Back at the Monkees pad, Peter and Micky were still sitting round the table. Micky was reading the comics in the newspaper. Peter had been watching him for a few moments until he finally said.

"So you like her then?" And he smiled. Micky looked up and around him, saw he was the only one there and he turned back to the bassist.

"You talking to me?" He asked.

"Yes, you like her don't you?"

"Who Pete?" Micky asked trying his best to look innocent although he knew exactly who his blonde friend meant.

"Oh come on, don't pretend, you know who I mean" Peter said, narrowing his eyes slightly. Mike had wandered over and rejoined his friends.

"What's going on guys?" He asked and sat down.

"I'm just trying to get Micky to confess," Peter explained and turned his attention back to Micky "so come on then," He said. Micky gave up.

"Okay, you're right, I do like her, there I said it can you leave me with my comics now?" He asked returning his attention to the paper.

"Wait a minute who are we talking about?" Mike asked.

"You gonna tell him Mick?" Peter asked. Micky sighed heavily and slapped down his paper.

"It's Lori, okay, I like Lori" He said sounding rather irritated. Mike smiled.

"Oh really that's why you were so desperate to take her out tomorrow instead of me."

"I was not! And anyway Lana didn't seem too happy about you spending time with Lori" Micky said.

"Sorry shotgun but there's nothing for Lana to worry about. There's nothing going on between Lori and I. We're just friends." Mike replied. Peter was trying hard not to laugh as he watched the drummer squirm in his seat.

"Maybe I can get my sister to talk to her, find out if Lori feels the same way," Peter suggested.

"No way! Absolutely not! I can handle this myself, and anyway I know for a fact she doesn't like me."

"What makes you say that?" Mike asked.

"Well you were here today you saw her, she hardly said two words to me the whole time she and Lana were here."

"That just means she likes you too much and is too shy to say anything" Came a voice from behind them. Davy had come out of his bedroom and had caught the end of their conversation.

"You see, so listen to Davy he knows what he's talking about" Peter told Micky. Micky was starting to get annoyed.

"Look guys just leave it. I know you're only trying to help but I'd rather do this by myself" The drummer told them. He got up and climbed the spiral staircase to the bedroom he shared with Mike and closed the door.

"Wow he must like her a lot more then he's letting on" Peter told Davy and Mike. Davy sat in the chair Micky had left vacant.

"Yeah he's really hung up on her," He said.

"So what shall we do about it?" Peter asked.

"I have no idea" Davy replied. The three Monkees sat and thought about it until finally Mike said.

"Pete, maybe you should talk to Lana, tomorrow while Lori and I are out, you could go over to their pad."

"Yeah but you heard Micky, he doesn't want me to."

"Peter pay attention if we don't do anything then Micky may never find out how Lori feels about him," Mike told him.

"Yeah" Davy agreed, "If Lori does like him she would have told Lana."

"Exactly. Look I'm picking up Lori at eleven so you could go and see Lana at around eleven thirty and find out if she knows anything" Mike told Peter.

"Oh, okay sure" Peter replied.

"If we find out Lori does like him then we can figure out what to do next" Mike added.

The next morning Peter was up first as usual but it was not long before Mike joined him.

"G'morning Michael."

"Morning buddy, you all set up for today?" Mike asked.

"Yeah Lana is expecting me. I called her yesterday" Peter replied. Just then there was a loud slam from upstairs and Micky came down the stairs in his usual zombie like way, sat at the table grumbling something that sounded like good morning then flopped his head down on the table with a loud thud.

"Morning Mick" Peter said.

"I hate mornings," Micky moaned. Mike poured Micky some cereal and added his customary orange juice (Micky hated milk so he had orange juice on his cereal instead).

"Got anything planned for today Mick?" Mike asked and he pushed the cereal over to Micky. Micky cocked his head up.

"No not really" he said. He picked up a spoon and began on his cereal "might polish my drums later" He added. Mike and Peter were grinning at him. "what?" he asked looking from Mike to Peter then back to Mike again.

"Nothing" They both said. Micky opened his mouth to respond just as Davy emerged from the bedroom.

"Morning fellas. I'm going down the beach for a swim, any one wanna come?" He asked.

"You should have something to eat first," Peter told him. Micky finished his breakfast.

"I think I'll go back to bed for a while" He said. Davy watched as Micky disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door then the Englishman turned to his friends.

"So are we all set up for today?" He asked.

"Yep we're ready to go, Pete's gonna see Lana at half past eleven then what happens after that we'll just have to wait and see" Mike told him.

Later that day Mike left and arrived at Lana and Lori's pad at eleven. He knocked and let himself in and came into the living room.

"Hi babe" Lana said.

"Hi Lan, Is Lori ready?" Mike asked.

"Yeah she'll be out in a minute," Lana told him.

Lori and Lana's apartment was smaller then the Monkees pad. As you entered through the front door there was a small hall and a door that led into the living room. There was a staircase to the left of the front door that led to the second floor, which was just big enough for Lana's bedroom and a bathroom. In the living room there was a door on the left that led to Lori's bedroom and a door on the right that led to the kitchen. Mike joined Lana on the sofa.

"So do you have any idea why my brother is so desperate to talk to me?" Lana asked him.

