A/N Sorry it's taken an eternity to post a new chapter. Real life got in the way! Your feedback to let me know how I'm doing is appreciated and encouraged! Thank you! PS. Things should really get exciting from this point forward :D
At first none of the four guys living at 1334 North Beechwood heard the knock on their door above the music they were playing. They were in the middle of their song "You Just May Be the One", which kicked off the start of band practice shortly after breakfast. Mike vaguely thought he heard someone at their door, but could not be sure above the beat of the music. Finally as the knock morphed into a louder "bam, bam, bam" which reverberated from their front door across the room to the bandstand, there was no mistaking someone was indeed knocking insistently on the door. Mike signaled his band mates, Davy, Micky and Peter to stop playing their instruments.
Mike was a slender man who topped out at just over six feet, but the green wool hat he always wore and his spare frame made him look even taller. He had intelligent brown eyes, luxurious ebony hair and sideburns and masculine features. He carefully put his beloved blond Gretsch on its stand. He stepped down from the bandstand. His long lean legs swiftly carried him across the length of the Pad, their nickname for the house they rented, in the direction of the persistent knocking at their front door.
He peeked through the peep hole firmly expecting to see the inflamed red face of Mr. Babbitt, their landlord, standing there demanding this months and last months rent. He was immediately relieved when he saw two ladies, a pretty blonde and an attractive redhead, standing on the doorstep.
"Who is it?" shouted Micky, the drummer, from across the pad. Micky was tall and lithe and possessed an unbridled energy, which matched his unbridled curly dark brown hair which he tried in vain to straighten. He had almond shaped brown eyes and a mischievous grin at the ready.
"I dunno", replied Mike, "A couple of groovy looking ladies" he said after he closed the peep hole and reached for the door knob.
Micky and Davy gave each other questioning looks. "Groovy looking ladies?" they echoed together and both made haste toward the front door to join Mike at the mention of females at their doorstep.
Peter was a bit annoyed that band practice was interrupted just as they were getting started on the set list for their gig tomorrow night. They sounded a bit off all ready. The last thing they needed was an interruption so he hoped it would be a minor one and remained fixed on the bandstand with his bass on his hip.
Stella was about to break into a nervous sweat waiting to see if a Monkee was really going to answer the door. She nearly swooned, but miraculously kept her knees from buckling, when the door finally swung open and she looked up see the very handsome Mike Nesmith standing in the flesh in front of them. She took a deep breath and managed to say "Hello "with more conviction than she had thought possible given her nervous state.
"Hello. Sorry you won't have any luck selling AVON here. It's just us four bachelors." he stated flatly. His words were tinged with a Texas twang and a bit of annoyance at the interruption which clearly was a waste of everyone's time in his opinion.
Maggie piped up trying hard to sound friendly and not defensive. "Actually we aren't AVON ladies. We are looking for Peter Tork. Does he live here?" she asked flashing her best smile as a peace offering. She could hear the sound of her soprano voice squeak a little bit as her nervousness churned at her like waves in stormy sea triggered by Mike answering the door in a rather taciturn manner.
Mike's demeanor thawed a bit from the smile the redhead had given him, but he could not disguise his surprise or his curiosity. "Uh, yes it is" he tentatively replied. He turned toward the bandstand where Peter was still standing and summoned his band mate," Hey Peter! You have visitors!"
Pleasantly surprised that he had visitors, Peter practically skipped across living room floor still holding his dark red bass guitar, annoyance about the interruption and eagerness for band practice to resume temporarily forgotten.
Maggie felt rather silly asking him "Are you Peter Tork? as Peter joined the group now congregating by the front door. She clearly knew beyond a doubt that the gorgeous sunny blond with warm not quite hazel, but not quite brown eyes and a dazzling dimpled smile on his face was indeed Peter Tork. She presented the question anyway so she wouldn't raise anyone's suspicions.
Peter nodded yes and his head bobbed up and down. The motion caused his silken bangs to fall in his eyes requiring him to dip his head forward then back flipping the hair back in place. This gesture was not lost on Maggie who felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach having eye witnessed his super sexy bang flip up close.
