(the conclusion)

Danny Zuko walked down the street, taking his time looking into the windows of the shops that he passed. He was taking his time a lot these days – his kids were grown, Sandy had been gone for nearly ten years now and the sale of his shop was over two years ago. The first year of his new freedom he still hung around the shop as a "consultant" - a fancy word for just smooth talking the old customers to stay with the new owners. But that grew tiresome and he was spending more time on his own projects now. At the moment he had just dropped off his '50 Mercury to have the upholstery done. He could have taken an Uber home but he just didn't trust the driving of these young kids these days.

He peered into a coffee shop window and scanned the room. The place was about half full but the atmosphere was like – what he imagined a library would be like. No one looked like they were talking – at least not to each other. Those that weren't on a laptop computer were on a phone texting away. Several tables had multiple people not paying attention to each other.

It just didn't seem right, Danny thought. There was no LIFE to hang outs these days. He shook his head and continued down the street. Bookstore – asleep. Insurance office – dead. Of course, those places had ALWAYS been nowheresville, he thought with a grin. Or a used-to-be, like the closed bakery in front of him.

"Excuse me Sir?" The question shook him out of his thoughts. A much younger man – and there seemed to be more every day – was looking at him. He must have come out of the the old movie theater beside the bakery.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I'm with a theater group that's doing a musical based on the 1950s. We're doing a full rehearsal today, and I was wondering if you could watch it and give us a few tips. You know, what it was like way back then."

"Way back then?" Danny asked, a little perturbed. "You mean like the Flintstones or sometin? How old do you think I am?"

The young man's eyes got wide and he started to stammer before another man rushed out. Older, he quickly directed the younger man back inside. "I apologize, sir; these younger people just don't have any tact. I'm terribly sorry he interrupted your business."

"No skin off of me. I got plenty of time."

"No skin off of me…say, I like that." The man, older than the first but probably younger than Danny, quickly wrote down the line on a piece of paper he pulled from a pocket.

While he was doing that, Danny looked at the theater for the first time. The posters advertised a musical play called "Greasers" that was promised to be "Coming Soon". The artwork contained a variety of images of people and things including a '56 Mercury, which of course was just slightly inferior to his but showed good taste regardless. "I've got one I drive but mine's a cooler year," he said as he pointed at the poster car.

"I like most classics as long as they're kept up, but I grew up in the 60s as a GTO kind of guy. Fred Albert," he said as he extended his hand. "I'm sort of a ring leader slash zookeeper slash babysitter for this acting group."

"Danny Zuko, certified old guy I guess." Danny shook his hand. "Is this really about the 50s? The kids are so young."

"I don't think we could have people who grew up then running around the stage acting like juveniles without the audience screaming for a refund. These kids PARENTS weren't even in high school back then, but some things never change for kids that age. Gangs. Guys. Girls. Homework and hooky."

"Yeah. No computers or cell phones though," Danny added.

"No. They had to talk to each other face to face back then." Fred laughed and Danny joined him. Fred paused for a moment. "The insult from my younger charge aside, if you've got some time I would really appreciate your input on our show. If you've got something to do I totally understand."

Danny didn't. "the car is going to be in the shop until next week, and I was just going home anyway. I'll have a look for a little bit if I don't have to wait too long before it starts."

Fred grinned broadly. "That's great! Come on in with me – it shouldn't be more than thirty minutes or so." Fred led him through the theater front door. The lobby was mostly dark, and the snack bar was completely empty of food or people. Fred caught Danny's look. "They won't have that working until we open. Any recommendations what to offer?"

"Sweet. Salty. Crunchy. Stick with that and you can't go wrong. And don't forget to have hot dogs," he said as they walked past. Fred led him down an aisle to the front of the stage and then to one side and a door that led to the backstage area. Inside there was a table set up with coffee, donuts and some finger sandwiches. At Fred's urging he helped himself to a sandwich; he eyed the donuts, but he could imagine Sandy just telling him to not overdo the sweets so he left them alone with only some regret.

On the other side of the stage Danny could see the young man that had first approached him in front of the theater. He locked eyes for a moment and the younger man scurried away. Satisfied, he caught up with Fred who was busy describing the setting of the story. "...around 1959 or so, we're going to call in Lincoln High but it could be any name really, in a midwest town that we never get around to naming."

Danny half listened while he looked around. Various props, backdrops and actors were scattered about. He had never been interested in drama in school, but he was impressed how they could recreate the era. The place wasn't jam-packed with stuff, but it was enough to key his memories and imagination that filled in the rest. Fred was waiting by an open door for him, and Danny hurried to catch up before they both left the area and went back to the small theater's seating area.

Fred sat in the center front row and Danny joined him. Seeming from out of nowhere Fred produced a chocolate-covered old fashioned donut. "My wife says I shouldn't eat one of these but she never said I couldn't eat HALF of one," he said conspiratorially as he broke it in half and offered the other to Danny, who accepted it as a member of the donut loving brotherhood. "I figured you for an old fashioned guy and the chocolates are the best," he said as he munched. Danny joined him and didn't even try to pick up the crumbs.

