fanfic_name = The Mistletoe

chapter = 2

author = Dwparsnip

dedicate = Everyone who takes the time to read it.

Rating = AP15

Type = Romance

fanfic = You all thought this story was finished didn’t you! So did I to tell you the truth. But I was asked about something I put in the story about Lisa not knowing how Rick found out about her Christmas Eve in the bar as shown in “Season’s Greetings.” Well, I decided to tackle that issue while taking a short break from “The Sit. Room Incident”, and here it is. Oh…I used ‘The Setup’ as the bar’s name…if memory serves it comes from McKinney, though I don’t use his version of those events.

This chapter starts on Christmas morning, a few days after the events in what is now chapter one.

Hope you like.

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Rick woke up on Christmas morning and thanked his maker that he was waking up next to the beautiful woman sleeping beside him.



He rolled over carefully to look at Lisa as she slept so peacefully and he couldn’t help but smile at the sight. He glanced past her bare shoulder to the clock on her nightstand. They should have been up and getting ready by now, but he had neither the will to move away from the woman he loved so dearly nor the heart to wake her from such a peaceful slumber.



Lisa had been working so hard that she deserved every minute of rest and relaxation that he could give to her…though he really didn’t feel like that during the night. After they came home from Vince and Jean’s they decided to exchange gifts. They would be going to Max and Miriya’s for the traditional turkey dinner later in today.



Lisa gave Rick a vintage leather pilot hat, much like World War II pilots would have worn, complete with goggles and white scarf. He had wanted one for as long as she had known him, though she could never find one. Earlier in the year she visited an old family friend and he happened to have exactly what she was looking for. He gave it to her without asking for anything in return, and when she offered to pay for it he scoffed at her saying it belonged to someone who would appreciate it. Rick loved it.



Rick got for Lisa a set of emerald earrings, along with a gold necklace that held a small emerald pendant. It wasn’t just any emerald color though. This shade of emerald was the absolute perfect match for Lisa’s eyes. He had searched jewelry stores across the North American continent for the perfect color. Wherever he flew on tag along missions with the Skull, or wherever he had meetings he would find the time to look in the local jewelry stores. If he couldn’t find the time he made the time…being an Admiral had its advantages after all. He finally found the set in a forgotten shop in old Montreal, just in time for Christmas. Lisa loved them.



After they gave each other their gifts, they cuddled together in their living room and watched the snow fall gently to the ground, wishing their lives could be as peaceful as the snowfall was.



It didn’t take long for their bodies and souls to want more than to cuddle, and they willingly obliged. They went to bed early, yet they stayed up for most of the night. It was magical, as one would expect something as special as love to be on what was supposed to be a magical night. They had exhausted each other completely and had fallen asleep in a loving embrace.



He smiled again and carefully rolled over and got out of bed. He looked down to her and was relieved to find that she was still sleeping soundly. He took his clothes into the bathroom to get dressed and then went into the kitchen to get the little sparkplug that was coffee going. When it was ready a short time later, he poured up two mugs and placed them on the table.



‘I really should go in and wake her’, he thought grudgingly. He took a step towards their bedroom and stopped when the door opened from the inside.



“Good morning, beautiful”, he said as Lisa walked towards him, her white terry cloth robe closed tightly around her waist and her pink bunny slippers flopping as she walked.



She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she walked to him, and when she reached him he put his arms around her and whispered, “Merry Christmas, baby.”



She hugged him back. “Merry Christmas, Rick.” She leaned back and then up to kiss him. When they broke the kiss a moment later she asked, “How long have you been up?”



Rick kissed her forehead and answered. “Long enough to get the coffee ready. You looked so peaceful that I didn’t want to wake you.”



“We’re going to have to talk about this”, she said as she cuddled her head against his shoulder. Before he could ask what she meant by that she continued. “Every time we do what we did last night, you get up before me. There must be something that I’m not doing right if you always have enough energy to wake up and get out of bed before I do.”



