Chapter 2

After two weeks of a romantic vacation Rick and Lisa returned to their professional demeanor around work, treating each other as co-workers when they were on the base.

Then one day Lisa was sitting happily in her office. They had been back from vacation for almost a week and she was still riding high on the memories she and Rick had made on that wonderful little island.

She was missing their little beachside hut when Rick entered her office and shut the door.

“You’re not going to believe this,” he said worriedly.

“What’s going on?” she asked, suddenly feeling worried herself.

Rick didn’t answer. Instead, he took what appeared to be a tabloid paper from under his arm and put it on the desk in front of her.

The headlines read “NEWEST RDF BRASS: TOP GUNS OR NAKED GUNS?” Below the headlines were photos of Rick and Lisa at various locations on their vacation. Inside, it was even worse. Pictures of them kissing in an outdoor restaurant, holding hands along the beach, necking in their hammock.

But the big picture in the middle of the page upset Lisa the most. A big 5x7, color photo of her and Rick, naked in the water. It was taken from far away with Lisa’s back to the camera. Their bodies were not fully revealed, but they were obviously naked. Luckily, the reporter had only taken still photographs, so it looked like they were embracing. Had the reporter had video, Lisa feared it would be obvious what they had really been doing.

“How did they get these pictures?” Lisa asked, her face turning red.

“I found out that one of the other tourists on the island was a reporter who used to work for the Macross Press on the SDF-1. He was the one who interviewed us after we were POWs, so he recognized us and took the pictures. Then he sent them back to his buddy at this rag paper for a hefty sum of money. When he took the pictures, he didn’t even know we were admirals, last he heard we were RDF Captains. He was real happy to find out about our promotions, I think it got him a lot more money.”

“Well, there’s no hiding it now. We’re out of the closet…uh…so to speak…you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, baby I know,” Rick said, walking over to her and pulling her into his embrace. “Everyone will know, now. It’s OK, everyone would know eventually, anyway.”

“I know, but I was hoping to make a more gradual adjustment. Let them get used to the idea. I mean, most of them know already, I think they’ve just been ignoring it on purpose, like it’s a problem that will go away.”

“Let’s be honest, they’re ignoring it because they don’t think it will last. They thought we’d break up before the press even knew we were dating,” Rick chuckled then let out a fast breath, “I think most everyone will be supportive. I can only think of a few of the old martinets that might try to cause trouble.”

“I know, Maistroff and his cronies mostly,” Lisa said with disgust, “They may really try to cause trouble. Especially with pictures like these; they make it look like we’re having some kind of trashy, illicit affair,” she said as she motioned toward the tabloid on her desk.

“What should we do?” Rick asked, “If we don’t act, this thing will take on a life of it’s own and things will only get worse. I already got some strange looks in the hall walking over here- and the paper just came out today!”

“We fight fire with fire. We go to the press and give our side of the story.”

“Great!” Rick furrowed his brows. “Uh…what is our side of the story?” he asked.

Lisa gave him a look that made him regret the question. She rolled her eyes and replied, “You know…that we were friends and colleagues for a long time, then fell in love. That we are prepared to maintain the highest degree of professionalism while on duty, but our personal life is just that, personal; thus we will continue to maintain a romantic relationship outside of work. In addition, my pending transfer to the factory satellite will further insure that we can fulfill our duties with very little conflict of interest. Furthermore, once the SDF-3 is completed and the REF leaves on the mission to Tirol, there will be many couples and families working together as crewmembers, so it shouldn’t be a problem then, either.”

“Oh, yeah, now I remember,” Rick said jokingly as he gave her a charming smile and a peck on the cheek.

They heard a light knocking on the office door, so Rick immediately went around to the front of Lisa’s desk as Lisa’s beckoned her young aid in the office.

He was a nervous young corporal. Extremely shy, but highly efficient. Lisa could not help but think of ‘Radar O’Reilly’ from the old “M.A.S.H.” TV series whenever she saw him.

“Ma’am, there’s a call on line one. He says he’s a reporter with the Monument Chronicle,” the aid said nervously. Lisa saw him briefly glance at the tabloid on her desk, then quickly avert his eyes.

“Thank you, corporal, I’ll take the call now,” Lisa thought he looked extremely relieved to be allowed to leave the room. Lisa took the call and spoke to the person on the other end briefly before hanging up.

“Huh. It looks like we don’t have to go to the press, they’re coming to us,” she told Rick as she hung up the phone. “A reporter from the city newspaper is coming over now to interview us about the tabloid report. I told him I would call security and get him a visitors badge right away.”

Rick shrugged his soldiers, “OK, let’s just get it over with.”

The reporter, excited to be granted the interview, arrived within thirty minutes and was immediately escorted to Lisa’s office. Rick and Lisa were waiting for him.

“Adm. Hayes, Adm. Hunter. I’m Terry Jackson from the Monument City Chronicle. Thanks so much for meeting with me on such short notice.” The reporter was a middle- aged man of average build with dark brown eyes and a friendly smile. He had a small camera and a briefcase from which he removed a notepad.

