Part One · Part Two · Part Three · Part Four · Part Five · Part Six · Part Seven · Part Eight · Part Nine · Part Ten · Part Eleven · Part Twelve · Part Thirteen · Part Fourteen · Part Fifteen · Part Sixteen · Part Seventeen · Part Eighteen · Part Nineteen · Part Twenty · Part Twenty-One · Part Twenty-Two · Part Twenty-Three · Part Twenty-Four · Part Twenty-Five · Part Twenty-Six · Part Twenty-Seven · Part Twenty-Eight · Part Twenty-Nine · Part Thirty

~*~Part One~*~ (by Emily)

Almost nothing interested Peter Tork now. The same old boring life of his went on, day after day, week after week, month after month, even year after year. Sitting in front of his computer, he realized he probably needed to update his popular website--www.shoopies.net--but he just didn't feel like doing it. Instead, he typed the words "The Monkees" into his address bar, which conducted a search. A large list of websites appeared before him, and Peter smiled. Still popular after all these years.

He browsed through the list of sites, clicking on one or two here and there. Most were nothing to write home about, but charming in their own way. He went back to the "Search" site, reading another description, much like any other. Suddenly, something in it caught his eye: "Monkpops." "Monkpops?" he asked himself aloud, then rolled his eyes. "There's no telling WHAT people will sell these days." He averted his eyes to the title of the website. "Well, EHMI, here I come."

********************************************************************************

Emily was sitting on her bed, watching HEAD and rereading her newest story, "...But You Play So Beautifully!" She paused, and glanced over her shoulder at her lava lamp. Back on the television, Davy had just kicked open the door of the Black Box. She sighed, "I hope I didn't offend too many people!" She then realized she was talking to herself and shook her head.

Walking down the hallway and into her parents' room, Emily asked her mom, "Can I get on the computer?"

"Sure," her mother said as she finished her card game and let Em into the seat.

Emily proceeded to get on her AOL screenname, Prefab467, and clicked on the "Favorites" icon. She opened up her site, EHMI, and went to the guestbook. Someone new had signed! They said they were... Peter Tork? Emily laughed. "Hey, Katie!" she called to her sister. As Katie came in, Emily explained, "Someone who says they're Peter Tork signed our guestbook." Katie giggled too.

"Yeah, right," she smiled as she left the room.

Suddenly, "Thank Heavens you've come!" was blasted over Emily's speakers. Her eyes were drawn to the lower right-hand corner of her computer screen. "Heathy's on!" she squealed and clicked onto the box that had appeared.

Heather frowned. "I hope that's not too spicy..."

Mike frowned as well. "Oh... I didn't know you gals didn't like spicy foods..."

"Don't worry, we'll eat it!" Emily quickly jumped into the conversation.

His face brightened again. "Heather?"

"Um... um..." she stuttered. "I don't want to offend you or anything, Mike, it's just... um... I don't like chili..."

"That isn't any chili," Peter quipped. "It's Texas chili." As he saw Heather look with a face that didn't exactly appear to trust Mike (or perhaps, his cooking abilities), he then added, "Well, if you don't mind me, I'm going to get some food from Sonic. Care to join me?"

"Yes, please!" Heather pleaded. Mike just grinned.

"It's okay. Go ahead and get yourself some... fast food. Emmy and I here'll eat the good, homemade stuff."

"See you soon!" Peter said as he lead Heather to his car and drove to Sonic.

"Bye," added Emily, dishing out some chili for her and Nez.

~*~Part Fourteen~*~ (by Heather)

Heather grinned wildly as Peter sped down the open highway in his red convertable MGBGT.

I will not sing the song I will not sing the song I will not sing the song, she told herself over and over in her mind. After all, she didn't want to embarass herself with her "singing skills" in front of her idol...

Peter smiled, knowing what Heather was thinking.

Suddenly he spoke up: "For fun in driving I would have to spell it-"

"M-G-B-G-T!!!" Heather finished his sentence with a yell.

They exchanged grins and both burst into laughter.

"You didn't think I wrote that song without any experience with one of these babies, did you?" Peter smiled coyly.

Heather merely shrugged. "Well, you are Peter Tork after all. God of anything musically related!"

Peter chuckled. "Well thank you for the lovely compliment!"

"You're most welcome!" she paused. "Are we getting close to our destination? I'm starving..." she sighed, patting her growling stomach.

"Yep! We should be coming up on it any minute now..." Peter reassured her.

Within minutes they pulled up to a neon-lit Sonic drive-in restaurant glowing in the desert evening.

Peter pulled into one of the spaces and turned off the car's engine. "Alrighty," he said, glancing at the lit-up menu. "Whatcha feel like?"

Heather just giggled.

"What?" Peter asked, giving her a confused look.

"I feel...I feel...I feeeeeeel... LIKE A MILKSHAKE!!!" Heather sang, throwing her arms in the air dramatically.

Peter was taken by surprise with this and fell back into his seat with laughter.

After the two had finished with their hysterics and had wiped away the tears that had formed from their hard laughing, they decided on what they felt like having for dinner and were ready to order.

Peter pushed the big red button on the menu.

A voice came over the speaker. "Welcome to Sonic; my name is Kathy, can I take your order?"

"You sure can," Peter began, "We're two hungry people! First off, my lovely lady companion would like a #7 with a Coke to drink and make that a Sonic sized French fry, would ya? Next on the list, I would like a #5 with a sweet tea to drink and an order of tater tots." Peter paused and turned to Heather. "Do you want anything for dessert?" He winked.

"Weeeell, how about a chocolate milkshake?" she grinned.

Peter smiled and turned back to the speaker. "Did you hear that? My lovely lady companion would also like a large chocolate milkshake with her meal! Second thought, make that two large chocolate milkshakes!"

"Alright sir, that's a #7 with a Coke and Sonic sized French fry, a #5 with a sweet tea and an order of tater tots and two large chocolate milkshakes," the girl repeated their order.

Peter nodded approvingly. "That's it!"

"Okay sir, that'll be $10.50. We'll have it right out to you."

"Thanks!" Peter sat back against his seat and started humming to the oldies music Sonic had playing.

Before too long their food was brought out to them and they ate gratefully. Once they were finished, Peter started up the car. The two drove off towards Mike's house happily enjoying their chocolate milkshakes, singing songs, and smiling at the cool wind that hit their faces.

