Lisa couldn't help herself. She had to be there to greet Minmei in person when she landed.

It was late afternoon on a beautiful spring day. The wind was brisk, but not strong enough to be unpleasant. The moment Minmei stepped off the plane, Lisa's face broke into a smile as bright as the sun.

Minmei walked briskly to her across the tarmac, and they hugged. Lisa felt that if she'd been ten years younger, she would have picked Minmei up and whirled her around.

They pulled apart and Minmei asked, "What's the news?"

"I'm still in love with you, and Rick is willing to give it a try."

Minmei's face broke into a grin, and she and Lisa kissed. They didn't give a damn who saw them.

They pulled apart again. "Did you take off work early just to pick me up?" Minmei asked.

"I did."

Minmei motioned to the plane behind her. "Well, I hope your car has room for luggage. It's so wild; I go on tour, and suddenly I have lots of clothes."

Lisa laughed. "Come on, you. Let's get you home."

 

Lisa and Minmei sat on the sofa with their arms around each other.

"I've never been with a woman before," Lisa whispered.

"Neither have I."

Slowly, they kissed.

They had the house to themselves. Rick would be on duty for many more hours, so they took their time, moving with slow deliberation, making each moment last as long as possible.

 

Rick came home to find that Lisa had made him dinner. The bedroom door was closed, and Lisa spoke quietly. "Minmei's back, but she's exhausted after her tour so she's already asleep."

"I guess we're gonna have to get a bigger bed," Rick said, looking towards the bedroom. "I hadn't thought of that."

The bedroom door opened and Minmei came out, dressed in a shirt and panties and rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Hey, we didn't mean to wake you," Lisa said.

"'Sallright," Minmei said. "I wanted to greet Rick when he came home." She wrapped her arms around him, and they held each other. Lisa looked on, smiling. Rick and Minmei had known each other a long time; they needed no words.

Minmei kissed him and smiled. "We've come a long way since you toppled a veritech into my bedroom."

Rick smiled also. "We sure have."

Minmei kissed him again.

"Boy, it's wonderful to feel your kiss again," Rick said. "I thought it was gone forever."

"Likewise," Minmei said. "And we have Lisa to thank for giving it back to us." She kissed him again. "But right now you need to eat and I need to sleep. I really am tired." She yawned. "Good night, you two."

"Good night," they said, and Minmei returned to the bedroom.

Less than an hour later, a very tired Rick and Lisa joined her. They managed to crawl into bed without waking Minmei again.

"You're right," Lisa whispered. "We need a bigger bed."

 

Minmei really wanted to rest all the next day while Rick and Lisa were on duty, but she didn't get the chance.

First, the world wanted to celebrate. Not only was the war officially over, but to say that the Zentraedi were enthusiastic about the boxing leagues was an understatement. They were ecstatic that they would be able to hit people without going to jail for it. These two developments meant the future looked bright, and everyone wanted a party. And no party was a real party without Minmei, so she spent several hours on the phone with Vance. They needed to plan something truly special right away, and if she could write a song specifically to commemorate the event, that would be perfect.

Second, since Rick and Lisa were tied up with work all day every day, it fell to Minmei to order a new bed and arrange delivery.

Third, Vance called her one more time late in the afternoon to tell her that Dr. Lang, of all people, apparently had a niece with a lovely singing voice. Her name was Janice. Dr. Lang felt very strongly that Janice's voice was a perfect harmonic match with Minmei's, and was asking Minmei to meet Janice and to consider forming a partnership with her. To be polite, and out of respect for Dr. Lang, Minmei agreed to meet her, but insisted it would have wait until after the celebration.

Worn out, Minmei took a nap in the early evening. Before going to sleep, she set her subconscious to work coming up with ideas for a special song to celebrate the end of Earth's first – and hopefully last – interplanetary war. She knew she would come up with something. She always did. Maybe a sequel to "We Will Win" called "We Have Won?" Or perhaps just "Triumph?" Hmm. Perhaps too on the nose. It should be something more subtle.

One tiny, niggling part of her subconscious asked, Why not just sing "Stage Fright" again? She told it to go 'way.

 

Rick and Lisa came home an hour after sunset. Minmei greeted them both, and they shared a long, three-way hug. Then they ate dinner and talked about their day.

Then they turned off the telephone and dimmed the lights.

Without a word, Lisa took Rick's left hand and Minmei took his right. Together, they led him to the bedroom where, for the first time – but certainly not the last – the three of them made love together. It lasted for hours.

It was a night none of them would ever, ever forget.

It was the start of their new life together.