By: Lisa and Mickys411   Rated G

It was a few days before Thanksgiving and the Monkees were preparing to go out for the day. Each of them had someplace to be, and once they were ready, they met by the front door. Peter had a book in his hand.
"Ok, here's the plan." Micky said, "I'll drive each of you over to where you gotta go and I'll pick you up in two hours. How's that?"
"Sounds like a plan." Mike nodded.
Peter and Davy agreed and so the guys went over to the Monkeemobile and got inside. Micky started the ignition and the car took off.

The first place Micky went to was a house near the University. This was where Davy's girlfriend Melissa was living. Davy hopped out of the car before it came to a complete stop.
"Thanks, Micky!" He shouted as he ran over to the house.
"Two hours, Davy!" Mike reminded him, "We have a gig tonight!"
"Yes, Papa Nez." Davy replied, smoothing his hair down before knocking on the door.
Melissa opened the door and quickly pulled Davy inside.
The other three Monkees just chuckled as Micky pulled away from the curb.

The next stop was the library, where Micky deposited Peter.
"Remember Peter, two hours." Mike said.
"I won't forget, Mike." Peter replied.
"Say Peter," Micky asked, "I never did find out what book you had checked out."
Peter held up the book. It was a copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales.
"There were some great stories in here." Peter replied, "Now I think I'll check out the Dr. Seuss books next."
"Have fun, Peter." Mike said, as Micky drove away.
Peter waved at the retreating Monkeemobile and went into the library.

The third stop was the Groovy Music Store. This was where Mike was let off.
"Can you get me another set of drumsticks while you're there, Mike?" Micky asked.
"What happened to the last set I got you?" Mike asked, leaning into the car.
"I used them to smash a cockroach." Micky replied.
Mike rolled his eyes. "Ok, one set of drumsticks coming up."
"Thanks Mike," Micky replied, "I hope you can find those guitar strings you're looking for."
"Thanks Micky." Mike replied, "See you in two hours." He pulled his torso out of the car and went into the store.
Micky waved and drove off.

Micky's final destination was a house in a quiet residential area of the city. Pulling into the driveway, Micky shut off the car. As he was getting out, he was immediately attacked by two young girls about ten and twelve.
"Micky!" They shouted.
"Hi, runts!" He laughed giving his sisters a big hug. "Mom home?"
"Yeah, she's waiting for you!" The older one said.
The girls took his hands and led him inside.

Two hours later, Micky picked up his band mates from their meeting spots.
He first met up with Mike.
"Hey Mike, I got some great news," said Micky.
"What's up Mick?" asked Mike.
"Mom invited us to her place for Thanksgiving."
"Uh, that's nice Mick."
"What wrong?"
"Well, my friend at the music shop Steve just invited us to have dinner with him and his wife."

The next stop was to get Peter.
"Hey Peter, we just got two invitations for Thanksgiving," said Mike.
"Really?" asked Peter.
"Yeah, the owner of the music shop, and my Mom," said Micky.
"You better make it three invites."
"What do you mean?" asked Mike.
"Well, I met Valerie at the library, and she invited us to have Thanksgiving at her house.”

The final stop before headed back to the pad was picking up Davy.
"Hey guys great news,” said Davy, hopping into the Monkeemobile, "Melissa just invited us to have Thanksgiving dinner with her and her folks."
"We must be very popular today," said Peter.
"Why do you say that?"
"We got three other invitations today," said Mike.
"Now we have to decide which one to go to," said Micky.

