She'll Be There (The story formerly known as "Untitled&
This is my first attempt at Monkees fanfic since high school, so please bear with me everyone! There are over 70 pages of it handwritten so far, so I guess it's time to start typing...Here goes:
Maggie McClaren waslked to her new apartment building balancing five bags of groceries precariously in her arms. She smiled in spite of herself remembering the days when she and Hilary, her former roommate, used to haul in their groceries together. Those days were gone now. Hilary's father had suffered a heart attack and she'd been forced to quit school and help out at home for a while. And so Maggie had to find smaller, cheaper living quarters by herself in a great hurry. She would have liked to have gotten another roommate but mid-semester was a hard time to ask anyone to move. Her new place wasn't bad. A bit weather-beaten from being so close to the water, but Maggie loved being right on the beach. She'd seen some younger people around but hadn't had a chance to meet anyone yet.
The smile on Maggie's face disappeared as she realized the key was in the pocket of her overalls. Not wanting to set down the bags she was balancing so carefully, she rearranged them in her arms and fished around in her pocket for the key. She soon realized the foolishness of her ways when all five grocery sacks fell to the floor, their contents rolling in every direction. As if that alone weren't enough to turn Maggie's freckled cheeks red, she looked up to see that four men were approaching her. To her relief they wore expressions of concern rather than amusement.
"Can we help you, miss?" asked the tallest one of the group. He was wearing a green wool hat even though it was the middle of spring and a warm day. "After all, it looks like we're neighbors."
"Sure, that's nice of you," she said, extending a hand. "My name is Margaret but everyone calls me Maggie. And I'm usually not so clumsy," she added with a giggle.
"I'm Mike and these are my friends Micky, Davy and Peter. We live right across the hall."
Maggie said hello to each one. She couldn't help but notice they were all quite good looking in their own individual ways. When they had gotten all the loose groceries back into their bags a brave idea popped into Maggie's head.
"Why don't you all come in for some soda? I just bought some cokes at the store, and, well, I don't know anyone here yet and-"
"Sure, Maggie, that sounds nice," agreed Peter with a warm smile that seemed to put Maggie at ease. He and Davy followed her inside but Micky stood rooted to the ground, a dazed expression on his face. The way Maggie had smiled at him had made his heart do a flip.
"What's wrong, Mick?" whispered Mike.
Micky's cheeks turned rosy as he stammered, "I-uh-she..."
"Oh," was all Mike said with an understanding smile. He gave his friend a gentle nudge in the direction of the doorway.
After the boys helped Maggie put away the food they visited over cokes and potato chips at her small table.
"So Maggie, how did a nice kid like you end up in a place like this?" asked Mike, his eyes twinkling with humor.
Maggie explained her situation to the guys, mentioning that she took classes at the local university and worked at the campus bookstore.
"But we're on break now," she added cheerfully. "So you may see me dropping things around here more often!"
"Say, how about we give you a lift next time you need to go to the store?" offered Davy. "That way you won't have to walk ten blocks home."
"And up three flights of stairs," added Peter. Then he spied a familiar looking object in her living area. "Do you play guitar?"
"Some," she said candidly. "And I sing, too. Why do you ask?"
All at once Peter, Mike and Davy explained how they were not only friends, but a singing group as well-the Monkees.
Maggie listened as the three of them talked but wondered about the group's fourth member. Was he always this quiet and shy? She gave him a sympathetic smile.
"So what do you play, Micky?" she asked.
"Oh, uh..." What was the question? Micky wished he'd been paying paying more attention to the conversation, but he hadn't been able to focus on any thing besides Maggie's eyes. They were such a dark brown they almost appeared black, a very striking combination when paired with her strawberry blonde hair and freckles.
Seeing his buddy's prediciment, Mike pantomimed playing the drums when Maggie's back was turned.
"The drums!" Micky said a little too enthusiastically. "And I-I sing a lot of our songs, too."
"I'd like to hear you sometime," smiled Maggie, trying to put the poor boy at ease.
After a few more minutes of pleasant chatter Mike stood to go, "Hey guys we better get down to the audition if we want to play that gig. Nice to meet you, Maggie."
"Stop by any time," she called, trying to suppress a giggle as all for boys tried to fit through the doorway at the same time.
