Is everyone ready to rock the Big Apple? ;)

Lauren: You bet! :D

Micky: Better believe it!

Mike: Let's show those New Yorkers what a good California group is made of! :D

Peter: I can't wait to play for such a big crowd! :)

Davy: And all those waitresses in the tight mermaid uniforms... ;)

Micky: Dave! :P

(We open in the Atlantica Club, which is now quiet and empty. The glittery ocean-themed decorations sparkle on the morning sunlight coming through the small windows. The boys rehearse their numbers for that night on the stage. The only other person there is a janitor sweeping the floor and emptying the garbage.)

Mike: (We come in just as "I'm a Believer" is ending) Not bad, guys, but we gotta work on the ending.

Micky: *hits a rim shot* How about that for an ending, Mike? ;)

Mike: (Rolls his eyes) Cute, Mick.

Davy: What should we work on next?

*Micky shrugs, grinning.* ;)

Peter: Can I sing something?

Mike: Got anythin' in mind, Pete?

Peter: (Smiles) "Come On In." That's one of my best songs. :)

Mike: Sure, buddy. It'll be good for slow dancin'.

Micky: That's a good one, Pete! :)

Davy: (Grins widely) No kiddin'. I'm gonna get Daph on the dance floor for that one for sure. ;)

Micky: You'd get her on the dance floor for all of them, if you could. ;)

Mike: If she doesn't knock you across the dance floor and out the door first. ;)

Davy: I just gotta put it the right way. ;) :X

Micky: Uh huh, sure. ;)

Mike: Come on, guys. Let's get started. (We launch into our next video for "Come On In." There's a montage of Peter singing the song and the guys playing with camera shots from different angles, until the camera cuts to the front door. Emma, Lauren, Valerie, and the Abbies walk in, laden with shopping bags and a stack of newspapers. They sit at a table and watch the boys finish the song and clap for them when the song and the video are done.)

Emma: Very nice, guys. :)

Valerie: Peter, your singing is getting better. That song is so sweet. :)

Lauren: That was beautiful, Peter. :)

Peter: Thanks, Val! (Gets off the stage, puts his bass down, and gives Valerie a kiss and a light hug) How was your breakfast and shopping trip?

Daphne: (Holds up a bag) We cleared out Bloomingdale's and Macy's. ;)

Maxine: I forgot how much fun shopping in Manhattan is. ;)

Lauren: My poor wallets feels like it's been abused by Micky's appetite! ;)

Micky: Hey! :P ;)

(Everyone chuckles. ;) )

Emma: Speaking of Micky's appetite...show him your present from Fanny Farmer's! ;)

Lauren: Okay, that was a cheap shot, Mick. And as an apology for picking on you so much lately, this is for you. *pulls out a rather large, square silver box and hands it to Micky*

Micky: *gawks at the box* This is the BIGGEST Hershey's Kiss I've ever SEEN! :D

Peter: (Eyes widen) WOW! :D

Valerie: I told you he'd like it. ;)

Lauren: *grins* I had Fanny's make it especially for you, Mick. ;)

Micky: Like it? I LOVE IT! *crushes Lauren in a hug* :D :D :D

Mike: You finally found a piece of chocolate big enough for even him. ;)

Davy: Don't eat it all in one second! ;)

Micky: *lets Lauren go; shakes his head* I'm gonna enjoy EVERY bite of this! :D

Kimberly: (Holds out the papers) While you eat, why don't we find out what the papers have to say about us up-and-coming stars? ;)

Mike: Whadya do, buy every paper in the nearest kiosk? ;)

Kimberly: Not EVERY paper...

Jenny: Just one of each publication. ;)

(Papers are spread on the table, and the group sifts through them until they find the entertainment section or something similiar.)

Daphne: (Makes a face) Most of them talk about the club and barely mention us!

Maxine: We're "up-and-coming but a bit raw around the edges" in the New York Daily Post.