The guys got back to the pad and went inside. They sat down in the living room to decide which invitation to accept.
"I think we should go to my Mom's house." Micky said, "I know she'll give us a feast to remember."
"But Steve has been very nice to us." Mike replied, handing Micky his drumsticks, "He's always given us a discount on our stuff."
"But I want to be with Valerie for Thanksgiving." Peter pouted, "She said Ronnie is in Europe and won't bother us."
"Melissa's a great cook." Davy said, smiling. "Plus, she's going to have some of her groovy-looking girlfriends over too."
"Well, we can't go to all four dinners." Mike stated. "We have to just go to one."
"My Mom asked me first." Micky said.
"No, Valerie asked me first." Peter shot back.
"No, Melissa asked me..." Davy said.
"Wait, we don't know when each of us was asked." Mike said, holding up his hands. "We'll just assume we were asked the same time."
"So how do we decide?" Davy asked.
"Let's draw straws." Micky replied.
The Monkees went over to the kitchen, where Mike grabbed some paper and pens. Going off in different direction, the Monkees quickly drew straws.
"Time's up!" Mike announced.
The guys went back to the kitchen table and showed their straw drawings. Davy's straw was the shortest.
"Story of my life." Davy complained.
"Call Melissa, and tell her we can't come." Mike said gently.
"Okay." Davy said with a frown on his face, walking over to the phone.
Davy dialed Melissa's number and waited for her to answer.
"Hello?" Melissa said.
"Hi Melissa. It's Davy."
"Hi honey, what's happening?" Melissa asked.
"Err...sweetheart; we can't come to Thanksgiving dinner."
"Why not?" Melissa asked after a few seconds' pause.
"It seems we were invited by other people for Thanksgiving dinner as well." Davy said.
"So cancel their dinners and come over here." Melissa said, getting angry.
"I can't." Davy replied quickly, "We drew straws and I lost."
"So it's all a game to you, is that it?" Melissa demanded.
"No, of course not." Davy said.
"I thought you loved me, Davy Jones!" She started to sob.
"Oh, Melissa don't cry, we'll come. Davy said. "We'll be there."
"Promise?" Melissa said with a sniff.
"I promise." Davy said, looking over at his band mates.
"Ok, goodbye." Melissa replied, brightening up.
"Goodbye, see you Thursday." Davy said, and then hung up the phone. He walked back over to the others.
"I'm sorry, fellas." Davy said, looking down.
"It's ok, Davy." Micky said, "I know you can't stand to hear a woman cry. I'll call my Mom and cancel our dinner there."
Micky walked over to the phone and dialed his Mom's house. He dialed the phone and waited for an answer.
"Hell-o?" asked a child-like voice.
"Hell-o, who am I speaking to?" asked Micky with a chuckle.
"It's me Micky, Gina!" his sister answer back.
"I knew it was you." Micky enjoyed teasing his little sister. "Is Mom there?"
"Yes she is." Gina then put the phone on hold to get their Mom.
"Hell-o Micky?" his Mother said on the other end.
"Hi Mom, listen there's been a change of plans, and I don't think the guys and I will be able to have Thanksgiving over at the house," said Micky.
"I understand that you have other plans," said Micky's Mom, sounding a bit disappointed.
"Is something wrong?" Micky asked.
"Well, I just found out your Aunt Lily, Uncle Jack and cousins are coming in from Texas this year, and they're looking forward to seeing you."
Micky began to feel guilty, after all this was family.
"Mom, I can always cancel my plans and come, and I'll make sure Davy, Peter and Mike do the same."
"That's wonderful,” said his Mom, “I better go now and get the house ready for the guests. See you Thursday, love you."
"Love you too Mom, bye," said Micky before hanging up the phone.
"What happened?" asked Davy.
"I got relatives coming in from Texas, I have to be there," Micky answered.
"Who's going to be the next person to call?" asked Mike.
Mike, Micky and Davy then turned to Peter.
"Did I do something wrong?" asked Peter.
"You know what you gotta do man," said Mike.
Peter then picked up the phone. With a heavy heart, Peter dialed Valerie's number and waited for it to be answered. As he expected, a man answered, one of Valerie's butlers.
"Hello, Cartwright residence." He said stiffly.
"Hello, this is Peter Tork; may I speak to Miss Cartwright, please?"
"One moment." The butler replied.
A few seconds later, Valerie was on the other end.
"Hello, Peter!" She said happily, "How are you?"
"I'm fine, Valerie." Peter replied, "But I have some bad news."
"What is it?" Valerie asked, sounding concerned.
Peter took a deep breath before answering. "I just found out that my friends and I have been already invited to another Thanksgiving dinner. I'm sorry, but we'll have to cancel."
"But Peter, I've already made the arrangements and told all my friends you four would be there!" Valerie replied.
"I'm sorry dear, but..."
"Peter, my family's hired Europe's best chefs to help prepare the dinner." Valerie continued in earnest, "It's really going to be great...and I want so much to be with you."
"And I want to be with you, but..." Peter tried to say.
"So you'll come?" Valerie asked hopefully.
"Yes, I'll find a way. So will Micky, Mike and Davy." Peter replied.
"Oh that's great, Peter." Valerie said happily, "I'll see you guys on Thursday. I love you."
"I love you too, Valerie." Peter replied, and then hung up the phone. He looked over at his friends.
"Um...well...I tried to." Peter said.
"We know, Peter, we know." Mike said shaking his head.
"How on Earth are we gonna eat four dinners in one day?" Davy asked.
"Three dinners, Davy." Mike corrected, "I'm going to call Steve and tell him there's no way we can come to his house. And I mean it."
Mike walked over to the phone and dialed the number. After a few rings, his friend answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Steve, this is Mike Nesmith."
"Oh hi, Mike!" Steve replied, "Boy am I glad you called."
"Why's that?"
"I wanted to tell you that I'm going to have some real important record execs and club owners at my house for Thanksgiving." Steve replied.
"Record executives and club owners?" Mike gulped.
"Yeah, I was just about to call you and tell you." Steve replied, "I've told them about the Monkees and they're interested in talking to you four. This is gonna be a great chance for you guys!"
"Yeah, that is a great opportunity..." Mike said slowly.
"So how can I help you, Mike?" Steve asked, "Did you need something?"
'A time machine' Mike thought to himself, but out loud to Steve he said, "Oh...I just forgot what time you told us to come over."
"Six O’clock, Mike." Steve replied. "Is that alright with you?"
"Yes, that's fine, Steve." Mike replied, "We have a few other things to take care of, so six O'clock is ok."
"Great, see you Thursday!" Steve replied.
"Yes, see you Thursday." Mike said then hung up the phone. He walked back over to the others.
"I thought you said you were going to tell him no way." Micky said, folding his arms.
"He's gonna have some record execs over for dinner too." Mike replied, "I can't miss this chance for us to be noticed."
"Just like I can't stand to hurt Melissa." Davy added.
"Or disappoint my Mom." Micky put in.
"Or let Valerie down." Peter said.
"Fellas, what are we gonna do?" Mike asked.
The guys just looked at each other, with no idea of how to do four Thanksgiving dinners in one day.
"How can we be at Valerie's house, Micky's Mom's house, Mellisa's house and Steve's house at six O'clock?" Peter asked.
"We have to be at my Mom's house at three, Peter." Micky replied.
"Melissa said to come at four." Davy added.
"Valerie always has dinner promptly at five." Peter said.
"And Steve told us to be there at six..." Mike mused.
Suddenly, the same idea hit all four Monkees at once!
"We can still go to each dinner!" They shouted.
"We'll just stay for a little bit at each one, then end up at Steve's house!" Mike exclaimed.
The four danced around in a circle, happy to have a plan.
"I sure hope this plan works," said Davy.
"I'm sure it will," said Mike.
"How many days do we have before Thanksgiving?" asked Peter.
Micky picked up a calender and said,"We have one week."
"Groovy, that means we have plenty of time to figure out how to schedule our time at all these places," said Mike.
"And how to do without nobody knowing," said Davy.

