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And lay it down when you walk through my door
Throw all of it out on the floor
Your sorrow, your beauty, your war
I want it all, I want it all

"Unpack Your Heart" – Phillip Phillips

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Rick was busy writing his report when Bobby and the rest of the squad corner him in the pilot's locker room. All had been quiet until then but with the team's noisy entrance, Rick sighs and shoves the paperwork away.

"Anyone would think there's a herd of elephants stampeding through here," he complains as the space fills with chatter and locker doors are slammed. The gaggle of pilots start pulling on their flight gear and Rick watches them without envy. He had already been out in Skull One, having been unexpectedly scrambled in the early hours of the morning for a solo mission that had proved to be more trouble than it was worth. With only a few hours of sleep under his belt and his head full of thoughts of Lisa, he was looking forward to wrapping up his report and stumbling home to get some rest.

"What's an elephant?" Miriya asks her husband, a small crease between her brows.

Max does his best to explain but Miriya eyes him suspiciously. "That can't be real. Is this another one of your micronian pranks?"

Max laughs and one of the other pilots offers to find Miriya a photo but Rick doesn't listen to Miriya's response because Bobby materializes at his elbow with a look in his eye that has alarm bells ringing in the distant corners of his mind.

"Bobby," he greets him warily. "Are you ready for this assignment?"

"You bet I am, Skipper. But, say there was something I wanted to ask you before we head out."

"Go ahead, Bobby. You can ask me anything."

"It's not business related though," he says as another pilot Rick doesn't know but recognizes from their night on the town hoots loudly nearby. Rick frowns and he glances at Max only to find him smiling innocently.

Rick is immediately suspicious. "Why do I suddenly feel like I'm the only one not in on the joke here?"

"No joke," Bobby shakes his head but Rick doesn't feel reassured. "I just wanted to know if you will be bringing Captain Hayes to the wedding."

Rick blinks. Of all the things he had expected Bobby to say, not one of them had factored in Lisa. In truth, he hadn't asked Lisa to be his date to the wedding because Bobby had handed him an invitation during that depressing period when Lisa was refusing to speak to him. He had tucked it somewhere safe, then promptly forgot about the prettily etched 'plus one' on the paper.

He makes a mental note to ask Lisa the first chance he has. "Uh, I suppose so."

Bobby pauses. "That is… unless you're afraid to?"

Rick's skin pricks. He scowls and hoists his helmet under one arm before remembering he's done with his flight duty today. "Now why would I be afraid of taking Li- I mean, Captain Hayes to your wedding?"

Bobby shrugs but he gives Rick a sly glance. Someone snickers nearby. "Ladies can get ideas you know, taking them along to a wedding."

"Is that so?"

Bobby shrugs. "Well, it may be that she starts imagining her own white dress, huh, Captain?"

Rick is spared the need to answer when the conversation quickly moves onto a new subject, but Rick listens in with only half an ear, Bobby's comment still reverberating in his skull. The words are still echoing later when he finds Lisa in the officer's mess hall having lunch with Claudia.

"Well, hello flyboy," Claudia says brightly when he approaches their table. "How have you been?"

Claudia looks upbeat today, her eyes sparkling as much as the surface of the lake outside the observation deck nearby. Rick gives her a drained smile.

"Oh, not too bad, Claudia. How about you?"

"Great, now that I don't have to worry about you showing up on my doorstep looking like a drowned rat. I have to say, my nights are so much less dramatic now that you've both finally got it together."

Rick and Lisa exchange a startled glance and Lisa promptly looks down, blushing furiously. Claudia laughs and stands up. "Oh come on, you two. I'm only teasing. Here, Rick. I've kept your seat warm for you."

"You don't have to leave on my account-"

"My break is over anyway," she dismisses him with an impatient wave of her hand. "I'll catch you both later."

"Bye, Claudia," Lisa says.

"Yeah, bye Claudia."

When she's gone, Rick slides into the seat next to Lisa. She's as fresh and as put together as ever, despite their late night the night before, but then it hadn't been Lisa that the brass had roused from her bed in the early hours of the morning.

She notices his tiredness immediately. "Rick," she chides him gently. "You look exhausted. You should really go home and get some rest."

He gives her a rueful smile. "I will, but I'm glad I found you."

"Oh?" she raises an eyebrow expectantly and takes a sip of her coffee. "Is everything alright? Did something happen during your mission?"

"No… I mean, yes, everything is fine. This is, ah, sort of personal."

"Personal?"