Davy: The Newark Registah liked you. Says you're fresh and alive and got a lot of talent, especially in the vocals. :)

Emma: The Times isn't as enthusiastic. They didn't out-and-out hate you, but they basically imply Van should have chosen more professional acts to open. :p

Peter: (Shakes his head) That's to be expected. The critics at the Times are among the toughest in the world. A lot of veteran artists have a hard time getting good reviews from them!

Micky: Kinda like pulling teeth. :P

Daphne: Just a passing mention in the Philadelphia Inquirer. :p

Emma: Philly critics are said to be even tougher. ;)

Mike: Panned big-time in the New York Bulletin. (Reads it) "The Atlantica Club is a lot of flash and glitter, but like its musical acts, lacks substance and a sense of style. The music is garish, poorly written synthetic pop, and all of the special effects in the world can't mask the lack of talent or of good tunes."

Maxine: (Growls) SYNTHETIC? X(

Lauren: *groans* Geez... :P X-(

Mike: (Continues reading) "It's a shame these young people didn't come of age twenty years ago, where they would have been run out of town by writers who can write rhymes that truly rhyme and interpret standards the way they were meant to be heard, uncorruped by rock rhythms."

Micky: Okay, I'm gonna hurt someone. X-(

Daphne: Oooh, who wrote that, and is there a place where I can show them what I think of them? X(

Mike: (Reads again) "By Eric Kendred." The jerk we met last night. Figures. :p

Micky: *growls* Lemme at him! X-(

Maxine: (Frowns) There are a few other negative reviews, too, but they aren't as nasty as Eric Kendred! Most of them just say we have talent but lack experience or presence or something.

(The janitor, who's been sweeping in the background, "accidentally" hits the side of Micky's chair.)

*Micky glares at him, still seething.* :P

(The janitor lowers his eyes...but Micky gets a glimpse of a pair of brown orbs and a flash of salt-and-pepper hair before the janitor goes back to the other side of the room.)

*Micky eyes the janitor before turning back, a confused look on his face.* :-/

Mike: What is it, Mick? You look like you've been muddled or somethin'.

Micky: No, uh... *makes a face* Never mind. Just seeing things. :P

Daphne: I wish I was seeing things! (Indicates the Bulletin)

Peter: It's just one bad review. There's only a few reviews that are out-and-out negative. Most of them are positive or mixed. :)

Jenny: At least the critics are seeing us at all. The last time we got this much publicity was when some photographer took a picture of us being washed out of that club in Seattle that got flooded. :p

Mike: You heard Van. Kendred's just a jerk, anyway.

Micky: I'll vouch for THAT. :P

Mike: I can only imagine how he'll react to US. :p

Emma: In no uncertain terms, I'm sure. :p

Peter: Maybe he'll change his mind. :)

Lauren: Kinda doubt it. :P

Mike: Don't sound like it, buddy. Van says he thinks rock has a place and pop has a place, and the stage ain't the place for rock. :p

Peter: But I don't JUST like rock! I like classical, too, and folk!

Emma: From what I've gathered, people are the same way when any new form of music seems to displace the older forms, whether it's ragtime, jazz, big band, folk, or rock.

Lauren: People just don't like change.

Valerie: And it's happened so fast in the past century, some folks are STILL trying to play catch-up.

Peter: Change isn't ALWAYS bad. Micky probably wouldn't be playing music with us a century ago, and the girls certainly wouldn't be!

Micky: Thanks, Pete, I think. ;)

Mike: Mick, you're part Indian, right? In 1870, you'd be on the plains or a reservation, being attacked because you're a minority that people don't understand.

