fanfic_name = The Mistletoe

chapter = 7

author = Dwparsnip

Rating = AP15

Type = Angst

fanfic =

Rick got up and moved to stand in front of her. He knelt down on both knees, gently put his arms around her waist and rested his left cheek against her chest. When he felt her arms go around his neck he whispered, "I love you, Lisa."

Lisa let the tears go and hugged Rick to her. "I love you too. But we're not finished yet…"

Rick closed his eyes, and without moving away from her he replied, "No, I don't guess that we are." He kept his arms around her waist but leaned back so that she could see her face. "I just wanted you to know that I love you."

Lisa smiled and gently kissed Rick's forehead. "I know." She brought her hand down from his neck and patted the couch bedside her. "Come up here."

Rick smiled and did as he was told. When he was seated Lisa turned to him and he turned towards her. Seconds ticked by with an uneasy and eerie silence hovering between them.

Lisa said, "Maybe I should…" just as Rick said, "Maybe I should…"

They both stopped and shared an awkward laugh.

Lisa was worried at the way they were behaving. They suddenly seemed uncomfortable around each other. They hadn’t even been this way when they first got together, and the thought that crashed into Lisa's mind was that Rick somehow looked at her differently. She tried to gauge his thoughts and feelings by looking into his eyes, but they unreadable to her. That scared her more than anything. She had been able to read his mood and see what he was feeling by looking into his eyes almost from the moment that they became close friends.

Rick reached over and took her hand in his. Her hand was frozen, her slender fingers as cold as icicles hanging down from the edge of the roof in wintertime. The last time he felt her hands so cold was after Khyron's last attack. She seemed to always be cold for a while after the attack, though she rarely complained.

He rubbed her hand, his protective instinct demanding that he try something to warm her up, but he knew that the only thing he could do was to finish what they had started here tonight…finish it so she could permanently heal the scars that still remained.

He looked down to her hand as he continued to try to massage some color and warmth into it. "Maybe…maybe I should finish the rest of my part of the story." He looked up to her and saw an appreciative look on her pale face. It was definitely taking a lot out of her.

Lisa sat back on the couch and once again turned to face Rick, who turned with her and never let go of her hand. He seemed to be a little more like himself, and now she could at least read something in his eyes. She could see that he was worried…about her.

Rick closed his eyes. "Where was I", he murmured. "Right." He opened his eyes and found Lisa looking at him expectantly. Everything he had told her so far, and was about to tell her, was brand new information to Lisa. He would have to take it slow and be ready for her reactions. He wasn't positive as to how she would react to what he was going to tell her, but it was time to find out.

"The glass broke in my hand and John took the glass out of it." The tears that suddenly appeared in her eyes at the mention of the glass in his hand, as well as the heart breaking look she cast towards his hand, was almost enough to make him stop and just throw his arms around her. "Everything went dark and my head fell towards the table. I honestly don't know what happened. I guess John must have caught me before I hit the table, or my head landed on my arm of something. I don't remember any pain or finding any lumps." He gave her a weak smile. "Regardless, I passed out a little. When I came to a little while later, we weren't alone…"

----------------------------------

Rick opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling of…'Where the hell am I?', he asked himself. He reached up to rub his head, encouraging the guy with the jackhammer to call it quits for the night. He slowly turned his head and noticed the bar. His eyes moved to the bottle on the bar and the night came back to him in a rush, almost like a movie going in super fast forward.

Flashes of light, and contained within the light were memories of what he had done that night and images his imagination conjured up to fill in the blanks. John told him what he knew, though some part of Rick's mind remembered that he never did describe the guy Lisa was…the man she…the guy. He moaned out loud and his mind's eye focused on one of the images. It seemed far off in the distance at first. It slowly moved towards him and the closer it got the better he could see the picture, and the image was beginning to make his stomach do things it had never done before.

Finally the image was right in front of him. His hands became iron fists and his stomach churned like the surf in a hurricane. As he studied the image and it burned itself into his soul he turned suddenly and hung his head over the side of the bench he was lying on, just in time to allow his stomach contents to introduce itself to the floor in an evacuation worthy of song. He coughed the last remnants of the vomit from his mouth and out of the corner of his eye he caught a scurry of activity. He wasn't sure if he had gone slightly deaf, if the alcohol was still affecting him or if those doing the scurrying were quiet in their movements, but he couldn't hear them. He could tell that there was more than one person, though for some reason he could only remember one person being with him earlier.

