"Robotech - To The Stars: Aftermath - The First Year"
Chapter 10
January 27th, 2015

"This is suppose to be a five-star hotel isn't it, and they can't even keep their friggin' lights working," grumbled Kim.
Lisa was secretly happy that Kim had not freaked out so far and laughed at Kim's comment to try and keep her distracted. Lisa pulled out her cellphone and pushed a button so that it lit up and tried to find the emergency call button on the elevator's panel. She found it and pushed it but nothing seemed to happen, then she tried opening the call box but it wouldn't budge.
"Why don't you try, I think I'm too tired, my strength was all zapped hours ago," Lisa said to Kim.
Kim tugged at the handle as Lisa held up the lit phone for her and could not get the door open either.
"I'll just call down to the front desk and tell them we're here," said Lisa as she looked at her phone.
Kim said nothing and waited, but when Lisa finished punching in the number and listened for a dialtone, she got nothing and muttered, "Damn phone. No reception in here."
Kim said calmly, "I'll try mine," and took out her phone only to realize her battery had run out.
"Here, take my battery," said Lisa.
Kim said, "No, remember, this is that new phone I got, the battery isn't compatible with yours."
"Oh," said Lisa, trying to not sound alarmed. She was steadily growing anxious, not so much that she was trapped in an elevator but because she was afraid Kim might have one of her episodes again.
Both women jumped at the sound of a digitized voice saying, "Elevator ID number 6 has experienced mechanical difficulties but will resume shortly. Thank you for your patience."
"I hate talking elevators," mumbled Kim. "Make sure you hurry up you s--t head!"
Lisa laughed, still slightly amazed that Kim had managed to keep calm.
"Aren't you proud of me Lisa? I haven't freaked out yet. See, I told you that if you gave me another chance I wouldn't let you down."
Lisa didn't have an answer immediately so she just decided to keep quiet. Unknown to Lisa however, Kim was starting to have vague flashbacks again, but she closed her eyes tightly and silently chanted for the demons to go away.

"Minmei, what are you doing here?" asked Rick, still surprised.
"I'm staying here," answered Minmei. "What about you Rick, what are you doing here?"
"I'm...uh...visting someone," said Rick carefully.
Minmei just shook her head, suspecting who Rick was visiting but not wanting to mention the name.
Rick realized Minmei's downcast look and suddenly felt very guilty about yelling at her the other night. "Minmei...I just want to apologize about the things I said the other night..."
"You don't have to apologize Rick. I was completely to blame, I shouldn't have said the things I did, and I want you to know I didn't mean them. I'm so ashamed I said those things about Lisa. Please forgive me Rick."

Inside the elevator the lights came back on but the elevator remained motionless, then the buttons on the panel lit up. One button remained lit after the others had blinked off and it wasn't the button to Kim and Lisa's floor so Lisa hit the correct button and a few seconds later the elevator jolted then started moving again.
Lisa heard Kim's sigh of relief but pretended not to notice it.

"I forgive you Minmei, just as long as you can forgive me too," said Rick with a smile.
"Silly Rick, of course I forgive you," said Minmei in a teasing voice.
Minmei hugged Rick and stood on her tiptoes and to give him a kiss on the cheek. As she was planting her kiss the elevator door slid open.
In her tiredness, it took Lisa awhile to process what she was seeing. Minmei looked at her and having picked up on Minmei's distraction, Rick turned his head and saw Lisa and Kim standing in the elevator. Lisa wore an unreadable look but Kim glared at him coldly. Minmei separated from him and then Kim punched one of the buttons and the elevator door slid closed before Rick could open his mouth.
Rick slapped at the elevator button rapidly but from the inside, Kim countered with hitting the "door close" button repeatedly and won the joust. The elevator continued to it's chosen floor and when it opened Kim grabbed Lisa's wrist and pulled her down the hallway.
As Kim opened the door to their rooms she heard a commotion down the hallway and saw Rick burst through one of the doors, running towards them. She let out a short growl then pushed Lisa into the room and then quickly went into the room herself, slamming the door behind her then locking it quickly.
A few seconds later she heard Rick pounding at the door, then she ran over to it and yelled, "Go away you two-timing bastard!"
She waited for Rick to continue to pound on the door and beg her to let him in but instead she heard a key turn in the lock and then the door opened as Rick hurried inside.
Kim looked at him angrily, "How the hell did you-"
"I made a copy of your key," returned Rick, hardly paying attention to her as his eyes looked for Lisa.

Lisa had wandered into her room in a daze. She had seen Rick in Minmei's arms and Minmei had kissed Rick on the cheek. She had seen this happen many times before so why was this time any different. The difference was that Rick was suppose to be out of Minmei's arms for good, but there he was again, embracing her. Was this all just a dream? Was she really that tired that she was starting to hallucinate? Or had all the events of the past several days finally gotten to her that she had gone a bit mad like Kim? She had heard voices out in the living room but hadn't paid enough attention to hear what they were saying. She was so completely exhausted that she couldn't even focus on what she had just witnessed and started peeling off her uniform, wanting to do absoultely nothing except lie down and go to sleep.

