fanfic_name = Viva Love

chapter = Chapter One

author = Knights Templar

dedicate = Cicero, and Anna I suppose.

Rating = AP

Type = Alternative Universe

fanfic = A/N: This piece of fiction is based of the Robotech novels, and is in no way mine. They are owned by Harmony Gold, though no one knows when or where they will make their next release, hope it isn’t in three or four years. I’d like something sooner, I’m sure we all would. As it would happen, this is What If V 2.0 (will be better) and it starts at the episode on Viva Miriya.

Plot: In Viva Miriya, Rick and Lisa were going to have a conversation about Lisa’s feelings, well, What If they did have that talk. What If a lot of other things had happened that didn’t happen in the book and episodes. I suppose this is another What If, enjoy it.

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Rick sat and watched as Max and Miriya were entertaining Lisa and Claudia with alluring and humorous stories about little Dana and some of the dangers of having a Zentraedi for a wife. Rick smiled as he watched Max field all questions, ranging from diapers, to midnight feedings, to helping Miriya understand what was expected from her to be a mother. He saw Max smile the whole time he answered their questions, Max loved it and Rick knew it.

Rick looked at Dana and had to admit that she was a very cute little baby, and that one day he would like to have children. But that took Rick’s mind somewhere he had not anticipated. He began to think of Minmei and what having a family with her would be like. He grimaced inwardly. He didn’t feel that Minmei was motherly material, not right now at least.

Not that Rick was in any particular hurry to settle down with anyone right now. At the age of twenty-three, Rick was in the prime of his life and could have almost any woman he wanted. But, he wouldn’t, and he didn’t. Women had never been a difficult thing for Rick, even in his younger days.

His gaze drifted to Lisa, and he began to think about her, and not in the way that he usually did. His usual gauntlet of emotions regarding one, Lisa Hayes, was that she was an accomplished officer, a wonderful friend, and someone who he respected, though few could tell.

This was different, these feelings he had, as he thought about Lisa. He looked her over now, appraising her looks. He had to admit to himself that Lisa was an attractive woman, beautiful even. It wasn’t the same kind of beauty that Minmei had either.

Minmei was beautiful, but Minmei had an “artificial” beauty about her. Rick didn’t see that when he looked at Lisa, he saw just natural beauty and for the first time, he really noticed that she was beautiful and wondered why he had not seen it before.

He knew why, Minmei. She wasn’t here now, to tickle his fancy, and cause him a distraction. The trip into space had almost been a welcome one for Rick because it gave him the chance to get away from the issues of Earth. He returned his attention to Lisa and went over all their interactions and experiences together.

They fought. They did that more frequently than anything else, but Rick wondered if there was something to this hostility. He could feel something inside of him, but he couldn’t gauge what it was and for the life of him, he couldn’t understand the emotions he was feeling for Lisa.

He thought about doing what he always did when he had conflicting emotions. Push them into his subconscious and just forget that they ever existed. But something told him not to, he considered listening to this voice, still confused he debated seriously with just dropping the emotions and thoughts going off in his head.

This time he didn’t do that, he let his feelings run their course. He didn’t know why he let his emotions go this time and just sit back and feel for once, instead of always doing something. If Rick was confused before he let his emotions run and play, he was even more confused now that he had let them go. Rick hated being confused, and being hard-headed didn’t help. He groaned inwardly, it must be a pilot thing.

He looked at Lisa and couldn’t help but feel a swelling attraction to her, something that terrified Rick more than Breetai and a horde of Battlepods. He had thought he was in love with Minmei, but those feelings had never been so in doubt now, and he had always thought that he was just friends with Lisa, but those feelings were also on shaky ground now, too.

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Rick heard his name and looked to the source, it was Lisa smiling at him asking if would like to hold Dana. The smile that Lisa was giving Rick swelled that emotion that he couldn’t place and extended his arms and took Dana.