Rick was only slightly surprised her statement. When they first got together, she would have had to pick him up off the floor if she said something like that. But after getting to know her, really know her, he had gotten used to the fact that not only did she have a terrific sense of humor, she could ride roughshod over him in a battle of sexual innuendo every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Then again, she steadfastly maintained that that part of her attitude was a direct result of his negative influence. He wasn’t so sure about that. In fact he believed it might have been the other way around.



He cleared his throat and finally responded. “You do an exemplary job at…that…my love. I just love you so much that I have to wake up to watch you sleep, and then I feel obligated to fix you breakfast because you do such a great job at…that.”



She looked up at him, her emerald eyes ablaze with love, and smiled a breath-taking smile. “That”, she said before giving him a quick kiss, “was the best answer you could have come up with.”



She began to move away from him, but he held onto her hand and pulled her back into his arms. “It’s the truth, Lisa.” He leaned down and kissed her. He was just about to deepen the kiss when a rather loud rumble interrupted them. He looked at Lisa. She looked back at him. After a second of hesitation both of them laughed.



After a minute of laughter, Rick took Lisa’s hand and led her to her chair. She sat down and Rick said playfully, “I better get us something to eat before that rumble in your tummy turns into a eight point five in the Richter scale.”



He laughed again as her cheeks became the color of a red rose, and as he turned to head into the kitchen all he heard from her was, “You rat!”

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Rick stood in the bedroom doorway and watched as Lisa looked herself over in the full-length mirror on the bedroom wall. She seemed to be fussing with her dress. It was a little black sleeveless cocktail number that hugged her incredibly fit and curvaceous body, coming down to just above her knees. Her smooth and slender legs were perfect, as was the rest of her for that matter. The dress did a big time number on his self-control…not that he had a lot when it came to Lisa anyway.



She smoothed the dress down over her body for the third time since he had started watching her and he couldn’t help but smile. Lisa was nothing if not a perfectionist when it came to her appearance, especially when she was wearing something that she didn’t normally wear, like a sexy cocktail dress.



He still didn’t know why she was wearing a dress like that for going to Max and Miriya’s place. Sure they had agreed to dress up…he himself was wearing a light blue shirt with navy tie and blue blazer, but that dress was…well it was driving him crazy! He had asked her about it, but all she would say was that they had gone shopping together and picked out their dresses at the same time. They of course being Lisa, Miriya and Jean.



It was going to an interesting evening.



For the fourth time she smoothed the dress down over herself and Rick felt forced to take some sort of action to alleviate her baseless nitpicking. He walked up behind her and gently slipped his arms around her waist, settling his chin on her left shoulder as he did so. She only jumped slightly at his unannounced presence and when she found his eyes looking at her in the mirror she simply smiled radiantly at him. He was right on with the pendant and earrings- they were an absolute perfect match to her brilliant eyes.



“I didn’t mean to startle you.” He kissed her neck, once again grateful that she had her hair up for the evening. She responded to his kiss by tensing her body just enough to tempt him to go farther, but he knew that they were probably already going to be late if they didn’t get going. Reluctantly, he settled his chin back onto her shoulder and found her eyes in the mirror.



“You look absolutely stunning.” She cuddled into him and placed her arms on top of his, caressing his hands with her own. “I mean it Lisa. You are breathtakingly beautiful.”



Lisa smiled a shy smile and said, “You look pretty good yourself, you handsome devil.”



“Handsome devil”, he repeated with a laugh. “That’s me alright.” He tightened his embrace around her waist and inwardly sighed, wondering if there was any possible way they could get out of going anywhere tonight except to the bed a couple of feet to their right.



“We really should get going”, said Lisa, nearly sighing as she spoke and obviously reading his mind.



Rick just caught himself from emitting a very deep and pitiful moan. They were going to their best friend’s house for dinner, as they had for the last few years on Christmas Day. Both Rick and Lisa felt themselves to be extremely blessed to have friends like the Sterlings and the Grants, and spending this special day with someone as close to them as they were was something for be savored, not maligned in any way. After all, not everyone these days had family to share the holidays with, or even close friends for that matter.



