fanfic_name = Viva Love

chapter = Chapter 3

author = Knights Templar

dedicate = To me, and my infinite love for my protege, Richard A. Hunter. Hey man, we're tight ;)

Rating = AP15

Type = Adventure

fanfic = A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed to this point, I just hope I can keep those of you who don't review coming back to read more.

Thanks to dwparsnip for continuing to tolerate my youthful inexperience and continuing to beta my chapters for me. Thanks also go to Cicero Phelps for. Anyway, forward and onward I say lets get this chapter started.

Oh yeah, and please review. Thank you.

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

Rick surveyed the continuing construction and repairs that were ongoing to the Satellite Factory. He sat in his Veritech, watching from a distance, more drifting in space as opposed to actually flying.

It had been three days since the liberation of the Satellite Factory, and there was still a lot of damage to the Processing Core, and they were having a few problems with the Fold Drives. All-in-all, it was a clusterfuck, pure and simple and there seemed to be no real timeline for when it would be ready to go back to Earth.

Before, when the RDF had undertaken operations, they wouldn't have to worry about timelines and quotas. But things had radically changed since the end of the Robotech War.

'Not that it is really over,' Rick mused, 'all the politicos just want everyone to think it is over so that they can go back to trying to make things the way they were.'

The way things were hadn't worked very well, and the Global Civil War was a perfect example of how the world had been mismanaged.

One word summed it up, and Rick said the word with a profound level of disgust and revulsion: Politics. The fact that the RDF was now responsible and answerable to a cohesive government, as opposed to being allowed to romp freely was becoming a hindrance in every sense of the word.

Politics had almost made the mission to the Satellite Factory a non-issue, but thanks to the weight that Gloval had with a large number of those very politicians, he had managed to sway them into approving this mission.

'But how much longer can the old man keep them all sold on the positives of bring the factory home,' Rick asked himself, reflecting on the monstrosity that was the Satellite Factory.

The fact that the Satellite Factory had been damaged, and that the RDF wanted to bring it home was not the issue that the Earth Government had, it was the cost of keeping the crews and all the required maintenance that was piling up as a result of the actual damage wrought.

'Money, of course it's money, because we all know that that is the most important thing right now,' Rick thought to himself with a good measure of disgust.

True enough that it was an expensive venture and the damage had been greater than any had anticipated, but that was the way it was when you were at war. You ask anyone in the RDF and in Macross City and the surrounding areas if the war was over, and they would scoff at you.

But they weren't back on Earth, and they were far from the gangrenous wheeling and dealing politicians that cropped up all over Macross, and other cities. They were out here in space, and that was something for Rick to be thankful about.

He noticed a bright flash and saw another ship fold into normal space and make for the reconstructed main hanger bay. It was another batch of engineers, technicians, electricians, and the list goes on and on. Rick smiled, with this new crop of people; the total population inside the factory had jumped to an astounding fifty-five thousand people.

Rick looked on, and wondered where the hell they were keeping all those people, but he knew it was better to not think such things. He was a pilot after all, thinking was not truly his forte, and it tended to get him confused.

Dwelling on his confusion sent him spiraling in another direction, a very Lisa Hayes direction. That happened a lot he noticed, and decided he'd succumb to his wilder urges and just think.

As he knew it would, thinking caused Rick confusion, and to this point, he had been confused for a week solid, and he had begun wondering if this was what it was like with all women.

'Damn women,' Rick said to himself, 'God must have given them some sort of confusion emitter. I'll bet it has something to do with their estrogen.' Rick smiled at his own stupid joke and knew that it had less to do with Lisa, and more to do with him.

Despite the confusion she inspired in him, he couldn't get enough of having her around. He enjoyed her company, especially when she was in a good mood, and was in a playful, joking mood, which seemed to have persisted for more than two weeks.

Rick smiled, 'Thank god, she is much more fun this way; I don't know why I didn't see this side of her before?'

Something inside of him told him that he knew the answer, but he was just too damn stubborn to admit it to himself.

Rick now deep in thought, went over all the memories that he had with Lisa, the hundreds upon hundreds of them. Some of them made him happy; some made him angry, and a few of them made him long for her right now.

As much as he hated to admit it, Lisa was more prevalent in Rick's life then anyone else, except maybe Max.

She was always there to listen to his issues, and help him with his heartbreak and give him valuable advice about how to deal with subordinates. Rick smiled, thankful for Lisa's ever-present and guiding advice in his life. He really would be lost without her.

