Of Spirits and Circuses 7/10
Eyes wide with alarm, Mike eased down one level till he was even with Peter, and pounded the coughing man on his back. "Sorry bout that, Shotgun," he said once Peter had some control. "Didn't mean to shock you."
Peter's eyes were huge. "You... You can't see her? Even when you can see?"
"No, Peter. I can't."
"I mean, I knew you could barely hear her..... when the tape isn't running, I mean--"
Mike gasped. "Tape? Wait.....Gloria?" His eyes widened again. "Gloria Russell?"
Peter nodded.
"You mean to tell me that you can see.....hear...."
"And touch," Peter said softly.
"The Chanteuse? You can interact with the ghost in the Pad?"
"She held your hand all through your last blind spell," Peter pointed out.
Mike frowned. "She's here?"
Peter nodded. "She is. Sitting here, actually." He gestured, and Mike turned there.
"I poured out my heart to you. I thought you were real."
And, very softly, he heard, "Am real."
Mike jerked backward as if she'd slapped him. "Peter...."
"It hurts her to talk to other people," Peter said. "She said she's sorry."
"How come you can talk to Peter and not to us?" Mike asked.
"She says I'm sensitive," Peter said as he blushed a little.
Mike found himself smiling. "Yeah, Shotgun - you are that."
Micky and Davy walked up at that point, and the four went back to work.
~*~
That evening, back at the Pad, four tired Monkees held a pow-wow. They were trying to figure out ways to help Pop's Circus.
Peter was contributing twice as many ideas as the rest of them, prompting Micky to tease: "Your brain finally turned on?"
"Something like that," Peter chuckled, shooting a quick wink at Mike.
Where is she? Mike mouthed.
Peter patted the chair arm in reply - at an angle that only Mike could see his fingers were a few inches above it.
Micky went to bed early, exhausted from the physical work.
Peter's eyes suddenly widened. "Hey, Davy! Did you happen to get Susan's number?"
Davy frowned. "Course I did - why?"
Peter began to smile. "Let me borrow it." Once Davy had turned it over and headed to the bedroom, Peter crossed the room and picked up the phone.
"What's up, Shotgun?" Mike asked.
Peter finished dialing and turned a huge smile onto Mike. "Gloria's got an idea."