Micky: Yeah, part. Depends on which part of me you're talking about. Maybe the Italian part of me would've been playing music with you guys. ;)

Kimberly: Yeah, but WE'D be in some parlor room, talking with other girls and sewing and being dainty in long, hot dresses with bustles. :p

Lauren: I'm getting nauseous just from the thought of it. :P

Daphne: Or MAYBE learning to be a social worker or nurse IF we were lucky. Only the baddest of the bad girls were in theater in those days! Most actresses and singers weren't exactly smiled upon by high society. :p

Maxine: The only things we'd know how to play are a couple of polite songs on the piano. :p

Peter: Why don't we go for a walk? Maybe we could take in a show or something. :)

Emma: Sounds good to me! We could put our stuff back at the Plaza and walk around mid-town Manhattan from there. :)

Mike: But rehearsal...

Micky: But, nothing! We need something to relax us.

Davy: Mike, we've done plenty of rehearsin' this mornin'. Let's get our minds off crtics and negative reviews.

Peter: I want to show you guys around Grenwich Village. (Takes his wife's hand) Especially you, Valerie. (Rubs her stomach) I want our child to know where his daddy's roots are. :)

Valerie: I've only passed through Grenwich Village. I've never seen it intimately. :)

Maxine: I know a great deli we could pick up a snack at. I hope it's still in the Theatrical District. All of the Broadway performers used to go there to grab a bite between shows. :)

Micky: Food sounds great! ;)

Daphne: Oooh, celebrity-watching! :D

Kimberly: Maybe we'll see Dean Jones! :D

Maxine: Well, what are you waiting for? Dean Jones might be out there! :D

Mike: Ok, my fine compadres, let's get the show on the road. ;)

(The guys grab their instruments and start to put them backstage. When the room is completely empty, the janitor puts down his sponge and starts whispering into a tiny microphone on his collar.)

(Cut to outside as "Shake 'Em Up" begins. Maxine walks down the street with her hands behind her, happily sniffing the air. A car comes by as she inhales deeply. She ends up coughing. Jenny slaps her on the back.)

(Peter drags Valerie to a street vendor. She's shaking her head, but smiling.)

*Lauren and Micky stop at the curb, watching traffic zipping by. They're TRYING to cross the street, but every time one of them steps off the curb, the traffic picks up again.*

(Mike and Emma pass by a record store. Mike grins and tugs Emma inside. Neither notices the man at the kiosk across from the store point at them and speak into his collar.)

(Emma emerges with a record. Mike emerges with a pile of records, two sheet music books, and a box of guitar strings. ;) )

*Micky tries pushing the "Walk" button. The little "person" lights up, but traffic is still moving. Lauren and Micky exchange annoyed looks.* :P

(Davy and Daphne stop at a theater and buy tickets for a show...then nearly gets trampled by the mob coming OUT of the show. They're so dizzy when they make their way into the theater that they don't notice the ticket girl whisper into her collar.)

(Kimberly, Jenny, and Maxine chat with some cute guys carrying sheet music and gym bags on the corner. They put their arms around the boys and walk off with them. ;)

*Micky and Lauren are STILL waiting to cross. Unfortunately, they don't see a camera atop one of the traffic lights that's focused right on them, causing they're street-crossing problem.* :P

(Davy and Daphne literally dance their way out of the Alvin Theater. They do a little bit of hoofing for the crowd that's gathered around them, bowing when they're through. ;) )

(Peter and Valerie watch a group of street performers. Peter grabs a guitar and joins them, and Valerie sings along. :) )

(Mike and Emma join Micky and Lauren at the traffic lights. Mike asks the frustrated pair what the problem is.)

*Micky starts flailing his arms, explaining how the lights change, but the traffic doesn't stop.* :P

(Peter takes Valerie's hand and pulls her over to an ice cream vendor. They buy cones from the man and walk away hand in hand. The ice cream vendor leans over his collar and whispers into it, occasionally pointing to the kids. Peter looks over his shoulder, but the man suddenly seems VERY interested in ice cream again. Peter shrugs.)

(Emma tugs on Mike's leather jacket and points out the camera on the traffic light. Mike looks around quickly and makes a rubber ball appear. He throws the ball at the camera and catches it in one of his bags.)

