Ok, let's get a move on. Who's ready for the next story?

Mike: If it's anything like LAST October's main story, can I call in sick? :p

No.

Micky: Can I just not show up?

Lauren: No, Mick, you can't.

Micky: Damn. :P

Davy: Would you believe I have a dental appointment?

No, I wouldn't.

Lauren: No. Nice "Get Smart" reference, though. ;)

Peter: Um, I...have to floss my dog!

Mike: Pete, we don't even HAVE a dog!

Peter: I have to floss the cat?

Lauren: Good grief... :P

For crying out loud, let's just start. :p

Lauren: Quick, before someone ELSE jumps in on the getting out of the story bandwagon. :P

(We begin in a room in Alex and Shelia's sprawling desert hide-out. It's a very elegant bedroom, done in chic antiques and shaggy rugs. Shelia walks in, looking the very model of a modern major corporation executive, from her sleek bun and spectacles to her Italian leather pumps. She puts down a briefcase on a fat Victorian armchair. Next to the armchair is a table that holds a cage containing a kitten with brown curly fur and almond-shaped brown eyes. The kitten wears a bright psychadelic collar. It turns over when she comes in, purring sweetly.)

Shelia: (Smirks) Hello, Alex. You being a good kitty? (Rubs his tummy; he purrs) Yes, you're being a VERY good little kitten, one who hopefully now knows who is the creator and who is the creation. ;)

*Alex gives her a VERY hopeful look.* ;)

Shelia: You know, you've been so good lately, I MAY just consider turning you back into a human. ;)

*Alex purrs again, rubbing his head into her hand.*

Shelia: You'd have to promise not to get out of control again. I'm grateful to you for springing me from jail, but please, my money is MY money. If I turn you into a human, I'm going to have to put you on an allowance.

*Alex nods his head, still looking hopeful.*

Shelia: (Lifts Alex out of the cage and sets him on the ground) All right, Alex. I'll turn you back, but the first sign of mismanaged funds OR mismanaged libidos, and it's back to kitty littah and Friskies for you!

*Alex makes a face at the last part.* :P

Shelia: Very well, then. (She concentrates on the kitten, which is surrounded by a black light.)

*When the black light clears, Alex is human again and wears black jeans and a psychadelic button-up shirt.*

Alex: I'll never look at tuna the same way again. *makes a face, then pauses* I swear, Shelia, I will be better from now on. ;)

Shelia: Good. I don't mind you bringing women around, or even thirty, but don't bleed me dry doing it. I owe our drivah one for turnin' me back into a human as it is. :p

Alex: *nods* He saved our hides on that one. :P

Shelia: You're lucky PPF's finances are as stable as they are. :p

Alex: No kidding. :P

Shelia: I just came from a board room meeting. (Flops back down in the chair) "Bored" is right. I hate meetings. Sometimes, I wish I could just enslave all four of my senior vice-presidents. (Smirks) I fantasize about turning them into toads or making them appear in their underwear when things get REALLY dull. ;)

Alex: *smirks* Not a bad idea, really. The enslaving part, that is. ;)

Shelia: I wish. I'd love to send the whole lot down to...(looks under the chair)...well, down home, but I don't think their wives would appreciate it. They lost their souls to high finance long before they came to my company. :p

Alex: You know, home does sound rather nice. ;) >:)

Shelia: (Grins) In the mood for visiting the family? I have some vacation time coming up I'd LOVE to use. ;)

Alex: Why not? Could be fun. ;)

Shelia: After all, we have some...friends...down there we haven't seen in a long time. ;)

Alex: Some....friends...that'd REALLY like to see us again. ;)

Shelia: (Sighs) Shame we can't bring ALL of our...friends. (Sighs) Especially one...

Alex: Hmmm... *rolls his eyes* :P ;)

Shelia: You ain't too fond of him, are you?

Alex: Not especially, no.

