Chapter 1

"I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" cried Sarah Anders as she ran like crazy trying to get ready for her first day working at the Vincent Van Go-Go. She'd done everything right to make sure she would not be late, however evidently she had forgotten one thing... daylight savings time had been the day before and she never reset her clocks!

"Ugghhh I cannot believe this is happening!" she growled in disgust as she pulled on her shoes and did her strawberry blonde hair in a swingy ponytail. Making sure her bangs were okay and wiping a smudge of mascara off of her cheek she decided she was ready enough and took off out the door and into her little plymouth and sped off.

Once she got to the Vincent, the crowd was just starting to come in. Her boss was standing close by the door almost as if waiting for her. When he saw her he tapped his wrist and looked disapproving.

"Mr. Vincent, I am so sorry! I forgot daylight savings last night and just realized it!" Sarah apologized and pleaded with her eyes that her job be spared.

"Just watch it next time, okay? Now, go clock in and get ready," Mr. Vincent replied. Sarah gave a nod and took off for the break room where she was to clock in.

She came back out with an apron tied over the uniform she had already put on at home. With a notepad in hand, she began going around to the customers already seated and waiting. She noted from the corner of her eye that the band was just about set up, and with that she took her first batch of orders in to be filled.

The club was small enough that one waitress could pretty well handle it; Sarah had gotten lucky, seeing as just the day before she came to inquire about applying, one of the other girls had quit. Business began at 5:30 but she had to be there at 5. On weekdays that she worked, she would work until 11. When she worked weekends she came in at 5 and didn't clock out until 1AM. There were two other girls and they split the schedule that way, with weekends being split as well so no one worked every weekend.

The in-house band was in for just as long, however they mostly played on weekends when revenue was higher. But once in awhile a band did play a couple of days during the week if they were pretty popular, and the one playing tonight was no exception.

"Have you ever seen The Monkees play here before?" Mr. Vincent asked Sarah as she passed by him.

"Hm? Oh no, sir, I just moved to this part of California not even a week ago," she replied. "'Bout time I moved out of my parents' basement so I got an apartment."

"Oh... well most people your age like them. I bring them in as much as I can; they're good boys. Like I said, pretty popular with the young folk."

"Groovy..." Sarah smiled, then excused herself to retrieve some of her orders.

"Good evenin', ladies and gentlemen!" a drawl came from the stage. Sarah looked up while passing out orders; the voice belonged to a tall, lanky man in a wool hat and a red double-breasted shirt. His bandmates wore the same kind of shirt as well. "As you know, we're the Monkees, and if you don't, well... here, just listen."

Sarah couldn't help but giggle. They certainly seemed unconventional!

An organ began to play and she noticed it was being manned by a guy with long blonde hair, a shorter boy was playing tambourine, the tall fellow was playing lead guitar, and... the drummer was the lead singer?

A bunch of the people who had been at her tables had gotten up to dance in front of the stage. This worked out well, for she couldn't quite take her attention off of that drummer. His voice was unlike anything in rock music she had ever heard. She couldn't tell much about his face, or any of their faces for that matter, from where she was standing. So once she made sure the customers still seated were okay, she advanced for a better viewing position.

Once she reached a better vantage point, she came to the conclusion that the song they were playing must have been called "I'm a Believer" because that was repeated in the chorus line.

The one with the wool hat had a very serious look on his face as he played his guitar. He had brown eyes and a full lower lip and a head full of raven hair.

The blonde playing the organ had a perpetual smile and almost seemed to bounce as he played; his eyes were brown as well.

The one playing tambourine had a head of thick long chestnut hair, thick brows, and a charming smile under his chocolate eyes. He seemed to be the 'Paul McCartney' of the group.

The drummer, and lead singer to boot, had long medium brown hair and brown almond eyes. They closed slightly sometimes when he sang and crinked at the corners when he smiled.

If he hadn't been shorter than herself by almost a foot, she would have found the tambourinist incredibly irresistable. Though with the way he seemed to make eyes with a few different girls in the room, perhaps he wouldn't have been her type after all.

There was something about the drummer, though...

Dammit get off the drummer already! she thought to herself.

With that, and the song's end, she went to check on her few customers sitting at their tables.