Kim was just too tired to argue with Rick so she gave him an angry and disgusted look and went into her bathroom and started running the water for a hot bath.
Rick didn't see Lisa in sight anywhere so he went to her bedroom. When he got there he found Lisa, in her slip, lying face down on the bed. Rick was seized with panic and ran over to her and turned her over, "Lisa! Lisa are you alright?!"
Lisa's eyes fluttered open as Rick looked her up and down, making sure there were no wounds of any type on her.
"I'm fine Rick, I was just starting to doze off, what are you in such a panic about?"
Rick was embarrassed by his vain overreaction that she might have injured herself in some way because of what she had seen between he and Minmei so he dodged the question and instead said quickly, "Lisa, let me explain about what you saw between me and Minmei. Lisa NOTHING happened. I didn't even know she was staying here, I ran into her when I went looking for ice. She was apologizing to me for what happened the other night."
"Let's not get into this now Rick, I'm exhausted, we'll talk about it tommorrow," said Lisa as she rolled over, facing away from him.
Rick looked at her and suddenly became aware that she was in her slip. He let his eyes wander over her figure, from head to toe, and he finally settled his gaze on the graceful and shapely curve of her hip.
Lisa, though totally exhausted, was aware that Rick had not replied to her comment, nor had he left the room. She knew that he was still there, sitting on the edge of her bed.
Rick summoned up all the willpower he could but could not stop himself from slowly reaching out his hand and gently placing it on Lisa's hip. He felt her react immediately but didn't move his hand away.
Lisa was now fully awake and could sense her heart starting to beat faster as Rick kept his hand on her hip. She held her breath as she waited to see what he would do next.
Rick leaned close to her and said in her ear, "I love you Lisa! I don't love Minmei anymore, I love YOU. I am not going to get back together with her ever. What you saw was just a friendly exchange, nothing more. Please tell me you believe me."
"I believe you Rick," said Lisa in a strong, clear voice.
The nearness of Lisa and the worked up emotions that were running through Rick right now were too much for him to try and overcome. He kissed her behind the ear then slowly made his way down her neck to her shoulder.
Lisa felt as if she were in heaven and reached her hand up to run it through Rick's hair as his lips slowly continued to travel up and down her neck and shoulder, his hand still on her hip.
Kim's water had finished filling up and she could see the steam filling the room. She turned off the faucets, expecting to hear the voices of Rick and Lisa arguing. She heard silence and was surprised and worried at the same time. She walked back out to her room and still heard only silence so she decided to peek into Lisa's room.
Kim poked her head around the corner just in time to hear Lisa let out a sigh, then her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she saw Rick and Lisa on the bed. She knew she shouldn't be intruding like this so she hurried back to her bathroom.
Lisa smiled, greatly pleased at Rick's showing of affection. When Rick's hand slid to her stomach she sighed his name. The sound of her pleasant voice and the way she said his name made his heart rate increase and he knew that they both were starting to lose control. Rick knew that it wasn't fair to tease Lisa like this, so he stopped his kisses and instead caressed her cheek, saying softly, his voice still tinged with amorous emotion, "I have to go."
Lisa nodded her head and remained with her back turned to him because she didn't want him to see the hurt on her face or hear the disappointment in her voice.
Rick pulled the covers over her and kissed her on the cheek then said he'd say goodnight to Kim before he left.
As he left the room Lisa sighed in dispair. This seesaw, manic-depressive type of relationship they were having was maddening at times, but at least Rick was hers now, and if she could just have more moments with him like the one that they just shared then she could endure the rough waters, but how she longed for smooth seas, even if just for a little while.
Kim heard a knock on her bathroom door and thought it was Lisa, so she said, "Come in." No one came in but she soon heard Rick's voice on the other side of the door, "Hi Kim, it's me Rick. I think you're mad at me, but you have to let me explain."
Kim remembered the scene she saw before getting into the tub and knew that Lisa must have forgiven Rick so Kim called out, "You don't have to explain Rick, if you say nothing happened then I believe you."
Rick looked at the floor, he felt guilty for being so adamant that she go to the hospital the night before. "Kim...about last night, I'm sorry, I was just thinking about your safety."
Kim was silent for a moment, realizing the fact that Rick did truly care about her. "It's ok little brother," she said. "You were just watching out for me, I understand that. Thank you."
Rick smiled, feeling relieved, then wished Kim a goodnight and left the room.

* * * * * * *

Miriya entered the office with two cups of coffee. "Here is your Cappachin," she said as she set down the cup in front of Rick. Rick smiled, he was used to Miriya's mispronounciation of words. He never would forget the time she called a Veritech a "Verisketch."
They heard a knock at the door then saw Max enter the office, "Hey everyone, how's it going?" he said in his usual cheerful manner.
"Hey Max, things are pretty good, what brings you by this way?" asked Rick.
"Hialeah's people sent us home, they said they would patrol for us today," answered Max.
"Very well, then you can help us with all this paperwork," said Miriya plainly.
Max looked at Rick and gave a lop-sided smile as he shrugged and sat down. Leave it to Max to never complain about anything. He was one of the greatest pilots who ever lived, yet you wouldn't be able to tell that by talking to him. Max was quiet humility, something that was both a plus and a minus depending on the situation.
"Hey Max, since we don't have to stay overtime today, do you wanna go and grab a beer later?" asked Rick.
"Sure, that sounds fine boss," answered Max cheerfully.
"Maximillian," said Miriya in a somewhat abrupt tone, "what time will you be home?"
"It won't be too long, just a quick beer to relax, not more than an extra half hour off of your regular schedule," said Rick quickly.
Max and Rick looked at Miriya, wondering what her answer would be. She simply gave a nod then went back to her paperwork. Rick looked at Max and Max gave him a nervous grin in return.
The threesome worked on reports for half an hour and were about to get ready for lunch when Miriya huffed loudly and slammed down a report she was working on.
"Someone should speak to that Maistroff," said Miriya angrily.
"What about Mir?" asked Max calmly.
Miriya wore a frustrated look as she said, "About promotion of the Zentraedi soldiers within the RDF ranks. There are good soldiers working just as hard as micronian soldiers yet Maistroff passes them all up for promotion. Like this one here for example, look at the heroic rescues this person has made. But look at this line, it says that the Corporal was recommended for promotion, but Maistroff rejected the recommendation. And this isn't the first one I've seen. I've been working on personel files all morning and there were several other cases just like this one."
Rick and Max looked at each other then Max said, "I don't know Mir, but you know how Maistroff is, he even overlooks Micronians, so I wouldn't take it personally."
Miriya flashed an angry look and Rick and Max were ready for a furious flurry of words from her but instead she turned back to her reports in silence.
Max covered her hand with his and said quietly, "Miriya, I know it's difficult sometimes, but everyone's doing what they can."
Miriya looked at him sadly, "Maximillian, sometimes I think you're too optimistic. There's growing unrest among the Zentraedi because they haven't been treated fairly. I don't think the situation will get any better, especially in the South American Quadrant."
Max put an arm around Miriya's shoulder and continued in his optimistic tone, "Miriya look. We just need to take one day at a time. Now that we're on pretty good terms with Hialeah, maybe we can work with her to solve these problems."
"Yea, and Lisa made a good impression on Hialeah, so I'm sure we can get Lisa and her working together, and now that Lisa is an Admiral, maybe things will get better because Lisa can overrule Maistroff now," pitched in Rick.
"Rick, I doubt that. If she's in charge of construction of the SDF-3 then most likely she will be up at the Factory Satellite most of the time and we'll hardly ever get to see her," said Miriya, unaware of the affect her words would have on Rick.
Rick let her words sink in then looked down at the floor, "Well, if you put it that way, I guess you're right, most likely we'll never get to see her until the SDF-3 is complete."
"Which could be many years from now," added Miriya.
Max noticed Rick's change in mood and decided to do damage control, "Miriya, I think that's enough for now. Let's get back to work."
Rick headed towards the door and said, "I'm going to take a walk, I'll be back in awhile."
Miriya frowned as Rick closed the door behind him, "Did I say something wrong?" she asked.
Max sighed and said, "Well, as a matter of fact, you did. Mir, make sure you don't bring up the subject of Lisa being gone. Rick and Lisa are still working out their relationship so it's important that they spend as much time together as possible. If you remind Rick that they won't be together for extended periods of time then Rick will start to mope."
"You mean like he always did over Minmei?" asked Miriya innocently.
Max chuckled, "Well, something like that, but not in the same way I don't think."
"Rick seems to always have problems with women," Miriya stated flatly.
Max laughed, "Yes unfortunately the poor guy isn't as lucky as I am."
Miriya smiled knowingly then returned to her reports.

