She sat upright as she felt something heavy hit the edge of her bed, just nearly missing her right foot.
Dazed, she quickly got out of bed and dashed into the living room.
“What the heck was that,” Micky asked, his voice filled with concern as he met her midway.
“I don’t know,” she exclaimed, folding herself shakily into his arms as they both sunk to the floor. “Somebody just threw a brick through my bedroom window.”
“Just stay right here,” he whispered, carefully prying himself away. “Stay down and stay away from the windows.”
Fearfully, Adriana nodded, and watched as he quietly tiptoed over to the front door to look out of the eyehole.
It was hard to believe that just hours earlier, Micky and herself had been dancing outside on the deck and enjoying the beginnings of a new relationship. Adriana had went to bed near midnight, her heart and emotions excited with what could only be love, only to be scarred out of her mind a few short hours of dreamful sleep later.
“Whoever they were,” Micky said, after opening the door and checking the driveway and street more thoroughly, “they’re gone now.”
Adriana slowly stood to her feet and walked into her bedroom with Micky following closely behind. She stopped in the doorway and looked at the curtain of the left window wafting as a bitter wind blew through the broken glass. Shards of all sizes glittered on the carpet and across the room. A single brick laid next to the bed covered with a piece of paper held by a rubber band.
Seeing the paper, Adriana moved to make her way across the room to where the brick was.
“Wait,” Micky said, putting an arm out to stop her, “let me.”
Carefully, he walked across the room and picked up the brick and removed the sheet of paper.
“Maybe we should call the police,” Adriana managed to say, her throat tight. “That could be important evidence or something.”
“Or not,” Micky said, turning the paper to face her as he walked back to where she stood.
In the dim light that came though her bedroom windows, she was able to make out large, typed script that read,
“Wow,” Micky said, starring at the paper, “I guess those guys mean business.”
Adriana sat in the armchair next to her dresser, wondering how the situation could get much worse.
“I thought for sure they’d give up after they saw nothing was here Christmas morning,” she said, her voice quivering a bit.
“Maybe they saw us leave or something,” Micky said, folding his arms and leaning against a wall, “after you went to work.”
“Maybe,” Adriana answered, putting her head in her hands and sighing, “It’s just really hard to believe the F.B.I. would do something like this.”
“It might not be them,” Micky said. “Aren’t they supposed to serve and protect and stuff?”
Adriana shrugged and raked her hands though her hair. Looking around her room, she shook her head at the mess. “I just don’t know what to do,” she said, her voice breaking as tears began to fall.
“Hey,” Micky said softly, kneeling down to where she sat and putting his hands on her knees. “It’s going to be okay.”
“How do you know,” she sniffled, inwardly hitting herself for crying.
“I don’t know who’s doing this,” Micky started, putting a hand up to rub her shoulder as she cried, “but I’m not going to let anybody hurt you.”
Adriana could feel herself relaxing just a bit as he moved to hug her, but the nagging thought of putting her new boyfriend into such danger was something she knew she could not dismiss.
“What if they’re after you,” she whispered after a moment. “What if they’re after the time machine? We’re all in danger then, and you’d never get to see your friends again…”
“Hey,” Micky said, pulling away and looking her in the eyes, “we’ll figure something out. Trust me.”
Adriana sighed deeply as he hugged her once more.
“Besides,” he chuckled into her hair, “if I really am a TV character, I should be programmed to get us out of this fix in twenty-five minutes or less.”
Despite all of the chaos, Adriana managed a small laugh, followed by a yawn.
“You definitely shouldn’t sleep in here tonight,” Micky said, stroking her hair.
“Yeah,” she said, pulling away and rubbing her eyes, “I’m so tired, but I have no idea how I’m going to be able to get a good night’s sleep after all this.”
“Just come sleep with me,” Micky said, standing up and holding out a hand.
“What,” she asked incredulously, her eyes wide with shock.
“No,” he laughed, shaking his head, “not like that. I’m mean, really just sleep, ya know? I’ll be a total gentleman, I promise.”
Adriana thought for a moment, and then looked up at Micky. He looked as innocent as ever as he jokingly wiggled his eyebrows.
A few moments later, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep with Micky Dolenz just a few inches away.
“Okay, so it’s set then,” Micky said into the phone as Adriana stumbled bleary-eyed into the kitchen.
Opening the refrigerator and getting out a container of orange juice, Adriana glanced over at Micky who winked at her as he nodded, listening to whomever he was speaking with on the phone.
“We’ll be there in about an hour,” he said, hanging up the phone and standing to his feet.
“Who was that,” Adriana asked, looking out the window as she poured herself a glass.
“Link,” Micky said, coming up behind her and kissing her on the top of her head. “Sleep well?”
“Yeah,” she said, blushing, “actually, pretty good considering. What did Link want?”
“I called him as soon as I got up,” Micky said, taking a glass of juice that Adriana handed him. “He’s got some ideas with the time machine. We’ve got some ideas, actually.”
“You do,” Adriana asked, as Micky took her hand and led her to a seat at the kitchen table.
“I want you to back to 1966 with me,” he said quickly when they both sat down.
“For how long,” she said, taking a drink.
“Forever,” he answered, causing Adriana to choke on her juice.
“What,” she asked, wiping juice off her chin with a napkin, coughing.
“Forever,” Micky repeated. “I want you to marry me.”
“Micky,” Adriana started, looking at him as if he had just suggested they go jump off a cliff, “I don’t think so.”
“Why not,” he asked, smiling wide, “it’s what people do when they’re in love.”
