Rick arrived at base early again on Monday morning wanting to get away from Minmei. After she had returned from her Aunt and Uncle's the day before she had yelled at him for interfering in her life and going to her family to get rid of her. She let him know that she was going to be out by the end of the week and that she wasn't going to go back to her relative's house and that she would find her own place. He felt relieved that there was going to be an end to this and knew that his and Minmei's relationship would never recover after this and in a way Rick was glad. Minmei would always be a sore point between him and Lisa and he was ready to break all ties to the past to ensure his future with Lisa.

Rick finished changing into his flight suit when he heard someone come in behind him and turned around and found Jack Archer striding towards him with a fierce look on face. Rick was about to greet him when Jack pulled his right arm back and punched Rick in the face. Rick, not expecting the blow did not have time to get out of the way but turned in time for the punch to hit him in the jaw. Rick stumbled against the lockers as Jack advanced on him. Rick quickly pulled himself up as Jack grabbed him by the collar of his flight suit and hoisted him against the lockers. Rick struggling to be be put down, returned the blows and punched Jack in the face, and shoulders until Jack let him go. "What the hell Archer? What's wrong with you?" Rick yelled. "Don't you dare, Hunter...how could you do that to her?" Rick immediately knew Archer meant. "What the hell is wrong with you Hunter, I thought you were a stand up guy, but you're just an asshole." Jack knowing how much it would hurt Rick, continued, "Roy would have thought so too."

With that last comment, Rick threw himself at Jack and started punching him. Jack being four inches taller than Rick had a bit of advantage and was able to get a couple of extra blows in and pushed Rick up against the wall and forced his arm under Rick's throat. Jack's anger was palpable and Rick could feel that Archer was holding back. Jack leaned in and spoke low and directly into Rick's ear.

"I can kill you y'know, but I know she wouldn't like that, but so help me, I want to hurt you so much right now. I promised Karl that I would watch over her and while I haven't been able to do that the last few years but I want you to know that she's not alone, she's not unprotected and I will do anything for her and her baby."

Rick answered back with a defiant look and said, "I know you don't believe me, but I love her and I'm doing everything I can to make things right."

Jack just looked at Rick and said, "You better..."

"Or what?"

Jack leaned in again and looked Rick in the eye and said, "You and I look a lot alike and we have very similar coloring except for the eyes. DNA tests can be changed and I have the means and resources to do it. I'm hoping that baby inherits Lisa's pretty eyes, it will make it a lot easier to discount you as the father."

Rick already angry, heard those words and a fire lit under him. With a yell, Rick started attacking Jack and this time was able to force Jack back. He continued to fight on until he felt a couple of pairs of arms grabbing him and yelling at him to calm down. A couple of pilots had finally come in the locker room and found Rick and Jack fighting and pulled them apart, they didn't want the MP to get involved and quickly tried to calm the two down. Max finally getting Rick out of the locker room, pushed Rick into his office, slammed the door shut and blocked the door as Rick paced up and down and then tried to get back out the door to go after Archer. "I'm going to kill him." Rick roared

Max held Rick back, he had never seen Rick so worked up and waited for Rick to calm down and tell him what happened. Max had an idea but waited to hear what Rick had to say..."That bastard, I don't know how he can come in here and just interfere..." Rick still pacing the room, slammed his fist against the wall.

Max not knowing what to say waited patiently for Rick to calm down and tell him what happened. Rick finally reaching his breaking point sat on the couch with his head in his hand and said to Max, "You have to swear that you won't say anything Max, I mean it."

"I won't say anything boss, you know that"

"You can't even tell Miriya..."

Max was quiet for a second and nodded his head, "I won't say anything to her, Rick. I swear."

For Rick, he needed someone to unburden himself on knew that Max could be trusted. Rick lowered his head and said something softly. Max not being able to hear him, got lower to be able to hear him, "What Rick? I didn't hear that."

Rick just looked at Max and said, quietly. "Lisa's pregnant, she told me after Khyron's attack, that's why she was in the hospital." Max could see Rick tearing up and clinching his hands, leaving moon shaped fingernail marks in his palm.

Max couldn't speak at first.

Max wanted to ask when and how Lisa got pregnant as he never got the impression that Lisa and Rick were lovers and he couldn't believe that Rick was going to be a dad, " Wow...that's really something...is Lisa doing ok?"

"Yeah, she seems to be fine and so is the baby"

"What about Minmei?"

Rick ran his hands through his unruly hair making it even more messy. "What about her?"

"Well what are you going to do?"

Rick looked at Max in the eye and said, "What I should have done months ago.. I love Lisa, I didn't know why it took me so long to see it, and I don't know if I can get her back. I've already asked Minmei to leave and that hasn't been going too well." Rick explained the agreement he had with Minmei and said that she was going be moving out by the end of the week and continued the story, "and then Archer just comes out and attacks me this morning, hell I didn't know that him and Lisa were that good of friends that she would tell him about us."

"Oh, is that what that was about? I thought that you started the fight with him."

"Now why the hell would I go and do that, I can't stop Lisa from having dinner with a friend especially when I was at the same restaurant with Minmei that night. I may not like it but I don't really have a say..."

Max didn't know if he should tell Rick, but thought that it be better he hear it from him than from someone else.

"That's not why I thought you started the fight Rick."

Rick just looked up at Max again and said, "What are you talking about?"