* * * * * * *

Lisa was browsing over the preliminary proposal reports for the SDF-3 when Kim came into the office and stood quietly in front of Lisa's desk. Lisa looked at her, unable to understand why Kim was being so quiet. Lisa looked at Kim, waiting for her to speak.
"Lisa, I wonder if you don't mind me taking an extended lunch today," said Kim cautiously.
"Sure, that's fine. Will you be back by 2pm?"
"I believe so," said Kim, still quieter than usual.
Lisa nodded her head and again waited for Kim to speak.
"I...uh...I have an appointment with my psychiatrist today. I think everyone is right about me needing to get some help, and I don't think I can really be much help to anyone unless I help myself first," said Kim, seemingly embarrassed.
Lisa stood up and gave Kim an understanding look, "You take as much time as you need and don't ever hesitate to ask any of us for help."
Kim nodded, trying not to let her eyes mist up. She was embarrassed, yet at the same time optimistic and touched. Her friends had always been there for her but now, at one of her lowest points, they stood by her even more steadfast than before. She was slightly surprised at the support she received from Lisa. Had this happened prior to Lisa getting together with Rick, Kim suspected that Lisa would have been more aloof and left the counselling to Sammie, Vanessa, and Claudia. Kim looked at Lisa and realized that the weight of her unrequited love for Rick was what had weighed Lisa down so heavily, battering and burying the person that Lisa could be. Now, with that weight removed, Lisa's hidden caring personality shone forth and Kim saw Lisa starting to take on some of Rick's qualities, the ones that made him respected by those who served under him.
Kim also realized the new confidence she had in herself. She had always been overlooked for promotion and commendations because she wasn't an expert at one particular thing like Sammie and Vanessa were, and she didn't have the drive to be extraordinary either. She just did her work adequately, making sure not to get into any trouble. She had no ambition and no goals for her military career. Now, as Lisa's aide, she took a certain pride in her job. She liked what she was doing, scheduling meetings, making phonecalls, sitting in on high-level meetings and taking notes, travelling and meeting new people. She didn't have to stare at her monitors all day and that made her happy. Added to the fact that Lisa gave her plenty of leeway and asked for her input, Kim was thankful for the loosened reins, however she kept reminding herself to make sure not to take advantage of it.
Kim thanked Lisa and headed out the door as Rick was heading in. Kim saw the look on his face and knew that he was in a muddled-state of mind, as he had often been throughout the years she had known him. She wanted to sigh and roll her eyes and scold Rick but instead she patted Rick on the shoulder roughly, "Hey Rick, I'm heading off to an extended lunchbreak, so that means Lisa will be alone here all by herself for a couple hours, why don't you keep her company." Kim winked at him then left the room.
Rick looked at the door, making sure that Kim hadn't left it open. Lisa still stood behind her desk, waiting to see what Rick would do and or say. Rick looked at her intently, Miriya's words about Lisa being gone most of time still echoing in his mind. Rick walked over to Lisa and couldn't think of anything to say so he backed her up against the window and kissed her. After several seconds Lisa remembered that they were standing in front of a window and she broke the kiss and told him, "Rick, someone will see us."
"I don't care if everyone sees us," said Rick, trying to continue the kiss.
"But Rick-" started Lisa.
Rick cut her off, "No buts."
Lisa stopped him again, "Ok, then let me at least close the shade. If Maistroff sees us he'll try and throw us both in the brig."
Rick made a sour face, "That a--hole! You know, I think his sole purpose in life is to piss everyone off."
Lisa gave him confused look and he recounted Miriya's gripe from earlier.
"Maistroff overlooks anybody and everybody. She shouldn't take it personally," said Lisa.
"Yea, that's what Max told her, but Maistroff notwithstanding, I can tell she's pretty pissed off over how things are starting to turn out," explained Rick.
Lisa sighed fretfully and said in reply, "I'll try and see what I can do about Maistroff. You know, it would be a whole lot better for everyone if he would just transfer somewhere else."
Rick laughed, "Not Maistroff, he wants complete control of the RDF in this sector."
Lisa groaned and walked off a few paces, Rick followed after her and said, "Hey wait a minute, we weren't finished."
After a slow, lazy kiss, Lisa brushed an unruly patch of hair over Rick's ear and said quietly, "Kim's gone to see the psychiatrist."
Rick shook his head, "I'm glad she decided to go."
"Yes, and I'm glad she decided to do it on her own," added Lisa.
Rick's eyes followed Lisa as she walked back to her desk and sat down heavily, looked at the photos on her desk, then sighed and put her head down. Rick went over to her and knelt down beside her chair and put a comforting hand on her arm.
"Lisa, again, about last night..."
Lisa turned her head slightly so that she could face him and said, "It's alright Rick, there's nothing you need to apologize about. I'm just so overwhelmed by everything right now. Tonight I've got a huge report to read before my videoconference tommorrow with Breetai, Dr. Lang, and Dr. Zand. They already want to start plans on the SDF-3...I just wish they'd wait until we've had a chance to..." She looked at the picture of Gloval and couldn't stop a sob from escaping. Rick stood up and put a comforting hand on her back, then he decided to pull her up from her chair and into his embrace.
Lisa held onto Rick tightly, feeling safe and comforted in his arms. Rick didn't say a word and just hugged her back and ran a soothing hand up and down her back as she buried her face against his neck.
After a few moments, Lisa sniffled and cleared her throat, trying to recover from her crying spell. Remembering that she had a lot of work to do, she looked at Rick and said, "There's a meeting at 2:30 this afternoon, it's a status briefing. Claudia will be videoconferenced in but I think it's important that you be there also, since you've been filling in for her."
Rick didn't like meetings very much, especially when there was a lot of top brass involved, but he knew she was right that he needed to be there so he tried to sound cheerful as he said, "Alrighty then, I shall reward them with my presence."
The comment made Lisa laugh and she lightly socked Rick in the stomach as she shook her head at his put-on arrogance.
Rick smiled then took Lisa's hand and ordered, "Come on, let's go to lunch."