"Yeah," he nods then casts a glance around the room. The officer's mess isn't much different to the one on the SDF-1; it's a large chamber with plenty of space between the tables and a wide glass window that spills into the vista over the lake outside. Although Lisa had chosen a spot away from most of the crowd, he experiences a surprising burst of apprehension to bring up the subject on his mind here where anyone could overhear. He briefly considers waiting until they're off base to ask her but he's worried he's already left it too late. "Actually, I had something I wanted to ask you."

She puts down her mug and her brows furrow in that serious way when he knows she's devoting all her attention to a subject. Something like nerves flutter in his gut but he refuses to acknowledge it, instead taking a breath and rushing the words out before he can second guess himself.

"Well, uh. It's Bobby's wedding soon and I know its short notice and all, but I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come with me? As my date?"

"Bobby? You mean Lieutenant Bell? It was his fiancé we met last night at the restaurant, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I would have asked you sooner but-" Rick flushes slightly and gives Lisa a helpless half-shrug. Her lips curve in response, her eyes telling him that he doesn't need to elaborate but she pauses just long enough to make him sweat.

"I would love to go, Rick," she says warmly. "Thank you."

"You would?"

"Yes, of course," she says, but then her expression shifts and she eyes him warily. "Did you think I would say no?"

He shrugs helplessly, suddenly embarrassed with himself. "No, that's not it."

She waits a beat for him to say more but when he doesn't, she flips a stray lock of hair over her shoulder. For a beat he wonders if she's going to press him on it, instead she forces a smile. "It will be nice to have something to celebrate. Please tell him thank you for including me."

"You'll be able to tell him yourself."

"I will, won't I? A wedding," Lisa murmurs as she props her chin up with one hand. Her eyes grow soft and dreamy. "I'll have to go shopping for something nice to wear."

She seems so pleased by the invitation that Rick's irrational unease from earlier fades away. What was he nervous about anyway? Lisa doesn't strike him as the type to suddenly want pick out china and wedding dresses and besides, they all already know Lisa looks great in white.

"Wear that red dress again," he says on impulse, the memory of the way it had exposed the elegant slope of her shoulders and how it cinched around her tiny waist making heat curl inside him. "That's my favourite."

She studies him closely for a moment, as though trying to work out if he's serious.

"Alright," she murmurs, her cheeks a little pink. "I'll see what I can do."

"I'm looking forward to it," he grins. He moves in to kiss her but freezes when he remembers they're in a very public space surrounded by many of their colleagues… and still very much on duty. He leans back sheepishly.

Lisa hides the twitch of her lips behind the rim of her cup. "I'll come over tonight," she tells him softly. "You can kiss me then."

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Lisa shows up on his doorstep at exactly seventeen hundred hours and still in her uniform. It makes Rick's mouth crease in satisfaction that she didn't even bother to stop home to change before coming to meet him. He quickly pulls her inside, slams the door then in the middle of his tiny kitchen, he gives her the lingering kiss he's been wanting to all day.

Her eyes are a little dazed when he draws back. "Well," she stammers shakily. "Hello to you, too."

"Hi," he chuckles lightly. He steps aside to give her a chance to remove her coat then he takes it from her and carries it into his bedroom to lay it across his bed as was starting to become his habit when she visited.

She's still in the kitchen when he walks back out. He pauses in the doorway and rubs the back of his neck self-consciously. The pre-dawn mission and the late night had caught up with him when he returned to his quarters and his plans to do some shopping before she arrived hadn't eventuated.

"Uh, so you're not going to believe this, but I was actually about to head to the market. My cupboards are pitifully bare and I don't have anything to offer you. Sorry, Lisa. I've been so busy with patro-"

"Rick, you don't have to apologize. Are you sure you don't have anything though? It looks like you have plenty here to me."

Rick pulls open his small pantry and shows her the contents. There are the basic rations that all RDF personnel were supplied in addition to their wages. "Uh, not unless you know what to do with this stuff?"

Lisa laughs and nudges him lightly. "Flour? Salt? You even have a few tinned things. Of course I know what to do with this. Pass me your apron."

He hurries to comply but when he hands it to her she looks down at herself and huffs. "Now, this won't do. I won't be able to mix and knead the dough in my uniform. Rick, I hate to ask, but do you have something I can borrow? Or I could just duck home but that would take time and-"

"No, I have something," he rushes out. A warm sensation blooms inside him as he imagines Lisa in one of his shirts. The one that comes to mind is his favourite blue green check and he leads her into his bedroom and pulls it from his cupboard. Thank god he had at least been organized enough to make sure his clothes were laundered properly. "Will this be okay?"

