[AN: It was ANZAC Day yesterday and seeing the kids wearing their parents/grandparents medals in the parade inspired me to finally write out a HC of mine. Feedback is adored.]

┌─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ. ───┐

MEDAL OF VALOR

└─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ. ───┘

It's the same song Minmei had sung years ago as the SDF-1 ploughed into battle against Dolza's armada.

And with our love, we can win.

Win they had, but at a cost so steep that even ten years of rebuilding, they were still paying.

Tears well in her eyes and dampen her cheeks as the final notes fade away on the breeze. It's been so long but the wounds are still as fresh as ever. Minmei lowers the microphone and hangs her head as silence falls over the assembled crowd.

There are no claps or cheers on this solemn occasion. A full moment's silence is observed in honour of the billions of souls lost all those years ago and when it's over, she raises her head to cast one last look at the looming SDF-1 before retreating back to her seat amongst the other dignitaries. Her duty was done.

There are speeches, a march and a flyover and then the ceremony is over. The crowd disperses, a mix of enlisted personnel and civilians all coming together to remember those lost before. Minmei finds herself caught up in pleasantries with members of the crowd not too star struck to approach her but she doesn't mind the distraction their attention brings.

Around her, families gather together, old friends greet each other. There are tears and smiles and an odd sense of relief.

Then she sees him.

It wasn't difficult to single him out in a crowd, it never had been. She sees him in the distance, resplendent in his formal military uniform, his chest decorated with the badges of his service over the years. Minmei watches him and tries to find the boy that had plucked her out of the sky but he's buried under the man he's become.

And at Rick's side, is a young child, around six or seven Minmei guesses, with a head of hair as dark as his. He wears a suit, with a blue tie and hair that may have started the day brushed back neatly but is as unruly as ever. That must be Roy, Minmei realises with a harsh pang against her heart. Rick's eldest son. She clutches her purse a little tighter, thinking about what she carries in there – something just for Roy.

She takes a step forward, her eyes trained so tightly on Rick and his son that she doesn't realise the crowd has parted. Minmei sees her then – Rick's wife, the formidable and beautiful Captain Lisa Hayes… although she must be at least an Admiral now, Minmei thinks to herself.

It burns a little to see the way Rick turns to her, the way his face lights up at her, and the way she smiles back at him. Ten years ago, Rick had said told Minmei he loved her and said goodbye all in one breath.

I'm a pilot, and you're a big star now. You know it wouldn't have worked for us anyway.

He had asked her to sing, and she had, singing for him.

Against all odds, the war had been won but when the dust had finally settled, Rick had moved on with Lisa.

Lisa wears her uniform also - a dark blue jacket, her hair pinned back at her nape, a cap upon her head. Her chest is adorned with medals of her own, decorations of her courage under fire, the part she had played in the war. But it's the two small figures that hold her hands that Minmei's gaze falls on. A boy and a girl, both with deep chestnut hued hair, and eyes blue enough that Minmei can see their colour even from a distance.

The twins, Minmei realises. She had remembered their birth announcement and had sent her congratulations then pushed it out of her thoughts. But the stab of longing when Rick hugs his sons, sweeps up his daughter up and kisses his wife's cheek makes Minmei's breath catch painfully in her throat.

They look so happy.

Her footsteps almost falter, but the same determination that had made her the star she was today propels her forward.

Minmei approaches the family slowly, but of course it's Lisa who notices her first. The two women's gazes lock and hold and Minmei knows without a shadow of a doubt that Lisa knows her thoughts. That Lisa knows Minmei still wishes she was the woman Rick slept beside at night.

Oh, if she hadn't been so blind and foolish. If only she had realised sooner… the life Lisa has with him might have been hers.

Lisa drapes her arm around Roy's shoulders and when he turns to look up at what has his mother's attention, Minmei has to swallow up another gasp. Up close, Roy Hayes Hunter is the splitting image of Rick. There he is, the thought rushes through her mind. There's the boy I remember.

"Hello, Minmei."

Lisa's cool tone snaps her out of her stare and Minmei flushes as Rick and the children turn to face her. She forces a smile and tosses her hair. She's imagined this moment a hundred times before and knows she will play this part to perfection. "Hello Lisa. Rick. It's so good to see you both."

Rick seems startled to see her. "Uh, hello there, Minmei."

She holds her arms out to hug him and he leans into her embrace, but he's stiff and it's awkward and Minmei doesn't miss the uneasy glance he exchanges with his wife. It makes her sadder than it should. They hadn't parted on unhappy terms all those years ago but their last conversation where he had confessed he was in love with Lisa and broken Minmei's heart had been messy. They had avoided each other ever since.

"It's Minmei!" the little girl Rick carries on his hip says, her eyes bright.

"Yes," Minmei smiles. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Sara," the little girl says confidently. Minmei doesn't look at Rick or Lisa, a wall of history there too thick to push through just now.

"Hello, Sara, it's lovely to meet you."

"And I'm Ben," the younger boy pushes in, tugging his hand out of Lisa's and stepping close to Rick.

"Hello, Ben," Minmei laughs, one of her tinkling bells that she had perfected over the years and had allowed her to garner such fame. Ben and Sara stare at her, enraptured and their attention makes her smile. She turns then to the dark haired boy, watching her warily. "And you must be Roy. Look at you. I saw a photo of you when you were born, but now you're all grown up."

Rick's smile is small then. He seems to relax under the warm greeting she offers his children. "It's been a while, huh."