The cafeteria was packed and Rick and Lisa managed to grab the last empty table. As they were finishing their lunch Rick looked around him then looked at Lisa and grinned.
"What's so amusing Captain Hunter," Lisa asked with a slight tease in her voice.
Rick laughed before saying, "I just think it's kinda funny."
"What's funny?" asked Lisa, trying to figure out what he was talking about.
"Well look around you. Look at the uniforms, do you see anyone ranked higher than Captain or Major around here?" pointed out Rick.
Lisa scanned the crowd and realized that there were no generals or other admirals around. "So." she said with a shrug.
Rick reached across the table and took her hand, smiling as he said, "Don't you feel out of place? Shouldn't you be at the Officer's lounge or something?"
Lisa rolled her eyes and gave him a challenging smile, "Oh don't tell me you're going to nag me about that too. Kim was telling me that Admirals didn't eat at taco stands. Now you're telling me that Admirals don't eat in the cafeteria either?"
Rick gave her a satisfied smile, "No, actually I am not going to tell you that. What I am going to tell you is that I'm proud of you and I think you'll gain the respect of many people by not acting like a stuffed shirt, so keep this up and you'll soon see what I mean."

* * * * * * *

Kim sat in the waiting room nervously. She looked around her and saw at least half a dozen other people waiting for their turn to be called into the doctor's office. None of the other patients were by themselves; they all had at least one person there with them, sometimes two people.
Kim felt out of place. Not only was she alone but she was also the highest ranking person there. She only wondered what they were all thinking about her, but hardly anyone paid attention to her, thank goodness, they were all wrapped up with trying to comfort or keep calm the person that they had come with.
Kim saw one patient in particular, talking incessantly, and she was glad that she wasn't that bad, yet.
When her name was finally called she walked to the door quickly and followed the physician's aide into a small room. The room was more of a medical room than a psychiatrist's room. There was no desk or comfortable patient's chair, instead it was more like one of those stark, cold, examination rooms, complete with examination table.
After another 10 minutes the doctor finally arrived and looked through Kim's chart then asked her what problems she had been having. Kim relayed all the episodes she'd had and waited to hear the psychiatrist's verdict.
The psychiatrist, a female in her 50's, frowned and said, "I cannot understand why Admiral Hayes has subjected you to all of these little adventures. Clearly you are not ready to handle any added mental stress right now."
Kim didn't like the doctor's tone and spoke up, "Now wait a minute. She didn't make me go on any of these 'little adventures.' I decided to undertake all these assignments on my own accord because I felt I could handle them."
The doctor smirked at Kim and said condescendingly, "Of course you would feel that you could handle them Commander Young. No one likes to be told they are mentally unstable and they'll try everything to prove otherwise. But the fact remains is that you shouldn't have ever been released from the hospital so quickly, let alone handle any new assigments. Both your attending physician and psychiatrist, as well as Admiral Hayes, should have known better."
"So then what do YOU think is best for me," said Kim demandingly.
"I think it would be best if you returned to the hospital until we can determine that it is wise to let you return to normal duty," said the woman nonchalantly.
"And when is it 'wise' to let me return to duty?" asked Kim, feeling her anger build.
"I do not know," returned the woman flatly.
Kim had had enough, "No no no, don't give me that crap. Compared to those people out there
in the waiting room, I'm the sanest one here!"
"But you don't want to end up like them do you? If you encounter any more misadventures then
maybe you will and we are only looking out for your well-being and trying to prevent any further damage," explained the psychiatrist.
"Oh yea sure, that's such bull--t! Well let me tell you something, you can't force me to go back to the hospital, and you know what? I'm not going! I think I can handle things, especially with the help of my friends, and I don't need someone telling me that I need to be locked away when I know I can handle things as long as I have my friends to help me." Kim finished her rant and stared at the doctor.
"Very well, but I shall have to note your little speech in your file, incase you end up being wrong. I wish you well Commander." The doctor got up and opened the door and Kim huffed then quickly exited the office.

