Here we go, the long overdue conclusion to this ficcie. No beta so I'm sorry. lol

Lisa sat on the couch in her office with her legs folded at her knees so that her feet came to rest on the couch to her left. She gently massaged the bottom of her left foot with her left hand while she read the report that had seemed to take up permanent residence in her right hand. She'd been trying for nearly two hours to get through the bloody thing, but every time she would get into it something would come up. Reinhardt needed an update on the construction estimates, then Vince needed to talk to her about some of the reassignments, then the UEG liaison wanted some information on something she couldn't even remember, and now her feet were killing her.

She moaned indelicately into her office as her fingers hit a particularly sore spot right in the arch of her foot. She rubbed that painful area for all she was worth for a moment, until she realized she must have looked and sounded like a dog using its back paw to scratch at an itch behind its ear and groaning in relief.

Lisa laughed at herself and sat up properly on the couch, her bare feet coming to rest on the floor next to her abandoned shoes.

You're getting old, Lisa, a part of her mind informed her matter of factly. All those years on the bridge of the SDF-1, standing for hours at a time and never did your feet hurt as much as they do now. This is all Rick's fault, she thought, but she couldn't even think it without smiling. While it was true in a sense, it was really the opposite. She never felt younger or more alive than when she was with him; when he looked at her; when he touched her and when he kissed her. The problem was they'd been so busy lately that those times very rarely happened, and when she couldn't see him for an extended period of time, she simply felt old.

Lisa huffed good-naturedly at the thought and her eyes flitted towards the large window in her office. She discarded the report on the cushion and eased herself up off the couch, and without putting on her shoes she padded along the floor to the window. She hadn't requested this office, but she felt an immense gratitude to whomever it was that had assigned it to her: half a kilometer away, past the library annex, the maintenance building and a small buffer zone, was the tarmac. She could see the hangars, of course, and the deck crews milling about, but she was still too far away to make out their faces. Most importantly however, she could see the veritechs as they taxied into position for takeoff, and as they came in for landings.

She glanced to the clock on her desk and sighed when it told her it was nearly six o'clock.

I should head home, I suppose, she thought with absolutely no enthusiasm. She'd been in the office for nearly twelve hours and was quite frankly sick of it, but she had no desire to go home to an empty house and miss Rick without even having work to distract her. I could always head to the gym, her inner voice said, and that idea held some sway to it. She'd been shirking her workouts more and more lately, not necessarily out of a desire to avoid them but simply for a lack of time. Or she could see if Miriya or Jean…

"Why does it smell like feet in here?"

Lisa didn't quite jump in surprise, though it was uncomfortably close. She turned around and found a pair of hazel eyes shining with amusement looking in her direction. It was one thing Lisa adored about her aide: Commander Cindy White always had laughter in her eyes.

"I was too tired to put them on," replied Lisa honestly, which elicited a laugh from White strong enough to make her head gyrate and send her shoulder length reddish hair in a flutter.

Lisa turned back to the window and watched a veritech take off from the base in a burst of protoculture driven thrust. A moment later White came to stand next to her right and they both looked out the window in silence.

After several minutes White quietly said, "You have nothing else on the schedule for today, Admiral." She turned to look at her CO and added with a mild hint of concern, "You need some rest."

Lisa smiled at the worry in her aide's voice. Cindy had become a very good friend in the busy time since their relocation to Monument. She really didn't know how she would have coped if Reinhardt hadn't sent her over from his office.

"I was just thinking along those lines, Commander," replied Lisa, then she turned and gave Cindy a smirk, "or grabbing Miriya and Jean and heading out for a few hours."

White smiled and said, "Well if you're going out on the town I may join you, if that's okay with you, ma'am."

Lisa nodded and returned White's smile. "Well that's why I mentioned it to you. Let's go."

Both women turned and took one step towards the office door only to stop abruptly at the sight of Rear Admiral Helen Mullins standing in the open doorway with a bemused look upon her face.

"I am sorry to interrupt, ladies," she said, honesty and amusement lacing her accented voice.

White came to attention as did Lisa. A small part of her mind acknowledged the fact that as of her recent promotion she now outranked the JAG and coming to attention was unnecessary, yet the rest of her mind as well as her body simply reacted on impulse bred of years of training.

Mullins' head tilted slightly to her right for a moment in amusement, then the Rear Admiral straightened and walked towards Lisa. She stopped three feet away from her and stood ramrod straight and gave Lisa a crisp salute.

"Admiral Hayes," said Mullins in a serious and business like voice. "Rear Admiral Mullins requesting permission to speak with you, ma'am."

Lisa shook herself out of her daze and minimally relaxed her stance. "Of course, Admiral," Lisa replied respectfully. She held her hand out to the older woman who took it immediately and said as they shook hands, "It's good to see you, Admiral."

"Likewise, Admiral," Mullins said with a smile of her own. They released each other's hands and Mullins turned to White. "Would you excuse us please, Commander. I won't be long."

