Ok guys, everyone ready to help Santa?

Mike: No.

Peter: I'm taking Jordan to sit on Santa's lap.

Micky: You bet!

Davy: Just because I'm short doesn't mean I have to be an elf.

Micky: Yes, it does.

*Micky dodges Davy's flailing fist.*

Mike: I sure as hell ain't bein' an elf.

(We open with a long shot of a huge throne covered with sequins, glitter, holly garlands, and red plush. A rather familiar blond Santa Claus sits on the throne, with an unusually busty Mrs. Claus with a ruffled nightcap over her golden hair behind him handing out candy canes. Emma walks up to Mike and Slip, who are helping the kids coming away from Santa over to a long room with Audio-Animatronics-style figures grouped in scenes from "A Christmas Carol." There are very long lines for both.)

Emma: Hi, guys. How's the Dickens Village coming?

Mike: Not bad. The kids seem to like it. They especially get a kick of the last blacklighted room where the Ghost of Christmas Future shows Scrooge his tomb and everyone's clothes seem to glow.

Emma: I was thinking I could take over here and you two could go help the Elves with the Santa greeting. It's getting really crazy.

Mike: Forget it. I don't do ears and jingling shoes.

Emma: You wouldn't have to wear the costumes. You'd just have to greet people on the way out and sell them the pictures.

Slip: Still...we'd have to be near those ears an’ jinglin' shoes.

Emma: Sach and Micky are doing it and loving it.

Mike: Micky's crazy...and Davy's doin' it, an' I know he ain't lovin' it.

Emma: Sach is having the time of his life. The kids think he really is a big elf.

Slip: Because he IS a big elf.

Emma: Guys, you won't even have to talk to Nyles.

Mike: How did he get the Santa job, anyway? He can't remember his own name, much less what every kid in Malibu Beach wants for Christmas.

Emma: He's big, he's jolly, he doesn't mind kids on his lap, and he's the only one who could really fit into the costume.

Slip: He's also a nut from what I've seen, even more than Sach.

Emma: I'll bring you my special Mint Christmas Brownies.

Mike: We can share a batch?

Emma: Just the two of you.

Mike: (Grins at Slip) You like brownies? My wife makes the best baked stuff.

Slip: *Just a bit hesitant* Really?

Mike: You bet. And if we split a batch evenly, we'll both actually get some. I know I have to compete with the kids at our place. When was the last time you got to Millie's stuff before her customers or your buddies? And we won't have to pay for these, either.

Emma: All you have to do is a little favor for me.

Slip: Tell me a little bit about these brownies.

Emma: Well, they're my own special recipe. Dark chocolate, made with cocoa, peppermint oil, and a special chocolate-mint chip bag that's only being sold right now.

Mike: And they're darn good.

Slip: *Slides his hat off and fans himself* What did ya want me to do?

Emma: I want you and Mike to help out with the Santa Claus lines. If you two boys do a really good job, you'll get a pan of brownies all to yourselves.

Slip: *Grabs Mike's arm* C'mon, I ain't missin' out on those brownies! *tugs Mike along*

Mike: Ok, ok.

Emma: (Sighs) Nothing like a little bribe to get a guy goin'. (She heads off towards the Dickens Village)

Mike: (As they arrive at the throne area, they see Davy with a long line of children and their parents...including Peter, Jordan, and Austin) Hi, guys n' little Cowboys.

Peter: Hi, everyone. Glad to see you.

Mike: How's everythin' goin', Dave? Em sent us to help you guys. Any kids kicked your shins yet?

Davy: Don't even kid about that, mate.

Mike: We're here to help out.

Jordan: Are you going to take us to see Santa, Unca Mike n' Mister Slip?

Mike: Soon, cowboy. Actually, we're here to sell pictures.

Peter: We're mostly here to do some shopping for Mommy, but the boys hadn't seen Santa yet, so we thought we'd stop by.

Austin: Santa!

Peter: That's right, Austin. We're going to see Santa and give him our list. (Looks around) I've seen Davy, but where's Micky?

Mike: Helpin' Nyles, I imagine.

Peter: And probably having a wonderful time, too.

Mike: No kiddin'. Speakin' of helpin' Nyles, we just got recruited to help out, too. We'll see you guys when you get to the front of the line!