Mike looked at his watch and noticed it was getting late.
"Hey, we'll have to start planning this tomorrow." He said, "We gotta get to the Cha Cha Club."
With that, the guys went to change into their stage uniforms and get ready for the gig.

The next morning, the Monkees sat around the kitchen table to plan their Thanksgiving day attack. Mike had a gavel in his hand and he banged it on the table.
"This meeting will now come to order." Mike said, "We have to get 'Operation Turkey' planned."
"My Mom's house is first." Micky said, "We'll have to start there."
"Do you have any plan to get us out of there in time to make it to the next dinner?" Mike asked.
"My Aunt and Uncle are kinda picky eaters." Micky replied, rubbing his chin, "So...if they don't like something, I was thinking of volunteering us to go out to the store to get something else."
"Then don't come back." Davy finished.
"Exactly!" Micky smiled, then his smile faded. "I don't really like doing that to my Mom, but at least we'll have some dinner."
"Right, we should only eat a little at each place." Peter put in.
"What's your plan, Davy?" Mike asked, "Melissa's house is next."

"Well what I was thinking Melissa's little sister is a vegatrian, so I can volenteer to get her something," said Davy.
"Do the same thing by leaving and not coming back," said Micky.
"Maybe we should do that at Valerie's and Steve's," said Mike.
"I don't know about this," said Peter.
"Why, what's wrong?" asked Davy.
"I just don't like lieing to any of these people, espically Valerie."
"Don't worry Peter, this plan will work out," said Micky.
"All we need is to have careful planning," said Davy.

"Wait Davy," Micky said slowly, "Peter's right. We better re-think what we'll do at Valerie's house. She'll have all sorts of food to choose from, so getting something special for someone won't work."
"Yeah, and we want to end up at Steve's house." Mike said, "His dinner is last. Once we get the other dinners out of the way, we can stay the longest at Steve's."
There was a silence as the Monkees tried to figure out another way to leave Valerie's house early without being rude.
"I know!" Mike finally said, "I'll pretend I don't feel well and you guys have to take me home."
Micky and Davy agreed it was a good idea. Peter wasnt happy about it, but went along with the plan.
"So it's settled then." Mike announced. "At Micky's Mom's house when Micky's picky aunt and uncle want something, we go to get and not come back, right?"
"Right." Micky replied.
"At Melissa's house, we'll do the same, if her sister wants tofu or something, right?"
"Right." Davy replied.
"A Valerie's house, I get sick and you guys gotta take me home, right?"
"Right." Peter sighed.
"Then we spend the rest of the evening at Steve's house with those record execs, right?" Mike said finally.
"Right!" The other three Monkees replied as one.
Although the guys seemed to be satisfied with their idea, Peter was still a bit guilty of what they were about to do.
In fact he was so bothered by this, he couldn't consintrate on practice.
"Is something wrong, Peter?" Mike asked.
"What?" Peter asked.
"You're playing the music to "Here comes tommorrow", while we're playing "Mary Mary", said Micky.
"Yeah, I'm fine,"Peter answered.
"Are you sure?" asked Davy.
"Yes, I'm sure."
Davy knew something was bothering Peter

