The next while was incredibly great for everyone, almost unrealistically so. The third season was earning the highest ratings the show had ever gotten, the music the guys were doing was getting better and better and selling more and more, the press was calming down the negativity (except the ever-clinging Veronica), and all of the kids were doing fantastically.Mike had succeed in finding a few of Ginger long stashed away songs. He'd been looking for them for a long time, and finally found a notebook under their mattress one day when Ginger had gone out with Cole for a checkup. He'd also copied one of the songs out of it and pitched it to their record engineer and the other guys, pretending it was his. They all loved it and then Mike informed them Ginger wrote it. It was going to be on the next album.
Steph had graduated school early, being able to take tests much sooner than the other students because she was so advanced. As soon as she graduated, with Peter's encouragement, she opened her own practice. It was going better than was ever expected. Steph took the girls with her to the office usually and her secretary was more than glad to keep an eye on them while Steph did what she had to do. The girls starting to really get into the twin thing. They had figured out whatever they did had much more of an impact if they did it exactly the same way at the same time, and they seemed to enjoy immensly the "aww!"'s they got for it.
Little Micky had become the girls' best playmate. Watching Little Micky sometimes was ureal-- it was like some had gone back in time and brought Micky as a child to the present. Kari and Micky were a little nervous but terribly excited for the new baby. Kari continued to go to work with Micky, bringing Little Micky with her. Having his son around to laugh at him seemed to make Micky even more of the clown.
Ginger had been staying at home with Cole. Mike would almost break his neck getting home everynight to see him before Cole went to sleep. Mike swore he had to be the smartest kid in the world. Cole, unlike Mike had had, already had dark brown hair and brown eyes like his father's. He would lay completely still whenever Mike would be playing the guitar and that impressed Mike to no end. When Cole was about two months old, Ginger and Mike both brought him into the recording studio one night.
"Hey Mick, guess what?" Mike said.
"What?"
"I broke your record."
Micky looked totally confused. "What record?"
"Your five month record," Mike said simply, sitting down at the controls. Ginger was trying not to laugh.
"What five month record are you talking about?" Micky asked, still clueless.
"I found out when I went home for dinner that it only took me one month. Ginger's a month pregnant."
The rest of the Monkees gaped at them.
"Are you kidding?" Davy said. His girlfriend Kathrine was there, too. All of the "original" girls really liked her.
Mike shook his head, smiling a little.
"Geez, don't even take a breath..." Peter said laughing.
"Well I sorta... After Cole was born we figured, you know... That wouldn't happen, it took so long the first time around..." Mike said, causing everyone to laugh. Everybody already knew about their previous trouble with Cole so he had accepted it and didn't mind telling how the new baby had come to be too much.
At the end of Kari's third term and Ginger's first, this exchange took place: "Um, Peter...?" Steph said after they'd put the girls to sleep.
"Yeah Bunny?"
Steph still glared. "I um... What if I told you we were pregnant again...?"
"...Cool!" Peter said, causing Steph to laugh. He hugged and kissed the top of her head. "Are you sure? When did you find out?"
"Today," Steph said. "And... what if I told you there was more than one...?"
Peter's mouth dropped. Then he laughed. "Cool." Steph laughed again. "Another set of twins..."
"Uh... try triplets..."
Peter looked for all the work he'd just suffered a heart attack. "Are... Tri--.... Triplets?!"
"Cool?"
Peter shook his head and gave a little laugh. "Very cool."
Steph sighed and threw her arms around him, obviously very worried about how he'd react.
"Oh my God..." Peter said, suddenly realizing something, "You're going to be huge!"
Steph laughed, "I already am." She said lifting her shirt so her stomach showed. She had a couple "lumps" already, "You know how I have been feeling sick recently? Well, I decided to go to the doctor's after waking up and finding these. Turns out I am around my seventh week."
"Almost two months?"
"Yeah. Have just been so busy with finishing school, opening my own practice, the girls, Ginger's birth, and other things, I didn't pay any attention to the signs. I just thought I was getting a cold and getting a little... fat."
"So that's why you threw up when I made dinner that one time. My cooking isn't bad!"
Steph just looked at him. "Mayonnaise on pineapple? Even if I wasn't pregnant I'd have still puked."
"So how's work?" Peter asked, changing the subject abruptly, something that drove Steph insane, which he loved to do. "Good. Do you think it's weird that my secretary is old enough to be my mom?"
