It was morning before Rick and Roy were able to bring Max to the lab. The usually open Max, did not say much about where he was just that he had been in the city trying to locate someone, although he wouldn't give any more details than that. He was eager to do what he could to help Lt. Cmdr. Hayes. Unlike Lisa and Rick, Max and Lisa hit it off fairly well when they met and Max never understood Rick's attitude toward the commander. Seeing Rick in a near tizzy over finding him to help Lt. Cmdr. Hayes, he had a revelation about their relationship and was happy to return to base to be briefed on the situation.

Entering the lab with Max and Roy, Rick hurried over the tank to check to see that all was well with Lisa. Claudia reassured him that there was no change to her condition. Dr. Lang came in and explained to Max about the blue liquid and his possible exposure to it on the Zentraedi ship. Max in his ever logical way, commented that it was unlikely that he was exposed as he was the only one to evade capture and therefore was never in posession by the Zentraedi. Rick's hopes plummeted at the news but was glad that Max will willing to try and see if he could recreate Rick's so called experience with Lisa.

They all waited with baited breath, when Max placed his hand into the blue liquid and picked up Lisa's hand. He held it for a few minutes, but nothing happened. Rick let out a big frustrated sigh and wondered again if he just imagined everything. Taking Lisa's hand from Max, Rick tried again to see if he could connect to her again, but was diappointed when there was no effect.

Claudia seeing how Rick felt, so tired and defeated, suggested the Roy and Rick retire for a bit and that she would stay with Lisa for a while. Rick didn't want to leave, but knowing that he could be called into battle again, agreed to leave and get some rest but said that he would return later.

Rick woke after a deep sleep and felt refreshed. He wanted to get back to Lisa as soon as possible and finished changing and getting ready in record time. Claudia laughed when she saw Rick on his return. His usual messy hair, was even worse than usual and his socks were mismatched. She was happy that Lisa had found someone to care for her and hoped that Lisa and Rick would have a happy ending together.

After saying goodbye to Claudia, Rick wandered a bit around the room Lisa was in, all the while talking to Lisa about the various things in the room. He wondered outloud if Lisa liked music and then said to himself that even if she did like music, he didn't know what kind. Spying a folder attached to the tank, Rick wandered over to it and removed the clipboard in the folder.

Curious, he opened the folder to find it was Lisa's patient record. He knew he shouldn't look at it but couldn't help it and started at the top and was immediately surprised to find that Lisa's real name was Elizabeth Grace Hayes. He had never known that about her and finally made the connection to Lisa's fighting skills and mystery of the simulator pilot. It made so much sense to him now but made him realize how much Lisa had been doing the last couple of months. She had been pulling double duty by handling her regular responsibilities as well as those as a test pilot. He was amazed at how well she held up and his admiration for her grew even more.

Rick also noted ruefully that Lisa's birthday had passed the month before, he felt bad that he hadn't known about it and honestly he coudn't remember if Claudia had mentioned doing something for her. Rick made a promise to himself that he would take the time to learn more about Lisa. He flipped through the file noting that the file data started after the return from the Zentraedi ship. He read the portion of the report that mentioned Lisa's reaction to the blue liquid and noted that Lisa had told Dr. Lang that it almost felt like it was calling her and that the liquid seemed to like her. They were unsure whether or not the material was sentient or not but the sense she received from the liquid was that it was created and not a naturally occuring substance in the Zentraedi world.

Putting the folder down, Rick went over the tank where Lisa lay. He watched as the blue liquid continued to flow around her body. It fascinated him and he wondered what it was doing with Lisa. He was happy to see that Lisa's physical injuries seem to be healing quickly, and in some areas there were no indication that she even suffered a burn, even though her medical chart identified the locations of all the burns and abrasions she received.

Wanting to provide some comfort to her and let her know that he was there, Rick picked up her hand and stroked the back of her hand before intwining her fingers with his. Immediately Rick felt the room swim around him and once again he found himself outside the childhood home of Lisa. It was not yet dusk and the weather felt warm. Not seeing Lisa outside the front of the house, Rick wandered inside the house. He looked in all the downstairs rooms, the main salon where the piano was, the family room, large formal dining room and also the large library that held a huge oak desk.

Calling her name and still not finding her, Rick wandered through the kitchen to find the back door open. Wondering if Lisa was in the backyard, Rick walked out and saw Lisa standing near the creek, silent, observing what he could see as two people on the opposite bank. He approached slowly, not wanting to scare Lisa and whatever memory or thought she had been shown. He stopped a few feet back and at first could not see what Lisa was seeing, but then the focus seemed to shift and it was almost as if he was two feet away from the two figures on the bank.

