Chapter Text
-
January
When Dee opened her eyes and realised it was light outside, she immediately went into panic mode. Bree usually wanted breakfast at five, and then breakfast 2.0 at eight. Glancing at her alarm clock, it was just past nine. She darted down the stairs, baby monitor in hand.
“Bree, can you say good morning mommy?”
“Ba!”
“I appreciate the effort, kiddo.”
Dee paused in the doorway to the kitchen, taking in the scene. Rooster was moving between the kitchen, the stove and what seemed to be breakfast considering it looked like bacon and maybe scrambled eggs. Bree squawked from her spot in her high chair and he easily lifted her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her temple. He turned, smiling at Dee but she was too busy trying to pick her jaw up off the ground. He was only wearing his boxers, shirt on the floor and it looked like it was covered in bacon grease. She’d tease him for it later.
“Morning.”
“Uh- I- you’re up.”
“I am.”
“And Bree’s not screaming the house down.”
“She’s not.”
“And you’re making breakfast?”
Bradley smiled, coming over to give her a kiss.
“Happy birthday, baby.”
“Ba!”
Bree reached for her mother and Dee took her, letting Bradley go back to finishing up breakfast. For someone who once upon a time consistently burned toast, he had breakfast pretty much nailed now. She watched as he grabbed the plates and walked them to the table, taking Bree from her shortly after to put her back in highchair. As an afterthought, he put some yogurt in a bowl and handed her one of her spoons. She wasn’t old enough to feed herself but it would keep her occupied.
“This looks great. Thanks, Roos.”
She rarely got to see him blush anymore, the pair so comfortable living together that nothing was that embarrassing anymore (no, not even the stomach flu last year), but he flushed at that moment and Dee kept the warm feeling in her stomach to herself.
It was probably reflux.
-
February
“Dee, do you ever think about the fact that you and I are stereotypes?”
Dee raised an eyebrow at Jade, snorting.
“No, Jade, I really don’t.”
Jade gestured to the living room floor beneath them where Bradley had Bree in his lap, reading a story to his daughter who was apparently more interested in chewing on his shirt. Then she gestured back to Dee. When the test came up positive the day after her birthday it hadn’t been a surprise considering they’d talked about trying for a while, but it had still made her gasp in excitement. She was almost out of her first trimester before she found out, which made her a little nervous but Rooster seemed to be even more so. He’d been set for deployment the month before but something had changed and now he was setting off in the next week.
“I mean, c’mon. Bree isn’t even going to be two when you have this baby, and me? I had twins then we broke up.”
Jade’s twins looked up at their mother’s voice. Dallas had been sitting quietly in her bouncer while it looked like Austin was preparing a poop explosion; apparently a talent of his. Jade waggled her finger at her son, sighing.
“Austin, not here.”
“C’mon, Jade, I thought the break up was mutual?” Rooster said, holding Bree to his chest when she decided the story really was just that boring and reached for his moustache. Jade rolled her eyes.
“It was, Bradley, but- I mean. I... Jake’s a great father, he loves his kids, but...”
“He’s not built for the picket fence life?” Dee supplied. Jade hummed.
“That too.”
“If it’s any consolation, I didn’t think I was either,” Rooster commented. His head ducked down, listening to Bree squirm in his arms. She reached out toward Dee so Bradley let her go. Bree stumbled to her mother and Dee helped her on to the couch beside her, unsurprised that Bree rested her head on Dee’s stomach. Ever since she’d been able to understand there was a baby in there she’d been doing it at every opportunity.
“Bradley you’re the biggest picket fence guy I know,” Jade snapped. His eyebrow raised and Dee winced.
“He wasn’t at the start, Jade, seriously. He tried to skip town at least three times before we were serious,” Dee said softly. Jade flushed, furiously sniffling. Dee squeezed her knee.
“Give it time.”
“How long?”
“As long as you need,” Dee reassured, “we’re here, and you can stay with us as long as you need to get back on your feet.”
“I don’t know that I can be a single mom,” Jade sobbed. Bradley scooped the twins into his arms and called for Bree, taking all three upstairs. Dee squeezed her arm.
“You can. You and Jake didn’t work out; it happens. It it doesn’t mean you can’t be a great mom.”
“How the fuck can I be a great mom, work full time and have a life?”
“You can, Jade, and you will. It takes a village to raise a family and you have a village right here. Jake hasn’t abandoned you; he said he’s going to take the kids when he’s home, right?”