“It’s not that simple, Mick,” answered Adriana, almost chuckling at the naivety of it all. Maybe it was how he was programmed. That’s how it went on most old shows. People meet, fall in love, and get married. Natural occurrences.
“Seems pretty simple to me,” Micky said with a shrug.
“Micky, we’ve pretty much just met,” Adriana said.
“So,” he shrugged again, “I love you and I think it would be a good thing.”
Adriana sighed and tried to explain, “We’ve barely been a couple for more than 24-hours. Marriage is just not something that you rush into. Besides, I don’t know if I ever want to get married…to anyone.”
“Don’t you love me,” Micky asked, hurt filling his dark brown eyes.
“Of course I do,” Adriana said, blushing once more. “It’s just…it’s just not something I can see myself doing for a really, really long time, if ever.”
“Oh,” Micky said quietly.
“And as far as going back to the sixties forever,” she said, reaching across the table to take his hand, “that’s going to take a lot of thought too.”
“I think he had some really great ideas,” Micky said later that day as they arrived back at Adriana’s apartment after visiting with Link.
“Well, he is a bit of a genius,” Adriana said with a chuckle as she opened the front door.
“What’s this,” Micky said, reaching down and picking up a manila envelope that must have been slipped though the mail slot.
Grabbing the envelope, Adriana ripped it open to reveal a black and white photo. It showed herself and the four Monkees leaving the black van and heading for the recording studio. Turning it over, she read words written in dark black ink.
A chill shot down her spine as she handed the picture to Micky.
“I don’t know if I can take much more of this stuff,” she said, reaching down to pick up her cat. “I need some time.”
Leaving Micky standing by the door, Adriana walked to the guest bedroom and sat down on the bed with Shorty.
“I just don’t know what to do,” Adriana thought to herself as she stroked her cat. “I can’t just leave everything. My career, my friends, my family. This is my home.”
Leaning back on the bed, Adriana mused her life over and over in her mind. She liked her job. It wasn’t her dream, but it paid the bills. She didn’t have much family, just her mom and step-father, but her friends were the most important thing to her. But, like Link said, if they are able to copy the time machine components into another vehicle, they may be able foil whoever was trying to harm them.
Her head also swam with thoughts of Micky and the guys. It would be amazing to live in the 60’s. That was something she had always wanted to do, but how in the world could it work out?
Suddenly, she was broken out of her mulling by the sound of the doorbell.
Quickly getting up and opening the guest bedroom door, she walked out and saw someone at the door, starring questioningly at Micky.
It was her mother.
“Mom,” she exclaimed a moment later, running over to the door and pushing Micky to the side.
Micky frowned and furrowed his brow in confusion.
“I just thought I’d stop by and drop off your Christmas present,” Adriana’s mother said, looking from Adriana to Micky. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“Sure, Mom,” Adriana said, emphasizing the word “Mom”, her eyes wide as she flashed a pained look at Micky, praying inwardly that she wouldn’t recognize him. “I’m really glad to see you, Mom.”
“And who’s this,” Adriana’s mother said, nodding at Micky as Adriana took her coat.
“This is…,” Adriana began, looking at Micky from behind her mother. “This is…”
“Rege,” Micky said quickly, forming his face into a huge grin as he put out his hand, “Reginald Fairfield.”
Adriana’s eyes widened more at the name.
“Oh, well, I’m Ann Apperson,” Adriana’s mother said, taking “Rege’s” hand and shaking it with a smile. “It’s always nice to meet one of Adriana’s boyfriends.”
“It is,” Micky asked, a hit of teasing in his voice.
“Of course,” Ann said, nudging him playfully, “you don’t think you’re the first one, do you?”
Adriana shut her eyes and inwardly groaned as her mother guided Micky into the living room. “Do I have some stories for you.”
“So, dinner, tomorrow night, okay kids,” Ann confirmed as she reached the door to leave nearly two hours later.
“Sure,” Micky said, “I’d never refuse a free meal.”
Ann chuckled and hugged Adriana before she walked out the door.
“You might want to hang on to this one,” Ann whispered to her before letting her go.
Adriana smiled slightly and pulled back. “Thanks for the new gloves, Mom.”
“No problem,” Ann said. “I’ll see you two tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Adriana said, smiling at her mother as she walked off.
"I'm not the first one, eh," Micky asked with a chuckle after Adriana shut the door.
“Reginald Fairfield,” Adriana exclaimed ignoring his comment regarding her less than gleaming choices of dates in the past.
“I think pretty well on my feet, huh,” Micky said with a chuckle as he followed Adriana to the living room couch.
“I guess it will be okay,” Adriana said, pulling her legs up underneath her when she sat down. “My Mom grew up in the 60’s. I thought for sure she’d recognize you. I was literally on pins and needles the whole time she was here.”
“I was wondering why you were acting so strange,” Micky said, sitting beside her.
“I’m sorry,” she answered.
“She’s pretty great,” Micky said after a few moments. “Totally cute and funny. Just like you.
“Yeah,” Adriana said, nodding, ignoring his last comment, “she really is one of my best friends, but she can be a little, I don’t know, talkative at times.”
“That’s okay,” Micky said, putting his arm around her.
“She’s really been the only consistent thing in my life,” Adriana said, leaning her head on his shoulder. “I keep hoping that one day she’ll leave my step-father and get out on her own.”
“What’s he like,” Micky asked.
“You don’t want to know,” Adriana said, pulling away and reaching for the television remote.
“I guess tomorrow I’ll find out soon enough,” Micky said, looking at Adriana who had started flipping though channels, a distant look in her eyes.
View My Guestbook
Sign My Guestbook
