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thebirdandthebee · 2 years

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Imagine Me & You

A Jake “Hangman” Seresin fic.

First time writing TGM fanfic - please be gentle.

Jake stumbles across a woman on base that seems to enjoy the finer things in life... just like the future he’d like to build - with her in it.

Intro: Red Bottoms, Blue Box

The blessing and the curse of California is that the weather never really changed – at least not the same way it did in the Midwest. It lazed between the mid-70s and mid-80s, usually sunny and on an odd weekend, a whisper of rain if you were lucky. That was definitely the hardest part of the west coast that Mia needed to adjust to – that and the traffic.

Though her past three years in Malibu had prepared her for the weather, it was a far cry from her home in Omaha – a home she hadn’t visited in the last five years, at least.

One of the many blessings of Miramar was the ability to drive her father’s red 1973 Jaguar XKE, which wasn’t cut for the brutal cold and snow of Nebraska winters.

Like today, as she wound the classic, red two-seater down the road, she often felt like she was on another planet. Especially now as the base was quiet with limited staff around. But she knew that would be changing shortly. With warning from her directing attorney, she had the information that several aviators would be arriving on base within the next few weeks for an indeterminate amount of time. Sure, there were typically additional members hanging around the base for training or part of their stationing, but it could be quiet.

She was told it would no longer be quiet – and she welcomed it. As a contracting legal advisor and newly minted attorney, working on base in Fightertown, USA, was something she never saw herself doing.

However, after finishing law school at Pepperdine and without a family to return to in Nebraska, she moved as close as she could to where she needed to be – near her grandmother who was in a memory care facility in Del Mar.

Mia had no draw to the Navy, military or anything in the orbit of the armed forces. She wanted to be a short drive from grandma Dorothea and for now, was still pleased with living in California. The job posting was simply one that populated on her feed after setting up several alerts to her email after getting the seal of approval from the California Bar.

Her superior, Lt. Gen. Bozek, was a kind and understanding man, and didn’t treat her differently for being a young woman that was not enlisted. She could learn a lot from him, and at least for the last six months, had made a career in the military appealing as a civilian. She had her own private office on base and a moderate walk from other buildings, allowing her peace and quiet to do her job – which was primarily procedural review and small civilian-involved cases, along with assisting Bozek with any projects or cases he may need a hand with.

They worked from 9-4, cut off early on Fridays and occasionally his high-school-aged daughter would send him to work with a box of homemade cookies. He also ensured that she was treated with respect by all they encountered. He had warned her it was different for contracted civilians on base, and to be fair, it was a male-dominated base, but she never felt uncomfortable or unwelcome.

However, there were a few places on base that she hadn’t quite worked up the confidence to visit quite yet, including the NEX, or commissary.

There were many ways that Mia knew she was an outsider on base, and though she was doing her best to assimilate in her personal and professional life, something about the NEX gave her anxiety.

However, today was different. And Lt. Gen. Bozek knew it.

“You’ll be great! It’s just a grocery store!” He called as he waved her out of the parking space in front of their brick-and-mortar.

“I can do it!” Mia called back with a laugh, but positively shuddering internally.

She normally did most of her grocery shopping at Whole Foods off base, not far from her condo, but it was in the opposite direction of the base from her home and she needed two things to make a recipe for dinner tonight.

So she’d take her chances at the commissary.

Sure, she’d driven by it many times, and it surely looked just like any other store, but there was something about its presence that didn’t seem like she belonged. Her ID card told her otherwise.

Walking in, she popped her AirPods into her ear and dialed in the Bloomberg Law podcast. Though she came in simply for two lemons and a carton of heavy cream, by nature of habit, she grabbed a small push cart and started wandering up and down the aisles.

Now, with a basket filled with lemons, raspberries, feta, rosemary, capers and heavy cream, she turned toward the dry goods. Whole Foods had a lot of great things, but didn’t have Kraft Mac ‘N Cheese.