“Yeah, but- what if he moves back to Texas and abandons the kids? What if he decides I’m not a fit mom and takes them permanently-“
“-Jade, I’ve known Jake almost as long as Roos and I have been together, and I’m confident that unless you’re doing something really wrong he’d never do that.”
Jade wiped her eyes, finally making eye contact with Dee.
“Where would I be without you?”
“Chicago, you would have never taken the UVA scholarship,” Dee deadpanned faux-seriously. Jade snorted, reaching to give her best friend a hug.
“Thank you.”
“You’ve got this; even if you don’t, you’ve got us.”
“So that’s it; Jade and Jake are done.”
“Dee, they’ve been over for a lot longer than Jade said. They barely said two words to each other at New Year’s. I don’t even think they kissed when the ball dropped.”
Dee frowned, tossing a pillow at Rooster as he moved around their bedroom. Jade was asleep with the twins upstairs and Bree had gone down about an hour ago, leaving time for them to talk. Rooster kicked off his jeans and dropped a kiss to Dee’s forehead, crawling into bed. Dee lay down, turning on to her side to face her fiancé. He was quiet for a moment, deep in thought. Dee touched his hand.
“Hey; do you ever think about it?”
“What? Leaving? God, never.”
“No, us ending up like them.”
Rooster was quiet for a moment, and Dee’s eyebrow raised.
“Bradley.”
“I- I mean. No, but... sometimes.”
She frowned, propping herself up on her elbow to look at him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing- Dee, seriously, nothing.”
“Look, how many times do I have to say it? I love you, and I’m not going anywhere. Neither is Bree, or Tasha, or Jake and Javy; even Jade as much as she wants to get the fuck outta Dodge. I know that this shit gets to you differently and from what you’ve told me you’ve been left in the dust before, but I need you to remember that that was a long time ago. We’re not them.”
He groaned, scratching at his face.
“Fuck, Dee, I know that. Okay? I’m not a total fuckin’ idiot, or- or some traumatised kid. Not anymore.”
Dee’s eyes softened and she hummed.
“You’re right; you’re not. I’m not trying to start a fight, I’m just... curious. It feels like there’s always someone divorcing in our wives’ group. Not much of a group these days, considering Jake and Jade were never married and Tasha's partner is a dude. Least Javy is happy with his girl.”
Bradley hummed, but Dee could see he was now caught in his head so she reached for his hand again.
“Whatever you’re thinking; stop. I’m sorry I said what I did.”
“I think about it when I’m on deployment, like... a lot. You could leave, take Bree and get the fuck out of here to find another guy with a normal job and half the shit that you put up with, yet every time I come home you’re waiting for me and it’s a blessing because I love you, and I love our family, but I just...”
“Feel like you’re waiting for the penny to drop?” Dee offered. He nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Well, that must be tough, but the penny isn’t going to drop. It’s safely in the middle of the counter, like always. No penny dropping here.”
She glanced down at her stomach, clearing her throat.
“Well. Maybe. I might penny drop soon.”
“What does that even mean?”
-
May
Shuffling through the mail whilst she listened to Rooster play with Bree, Dee paused at the sight of a crisp, cream envelope and she turned to him, utterly confused.
“Roos,” she started, “there’s a letter for you from Tom Kazansky. Does he sound familiar?”
“A little too familiar if you ask me.”
He rounded the corner from their living area, taking the envelope Dee offered to him. He tore it open, reading over the crisp cream letter. He sighed, handing it to Dee.
“He’s getting promoted to Admiral, there’s a whole ceremony. Can’t believe he did that, what a fucking asshole.”
Dee watched him turn sharply on his heel, taking a breath before he went back to their daughter. She stared at the envelope in her hand, brows furrowing when she spotted the additional piece of paper with her fiancé’s name on it. Taking a quick peek to make sure Bradley wasn’t coming back, Dee slipped it out and began skimming.
Dear Bradley...
Despite the animosity between yourself and he who shall not be named... It would mean a lot to me if you... I hear that you are doing well... Please consider this an invitation to your significant other, whoever they may be... Sarah and the kids would love to see you... I have invited him but he is currently deployed and will be unable to attend... I would not ask if I thought it was going to upset you... Tom Kazansky.
Dee swallowed, tucking it into the pocket of her jeans. She heard Bree squealing with laughter and decided to join her family. Bradley was flat on the floor, Bree threatening to jump on him while she clutched his shirt in her hand.
“Get him, Bree! Jump on daddy!” Dee encouraged. In response, Bree did indeed take a flying leap on to her father and Dee heard the gasp he let out in response, pretending to be mortally wounded by his tiny daughter.