He looked back up to the ceiling and realized that he was lying on his back. His hearing was coming back and he could discern someone next to him, most likely cleaning up the little gift he just left him or her. He brought his hand up to cover his eyes, the light suddenly no longer his friend and instantly regretted doing so.

With his eyes closed the image that so disagreed with his stomach had carte blanche over him, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get it to go away or even fade.

The image of the woman he loved more than life itself making love to someone other than him was devastating. The realization that she had done just to spite him was heart shattering. "No", he moaned quietly, "not to spite me…to forget me."

The image stayed there in front of him and now that his senses were coming back it didn't matter if he tried to get rid of it or not, or if his eyes were opened or closed…the picture remained.

Suddenly the flashes started again and there were different versions of the same picture, or perhaps a better analogy would be different frames of the same movie. His imagination, as dulled as it was by a night of trying to dull the edge of the knife that was tearing into his heart with booze, was running in overdrive.

Rick pushed his hands against his eyes as he tried to stop the images, the nightmarish pictures from coming to him. But they didn't. They came in rapid succession, each one slamming into his chest like a bullet. He saw Lisa with the man, his long black hair flowing down and draping over her as they moved in unison. He could see his blue eyes holding hers in a devious attempt to show her the pretense of love and passion. And most of all, Rick could see that bloody arrogant smile that he always saw from him.

Without a description of the guy from John, Rick's mind decided to play a particularly nasty trick on him. It decided to pull someone from her recent past, and his too for that matter, that Lisa for a short time had felt drawn to. This man who was known to the both of them never gained her thoughts or affection on his own accord or merit, he never could. Rather he gained it by reminding her of a love long gone…her first love.

Kyle.

It was the image of Kyle being with Lisa that caused him to throw up and caused the anger to swell in his chest like a balloon. Or maybe it was just getting drunk. He couldn't tell.

'Wait a second', he thought as the world came back into focus after he removed his hands from his eyes. 'Where the hell did Kyle come from? She would never sleep with Kyle, no matter how drunk she was or how mad she was. She hates…she wouldn't…it couldn't have been.'

He sat up, barely, and looked to see John standing next to the booth he was lying in. The older man had a sympathetic look on his face.

"How are you doing there, Captain?" John spoke softly, knowing that Rick must have a pounding headache. When the young Captain passed out John moved him to the booth and finished cleaning up his wounded hand. In his humble opinion the longer cut needed stitches. The smaller one too probably. He had the bucket and mop stationed by the booth as well, and his preparedness didn't go to waste.

John studied the look on Rick Hunter's face and nearly winced. He looked like he had fought the demons of hell in an apocalyptic battle…and lost. His skin had lost all color and was pasty looking, his eyes were lifeless and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. He was in serious distress, which wasn't surprising considering what he had been told…and of course the scotch didn't help.

"I'll live", croaked Rick. He coughed to try to get the dryness out of his throat. It was then that he noticed a glass of water on the table. He took a very small sip of the water felt some relief along his parched throat. He bowed his head and started to rub his temples with his fingers. "I'm okay, John. Thanks."

"You don't look okay", chimed in a new voice, whose tone was divided equally between amusement and concern.

Rick's head jolted up towards the source of the voice and it instantly screamed in protest. His eyes opened and he saw the concerned face of Max Sterling. "Max?", asked Rick, not sure if the sight of Max was an alcohol induced apparition or if it truly was his best friend, his real best friend, standing next to John. "What the hell are you doing here, Max? What time is it? How long have I been out? And", he looked down to the bandage wrapped around his hand, "What happened to my hand?"

Max was relieved by Rick's tone if not by the questions. "In reverse order", he said lightly, "you apparently got in an argument with a glass. You won but it got the last laugh. You've been out for about three hours and it is now 0100 hours…give or take a few minutes." Max sat down on the bench opposite Rick and looked at him. "I'm here because John figured you could use a friend right about now."

Rick looked to John, but the anger he had for the bartender vanished instantly. Rick knew that John was worried about him and he couldn't fault him for that. Besides, he most definitely could use a friend right now. "Thanks, John. I don't know…"

"No thanks necessary, Captain", he said sincerely and with a large smile. "If you'll excuse me, I have to check on a few things." He pointed to Rick's hand added, "You should get that looked at, Captain."