Fred and Danny chatted for a few minutes about school life, and then the young man that scurried away at Danny's glare came to center stage. "Our director Jack Halley," Fred whispered. Jack avoided looking directly at Danny and commanded the recorded soundtrack to begin. "We don't have a live band so we have to have prerecorded music to perform to. The singing is real, through."

The instrumental overture gave way to a much softer background music as the first actors appeared. They started into their lines and Danny leaned over to Fred. "The background music is distracting when they're talking," he suggested.

"I know. This generation wants background music for everything from weather reports to laxative commercials. I'll see what I can do – thanks for backing me up on my own opinion."

Danny soon lost himself in the play. His memories ran side by side with what was on stage. Besides the school, the gang and character names were all different but they pretty much rang true. He made a few comments about costuming and slang, but he had very little to complain about. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back wasn't original but the spirit and enthusiasm of the actors seemed genuine.

"Now I'm not sure about keeping in this next part," Fred interjected. "I kind of undecided about the ending. This fits for the characters, but it loses the 50s feel. Tell me what you think." The graduation and carnival scene faded to be replaced by a church and the two main characters getting married. A reception quickly followed and the new couple danced under simulated starlight to a song sung by one of the guests.

Danny's attention wavered – where was the voice coming from? He scanned the stage and found the singer emerging from the guests. Perfect hair. Slim figure. Angelic voice.

She looked like a younger Sandy. "Who is that?" he asked Fred.

"Shhh…I love this song," he replied. Danny held his tongue and listened to the song:

I know you're heart must be broken
But everyone has to die
So I was the first to go
But I never got over you

You know that I was more than willing
To wait eternity for you
Anyone can see
That's a long time to be
Hopelessly devoted to you

But I know the time has come
My waiting is done
Together again
Hopelessly devoted to you
Hopelessly devoted we two

"Sandy!" Danny yelled as he stood up. "That's my wife Sandy!" he gushed as he turned to Fred – but the chair was empty. He turned back to the stage and it was empty except for the figure of Sandy Zuko. "How…why…" he sputtered.

"Come sing with me Danny," Sandy asked as she extended her hand. Danny searched both sides of the stage for a way up and saw a small set behind the central footlights; he hurried down and clumsily climbed them to join her on the stage where he reached out and took her hands in his.

"I…I can't believe it. You're alive!"

"No Danny, I'm not. But we're together again, and that's the important thing. I waited and waited and finally you came."

It was difficult, but Danny tore his gaze away from Sandy. "Where did everyone else go?"

"They were never here, except Fred. You'll meet him again later," she giggled. "Now sing with me, Danny. Please."

"Sandy, I haven't sung since…well…that night you left. I wasn't that good even when I was young, and now I can't even croak 'Happy Birthday'."

"But you ARE young. Look at your hands!" she exclaimed, holding them up for him to see. He saw that all the age spots were gone and the tip of his pinky finger that he lost under a big-block was back again.

Danny shifted his gaze from his hands to his feet. He could see his shoes, no longer obscured by the 'old man paunch' he had when he walked into the theater. With delight he spun around and jumped into the air. "We're young!" he exclaimed. He hadn't tried that move in years, afraid his knee would buckle again.

"No Danny, you're dead now. You left your old body behind. I know that probably freaks you out..."

"No I'm cool," he interrupted.

"What?"

"Gotta be. If it was just you then it would be one of those mirage things. But if we're together again then I gotta be dead. I can hang with it," he grinned. His face quickly changed to a frown and he knitted his eyebrows. "What about the Merc? I left it in the shop..."

"It's been two months since you died," Sandy explained. "Kenny's already driving it around and showing it off proudly."

"He better not scratch the pain. Funny, I don't remember dying...anyway, let's sing that duet now!"

Sandy laughed. "Duet? That sounds okay, but up here we prefer to sing in a chorus." The lights on stage left and right came up and they were surrounded by men and women. A man wearing dark glasses and a leather jacket walked over and shook Danny's hand.

"Looking forward to singin' with ya Bubba," he said before striking a pose.

"The King is here?" Danny asked, awed at the recording legend.

"They're ALL here," Sandy beamed before they were swallowed up in the ranks of Ray, Pastsy, Buddy, Otis and a host of other voices. Jerry Lee popped in and asked where the party was before joining in the song.

Danny joyfully held Sandy while they sang loud enough to shake the building. Danny leaned over and shouted in Sandy's ear "This is great - I feel like I've died and gone to Heaven!"

Sandy looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Use that joke on Elvis and he'll put a karate move on you."

"What joke?"

The End

A/N: Of course, we all die eventually and in the case of ONJ is was borrowed time at that. I didn't think I would ever add anything to the original story, but the mood caught me and I penned this. Now Danny and Sandy are back together where they should be.