probably does know everything that goes on here! Come on!"

With a swift grab to Long Beach's wrist, the two were off, searching the San Diego naval base for any sight of the red-haired carrier.

Long Beach could barely contain her smile. Like a moth to a flame, she'd coerced Enterprise into the surprise of her life, all while playing innocent.

She felt a bit bad acting like she didn't know a thing.

The missle cruiser couldn't help but wonder if it really would make a difference. Like anybody with anything, doubts had crept into her mind about her plan, but she would always quickly throw them away.

She loved Enterprise, but the woman didn't know when to stop anymore. When to take a break.

She'd destroy herself if she kept things up at the pace she was going, and while it may be a bit of an extreme thing to catch her attention, Long Beach decided it was necessary to get her into anything other than just solely being a shipgirl.

Plus, it looked like she wouldn't have to keep up the act much longer...

Enterprise cocked a brow as she fastwalked past several lights and boxes of equipment that didn't look like they belonged to the Navy. Neither did the people walking around, for that matter.

"Hey, what do you think is up with all this?" Enterprise questioned as they rounded a corner, the brunette shrugging in response.

"Nimitz did say it was for pr. So I'd guess people are gonna be filming you in some way."

The nuclear-powered carrier seemed to think on it for a moment before nodding in agreement. It definitely made sense. "Well, if it's to make the Eagle Union look good, it only makes sense they got the two best lookin' shipgirls for it!"

Long Beach couldn't help the upturn of the corners of her lips. Enty really was a charmer.

"Thanks, but I don't think I'm getting featured."

"I still stand by it." Enterprise winked back with a shrug, only to catch the sight of bright red hair further down from the corner of her eye.

The pale haired woman spun around, a grin on her face as she instantly hopped up and started waving one of her hands, trying to get the other carrier's attention, "Hey! Ranger! Ranger!"

The same head of red hair jerked away, attention turning from speaking to a man about something to the voice calling a name. Turning, blue eyes meeting Enterprise's shaded gaze.

The woman's eyes seemed to widen in surprise before politely excusing herself from the man she was speaking with. He seemed to be a bit of an older guy, early forties if Enterprise had to guess. But he didn't look like navy either.

Just what exactly was going on?

The woman quickly scurried away from the man and towards the pair of nuclear-powered girls, a slight smile on her face.

"Enterprise! Long Beach! How are you guys doing?"

The tallest of the two turned three just chuckled and high-fived the redhead's extended hand, "Good. How've you been, Ranger."

The woman blinked before smiling and rubbing the back of her head, the small white cap on top shaking a bit.

USS Ranger CV-61.

If Long Beach had to describe her, she'd probably say she looked like a nicer Forrestal, not that she ever had any real problem with the lead ship of the Forrestal-class herself, unlike Enterprise.

A long black coat with a red inside and a few gold lines on the outside, mildly similar to Enterprise's, but almost identical to Forrestal and Saratoga's, "61" printed on the side in white.

It had become a sort of trend after the second world war for Eagle Union aircraft carriers of the same class to wear similar clothes, no doubt inspired by the Essex's.

Enterprise was her own class, so she didn't have to worry about matching with anyone, thus why her attire was so different from her contemporaries.

But underneath that coat was a simple white shirt containing assets that honestly made Enty feel a bit insecure and some rather tight black pants.

She definitely pulled off the attire way better than Forrestal, Sara, or Indy in Enterprise's opinion, though Indy's jacket was always closed, so she had a different overall look.

But underneath that alluring exterior laid a passionate and gentle woman who'd essentially become one of the senior carriers with all the Essex's gone, aside from Lexington, that is.

"Oh, I've been fine." Ranger chuckled, the sound pulling both Enterprise and Long Beach out of their respective examination of the carrier, "I guess I'm just a bit nervous about being filmed, but I'll probably be okay when we start."

Enty blinked, a bit surprised. Filmed?

So it was gonna be some ad.

"When we start?"

Ranger seemed to take that as a literal question rather than Enterprise asking what she was talking about.

Her eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head, trying to be reassuring, "No! No! Don't worry, you're not late or anything! They're gonna start filming with us in a few days! Everything out here is just them getting ready. You-"

"What are you talking about?"

Ranger blinked a bit in surprise, "W-what?"

Enty shook her head before continuing, "This being filmed stuff. All these people and cameras. What the hell's going on?"

It seemed to take a moment for Enterprise's words to register in the Forrestal-class shipgirl's head. Ranger's eyes widened a little bit before she whispered.

"You... don't know why you're here?"

Enterprise rolled her eyes once more, letting out a huff, "Of course not, do you?"

"Top Gun, the movie we're participating in."

"..."

It was like cold water was splashed directly into Enterprise's face after just waking up, her eyes widening slowly behind her aviators.

Enterprise had assumed that if they were filming something, it would be some simple thing for "pr," as Nimitz suggested...

But a movie?

"Top Gun?"

"Yeah, you didn't sign up thinking it was training or something, did you?" Ranger giggled but quickly silenced herself once she noticed Enty's prolonged staring.

"Oh God, you thought it was training when you signed up."

"A-actually, I didn't sign up at all. I was told to come by Nimitz... s-she didn't really tell me anything further."

"Oh..." Ranger's eyes were now wide and she stared back at the other carrier, "Well, what did she say?"

Enterprise's heart was racing. A movie set? A movie? Was she going to be acting? Like, actually acting? Why wasn't she told? "She said it was for pr..."

"That's... not entirely incorrect..." Ranger sweatdropped as Enterprise frantically looked around, looking at all the equipment around the base, it all coming together in her mind, in a mild panic before her eyes fell on Long Beach.

Her purple gaze loomed over the other shipgirl, who was looking to the side, seemingly trying not to draw attention to herself or offer any input.

"L-long Beach, did you-"

The cruiser averted her eyes awkwardly, looking to the ground and sky, and anywhere that wasn't Enterprise, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, not that it worked.

Enty's eyes widened, realization flashing over her immediately. She'd been set up! "Y-you knew!?" She stammered, jaw agape.

"Surprise..." Long Beach smiled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head.

"You're evil..."

"You're overreacting..." Long Beach sweatdropped. If she got the chance, she could explain her motives later, but now she stared up at the hyperventilating carrier in confusion, "What's up with you? I thought you always wanted to be an actor?"

"W-well... Yeah! B-but I'd still appreciate some warning!" Enterprise whined as she held onto her girlfriend, shaking her slightly. She probably should've expected that.

"Does my hair look good?"

"Are my sunglasses sumuged?"

"Are my clothes straight?"

'When has Enty cared about any of that stuff, ever?' Long Beach thought to herself, sweating a bit, still staring at the panicked girl before grabbing hold of her in order to stop herself from being shaked. "You've never been this nervous about... anything."

"W-well, yeah, but being in an actual movie? That's something completely different than anything I've ever done."

"You've been in navy films before."

"That's not the same! It's a REAL movie!"

Long Beach almost felt insulted that her camerawork didn't qualify as a "real movie" but she let it go for now and just rolled her eyes at the whining of her partner, "You'll do fine, I'm sure of it."

"Do you forgive me?"

Enty tried to catch her breath as she stared down at the smiling missle cruiser, calming herself, unable but to smile a bit in return. Long Beach just had that effect on her. "Yeah... I guess. Are you gonna lie to me again?"

"Won't happen again." Long Beach's smile turned smug as she held up her hand, two of her fingers crossed.

Enterprise pouted once more and turned to Ranger, raising a brow at the other carrier, "I still don't even know what it's about..."

Ranger blinked as Enterprise turned back to her, the little couple's spat over with, "O-oh! Right! Well, it's about two carriers, you and me, you're the main, and they're going to the TOPGUN school, and you'll catch on from there, and-"

Enterprise's heart stopped, words and breath catching in her throat. "I-i'm the lead?"

Ranger blinked in return, her own face paling a bit at the fact the film's lead just found out she was the film's lead. "W-well, yeah, but... You'll be fine... probably." Ranger giggled awkwardly, trying to calm and reassure the other woman before her eyes widened, "Oh! You should meet the director!"

Enterprise's eyes widened soon, too, as Ranger grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her towards the man she was talking to earlier.

"W-wait! Hold on! I'm still not ready- Long Beach!"

The brunette giggled into her hand as she soon followed after the two carriers, Enterprise's screams for help filling the base.

She really hoped this would work.

She hopes this would help Enterprise.

Even if she seemed to have a bit of stage fright at first.

---

The door to the large hotel room swung open swiftly, the person standing in the now open frame a white-haired supercarrier with wide eyes behind wide frames, bags and luggage all in her arms.

"Whoa! Nimitz is doing all this?" Enterprise questioned loudy as she quickly shifted into the room, dragging her suitcase behind her, listening to its wheels hit the cold tile of the kitchen.

"Yeah, since we aren't technically on duty while doing this, she wanted to treat us. Ranger got one, too." Long Beach explained as she kicked her shoes off at the door and carried her own bags further in before dropping them on the couch, not before dropping a rather thick bundle of papers on the kitchen counter, a script.

"See, it's not so bad."

It, indeed, wasn't so bad.

A spacious hotel room with a small kitchen connected to a living area with a large sectional couch and a television. A door also sat next to the television, no doubt leading to the bedroom and bathroom combo that Long Beach had already assumed they had.

"Still lied to me." Enterprise countered.

Was she still on that?

"I said I was sorry." Long Beach answered quickly, afraid the other nuclear-powered shipgirl was actually holding a grudge.

Enty, however, couldn't keep the smug grin off her face as she shook her head, speaking boldly, "Doesn't matter. You still ruined my trust." She spoke with exaggerated hurt, "I don't think we can ever recover from- Oh! A balcony!"

And like that, the carrier was sliding open the glass door and stepping out into the warm summer night air.

Long Beach only chuckled as she followed behind, stepping out onto the concrete and feeling the light wind hit her face. She was glad Enterprise seemed to be playing it up and wasn't actually mad with her.

"It's a good view." The crusier hummed, looking down at the bustling city below, at all the lights that light up the darkness.

"Yeah..." Enty smiled, eyes imperceptibly flicking to Long Beach for a moment before she turned on her heel and re-entered the living room.

Long Beach stayed out for a moment longer before retreating herself. She passed the taller woman who was disconnecting her arm's exoskeleton and opened the door to the bedroom.

It was a decently sized space. AC, a comfy enough looking bed, a TV, a connected bathroom.

Of course, there was only one bed.

She felt an arm sling around her neck and a sudden weight against her body as her eyes turned to find two purple orbs looking down at her with mischievous fever, "Awww, shucks... Looks like there's only one bed. Guess I'll have to take the couch, and after all you've put me through today too..."

At Enterprise's following tsks, Long Beach simply rolled her eyes before spinning around and wrapping her arms around the other nuclear-powered shipgirl's neck, leaning back and pulling her on top of her.

The cruiser giggled as she looked up at her partner, holding her against herself tightly, "You really think I'm that cruel?"

"A bit." Enterprise countered, matching the brunette's smile before it seemed to dim for a moment, the corners of her mouth returning to a neutral position as she looked down at Long Beach.

"Long Beach..."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you do this?"

The cruiser's eyes widened a bit as she looked up at her partner, taking in her expression and answering, "What do you mean?"

"Just... this." Enty motioned with her hands while scooting off of the brown haired woman, sitting down next to her on the bed, crossing her legs and continuing, "Getting me the chance to do all of this, what's essentially a vacation. Why?"

Long Beach stared up at the ceiling for a moment longer, her back still against the white covers of the hotel bed, silent. It took another moment of silence before she finally spoke.

