Disclaimer: I don't own Macross, Robotech or any of these characters.

Thursday, July 21st, 2016

"Thanks for giving me a ride, Max. Lisa took the car and went grocery shopping, I figured this would be the best time to sneak out of here and pick up the ring."

"Hey, no problem. Just tell me where we're going."

Max pulled away from in front of Rick's apartment and drove, as directed, toward the Jewelry Store in the "high-end" part of town.

The sales clerk showed the ring to Max and Rick before tying silver ribbon around the small black velvet box. The ring was a one-carat emerald cut diamond with a half carat emerald on either side, set in platinum.  The ring looked nothing like the engagement ring Karl had given her.  Rick wanted something very different than the round-cut solitaire Lisa had tucked away, so he chose the emerald/diamond combination; the emeralds reminiscent of Lisa's green eyes.

Rick put the box in shirt pocket, and the two friends returned to Max's car for the return ride home. 

"That's some ring, Rick! Wait till Miriya sees that thing. I'll never live it down! Hers isn't half the size of that. And our anniversary is coming up, too. I better start saving now!"

"Hey, I can't help it if your wife is obsessed with jewelry."

"It's not just jewelry, it's big, expensive jewelry. Maybe it's because Zendraedi don't have jewelry, or maybe it's just because she's a woman, I dunno."

"Probably the latter. I've yet to meet a woman who doesn't like jewelry. I just hope Lisa likes it."

"She'll like it. So when are you going to pop the question?"

"Tomorrow night. We're going to stay in, have dinner. Lisa's is going to try to cook again. She insists. " Rick said with a small laugh. He found it funny that Lisa could direct every detail regarding the construction of the largest space battle fortress in history but for her, cooking even the simplest meal, was a struggle.

"Don't talk to me about wives who can't cook! At least Lisa hasn't almost burned down the house! Several times!"

Rick laughed, "You said, wife, Max. She's not my wife yet."

"Freudian Slip. So do you think you'll talk about setting a date right away?"

"I don't know Max. If it were up to me I'd do it right away. I'm sure Lisa wants a big wedding and all. That will take some time to put together, but even so, she's due to back up to that damn satellite next week for who knows how long? Anyway after dinner I thought I'd fly us to that picnic spot we found a couple of years ago, bring some candles and champagne and ask her there."

"Think she has any idea what's up?"

"No way. I told her I just want to spend a low-key weekend at home."

"That's cool. Good luck, man. We can all celebrate at our place on Saturday, I'll barbecue, and Lisa can show off that rock you're giving her. Why don't you come over to our place around 5:00? "

"Thanks, the ride Max. See you then."

Friday, July 22nd, 2016

4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness 1 Egg & 1/2 cup milk mixture for dipping Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs 1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce Parmesan cheese

"Dip the chicken breasts in milk/egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Brown on both sides until golden. Set aside in baking dish.

"I can handle that."

Slice 8 pieces of mozzarella cheese and put two on each chicken breast. Pour 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and a little more mozzarella and bake 30 min or until bubbly.

"No problem."

Serve with garlic bread and a nice green salad."

"A nice green salad? As opposed to what?"

Lisa Hayes popped the cork off of a bottle of Chianti as she took a final look -through the recipe she chose for dinner. Cooking was not one of her many talents, but since Miriya recommended this recipe, swearing that she had prepared it without incident several times, Lisa figured she could manage it.

As she stood in Rick's kitchen pounding chicken to the prescribed ½ inch thickness, she reflected on how much she had been enjoying the past several weeks. Rick was on duty part of the time she was home on leave, like today, but he was home in the evenings. The couple was able to spend time together watching TV, going to movies, going out to dinner and hanging around with their friends. Tonight she was looking forward to a quiet evening at home, alone, with Rick. 

She poured herself a glass of wine and finished assembling the meal. Rick would be home in an hour or so, and while dinner was in the oven she would have plenty of time to get ready before he arrived.

It was a warm evening with a nice breeze. The kitchen was a bit hot from the oven, so Lisa changed into the light blue spaghetti strapped sundress she bought earlier in the week put on a little makeup, and returned to the kitchen to finish up. 

Just as she finished lighting the candles on the table, Rick came in the front door. Without saying a word he walked straight over to a smiling Lisa, took her in his arms, dipped her backwards, moved his face very close to hers and whispered seductively, "Hi, honey, I'm home."

