Note: I saw a clip of the wedding of Rick and Lisa (I think from Sentinel) on YouTube and decided to work it into this story (towards the end of this chapter). Again, whatever was in the clip isn't mine … those not, are. ;-)

"Rick!" Max yelled from the other side of the hangar.
"What are you doing here?" Rick asked with a confused look. "Shouldn't you be at the REF base?"
"I flew Cindy in," he explained. "I see you've been very busy." He opened the newspaper to front page to show Rick the same news that Lisa had just read.
"Lisa," Rick said under his breath and started running towards the offices to find her. He worried that she should face Admiral Reinhart alone when they had planned to inform him at dinner that night. He knew she could be in trouble for this and wanted to be by her side.
"Admiral Hunter," Cindy called out to him when he entered the building. "Over here."
"Where is she?" he asked, seeing that Cindy was equally worried as he was.
"She's inside," she replied, indicating the closed door that had remained closed since Admiral Reinhart arrived. "Admiral Reinhart is in there with her."
Rick took a deep breath and was about to open the door when it opened by itself. He came face to face with Admiral Reinhart who looked very stern at that moment.
"Admiral Reinhart," Rick managed to address the officer before him with an awkward salute.
"See me in my office when you're done here," Admiral Reinhart said gruffly and walked away.
Rick had no time to dwell on it because all he wanted to do was to see if Lisa was alright. He walked in and gently closed the door behind him. He watched Lisa's form looking out the window. He quickly approached her before calling her name. He saw her straighten up and wipe her face.
"Rick," she said in a shaky voice. She swallowed hard to keep from crying any further.
"Lisa," he repeated and wiped away the last tear drop from her cheek. "Whatever it is, I'll take the blame and punishment for it." His heart was hurting to see her this way. He wanted to make it all go away.
"What are you talking about?"
"Admiral Reinhart, he's giving you a hard time isn't he?"
"No," she assured him. "It's not like that."
"Then what," he inquired, wanting to know the cause of her tears.
"We have his dispensation," she informed him. "He apparently knew about us long before this."
"He did?" Rick was surprised especially since there were very few occasions that they met with Admiral Reinhart and it had been too formal to pick up on his growing feelings for Lisa.
"Admiral Gloval told him about us," she explained. "I guess he had to mention it when he was trying to recommend us for the Tirol mission."
Rick thought back to his last conversation with Gloval. He now understood that Gloval was gauging his commitment to both Lisa and the mission. He must have passed for the mission but failed on Lisa.
"I think Admiral Reinhart also had an ulterior motive when he asked Gloval about me," she continued.
"What kind of motive?" he asked, sensing some jealousy rise within him.
"His family, like mine, has a long military history," she began. "So he was probably thinking that I'd make a good match."
"For him?" he asked, unable to suppress his shock and anger.
"No, not him. His son."
"He was trying to play matchmaker?" Rick tried to remember what Commander Reinhart looked like. He was trying to gauge if he was worthy of Lisa at all. He decided he may be a good pilot but out of her league.
"My dad was trying to do the same thing when I returned," she tried to justify Admiral Reinhart's action. "They both know how difficult the military life is and only one in the service would understand." She knew her father would have been happy with anyone she chose but would have preferred to continue the family tradition and how else than with someone already in the service.
"Would you have agreed to the match?" he asked. He felt he knew the answer but needed to hear it from her.
"No, I wouldn't have agreed to it. I wouldn't unless I was in love." She saw relief wash over Rick and realized she had confirmed his thoughts. "But given that I'd probably only meet people in the military, I'll have to fall in love someone in the service." She couldn't help but tease him.
"Then I'm glad I signed up," he said. He leaned in to kiss Lisa on her forehead and then hugged her tight.
"I miss my dad; I miss Admiral Gloval, Claudia, the Trio," she said softly. She felt tears starting to form in her eyes again.
"I miss them, too," he said. "But we have each other now." He knew it wasn't easy for her to have lost so many loved ones. He was handling it better but knew he was just as affected.
"I guess that's why Admiral Reinhart gave us his blessings," she whispered. "He said we're just what the REF needs right now. He said it would inspire recruits that there is love in war." She tried to cheer up.
"He's still playing matchmaker I see," he teased. "Well, as long as he knows that you're not available." He straightened up and released Lisa.
"Where are you going?" she asked, noticing that he was walking away from her.
"I better go see what the old man wants to talk with me about," he informed her casually.
"Don't blow it Rick," she warned in a teasing tone. "He's on our side."
"Is that an order?" he asked and saluted before closing the door.

