After breakfast, the Monkees, Elizabeth and Darlene arrived back at the pad, and Mike pulled into the driveway. They were getting out of the Monkeemobile when they heard a commotion coming from next door.
The front door of the house next door burst opened and a young woman wearing a black mini-dress and boots ran out, followed closely by the Monkees' landlord, Mr. Babbitt.
"Come back here, you burglar!" He shouted.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to appear in your house!" The girl exclaimed, then spotted Elizabeth and ran over to her.
"Elizabeth, help me!" She shouted. Babbitt ran over and grabbed the girl's arm.
"I'm going to call the police!" He shouted at her.
"Wait, Mr. Babbitt." The angel said, waving her hand in front of his face. "You're having a dream. Nobody appeared in your house and you didn't chase anybody away. Go back to your house and continue counting your rent money."
"Sure, Elizabeth." Babbitt said amiably. He turned around and walked back into his house.
"Thanks, Elizabeth." The woman said after Babbitt had closed his door.
"I see you haven't learned how to appear in the right place yet, Gwen." Elizabeth said. Gwen was a witch of limited intelligence who had a hard time mastering her witchcraft powers. She was the witch Synthea's assistant when Synthea kidnapped Mike a few months before and tried to use his blood to revive Synthea's dead sister Jynger. Elizabeth and the others had rescued Mike and Gwen had mostly escaped Satan's punishment.
"I know. I'm not a good witch." Gwen replied, sounding more sure of herself than before.
"There's no such thing as a good witch." Elizabeth said, "But that's beside the point. What are you doing here?"
"I have to speak to Mike...in private."
"Oh really?" Mike said, raising an eyebrow. "Like I'd be alone with you."
"I'm not here to cause trouble." Gwen said quickly, "But I have to talk to you."
"You can tell me right here." Mike replied, "I have no secrets from my friends."
"It's about Julia." Gwen told him. Julia was a witch Mike had had a tryst with several months ago.
Mike stiffened at that. He quickly took Gwen by the arm and led her away from the group.
"Excuse us a minute." He said to his friends.
"Wait Mike..." Davy said.
"It's okay, Davy." Elizabeth said, "Gwen won't try anything funny, will you?" She asked the witch as Micky placed his hands on the angel's shoulders.
"No, I promise." Gwen said, gulping. "We'll stay in sight."
Mike and Gwen walked down the pad's sidewalk and onto the main sidewalk paralleling the street. They walked a short ways down that sidewalk and came to a halt, still within clear view of Elizabeth and the others.
"What about Julia?" Mike asked, coming right to the point.
"She said she's doing alright, your child grows well inside her." Gwen replied, "But she wants to see you."
"She does? Where at?" Mike asked.
"At her mansion in Louisiana." Gwen replied, making a piece of paper appear in her hand. "Here's her address."
"In Louisiana?" Mike repeated, taking the paper from her, "I don't have the time or money to go there now. I'm taking catechism classes to become a Roman Catholic."
"Well...Julia told me to give you this." Gwen continued, making an envelope appear in her hand.
Mike opened up the envelope and could see several hundred dollars inside.
"I can't take this." Mike said, trying to hand the envelope back to Gwen.
"Take the money and use it to go see her." Gwen insisted, "Julia seems...lonely and unhappy. Please Mike, do this for her."
Mike squeezed his eyes shut and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.
"Tell her...tell her I'll try, but I can't promise anything." He said finally.
"Thanks, Mike." Gwen said, "I have to go now. My master's been keeping an eye on this place and if he sees me here, he'll wonder what's going on."
"Julia sent you here without Satan's knowledge?" Mike asked.
Gwen nodded. "That's why Julia can't come here to see you."
Mike nodded this time, "Thanks for telling me this, Gwen."
Gwen smiled and disappeared in a small puff of smoke. Mike stood on the sidewalk for a long moment, mulling over what Gwen had said. He then looked back at the pad. Elizabeth, Darlene and the other three Monkees were still standing there, looking at him. With a sigh, Mike took the envelope Gwen had given him and put it in an inside coat pocket. He then walked back over to his friends.
"Let's go in." He said, heading for the door.
++++
Elizabeth and Darlene waited in the living room until the Monkees had changed out of their Sunday clothes. Mike was the last one out of his room and he slowly walked in and sat down on the couch next to Elizabeth. The angel sat quietly, along with everyone else, and waited for Mike to speak.
"Gwen said Julia wants me to come visit her." Mike said simply. "Down in Louisiana."
Everyone except Elizabeth looked at him in shock.
"You're kidding." Micky said, "Go visit Julia?"
Mike nodded his head. "Gwen gave me Julia's address and some money to get there."
"And you accepted it?" Davy asked this time, "You can't possibly go there, I mean she's a witch and all that."
Mike didn't answer Davy, he just stared at the floor.
"Elizabeth, tell him he can't go." Peter said, "She's not a nice person."
"Right, you said our religious studies come first." Micky added.
"They're right, Mike." Elizabeth told him, "You've only got six more weeks to go until you're confirmed...and then if you want to, you can go see her."
That brought more gasps of surprise from the others.
"You've got to be kidding, Elizabeth!" Darlene exclaimed, "He shouldn't see Julia at all!"
"I know I shouldn't see her." Mike said, looking up at Darlene, "But I think I can reach her, get her away from the evil with which she's involved."
"Is that why she wants to see you?" Peter asked quietly. "Does she want to convert too?"
Mike paused for a long moment then answered, "Gwen just said Julia was lonely and unhappy, that's all."
"I think it's a trap." Micky said flatly.
"Mike," Elizabeth said, "I won't force you to stay away from Julia. The Lord gave you the free will to do what you want, I can only guide you. But if you're prepared to take that risk, then go see her...but only after Easter, when you're done with your studies."
Mike looked at the angel. Elizabeth knew Julia was carrying Mike's child and that was the main reason he wanted to see her. He didn't want his child raised up to be evil. The others didn't know Mike's secret and just shook their heads.
"Okay." Mike said slowly, "I'll wait."
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