-
When Dee glanced at her clock, it was four am and neither she nor Bradley had slept. They both lay on their backs, completely silent. If Dee listened closely, she could hear Bree snoring through their baby monitor.
“What are you thinking?” Rooster asked quietly. Dee sighed.
“There was something extra in that invitation.”
“They mass-print them, Dee, it was probably-“
Dee reached for her bedside table drawer where she’d stashed the letter, pulling the paper out and turning on her lamp. Rooster sat up, sighing. He refused to take the letter when Dee offered it to him, shaking his head.
“I don’t want to hear what he has to say. I’m not interested in his apologies, or his fancy new promotion...”
Dee placed her hand on his cheek, fondly brushing her thumb over his skin.
“He said he was in remission, baby, and that he was sorry your mom never got to that step.”
“You read it.”
“I was just making sure you didn’t have some million dollar inheritance somewhere.”
He snorted. Dee felt her heart start beating again.
“Tom Kazansky, aka Iceman. He... if I wasn’t with Uncle Mav, I was with him and his wife Sarah. They had three kids by the time mom... but they still offered to take me in when it looked like Uncle Mav was going somewhere I couldn’t follow for a while. Sarah is great, and Ice... he meant a lot to me a long time ago. Before he and my uncle pulled my papers to the academy.”
They’d been together almost five years, yet Dee felt like she was still uncovering pieces of Bradley’s past like some kind of archaeological dig site. She wondered if others had to go through this, or if it was part of his trauma. As much as he’d never admit it, Bradley Bradshaw was deeply traumatised from his childhood.
“You should see who else is invited; maybe Phoenix or Hangman would go with you to keep the peace,” Dee suggested. His eyes met hers.
“I don’t know a better peacekeeper than you.”
Dee got it. She smiled, accepting the kiss pressed to her lips.
“I’ll book tickets to California in the morning. Jade can watch Bree while we’re gone; she’s going to be here a while.”
“Hey; promise me something. I know we’re going because I have some shit to deal with, but you’re still pregnant and stress isn’t good for the baby. The minute you feel like something’s off I need you to tell me and we’ll go, yeah?”
Dee nudged his shoulder as they both got back under the covers.
“You’re worrying over nothing, babe. Me and this baby are best buds at this point. Considering I’m only twenty-nine weeks, we’ve got time.”
Dee swallowed her own concern about her baby, rolling on to her side and feeling Bradley throw an arm over her midsection. He was great when she was pregnant with Bree and so far he’d only been even better with this baby.
-
“You’ve got some fucking nerve showing up here.”
“I was invited, Ellie. Do people still call you that?”
“Fuck off, Bradley.”
Elizabeth (Ellie) Kazansky was nine when Bradley cut contact with her family. She was the youngest of the Kazansky siblings and used to follow him like a shadow when she was younger. Now, at seventeen, her blue eyes were piercing and her face was tense as she stood in front of him. She turned, calling over her shoulder. Kathleen and Jordan Kazansky were by her side in seconds, Kathleen’s hand on her shoulder while Jordan stood protectively by his younger sisters. Bradley and Jordan had spent many of their summers together, playing baseball and hanging out at the beach. At twenty-two, Jordan was taller than Bradley remembered him ever being.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Kathleen said. She pulled Ellie behind her, covering her sister.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Ellie blurted. Jordan tried to settle her but she smacked him away, pushing out from behind Kathleen.
“I looked up to you; one minute you were there and then you were gone!”
“Kid, I was barely your age when I-“
“-when you gave no explanation and left the only people who took you in when you were at your worst.”
Jordan stood tall, staring Bradley down. He cleared his throat.
“Look, I don’t want to tell you things your dad hasn’t, so go get the story from him.”
Dee put her hand on Bradley’s back, leaning in to squeeze his arm.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Deanne, Bradley’s fiancée.”
All three kids stared.
“Oh, shit,” Kathleen murmured, “dad said you’d been doing well work-wise... does he know about this?”
Bradley shrugged.
“Probably. Your mom here?”
“She’s...”
Ellie glanced around, spotting her mother and waving her over. Dee’s hand instinctively went to protecting her bump and she felt Rooster take a deep breath before a woman joined them. She gently hushed Ellie, then turned to Bradley and fell silent.
“Bradley,” she said quietly, “I heard you’d confirmed you were coming but I wasn’t sure that was true.”
Rooster handed his beer to Dee, and Sarah pulled him into a hug. Dee watched as they reunited, smiling when they separated and Sarah took a moment to look at Bradley properly.