Again, something inside of him told him that he would be more than lost without her. The feeling was like a tearing in his body and a shredding of his soul. He was shocked at the feeling that swept over him, and he wondered if that meant something more.

Shocked as he was about the feeling that washed over him just seconds before, he was even more shocked now at the revelation that was coming over him now. In the deep cold, vast emptiness of space, something warm and filling came over Rick.

"I-I love her?" Rick asked himself quietly and softly, almost afraid to say the word to loud in case someone would hear him in space.

Rick's eyes were wide now and he was looking out into the black void of space, "I love her," Rick asked himself, this time testing out what his heart and mind were going to do.

His heart said nothing, but that to Rick was nothing more than a confirmation of what he had just said.

His mind on the other hand, rejected it, refusing to believe that he could love anyone other than Minmei. Try as he might, though, his mind slowly began to crumble and give way to his heart.

Something pierced Rick's fog of confusion, and it seemed that all the troubles that had been plaguing him regarding Lisa, Minmei, politics, and everything else had been thrown a million miles away. Rick smiled.

"I love her," Rick said to himself, this time declaring it to himself. He smiled again.

But the euphoric happiness came crashing down only second later as a terrifying thought washed over him like a bucket of cold icy water dumped on his head. Rick clenched the stick of his Veritech a little harder and felt every muscle in his body tense up. He felt a fear that he had never felt before rise into his chest and bubble.

"Does she love me?" Rick questioned the cold stars and space. Rick hoped that she did, and was determined to find out.

But he didn't need to go looking to find out if Lisa loved him, all he had to do was reflect on the things Lisa had done for him. He thought over and over of all their encounters and as he thought about them, one in particular stuck out in his head, and it was rather recent.

He felt himself being drawn deep into thought, and began to analyze the memory. He flashbacked to the moment in question.

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

Rick rummaged through his refrigerator, cursing his man habits for having nothing more than snacking food and junk all over the place.

Rick looked more and more and he saw that all he really had in the refrigerator was a head of lettuce, 'Where in god's name did I get that?'

Some olives, 'What the hell.?' Rick was stunned to see he had those.

Rick looked a little more and found some cheese and salad dressing, 'You've got to be kidding me.' Rick said to himself.

'This is really all I got,' Rick yelled at himself, 'sometimes being a man and having nothing good to eat juts sucks.'

He opened his freezer and hoped against hope that there was something, anything, in there he could serve Lisa.

If Rick had been hoping for a divine miracle, he was sorely mistaken. The sight that welcomed him might as well have told him that he was screwed sideways.

'There was a tray of ice, corndogs, frozen burritos, frozen pizzas and a whole lot of nothing!' Rick swore silently to himself and wondered how he managed to stay in shape. Rick heard some movement behind him and saw to his growing horror Lisa had entered the kitchen.

'Shit,' thought Rick, 'she's gonna wanna leave after she sees the have nothing to eat.'

Lisa walked up to Rick and looked into the freezer and smiled and gave a little squeal, "You have pizza? Awesome, I have been wanting some for a while now, but I can never bring myself to ever get it myself."

The dumbfounded look Rick wore knew must look comical, but he was more than a little floored when Lisa had wanted pizza. The very fact that someone who was in as good as shape as Lisa would ever eat something so.so.bad for you was a little shocking to him.

Lisa could see that Rick was more than a little thunderstruck and she was enjoying surprising Rick in more and more ways.

She looked a little deeper and saw a box of corndogs and grabbed those too. She was a little excited, it had been a long time since she had had the chance to pig out on really bad food, but this was as good a time as any.

Rick, for all the effort he had been exerting, could not snap himself out of his surprise. Rick was a little scared at the fact that he was so shocked by everything about this woman, but that was something that was out of his control now.

He just stepped back and watched as she ran roughshod over his kitchen and busied herself with making something to eat. Rick smiled at the scene and reluctantly admitted to himself that he liked this feeling, even if he couldn't figure it out.

For him, it was the idea that a woman, and not just any woman, but Lisa Hayes, was moving around in his kitchen, preparing them something to eat.

Rick was no chauvinist, sure he had him moments, but he didn't really believe that women belonged in the kitchen. Pops had taught him better than that. He had taught Rick that women were just as strong as men, and could do many things just as well as men, and a few they could do better.

He nodded his head silently affirming what Pops had told him long ago. An to this day, Rick had always thought that women could do anything that a man could do, but he would never stop feeling that it was his duty to protect those very women, even if they said they didn't need any protecting.

