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Sorry this has taken so long. I am beginning to really hate "real life". I'm trying to get back into writing for a diversion but it's not working. Bare with me. Okay?

Hearing the front door close, Joyce came in to see which of her brood had returned home. She smiled when she found her daughter leaning against the door. "Hi Honey." She said softly. "Hi Mom." Tori replied, a dreamy look on her face. "I heard a car, was that Michael?" Joyce asked as she approached Victoria. Tori fell dramatically into her arms, "Mom…he came looking for me!" she said breathlessly, "He's not mad at me." Joyce smiled in spite of herself, happy for her daughter's first case of 'puppy love', "I didn't think he really would be….. I saw how he looked at you last night." Joyce hugged her.

Tori suddenly perked up, "What made you think Michael brought me home?" "He called for you this morning," Joyce tried to hide a chuckle, "I told him you weren't here and I didn't know where you were or when you'd be back. He seemed pretty anxious to talk to you." Tori sighed, "Mom, I think he really likes me…." "I do too," Joyce replied, her expression darkened a little as she thought about her husband. Tori searched her mother's face, "Daddy hates him doesn't he?" she said, tears welling in her eyes. "Give him time, Honey." Joyce soothed, "Let him get used to the idea of another man in his little girl's life." A tear trickled down Tori's cheek, she wiped it away and rolled her eyes, she knew her father was a stubborn man with a mean streak a mile wide, she just hoped he would give Michael a chance.

Tori turned to walks towards her bedroom; she turned back to Joyce, "Michael has a show tonight. He invited me to come." "Victoria….I don't know…..your father…." Joyce began. "Mom," Tori stopped her, "I wasn't asking." There was flatness to her voice that took Joyce by surprise, her mouth dropped open. Tori continued before she could speak, "Mom, I'm almost 18. I'm going to ask Nora to come with me. It'll be fine."

"Victoria!" Joyce responded when she recovered, "You're more than 6 months away from being 18 and you know how your father feels about those discothèques." Anger rose inside Tori, "Mom…." She was tired of hearing what her father thought of everything wrong with the world. "Daddy doesn't have to know. I'll spend the night with Nora….." Joyce was surprised by her daughter's tone; she'd never used such an attitude with her before. "Victoria Lynn!! I will not lie to your father and neither will you!" Joyce voice flared a little more than she intended. "Mom…what's the big deal? I'll be with Nora, she's 18…..Michael will be there." Tori reasoned. "Honey, we don't know this boy….your second date and he wants to take you to a club……again! Your father will never go for this, you know that." Joyce tried to lighten her voice a bit.

"He'll just have to get over it, Mom." Tori countered, "I trust Michael. It was my idea to invite Nora along….that should be worth something." Joyce had to agree with Tori on that point; it did show a little good judgment on her part. "What if Nora can't or doesn't want to go?" Joyce asked quietly. "I'll go without her." Tori replied causing Joyce's breath to hitch. "Mom, have I ever done anything to cause you to doubt your trust in me?" "No," Joyce was defeated; Tori could be just as bullheaded as Mack when she really wanted something. "No Honey you haven't." she replied, "You know your father is not going to be happy." "Is he EVER?" Tori snapped. She walked into her room and closed the door, leaving Joyce to wonder what was going to happen next.

Tori called Nora. Nora didn't have any plans and was excited to get out of the house. She had wanted to go to the new club that all their friends had been talking about. Tori grabbed some clothes from her closet and went next door. The two girls spent the afternoon trying on clothes and fixing their hair.

Tori wasn't really paying attention to the time, they were having too much fun dressing and talking about tonight, she wasn't aware of the argument that was going on next door.

At 6:30: the girls emerged from Nora's house dressed to the 'nines'. Next door, Mack Shipman was sitting on the front porch sipping his sixth beer. He whistled loudly at the girls. "Where're you two off too all gussied up?" He yelled, his speech slurred. "Out Daddy, we won't be late!" Tori replied quickly getting into Nora's car, hoping to avoid a confrontation. "Wait a minute!" Mack barked as he got up from the porch. Tori looked at Nora and sighed, she mouthed 'I'm sorry' to her.

