Corporal Dwayne Hicks was terrified.

He wiped his palms against his pants. They were slick with sweat, his stomach turned, and he felt dizzy, struggling to breathe regularly, his mouth dry. An all-consuming fear response, generated in a fraction of a second just from the sight of what lay before him: a small gray ring.

It had taken hours to reshape the bit of steel pipe, cutting it just so, smoothing it down, polishing it so that it reflected even the dull glow of the cigarette dangling from his lips as he worked. It was the beautiful if rustic product of two weeks' labor. He and Bishop could have made it quicker if they hadn't been forced to do it in secret, staying up late to get a few hours' work done before Ripley was up again, working on the ship's damage. At first he'd been frustrated at having to wait, but now he was grateful for the extra time. He even found himself wishing that there was some sort of imperfection in the metal, something to give him an excuse to work at it a few more days-or maybe even start over from scratch.

But there was no denying it: it was as perfect as it was going to get, even by Bishop's objective, perfectionist android standards.

The ring was finished.

"Hell, Bishop," he muttered under his breath. "I can't do this."

Bishop looked up from the ship's computers. "Why not?"

He shook his head, picking up the ring and staring at it. "She's not gonna say yes."

Bishop paused. "Human behavior is very difficult to predict, but even so, I deem that outcome extremely unlikely."

Hicks scoffed lightly. They'd been drifting for about six weeks now, still hammering out the last few dents left by errant asteroids. Bishop estimated that they'd be finished by the end of the week, which meant Hicks had very little time to prepare himself for this particular venture. He doubted that a few months of cryosleep would help him work up his nerve anymore, and when they did wake up again they'd be orbiting Earth, preparing to explain to the Corps and the Company what exactly had gone down on planet LV-426. All in all, it wouldn't be the best time for a proposal.

Pain began to ripple and burn through his skin, rising up from inflamed cuts and burns and searing across his body. It had begun to flare up more and more lately, so vicious that no amount of pills seemed able to muffle it. He'd started refusing them altogether, lying to Ripley and telling her he was feeling better. There was no point wasting medicine when it wasn't helping him anyways, so he made her put them back in the first aid kit and forced himself to look less ill than he felt. This time, however, he couldn't help grimacing, clutching one arm against his side and gritting his teeth tightly.

"Corporal Hicks?" Bishop got to his feet and crossed the room. "Corporal?" As Hicks began to sway to one side, he wrapped one arm around him for support and helped him over to a chair, slowly easing him down. Hicks had his eyes scrunched shut, his mouth twisted to one side in pain. Bishop knelt beside him, checking his wounds with deft care. When he uncovered one of the bandages on Hicks' side, he looked up sharply. "This is becoming infected."

"I took the antibiotics," Hicks said. He'd taken one a day for two weeks straight religiously when they'd woken up from cryo in the hopes that it would stave off any infection.

"Apparently it wasn't enough. I'll get some more from the medbay. There should be enough for another week." Bishop frowned. "We don't have the supplies to perform the type of surgery these injuries require, let alone the reconstructive operations you'll need."

"Good thing we're going back to sleep soon, then," Hicks said, his voice distant and exhausted. It was far from surprising that his wounds were worsening; they'd hardly been made in a sanitary, safe environment, and the acid burns he'd sustained ran deep since he hadn't been able to get his armor off quick enough.

Bishop removed the bandage from Hicks face. His expression didn't change, but he shook his head slightly at Hicks' questioning look. "I'll get you the antibiotics," he said, standing. "Stay here."

Hicks smiled faintly. "I'm not going anywhere."

The android exited the room out a door on Hicks' left, disappearing into the inky darkness that had taken over half of the corporal's vision. At first the loss of sight in his left eye had been minimal; he'd been able to make out shapes and small details when he held things close up. Over the past few weeks, the world had shifted to smudges of light and dark, now so totally nondescript that all the smudges blurred into just dark. He hadn't told anyone. There was no point. Any surgery that would have saved his eye a couple weeks ago was thousands of light years away.

He still had the ring in his hand, and he turned it over thoughtfully as he waited for Bishop to come back, mulling over the feelings that came up as he tested the weight of it in his palm.