"I'm scared."

Enty's eyes widened, the purple orbs expanding as they fixed on Long Beach and Long Beach alone, "What?"

Her attention was undivided.

The cruiser sighed, turning her head to face her girlfriend, her eyes soft and kind, just like they always were, "I'm scared for you."

Another pause in the silent room.

"Why?" Was all Enterprise could muster.

"Your episodes have only been getting worse, and I can't be the solution you want me to be." The words were serious and stern, but filled with an underlying sense of worry that pulled at Enterprise's heartstrings, that wanted her to understand the severity of what was being discussed.

"You're stressed out a lot, even if you try not to show it. You work yourself to the bone, Enty. You never take breaks, or leave, or anything unless it's the holidays, and even then, you barely relax."

Enterprise felt stunned. No words were able to find escape, and her eyes couldn't turn away as Long Beach kept going, "So I wanted you to have this. To do something you've always wanted to do. To take a break. To not worry about the world or any duties you have."

"I just..." Long Beach stopped herself, trying to think of how to say the words she so desired to admit, not having noticed the slight stinging in her eyes. The words of Enterprise in the bathroom those few weeks ago flashed in her mind. How helpless she was, how ashamed she was. "...I don't want you ruining yourself over things you've done in the past."

"You're a good person, Enty. Regardless of what you may believe or what some people may think or say... and I love you."

Enterprise's vision was blurry as she stared at the woman in front of her, the woman who'd been with her through thick and thin, her best and her worst, proclaim how much she cared for her.

Someone Enty hardly believe deserved to live.

Herself.

Something odd welled up in her, a feeling that she couldn't exactly place her finger on when she stared at the brunette now sat up in front of her, silently sniffling.

Enterprise had been sniffling, too.

She leaned forward, ignoring the hot streaks of tears running down her cheeks, and wrapped her arms around the shorter woman's waist, pulling her against herself, feeling as arms wrapped around her neck in return.

There, they remained for what felt like hours, sitting together, embracing one another.

Enty's voice cracked as she whispered back a soft, "I love you too."

She did.

She loved this woman who cared so much about her, who'd been so open with her even when she had not honestly returned the favor.

---

Violet eyes glowed like two tinted full moons in the darkness, a narrow tunnel providing a glance at one thing only.

The divine.

How her chest rose and fell softly, how her hair spread out over the sheets, how peaceful she looked, not making a sound.

A goddess.

In her eyes, at least.

She didn't deserve her.

She was too beautiful, too kind, too amazing, yet she had chosen her.

Enterprise sat up in the bed, hair falling over her sleeping shirt, her shadow dancing on the curtains as she looked down at her fellow shipgirl.

She'd thought long about how much she cared for Long Beach, but as time marched on, it almost seemed to change and mold.

Seeing how much the cruiser had done for her, all in an attempt to make her happy or feel better...

She loved Long Beach, more than anything...

...but it felt different now.

After their talk, after her showing how much she truly cared... Enty felt something new make itself known, a desire unlike any before.

She loved Long Beach in a way that she didn't yet know how to express.

But she wanted to express it.

Chapter Text

Enty awoke violently to the morning sun creeping through the blinds of her hotel room, a set of arms wrapped around her waist, and the soft feeling of someone's breath ghosting her neck.

Her eyes turned down at her. She tried her best not to move, least she wake the cruiser from her peaceful slumber.

A feeling filled Enterprise's body, one that made her shudder under the covers of the bed they shared.

It was something she felt every time she awoke with Long Beach at her side, something that filled her every time she felt the warmth of her partner against her.

How beautiful she was.

Not just physically, though if you were to ask Enterprise and probably most people with eyes Long Beach was an absolute smokeshow, but on the inside to.

The way she cared, the way she spoke, the way she didn't everything in her power to make Enterprise feel better about herself when she was down.

The carrier couldn't think of a person in the world more lucky than herself.

Yet, it sometimes weighed down upon her. How much had she done out of appreciation of Long Beach? All out of love, but all resonating deep within Enterprise's soul as inadequate, regardless if she spoke out or not.

What could she do to properly prove it when everything seemed to her to be not enough.

It was at that point that two blue eyes slowly fluttered awake, the shorter woman shifting under the blankets, legs intertwined with her fellow shipgirl.

A yawn broke the hum of the ac and Enterprise's thoughts, the first thing she'd heard since waking up.

"M-mornin', Enty."

"Mornin', Beach."

The aircraft carrier felt like a little kid from such a simple response, almost wanting to giggle and kick her feet, a dumb smile taking its place on her face at the sight of Long Beach's groggy state.

The missle cruiser seemed to notice her expression, matching it herself, albeit in a much more tired fashion, "Ready for the first day of filming?" Her sentence was once more interrupted by a yawn escaping her throat.

"Yeah. Want me to make coffee while you get ready?" Enty questioned, only to be met with a swift, sleepy headshake.

"No, you don't make it right. I'll be up in a minute."

"I do so make it right." She huffed, running a hand through Long Beach's hair, fingers tangling in brown locks.

"No, you don't." The cruiser once more assured, a singular blue eye visible in the dark, staring up at her partner, "You should get up though... practice and stuff..."

The carrier considered it for a moment, the thought forming in her mind until it was dashed as quickly as it came and she snuggled back up against the shorter woman, holding her against herself.

"Nah."

She didn't wanna let go.

Ever...

But soon enough, reality would force their hands, and the two would be sat in the living room and kitchen respectively, Long Beach leaning against the counter while drinking some coffee, and Enterprise sitting on the couch with a bowl of cereal.

Neither had bothered with getting any real food yet, for the moment, at least.

They'd only go out for food, woth Ranger tagging along most of the time, and anything breakfast was only simple cereal or stuff provided by the hotel.

Long Beach ran a hand through messy brown locks once more, her other holding firmly onto a small cup of coffee, a small patch of white at the center of the swirling brown liquid, in the shape of a heart, something LB just did for fun.

Her eyes flicked towards the sight of Enty sitting on the couch, her legs crossed, a bowl of Cheerios seemingly already provided by the room in her lap, and a bundle of papers stapled together in her hand.

"How's it coming?" The brunette asked to the answer of a smile flashing back at her.

"Pretty good, some lines are a bit harder to remember than others, but I think I've got this."

The non-carrier hummed, nodding her head along before taking a sip, the mildly bitter taste of shitty hotel coffee muffled by drops of milk and creamer. When she pulled the beverage back from her lips, she cocked a brow, "You nervous?"

Enterprise scoffed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, "Course' not."

"You're nervous." Long Beach chuckled lightly in return as she made her way over to her fellow shipgirl, setting down next to her, pulling her knees to her chest as she leaned against the arm of the seat.

"I just said I wasn't."

"You shouldn't lie to me, you know. I can see right through you."

The words were so casual, but they resonated down to Enterprise's core. They were clearly just Long Beach joking around... but the carrier interpreted them as more than they were worth.

She shouldn't lie to Long Beach. About anything. That's what she promised long ago, after all, wasn't it? That she'd never hide anything from her?

Not her stress, not her sorrows, nothing...

She turned her head, her violet orbs making contact with the sight of her partner curled up against the couch. She looked so peaceful. So comfortable.

"...Well, it is a bit scary."

Long Beach's eyes widened for a moment at the sight of the taller woman rubbing the back of her head in awkwardness, but soon, a soft smile followed, a calmness taking over her expression.

"Well, you're trying something new, and its a big role for you're first time... but as long as you enjoy yourself, who cares. Besides, you'll knock it out of the park, I just know it."

A soft smile followed, Enterprise glancing back to her script and muttering a small thanks towards her girlfriend.

"..."

"..."

"Still would've appreciated actually being told-"

"It's been three days!"

---

The day was bright and sunny once more, like most of the week's forecast. Traffic wasn't that bad from their hotel to the naval base, but even then, it was a short trip.

However, the second they stepped foot on the base, both, more particularly Enterprise, were swarmed by people, a menagerie of staff and assistants that seemed to overstimulate and overload even a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier such as Enterprise.

"Hello, good morning, right this way."

"Over here, Miss Enterprise."

"Do you need something to drink?"

"We should get you to the makeup chair first."

"Is that woman joining you?"

"You need to get your costume."

Long Beach sweated a bit at the very few comments directed at herself rather than due to the heat of the California sun. Her eyes glanced to Enterprise after affirming that she was, in fact, tagging along, and Enty...

Seemed to be in her element.

She chatted away, sunglasses falling to the bridge of her nose as she waved her hand around absentmindedly, like a conductor, and the many assistants her band.

Whatever nervousness she had almost seemed to fade away in an instant, even if she herself didn't really recognize it.

She settled into the position in which she was thrusted into without any prior warning with the grace of someone who'd been acting for decades.

It was as if such a role was made for her, and it almost made Long Beach a bit speechless.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, get me some water, it's burning out here!"

"Makeup chair? Well, if you insist."

"Oh, costumes come first? Lead the way."

"Yo, Long Beach! Come on!"

The loud voice snapped the cruiser out of her daze, her eyes blinking as Enty's hand motioned for her to follow her and some woman, most likely one of the costume designer people for the film.

Long Beach had to blink once more in shock before she jogged to catch up with Enty and the woman, her surprise having a greater hold on her than initially thought.

Long Beach couldn't help but feel a bit proud, if not excited.

Enterprise looked so excited, and she looked good, too. Even without having actually started filming yet, the idea of just being someone who commanded attention just seemed to be something the carrier naturally settled into.

Everything, surprisingly, seemed to be going to plan.

---

"Whoa, these are our costumes?"

USS Ranger's head turned to Enterprise as she began removing her coat, nodding, "Well, we're not playing ourselves, and our normal clothes are personalized to us, so we need something different."

The nuclear-powered girl nodded along as she unbuttoned her shirt, scarred fingers squeezing and pulling at the white top's buttons.

It made sense. They were, in fact, not playing Enterprise and Ranger.

They were playing two fictional shipgirls, Maverick and Goose.

While a bit skeptical on the fictional Eagle Union's naming conventions for aircraft carriers, Enty didn't really think much off it. It wasn't that important of a detail, and hey, Maverick was a pretty cool name anyway.

She was at least a bit grateful that her character didn't seem too hard to play. The carrier shipgirl Maverick seemed almost tailor-made to match her. From personality to struggles, it really seemed like such a big coincidence.

Not to say it still wasn't nervewracking.

She got a chance at her childhood dream, aside from being a shipgirl. Acting on the big screen, and her first role with no to barely any prior experience was the lead of a film meant to show off her real way of life.

But people were confident in her. Long Beach, Nimitz, even though they both set this up, Ranger, the director. She had people she couldn't let down, and she'd make sure she pulled through.

Speaking of Long Beach, the cruiser apparently couldn't come into the dressing room while they were there. What a shame. Enty was hoping to show herself off a bit, though it would be awkward with Ranger there.

Enterprise scowled slightly as she slid her shirt off, the white fabric running down her shoulders and landing on the floor, pooling at her feet.

She was facing a mirror, and her eyes couldn't help but trail downwards towards the backward words on ribs.

"Born To Kill"

She never had it removed. Not during the end of the war, not whenever she finally got back home for good, not in the years that she'd thought she'd left it behind.

The tattoo was a stain on her soul and body, black ink sprawled in a messy font, but one she refused to rid herself of.

She'd changed her purpose from what it once was.

To help people.

To get herself up to zero.

Whether she was there yet, she didn't know.

If she could ever even reach what she deemed as zero, she didn't know either.

But she kept it.

As a reminder of what she once was, of what she once did, of the things she couldn't, shouldn't ever forget.