Tori rolled the passenger side window down as her father approached. "What is it, Daddy?" she asked innocently. "Where're ya goin'?" Mack asked, the alcohol on his breath almost knocked Tori over. Tori figured he already knew but she went on, "We're going out with friends to a new club." "That boy gonna be there?" Mack slurred. "Yes, Michael's band is playing there." She smiled sweetly at him. Mack huffed, "Your Mama know where you're goin'?" Tori: "Yes." Mack looked over at Nora, "Your parents know you're goin' to a club?" "Yes, Mr. S. They know, they trust me and they trust Tori." Nora replied flatly as she reached and started the car. She knew how much it upset Tori when Mack drank.

Mack stepped back from the car, shaking his finger at Tori, "Victoria….we'll discuss this later!!" he boomed. "Yes Daddy." Tori replied as she rolled up the window. She glanced sadly over at Nora, "I really hate it when he drinks." She said softly. "I know you do." Nora replied sympathetically.

The two girls remained quiet as they drove to 1334 Beachwood. It was 10 minutes to 7 when they arrived. They sat in the car and looked at each other, both suddenly kind of nervous. "Should we go in now or wait a few minutes?" Nora asked. "I…I don't know. What do you think?" Tori replied. Tori looked down at her hands and sighed. "You okay?" Nora asked. "Yeah." Tori replied, she shook her head as if to clear it, "Let's…..go in." Then she smiled, "Yeah, let's go in."

Tori knocked on the door, a few moments later a handsome young man opened the door. "'ell'o Luvs." He said slight surprise in his voice. "Hi, is Michael here?" Tori replied, she smiled at the boy who was a bit shorter than her.

"Mike?" Davy replied with a little more surprise in his voice. "Yes…" Tori answered timidly, "Does he live here?" "Su…sure, come in." Davy stepped aside and let the two pretty girls in. 'I wonder what they want Mike for?' crossed his mind.

Another young man with floppy curls came bounding across the living room. He grabbed Tori's hand, "You must be Victoria!!" he said excitedly, "I'm Micky!" Tori smiled, he was cute as a button…..and looked familiar to her for some reason. "Hi Micky. Yes, I'm Victoria….Tori." she replied, she turned slightly, "This is my best friend, Nora…." "McClaren!!" Micky finished her sentence. He let go of her hand, all his attention now on Nora. "It's been a long time…." Micky thought out loud as he reached for Nora's hand. Tori shot a look at Nora, her face was flushed but her eyes sparkled.

"Micky Dolenz." Nora said breathlessly. (Dolenz? That's it!! Coco's elusive brother…that's where I've seen him…...man he is cute…." Tori thought as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.) "I….I didn't know you knew my name." Nora finished, she was clearly stunned. "Coco told me she had some classes with you this year," Micky said not sure why he said it.

Tori looked from Nora to Micky and back again. She could have sworn she saw stars twinkling in both their eyes. Micky led Nora away and the two sat down on the couch, already deep in conversation. Tori stood, her mouth was slightly open, 'What just happened?' she thought to herself. She looked over at the English boy, he looked just as shocked.

A moment later Mike came down the hurricane stairs; he approached Tori slipping his arm around her. "Hi." he said, startling her. "Hhhi….." she stammered still looking in the direction of Micky and Nora. Mike followed her gaze, he noticed Micky and Nora deep in conversation, "Uh, I see you…..and Nora met Micky….." he said. Tori looked up at him with questions in her eyes. He smiled, squeezed her shoulders and kissed her temple.

Mike looked at Davy; a bemused smile crossed his lips. "Davy?........Davy, did you meet Victoria and Nora?" he asked. "Whut?" Davy half stuttered. He finally looked away from Micky and Nora and stared blankly at Mike. "Did you meet Victoria?" Mike asked again. "Yeah….well not…officially." Davy replied. "Nice to meet you, Davy." Tori extended her hand to him. Davy shook her hand; he looked back at Micky and shook his head. "I'll be in the car."

Tori looked at Mike, "Something I said?" she smiled. "I think Davy's a little out of his element here." Mike replied. "Is he THE heartthrob?" Tori asked remembering the other night when Michael was describing his friends to her. Mike chuckled, "Yep." "Uh oh," Tori giggled. "What happened there?" Mike nodded over towards the couch. "I don't know." Tori replied matter-of-factly, "We just walked in and the next thing I know it was a reunion of some sort. They haven't taken a breath since." Mike smiled, Micky had mentioned a girl he had a crush on from Grant High a long time ago……from the looks of things, Nora just may be the one.