He smiled and watched Lisa. Regarding her every move, and wondering if he would ever get the chance to repay the favor and cook for her. He laughed, what she was doing really wasn't cooking, but it was close enough.

Lisa, for her part, knew Rick was watching and oddly felt at home moving around his kitchen, making junky food for the two of them.

She looked over her shoulder and gave Rick a small smile, "If you make one wisecrack about woman in the kitchen and the bedroom, Hunter, I will kick you ass."

Rick looked at her and thought about it for a second and as tempting as the idea of teasing Lisa was, and especially when she was giving him a hard time, he decided to not go there, 'Not yet, anyway,' he told himself.

Lisa stood up and looked at Rick, "Well that should do it for now, in about fifteen minutes it should all be done," she said to him.

An awkward silence fell over them and they just sort of stared at one another, not saying anything, but the looks in their eyes saying enough for the both of them at the time.

Rick smiled and made a move for the living room and asked Lisa to follow him.

They sat down on the couch and began to talk about more childhood memories and Lisa laughed at the story about how Rick had almost got Roy killed when they had started flying.

They were so immersed in talking to one another that they barely registered the oven telling them that their food was ready. Rick politely got up and went to get it. He returned a few minutes later with the food and set it down.

They both began eating, still talking about their childhoods.

"Well, I had so much fun in the flying circus, and I thought that life couldn't get any better, until the day that mom died," Rick said his eyes hollow seeming and cast downwards.

Lisa recoiled at the words and looked at Rick; she hadn't known that Rick's mother had died. She had always assumed that Pops had raised the boy, but never knew that he had lost his mother.

"How old were you when she died Rick," Lisa asked him.

Rick looked up with a sad look, "I was nine when she died, about the age Roy started to teach me to fly."

Lisa moved closer to Rick and wrapped her arm around his shoulders and he laid his head on her shoulder, "I remember the day that my mother died too, Rick," Lisa said softly.

He pulled away a little and his unexpected look told her that he hadn't known her mother had died, too.

"I was about nine also when my mother died, and what makes it worse, is it was Christmas time, too," Lisa said a little unevenly.

'Damn it,' Lisa swore to herself, 'why is it that I always get so damn emotional around this man? What does he do to me that make me let all of my emotions show?' Lisa knew, and she knew full and well what it was, she loved him.

She set her plate down now and laid back, Rick still looking at her with a look of reverence.

"I suppose we're more like then we thought before," Lisa said nonchalantly.

But instead of responding, like a normal person would at a time like this, Rick was acting on impulse.

'No, not impulse,' Rick told himself, 'it's more than that.a feeling?' He wasn't sure, but whatever it was, it was drawing him closer to her and he didn't much feel like stopping himself.

Lisa noticed the silence and turned to look at Rick, but instead turned her head right into the face of a very handsome and somber looking Rick Hunter. To say she was a little shocked was an understatement, she was totally shocked, but she did her bets to hide it.

She looked into his eyes and saw compassion, caring, tenderness, and for a fleeting second, love, before a wave of confusion masked it all.

'Damn,' Lisa thought, 'he is still confused.' She inwardly screamed at herself for thinking that this was going anywhere. But she couldn't help but think about what she saw in his eyes, and she knew that those emotions don't come out for just any reason.

'Would it really be worth it? To have Rick this way and to then watch him go back to Minmei day after day?' Half of her screamed a no, but another, stronger half of her screamed yes in a very pronounced and that side won out.

He leaned in and Lisa could feel a white hot emotion run all over her, and a feeling of culmination was peaking in her chest. This is what she had been waiting for so long, and now that it was here, she still couldn't help but wonder if it was really for her, or just out of his longing for Minmei.

Rick finally gave her what she wanted when his lips touched hers and they both felt a jolt of electric emotions course through them.

"Lisa tried to sense any false emotions in the kiss, but try as she might, she could sense no dispassion in his touch, not even when she felt Rick starting to deepen the kiss."

She obliged, and started to kiss back forcefully, finally having gotten what she wanted.

Rick broke the kiss and started to kiss her neck up and down and started to let his hands roam all over her body, feeling anything and everything.

Lisa too began to work her hands all over Rick and felt his toned chest and reminded herself that it was something that she really wanted to see.

They both looked back at one another, caution thrown to the wind, they both attacked each other heatedly and began to kiss with wild abandon and a passion borne of repressed emotions that they both had for one another.

