(A/N): Hey guys! So I actually managed to write a whole 'nother chapter in 24 hours! :D I hope you like it!

Chapter 2
Though it was getting pretty late, Mike noticed that once she got a little used to him, Beatrice loved to talk. She had been running her mouth for almost ten minutes, as she was still nuzzled in the man's arms, his jacket and warm embrace protecting her from the harsh wind. On the walk back to the Pad, Mike had learned a couple of things about her. Her full name was Beatrice Walker; she was seven years old, and in the first grade at Webster Elementary School. She loved princesses, tea parties, pistachio ice cream, and music. Well, she was in for a real treat. Mike smiled as every now and then, a small yawn would escape from Beatrice's mouth as she smacked her lips lightly and held onto him tighter. The two of them continued on in the darkness for a few minutes, with only a handful of dim lamps lighting their way, until Mike finally reached the stairs up to his house. He gently set the small girl down as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the key. Then, lifting her into his arms once again, he swung open the door and stepped inside. Much to Mike's disappointment, the boys were still awake, yet in their pajamas, huddled around the small television in the living room, their eyes glued to the screen. Mike rolled his eyes as the three of them didn't even notice he and their new visitor had arrived.

"Hello fellas." He chimed cheerily, walking into The Pad a little more. The three men grunted in response, still fixed onto the latest episode of The Partridge Family. Beatrice stared up at Mike with sleepy eyes and whispered into his ear.

"Who are they?" She asked softly. Mike smirked.

"Well, these guys are my best buddies." He replied a little louder. This caught the attention of Micky Dolenz, whose head popped up immediately at the mention of that. The curly haired man had to do a double take as he finally noticed that Mike was back, with a small child in his arms.

"Who's she?" He questioned mysteriously, rising from his seat on the couch and slowly walking over to the two new arrivals. Not sure if she was welcome or not yet, Beatrice clutched Mike's neck harder with her small arms. He placed a protective hand on her back as she started to clench up again. Her chatty self suddenly disappeared as the tiny, timid little one he had first met made a reappearance again.

"Well Micky, this is, uh, my new pal Beatrice." He said, as if it was a normal everyday thing to suddenly appear home with a random kid off the streets. By now, Mike's other two roommates Peter Tork and Davy Jones had sprinted over to see what all of the commotion was about. They too were stunned to see this strange little girl being cradled in their friend's arms. Beatrice's face paled as the looks that were being shot at her didn't seem the most heartwarming. The three boys were glancing from her to Mike hastily, confusion and concern twisting their expressions.

"Beatrice. Well Michael, how did you find this little one?" Davy asked, crossing his arms over his chest. The short Englishman couldn't take his eyes off of her. He didn't know what to think. Was Mike crazy? Was this some sort of a weird prank or something? If it was, kudos for him; he really had them going.

"Actually, she was the one that found me." Mike answered simply, brushing past his buddies and taking a seat on the couch. Micky, Peter, and Davy all followed him quickly, desperate to find out more about the strange child in their home.

"And how so?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow as he studied Beatrice with clear blue eyes.

"Well, I was out on my evening stroll, and this little one just wandered up behind me. It gave me quite a scare, but we got to talking, and I guess you could say that we've bonded in the past half hour." Mike was barely paying attention to the reactions of his friends. He was too busy making sure that the girl in his arms was comfortable and felt safe. Beatrice slumped down onto him and let out another big yawn. She grasped his pant legs with small fists and started to close her eyes. Mike carefully ran his long, bony fingers through her silky hair as it hung over the side of his knee as her breathing steadied. Soon enough, she was out like a light.

"Okay Mike, what's this all really about? I know for a fact that you wouldn't bring home a girl, of any age, out of nowhere if it wasn't for a real good reason." Micky asked. After checking to make sure that Beatrice was really sleeping, Mike let out a sigh. To his surprise, it came out with a slight whistle to it. That wasn't a good sign.

"Fine," He started, adjusting his position as he was met with the questioning eyes of his pals. "I was walking like I normally do, and this little one appears out from behind a lamp post and taps me on the back. Naturally, I screamed and fell down, but when I saw that she was just as frightened as I was, I chilled out a little." He continued to stroke Beatrice's mousy hair with his hand as he paused patiently; waiting for the rest of the guys to take in what was being said.

"This little girl was left all day by herself out on the streets by her mother, who promised to come back for her and never did. And as you could see, she's scared, helpless, confused, and has no idea why her parent would do that to her. I have no idea myself. But I couldn't just leave a poor child out there to sleep outside all alone all night. It's not right, and it wouldn't feel good to have God knowing that I knew she was there and didn't do anything to help her out," Mike continued, as Beatrice exhaled slowly beneath him.