Something to drive her forward.

To reach zero.

A thought infiltrated Enterprise's mind as she dropped her belt to the floor, turning to face her fellow carrier with a question in mind. "Hey, Ranger."

The Forrestal turned her head only to be met with Enterprise sliding her pants off, black panties with the slightest bit of white hair poking out of the waistband on display.

The redhead immediately averted her eyes, blushing slightly, "Y-yeah?"

"Have you ever been unsure when loving someone?"

The conventional carrier blinked, the little bit of embarrassment from before gone and replaced by confusion, "What?"

"Have you ever been confused by how you love someone?" Enterprise repeated once more, sliding on the new pants as part of her costume, a sleek blue in contrast to her regular black.

"I don't guess. No." Ranger shook her head, pulling her shirt down over her head. "You and Long Beach having problems?"

The nuclear-powered woman swiftly shook her head, siver hair whipping around, "God no. I guess that wasn't the way to word it. I just..."

"I guess I just love her so much I don't know what to do."

"Wow, a real Romeo." Ranger sweatdropped as she got some of the finer details of her outfit's jacket ready.

"Hey, I'm serious!" Enty barked back but couldn't contain her slight laugh or her blush.

She sild her shirt on, a red in contrast to Ranger's blue, before moving to her new coat.

They were impressive props. Stuff that would probably make girls like Saratoga or Kennedy beg Nimitz to make official.

Enty's was a sleek dark blue with white and red running up the back and sides. A white eagle head was drawn on her left shoulder, on the right with Ranger's, and "Maverick" inscribed on her right shoulder, with "Goose" being written on Ranger's left shoulder.

Odd naming conventions aside, this fictional EU definitely knew what they were doing when it came to fashion.

"I wanna do something for her. To prove how much I love her too. After all she's done for me, she's owed something big. I just... I've got mixed feelings on what to do next."

Ranger hummed as she took a pair of aviators from the area her costume was located in. Nice quality, not as good as Enterprise's regular brand, but still nice.

She slid them on, posing in the mirror a few times while answering back, "Well, I don't really know what you expect me to say, Enty. I've never really been in too many relationships, and yours is probably the most sound in the navy."

She turned to face her friend before beginning to walk to the door of the costume room, "I mean, do you have any ideas?"

Enterprise paused as she slid her own sunglasses on, biting her lip, the slightest bit of doubt creeping in before she bit the bullet instead of her tongue, "I... I have been thinking about something, yeah, but... I don't know... You can't tell anyone, especially not Long Beach."

"Cross my heart." Ranger nodded as Enty joined her at the door, grabbing the handle.

The nuclear-powered carrier took a breath before beginning, "Well-"

---

Enterprise stared into the mirror in front of her, blinking at all the lights reflecting off her shades and the countless containers of makeup on the small counter.

"H-hey, do we really gotta go through all this before we head out?"

Sure, she was feeling pretty confident about what she was getting into, more or less than what she was letting show, but to say the carrier wasn't used to being pampered in such a way was an understatement. Enterprise can't recall the last time she'd worn even the slightest bit of makeup, but here she was now, in a chair specifically for that.

The woman attending her giggled, "Of course, we want to make sure you look good for the cameras, after all."

The nuclear-powered girl just chuckled awkwardly in response, nodding slightly, "U-uh huh, sure, but don't I already look good?" Now she was doubting.

"Long Beach, d-don't I look good?"

"Perfect, dear."

The missile cruiser's response was simple and precise, her eyes not even taking the time to turn up from the script that sat in her lap.

Sure, Long Beach wasn't in the movie, but she'd still like to help out as best she could, and the best thing she could do would make sure Enty remembered her lines.

"H-hey! You're not paying attention!"

The makeup artist smiled as she spun Enterprise in her chair, grabbing a brush and dabbing it in some blush, "Don't worry, you're already looking good as is. You just need a few touch ups."

Enty felt so helpless in the chair, like all free will had vanished from her, and so she simply complied, saying yes to everything like an obedient dog.

As the woman's brush dusted across her cheeks, Enty's violet eyes couldn't help up focus in on the small siver band on one of her fingers, all of them wrapped delicately around the wood brush.

A ring. She thought. An engagement ring most likely. Wedding rings were usually gold, at least, that's what she thought.

A nice, shiny silver with a small red stone wedged in between, the light from blubs of the mirror glinting off the gem.

It was nice looking.

Enterprise couldn't explain why the small, almost insignificant detail about the woman's appearance, an accessory that was probably invaluable to this woman but something simple to herself, captivated her so much.

When she was eventually sent away from the chair, her mind still lingered on the ring, not necessarily the specific ring itself, but rather the idea behind it.

---

Knowing she was being recorded was... a lot of things.

Terrifying.

Exhilarating.

All of it.

Enterprise did her best not to even glance in the direction of the film crew, or any of the several cameras, as she watched a Tomcat rise with her elevator, her back towards the camera, her anxiety visible.

This was it. Childhood dreams and desires came to a heading right here, right now, a good few miles off San Diego, with a film crew on her deck.

She wondered if Long Beach was watching.

The hum of the elevator became background noise as she watched the sunset over Ranger's island. They'd already done all the panning shots of the two, and now it was time for herself to actually take the spotlight.

They wanted to start out with them fully manifested rather than with rigging. The director thought it would be more grand in scale, and Enty was inclined to agree.

She had no direction other than to act how she normally would when conducting operations, so she just tried to imagine they weren't even there.

They were filming one of the opening shots, just her launching an F-14, with the plan of it, along with one of Ranger's, meeting two MiG-28's, a plane that Enty had learned would just be some dolled up F-5's.

Not that she'd actually meet them. The combat scenes weren't gonna be filmed for a while, including her brief encounter with a Kiev-class that would be the climax of the film.

Hell, this whole scene was just a test run to see how filming on the carrier would work. After, they'd got to all the on-land scenes until later in the year.

Enterprise's jolted back to reality as she heard the click of the elevator come into place, the naval fighter in its full glory.

This was it. This was real.

She took a deep breath before a grin overtook her face. She bounced back, motioning the jet forward with her hands, watching as its engines started, and it rolled to her.

The camera wanted a show, an exaggeration of what she'd normally do, a scene that would set Maverick up as a cocky but competent lead. She'd give it to them.

Her feet scooted against the deck as she walked backward fluently, not a single flaw in her moonwalk as she reached the center where she'd need to turn, hitting a spin and moving closer to the bow, the F-14 following.

It stopped at the catapult, and so did she, sliding over towards its front landing gear, her arms extended at either side before quickly crouching down to fix the gear. It wasn't something she'd ever have to worry about in real life, with her rigging automatically doing it, but she thought it'd make for a better scene.

Once making sure everything was fixed, she slid under the nose, ducking her head to avoid banging it against the plane before ending up on the right side. She proceeded to quickly stand up before leaning over to check the back two, giving the camera a nice shot of her face smirking from under the jet.

They were using a lot of the smoke and other aircraft scattered on deck to hide themselves. It was clever.

She raised her head once more, spinning on her heel to face the bow and raising her right hand. It was a spilt second thought about what sort of gesture to do for the launching, but the one she settled with was rooted into her brain since childhood, making it's resurgence in what she considered the pinnacle of all those young dreams.

Her hand reached her upper back before pulling upwards... like pulling an arrow out of a quiver.

She extended her left arm before running her right down it, drawing back like a bowstring before letting go and hearing the sound of the catapult, soon followed by engines rushing past her, filling her ears.

She was still for a moment, watching the Tomcat fly out, holding the pose and looking out to the sea. She closed her eyes, just listening to her heart thumping in her ears. It was as if she were in a trance.

"Cut!"

Her eyes snapped open, and she quickly spun around to see the production crew moving towards her, Long Beach and Ranger too.

They surrounded her, film crew spouting off about how good she looked, especially for her first time filming, and how she seemed to just command the scene by being in it. The praise, of course, went straight to her head.

"Enty, that looked amazing!" Long Beach beamed, her hair fluttering slightly in the breeze as she wrapped her arms around her fellow nuclear-powered shipgirl's neck.

A blush formed on the white-haired woman's cheeks at her girlfriend's sudden affection, a bashful smile and chuckle soon following, "Y-you really think so?"

"Yeah, really. It was like you were in your own little world." Ranger added, slapping her co-star on the back as Long Beach pulled away, "Though, you were a bit extra." The red-haired girl added on, leaving Enty's mouth agape.

"Hey! It's the opening! It's gotta be memorable!"

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding."

"At least I don't die!" Enty barked before sticking her tongue out.

"What did it feel like, having all the cameras on you?" Long Beach questioned, tilting her head slightly at her partner.

She thought about it for a moment before shrugging, "Pretty scary, but I guess it's not as bad when I'm in the motion of it."

A smile creeped up Long Beach's face in response, Enty rolling her eyes, "See, it's just like I've been saying."

"Yeah, yeah."

In a moment, an idea appeared in the cruiser's head and flashed across her face. She reached for the camera around her neck, giddy with joy, "Let's take a picture."

Enty blinked, "What, why?"

Long Beach rolled her eyes, "For memories, obviously."

Soon, both aircraft carriers were dragged onto the forward elevator, standing on the edge as the rest of the crew continued getting things ready and reviewing the footage.

"Ranger, would you-"

"I don't mind." The older woman shook her head as she took the camera from Long Beach and paced backward.

"Don't worry! You can be in the next one!" Enty called, smiling as she settled her aviators on top of her forehead, Long Beach standing next to her.

The two stood, the edge of Enty's island in the corner, the start of her name visible. But the main focus was the setting sun in the background, the two nuclear-powered shipgirls at the center.

Both brought up their hands to put a peace sign on the other, smiling, but Enty couldn't help but glance down at Long Beach's smile.

She looked so happy just from the prospect of seeing Enterprise happy. It was infectious, and Enty couldn't help but feel her lips curve upwards in a more genuine motion.

She had to be the luckiest woman in the world.

With a snap, the picture was taken, and the two immediately moved to Ranger to check out the black and white photograph the vintage camera would produce.

But Enterprise's attention would soon change as the director's voice rang out over the deck.

"Alright! Let's get the shot of it landing! Enterprise, you didn't great! Try to do a pose as lands!"

"Got it!" Was what the carrier responded with as she began jogging back to the place she once was, waving to Long Beach and Ranger as they moved back out of the way.

Ranger's picture would have to wait.

It started up again, her heart beating as the cameras set back in place, the crew getting ready to shoot the Tomcat's landing.

She felt giddy, like a child.

She wasn't thinking about the things she'd done, or the bodies that weighed down her soul, or her "debt."

She simply thought of the present, the past not even an afterthought.

So she waited, flicking her sunglasses back down over her eyes, waited for the words that would set her heart aflame even more than it already was.

"Action!"

---

Enterprise batted sweat from her brow as she looked up at the blonde man standing in front of her and several of the other actors.

The Cali sun was unforgiving, especially in such a heavy coat, that Enty almost missed the man's line dozing off.

The word "MiG" brought her back to reality as she swiftly nodded, flashing a smirk, "Yes, Sir."

"At what range?"

At that, Enty turned to her side, finding Ranger there next to her, who was also looking back at her, the two putting up contemplative expressions.

"About two meters?" She questioned, looking at the redhead, who gave a so-so nod before turning back towards the man, Charlie.

"Well, it's actually about one and a half, I think." Ranger, or rather Goose, corrected before continuing, "It was one and a half. I've got a great Polaroid of it, and she's, she's right there. Must be one and a half."