While Mike was watching the two on the couch, Tori slipped away and looked around the pad. She stared out the large bay window that looked out over the ocean, her thoughts turned back to her Dad. Mike slipped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders he held her from behind. "You okay?" he asked softly. "Yeah." She whispered. Mike (quietly): "Did your Father give you any grief about tonight?" Tori: "Nah….It's really beautiful here. I can see why you love it here." She leaned back against Mike. Although he hadn't known her very long, he knew her well enough to know something was bothering her, but she obviously wasn't ready to talk about it. He held her a little tighter, leaning forward he rested his head beside her's. He whispered, "Are you ready to be dazzled by the sounds of The Monkees?" Tori smiled and shook her head 'yes'. Mike squeezed her, then let her go, "Let's go then…..that is if we can tear Micky and Nora off the couch…."

"Come on, Mick. Time to go." Mike said as he and Tori walked past the couch. They walked to the front door. Mike turned, "Uh Micky…are you coming?" Still no response from the couple. Mike motioned for Tori to wait, he walked over to Micky and from right behind him, "MICKY!!!" Micky jumped up startled, causing both Nora and Tori to giggle. Bright red and embarrassed, Micky looked at Mike, "You could have just said something." Mike chuckled, "I did…..twice." "Oh." Micky took Nora's hand and walked her to the door, Mike followed behind them. Tori bit her lower lip as they walked past, trying not to laugh, she gave Nora a wink. The four of them walked out to the car.

Mike opened the passenger side, holding the front seat forward so Nora could get in. "By the way, Hi Nora." He said with a slight chuckle. "Hi Michael." Nora replied, blush returning to her face. Once she was in, he put the seat back for Tori to get in. He went around to the driver's side and was going to hold the seat for Micky, but Micky had hopped over the side of the car and settled in the middle seat next to Nora. 'Okay' Mike thought as he got in the car. He looked at Davy through the rearview mirror. 'Poor kid, hey it can't be you all the time.' Mike thought to himself.

"Everybody ready?" Mike asked as he put the car in gear. "Isn't there four Monkees? What about your instruments?" Tori asked him. "Yes," Mike replied, smiling at his inquisitive little muse, "Peter is meeting us there. He went to pick up his girlfriend. We went down earlier and set up. We'll leave the equipment there since we'll be playing there all the rest of this week." "Oh" Tori replied realizing what she must have sounded like. She glanced over her shoulder at Nora, she gave her an "oops" type of look which caused Nora to chuckle.

Tori was dying to ask Nora how she knew Micky so well and why she hadn't mentioned it to her before now. She decided to wait and see how the evening progressed.

The ride to the club was mostly quiet. Davy sat in the back picking his fingernails, Micky and Nora chatted quietly in the middle seat, Mike was getting into 'performance' mode and thinking about the sets. He was a little nervous introducing the new songs into the show and having Victoria in the audience at the same time.

Tori's thoughts had turned to her Dad. He was pretty 'popped' tonight. Was he drinking again because of her, was this her fault? He had never raised his hand to her but she had seen him strike her brothers. She hoped he wouldn't get really mad and hurt her Mom. Maybe she should just have Michael take her home……..

As they arrived at the club, Tori looked up at the brightly lit "Merry-Go-Round Club" sign. She looked at the people filing in the front door. Maybe her Dad was right and she shouldn't be here. Mike parked the car around the side of the building, there was a red door marked "Stage Door" not far from where he parked. They all piled out of the car, Mike pulled Tori back and let the others go ahead. Micky was talking a mile a minute and Nora seemed to hang on his every word; Davy followed behind shaking his head.

Mike stood beside the car until the others had gone inside the building. He turned to Tori and put his hands on her cheeks, he kissed her softly. Tori put her arms around his waist as he pulled her into a hug. 'He smells so good' she thought as she buried her face against his chest. She began to relax; this is where she wanted to be….in his arms. "You seem down tonight." She heard him say, "Are you sure you're okay?" She pulled back and looked at him, "It's nothing…….really." she whispered.

He watched her for a minute; gently brushing a few strands of hair from her face he kissed her forehead, "We should go in…..you ready?" Tori nodded 'yes' giving him a slight smile. He held her hand as they entered the building.