So the Monkees finally finished practicing. After the last number was over, Mike, Micky and Davy gently took Peter over to the couch and sat him down. Then they sat down next to him.
After several seconds of silence, Davy finally spoke.
"It's about Valerie, isn't it?" He asked.
Peter nodded his head. "I really like her, fellas." He said quietly, "I just don't want to lie to her, for any reason."
"Her house is the next to last stop on our marathon, right?" Mike asked.
The other three nodded yes.
"Well, I think if we get out of Melissa's place early, we can spend as much time as possible at Valerie's house." Mike continued. "You'll just have to tell her the truth then, Peter. That we have to leave early for another dinner."
Peter brightened up at this. "I'll do that, guys. Thanks."
The guys went into a group hug.

Finally, Thanksgiving day arrived. The guys purposely didn't eat much breakfast or lunch in anticipation to all the eating they were going to do later. Still, they had stocked up on antacids-just to be safe.
As they climbed into the Monkeemobile, Micky looked at the other three.
"Alright, we know what to do?" He asked.
"We've gone over it several times now, Micky." Davy said, "Don't worry."
Mike started the car and the four were on their way to Micky's Mom's house. She lived close by, so it didn't take long for them to arrive. They got out of the car and Micky knocked on the door.
"Hello, sweetheart!" His Mom said, looking a bit harried, when she opened the door. "I'm sure glad to see you and your friends!"
"Hi Mom!" Micky replied, as he and the others walked inside.
"Hi, Mrs. Dolenz!" The other three Monkees said.
"Hi boys." Mrs. Dolenz told them, "Make yourselves at home, dinner will be ready soon."
The four men walked into the living room. Micky's sister's were there, but there was no sign of his Aunt and Uncle.
"Where's our Texas relatives?" Micky asked.
"They're not going to arrive until later this evening." Micky's Mom replied, "There was some bad weather in Texas and their flight's been delayed."
"This evening?" Micky asked, looking at his band mates.
"Yes, so it'll just be us for now." His Mom replied.
Micky rubbed his forehead. Now there was no excuse for them to leave early.

"What's the matter, hun?" Micky's Mom asked, noticing the pained look on his face.
"Oh, nothing Mom." Micky said quickly, "I just hope Aunt Lily and Uncle Jack and their kids get here safe and soon."
"Me too. Well, sit down and supper will be very soon." His Mom replied, then went back into the kitchen.
So the Monkees sat down in the living room, all of them getting worried now, not knowing what to do. It was just after three O'clock.
Micky wanted to say something to the others, but then one of Micky's sister's came in to announce the dinner was ready.
The blessing was said and soon everyone began to help themselves of Turkey and all the trimmings. The guys tried not to eat too much, but it was hard with all the good food in front of them.
As he ate, Micky kept looking at the clock on the wall, and noticed his bandmates were doing the same. Finally, Micky's Mom noticed and asked her son what was wrong.
"Oh, I was just wondering when Aunt Lily and Uncle Jack were coming." Micky replied.
"You were never really close to them, Micky." His Mom observed, "So why are you so worried now?"
"I...just wanted to see them." Micky smiled.
His Mom shrugged her shoulders and went back to eating.
It was getting close to four O'clock when the meal was over. In order to speed things along, all four Monkees were helping out in the kitchen, trying to get the table cleared and the dishes washed. Unfortunately, that caused quite a bit of chaos with so many people around.
Mike and Davy got into a tug-of-war with a dishrag, Peter dropped a cup, and Micky kept glancing at the clock. Finally, Micky's Mom had had enough.
"STOP!" She shouted, "Micky, you and your friends into the living room, now!"
Heads bowed, the four Monkees obeyed. Once there, Micky's Mom made them stand in a row while she walked in front of them. Micky's sisters were standing off to the side, giggling.
"Now I want the truth, George Michael Dolenz." She said, standing in front of her son, her hands on her hips. "Why the rush? Why are you four in such a hurry?"
"Remember on the phone I told you we had other plans and we couldn't come for dinner?" Micky asked.
"Yes, but you said you would cancel your other plans." His Mom replied.
"Well...it turns out we weren't able to cancel any of them." Micky replied, looking down.
"We have to be at my girlfriend's house soon, Mrs. Dolenz." Davy said.
"Then we gotta go to my girlfriend's house." Peter added.
"Then it's over to a friend's house where we're going to meet some record execs." Mike finished.
"I wanted to cancel dinner with you, but you said Aunt Lily and Uncle Jack would be here." Micky said.
"So you have four dinners to go to today?" Micky's Mom asked, incredulously.
The four Monkees just nodded their heads.
"We didn't want to eat and run, Mom..." Micky began.
"You boys..." His Mom chuckled, "Go ahead, go to your other dinners...but this means you'll have to come back tomorrow for leftovers."
Micky gave his Mom a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks, Mom." He said, "You're the greatest."
The other three Monkees gave Micky's Mom a kiss too.
"Thank you, Mrs. Dolenz." They said.
Micky and his bandmates gave Micky's sisters hugs and kisses too and ran out the door to get to Melissa's house.

