Chapter 4

We arrive at Claudia's at 7:55. Lisa had picked out a very nice formfitting dress and I wore a polo shirt, jacket, and slacks. Lisa's dress matched her eyes, which made them look as if they glowed. She was radiant, and she had an air about her that I had never seen before. I knock on the door; Claudia opens it.

"You guys didn't have to dress up for me!" she said surprised.

"Well the last 24 hours have been full of surprises" Lisa retorted, "We didn't want you to feel left out!" and she giggles. Claudia laughed as well and winked an acknowledgment.

Claudia had made her famous Pineapple Salad along with Chicken Parmesan and Pasta. I was surprised that Claudia had fixed the Pineapple Salad, it was Roy's favorite dish, and Claudia hadn't made it since he passed away. She spied the look in my eyes and volunteered

"I made it because this is a special occasion, you two have finally figured out you love each other, even though the whole universe knew it before you".

Lisa and I both blushed at the snipe, but it was true, we were just too stubborn to see it. I took Lisa's hand and moved towards the table.

"Not so fast" Claudia chided. "You two are early, there are still more guests to arrive".

Lisa and I looked at each other and sighed. We had both hoped that this would be a quite dinner with Claudia but she obviously had different ideas. We went and sat down on one of Claudia's two big couches. Despite the fact that we were uncomfortable with the surprise of "other guests", we were just happy to be with each other, no matter where it was. Soon the doorbell rang, Claudia answered; it was Admiral Gloval! Lisa and I stood straight up, almost knocking over the coffee table. Boy, this was a surprise.

"Please sit down, relax" he said in his thick Russian accent", so Captain, how is the review of the personnel records coming along",

He said with a wink and a smile. Lisa blushed; it was unlike her to shirk off her duties but he would let it slide this one time. He took a seat across from us. He had taken the roll of father figure for Lisa and most of the bridge crew since the return to earth so it was fitting that he was here. He looked at us and gave an approving smile. We sat and made small talk while Claudia busied herself in the kitchen finishing off her dinner preparations. The doorbell rings again, now who in the world could that be, I wonder. It was Max and Miriya. Max was in a suite and Miriya, a formal gown. Miriya saw my surprise and said,

"You two have finally found love and this is something to be celebrated. Max said that it wasn't necessary but I insisted; this is a momentous occasion".

Again Lisa and I blush, was our finally getting together such a big deal? Lisa and I both think of all these people as family so perhaps it is.

"Dinners ready" came a voice from the dinning area. We all sat and ate hungrily. Once the meal was over, we all retired to the living room. Claudia opened a bottle of wine to let it breathe and placed it on ice. We sat, drank wine, and talked about what had happened over the last two days. We found out how fast the rumors had spread through the entire command after Lisa's 5:30 am phone call. Apparently they had ranged from near the truth to we had eloped and were planning to spend our honeymoon near the rings of Saturn.

Everyone was happy for us and was slightly relieved that the drama of Rick and Lisa was finally over. It was getting late, I had flight duty tomorrow as did Lisa; we said our good byes and headed home. To which home shall we go? Almost as if she knew what I was, thinking Lisa said,

"Let's go to my place tonight, O.K.?"

I nodded my head in agreement. It was nearing midnight now, the stars were out, the temperature wasn't bad, and we were enjoying each other's company. I wrapped my arm around her waist and hers around mine. We walked in step without even knowing it. We took the long way to Lisa's house. We both knew what tomorrow would bring but for now, we were quite happy being lost in each other.

Walking up to her door, I stop, she turns and looks at me as if to say, its o.k. My heart was racing. I truly do love this woman. I know that now, she is the only woman that I will ever love. I pull her close to me and give her a hug. She has a look of concern on her face now.

"Everything is going to be o.k." I say to reassure her.

I look around, the stars are out, the moon is full, and the fountain in the park across the street is lit. A wonderful idea springs into my head

"Wait for me here!" I tell her. She has a puzzled look on her face. "Trust me!" I shout as I sprint for my house.

When I get there I fly through the door, did I lock it when we left? I don't know, but who cares. I go to my safe in the back room. My fingers can't work the lock fast enough. Finally it opens, inside is the only thing that I had recovered from my parents home after the war. A small black box, my father had kept it all those years. I guess he never really let her go. I slam the door to the safe. I stand there long enough to ensure that it locked. I sprint out the door, not caring if I had shut it or not. I couldn't get there any faster then if I had flown Skull 1. My spirit was flying. The entire Zentraedi fleet couldn't have stopped me. I rounded the corner to Lisa's; she was still standing there, wondering if I had lost my mind. Perhaps I had but that didn't matter now. She sees me running toward her, and even from a distance; I see her face light up. I stop short and walk up to her slowly so that I can catch my breath. I take her by the hand and walk her over to the fountain. By now she is wondering what is going on? I drop to one knee, she gasps as I pull out the little black box I had been hiding. I open it; it's my mother's engagement ring. Father had kept it after mother passed away. Then I ask the one question that every bachelor fears and every woman hopes for,

"Lisa, Will you marry me?"

She stands there in silence staring at the ring and me. Tears start flowing down her cheeks. I don't know what to say, I just stare back into those beautiful emerald green eyes. Then she smiles and picks up the ring. She slides it onto her finger; it's a perfect fit!

"Yes!" she says "yes! You wonderful man, I love you and I can't imagine my life with anyone else, yes! I'll marry you"

I stand up and we kiss each other for what seems like an eternity. There is nothing else in the universe but us. This woman is my world, my life and now I get to share it with her.

We walk to her house and go inside. She makes another call to the command center. In an official voice

"This is Captain Hayes, Captain Rick Hunter and I will not be in tomorrow, we have just become engaged to be married".

With that, she hangs up the phone, "let's see how many rumors start with that call", she says with a smile. Tomorrow was another day but it was certainly going to be different.