Peter: Ok!

Mike: (Points to a little girl sitting on Santa Nyles' knee) Ain't that sweet? Nyles is havin' a great time.

Jessie: (Waves as Sach leads the little girl back to her parents) Hi, guys! Here to help out?

Mike: Sure! Hey Santa Claus, how's things?

Nyles: *Waves back* Great!

Mike: So, what can we do?

Jessie: Stand on either side of the kids and make sure no one has any sharp object, then bring 'em up to us.

Mike: We can do that. By the way, where's Micky?

Jessie: I think he's helping take the pictures of the kids.

Mike: (Raises an eyebrow) Mick ain't no photographer.

Jessie: He seems to be doing well enough.

Mike: (Helps a little boy over to Nyles) Hey Slip, did you n' your brother ever sit on Santa's knee in New York?

Slip: Yeah.

Mike: You guys were lucky. Didn't think Santa had much use for me in Texas.

Sach: (He bounces over in full elf regalia) Oh boy! Chief, I'm havin' the time of my life! (Picks up Slip and swings him around, ignoring the kids in line) And I don't even celebrate Christmas!

Slip: *Warningly* Saaaach...

Sach: What? (Sets him down and dusts him off as the kids around them giggle) Did I make you lose your lunch again?

Slip: No! *leans in; quieter, but just as gruff* What've I told ya about makin' a display outta me?

Sach: But I'm happy, Chief!

(Mike whistles, trying not to giggle himself.)

Slip: Happy is okay, just... *growls and goes back to helping the kids*

Sach: Come on, Chief! I'll show you how to help the kids! (We see Peter come up with Jordan and Austin.) What's your name, little boy?

Jordan: You know who I am, Mister Sach! (Turns to Slip) Did Mister Sach forget everyone's names again, Mister Slip?

Slip: *Folds his arms* No, he thinks he's bein' cute.

Sach: Of course I'm cute! (Turns to Austin) What about you?

Austin: Uhhh...Aussin!

Jordan: That's my brother Austin. I'm Jordan! (He turns to Slip) You look like you just ate a lemon.

Mike: Slip, why don't you, Sach, Mick, and me go help with the kids ridin' the trains?

Sach: I'd love to be an elf helpin' with the trains!

Peter: I'll be over there in a minute myself with the boys as soon as they see Santa.

Jordan: (Looks up) Uncle Mike, is it our turn?

Mike: (Sees Nyles wave them over) Yeah Cowboy, I think it is.

Jordan: Ok! (He goes over to Nyles and sits on his knee)

Emma: (She comes over to Mike and Slip with something behind her back) Ok, you two. I know how disappointed you were that you didn't get the management job, and I know neither of you are really happy with working here. Maybe this will make you feel better. (Hands them each a bag of brown squares) There's your Mint Fudgy Brownies.

Mike: (Grins and gives Emma a kiss on the cheek) Darlin', this is wonderful.

Slip: *Nods, giving a half smile* Thanks, Em.

Emma: You're welcome. Might as well give out good-bye presents.

Mike: Good-bye presents?

Sach: You're leavin', Em?

*Slip's too busy already eating his brownies to belt Sach with his hat.*

Emma: No, we all are. Sort of. (Turns to Lauren, who is in line next with Billy and Leah) We're ending the Dream World series.

Mike: But... (takes Emma's hand) Why, darlin'?

Lauren: It's more of a hiatus of undetermined length. *Sighs* We're out of ideas, and we're just not as into the series anymore.

Emma: (Nods) Mike, we've been writing these stories for over six years now. We're both still Monkees fans, but, first of all, as Lauren pointed out, we're really out of ideas for stories. We had a burst of inspiration in the winter and early spring that resulted in the spring and summer stories, but after that, we couldn't think of a single thing for you guys to do.

Mike: I find that hard to believe.

Emma: Mike, I think we're both burning out on these stories.

Mike: What about that "burst of inspiration?"

Emma: I think that came from the release of a special edition of one of your albums in the winter. Once we got past the thrill of the that release, we really couldn't come up with anything.

Mike: (Looks at Micky as he joins them) Did you know about this? I didn't know anythin'.

Peter: (Sighs) I had an idea when nothing showed up last month.