"It was a nice picture. It wasn't half bad." Enty, technically Maverick, added in, grinning at Ranger.

"Thanks, man. I like my pictures."

Enty almost broke at that, it taking all her power to not giggle at the older shipgirl's words. Thankfully, the male up front spoke once more, averting her attention. Who knew Ranger could be so funny?

At the man's question of what they were doing, mounting F-14s and bringing them so close to an enemy MiG-28, both Enterprise and Ranger looked to each other for a moment before the latter spoke, "Communicating."

Enty nodded quickly after, repeating the word, "Communicating."

"Keeping up foreign relations. I was, uh, you know, giving em the 'bird'."

"The finger." Ranger chimed in with an example, her middle and thumb extended as she flipped off the man.

Enty had to put her hand to her mouth to stop her snort. The idea of Ranger, the calm and kinda shy girl she was, flipping anyone off was utterly ludicrous.

"Yes, I know the finger, Goose." Charle answered in an exasperated tone.

"I'm, I'm sorry. I hate it when it does that. I'm sorry. Excuse me."

The dam broke. She snorted, the sound soon transforming into a giggle. Other girls sat in the seats behind her followed suit, the nuclear-powered shipgirl's laugh infectious.

Soon, a loud "cut" was heard, and the scene came to a close with Enty immediately trying to defend herself.

"I'm sorry!" She giggled, "You can't expect me to see Ranger flipping someone off and not expect me not to laugh!"

"I can so flip people off." The Forrestal-class shipgirl responded while providing a demonstration that sent Enterprise into another fit.

Thankfully, what came after the line was a cut to Charlie, so they could just cut out Enty's blooper, and there'd be no need for a re-shoot.

---

"So, how do I look?"

Long Beach looked up only to quickly turn away in surprise and embarrassment, her cheeks crimson, much to Enty's amusement.

The nuclear-powered carrier stood there in a black two-piece bikini, a little gold ring in the center of the top. Sharp abs and lean arm muscles glistened with sweat, and like the cherry on top, aviators sat on her forehead, two purple orbs peering down at her.

Long Beach coughed into her hand as she smiled back up a bit weakly, "As good as always." THAT was all hers, and people call Enty's mother lucky!?

The cruiser sat in a beach chair, getting to watch the volleyball match as a sort of background extra for the film, and she definitely wasn't complaining.

Something caught the brunette's attention, her eyes taking their time trailing to her partner's side.

"They covered up your tattoo?"

Enty blinked, her one eyes flicking down to see before nodding and looking back at Long Beach, "Yep. They used foundation and some other junk, I don't know." She raised her right arm, displaying her hand and forearm, "They did my arm too, but it isn't as good."

Long Beach hummed in response, examining the scared skin. It wasn't bad, but it's not like you can't notice Enty's scar. But from afar, it should look fine.

Soon, the director's voice rang over the volleyball court, and Long Beach gave Enty a smile as she was called to start the scene, "Knock em dead."

"You got it!" Enty winked back before jogging back to her side of the net, only for her eyes to widen, "Wait! Actually, I probably should hold back!"

The cruiser only laughed lightly as she watched her partner get into position. She truly couldn't imagine herself loving anyone else as much as she loved her Enty.

---

Weeks had passed since filming, flying by like a montage, and through scene after scene, Enty had proven what she'd been told by nearly everyone working on the movie.

She was a natural.

She learned the craft and honed in on her own in days. She could act. She could improvise. She could be funny. She could be serious. All of it...

And she loved it.

She was having the time of her life as she filmed scene after scene. Getting to meet other actors, have them give her tips, film bloopers, get dressed up.

She loved it.

She truly, truly loved it.

She was a prodigy.

Just like she was when it came to being a shipgirl.

But where was said prodigy now? Under the setting sun of the San Diego downtown?

Why? She was getting groceries. Now that they were actually staying for an extended period of time, the two nuclear-powered gals decided that it was probably important to get some actual food to keep in their room instead of just eating out all the time.

Not that it was anything fancy. They only ever got simple things that could just be shoved into a microwave and fixed in just a few minutes, along with snacks, candy, etc. Neither wanted to do too much while on vacation, and that included fixing fancy dinners.

They'd made a system of one going after the other, unless they wanted to go together, which tonight, Enty found herself a loan wolf. Long Beach just didn't feel up for getting out, and Enterprise wouldn't try to force her.

She didn't mind going alone either. It helped her clear her head and focus on things. The grocery store was close enough to their hotel that she could walk, so it gave plenty of time to her own thoughts.

Remembering the past, thinking about what they would be filming next, recalling parts of the script, she did it all.

She also wandered.

Mentally and physically.

Which now found her standing in front of a simple store, windows and glass doors letting her peer inside at the rows of cases, several shiny accessories in each.

A jewelers.

She stared through the door for a moment, still, with bags of microwavable pizza and other foods in her hands. She'd noticed the store before, both on walks by herself and with Long Beach, but barely even considered going in.

Yet now she found herself opening the door and entering, drawn in like a sailor to a Siren's song, ignoring the looks she gathered as she walked to the cases.

She browsed for a moment, looking at various necklaces and bracelets before finally arriving at a case that contained rings, and then continuing to browse once more.

A few caught her attention, with bright, large rocks and diamonds jutting outwards to the point that they'd probably leave a nasty scar if worn while punching...

But she wouldn't like such an over the top ring. They probably wouldn't be in the Navy's regulation either.

The next one she stopped on was a yellow gold, with the main focus being a peace sign made out of little diamonds. She hummed as she saw it. It would fit, for sure, but it seemed like too much of a statement. It didn't really resonate with her either.

She then moved to another case of rings, where she found it.

It was relatively simple, probably the kinda thing Enty would imagine in her head when thinking about an engagement ring. A small dimond on the front, something called a hallmark, not that she knew whatever the hell that meant, and a gold band.

It was simple but nice. Definitely high-quality. Fancy, too.

She just stared at it for a few more moments, thinking, debating, before finally taking a breath and calling an employee over.

She didn't pay any attention to him listing off its qualities or mentioning the rest of their collection when she simply pointed to it, tapping on the glass.

It was taken out and sat on the counter so she could get a better look, but she'd already decided, so a second look was unnecessary, though she'd acknowledge that it did look better under the room's light.

Soon, she found herself at the register, ignoring the man's small talk as she took out her wallet, not paying any attention to the decently high five-figure pricepoint either. She knew what she wanted.

And just like that, she found herself once more walking the sidewalk, bags of food in her hands, and a receipt and box in her pocket.

As she walked, the evening now the early stages of night, she smiled.

She felt happy with herself.

Chapter Text

"You shake my nerves, and you rattle my brain!"

The conjoined voices of two women were soon followed by the slamming of piano keys in a set of three.

"To much love drives a man insane!" They came again, swiftly followed by the piano keys once more.

"You broke my will, but what a thrill!"

"Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

The sun filtered in through the restaurant's windows, illuminating every booth within the location, including the two men sitting down at a table in the corner.

Not far off from said table stood a woman with hair as white as a ghost next to a sitting woman with hair as red as roses.

A black jacket decorated the taller of the two standing next to the piano, the woman in the seat of the hour baring a Hawaiian shirt and some aviators.

On top of the giant instrument that honestly seemed kinda out of place in the establishment if you asked Enty, sat a little boy, the kid meant to play Goose's, Ranger's, son.

Enterprise smiled as she shook the kid slightly, messing with him as Ranger's fingers danced across the keys with practice and fluidity that Enty honestly never knew her senior had.

The smile she gave the boy was genuine. She loved kids. From the younger destroyers to actual children, they were just so fun to be around, so lively, and she was good with them, too.

Her wanting any herself was a different story, but she'd be lying if she said she'd never thought of it. Kids were amazing, but she didn't need any of her own, yet, at least.

With her and Long Beach being active, such a thing would force one of them out of service not on their own terms, along with keeping the child without one parent for a decent portion of their life, which was something Enterprise REFUSED to let happen, so they went through all the precautions to prevent such an action from happening.

One of the men grinned as he called out to Ranger, "Take me to bed or lose me forever!" He was a blonde as well, a character that was a lot more outgoing than Charlie, even if he didn't appear too much. The actor was a nice guy, at least Enterprise thought so, and Ranger seemed to have believable chemistry with him.

The redheaded carrier smiled in response, fingers still dancing along the white keys as she threw her head back, "Show me the way home, honey."

Now, could Enterprise imagine the actual Ranger ever speaking like this? God no. But her portrayal of Goose was so good that she almost believed it.

Soon, the two men had come to the two shipgirls' side, the camera getting it in a wide shot, and not long after, another round of singing began.

"You shake my nerves, and you rattle my brain!"

"Too much love drives a man insane!"

"You broke my will, but what a thrill!"

"Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

The scene came to an end with the director's exclamation, and the laughter of both Ranger and Enterprise soon filled the small restaurant.

"I didn't know you could sing, Ranger." Enty teased, leaning back against the piano, causing the Forrestal-class rolled her eyes in response, a small smile on her face.

"I can't."

"You're a natural then, cause that was amazing." Enty answered back, the hint of smugness that always seemed to linger in her tone prevalent, not that it was malicious in nature.

The quality of the singing didn't really matter. The scene didn't need it to be good, but Enterprise was honestly having so much fun that she got caught up in the moment along with the older shipgirl.

It was exceptional how well she'd taken to the world of acting with no prior experience. Everything from what certain phrases meant to how to convey emotions with just her body were all soon knowledge in her arsenal. She'd spent hours at night memorizing lines and trying to get a better feel for the character of Maverick, much to Long Beach's dismay.

This... this was something she was really committing herself to.

Enty's eyes widened as a realization hit her. Grinning, she turned to the boy sat atop the piano who was listening to their back and forth, "And you're a natural too, little man."

Another thought came to the carrier in quick succession, one she couldn't bring herself to pass up, and so she reached into her jacket, pulling out a pair of aviators, and raised them to the boy, "Here, for your great performance."

The little kids eyes widened as he took the sunglasses, his bright smile somehow making Enty's look inadequate in comparison. "Really?"

"Course! I got plenty." She assured, earning a slight snort from Ranger next to her.

"She's not joking." The older shipgirl jokingly told the boy before continuing, "She keeps like twenty pairs on her."

Enty scoffed and rolled her eyes, a smirk on her face, "Actually, it's four." She corrected before turning her attention back to the kid once more, "Make sure you show off to all your friends, kay?"

Across from the small sectioned off space used for filming, to where the actual restaurant still conducted business, blue eyes gazed at the white-haired woman from a booth.

Long Beach couldn't help her smile at seeing Enterprise interact with the child. Her head rested in one of her palms, her elbow on the table next to a small basket of fries, which she occasionally picked at.

It was a nice sight, seeing her partner entertaining a child. She'd seen in before, across the seas, at Norfolk, etc, but it just went to show how good of a person Enty truly was... along with all the improvements she'd underwent.

She hadn't had any episodes since their arrival, not that Long Beach thought that she'd been "cured," so to say, but rather that the lack of stress and Enty actually taking time to relax had made her less susceptible.

It was something she was truly grateful for.

Waking up on time, feeling Enterprise's arms around her, the warmth still against her back. It was a feeling that nothing else in the world could top for Long Beach.

Seeing her partner finish entertaining the boy, Long Beach waited for herself to be noticed, and once she was, a quick wave signaled her fellow nuclear-powered shipgirl closer.

Enterprise, upon meeting the cruiser's gaze, flashed a smile and turned, giving a quick, exaggerated bow to Ranger while saying something silly along the lines of "My Lady awaits," earning a giggle from her senior, and disembarked over to the section the cruiser sat in.

