Beyond Friends Fifty Four Episode "Dance War"


Friends Guest Stars
Courteney Cox as Monica
David Schwimmer as Ross

"Our Wedding Day"

Chandler was about to pick up the phone to call Monica when Rachel stepped out her room. Chandler dropped the phone reciever on the ground. Rachel was dressed in her wedding dress.
"What are you doing?" Chandler asked.
"Don't you know?" Rachel asked.
"Obivously not, thats why I asked." Chandler asked.
"Ross said he told everyone. He moved the wedding date up to today." Rachel said. "I guess you didnt hear after all" She said observing Chandlers look of outright shock on his face.
"I can't go to your wedding today!" Chandler said. "Neither can Monica for that matter."
"Why not?" Rachel said. "Unless. Oh no." She thought for a minute. "The dance contest, it was supposed to be today."
"Yeah, we thought you and Ross knew that. At least you were supposed to at least vaguely recall it before you went and moved the wedding up six months." Chandler said angrily.
"I'm sorry! We were swept up in the moment." Rachel said. "What do we do?" "What is there to do?" Chandler said retrieving the phone from the floor. "We gotta call the contest and say we're forfeiting. Your wedding is more important than a contest."
"Oh Chandler." Rachel said. "Don't call them."
"Why not? We are gonna lose anyway, you are saving me and Monica some major embarressment here." He started to dial the number.
"No!" Rachel took the phone from Chandler. "You guys have been looking forward to this for weeks, so much practicing. Especially the last few days. We had no right to suddenly move up the wedding and not be sure everyone heard the news. You do the contest, we'll be there to support you." Rachel smiled.
"How will you do that?" Chandler asked. "RE-replan everything? At this point you should just go to vegas and get it over with." Chandler said half seriously.
Rachel thought for a minute. "Thats it!" She cried.
"You're going to vegas? I was kidding." Chandler said.
Rachel remembered she had the phone in her hand. She hit the speed dial. "Ross had a contingency plan! He told me about it last week."
"A what plan?" Chandler asked.
"Backup, in case anything happened." Rachel said as she waited for Ross to pick up his end. "I think this counts."
"Like I said, we don't have to go the contest..." Chandler said.
Rachel made a wavy motion at him to quiet him down when the phone stopped ringing on his end. "Ross! Honey! Oh I love you too. I can hardly wait to marry you too. Listen, we got a problem." Rachel said. "Did you know that Chandler and Monicas dancing thing was today? Oh you did, you just found out? You've already started calling people and letting them know?" Rachel said looking at a wall. "Whens the new date? Ok." She said writing it down. "Chandler, Ross wants to know if you are free next weekend."
Chandler nodded and rolled his eyes, Rachel stifled a giggle.
"Ok, I'll see you tonight, we're going to the dance thing." Rachel hung up the phone. "I swear, I love that man, but all he is, is yak yak yak." Rachel said. Chandler smiled at her. "We'll be there to support you tonight. But we gotta do something for you two first?"
"What?" Chandler asked.
"If you two are swing dancing, you have to look that part." Rachel said. "I'll call Monica, and get my bloomingdales card. We'll have so much fun!" She went into her room with the cell phone.
"Be afraid," Chandler told himself. "Be VERY afraid."

Bloomingdales

Monica waited for Chandler and Rachel outside the front door to Bloomingdales.
"I can't believe that I never got that message about the wedding." Monica said. "I think my answering machines been broken for weeks. Either that or I just hit delete before I went to be bed." She apologized.
"Thats ok." Rachel said. "We're doing it next weekend. Now we gotta focus on today."
"What are we doing here?" Monica asked as they entered the store.
"Ok, what were you guys planning on wearing to the dance contest tonight?" Rachel asked a sthey climbed aboard an escalator.
Monica and Chandler looked at each other, they shrugged."Thats what I thought." Rachel said as they reached the top of the escalator. "Follow me." She walked into the clothing department. "If you guys want to come off as good swing dancers, you also got to have a great looking appearance." Rachel explained. "I'll find you something good to wear tonight." Rachel pointed to a couple of seats. "I'll be right back. I know exactly what to get you." She ran off into the opposite direction.
"I'm almost afraid of her." Monica said. "When she gets into shopping mode, she can be very scary."

Minutes later Rachel came back and gave the duo a handful of clothes to try on. she practically pushed them into the same changing room.
"If I got the size wrong let me know." Chandler heard her through the door.