Max just sighed and pulled out his phone. He launched a browser and opened the latest entertainment news article. "Here, maybe you better read this."

Rick took the phone from Max and read the article he pulled up. It was written in the same style as the news article the other night.

Cozy Weekend for Two

After seeing Captain Lisa Hayes and Captain Jack Archer

captivate us at dinner the other night, we decided to do a

little sleuthing of our own about our illustrious Captain

Hayes. It seems that her and Captain Archer are not just

comrade in arms but these two cuties shared a quiet

weekend together. Archer was seen entering the Captain's

home Saturday afternoon with baggage in hand and the two

were seen at visiting the local shops in the afternoon. One

local shopkeeper noted that the two seemed very comfortable

with one another and were quite playful while shopping.

Another source let it slip that it was nice to see Captain

Hayes out and about as base rumors had previously linked

her to Minmei's own Captain Hunter. Seems there may

be more to this story than we think.. Stay tuned!

Rick finished reading the article and would have thrown the phone if Max hadn't rescued his phone for Rick's hand. Rick went to his desk and grabbed his own phone, found the article and scrolled further down to see two photos. One of Archer, grabbing a duffel bag out of a jeep that was parked in front of Lisa's house and another photo of Lisa and Archer walking through the park, with Archer holding a grocery bag in one hand and Lisa holding a red bag that Rick recognizing as the bag from the video store where he and Lisa used to rent movies from. Rick swore and was about to storm out the door when Max stopped him.

"Whoa, whoa, boss, where do you think you're going?" Max grabbed Rick by the shoulders to hold him back from reaching the door.

"To freakin' punch that guy in the face, he wants Lisa and the baby for himself, and there is no way that is going to happen."

"Why not, it would solve a lot of problems for you."

Rick stopped and looked at Max incredulously, not believing what he heard Max say. "Are you crazy Max, I love Lisa, she's worth fighting for, if you aren't going to support me in this then just get the hell out of here."

Max just clapped Rick on his back and said, "I just wanted to hear it from you boss, I'm on your side and so is Miriya and you're going to need our help if you want to get Lisa back. Running out here and getting into another fight with Archer isn't going to get Lisa back. We're about due to go out on patrol while the other squads are in the simulators, so let's go and do our job and then we can get back here and figure out how to move forward. I think we are going to have to let Miriya in on this Rick, she's still close with Lisa and Miriya would love nothing better to see you and Lisa together. You need allies my friend... not fists" Rick, recognizing the truth in the words of his friend, nodded his head and Rick opened the door to his office to head out on patrol. He noticed that almost everyone watched him come out, wondering if he was about to go on a rampage. Rick noticed Archer leaning against the hanger door just watching Rick and smirking. It took all of Rick's control to not go over there and knock his block off but he knew that wasn't the way to handle this. Max and Miriya came behind Rick and flanked him and others of the Skull came up behind them to show their solidarity to their leader even though no one knew what the hell was going on.

Lisa was sitting in the officer's mess hall sipping a cup of tea when Claudia came and sat across from her with her lunch. She pushed over a chocolate chip cookie to Lisa and said slyly, "Well, well, you and Captain Archer huh? I always thought you two had something there.."

"Oh not you too..I've been getting stares all morning and I caught a couple of sergeants gossiping and giggling in the washroom about the article."

Claudia just laughed, "Well I have to say Archer isn't a bad catch. I know you two have been friends for a long time but maybe you need to rethink that."

Lisa gave Claudia a look, "Claudia, I know you mean well, but you know that Archer and I don't have that type of relationship. Karl was like a brother to him and when I came into the scene, Archer adopted me as part of the family too. He's not interested in me in that way and neither am I. He's always been a bit protective of me, even when Karl was dating me.. I didn't know why at first but Karl told me about what happened to Archer's sister."

Claudia just nodded her head and sipped her coffee, "Roy mentioned to me about what happened to her, I can see why he's feeling extra protective over you now. By the way, did you hear what happened this morning in the hanger?"

"No, I didn't hear anything, I'm still trying to get over the gossip from that stupid article"

"Well, hold onto your hat honey, cuz it's about to get worse."

Lisa look worried, "Why, what happened this morning?"

Claudia leaned in to share what she had learned this morning. "No one really knows who or what started it, but apparently a bunch of pilots came into the locker room this morning to find Rick and Jack really going a it."

"Oh no, are they okay?" asked a worried Lisa.

"Yes, the pilots were able to separate the two and Max was able to drag Rick to his office in the hanger to cool off. They came out about 20 minutes later to start patrol, but Rick and Jack were shooting daggers at one another."

Lisa was afraid to ask, "What are they saying is the reason.."

Claudia just sat back, crossed her arms and smiled, "Well, you of course."

"Oh god Claudia, tell me this isn't happening? I already have enough to think about, I don't need the base to think that I am involved in some love triangle."

Claudia just laughed at her, "The only thing this time is that you are the center of the triangle." Changing the subject, Claudia asked Lisa how she was feeling and when her next appointment was. The two chatted for a few more minutes before they had to return to work. "Oh, before I forget, Admiral Gloval wants you to be one of the air controllers for the training exercise tomorrow, can you do it?"

Lisa checked her schedule based on the timing that Claudia gave her and rearranged a few meetings to block off her afternoon for the training. "Okay all set, I'll be there."