Peter laughed out loud at this. He, quite frankly, thought Mrs. Dinsdale, was very... becoming... as becoming as one could be with a beehive that just wouldn't quit...
"Ooh... what are we going to do when you can't walk up the stairs which should be very soon?" Peter asked as he began to play with Steph's hair.
"Why doesn't this place have an elevator??!" Steph exclaimed, in an overly dramatic (very Mickyish) fashion.
"Should we...?" Peter asked raising his eyebrows.
"Did you not just hear what I said about the triplets? Five kids in two years? As far as I'm concerned we're never having-"
"No! No... not that. I meant should we buy a house? You know, finally fit in with the others. Maybe catch up with them?"
"Ha! We are so ahead of them in the kid situation it isn't even funny."
Peter laughed at this. "We're kicking their asses..."
"To answer your question, yes! Lets buy a house! But no stairs."
"No stairs?"
"None. Oooh! Ramps!" Steph said, her eyes lighting up.
"We'll see." Peter paused, thinking and then looked at his wife. "What you said before... about never again having sex... you weren't serious were you?"
Steph, seeing the perfect moment to get Peter for calling her Bunny earlier calmly said, "We'll see." Peter narrowed his eyes in mock anger and quickly changed the subject again. "Have you heard that Ginger is pregnant again?"
"Again? Damn, I'm good."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Micky came home from the studio to find Kari giggling hysterically on the sofa.
"What's so... oh... my... God..."
Micky Jr. was sitting on the floor, surrounded by hair gel and combs in the middle of the living room. His hair was in a makeshift fro.
He looked up at his dad, beaming, "LOOKIE!"
"Oh, I have to take a picture," Micky said, trying not to lose it.
"No. I'll take a picture of you and him. Geez, he looks so much like you now."
"I know, isn't it scary?"
"You have no idea."
"LOOKIE!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Before they knew it, a year had passed since little Micky, Erika and Willow had been born. Since Micky Jr. was born only three days after the twins, their parents decided to throw them one big birthday party.
While working at the studio Steph, Kari, and Ginger would plan out everything from decorations and guests, to the food and how the party would go.
"CAKE!" Little Micky cried.
"Yes, cake!" Kari scooped him up in her arms. "A biiiig cake!"
"You and food," Ginger shook her head giggling. "Remember that cake fight you and Micky had?"
Kari laughed remembering the cake all over. "And I won!"
"LOOKIE!" Micky wiggled out of his mom's arms and ran after Willow and Erika, who in return ran off screeching. Davy and the big Micky were heading that way and had to dodge the three screaming toddlers.
"Chasing after girls already," Micky grinned sitting next to his wife. "That's my boy!" Davy laughed while the girls shook their heads.
"Hey where's Katherine?" Steph asked Davy.
"She 'ad to do somethin' to one of the horses, but she'll be 'ere as quickly as possible," Davy replied, taking the party list out of Kari's hands and Kari smacking him. They had grown to be good friends despite the events earlier.
The screaming threesome came back towards their parents as Peter was walking up to them. Willow suddenly turned and Erika tripped on her feet and fell face first onto the ground. Micky Jr., who was fiercely chasing after the two, tripped over Erika and landed right on top of her. Peter stopped dead in his tracks with a horrified look on his face. "NO! You're too young!" he almost yelled. Micky Jr. and Erika began to laugh, which was a sign they didn't get hurt. Peter however was still mortified.
Steph and Kari ran over and picked the kids up, just to make sure they were okay. "Why are you looking like that?" Kari asked Peter, who was still standing there, remembering his dream.
"Your son was on top of my daughter!" Peter barked. Kari was taken aback. "Geez, they just tripped over each other."
"Suuure, that's how it alllways begins," Peter eyed her. Kari looked at Steph quite confused.
"Peter, honey, it's fine," Steph said, putting Erika back down to find Willow. She took him by the shoulders, still seeing the look on his face. "It's really okay,"
Peter nodded. "Okay," he said like a five year old who got a note sent home from his teacher.
Steph looked at him and shook her head.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The day had arrived; the big birthday party. It was being held at Kari and Micky's house and you couldn't miss it. There were balloons and streamers decorating the outside of the house and a big sign that said 'PARTY'S HERE!'. Their driveway was packed with cars for the celebration.