Kim made it back to the office just in time to help Lisa finish organizing her notes and when they were finished, she, Lisa, and Rick made their way to the conference room. When they were seated Kim looked around the table and groaned when she realized that Maistroff was sitting directly across from her, but thank goodness the distance between them was a good 10 feet. She looked around the rest of the table and saw General Reinhardt, Major Carruthers, General Stuart, General O'Brien, Sammie, Antell, Vanessa and Vince.
It seemed that the meeting was about to start but an aide hurried over to Maistroff and Reinhardt and told them something that caused them to follow the aide out of the room. Lisa watched them and pondered whether to follow them or not. She finally decided not to follow them, rationalizing that if they needed her assistance, they would send for her.
When Reinhardt and Maistroff finally returned to the conference room the meeting got underway.
They went over intelligence reports, staffing schedules, materials utilization, relocation progress, planning of the new base, and the issue of Zentraedi malcontents. Everyone started to gather up their things when Maistroff announced gruffly, "Before everyone takes off, there is one last issue to address."
Everyone quieted down and Maistroff continued, "We all know there's been problems with Malcontents in New Portland. Captain Hunter I think you were just there not too long ago, dealing with this very issue. The staff at New Portland says they are still having difficulties and since their Air Tactical Logistics Chief Officer has had a bad case of the flu since last week, they are in need of a temporary replacement. Therefore, General Reinhardt and I have decided to send Captain Hunter over there temporarily."
Rick's mouth dropped open then he started his protest, "With all due respect Generals, I'm just a pilot. Wouldn't it make more sense to send Lis...I mean, Admiral Hayes?"
Lisa didn't look at Rick, but the others at the table stared at him. Rick noticed that everyone was looking at him strangely and he took a moment to think about what he had just said. Not only was he trying to get out of an assignment, but he had suggested that it be passed off to Lisa.
Reinhardt looked at Lisa and saw the unreadable look on her face so he decided to try and help Rick out a bit by saying, "Yes, Captain Hunter, under normal circumstances, Admiral Hayes is the logical choice for the job, however this week especially, she is needed for some important work pertaining to the construction of the SDF-3. Now I'm sorry Captain Hunter, perhaps this isn't your ideal assignment, but your leadership skills and experience will help New Portland a great deal."
Maistroff got up and added, "You will leave tommorrow, Captain Hunter. This meeting is adjourned."
Rick turned to Lisa and said a bit too loudly, "You've got to do something about this. I'm a pilot, this isn't my type of job."
Lisa was expecting this type of reaction from Rick and said wearily, "How about if I send Sammie with you?"
Rick shook his head, "Why don't you just send Sammie? I'll go, but as a pilot, not as a coordinator. You can send Sammie, she's had experience in this way more than I have!"
Lisa looked at him, trying to keep her patience, "Rick, as Maistroff said, you have been to New Portland and already have some understanding of the situation there, as well as knowledge of their personel."
Rick glared at her, "Since when did you start siding with Maistroff?"
It was a cheap shot, and just two weeks before, Lisa would've blown up at him, but now she tried to keep her calm and not let things get out of hand. They had had so many ups and downs this past week that she wasn't about to let things slide downward so quickly, especially now, since they were suppose to be a couple.
Lisa tried to give Rick a hurt look and then said, "Rick, it's just for a week or two. Sammie will go with you and help you out."
"Who's going to take over Sammie's place while she's gone?" challenged Rick.
"Vanessa, Kim, and I can rotate," answered Lisa.
"Then why can't you send Vanessa or Kim instead of me?" continued Rick.
Lisa sighed, "Rick please. Maistroff and Reinhardt have already made up their minds."
"Then make them change their minds," Rick retorted.
Lisa didn't reply, instead she called out to Sammie and a few seconds later Sammie was standing with them, looking rather uncomfortable.
"Sammie, you will be accompanying Rick to New Portland," said Lisa tiredly.
Sammie's eyes grew wide, it had been a long time since she had gone anywhere and she was actually rather excited about the trip. Then she had another thought and turned to Lisa and asked, "What about Antell?"
Lisa knew how Sammie felt about Antell and in spite of her trouble with Rick, she tried to surpress a grin as she said, "I think you will be ok without an aide for awhile. Antell should remain here to assist whoever is filling in for you, don't you think?"
Sammie nodded as Antell remained quiet. After Sammie gave a few instructions to Antell, Lisa
dismissed Antell and told Kim they were ready to leave.
"You're not going to do anything about this are you?!" said Rick angrily.
Lisa put her hand over her forehead then let it drop tiredly, "Rick, please don't make this more difficult than it already is. It's only for a week or two, you'll have Sammie with you, it won't be as bad as you think." Lisa motioned to Kim and they started walking towards the door.
Rick, still too worked up and not about to let Lisa have the last word, said a little bit louder than he needed to, "Do you remember what you said to Minmei? 'He's a pilot, that's his life.'"
Sammie and Rick watched as Lisa froze and her back stiffened. Kim turned around warily to look back at Rick, then she looked at Lisa, waiting for her to reply. Lisa closed her eyes, resisting the urge to scream. She was glad she had prepared herself for this exact type of confrontation with Rick. She sighed and walked out the door.
Once in the hallway Lisa turned to Kim and told her calmly, "You can go home now Kim, I'll be there a little bit later."
Kim looked at Lisa worriedly, "Are you sure about this Lisa?"
"I'll be alright Kim, go ahead and go home, you've had a long day," replied Lisa.
"So have you," countered Kim.
"I'll be fine, you go on and go home," said Lisa, unwielding.
Kim resigned and said, "Ok, but make sure if you need anything, call me. That's an order Admiral."
"Yes ma'am," said Lisa as she walked off in the opposite direction.
Rick stalked down the hallway, Sammie following behind him quietly. "Dammit, how could she do this?" said Rick, still angry.
Sammie had a half dozen things she could say, but both Kim and Vanessa and even Claudia, had sent her a message telling her not to get involved, so she continued to follow Rick quietly. They arrived at Sammie's office and Rick sat down in a chair with a loud huff then quickly stood up again and said, "Sammie, I told Max I was going to grab a beer with him. I'll be back in no more than an hour, since we promised Miriya it wouldn't take more than half an hour. I could really use a cold one right now, believe me."
"Ok Rick, I'll still be here, probably until about 10pm, finishing up some instructions for whoever will be filling in for me," said Sammie calmly.
Rick nodded then headed off to find Max.

"Did you hear that they re-opened The Setup?" asked Max.
"They did, that was fast," said Rick distractedly.
"Yea well, The Setup is pretty popular I guess," replied Max.
Rick pondered over the mention of The Setup. It was where Lisa had spent her Christmas Eve when she could've been spending it with Rick. Rick was still angry at her for not getting him out of the New Portland assignment but he wasn't angry enough to not start to feel guilty at the mention of The Setup.
The bar was packed and the two men managed to grab a booth that had just become vacant. They ordered their drinks as Rick griped to Max about his assignment to New Portland.
Max looked at Rick for a moment then cautiously said, "I don't think you can really blame Lisa for all this. Everyone's stretched very thin right now. And since Maistroff and Reinhardt already made their decision, I don't think there was that much she could do to change their minds."
Rick asked Max, "So what if you were in my position, wouldn't you want to get out of the assignment too?"
Max smiled, expecting that question from Rick, and said, "Well, I wouldn't have requested the assignment, but if they gave it to me I would just try and do my best. It's only for a week or two anyways, so I wouldn't be in a panic or anything like that."
Rick still wasn't convinced and continued, "But you know, she told Minmei that I was a pilot and that that was my life, a pilot. And then she turns around and lets them take me out of my plane and stick me in some command tower."
Max finished his brew and asked, "I hope you didn't bring up Minmei in your debate."
Rick shifted nervously, "Well, yea, I sorta did."
Max raised an eyebrow, "You mean you threw Lisa's words back in her face?"
Rick absently thwapped his beer glass with his finger as he said, "Yea, I...I did."
"And you brought up Minmei at the same time," added Max.
Rick looked up at Max, "I shouldn't have done that huh?"
Max chuckled, knowing that it was probably a bit insensitive to laugh, but he hoped that it would make Rick stop and think. "Well Rick, I'm sure Lisa's very used to it by now."
Rick sighed and Max knew that his well-timed comment had worked. Max called for the check and paid it then got up and told Rick, "Well, I better be going, the wife's expecting me back, and an angry Zentraedi woman is something you don't want to go up against if you can avoid it."
Rick managed to crack a smile and followed Max out of the bar. The patron that was sitting at the booth behind them also called for their check, then stood up, puffing cigarette smoke into the air and went outside.
T.R. Edwards stood near the doorway of The Setup for a while, watching Rick and Max walking away across the street. He took another swig of his cigarette then tossed it on the ground, not bothering to put it out. "You're such a selfish coward Hunter," sneered Edwards as he turned and walked away in the other direction.

