Todd is at the country club eating lunch and reading the latest issue of The Banner in anticipation of his meeting later with Charlie Briggs (The Banner's managing editor, whom he hopes to lure over to The Sun). As he eats, he remembers the strange visit he'd received earlier from "Viki" (unbeknownst to him, really Tori, one of Viki's more malicious alternate personalities, who planted the idea of his going after Briggs in the first place. He looks at the newspaper and circles Briggs' name with his pen.

A few moments later, little Sarah (with Renee trailing behind her) comes running over to him.

Sarah: Todd!
Todd: Hey, Sarah! What are you doing here? Where's CJ?
Sarah: At school! It's my special time with Grandma Renee. We're going to have lunch.
Todd: Well, that sounds great. So, what have you been up to? Did you have a good Easter?
Sarah: Yeah!
Renee: Honey, I don't think we should bother Todd --
Todd: (pointedly) Really, it's no bother at all. I always have time for my little pal.
Sarah: Yay! But Mommy said we can't come see you ever again. How come? Did you do something bad again?

Renee looks slightly amused, while Todd glares at her and waits to see if she'll say something.

--end scene--

Todd: Well, I'm not going to do any more bad things. That's a promise.
Sarah: Then why did Mommy say we can't come see you anymore?
Todd: It's kind of hard to explain. But maybe we can find a way to get her to change her mind.

Renee decides it's time to interrupt.

Renee: Honey, I think we should go over to our table and have lunch, don't you?

Todd stands up and addresses Renee.

Todd: You know what, Renee? Look, this isn't your restaurant. Kevin's not here to give me a hard time. I'm just having a little talk with my niece.
Renee: I see. Unless Kevin is here to provoke you, you're a perfect gentleman?
Todd: I don't want any hassle with you, Renee. Can you just give us a second?

Todd stoops back down to speak to Sarah again.

Todd: You know what?
Sarah: What?
Todd: You and CJ are my two favorite people in my new family.
Sarah: (awed) Really?
Todd: Yeah, sure. And you know something else? You know that I'm married to Blair?
Sarah: (nodding)
Todd: Well, we're gonna have a baby.
Sarah: Great! Boy or girl?
Todd: Oh, well, we don't know yet. But you're gonna have a little cousin that you can play with real soon. How's that sound?
Sarah: Yay!

At that moment, Briggs enters the dining room and approaches Todd's table.

Briggs: Hello, Renee.
Renee: Briggs! I didn't think wild horses could pull you away from The Banner. What are you doing here?
Briggs: Well, everybody's gotta eat.
Renee: Yes, but no self-respecting managing editor I know would break for lunch at the country club!

Suddenly, Renee realizes what's going on. She turns to Todd.

Renee: Unless... You're about to cause more trouble, aren't you? Not as rowdy as your fight with Kevin. Just more dangerous.

Todd's slight smile is all the answer she needs.

--end scene--

When the scene returns, Renee and Sarah have left and Briggs is seated at the table with Todd, who wastes no time launching in to his proposal.

Todd: Let's just get down to business. Now, I don't know exactly what they're paying you at The Banner, but I know the ballpark. So, here's the deal. (taking a contract out of his pocket and handing it to Briggs) You come work for me as managing editor of The Sun, and I'll double your current salary. Three-year contract, editor-in-chief, 2% of the net profits, four weeks vacation. I'll even throw in a car.
Briggs: (looking over the contract) That's quite an offer...

Todd moves in for the kill using what "Viki"/Tori told him about Briggs' daughters.

Todd: Yeah, well, it takes a lot of bucks to put kids through college these days. You play ball with me, and I'll make sure your girls can go anywhere they wanna go. Jennifer was just accepted at Brown, wasn't she? And Kimberly and Ashley can't be that far behind.
Briggs: You sure have done your homework.
Todd: Well, I know you have some hefty tuition bills ahead of you, so this must seem like an offer you can't refuse.
Briggs: Well, it's a lot of money. (putting the contract down on the table) But, you know, there's a lot more to a job than just salary. I've spent 30 years at The Banner. I mean, I was copy boy there before you were born. I've been climbing up the ladder, rung by rung. Lotta years, and to just jump off...
Todd: Look, you've already climbed to the top of that ladder, right? What's left for you at The Banner?
Briggs: What is waiting for me at The Sun?
Todd: Look, The Banner's old news. I'm just getting started. And I'm not gonna stop until I've got the hottest, best-selling newspaper in the country.
Briggs: Unless the whole thing goes belly-up first.
Todd: Oh, it won't. I've got 30 million dollars. And if I have to, I'll use every penny of that to make sure this thing flies.