*Lauren and Micky applaud Mike's aim.* ;)

(The quartet finally cross the street as a man in a chicken costume, advertising a fried chicken restaraunt, passes them. The chicken man makes a face at the now-empty traffic light and speaks into a tiny microphone on the hood of his costume.)

(Maxine looks wistfully in the window of Tiffany's. She likes the jewelry, but she has no money. Suddenly, a group of men in masks run out of the store. One drops a small bag in his rush to escape as the cops pass by Maxine. She walks into the store to return the bag and comes out a few moments later admiring the ring she chose as a reward for returning the bag. ;) :D ))

(The group finally meets on a corner near a few store fronts. Maxine shows the others her ring as Mike, Emma, Lauren, and Micky arrive and the music ends.)

Maxine: (As the quartet walks up to them) ...And the store manager was so grateful for my returning the bag, he let me pick out anything in the store I wanted! :D

Daphne: That's so groovy, Max! You're lucky! :D

Maxine: Seeing that robbery WAS a scary, but sometimes it DOES pay to do the right thing. The manager said the two bracelets and the diamond pendant I returned cost thousands of dollars! :D

Peter: Wow, that sure is big! :o

Maxine: It's a garnet. I do love dark red. :D

Lauren: I'm nearly getting blinded by it! ;)

Davy: (To the new arrivals) 'Ey, wot took you guys so long?

Mike: (Pulls out the camera) Someone was playin' games with us. :p

Micky: We were TRYING to cross the street, but thanks to that little camera, we couldn't :P

Emma: We found that camera rigged on the light on the corner near the Aquatica Club. :p

Peter: Why would someone do that?

Mike: Offhand, buddy, I'd say to watch people's movements.

Lauren: OUR movements, seemingly. :P

Kimberly: Yeah, but why? What have WE done?

Maxine: Recently. ;)

Peter: Maybe we're going to be on Candid Camera!

Mike: I doubt it, Pete. No one's popped out and said "Surprise!" yet. :p

Micky: If they were, they would've by now. :P

Maxine: Do you think it has anything to do with the jewel robbery?

Emma: Hey, didn't Eddie at Eddie's Ice Cream Shoppe mention a series of jewel robberies yesterday?

Mike: Yeah. He said something about a Darwin who was a master of disguise bein' the mastermind behind the crimes. :p

Kimberly: (Snorts) Sounds like something out of a James Bond movie. :p

Emma: It's quite real, apparently.

Maxine: Yeah, but...a master of disguise?

Davy: And wot would a "mastah of disguise" want with US?

Daphne: WE don't have any jewels worth stealing. :p

Maxine: (Covers her ring) Yes, we do!

Daphne: Well, we DIDN'T before. :p

Lauren: You just got that, Max! :P

Peter: (Gulps) Do you think we'll see Darwin in Grenwich Village? :(

Mike: Would we know it was him even if we did?

Davy: I'll bet we've been seein' 'im all day and didn't know it!

Mike: I'd STILL like to know what he's after. :p

Micky: *nods* Me, too. :P

Peter: Maybe we could ask around the Village! I may still have friends there, and some of the people who live there are jewelry designers! Real avante-garde stuff, of course, but they may still have some inside information.

Mike: (Shrugs) We're near there, anyway. If nothing else, we can get a good, cheap meal.

Peter: We can go to some of the clubs I used to play at! (Sighs) If they're still there. So many things have changed since I was last in New York. That's why I left. A lot of my friends were going, and I didn't like a lot of what the newcomers were in to. :(

Valerie: (Puts her arms around her husband) It's ok, honey. I know you're a bit homesick. Why don't you show us around? It'll make you feel better, and it'll get our minds off of this Darwin business. :)

Peter: (Nods) Sure! (Starts down the street, gesturing to the others to follow) Come on, guys! Let me show you the Village! :)

(The others follow Peter. The camera turns downwards and pans from their feet walking down the street to a manhole. The manhole cover opens a little bit to show a pair of brown eyes and a hand tugging at a collar. There's soft whispering, and the cover is pulled back over the hole again.)