* * * * * * *

"Hello, Captain Grant speaking."
"Captain Grant, sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if you might want to stop by the pediatric ward for a few minutes, someone has a gift for you," said the nurse on the other end of the phone.
"Sure, no problem, I'll come over right now," said Claudia cheerfully. She could guess who that 'someone' was but she had no idea what kind of gift it could be.
As Claudia walked down the main hall of the pediatric ward, a couple of the children remembered her from the storytelling time and they asked her if she came to read them a story.
She felt bad about telling them 'no' but she said she would visit them in their rooms and read to them for a little while before she went back to her own room.
As suspected, the 'someone' who wanted to see her was James. She quietly entered his room and found him sitting on the edge of his bed. The nurse left them alone and after the nurse closed the door behind her, James pulled something out from under his pillow and handed it to Claudia.
Claudia held up a large piece of construction paper and looked at the drawing. For being as young as he was, the artistry level was very high, and no doubt this little boy had a natural gift for drawing.
The picture showed a field of flowers, the SDF1 off in the distance, and in the foreground, Claudia standing near a tree and James standing near a smaller tree.
Claudia looked at James and smiled, "James, this is a lovely picture. You're quite the little artist aren't you?"
James pointed at her and for a moment there she didn't understand what he was trying to tell her. She thought maybe he wanted his picture back so she held it out to him but he pointed at her again.
"Do you want me to keep this picture James?" asked Claudia warmly.
He pointed at her again and Claudia asked him, "Mine?" Then James shook his head yes and
Claudia smiled.
"Thank you very much, this is such a pretty picture, I will have to have it framed," said Claudia cheerfully.
The nurse re-entered the room and told James that it was bedtime and got him to climb up into his bed but when she tried to tuck him in he threw off the covers. She tried again and he did the same thing.
Claudia looked at the nurse and asked her, "Would you like me to try?"
The nurse suspected that the suggestion would work so she stepped aside to let Claudia try and tuck James in. claudia pulled the blanket up to James' chin and stepped back and waited to see if the little boy would throw off the covers again, but he didn't.
The nurse grinned at Claudia, "You've got the magic touch, have you ever considered becoming a nurse?"
Claudia laughed but didn't comment. "James, I'm going back to my room now. Thank you for the drawing, you're a very good artist. I'm going to show it to all my friends and when I get a frame to hang it on the wall you can come visit me and see how nice it looks on the wall."
James didn't say a word, he remained tucked under the covers, only his little head and face visible.
The nurse headed out the door then Claudia followed her and said, "Bye bye James", then waved
to him. The child waved back instantly. Claudia was a bit surprised and thought to mention it to the nurse but decided not to and looked at James one more time before leaving the room.
Once she was back at her room, Claudia realized she was faced with a dilema and reminded herself to mention it the next time her brother visited her.

* * * * * * *

Kim still fumed as she ate her dinner, "You should've heard that b---h! The way she talked was just so pompous. I thought psychiatrists were suppose to listen to their patients, not lecture them!"
Sammie: "How come you went to see her?"
Kim: "Well, I don't know why I couldn't see the docs I had when I was in the hospital, but the nurses station gave me this witch's number and said that she was who I was suppose to see for any follow-ups."
Vanessa: "Don't go back to see her Kim. I don't like the sounds of her."
Kim: "Oh you bet I won't go back to see her!"
Sammie: "Damn, she sounds like Antell. Maybe they're related."
Kim: "Great, that's all we need, TWO Antells running around."
Vanessa: "What a scary thought!"
Kim: "No kidding."
Sammie threw her arms up in to the air and exclaimed, "Yeah!!! I'm going to be away from her for at least a week!!"
Vanessa and Kim looked at each other and smiled. They knew what a monkey-off-her-back this would be for Sammie and were genuinely happy for her.
Sammie got up and did a little dance and stuck her tongue out at the wall that housed Antell next door, then she sat down with a plop and started to sulk.
Sammie: "I just remembered Rick and Lisa's fight, and now I don't feel very much like celebrating."
Vanessa: "Kim, how was Lisa when you guys left the office?"
Kim: "I couldn't really tell. She told me to go home but didn't say where she was going."
Vanessa: "You shouldn't have left her alone."
Kim: "Don't you think I tried talking her out of it? She made me go home, and I told her to call me if she needed anything, not that she would listen though."
Vanessa: "Sammie, what about Rick?"
Sammie: "Well, he was still pretty mad right after the meeting, but when he came back after talking to Max, he seemed to have calmed down a bit."
Kim: "Up and down up and down, their relationship is so rocky, I would've gotten seasick and given up by now!"
Vanessa: "Kim, don't say such a thing! They just need some time to work things through and get used to each other. You'll see, once they have been together for a bit longer then you won't be able to pry them away from each other without having to use a crowbar!"
Kim: "Yeaa...I think you're right, and if last night was any indication of things, then..."
Sammie: "What?! What?! What happened?!"
Vanessa: "Now you've got me a bit curious too Kim, so what did you see last night, hmm?"
Kim: "Welllll...let's just say Rick and Lisa were getting pretty cozy on the bed..."
Sammie: "No way!!"
Kim: "Mmmmhmmm, saw it with my own eyes! But they didn't get THAT cozy though, because
Rick left soon after that."
Sammie: "Oh! I hope me and Rick get back in time for Valentine's Day!"
Vanessa: "That's right huh? Shoot. Well, what did Maistroff and Reinhardt say? Two weeks tops? You should be back in time.
Sammie: "I hope so."
Kim looked around the table with a wicked gleam in her eye and then leaned forward in a bit of a huddle and said in almost a whisper, "Sammie! Wanna make a bet?"
Sammie's eyes widened as she had somewhat guessed what Kim was going to say, "What kind of
bet?! You mean about Rick and Lisa?!"
Vanessa stared at both of them, "Oh no, I don't like where this is going..."
Kim shook her head and said with a sinister grin, "One hundred dollars says they'll do it before Valentine's Day!"
Vanessa pushed away from the table a bit and exclaimed, "You guys are terrible!!"
Sammie snickered and challenged Kim, "Two hundred dollars says they won't! I think it will be awhile before they do."
"You guys!!!" scolded Vanessa.
"Oh shut up Vanessa! You know you like watching their soap opera just as much as we do!"
countered Kim.
They all stared at each other then Vanessa huffed and then slammed her hand down on the table, paused for several seconds then said, "One hundred dollars says they'll do it ON Valentine's Day!"
Kim and Sammie cheered and Vanessa shook her head saying, "How on earth did I ever become
as bad as you two?"
Kim waved her hand in the air dismissively, "Oh just admit it, you can't live without us. If you never met us your life would be as dull as Antell's."
"Yea Vanessa," agreed Sammie.
"I know I know," said Vanessa as she rolled her eyes and smiled.