As Mike drove over to Melissa's house, the other three Monkees sat quietly, savoring the meal they just had. They were a little full, but glad Micky's Mom was so understanding so they could leave.
A few minutes past four, they pulled up to Melissa's house.
"Let's hope all goes well here." Micky said to the others as they got out of the car.
Davy knocked on the door and an instant later, Melissa threw it open.
"You're late, Davy." She said, looking annoyed.
"Sorry, luv." Davy replied, kissing Melissa on the cheek, "We were at Micky's Mom's house for a bite."
So you'll be too full to eat now?" Melissa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh no no." Davy smiled, "We're ready to eat!"
"Good, then c'mon in!" Melissa replied, finally smiling. She led them into the living room where three other girls waited. Melissa introduced them as Nora, Rachael and Laura. The guys were instantly taken with the three lovely girls.
"Hi ladies." Micky smiled.
"Hi fellas." Laura smiled back.
Before anything else was said, Melissa's little sister Luanne came in from the kitchen.
"Supper's ready!" She called, "Get your poor dead turkey."
"Luanne!" Melissa said sharply.
"I still don't know how you can eat a poor defenseless creature!" Luanne retorted, "It's so cruel."
"Then you can just eat the stuffing." Melissa replied, rolling her eyes, "Let's go eat, everyone."
Everyone followed her into the kitchen where Melissa directed each person to sit.
"Micky, you can sit next to Laura, Peter sit next to Rachael..." The Monkees were getting annoyed at Melissa' bossiness but said nothing.
Finally, everyone was sitting to Melissa's satisfaction. Luanne and Davy sat on either side of her. Melissa said the blessing and began to carve the turkey, with Davy helping her. Luanne just sat there and scowled at the turkey.
Next the trimmings were passed around, and again Melissa directed the proceedings. It was starting to get close to five before the Monkees were able to start eating. Melissa talked non-stop to Davy and he tried his best to pay attention.
Luanne was picked at her stuffing and corn, but ate little. Davy decided this would be a good time to put their plan into action.
"Are you ok, Luanne?" He asked.
Luanne put her fork down. "This just isn't my kind of food."
"Tell you what, how about we go out and get you a vegetarian pizza?" Davy asked.
"That would be wonderful, Davy!" Luanne exclaimed.
"But Davy..." Melissa started to say.
"Then that's what we'll do, right fellas?" Davy asked his bandmates. It was almost five O'clock.
But Micky, Mike and Peter were having their own private conversations with Nora, Rachael and Laura and weren't paying any attention.
"Err..fellas?" Davy prompted.
"What Davy?" Micky asked.
"We'll go get a pizza for Luanne, ok?"
"You go ahead, Davy." Peter said, looking in Rachael's eyes, "We'll wait."
"Luanne doesn't like turkey, so we'll get her a pizza." Davy repeated slowly, "Remember?"
Suddenly, Peter did remember Valerie. He jumped up.
"Yeah, we should get a Luanne for pizza, I mean, a pizza for Luanne."
"You two go get it." Mike said, smiling at Nora.
Davy sat back in his chair, not knowing what to do next. Micky and Mike were so interested in the girls that they forgot about the plan!
"Sit down, Peter!" Melissa demanded, "Nobody's getting anything for anybody!"
"But luv..." Davy began.
Suddenly Luanne said, "Do you smell smoke?"
Melissa, Luanne and Davy turned to see the stovetop on fire! There was a lot of smoke as well.
"Fire!" Davy yelled, pointing at the stove.
That got everyone attention and they turned to see the fire.
"It's the green beans!" Melissa shouted. "Somebody do something!"
Mike was the closest and, grabbing a potholder, pulled the pan off of the stove! He then threw the pan out the window and into the back yard. Davy turned off the gas. Still, the whole kitchen was filled with smoke, and Rachael and Laura began to cough.
"Everybody out of the kitchen!" Peter coughed, herding everyone out.
In the safety of the living room, Melissa yelled at her sister.
"How could leave the pan on the stove for so long?"
"I'm sorry, I just forgot." Luanne replied.
Peter was still coughing, so Davy got a new idea.
"Hey, we're going to take Peter home." He said.
"We are?" Micky asked, then looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh yeah, Peter's sensitive to smoke."
"We really enjoyed dinner, Melissa." Davy said, kissing her.
"Well, will you come back for leftovers?" She asked.
"Sure, we'll come back." Davy promised as the guys got into the Monkeemobile.
"Bye, Laura!" Micky smiled, blowing her a kiss.
"Bye Micky!" Laura replied, doing the same.
"See you later, Rachael." Mike said.
"Same here, Mike." Rachael replied.
Mike started the car and rushed away to Valerie's house.