“Make sure you hold up her head Rick,” Claudia told him sipping her tea. “You wouldn’t want to hurt something that sweet and innocent would you?”

He looked to Claudia and for a moment thought she was saying something without actually saying something. He thought about it for a moment and then dismissed it as him over-analyzing it. He looked at Dana, and for a moment, wished he was Max.

Max was happy and content and he always seemed to be happy. Nothing ever seemed to rattle Max, even the fact that Miriya had tried to kill him before they were married. He heard a yawn and he looked at Dana as she woke up. He brought her closer to his face and smiled at her. He knew that everyone was watching him and he was trying to not drop Dana because of nerves.

All the sudden he saw Dana’s face go from a smile, to contorted. He heard Max say his name in a cautionary manner, but it was too late. Dana sneezed, hitting Rick full in the face. He closed his eyes and could feel the spit, mucus and all the other nasty things from a sneeze all over his face. Dana’s laugh only punctuated the scene. The room erupted into laughter and Rick couldn’t help but smile too.

“Max, could you get me something to wipe my face off with please?” Rick said holding Dana out to Claudia who took the baby.

Max came over and gave him a towel and Rick wiped his face off and gave a small laugh. ‘Wow,’ he thought, ‘she must have planned that.’ He laughed again.

“Oh Max, I think Dana is hungry.” Miriya said walking over to a fussy Dana, taking her from Claudia.

“I’m not surprised; she hasn’t eaten since this morning. I’ll go get something started, are you hungry dear?” Max called over his shoulder as he moved into the kitchen. She said she was and Max offered something to everyone else.

Rick thought for a moment, and decided that it was about time that he leaves. He didn’t want to impose on Max and Miriya anymore, and he was sure they would appreciate some alone time.

Rick got up, “Thanks for the offer Max, but I don’t think so this time.”

“You sure, Boss? It’s not big deal.” Max said as he stood in the doorway looking at him.

Rick smiled, knowing Max’s generosity, “No thanks Max, maybe some other time.”

“Alright Boss, I’ll see you later then.” Max waved as Rick made for the door. Something stopped him, it was Lisa. He wanted to talk to her, so he waited to see if Claudia and Lisa were staying or not.

Lisa and Claudia excused themselves. They all said their goodbyes and Rick waited for them. He was glad to see that Lisa and Claudia were leaving. He wanted to talk to Lisa, but he didn’t know what about just yet.

Claudia, Lisa, and Rick walked down the corridor of the ship, talking about Dana, Max and Miriya’s happiness, and of course the sneeze. Rick still laughed a little when they talked about the look on his face. They stopped outside Lisa’s quarters and Claudia and Rick said their goodbyes to Lisa.

Lisa stopped outside her door and looked at Rick, “Hold on Rick, could you wait in my quarters for a second, I want to talk to you.”

Rick was surprised that Lisa had asked him to wait in her quarters. He had wanted to talk to her, but this was not what he had expected. He was slightly scared, a silly emotion for a fighter pilot to feel, given what he had been through and what he would go through again. But he was nervous on the inside.

“Sure Lisa,” Rick said slowly as he watched Claudia and Lisa walk down the corridor to her door and they talked.

Rick followed her with his gaze for a second and thought hard about what it was he felt for Lisa. He cared about her, testament to the fact that he did what he could to help her, and he was almost positive that she cared about him. That answer only seems to partially fit. He felt like he had only half solved the question and that there was more to figure out. He sighed and walked into her quarters.

He browsed around and looked at all the things in her quarters. They were somewhat Spartan, like his own, but unlike the Sterling’s. ‘That’s because they had a baby,’ he reminded himself. He smiled and noticed a picture on the table and picked it up to look at.

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Lisa walked Claudia to her door and they talked quickly about what Lisa was about to do. Claudia kept reassuring her that she had to do what she had to do, and that she would feel much better having done it. But Lisa was worried that if she told him, and he rebuffed her that she would be devastated, causing her a wound that she couldn’t recover from.