Lisa considers the shirt, lifting up one of the long sleeves. "Hmm, if I just roll up the sleeves it should be alright. Thank you, Rick."

"You're welcome." He spends a moment thinking about how lovely she's going to look before she gives him a pointed glance.

"Rick…"

"Hmm?"

"May I have some privacy to change, please?"

"Uh… Oh!"

He rushes out of the room, closing the bedroom door behind him and trying his best not to think about Lisa undressing - in his bedroom! The thought alone had the power to make his knees shake but the reality was so much more powerful. He has to force himself to move and he finds himself wandering aimlessly around his quarters while Lisa changes.

When the door opens and Lisa emerges, Rick's heart beats a little faster.

"Is this alright?" she asks, her eyes downcast. She's kept the trim skirt of her uniform on, but his shirt covers her top half loosely. The colour on her makes her eyes almost blue as she fiddles with the length of the sleeves. All in all, she's beautiful and he almost realizes too late that his stunned staring is making her self-conscious. He mentally shakes himself off.

"It's great," he says hurriedly. "Do you need help with the sleeves?"

"No, it's alright, I can manage."

Lisa offers him a small smile and then sets to work rolling up the sleeves to her elbows. Then she goes to the kitchen and slips on the apron he finds for her around her neck. She has to tie it twice around her slim waist but then she lifts her arms to secure her hair away from her face by adding a tie at the base of her neck.

Before long, Lisa takes over the kitchen. She puts Rick to work chopping the few vegetables he has in his fridge while she starts to prepare the flour. He watches in fascination as she creates a dough and starts to knead it with her bare hands.

He's not sure he's ever seen Lisa so relaxed. It's enjoyable to watch and he pauses in his task just to observe her work. "Have you always liked to cook?"

She glances up and smiles at him as she kneads the dough. There's a dusting of white flour over the apron and a smear across her chin. Although a ribbon ties her hair back loosely, there's one curl that insists on travelling over her shoulder.

"Yes, I've always found it relaxing. Although I haven't had nearly enough chances to do it these past few years. I'm trying to make more of an effort now though. Cooking for our picnic seems to have reignited something in me."

Rick inwardly cringes at the mention of the failed picnic date but Lisa doesn't notice. She starts to hum as she kneads, then pauses and looks down at the pale mass in her hands.

"You know, there's going to be enough here to feed you for a week. Maybe we should see if Max wants the night off cooking?"

Rick sits up. "That's a great idea. I'll give him a call."

It's not much longer until Max and Miriya arrive with Dana.

"Hi Max, hi Miriya."

"Hey Rick," Max greets him then peers over his shoulder to wave at Lisa in the kitchen. "Hi Lisa. Thanks for inviting us."

"That was Lisa's idea," Rick grins, just as Dana begins to fuss in her mother's arms. He leans in to make a silly face in an effort to make the baby laugh and his antics seem to work because Dana squeals and reaches out her pudgy hands towards him. He laughs, thinking how adorable she is and half wondering if it was just Dana in particular that had suddenly started to grab his interest, or if it was babies in general. Since New Macross City had been settled, there had been a baby boom and it often felt as though he couldn't walk down the street without having to move aside for prams or glowing mothers to be.

"You had better come in out of the cold," Rick says, stepping to the side then leading the little family into the living space. He settles them around the small table before ducking back into the kitchen.

"I'm going to need a bigger place if this becomes a regular thing," he comments as he watches Lisa plate up the meal. She leaves one dish to the side that looks different to the rest. "What's that?"

"That one is for Miriya. I know she's still not used to the spices we use so I didn't want to create anything too overwhelming for her. I hope she likes it."

Rick peers into the bowl. There's not as much colour as the rest but Rick knows Miriya is still getting used to flavours and textures of living food, as opposed to a predictable, bland taste she was sustained on as a soldier in the Zentraedi army.

"You go out of your way to make Miriya comfortable a lot." Rick observes, keeping his voice low and conscious that Miriya and Max are in the next room. He says it like a statement but it contains a question he's not sure how to ask. Lisa seems to understand though.

Her cheeks turn a little pink and she doesn't meet his gaze. "I'm not Zentraedi, but I've always felt like I can relate to Miriya."

Rick's eyebrows go up. "How do you mean?"

