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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐓 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 of the radio filled the kitchen as Missie prepared her morning cup of coffee. After pouring the coffee into the mug, she moved to the kitchen table to check her emails, which were regarding a shipment of paintings from Europe. As she responded to the emails, Brooke descended the stairs and entered the kitchen.

"Morning mom." Brooke smiled as she served herself a cup of coffee

Missie smiled as she set her coffee cup down. "Morning sweetheart. Are you coming to the country club with your aunts Kathy, Beth, and I?" 

Brooke joined her mother at the table, then stirred sugar into her coffee. "I planned on it. By the way, how did it go, having coffee with Johnny? He looked rough at uncle Dan's."

"It was nice catching up with him, but he's fallen on hard times." Missie said, as she set her coffee cup down, and Brooke glanced at her mother, urging her to go on. urging her to go on. "I guess he lost his job the day we saw him at the dealership, and seeing Daniel and that long, complicated rivalry was the straw that broke the camel's back for him. Anyway, go on and start getting ready. you know how your aunt Kathy is when it comes to being late."

･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･

Upon arriving at the country club, Missie and her children exited the Audi, and the valet promptly parked the car. As they entered the club, Brooke spotted Whitney, Kaitlin, and Farrah. Meanwhile, Missie stood with Beth and Kathy at the bar, ordering a drink.

"So, you'll never believe where I went last night," Beth said, taking a sip of her martini. Missie, Kathy, and Lana, sipping their drinks and glancing at her, encouraged her to continue. "My cousin Antoinette had mentioned this speed dating program."

"Is that where you were?" Missie asked, setting her drink aside. "I tried to call you last night. That's why you didn't respond."

Beth nodded as she placed her drink down. "Oh no, just wait, it gets better. 15 guys and 15 girls sitting across from each other, for three minutes at a time." she said

Missie nearly choked on her drink and then glanced at her best friend. "Bethany, 15 dates? That's way worse than one."

"Girl, tell me about it," Beth said. "You only have five minutes to get to know this guy, then you switch, and it's all over again."

"Well, there are some eligible bachelors here," Kathy said, taking a sip of her martini. "Do you see anyone you fancy?"

"Oh," Beth said as she saw a guy she liked, and he was eying her. "That one is fine like wine. Excuse me."

"Of course. Have fun and good luck." Lana laughed as she drank her drink

As Brooke sipped her cherry coke with rum and engaged in conversation with her cousins, Whitney caught a glimpse of a very attractive young man across the room. He had blonde hair and mesmerizing green eyes. He was seated at a table with his friends, and was smiling at Brooke. 

Whitney tapped Brooke on the shoulder and got her attention. "Don't look now, hottie at 3:00 and he's looking right at you."

As Brooke savored her remaining maraschino cherry, she locked eyes with the young man, who was instantly captivated. He had never seen anyone like her before. While the girls he had seen were pretty, Brooke was gorgeous.

"Honey, he is eye banging you from across the room." Kaitlin said as she sipped her rosè.

"Serious eye banging on both parts." Farrah teased as she sipped her cosmo

Brooke nervously laughed then rolled her eyes as she sipped her cherry coke with rum. "Will you shut it? I'm not eye banging him."

"Yeah, whatever." Kaitlin laughed. "I'm all out of wine. I'm going for a refill and some snacks."

As Whitney, Kaitlin, and Farrah stood up to head to the bar and refill their drinks, they then walked to the table to grab some refreshments. Meanwhile, the guy who had been admiring Brooke approached the table. "Is this seat taken?" he asked.

Brooke glanced up and smiled warmly. "Oh, my cousins went to refill their drinks, but you're welcome to join us. Please sit down." She smiled again as he took his seat. My name is Brooklyn, but you can call me Brooke."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Brooke. I'm Landon," Landon said, extending his hand for a handshake, which Brooke graciously accepted.

At the bar, Missie stood with Kathy, Lana, and Beth. Suddenly, Amanda approached the bar. "Hi, girls! I thought I spotted the three of you walk in," Amanda greeted them with a warm smile, embracing her closest friends. 