"Yes, ma'am," replied White before heading towards the door. She stopped when Lisa called her name and said, "Yes, ma'am?"

"You can go on home, Cindy," Lisa said. "There's no need for you to hang around."

White gave Lisa a scandalized look that was only partly feigned. "I leave when you leave, Admiral." Before Lisa could argue or attempt or pull rank, Cindy sailed through the door, closing it behind her with the softest of clicks.

Lisa was still shaking her head when Mullins mused, "She's a bit of a rascal, isn't she?"

Lisa laughed and then nodded her head. "It didn't take you long to figure that out." Lisa motioned to the couch and said, "Let's have a seat." They moved to the couch and Lisa slipped on her shoes before sitting next to Mullins. It was then that she noticed the JAG carried an envelope in her left hand. She turned so that she was facing Mullins and asked, "What did you want to talk to me about, Admiral?"

Mullins smiled at Lisa and said as she held up the envelope, "I have a letter for you, Lisa," a look of peace and adoration appeared upon her face as she added, "from Henry."

Lisa's eyes shot to the envelope as Mullins' words echoed within her mind. Admiral Gloval? she asked herself.

"As you are well aware, Lisa," continued Mullins, "Henry's will was handled through the office of the JAG and me personally."

Lisa nodded. In fact it had been her that had suggested using the JAG for his personal legal affairs, such as his will, instead of an outside source.

"I thought the Admiral's affairs were taken care of weeks ago," Lisa whispered.

"I do apologize for the delay in getting this to you, Lisa," said Mullins as she looked down to the envelope in her hand. She looked back up to Lisa who was still staring at the envelope and added, "But it was unavoidable. These letters were recent additions to his estate and were kept in a secure site within New Macross until they could have been put with the rest of his documents. Unfortunately that hadn't been done before the last attack and then had to be put on the salvage list."

"I see," said Lisa, her voice still subdued. She looked up into Mullins' eyes and smiled. "Thank you for bringing it to me personally, Admiral."

Mullins stood up from the couch, and when Lisa did the same she handed the envelope over to the younger woman. "I wouldn't have done it any other way, Lisa."

Lisa nodded as she took the envelope in her hand. The envelope was pristine and bright white save for her name written on the front in the achingly familiar handwriting of her mentor.

"I miss him, too," said Mullins.

Lisa looked over to the JAG and for the first time since meeting the woman years ago she saw fatigue in her eyes. "He was a special man," said Lisa.

"Yes he was," agreed Mullins. She cleared her throat and said, "I better get going." She reached out her hand and as Lisa took it and they shook she said, "Take care, Lisa."

Lisa smiled and said as she let go of Mullins' hand, "You too, Helen."

Mullins nodded and then moved towards the door.

"Helen?" When the JAG stopped and looked back to her Lisa said, "You said 'letters'? Who else did he write to?"

Her voice was somber and her eyes sad as she said, "Claudia Grant, Kim Young, Vanessa Leeds, Sammie Porter," her voiced steadied and a slight smile came to her lips as she finished with, "and Rick Hunter."

"Rick?" blurted Lisa.

"Yes," replied Mullins with a slight laugh. "You should have seen his face when I told him what I had for him." She paused for a moment and then said, "Good-night, Lisa."

Lisa nodded as the JAG left her office and then plopped back down onto the couch. She had no idea how long she'd just sat there looking at the envelope in her hands, foolishly wondering what it was all about. Finally she realized that there was only one way to find out, and she slipped her slender right index finger under the flap and gently opened the envelope.

Her fingers trembled not in fear or trepidation but anticipation as she carefully removed the letter from the envelope. Because of the destruction of the SDF-1 and SDF-2 as well as her quarters, the only link she'd had to the man she loved as a father had been, for the most part, her memories. But now she had this little piece of paper, which she could see as she unfolded the paper held his own words to her in his own writing. She took a deep breath and a full-fledged smile came to her lips at the faint yet unmistakable smell of Henry Gloval's favorite pipe tobacco gently wafting from the paper. She could just imagine him sitting at his desk surrounded by a thick cloud of the smoke emanating from the pipe between his lips. She sighed and then read the letter aloud.

"My dearest Lisa."

Tears immediately filled her eyes, but she kept them back and continued to read. "I have struggled about whether or not to write this letter, but in the end I felt that I had no alternative but to do so. You may not be my child by blood, Lisa, but you are my daughter in every other sense of the word. I have watched you grow from a young army brat into a capable young woman who can do anything she sets her mind to, and my pride in you is only overshadowed by my love for you."

Lisa lowered the letter to her lap and smiled. She sniffed back the tears that threatened once again to fall from her emerald eyes and thought, Oh, Henry, I hope you know I feel the same way.

She brought the letter up again and his next sentence made her smile even more as she read it. "And I know you feel the same way about me. We have been through so much together, far more than most other blood fathers and daughters. What we have seen together, what we have done together and what we have suffered through together has bound us like nothing else could, not even blood. I always felt sorry for your father, Lisa, for he missed out on so much your life because of his stubbornness and his devotion to duty. It is because I care so much about you, Lisa, that I must talk to you about Rick."