~*~Part Fifteen~*~ (by Emily)

Emily had thoroughly enjoyed Mike's "Texas chili," even though it had, at first, seemed rather strange. She was even enjoying the spice of it! Mike had kept her laughing all evening with his many stories... now, he was telling her about when he was in the Air Force so many years ago.

"One time, I tipped over the general's airplane," he began. Emily burst into a huge grin, and Mike seemed a little puzzled. "What? Have you heard this one before?"

"Never like this," Emily replied. "I just heard one little snippet of it on a Monkees episode, one time... 'Hey, Mike, be strong and silent. Okay, now be a girl. Mike, they're the same thing...' Remember? Bob Rafelson asked you that?"

Mike started to chuckle. "'That's your hangup, man, not mine!' Awww, Em, you bring back some funny memories for me!" Emily blushed at this compliment from her favorite Monkee.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Heather and Peter waltzed in, still singing "Milkshake" and drinking their very own chocolate-flavored varities of the song's title. "Hey, Em!" Heather giggled. "Still eating your Texas chili, I see?"

"Well," Emily answered, "it's my second helping! You wouldn't believe how good it is!"

Nez didn't seem to know whether to be flattered or offended by Emily's remark. "Uh... thanks?"

Peter laughed, "I think she meant well, Michael."

"Mm-hmm... and you've got a milkshake, too! I don't think I'll tolerate the two of you having milkshakes and Emmy an' myself not even having one between us..." He looked over at Emily, who seemed to be in her own little world. He shook his head and laughed. "Would you like to share a milkshake, Emily dear?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"We're just gonna have to make one, then! Now, where's my blender...?"

Emily sighed, not believing her luck. I'm going to share a milkshake... with MIKE NESMITH! she thought, feeling like her insides were bubbling up and over with joy.

Peter pulled out a chair and sat Heather down at the kitchen table while Mike proceeded to search his kitchen for a blender. Peter then proceeded to look in the refrigerator for some milk, ice, and chocolate syrup. "I think you're out of syrup, Nez."

"Ah, phooey. We'll just have to go to the store, then, won't we?" Mike decided. "All who're coming, say 'aye'!"

"Aye!" Peter, Heather, and Emily declared as they followed Mike out the door and into his Chevy Blazer once again.

~*~Part Sixteen~*~ (by Heather)

The happy foursome drove off towards the nearest Super Wal-Mart (which was no small feat; it was nearly an hour away), but managed to make the driving time pass quickly by singing Monkees songs.

"Pleeeeeaaase give me inspiration!" Emily sang, clasping her hands together with a grin.

"Huh?!" Mike asked, glancing back at her with a perplexed look.

"Ohhhh... heh heh... I mean... CHEER UP SLEEEEEEPY JEEEAAN!" she belted out.

Heather was in hysterics, but the two ex-Monkees just gave each other seriously confused expressions.

"Why do you guys look so perplexed? All I did was sing that part of 'Daydream Believer' backwards!" Emily explained with a huge grin.

Peter nodded. "That makes sense..."

"Sure it does," Mike agreed, shaking his head.

The giddy girls (plus two confused Monkees) continued their way to the Super Wal-Mart, finally making it not too long after darkness fell.

"We're here!" Heather exclaimed cheerfully, hopping out of the Blazer.

Emily jumped out of the SUV and shouted, "Thank heavens we've come!"

Everyone giggled as they walked from the parking lot to the S.W.M. entrance. Heather linked her arm with Peter's and Emily linked her arm with Mike's and they all attempted to Monkee-walk as they entered through the automatic door.

People looked at them strangely but they took no notice. They were much too busy trying to recuperate from the slight problem they had fitting through the door.

Once inside they decided it would be easier to stay together instead of splitting up in pairs. That way, they wouldn't have to go trampling all over S.W.M. looking for the others.

"What did we need again?" Peter asked, scratching his head.

"Syrup, preferably chocolate," Mike stated, heading over to the breakfast isle.

"Did we need any ice cream or anything else?" Emily asked, skipping alongside Nez.

"I don't think so..." Mike trailed off, trying to remember.

"Nah. I just said you were out of syrup, remember?" Peter reminded him.

"That's right!" Heather agreed.

"Soooo... We came all the way out here to get one bottle of chocolate syrup?!" Mike had just realized what this meant. "We gotta leave here with more than just that! Why don't you girls help us get some real shopping done! That way you won't starve while you're staying with us. We'll be able to cook for you!"

"Okay!" the two friends agreed happily.

For about an hour, the four S.W.M. shoppers ran from isle to isle, grabbing anything and everything that appealed to them. What they didn't know was, they were being closely watched by two unidentified men.

Paying for the groceries, they loaded up a shopping cart and wheeled it out to Mike's Blazer. Once they were loaded up in the car, they took off again back to Nez's ranch, not knowing that this time, they were being followed...

~*~Part Seventeen~*~ (by Emily)

"Wow, we really bought a lot of food!" Peter said from his position in the backseat of the Blazer, looking at the stuffed hatchback. He scratched his head. "What are we going to do with all of this?"

"Um, eat it?" Heather giggled, and she received a playful smack from Emily in the front passenger seat. "Ow, hey--I was only kidding, M!"

Emily shook her head. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, Heathy..."

While all this jollity ensued in Mike's Chevy Blazer, there was a much more tense air in the black Ford Taurus behind them. The driver looked nervously at his two passengers in the back seat, separated from him by a custom-made soundproof glass panel. He wished he knew what they wanted with the ex-Monkees and the girls, but then again, perhaps he really did not want to know.

Soon enough the girls and Mike and Peter had returned to Mike's spacious home. Peter, Heather, and Emily were all singing "Can You Dig It?" as they unloaded groceries from the back of the car, but Mike seemed a little worried. "What's wrong, Michael?" Peter asked, a hint of seriousness evident in his voice.

"Hmm?" Mike asked, looking up. "Oh, it's nothing, Pete--really." He lowered his eyes and gave Peter a look of 'we've-got-some-talking-to-do.' Peter nodded, but Heather and Emily were oblivious to the situation as they had already gone to the front door.

"Miiiiiiike!" Emily wailed, a smile spreading across her face, "Could you come and unlock the door?" Then she turned and whispered to Heather, "You know, I've always wanted to do that!"

