As to be expected, Lisa spent hours in meetings with the admirals regarding the recent events and the new mission to Tirol. Rick was in the first meeting with her but then he was casually dismissed as the admirals turned to discuss the construction of the SDF-3. He wanted to object to be able to spend the day near Lisa but decided wisely to leave. So he spent the rest of his day in the hangar with the Skull Squadron as they checked their VTs.
"Hey Rick," Max called him when they finished their test flights.
"Hey Max," Rick acknowledged.
"Would you like to come have dinner with us tonight?" he invited. "And no, Miriya isn't cooking."
Rick hesitated to answer. He wondered if Lisa was invited, too.
"We'll invite Captain Hayes, too," Max echoed his thoughts and winked. "I'm sure she'd love to come see Dana."
"Er, I'll go ask her," Rick stammered and headed off to find her.
He walked around the halls trying to find someone who might know where Lisa was when he heard her call him.
"Hey, I was just looking for you," he said.
Lisa waited for some of the admirals to pass them before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
Rick smiled and was trying to kiss her back when she leaned away.
"Can you do me a favor Rick?" she said urgently.
"Sure," he replied, clearly still upset she hadn't let him kiss her. "What can I do for you Captain?" He made sure to address her rank when a few people passed them.
"I need you to go to the lingerie store for me and pick some things for me," she whispered.
"What?" he exclaimed and almost choked. "You want me to go where?"
"You've been in one before," she teased.
"But …"
"Please Rick," she pleaded. "I'd go myself but they just keep dragging me into meeting after meeting. And I don't think I'd like to wear these again." She kissed him on the cheek again after whispering something.
"Captain Hayes, they're waiting for you in room 10," an aide announced behind Rick.
"I'll be right there," Lisa acknowledge and walked around Rick to start heading to the room. She turned around and gave him a pleading look before disappearing behind the opened door.
Rick stood there dumbfounded. He didn't know what to do and this time he had no one to help him.

Rick stood over the tables filled with all kinds of lingerie but didn't know how he was going to go through with it. He wondered if he just picked one stack up or it was more complicated than that.
"Can I help you sir?" the saleslady inquired.
"Uhm," he stammered. "I'm trying to buy some things for my girlfriend." He handed her a piece of paper with what Lisa had whispered to him.
"Oh this won't be hard. I can help you with it. What colors would she like?"
"Colors?" Rick asked.
"Yes, they come in all sorts of colors like black, red, white, beige …"
"I guess one of each," he said, trying to be helpful.
"If you get a dozen, it'll be cheaper," the lady offered as she picked up one from each pile.
Rick nodded his agreement. He followed the saleslady and ended up with two bags in his hands. He wandered around the mall and picked up some things for himself. He stopped at the sports shop and looked at the matching jogging suits. He decided it would be fun to get them for him and Lisa. By the end of the day, he was carrying triple the number of bags he had after the lingerie shop.

Rick entered the elevator with all the bags he had bought from the stores and was trying to get them organized that he didn't notice Miriya step in with him. He was surprised when he saw her operate the elevator for him.
"A few essentials," he managed to say as Miriya looked him over.
"That is nice of you to do," Miriya responded frankly.
Rick was slightly confused by her reply.
"Did Max invite you to dinner?" Miriya inquired.
"Yes, yes he did," he confirmed.
"I haven't seen Captain Hayes all day, would you invite her?"
"Of course."
The elevator doors slid open and the two stepped out. They were greeted by Max who was carrying Dana in his arms. Miriya took the happy child from him and the couple walked back to their room hand in hand. Rick watched them for a moment before heading for his room.
"You were right Max," Miriya declared. "He is buying her things that you buy for me. He must be in love with her."
Rick overheard her and felt his face turning red. He quickly opened the door and went in.