* * * * * * *

After meeting with Sammie for a couple of hours, then doing a few laps in the pool as well as some running on the treadmill, Rick went home exhausted, both physically and mentally.
He opened the door to his apartment, not bothering to turn on the lights. He threw off his uniform jacket, then his turtleneck, undershirt, and then took off his shoes and belt and walked to the couch. When he got there he was surprised to find Lisa curled up, fast asleep.
At first Rick's anger over their argument rose up again but as he watched her sleeping peacefully, he couldn't stay mad for very long. He noticed that she still had her shoes on so he decided to take them off but he stubbed his toe on the coffee table and let out a yelp which woke Lisa up instantly. She stood up quickly, her hair slightly disheaveled and said quickly, "Don't worry. I won't be staying very long. I know you're mad at me but I just wanted to see you before you left for New Portland." She kissed him lightly then turned around and quickly headed out the door before Rick had time to think or utter a reply.
When he realized that she had left, Rick took off after her. He saw her nearing the elevator and ran to catch up with her, passing a few soldiers on the way.
"Lisa wait!" Rick called out.
Lisa quickened her pace but Rick sprinted and managed to head her off before she pushed the elevator button. She swung away from him, trying to make a getaway but Rick held her in place and when he finally got a chance to look at her face he could see the tears in her eyes.
The look on her face made Rick realize she was hurting and he became fully aware of just how piercing his earlier words had been. Rick couldn't think of anything appropriate to say at the moment so he took her hand and led her back to his apartment, on the way there passing by several soldiers who had stopped to do some nosey onlooking. The soldiers might have thrown out a comment or two about the sight of a half-undressed Rick Hunter towing Admiral Lisa Hayes back to his apartment, but they caught sight of the distraught look on Lisa's face and kept respectfully quiet.
Back in the privacy of Rick's apartment, Lisa sat down on the couch and wiped her eyes. Her tears were not just tears of hurt but also tears of frustration and embarrassment. She was angry at her behavior. There she was, a four-star Admiral, almost in her 30's, crying like a high school teenager. She tried to convince herself that if she tried to control her emotions, it would just be her continuing to hide from her feelings. Besides, she reasoned, nobody ever said that being in love didn't make you cry and it didn't matter how old you were, hurt was hurt, at any age.
Rick, in silence, gave her a tissue and a glass of water then sat down next to her. He heard a sniffle escape from Lisa and it tugged at his heart. He also realized that in the past week or so, he had seen her cry more times now than in the previous three of four years put together. He actually thought it was kind of cute, although he hated knowing that he was the cause of much of her recent crying. He remembered back to what had transpired the previous night before and felt his guilt grow.
They sat in silence for a couple minutes more then Lisa decided that she couldn't stand it anymore and stood up and said that she was leaving. She was nearly at the door when Rick shook out of his stupor and ran up behind from her and blocked the door. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, then Rick said quietly, "Please don't leave."
Lisa was genuinely shocked at his request. She was ready to be bombarded by his reasons for not going to New Detroit, so she was taken quite offguard by his asking her to stay. She was exhausted but there was nothing in the world that would get her to leave right now. She looked at Rick shyly then took his hand and led him back to the couch.
"I guess...I guess we haven't managed to kick our bad habit yet," said Rick softly.
"I guess not," said Lisa, casting her eyes downward.
"I agree with Kim. I prefer the new habit we were forming," said Rick as he looked at Lisa intently.
Lisa managed a half-smile as she said, "You mean the one where we're always suctioned to each other's faces?"
Rick smiled, "Yea, that one."
There was a knock at the door and Rick could not hide his annoyance. He got up and muttered, "Who could it be?"
Lisa groaned, "We always get interupted somehow by someone...I'll come with you, just incase it's Minmei again."
Rick's shoulders slumped as he said, "Oh god I hope it's not her, don't tell me she found me here too."
Lisa linked arms with Rick and said, "Well, we can handle her, don't worry."
Rick opened the door, Lisa still attached to his arm.
"Captain Hun-, oh, excuse me sir, I'm sorry, I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."
"No Paul not at all, what can I do for you?" asked Rick cheerfully, grateful that it wasn't Minmei, but instead one of the pilots from the Raptor Squadron.
Paul watched as Lisa unlatched from Rick's arm and snapped a salute, "Admiral Hayes ma'am, so sorry to bother you two this evening."
Lisa grinned and returned the salute saying, "That's quite alright Lieutenant, what do you have there?"
Paul looked at what he was holding in his other hand and seemed as if he had forgotten what he had came for in the first place, "Oh! Captain Hunter, the guys ordered pizza and I thought you might be hungry so I ordered one for you too, and here's a beer also."
Paul handed the pizza and can to Rick and continued to look at he and Lisa with bewilderment.
"Hey Paul, thanks alot, what do I owe ya?" replied Rick.
"Nothing Captain, we're even now remember?" answered Paul with a smug smile.
"Oh, that's right, those BBQ ribs," said Rick in realization.
"Yes sir, those were the best ribs I ever tasted. This pizza doesn't compare, in taste or price, I hope you don't mind," answered Paul.
Rick waved him off, "Nah, don't worry about it, this is fine. But, do you have something to drink for Lisa?"
Lisa shook her head, "No don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
"Ahh, gee, Captain, Admiral, sorry that was the last can, I can ask around if you want?"
Lisa held her position, "No, that's fine Lieutenant, really. I'll just share Rick's can."
"Ok then, I better get back before my pizza gets cold," Paul said, then left the room.
Rick carried the pizza back to the coffeetable and set it down gently, as if it were something fragile. He opened up the lid and rubbed his hands together and smiled, "Let's eat!"
He handed a slice to Lisa then pulled off a piece for himself. They said little as they both put away three slices a piece, then Rick remembered the beer can and opened it up then took another slice of pizza. Lisa had had enough and just sat back and watched as Rick munched happily.
Lisa started to chuckle and Rick paused to look at her and ask, "What's so funny?"
"The look on Paul's face when we opened the door," returned Lisa with a giggle.
Rick smiled as he reached for the beer can, "That was priceless. You know he reminds me alot of the Trio. If he were a woman, he'd fit right in with them."
"You mean he's a gossip?" asked Lisa.