Missie smiled as she embraced her best friend. "Hey hon. Love the dress."

"Hey honey." Lana smiled, embracing her best friend

"That dress is a gorgeous color on you, dear." Kathy smiled as she embraced Amanda. "I see Anthony is here, but where's Sam? She didn't want to come?" she asked, sipping her martini

"Oh, you didn't hear? She's got some new friends." Amanda said. "The popular girls from the hills."

"I'm sure Dan just loves that." Beth said as she sipped her drink, then glanced over to find Daniel walking over to the bar. "Speaking of, his ears must have been burning."

"You know, I would have killed to visit a club like this when I was his age." Daniel said as he walked toward the bar and looked towards Anthony. "You know where I hung out in summer? On a filthy street in newark with a broken..." he started

"A broken fire hydrant next to your aunt Tessie's. yeah." Amanda finished his sentence and nodded her head. "What do you say we let Anthony play with his thing, and you and I get a couple of drinks?"

"Dirty martinis?" Daniel asked, leaning on the bar

"Yes, ice cold." Amanda told the bartender.

"Hey Missie, Kathy, Lana, Beth." Daniel smiled, embracing his best friends. "Where's the girls and Jesse?"

"The girls are over at the table having a drink and Jesse's over with his friends." Missie smiled

Kathy set her drink down and glanced over to the table where her daughters and nieces were sitting. Whitney, Kaitlin, and Farrah had gotten up to chat with a few of the ladies from the office, while Brooke conversed with Landon. "Not anymore," her sister-in-law and best friend remarked, looking in the same direction as Kathy. "Brooke and that boy are definitely hitting it off."

The group heard a voice boom fron begind them. They turned around and it was Isaiah Robinson, who was a former lineman for the Los Angeles chargers.

"Hey." Daniel smiled

"Hey, you still kicking that competition?" Isaiah asked as he shook Daniel's hand, then embraced Missie, Kathy, Lana, and Beth, who in return, embraced Aisha

"You know it Isaiah." Daniel said. "How's the Q5 treating you?"

Isaiah shrugged his shoulders. "Wouldn't know. This one over here's been behind the wheel all month going back and forth to robot camp." he said as he nodded to Aisha

"Dad, it's an A.P. physics prep course." Aisha corrected, but her father didn't look convinced. Aisha glanced to Daniel and Amanda. "Hey, where's Samantha? I feel like I haven't seen her all summer."

"She's uh—" Daniel started, but then Amanda finished, by putting a hand on Aisha's shoulder, "She's with her grandma, but we'll tell her that you said hi."

"Later." Isaiah said as both him and Aisha walked away.

"Here are your drinks." the bartender said as she gave the LaRusso's their drinks.

"With her grandma? Yeah, right. Lately I can't get her to call my mom let alone visit her." Daniel said

"Daniel, what is she supposed to say? That she's hanging out with her new friends?" Kathy asked, sipping her martini.

"All I know is she should be here. We come to this party once a year. She gets to see her stupid friends everyday." Daniel said as he drank his martini.

"Daniel, she's a teenager, we've all been through these phases. Just be lucky she doesnt buck heads with her mother like I did with mine." Beth said.

"I second that." Lana said, sipping her drink

"They're right, and it seems someone's in a mood." Missie said, sipping her drink

"What's going on with you?" Amanda asked, sipping her drink as well

"Nothing, I'm fine." Daniel said, and his wife and best friends glanced at him. "All right, all right. You remember that...guy from my high school whose car I fixed for free?"

"Yeah, the blonde pretty boy, the one you beat in the tournament." Amanda said. "The one Missie dated."

"Actually I never remember calling him pretty, but anyway...I'm driving home from work yesterday, and I pull up to the stoplight and I look and I see that he's reopened Cobra Kai." Daniel said

Missie's heart sank as memories from that fateful night in 1984, the night Kreese nearly killed Johnny, flooded her mind.