(Fade out on the now-closed manhole and fade in on Grenwich Village, a section of New York well-known as an enclave for starving musicians, actors, and other artistically-inclined folks.)

(Peter leads the group into a long row of older apartment buildings, storefronts, taverns, and clubs. The group stops in front of a band of street musicians, listening to them and singing along on occasion.)

(A group of naked dancers - though we only see them from the back - jump out in front of the kids, do a quick interpretive dance, and jump back into an alley.)

(Two hippie girls in gypsy-like costumes playing tambourines dance over to Davy until he's between them, grinning at their...ample...bosums. ;) )

*Micky swats the back of Davy's head... although he himself is staring too much for Lauren's liking, as she swats the the back of Micky's head.* :P ;)

(Daphne and Lauren drag both boys away from the dancers and into a shop. ;) )

(Peter shakes the hands of someone who's upside down...or so we think at first, until we see the upside-down man is standing on his hands on another, larger man's shoulders. The other man is playing the ukelale. ;) )

(Valerie talks to a group of women carrying young children. She rubs her stomach, and the women give her hugs and shows her their children. :) )

(Mike and Emma walk into a music shop. Mike sees a group of boys in cowboy hats playing music in a the store window and joins them. Emma's reluctant to at first, until Mike points her out and the boys wave her over. One plops a cowboy hat on her head. ;) )

*Micky and Lauren come across a large selection of beaded necklaces & the like. Micky pulls one out in particular - the pattern of the beads actually spell out the word "Beads." Lauren chuckles, looking over a selection of woven surfer necklaces.*

(The Abbies watch a group of hippies paint each other. Jenny enthusiasitcally pulls Kimberly and Maxine over to them, pointing to herself and her friends. They nod and gather paint, though Kim and Maxine are far less thrilled about it than Jenny.)

(Peter and Valerie stand in a potter's shop and watches the potter work on a new bowl. Peter tries to pour a box of cereal into the bowl, but Valerie pulls him away before he can. ;) )

(The group meets again in front of a small club.)

Peter: (Smiles) It's nice to be back. It's not like it was, but it's fun.

Mike: Sorta groovy here. Lots goin' on.

Micky: I could've bought out that entire beads selection. ;)

(The remaining three Abbies are the last to emerge. All three have swirls, patterns, and dots painted on their skin in various colors. Jenny is estatic, Maxine and Kimberly less so.)

Daphne: (Grins) Oh, that's cute, you guys. Did you get jobs as living art? ;)

Peter: They're making a statement! :D

Jenny: This is so groovy! :D

Maxine: Anyone have a turtleneck?

Kimberly: Or some turpentine? :p

Jenny: It'll come right off when you take a shower tonight!

Lauren: I get the feeling that's too long of a wait, though. :P ;)

Peter: Why don't we have some lunch, then head back to the hotel to rest up for tonight?

Valerie: That's a good idea. You boys are making your New York debuts tonight, and you'll need your beauty sleep if you want to make a good impression! :)

Peter: (Nods at the club) How about here? This is a great place! I used to play here when I first came to New York!

Mike: It's as good a place as any other.

Emma: Why not? I need to sit down. My legs are turning into jelly. We've been walking for a while. :p

Micky: Any place where there's food. ;)

Valerie: (Frowns) We NEED to sit down, Peter. I've got to...use the little girl's room. :p

Lauren: *shakes her head, grinning* Y'know, Mick, that bottomless stomach of yours is gonna get us or YOU in trouble someday. ;)

Mike: I thought it already had. ;)

Micky: Oh, please. :p ;)

Lauren: I was TRYING to forget that, Mike, thanks. :P

Peter: (Opens the door for the others) This place is great! I used to hang out here with all my friends when I lived here! We'd play our sets, then pay for dinner with the money we collected! :)

(Peter pushes through the door, opening it for the others. The room is dark and smoky, but the atmosphere is a bit more upscale than might be expected. Young and older people mingle, but it's mostly older people. The Tom Jones song "Thunderball" plays in the background on the jukebox. Fake flowers sit on tables covered with linen cloths.)

