Micky let out a low whistle and sucked in a breath between pushing his way through a set of double doors. Inside, the offices were all open. A sign off to the left read "Bursar's Office." He headed off to the left, looking around warily.

"May I help you?"

He nearly tripped over his own feet, but instead landed neatly in a chair next to the desk an older woman sat at. Micky smiled at her. "I, uh, usually make better entrances than that."

The woman smiled. "That's okay. Was there something I could help you with?"

"Yeah, I'd like to enroll."

The woman frowned slightly. "I'm afraid enrollment ended a few weeks ago and late enrollment isn't for another two weeks."

Behind them, a thirty-something man wearing a baseball cap stopped.

"Two weeks?" Micky echoed. "Ma'am, I really need to get into some classes, or atleast one! I brought my paperwork..." He reached into the back pocket of his appropriate carpenter's pants and came back with several rather crumpled sheets of paper, including a transcript from the junior college he'd dropped out of. "Here..." He began to spread the papers out.

The woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, son, there's nothing I can do for you now. Late registration begins two weeks from tomorrow."

Micky sighed and snatched up his papers then, without saying another word, got up, and scuffed his way past the man with a baseball cap. He went back outside and the man followed.

"Excuse me..." the man said.

Micky stopped and turned, his face dejected. "What?"

"I heard what just happened. Sounds like you wanna get in here pretty bad."

Micky nodded. "It's kinda a long story, but I was in college a couple years ago for drafting, but I dropped out. Well, after being out in the real world, realizing you really can't live off making music for a living, and getting married, it seemed pretty stupid to have dropped out." He sighed. "That, and my wife and I are living in a really small apartment, but she wants a house and I wanna give her a house, but we don't have the money." He paused and pulled out some neatly folded sheets of paper. "She's pregnant, too, and I wanna surprise her with a house. I've even got blue prints. I know it'd be perfect and she'd love it, but... I'm sorry, I'm just dumping all of this on you." He started to turn.

The man put a hand on Micky's shoulder stopping him. "Can I see those blue prints?"

Micky held out the papers, which the man took and looked over. "How come you're so interested? Do I know you?"

The man shook his head. "No, but I know where you're coming from." He paused and grinned. "I also teach here. Matter of fact, this coming semester the Senior Seminar classes in Architecture need a class project that the students can work on."

Micky's eyes widened. "You--"

"These blue prints are fantastic. They're British, aren't they?" Micky nodded, and the man grinned. "Listen, if you let me use your blue prints for the project of building this house, not only will I let you in the class, but the house will be yours. There's one catch: you have to be my apprentice."

Micky's jaw would've hit the ground if it could reach. He nodded, finding that his voice wasn't working all of a sudden.

The man held out his right hand. "The name's Tony Delmolino."

"Micky Dolenz," he managed, clasping hands.

Tony thought for a moment. "Hey, aren't you the drummer for the Monkees?"

Micky blinked. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I've seen you guys play the Cassandra a few times. You're really good and it's too bad you don't seem to be getting paid very well for it," Tony said.

"Oh." Micky scratched the back of his head, smiling. "Man, I don't know what to say. This is really nice of you... oh, what about that woman in there. She said registration was in two weeks..."

"Just get here when you can and sign up. If they give you any fuss, have then call me or come get me..." Tony pulled his wallet out. "Here's my card. I'll make a spot in the class for you if I have to." He motioned to the copy of the blue prints he still held. "Can I make my own copy of these?"

Micky nodded. "Sure, go ahead."

"Great! Come on, I'll make my copy and give you yours back."

* * * * *

Tony handed Micky back his copy of the blue prints. "I can't get over that you're really doing this for me."

Tony waved it off. "Like I said, Micky, this is perfect. The college is always looking for projects like this for its students to work on. Besides, I think they're gonna like building this house. It's huge!" He grinned.

"I really appreciate this, Tony. And Lauren's gonna flip!" Micky beamed.

"You're really gonna keep it a surprise?"

"Yeah. She'll love it."

"You're a good man, Micky. Oh, hey, before you go, you got a phone number I can get ahold of you at?" He held a pen out to Micky and he jotted two numbers on his copy.

Micky pointed at the first one. "This one's the apartment where we're living. The second one is where the rest of the guys are still living. I'm usually at one or the other if we don't have a gig. Both have an answering service."

Tony held his hand out again, which Micky clasped. "So I'll see you in two weeks, then."

Micky grinned. "You better believe it!"

* * * * *

The flashback fades out onto Micky & Lauren's living room, later in the evening.

"And that's what happened," Micky finished.

Lauren's eyes were wide. "Wow, Mick..."

He nodded. "Tony didn't have to help me the way he did. But I'm glad that he did." Micky sat back in the easy chair and gazed down at Shelly, asleep in his arms. "It was worth it. The kids'll have a real home to grow up in and we won't have to spend the rest of our lives trying to get out of debt!"

Lauren grinned, holding a sleeping little Micky. "You do realize, Mick, that this is a surprise that's gonna be tough to top."

Micky paused a moment, thinking, then smirked. "Alright... how about this: when we have our next kid, I'LL have it!" He immediately got hit with a pillow over his head. He grinned up at Lauren, who still held little Micky in one arm and held up a pillow, ready to strike, with the other.

~End~