Mike drove the Monkeemobile through the open gates of the Cartwright estate and over to the front door.
"I don't know if I can eat anymore, fellas." Davy said quietly.
"Just pretend, Davy." Peter said, "Just like when your grandfather came to visit and we only had money for one meal."
Davy just nodded as Mike shut off the car. The valet on duty had seen the car before and didn't blink an eye as the guys climbed out and Mike handed him the keys.
Peter led the way up the steps and knocked on the front door.
A second later, Valerie was standing in the open door. She was wearing a blue dress and seemed slightly nervous.
"Hello, Peter." She smiled, giving him a hug.
"Hello, Valerie." Peter replied, returning her hug, "Thanks for inviting us."
"Your welcome, Peter." Valerie replied, "But there's something I need to tell you..."
"Dinner is served!" A butler announced.
"What did you want to tell me, dear?" Peter asked.
"Come, Valerie, dinner is ready." A stiff voice said behind them...a voice that seemed all too familiar.
Valerie turned and that gave Peter and the other three Monkees the opportunity to see who was speaking.
Coming toward them was none other than Valerie's ex, Ronnie Farnsworth.
"Ronnie?" The Monkees said together.
"That's Ronald to you, Monkee boys." Ronnie sneered, "And what are you doing here, coming to beg for food?"
"I invited them, Ronnie." Valerie put in before the guys could reply, "I didn't know you and your family had cut your trip to Europe short."
"Well, we were rather bored of Switzerland." Ronnie smiled smugly, "So we decided to except your invitation after all."
"How nice." Micky muttered under his breath.
"The Monkees are here now, and I want peace between you gentlemen. Understood?" Valerie said sternly.
"Understood, Valerie." Ronnie replied, glaring at Peter.
"Understood, Valerie." Peter replied, glaring at Ronnie. Mike, Micky and Davy also agreed.
"Miss Valerie, Mr. Farnsworth, if you please?" The butler said, gesturing with his hand toward the dinning room.
Both Peter and Ronnie took one of Valerie's arms and escorted her into the dining room, the other three Monkees following behind.
Once inside the dining room, the group was met by Valerie's Mother and Father. Though they knew the Monkees, they still were not too happy about them being there.
"Oh hello, gentlemen." Valerie's mom said, "I'm glad you could make it."
"We're glad to be here, Mrs. Cartwright." Peter said politely.
"Well, let's begin our dinner." Valerie's Dad said, walking over to the table. The other guests were already seated.
Still holding Valerie's arms, Peter and Ronnie escorted her over to the table. The butler showed Micky, Mike and Davy to their seats on the other side of the table.
Valerie was seated and Peter and Ronnie had a seat on either side of her. The other three Monkees were sitting across from them. Valerie's parents were on either end of the long table.
The butlers began to bring out bowls of soup to the dinner guests. To Ronnie's surprise, the Monkees knew which spoon to use. He didn't know Valerie had taught Peter who in turn had taught the other three Monkees about which utensil to use first.
As everyone ate their soup, Ronnie tried to talk to Valerie, but she had her attention on Peter. The other Monkees tried to make conversation with the other guests but they were reluctant to talk to the long-haired boys among them. Davy barely finished his soup and could only eat a little of his salad before putting down his fork.
"I can't eat another bite, fellas." He whispered to Micky and Mike.
Micky and Mike were getting full too, but managed to eat most of their salad. Peter was also feeling full too, but said nothing to Valerie.
When the turkey dishes arrived, none of the Monkees couldn't eat anymore, and just sat looking at their plates. Of course, Ronnie noticed this.
"What's the matter, gentlemen?" He asked, feigning concern, "Not hungry?" He made a show of taking a big bite of his turkey.
"I'm not feeling well." Davy said truthfully. The previous turkey dinners had caught up with him and he felt very uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?" Valerie asked.
"I'll be truthful with you, Valerie." Peter replied, "You see, we had just come from eating two other Thanksgiving dinners and we just can't eat anymore."
"You boys sure get around." Ronnie snickered.
"Oh Peter." Valerie said sympathetically, "I'm sorry I insisted on you coming."
"It's alright, Valerie." Peter replied. "I really wanted to be with you today."
"Do you have some antacids, Valerie?" Davy asked, holding his stomach.
"There's some in a room next to the kitchen." Valerie replied.
"I'll go get them." Peter volunteered.
"I'll show you where the room is." Ronnie smiled, getting to his feet.
Peter didn't trust Ronnie, but didn't want to seem rude. So, he followed Ronnie over to a wooden door near the kitchen.
"Here's the room, Peter." Ronnie said, opening the door.
Peter looked inside the room. It looked dark and damp. Before Peter could say anything, Ronnie shoved Peter into the room, shut the door and locked it.
"Hey, let me out!" Peter yelled, his voice muffled by the heavy wood door.
"Sorry, can't hear you." Ronnie laughed, walking away. He went to the next room, grabbed a box of antacids from a shelf and went back into the dining room.

