Everyone ready for the Bake-Off? ;)

Mike: Yeah.

Peter: We'll be rooting for you, Em! :)

Micky: Of course! :D

Davy: Don't let Mick eat everything.

(We open in the lobby of a fairly upscale hotel. It looks a little bit like an enlarged version of the hotel set in "Land of the Rising Sun" with a new paint job and no oriental gewgaws. Emma, Mike, Micky, and Lauren walk in. There

s a sign over the ballroom entrance that says "National Bake-Off June 30th.")

Emma: Wow. Get a load of this place. Pretty snazzy for a bunch of bakers.

Micky: I love this.

Lauren: Careful, Mick, don't drool all over the carpet.

Emma: (Points to the ballroom) There's where the competition will be taking place tomorrow.

Mike: Just think, this is gonna be on TV.

Micky: Nervous, Em?

Emma: (Gulps) A little. Unlike the guys, I've never been on TV before.

Mike: You'll be fine, darlin'. You really are a good baker, and you have stage presence.

Lauren: You're gonna be just fine, Em.

Micky: *Folds his arms* I still can't believe my recipe was rejected.

Lauren: You're STILL not over that, Mick?

Micky: No, I'm not! I'd still like to find that guy that rejected it. Probably doesn't know a darn thing about good eats.

Emma: There just aren't that many fans of liver and onion muffins, Mick.

Micky: Well, why not?

Mike: Liver disgusts some people, Mick.

Emma: Why don't we go up to our rooms and get settled, then have some lunch and check out the rest of the hotel? Maybe we'll meet some fellow competitors, too.

Lauren: Good idea.

Micky: *Points somewhere across the room* Hey, don't we know that blond guy over there?

Mike: Yeah, we do. It's the cook from there. (He waves to him) Hey there, man.

*Sure enough "that blond guy" turns, and we find it's Al from the Country Club. He spots the group and walks over to them.*

Al: *Joins them* Hey, guys. Here for the competition?

Micky: *Sighs* I'm only here as a spectator.

Emma: I'm here for the competition.

Mike: And I'm here to support her.

Al: That's great! *puts a hand up* Though I have to ask you to not tell me what you're making.

Emma: That's ok. You in the competition?

Al: No. I'm one of the judges.

Micky: A judge?

Al: *Shrugs* There's just some about me they liked.

Emma: Are you judging the cakes and tortes division?

Al: *Nods* Yes, I am.

Micky: You wouldn't happen to have had anything to do with who got INTO this competition, would you?

Al: Micky, only YOU would eat those muffins of yours. I like a lot of weird foods, but I draw the line at liver and onion muffins.

Mike: That's what we tried to tell him. (Emma elbows him.)

Micky: *Eyes widen* You...

Al: I'm sorry about the whole thing over the phone, but you had me on there for three hours!

Lauren: *Turns to Micky* Three HOURS?

Micky: *Winces* Crap.

Mike: You said Al was the one who went on and on.

Al: The only thing I went on about was trying to get Micky OFF the line.

Emma: What was so important that it kept you on the phone for three hours with this guy, Mick?

Micky: Well, after my original idea was rejected...

Al: He kept suggesting other disgusting ideas.

Mike: Someone should have warned 'ya that Micky never takes "no" for an answer.

Al: I found that out the hard way.

Mike: Well, we've gotta bring our stuff upstairs. (Grins) Al, I know you're a judge and all, but would you like to join us for a drink and dinner in the lounge after we get settled?

Emma: Yeah!

Al: I'd love to!

Lauren: The more, the merrier.

Mike: (Indicates his suitcase) We still need to get settled, so how about we meet you there?

Al: Sure. I'll see you shortly.

(We open into one large suite of rooms. It's more-or-less the same deluxe hotel room set from "Big Apple Monkees," complete with sink in the main room, small refrigerator, and large beds.)

Mike: Ain't it amazin' how even the fanciest hotels manage to look the same?

Micky: It helps when they're owned by the same company.

Emma: Don't complain, baby. Just be glad the Bake-Off provided these deluxe accommodations. We could be in some rat trap somewhere. Or at home. Or at a hotel with human-eating mist in it.

Mike: I never wanna see man-eating mist again as long as I live.

Micky: Me either.

Mike: (Drops his suitcase down on one of the beds) We're only gonna be here for the weekend, so we don't really need to unpack or anythin'.

Emma: (She wanders around the room, peering in drawers and in closets) Usual stuff. Hangers, stuff for the sink, fancy soap shaped like swans and roses, bible, stationary.

Lauren: Micky will be snitching everything not bolted down before we leave.

Micky: Absolutely.

Emma: How many hotel Bibles do you have by now?

Micky: I don't take the Bibles! I don't feel like being on the business end of a lightning bolt.

Emma: (Peers in the bedrooms...and pulls out again, holding a huge basket) Oooh, look at this! A fruit and baked goods basket!

Lauren: Very nice!

Mike: Any liquor in there?

Emma: (Rolls her eyes) Please. But... (She pulls out some candies) They do have very fancy chocolate.