Lisa began to laugh with delight at Rick's romantic gesture, and in doing so lost her balance, and fell backward on to the floor, pulling him down on top of her. In a smooth recovery move, Rick put his arms and legs out to prevent him from squishing Lisa and landed straddling her. He decided to take advantage of Lisa's vulnerable situation by pinning her arms on either side of her head and holding her there. Without saying a word he lowered himself down on top of her and began to kiss her, slowly and softly. Just as their kiss began to deepen the oven began to beep.

Lisa pushed him away gently and whispered, "it's the garlic bread" Rick pulled himself up and stretched out a hand to held Lisa do the same.

"Dinner will be ready in just a minute. Why don't you go change out of that uniform?"

"Good idea. Is it hot in here or is it just me?" He said with a wink as he headed off to the bedroom and changed into a pair of jeans and the snug fitting white t-shirt that he knew Lisa liked.

"No, it's not just you," Lisa mumbled to herself as she pulled the garlic bread out of the oven.

A minute later Rick later entered the kitchen and asked, "Need any help in here?"

"Nooo, I do not, thank you very much. Everything is done. Just take the salad and the wine in and we're all set." Lisa realized that Rick was standing in the doorway staring at her with an odd look on his face.

"What is it?"

Rick laughed a little "This is so… nice. Strange but nice. I go off to work, you stay home and cook me dinner. Then when I get home here you are looking all sexy in that dress of yours…"

"Don't get used to it, Hunter," Lisa growled.

"I know, I know. How sexist of me."

Lisa walked over to Rick and looked him up and down and said in her most sultry voice, the voice that drove him mad, "I can be that way, too you know. I like, reaaaally like, the way you look in those jeans and T-shirt fly-boy."

Rick picked up the salad and wine and headed out of the kitchen. "We better cut this out, or we're not going to make it through dinner."

The chicken Parmesan was so good it surprised both Rick and Lisa. After dinner the couple sat at the table a little while relaxing when Lisa asked, "Rick, I forgot to ask before. Didn't you say you would pick up something for dessert?"

He answered. "Yes, I did, but we can't have it here."

Lisa didn't know how to respond to that and asked "What do you mean we can't have it here? I thought we decided to stay in tonight."

"True. It's a surprise, okay? Just put your shoes on and come with me."

Lisa jumped up from her chair enthusiastically. Rick liked surprising her, and she knew she was in for something fun. "Shouldn't we clear things, up first?"

"Don't worry about that. We'll do it later."

"Okay, lead on…."

As soon as Rick and Lisa got into the car Lisa asked, "So, are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"The airstrip."

"We're having dessert at the airstrip?"

"Nope."

"Then we're flying somewhere."

"Yup."

"You're not going to give me one word answers all night are you, because if you are it's going to be one loooong evening"

Rick didn't say anything all, and just looked a Lisa with a cheesy grin as they pulled into the parking lot at the small municipal airport where he kept his mockingbird.

He hopped out the car, opened Lisa's door, and went to the trunk and grabbed a duffle bag and a small picnic basket. Lisa smiled, knowing immediately where they were headed.

Rick put his hand out and took hers and said, "I guess the picnic basket gave it away, huh?"

"Uh huh. Fine with me. I can't think of anyplace I'd rather go."

It was a short flight to the remote and beautiful spot that Rick found a few years ago. The secluded field on the edge of a forest had become their private escape, and Rick and Lisa spent as much time there alone as they could. They were both relieved when they flew over that nothing had changed since they were last there six months ago. After they were on the ground, he helped Lisa out of the plane on to the grass, and began to unpack the items he very carefully selected that morning. He realized that he had forgotten to pack his small tent, but since the weather had been warm and clear, he figured they probably wouldn't need it.   First he opened the duffle bag, pulling out a large white blanket. He spread it on the ground by "their" tree saying, "There you go. Have a seat, my dear, I've got it from here."

Lisa sat down and watched as Rick pulled a bottle of champagne, a bag of ice, a silver ice bucket, ten medium sized candles in silver and glass holders, a cheesecake, (Lisa's favorite)  two plates, two glasses and two forks from the basket.  Lisa smiled.  Rick could be very thoughtful and romantic, at times, and she loved it.

He put the champagne on ice in the bucket, lit the candles and sat down next to Lisa, putting his arm around her and pulling her back into him as he rested against the tree. 

Lisa let her head rest against his chest and looked up at him. "Rick, this is so nice. You must have been planning this all week."

Rick smiled down at her answering, "I was.  I stuffed a couple of pillows and another blanket in the bag just in case we feel like spending the night out here."