Peter looked around the room he had been locked into. It appeared to be a closet. He looked at the luminous hands on his watch and noticed the time. If he didn't get out of here soon, the Monkees would be late getting to Steve's house and a chance to meet those record execs!

Ronnie calmly walked over to Davy and handed him the antacids.
"Here you go." Ronnie said, all smiles.
"Thank you." Davy replied, not liking Ronnie's smile.
"Where's Peter?" Mike asked.
"Oh, he told me he wasn't feeling well either, so I suppose he went to the bathroom." Ronnie replied, still smiling. He went back to his seat and began to talk to Valerie.
Micky, Mike and Davy didn't trust Ronnie at all, but supposed it was possible he was telling the truth for once. Davy discreetly put an antacid in his mouth and pretended to enjoy his turkey.

Meanwhile, Peter continued to pound on the closet door. He had found a lightswitch, so he wasn't in the dark anymore, but there was nothing in the closet to help him get out. Peter looked at his watch again and looked with despair as the hands moved closer to six 0'clock.

Finally, the turkey meals were removed by the butlers. The three Monkees had managed to eat a few bites to keep their hosts happy. Micky glanced at his watch.
"Man, we gotta go soon. Where's Peter?" He whispered to his bandmates, "He should've been back by now."
"He might be really sick." Davy replied.
Mike glanced over at Ronnie, who was trying to impress Valerie with one of his stories, while she was trying to look interested.
"I think Ronnie might have something to do with this." He said, "He's being too nice."
"Let's go look." Davy replied. The three men stood up.
"Where are you going, gentlemen?" Ronnie asked.
"We're going to look for Peter." Mike replied.
"I hope you find him." Valerie said pointedly.
As the three Monkees walked away, the butlers started to bring around the dessert carts. Each cart was filled with pies and cakes from which each guest could choose what they wanted.

"Let's start by the kitchen." Micky told the other two.
Mike and Davy agreed and followed Micky.
Inside the noisy kitchen, they asked the workers if they had seen anybody fitting Peter's description, but the workers said no.
The three Monkees moved out of the kitchen and were walking past a closet when they heard banging noises.
"Let me out! Let me out!" A voice was shouting.
"It's Peter!" Mike said. He snapped open the doorlock and out tumbled Peter!
"Peter, are you alright?" Davy asked.
"Yeah, Ronnie shoved me in here." Peter said.
"Why that snake." Davy growled.
"Let's get him." Mike said.
"Wait, we promised to keep the peace." Peter put in.
"But we can't let Ronnie get away with this." Micky said.
"Wait, I got an idea." Davy smiled and told the other three his plan.

Ronnie was still monopolizing Valerie's attention when the dessert cart was brought over to them.
"What would you like for dessert?" The butler asked them.
"How about a helping of crow?" A voice said behind him.
Ronnie and Valerie looked over to see Peter standing there.
"Oh Peter, there you are!" Valerie said happily. "Where were you?"
"Ronnie locked me in a closet so he could be with you." Peter replied, staring at Ronnie.
Ronnie pushed the butler aside and stood up.
"How dare you make up a lie like that about me!" Ronnie said sternly.
"Do you want me to make up another one?" Peter asked, smiling, "Like, your shoelaces are tied together?"
"Oh how clever." Ronnie sneered, "Like I'd fall for that one."
Ronnie took a step and lost his balance because his shoelaces were tied together. Davy had crawled under the table and did the deed a minute before.
Ronnie flailed around and grabbed the dessert cart to steady himself, but instead tipped the cart over, sending all the cakes and pies crashing down on him! He was covered in merangue and whipped cream.
The other dinner guests began to laugh at Ronnie. Valerie giggled too. Peter stepped over Ronnie and took Valerie's hand.
"It's been a pleasure seeing you again, Valerie. But my friends and I must be going." Peter said, kissing her hand.
"Yes, thank you for the lovely time." Micky said as he, Mike and Davy walked over.
"Thank you for coming over, gentlemen." Valerie smiled.
"Bye, Ronnie." Mike said, "Don't worry, desserts on us, or should I say it's on you."
Ronnie grabbed the remains of a pie and threw it at the Monkees. They ducked and ran out of the house.
The Valet brought the Monkeemobile around and the guys were soon on their way to their last destination for today.