Turning a blind corner to the pasta and rice aisle, she came to an abrupt stop as her small cart stopped just an inch short of another living body.

“Sorry!” She squeaked, not bothering to take out her AirPods, looking up at the shopper. She carefully maneuvered her cart around him, but heard his voice in a soft muffle from beneath her podcast. Nearly passed, she popped out her left ear. “What was that?” She asked.

“There is a speed limit to those things,” he commented with the faintest hint of a smirk. Mia gave a sheepish smile and a lame exhale of a laugh.

“Sorry about that,” she repeated, giving him one more look before plugging her podcast back in and moving forward down toward the opposite end of the walkway. She was oddly emboldened with confidence, a contrast to her feelings upon arrival. At the end of the day, she was just here to get some lemons… and Kraft Dinner. Now hearing only the click of her heels and June Grasso’s voice, she scanned the aisles for what she wanted.

They had plenty of thick ‘n creamy, but where was the three cheese? Finally spotting it up on the top shelf, she rose up the few spare centimeters her heels hadn’t already elevated her and reached out her arm. With the first three boxes missing, she was having just a small difficulty grabbing what she wanted.

Rolling forward on her toes again and failing, she was moments from settling for Velveeta shells when a hand appeared her in periphery. Once again, the voice was muffled.

“One or two?” The man asked again, Mia hearing him clearly with her AirPods now in her empty hand.

“Two, please,” she replied. She paused her podcast with a squeeze before committing her attention to her helper. “Thanks, the heels only take me up so far.” She smiled, receiving the boxes. At 5’6, she needed the help she could get, and her nude Louboutins could only help so much.

“Red bottoms and a blue box,” he winked. She took a moment to scan the helpful stranger. Perfectly coiffed blonde hair, teeth from a Crest ad and green eyes that rivaled an exotic succulent. “A winning combination.”

She spared a glance down to his own basket – chicken breast, white rice and frozen broccoli.

“Disciplined,” she commented.

“Something like that,” he replied. “Jake Seresin.”

“Nice to meet you Lieutenant,” she dropped the two boxes into her little basket, not cluing away too much from his badge.

“I’d love to return the sentiment…”

“Mia,” she began – “no Lieutenant, though,” she added.

“I put that together myself,” he said, eyes glancing down to her cart and taking in the other, fresh ingredients. He longed for dinners at upscale steakhouses and seafood on the water.

“Thanks again,” she said, bidding him goodbye and turning the corner.

He wasn’t finished, but he’d let her go this time.

Upon arriving back home at her condo, nestled on the top floor of her building, she put away her few commissary items and began to work on dinner – chicken picatta and a raspberry feta salad.

“Hi sweetheart,” She crooned, pleased to see her baby brother’s face on her phone.

“Hi Mimi,” Jack Thomas replied, looking worse for wear with rumpled hair and nap imprints across his cheek.

“You just wake up?” She asked, tending carefully to her chicken cutlets.

“Yeah, we had a five a.m. run this morning and I had to go straight from weightlifting to class,” he replied, rubbing a hand across his face.

“Homework time?” Mia prompted.

“The boys and I are going to the tutor rooms in a bit to get some work done,” he trailed. “We go to Omaha next week,” he added quietly. Mia gave her brother her undivided attention. “You’ll be great, Jacky,” she encouraged. Even now, so many years later, it was hard to return to Nebraska.

“Thanks Mimi,” he mumbled. “Can I still come out to see you in July?” He asked – a few months out.

“Of course, Jacky, you know you’re always welcome,” she encouraged. “Just tell me the dates and I’ll book your ticket. I’ll even pick you up in the Jag,” she winked.

“Sounds good, I’m going to change quick before Timo and I take off,” he said, life coming back into his voice. “Love you, Mimi.”

“Love you too, Jack Jack.” She blew him a kiss before he ended the call.

Wrapping up her dinner, she brought her plate out to the little bistro table on her deck, looking out as she enjoyed her meal. Absently, she wondered if she’d see Lieutenant Seresin again.

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