“Are you doing okay?” She asked him softly. He snorted.
“I think I should be asking you that. I was really sorry to hear about Ice’s diagnosis.”
“I know. He wasn’t sure how to tell you but it sounds like Slider had that covered.”
“He here?”
Bradley’s eyes surveyed the crowd for any familiar faces. Sarah shook her head.
“Ah, no. He’s been redeployed with a new pilot from what Tom was saying. He said he wanted another couple years in the air before he has to cave to bureaucracy.”
Bradley laughed.
“That sounds about right. Sarah, I’m... I-“
Sarah stopped Bradley, giving his hand a squeeze.
“We can talk about it later. Now, introduce me to this young woman beside you, I want to hear all about her.”
Bradley turned, pulling Dee into his arms.
“This stays between us and Ice... but this is Dee, my fiancée and the mother of my daughter.”
Sarah’s eyes misted over.
“Daughter. Oh, Bradley, wow.... congratulations.”
“It’s so great to meet you, Sarah,” Dee smiled. Sarah reached out to gently take her arm, leading her to a table.
“Please, I’d love to hear all about you and your family... come sit, you must be tired from being on your feet. I love your dress!”
-
Dee felt herself drawn to Sarah and fell into easy conversation, glancing over her shoulder once more for Bradley who reached out to pull Ellie and Kathleen into a hug. Jordan fell into it too, Bradley glancing down at Ellie when she whispered something into his chest.
“How far along are you?” Sarah asked as she guided Dee to a seat.
“Almost thirty-one weeks. She’s been begging for out for a while now.”
“Oh, Jordan did the same thing, I had him shortly after, so make sure you keep an eye on it.”
Sarah cleared her throat and leaned forward in her seat.
“I imagine Bradley has already... told you about what happened?”
“Uh, not really, he said it was mostly between him and his uncle. Did your husband have anything to do with the papers incident?”
Sarah’s head dropped.
“He was the one who... executed the request.”
“That explains why I had to drag Bradley here.”
“He- he still feels bad about it, I... I can’t even begin to tell you how bad he feels about it, but... he and Pete, it’s just- I think they felt they were doing it for his parents. Goose and Carole, they wouldn’t have wanted-“
“-hey, baby, got you some water.”
A kiss was pressed to the top of Dee’s hair and she glanced up when Bradley placed a bottle of water in front of her, kneeling by her chair.
“Come with me a sec.”
“Sure thing.”
Dee stood with Bradley’s help, sending Sarah a soft smile.
“It was great to meet you. I’ll probably see you later.”
“Of course; you too Dee.”
Dee squeezed Rooster’s arm as they walked away, her hand going to his back.
“You okay?”
“It’s a lot.”
He heaved a deep sigh and Dee took him in again, brows furrowing.
“It is. You look a little pale, babe; want to get some air?”
“Yeah. That’d be good.”
-
As with all the events that Bradley was familiar with from his teenage years, there was an outdoor entertaining area and he led Dee through the crowd out the back doors. Considering it was a cool night, the outdoor seating was almost empty save for a couple of people smoking cigarettes. Rooster took a seat, burying his head in his hands. Dee squeezed his shoulder, leaning in to press a kiss to his temple.
“Let’s just take a moment,” she murmured, “public breakdowns are not great when there are people with stars on their shoulders around.”
“God, I didn’t think it would be this hard.”
Dee’s brows furrowed and she took a seat beside him. Her hand stayed on his back, making lazy but firm circles against his uniform jacket.
“I made that decision, y’know? That was my decision to cut everyone off and I stand by it, but...”
Dee stayed silent, letting Bradley process his thoughts. He cleared his throat, lifting his head to kiss her.
“Thanks for coming with me,” he whispered. Dee hummed.
“You don’t have to do this alone.”
“Bradley? Bradley Bradshaw?”
Bradley’s eyes shot up, shoulders tightening. Dee glanced between him and the man who had just come out the back door.
“Admiral Metcalf, sir-“
“-Does Mitchell know you’re here?”
“He’s here?”
Dee had seen Bradley through a lot in their time together; shoving him into the shower when the panic was so strong it was the only way she could shock his system out of it. She’d been the one to drive him home after one too many quite a few times; been the one on the other end of the line when he was deployed and missing his girls.
And yet; she’d never seen him like this. He stood, grasping Dee’s hand.
“We gotta go.”
“I thought he was deployed?”
Dee caught Bradley by his jacket to stop him bolting, but he gently pulled away and was gone before she could stop him. Admiral Metcalfe hummed.
“I got him back early, someone owed me a favour.”
