This story is based on an idea that I developed in Chapter 3 of my other story A space fold away (shameless self promotion ; Whenever I'll post that chapter you will understand. Well this one is very short so hopefully I will have the completed version soon. There are still 2 more chapters coming.

This takes place 6 months after Rick & Lisa admit their love for each other. Roy & Claudia are alive (in keeping with my other story) also everybody else in the bridge. I've used some people's characterization of Miriya since I find it really cute. Everything else is almost the same as far as timeline goes, even if I do not mention it.

Hope you enjoy!

"We need to talk." Lisa said ominously as she sat down.

"I imagine so, if not, you wouldn't have called this emergency meeting." Claudia said as serious as she could. "Are we discussing tactical procedures, Captain?"

"Are we discussing battle tactics?" Came the puzzled question from the Meltrandi Miriya. "I thought we were going to discuss Lisa's problems." The three of them had decided to meet at a local café where they used to hang out. Usually the women found some time to escape their significant others and just talk. This was supposed to be one of these occasions, or so she had though.

At the comment, Claudia broke out in laughter while Lisa rolled her eyes in frustration. Poor Miriya still did not understand most of Claudia's jokes and Claudia didn't miss an opportunity to play on that. She especially did not miss an opportunity to make fun of her! It didn't matter that Rick and her had been together for six months now, the jokes were still fresh.

"Yes Miriya, we are going to talk about personal problems, we are NOT discussing battle tactics."

"But the Commander said…."

"She was joking."

"Oh!"

"Anyway Lisa." Said an amused Claudia. "What did that poor man of yours do now?" Although both Roy and she teased their friends, they were very happy that things had been working out between the two. There were a few rough spots here and there but overall, Rick treated Lisa like a princess. He usually spoiled her by bringing her sweets, a favorite book or even just a rose. Whenever somebody said anything he would just shrug it off and said that it had reminded him of Lisa. Still, all in all they were both very stubborn people and even though they were in the "honeymoon" phase of the relationship, they still knew each other well enough to get on each other's nerves. The perfect combination for more comic relief!

"Remember the perfect weekend we had planned, just for the two of us?" Her friends nodded Lisa had been raving about it at nauseum. "Well, apparently I misunderstood the terms of the trip."

"Don't tell me he invited Minmay!" Claudia asked, shocked. Just a few months ago, Rick had gotten himself out of a bad scrape when he broke a dinner date because Minmay had called that she had come to visit. Granted, she had come to visit her "friends" but Lisa didn't appreciate being called a friend when she was breaking up her plans. It had taken a lot of groveling from Rick in order to make up for it.

Lisa sighed. Trust Claudia to bring that up. It had taken her weeks to get past that one! She had been ready to break up with him for good and move to Tahiti if it hadn't been because he had explained that he had just felt bad about her traveling all the way for a visit and they not accommodating her. It had been his earnest plea and a realization of his soft heart that had actually made her forgive him. From there on, they made a pact. She would be the one to say NO whenever it was needed.

"No, not this time but trust me it was almost as bad."

"What happened?" Asked a wide eyed Miriya.

"The trip was not really for us to be by ourselves. He had apparently found out that one of his friends was flying in a circus and he wanted to catch up with him! So instead of romantic candlelight dinners, we were in sports bars surrounded by his old buddies hearing about the 'good times'." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh dear!" Claudia said, dismayed. She could see the tragedy in it… only a woman would understand how much of a let down it was when you had something romantic planned and your boyfriend managed to mess it all up by hanging out with the "buddies".

"Wow, even Rico, Bron and Konda would know better than that and they are Zentradi!" Somehow that did not put Lisa at ease.

Claudia had been quiet for a while but then she said, "You really want to know what the problem is?"

"Isn't that the whole point of me calling you over?" Lisa said, a little bit sarcastic.

"It's not going to be easy…" she warned but Lisa just looked at her, her green eyes shooting sparks so Claudia sighed and said, "Ok, you asked for it! The problem with Rick is that he doesn't see you as a woman."

Lisa looked at her incredulous and Miriya just looked plain confused. "He is a really confused Micronian then. I realized from the start she was."

"No Miriya, he does know that she is a female but seeing her as a woman is something completely different." She explained patiently. She knew Lisa was about to explode so she rushed her explanation. "The problem is that Rick and Lisa have been friends for too long and even though he realized that he loved Lisa and I do not doubt that he does" she told her friend before she would get defensive. "he still sees her as a buddy."

"What insane theory is that!"

"Well the thing is you don't behave like a woman. You don't dress like one, you don't act like one…"

"What am I then?" Lisa asked exasperated.

"A soldier." Came Claudia's reply. Lisa just stayed silent. "Look at Miriya, look at what she is wearing" Miriya was wearing a cute sleeveless shirt with little flowers and a short skirt with strappy sandals. "Now look at what I am wearing." Claudia herself was in one of those skort (skirt & shorts) and had a strapless top. "Now look at you." Lisa was wearing a skirt that reached past her knees, very serviceable shoes and a shirt that really didn't do a lot in showing her figure.