Mike pulled the Monkeemobile into Steve's driveway. Steve and his wife lived in a modest ranch-style home. Luckily he lived near Valerie. In fact, all the places the guys had visited today had been only a few miles from each other.
"Well, last stop." Mike told the others.
"What are we going to do?" Davy asked, "I can't eat another bite."
"Neither can I." Micky replied, rubbing his stomach.
"We'll just have to do the best we can." Mike said, as he slowly got out of the car. The other Monkees were slow to get out too.
Steve and his wife Edie was waiting at the door for them.
"Hi Mike, Peter, Micky and Davy." Edie said, "Glad you four could come."
"Glad to be invited." Mike smiled. "Sorry we're a little late, we had to visit Peter's girlfriend."
"Oh that's ok." Steve replied, "My other guests just arrived a little while ago themselves, come on in."
The Monkees followed Steve and Edie inside their house and into the living room. Already seated there were two other men. Steve introduced them as Don Kirshner and Jackie Cooper.
Mike hadn't heard of Jackie Cooper before, but he had heard about Don Kirshner. Kirshner was in charge of Gem Music and had the reputation of being tough and demanding on his acts. Still, Mike smiled and shook his hand when introduced.
Just as the conversation was getting started however, the lights went out!
"Oh no!" Edie exclaimed, "Just before dinner!"
"Do you have an electric oven?" Mike asked.
"Yeah,and an electric stove too." Edie replied, heading back into the kitchen.
"I guess supper will have to wait until the lights come back on." Steve said.
The Monkees didn't mind, since they were very full from the three dinners they had just eaten. Kirshner seemed a bit put out though.
Steve found some candles and soon everyone was sitting in the candlelight, making conversation. It was mostly Cooper and Kirshner talking to the Monkees, who did their best to talk themselves up as a great band. They even sang 'Last Train to Clarksville' to them.
Cooper seemed impressed, but Kirshner did not. He kept looking at his watch.
After about an hour, the lights snapped on
"Finally!" Edie said, getting up and going into the kitchen.
"So...what do you think of us, Mr. Krishner and Mr. Cooper?" Mike asked.
"I can't make a decision on an empty stomach." Krishner complained.
"I'd like to hear you boys play your guitars before I make a decision." Cooper replied.
Steve quickly turned the conversation over to other topics until Edie came over to them.
"The turkey's ready." She smiled.
With that, everyone went into the dining room for supper. Steve carved the turkey and everyone began to eat. The Monkees were able to eat a little, since they had time to rest before eating again.

Finally, the dinner was over. Even though the Monkees had to decline dessert, they agreed it was a very nice meal. After Edie put the dishes in the dishwasher, everyone sat down in the living room once again.
"Why don't you play for us now, fellas?" Cooper asked them.
So, Mike got the acustic guitars out of the car and Mike and Peter played while the other Monkees sang. This time Kirshner looked slightly more interested, but Cooper was clearly happy. He and Kirshner looked at each other.
"What do you think?" Cooper asked Kirshner quietly.
"They're good, but I have other acts that sound the same." Kirshner replied with a shrug. "You can have them."
"That's great, boys." Cooper smiled after they had finished the song 'She', "I'd like to sign you four to my company."
"That's great, Mr. Cooper." Mike replied happily, "What was the name of your company again?"
"Oh, KLR Records." Cooper said.
"I don't think I've ever heard of it." Micky remarked.
"That's probably because the records my company sells is not for your age group." Cooper replied. "The letters KLR stand for Kiddie Land Records."
"Kiddie Land Records?" Davy repeated slowly.
"Yes, we do songs like 'JoJo the Circus Clown', 'Go Away, Rainy Day'..."
"Oh I love that song!" Peter exclaimed.
"Great!" Cooper said, "I've been looking for a group to play a few new songs my writers have written."
"You want us to sing too?" Mike asked.
"No, just play the music." Cooper replied. "And I'll only need you for a few songs, but I can call you back if I need you. What do you say?"
The Monkees looked at each other. Though they were disappointed that they weren't offered a serious deal, it was a job.
"We'll do it, Mr. Cooper." Mike replied.
"Excellent!" The record exec smiled, "Come to my office tomorrow to sign the contract."
"Well, I have to get going." Kirshner said, getting up off the couch. "My wife should be back home from her mother's house."
The Monkees and Mr. Cooper said the same thing. The guys had to go home to recouperate from eating so much in one day.
Handshakes and goodbyes were exchanged and the Monkees finally went home to the pad.

The four tired, full Monkees slowly walked into the pad.
"What a day!" Micky groaned, holding his stomach. "If I see food again, it'll be too soon."
"Me too, but at least we were able to keep all our promises." Mike replied, heading into the kitchen for the antacid tablets.
"And we got a recording job as well." Peter put in.
"But we gotta go back to my Mom's tomorrow for leftovers." Micky said.
"We do?" Davy asked, "I also promised Melissa we'd come back for more tomorrow."
"I told Valerie the same thing." Peter said.
"And Steve wants us to do the same thing." Mike finished.
"Not again." The four Monkees groaned.
They slapped their heads against their foreheads and collapsed onto the couch, which collapsed under their weight.

The End