Rick placed one more kiss on the side of Lisa’s neck and released her from his embrace. She immediately turned around to face him, and when she did she reached over and kissed him with a force that nearly took his breath away. For minutes, he lost track of everything but the feel of her lips and her body pressed against his, they kissed with a passion that would have embarrassed most people.



Rick was just about to say the hell with it all and really get serious when Lisa broke the kiss and stepped away from him. For a moment he just stood there, and when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror he nearly fell down with laughter. He probably would have but he was too wound up to move. In the mirror was his comical looking reflection, with it’s arms held out as they were when he was holding her, and his lips still moving as though he were still kissing her.



She ignored the spectacle and walked past him towards the bedroom door. “That was just a little incentive to make sure you do your best to get us home as early as possible tonight.”



He still couldn’t move to verify it, but he knew she was smiling. She laughed naughtily  and walked away from the door and he finally found it within himself to move. He lowered his arms and looked at himself in the mirror. “My negative influence my ass”, he announced to his reflection, and though it was impossible he was sure it nodded in agreement with his sentiment.

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When they arrived at the Sterling residence they found everyone else already there. Max and Vince were in the living room nursing a couple of drinks, apparently talking about everything they could except work. Max was wearing a stained apron over his shirt and tie that had written on it in big, bold, black letters: “Greatest Cook in the Universe.” It was the way it usually went. Max was helping Miriya cook, and when company arrived he would abandon ship and let the ladies have all the fun. It wasn’t a sexist thing he always said. Miriya wanted to cook and she wanted them to help, or more to the point she wanted someone other than him to help. Rick never could figure it out.



Lisa joined the ladies in the kitchen and Rick joined the men. As he sat down he asked, “Where are the kiddies?”



On cue came a crash from Dana’s bedroom, followed immediately by the simultaneous cries of Dana and Bowie saying they were okay. All of the adults shared a laugh, and the idea of checking to see what had crashed left everyone’s mind.



Rick joined Max and Vince’s discussion about everything except work. They were just lamenting the loss of the traditional holiday sport season when a sudden burst of laughter was heard from the kitchen. All three men stopped and looked at the kitchen door, then to each other. Neither of them dared to ask them what it was all about, and going near the door was out of the question.



They shrugged it off and continued their conversation until Jean appeared in the kitchen doorway to proclaim that dinner was nearly ready and that the gentlemen should prepare to seat the children at the table at the smaller table next to Max’s chair.



Max and Vince went to get the two hyperactive youngsters as Rick pulled out their chairs for them. The place settings were already on the table, so Rick edged closer to the door to the kitchen and covertly pushed it open just enough to hear a snippet of the ladies’ conversation.



“You look gorgeous, Lisa”, said Jean, her voice filled with envy and awe.



“Thanks Jean…you’re looking pretty good yourself.” He wasn’t sure if anyone else could hear it, but he was sure he heard relief in her voice.



“Indeed, Lisa”, came Miriya’s addition to the conversation. “I would wager that Rick went insane at the sight of you in that dress.”



There was a smatter of laughter, followed by Lisa’s voice saying, “All I will say, Miriya, is that the dress brought about the desired affect in Rick.”



Rick narrowed his eyes in annoyance, though it faded instantly. He smiled as he let the door close silently.



“What did you hear, Rick?”, whispered Max as he placed Dana gently in one of the two miniature chairs.



“Nothing I’d care to repeat, Max”, said Rick with a wry grin, which turned into a full-fledged smile as Max laughed.



The door to the kitchen opened and the three beautiful and elegantly dressed women brought out the food. Rick stood looking at the sight, his jaw slack in amazement. It was the first he saw of Miriya and Jean, and to his surprise, though he shouldn’t have been, they both looked stunning. They were wearing similar dresses to Lisa’s…that is revealing and sexy. It was nice to see that he was not the only one trying to face down the beast of feminine flirting.



“Food looks great, eh Boss?”, asked Max with a knowing smile and a not so subtle hint of humor in his voice. Vince’s baritone laugh followed and then Rick had no choice but to join in.



When the food was all brought out there was hardly any room left on the table. The center of the display was a large golden brown turkey with all the traditional trimmings. ‘It’s a by the book Christmas dinner’, thought Rick as Max picked up his carving knife.