Lauren: Oooh!

Micky: Chocolate is good, but it looks as though we'll be getting our liquor at dinner.

Mike: Yeah. Some buddies of mine says the lounge not only has a great bar, but plays great music, too.

Micky: Sounds good to me.

Emma: (Looks out the window) Look at this view! You can see all of LA from here, right down to the mountains and the Hollywood sign!

Lauren: Oh, wow!

Emma: That's one of the things I like about California. Best of both worlds - mountains and oceans.

Mike: Yeah, it's nice. (He nods at the refrigerator) I wonder what's in there?

Emma: Nothing you need to have. There's plenty of liquor downstairs.

Lauren: Besides, I'm sure everything in that fridge costs at least an arm.

Emma: Probably an arm and several fingers.

Mike: (Looks at his watch) It's a little early, but maybe we could go downstairs and have some dinner, then hit the bar.

Micky: Good. I'm starved!

Lauren: You're always starved, Mick. You just wanna have another battle of wits with Al.

Micky: Well...perhaps I do.

Mike: Could you guys cut it down to a dull roar? It ain't nice to argue with the judges.

Micky: Who's arguing? Like Lauren said, it's a battle of wits.

Mike: Yeah, well, it ain't nice to battle with the judges.

Emma: I'm sure it's harmless, Mike.

Micky: Of course it is!

Emma: Let's just go eat. He's probably not there yet, anyway.

Mike: (Nods) Right. (They head out.)

(Cut to downstairs. Emma, Mike, Lauren, and Micky sit at a small table near the jazz combo playing on the stage in the back of the room. The room is dark and smoky, with a years-old bar taking up most of the side.)

Mike: (Claps as the jazz musicians finish their number) Hey, they ain't bad.

Emma: I really liked them!

Micky: Yeah, they're really good!

Mike: (Settles back in his chair) This burger wasn't bad, either.

Emma: I sure liked my burger. Medium rare, just the way I like it, and the pickle was big enough to spear several angry lions.

Lauren: The grilled chicken sandwich was really good.

Micky: My BLT was excellent. They were quite generous with the bacon.

Mike: (Looks over at the door and grins as a familiar blond man is seen) Well well, look who finally decided to join us. Had to do your judgely duties?

Al: Yes, had limber up the arms and prep the stomach.

Emma: Are some of the other entrants that bad?

Al: Well, you never know.

Mike: (Nods at the bar) Why don't we really prep our stomachs?

Emma: Baby, don't overdo it.

Mike: Who's overdoing it? I'm just gonna have a couple of beers.

Al: *Nods* I could use a beer or a few. Just got word that the airline lost one of my bags, which happened to have my travel wares in it.

Mike: Where have you been since the last time we saw you, Al? I thought you worked at the Country Club.

Al: I still am, actually. After all the news on what was going down at the Club, it managed to segue into people wanting to interview me and everything. It snowballed from there...and here I am.

Mike: You got popular. (Frowns) Hey, how are things at the Club? Is it still owned by the same guy?

Al: *Shakes his head* New owner, thank goodness.

Mike: (Nods) So he did sell the Club.

Al: Yeah, he didn't keep it very long after everything happened.

Mike: We'd heard inklin's to that effect, but nothin' concrete. He sold Dark Star Records, too. Seems to have skipped town; no one's heard anythin' about him since late last month.

Al: Good. Can't say as I miss him.

Mike: (Heads to the bar) Any plans for the rest of the night? This jazz group's really good.

Al: Nothing more than hanging out here. I certainly can appreciate some good jazz, and I've heard these guys before. They are definitely good.

Mike: I ain't heard them. Don't often come to this ritzy part of town. (The others join them. Mike orders a beer.)

Emma: I'll just have a Diet Coke, please.

Al: I'll have a beer as well.

Micky: Make that three beers.

Lauren: Unsweetened iced tea, please.

Mike: (Sips his beer) God, this is good stuff. Must be Canadian. They know their brew.

Emma: (Looks at her watch) You know, it's getting late. I have to get an early start for the contest tomorrow.

Lauren: And I'm just tired. What about you fellas?

Mike: Nahh, I'm pretty good here. Wanna finish my beer.

Micky: Me, too.

Al: *shrugs* And I'm just used to short nights.

Emma: Mike and Micky, we'll see you upstairs, then. Al, it's been nice seeing you.

Al: It's been nice to see you ladies, too.

Emma: Have a nice night! (She and Lauren pay for their drinks and leave. Emma turns to Lauren) Was that a good idea, leaving the three of them together without supervision?

Lauren: Well, I'd like to hope that Al can handle the guys...but I could be wrong, too.

Emma: He was drinking with them. I just hope he doesn't have any powers of his own beyond making a really good burger.

Lauren: We'll find out then, won't we?

Emma: If we get really lucky, they'll just pass out on the stage and sleep here the whole night.

(The girls walk upstairs together, laughing. We fade out as the camera moves back to the lounge, where the three guys chat and drink their beers...which are now lining up in front of them on the bar...)