"So you could be like Peter?" Heather asked, winning an eager nod from Emily.

"Coming!" Mike finally replied, fulfilling the request. "Now, Emmy, you and I can have that milkshake! And Heather... are you up for another?" he grinned at the two of them.

Heather pursed her lips as she walked into the kitchen and set the bags down on the table. "Hmm, I don't know..." She was gently nudged by Peter, who then winked.

"Well, I'm up for another one--that you could share with me, if you'd like!"

Heather caught his infectious smile. "Okay, I guess I'm game, too!"

"Good!" Nez announced. "Let's get milkshake-makin'!"

As Emily and Heather were distracted by searching for Mike's blender, Mike took Peter aside and whispered to him, "I've gotta talk to you when the girls go to bed."

~*~Part Eighteen~*~ (by Heather)

While Mike was discreetly whispering to Peter, Heather and Emily were crouched on the floor busily searching through Mike's cabinents. Peeking up to see if the guys were listening, Heather nudged Emily in the side to get her attention.

"What is it?" Emily asked, looking up from her pantry digging.

"Well, I was just thinking, maybe we should... you know, cool it a bit around the guys. I mean, I know we're with Mike and Peter and all, and they're our idols and everything but... I feel like we're acting a little too teenybopper-ish around them," she paused and shrugged. "I just don't want them to get annoyed with us. I don't want them to have to start treating us like fans. I'd much rather be treated as a friend."

Emily nodded in agreement. "I know exactly what you mean. Only, I'm finding it so hard to hold back giggles and screams of excitement everytime we're around them."

Heather grinned knowingly. "You're not the only one. But how about we chill out some and start to act more like their friends instead of some weird teenage girls who are temporarily living with their ultra-idols of pop?"

Emily smiled. "I'm with you!"

Before the two girls could continue their conversation, they were interrupted by a demanding voice asking, "And what kind of secrets are you two little birds telling?"

Looking up, they saw that Mike and Peter were now standing before them, sly grins on their faces.

Heather giggled nervously, "Well, we're having a heck of a time finding that blender, Mike. And we were just discussing the possible fact that you may, in fact, not own one, and merely *thought* you did..."

Emily laughed at her friend's obvious fib, but no one else seemed to catch it.

After finally locating the elusive Blender of Nesmith, the foursome sat down at Mike's dinner table to enjoy their frosty treats.

The girls managed to maintain a rather non-hyperactive mood, causing a bit of concern with the guys.

"Are you two chick-a-dees okay?" Mike asked as he finished off the last slurp of his milkshake.

"Oh sure, we're fine!" Emily assured him with a grin.

"You two seem to be a lot more toned down than earlier," Peter noted as he gave the girls a questioning look.

Heather stretched and covered a yawn. "Well, it has been a long day, and I think we're finally realizing that our energy is wearing out."

"I have to admit that I am getting pretty tired," Emily said wearily as she tried to stiffle a yawn.

"Hey you know, those things are contagious!" Peter exclaimed, yawning himself.

Everyone giggled as the girls stood up from the table.

"Thank you so much guys for everything you've done for us," Heather began, hugging Peter and then Mike.

"Thanks are not needed. You know you're more than welcome here," Mike said with a smile.

"But you really have gone out of your way to accomodate us," Emily remarked, giving Mike a hug after hugging Peter.

"And we're loving every minute of it!" Peter added enthusiastically. "You girls really are something special."

After a few "good nights" and "sweet dreams", the girls headed off to bed.

Once safely out of earshot in their room, Mike and Peter began to discuss what had been bothering Mike since they left Wal-Mart.

~*~Part Nineteen~*~ (by Emily)

"What's the problem, Michael?" Peter asked, furrowing his brow with worry. His eyes widened as Mike let out a heavy sigh. "Michael?" he repeated.

Mike shook his head. "Pete... did you notice a car that followed us the whole way home?"

Peter shrugged. "No, I honestly didn't, but I was goofing around with the girls. Did you see it in the rear-view mirror?"

"Yeah; yeah, I did. It just bothered me that a car would follow us all the way out here, y'know? The ranch is pretty damn well near secluded, so I don't know why a car that I didn't recognize would be trailing us," the Texan muttered.

"Maybe they were lost?" Peter piped up, trying to keep an optimistic viewpoint open, even though he knew that once Papa Nez had his mind set on something he wouldn't let go of the idea.

"Maybe," Mike said, "but then, why would they abruptly turn around when we stopped? I don't understand it. You'd think they would've asked for directions or something!"

The blonde sighed. "Mike... I wouldn't worry about it. After all, they would turn around once they saw this was a private establishment." Mike seemed about to reply, but Peter continued, "I'm sure that nothing's wrong; and, if anything is amiss, we will surely take care of it."

Mike sighed too. "Alright, Pete, alright."

Peter grinned. "I'm glad you see my way. Well, what do you think about hitting the hay? I'm beat."

Up in Heather and Emily's room, neither girl was sleeping. How could they? They had only truly met each other yesterday, and today had been spent with Mike and Peter--they were far too excited to sleep.

"Heaaaaathy," Emily dragged out, smiling with all her might.

"Whaaaaat-y?" asked Heather, laughing at her best friend's childish tone of voice.

"Isn't James~sama so CUTE?!"

Heather giggled and shook her head. "Well, if you like cartoon characters, I guess so!" She ducked as Emily playfully tossed a pillow her way. "Hey!" Then she ceased giggling, causing Emily to look up at her. "What do you think Peter and Mike had to 'talk seriously' about?"

Emily frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you hear them? Mike said he wanted to talk to Peter after we'd 'gone to bed.' I wonder if they have something else planned for us?" Heather pondered.

"I don't know," the redhead replied. "Maybe. Jeez, they've done so much for us already! I kind of don't want them to get us anything else, you know?"

"Yeah," said Heather. "But, those two are so generous. Tomorrow we've got to thank them again."

Emily squealed, "Of course! You know, let's leave tomorrow to tomorrow. I'm so tired!" She yawned, and laughed as Heather did the same.

"Let's get to bed," Heather declared as she reached over to the wall next to her and turned off the lightswitch.