Flashback 
— December 19th, 1984, Post All Valley Karate Tournament; Los Angeles, CA

"That sucks I did my best." Johnny argued

"What did you say?!" Kreese spat, getting in Johnny's face

"I said I did my best!" Johnny spat

"You're nothing, you lost, you're a loser!" Kreese yelled

"No you're the loser man." Johnny spat back

"Oh, I'm the loser huh?" Kreese spat, then snatched Johnny's second place trophy from his hands and threw it a piece of it nearly hit jimmy in the head. "Now who's a loser?!" Kreese spat

"You know you're really sick man." Johnny said

Kreese then put Johnny in a choke hold, and Missie felt her chest tighten as the atmosphere grew cold. "Johnny!" she yelled, but Daniel held her back

Johnny's face began turning red from the choke hold, and Tommy intervened. "Hey!" he said

"Hey! Hey, come on!" Bobby said as he pulled at Kreese's arm, only for Kreese to elbow him in the chest, which knocked him down and Bobby grasped his chest

Tommy desperately pulled at Kreese's arms. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Don't." Kreese warned

"How does second place feel now huh?!" Kreese asked as he continued choking Johnny, with his face turning purple

"Come on! He can't breathe!" Tommy said

"Mind your business." Kreese said

"You're gonna kill him!" Bobby said as he stood up

"Sensei, please, come on, you're hurting him, he's sorry okay? He really is."

___

"Missie, are you all right, dear?" Kathy asked, placing her hand on her sister in-law's shoulder. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm fine." Missie said. "Would you all excuse me?"

Brooke glanced towards the bar and noticed her mother entering the country club. After exchanging numbers with Landon, she excused herself and headed to the country club to check on her mother.

Missie, after closing the restroom door, turned on the faucet to splash water on her face. She couldn't understand why Johnny reopened Cobra Kai, especially considering everything Kreese had put him and the boys through. As she turned off the faucet, the door unexpectedly opened, and Brooke walked in.

"Mom? What happened? Are you okay?" Brooke asked as she consoling hand on her mother's shoulder

"I'm fine sweetheart." Missie said. "Don't worry about it."

"Mom, you're a terrible liar." Brooke said, giving her mother paper towels. "Tell me, what's going on?"

"Johnny reopened Cobra Kai. Johnny and I have talked on the phone for weeks. Why didn't he say anything?" Missie asked

"I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this mom." Brooke said

"Why would he even want to bring back Cobra Kai? Kreese nearly killed him, had your uncle Bobby disqualified, nearly killed your uncle Tommy, and taught them all to fight dirty. It's one of the many reasons your uncle Dutch is in Lompoc." Missie said

"There's only one way to find out." Brooke said. "Go over there and find out for yourself. But you're not going alone. I'm coming with you."

･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･

"Bye mom, I'm going with Tyler and the guys up to Malibu." Mason said. "I'll be home later though."

"Okay, just be careful." Missie said.

"Brooke, we're going for drinks." Whitney said as she,  Kaitlin, and Farrah embraced their cousin. "You in?"

"Not tonight, but maybe next time." Brooke said, then embraced her cousins. "You two enjoy and have fun."

"If you change your mind, we'll be at Palace." Kaitlin said, as she, Whitney, and Farrah embraced Missie. "Love you and aunt Missie."

"Love you girls too." Brooke smiled

"Love you too, sweetheart."

After bidding farewell to the girls, Kathy, Lana, and Beth, Missie and Brooke left the country club and headed to the parking lot. They got into the Audi, and the older brunette drove away, heading towards Reseda. As she pulled into the strip mall parking lot, she parked the car and noticed Daniel's car parked nearby.

"That's your uncle Daniel's car." Missie said as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

Brooke leaned over, to see Daniel's car parked next to the audi. "What's he doing here?" the brunette asked

Inside the dojo, Daniel stepped onto the mat, as Johnny walked out of the office. "Some things never change." Daniel said

"Yeah? What are you talking about?" Johnny asked

Daniel pointed towards the parking lot outside. "I heard you beat up a bunch of teenagers in that parking lot." He retorted

"Oh, that. No. I didn't beat up any teenagers. I kicked the shit out of a bunch of assholes who deserved it." Johnny said as he took a threatening step forward.

