Coffee turned to dinner turned to a movie on the couch of Lucy's room.
Jeff couldn't tell you what he drank or what he ate. Not even what movie they watched. All he could remember was that they talked. And talked and talked and talked.
He woke up on her couch to the unmistakeable smell of bacon, pancakes and coffee.
And cramp.
Oh god, sleeping on a couch at his height was a really bad idea! He stretched before standing up and stretching again. Yeah. Definitely needed to remember not to sleep on the couch again…Jeff blushed at the thought of even getting another chance to sleep on Lucille Evans' couch.
The woman in question appeared before him. There was a smudge of flour on her nose and flour in her hair and her eyes lit up when she saw he was awake.
'You're up!'
'Yeah. I'm sorry, I hadn't planned on staying the night like this.'
Lucy laughed. It was a rich, warm sound and Jeff found himself grinning at her.
'I hadn't really planned more than coffee either.'
She tapped her chin, and it was all Jeff could do not to laugh as flakes of flour shook free. She pointed through a door.
'Bathroom is that way. Breakfast will be in ten minutes. Don't be late.'
'Yes Ma'am.'
Thanking the USAF that had taught him to complete full ablutions – including a shower – in under five minutes, and by the time the breakfast was ready he'd laid the table ready for the feast Lucy had prepared. It beat the burnt toast and sludge coffee he was capable of making.
They were both unsure, but as they ate and drank they began to relax and began chatting again. Talking to Lucy was like talking to an old friend. They shared a love of engineering and she was the first woman he'd ever found to actually understand his geek-talk. Hell, she more than understood – she got him in a way that even the other engineers at NASA didn't seem to.
That morning they went to work together. They met up for lunch where Jeff introduced Lucy to his best friend Lee Taylor who had grunted a greeting and then, as their chatter about a hypothetical faster-than-light engine, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped. By the end of lunch Lee was almost as smitten as Jeff was.
The next few weeks went in a whirl of mission prep as NASA got ready to send Jeff and Lee to Mars. NASA had seen how well Lucy had worked with the two astronauts and had moved her to the team. Jeff and Lucy spent every second they could together.
The night before Jeff went into quarantine for the mission he took Lucy out of town to Galveston Island State Park. He brought with him a packed picnic basket and a pair of glasses.
Jeff spread the blanket on the grass and they settled down and watched the stars for a while, chatting about the upcoming mission and the various engineering challenges the mission had…*gifted* them. They ate a light meal and Jeff opened a small bottle of champagne – enough for two glasses – and Lucy shifted into a more comfortable position.
They were already sitting on the ground so Jeff only had to swivel onto a knee and look up to see Lucy, her head framed by the stars he was itching to explore. He had a whole speech prepared but as he looked into those green, green eyes only five words came to mind.
'Lucille Charlotte Evans. Marry me.'
'Yes.'
The next morning she drove them to the centre where Jeff was due to go into quarantine and then left for home again.
She picked up the special communicator and pressed the button.
'It is done. I'm in.'