"But Mike, we don't know the first thing about taking care of a kid! What about the band? How are we going to rehearse and play gigs if we've got some little girl running about?" Davy objected. Micky and Peter nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and we've barely got enough money as it is for ourselves. How are we possibly going to afford to get clothes and food for another person?" Peter asked. Mike just shook his head.

"We'll have to make do with what we've got. Even if it takes a little more of our time to play gigs and earn a little extra cash. And I know that taking care of a little one isn't going to be easy. But we've always loved a challenge. And this girl needs us more than anything right now." Mike explained.

All he got were three blank expressions.

"Now look fellas, tomorrow, we'll get everything straightened out. We'll find out a little bit more about her and get a little help from the police as well to try and find her mother or whoever is taking care of her. But for the time being, we've got the responsibility of watching over her for the night and making sure that she's safe. The poor thing is scared enough as it is, and I don't think it would help anyone if you guys just blew her off and didn't make a little bit of effort to try and make her feel welcome, would it?" He asked, glancing from person to person. All three of them shook their heads. Mike smiled.

"I'm glad y'all understand. All I'm saying is that we give this girl all the love and protection we can, just for tonight, and hopefully by this time tomorrow, she'll be back home with her family, safe and sound. Do you think you three can manage that?" They nodded their heads slowly in agreement. Micky let out a small chuckle.

"She is pretty cute." He admitted as he watched her little chest rise up and down slowly in Mike's lap. Davy scooted a little closer to her and slowly placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You know, I've always wanted a little sister." He said feebly. Peter grinned as well.

"She does seem like she could use a lot of support right now. And you know I can't resist kids." He giggled. Pretty soon, the three of them were all sitting in front of Mike's legs, just watching the little girl sleep with great admiration. This worked out a lot better than Mike had expected. He wasn't quite sure at first if the guys were going to be okay with all of this. And although he could still see uncertainty clear as day in their eyes, he knew that they were going to try their absolute hardest to make little Beatrice as happy as she could be for as long as she was in their care. He slowly tried to get up from his seat on the couch without waking her, but soon enough, Bea's big blue eyes fluttered open. Mike held her close to him as she yawned again.

"Hey there. I don't think we've introduced ourselves yet." Peter said sheepishly, standing up and walking over to her. "I'm Peter Tork, one of Mike's best friends." He said cheerily, extending a hand for her to shake. Beatrice glanced up into Mike's brown eyes, as if asking him for permission to return the favor, and when he smiled down at her, she happily shook it.

"We're very excited for you to be staying with us tonight. My name is David, but my friends call me Davy. And since you're one of them, I guess you can too!" The British lad placed his hand on top of hers and grinned a toothy smile. She shyly smiled back and giggled.

"Hello Davy."

"Hi!" He said. "I think that we're going to get along just fine."

And finally, Micky came bouncing over, shooting the girl a goofy face, crossing his eyes and sticking his tongue out.

"And I'm Micky! It's a pleasure to meet you Beatrice!" He announced cheerily, tickling her just below the ribs. Beatrice let out a high pitched giggle as she playfully swatted his hands away. The three of them seemed awfully nice to her. She liked them already. Mike smiled as well and cleared his throat.

"Well, uh, I'm going to go upstairs and get changed for bed." He said, handing Beatrice over to Micky. Secretly, he just wanted the guys and her to bond for a little while, you know, get comfortable with each other. He didn't even think they noticed that he slipped upstairs as Davy and Peter were excitedly chatting with her while Micky bounced her up and down in his arms. Mike chuckled to himself and quickly got into his pajamas. After brushing his teeth and tossing his favorite wool cap under his pillow, he slid into bed. Not soon after, the guys came into the room they all shared, with a sleeping Beatrice now cradled in Davy's arms. She was slumped down over his shoulder as he walked over quietly and handed her to Mike.

"She's out cold," He chuckled, jumping into his own bed. "And I think that she would like it best if she slept with you tonight. You know, so she won't get scared." Mike smiled as Micky and Peter burrowed under their covers and switched off their lights, carefully placing her next to him. He would like it best too.

"Good night guys." He called into the darkness. The three of them mumbled their good nights, and soon, Micky's light snoring was the only sound heard throughout the room. Mike yawned and rolled over so he was facing the sleeping little girl beside him, one of her tiny little arms thrown lazily over his stomach.

"Good night Beatrice." He whispered softly, rubbing her bangs out of her face before turning out his bedside lamp and falling into a fitless sleep.

(A/N): Aw, isn't Mike just so great with kids? Please leave a review, and the next chapter should be up soon! :)