1 Year Later

Hunk once again sat in a stone bench inthe Royal Gardens. It was late fall and the flowers were starting to get ready for winter. Hunk fingered a yellow rose pin for a minute then threw it into the garden. This was the third time he had been stood up or dumped and it was getting tiring.

"I might as well give up." He mumbled to himself. "I'll never find that one special lady for me."

Suddenly he felt a soft warm hand on his shoulder. He jumped slightly and looked back. His eyes lit up.

"Twyla." He gave her a big hug, "How did you get here?"

"I joined the Special Crusaders on my planet. You train for a year then you can take your own command or join an exploration fleet. I decided that I wanted my own command, that way I can go where I want, instead of being told where to go. What do you think of my uniform?"

Hunk looked her up and down as if seeing her for the first time. She had developed into a beautiful woman. She stood tall and proud in her uniform of thyme green. It was a plain dress jacket and pants auit but it was form fitting enough that it accentuated her figure perfectly.

Her hair was cut short and styled perfectly around her face. It made her look so much more mature than the two pony tails he had remembered her with.

"You look so lovely."

"You haven't changed much. Still the same loveable guy, I bet. Trying to save the planet."

"Yeah, I guess. I missed you. I really have."

"I've missed you too. I used to lay out on the hill behind my house and think about you for hours."

"I've thought about about you a lot too. I was hoping I would see you again but I also thought I never would. That once you got back to your home planet and it was liberated that you would forget about me."

"I could never forget about you, you were so good to me. You cared about me when no one else did. I could never forget that."

Hunk reached down and picked up the rose he had discarded earlier. He opened the pin and gently attached it to her uniform.

Twyla gently turned her head and sniffed it.

"Oh, that smells so nice. It's a soft, gentle fragerence. The roses on my planet have a strong smell and it can be overpowering at times. even though they look so beautiful. You get used to the smell after awhile."

Hunk shook his head slowly.

"I'd get used to anything just to be near you."

"You say such sweet things. That's what I like about you."

"I'm glad. Look, I had a date tonight but she stood me up. If we hurry we can still make it to the resturant."

"All right."

Hunk took her arm and walked her to the resturant. They ordered then ate in silence. Hunk really didn't feel much like talking. He was afraid he would wake up from this wonderful dream he was having. It was a living breathing dream.

Only when they had ordered dessert and were half way through did they start speaking.

"Have you come back to stay or are you just passing through?"

"I don't know. I want to be with you but I'm on a tour right now. I can only stay for a little while."

"I can't go with you, you realise."

"I know, though I was kinda hoping. I can understand you duties here but I have mine too now."

"Twyla," Hunk hesitated, he didn't know if he was doing the right thing or not. "I love you and I want you to marry me."

Twyla looked startled. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Hunk? I don't know what to say. I love you too but do you really think that's possible? I mean, we both have our seperate duties."

"How long will you be on tour?"

"A couple of months more, then I take free reign. I'll have a few months off then we can decide what to do."

"I'll be waiting, you know that, don't you?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

With that they parted. Hunk back to the castle and Twyla back to her ship. They radioed goodbyes to each other then Twyla went back to her tour of duty.

Hunk quickly found Pidge a few days later down in the labs.

"Got anything you need done today. I got so much energy tight now I can't stand it."

Pidge looked up from some books he was reviewing.

"What brought on this good mood?"

"Oh, nothing special, just a certian someone came back into my life to see me and I asked her to marry me."

Pidge looked at Hunk with a strange look on his face.

"Really?"

"Yeah, Twyla came back just like I said she would."

"Really?" Pidge repeated.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"I do. I saw the ship in orbit. I just don't know what to say."

"That you'll be happy for me."

"How could I not? I do, honestly. I just actually never thought she would come back?"