"We are from the Ladies Aid Society" Maggie said trying to remain calm and focused as it suddenly dawned on her she was standing in the presence of all four Monkees and that "Operation Monkee Time" was actually happening. "Ok. It's show time. Keep it together, Mags", she said to herself as she took a deep breath to bring her voice back into normal range.
Stella interjected "Cougar Chapter" with a grin mostly for her own amusement and noted Maggie tried hard not to smirk at her comment as she gently nudged Stella in the ribs to signal her silence.
"I'm Maggie Ledbetter, President" and this is my friend "Stella Hickman, Vice President., "Mr. Tork, you are the winner of our contest for a free trip to the Zoo" she said directing her gaze at Peter, who was just about her height, maybe an inch taller in boots.
"I am?" Peter exclaimed as he bounced up and down with unabashed excitement clutching his bass guitar like a stuffed tiger. He was so excited the fact that he didn't recall entering such a contest didn't faze him at that moment.
"What exactly is the Ladies Aid Society"? Micky asked inquisitively.
Maggie was glad they had rehearsed all possible scenarios and smiled at the four adorable young men before her. "We are a special ladies group that is trying to bridge the gap between hipsters like you and the over 30 generation like us that you don't trust because you think we are all part of the establishment."
Stella continued "We offer contests to try to get to know the younger generation and show that just because we are older doesn't mean we aren't hip and fun and can't be trusted."
"Yeah" says Maggie, "We happen to like Beatles and the Rolling Stones. We don't think it's weird for guys to grow their hair long or anything, in fact we kind of like long hair on guys. We may be older, but we aren't dead either ", she added light heartedly.
Micky and Mike exchanged questioning looks.
"Why didn't you call to tell Peter he had won?" asked Mike skeptically.
"Because he didn't put his telephone number on his contest entry" Stella answered proudly without missing a beat.
Micky whacked Peter playfully on the back of the head mussing his hair, "Aw c'mon Peter. How could you forget to put something important like your phone number?"
Peter looked embarrassed like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole.
"You would be surprised how many people forget to put their phone number. Peter did put his address so we were able to track him down" Maggie offered hoping to help Peter save face while pondering the fact that the zoo contest ruse was playing out better than she and Stella had ever thought possible. She was silently praying that Peter wasn't going to admit that he hadn't entered any contest. Peter did brighten at her comment and smiled appreciately. Maggie couldn't help couldn't help return his sunshine smile with one of her own.
Davy, a diminutive Brit with a larger than life attitude and a matching swagger, rich brown hair cut in a long Edwardian style, and large chocolate brown eyes framed by heavy lush eyebrows, was immediately attracted to Stella's classic beauty. He nudged Micky out of the way so he could stand in front of her. He and Stella stood there gazing at each other with stars in their eyes. Stella was just an inch or so taller than Davy, but that didn't seem to bother either of them.
Maggie thought to herself, "Oh geez, the stars in the eyes stuff is for real?" and mentally groaned so no one would hear her.
Micky and Peter both waved their hands in front of Davy's face trying to break his trance like state. Mike said "There he goes again. He's fallen in love for the first time today and it's only just after 9 o'clock in the morning. This might be a new record."
Davy shrugged off his friends antics and said "What a groovy idea helping the generations better understand each other. That's pretty far out. I was wondering, does Peter get to bring a guest with him?"
Crap thought Maggie, she and Stella really ought to have anticipated a question like this.
Maggie asked if she could speak to Stella outside alone for just a moment while they consulted the Ladies Aid Society handbook for rules about such things. They excused themselves and Mike closed the door behind them. Once outside they discussed the pros and cons of Davy coming along. They decide Davy's charm would overshadow shy Peter and might monopolize their attention. They felt Peter really needed their help and Davy's presence would undermine the confidence they wanted to build in Peter. Stella said she had an idea of how to handle Davy.
When they were done, they knocked on the door and were let back in the pad by Mike. Davy was standing their pensively anticipating Stella's answer. She pulled him to the side and quietly said "Sorry, the rules for this contest didn't specify the winner could bring a guest". Davy looked disappointed upon hearing those words coming from her pretty lips. "How about you and I go out on a date this evening after we bring Peter back from the Zoo?"