Rick's mind was creaming at him, 'Stop, stop, stop!' But Rick paid no heed to that, never in his life had being with someone felt so right, not even Minmei had elicited the same kind of electric emotions that were welling up in him.

His mind persisted in screaming at him, 'Stop, you're running your chances with Minmei,' a part of his mind said.

'Was there really ever a chance with Minmei,' asked another portion of his brain.

'Yeah, that's a good point there, I'd have to go with him on that one, she always told you that you were her best friend,' and with that Rick's mind relented to what he was doing now.

Somehow, while he argued with himself, Lisa had managed to get on top of Rick and was straddling him. He looked up and saw that Lisa was now missing the top of her uniform and Rick's slight surprise registered on his face.

He didn't mind taking it all in, and looked at her body with appreciation.

It was fit, athletic, and you could tell that there was almost no fat on her at all. Rick liked what he saw and looked up at her face and he could see that she was giving him a puzzling look.

"Don't tell me Hunter that you've never seen a woman with no shirt on," Lisa said with her hands on her hips, face fixed with a sarcastic smile.

Rick looked at her with a "what-the-hell-are-you-thinking" and rolled his eyes.

"Oh really now Lisa, you forget who you're talking to, I am Rick Hunter, all the ladies want me," he said mustering as much arrogance and pizzazz as he could.

"Oh, really," said Lisa, as she leaned down closer to his ear, "Well than aren't I lucky I have you right now?"

Rick was taken aback by Lisa's open sexuality at the moment and his look must have said something else.

"Oh, is it not as good as Minmei's," Lisa asked incredulously.

Rick realizing where this was going, quickly responded, "Oh no, it's better, but than again, not that I would know. I've never seen Minmei this way before."

Lisa gave him a questioning look, before she leaned down and kissed him with as much passion, longing, and desire as she could muster. It was the first time she had felt this way about anyone after Riber and she was determined to win this man for herself, even if it had to be a little unconventionally.

Rick was again stupefied by Lisa's actions. Though he was beginning to enjoy finding out more about this woman, even when he had thought he knew it all, or a good bit about her and how she acts.

He was just beginning to enjoy everything that was happening when he heard the worst sound he could have ever heard at that moment.

The phone in his quarters was ringing.

Lisa pulled back and flopped herself down on the opposite end of the couch with a disgusted sigh.

'Their timing is impeccable,' Lisa thought crossly.

Rick looked at her for a moment and considered not answering the phone, oh how he didn't want to answer the phone. The look from Lisa told him that he had to and he got up and answered the phone.

She could tell by the falling look on his face that it wasn't anything that was going to end well for the moment they had been sharing.

Rick hung up the phone and walked over to Lisa, looking for his shirt, wondering how he had managed to not notice that it was missing. He smiled to her and she gave him a rueful smile back.

"Lisa, I'm sorry but." she stopped him and she knew that he had to go.

"Rick, I understand, we both do, we have our duty to perform, just seems to sad that yours happens to be needed right now," Lisa said with a sad, but radiant smile.

Rick smiled back, and leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, something a little odd seeming seeing as how they had almost had sex with each other, "Well do this again real soon, I promise, and next time, I'll cook and actually have something to cook."

Lisa beamed inside and knew that she was getting through to this thick-headed pilot. 'Maybe next time, it'll actually go somewhere,' Lisa told herself.

Rick finished fixing himself and turned back to Lisa, "Feel free to stay here as long as you need, I'll let the bridge know where to find you when I get up there," Rick told her as he stopped walked back to her and grabbed a piece of pizza and smiled at her.

Lisa smiled and sat back and reached for a piece of pizza, not bothering to put her shirt back on, 'Oh well,' she thought, 'at least there is pizza.'

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

Rick was brought back to reality when he heard Lisa's voice calling him back to reality telling him that Breetai wanted Rick and Lisa to report to him ASAP.

He sighed and transformed back into a Veritech and made for Breetai's command ship. He was a little giddy that he would get to see Lisa again, but that emotion was tempered by whatever Breetai had deemed so necessary to call them both to him.

He landed his Veritech and saw Lisa standing there waiting for him, he smiled at her, a big, dumb, goofy smile, but he didn't care. He was happy to see her after his outer space revelation. He was eager to tell her how he felt so that someone else would know besides the stars and space.

"Well, Lisa, what do you think Breetai has to tell that is so important that he yanked us from active-duty to talk to us?" Rick asked, hoping Lisa knew something he didn't.