Rick nodded and John turned and went out back. Rick looked to his hand and flexed it, instantly feeling a sharp pain at the action. He sighed and wondered how he was going to explain it to…'Lisa.'

Max saw the pain come across Rick's face, and for some reason he suspected that it had nothing to do with the cuts on his hand. "We should head to the hospital and get that looked at, Boss." He figured it was a futile effort but he had to try.

Rick looked up at Max and shook his head. "It's…it'll be fine, Max." He took a deep breath, "I'm sorry for getting…"

"Don't worry about it, Rick", he said with a smile. "That's what friends do. And after what John told me, I think you could really use a friend don't you think?"

"John told…"

"He said he needed me to know what you had taken in", replied Max. "I think he was right, and he swore he wouldn't tell another soul. Said something about Claudia coming back to kick his butt or something like that."

Rick smiled at the mention of Claudia, but the smile didn't last long. "She slept with someone, Max. She just grabbed him in a bar and…she slept with him." He looked at his friend, and through the blue tint glasses Rick could see the same disbelief that he was sure was in his own. Rick folded his arms and placed his elbows on the table.

Suddenly wishing he had a degree in psychology, and a couch, Max asked, "And how do you feel about that, Rick?" Damn that sounded corny.

Rick looked at Max with his eyes narrowed. Max couldn’t tell if it was in anger or thought.

"She grabbed someone, Max, a stranger. She grabbed him. She kissed him. She pushed him out of the bar and she made love with him." Rick ran his uninjured hand through his hair and let his arms fall down to rest beside his legs. "I'm saying it and, and I don’t want…but I know it's…argh! I need a drink!"

Much to Max's relief Rick didn’t get up to get one. He waited, his hands folded together on the table in front of him, with the patience that was part of the living legend of Max Sterling. He knew better than to try to talk some sense into Rick at this point in time. Besides the fact that he may have still been less than one hundred percent sober, he was shocked by the revelation of Lisa's Christmas Eve activities, or 'bloody shell-shocked' as John had put it over the phone. Best to just let him vent now so that he could think rationally about it later. Luckily Lisa wouldn't be home for at least a day, so they had a little time. Max just hoped that it would be enough.

Rick closed his eyes. "When I came to a minute ago all I could see was Lisa with him." He opened his eyes and looked back to Max. "I saw her with him and I saw the way she kissed him and the way he touched her." Rick swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to get his heart to calm down.

"John told me he had no idea who the guy was", said Max, intrigued by Rick's statement. "How do you…"

"I don’t know either, Max", interrupted Rick. "When I pictured it I saw her with…well, with Kyle." As Max's eyes bulged open Rick explained. "I guess my mind picked the only guy I know of that Lisa ever showed any interest in…plus I hate Kyle which would fit with how I'd feel about the other guy. I don’t know."

"So how much of what you're feeling now is because your mind pictured her with Kyle?" Max was pretty sure Freud would have approved.

"What?", asked Rick with some confusion. "None…I mean maybe a little…"

"But it wasn't Kyle, Rick. John said he didn’t know the guy, but it's safe to say that he knows Kyle, or at least what he looks like. He would have known if was him." Max leaned back. 'So much for waiting patiently', he thought.

Rick took a moment to think about that. "I know", he conceded to Max. "But it still doesn’t change the fact that she slept with someone…a stranger. John never mentioned that she seemed to know him, or even that Claudia knew him. Doesn’t that make it worse?"

'It doesn’t make it better', thought Max. Max found himself in the unenviable position of being stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand he understood where Rick was coming from. Lisa did something terribly unlike her and dangerous in many ways and on many levels. In a sense, it was inexcusable. That was the rock. The hard place was on the other end of the axis. The hard place realized Max, was that Rick brought it all on himself with his mishandling of the Minmei situation and the way he treated Lisa.

Rick stood up and Max jumped up behind him, concerned that Rick would either fall flat on his face or head for the bar. In the end Rick did neither. He gingerly walked around and stopped by a table that had a box of posters on it. He absently picked through the posters as he spoke. "You know, Max, I don't know if I know her anymore. The Lisa I know and fell in love with would never do…"

Max watched Rick as he stopped sorting through the posters. Max began to worry when he saw that Rick's hand beginning to shake and Rick's head bow forward. Rick mumbled something that Max couldn't hear. "What was that, Rick?" Max grew more concerned when Rick's head fell forward a little more and he started to giggle. The giggle turned into a chuckle, which a moment later turned into a fit of full-scale laughter.