Once inside, the atmosphere alone was enough to raise Tori's spirits. The club was enormous with a huge dance floor. The stage was just slightly above the floor making it an intimate setting for the band and the audience. There were colorful lights, like Christmas lights, strung throughout the open room. The walls were painted brightly and had Carousel Horses painted on them. There were real Carousel Horses set up about the room. There were tables and chairs painted different colors rounding out the cheerfulness of the club.

They approached a large table not far from the stage. Nora and Micky were there talking to another couple. "Peter!" Mike said as they stopped beside them. The young man with sandy brown hair turned and smiled at Mike. He had the cutest dimple and Tori was instantly taken by him. "I want you to meet Victoria." Mike continued, "Victoria, this is my other roommate, Peter. Peter…..Victoria." "Hi," Tori managed as Peter bowed, taking Tori's hand he kissed it, "So this is the reason you've been sneaking out of the house these past few days." He said to Mike. Mike's cheeks flushed as did Tori's. "Pleased to meet you, M'lady." Peter spoke with a Medieval air, "And may I present my lovely lady……this is Karen." "Oh Peter," Karen teased, "Pleased to meet you Victoria." She smiled kindly.

Karen had short chestnut hair and beautiful brown eyes that instantly made you feel at ease. Peter had met her almost on the rebound when his former girlfriend, Valerie had broken up with him. The guys were very worried about Peter; Valerie had been his first real girlfriend and had hurt him deeply. They worried about him falling so hard for Karen when he met her, but their "rebound" relationship had lasted 8 months and was still growing strong.

"Guys, we should get ready," Mike interrupted the introductions, "Where's Davy?" "I think he went to change clothes," Peter answered. Mike smiled and shook his head; they usually had to pull Davy away from a group of girls to get him ready to go on. "Come on then. Ladies." Mike nodded to Nora and Karen, he turned to Tori touching her cheek, "You be okay?" he asked softly. Tori smiled and he leaned in giving her a lingering kiss on the cheek.

Peter kissed Karen, Micky looked at Nora. He wanted so badly to kiss her but didn't think it would be a good idea. 'You've waited this long, you can wait a little while longer.' He thought to himself. "See ya in a little bit," he said shyly. Nora smiled, "Okay." Peter grabbed him by the collar and hauled him to the stage. Mike followed them, they took a few minutes to tune their instruments and make a few adjustments before disappearing backstage.

The three girls sat down at the table. A few moments later, Mike came back out his shirt was untucked, "I almost forgot," he said a little breathless, "We have a tab, get whatever you want. If you need anything at all….just ask the waitress." Karen smirked at him, "Okay Papa Nez, don't worry…..I think we'll survive." He teasingly shook his finger at her, "Behave woman! Don't corrupt these two!!" He smiled at Nora and Tori, lingering a moment looking at Tori before he turned and trotted backstage.

"Papa Nez?" Tori raised her eyebrow at Karen. Karen giggled, "It's a nickname Peter gave him because he worries so much about everything." She reflected a moment, looking at Tori, "He's in a good mood tonight. Usually he really broods before they play a gig. He can be a real grouch at times." Tori smiled and looked down at the table. "Don't get me wrong Victoria; I love him like a brother. He tends to take things personally and really worries about the band making it and how to help support the other three." Karen added, "He's a very extraordinary person. The boys love him and would be lost without him."

Tori glanced at Nora, Nora smiled at her. Michael had told her a lot of the same things, which this is what he thought the others thought of him, yet she got the impression he didn't think they really cared about him.

The three girls continued to talk and became fast friends. Karen told the girls about the four guys as she had come to know them and love them. Nora explained about her secret crush on Micky and about finding out just a few minutes ago that he was crushing on her too. "He was a senior when I….we were freshmen," She told Karen, "I lost track of him even though his sister is in our class." Karen: "So you girls know Coco. She's a sweetheart." Nora and Tori both agreed.

Backstage the boys were changing into their stage clothes. Mike, Micky & Peter all noticed that Davy was unusually quiet. He was brushing his hair, he sighed loudly as he put down his brush. "What's the matter, Babe?" Micky asked. "Oh, nuthin'" Davy sighed. A stagehand knocked on the door, "5 minutes" he called. The guys did a last minute scramble for the mirror. Mike took his hat off for the 12^th time and then made a face at himself, putting it back on again. He took it off again, "Which is better?" he asked out loud, and then put it on again. He was clearly more nervous than usual. "Will you relax?" Micky chided him softly, "We are so ready for this show." He put his hand on Mike's shoulder and squeezed it.