"You already look at the menu?" The carrier questioned, sliding into the seat across and snatching a fry from Long Beach's fingers.

With an amused expression, the missle cruiser nodded, taking one of the menus that laid on the table, "Yeah. They've got good barbecue, burgers too."

Enty gave her own menu a look over before nodding, "A burger will probably be good." She smiled up from behind the menu, only her eyes visible, but still giving away the expression underneath with her excitement, "You know they're letting me eat for free, right?"

"Lucky you." Long Beach answered with a chuckle, one that soon infected Enty as well.

"Hey, I'm sure I can at least get you a discount."

At the tease, Long Beach's amusement only grew, but her attention quickly shifted to the crimsion-haired woman making her way to the exit.

She called out to her, "Hey, Ranger! Not sticking around?"

Ranger's attention turned to the couple, and she approached, smiling slightly and shaking her head, "Nah, Kitty Hawk has some paperwork she needs to do back at base, and I need to make sure she doesn't pull her hair out, so I'm booked until this evening."

The cruiser nodded at the words. Unlike them, Ranger was the oldest carrier at the San Diego base, and as such, she worked closely with the shipgirl in charge, Kitty Hawk, whom from what both Enty and Beach have heard is not suited for office work in the slightest.

"What about later tonight?" Long Beach questioned, "Me and Enty might go out. You can join us if you want."

Through the corner of her eye, she noticed an expression pass over Enterprise's face, one of surprise, followed by disappointment, one that was quickly covered up.

Ranger didn't notice, blinking in surprise at the offer before rubbing the back of her head, "Really? You don't mind, do you, Enterprise?"

Turning her attention to her fellow carrier, Ranger received a grin and a headshake in response, "Course not."

A smile grew on the conventional supercarrier's face, "It's settled then. I'll see you guys later then."

Long Beach nodded as she watched Ranger begin to depart once more, "Just show up at our hotel around 6ish!"

Once goodbyes were said and done, Long Beach's attention shifted back to her partner. She raised a brow in confusion before asking, "What's up with you?"

Enty blinked, "What?"

"Did Ranger do something that pissed you off, or-"

The grey haired girl shook her head, trying to assure that Long Beach didn't get the false idea of some falling out between the two. "No, no, I just..." She rubbed the back of her neck a bit awkwardly, "I was hoping we could spend tonight together."

The cruiser stared for a moment before her cheeks grew in color. She quickly coughed into her fist, flustered by what she assumed her partner to be talking about, "O-oh. You wanted to do that tonight, h-huh?"

Enterprise blinked, her brain processing it for a moment too before she realized what Long Beach was talking about, and she shook her head again, chuckling slightly, mildly red herself, "No, no. Not that..." She paused and thought about it for a second, "Actually, maybe that, too. But, no."

She took a fry from the basket and tossed it into her mouth, chewing while speaking, "I just meant that I kinda wanted us to do something together tonight, just me and you."

Long Beach sighed, a bit disappointed in herself, "Ah, sorry then."

But Enterprise just waved her off, a smile on her face as she took another fry from the basket, "It's fine, really. Ranger won't ruin anything."

"I supposed I should've asked you."

"Quit it. It's fine..." Enty answered, pouting slightly at Long Beach's continual degradation, but then she paused. Realization passed over her, and a smug grin soon made its way to her face, "So, did my amazing singing get you in the mood so much that that was on your mind, or?"

Long Beach's cheeks grew a bit brighter, and she huffed, "Oh, shut up."

Soon, Enty's cackles filled their section, loud enough to gain a waitress' attention, and soon, the two were having their orders taken.

Enterprise didn't mind Ranger coming along. Long Beach had already invited her, and she couldn't just tell her no now. She probably couldn't have even done it in the moment if she'd found the courage.

Another time would come. Enty was sure of it.

She couldn't be impatient, even if she was getting fidgety and anxious. The small black box could remain in her pocket for another day or so.

---

Long Beach's awakening was rude and unpleasant, the cool air of the room's ac at full blast hitting her back at full force, no mass next to her or covers over top of her to block it.

She grumbled mildly, her still half awake brain barely comprehending anything but the cold on her bare body.

The cruiser rolled around under the covers, trying to find the form that should be with her, seeking bodily warmth, but all she found was an empty space, occupied by only herself and pillows.

Her eyes attempted to adjust to the dark room, lights from the outside city barely peeking through the blinds, casting her shadow grand onto the wall as she sat up, covers falling to her lap.

Rubbing an eye with the palm of her hand, she glanced around the blackness that surrounded her, at the slightly darker void of the television scene, the emptiness of the chair in she corner of the room, a tall lamp towering, looming over the red cushion seat.

There was no woman of tall stature and beautiful body, of pale hair and irresistible charm, of glowing purple eyes and an equally glowing smile.

She was alone.

Her eyes fixed to the two doors that connected to the room, a shut bedroom door... and an ajar bathroom of the same paint and wood, but infinitely more foreboding.

She tried not to let dread cloud her mind, to let anxiety take hold, but it still seeped into the cracks of her mental fortitude.

All was revealed to her as her now awake brain did its best to operate in such a stress inducing situation.

With a shaky breath, she tried to calm her heart, fingers digging into the covers and ears fully alert as she simply just listened, giving attention to the stillness that she would normally think nothing off.

The constant hum of the air-conditioning unit on the wall slowly faded into the recesses of her mind, background noise to the silence that took center stage.

She waited to pick up on anything.

Bare feet against tile, kitchen or bathroom.

The quiet hum of the microwave in action.

Soft sobs hidden away in the corners of the hotel room.

Nothing. There was no sound. All was silent. Dead.

The absence of sound proved to be more unnerving than the presence of it would be. Long Beach's eyes once more gave a quick scan of the dark blue around her, and once she determined that she hadn't missed anything, she slung her legs over the side of the bed and stood.

For some odd reason, she felt the need to be sneaky, not like she was trying to hide from something, but more the simple fact that she didn't want to disrupt the loud silence that persisted.

Upon reaching the bathroom door, a pit formed in her stomach, and shades of months ago filled her mind when she saw the woman she loved most at her worst.

But she steeled herself, stepping forward and sliding her hand to the wall, finding where the light switch jutted out, and after careful consideration, flicked it upwards, ready to face the mess of the woman that she all but expected to greet her from the floor, or perhaps from behind the shower door.

But for the second time that night, the missle cruiser's expectations were proved false.

There was no one.

Not in the floor

Not in the shower.

Not in the crevice between sink and toilet.

It was completely empty, void of human life.

The reveal was something that filled Long Beach with an emotion she could not describe. Not necessarily fear, but not something good either.

It certainly wasn't relief.

Narrowing her eyes to a scrutinizing gaze, as if perhaps searching for some clue she missed within the room, but finding nothing, she soon turned out of the restroom, her steps, soft against the carpet, finding their way to the bedroom door.

Swinging the large white rectangle open and stepping through the entrance, she found herself in the other half of their hotel room, and found herself nothing once more.

The only light came from the covered glass doors to the balcony, barely bleeding in from underneath the curtain, casting small streaks along the living space, and hitting the kitchen wall.

The couch was empty. There was no sign that a person had even laid on it, let alone was on it now. The kitchen was no different, with no implication of the carrier attempting to have a midnight snack, but the cruiser stepped closer all the same.

The childish, but very real, idea of Enty "hiding," cowering really, behind the counter crossed her mind as she crossed onto the kitchen half of the room, letting out a wince at the cold tile against her bare feet.

Enterprise was not there. There wasn't even a trace of her. With a flick of her eyes, Long Beach looked at and noted the few pairs of shoes by the door, counting them all internally and coming to the conclusion that Enterprise had not left, at least, not with her shoes on.

It was something that she wasn't sure provided more relief or dread.

Nervousness.

That was what she was feeling. The idea that whatever was happening was differing from the usual of Enty's episodes, if that was what was even going on, filled her with worry.

She turned, trying to find any idea, any clue, of the whereabouts of her partner. She stalked back into the living space, glancing around before coming to an abrupt and sudden stop.

Four thin shadows rested on the floor where the light snuck in from underneath. The legs of the two chairs that sat outside on the balcony.

A moment of contemplation followed by realization passed over the brown haired woman's body.

Letting out a breath of what Long Beach didn't know was relief or anxiety, she turned her gaze from the floor to the curtains and stepped closer. Grabbing at the edge, fingers tightening around the fabric, she slowly pulled it to the side, enough to just peak her head out and observe.

There she was, legs kicked up and resting against the white railing, feet pointed up to the sky, clad in nothing but a shirt and shorts. Purple eyes pierced the night, appearing as bright as some of the city lights.

She sat there, simply staring at the world, fiddling with something that Long Beach could not make out in her hands.

She seemed so peaceful, so lost in thought, so alone.

Staring at her through the glass for a moment longer, Long Beach's hand slowly found its way to the handle, pausing for a moment of consideration before sliding the door open.

"Hey, Enty."

The sitting woman jolted a bit, no doubt surprised by the sudden intrusion to her solitude. But when her head turned to meet the baby blue eyes looking down at her, an expression of calm soon took over her slight surprise.

"Yo, Beach." Enterprise greeted lighty, stuffing the thing she was fidgeting with into her pocket, trying to keep it from her partner's view, "Sorry if I woke you."

The cruiser shook her head as she slid the door behind herself, listening to its click in place, "Nah, you didn't." It wasn't a lie. Technically, the cold had woke her up, not Enty.

Long Beach slid the second chair back, plopping down onto the surprisingly comfortable seat, "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep."

Enterprise's simple shrug invoked a questioning gaze from her fellow nuclear-powered shipgirl. "Something on your mind?" Long Beach inquired.

Enterprise seemed to stop for a moment to think, looking at Long Beach before fixing her gaze outward to the city below, "Yeah."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Enterprise paused again, contemplating. It was an offer given countless times, taken even less, but one always given. But receiving it now...

"Yeah."

Long Beach couldn't say that getting this far was the usual. In fact, it was rather surprising.

Her eyes followed Enterprise's as she crossed one leg over the other, gazing out at the city and the sky that lied above.

It was empty. The pitch blank canvas of an artist who'd not yet took to begin his masterpiece. No giant light existed in the sky, the moon hiding itself from their gaze, their scrutiny.

It brought Long Beach's mind back to a lone night in South Vietnam some fourteen years ago, when the woman next to herself laid herself and her burdens out not to the word, but to her alone.

But unlike that night, not even stars remained in the sky. The San Diego sky was much more polluted than that of Vietnam. No, no light shined down on the two from above. The only light that reached them was from below, and even then, they remained hidden in their perch. Alone.

"What were you thinking about?" She questioned, taking her eyes off the world to glance at her world, awaiting her response.

"A lot of things."

Long Beach simply hummed in response, turning back to the sky before speaking again, "The war?"

Enterprise nodded slightly, "A bit..." Her eyes flicked over towards the brunette, glowing in the dark, "It was a waste, you know?"

Long Beach huffed, a slight smile resembling an odd melancholy on her face, "Who doesn't?" Was all she answered.

Enty couldn't help the corners of her lips from tilting upwards as the cruiser's words passed through her ears. It was quickly replaced by a solemn expression as she seemed to consider speaking again before ultimately deciding to.

"...How many did you kill?"

It was a simple question, but a surprising one, one that had never been asked between the two of them, one that caused Long Beach to stop herself for a moment, surprised.

She paused in consideration, actually thinking over it for a second before speaking, "...Two MiGs in '67... and probably a good few in engagements alongside soldiers, but I couldn't tell you."