Lisa gestured at the champagne bottle and said "That might be necessary if we have too much of that."

Rick gave Lisa a gentle squeeze and kissed the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her hair and felt her soft skin beneath his hands. The two relaxed in each others arms for a while, talking about what they did all day, before Rick asked,  "Are you ready for some cheese cake?"

Lisa turned around and gave Rick a very serious look. "I am always ready for cheesecake."

"Okay then. Let's have our dessert while the champagne chills."

Lisa watched as Rick put the cheesecake on plates. "What's the special occasion, Rick? I mean, with the champagne and all?"

He didn't answer her, again just giving her that same silly smile he gave her in the car on the way over and handed her the plate "Here you go."

"Thank you. Oh, so now you're getting all evasive again, huh?" Lisa began to suspect that something was up. What was he planning to do?  She took her first bite of the cheesecake and moaned, "This is SO GOOD!"

Rick smiled at Lisa and said, "I hope I can get you to say that again later."

Lisa laughed and replied, "Me too." She gestured with her fork at the champagne and asked, "Do you think that's cold enough yet? Now I'm kind of thirsty."

"Not yet," he said as he took the empty plate out of her hands and placed it on the blanket beside them. "First there's something I….I want to say to you."

Lisa's heart began to beat faster. Now she knew something was up. And she thought she might know what, too.

Rick rose up to his knees, and kissed the tip of Lisa's nose and said, "Close your eyes."

Lisa closed her eyes as directed, while Rick reached into the duffel bag and took the ring out the box. He sat himself back on the blanket directly in front of Lisa and put the ring in his back pocket.

"Elizabeth…."

Lisa laughed. NO ONE called her that, and whenever Rick did it made her laugh.

"Yes, Richard? Can I open my eyes now?"

She felt Rick take her right hand in his.

"Not just yet. I have something I want to say. The past two years have been the best two years of my life because I've spent them with you. I love you Lisa, and I…" he took a deep breath and continued on "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Lisa's heart was racing with anticipation. She could feel him reaching around for something…and then she felt him slip the ring on to her finger. She could no longer suppress the smile that was bursting out of her. She felt Rick take her right hand into both of his.

"Now open your eyes."

Lisa opened her eyes and stared deeply into Rick's. This was the moment she had been dreaming of for years, and here it was.

"Lisa, will you marry me?" He took his left hand off the top of hers so she could see the ring.

Lisa suddenly felt breathless, and speechless. She looked down and looked at the ring. It was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Not only a diamond, but emeralds as well!

"Oh, Rick. Yes, yes of course!" She threw herself forward into his arms, knocking him backward on to the blanket. Mimicking what he had done to her earlier in the evening she lifted his arms over his head, pinned them, straddled him and kissed him softly.

After she pulled away a little Rick asked "So how do you like the ring?" Lisa rocked back so she was resting on her heels and took another look at the ring. "Rick it's the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. And this, tonight, is wonderful.  You're wonderful"

Rick rocked himself up to a sitting position facing Lisa. "So you're happy?"

"Deliriously happy!"

"And you love me?"

"More than anything."

He took her hand in his, kissed it and said, "And you like the ring?"

"I love it."

Rick grabbed the bottle out of the ice and opened it. "Now we can have some champagne! By the way, Max and Miriya invited us over tomorrow for a barbecue. "

"Oh, are we celebrating something?" Lisa said with a wink. "How do they know, anyway?"

Rick handed Lisa a glass of champagne. "I had to commandeer Max yesterday while you were out to pick up the ring, so I had to tell him. I'm glad you said yes. It would be pretty embarrassing to have to tell him you rejected me."

Lisa smiled at Rick while he poured himself a glass. "Like that would happen!" When he was finished she raised her glass and clinked it against his. "To the rest of our lives together."

"To the rest of our lives," Rick echoed. As soon as they began to take a drink from their glasses a loud clap of thunder startled them. A storm was moving fast toward their location from the south, and the sky, which was clear a few minutes before began to turn cloudy.

"Where did that come from?" Lisa said, obviously annoyed that their perfect evening was being interrupted by the storm.

"Damn. I don't know. We better take this party back home before that moves in." Replied Rick as he began to pack everything back up for the return trip. "I'm sorry, Lisa. I checked the weather this afternoon and it said nothing about rain, and I forgot the tent."

"Don't worry about it, Rick. Let's go home."

To be continued………….

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