Max moved forward and put his right hand gently on Rick's left shoulder. "Rick?"

Rick turned to look at Max, and though he was still laughing tears were streaming out of his eyes.

Max was at a loss for words, but the look on his face must have asked the question that his mouth couldn't articulate. Rick moved a little to the right and let Max see into the box at the poster that he had stopped at. It was a poster of Minmei in a blue dress, her right arm raised high above her head and her left hand holding a microphone to her lips.

"Minmei", said Rick between the laugher. When his laughter calmed down a moment later he looked down to the poster. "It was because of Minmei wasn't it? Minmei came to my house and wanted to stay with me. That was why Lisa went to the Setup and why she felt she had to go and …." He stopped and rubbed his weary eyes with the thumb and index finger of his left hand.

'He's almost there', realized Max, and he was impressed by it. He figured it would take Rick hours to get this far along. Maybe one simply worded question would get him there totally.

"Rick", began Max carefully, "what exactly did you say to Minmei when she asked you if she could stay at your place?" He emphasized the necessary words to show Rick that he had a choice in all of this. Max didn't really hold Rick responsible…not entirely…there was after all plenty of guilt to go around. Rick, Minmei, Lisa and even their friends for letting them go on like it for so long. But Rick needed to realize that he did make choices and that those choices had consequences.

Rick blinked the last tears from his eyes and thought. "I don't know…I think it was something like 'I guess if you're sure you…'" Rick looked straight ahead and his stomach began doing the whole flip-flop thing again. Max's question, and his own answer made something inside his dense mind click with a startling and sickening realization. He repeated Max's question, emphasizing the same areas that he had. "What did I say when she asked me if she could stay at my place."

Rick turned to look at Max, and Max could see the horror on his friends face. 'This is it', thought Max. 'It just hit him that he could have avoided all of this. He had the power and he had the opportunity. He knows it's his fault.'

As if to confirm Max's thoughts, Rick blurted out his realization. "Oh my God, Max. It's my fault. All of it. Me. I did this to her." Rick's knees buckled as the echoes of what he had heard earlier in the evening came back to him. He remembered John saying that she said she did it to forget him because he hurt her so much, that he seemed lost to her. What was it John said that she said? 'For a moment, for a second, I forgot about Rick Hunter.'

The room was starting to spin and Rick reached just in time for the table to keep him upright. A second later he felt Max's hands on his arms.

Rick's mind was spinning…along with the room. Questions raced through his mind at unimaginable speeds, questions like how could he do that to her, how could he hurt her so much, and why did she still love him. Most of them could be answered by the generic 'I'm an idiot' response, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why she still loved him.

Max felt Rick get heavier in his arms, and fearing that his superior officer and best friend was going to pass out again, he reached for a nearby chair with his leg. He pulled it close enough to grab it with his hand and pushed it behind Rick, who settled down into it heavily. Max moved another chair over and placed in front of Rick, sitting down in it so that Rick could see that he wasn't alone.

Rick put his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, unable to face his friend any longer. "I knew I hurt her, Max", he began in a whisper. "I knew I hurt her time and time again. I've tried to make it up to her over these last few months and she seems happy, but how do I ever make that up to her?" Rick found the nerve to face Max again and he was thankful that when he looked up he saw the face of a true friend. "She loved me and I kept pushing her away, pushing her away, pushing her away, and it drove her to do…that. How in the name of everything that's holy do I deal with that? How?"

Max studied his friend before answering. His eyes were red and they had dark marks underneath them. His skin was pale and his lips were dry. The makeshift bandage that John salvaged from an old medical kit was red indicating the bleeding in his hand hadn't stopped, or at the very best only stopped recently. Most telling was the way his body was acting. His head was hanging low and his shoulders were slumped. Rick very seldom looked Max in the eyes, and when he did it was only for a brief moment.

