One Hundred Grand - PG13

[jen]

Another 'what Alle said'

Fabulous!

Thank you!!!

Jenna

[Lilly]

Thank you so much for reading and commenting, jen! I'm so glad you liked it.

[Shadow]

What a beautiful find! I somehow missed this before but I'm so delighted to have discovered it today. It's wonderful on so many levels. First that it is such a clever take on the challenge, with One Hundred Grand being not just an address but the real address. Then the wonderful bit of history related by Josef, the deals he was involved in related to the building of the Pavilion and the reasons he was there in that desolate parking lot in 1952 .... having that history here makes this just so rich. And of course the most wonderful thing of all about the story is the story itself, this amazing first meeting between Josef and Mick contrasting with their current meeting when Mick is again in so much trouble, but in such a different way. This first meeting fits so perfectly into canon, and it just simply ought to be the way things were. Just love the characterizations of Mick and Josef both, so spot on. It's so hard to see Mick in that vacant lot with his dreadful pile of rats, but it is really just exactly what he would do to try to avoid harming others. I really loved the way he tried to warn Josef away, thinking to protect him from himself. And Josef's flash of "welcome to the neighborhood" is absolutely perfect!

[MickLifeCrisis]

Shadow, your bump let me reread this wonderful story of Mick and Josef's friendship - from the real beginning.

Lilly, loved the research you did for this one. The accurate details are the icing on the story!

[allegrita]

Yay, what a great excuse to reread this gem!

[librarian_7]

Yay, what a great excuse to reread this gem!

No kidding. It's been so long, it was almost like a new story!

[Lilly]

I apologize profusely for taking so long to respond to these very lovely comments.

Shadow -- Thank you so much! Your wonderful, insightful comments make me want to write. That's saying a LOT at this point in time, when I've been feeling that most of my inspiration has dried up and I've got nothing left to say. You've managed to put a big smile on my face.

MLC, Alle and Lucky -- thank you for coming back. I truly appreciate your unwavering support -- especially your taking the time to re-read and share your thoughts here.

[MickLifeCrisis]

It's always worth the reread!

[Lilly]

It's always worth the reread!

[allegrita]

It has been waaaaay too long since I read this gem. It's one of my favorite "fanon" pieces. I mentioned this in my original comment, but it's still true: as soon as I read this story, it established itself firmly in my "memory" of Josef's and Mick's story. And I adore the fact that Mick picked that particular place to ask Josef to meet when he was in such terrible trouble in episode 2. It fits perfectly in what we know of them both.

This story seems so much longer than it is in terms of actual words. It's years long.

[MickLifeCrisis]

It's been so long since I've read this that I had forgotten most of it; it was like reading new story! I still love it just as much. There was always a special history between Josef and Mick. This is it.

Glad you bumped this, Alle!

[Ella713]

WooooooooooW! This was mind blowing! I love stories that take us into Josef and Mick meeting for the first time. Poor Mick! Coraline did a number on him for sure!

[Lilly]

Thank you so much, ladies! It's absolutely wonderful to still see people enjoying this one.

[allegrita]

Okay, I've finished my trio of Lilly stories for the night early morning, and I'm so glad I did. This one really fits perfectly into Moonlight history for me. And I don't know if I've ever told you this, but it tickles me that you brought Dorothy Chandler and her Music Center into the story, because Mr. A and I performed there many times as members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, back in the early 1980s. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is a gorgeous building and an awesome performance venue, and it will always be dear to my heart. And I love that Josef donated generously to Dottie's dream project, and also helped himself by buying up dilapidated properties in the neighborhood on spec. Hmm... I wonder if that's when he picked up a certain Art Deco building with an awesome little tower on top. I wouldn't be surprised!

Poor, desperate, new-turn Mick was very lucky to meet up with Josef, and he knew after his encounter with Lee Jay that he could depend on Josef to help him out of another desperate jam... because that's the kind of friendship they have.

Aww, this story makes me so nostalgic!