"Are you feelin' alright, man?" Davy asked Micky once they were safely back in their apartment. "I do believe that's the longest I've ever heard you be quiet-or sit still!"
Mike clapped the drummer on the shoulder, "I believe Romeo here has been bitten by the love bug."
Peter couldn't help but tease, "Yeah, Davy, I'm surprisedyou couldn't see that for yourself."
Micky, however, was not amused. He had just made a complete idiot of himself in front of a girl he could already tell was very special.
"I really blew it with her," he sighed. "She probably thinks I'm too dumb to do anything but hit things with sticks all day."
Davy cocked an eyebrow and broke into a cheeky grin, "Well if it pays the rent..."
Micky had to laugh then. Micky had a slow fuse and could laugh at himself, a quality that all his roommates could appreciate.
"Speaking of rent, we'd better get a move-on," hinted Mike, nodding to the guitar cases. As they picked up their instruments and headed out the door Peter said to Micky, "Maggie seems like a really sweet girl. I'm sure that you'll be getting to know her real soon."
The next day Micky went for a walk on the beach with mixed emotions. They had gotten the job at the Pandora's Box and even though it was only for a few nights, the pay was decent. The rent would be paid for another month, so he was happy about that. But he still could't believe how awkward he'd been around Maggie. He sat down on a log and buried his face in his hands at the very thought.
"Mind if I join you?" he heard a familiar voice ask. He looked up to see a pair of soft brown eyes regarding him with concern.
Micky's own eyes brightened at the picture in front of him, "Hi Maggie. Have a seat," he patted the log as an invitation. "How have you been?"
"So you do talk," she couldn't help but chuckle.
He laughed good naturedly, "Yeah, usually too much. I'm sorry about yesterday. I-I don't know what got into me."
"THat's alright, we can start over," Maggie reassured him. She had a pretty good idea of what might have "gotten into him", because she was pretty sure it had gotten into her as well. She found the drummer with his wavy hair and twinkling eyes rather fetching. He wasn't classically good looking like Davy, but there was just a certain something about him.
"Hi, I'm Maggie McClaren," she said, reaching out her hand in a gesture to start over. "Would you care to take a walk with me on the beach?"
Maggie McClaren waslked to her new apartment building balancing five bags of groceries precariously in her arms. She smiled in spite of herself remembering the days when she and Hilary, her former roommate, used to haul in their groceries together. Those days were gone now. Hilary's father had suffered a heart attack and she'd been forced to quit school and help out at home for a while. And so Maggie had to find smaller, cheaper living quarters by herself in a great hurry. She would have liked to have gotten another roommate but mid-semester was a hard time to ask anyone to move. Her new place wasn't bad. A bit weather-beaten from being so close to the water, but Maggie loved being right on the beach. She'd seen some younger people around but hadn't had a chance to meet anyone yet.
The smile on Maggie's face disappeared as she realized the key was in the pocket of her overalls. Not wanting to set down the bags she was balancing so carefully, she rearranged them in her arms and fished around in her pocket for the key. She soon realized the foolishness of her ways when all five grocery sacks fell to the floor, their contents rolling in every direction. As if that alone weren't enough to turn Maggie's freckled cheeks red, she looked up to see that four men were approaching her. To her relief they wore expressions of concern rather than amusement.
"Can we help you, miss?" asked the tallest one of the group. He was wearing a green wool hat even though it was the middle of spring and a warm day. "After all, it looks like we're neighbors."
"Sure, that's nice of you," she said, extending a hand. "My name is Margaret but everyone calls me Maggie. And I'm usually not so clumsy," she added with a giggle.
"I'm Mike and these are my friends Micky, Davy and Peter. We live right across the hall."
Maggie said hello to each one. She couldn't help but notice they were all quite good looking in their own individual ways. When they had gotten all the loose groceries back into their bags a brave idea popped into Maggie's head.
"Why don't you all come in for some soda? I just bought some cokes at the store, and, well, I don't know anyone here yet and-"
"Sure, Maggie, that sounds nice," agreed Peter with a warm smile that seemed to put Maggie at ease. He and Davy followed her inside but Micky stood rooted to the ground, a dazed expression on his face. The way Maggie had smiled at him had made his heart do a flip.