Inside the house was almost overdone decorations as well; Micky had too much fun and spare time the night before. There was a big table for the presents and another long table for the snacks and whatnot. Among the guests were Micky, Kari and Steph's parents, all of their other friends and their wives, and none other than the Beatles themselves.
"I'm so glad you could come!" Kari said, as the Beatles handed their gifts to her and Micky when they answered the door.
"No problem, luv, we're happy to be here," John replied. For once he was not high. "Made the rest of the lads come down for a day," he told Micky. "I mean, c'mon, it's a kid's party, not ours." Micky laughed.
"LOOKIE!" came Micky Jr's voice as they came in. He was followed by Erika and Willow.
"Geez man," George said to Micky, squatting down to Micky Jr. "He looks just like you!" Micky smirked.
Peter, Steph, Ginger and Mike came in to greet their friends as well, Mike almost bouncing at the fact that the Beatles were there.
"Well 'ello luv!" Paul had found Ginger in her fat, pregnant glory. "Long time, hasn't it?" He eyed her hugeness.
"It's nice to see you again Paul!" Ginger smiled. 'And not stoned,' she thought. She felt something hit her backside and eyed Paul, who grinned cheekily.
"The food is ready!" Micky's mom called form the kitchen.
"Hear that?" Mike asked Cole. "Time to eat!" Cole just smiled and buried his head in his father's shoulder from all of the new people.
They had a great dinner. The moms and the girls cooked about all day and made everything possible. They had a long dining room table with other small rectangles scattered about for everyone to be able to eat. After everyone was satisfied it was time for dessert.
"CAKE!" Micky Jr. cried. Everyone laughed. And boy was it a cake. A huge cake, just like Kari had promised. It was a white cake with chocolate frosting and in colored frosting it read, 'HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY WILLOW, ERIKA & MICKY JR!' There was one candle for each of them to blow out.
All in all it was a perfect day. Everyone was floored that the Beatles were there, but after awhile all the awkwardness went away and the party was a real hit.
Finally came the best part... presents.
The kids got toys, clothes, and other cute baby things that made Kari, Ginger, and Steph (all hopped up on hormones) cry at the cuteness of it all.
Then there were only the three gifts from Paul, John, George, and Ringo left.
The box for Little Micky was a little bigger than him. It was wrapped in shiney silver paper and Micky Jr.'s eyes looked like they're about to pop out.
He took in a deep breath and whispered, "Lookie..."
Big Micky help unwrap the gift to find a little miniature drumset.
Kari instantly burst into tears, the mini drumset the cutest little thing she had ever seen.
"So he can be like his ol' man," John said, grinning from ear to ear when he saw Micky Jr.'s reaction to the drums.
Micky gave his son one of the drum sticks and walked him through the process of hitting the symbols with it. When Micky Jr. did it all by himself, everyone clapped for him.
"And these are for the girls," Ringo said handing Steph and Peter two little boxes. They took them and handed them two Willow and Erika who tore into the wrapping (they were getting good at that) to find that there were two little dolls, one for each of them.
"They're from India. They look like they're made of glass, but they're not. They're actually very strong so the girls can take them anywhere," George said. This time it was Steph's turn to cry.
The party slowly winded down until it was just them and the Beatles. The kids were all asleep and the "adults" just sat in the living room talking about life and the boys, being boys, poked fun at the fact that all three girls were less mobile, Kari being almost nine months along, Steph and Ginger both being around six, give or take a week or two.
But then even the Beatles had to leave, but they all made plans to meet again tomorrow before they headed back to England. But before George, Paul, John, and Ringo left, Paul pulled something out of his pocket.
"We got something for Cole so he didn't feel left out," Paul said as he handed Mike the little ball of cloth.
Mike unfolded it to find a miniature, green wool hat. Just like his.
Mike and Ginger's jaw dropped as everyone just laughed.
Then, with a final slap clap from Paul to Ginger, the Beatles were gone.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
On the way home for the party, Cole had fallen asleep clutching the hat, much to Mike's annoyance. Cole didn't try to put it on, he just held it, said "Daddy", then laughed. Mike kept shooting Ginger dirty looks at her not-very-covert giggles.
"Do you care if we stop by the studio?" Mike whispered to Ginger.
She shook her head 'no'. "No, why?"
"I want you to hear something..."
"I've already heard the new album. What did you add?"