After as couple of minutes of fumbling and zipping and unzipping, the pair emerged from their changing rooms. They looked at each other. Chandler was wearing a grey pin striped suit with a large white tie, and Monica was wearing a spaghetti strapped red dress with matching shoes and a boa. She had the boa wrapped under her arms. "I'll put the boa on a chair when we dance, I don't want to starngle myself." Monica commented on the fluffy looking boa. She looked at Rachel and then at Chandler. "What do you think?"
"Great." Chandler said. "You look really good. How about me?" He struck a pose.
"So do you." Monica said. "I think we're ready."
"Good." Rachel said. "Its almost time, so we'll go pick up Ross and head on over." Rachel smiled. "Hey, if you guys don't win, at least you look classy." Rachel said. "At the least, you two will have halloween costumes for next year."
"I doubt it." Chandler said. "People would give me candy just to make me go away, I look like Al Capone."
"Let's go." Monica said. "Before he can think of another I look like a gangster quip?"
"Ok." Rachel said.

The Contest

Chandler turned to Ross as they entered the building where the contest would be held.
"What?" Chandler said to Ross. "You been looking at me ever since we picked you up."
"I'm sorry but I can't get over you in that outfit. It's downright bizarre." Ross said. They approached the sign-in table.
"Blame your fiancee'." Chandler said. Monica got their numbers.
"Here you go. We are number five." Monica said.
"So we're going fifth?" Chandler asked pinning his number next to his boutinere.
"No, not exactly, the sign in lady said they were going in random order, so don't be surprised if we are first, or last." Monica explained ats Chandler put her number on her back.
"Great. We should go first, at least we won't have to wait till the last dance." Chandler said.

A man approached picked up a microphone. "Hello everyone and welcome to the semi final regional dancing conpetition. I'm your host and one of your judges, Gary. First off we will explain a few rules and regulations." Gary went to grab a sheet of paper from his pocket. He patted his shirt. "I guess I don't have it. Ok, lets skip the rules thing and start with out first couple. The number we assigned you will be picked at random by a very scientific method." Gary said. Then he picked a hat and put one hand into it and drew a slip of paper. "First couple will be number 5. Please appraoch the middle of the floor and get ready to dance.
Chandler looked at Monica, then took her hand and lead her out to the middle of the dance floor.
"Are you ready?" He whispered.
"As ready as I ever will be." She replied as "Zoot Suit Riot" started to play.

Chandler could hardly remember the actual dance, the room seemed to spin as they danced. It felt like a blur and time seemed to stand still and move very quickly at the same time. All at once, just when they started to dance they were finished. They did a quick curtie bow and moved off to the side where Ross and Rachel were waiting for them.
"How were we?" Chandler asked the smiling pair. "Come on, be honest."
"You guys were horrible." Ross said. "It looked like you made some steps up too."
"We know, we were stupid enough to only get the fundamentals instruction tape at the store." Monica explained as the new couple of the floor did an absurd looking fox trot. "All we have to do now is wait."

After the last couple, sat down, the announcer picked up the microphone again.
"All right, wasn't that nice? We have our list of winners ready. So no one goes home empty handed, we are giving some kind of award to everyone who took part in the contest tonight. But first, the grand prize winner is couple.....number 3!"
Chandler and Monica sighed. They didnt expect to win, but they hoped they would all the same.
"We can go now." Chandler said standing up.
"Ok, and the next award is for best dressed duo. The winner of that award is couple number 5!" Gary said coming over to Chandler and Monica with an envelope.
"Ok, best couple with a good attitude goes to couple number 2, they fell down six times, but hell they kept dancing..." Gary said as the foursome left.
"Wow." Chandler said. "Rachels beauty tips paid off." He opened the envelope. "We have a lifetime supply of rib sauce coming our way. Do we have enough room in our fridge, Rach?" Chandler asked.
"Hey, give that to me, after all I run a restaurant here." Monica took the coupon.
"You don't serve ribs." Ross said.
"I know, appetizer sauce." Monica said. "Don't rain on my parade, ok?"
"The wedding is next week for sure?" Chandler asked. "No more last minute back up contingency plans?"
"Yes." Ross nodded. "Rachel is marrying me next week, come rain or snow or dead of night."
"No, dude, thats the post office." Chandler pointed out.
"I'm having a moment." Ross said.
"Let me know when you're done. We'll be at home." Rachel said as they caught a cab."
"I'm done." Ross said as the cab arrived. "But I'm not done with you." He said stopping Rachel from getting in the car.
"Ok." Rachel said and took his hand. They walked down the street, hand in hand. Chandler looked out the back window of the cab as it pulled away, then he turned in his seat and sighed.