"I don't see anything. In fact, we are all wearing skirts." Lisa said smugly, daring Claudia to explain the difference. Claudia just rolled her eyes, she knew she this was going to be an uphill battle but if Lisa was stubborn, so was she.

"Miriya, do you see the difference?" From Miriya's look, she knew she had. Lisa did a gesture with her hand that seemed to say 'go ahead, explain'. "Yes, we are all wearing basically the same thing but whereas Miriya and I are wearing outfits to look cute and attractive you are wearing clothing just to be dressed."

Lisa frowned confused and a little bit upset. 'How dare she!'

"The problem with you Lisa is that you downplay your looks." Claudia was in a roll now. She was going to tell her friend exactly what she had always wanted to tell her but never had the guts to say. "Look at your hair. You have beautiful long hair but you can barely appreciate it in those coils you wear." Lisa touched her hair self-consciously and looked at Miriya. The Meltrandi was nodding with every one of Claudia's words. "Those clothes are just serviceable; they do not show your figure. The shirt looks fine if you are going to work at an office but not to go out with your friends or god forbid your boyfriend. Plus the color doesn't complement your complexion. It makes you look sallow. The skirt has a neutral color which doesn't bring any attention to you or your legs. You have very nice legs and you are not showing them off. Don't you agree Miriya?"

"Yes, Lisa has very nice legs, not as nice as mine but they are just fine." She said, a little bit of smugness in her voice.

Lisa did not even hear that comment. She was looking at Claudia her mouth agape. "That's it?" she asked neutrally, trying not to let her hurt show. Great friend she was!

"Well I am not going to mention that you are not wearing even a little bit of makeup."

"It was a rhetorical question."

"Lisa I am only saying this with your best interest at heart." Lisa snorted. "It's true!"

"Are you implying that I look ugly." She said a hurt look in her eyes. That was always her fear with Rick she was competing after all with a former Miss Macross and a movie star.

"Lisa, don't misinterpret my words!" Claudia sighed in frustration. "Men like to have a woman that they can feel protective over, a delicate woman. They also like to have a woman that other men will envy. It's the macho thing."

"Now you are talking about Roy. Rick is not like that."

"All men are like that. Even Max, right Miriya?"

Miriya nodded. "Max loves when I show him my legs. You should show Rick yours sometimes."

"I do and he has seen more than that too!" she cried in frustration. Both women smiled knowingly and she turned deep red. "Well, this has not helped out at all! Instead of feeling better now I feel like the ugly duckling." She said, grabbing her purse. She wanted to leave before they could see the tears in her eyes.

As she turned to leave, Claudia grabbed her hand and said, "Remember, the ugly duckling was really a swan. He was just misinterpreted." Lisa frowned at those words but was in no mood to decipher Claudia's mumbo jumbo advice. She left, leaving her two friends looking after her with worried expressions.

Lisa was preparing dinner while Rick was setting up the table. They had decided to enjoy another relaxing evening at her house. As she was stirring the pasta her mind kept going over what Claudia had said. Part of her was angry at her friend but another part was curious. She wondered if Rick really did think that of her. She also wondered if that is what he used to see in Minmay and she was afraid that if he didn't find it in her he would leave her. That scared her the most. The years waiting in the sidelines for Rick had been painful but they would pale in comparison if she lost him now.

She was so lost in her thoughts she almost jumped out of her skin when Rick said sharply, "Lisa, the pasta!" She turned her attention to the stove to see that the pasta water had boiled over and was making a mess of her stove. With a growl she turned down the heat & started cleaning up the mess.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" Rick asked in a gentle voice as he came closer.

"Yes, yes I am fine." She answered impatiently although all the while she was dying to ask him the questions that ran thru her mind. "Pasta is almost ready. Is everything else ready?" She said, changing the subject and avoiding his gaze.

Rick said 'yes' to that and looked at her with a worried expression. Lisa turned around to look at Rick. He was very quiet this evening. Usually they would be chatting up a storm. She guessed it might be because of her distracted attitude. She tried to make the best of it and hide her feelings; after all she was good at that. After their relaxing dinner, they cuddled in her couch watching TV. As always their cuddling turned into a makeout session that led to the bedroom. They made love tenderly and settled to sleep.

Rick fell asleep almost immediately but Lisa found that she could not sleep. Again her mind was full of turmoil. She was happy with Rick and satisfied with their lovemaking but tonight it left her feeling… empty. In the quiet of the night she wished she could have the type of love affair that she saw in other couples, like the Sterlings and Claudia and Roy. She longed for the giggles that signified a secret joke between them. She longed for the long looks full of passion. She had been secretly envious of the stories from her friend about that passion that clouded all reasoning. It wasn't they were not passionate about each other. She had kissed a few guys before & she could tell whenever there is passion and chemistry and there certainly was… so she didn't know why it didn't manifest itself. With a sigh she fell into troubled sleep full of dreams of Rick going back to Minmay.

