Chapter 14 #2
Buck slapped his shoulder. “Guess you’ll live with second place, hotshot.”
“Second place my ass,” Blitz muttered, but the grin gave him away.
Zorro laughed, clapping once. “Well, damn. The next generation’s coming in hot.”
Than and Fly jogged back toward them, breath hard, sweat shining down their arms. Fly’s grin was pure trouble.
Than’s quieter, a flash of quiet pride that reminded Bear of home, the calm before a hunt, the silence that meant purpose.
When they reached the platform, both men saluted automatically before dropping their hands, still breathing heavy.
“Time?” Fly asked.
Joker flipped the stopwatch toward them. “Record-breaker. Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, sir,” Fly said with a grin that meant he already had.
Than caught Bear’s gaze, dark eyes steady. “What’s next?”
Bear’s mouth curved faintly. “Next? You learn not to get cocky.”
Fly laughed. “We’ll do our best, Instructor Locklear.”
Bear gestured to the guys, who had all straightened when the kids finished. “They’re going to run with you for a four-miler. Get moving.”
Before the team could even blink, Than and Fly sprinted away.
“Oh, boys,” Buck said. “We’ve got ourselves a race.”
Joker glanced at Bear as they all disappeared over a sand berm.
“What do you think, LT?”
“They’ve got the temperament. Leadership. Poise under stress. They think before they move, and when they move, it counts. That catamaran save was a real-world test, and Fly was Mr. Cool Under Pressure.”
“And, Than?”
“He’s quieter, more reserved, but brave. He was a heartbeat behind Fly, even though he’s still green in the water. His thinking is sound, and he’s smart. He’ll be like a sponge. Both are officer material.”
Bear gave one slow nod. “My thoughts exactly.”
The silence that followed was full of respect. Than and Fly had earned that with sweat, not talk.
“You’ll talk to them. Set them on the path?” Joker asked.
Bear nodded. “I will.”
“Well, then, daylight’s burning. Let’s haul ass and show them who’s boss on this run.”
Bear cued Flint and they started after the team.
The waves rolled in steady and low, soft thunder over wet sand.
Once the run was finished, the team sat scattered in a loose circle, boots half-buried, shirts clinging with sweat.
The golden hour lit everything in burnished light, the kind of quiet that came only after a good run and shared exhaustion.
Bear twisted the cap off his water bottle and took a slow drink before looking at the two sitting across from him. “Fly. Than.” He tipped his chin toward Joker. “We’ve been talking.”
Fly wiped his mouth, ocean bright eyes narrowing in curiosity. “About?”
“Have you two thought about becoming officers?” Bear asked. “Annapolis.”
For a heartbeat, neither spoke. The word officers hung in the air like a thrown gauntlet.
Fly broke first, groaning. “College?” His voice went full teenage dramatics. “Come on. I don’t want to bog myself down with academics.”
Buck laughed, deep and unbothered. “Kid, Annapolis isn’t college. It’s a crucible. You don’t just study. You live and lead it.”
Joker leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, voice calm but firm.
“He’s right. The academy isn’t about books.
It’s about foundation. It’s about shaping the kind of leader men follow even when they’re exhausted and scared and bleeding out.
It’s about discipline, self-control, accountability.
” His gaze caught Fly’s and held it. “You’ve already got the heart.
Now you need the structure to match it.”
Fly rolled his eyes, half grinning. “You’re saying I need to behave?”
Blitz barked a laugh. “God help the Navy if that ever happens.”
Zorro grinned. “Nah, he’s saying you need to command with more than charisma and good hair.”
The laughter rippled through them, easing the tension.
Joker’s mouth curved, but his voice stayed steady. “An officer doesn’t just lead a team. He carries their lives. Every decision you make ripples through someone else’s survival. You learn that at the academy, and you keep learning it every day you wear the bars.”
Than frowned slightly. “You think we could do that?”
Bear met his eyes. “You already are.”
That earned him silence, the kind of quiet that comes when truth sinks deep.
Professor spoke next, voice mild but certain. “You’ve both got the aptitude. Intelligence. Adaptability. You think before you act. That’s rare.”
Buck nodded. “You’ve got integrity, too. That’s rarer.”
D-Day smirked. “Stubbornness. That’s mandatory.”
“Especially for officers,” Zorro added. “The trick is learning when to let your team’s voices in. The best leaders don’t bark orders. They listen.”