~*~Part Twenty~*~ (by Heather)

Heather's eyes squinted open and were greeted by the rush of golden western sunlight. "Huh? Wh-wh-where what...time?" she muttered, half sitting up in her bed. She rubbed her eyes and streched then glanced at the clock on the nightstand. 10:00. "TEN?!" Heather yelped, jumping out of bed. "Emily! Emily wake UP!"

Emily mumbled something that sounded like "Rhubarbs make the cows fly..." and turned over and threw a pillow over her head.

"Nooo! Emily, get up! Do you realize we've slept until ten?! The guys are gonna think we don't wanna see them or something. Jeez, I feel like we're being rude by sleeping so late..."

Emily sat up letting the pillow fall from her head. "Eh?" She looked slowly around the room. "Maahh... MONKEES!" she exclaimed, springing from her bed.

Heather nodded. "That's right! Let's go get some breakfast!" Before Emily could answer, Heather had already ran out the door.

Emily shook her head. "Something's wrong with this picture... Heather's NOT a morning person..." She shrugged and followed Heather out the door.

The smell of pancakes grilling and bacon sizzling greeted the girls as they came bounding down the stairs.

"Well, good morning sunshines!" Peter greeted the girls, pulling out chairs for them.

"Good morning indeed!" Heather exclaimed with a smile, plopping down next to Peter. "Sorry we slept so long. I guess we were pretty beat!"

Peter grinned. "No problem! We didn't get up until half an hour ago ourselves."

Mike, who was busy standing over the stove in a "Kiss me, I'm Texan" apron, turned around. "How did you gals sleep?"

"Wonderful!" Emily chimed. "I felt so comfortable!"

Heather nodded. "It was a very nice sleep!"

"I'm glad to hear it! I hope you're ready, because now you're all going to get spoiled with my Texan-cooked breakfast!" Mike announced, placing the pancakes, bacon, biscuits, toast, and scrambled eggs on the table.

"I made the chocolate milk!" Peter added with a proud grin.

"Ohh good! I looove chocolate milk!" Heather exclaimed.

The four ate up the breakfast heartily, not even leaving a crumb.

Emily sat back in her chair. "That was the most amazing breakfast I've ever eaten!"

"I'd have to agree," Heather said with a nod. "And that was the best chocolate milk I've ever drank!" she added with a smile.

Peter beamed. "I'm so glad you enjoyed it!"

Mike smiled with satisfaction. "So, what would you gals like to do today?" he asked, leaning over the table.

~*~Part Twenty-One~*~ (by Emily)

"Hmm," Emily began. She paused to stroke her chin. "Maybe... we could explore Videoranch? I mean, I haven't even seen this whole place!"

Mike shrugged his shoulders. "You've got plenty of time to do that, y'know? After all, it really is a lovely day... you might want to save that for a rainy day."

Heather nodded. "I think I'll have to agree with Mike there," she said. "The only thing is--I just don't have any idea!" She and Emily looked at each other and laughed, causing a few more curious looks to appear on Mike and Peter's faces.

"What is it?" Peter asked.

Heather just smiled and then replied, "It's so crazy! Emily and I haven't even really known each other for more than a day, and the time that we're spending together is also the time that we're spending with you and Mike... and all we do is quote from Monkees songs and Monkees episodes! It's insane!" Emily nodded as Heather spoke, her face aglow with her smile.

"My brain hurts too much to think! Look, Mike, Peter: you guys know your way around here a lot better than we do, right?" Emily asked. Peter and Mike looked at each other, then back at the girls and nodded. "Could you suggest something? It's just that Heath and I don't really know what's going on around here..."

Nez chuckled and added, "Most of us don't really know what's going on around here!" He stood up from the table and pushed his chair in, his face becoming slightly more serious. "Actually, there's a quite a bit to do here in New Mexico, believe it or not. For example, have you gals ever seen the desert in all its beauty? It's truly a sight to behold!"

"It certainly is," Peter said, "but you can see that for miles around. C'mon, Papa Nez, you and I certainly have to put our thinking caps on, here! What could we do that's unique?"

********************************************************************************

"We need to do something unique if we want to get away with this, George," the short man said. "How are you going to pull this thing off... and how do you know Nesmith will pay?"

"Stop worrying, Tom. You know those two girls we saw on the 'Videoranch Cam' there with Nesmith and Tork? Those aren't his kids, so it'll be more than easy to pick them up... and he'll have to pay," George answered his partner. "Keep your eyes on that website and let me know if anything on that Ranch Cam changes."

Tom sighed. "Okay, George." Suddenly, his eye caught a glimpse of something on the screen. Was that Nesmith? "Hey, George!" he called out.

"What is it, Tom?"

"Look, it's that Nesmith! And... he's writing something. What's he writing?"

"You idiot, let me in the chair!" He shoved the short man out of the computer chair and sat down in it himself. "He's put it in front of the camera. 'Ranch Cam will be down for a while. We'll be back later with'... what's that? Tom, can you read his handwriting? So damn small..."

Tom leaned over George's shoulder and squinted. "My eyes are bad with old age, too. Let's see... 'We'll be back later with moos'? Are they going to get cows?"

George pushed Tom's head back. "You idiot, it says 'music.' They must be going to a music store. C'mon, let's follow them!" He leaped out of the chair and pulled on his jacket. "I think the nearest music store to them is... what... Matt's Mega-Music?"

Tom nodded, his greying-brown hair bobbing with him. "Yeah, let's go!"

~*~Part Twenty-Two~*~ (by Heather)

The foursome piled into Mike's Blazer and started off for their destination.

"So where is this place, Mike?" Emily asked, gazing out the window at the desert scenery passing by.

"Well, to be quite honest, it's a pretty out-of-the-way place. Not many people even know about it. But it sure is great," he answered warmly.

"That sounds cool! Do they specialize in selling certain types of music or do they have a pretty broad range of stuff?" Heather inquired.

"Actually, they don't sell any music unless it's at least 25 years old," Mike replied with a smile.

"Really? That's good, that way we won't have to deal with seeing someone like Britney Spears on the shelves," Heather said as she stuck her finger in her mouth and made a gagging sound.

The other three laughed.

"Exactly!" Mike concluded.

The drive seemed to take forever, yet the four managed to keep themselves entertained by singing songs.

"Lucy and Ra~MON~a, cruisin' through the jungles of L.A.!" Emily cheerfully sang.

"And Mike would be Sunset Sam, right?" Peter asked with a grin.