Daniel shook his head and scoffed. "Wow, Johnny Lawrence calling someone else an asshole. That's rich, man."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Johnny questioned defensively

"All right, look. I'm not here to rehash the past. Just stay away from my daughter's friends." Daniel warned.

"Your daughter's friends? Yeah, that makes sense. Nice company she keeps." Johnny spat

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Daniel said

"It means those friends of her's were wailing on a kid half their size. Maybe you don't know your daughter as well as you think you do. Get your house in order LaRusso." Johnny spat

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" Daniel asked, as he walked closer to Johnny

"Bathroom's clean! Is there anything else you need me to do?" Daniel heard a teenage boy say as he walked into the room holding a toilet plunger and rag "Oh, I'm sorry, Sensei. I..." he started stuttering as Daniel looked at him shocked.

"Sensei Really? Oh my God, kid. I don't know what he's told you, but you shouldn't believe a word he says, or you're gonna end up exactly like him." he said as he looked at the kid, then turned back to Johnny before he continued. "You and I... this... we aren't done."

"I'm right here, man." Johnny challenged as he put his arms to the side.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything, sensei. Should I do 20 push-ups on my knuckles?" The kid asked.

"Right. Like you could." Johnny chuckled

Johnny stood and watched Daniel looked at him through his car lights until he left. Getting out of the Audi, Missie locked it behind her, and she and Brooke approached the door.

As the mother and daughter opened the door to the dojo, the tinkling of the small shop bell announced their arrival. They ventured further into the dojo, taking in their surroundings. Sensing her mother's unease, Brooke gently placed a reassuring hand on her mother's back. "It's okay, Mom. I've got you," she reassured her.

"Dojo's closed." Johnny said as he walked out of his office, locking the door behind him. Turning around, he saw Missie and Brooke standing on the mat behind him. "Oh, hey"

"Hey." Missie smiled.

"Nice place you have." Brooke smiled.

"Thanks." Johnny said.

Johnny led Missie and Brooke to his office. The two sat in the chairs, while he sat in the chair behind his desk. "Johnny, I'm not going to sit here and chastise you, but why in the hell did you reopen Cobra Kai?" Missie asked. "Especially after what happened."

"I want to change Cobra Kai." Johnny said.

"You really think cobra kai can change?" Missie asked

"My Cobra Kai's gonna be different." Johnny reassured

"Well, I'm not going to sit here and chastise you, all I can do is tell you to be careful and don't open pandora's box." Missie said.

"Hey sensei, you ready to go?" the boy asked as he stood at the office door.

"Yeah." Johnny said. "Missie, Brooke, this is my student Miguel. Miguel this is Missie and her daughter, Brooke. Missie and I dated in high school and in college." Johnny smiled

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Miguel said as he shook Missie and Brooke's hands

"You too sweetheart." Missie smiled

"You as well." Brooke smiled

"Well, we better get going." Missie said. "We'll see you both soon."

"Okay, you two be safe." Johnny said

"Stay out of trouble, Lawrence." Missie laughed.

"Nope." Johnny laughed

"Yeah, didn't think so." Missie laughed

"Good night, Missie."

"Night, Lawrence"

･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･

Upon returning to the Encino residence, Brooke ascended the stairs and entered her room. She shed her Jimmy Choo heels and stepped into the ensuite bathroom, turning on the shower.

After a refreshing shower, Brooke stood at the bathroom sink, washing her face. Once she had finished, she dried her face with a towel and reached for her moisturizer. Completing her skincare routine, she turned off the bathroom light and made her way to the bedroom.

Later, she curled up against the headboard, engrossed in reading The Notebook. As she grew weary, she bookmarked her page and placed it on her nightstand. Just as she lay down and draped the covers over herself, her phone buzzed on the nightstand, sending a message from Landon.

Landon ❤️

It was nice to meet you.
Hopefully we can go out to a quieter
spot sometime, just the two of us.
Call me soon. ❤️

I had a wonderful time as well.
I would love that. Talk to you soon.
Goodnight. 🩷

Goodnight ❤️

Smiling to herself, Brooke set her alarm, plugged her phone into the charger, placed it back on the nightstand, covered it up, and then went to sleep.