"Well, people are… intimidated… by her. They judge her before they get to know her because of whom and what she is. She's always a little on the fringes, and I guess… I guess I know how that feels."

Rick's heart makes a strange kind of flip flop in his chest. He had thought Lisa cold and harsh once. He knows better now. He knows her warmth, her bravery, her capacity for forgiveness… her heart. He knows he loves her.

"You're an incredible woman, Lisa," he tells her deeply, suddenly overwhelmed by the fullness inside his chest. He wants to say more but he's interrupted by Max slipping into the room before he can.

"Need any help?" Max asks cheerfully.

"None at all, in fact," Lisa smiles, but she catches Rick's eye briefly as she hands him a plate. "Everything is ready. Here you go."

They carry their plates out to the table and Miriya glances doubtfully at the meal placed in front of her.

"I've gone easy on the spices for yours, Miriya," Lisa says kindly. Dana is all but asleep against Miriya's chest but Miriya refuses to put her to bed. Rick assumes she will eat one handed. "Please don't feel you have to eat it if it's not to your taste."

Miriya's face softens almost instantly. "Thank you for your consideration, Lisa."

They begin to eat and the conversation flows easily over the meal. Rick is seated next to Lisa, his thigh pressed against hers under the small table and he doesn't think twice to lay a hand over her knee as they talk and eat except that he feels her small jolt of surprise.

He glances at her in concern, but she's busy gulping at her glass of water. To anyone else, she's unaffected but sitting as close to her as he is, he can see the tips of her ears growing red. He chuckles to himself and is about to re-join the conversation when the air is split by the harsh trill of his telephone.

"Huh?" he mutters. "I wonder who would be calling at this hour."

Max pats his stomach as Rick reluctantly withdraws his hand and stands up.

"I hope it's not the base," Max says. "I don't think my veritech would even be able to get airborne after that meal. It was wonderful, Lisa."

Rick can't hear Lisa's response over phone's incessant ring. He hopes it doesn't wake Dana but when he looks over, he finds her still sound asleep against Miriya's chest.

The phone trills rudely again.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," he grumbles, already annoyed by the intrusion.

"Captain Hunter here….. hello?"

There's no sound on the other end of the line and Rick pulls the handset away from his ear to stare at it in confusion. A burst of laughter comes from behind him and he's suddenly impatient to get back to the table and his friends. He lifts it back up. "Hello? Is anyone th-"

There's a click and then the dial tone sounds and he shrugs and returns the handset to its cradle.

Lisa catches his eye as he returns to the table and he shakes his head. "Must have been a wrong number I guess."

"That's strange," Lisa frowns but then whatever else she was about to say is lost when he covers her knee with his hand again. "Oh," she flushes.

He tries to mute his satisfied grin but it's hard to do. There's something about Lisa sitting so close to him across from their friends, sharing a meal she had prepared in his quarters that feels too comfortable to question.

Before long, Max yawns and the Sterlings make their excuses to head home.

Rick sees them off at the door then returns to help Lisa collect the plates and tidy up the kitchen. There isn't a lot of room with the two of them shuffling around in the tiny space and they bump into each other and Rick seizes the opportunity to slide his arm around her waist and tug her close.

Was it really only a few days ago she had refused to even acknowledge him? And now here she was, soft and warm in his arms and he revels in the knowledge he can touch her like this. He breathes her in and touches his lips to the side of her neck.

She shivers lightly. "Rick," she says quietly. "This will take all night if you keep distracting me."

He raises his head and offers her a smirk. "That's the idea," he says and she huffs and pokes him in the side, making him laugh as he releases her.

They continue with the clean up and before long, his countertop is once again sparkling and finally agreeable to Lisa's high standards.

"There," she says in satisfaction when they're done, admiring the gleam of the kitchen's now pristine surfaces. "Much better."

Rick watches as she gathers up her purse and slips on her coat but it's not until she's standing on his doorstep that he realizes she's holding something in her hands. "Hey, what's that?"

"Your shirt," she says, hugging the bundle to her chest. She had changed back into her uniform before Max and Miriya had arrived, self-conscious about being seen wearing Rick's clothes. "I'll wash it for you."

"It's okay, I can do it. I'm not completely helpless, you know."

Her eyes twinkle. "Are you sure about that? I saw the pink socks."

He pretends to scowl which only makes her giggle, one hand over her mouth. "Alright, laugh it up. Fine, if you want to, you can take it."

He's disappointed when she leaves with a kiss to his cheek and the shirt in her arms. He would have liked to keep her perfume close for a little bit longer.