"NO! He's a kid named CISCO!" Emily exclaimed. "Haven't you ever seen Elephant Parts?!"

Peter shook his head. "I tried to stay away from that weird stuff Mike was doing back in the 80's."

"Look who's talking, Mr. Milkshake," Mike retorted with a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah," Peter waved his hand, dismissing his comment.

Finally, they pulled up to a small, quaint music shop. All four hopped out of the Blazer and Mike led the way into the store.

"Wow! Look at all these old records!" Emily marveled at the shelves upon shelves of records and 45's.

"We're bound to find some good stuff in here!" Heather exclaimed as she picked up a record by Frank Sinatra.

********************************************************************************

"I thought you said you knew where you were going!" George shouted, his patience long gone.

"I do! Well, at least I did!" Tom replied, defending himself.

"Yeah, right, that's why we're out in the middle of Nowhereville!" George retorted, rolling his eyes.

Tom's eyes brightened as he passed a sign advertising a nearby large music store. "There!" he exclaimed, pointing to the sign. "I bet that's where they went! See, I told you I knew where we were going!"

"I'll believe it when we see them there..." George muttered as he glared out the window.

A few minutes passed and the two men arrived at the brightly-lit music store that was advertised on the sign they had seen.

George quickly scanned the area anxiously then turned to Tom with an enraged look. "WELL?!"

Tom looked confused. "Well what?"

"WHERE ARE THEY?!?!"

"You mean they're not here?" Tom asked meekly.

"NO! I don't see his Blazer anywhere!"

"Well, they may have...walked from somewhere... Let's go check inside to make sure!" Tom suggested, getting out of the car.

George let out a heavy, annoyed breath of air.

The two men sauntered into the music store and immediately searched for the familiar figures they were looking for.

George became irate. "THEY'RE NOT HERE!"

Tom stared at him blankly. "Well then, if they're not HERE, where could they be?!"

~*~Part Twenty-Three~*~ (by Emily)

Emily's jaw dropped open. "You mean that this Dave Clark Five album is only $5?!" she squealed.

"That's what it says on the pricetag," Heather smiled. "Everything is so cheap here, I'm definitely buying both this Beatles album and this Who album!"

Mike and Peter walked to the girls from where they had been perusing the store's selection. "Did you girls find anything you liked?" Peter asked, carrying an old Steven Stills album.

"Yeah, we did!" Emily grinned. "I'm ready to go buy this now."

"Save your money for souvenirs!" Mike quickly said, taking the albums out of the girls' hands. "I'll pay for these."

Heather shook her head, reaching for the records. "No way, Mike. We appreciate it, and thank you, but we can buy our own stuff..."

"Nonsense! You're our guests, I'll pay... I mean, it's not like I'm broke. You know, Liquid Paper and all..." the Texan continued.

Peter sighed. "We know Mike, we know. Look, let's just pay for these and go... because I know Mike has another surprise for you!"

"Another surprise?" Emily asked, raising her eyebrows. "How many more of these do you have?"

Heather shrugged, whispering to Emily, "Probably quite a few more..."

The foursome made their varied purchases and headed back to the Blazer. They had driven for only a few miles before Heather asked, "So, what's THIS surprise, Mike?"

Mike chuckled. "Oh, nothing too special... Just an ordinary surprise." When he heard Peter sigh loudly, he added, "Come on, they'll love it, Pete!"

Peter nodded. "I'm sure they will, Michael, but don't you think they're a little tired of being 'surprised' all the time?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that. After all--" he began.

"Why don't we ask them?" Peter countered.

Emily looked back from the shotgun seat at Heather and shrugged. "I don't mind them at all!"

"Yeah, as long as they're good surprises," Heather agreed.

Peter just sighed again. "I don't know, I didn't think you two would be so fond of surprise after surprise... it seems a bit boring to me!"

Mike looked as though he would get angry, but then seemed to think twice and laugh. "Eh, you've known me too long, Pete. I guess I've pulled all the surprises I can on you!"

Emily said, "But I thought you didn't like surprises..."

"Whatever would give you that idea?" he asked.

The redhead replied, "You know... in HEAD..."

Heather giggled, "M, maybe we shouldn't take these things so literally..."

Peter glanced out the window. "Hey, Mike, don't drive by it--we're here!"

"Oh, wow!" Mike said. "I hadn't even realized we arrived. Thanks, Pete!"

The Blazer pulled into a long driveway and parking lot. "Where are we?" Heather asked as they all stepped out of the car.

"My recording studio," Mike said matter-of-factly. "I figured you might be interested..."

~*~Part Twenty-Four~*~ (by Heather)

"Interested?!" Heather repeated in a high-pitched squeal. "That's putting it mildly!"

Emily gaped at the large studio that loomed in front of them. "W-w-wow..." she stammered, blinking at the huge sign that indicated they were at the right place.

Mike grinned and patted Emily on the back. Peter put his arm around Heather and led her to the entrance of the studio; Mike and Emily followed closely behind.

Mike pulled on the large handle of the door and the foursome were greeted by a cool blast of air conditioning. They all walked inside and the door closed behind them. A lady looked up from the receptionist desk and smiled.

"Hello there," she greeted the group cheerfully.

"Hey Sandy," Mike replied with a nod. "I've got a few guests here with me today. I'm going to be showing them around the place."

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Sandy exclaimed.

"This is Emily, that's Heather, and this here is my buddy, Peter," Mike introduced them with a wave of his hand.

Sandy grinned broader. "It's nice to meet you guys!"

The other three nodded in agreement.

"Well, we better get going. We've got stuff to do and things to see!" Mike exclaimed, taking Emily's hand and leading her through a door on the left of the receptionist's desk. Heather and Peter followed.

Once the group had gone through the door and out of earshot, Sandy stopped grinning and smirked. "Well, that's interesting. I wonder why THEY'RE so special." She began to dig into her purse until she pulled out a cellphone. Dialing a number, she then put the phone up to her ear and spoke in a whisper.

"Hello? George? They're here."

********************************************************************************

"This is amazing!" Heather shouted as she jumped into the high-back leather chair that sat in front of the controls of the sound booth.

Emily nodded. "Totally amazing!"

Mike smiled warmly as he hit a few buttons on the control panel and placed a tape into a recorder. "You girls had better grab some instruments."