Lisa shook her head; she knew nothing that Rick didn't know.

"No idea Rick," Lisa told him watching him for any changes since their experience they had shared not too long ago. She was sure that he would revert back to the "old Rick" and start treating her the way he had used to.

But she was utterly shocked when Rick offered her his hand to hold. She was floored and she really didn't know how to respond. It was something that she was sure he wouldn't do because she felt that he didn't want anyone to know for fear that word would get back to Minmei.

"Rick," Lisa began, "since when did we hold hands?"

"I thought that is what couples did," Rick told her.

She shook her head and looked at him with abounding shock, 'Did he just say.say that we're a couple,' Lisa asked herself.

Lisa took his hand and that started to walk towards the bridges, drawing looks the entire way. Not that either one of them noticed.

"Isn't that Commander Hunter and Captain Hayes," Someone asked as they passed, "and they're holding hands?"

Someone laughed and looked at him, "Alright Ron, pay up, I told you they would get together," Ron groaned as he handed the man a twenty.

'Well, I may have lost the bet, but at least things around here will be a little quieter.' Thought Ron ruefully. He smiled, he was happy for them.

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

Rick and Lisa did manage to make it to the Bridge and Lisa was on cloud nine, and if there had been higher then a nine, she'd have been there too.

But the looks they were getting here were different from the admiring looks they were getting from everyone else.

They quickly released each others hands and looked at everyone.

Claudia stepped up to them and gave her an odd look.

"Breetai is waiting for you over there," Claudia told them. They both looked to the human sized briefing room used by the RDF and exchanged puzzled looks.

"Breetai's on the Satellite Factory," Claudia said with a huff and ushered them into the room.

After the door closed she looked back to the other ladies who were monitoring the Bridge and gave them a thumbs-up and pumped her fist once.

The sight of Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes holding hands had not been missed and was not lost on Claudia and the other ladies.

'It's about damn time those two get their act together,' Claudia told herself.

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

Rick and Lisa walked into the room to see the video conferencing monitor on and watched as Breetai talked with two individuals sitting with their backs to them.

"Exedore are you sure this blasted thing is functioning properly," Breetai asked in an exasperated tone.

"Yes milord was the off-screen reply," from Exedore somewhere off screen.

Rick looked to the two people sitting facing Breetai and felt a cold fear grip him. The silhouette of one of the people was small, petite and had long hair.

The other was strikingly similar and Rick immediately knew why.

'Oh sweet Jesus Mother of Mary,' Rick swore blasphemously.

The smaller figure whirled around, the dress flying and swooshing through the air as it moved.

Rick looked to Lisa who wore a flabbergasted look and fixed him with a horrifyingly accusing look. Then they both winched as they heard the highest pitched whine ever.

"Riiiiiiiick," Minmei screamed as she bounded for him and covered the more than ten feet in only two steps.

She enveloped him in a bear hug and looked at him, "Did you miss me Rick, huh, did you?"

Rick looked at her with a terrified look, as he looked from Lisa to Minmei and then back again. Lisa and Minmei noticed Rick's indecisiveness and gave a sideways glance at one another.

"Yeah, I guess a little Minmei," Rick said, trying to be nice, but trying to not sound excited to see her, which he wasn't really.

Minmei released him and he moved away and inched his way to Lisa, who he stood next to, feeling a sheet of calm envelop him, as he watched the scene before him.

Minmei was visibly shocked at Rick's withdrawal to Lisa and his comfortable posture and pose with her as opposed to his stiff and brittle response to her.

Lisa listened to Kyle, who she was shocked had allowed himself to be take this far away from Earth to come and perform for Military people.

"So, if you'll just show us to our rooms, we'd be grateful," Kyle said sullenly.

Lisa thought for a moment and knew that there were no extra place for them to stay unless.

Lisa smiled evilly and looked to Rick, "Would it be too much for you to move some of your things into my quarters so we can give them yours," Lisa asked casually.

Rick's look was priceless; his look was astonished at first then to male mischievousness.

"No Lisa, I don't think that'd be a problem," Rick said, "as a matter of fact, I'll go get on that right now."

Rick backed away, and took off at a sprint towards his quarters, and Lisa motioned for Kyle and Minmei to follow her as she smiled contently.

'Oh yes, Miss Macross, I have him now,' Lisa's mind yelled.

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

feedback = Sí/Yes

email = SanFrancisco49er2003ATYahoo.com