"What's wrong, Mick?" whispered Mike.
Micky's cheeks turned rosy as he stammered, "I-uh-she..."
"Oh," was all Mike said with an understanding smile. He gave his friend a gentle nudge in the direction of the doorway.
After the boys helped Maggie put away the food they visited over cokes and potato chips at her small table.
"So Maggie, how did a nice kid like you end up in a place like this?" asked Mike, his eyes twinkling with humor.
Maggie explained her situation to the guys, mentioning that she took classes at the local university and worked at the campus bookstore.
"But we're on break now," she added cheerfully. "So you may see me dropping things around here more often!"
"Say, how about we give you a lift next time you need to go to the store?" offered Davy. "That way you won't have to walk ten blocks home."
"And up three flights of stairs," added Peter. Then he spied a familiar looking object in her living area. "Do you play guitar?"
"Some," she said candidly. "And I sing, too. Why do you ask?"
All at once Peter, Mike and Davy explained how they were not only friends, but a singing group as well-the Monkees.
Maggie listened as the three of them talked but wondered about the group's fourth member. Was he always this quiet and shy? She gave him a sympathetic smile.
"So what do you play, Micky?" she asked.
"Oh, uh..." What was the question? Micky wished he'd been paying paying more attention to the conversation, but he hadn't been able to focus on any thing besides Maggie's eyes. They were such a dark brown they almost appeared black, a very striking combination when paired with her strawberry blonde hair and freckles.
Seeing his buddy's prediciment, Mike pantomimed playing the drums when Maggie's back was turned.
"The drums!" Micky said a little too enthusiastically. "And I-I sing a lot of our songs, too."
"I'd like to hear you sometime," smiled Maggie, trying to put the poor boy at ease.
After a few more minutes of pleasant chatter Mike stood to go, "Hey guys we better get down to the audition if we want to play that gig. Nice to meet you, Maggie."
"Stop by any time," she called, trying to suppress a giggle as all for boys tried to fit through the doorway at the same time.
"Are you feelin' alright, man?" Davy asked Micky once they were safely back in their apartment. "I do believe that's the longest I've ever heard you be quiet-or sit still!"
Mike clapped the drummer on the shoulder, "I believe Romeo here has been bitten by the love bug."
Peter couldn't help but tease, "Yeah, Davy, I'm surprisedyou couldn't see that for yourself."
Micky, however, was not amused. He had just made a complete idiot of himself in front of a girl he could already tell was very special.
"I really blew it with her," he sighed. "She probably thinks I'm too dumb to do anything but hit things with sticks all day."
Davy cocked an eyebrow and broke into a cheeky grin, "Well if it pays the rent..."
Micky had to laugh then. Micky had a slow fuse and could laugh at himself, a quality that all his roommates could appreciate.
"Speaking of rent, we'd better get a move-on," hinted Mike, nodding to the guitar cases. As they picked up their instruments and headed out the door Peter said to Micky, "Maggie seems like a really sweet girl. I'm sure that you'll be getting to know her real soon."
The next day Micky went for a walk on the beach with mixed emotions. They had gotten the job at the Pandora's Box and even though it was only for a few nights, the pay was decent. The rent would be paid for another month, so he was happy about that. But he still could't believe how awkward he'd been around Maggie. He sat down on a log and buried his face in his hands at the very thought.
"Mind if I join you?" he heard a familiar voice ask. He looked up to see a pair of soft brown eyes regarding him with concern.
Micky's own eyes brightened at the picture in front of him, "Hi Maggie. Have a seat," he patted the log as an invitation. "How have you been?"
"So you do talk," she couldn't help but chuckle.
He laughed good naturedly, "Yeah, usually too much. I'm sorry about yesterday. I-I don't know what got into me."
"THat's alright, we can start over," Maggie reassured him. She had a pretty good idea of what might have "gotten into him", because she was pretty sure it had gotten into her as well. She found the drummer with his wavy hair and twinkling eyes rather fetching. He wasn't classically good looking like Davy, but there was just a certain something about him.
"Hi, I'm Maggie McClaren," she said, reaching out her hand in a gesture to start over. "Would you care to take a walk with me on the beach?"