“And no one thought to tell Roos?”
“It was meant to be a surprise for Ice. Look; we’ve all been avoiding the Bradley Bradshaw shitshow for a while now; it was time for those two to talk. This has been going on for too long.”
“He still wakes up in the night yelling for his parents.”
“Sometimes I can still see his dad in the morgue when I went to confirm identification.”
Dee and Admiral Metcalfe stared each other down. Dee’s phone buzzed in her purse and she reached to check it.
“I have to go, Bradley’s not handling it so great. For future reference, coming from someone who loves Bradley- don’t ever try that bullshit again. I get it, you’re firmly on the Pete Mitchell train, but I can’t push Bradley if he’s not ready.”
“He broke his uncle’s heart-“
“-he broke his own!” Dee snapped. She snapped her mouth shut.
“Have a nice evening, Admiral. I have to go peel Roo out of a bush.”
-
In the hotel, Rooster wordlessly unlocked the door. Dee followed him into the room, watching him sit on the end of the bed.
“How fuckin’ dare he,” Bradley spat, “actin’ like he has any fucking idea what happened between me and Mav.”
“Roos...”
“I can’t even- fuck-“
Dee stepped between his legs, coaxing him to rest his head on her bump.
“I miss him almost as much as I miss my parents,” Bradley whispered into the fabric of her dress. Dee hummed.
“I know, baby.”
“They’re dead, but fuck- he’s dead to me.”
His hands came up to hold her back, breathing in her perfume slowly. Dee’s tangled in his hair. They stood like that for a moment, silent. Dee could feel the shaking in Bradley’s body beginning to subside, and she pressed her lips to his hair.
“Ready to go to bed?”
“I just want to go home.”
“We’ve got the first flight in the morning, Roos.”
“I know.”
Dee stepped back to let him stand, watching him walk into the bathroom. Watching the bathroom door, she reached for her phone.
Dee: B not good
Jade: :(
Jade: what happened?
Dee: tell u later
Dee: I changed the flight btw
Dee: flying in tomorrow morning instead of the afternoon
Jade: np
-
Back in Virginia Beach, Bradley and Dee walked back to their house hand in hand. Dee heaved a sigh of relief while Rooster reached for his keys to unlock the door.
“Do you think it was worth it?” Dee asked him. He glanced at her, still sifting through the keys he’d collected. Dee could have sworn one on the key ring from was his college apartment when they’d first met. That place was a dump and smelled strongly of weed; to be fair, Bradley did have a little stoner phase. Just a little one.
“I dunno; maybe.”
She squeezed his hand as the door opened, Rooster shouldering their bags while Dee headed inside out of the heat.
“Bree? Jade?”
“Mommy!”
Bree barrelled down the hallway and Dee grinned, crouching to hug her daughter. By the time Rooster got in the door Bree was reaching for him, arms up like she usually did.
“Hm, that’s weird; I swear I left Bree here.”
“Daddy!”
“Well, she must have decided uncle Bagman was cooler...”
She tugged on his jeans and Rooster broke into a grin, scooping Bree on to his hip.
“Bree! Were you hiding?”
He pressed a kiss to her cheek, smiling at Jade when she came into the living area with the twins.
“Thanks, Jade,” Dee said as she passed by, brushing a hand over her shoulder. Jade shrugged.
“You got it. Bree’s a dream compared to the twins.”
“I can imagine,” Rooster agreed, Bree clinging to him as he tried to put his shirt in her mouth. Dee snorted at her daughter and fiancé, Jade rolling her eyes as she adjusted the twins in her arms.
“I have to go get them ready; Jake is coming to pick them up for the weekend.”
“Sure you’re not going with them?” Rooster teased. Jade glared at him, deadpan.
“Sure you’re not going with them?” She shot back. Bree put her hands out for Dee who scooped her up, pressing a kiss to her hair.
“Alright girly, should we go get you a snack? Are you hungry?”
When Dee and Bree disappeared into the kitchen, Jade rounded on Rooster.
“You doing okay?” She asked sympathetically. He shook his head.
“More worried about Dee. She said she was getting Braxton Hicks on the flight home.”
Jade frowned.
“That’s not good.”
“She was more worried about me.”
He heaved a sigh. Jade squeezed his shoulder.
“You’re both home now; you can take a moment.”
-
Stirring in the dark, Dee felt the damp sheets around her and cursed, sitting up to shake her fiancè awake.
“Baby, fuck, m’sorry, I think I...”
Pulling the sheets back, she found a pool of red between her legs.
“Bradley!”
-