"Let me tell you girl they should give that boy of yours a medal. He really knows how to land on his feet. I don't know if Roy could have done it any better." Claudia told Lisa in an amused tone of voice as she approached the table she was in. Lisa looked up from the food she was playing with instead of eating and scowled at her friend. Claudia pretended not to notice as sat in front of her and propped her heart shaped face in her hand.

It had been a few days since their "girl" meeting and she had hoped some of her advice had been assimilated by her friend. Apparently it had not penetrated that thick skull of hers.

"What are you talking about?" Lisa pretended ignorance although she knew what it was about. She had been kicking herself about it for all this time after all.

"I can't believe you cut off that poor boy the way you did! He was just trying to flirt with you! It is normal you know, you are a couple after all."

Lisa looked down at her plate and pretended indifference before Claudia could tell that she was hurt by the comment. 'So that's what everybody is thinking!' She thought with a mental wince.

Claudia looked at her friend trying to gauge her reaction but the old ice queen was back. She was keeping her emotions well hidden. Well she had found out that there was only one sure way that she could get any information out of her. Mentally asking her friend for forgiveness she proceeded to piss her off.

"At least he took it all in stride. He must be used to your crankiness after all. Boy was that a slap on the face though! I swear you could hear the crickets on the comm. lines for a few seconds." She exclaimed, carefully looking at the reaction she was getting. Lisa just kept looking down at her food pretending to eat but Claudia could see that her hand had tightened her hold in the fork. "I guess the old sourpuss doesn't know how to respond to good old fashioned flirting!"

That did it! Lisa let go of the fork and slammed her hands of the table. Claudia sat back shocked at her friend's reaction. Lisa's eyes were like flashing emeralds and Claudia knew her well enough to know that was a sure indication that she was pissing mad. Some people in the other tables looked at them, startled at the noise.

"What is your problem?" She whispered fiercely, aware that they were being watched but not really caring about masking her anger. "I swear, this time you have gone too far! Not only do you insult my looks, now you are making comments about my personal life and my personality?"

Claudia didn't miss a beat and responded in the same manner. "The only reason why I talk to you like this is to make you aware of what you are doing. You are going to push that man away with that cold attitude of yours!"

"He fell in love with me this way. He knows what he got himself into."

"That doesn't mean that you cannot do anything to improve a little bit! Look at Rick, you fell in love with him while you were his friend and now he has changed to reflect that he is your boyfriend. The least that you can do is do the same!" Lisa raised her chin in that stubborn attitude that indicated that she had already made up her mind about something. Claudia decided to go in for the kill. "You might keep him with you but at this point you are never going to get a ring from him." She realized she had gone too far when Lisa's eyes grew big as saucers and then welled up with tears.

"How dare you…." Lisa chocked out as she rapidly left the table before anybody could realize she was going to cry. In her haste to leave, she didn't see Rick and Roy who were approaching their table. Rick cried out to her but she just kept her head down and hastened her pace. Rick dropped his food in somebody's table and followed her out.

Roy approached his fiancée. "What happened?"

"She is just too stubborn for her own good." That was all the explanation she gave him.

Rick kept looking at Lisa. She was calm, too calm. After he had finally found her, it had taken him quite a while to do so; she had just clammed up and ignored the whole episode. She had not even wanted to tell him what had happened. He decided to pretend with her but was going to wait until it passed to have a serious talk to her about hiding her feelings from him! He was her boyfriend and he wanted to help her out as much as he could.

By the end of dinner she was more distracted than ever. He really didn't want to leave her like that but he had promised Roy he would join him to pick up some stuff for his engagement party.

"Maybe I should call Roy to cancel with him. He really doesn't need me." He told Lisa as he regarded her gently.

"I told you not to worry!" She said, not sounding too convincing.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, you are staying at your house too, right?"

"Yes, I will have to help him tomorrow morning so I don't want to disturb you. You don't know how Roy wakes me up. He sounds as if he's gonna tear the house down." Rick said, scowling a little.

"I can believe you. I know how you sleep. It takes a bomb to wake you up." She teased him.

Rick gave her a blinding smile. She had joked with him! He was feeling better now since she had regained her usual mood. He hugged her tightly gave her a quick kiss and was about to leave when he remembered something.

"Uh Lis…" he said tentatively. He didn't want to bring up the subject because he feared that she would get upset again but he needed to know…"Are you still going to go buy Roy and Claudia's gift for their engagement party? Do you want me to go pick it up?"

Lisa shook her head and answered. "Don't worry about it. I'll go and get it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. You can't be running around with Roy the whole day tomorrow and still go to pick up the gift. You will be exhausted!"

"I can go another day, after all the party is not until next week."

"Tomorrow is your only day off, after that you won't really have the time or the energy to do it. I already said I would take care of it."

"It's just after today…" He threw the subject out there to see her reaction.

Lisa waved it off. "I am still upset at Claudia but I love her too much to not talk to her ever. It might take me the whole week though to talk to her."

Rick nodded, not really understanding women's mentality. He just gave her another goodnight kiss and left.