Mike shook his head slowly. "You haven't heard one track."
Ginger looked at his mischevious grin with excited suspicion. They went to the studio and all three went in, Cole still sleeping in Ginger's arms as Mike turned on some of the equipment in the studio.
"Tell me what you think of this track. It's the first one we recorded for the album..." Mike switched some more knobs and a track began rolling.
Ginger listened hard to make sure of what she was hearing. It was one of her songs, Mike on lead and Micky with harmony.
Her jaw dropped as Mike leaned back in his chair and smiled devilishly at her.
"Where... did you get that?" Mike laughed at her expression. "Found it. I had to record it. The problem was picking one. Why on earth do you hide those?"
"I'm going to kill you."
Mike just ignored her. "It's fantastic. What do you think of the arrangement?"
Ginger just shook her head in wonder as she looked at the controls. "It's fantastic Mike... I mean what you did to it."
Mike was very proud of it. "Well... I'm just fantastic like that..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day, as the group had decided the night before, they would all meet the Beatles back at Micky and Kari's house. That way the press and public wouldn't really be all over them, since it was the Monkees and the Beatles.
Ginger and Mike came in, Mike carrying Cole. They walked in the living room to see Steph, Peter, the twins and the Beatles already there. Kari came out of the kitchen with a glass of apple juice. Her husband, Steph and Ginger would tease her about drinking that like being as bad as an alcoholic when she was pregnant, but she didn't care.
"Hi!" Kari chirped.
"Where's Micky and... Micky?" Mike asked. He set Cole down on the floor. He made his way towards George still clutching the wool hat. Mike tried to pry it from him, but it was no use.
"Oh they're out practicing," Kari smiled. She sat down in the big easy chair.
"Micky was determined to teach that boy somethin'," John said with a smile, as he took a sip of his drink.
Steph wowed to her daughters as they showed her how their dolls could dance. Peter was talking to Paul about something obviously funny, since they were laughing like idiots.
"HE DID IT!!!!!!"
Kari sat up in her chair. "What'd he do?!?!?!" Everyone else was interested and stopped what they were doing.
Micky came running in the room carrying the mini drum set and about dropped it on the floor, ran back out of the room and then ran back in carrying little Micky. Mike shook his head at this.
"Watch this!" Micky sat down to his son and said, "Okay Micky, just do everything like you did for Daddy." Micky Jr. looked as though as he was concentrating and did a really simple, slow beat on the tom tom by alternating each drumstick. He ended it with a hard hit on the cymbol.
Everyone cheered and little Micky had a proud face on as well as his father. Kari ran to him and hugged him, starting to cry again. Ginger and Steph were trying not to cry as well.
So the Beatles left after making sure that they'd go to London again some time soon. They'd grown very attached to the kids and were excited for the next round. The boys made them all promise that as soon as all of the kids were born, they'd fly over and see them and bring the kids. Paul got Micky Jr. to call him, "Unkie" and pretty soon Willow and Erika followed suit and the Fab Four were now "Unkies".
Cole eventually put the hat on his head and it was freakishly weird how much he looked like his dad... without the hair... and a little Buddha belly... minus the sideburns...
After spending the day together, John, Paul, George, and Ringo eventually had to leave.
Ginger rubbed her butt shaking her head as soon as the door shut. "I swear, if he wasn't Paul Freaking McCartney, he'd be dead by now."
Micky Jr. (after witnessing the little exchange) got an idea. He walked over to Erika and gave a little slap clap of his own. Willow and Cole, both sitting on the floor playing, laughed at this.
Everybody in the room just froze.
"Oh. My. God." Kari stated slowly.The kids kept on laughing.
"Did he just... what... ok..." Steph said trying her hardest not to laugh.
"OK! WE'RE LEAVING NOW!!!" Peter yelled, marching over to his wife.
"Peter, calm down."
"Calm down?! He just slapped her butt!!"
Steph, Ginger, and Kari burst into laughter.
"This is not funny!!" Peter said, wondering why the hell they were laughing.
"Peter, sweetie, it's ok. They're just little kids. Micky didn't know what it meant. He probably thought it meant "hello" or something. You need to calm down and stop being so freaking paranoid," Steph said, trying to compose herself.
"To Paul it does mean 'hello'," Ginger humphed.