"I don't know what to tell you, Rick", said Max truthfully. He had no idea what he could possibly say to help Rick get through this, but he had to try something. "You deal with it by getting over it. I'm going to be brutal for a minute, Rick, but you need to hear it." He ignored the desperate look that Rick gave him and forged ahead. "Why are you upset? Lisa was a big girl with a mind of her own. She made a choice, albeit a bad one, and she was lucky to not have suffered any major consequences." He added, 'That we know of', to himself. "She dealt with a bad situation in a bad way. We've all done it…you did it tonight." Rick nodded slowly, and Max was happy to see that Rick was paying attention and what he was saying was getting through to his friend. "How you treated Lisa was, well, it could have been better. But Rick, you couldn't help how you felt any more than she could. If you had known that you were hurting her would you have done things differently?" Before Rick could answer Max went on. "Of course you would have. And that's how you deal with it. You didn’t know so you couldn’t do anything to help her."

"Ignorance is not a defense", said Rick softly.

"In law, no", conceded Max, "but affairs of the heart is hardly law. Rick, you and Lisa, you weren't a couple. At that time you weren't even sure how you felt about her. Be honest, is this about Lisa or about you extending your claim over her to that time? Retroactive love or something?"

"No, Max", replied Rick. "I mean no we weren't a couple and perhaps that should make me feel better about my behavior, but it doesn't. We were friends, Max…good friends, and at that time I was beginning to realize just how much she meant to me and my life. A friend was hurting and I didn’t see it. All the times she was there for me, as a friend, even though she felt more and I couldn’t see her pain to save my life. I can honestly say I don't know why she's with me now. I don't know why she puts up with me after everything I've done to her."

"Come on, Rick…it wasn't and isn't all bad." Max looked reflective for a second and then looked at Rick, who by the look of it was waiting for some kind of reassuring words from Max. "How many times did you save her life, Rick? I can think of quite a few. When the chips were down and she was in danger you were there for her. More than that, she was with you through some of the most difficult times of your life." Max watched as Rick realized what he was saying. "She saw you in your darkest hours, and during those times she saw you…the real, deep down Rick Hunter, and you know as well as anyone when you see that, it's hard to ignore."

Rick knew exactly what Max was saying. He saw the real Lisa Hayes on several occasions, and each time it affected him greatly. The first was during and after rescuing her from Mars Base Sara…that was the very first time he felt attracted to the old sourpuss and saw her as more than the First Officer. Another time was after Alaska Base…that was the first time he saw her totally distraught, without any of the barriers and without the controls she normally had in place. He held her and comforted her as best he could, and it was then that he knew he would willingly give his life for her, he would not hesitate to trade his life for hers…he would choose to do it for her. He would have done so before, but it was more out a sense of duty and obligation. After Alaska it was different. On the day of Khyron's last attack, he saw the real Lisa Hayes standing on his doorstep telling him she loved him and letting him go at the same time. That was when he realized just how much he loved her. Sure there are some who say that it was because he almost lost her, but they're wrong. No, he realized he loved her because he saw the raw essence of Lisa Hayes on his doorstep that day- the love, the caring, the strength and the beauty of her body and soul.

Max wasn't sure what Rick was thinking. "Maybe Rick, it’s finally time to put the past behind you and look ahead. Don't forget the past and the mistakes you made…it’s how you're going to learn and it's going to be motivation for treating her right from now on, as you have been since you got together with her. Just keep loving her, Rick. Love her with all of your heart and everything else will fall into place."

Rick looked to the floor, his elbows still resting on his knees and his hands folded together out in front of him. "I do love her, Max, more than I can tell you. But I'm never going to forgive myself for this, Max. I can't."

"You have to", said Max forcefully. Rick looked to him for clarification and he obliged. "You have to forgive yourself or it will come between you, and you know it. You have to tell her that you know too."

Rick sat up straight and shook his head wildly. "I can't, Max." Rick took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair. The fog was completely gone now and he could think clearly. The downside was his hand was killing him. "Don't get me wrong, Max", he whispered, "there's so much I want to know. I'm dying to know how she was feeling and what she was thinking." He felt a wave of despair wash over him as he allowed himself a second to think about it. He looked to Max and saw understanding in the eyes behind the glasses. "And I want to know who this guy is. I want to know how he treated her and if he didn’t respect her I want to beat the crap out of him. But I won't ask her about. I can't hurt her again and bringing it up to her will do just that. She needs to do it."

"Even if it kills you?", asked Max, already knowing the answer.

Rick nodded solemnly. "Even if it kills me."