The cocky look on Davy's face left no doubt that this idea pleased him even before he said "Ah, I'd like that very much. It's a date then. My name is Davy Jones by the way."
Mike realized he and the other guys had been remiss in introducing themselves to Maggie and Stella. He quickly introduced Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, Davy Jones and himself, Mike Nesmith. He added "We're a band called The Monkees. We were just practicing for a gig tomorrow night when you knocked on the door". He invited Maggie and Stella to come in and have a seat.
Maggie sat down on the black psychiatrists couch and Peter sat down on the other end after he put his bass guitar away. Mike and Micky each pulled up a chair opposite the couch. She noticed Stella and Davy took seats next to one another on the edge of the bandstand. She half expected them to start making out, but they didn't. They were speaking in hushed tones getting to know one another and making plans for their date.
Mike went into protector mode and asked lots of questions about how long they would be gone and what time they would have Peter back. He reminded Peter that they would postpone band practice until later in the afternoon, but that they had to fit practice in because they had a gig at the Vincent Van Go Go the following night. Peter nodded.
Once Mike was done with his questioning which sounded like a father grilling his daughter's prom date, Micky put in his two cents.
"Ok Pete, remember to look both ways before crossing the street and stay with these nice ladies the whole time. Don't wonder off and don't talk to strangers."
Poor Peter. The tips of his ears started to turn red with embarrassment at Micky's remarks.
"You might think I'm just goofing around here", Micky added looking at Maggie, "but seriously, Peter has a way of getting in to trouble over innocent stuff like fortune cookies and free dance lessons so please keep a close eye on him.
Micky's references to "Monkee Chow Mein" and "Dance, Monkee, Dance" were not lost on Maggie. She looked over at Peter who still looked like he wanted to simply disappear and smiled reassuringly at him. She then turned back to Micky and Mike and promised them they would keep a close eye on Peter and that no harm would come to him while he was in their company. She confirmed they'd have back in time for band practice by 4:30pm.
She looked at her watch and said "We should really get going".
Peter said he would just be a minute and he went off to his room to get his keys and wallet. It was then she got a really good look at Peter as he headed into the downstairs bedroom just off the kitchen.
She wanted to reach out and squeeze his deliciously plump butt cheeks which his tight gray glen plaid pants showcased to perfection. She admired the tufts of light brown chest hair peeking out from the open V neck of his billowy blue shirt. Billowy blue shirt!
It suddenly dawned on her that he was wearing that damn blue cloud print shirt that she and Stella both detested. Peter must have custody of it this week instead of Davy she thought. She was determined that the blue cloud shirt was going to meet its demise by her hands somehow!
Peter returned grinning from ear to ear and proclaimed he was ready. Maggie stood up and made her way over to Peter who was standing near the bottom of the spiral staircase. Stella gave Davy a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered "until we meet again" then made her way over to Maggie and Peter. They turned to the other three Monkees, bid them good bye and headed out the door with Peter following close behind.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do" called Micky after them in a comical voice. As Peter closed the door behind him, they could over hear Davy telling Micky and Mike to remind him not to make fun of Peter the next time he answered one of those silly contests.
"Is that your car?" Peter asked gawking appreciatively at the sight of the powerful red Mustang convertible parked outside the pad. "She's a beauty."
"Well actually it's rented, but it's part of the contest. You get to drive it!" said Maggie as she tossed Peter the keys.
"Really? I do? WOW! I never get to drive. Mike never lets me! " he said excitedly.
Peter helped Stella into the back seat where she tied a very 1950's movie starlet white silk oblong scarf over her hair to keep it from blowing with the convertible top down on the highway. Peter then helped Maggie into the front seat and went around the get in on the driver's side.
Peter took a minute to familiarize himself with the location of all the controls, adjusted the mirror and adjusted the seat slightly and then turned on the ignition. The radio was already tuned to his favorite station and he turned up the volume. The Easybeats, "Friday on My Mind" came blaring from the radio.
Peter glanced behind him at Stella and then back to Maggie to make sure they were ready and they nodded that they were. Like a kid on Christmas with a brand new toy he'd yearned for all year long, he flashed them a quick dimpled smile, put the car in gear and sped off toward the highway.