"Yes," Minmei says softly. She still remembers the news article about their wedding, only a footnote in the small New Macross publication but large enough that it had included their service photos and a beautiful portrait shot of them on their wedding day. Rick and Lisa gazing into each other's eyes, blissful and high on love.

Minmei lost count of the number of nights she had lain alone in her bed crying for missed opportunities, feeling as though someone else had stolen her life. Lisa hadn't of course, but perhaps if Minmei had given away her career, if she had given it all up, Rick might not have thrown his lot in with the RDF and Lisa and the family Lisa had with him might have been hers.

"Roy's just turned seven," Lisa says, stepping close to Rick in an attempt to diffuse the awkward beats between them all. She smiles down at him then at the twins. "And Ben and Sara are five now."

"Are you going to sing for us again, Miss Minmei?" Sara asks. She squirms out of Rick's arms and he lowers her to the ground.

"Not today, I'm afraid," Minmei says kindly. Sara wrinkles her nose in disappointment but something catches her attention in the distance.

She turns to her mother. "Mama, can I go see Uncle Max? He's over there with Dana."

"Yeah, Mom, can we go?" Ben begs.

Lisa smiles at them and raises a brow. "What does your father say?"

The twins turn to Rick pleadingly, Minmei all but forgotten.

"Nice pass," Rick says dryly to his wife, causing Lisa to laugh softly. Minmei can see the bond between them, the partnership and the ease of silent communication they've developed after a lifetime together. Her heart pangs in jealousy again. "Sure, but don't bother Max too much, alright. And stay where we can see you."

"Roy, do you want to go too?" Lisa asks him when he doesn't follow his siblings.

"Can I?" he asks, hopeful.

"Wait," Minmei steps in. "Before you go Roy, I have something for you."

The wariness is back in the boy's gaze. Minmei wonders fleetingly what he's been told about her, to be so wary, but he holds himself the same way Lisa does. He might be the splitting image of Rick, but he's all Lisa.

Lisa and Rick grow still.

"For me?" Roy asks doubtfully.

"Yes," Minmei smiles encouragingly. She opens up her purse and pulls out a small box. She's aware of Rick and Lisa exchanging a glance and Rick opens his mouth to speak but Minmei hurries to cut him off.

"This is for you Roy," she says, kneeling down in front of the boy on the concrete. Her white pants will probably be stained but she doesn't care. This was important. "It's very special. Your father gave this to me for my 16th birthday, but I think now it's time you should have it."

Roy's eyes are as wide as saucers. "What is it?"

"Open it," Minmei says. She can't bring herself to look at Rick and Lisa, fearing the judgement she worries she will get from them.

Roy glances at his parents before taking the box then opening it slowly. "It's a medal," he says in surprise.

"Yes. It's the titanium Medal of Valor. Your father was awarded this medal and I think that it should rightly be with you."

"Me?" Roy looks doubtful. "But you said Dad gave it to you."

"He did," Minmei laughs with forced lightness. Roy has a sharpness about him that definitely comes from Lisa. Somehow that makes it easier. Minmei can't let herself pretend even for a heartbeat what it would be like if he was hers. "But it's yours now."

Roy stares at the medal, and Minmei takes it out and pins it to the lapel of his suit. "I was only safeguarding it until you were ready to look after it," she tells him, smoothing his jacket. "There. It looks perfect on you."

Roy's smile is bright as he puffs out his chest. He turns back to his parents and Lisa crouches down to hug him. Minmei is aware of Rick stepping close but she doesn't turn to look at him. Gifting the medal to Roy is something she has wanted to do for a long time, but selfishly, it was the only thing she had left of Rick that was truly hers. Giving the medal away was finally admitting to herself that she was ready to let him go.

"Minmei," Rick says quietly. Disapprovingly. He seems unhappy with her gesture. "I gave you that without any expectations of having it returned."

"I know that, Rick," she says, remembering vividly the way he had tossed it up to her from the street. At the time she had no idea what it was or what it represented, not until years later long after the final battle was fought. "And it was very sweet of you. But it's not right that I have it. It should be with you, and… and your family."

She glances at Lisa, who has crouched down to be at eye level with Roy as she speaks quietly with him. Minmei can't see her face, but she hopes Lisa isn't angry. "It's romantic, isn't it?" she continues after a moment, almost musing. "Your first medal for a mission where you saved the love of your life…"

At his surprise she offers a small smile and a coy shrug. "I was curious. I did my research."

"I… I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, Rick," she smiles and this time it's genuine. She looks over at Lisa and Rick's son, her heart suddenly lighter and free of the burden of missed chances. She can move on now. "I'm just glad it's where it belongs. And so are you."

Rick watches Minmei walk away.

"I always wondered why you never wore it," Lisa says a moment later, after Roy had dashed off to show the medal to his friends. Rick tenses slightly, searching Lisa's words for any hint of hostility but there is none.

He relaxes and slides his arm around her waist and she leans into him willingly. Ten years since they had run into each other's arms at Alaska Base, ten years since he had kissed her in the battered cockpit of Skull One, ten years of having Lisa at his side. She was his bride, his partner, the mother of his children and his safe haven in the storm.

Minmei had called it romantic. He supposes she was right.

"I didn't need the medal," he says, pulling his wife close. In the distance, their three children frolic in the shadow of the SDF-1 and the crowd of New Macross survivors mill around them. "I have Roy, and Ben and Sara." He turns to her and brushes a stray strand of hair away from her cheek. Lisa was high in the ranks now, this kind of contact would probably be frowned upon once before anyone cared about such things.

She's as beautiful to him as ever. "And I have you."