Max all but dove at the bird with a look as close to maniacal as Rick had ever seen on the blue-haired flying Ace, and with his goal firmly set it took Max no time to have the turkey carved to his specifications. When he finished he looked to Miriya who bobbed her head in a rather emphatic approval.



Max sat down and the feast began in earnest, with the conversation hovering between the topics of friends and work, though the talk of work items was light. The last thing any of them wanted to do was to get bogged down in shoptalk during the dinner…or even afterwards for that matter. A little over an hour later the men had the plates and dishes cleared away, and they all sat around the table with steaming cups of tea or coffee in front of them. They were complaining about how much they had eaten and speculating on what Dr. Lang was doing over Christmas when a rather loud and enthusiastic declaration interrupted.



“This is the best Christmas ever!”, shouted Dana at the top of her young lungs. Bowie quickly seconded the sentiment and the adults could do nothing except shake their heads in wonder and have a laugh at the sheer joy of the children.



Bowie and Dana began to whisper, and after a moment Bowie looked to Vince. “Dad, may Dana and I be excused?”



Vince looked to Max and Miriya, who both nodded. Vince held up a warning right index finger. “Yes, but don’t you two do anything like…just be good okay. It’s Christmas.”



The two children sauntered off with mumbled assurances that they’d behave and the adult table fell silent. After several moments, a soft voice was heard.



“I believe that the children are right”, said Miriya in a subdued voice. She looked up and turned to look at each of them. “Sharing this day with so many who are so close to us makes it very special to me.” She nodded as though reaffirming something to herself. “Yes”, she said more forcefully, “the children are right. This is the best Christmas ever.”



There were nods and murmurs of agreement from all quarters. Max reached over to kiss Miriya on her cheek; Vince reached next to him and held Jean’s petit hand; and Rick slid his chair closer to Lisa so that he could put his arm around her. There was silence around the table once again as everyone got caught up in the warmth of the moment.



Rick tightened his embrace around Lisa’s shoulder. They had shared some wonderful yuletide seasons together, but Miriya was right on…this was the best. He didn’t know why. ‘Maybe’, he thought, ‘just maybe it’s the way it’s supposed to be…it just keeps getting better. I hope so.’



Lisa reached up to hold his hand when Vince said, “God knows there have been some terrible holidays for us.”



Rick felt Lisa tense up under his arm and her hand tightened around his. Rick wasn’t sure what the problem was, but seeing the concerned look on Max’s face assured Rick that he wasn’t imagining Lisa’s distress.



“That’s for sure”, added Jean, unaware of the situation unfolding directly across from her. “It took time for Christmas to become remotely close to what it was before the war.”

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Max saw Lisa when she nearly jumped into Rick’s arms at Vince’s comment about bad holidays. More than that he saw the confusion and worry in Rick’s eyes when she clung to him. It wasn’t like Lisa to act that way around her friends. Sure she had loosened up and had even become a master at subtle flirting, which incidentally Rick enjoyed immensely, but she still tried to keep any negative feelings well hidden when they tried to surface.



After Jean spoke Max noticed Rick lean down and whisper something into Lisa’s hair. She inclined her head slightly and said something to Rick. When she finished she lowered her head onto his shoulder again and Rick took on the air of someone who wanted the Earth to open him up and swallow him whole.



It was then that Rick looked to Max and mouthed a single word that brought understanding to Max in a flash.

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“What’s wrong, Lisa”, whispered Rick. He was getting very concerned now by Lisa’s actions.



Finally she looked up at him and tried to smile. “Nothing, Rick…I was just remembering my worst Christmas. I…” She lowered her head to his shoulder again and cuddled in tighter to him, as though she were trying to make sure that he was actually there.



‘Her worst Christmas’, he repeated, and suddenly he understood. It had become abundantly clear to him over the years when that worst Christmas was, though she never spoke about it at all. Just some odd comments and various reactions she made to the mention of a certain time was all it took for him to see it. He wasn’t as dense as he looked sometimes. He looked to Max and mouthed the name of the bar that Lisa had spent Christmas Eve at just before Khyron’s last attack, when she found out that Minmei was staying with him. ‘Setup.’