He extended his hand to Rick, and then Lisa in turn before Lisa motioned for him to have a seat across from her desk. Rick sat in the other chair, next to the reporter.

“We want to thank YOU for coming, actually. We are very displeased with the way that tabloid has portrayed our relationship and we want to set the record straight,” Rick said as he looked directly at the reporter.

“Great. I have a few questions, but maybe you should tell me your side, first. How SHOULD your relationship be portrayed?” the reporter asked, looking back and forth between Rick and Lisa.

At this point, Lisa began giving the reporter the exact statement she told Rick she would give. Basically, they were in love but wanted to keep a professional relationship as well.

“So, you two just fell in love all of a sudden. About six months ago, you say?”

Rick jumped in, “Well, it’s not as simple as that.”

Lisa was shaking her head; “No, it’s pretty complicated, really.”

“Yes,” Rick continued, “I mean, we were friends for a long time while we were working together. We fell in love gradually over a period of several years. But, yes, about six months ago we realized our true feelings and decided we should be together.”

“OK, here’s my question,” the reporter consulted his notepad. Rick and Lisa both braced themselves for a long line of questions regarding proper conduct, preferential treatment, the problem of fraternization among officers, etc.

The reporter looked directly at Rick and asked “Aren’t you the guy who was shacked up and supposedly going to marry Lynn Minmei about six months ago?”

The question the reporter asked caught them off guard, although it shouldn’t have. Both Lisa and Rick moaned aloud and Rick immediately started getting defensive.

“What does THAT have to do with anything?” Rick asked harshly.

“Well, supposedly, you two are friends who have spent the last few years working together and falling in love, blah, blah, blah. It’s relevant because you’ve been trying to get me to believe you two have this beautiful true love thing, not a trashy, quickie, sex affair the tabloids are trying to show. So if that’s all true, why were YOU shacked up with the pop star just about the time this so-called love affair was supposed to take off? Furthermore, at that time, Lynn Minmei is quoted to have said that you and her were planning to get married, but called it off because of your separate careers.”

Rick was turning red, but trying to stay calm. He chanced a glance at Lisa, but she had on her usual poker face. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, but he knew this was bringing up old wounds. Wounds he had created. Wounds he had spent the last six months trying to heal.

Rick took a deep breath before answering, “Well, that’s not exactly true,” he began as he gave Lisa a quick glance, “Minmei did stay with me for a few weeks, but the real reason it didn’t work out is because I realized I was in love with Lisa.” He took another deep breath and continued, “As we told you, Lisa and I had been becoming close friends for some time. Minmei was, and still is I hope, a good friend- but I never had any intention of marrying her. It was at that time, about six months ago, that I realized the feelings I had for Lisa were a lot more than just friendship. I realized I loved her and I could never be with anyone else.”

Lisa still wore her poker face, but the reporter was noticeably intrigued by their story. He leaned forward and asked, “So you two have been running around together since then.”

Rick and Lisa looked at each other and nodded.

“And it seems you’ve kept the whole affair a secret up until now. Why all the secrecy?”

This time Lisa spoke, “We really weren’t trying to make it a secret. We just didn’t feel it was proper to flaunt our relationship. As I mentioned, we want to be able to do our jobs effectively and we were afraid if we were too flagrant with our romance, some people might take offense. As I’m sure you are aware, fraternization among officers is not forbidden, but certainly not encouraged, either.”

“I understand. But despite that, you two are determined to be together, then?”

“Yes,” they both answered at the same time.

“Nothing will ever come between us,” Rick said confidently as he gave Lisa a long, loving gaze. Lisa returned his look with a loving smile of her own.

“Even if the top brass orders an end to it?” the reporter pushed.

“Even then.” Lisa answered confidently, “If it comes to that we have decided that one, or both of us, will resign.”

“Wow, so you ARE determined to make this work.” The reporter exclaimed.

“Yes we are,” Rick answered as he and Lisa looked at each other and shared a warm smile.

The reporter was an expert at reading body language. He could tell when someone was telling him a lie from a mile away. Although he thought there was more to the Minmei part of the story than they were willing to let on, he knew these two people were not lying. They were in love. You could feel it when they looked at each other. There was no hiding that simple truth.

The reporter rose from his chair and offered a hand to Lisa and then to Rick. “Well, I think I have everything I need. Thanks again, Adm. Hayes, Adm. Hunter. My article will be in the paper tomorrow. I think you’ll both be pleased.”

“Thank you,” they both answered at the same time as Rick escorted the reporter out the door.

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

That evening, news reporters were waiting for Rick and Lisa in front of the base. The couple decided to stay late at the base, thinking it best to avoid the press altogether until the newspaper article came out the next day.

The next morning Rick arrived early at Lisa’s quarters. He had the Monument Chronicle rolled up under his arm.

Lisa greeted him with a quick kiss as he came in the door.

“So, how is it?” she asked anxiously.