Rick listened as the lanky young man, with the dark brown hair, express his feelings, "I can't take all the fighting Lisa, I have to get away. Don't tell the Admiral, but my transfer to Mars Base Sara has been approved." Rick watched as the man pulled from her sitting postion a teenage Lisa Hayes to her feet and pointed to the sky.

"Do you see that planet over there, Lisa? In a few months, that is where I will be. I hate leaving you, but I just can't stay. I hope you understand. When and if this dreadful war is over, I'll return to you as soon as I can." With that, Rick watched in disgust as the man kissed Lisa softly on the lips. Rick wanted to object and push his way forward to tell off who he now knew was Lisa's former finance, but he found that he could not move.

He was forced to watch as the young Lisa, with stars in her eyes, kiss Karl ardently and then said, "Oh Karl, I'll miss you so much. I know Karl! I'll join the military too and I'll work hard to meet you there on Mars Base Sara."

Karl hugged Lisa and kissed her on the forehead, "I hope it will be soon Lisa, I will be waiting for you. Remember, I love you!" Somewhere in the distance, Karl's name was being called and Rick watched as Karl quickly gave Lisa another kiss goodbye before leaving her on the creek bank. Karl turned back to look at her and wave goodbye before fading into the mist.

Young Lisa with tears in her eyes, waved goodbye to Karl, "I love you too and I promise I'll do my best to get there as soon as I can."

Rick felt released from whatever was holding him back and found himself standing right next to Lisa, who was observing her younger self waving goodbye to Karl. He could see the tears falling from her face and wondered if all of Lisa's memories were this painful and sad.

Lisa finally coming to, noticed Rick standing next to her and with a joyful smile, she greeted him, "Rick, you're back!"

Glad to see that Lisa was happy to see him, he quickly moved to embrace her and held her for a few minutes. She returned the hug and the warmth that Rick felt when he was with her returned.

Wondering if he should ask about the scene he had seen, he was about to question Lisa about it, when she opened up on her own.

"Did you see that Rick?"

"Yes, I did, " was all he said, not wanting to say what he really wanted to say.

"I was very young and naive wasn't I?" Lisa said sadly.

Rick, quietly thinking, finally said, "No, not at all Lisa, maybe you didn't join the military because you believed in it, but you're the embodiment of what I think an officer should be. Even though you're a hard ass sometimes, it's obvious that you believe in what you do, and your committment to do your best and keep us safe is unquestionable. I admit, I was surprised to learn that you only joined to get to Mars Base to join that guy, I wouldn't have thought you that much a romantic."

Lisa blushed, "I was young and obviously very stupid. I don't regret the path that I took, but my relationship with Karl caused a lot of problems between my father and I. He was never happy with my relationship with Karl and even unhappier when Karl and I got engaged while he was still on Mars Base Sara."

At that admission, Rick couldn't hold back. A bit disgusted at Karl's lack of care for Lisa, Rick let loose a bit, "I can't believe what you saw in the guy Lisa, he left you here on Earth? How could he leave you here unprotected. I would have never left the woman I love just because I couldn't deal with the realities of life. I would have stayed with you and found a way for us to be together and deal with whatever came our way together."

Lisa was taken a back by Rick's words. They weren't much different from what her father had told her so many years ago, but Lisa still had a soft spot for Karl and tried to defend him to Rick. "He was planning to return for me Rick, if I didn't make it to Mars, Karl was going to come back. Unfortunately, he died there before he could return. It's ironic that I would survive, while he didn't after the war ended."

Rick, annoyed that Lisa would still defend Karl after what he had seen, but knew he couldn't say anymore without incurring Lisa's wrath, simply said, "he was too old for you anyway. What were you, like sixteen years old?"

Lisa snorted at Rick's double standards, "And how old are you compared to Minmei, Rick? Karl was only four years older than me."

Rick couldn't let it go and retorted back, "Well, I wasn't asking Minmei to marry me, we just hung out a couple of times, but I was never her boyfriend."

Softening his tone, as he didn't want to fight with Lisa as he didn't know how much time he would have with her this time he decided to be honest with her and said, "To tell the truth I was a bit jealous to see you two kiss like that. I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't move. "

"Ohh, Rick," Lisa sighed and placed her hand on the side of his face, while Rick, rested his forehead on hers and looked into her beautiful green eyes.

"Do you think you can learn to care about me as much as you did him?" asked Rick softly.

Lisa smiled and leaned up to plant a soft kiss on the lips, "Rick, I already do..."

Smiling back at her, Rick started to return Lisa's kiss, when he felt himself being pulled from her once again.