"Minmei, are you ready?" Janice asked her singing partner from outside her dressing room door. "We're on in five minutes."
"I'll be right there," Minmei replied. She wiped away tears as she looked at the front page of the newspaper. She didn't even know why she thought it wouldn't last.
"What's the matter?" Janice asked. She looked for a reason why Minmei would be sad.
"Nothing, I'm just overwhelmed by the reception of our fans," she lied. "Give me a few minutes ok."
"Alright." Janice took one backward look before heading to backstage.
"I wonder who proposed," Minmei thought to herself. She remembered when she asked Rick to marry her. She had expected him to accept eagerly but instead he looked like he had been punched in the face.
She looked at the picture once again and a solitary tear was soaked up by the paper.
"They look so happy together," she observed. She knew that she realized too late what Rick meant to her and let too much time go by that he learned to love Lisa. She took one more look at her reflection on the mirror and got ready for her concert.

"How many do we have so far?" Lisa asked Rick. She hadn't realized there were so many officers to invite to the wedding.
"Let's just elope," Rick suggested. He, too, was getting overwhelmed by the number of invitees.
"Remember, you're the one who agreed to this," she reminded him. "You got us into this mess."
"I just wanted to get married. Besides, you told me not to contradict Admiral Reinhart."
"I told you not to blow it, I didn't tell you to agree to his terms," she reminded him. She was surprised when he told her that Reinhart had offered to pay for their wedding. But along came the condition that all the officers would be invited and that it be a publicized event.
"What was I supposed to say? He said you were like a daughter to him and he wanted to pay for the wedding."
"You should have told him that you wanted a private ceremony," she said, throwing the list of guests on her coffee table. Ever since they returned to base, it was chaotic trying to plan for both her wedding and the arrival of the SDF-3.
"Maybe we can ask for help?" He sat next to her on her couch.
"I'm not going to ask Cindy for help on this, she's already swamped with the regular duties especially now that the SDF-3 is finished."
"How about hiring a wedding planner?" he suggested, giving her a gentle back massage.
"I guess we should," she agreed reluctantly.
"Yeah, we wouldn't want you to end up a mess from all this stress," he pointed out. "You should be a radiant bride." He started rubbing her neck with the tip of his nose. He inhaled and filled his lungs with her scent.
"Maybe you're right, maybe we should just elope," she said, surprising herself. She sat back and rested her head against his shoulder.
"I was just kidding about that," he said, chuckling at her reversal regarding eloping. "You deserve a real wedding. Besides, I don't want the MPs running after us."
"That will be a good headline," she teased, laughing at the image of MPs arresting them before they could elope. "Do you think anyone would officiate our wedding in the brig?"
"I don't think anyone would, if Admiral Reinhart has anything to say about it," he laughed with her and knew that would never happen. He was going to make sure it was done right because she deserved nothing less.
"I've asked Miriya to be my maid of honor," she informed him when they stopped laughing.
"Funny, I just asked Max to be my best man."

"Rick, can you take a look at this?" Lisa requested when she entered his office. She didn't notice that Vince was there.
"Admiral Hayes," Vince greeted her.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized.
"It's alright," he assured her. "Admiral Hunter and I were done. And I'm sure you both have a lot to discuss." He gave her a knowing smile before heading out of the office.
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Rick asked, smiling contentedly and rising to meet her.
"I didn't mean to interrupt," she apologized again. "Louie wasn't outside so I assumed that you were free."
"I'm free now," he said, steering her towards the edge of his desk which proudly displayed the picture frame she had finally given him. "What is it you want me to look at?" He preferred looking at her than their picture any time.
"It's a list of new recruits," she said and handed him the list. "Do you think you can handle the additional personnel?" She was surprised at the response to the ad campaign but wasn't complaining. They needed all the help they can get.
"And here I was thinking that you've missed me," he teased, quickly scanning the roster. "I think we can manage."
"Who said I didn't," she teased back and ran her fingers down the side of his face. She enjoyed seeing his reaction to a simple gesture. She didn't evade him when he leaned in to kiss her.
Rick would have wanted to prolong the kiss but she moved away from him.
"Don't forget we have to meet with the wedding planner tonight," she said as she headed out the door.