“Darlin’, if you go through your whole life trying to not get hurt, and not fighting for what you truly want, then you’ll be nothing more than a spinster. You want Rick, don’t you?” Claudia asked in a motherly tone.

Lisa nodded her head in agreement.

“Then girl, you need to go and take the man you want, make him yours. The ball is in your court. You can’t expect him to divine that you want him.”

Lisa nodded her head and thought about what Lisa was telling her, she knew that she had to act and that nothing was going to make Rick understand that she loved him, unless she told him. But the one thing that she had to do was the very one thing that she was so terrified to do.

Claudia could see Lisa’s internal struggle, “Listen here Lisa, if you don’t do something to go out and get Rick, then he will go to Minmei. Then you will really have lost. I know it seems bleak now, but you still have time to make a move and make Rick Hunter yours.”

“But…” Lisa said, “but…what if he doesn’t love me back? What if he doesn’t want me?” Lisa said, despite her exterior, she still had insecurities when it came to men.

Claudia rolled her eyes and grabbed Lisa by her shoulders and shook her, “Lisa, you’re a wonderful, smart, beautiful woman, with a nice body and brains to boot. If you can’t make Rick see past your Military exterior and see that wonderful woman that you are, then why bother? You have to let him in, you have to show him that there is more to you than just rules and regulations. You must show him your softer side.”

Lisa knew Claudia was right, but she didn’t know how she was going to let Rick see her softer side. That was something that even the strong-willed and impressive Lisa Hayes had been bad at. For all her military training, and all that she had accomplished, she had only truly let one man into her life, and he died.

“Listen Lisa,” Claudia began slowly, with a softer tone in her voice, “I know that getting over Karl was hard for you, that the only man you let into your life died in a most tragic way, but you have to give Rick a chance. You have to invite him to discover more about you. Lisa, you’re a wonderful woman, and you have a lot to offer. But all Rick knows is the Rules-and-Reg’s Lisa, not the sweet and loving Lisa. Show him that side.”

Lisa nodded her head in agreement and knew that she had her work cut out for her, but she knew that despite it all, she could show Rick that she was more than just a military woman, she was a woman.

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Rick looked at the picture carefully; it looked like a younger Lisa with an older man. He thought a minute and tried to figure out who it was. ‘Her father?’ He asked himself. ‘No, no that’s not it.’ Then he realized who it was.

He looked at the picture and saw something in Lisa’s eyes that he had seen before. It was love, and happiness. He smiled as he looked at her happy face and saw a look of love and happiness in his face also.

They were truly happy in this picture, and Rick suddenly knew why Lisa acted the way she did. ‘She’s been heartbroken for a long, long time,’ his mind screamed at him. ‘An you’re not helping her at all.’

Rick closed his eyes and tried to imagine the pain that Lisa must feel all the time, and how hard it is to go through everyday with a weight like that bearing down on one’s soul. Try as he might, Rick could not imagine the pain that Lisa felt.

Sure, Rick had lost people he loved too, but Roy wasn’t Karl. Rick had been sad when Roy had died, and even though Roy was his Big Brother, the loss of Roy could not compare to the loss that Lisa felt when she heard of the death of her fiancée.

He felt a bubble of sadness and sorrow well up inside of him. He heard a sound behind him and saw Lisa standing there watching him. He fumbled with the picture and set it back on the table on its side.

“Sorry Lisa, I didn’t mean to snoop, I was just…I mean, sorry Lisa.” Rick said in a rush, not knowing what to say.

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Lisa was slightly annoyed with Rick’s apologies, “Rick, stop apologizing, I have nothing to hide. You can ask about anything here.”

She saw a sad look on his face as he looked at her, and it made the job that Lisa had to feel ever more impossible. She smiled, and she could see he gave a half-hearted attempt to smile back at her.

“Rick, are you ok? Is there something wrong?” Lisa asked him, hoping and praying that his answer wouldn’t have to do with Minmei.