Gator tipped his water bottle toward them. “You want to lead SEALs one day? Then you’ll need to bleed for the right reasons and think for the right ones.”
Than studied them all, his expression serious. “So, what? You think we should apply?”
Joker leaned back. “I think the Navy needs officers like you two, ones who can lead with more than ego or instinct. Ones who understand what it costs. You’ve seen it. You’ve lived beside it. That matters.”
Fly kicked at the sand, eyes thoughtful now. “Feels like a lot of responsibility.”
“It is,” Bear said quietly. “But that’s what separates the ones who lead from the ones who follow.”
For a long moment, the sound of the surf filled the space.
Then Zorro, unable to let things stay heavy, said, “Plus, uniforms. Girls love the whites.”
Blitz groaned. “He’s not wrong.”
Buck threw a handful of sand at them. “Focus, idiots.”
Joker’s tone softened. “Think about it. Annapolis is more than a school. It’s a promise. You give the Navy four years of your life, and in return, it gives you purpose, rank, and the kind of brotherhood most men never find.”
Bear’s voice dropped low. “It’s a path forward. You’ll work harder than you ever have. You’ll be tested, broken, rebuilt. But you’ll walk out the other side ready to lead the next generation of warriors.”
Fly leaned back on his hands, eyes distant, the grin gone now. “You make it sound almost holy.”
“Sometimes it is,” Joker said simply.
The sun dipped lower, painting everything in molten orange. Flint lay with his head on his paws, tail flicking as if he agreed with the decision already made.
Than looked at Bear, expression calm but sure. “You’d vouch for us?”
Bear snorted. “Are you kidding me? Not only are you two gifted athletes, excellent BUD/S candidates, but remember when I asked for your transcripts, SAT scores, and had you take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
Bear looked at Joker. “I shared them with Joker.”
“Boys,” Joker said. “You two are primed for this life, for this career. Your physical readiness, your never quit attitude, your scores, your schooling, and your ASVABs set you up to fast-track into Annapolis, and they’d be damn lucky to have you.
” He leaned forward. “We’re ready right now to have you fill out the Annapolis application—Bear as your mentor, and me as his CO are ready with our recommendations.
You say the word, and we’ll execute it.”
Fly blew out a slow breath, glanced toward the water, then back at him. “Guess we should start working on our salute.”
“Start working on your paperwork first,” Buck said dryly.
Zorro grinned. “Your running time, ’cause once you’re at Annapolis, there’s no mercy for hotshots.”
The laughter broke again, full and real, but underneath it was something heavier—respect, pride, the awareness that a new chapter had just opened.
Than cleared his throat, anxiety in his eyes. “What will this cost? I don’t have rich grandparents, and I refuse to put another burden on my brother.”
Joker smiled. “Son, Annapolis is free.”
“What?” Than looked at Bear and he grinned.
“He’s right, little brother. Everything’s covered. You’re a commissioned officer when you’re done, and you’ll owe them five years of active duty.”
“Damn,” Than blinked, looking at Fly. “This sounds amazing.”
Bear looked between the two young men, his brother and the boy who’d become one, and felt something shift in his chest. Legacy, alive and moving forward.
“Get in another round of the O-course.”
Fly lifted his chin. “You do realize that when we graduate from Annapolis, we’ll be in charge.”
“Like hell,” Blitz said.
Buck chuckled. “Yeah, man. You’ll be saluting them.”
“Fuck,” Blitz muttered, earning another round of laughter.
Bear didn’t laugh. He just watched them, Than and Fly, standing tall under that California sun, sand streaked with sweat, their faces full of the future. Pride swelled in his chest, tempered by that quiet ache that came whenever life moved forward.
Flint nudged his knee, a soft chuff that felt like understanding. Bear reached down, brushing his fingers through the K9’s fur.
“Not bad for a couple of kids,” Joker said beside him.
Bear’s voice was low, even. “They’re not kids anymore.”
The sea wind caught the words, carrying them out across the beach, over the water, into the place where the next generation of warriors were already waiting to rise.
Bailee’s kitchen table had turned into a war zone.
Than was bent over, his big hand in his unbound hair, curtains of black silk that slid off her big shoulders.
His face was pinched into what looked like painful concentration.
Many renditions of Than’s essay were scattered everywhere, pencils rolled, and a crumpled ball arced through the air, bouncing off Than’s shoulder.
He was focusing on Bear’s laptop in front of him.
Fly was supposed to be writing his essay.