"Are ye daft, Micky? He's not nervous because of the show…." Davy said, there was almost a cruel coolness in his voice, "He's got a bird with him tonight he wants to impress." Both Micky and Peter shot him a dirty look. "What?" Davy defended himself, "You have to admit, this is a rare occasion for Mike……more pressure to be perfect." Mike pursed his lips at Davy, he couldn't get mad - Davy had a point, he wanted to make a really good impression for Victoria….but did he have to rub it in??

"Come on guys," Mike said a little deflated, "Let's go."

More later…………….
(Believe it or not.....this is still just the first "chapter"!!!)

Thanks Nora!!!!

This installment contains a slight adult situation and some violence....I hope it doesn't offend anyone......

The first set went perfectly. The guys were pleased, the crowd loved them. Tori was mesmerized, she never took her eyes off of Michael. Nora was the same way with Micky. He made it a point to flirt with her on several occasions. Especially when he came up front and Davy took the drums.

After the set, the guys came and sat down with the girls. A small group of girls gathered around the table waiting for a chance to talk to their favorite Monkee. In that group, much to Tori and Nora's surprise and dismay was Cinda and Darcy.

One by one the girls eventually left after realizing their quest for attention was fruitless, that is all except Cinda and Darcy. Cinda pulled up a chair and boldly placed it between Mike and Tori, nudging Tori away. She put her hand on Mike's arm and started flirting with him. Mike tried his best to be polite and asked her to move. When Cinda refused, Mike got up and moved his chair to the other side of Tori. He took her hand, trying to make it clear to Cinda that Tori was with him.

Cinda sat there a few minutes and glared at Tori. Tori smugly shrugged her shoulders at Cinda, increasing her anger. Darcy had sat down at a nearby table to watch. She and Nora quietly waited to see if war would break out. Seeing how uncomfortable Mike was with this blonde girl, Davy tried to get her attention. Cinda ignored him. Cinda tried to talk to Mike 'around' Tori. Mike rolled his eyes and whispered to Tori, "You want to get out of here for awhile?" "Sure." She replied. The two stood up and started to leave the table. "We'll be in the dressing room," Mike said to no one in particular. Tori caught Nora's eye and they exchanged smiles.

Cinda was angry; she wasn't accustomed to being snubbed by any man. She gave Nora her famous 'death' look. Nora smiled sarcastically at Cinda. Cinda got up slamming the chair against the table. All eyes turned to her, startled at her actions. She stomped away from the table. All eyes then turned to Nora. She chuckled nervously and cleared her throat not knowing exactly how to explain what had happened. "It's a rivalry thing." She said softly. Conversation returned to normal.

Mike led Tori to the dressing room. "I'm so sorry Michael." Tori had tears in her eyes. "Shhhh." He put his fingers to her lips, "You have nothing to be sorry about. That girl has a problem. It's okay." He hugged her to reassure her that he meant what he said. He sat down on the sofa and pulled her down beside him. It was a deep comfortable sofa and Mike scrunched down and laid his head on Tori's shoulder. "Comfortable?" she half teased him. "Yep" he replied. He closed his eyes. Tori picked up his hand; she studied it, massaging it and running her fingers gently over his calloused finger tips. After a few minutes he put his other hand on top of hers, "It was getting lonely," he whispered. "Oh it was, huh." She smiled. She massaged his other hand, also gently running her fingers over his calloused finger tips.

'I love his hands,' she thought to herself, 'strong but gentle at the same time, just like him.' It wasn't long before she heard his breathing even out and realized he had fallen asleep.

Cinda tried to go backstage. The bouncer asked her what business she had back there. Cinda looked at her watch; it was 11:15 her plan took a new course. "My boyfriend is in his dressing room with some underage trollup!" She pleaded, "I want her away from him!" "I don't know anything about that. You'll just have to wait for him to come out." The bouncer replied. Cinda huffed, "We'll see about that!" She stomped away from him in search of the manager.

Cinda found the manager and told him there was a 17 year old girl backstage and it was after curfew. The manager sighed; he was going to overlook the curfew as long as he could get away with it. He didn't need a customer to point it out to him. The manager walked over to the table where the guys were sitting. "Where's Mr. Nesmith?" he asked. "He's in the dressing room, why?" Micky answered him. It was then he saw Cinda behind him. "I need to talk to him," the manager said as he turned to leave the table. Micky glanced around at the others at the table; he decided to follow the manager.