Seemingly oblivious to everything that was going on between Lisa, Rick and Max, Miriya piped up. “I believe my worst Christmas was…”



“Miriya”, interrupted Max, drawing an annoyed look from his wife. “This is a happy time, maybe we shouldn’t be bringing up sad and hurtful memories. Let’s enjoy the company of our friends and celebrate the wonderful time of year that it is.” Miriya opened her mouth to respond, but Max had one more card to play. “Besides, we wouldn’t want the children to hear any depressing talk today, would we?”



Miriya sat up a little straighter and looked towards the bedroom where the children had gone to play. “No Max, you’re right. I’m sorry.”



He reached over, took her hand in his and lifted it to his mouth, giving it a tender kiss. “No apologies necessary, my dear”, for which he received a beautiful smile.



Max reached beyond his coffee and picked up his wine glass, which had been left on the table for just such an opportunity as this. He raised his glass and looked to his friends, saying in the most cheerful voice he could manage, “To the best Christmas ever.”



To his delight and relief, Lisa sat up, picked up her own wine and returned Max’s toast. He saw the grateful nod from Rick, and returned it with a wink.



“If you’ll excuse me”, announced Lisa, “I have to visit the little girls room.” She stood up and placed her left hand on Rick’s shoulder, letting it slide along his back as she walked behind him.



When she glanced back towards him before disappearing down the hall he could see something that lifted his spirits a little: a teasing grin on her face. He looked to Jean and Vince who had taken up a conversation with Miriya about the finer points of stain removal from the children’s clothes. Max had disappeared into the kitchen.



Rick excused himself and followed his friend inside. Max was waiting, leaned back against the counter with his arms folded thoughtfully across his chest. He looked up when Rick entered, and Rick took up station next to his friend so that they could speak quietly.



“Is she all right?”, asked Max without delay.



“I don’t know, Max. That’s the first time I can remember her acting like that about Christmas.” Rick shook his head. “I mean I know why she’s upset, remembering that Christmas, but why would that come up now, after all this time?” He looked at Max and asked, “What do I do, Max? How do I handle this?”



Max turned to look at Rick. “I guess it still hurts her, Rick…maybe it always will. You should follow her lead on this.”



Rick contemplated that for a moment, and then shook his head. “No, Max. I’ll be the first to admit that Lisa is a very strong woman who can handle anything. And you’re right that it’s usually best to follow her lead, but sometimes I need to push. We need to talk about this.”



“Rick”, said Max warningly, “you were the one who never wanted to bring up this subject to Lisa. You didn’t want her to ask you about your Christmas Eve and Minmei.”



“And I still don’t Max, but if talking about this is going to help her I don’t have a choice, do I? It’s going to hurt me, Max, but it doesn’t matter.” He looked to the door. “She deserves better than that.”



Max smiled at the sensitivity displayed by Rick Hunter. It didn’t happen often, the blockhead, but when it did it was something born out of a deep love, and it was something wonderful to behold. Max slapped Rick on the shoulder and said, “Well said, Boss.” He walked towards the door and said over his shoulder, “Now let’s see what we can do about getting you guys out of here so you can go home.”

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‘Get a hold of yourself, Lisa!’, Lisa screamed to herself. She had managed to make it to the bathroom before the first tear fell, and she had also managed to regain enough control of her emotions to keep many more of them from trying to follow the leader.



‘Six years’, Lisa thought with amazement as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. ‘For six years you manage to bury the memory of that Christmas, only to break down at the mention of a worst Christmas.’



It wasn’t that she ever really thought about that Christmas and how horrible a time it had been for her. She never had a reason to remember, but Vince’s comment about bad Christmases brought it all back in a rush. It was her worst Christmas without a doubt.



Rick knew, and from the look on Max’s face so did he. She knew that Rick knew of that night in the Setup, but no one ever spoke of it. She was sure he felt guilty and bad enough about it, so much so that she didn’t want to bring it up for fear of making him rehash those feelings.