Emily gave him an incredulous look. "What do you mean? What for?"

Peter grinned. "To play on, of course!"

"Buuut, why?" Heather asked, standing up.

"Well, I wanted to do something that we could all participate in that would serve as a lifelong memory of the time you're spending here with us," Mike began to explain as he adjusted a few more knobs on the control panel.

"Which would be..." Emily trailed off, hoping Mike would continue his explanation.

"We're going to record a song together!"

"We ARE?!" Heather and Emily both exclaimed in unison.

Mike nodded.

The girls looked at Mike and then at Peter and then at Mike and then at Peter again. They were obviously not kidding, as the expressions on their faces never changed.

"What song are we going to record?" Emily asked, both excited and a little nervous.

"Well, that's up to ya'll," Mike replied as he walked into the recording room. "It can be any song your hearts desire. I'm sure whatever it is you pick, we'll have the lyrics and music handy."

Emily glanced back over at Heather who was standing in a daze.

Peter walked over to her and shook her lightly by the shoulders. "Pssst!" he whispered in her ear. With a jump Heather returned to reality. She looked up at Peter and grinned.

"Well, so what do I play?" she asked with a giggle.

Peter led the two girls into the recording room where Mike was busily setting up various instruments. He walked over to a corner of the room where two electric guitars stood, each with a huge red bow tied around their necks. One was an emerald green color that seemed to change to a lighter green in the light. The name Emily was enlayed with silver into the body. The other guitar was a violet-purple color with purple glitter mixed in. The name Heather was enlayed with silver into the body as well.

"These are for you," Peter gestured to the guitars.

The girls' mouths dropped open as they slowly walked over to where the guitars stood waiting.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Heather trailed off in disbelief.

Peter shook his head. "Nope, they're for you!"

Mike chuckled. "You can thank Peter for those. That was all his idea."

Heather gently touched the neck of the guitar that was meant for her. Emily had already picked hers up and was gingerly touching her name.

"Oh, thank you SO MUCH!" Heather exclaimed, turning to Peter and tackling him with a huge hug. Peter smiled and stroked her hair.

"You're very welcome."

Emily smiled brillantly and turned to Peter. Heather was still latched onto him in a hug, and wanting her chance to thank him, she gently tapped her on the shoulder. "I want to thank him, too!" she said with a laugh.

"Oh, okay!" Heather smiled as she released her grip from Peter and wiped away the tears of happiness that had formed in her eyes.

"Thank you tons, Peter! This is the best present I have ever received!" Emily gushed, as she gave Peter a big hug.

"I'm glad you like them!" Peter smiled, revealing his dimples.

Mike turned to the trio, holding his own guitar and tuning it. "Well, what shall we play?"

~*~Part Twenty-Five~*~ (by Emily)

"I... I'm not really very good at guitar..." Emily stammered. "The only song I ever learned well was 'Early Morning Cold Taxi,' an unreleased track by The Who..."

Mike scratched his beard. "I'm afraid I don't know that one."

Heather laughed. "I think you'd be able to handle 'Circle Sky,' Emmy," she said. "I love that one! I especially love the opening riff; it was the first thing I learned on the guitar!"

Peter smiled. "That's cool. What do you say, Michael?"

"It's simple enough. You want me to show you it, Emily?"

The redheaded nodded and smiled, slipping the guitar strap over her shoulder. She couldn't believe the sound when she strummed it--even without being plugged in, it sounded sweet. "I guess I'll have to learn it!"

********************************************************************************

Tom sat in the backseat of the Ford Taurus, twiddling his thumbs. "Do you think we'll catch them in time, George?"

George heaved a sigh. "Not if you keep being such a pessimist!"

"I'm not a pessimist..."

The car came to a stop. George tapped on the glass separating Tom and him from the driver. "Thanks, bud."

The two men strode out of their car and into the studio. Sandy looked up from filing her nails and smiled at them. "Hi, Tom. Hi, George. The kids are with Nesmith and Tork in their own room. They're sitting ducks," she said. Sandy pointed to a door down the hallway from her. "Recording studio number five. I'm sure the little red light will be on, but you just go ahead and enter."

George nodded. "Glad to hear it, Sandy." He led Tom down the hallway and grinned upon seeing a number 5 on a large, silver door. He motioned with his head for Tom to open the door. The shorter man did this, smiling widely.

Heather's head snapped up from her playing as the door banged open. Alarmed, Mike, Emily, and Peter did the same. The room fell silent. Tom opened up his waistcoat to reveal a pistol.

"Looks like we've finally found you, girls," George sneered. "Come on. Put the guitars down. Easy, now. Come with me an' Tom here and everything will be alright."

"You can't do this!" Mike shouted, his voice cracking. "Heather, Emily, don't go to them!"

Tom smirked as he replied, "Oh, they will go with us." He waved his pistol around as if to prove his point. "They'll go with us, or I'll kill both of you."

"You wouldn't dare," Peter boomed, voice deep. "You want money, right? We've got money... you can take whatever money you want!"

George walked dangerously close to Peter. "That will come later. For now, the girls are going with US." He grabbed Heather's arm, Tom grabbed Emily's arm, and they dragged the teenagers away, almost out the door. Before they actually went outside, George added, "We'll contact you in a little while, Nesmith. Don't call the cops, or you'll never see these precious faces again." With that, the door slammed shut again.

Peter and Mike ran to the door and threw it open. As they charged into the hallway, they heard the car pull out of the parking lot quickly. "Sandy! Did you see those men?" Mike demanded.

Sandy put down her nail file and smiled sinsiterly. From within her purse, she too pulled out a pistol. "Of course I saw them, Mike: I work for them. Now get back in that room and stay in there or you two will be gone, okay?"

Peter cleared his throat. Although his "whatever you want" line had not worked on Tom or George, perhaps it would work on the secretary... "Sandy, I... Michael and I can both give you a lot of money if you let us go."

The secretary said nothing but raised an eyebrow. "How much?"

"A million dollars," Mike returned without blinking. "We can give you a million dollars if you let us go."

The shifty eyes darted back and forth between the two ex-Monkees. Sandy said, "Make it two million, and I might consider it."

A sigh arose from Peter, and Sandy pointed the pistol at him. "Two million," Peter agreed quickly, and Sandy put the gun away.

"Write me a check," she commanded. They quickly heeded her word.