Peter: (Frowns) I don't remember that many older people hanging out there when I was last here! It's really...different.

Valerie: I like it. It's a nice mix of upscale and downscale. :)

Davy: Kinda murky in here, though.

Micky: *nods* I like it. ;)

Valerie: (Tugs on Peter's sleeve) Honey, do you know where the bathrooms are?

Peter: (Points) Down the hall near the stage. (She nods and goes in the direction he indicated.)

(A man comes up to Peter with a big grin. He's a big Mexican man in a white chef's outfit.)

Peter: Hi, Jose! I'm glad you're still here!

Jose: I'M glad I'm still here! How are you, Smiley?

Peter: I'm good. I'm in town for a gig at the Atlantica Club.

Jose: (Eyes widen) Wow, you've really come up in the world, Smiley! That place is a real hip hangout! They say it's the latest in psychaldelic disco partying.

Peter: Thank you! (Nods at the others) These are my friends, Michael, Micky, and Davy. They're the other members of the band. Davy and Micky are the percussionists, and Mike is the head guitarist and our leader. :)

Jose: Nice to meet you all. Any friend of Smiley's is still welcome here.

Peter: What's with the tablecloths and everything?

Jose: (Makes a face) New manager's trying to update the place, give it a more polished look. I think she's crazy. This is supposed to be a neighborhood bar, not Sardi's East. :p

Valerie: (Returns, a bit wide-eyed) Peter, you won't believe this, but I saw a guy who looks just like you backstage as I was returning from the bathroom!

Peter: (Grins) Stephan's here, too?

Mike: Stephan who?

Peter: Oh, an old friend of mine. We used to play together when we lived in New York. We were introduced because we look like each other, only his teeth are different and he has a bit less hair. :)

Jose: Yeah, he's here. He hit it big with a couple of his buddies out west, but he's in town and wanted to give a special command performance this afternoon before his show in midtown.

(Jose leads the group to a large table near the stage. He settles them down and takes their orders. As he leaves, the spotlight falls on the stage.)

Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time at the Pilot Saloon in five years, here's one of Grenwich Village's own sensations, Stephan Stills!

(Stills DOES, indeed, look a great deal like Peter. His hair is thinning in front and his teeth are different, but the rest is similar, from the soft, light brown eyes to the drooping mustache to the big smile. He plays one instrumental set, then bows.)

Stephan: (Nods at the floor) It's nice to be back here. I haven't played for a crowd this small since the last time I tried grand opera. ;) (His eyes fix on one place on the floor) Is that... (His grin gets wider) I can't believe this! I have a friend here I haven't seen in years! We lost touch in California, and now he's back here. He's an old folkie, too, like me and the guys. Peter Tork, come on up and relive some old times. ;)

Peter: Oh, man, Stephan... (He blushes as the crowd claps and he stumbles over to his friend.)

Micky: *crows* Yeah, Pete! :D

Stephan: (Hands Peter his banjo) Still remember "Cripple Creek?" ;) :D

Peter: (Nods and grins, taking the banjo) Of course, I do! I love doing that one! (Peter lets loose with an energetic "Cripple Creek." Everyone but Mike claps along, whistles, and grins. Mike looks sad and a little worried.)

(Peter and Stephan do an instrumental folk-esque tune together. As they play, a man in a non-descript dark suit and wide-brimmed fedora speaks quietly into a microphone on his collar. The hat shades his entire face but his light brown eyes.)