“Not bad at all, actually,” Rick replied with a shrug.

The reporter had put an almost fairy tale spin on their story. He obviously had done more research on them other than just the interview of the day before. He gave a little background on their history as heroes in the war, then relayed the story of how they evolved from co-workers to friends to lovers. Overall, the article made for a beautiful story of love and devotion between two people caught up in desperate and sad times.

Minmei was mentioned only briefly, more as a side note. The article merely said that she and Rick were old friends who had lived together briefly before Rick found true love with Lisa.

Overall, it was good press for them. They hoped the senior officers would see it that way.

Lisa finished dressing and they headed to work. Lisa and Rick’s phones had both rang all night with reporters calling them for comment on the tabloid story. They had expected to have reporters waiting for them outside their homes this morning but were pleasantly surprised and relieved to find none.

“Maybe we’re not as important to the news as we thought,” Lisa chuckled as they left.

That relief faded however, as they arrived on base to find the entrance packed with news vans, some from as far away as New Detroit.

“OK, this is bad,” Rick remarked as they drove cautiously to the gate, “Look at all the reporters. What do you want to do?”

“Let’s get this over with,” Lisa said with determination.

“OK.” Rick replied, then added, “I love you.”

Lisa smiled widely at him. “I love you, too.”

Rick drove their car just inside the base and parked. He and Lisa got out of the car, joined hands and walked back to the entrance for an impromptu press conference.

When the MP at the guard gate saw the two officers leave their car and head back toward him, he knew what they had planned. He went to the back of the guard shack and retrieved a large, wooden crate that had been left for recycling pick-up. He brought it just outside the gate in front of the reporters.

Rick and Lisa approached the gate hand in hand, looking confident. Rick gave a grateful nod to the guard and jumped athletically up on the crate. He turned and helped Lisa up on the crate as well. He put his arm around her waist both to emphasize their togetherness and to help her keep her balance as her heels made it much harder to stand on the wood crate.

The reporters were already buzzing, firing questions at them before they could get settled. Rick raised one hand to quiet everyone. Lisa looked at Rick proudly as he took charge of the situation. She was a little nervous to be the center of so much attention, but was very happy at the same time. For just a moment she forgot about the crowd surrounding them and concentrated on Rick. He was so handsome, standing there with that determined, take charge look on his face. She looked at him with pure love as he began to speak.

“If everyone will please calm down and be quiet, we would be glad to try to answer any questions you may have,” Rick began, while amazingly, everyone became quiet.

“OK, that’s better, I guess we can start,” Rick said, “First question.”

Again the reporters all went wild, raising their hands and shouting questions. A perky looking female reporter in a red suit was waving wildly at Rick. He motioned for her to ask a question.

“Marcia Franklin, Daily Gossip News,” the reporter began, “Can you please tell us what led to your breakup with the singer Lynn Minmei?”

Rick looked exasperated as he tried to keep his voice even, “I think I covered that with Mr. Jackson in the Chronicle article. Minmei and I were friends for a long time beginning back in Macross. We had a very brief romantic relationship that ended when I realized I was really in love with another woman. This woman,” Rick finished as he looked lovingly at Lisa.

The reporters started their frenzy again as Rick motioned to another, this time a young man.

“Troy Bowen, Monument Post. Admiral Hayes, can you tell us what first attracted you to Admiral Hunter?”

Lisa looked embarrassed but answered without hesitation, “Are you kidding, LOOK at him! He’s gorgeous!” she said with a laugh. Everyone in the crowd laughed with her as Rick looked at the sky and blushed. Lisa stared at him as she continued, “No, seriously, as I got to know Rick and we became friends, I realized that he has the most gentle and caring soul of anyone I have ever met. He’s intelligent and courageous…I guess I can’t narrow it down to ONE thing that attracted me, I fell in love with the whole package.”

Rick was embarrassed but flattered by Lisa’s compliment. He looked at her and they grinned at each other. For a few minutes the couple just stared at each other lovingly as the frenzy started anew.

Finally, Rick broke himself from his stupor and motioned to the next reporter. The press conference continued for some thirty minutes, during which Rick and Lisa answered a series of questions about everything from their early relationship to their future plans.

When questions started turning toward marriage and family plans, Rick quickly waved the questions off. He gave Lisa a surprised look and answered that they would have to get back to them on those questions.

“Look, we’re going to have to finish this up,” Rick said, “we DO have to work today.”

“Let’s have a kiss before you go!” shouted one reporter. Several others agreed and began shouting, “KISS HER” to Rick.

Lisa was about to object. After all, they were in uniform and they had said they would stay professional while on duty. They were already breaking that rule by appearing before the press, arm in arm, giving details of their personal lives.

Rick knew Lisa may protest, but despite that he pulled her close and put his hand on her jaw, drawing her lips to his. She was surprised, but didn’t resist. She had one hand around his waist and she put the other on his chest. They kissed passionately for several minutes while flash bulbs went off from all angles.