There was another reason for her not wanting to bring up that Christmas however, and that reason was far from the considerate and protective ideals of the first reason. She didn’t want to know about his Christmas. Her imagination had done more than enough damage in that regard. She always imagined Minmei waiting for him to come back from Khyron’s Christmas Day attack to take him into her arms and…



She shook herself out of the thought. It never occurred to her that they would be able to talk about her night at the bar without talking about his time with Minmei…for her they were inexorably linked. Cause and effect.



She raised her tear-stained tissue to her right eye and gently dabbed away the last vestige of the tear that was there a moment earlier. ‘I’ve got to get back out there.’



Lisa stood up straight and reflexively smoothed down her dress. She smiled as she remembered what Rick had said about her appearance and it gave her the boost she needed.



She left the bathroom and walked into the living room just as Rick and Max exited the kitchen. Her eyes made contact with Rick’s, and seeing the concern in his eyes made her go to him…nearly at a run. She hugged him tightly and his arms felt so reassuringly strong around her that she nearly forgot what brought on her malaise.



“Are you sure you have to go home now?”, came Miriya’s question.



Both Rick and Lisa looked over to see Vince, Jean and Bowie getting ready.



“I’m sorry, Miriya”, said Jean as she put a wool hat on Bowie, who was decidedly vexed. “We have to go home and get some things ready for the trip to my cousin’s place tomorrow.”



Vince reached over and gave Miriya a warm hug, followed by a handshake for Max. “Thank you both for the wonderful time. We’ll see you in a couple of days.”



Rick and Lisa made their way over to the group. Lisa gave Vince, Jean and Bowie hugs, while Rick shook hands with Bowie and Vince, reserving a hug for Jean.



Vince took the doorknob in his massive hand and looked at his family. “Ready?”



Bowie opened his mouth to say something but Jean beat him to the punch. “Yes, dear. We’re ready.” She ignored Bowie’s growl and gently pushed him out the door when Vince opened it. With a final wave Vince stepped out and closed the door behind him.



“We should probably head home too”, said Rick as he headed for the closet to retrieve their coats. He was incredibly thankful when Lisa looked at him appreciatively and said nothing to contradict him. He wasn’t so lucky with Miriya.



“Rick it’s still early”, she stated seriously. “What could be so important that you two would rush home.”



As Rick slipped Lisa’s coat up over her arms Rick looked at Miriya, who misread his inability to answer the question as something else entirely.



“Oh”, she said playfully. “I see. I hope you both have fun.”



Rick looked at Lisa and she looked at him. After a moment they both turned to Max and Miriya and just smiled, only adding to her misconception.



After Lisa and Rick said their goodbyes to Max and Miriya, Lisa looked at Miriya and asked, “Where’s Dana?”



Miriya screwed up her nose and announced scandalously, “Dana is sulking because Bowie had to leave.”



Lisa, Rick and Max laughed, while Miriya tried to figure out what she said that was so funny. “It’s not what you said, Miriya…it’s how you said it.” Max turned to Rick and Lisa. “We’ll see you tomorrow, you two. Have a good night, huh?”



“We will”, assured Lisa. “Thank you for…”



“Don’t mention it”, interrupted Max. “Now get out of here.”



Rick laughed as he opened the door. Lisa stepped outside and Rick followed close behind. Max came to the door and whispered, “If you need…”



“Thanks Max. I’ll let you know”, said Rick quietly then rushed to open the car door for Lisa.



Max and Miriya stood in the open doorway until Rick drove the car out of sight, and then stepped inside. As Max closed the door, Miriya asked quietly, “Will Lisa be okay, Max?”



Max looked at his beautiful wife, confused as to what she meant. Miriya simply looked at him and waited for his response. When none was forthcoming she said, “I am not clueless, Max. I saw what happened.”



Max put his arms around her and hugged her lovingly. “I know you’re far from clueless, Miriya”, he whispered into her ear. “And don’t worry…they’ll both be fine. I promise.





State = Continuará/To Be Continue

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email = dparsnipAThotmail.com