She wouldn't forget that she'd done it, but remembering the details and immortalzing them in her mind would weigh down her soul, turn her into a grieving wreck like... like Enterprise was.

The aircraft carrier only nodded, silent for a moment, "I've probably got a few dozen MiGs..." She paused again.

Long Beach could tell she wasn't done, so she waited for Enterprise to continue, the other woman clearly waging a mental war to speak.

But eventually, she won.

"Back in '66, I got called to deliver an airstrike to assist some soldiers under heavy fire. I never ended up hearing back from them... so I had to go find them..."

Long Beach glanced over, face becoming more sympathetic. She was familiar with the protocol for aircraft carriers during the war, so she had the slightest guess of where Enty was going with it, "...Did it not save them?"

"It killed them."

Long Beach's expression darkened as she looked at the woman next to her, purple eyes fixed to some point in the distance she couldn't identify.

"The VC there too, if they even were VC. Could've been fuckin' peasants, I couldn't tell."

Long Beach's stomach turned as she watched Enterprise, an undiscribable expression on her face as she spoke. It was something Long Beach, in the years since the incident had taken place, had never heard of once.

It made sense, though. It was around the time the cruiser recalled Enterprise's general shift in attitude. She held her tongue for a moment, not wanting to say the wrong thing to the woman speaking like she'd never spoken before, but she eventually found her words, "Is that when you realized what it'd be like?"

Enty nodded, understanding what Long Beach was referring to immediately. War. The thing they were destined to participate in, to be heralds of.

"Any I killed in bombing runs or strikes after that just added to it."

The guilt was what she was referring to. Long Beach recognized it immediately as well. She felt, for some odd reason, that the two of them were connected more than ever right now. That if one of them spoke, the other would understand it without any confusion.

"During..." Enterprise paused, "During the end of it all, I made a system to... help me try and make up for it all."

Long Beach raised a brow, intrigued as she watched the other woman's hair frame her face, the snow-white threads appearing grey in the dimness of the spot they found themselves in. "A system?"

She nodded, "That every person I killed put me in the negatives, and everyone I saved was a positive..."

The cruiser blinked in surprise at the odd system of morality her partner spoke of, tilting her head slightly as she tried to comprehend it before the carrier continued.

"I wanted to help enough people to get back to zero."

Enterprise's words stopped the cruiser where she sat, gaze now fixed on the purple eyes that now stared at her, filled with sorrow, with hopelessness, with regret.

In an instant, she understood what drove her partner to never take breaks, to beat her body until she felt dead, to always act without a care for her own self.

And it made her devastated.

Long Beach was familiar with the carrier's bombings, Rolling Thunder, the Linebackers, all of it. Such a task was impossible, from determining how much needed to be done to actually go about it "getting yourself to zero," and for it to weigh on someone's conscience, to fill them with guilt...

"That's... not the way to go about that." Long Beach spoke softly, ending the pause between the two.

"I know." Enty simply answered. She'd long since learned that, in her eyes, at least, her sins could never be rectified. "I never even kept track of how many I helped, so I couldn't tell how much I'd moved on the scale." She chuckled weakly, a small, pathetic sound.

Long Beach paused, "...And the people you killed?"

Enterprise followed in silence, "Never counted that either."

But she knew it was big.

Everything she did never felt like enough because she had always thought that she'd done worse.

She tried to improve herself through numbers but never counted.

She kept herself in a purgatory.

"I took things that I thought would help me forget, but they never really worked in the long run, made even a shipgirl like me feel like shit, too." Enterprise continued, rubbing the back of her neck.

Long Beach felt a small wave of surprise run over her as she glanced at Enterprise in a way that just made what she was asking obvious.

Enty nodded a bit meekly in response to the silent question, but with the continued look that followed, she provided a verbal response, understanding the second question being asked, "Nothing that bad. Only things I could take with my mouth. Can't really ask for a needle that can pierce shipgirls, can I?" She chuckled.

Long Beach didn't find it amusing. She'd heard of girls doing it, sure, but this was the first time she'd heard anything related to it from Enty. It was like... the woman was laying herself nude in front of her, truly not hiding a single thing from her.

"While we were dating?"

Enty made a so-so gesture with her hand as she moved her other to rest behind her head, "Clean for ten years."

So only during Vietnam and the early 70s. Enty had seemingly been honest so far, so Long Beach hadn't felt the need to ask if she'd relapsed. She was happy it was something Enty had revealed to her, even if this whole topic was for another day. Long Beach swiftly moved on from it.

"Have you tried to find... any other ways to fix or forget?"

The question brought on the longest silence yet as the carrier went quiet, her eyes fixing themselves back on that far away point in the sky.

But a response did come.

"I don't think I can fix it anymore." Whether Enterprise was admitting it to herself or Long Beach, the cruiser couldn't say. "And I can't forget it either."

"I just have to acknowledge it and move on."

The missle cruiser turned towards her, a soft smile slowly taking hold as Enterprise caught a glimpse of kind blue eyes in the corner of her eye, "I think that's a good way to go about it."

She'd come to terms with it, for how wrong it was, for how she had no choice, for everything.

The slight, genuine smile she received made Long Beach's heart flutter before Enty continued.

"I always wonder how my mom would feel if she was around, if she knew what I've done."

It was obvious who she was talking about, to the point Long Beach simply continued along the lines of their new discussion, "You think she'd be disappointed in you?"

The carrier shrugged, leaning back into her seat, "Maybe, but I wouldn't really know..."

A silence hung over the two, the sound of cars on the streets below filling their ears as they moved from one topic to the next.

"You miss her?"

"Sometimes." Enty answered honestly with a nod, "But I never really knew her that well.."

"You and Bainbridge... you really helped me out."

Long Beach paused as she stared at her, raising her brow in surprise, only to be met by the other woman's smile, "I'm serious, meeting you guys not long after being launched... not long after she died... it helped me a lot, even if I probably didn't show it the best. I could've turned into some bitter loser without you."

Long Beach let out a soft chuckle at the remark, leaning back in her chair and looking over at the other nuclear-powered woman, "Well, thank goodness we were there. A moody Enterprise would be a bigger threat than the whole Northern Parliament."

The laugh she received in return only made her smile grow wider and her heart flutter faster, the serious atmosphere of their conversation seeming to elevate every so slightly.

Enty smiled softly at her, pulling her feet down from their perch and leaning forward against the railing, standing, letting her hair wave in the breeze, "...I really wish she could've met you."

Long Beach's smile grew smaller, but softer, matching her partner's expression, "I would've loved to meet her too."

Enterprise stared down at the many flashing lights below, cars passing off the intersection, the far away lights of ships just barely visible. She took it all in, closing her eyes and taking a breath before relaxing and opening them once more.

"You know, I never really thanked you for doing all this." She remarked, sliding her hands into her shorts' pockets, avoiding the chilly air that she could tell they both were facing, looking over her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Long Beach questioned, raising her head to look at the other girl.

"All of this. Everything." Enty gestured with her right hand before bringing it back down to her side. "Getting me this opportunity. I really feel better than I've felt for a long time, and it's all thanks to you."

The cruiser pushed a lock behind one of her ears, a mild redness to her cheeks at the praise as she let out a little chuckle, "Well, you're welcome, then. I'm glad it's helped you so much."

Enterprise smiled slightly as she stepped a bit closer, looking down at Long Beach, leaning down a bit, "But, it's not just that."

"You've been beside me for most of my life, as my best friend, and then as my girlfriend. You've helped me through the worst moments of my life and have never stopped caring about me once."

Long Beach felt herself cheeks heating up even more as she rolled her eyes, smiling a bit bashfully as she averted her gaze a bit, "Enty-"

"I can't imagine a better friend, girlfriend, or person by my side, and I want to try to return what you've given me, even if it doesn't compare. I love you, Long Beach..."

"Which is why I want to ask..."

Long Beach's brain didn't fully comprehend what was happening as Enterprise sunk to one knee, her head at the sitting cruiser's chest. Pulling her hand from her pocket, a click caught Long Beach's attention, so her eyes instinctively turned down towards the sound, the orbs slowly growing wide.

Three things shined.

Two violet eyes, filled with a softness and kindness she'd never yet seen, but so honest it rendered her immobile.

And a small blue jewel dazzling in the night atop a golden band, the stone a darker shade than her eyes, but a beautiful color nonetheless.

Then, the words came, and what was happening seemed to finally set in on the cruiser.

"...Will you marry me?"

She didn't know how to react at first, vocally, at least, her mouth ever so slightly wide as she gazed down at the carrier before her.

But she did know what to do. The corners of her lips turned towards the sky as tears began to fall to the ground. Finding her voice was troubling, but Long Beach was a competent girl, so she eventually located it, a laugh of what could only be described as pure joy coming alongside the word she tried to spew out as fast as possible.

"Y-yes!"

It was then Enterprise realized that she herself had been crying.

The excitement that flooded her moved her body without her brain's permission, forgoing the notion of sliding the ring onto Long Beach's to instead throw herself onto her, slinging her arms around her neck and soon joining in with laughter, the sound piercing the clear San Diego night.

Just like her first confession all those years ago, Enterprise wanted this next chapter of her- of their life to be set with nothing withheld from one another, no secrets had.

Nothing loomed over them, filling them with doubt or judging the pair.

It was only Enterprise and the woman who'd been with her through thick and thin, the woman who'd cared for her, who'd brought her from a horrendous cycle of self hate and guilt, the woman she loved.

For the first time in a long time...

In the arms of Long Beach...

Enterprise felt truly free.

Chapter Text

[1986]

People gathered outside cinema 12 like a mob. Some held small posters and pens, others with cameras, all with the desire to catch a glimpse at the stars of the evening.

A woman, a reporter, stood on the red carpet, heels sinking into the crimson fabric as she adjusted herself, looking into the not yet powered camera with a smile. Just like all the patrons, she, too, held the desire to meet the stars of the show, but she wanted to score something more.

An interview.

However breif it may be, she wanted to get an exclusive scoop from not just any actor but one of the actual shipgirls who was featuring in the picture.

So as the cars slowly rolled up to the foot of the bloody expanse, she straightened her shirt, tucked a strand of brown hair behind one ear, and prepared to get her big break.

The first few to step out were just the regular actors, the ones who played side characters, and while she did greet them, they weren't exactly the prime real-estate she was searching for.

The next batch to come were the actors and actresses who played supporting characters. The actresses who stared as the many shipgirls in the film who weren't played by real ones.

Again, she tried to be respectful, but she knew she only really had one chance. An interview could stretch on for a while, and it'd be rude and wrong to ignore or move on from someone when a shipgirl walked past, so she'd just have to watch as her white whale escaped, and that was something she could not let happen.

So she restrained herself, waiting for the appearance she was looking for, greeting and waving at those who passed.

And then it happened.

A black car strolled up to the curb, followed by the back door opening, and stepping out onto the runway was a head of hair as red as the carpet itself.

A sleek but simple black dress ran down just as sleek curves, holding in a chest that would probably make any woman envious. The crowd of people erupted louder at her arrival, and the lights from cameras quickly flashed onto the seemingly surprised woman.

Raising one hand to shield her eyes from the sudden explosions of light, though the sunglasses she wore would probably had sufficed, she made her way up the carpet, giving little waves to as many people as she could.

Her journey towards the door seemed to be uninterrupted until her path was suddenly blocked by a man holding a camera and a woman holding out a microphone.

"Hello! Miss Ranger?" The reporter called.

The newly named Ranger blinked in surprise before her purplish blue eyes settled on the microphone, and what was happening seemed to set in, along with a slight blush to her cheeks.

