To all of you looking for updates to other stories: they are coming. If anything this story, as unusual and offbeat as it is, is a good sign, as the premise was meant for another genre but I adapted it for Rick and Lisa. Maybe my wayward Robotech muse is coming home.

It hasn't been run through a beta…all mistakes are mine.

Robotech and all its characters are owned by Harmony Gold, not me.

Let me know if you like it, or if you don't for that matter.

Rated 'R' for sexual innuendo.

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It was supposed to be a special moment in time; a block of eternity that they both would remember for the rest of their lives as the physical consummation of the promise of love they had made to each other.

That the moment had been ruined was bad enough for Lisa, but for the moment to be ruined by Rick himself was maddening.

There she was, lying on their bed in nothing more than her white bra and underwear with Rick sitting beside her fully clothed and his eyes wide as saucers and mouth agape.

The fact that the winter chill running across her skin was causing goose bumps to pop up all over her body only added fuel to the proverbial fire.

Rick looked up and gazed into her eyes. "When…how…when…?" he stammered.

She wasn't sure if it was the situation, her current state of undress, the cold or what, but the way he was looking at her made her want to belt him.

Hard.

His eyes shot down to the tiny little thing that had stopped him in his tracks and brought on his current stupor and ruined her most anticipated moment ever. He reached down with his right hand and with his index finger he slowly lowered the top edge of her panties down a couple of inches to see it again.

He looked up to her again, then looked back down to it, and then looked up into her eyes once more. "How long have you had this?" he asked.

Lisa sighed, her hopes that he was getting over the little surprise dashed by the shock still evident in his voice. Still, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him in a way. After all, there were times she herself couldn't believe she had it.

"Twelve years ago," she replied, discreetly looking towards her blouse bunched up at the foot of the bed to see just how much trouble it would be to try to retrieve it. "When I graduated from the Academy."

"Twelve years?" asked Rick incredulously. "You mean you've had it all this time?"

"Yes, Rick," she said a little angrily, "twelve years." Enough was enough. She sat up and reached down to grab her blouse, but Rick's hands grabbed hers and he edged in closer to her bringing their joined hands in to rest against his chest as he did so. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry, Lisa," Rick said honestly, having finally noticed her discomfort and anger. "But I'm just…surprised, I guess. I never would have thought that, well, that…"

"That the Ice Queen would do something like that?" she finished for him in a quiet voice. She agreed with the sentiment really, but it still hurt that he thought of her that way.

"That's not what I said at all, Lisa," answered Rick swiftly and surely. He rubbed his nose against hers. "I know that there isn't ice running through your veins, or ice in your heart. I know better. But you have to admit, it is a little out of character for you, isn't it?"

"Yes," she agreed after a moment, not because he said absolutely the right thing but because it was true. And because of that an explanation was in order. "When Claudia and I graduated we went to one of the bars near the Academy for a celebratory drink." She smiled reminiscently as she added, "I didn't really want to go. After all the hard work I just wanted to relax before I got my assignment. Anyway, Claudia could be very convincing, as you well know."

Rick leaned back a couple of inches and nodded in agreement as he eased their hands down so that they rested partly on his lap and partly on hers.

"After we had a drink and toasted to our careers I was ready to leave, and had actually stood up and had my coat half on, but then Kim, Sammie and Vanessa came in. They heard that we were all going to be assigned to the SDF-1, which according to Claudia was reason enough to have another drink. Before I knew it, we were all a little- tipsy- and on our way."

"You were all a little tipsy?" asked Rick with a raised eyebrow.

Lisa nodded, no longer sure whether the flush she felt in her cheeks was caused by her unreleased sexual tension, the fact that she was nearly naked on the bed, or that she was discussing what she was discussing. "Yes. At any rate someone suggested that we all get these…I still don't remember who it was, but we all agreed. We found a place and we took turns until we all had one."

Rick was amazed. "So you, Claudia, Kim, Sammie and Vanessa all had one?" When Lisa nodded Rick drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "Wow…that's incredible. I had no idea." He glanced down to where it was, once again concealed by her white panties. "Why, ah, why that location?"

Lisa looked away from Rick's intense gaze, not really surprised that he would be so interested in it, but surprised that she was feeling more than a little embarrassed by it after all this time. "So it would be hidden," she said as she watched his fingers play around with hers. "Even the skimpiest bathing suit hides it."

Rick chuckled. "I never would have thought it," he said with a slight shake of his head. He looked into Lisa's emerald eyes. "I never would have suspected that you'd have a tattoo," he released her hands and gently pushed her onto her back and edged the top of her underwear down again to peer appreciatively at the tattoo, "of the RDF insignia on the front of your hip." He let go of her underwear and moved forward and gave her a kiss on her lips. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

Lisa put her arms around his neck and said quietly, "You have no idea," before drawing him to her for another kiss and hopefully much, much more.