Nora looked at Cinda; Cinda glanced at her watch then smiled a cruel smile. "You wouldn't…" Nora hissed. "I would and I did." Cinda hissed back. Nora got up and ran to catch up with Micky.

A knock at the door roused Mike from his nap. He stood up quickly, Tori rose up to calm him. "It's just the door." She soothed. He rubbed his eyes. Another knock. "Mr. Nesmith, it's the manager. I need to talk to you." Mike unlocked the door and let the manager in, Micky and Nora were right behind him. "What's the problem?" Mike asked. "I'm sure it's nothing Mr. Nesmith. I just need to check the young lady's identification." The manager answered. Tori froze. "Is that really necessary?" Mike asked, "She's with me." The manager smiled sympathetically at Tori and then Mike, "Procedure. I had a complaint that she's underage. The curfew, you understand."

Tori got her driver's license out of her purse, her hand was shaking. The manager glanced at it, "I'm sorry Miss, you'll have to leave." "Come on, she's with me." Mike argued. "Mr. Nesmith, my hands are tied. If I get a curfew violation it could cost me my license." The manager explained. "What if she stays back here? She has no way to get home unless I take her; we'll be done in another two hours." Mike pleaded. "Mr. Nesmith, you should know your girlfriend was the one who complained." The manager replied.

Tori was scared and feeling very humiliated. It took her a moment to realize what he said. "My girlfriend?" Mike queried, "This is my girlfriend!" Mike put his arm protectively around Tori. "Who said she was my girlfriend?" Mike demanded. Nora spoke up, "Cinda." Mike uttered a swear word under his breath, he looked at Micky. Micky could tell by the look on his face he was about to lose it, he'd never seen Mike lose it with a girl before he wasn't sure what would happen. Tori's fear turned to anger, she started to shake.

"Look son, I'm sorry. She has to leave." The manager apologized realizing he was in the middle of more than a lover's spat. By this time Peter, Karen and Davy had come in. 'What's going on?" Peter asked. Micky turned, "That blonde chick that was hitting on Mike turned Victoria in as underage." "That's ridiculous." Peter remarked. "No, it's not." Tori spoke up, "She's right, I'm not 18 yet." The look of shame on her face almost broke Mike's heart. He put his arms around her, "its okay Honey." He whispered to her. He looked around at his friends, "I -I don't know what to do. There's no way I'm putting her in a taxi and sending her home by herself and we go on in 15 minutes." "Hey, don't I have a say in this?" Tori protested, "I'll be okay Michael. I don't want anybody to get in trouble because of me."

Karen spoke up, "If Davy doesn't mind that I drive his jeep, I can take her home." Mike: "You wouldn't mind?" Karen: "No, not at all." Nora looked at Micky and then at Mike, "I'll go with her, she's my best friend. Karen, if you could drop us off at the guys' place so I can get my car…."

Nora looked at Micky; he was disappointed that she was leaving too. "I'll see you again," she told him. Peter gave Karen the keys to Davy's jeep. "I'll be back soon," she said as she kissed him. She and Nora started out the door. Tori looked up at Mike, "I'm sorry…" She tried to swallow back her tears, "I-I'm sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your friends…." She turned quickly and walked out the door, Mike ran after her. "Victoria!" She stopped at the stage door, but she didn't turn around. Mike stopped right behind her, "Tori….I meant what I said…." "What?" she asked tearfully. "You are my girlfriend…..Right?" He replied. Tori closed her eyes, tears escaped down her cheeks. She leaned her forehead against the door. "Well?" Mike asked gently as he put his hand on her shoulder. Tori still didn't turn around, "After all the trouble I've caused you in the last 3 days…….you still want me around?" Mike put his other hand on her other shoulder, "Yeah…..I love a good challenge….keeps me on my toes." Tori smiled, she turned to face him. He wiped the tears from her face, "I'll call you tomorrow…" Tori started to protest, "Michael…." He leaned and kissed her, long and hard, taking her breath away. He walked her to the jeep, she climbed in the backseat. "Be careful," he said looking at Karen and Nora. Tori waved slightly as they pulled away, "Bye" she mouthed to him.

She looked back until she lost sight of him. She cried silently all the way back to the pad. Karen and Nora chatted quietly about Cinda. They arrived at the pad, Nora and Tori said their thanks to Karen and bid her goodbye. They got in Nora's car and sat there for a few minutes before they started for home.