Something told her that he was sad because he was away from his precious Minmei. A wave of anger washed across her, not at Rick, but at Minmei for taking the only other good man she had met. Lisa knew that she would have to wait and actually see what was bothering Rick.

Rick, fumbled with his thoughts in his mind, now knowing what to do, but there was one question burning hotly in his mind.

“Lisa,” Rick said, voice shaky, wondering if he should really ask, “what happened with you and Karl? What happened to him?” He asked.

He hoped that he hadn’t crossed some line. He watched as her expression went from a cheerful one, to a puzzled one, then finally to a look of sad surprise.

She sat down. With a shocked look.

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Lisa was lost, deep in her own mind, staring at Rick. She was shocked at the question and had no immediate response other than to sit down and look at him. She knew something was bothering him, she had expected it to be Minmei related, but this question had hit her flank hard, throwing her entire plan she had into complete disarray.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She motioned for him to sit down.

He walked over and sat down next to her, and she felt a warm wave of reassurance wash over her. It was nice, but she knew that Rick wanted an answer to his question and she began to try and think of anything but. She closed her eyes and organized her thoughts.

“Well, Rick, that depends on what you want to know about Karl and I, or about what you want to know about his death,” Lisa said as evenly as she could. She was on the verge of losing her composure. Here was a man she loved wanting to know about another man she had loved, who had long since been dead.

“I just want to know about him, and you, I really don’t know that much about you Lisa, I mean other than what I know from the things we have done together.” Rick said.

“Well, I loved Karl.” Lisa told him, answering him honestly.

“I know,” Rick replied, “but…I guess I just want to know about you.” Rick said with a hesitation that Lisa knew meant he was afraid to ask.

Lisa faltered for a second; Rick had opened the door for her, and let her in. She thought that it was going to be tough having to try and show Rick her soft side. Instead he had done that himself and for that, Lisa was immensely grateful.

“I really don’t know what to tell you Rick. I loved Karl, he was my first love, and he had even gone so far as to ask me to marry him. It was one of the happiest moments of my life, and when he went away to go to Mars, he promised me he would come back, that when this war was all over we would be married and have a happy life together.” Lisa said, her composure crumbling fast, with her hard pressed to maintain it.

She looked at Rick, and could see that her story was having an effect on him. He looked sad, and he looked at her with caring eyes. But she knew that there was more to the answer, and she felt that she owed to him, and more importantly, herself to finish what she had started.

“We used to do everything together, and we always had fun doing it. He completed me, and I loved him. I know it’s hard to imagine loving someone that young, but I swear I loved him.” Lisa looked at Rick, the tears welling up.

Rick nodded and digested what she was telling him. It was all terribly hard for her to do, but he from Claudia of Karl, but he never know of, or anything about Karl. He didn’t do this to hurt her, he just wanted to know, if he was to have any feelings for her, that weren’t muddled, he needed to know about her past.

“I was young when he went away, and I missed him terribly. My father never liked him because he wasn’t military. He was more glad than sad that Karl had left, and after he was gone, my father enrolled me at the Academy, and I began my military career.” Lisa laughed, and Rick though he heard a hint of disgust in the laugh.

He was surprised at Lisa. He had never pictured her as being one to ever regret her decisions. For a second it seemed to Rick that Lisa had once regretted joining the military. If Rick was shocked, he did his best to keep it off his face.

“Then one day, came the news that Karl had been killed on Mars. My world was rocked.” Lisa had lost it by now, she had tears streaming down her face, she didn’t try to stop them, and she couldn’t even if she had tried.

She felt Rick move closer to her and wrap his arm around her and pull her in close to him, comforting her. She knew that he was doing this because he felt sorry for her, but this is what he had asked, and this was what it had done to her.