"Oh, hello." The carrier greeted, smiling awkwardly as she was thrust into a situation that she had no real desire to be in in the first place.

The reporter's grin lit up as she held out her microphone, "Hello, Miss Ranger. Would you care to do a little interview?"

Well, Ranger just couldn't just flat-out refuse.

That'd be rude.

So she allowed herself to be dragged to the side, finding herself glancing back at her car moving on. 'It'll only be a matter of time until she-'

"I'm here with Top Gun star and actor of Goose, USS Ranger."

Her thoughts were cut off by the microphone being brought closer to her face, and the woman's voice chiming in once more, "So tell us, Miss Ranger, how was it like transferring from sea to set? Did any challenges come up?"

Ranger blinked before rubbing the back of her head, trying to come up with a good answer, "Well, I'd guess it was just the problems with taking my first ever role, and with it being such an important role, too. But, I think I managed well, along with the rest of the cast, those with experience and those without."

The woman smiled and nodded along before interjecting, "Speaking of the rest of the cast, what was it like working with your co-stars?"

"Oh, it was a delight. Everyone was super welcoming to me and Enterprise despite us not having that much experience, and I like to think that we we're welcoming in return with the shipgirl aspects of the film. I think we learned a lot, at least, I did, anyway." Ranger chuckled awkwardly, secretly searching for an out until it reached her ears, the sound of a car reaching a stop in front of the curb.

She smiled sheepishly as she glanced down at the interviewer, "Speaking of Enterprise, I'm sure she'd give some much more entertaining words."

"H-hey, w-wait!" The reporter began, but in a matter of seconds, Ranger was already past her, making her way to the front door of the building.

The redhead shook her head, smiling slightly at the sound of the car door at the end of the carpet swinging open, followed by the loud squeals of the crowd, before disappearing into the theater.

"Always making an entrance..."

Turning towards the crowd's loud uproar, the reporter's eyes widened at the sight of the two people who'd stepped out from the newly stopped car.

One stood in the center of the carpet, glancing over at the other, much more outgoing of the two, a fond smile on her face.

Straight brown hair rested against her shoulders, contrasting the blue dress that matched her eyes and the ring that rested on her right hand, gleaming in the light.

She was unknown to the reporter, certainly not one of the actors, and certainly not the star of the show...

But the other...

"Oh? You want that signed? You got a pen?"

She rested against the railing, conversing with a girl who looked like she was about ready to pass out as she shakily handed a pen and poster to the woman on the other side of the barricade.

Hair as white as a ghost traveled down her body as she moved, leaning her back against the steel bars, holding the small poster in her gloved right hand, a pristine white, and the marker in her uncovered left.

Craning her head down to take the cap in between her teeth, her aviators, matching those of Ranger from earlier, fell down her nose, revealing striking purple eyes, and soon flashing erupted from both sectioned off areas.

Pulling back and un-capping the writing utensil, inadvertently returning her shades to their place up her nose, she began to write, looking back at the woman and seemingly asking through her teeth about more details to what she was signing.

The reporter looked on in awe at the woman whose face was plastered on the very poster she was signing. She felt a bit better about Ranger's quick leave now that a larger opertunity arose.

She didn't wear a dress, but rather a suit. Sleek and black. Unbuttoned and untucked with a loose tie hanging from around the collar, showing just enough to get fans raving.

She had to take the new chance presented to her, watching as the two women on the carpet locked elbows, the brunette seeming to joke about something, with her white-haired partner laughing in return, she struggled to find her voice for some reason.

Until it eventually came.

"Umm, M-miss! Miss Enterprise!" She called right as they past, causing the aptly named Enterprise to turn back and smile brightly as she noticed the camera held by the man.

Giving a look to the woman next to her, as if asking permission, which she seemed to have received, Enty unhooked her arm and sauntered back to the woman holding the microphone.

"Yo! Is this an interview?"

Surprised by the clear difference between her previous guest and the new one that stood in front of her, she nodded meekly, "U-uh, yeah. I-if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to-"

"Hey, this is USS Enterprise CVN-65! I play Maverick." She greeted, looking to and waving at the camera without a care in the world for the woman's words.

The reporter was in shock and awe for the smallest of moments. It was as if she was a natural at performing in front of any kind of camera.

Quickly recovering her bearings, the reporter cleared her throat and put on a smile, addressing the camera, "I'm here with USS Enterprise, the actress who plays Maverick, with an exclusive interview."

Ignoring Enty's mentioning of how she'd already introduced herself, she got started, "Now, Miss Enterprise, what was it like acting for the first time, and in a lead role nonetheless?"

With the microphone now to her face, Enterprise brought a hand to her chin, thinking her words over for a moment before giving her answer.

"I was a bit nervous at first. Hell, I didn't even know I was gonna be in a movie until I got on the set, but I adjusted over time, and everyone has said I'm a natural, so I guess I'm inclined to agreed." The silver haired woman shrugged with the slightest smile of pride, causing the reporter's eyes to widen.

"You... didn't know you were gonna be in the movie?"

Enterprise shook her head, a playful smile on her face, "Nope. It was a surprise, all done by her over there. Long Beach. My best friend." Thumbing in the direction of the brown haired woman still standing in the asile, laughing into her hand at the display, her name unveiled to the reporter for the first time.

"Nimitz helped a bit too, but Beach came up with the idea." She continued with a fond smile.

The reporter returned the gesture, "Well, it looks like this is a shining example of what friendships can lead to. Speaking of friends, have you invited any other guests of honor?"

That caused Enty's eyes to light up brighter, smiling down at the woman's camera, "Yep! I invited my other best friend, Bainbridge, and the Kitty Hawk's too. They're a bit like sisters to me, I guess, so I wanted to share it with them." She spoke while making a so-so gesture with her hand.

The reporter nodded along before giving a questioning glance, "No other family?"

Enterprise paused, stopped in her tracks as she was left to ponder for a moment before answering with a slight head shake, "Nah, my aunties are too busy with behind the scene stuff for the Navy. My Auntie Yorktown's actually the one who got me into the idea of acting when I was a kid, so I guess she should get thanked to."

"But my mom couldn't make it... either of them..." At her mumble, she picked her tone back up, trying to swiftly move past it, "They're both on the east coast, and a flight or drive is too much of a hassle."

"Well, I'm sure they're very proud of you."

Enterprise stopped again, but only for a moment... as she soon closed her eyes and smiled, "I'd like to think so."

Nodding along once more, the interviewer decided to move on to a different question, "Well, as you've said, this is your first role and a big one at that, but do you see any others in your future? Do you want to continue acting?"

The smile that question garnered was brighter than any before, her eyes shooting open frome her somber reminiscing, "Oh, of course! I had a lot of fun on set, and I always wanted to act too..."

Enterprise rubbed the back of her head a bit awkwardly, mirroring Ranger from earlier, before continuing, "In all honesty, being cast in this helped me get out of a pretty dark place in my life... and realize how I wanna live the rest of it. So, if I got the chance again, I wouldn't pass it up for anything."

Smiling from her words, the reporter brought the mic to her own chin, "Well, isn't that inspiring. Moving on, what are you most-"

"Ah shoot, sorry, I gotta get inside, ya know." The words brought her back down to earth as her white-haired white whale scooted past her, taking the arm of Long Beach and giving a wave back to the crowd.

Determined to not lose another interview, she tried to protest, "H-hey, w-wait a second-"

"Don't worry! It looks like you've got a better person coming!" Enty called back, laughing lightly, but her words fell on deaf ears.

And like that, she and Long Beach disappeared into the theater.

The reporter stared at the door, one of her hands clenching into a fist. Her second interview, albeit better than her first, was gone again, just like that.

She grumbled about how unreliable some shipgirls are, about how some hotshots thought they were all that, all the while not noticing her cameraman staring over her shoulder with wide eyes.

"H-hey, boss."

"Not now."

"Boss, you should really-"

"Not. Now."

"Boss-"

"What!?"

She finally barked, frustration taking hold as she whipped her head around to find out about whatever was making her cameraman starstruck, only for her face to pale at who stood in front of her.

Like Enterprise, she too wore a suit, and also like Enterprise, there was also another woman next to her, but in appearance...

Straight, but still a bit messy, blonde hair ran down the suited woman's back and shoulders. Under her blue eyes were bags that seemed to show a severe lack of sleep and a case of stress. Her posture was good, standing up straight and looking down at her, no matter how tired she seemed to be.

The woman next to her remained by her side like a dutiful dog, a suit on her as well, though the earpiece gave away that her visit was less casual. Her expression, while certainly intimidating, gave a more passive look, the slight tan skin of her face framed by dark purple hair.

The reporter was stunned into silence. The flashes around her were bright, and the crowd, while not as loud for Enterprise's appearance, were still full of chatter. Somehow, her luck was through the roof. She'd gotten only brief interviews with the actual actors, sure, but this... this was a jackpot she didn't even know she could win.

She forced her mouth to move as she shakily brought up her microphone, "M-miss Flagship... w-would you care for an i-interview?"

USS Nimitz paused, glancing over at Mississippi next to her, as if asking her escort/bodyguard for her opinion, and once receiving a small nod, she let out a sigh, rubbing one of her eyes.

"Just don't make the questions political, please..."

---

"Best friend?"

Long Beach's question turned Enterprise's head towards her, not that she hadn't already been turning her head. She really was gorgeous.

"Yeah." Enty answered with a smile, "I'm sure my mom and others are watching on TV, and I don't wanna just put it out there like that."

Long Beach nodded along in agreement. It made sense that Enterprise wanted to have more intimate discussions with people and not just announce it on national television.

It was something she was proud of, and Long Beach was, too.

"Why? You think I'm embarrassed by you?" Enterprise teased lovingly, poking one of Long Beach's cheeks and earning an eyeroll from the cruiser. How did she even put up with her?

"Of course not-"

"You two!"

Long Beach's words were immediately interrupted as a body slammed into both of them with the force of a bullet, turning the heads of many of the attendees.

Two arms wrapped around both of their necks, pulling them down to be met with the sight of short black hair and burning red eyes.

"You two just go off without me and film a movie, and leave me to make deployments alone to the Med!? What happened to the three of us!?"

If the appearance didn't give it away, the voice sure did. Long Beach chuckled slightly as she returned the hug, Enterprise following suit.

"We've missed you, Bainbridge."

"Stop whining. It was Nimitz's order, not mine."

The shortest of the three nuclear-powered shipgirls huffed at that, crossing her arms to look away from Enterprise, "I bet you didn't even try and fight it." She pouted.

Long Beach also looked away, but for a different reason. Enty's words struck a thought, reminding her of something of someone. So she trained her attention on the front door.

When it eventually opened, and in stepped the blonde she was waiting for, both Long Beach and Nimitz's eyes locked.

A silence passed over them, the sounds of the bustling theater becoming background noise as the carrier seemed to ask a question with only her eyes, one that Long Beach responded to with a soft, genuine smile and a nod.

This had gone better than she'd ever expected. Enterprise's state of mind was better, and while still plagued by a war a decade old, a war that culminated to nothing, she'd once more decided to move past it, this time with the right support, mindset, and coping mechanism.

Nimitz seemed to share the look for a moment, getting the message before moving on her way to the concessions with Mississippi by her side, just acting like she wasn't the most politically powerful woman in the world.

"Fine, damn, I'll owe you a favor since you're insisting so much."

Enty's words caused Long Beach to turn back towards her two friends, well, friend and fiancée. Enterprise rubbed the back of her neck in mild annoyance while Bainbridge looked up smugly.

It was a picture that felt like home to Long Beach.