They arrived in Nora's driveway. Tori got out, "Nora, I'm sorry I ruined your evening with Micky…..I think I'll just go on home…." Nora came around the side of the car, "This wasn't your fault…" she tried to comfort her friend, "This was Cinda's doing." Tori sighed, "Poor Michael. I know I made a fool out of him in front of his friends. I wouldn't blame him if he never called me again…" "Stop that," Nora scolded, "Come inside, a good night's sleep will help you feel better." "No, I want'a go home." Tori sighed. "Are you sure? You can stay and be miserable with me. That's what friends are for…" Nora tried to tease her. "I'll see you tomorrow…" Tori said softly as she headed for her house. Nora watched her go and hoped that Mack was asleep; Tori didn't need grief from him right now.

The house was dark when Tori went in. She closed the door quietly not wanting to wake anyone up. They weren't expecting her and she didn't want to alarm them. She crept quietly into her bedroom and softly closed the door. She flipped the light on and turned around; her heart did several flip-flops when she saw her father sitting on the bed.

"You decide to come home?" Mack slurred, not only was he awake, but he was still drinking. "What are you doing in here?" Tori asked him. "Last I knew….this was my house..think I can sit in any room I want to." He slurred. "Go to bed, Dad. We can talk in the morning." Tori tried to be casual. "Don't tell me what to do, child." Mack snapped, "I want to know where you were and who you were with!" "I told you, Nora and I went with some friends to a new club." Tori replied quietly. Mack stood up, he fell into her grabbing her by the hair, "You lie, you were with that boy, weren't you!!" "You're hurting me, Daddy." Tori whimpered. "Tell me!" Mack sneered. "Yes Daddy, Michael was therr…" Tori winced from the pain he was causing her. He whipped her around, losing her balance she sat down hard on the bed. Mack let go of her, "I'm warning you right here and now….I don't want you to see that boy…." "Why, he's nice …he cares…" Tori started. "He only wants you for one thing!" Mack bellowed. Tori: "No Daddy, he's…." Mack: "Don't argue child, I know his type!!" Tori: "Daddy!" Mack: "I mean it!"

He reared back with his hand, his hand connecting with her face sounded like a gunshot. Tori fell over backwards on the bed, afraid to move. She put her hand to her face; she could taste blood in her mouth. Mack fell to his knees, "I'm sorry Baby…..I'm sorry, I didn't….." He burst into tears, Joyce ran in the room having heard the raised voices. "What happened?! MACK!! What have you done!?" she screamed when she saw Tori, "Get out! Get out of here!"

Mack wondered out of the room, still muttering that he was sorry. Joyce helped Tori sit up, "Are you okay Honey?" Tori felt a little dizzy and nauseous. "I'm okay, Mom." She sobbed, "Why did he hit me?" "Honey, he didn't mean it, it's the booze." Joyce tried to calm her. "Mom, he said some awful things about Michael…..he doesn't even know him." Tori cried. Joyce got a towel and rinsed it with cold water; she wiped her daughter's face as she held her, rocking gently back and forth. "I hate him…." Tori sniffed. "Don't say that, he's your father." Joyce cooed. "I hate him, how can he judge Michael like that….." Tori repeated. "Shhhh" Joyce cooed.

Joyce comforted Tori until she stopped crying. "Get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning." Joyce said as she covered her up. She shut off the light and closed the door. Mack was sitting on the side of the bed when Joyce walked in their bedroom. "She all right?" he asked. Joyce grabbed a blanket and a pillow, handing them to Mack, "Go sleep in the den." She said. She went into their bathroom and waited for him to leave. She crawled under the covers, what was happening to her family she wondered. She cried herself to sleep.

Tori was restless most of the night, she finally gave up and got up around 6 am. She decided to take a warm shower in hopes she would feel better. Her cheek and the inside of her mouth hurt. 'Why did Daddy hit me?' she wondered. She took a long shower hoping to wash away the pain. As she was drying off, she glanced in the mirror. "Oh…" she gasped. The bruise on the side of her cheek was already a sickening plumb color. She put her pajamas on and laid back down in bed, she turned to face the wall. 'There's no way I can face anybody today. Not Michael. Not Nora and definitely not Cinda' she thought at the tears began again.