“Oh, Rick, you have no idea how terrible that day was. I felt as if I had lost a part of my life that I wasn’t going to get back. I wanted to quit the military, run away, hide, anything but have to face the fact that Karl had died. I didn’t want to go on anymore. Instead of talking to people about it, I just shut my self up to the world and found new purpose in the military.” Lisa felt the tears come easily now, but she knew it was too late to try and regain her composure.

Rick looked at Lisa and felt bad that he had done this to her. He didn’t know what had possessed him to as that question, and more importantly he felt her pain. He wanted to just hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright.

He had asked her about Karl, but he regretted it, not for her, but selfishly for himself because it just muddled his already highly confused emotional state even more. He knew he wanted to help make Lisa better, but a part of him wanted Minmei and to keep her in his life.

‘Why is it when you finally get what you think you want, your mind changes what it wants?’ His mind screamed.

“Lisa, I’m sorry that if I asked you about something that made you cry, I really didn’t mean to make you this sad.” Rick said.

Lisa looked at him, “Rick, don’t worry about it. I guess now you know something about me.”

Rick did now know something about Lisa, but he regretted that the first thing he had thought to ask her was about her dead fiancée. It made him feel incredibly insensitive and more importantly, it had made Lisa cry.

He hugged her tighter, he didn’t know what he was going to do, and he felt like he was getting himself into something that he might regret later. There was no changing what he had done, not changing the fact that he had asked her about this and opened up an old wound. All he could do now was hold her and console her.

He smiled, looked at Lisa and suddenly had a thought.

“Hey, Lisa, what’s your favorite food?” Rick asked with the most dashing smile he could muster.

Lisa looked at him and laughed at him, rolling her eyes with the tears still streaming down her face.

“Rick Hunter, you are an odd one,” she said with a half hearted smile, appreciating Rick’s attempts to cheer her up. She nuzzled into Rick deeper; he had cheered her up, just by listening and being here with her now. She felt him hold her a little tighter, maybe there was hope for him yet.

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“Lord Breetai, are you sure it was wise to continue past the Zentraedi scout ship we picked up a short time ago?” Exedore asked him.

Breetai looked down at the micronized Exedore, “Yes Exedore, there was no reason to disturb the micronians on the ship for something like that. Besides, I want them all ready for when we make contact with Reno’s forces.”

Exedore nodded his head in agreement and knew that Breetai’s judgment was sound, and that he had no reason to second guess Breetai.

“Lord Breetai, do you really think that the diversion will work? I know that Reno and his forces have not been exposed to micronian culture, but will it work?” Exedore asked him.

Breetai knew that Exedore didn’t ask out of his own safety, ‘It was not the Zentraedi way to concern oneself with their own safety.’ Breetai thought to himself.

He asked because they were so outnumbered and it would be beneficial to have the diversion work. All they had was Breetai’s flagship, and he knew that Reno would have a substantial edge in the number of troops at his disposal.

“Even if it doesn’t work to perfection,” Breetai said, not looking down at the micronized Exedore, “we will gain a tactical edge for long enough to get a shot off with the main cannon. All we have to do is convince them to surrender, not necessarily destroy them all.”

Exedore nodded again, knowing that Breetai was of sound judgment. He stood and waited for when the flagship would finally make contact with the Satellite Factory and Reno.

They didn’t have to wait long. They fell out of hyperspace and materialized before the enormous Satellite Factory and the flotilla of Zentraedi Warships.

Breetai wasted no time; he ordered that Captain Hayes and Commander Hunter report to the bridge and checked to make sure that Max and Miriya Sterling were at the ready. It was time, and Breetai felt a familiar feeling of battle lust rise to the surface. He smiled; it was good to be back.

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Rick and Lisa both got their orders to report to the Bridge at the same time. Rick jumped up and bolted for room, he had to get into his flight suit before he reported to the Bridge.

He turned back to Lisa, gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“We’ll talk some more later Lisa.” Rick told her as she blushed.

With that Rick rushed off to his quarters to change as quickly as he could.