"Wait, he is slapping your butt?" Mike asked.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ginger, Steph, and Kari were waiting outside the studio the next morning, before Steph went into work, waiting for their husbands to come with doughnuts. All three women were craving doughnuts... and all sorts of obscure juices. Tomato, apple, orange, and many others. So they made the men go out and get them and were waiting for them out in the parking lot with Erika, Micky Jr, Cole, and Willow were sitting on a blanket, playing. It had just rained so the ground was muddy, hence the blanket.
"Mommy..." Willow whined.
Her shoelace had come undone.
"Crap..." Steph muttered under her breath as she started to attempt to bend down and tie her shoes.
It was comical, really. She was the size of a large house with a free standing guest house. Peter and her had long since bought a house of their own. It was a nice cozy place that was big enough for all five children, Peter and her, and maybe a guest or two. The best thing about it was that there were no stairs. Their dream house actually existed. Good thing too, because just sitting down was a huge struggle, a flight of stairs would have just been hell.
So needless to say, watching Steph attempt to bend down proved to be very entertaining for Ginger and Kari.
But then a car sped through the parking lot, where the group was situated, and through a huge puddle, soaking everyone. It took all of their will power for Ginger, Kari, and Steph not to swear. Micky Jr. just laughed. Erika and Willow began to cry, not wanting to get wet at the moment. Cole just looked in the direction of the car with an angry expression that Mike used all the time.
Ginger looked at what her son was staring at and her anger rose.
"What is it?" Kari asked walking over to her. Steph was trying to calm her children down with no luck.
"I recognize that car," Ginger stated coldly.
"Whose is it?"
"Veronica's."
Ginger immediately began walking over to Veronica, who had just stepped out of her car.
The boys came outside, and Michael spotted the scene first. He ran over to intervine.
"Ginger go inside the studio," he said as he stepped between the two women about fifty yards away.
"Bu--"
Mike gave her the look.
She sighed heavily and aggravatedly. "Fine."
Once he'd gotten Ginger to retreat, he started to follow, but Veronica wouldn't have that.
"Time for an interview?"
Mike kept walking.
"You've got such a cute son."
He stopped. And faced her. Then walked towards her.
"What's it going to take to get you to go back to hell?"
Veronica laughed. "I've got a new story."
"Oh goodness, you'll have to tell me all about it..."
Veronica took a deep breath with fake sadness. "It seem, disappointingly enough, that Mrs. Dolenz actually had been drinking that night she murdered my brother..."
Mike rolled his eyes. "You've run that story so much I'd feel lost if I didn't see it in the paper."
"Not with the police report that proves it."
Mike gave her a synical look. "Who'd you get to fordge that?"
"Oh, fourteen year olds don't know from fordged. They know from naughty Monkee wives."
"Yeah... well... Good luck on that Pulitzer Prize..." Mike walked away as Veronica got back into her car.
"So?" Ginger asked as soon as Mike had come over.
"So nothing. She wanted to tell me about some fordged police documents she's going to run about Kari's accident. Big deal."
Micky shook his head. Then he got that "hey I have an idea!" look.
"Uh oh, Micky has an idea..." Steph said.
"Yeah I do! And you're going to like it."
"I doubt that..." Peter muttered.
"No really. How about the three of you," he indicated the girls, "go out and do something together today. You haven't been getting to see each other as much as you were. And for once you won't have us dragging along."
"That's very sweet, Micky," Ginger said. "But there's four little problems with that idea..." she pointed out as she picked up Cole.
"No there's not," Micky said dismissively. "We can watch them."
"What? Ouf!" Mike got elbowed in the stomach by Peter.
Ginger sort of sighed as she looked at Cole. She hadn't left him alone since he'd been born, even with his father.
Mike rolled his eyes. "Give him here..."
Ginger did so. Very slowly.
"Just let go..." Kari said in a voice like that of a psychiatrist.
Mike finally had control of Cole. Cole promptly pulled the sunglasses off his father's head.
"Oh my gosh, those are Raybands, you're going to let him play with those?" Steph asked, horrified.
"He won't hurt 'em..." Mike said dismissively. Cole studied the glasses hard, then after thinking about it for a while, finally got them over his eyes the right way. "See?"
Steph rolled her eyes but laughed. "Peter... Are you sure you can handle both of them?"
"No doubt about it. You have to handle them all the time."
"Yeah but--"
"Bunny, I'm fine. Don't worry about a thing."