"But, hey. Some good stuff came out of you not coming." Enty teased, a smug smile on her face, ruffling the smaller woman's hair.

"Yeah? Like what?" Bainbridge huffed, batting her hand away like a cat, a little insulted at what seemed to be her best friend insinuating she was glad she wasn't around.

Enterprise's eyes flicked to Long Beach once more for a kind of permission, which earned a chuckle and an eventual nod from the cruiser, which turned her smug smile into one full of genuine excitement.

She took Long Beach's arm by the wrist and held it out, almost giddy with happiness as Bainbridge leaned over to inspect the jewel on her ring finger.

It took the Leahy subclass shipgirl a moment to figure out what it meant before it hit her, and her eyes widened.

---

"WHAT!?"

USS Kitty Hawk flinched as she held her candy bar, ears pinning back as she glared over her shoulder at the set of three shipgirls across the building.

What was Bainbridge on about-

"Oh, Enty's here now." She hummed to her sister's next to her once she realized what was happening, covering one of her ears and cursing frigate turned cruiser under her breath.

All of them were dressed up for the monumental occasion. In dresses for Connie and America's case, and suits for Kitty Hawk and Kennedy's.

Speaking of Kennedy, the brown haired shipgirl's eyes widened the second she turned her head to follow Kitty's gaze.

"Oh! I'm gonna go see her!"

And like that, the youngest of the quartet was off towards the nuclear-powered trio without another word to her sisters.

Youngest and most different.

Kitty Hawk wouldn't blame anyone for thinking Kennedy wasn't related to them in the slightest.

Her skin was a noticeable pale compared to Kitty Hawk and Constellation's carmel pigmentation, or even America's lighter but still dark shade. Her hair, a light brown that was also in contrast to the black of the first and third of the carrier class and Constellation's dyed light blue.

It was, in a way, connected to the way their class differed the further down the line you got, and John F. Kennedy was the peak of that fact.

She was a subclass, arguably her own class, to the Kitty Hawk-class, or a half sister, as most humans would put it, but she was still seen as full blood by the other three.

The four of them were sisters as far as they were concerned, and that was all they needed. Visually appearances or rigging wasn't a factor.

America followed soon after, hair short and messy compared to the other three, though it did match Kitty in shade.

America was always the most lively of the four, if you didn't count Kennedy's promiscuity as lively, most eager, most adventurous, etc.

And Enterprise... wasn't their sister.

Yet, an odd sense of closeness filled Kitty Hawk and Constellation during the nuclear-powered carrier's earlier days, though not on the level of the nuclear task force.

It probably just had to do with the daughter of the Grey Ghost being launched between them and the rest of their sisters, so they kinda... picked up caring about her.

The younger two of the four definitely did, though it was in two different ways. America saw Enty as a sort of big sister figure while Kennedy saw her as something... a bit more... though that's how JFK also saw every other shipgirl in the fleet, so it wasn't something exactly exclusive to Enterprise.

It kinda annoyed Kitty sometimes how Kennedy tried to squeeze into Enterprise and Long Beach's obvious and official thing. Her youngest sister really needed to learn some limits.

But before Kitty Hawk's mind could continue to go on and on about her sisters, she was rudely interrupted by someone bumping into her shoulder, and pushing her out of the way of the candy case.

"Stop holding up the line, dumbass."

It took only an instant for the carrier to recognize the voice and for her demeanor to immediately change in response.

"Better not brush against me like that. You might catch fire."

"What was that?" USS Forrestal growled back in response, red hair seeming to rise like the fire the Battle Cat spoke of, the sleek red dress on her body seeming to highlight her hair.

Kitty Hawk scoffed as she sat her drink against the counter, "I didn't think you were deaf and an idiot."

"Asshole."

"Bitch."

"Fake ears."

"Screw up."

"Shitty Kitty!"

"Forest Fire!"

"Sorry about my sister..." Constellation mumbled shyly in embarrassment, finally speaking up and trying to pull Kitty away before she tried to claw out Forrestal's eyes.

"No, I'm sorry about mine." Ranger sweatdropped, following the blue haired woman's lead in pulling Forrestal away before the two lead ships inevitably went at it.

Ranger sighed as she looked out at the hall leading towards the many screenings, eventually deciding to drag Forrestal and her box of Crunch bars away from the counter to meet up with their own set of sisters and not cause an scene.

Independence didn't really wanna socialize, so she left to find them good seats, with Saratoga taking the opportunity to follow and no doubt try and place a tac or whatever on some unfortunate soul's seat, or maybe to simply goof around.

Constellation gave a slight wave as the two departed before giving a glare to her older sister, who had returned back to her candy perusing without a care in the world.

Kitty Hawk eventually settled on a Snickers.

---

A gloved hand held a bag of popcorn against a decent chest, and the other hand, uncovered, held a standard soda.

Enterprise smiled excitedly as she, Long Beach, and Bainbridge all shuffled into their viewing room, the small corridor that led to the seating section still illuminated, basking the three in yellow light.

"I still can't believe you didn't call to ask me for help." Bainbridge pouted as she rounded the corner, a small box of gummy worms in her hand.

Enty snorted in response, right behind her, "What help could you possibly give me?" She teased, "You've never dated anyone."

"You're still both my friends! I deserve to know!"

Ads played on the screen, brands that paid the theater getting the spotlight before the trailers and the eventual film. Flicking her gaze from the projected pictures to the seats, Long Beach found Nimitz and Mississippi nestled up in the top left corner. She sure hoped that their illustrious flagship wouldn't go unconscious in such a relaxing scenario.

Nimitz really did need to fix her sleep schedule.

Traveling down past the various other actors and workers also present to see the premire, Long Beach's eyes landed on a very peculiar sight, one she couldn't help but comment on.

"...Why are they letting Kitty Hawk and Forrestal sit next to each other?"

Of course, Bainbridge nor Enterprise heard, too wrapped up in their own conversation.

"Look, if YOU want pointers, I'm sure I can help you out with Truxton-"

"Shut up!" The smaller shipgirl barked back in embarrassment, flailing her arms towards the older girl to the point Long Beach had to swoop in to make sure their snacks didn't become food for the floor rather than themselves.

"Don't drop the popcorn." Long Beach chastised, slapping Enterprise on the back of the head lightly, earning an whine from her and a laugh from Bainbridge, who soon also got slapped, earning a whine from her and a laugh from Enterprise.

They all moved down their row before taking their seats, Enterprise plopping down in hers and kicking her feet up to rest on the chair in front of her, which thankfully wasn't occupied.

However, a swift kick to the back of her seat jolted her forward and her legs off their perch. Almost tumbling into the floor once more, the popcorn was swiftly caught by Bainbridge, much to the relief of Long Beach.

Looking back and spoting Forrestal with her leg outstretched, Enty began to speak before being cut off by the firey redhead before her.

"This movie better be good, Enterprise."

A smirk emerged from her annoyed expression, and Enterprise barked back, "It is good!" Her gloved hand shot out, pointing to Ranger, who sat next to her older sister, trying to once more make sure she doesn't cause a scene. "Ain't that right, Ranger?"

The other carrier paused for a second before matching Enterprise's smile, her own look of confidence appearing on her face, "Damn straight."

Enty's grin grew wider as her attention flicked back to Forrestal, "It'll at least be better than Nimitz's movie."

Forrestal scoffed before leaning back in her seat, arms crossing, "Well, that's not hard. That movie was a damn bore. Nothing happened."

"You just have shit taste." Kitty Hawk mumbled from next to her, rolling her eyes as Forrestal's gaze turned towards her with fury.

"As if. You have the taste of a dog." She growled.

"Probably the taste of a cat." Enterprise interjected with a smile before they both kicked her chair.

"Shut it, Enterprise!/Shut up, Enterprise."

But before the white-haired woman could retaliate, the lights began to dim, silencing all three of the carriers as the only source of illumination was now the big screen.

Enty quickly turned in her seat, sitting back, ignoring the two behind her.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't giddy. She would get to see herself on a movie screen, playing a character, her childhood dreams coming to fruition.

She glanced at Bainbridge to her left, shaking excitedly in her seat, before turning to Long Beach on her right, watching as she turned to meet her gaze with a soft smile, one Enterprise returned.

Taking her hand with her own, she leaned her head back, closing her eyes and letting herself just relax for a moment before opening them, watching as a row of stars climbed over a mountain top on the screen.

This was all hers.

Something she'd done with the help of others.

Something she was proud of.

She really hoped, somewhere...

...her mom could see her now.

---

"So what's the situation for today's exercise?"

The wind carried Bainbridge's voice to Enterprise's ears, the words rising over the sound of waves slamming against their hulls off the coast of Virgina.

"We're going against Carl Vinson and her battlegroup. Just regular training, nothing too serious."

Long Beach's voice answered for Enterprise, interjecting over the air just like Bainbridge and fully pulling the aircraft carrier from her daydreams.

She'd been getting a bunch of offers for roles after the success of Top Gun, so many it was leaving her a bit overwhelmed. So many that she definitely couldn't do them all, let alone probably one.

With her newfound fame, her schedule still needed to be fixed with it, and Nimitz wasn't really planning on leasing the navy's "strongest" aircraft carrier out so frequently.

But, just like the amazing partner she was, Long Beach was helping her out with sorting things and managing her career, on top of planning a wedding.

Was their nothing her escort turned fiancée couldn't do?

She stretched her arm over her head, exoskeleton clanking and pistons moving, her crossbow resting atop one of the two flight decks at each of her sides, her reactors glowing behind her.

"So, standard stuff. I'll take care of Vinson, and you guys can deal with Texas. Seem fair?"

"Yep!" Bainbridge nodded back excitedly, her two two launchers extending with each side of her rigging.

Long Beach gave a small nod in return, her own three launchers preparing for action, along with her tomahawks.

Long Beach watched Enterprise for a moment, watched as she stepped out in front of her and Bainbridge, gigantic rigging forcing them to make way.

The way her grey haired flowed in the wind kicked up by their propulsion, the way she stood, the way she breathed even... it was unlike she did before.

To Long Beach, at least... Enterprise looked more free than ever before, truly unburdened for the first time in years.

"You gotta say a line!"

Bainbridge spoke and stepped out beside the supercarrier, looking up at her with excitement.

"What are you talking about?" Enty questioned, tilting her head as she loaded a pair of Tomcat's onto her crossbow, priming it.

Bainbridge huffed, rolling her eyes, "You know what I mean. A line from the movie. You've gotta say one!"

Enterprise seemed to consider it for a moment, looking down at the frigate turned cruiser with a slight smile before shaking her head, "Bainbridge, that's stupid. I'm not- I feel the need!"

She quickly cut herself off, a grin on her face as she held out her free hand, offering it to Bainbridge, whose own grin grew even wider in response.

Bainbridge jumped up, slamming her own hand down onto the open palm presented to her as they both shouted out.

"THE NEED FOR SPEED!"

The two's laughs soon followed, which Long Beach couldn't help but join in on, but once the sound finally cleared, Enty pushed her glasses up her nose, spinning her crossbow in her left hand before tossing it to her right and doing the same.

It stopped, aimed out towards the open sea where so many experiences awaited them, where their future awaited them.

She glanced towards Long Beach, who appeared ready to dash across the sea and towards the cruiser she was asigned to deal with. She glanced towards Bainbridge, who looked ready to watch over all three of them in the sky. Then she looked down her sights.

Taking a breath before smiling, she called out with all the pride and joy her body contained.

"Atomic Task Force Engaging in 3!"

"2"

"1"

ENTERPRISE: Danger Zone END