~*~Part Twenty-Six~*~ (by Heather)

Emily and Heather were pushed roughly into the backseat of the Ford Taurus as it quickly turned around in the parking lot and sped away. Looking up from where her face had been thrusted, Heather came face to face with a gun that was pointing directly at her.

"That's right, just sit back and relax, don't make no trouble, and you'll be just fine," George sneered, waving his pistol around.

Emily sat upright against the backseat and blinked. "You'll never get away with this you know," she snarled, her eyes narrowing at the two thugs.

"Oh, but we will," he corrected her with a menacing grin. "And we'll come out of it richer than we could have ever imagined."

Heather's eyes started searching around the car for any possible escape. The doors were locked with child-proof locks. The glass separated the two thugs from the girls, so unless they had something in order to shatter the glass with, there was no way either of them could attempt to knock out their kidnappers. The situation looked hopeless...

Emily leaned over to Heather and whispered softly, "Do you have a plan? Is there any way to-"

"HEY! What are you two talking about back there! They'll be no plotting to escape! In fact, how about we makes it so that they'll be no TALKING at all! Got it?!" George bellowed, pointing his gun at the two girls.

Emily gulped and nodded slowly, while Heather just rolled her eyes.

The car continued to speed off down the highway, its destination unknown to the two prisoners in the backseat.

********************************************************************************

Mike jumped into the driver's side of the Blazer as Peter took shot-gun. Mike cranked the engine and sped off down the highway, sending dust and rocks into the air.

"Where are we going?" Peter asked anxiously.

"To the police," Mike answered simply.

"Of course..." Peter nodded slowly, gazing out of the window. "I hope they can help us... And get the girls back... Mike! If anything happens to them, I'll, I'll, I'll never be able to forgive myself! I feel like we put them in this terrible danger bringing them out here to meet us and now... now..."

"It's okay, Pete, calm down. The police will be able to help us get them back safe and sound. After all, those guys are after money. They won't hurt the girls as long as they want to have something in which to bribe us with," Mike reassured his friend.

"Yeah, I just... I'm so worried!" he exclaimed, his expression suddenly turning to anger. "If they lay a finger on them so help me God..."

"I know, I know. I'm right there with you."

The two fell silent for what seemed like an enternity. Twenty minutes later, the quiet was interupted by Mike's ringing cell phone.

Mike glanced down at the phone that was perched in a cup holder. He reached for it and read the incoming number outloud. "557-3356? Who the hell is that?"

Peter watched him as he pressed the call button and sent the call through the speaker system. "Hello?"

"Nesmith. It's your friendly neighborhood kidnappers! Just callin' to let you in on our little deal," Tom snickered.

Peter's eyes went wide. Mike clenched his teeth and pressed his foot harder on the accelerator.

"You better not be going to the coppers or you'll regret it. Now listen up-"

The next sounds that Mike and Peter heard were that of a struggle, followed by shouting that clearly consisted of, "You idiot! I told you not to call them from here!!" With that, the dial tone buzzed in their ears.

Peter raised his eyebrow and looked at Mike. Mike nodded, needing no words.

********************************************************************************

"They can trace our number you IDIOT!!" George yelled, hitting Tom with a rolled up newspaper. "Especially if they were going to the police! We're sitting ducks now!! We gotta get out of this hotel and fast."

Tom looked up at George and rubbed his head. "Gee, I'm sorry George, I didn't think about that."

"That's why *I'M* the leader of this here operation and you're NOT!" George snarled. "Time to pack up and blow this joint."

~*~Part Twenty-Seven~*~ (by Emily)

Tom fidgeted with his cell phone, not sure how to fix the sound on it. "Hey, George, how do you turn the button-beep off?"

"That's not important now... we've got to get a move on!" George answered him.

"W-where are we going?" Heather asked. "You said you wouldn't hurt us..."

George whirled around and faced the blonde. "And when exactly did we say that, girlie? I don't recall saying nothing about you two at ALL! Except to shut your traps..."

Tom put the cell phone down on the dresser by the bed and pointed out, "But if we hurt them we wouldn't get the money, George!"

"Shut up, you idiot!" George yelled back. "I think you've already done enough damage by calling Nesmith on the hotel phone so he'd know right where we are. Come on, girls, let's get back in the car!" He quickly ushered the two out of the hotel room, Tom trailing behind.

********************************************************************************

Peter and Mike walked quickly into the police station. After explaining their situation to the officer on duty, they both were led to the back of the station to speak with the chief. "Please, sir," Mike began, "they're only teenagers. I only know one person who might have information on them: her name is Sandy Zabrine. She's a secretary at my studio, and we paid her two million dollars so we could leave the studio to come see you."

"You shouldn't have paid her," Chief Buchanan told them. "It never works out when dealing with criminals. However, I know the desperation that caused you to pay her... With her information, I can surely help you," Chief Buchanan said. "We can also try, after this is all over, to get your money back. Is there anything else?"

"The phone number!" Peter replied.

Mike flipped open his cell phone and checked the incoming call history. "Those fool kidnapppers called my cell phone while we were driving. The number was 557-3368. Can you trace that number?"

"Of course, we'll get right on that." The chief then shared the number with some other policemen bustling around the office, and in a short time they had the place. "It's at a hotel," Chief Buchanan informed them. "We'll set off right now."

Just as they were to leave, Mike asked, "What hotel is it, anyway? Who would hold these two suspicious-looking fools?"

"I believe it's the Super 8 Motel," Chief Buchanan replied.

********************************************************************************

The backseat of the Taurus was not nearly as comfortable as Mike's Blazer, but the two girls were certainly in no position to complain. "At least we haven't been bound and gagged," Emily muttered bitterly.

"Keep talkin' like that and you WILL be," George snarled. Turning back to face Tom, he said, "Come on, Tom, think for once. Where can we bring these two girls? We need a place no one will ever think of looking..."

Tom shrugged but kept his eyes on the road ahead of him. "Why not just go back to our apartment? It's so obvious that they might not look."

George sighed, "It's so obvious that they definitely will look there, you moron."

"Well, what about the basement?"

In the backseat, Heather and Emily whispered to each other. "This is way too scary," Emily said, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I hate this."

"It'll be okay, Emmy," Heather reassured her. "You know Mike and Peter will come for us. After all, they cared enough to let us stay in Mike's house."

