Brianna pulled on a light blazer as she went outside. It was getting a little cold outside. It had been only a few hours after the funeral but many people still were at Mickys house. She stood on the back porch and wrapped her arms around herself. She sat down on the swing set that was still set up in the childrens’ play area. She lightly swung back and forth, in perfect rhythm with the wind. She slowly stopped as she heard footsteps behind her. Davy sat in the swing set next to her.
"How are you?" He asked.
"I'm fine." Brianna said. "I don't want to sound awful or anything but losing Chea didnt mean as much to me as it did to Karen. Am I a horrible person for not feeling the same way that Karen does?"
"No, no you're not." Davy said. "Karen and Chea knew each other for a long time, a few years, before you came into the picture. You're not as connected to either one of them. It's only natural to feel this way."
"I do miss her, I really do Davy, but not as badly as Karen does." Brianna said. "Suddenly I feel not like a friend but some weird third wheel in the friendship. Like a tagalong cookie."
"You're not a cookie." Davy said. "If you were a cookie, you'd at least be a Oreo, cause those tagalong cookies are nasty."
"An oreo?" Brianna asked with her eyebrow raised.
"It's like you see it, and its just a cookie but when you take the top off it and see whats really inside. I think you are more like that than anyone I know. You surprise people." Davy said.
"Yeah." Brianna said. "I am I guess."
"I want to propose something shocking to you." Davy said.
"What?" Brianna asked. "Okay but no tongue."
"I want to marry you." He said.
"I think thats been established. Otherwise you would have stopped asking me a long time ago." Brianna laughed.
"I know." Davy said. "But one thing these last few days have taught me is that you have got to seize the day." He held up a fist. "I don't want to wait another 30 years to marry you. I want to marry you now, this minute." He took her hand. "What do you say?"
"I'd say yes, but the priest has already gone home and everyone here is scattered." Brianna said, taking a cautious liking to the idea.
"I know. Thats why I'm taking you to Las Vegas." He smiled. "We'll get married, and then come back before anyone has missed us. After that we can start on our life long honey moon." Davy said looking imploringly into her eyes. "Please say yes."
"Yes." Brianna said. "I will."
"Let's go, we want to beat the traffic." Davy said pulling her up with his hand.
"But wait, I can't get married in funeral clothes." She said as they ran.
"Don't worry about that, I've planned everything so I'm prepared for anything!" They got to his car. He opened the door for her, and she climbed into his car. "Viva Las Vegas here we come!"
A few hundred yards away
"So Karen, can you tell me what this is?" Micky said as Karen flipped through the notebook he had given her.
She took a deep breath. She decided it would be better just to tell him. "These are song lyrics." She said.
"For what?" Micky said. "I had no idea she wanted to be a songwriter for any reason. I found this after they took her from the room."
"One of the last things Chea wanted to happen in our lives was for you guys to have a reunion. Maybe even a reunion album." Karen explained.
"A reunion?" Micky asked.
"Yeah." Karen said. She looked at him. "You don't know this, and Chea didn’t say anything, but Mike was over at the house after the baby shower party." She said. "He brought up the idea of getting back together."
"Really?" Micky said thinking this over. "If you really think about it, its surprising he brought it up. He would have been the last person to want a reunion after all that’s happened to us."
"True." Karen agreed. "We asked Peter at the hospital, and he wants to do it."
"Hmm." Micky said. "And Davy?"
"He wasn’t sure." Karen responded. "He was making up his mind when....when...you know."
"Yes." Micky said.
"We were waiting for your response too." Karen informed him. "Chea was writing down some songs she had in mind."
"She was almost done with this one." Micky said taking the pad and flipping it to the last page. Karen studied it. It looked like a early version of Admiral Mike but the last part was a product of the pain medicine she was given. "It was the last thing she did before she went into full labor."
"Hmm." Karen nodded.
"Wow." Micky said. "This is amazing."
