AN: Set during Viva Miriya. Please drop me a msg if you enjoyed it!

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

They're riding high on the success of their mission as the crews prep the Robotech factory satellite for the journey back to Earth space and ensconced in the micronized portion of Breetai's command ship... Rick and Lisa haven't talked about that kiss.

Rick still doesn't know why he reacted the way he did when he had been summoned to the bridge during that mission – kissing Lisa wasn't exactly a hardship but it stirred up too much inside him, things he wasn't ready to face yet. It plays on his mind as he roams the corridors, until the unmistakable sound of Max's uproarious laugh echoes out the open door of Claudia's quarters.

Rick follows it and pokes his head in to find Claudia, Lisa and Max seated around the low coffee table. On the bed nearby, Miriya is lost in her own little world playing with Dana.

"What's going on?"

"I would never have believed it," Max is laughing as Rick wanders over. "Skipper, you gotta see this! You wouldn't believe what a dirty mind Captain Hayes has."

"What are you talking about?"

"We're playing dirty word scrabble," Claudia offers by way of explanation. Rick glances at Lisa. Her cheeks are pink with a blush but she doesn't look up at him.

Curious, Rick takes a peek at the board and his eyes almost pop out of his head. "Whose word is that?"

"Hers!" Max says accusingly as he points at Lisa. "I wouldn't have ever believed it if I didn't see it with my own two eyes."

"I told you, Max," Claudia winks. "You don't want to mess with Lisa."

"He challenged me," Lisa shrugs lightly as she leans over and adds two new letters to an already crude word. "What else was I supposed to do? That's twelve more points, please."

Max frowns as he peers over the game. "How do you figure that?"

Lisa points. "Double letter."

Max shakes his head. "Unbelievable. She really is something, Captain. I never thought I would say this but… I surrender, you win. Your mind is too dirty, we can't compete."

"Speak for yourself," Claudia leans over and adds a new word that makes Rick blink.

Max throws his hands up, Claudia's addition to the board only proving his point. "That's it, I'm out. I can't compete against either of you."

"You should know better than to challenge a lady," Lisa says mildly. She still hasn't acknowledged him and Rick is starting to wonder if it's his imagination that she won't look at him.

"Well, you sure showed me," Max grins good naturedly and glances over at Miriya. "I should know better than to accept a challenge like that."

Miriya's answering smile is small and content. She stands up and cradles Dana against her chest. "Indeed, my love. But I think we should take our leave now."

"You're right. It's time for me to go home with my tail between my legs," Max laughs again as he hustles his wife and child out of the room with a warm farewell.

"So, what can we do for you, Rick?" Claudia asks him when the bustle of Sterling energy has left. "Want to play?"

He eyes the impressive range of words on the board, none he could ever imagine the demure and prim Captain Lisa Hayes saying out loud. There's a few he figures Claudia probably picked up from Roy but the rest… he finds himself eying Lisa with speculation.

"I'm not sure I can top any of those."

"It's late," Lisa says abruptly, starting to pack away the game. "I should be getting some rest anyway."

Claudia looks surprised at Lisa cutting the game short but Rick doesn't miss the narrowed glance she slides over Lisa and himself. So he wasn't the only one who's noticed it, it seems. Ever since their argument and then the kiss, Lisa would leave the room when she could, or simply ignored his presence when she couldn't. She had become proficient at making herself scarce when he was around.

In short, she was avoiding him.

It shouldn't bother him as much as it does, Rick tells himself. After all, what did Lisa have to be worked up about? The kiss was just a diversionary tactic, it didn't mean anything.

Except that it did.

He doesn't realize she's saying her good nights to Claudia and is about to walk out until she's at the door.

"Lisa, wait! Ah… Good night, Claudia," he remembers to say, only for Claudia to wave him off with a hidden smile of amusement. At least he knows he has an ally there.

Lisa pauses in the hall for him, her expression wary. It makes him a little sad to see her brightness from earlier dimmed in his company. "Yes, Captain? What is it?"

Oh, so she's trying to hide behind rank again, huh?

"Ah, can… can we talk?"

It surprises them both when he says it. Lisa's eyes widen slightly and Rick wonders briefly what on earth prompted him to say it when he was so much more adept at sweeping an issue under the rug and ignoring it.

But this distance between himself and Lisa… he doesn't like it.

Lisa shakes her head. "Well, it's rather late and I-"

"Please, Lisa. It won't take long."

Lisa's gaze skitters away. She hesitates just long enough to make him sweat. "Alright. Come to my quarters and I'll make us some tea."

A little while later, they're seated together on her narrow couch with a pot of tea between them and a teacup in his hands. Rick takes a sip and realizes they've already had this exact moment not so long ago, only this time it was him trying to pry an answer out of Lisa and not the other way around.