Max opened his mouth to argue but Rick was resolute, and he was filled with the confidence of knowing what he had to do. "She hasn't told me about that night and I don't know that I blame her. It had to be one the hardest times in her life, and if she's made her peace with it and moved on I'm not going to fool around with that. No, Max. If and when she ever needs or wants to talk about it, I will, and I'll be ready." Rick smiled a sad smile. "You're right, to a point, Max. Circumstances played a part in all of this, but I do blame myself for the pain and suffering Lisa went through and I always will. I could have and should have done things differently by her. That will haunt me forever."

Max noticed the change in Rick's voice and in his body language. Rick stood up and Max was happy to see that he didn't waver. In fact, he was completely sure of himself. "We should get you to a hospital, Rick. That hand needs to be stitched." When Rick didn’t respond, Max added softly, "Lisa loves you, Rick, and you don’t want her to come home and give you hell for not taking care of yourself." Max stood up and put his hand on Rick's shoulder again.

"You're right, Max…again." He looked around for John, but couldn't see him.

Max called out to John, who came out immediately. When Max told him that they were going to the hospital John was visibly relieved. He walked up to Rick and placed his hands on Rick's shoulders. "I'm sorry for telling you this, Captain. I should have known better."

Rick smiled at the bartender. "No, John. I know it doesn’t look like it right now, but you did the right thing, and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for it. It’s something I needed to know. Maybe, just maybe now that I know what happened I can help her, and I can begin to try to make it up to her."

John smiled and looked the young Captain straight in the eyes. "I know she loves you, Captain. Never doubt it. And from the way you reacted tonight and the way you talk about her, it's easy for an old bartender to see that you love her too. You'll be fine."

Rick's smile grew and he patted the older man on the shoulder. "Thanks, John. For everything."

He turned and began to walk towards the door as Max said good-bye to John. He reached the door when he remembered something. He turned back to John. "How much do I owe you for the…"

"You're money is no good here, Captain", said John with a annoyed look on his face. "Now get out of here and get that hand fixed."

Rick laughed, went out the door and nearly tripped over the bag of groceries still miraculously where he had left them earlier that night. "I don't believe it", he muttered as he reached for the bag. He picked it up just as Max closed the door to the Setup II.

"Are those yours?", he asked.

Rick nodded and put them in the back seat of Max's car. He got in the front seat and Max started the car. As they passed the alley next to the new Setup, Rick turned to look out the window and for a moment, he saw a snowy night in New Macross and in the alley, he caught a glimpse of the woman he loved kissing someone else. He closed his eyes tight and willed the image away.

Unfortunately, the picture had other ideas.

----------------------------------

Rick brought Lisa's hand up to his lips and gave it a soft kiss. He could see Lisa go through various feelings as he told her his story and it hurt him to see her go through it. The worry and guilt she felt when he told her about is hand hit him deeper than anything had up to that point in his life. When her face went pale at the mention of Kyle, and the implication of Riber, his heart froze in his chest. Hearing about him thinking about her with another man must have crushed her. Part of it was he realized, a sense of shame in what she did.

When he told her of his conversation with Max she appeared to take it well. He suspected that she tried very hard to keep from reacting too much when he told her how he and Max talked about his thoughts and feelings about their early relationship. She didn’t want him to feel any worse than he did. She always thought about him first.

When he talked about what he felt and thought before he and Max left the bar brought a warm smile to her face, and caused her to flush ever so slightly. She had asked him once when it was that he fell in love with her and when he realized it. He gave her some sort of corny answer that both of them knew wasn't an answer to the questions, but they both let it go. Now she knew the answer to one of them, and when he described to her when it was he realized he loved her she glowed.

It looked so good on her, that glow.

"Max took me to the hospital and got my hand taken care of, then he brought me home. He offered to stay with me but I felt bad enough for getting him out at that hour of the night as it was. I ordered him to go home, and I spent the rest of the night thinking", he locked his eyes onto hers, "about you. About us."

Rick leaned over and gave her a tender kiss. When he pulled away tears were rolling down her cheeks and he edged closer to her. He put his arm right arm around her and pulled her into an embrace. He held her tightly and whispered into her hair, "I swore that night to never hurt you again, and to never let anyone else hurt you. I swore that I would love you like no one else could, and I swore to do everything in my power to make it up to you and give you the love and the life that you deserve."

She looked up to him and smiled. "You've done all of that, Rick." Her right hand gently caressed his cheek. "You've loved and protected me like no one else ever could and I love my life with you." As she leaned in to kiss him she whispered, "I love you."

State = Continuará/To Be Continue

feedback = Sí/Yes

email = dparsnipAThotmail.com