Rick paced the room as he waited for Lisa to return from headquarters. He couldn't believe that they would keep her this late as he looked at the clock on the night table.
"How hard can it be for them to figure out that we need to find Tirol and try to broker peace?" he wondered. He wished that he could help Lisa convince them.
A knock on the door interrupted Rick's reverie. He walked over to open the door.
"Commander, your uniforms, sir," the lieutenant said and handed him a few garment bags.
"What about Captain Hayes' uniforms?" Rick asked opening them. He found the tell-tale signs of a skirt and thanked the lieutenant for bringing them up. He was getting the uniforms out of the garment bags when Lisa walked in.
"Hi," she greeted him in her best cheerily tired voice.
"You're back," he replied and went to kiss her. This time he wasn't going to be denied the pleasure. He lifted his head only after she was swooning against him. He steadied her with an embrace.
"Whoa, are you getting back at me for this afternoon?"
"So you admit you were avoiding my kiss," he said triumphantly.
"Rick, there were people around," she defended her action. "I don't want them to start gossiping about us."
"It's not a gossip," he argued. "Besides, I'm not afraid to let the world know about us."
"Is that our uniforms?" she said, changing the subject. She quickly got them neatly hung in the closet.
"By the way, the Sterlings invited us to dinner," he said as he sat down on the edge of the bed and watched her back side.
"Yeah, I saw them coming up," she explained. "They told me that they already invited you. Let me go freshen up a bit."
Rick lay back on the bed while he waited for her.
"By the way, did you get me some undergarments?"
"Yeah," he rose up slightly and motioned to the bags at the head of the bed.
Lisa quickly rummaged through the bags while Rick sat up next to them.
"Rick, I don't wear black," she said incredulously as she fished out one black slip.
"I didn't know what color you wanted so I got one of each," he said resignedly. He was disappointed that he didn't know more about her likes and dislikes.
Lisa pursed her lips and thought how cute he looked that very moment. She leaned over and kissed his forehead.
"Any other color I should avoid?" he asked, taking the opportunity to get to know her more intimately. He nuzzled her neck to make her understand. She came into his arms willingly.
"What's in that bag?" she asked, trying to distract him.
"Oh, I got us matching jogging suits," he declared proudly and showing her the contents.
Lisa tried very hard not to burst into laughter but her attempt to suppress it made it worse.
"What's so funny?"
"You are," she said in between giggles. "Rick, when I'm out of uniform, I'd like to avoid matching clothing." She tried to explain to ease his mind.
"Ok, I'll try to remember that."

Dinner at the Sterlings was quite enjoyable. Rick and Lisa were less concerned with expressing their growing feelings in front of them. While Max and Miriya cleared the table, he and Lisa went to play with Dana who was overjoyed by the attention.
"Rick, can you get me a glass of water?" Lisa requested while keeping Dana preoccupied.
Rick enjoyed seeing Lisa with Dana. He was sure she'd make a great mother. He was surprised that he thought of that as he headed for the kitchenette. He froze in his tracks when he overheard Miriya and Max discussing him and Lisa.
"Will they be getting married soon?" Miriya asked.
"I don't know," Max answered in a lowered voice. "They'll get married when they're ready."
"I'm quite amazed that she waited for him that long," she said, following Max's lead in lowering her voice.
"Rick just needed time to see that she's everything that he ever needed."
"Why didn't she just tell him?"
"It's not that easy for them to admit their feelings."
"Rick," Miriya said when she noticed him.
"I came for some water," Rick said, pretending not to have heard anything.

Rick and Lisa decided to take a walk outside after leaving the Sterlings. The lieutenant was acting as doorman and greeted them cheerily as they stepped out into the streets.
"Why so quiet?" Lisa asked. She had noticed that he had been so since he handed her a glass of water. He had quietly smiled and just sat next to her as Dana played with them.
"I want to make up for lost time," he finally said.
"What are you talking about?" she asked in confusion. "What lost time?"
"I love you Lisa," he confessed. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to grow old with you. I want …." He didn't get to finish his rant as Lisa silenced him with a kiss.
After what seemed an eternity, they parted enough for Lisa to look into his eyes. He knew that everything else could be messed up around them but all was right between them.
"I …" he began to say. "Was he proposing?" He wondered quietly. He knew it was what he wanted but he wasn't prepared.
"Let's take it slow," she said easing his mind. "I'm still getting used to being with you."
"Alright," he agreed. If she had waited for him to realize what she meant to him, he was willing to wait for her to get used to their deeper connection. And he was relieved because he had no ring to offer her that very minute. But he was certain that he decided he should start looking for one.
"Look," she pointed up to the sky as the fireworks display started.
"I guess it's a new year," he said and kissed her once more. It was a somber New Year celebration as everyone tried to move on with their lives.
"I miss them," she finally said as they quietly watched the sky being lit by the fireworks. She missed Gloval, Claudia and the Trio the most. Tears were streaming down her cheeks of their own accord.
Rick knew what she meant. He felt the same way she did. He knew that Gloval had been a paternal figure for both of them. Claudia had been Lisa's best friend and by association his, too. He also thought fondly of the Trio who always seemed to take Lisa's side but definitely had reason to considering what a dolt he had been especially regarding her in the past. He was very grateful they all saved Lisa that fateful day.
"We've been asked to give the eulogy during the memorial," Lisa began to say.
"It's the least we can do," Rick agreed. "I'll never forget them." He hugged Lisa tighter and knew as long as he lived, he wouldn't.