Steph gave what was now known as her "Bunny" glare.
Micky picked up his son. "Tell Mommy bye bye..."
Kari looked a little sad, but for Micky's sake gave the baby a kiss. He laughed and grabbed her face as he kissed her back. "Bye Mommy!"
"Geez, don't be sad to see me go..." Kari laughed.
"When home?" Erika asked Steph.
"Really soon," Steph assured her.
Ginger was about to cry.
"Oh will ya please! I won't break him you know!" Mike said. "It's not like I've never been alone with him."
"I..." she sighed, "I know. I know. Okay. But he was sneezing this moring, so don't take him outside anymore than you have to. And he's been wanting to take a nap later than usual, but don't let him because he sleeps too long then and won't go to sleep at night. An--"
Mike shut her up by crossing his eyes slowly. Cole was laughing at his father's face and the fact he'd managed to steal his glasses with him knowing, obviously.
Ginger sighed again. Then she gave Cole a hug by hugging Mike. "Be good okay? I'll be right back. You get to play with Daddy today!" she told Cole.
He laughed again and reached out for Ginger to give her a kiss, then he waved. After that he settled in on Mike better.
"Are you finished yet?" Mike asked, sounding very bored.
"Yes I'm finished..."
After Kari and Steph had finshed with their goodbyes, the girls went to the car Kari had driven in seperately and went out on their own.
Mike stood on the set during one of their brakes, holding Cole and gently rocking back and forth trying to get him to calm down. It had been three hours since "Mommy" had left and he was getting fussy, not used to her absence.
Peter was playing with Willow, and Davy was keeping Erika amused by teaching her how to dance. Micky was playing with... Micky...
Then, Little Micky ran up to Erika, took her hand and pulled her away, running and laughing. Erika giggled and followed him.
Peter saw this and turned white.
"Dude, what is your deal?" Micky asked.
"Your son is going to take advantage of my daughter!" Peter accused.
"What the heck are yew talkin' about?" Mike asked looking at Peter who was bouncing Willow on his already shaking leg.
"I had this dream that really freaked me out."
"I don't even want to know," Micky laughed watching Erika and his son go ambush Bert and Bob with loud dog noises.
Willow slowly slid off of Peter's leg and walked over to Mike and tapped him on the leg. Willow had never approached Mike before, she'd always been afraid of him. She looked straight up at him with the most serious face. Mike, intrigued, bent down to see what she wanted. As soon as his face got close enough she took her pointer finger and poked him in the nose.
"Beep!"
She pressed her hands to her face laughing and ran away giggling.
Mike straightend, confused. He looked down at Cole, who was clapping and laughing his little head off.
"Very funny... you know something kid? I want your mom to come home."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Oh my God! I cannot believe that guy at the cafe was flirting with you!" Kari laughed as the girls walking into the studio.
"And then when you stood up and he saw your belly!" Steph added, laughing so hard that she was crying, "His face was priceless!"
Ginger rolled her eyes "Ha ha ha ha ha. Very funny, but there are only two men in my life..."
"Mommy!!"
"Mike?!"
"Oh thank the Lord you are back!"
"Mike, sweety, never call me that again."
"Mama!!" Cole squealed seeing her.
"MOMMY!!!!!" Little Micky cried, running and hugging Kari by the legs.
Erika and Willow ran up to Steph and grabbed both her hands.
Willow looked up shyly at Mike and giggled, "Beep!"
"What is this?" Ginger asked, laughing as Mike made a funny face at Willow causing her to hide her face in Steph's dress.
Mike sighed, handing Cole over to his mother. "Don't ask."
Kari and Steph began to giggle. This day was just too much fun. All of the sudden, Kari began to feel sick. 'Maybe it was that chicken salad,' she thought. But it didn't feel like any salmanila. Kari needed a bathroom. "Here, Mommy will be right back, okay Micky?" she looked down at her son, who was still grasping onto her leg.
"No! Mommy!" He looked up at her. He clearly wasn't letting her leave his sight again.
"Micky, dear, Mommy is just going to go over there--"
"Mommy!!!" little Micky protested. The big Micky came over to help.
"Micky, Mommy needs to use the restroom, she'll be right back--"
"No!!"
"Micky..." Micky tried to pry the boy off of Kari's leg, but to no avail. "C'mon now--"
"MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Micky Jr. Screamed at the top of his lungs. Anyone within a ten foot radius heard and turned, facing where the commotion was.