"I can't wait until they come," Emily sighed.

Heather added, "I hope it's with the police..."

~*~Part Twenty-Eight~*~ (by Heather)

Mike and Peter jumped back into the Blazer, following the undercover cop cars that sped down the highway. There was no time to waste. If they had any chance of catching the kidnappers at the motel, they had to hurry.

The guys didn't speak. No words were needed. The urgency of the matter was apparent to both of them. They had to get the girls back safe and sound, no matter what.

Ten minutes into the drive, the cop cars suddenly pulled up to the Super 8 Motel that stood on the side of the highway, welcoming tired travellers. Although this time, it wasn't a very welcoming sight. It was a site involved in a crime.

Mike pulled the Blazer up behind the cop cars and jumped out, Peter close behind him.

"You better let us go in first," Chief Buchanan stated. "Since we're undercover and they know what you guys look like, we'll have a better chance of catching them off-guard if we go."

Mike nodded, tightening his lips. Peter's eyes cast downward and he stared at the ground, frustrated that all he could do was wait. He wanted to help! Wanted to feel like he was doing some good!

Chief Buchanan and his officers entered the front door of the Super 8 Motel and quickly explained the situation to the manager at the check-in desk. Without hesitating, the manager led the officers to the room where the two kidnappers had been. Chief Buchanan had given the descriptions of the men that Mike and Peter gave to him and the manager recognized who he was referring to immediately.

After being led down a long hallway, the manager suddenly stopped in front of a room. 334. He was sure this was the room the men were staying in. Turning his key in the lock, he swung the door open and the police ran in.

Nothing. No one.

Chief Buchanan turned to the manager. "Did the men happen to check-out of the motel?"

The manager shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of..."

"Are you sure?!" Chief Buchanan questioned him, raising his eyebrows.

The manager was quite adament that the two men had not properly checked out of their room. "Yes, I'm quite sure. I would have noticed it on the check-out roster."

"Did you ever happen to see two young girls with these men?" Chief Buchanan asked, glancing around the room for any evidence.

"No... I didn't..."

"Then can we even be sure they were here with the kidnappers...?" the police chief trailed off.

Not being able to stand the wait any longer, Mike and Peter had made their way to the motel room and now stood outside the door.

Peter had overheard the chief's last statement and frowned. "Of course they were with them! Why wouldn't they have been?!"

The chief just shook his head. "I don't know... Kidnappers will do a lot of things that don't neccesarily make any sense..."

Mike eyed the room and took a step inside. He happened to glance down to the carpeted floor as something shinny caught his eye. Kicking at the object with his boot a little, he then bent down and picked the object up. It was the bracelet. The bracelet that he and Peter had given to Heather and Emily.

"'Atta girl," Mike muttered, squeezing the bracelet tight in his hand. "Chief... They were here alright." He held out the bracelet for all to see. "This is a bracelet that we gave to the girls. One of them must have dropped it as a sign for us."

Peter smiled, his heart warmed by the memory, but his smile quickly faded. "Then, that means they're no longer here... So where have they been taken?!"

Mike shook his head sadly. "I don't know, pal, I don't know..."

"Chief!" one of the officers suddenly exclaimed. "Look at this!" He held up a small, black cellphone with his gloved fingers. "The kidnappers must have left this behind on accident. Surely they wouldn't have purposely left it."

"That's great evidence!" the chief exclaimed. "It also opens up the possibility that the kidnappers will come back to try and retrieve it. They don't sound like the brightest pair of kidnappers... There's always the possibility they'll come looking for it."

Mike and Peter smiled at each other, their hearts uplifted by this bit of news.

"Well," Mike began, "What do we do?"

~*~Part Twenty-Nine~*~ (by Emily)

"What are we gonna do?" Emily moaned quietly after being shoved into the backseat once again. Heather was quickly pushed in after her, shaking her head, and the car door slammed shut.

George glared at the girls. "You're gonna be QUIET and not cause a fuss, like good little hostages!" he yelled. He heard the sirens of police vehicles approaching the hotel parking lot and swore under his breath. "Tom, let's get going," he told his assistant as he climbed into the driver's seat.

In a moment they were gone, driving down the highway at a slightly elevated speed--not too high, lest they attract the attention of police officers. The car was silent and Tom nor George noticed Heather gesturing to Emily. She nodded her head backwards as to point out her tied arms. Emily's eyes followed the line of movement and noticed Heather had lost her bracelet. She opened her mouth to say something along the lines of 'That's terrible,' but Heather whispered, "Ssh..." It was then that Emily realized that Heather had left the bracelet in the hotel room on purpose. She beamed and wished her arms were free so that she could hug her best friend.

"I'm sick of it being so quiet!" Tom whined, drumming his fingers along the dashboard. "Can't we put the radio on or something, George?"

George shook his head. "I don't want to hear anything that they've got to say. Don't you have some sort of music thing on your cellphone?"

Tom nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I do! I wonder if I can figure out how to get to it..."

"Just play around for a while, you'll get it," George said with a sigh.

"Yeah," Tom agreed. "Now, where did I put it..." He felt both of his pants' pockets and, finding nothing, moved up to his jacket pockets. "Where is it?" he muttered. He turned the pockets inside-out, spilling some loose change on the floor of the car.

George yelled, "Pick that up!"

"Sorry, sorry," Tom replied, leaning down to scoop up the coins. "Maybe it fell on the floor of the car..." He then began scouring the floor for his lost object. As he got back up, he hit his head on the glove compartment. "Ow! Damn thing... Oh, maybe I left it in there!"

The driver turned to look at the passenger. "Tom... you couldn't have left it in there. You had it with you in the hotel room."

Tom felt himself withering under George's glare. "The hotel... room...? I might have left it on the dresser..."

"YOU WHAT?" George roared. "How could you have left it in there?!"

"You were in such a hurry..."

George was practically fuming under his shirt. "That doesn't mean you should have left your cellphone in the hotel room!" He shook his head furiously. "We have to double back there now, get it, and hope that no one has already been in the room!"

Tom sputtered, "But what if someone's there? Wouldn't they have..."

"Shut up! I don't need to hear any of your ideas! We're heading back there now!"

The car performed an illegal U-turn and sped back towards the hotel.

~*~Part Thirty~*~ (by Heather)