"For a man, yes, he's a very big gossip. I bet he's already blabbed this to half the floor already...oh... uh...that doesn't bother you does it?" asked Rick as he looked at Lisa apprehensively.
"Why should I be worried? He's just one man, he pales in comparison to the Trio," mused Lisa.
Rick might have laughed but he was still worried about word spreading, "Really? It doesn't bother you does it?"
"Oh Rick, it's alright, I'm used to people talking about my life story behind my back," said Lisa a bit sadly.
Rick thought for a moment, realizing that being the object of constant gossip and knowing about it must not be an easy thing to deal with. Lisa interrupted his thoughts by asking, "It doesn't...bother you does it? I mean...I am...older than you and-"
"It doesn't bother me," Rick said quickly, not letting her finish her sentence.
Lisa looked at him and he could still see the worry in her eyes. He put down the beer can and put his hands on her shoulders and said, "It doesn't bother me that you're my superior officer, it doesn't bother me that you're older than me. Please don't let it bother you. And...truth is...I kinda like the fact that you're older than me..."
Lisa gave him a puzzled look. Rick leaned back and smiled slyly as he said, "Yea, in fact, I think it's kinda sexy..."
Lisa laughed and plucked the beer can off the table and leaned back against him. She shook the beer can, finding it almost empty. She finished drinking what little beer remained and pouted, "Hey, you didn't save any for me!"
Rick took the can from her hand and tossed it on the floor and said quietly yet purposefully, "Here, let me make it up to you..." then rolled over a bit so he could kiss her.
Lisa broke the kiss by laughing and Rick gave her an amused look and asked, "What's so funny?"
"Pepperoni breath," she returned with a giggle.
"You too!" Rick returned defensively.
In the course of trying to sit up a bit, Rick meant put his hand down on the couch to lift himself up but instead his hand came to rest on Lisa's thigh and she froze instantly. Rick thought back to the night before and remembered the effect he had on her when his hand had landed on her hip. His male ego got the better of him and he was curious as to how much of an effect he could have on her so he thought to try a little experiment, making sure not to let things get out of hand nor be so mean to tease her too much.
He ran his hand slowly down her thigh, down to her knee, and stopped there. He looked at her and could tell that he did indeed wield a strong influence over her. He could hear her breathing unevenly and the look in her eyes conveyed both want and fear, two conflicting emotions at the same time.
Lisa was aware that Rick was studying her and she was a bit embarrassed. She wondered if she looked like a pitiful love-starved woman, although she realized she really was just that. She had come in contact with many men before, but none of them had ever been able to spark her desire like Rick could, not even Karl Riber. This realization frightened her yet piqued her curiosity. She wondered where she stood among the women that had been in Rick's life and decided to do a little experimenting of her own.
She cleared her throat to help her regain her composure then looked Rick square in the eyes and said in as sultry a tone as she possibly could, "I'm going to miss you this week Rick," then she placed her hand gently on his bare stomach.
Rick gasped and Lisa looked away from him so she could smile at her triumph. She waited for him to say something but he didn't so she looked at him and saw the look on his face and laughed knowingly. "What's the matter Rick?" she asked innocently.
Rick finally got his words together and said in a strained voice, "Trying to beat me at my own game?"
Lisa narrowed her eyes, "Of course. I may have softened a bit but I still can be very competitive when I want to."
Rick sat up, slowly recovering from Lisa's effects, and said, "Leaving us alone, near a couch or bed, can be dangerous..."
Lisa smirked but didn't reply.
Rick cleared his throat before saying, "I...uh...I think maybe we should talk about that sometime soon, don't you think?"
The smirk disappeared from Lisa's face, she wasn't sure what Rick's decision was about the issue and she worried that she might have scared him by being too forward.
Lisa nodded and heard the clock chime and saw that it was already pretty late. "We can talk about that right after you get back," she said, deciding that the sooner they talked about it the better. She then stood up and dusted the pizza crumbs off her uniform.
Rick walked up to her and put his arms around her waist and said softly into her ear, "I'm going to miss you too. I'm sorry I gave you a difficult time about it, but you gotta understand where I stand on the issue of promotions and duties."
Lisa looked at him and opened her mouth to speak but Rick put his fingers over her lips and said, "Shh, let's not talk about this now, we'll save it for another time."
Rick reluctantly led Lisa to the door, making sure he kissed her thoroughly since they would not be seeing each other for at least a week.
Lisa looked at him one more time before leaving and said, "Please be careful in New Portland, and keep an eye on Sammie too. She has a bad tendancy to follow guys to the gym."
Rick laughed, "Ok, I'll make sure to put a locator around her ankle so I can know where she wanders off too."
Lisa laughed, then waved and headed out the door. Rick closed the door behind her and went to sit back down on the couch but before his butt hit the cushion he dashed back to the door and threw it open. He saw Lisa nearing the elevator and two pilots a few paces behind her. He hesitated for a moment then called out, "Lisa wait!" She turned around as did the two pilots.
Rick had all three pairs of eyes looking at him, waiting for him to say what it was he had halted Lisa for. He thought the men shouldn't have made their nosiness so obvious but he shrugged and decided to go ahead and say what he had intended to say, "Lisa I love you!" he called out. She blew him a kiss and waved and then headed into the elevator.
Rick closed the door to his apartment and went to the closet and pulled out his suitcase so he could pack for the assignment ahead of him.

=================
Author's notes:

Thanks to Judith and Aikiweezie for motivational words in favor of long chapters :) I've added back some scenes, especially my favorite one of the chapter, the one with Claudia and James. :)

I tried a different format with the Trio's conversation because there is so much dialogue that I can't think of enough adjectives and antonyms for "said" "uttered" "exclaimed" etc... so I just wrote the straight dialogue and let you visualize their ways of saying them any way you want :)

Rick got mushy a bit but I think he'd do the exact same thing for Minmei (when they were an item), so it's only fair that he'd treat Lisa the same way, and then some. Plus, I'm sure all the Lisa fans had suffered endless frustration throughout the series over the many many times when Rick was really mean and disrespectful to Lisa. Now's Rick's chance to redeem himself and make up for old hurts by being lovesick over Lisa. :)

You can find my older chapter10 notes here: http://www.geocities.com/sphersian/chapnotes4.html
:)