"MICKY DOLENZ--" Micky began but he was cut off by a cry of pain from his wife.
"It's COMING!" she wailed. She hunched over and Ginger and Mike tried to hold her up. Micky just stood there, mostly out of shock and he couldn't move.
"Micky! You need to get her to the hospital!" Steph shook him out of his trance. Instantly Micky began running around trying to do everything at one time, but it didn't quite work. Steph and Ginger took Kari to the Dolenz's car, while Mike and Peter tried to calm Micky down enough so he could drive without spazzing. The kids just watched the scene before them. Micky Jr. had seen his daddy spaz out many times, but it wasn't quite as serious as this. He also hadn't heard any of those words. Erika looked at him with concern as he watched in awe. She did what her mommy did to her daddy when he was distraught... she gave little Micky a hug.
Peter saw and fell over.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After three hours at the hospital, Kari was in the delievery room and had been pushing for one and a half hours. Micky, Ginger and Steph were with her, while Mike and Peter were outside waiting with the kids. They had decided they would keep an eye on them (especially Peter) so they wouldn't cause trouble.
"Push!" The doctor said. "The head is nearly out, I can see it, you just need to push harder!"
"I HAVE been!" Kari yelled. Micky and Steph were holding her hands as Ginger helped count. Micky was gripping her hand almost as tight as she was gripping his. Kari fell back, exhausted and the doctor kept encouraging to push.
"The head's out! We just need a few more big pushes; you're nearly there!" the doctor said, waiting for the baby to come out.
Kari began to push again, harder than she'd ever pushed and Steph and Micky were having their circulation to their hands cut off. Steph now knew Ginger wasn't kidding when she said Kari almost squeezed her hand off.
Kari gave a huge effort into the last push and finally, they heard a baby cry. Kari closed her eyes and reopened them as the bundle was handed to her. "It's a girl!" the nurse said. Micky knelt down beside her and gazed as his new daughter. Still packed on hormones, Steph and Ginger were beginning to cry.
"What's her name?" Ginger asked, through bawling.
Kari looked at Micky and smiled. "Athena Grace," Kari said softly. She cuddled the baby closer and Micky kissed her forehead.
Mike, Peter and the kids were allowed to come in. "Athena huh?" Peter asked, carrying Willow. "Goddess of wisdom?"
"Hopefully she'll be smarter than you," Mike smirked. Ginger hit him.
Micky stuck his tongue out. He brought his son up to see his new little sister. Micky Jr. looked at the baby with awe. He knew he was getting a little sister and man, was she little. He reached out gently and touched the baby's head. "This is your new sister, Athena," Micky said, smiling as his son studied the baby.
"Thena?" Micky Jr. asked.
Kari laughed. "Yes, Athena." Micky Jr. just watched with curiosity as the baby opened her eyes. He smiled at her and she closed her eyes again. "I like my sister!" little Micky beamed. "Can we keep her?"
Everyone laughed. "Of course we can!" Kari said, as she hugged both of her children.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The morning after Kari's first night back home with her new daughter, she was awoken by a pounding on her front door. She pretended to remain alseep.
"Okay, fine. I'll answer it," Micky said as he stumbled out of the bed. He blindly pulled the door open and Mike burst into the house excitedly.
"... Mike?" Micky asked, usured if the excited, smiling man could possibly be his bandmate.
"Look at this!" Mike enthused, opening up the newspaper he was carrying and shoving it to Micky.
Micky tried to blink his eyes into focus on the paper. They went wide at what he saw. He read the headline aloud, "Vicious Teen-Scene Reporter in Jail?! Not her..."
"Yeah! Her!" Mike said. He went ahead and told Micky what was in the article. "Veronica got arrested last night for causing a wreck. She was drunk. So drunk, in fact, she rambled off how she was the hit-and-run driver that caused the wreck Kari was in and killed her own brother!"
Micky was stunned. "You're kidding..."
"No!" Mike said. He was thrilled that woman was in jail. "She won't be doing anymore nasty little articles now!"
Micky, beaming, took off into the bedroom and relayed the story to Kari, leaving Mike waiting down in the living room. He heard Kari's cry of elation and wanted to jump up and down himself.
Finally, the most evil reporter, the one that all the negativity toward the press had been fixed on, was finally out of the picture. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*