Shelia: (Sighs) Everyone to their own taste, I suppose. I have one of him...at home. I'd love to have the one up here. (Smirks) And I suppose you've been thinking up nasty little plots against our friends up here while you've been a kitty? ;)

Alex: Of course. There wasn't much else to do. :P ;)

Shelia: Anything interesting? ;)

Alex: Well, to go along with a little homecoming, I was thinking that we could extract a little revenge by taking one of them *smirks* on a walking tour of Hell, so to speak. ;) >:)

Shelia: (Grins wickedly) It would be nice to show off the old home base. So, who gets this honor? ;)

Alex: My troublesome double. >:) ;)

Shelia: (Grins even wider) Ahhhh. What did you have in mind to get him to join us? ;)

Alex: A nice little car accident would be perfect, since he loves cars so much. ;)

Shelia: And we pick up his soul and bring it with us? What are we going to do with the...rest? :p

Alex: *shrugs* Leave the rest on the others' doorstep. It'll keep them busy while we have fun. ;)

Shelia: With him, we'll have a complete set, and perhaps, lure the ones..."above"...to us. ;)

Alex: Of course. ;)

Shelia: Why don't we begin? My vacation starts tonight. ;)

Alex: *nods and checks his watch* Good timing. He should be just about on his way home from that little...job of his. :P

Shelia: (Nods) The new radio job he got. Between that, the bakery thing I've heard he still does with his wife, and making albums, he's been a rather busy bee. :p

Alex: Hm. I say it's time he got slowed down a bit, don’t you think? ;) >:)

Shelia: I completely agree. Let's put a damper on that little Monkee's motor. ;)

(They walk off arm in arm, snickering evilly. >:) )

*We see an office building next with the letters KLAC on the roof. Inside, Micky is standing in the doorway.*

Micky: *waves* Night, Jack! Don't have too much fun! ;)

Jack: (off-camera voice) Night, Mick. You be careful. That storm is going something fierce.

Micky: Thanks, man, I will! Especially since I've got Lauren's car. She'd kill me if anything happened to it. ;)

*Micky closes the door. The camera follows him as he heads out of the office and into a stairwell. We skip the stairwell to keep the audience from getting dizzy and catch up with Micky as he stops in the foyer, just inside the outter doors. He pulls his jacket over his head and pulls the car keys from his pocket. He waits a moment, then whips the door open and runs to the car. He fiddles with the keys a moment, the lock sticking, then finally slides in behind the wheel.*

Micky: *to himself* Mental note: fix the driver's door lock so it doesn't stick while I’m becoming a drowned rat out in the rain. *puts the key in the ignition and starts the car* :P

*Micky shifts into reverse and puts his right hand on the back of the passenger seat, bracing himself as he watches behind and backs out of the parking spot. The camera follows him leaving the business district and driving into the residential area of Malibu Beach. The windshield wipers are going full blast. Micky's practically got his face plastered to the windshield just trying to see.*

Micky: *eyes wide and unblinking* It’s not fit for man nor beast out here! *grumbling* I didn't know it was possible to be this DARK out. Yeesh!

*As he starts around a turn, something crosses the street in front of the car.*

Micky: Holy shit! *spins the steering wheel, trying to avoid the "thing" in the street. The car goes onto the grass next to the street and hits a tree. The only sound left is the rain pattering off the car. A shadowy figure walks normally over to the car.*

Alex: *bends down to look in the window; grins evilly seeing Micky sprawled over the steering wheel, seat belt snapped from the force* You're right, this night isn't fit for man nor beast...but it IS fit for devils. >:) ;)

*A black light surrounds the entire scene, even the tree. When the light fades, Alex and the car are gone, and the tree doesn't have a mark on it.*

(Fade out on the tree and the storm; fade in on Mike and Emma's room in the Pad. Mike tosses and turns, unable to sleep. The storm goes full-force outside their window. Katie sleeps in a crib on one side of the room; her parents are on the other.)

Mike: (Moaning as he tosses and turns) No...no...not Mick...(screams) NO!

(He sits up at that last "no," and Emma sits up with him, rubbing his back.)

Emma: Honey, what is it? What's wrong?

Mike: M...Mick...he's...he was in an accident. I saw it.

Emma: (Frowns) But you've been here with me all night, and anyway, shouldn't Mick be at home with Lauren and the kids by now?

Mike: (Shakes his head) N...no...car accident...hit tree... :(

Emma: Baby, calm down. You're having a nightmare.

Mike: (Runs his hands through his hair) Oh, man, Em, it was so...so real! So vivid! I ain't never had a nightmare like that before!

Emma: That's all it was, Baby. A nightmare.

Mike: (Nods slowly) Yeah, I guess... (Even as he says that, there's a knock at the door, followed by a thump)

Emma: What's that?

Mike: (Starts to get out of bed) I dunno, Em, but I'm gonna find out. (Reaches for his robe on a nearby chair) You stay here with Katie, darlin'. I'll handle this.