"Yep."

"Are you gonna tell me?"

"Nope" He said and a grin spread across his face.

"What are you guys up to?" She asked eyeing him suspiciously.

"What makes you think we're up to something?" Mike asked innocently .

"Uh, because I know you" Lana said and Mike laughed.

"It's nothing to worry about, Peter just wants to find out some stuff that's all" He told her just as Lori emerged from her bedroom.

"Hi Mike, sorry to keep you waiting" She said.

"That's okay, you ready to go?" He asked.

"Yep let's go," They both said goodbye to Lana then left. Lana was still a little jealous about Mike spending all day with another woman but she knew Lori would never do anything to hurt her deliberately. At eleven thirty Peter knocked on Lana's door and let himself in.

"Lan? Hello?" He called as he came into the living room. Lana appeared from the kitchen.

"Hey big bro, so are you gonna tell me what you and the guys are up to?" She asked.

"Yeah of course come and sit down" Peter told her.

"Okay" She answered. They both sat down on the sofa.

"It's about Micky, he likes Lori and we..." Peter couldn't finish Lana squealed and jumped up from her seat and danced around in excitement.

"You're kidding!" She said. Peter was watching her in amazement.

"No, we wanted to know if Lori had said any thing to you about Micky?" He asked. Lana came over to her brother and hugged him.

"She likes him too, she told me yesterday" Lana screamed. Peter got up and was jumping up and down. Lana joined him they held each others hands and jumped around the living room.

"This is so great" Peter said.

"I know!" Lana replied, they jumped around a little longer then they both collapsed on the sofa.

"Do you know how much Lori likes him? Because Micky really digs her," Peter asked.

"She's into him in a big way" Lana told him.

"That's so great. You'll have to come over to the pad later so we can figure out what to do about it."

"Yeah that'll be great but we can't tell Lori because she doesn't want any help."

"No neither does Micky but when did that ever stop us!"

"That's true" Lana couldn't help but smile and Peter too. Peter really cared for his friend and although he didn't know Lori very well he had a good feeling about her and his sister liked her so that was good enough for him.

"So how are you any way?" Peter asked.

"I'm fine" Lana replied a little confused, "why d'you ask?"

"Because you're my baby sister and it's my job to look after you," He said. Lana looked offended.

"I can look after myself" She said Peter smiled.

"I know you can I just worry about you that's all."

"Why? I'm okay."

"Because of Michael" Peter confessed.

"Mike! Why? Mike and I are friends we're okay."

"That's what I'm worried about. I want you guys to get back together and I know you do too," He told her. Lana smiled a little and took hold of one of Peter's hands.

"We've been through this, Peter, sometimes it's just easier to be apart. Mike and I had it pretty rough the last couple of months we were together and I feel it's better to have him as a friend then not have him at all. I don't think I could live my life without Mike in it in some way" Lana explained.

"When did my baby sister get so wise?" Peter asked. Lana blushed then changed the subject.

"So, you staying for lunch?" She asked.

"Yeah I'd love to thanks."

Mike and Lori were having such a great time together. They had been walking round Malibu beach and decided to stop for lunch.

"So I guess you're not from Malibu beach originally?" Mike asked Lori when they had sat down in a café with their food.

"No I was born in New York, but we moved after my mother died."

"Your mom died?"

"Yeah when I was two. I don't really remember it, I don't really remember her. She died of cancer and two years later when I was four me and my dad moved to Illinois stayed there `til I was six then we moved to Wisconsin stayed there `til I was ten then we moved to Connecticut, stayed there `til I was fourteen then we moved to England."

"So we've got a lot more in common then we first realized. Not only are we both an only child, but we both grew up with only one parent" Mike told her.

"Which one did you have?"

"I had my mom, my dad left us when I was pretty young so I don't really remember much about him either" Mike confessed.

"We've both had pretty rough childhoods then" Lori observed.

"Yeah we did, but at least I got to stay in one place, all that moving around you did must've been pretty tough."

"It was but I got used to it. I think that's one of the reasons why Lana and I get on so well, we were both moved around a lot when we were kids."

"So what was England like?" Mike asked taking a bite from his sandwich.

"Oh I loved it there, London is a real swinging place but as I approached nineteen I started to really miss America. I don't know how Davy has managed to stay away from home so long" Lori told him "so what about you? When did you leave Texas?"

"When I was seventeen."

"Have you been back?"

"Nope."

"You haven't! Don't you miss your mom?"

"Of course, but I talk to her all the time on the phone. Don't get me wrong, Houston will always be my home, but I'm far happier here with the guys and our music" Mike explained. "They guys are brothers to me."

"I'm really gonna have to hear you guys play, Lana hasn't stopped talking about how great you are since I met her, when's your next job?"

"Well that's the problem with being a struggling musician, we seem to struggle a lot and we haven't had a job for a few weeks" Mike explained.

"Oh I'm sorry."

"It's okay, we're used to it. We go through dry patches but with the holidays coming up things will pick up a little" he told her "you could come to the pad tonight and hear us rehearse if you like?" Mike suggested. Lori jumped at the chance not just because she wanted to hear the guys play but also it would give her chance to see Micky again.

"Yeah, I'd love too, thank you" She said.