Only the fact that she already knew from her last meaningful conversation with Gloval that he'd known about her love for Rick, she would have dropped the letter in shock.

"I know you are in love with him, Lisa, and I have known for some time. I also know you well enough to know that you will not tell him. You will stand in the background and suffer immeasurably, contenting yourself with the smallest morsels of contact that he will give you because of a false sense of insecurity. Do not do that, Lisa, I beg of you."

Lisa could no longer hold the tears back and they left her eyes to travel down her cheeks and drop onto her uniform. She had never known Henry Gloval to beg for anything, yet here he was begging her to do something not for him, but for her own sake.

"Tell him, Lisa. Go to Rick and tell him that you love him. I know you don't believe it, but he cares for you very much, and he deserves to know. You have to, Lisa, because you are both soldiers in uncertain and dangerous times, and while I have complete faith in your abilities the truth of the matter is on any given day one of you may not be coming home. If that happens to Rick and you haven't told him it will haunt you for the rest of your life. I know this to be true."

Lisa lowered the letter to her lap again and sighed. As usual he was right, for even now she regretted not telling Henry Gloval how much she thought of him as a father and just how much she loved him. She never did actually tell him, just as she'd never told Kim, Vanessa and Sammie how much she loved them as though they were her sisters. Only Claudia knew…

She looked down and read on.

"You must not let Rick's infatuation with Minmei cast a shadow upon you, Lisa. You and Rick are perfect for each other, and as I write this I can not help but smile at the memories of the both of you I have, such as the way Rick panicked as the Zentraedi attacked the shuttle that was taking you to Alaska Base, or the way you both ran towards me on the flight deck of Prometheus after Rick rescued you from there after Dolza's attack."

Lisa couldn't help but pause as her own emotion filled memories of those events flew into her mind. "I have never been one to believe in soul mates, but I do believe that you and Rick compliment each other on every conceivable level. By yourselves you are formidable people, but with limits. Together you could accomplish anything inside and outside of the service."

Seeing that only one little paragraph remained, Lisa took a deep fortifying breath and continued reading. "I hope what I have written will help you to see the truth, Lisa, and I have faith that you will find the strength and confidence within you to tell Rick. Just remember that no matter what you decide to do I always have been and always will be proud of you. I always have and always will respect you. And my dearest daughter, I always have and always will love you. Henry."

Lisa's eyes quickly flitted up and down the page once more before she carefully folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope. She sniffed back the tears and reverently traced along her name written by Henry Gloval's hand with her fingertip.

She closed her eyes and let her head fall back onto the back of the couch. Memory after memory of Henry Gloval went through her mind like an old fashioned movie reel, from the first time she met him at her family home all the way up to the last time she saw him on the bridge of the crippled SDF-1.

A soft knock on the door made her open her eyes and lift her head from the couch. She turned as the door opened and she smiled when White peeked in through the partially opened door. "Come on in, Cindy."

White pushed open the door and moved inside the office, her hazel eyes studiously probing Lisa to gauge her state of mind.

Lisa held up the letter to show White and said, "It's a letter from Admiral Gloval." At White's wide-eyed look of surprise Lisa felt compelled to unnecessarily add, "Written before he died, of course."

White shook herself out of her stupor and said the only thing her mouth would move to say. "Wow."

Lisa laughed and nodded. "Yeah." A heavy silence descended upon them, a morbid silence that Lisa decided didn't belong there. She jumped up from the couch and took a deep breath. "Let's hit the town, Commander."

Before Lisa could move White said, "Are you sure, ma'am? I mean we could always…"

"No, Cindy," interrupted Lisa. She caressed Gloval's letter once more and looked into the eyes of her aide. "If for no other reason than for Henry Gloval."

White's smile was so wide Lisa wondered if her face was hurting.

"Good," announced White as she quick marched over to retrieve Lisa's coat. She then walked over to Lisa and said, "I've taken the liberty of calling Commander Sterling and Dr. Grant. Commander Sterling is in the air with the Skull, of course, but Dr. Grant will be ready by the time we pick her up."

Lisa's head tilted a little to her left as she regarded Cindy White. "Are you sure you're not psychic?"

White's smile was mischievous and sneaky as she said, "I'll never tell, ma'am." She looked down to the letter cradled in Lisa's hands and said, "Would you like me to put the Admiral's letter in your safe, ma'am?"

Lisa thought for a moment and shook her head. Instead she handed the letter to White and then took her coat and put it on. When she was finished she took the letter from White's hand and slipped it inside her coat and secured it within the inside breast pocket. "This goes with us." Lisa looked at White and said with feigned exasperation, "Are we going or what?" and then laughed as White ran from the room shouting, "Yes, ma'am!"

Lisa laughed again as she followed her aide out of the office. She paused for a second to raise her hand up to her chest so that she could feel the letter through the fabric of her coat, but then moved on to follow White knowing that somewhere, Henry Gloval was smiling.

The End.