(Mike walks downstairs in his pajama bottoms and robe, holding Emma's field hockey stick over his head.)

Mike: (Peers through the grill) Oh, man, just a dead animal. (He opens the door...and Micky's wet and unconcious body tumbles in!)

Mike: Holy SHIT! Mick!

Emma: What's going on? (Runs to the top of the stairs) Mike, is that...

Mike: Yeah, it's Mick, darlin'. (Drags Micky to the psychologist's couch) Damn, that boy ain't as skinny as he looks. :p

Emma: (Comes downstairs) Mike, is he ok?

Mike: I dunno, Em. He's breathin' and everything. A bit wet, though. I wonder how long he was out there?

Emma: I hate to wake up Lauren so early in the morning, but maybe I should call her.

Mike: Yeah, do that, darlin'. She ought to know what's goin' on. She might even be able to help. She probably has some idea from the link, anyway.

Emma: (Nods) Right. (Grabs the phone and starts dialing Lauren.)

*We cut to the Dolenz house. Lauren is pacing the bedroom. The phone rings, and she picks it up.*

Lauren: *weary* Hello?

Emma: Lauren, hi. Um, we've got some news about Micky.

Lauren: *eyes widen* He's an hour late! :P

Emma: Lauren, he's here. (Quietly) Sopping wet and unconcious. (Grins) And no, Mike DIDN'T cause it. ;)

Mike: Hey! :p

Lauren: Oh no... *whispers* that dream... *worried* I'll be right there. I'll just blue-light it. I’ll arrive upstairs, so I can leave the twins up there.

Emma: Ok. (Puts the phone back on the hook and turns to Mike, who sits next to Micky, gently rubbing him with towels to dry him off) She's on her way, Baby.

Mike: Good. We need her.

Emma: MICK needs her.

Mike: (Puts a hand on Micky's forehead) He don't seem to be runnin' a fever. (Gently looks him over, lifting limbs and moving them) And I'm no doctor, but his arms and legs seem to be in workin' order.

Emma: God, what HAPPENED to him?

Mike: (Looks at his wife) Em, this has to have somethin’ to do with my dream.

Emma: If it did, how did he end up on our doorstep?

*There's a dark blue light in the upstairs bedroom. Moments later, Lauren comes barrelling down the stairs.*

Lauren: *worried* Oh, my Lord! *stops at the end of the couch*

Mike: (He and Emma move long enough to let Lauren come to her husband) Lauren, have you felt anything...strange...in the last hour?

Lauren: *almost in one breath* Other than the pounding headache that woke me up a little over an hour ago when Mick should've been home? I've been pacing the entire time waiting for him! I even checked for the car. It was in the garage. I thought he went out on the beach!

Emma: Didn't Mick take the car to work?

Lauren: *again, one breath; frowning* Yes. That's the weird part. I called the radio station and Jack said he left on time, so I went and checked on the car. It was in the garage. I figured he'd gone out onto the beach, but even then, he wouldn't have been out there that long with it raining the way it is.

Mike: (Takes a deep breath, then says) Lauren, I saw Mick have a car accident.

Lauren: In a dream?

Mike: Yeah.

Lauren: I had a very quick vision of a car hitting a tree before I woke up. :P

Mike: Mine weren't quick. I saw the whole thing in excruciatin' detail.

Emma: And then HE woke up screaming.

(Mike makes a face at Emma, who makes one back. :p)

Lauren: *still frowning* Was what we saw what happened to Mick? *motions to him* There isn't a mark on him, and the car is fine!

Mike: If that weren't Mick in the car, it was yet another double...and a really good one, too, right down to the clothes and hair.

Lauren: *sighs; puts two fingers to the bridge of her nose* Not more doubles. My head is already aching. Whatever's wrong with Mick is bad enough. :P

Mike: Lauren, I don't know WHAT to think. All I know is that Mick is here, now, and he's sopping wet and really out of it...and I saw SOMETHIN' that looked like him in your car runnin' into a tree in my dream.

Emma: Do you think you could locate that spot tomorrow? Maybe we could check it out.

Mike: If I can remember, yeah.

Emma: Lauren, can you still...feel him?

Lauren: *moves her hand away and nods once* Faintly, though.

Emma: (Eyes widen) God, do you think he's...

Mike: (Takes his wrist) No, his pulse is steady.

Emma: What's going ON?

Lauren: *runs one hand through Micky's curls* I have no idea. :(