He half wishes he might be saved from this prickly path he's put them on by some kind of summons or attack but luck isn't on his side.

He takes an uncomfortable breath. "So, um. Lisa, I wanted to talk about… about the kiss."

"The kiss? What about it?"

"Well, it… it was different."

Lisa is careful not to look at him as she takes a sip of her tea but he swears her cheeks tint pink. "Different how?"

Rick frowns. "You know how. It was… it was-"

"Part of the mission. A diversionary tactic, that's all. You know that."

"I don't think it was."

"Oh, really? You think I planned that with Breetai just so he would allow me to kiss you in front of all of our colleagues and beam it halfway across the universe?"

Rick shrugs and completely misses the flat, sarcastic tone of her voice. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Despite what you might think, Captain Hunter, you're not that good a kisser."

That leaves him speechless. And his pride more than a little bruised.

"Yeah, well, I haven't had any complaints until now!"

"Maybe you're kissing the wrong girls then," Lisa says with saccharine sweetness. Minmei's face flashes briefly behind his eyes before he shoves it away angrily.

"Oh yeah? Well, you were still pretty keen not so long ago."

Lisa shrugs dismissively and something about the motion makes Rick's blood boil.

"Like I said before, Captain Hunter. Merely part of the mission."

Rick's jaw gets tight. "Then prove it."

"What?"

"You heard me, Captain Hayes. If you were so unaffected by the kiss, then prove it. Let me kiss you again right now."

He can see by her startled expression he's caught her off guard. A wave of satisfaction rolls over him. She doesn't think much of his kisses, huh? Well that kiss as far back on Dolza's command ship was enough to keep him awake at night, and the one just a few days ago was enough to make him want to beg for more. Surely he wasn't the only one feeling it. Kisses like that don't just happen every day.

She takes a long time to answer him and his stomach drops slightly when he realizes she may have been telling the truth. Maybe she wasn't as affected...

The thought leaves him deflated.

"Alright," she says firmly, placing her teacup down on her saucer with enough force that it rattles lightly. "If you are looking for a challenge, Mister, then you've got it!"

That's the only answer he needs and he doesn't stop to think twice about it. He dumps his teacup down and pulls Lisa towards him. She makes a small sound of surprise in the beat before his lips crash against hers and Rick takes possession of her mouth.

He kisses like she had kissed him… like their lives depended on it.

And he doesn't stop either. Not when two pairs of hands wander and fumble and tug on belts, not until skin is bared and marked and her scent inhaled into his lungs. Not until her eyes glaze as he hovers over her on the couch, and one palm curls over her breast under the weight of her uniform.

Not until she grips a handful of his hair and tugs his head back.

Her eyes luminous and her lips plump and pink but her body is stiff under his. Her cheeks are flame red but Rick knows it's from more than just their kisses.

"You've made your point, Captain," she tells him dispassionately, shifting her gaze to something over his shoulder. She trembles but it's not in distress. "You can get off me now."

Rick doesn't make a move and everything that had been so murky for so long suddenly becomes crystal clear.

"I don't want to stop kissing you," he says, his mouth not quite keeping up with his thoughts.

"Well I'm not interested in being your plaything," Lisa says and she shoves at him lightly when he doesn't make any further move to release her. The motion is enough to send him scrambling backwards on the couch and they both pull themselves upright. Her uniform is askew as much as his. She had kissed him back just as hard. "You're not my plaything, Lisa. You could never be that."

Her shoulders tense. "Well, I'm glad you can be so sure of that," she snaps. "You need to leave, Hunter."

Rick winces, realizing she's misunderstood. She shifts away on the couch, trying to put distance between them but he shuffles after her.

"Lisa, no, wait. You don't understand."

"No, you're right about that, Rick. I don't understand. You practically refused to follow orders during the mission and then you show up wanting more of it. I don't understand you at all, and frankly, I've had enough of it. You've proven your point, now I would like to get some sleep."

"Lisa… I'm in love with you."

That stops her in her tracks more than anything else could. Her gaze shifts to his, disbelieving. "What… What did you say?"

"You were right, I do want something more. I just didn't know what until just now. I love you, Lisa."

Her hands grope for his as her eyes well and grow damp. "Tell me I'm not dreaming this."

"You're not," he smiles and reaches for her again. Her hands cup his cheeks and her eyes bore into his, searching for any hint of untruth. He doesn't look away, willing Lisa to see the clarity in his eyes he's been ignoring until now. It's a relief it finally give it voice, to finally admit it out loud. "I swear, Lisa."

"Well then," Lisa whispers and a tremulous smile curves her lips. "You'd better prove it."

"Huh?"

"Kiss me again, Captain Hunter."

He smiles against her mouth and holds her close. "Yes, ma'am."

FIN