Micky: *Nods* I sorta had an idea, too.

Emma: Honey, we tried twice to come up with an idea for that school mystery story last month. We even tried switching the location to a library. Nothing worked. (Looks at Slip) We've moved onto other fandoms that are less complicated to write for.

*Slip just shrugs.*

Emma: We love this series. We've loved writing this series. Trouble is, this series has just gotten too darn big and complex. Not to mention, there are tons of other Monkees series online and in various fanzines, and we've gotten tired of trying to follow everyone's canon.

Mike: What do you mean, it's gotten too big?

Emma: There are way too many characters with too many motives and far, far too many powers! What we need to do is step away from the series for a while. Maybe we'll come back to it. Maybe we won't. I will say it's unlikely we'll come back to it on a regular basis in the near future. In the distant future (shrugs) who can say?

Mike: (Turns to Lauren) What about you, little darlin'? And Micky? What do you guys have to say about this?

Lauren: *Sighs* I just haven't been having as much fun with these stories any more. I can't get into them.

Micky: *Shrugs* I'm just along for the ride.

Emma: Mike, I think I've known for over a year that the writing was on the wall. Once we found another fandom that we liked writing for even better, we...well, we could finally admit that the ideas and enthusiasm for these stories just weren't FLOWING like they did when we first started. While I'm glad that the stories from earlier this year came out so well, it doesn't disguise the fact that the interest isn't there like it used to be for us.

Mike: (Hugs Emma) Darlin', I'm gonna miss ya.

Emma: I'm going to miss you too, honey, but we need this. Who knows? Maybe we'll find that inspiration again.

Sach: What about us, the Chief an' the Boys an' me?

Emma: You guys are something else again. We'll be seeing you again shortly.

Mike: What do those guys have that we don't?

Emma: Less baggage and chattier fans.

Mike: What about Al, an' Nyles' buddy at the radio station?

Emma: Until now, we were always able to add characters we liked from other shows to the series, but...that isn't working out anymore, either. There's just too many darn characters to trip over. That's been a problem with this series for years. We can't keep everything straight. We needed lists and notes!

Peter: Michael, I think I understand what they're saying. They need to step back and take a rest.

Mike: Yeah, but... (he squeezes Emma's hand) Darlin', I'm gonna miss ya.

Emma: (Kisses Mike on the cheek) Nothing lasts forever, honey. Why don't you take the others to the Tea Room to do this year's holiday video, and we'll end the story and the series?

Mike: (Sighs) Yeah, I guess so. (Turns to Micky) Wanna go do the video? Slip and Sach can take over here.

Peter: Sach, could you watch my boys? This is a tradition I wouldn't miss for anything.

Sach: Sure! (Takes Austin's hand)

Mike: (Nods at Micky) Come on, Mr. Director. Let's do one last romp.

Micky: Sure.

(We cut back to the front of the store, where the Christmas tree displays are. Everything on the set is darkened except for the lights on the Christmas tree and the candles in the boys' hands. The Monkees stand in front of the trees and sing their annual version of "Riu Chiu." When it ends, Emma and Lauren, dressed festively and simply in red and green, step out from behind the trees and stand in front of the boys.)

Emma: We'd like to thank everyone who has supported and enjoyed the "Dream World" stories over the past few years. For now, the stories will remain on the site for all to enjoy.

(Mike leans over and gently squeezes Emma's hand again. She smiles.)

Lauren: And it isn't "goodbye." It's "we'll see you later."

Emma: That's right. No one really knows what might happen in the future. (She squeezes Mike's hand again and waves) See you all soon! Have a wonderful Holiday season!

*Micky and Lauren wrap their arms around each other and wave with their free hands.*

Micky: Happy Holidays, everyone!

Mike: (Nods) Yeah. Have a great one, folks.

Peter: From all of us to all of you.

All In Unison: Happy Holidays!

(The lights gradually darken, fading out all together until the Monkees and the girls' forms are little more than shadows.)

(And we cut to "Christmas Is My Time of Year" played over scenes from the "production." We end with a live scene of the entire cast and crew waving and wish a Merry Christmas as we cut to "A Raybert Production" in green font on the red holly-border background...but just before the "Warner Bros" shield, there's a "On Hiatus; See You Soon!" yellow-and-red graphic.)