The past few months had been a dizzying whirlwind of events. When he'd learned that his crew would be shipping out to protect some colonists on a far-out planet from some mystery killer aliens, he'd been as skeptical as the rest of the team. It was the type of crazy story they planned to file away for future parties-meeting a woman who'd been in cryo for decades with some crazy story about rampaging aliens seven feet tall with long tails, spring-loaded jaws, and acid for blood. It sounded like the kind of fantasy people made up ages ago when mankind had no idea that space was filled with a myriad of intelligent species, most of them happy enough to leave humans and Earth alone so long as their airspace was respected.

He wished they had taken Ripley seriously. Maybe no one would have died. But the marine crew hadn't believed her, and for the most part, Hicks hadn't either-but after meeting her in person and hearing her explain it, hearing the fear and adrenaline and tension in her voice as she described what had happened to her own crew-he'd had a small nudge of doubt. He'd quickly come to learn that Ripley was a strong, stubborn, and independent woman, not your typical civ in the least. That had only served to strengthen the vague doubt in the back of his mind; if someone as brave and dependable as Ripley was legitimately frightened, that was good reason for concern. Without her, none of them would have gotten out alive.

That was one of the qualities he loved about her. She was a fierce, unstoppable force, and the glow of that inspired everyone around her. She wasn't afraid to be kind, either, though; she could be strong and soft in the same moment, like when she had protected Newt fearlessly with no regard for her own life. She only fought when it was necessary, not for mere sport or fun because she had no love for violence (unlike some of the people Hicks had come across in the past).

He respected and admired her for her capacity for selfless love. It was impossible not to. They'd fought together tooth and nail to get off that planet, and over the past few weeks they'd shared many quiet moments, too. No aliens roaming for blood or desperate battles for their lives-just hours upon hours of peaceful, mundane conversation. It was those moments that had really sent Hicks officially head over heels. After all, they wouldn't be spending the rest of their lives on the battlefield fighting aliens together. They'd be spending them in the house that Newt had talked about, doing small things together, sharing conversation, time, and space.

Knowing that he was comfortable with Ripley at all times, whether he was scared, angry, injured, exhausted, or happy-that meant a lot. He didn't have to act a certain way or be a certain type of person. They'd seen one another at their worst, and they'd helped each other through that shared experience. That sort of connection would last a lifetime.

If he could just get up the courage to ask for a lifetime with her.

Bishop came back into the room, medical supplies in hand. He brought a chair over and set it before Hicks so that he could work easier, passing him a small bottle of pills and spreading out an array of salves, ointments, and disinfectants along with clean cloth and bandages. As he began to work, he caught Hicks' eye and said: "I know that I'm only an android and thus incapable of the range of complex emotions that humans can experience, but if you'd like, I have some advice to offer."

Hicks shrugged. "Sure. Knock yourself out, Bishop."

The android narrowed his eyes with focus as he cleaned the burns. "Ripley is not one to hide her thoughts. She made her feelings about me very clear the moment I met her, and though I've earned some small measure of her trust through my following actions, she has never apologized or made amends for her rather blunt initial honesty." Noticing the hard look in Hicks' gaze, Bishop added: "Nor do I wish her to. All of this is simply to say, Ripley has a very genuine character. If she did not care for you, she would not treat you the way she does."

Hicks glanced down, thinking. He smiled. "You know, for an android with manual emotion limiters, Bishop, you're not too bad at this type of thing."

Bishop didn't miss a beat. "I have a therapist program that tends to kick in in situations like this."

Hicks laughed. "Ah, gotcha."

Bishop layered a green foul-smelling ointment over Hicks' forehead. "I also have a marriage license."

"You what?"

Bishop smiled flatly. "The Company tends to heap many different hats onto the androids they send on missions. That way there's fewer people to pay. They checked just about every box for certifications when I was commissioned, so I'm a medical officer, science officer, engineer, technician, therapist, and officiant all wrapped up into one."

Hicks frowned. "So, Ripley and me. . . we could be married before we got back to Earth?"

Bishop nodded.

"Huh."

The android finished up with the ointment and sat back to survey his work, saying (almost to himself), "You'd certainly save money on wedding invitations."

Hicks barked out a low laugh. "Bishop, I think that asteroid may have knocked out your humor limiter."

Bishop didn't smile. "Who said I had one?"

A/N: Thank you all so much for the kind reviews/notes! They truly made my day. It makes me really happy that you're all enjoying the story so much, and I'll definitely be adding post-cryo Earth chapters since there's some interest. :) I'm glad we're getting to give this odd little family some justice, they absolutely deserve it. Have a great day, hope you're all well!