Lisa hurriedly got herself into presentable shape and made her way to the Bridge. She saw Claudia making for the Bridge and the Trio also. They arrived on the Bridge at the same time and all went to their duty stations.

They all worked feverishly as Breetai called out his orders and watched as fighters, both RDF and Zentraedi were readied and awaiting his orders. He was waiting on only one thing.

Rick came running onto the Bridge and saluted Breetai, “Commander Hunter, reporting as ordered, sir.”

“Ah, Commander Hunter, glad you could join us,” Breetai said, trying to be like Gloval a little.

Breetai gave a small smile and ordered a channel opened with Reno.

An image of Reno appeared onscreen and they exchanged a few words. Rick was so busy watching the exchange that he barely felt Lisa had gotten close to him, he looked at her and saw that she had recovered from earlier.

“…and now Reno, prepare to be amazed at the workings of Protoculture,” Rick heard and before he knew what was going on, Lisa had pulled him into a tight embrace and was kissing him full on mouth. He was shocked and taken aback at this, but, strangely it felt right, and he did nothing to fight it.

He had never experienced Lisa this way before and there was something behind it this time, unlike the two times they had kissed before on Dolza’s ship. It was passion, and it was a deep passion that Lisa kissed Rick with now.

She broke the kiss and Rick heard the gags of disgust that were usually associated with Zentraedi who just witnessed their first kiss. He felt light-headed and slightly dizzy. He took a few deep breaths and shook the cobwebs out.

“Commander Hunter, report to the hanger bay, I want you to be ready to lead RDF and Zentraedi forces into combat.” Breetai said, with a slight smirk on his face.

Rick nodded and ran off to the hanger.

Breetai still held the smirk on his face as he watched the retreating form of Commander Hunter. He noticed the effects of the kiss that Captain Hayes had given Commander Hunter and he was glad that it had been Commander Hunter who had received the kiss, especially with the way she left him afterwards. That kiss would have destroyed any other man, and most surely any Zentraedi male.

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Rick was confused as he strapped into his Veritech.

The diversion had worked well enough to allow the coalition forces to get ready and get he jump on Reno’s forces. But the Zentraedi had regrouped quickly in a way that Breetai had not anticipated and now the combined RDF and Zentraedi forces were going to have to fight a tough battle to liberate the Satellite Factory.

At least here he was in complete control of everything, his life, his fortune, and even the fortunes of others. He reminded himself that flying was a million times easier than trying to figure out what was going through his head. Try as he might, he could not get one particular subject out of his head: Lisa and Minmei.

Rick knew that it was always dangerous for a pilot to be distracted going into combat. But something was different now, he felt like he had something that he wanted to come back to now. He thought he did with Minmei, but she was never around, but something in him told him that he wanted to come back so that Lisa wouldn’t have to feel the pain of losing anyone else.

That was for another, time, and another place. Now it was time to go and do the dirty work that needed to be done. It was time to fight and die if need be. He pulled his visor down and hit the pushed the throttle forward, he’d figure himself out later. Minmei and Lisa were now secondary concerns compared to what was before him now.

Rick flew into a heated melee and smiled to himself, ‘Here is one battle you can win easily enough, Rick ole boy,’ he thought to himself.

For all his tough talk about figuring himself out, he only hoped that he could, ‘Damn women,’ Rick thought. ‘What can you do? Can’t live with them, and who’d want to live without them,’ Rick thought with a smirk on his face.

“Let’s get ‘em!” Rick yelled and Skull Squadron rushed into combat. Rick smiled, ‘It was good to be back.’

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A/N: I will update, I no longer have any distractions anymore keeping me from writing (my ex-girlfriend that was a 17 month adventure with a nasty ending). But alas, it is done. I will update more. I hope you like and leave me a Review or Opinion, or something, they are the reason I write the next chapter.

State = Continuará/To Be Continue

feedback = Sí/Yes

email = SanFrancisco49er2003ATYahoo.com