"I know." Karen agreed.
"If on this one right here, I changed it a to be a little more current. I bet Peter would have some great ideas for this one." Micky beamed flipping through the book again.
"So you wanna do it?" Karen asked.
"Are you kidding me?" Micky asked. "I'd be crazy if I didn't want to. Chea has left us a very special gift here. She wanted this to happen, and by god I will make it happen." He said closing the book. He brought it to his heart. "If anyone does, then I consider that to be an insult to her memory."
"I'm sure no one will say no for any reason." Karen said.
"Let's go ask the guys." Micky said with new enthusiasm in his voice. He took her hand with her and ran to where Mike and Peter were gathered.
"Mick, Karen, whats up?" Mike asked them.
"A Monkee reunion, thats whats up." Micky said and gave him the notepad. "And this will be what we do."
Peter and Mike looked at each other and read the notepad silently. They stood there for what seemed like an eternity reading the pages. Mike subconsciously took out a pen and made notes in the margins. Peter muttered something and Mike nodded.
"Well???" Micky said. "What do you think?"
"Chea had a great teacher, these songs are incredible. Though I'd take this one out, it sounds more like something Ricky Martin would do." Mike suggested.
"Plus I have a great new song Davy might like." Peter added.
"Where IS Davy?" Micky asked looking around.
"Yeah." Karen said. She went to Adriana. "Adriana, where’s your uncle Davy and Aunt Brianna?"
"I saw them outside. I heard them talking about Las Vegas." She said. "I think they went to get married."
"Wow." Micky said.
"Well its been 30 years do you think that he’s gonna wait any longer for an actual wedding?" Mike asked. The group thought about it. He had a point.
"Weddings, babies and funerals." Karen muttered. "Now all we need is a botched presidential election, and today would be perfect."
"What do we do?" Micky asked.
"Tell you what, go to your studio." Mike said grabbing his keys. "Karen and I will go retrieve them, married or not."
"Good idea. By the time you get back, we might have an idea of what to do." Peter said. "Phoebe! Get our guitars, and my harmonica!!!" He yelled out. The blonde ran out to their hummer. Karen and Mike went out to his car. She hopped in, and he got in the drivers side.
"They can't have gotten far." Mike said.
"They left only fifteen minutes ago." Karen said. "I think I know exactly where they are."
The Old Pad
Brianna looked at Davy as they pulled into familiar territory.
"This is the old neighborhood." Brianna mused.
"Old? Unlikely." Davy said. "The last few days really must have shell shocked you. We still live here." He pointed out. "Remember? You in the girls place, and me in the guys place?"
"Oh yeah." She said, nodding along. She had no idea what he meant, but she figured after the girls group broke up, they moved away while she stayed at the house. "What are we doing here anyway?"
"I don't know." He mused. "Something drew me here." He said getting out of the car. He went over and opened the door for her. "Something cosmic."
"Very X-files." Brianna nodded as she got out. She heard a car pull up behind them. She looked behind her. "Hey, what are you doing here?" She asked.
Karen and Mike got out of the car.
"We came looking for you." Mike said. "Micky is in on the reunion album."
"Yeah?" Davy asked.
"Why are you guys here?" Karen asked.
"We were on our way to Las Vegas, but something compelled me to take a detour through the old neighborhood." Davy said.
"Yeah," Brianna said.
"I thought you might be here." Karen said. "God this place never changed."
"I know." Brianna said. "It was just yesterday."
"Yeah, yesterday." Davy agreed putting her arm around her. She grabbed his hand. "Magic times."
"We can bring the magic back, with this reunion." Karen said. "You're the only one we haven’t gotten an answer from yet Davy." She said to him.
"I was seriously going to say no, but being here has changed my mind." Davy said. "I'm gonna say yes."
"Great!" Karen sighed a big sigh of relief.
"But there is one thing we absolutely must do first." He said.
"What?" Mike asked.
"I think you know." Davy said.