Abby, the wedding planner, was surprisingly as efficient as Cindy. But it wasn't a surprise since they were related. Lisa had tried to explain to Cindy why she wasn't asked to help organize the wedding. That was when Cindy recommended her cousin Abby. It gave Cindy an indirect link to the wedding plans.
"When do you have to go to Monument City?" Rick asked Lisa from the dining table.
"This weekend," Lisa replied without turning from the stove.
"Why can't I come?"
"Because you're not supposed to see the wedding dress until the wedding," she replied, walking over to kiss his forehead and pick up the pecans he had chopped for her.
"I can do something else while you're picking one out," he suggested. "There are a lot of things on that list Abby gave you."
Lisa turned around and considered his offer.
"I want to be part of the wedding plans," he insisted, standing up to approach her.
"Alright, but you'll stay well away from the bridal shop where Jean, Miriya and I will be in," she ordered.
"Aye aye, Admiral Hayes." He gave a quick salute before gathering her into his arms.

"Commander Sterling, you have the base," Lisa announced as a formality of transferring responsibility. She watched as Vince, Jean, Miriya and Abby boarded the plane that was taking them to Monument City.
"I won't let you down Admiral Hayes," Max replied. Since he was the next ranking officer left behind, he was put in charge while they were away.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't," Rick added.
Cindy who was standing next to Max couldn't stifle the laughter that bubbled up.
"Wouldn't think of it, Admiral Hunter," Max assured him.
Once on board the plane, Lisa took out the list that she had been working on with Abby.
"What is that?" Rick took a quick look of her itinerary. He was amazed to see how organized it was down to the cake tasting.
"We have to maximize our weekend," Lisa explained. "And if I slip on one schedule, I need plan B."
Rick rolled his eyes and wondered if she had allotted any time for them to be alone.
Miriya who sat across from them watched with amusement at how they behaved. She remembered how it was easier for her because Max took care of everything.
"You're not being helpful Rick," Lisa complained. "I asked you to narrow down the selection so we can tell the caterer what to serve."
"But they all look so yummy," he made an excuse. "Besides, you wanted to have chicken, beef, fish and vegetarian dishes."
Miriya watched as they argued over the menu and hoped that this wasn't the thing that broke the camel's back. She couldn't remember the exact phrase but wondered how a sturdy camel's back could be easily broken. When she felt she had enough of the Hayes-Hunter melodrama, she stood up to go talk with the Grants.

Lisa pored over bridal gown magazines and tried a few on but hadn't found the one she wanted for her wedding. She heard Jean and Miriya tease her about being picky and wanting to impress Rick. She knew that she could've worn any rag and he would still be impressed but she definitely wanted to find something that would make his jaw drop.
"Admiral Hayes, that is all I have in my collection," the bridal couturier was starting to sound exasperated. "Is there something specific that you are looking for?"
"She wants it to be an original," Jean answered for her. "It has to be something that would take everyone's breath away especially Admiral Hunter."
"Something that you haven't done before," Miriya noted, trying to be helpful.
"Well, there is something that I have been working on," the couturier suggested. "What about this?" He brought back a wedding gown that had a plunging back and exquisite design. It included a long lace veil that made all the women gasp.
"Try it on," Jean said excitedly.
"And hurry up," Miriya added. She wasn't really impatient but knew that they were already running behind schedule.
Lisa tried on the gown and was amazed at how beautiful it was on her. She somehow knew this was the one.
"Are you going to let us see?" Jean insisted from outside the fitting room.
"That is beautiful," Miriya noted when Lisa emerged from the dressing room.
The couturier was speechless all of a sudden. He kicked himself for not suggesting it to begin with.
"Lisa!" a woman's voice called her.
"Minmei!" she exclaimed when she saw who it was. "What are you doing here?"
"I saw on the papers that you were getting married," Minmei explained. "And when I heard that you were here, I thought I'd come see you. Congratulations."
"Thanks," she said gratefully. "It is so nice to see you again."
"I've been busy with concerts," Minmei continued. "But I hope you'll invite me to your wedding."
"Of course you are," Lisa assured her. "We haven't sent out the invitations yet because we haven't really decided on the final date yet. You're definitely on top of the guest list."
Jean and Miriya quietly watched Lisa and Minmei exchange pleasantries. Miriya in particular wondered why Lisa would want Minmei, her rival for Rick's love, to be at the wedding.
"Uhm, I have to go," Minmei said finally. "You wouldn't mind if I sang at your wedding would you?"
"I would love it," Lisa said pleasantly. She watched as Minmei turned and left the store. She knew that Minmei was still playing her blinders game but understood how difficult it must be for her.
"Admiral Hayes, why would you let her come to your wedding?" Miriya asked when they were alone. She was curious why her superior officer was so generous.
"Miriya, you can just call me Lisa when I'm out of uniform," Lisa reminded her. "And Minmei is a friend of Rick's so in turn she is mine. I think Rick and I have a solid relationship that I don't have to worry about anything."
Miriya saw in Lisa her confidence and grace which made her realize why she was a leader worth following.