Todd pushes the contract back toward Briggs.

Todd: I've already signed this contract. You sign it too, we got a deal.
Briggs: You make it awful hard to say no. Let me -- uh, let me think about it.

Now, Todd uses another piece of advice that "Viki"/Tori so helpfully gave him at their meeting -- don't give the talent too much time to think about the offer.

Todd: No, sorry, Charlie. This is a one-time-only, limited-time offer. When lunch is off the table, so's the deal.

Suddenly, Clint walks into the dining room. Though Renee rushes over to Clint to warn him about Todd and Briggs, Todd spots Clint coming and sees an opportunity.

Todd: (to Briggs) I'll tell you what. You tell Buchanan right now that you're moving to The Sun, and I'll throw in Jennifer's first-year tuition at Brown. Total bill.
Briggs: (holds up two fingers -- two years)
Todd: Fine by me. It's up to you.

Renee goes back to her and Sarah's table, while Clint walks over to Todd. It's show-time.

Clint: Todd.
Todd: Oh! How's it goin', Clint?
Clint: Briggs.
Briggs: Afternoon, Clint.
Clint: Well, now that we've staggered our way through the pleasantries, uh, anybody want to tell me what this little meeting is all about?

--end scene--

Briggs stands up and addresses Clint.

Briggs: Sorry, Clint, but -- I'm accepting Todd's offer to take over as editor of The Sun.

Clint looks over at Todd, who is watching them.

Clint: I'll, uh, I'll miss you, Briggs. Both as a colleague and as a friend.
Briggs: Well, whenever you can let me go -- I know that you probably need a while --
Clint: Oh, you can go right now. We'll get by.
Briggs: It's not going to be easy saying goodbye. But that offer -- well, it's just too good to pass up.
Clint: Well, just how good was it?
Briggs: Double my current salary, plus.

Clint once again looks over at Todd, who is still eyeing them while shoving spaghetti into his mouth. Clint then turns back to Briggs.

Clint: I can't match that.
Briggs: I know.
Clint: Before you jump ship, you know, there's other things to consider besides salary. New papers come and go. The Banner's been around a long time. The Banner's gonna stay around. It's one of the most respected papers in the country, Briggs.
Briggs: I've thought about all of that, Clint.
Clint: Have you? Have you thought about the people you're going to be working with at The Sun -- (he looks pointedly at Todd) -- and the people you're going to be leaving behind at The Banner? And we all know how important it is for a fellow to be able to trust the -- (looking pointedly at Todd again) -- people he's working with.
Briggs: I know all that, but, uh... (he sits back down at Todd's table) I have made my decision.

Briggs turns back to the contract on the table, and Todd hands him a pen, but Briggs holds up a pen of his own and signs his name on the line.

Clint: Well, then I reckon this is goodbye, Briggs.
Briggs: Now, are you sure? (he gets back up out of his chair to face Clint) I can stick around for a couple of weeks. You know, get the staff up to speed until you can get somebody else --
Todd: (interrupting) No, you know what? A couple weeks doesn't work for me. I don't got a couple of weeks.

Clint turns and glares at Todd a bit before turning back to Briggs and forcing a smile.

Clint: Don't you worry about The Banner. We'll get by. You go ahead and clean out your desk, clean out your office.
Briggs: Thanks. And... (shrugging) Sorry. (he turns to leave)
Clint: Say hello to the family.

Briggs leaves the dinging room, and Clint now turns his attention to Todd. He sits in the empty seat vacated by Briggs.

Clint: Charlie Briggs is a good man. Got a wonderful wife, three wonderful daughters.
Todd: Yeah. Tell me something I don't know.
Clint: All right, I will. You're not just playing boss with a newspaper. You're playing god with people's lives. People that I care about.
Todd: I'm doin' what I gotta do. You got a problem with that?
Clint: You're damn straight I got a problem with that. At first, I laughed off your pathetic, two-bit attempt to be a cheap imitation of your father. But I'm not laughing anymore, 'cause it's not funny anymore. From now on, Manning, you've got an enemy like you've never had before in your life. And you're lookin' right at him.

--end scene--

Todd: Now, why are you taking this personally? What did I ever do to you?
Clint: You made it personal. You made it personal when you started messing with my employees and my friends.
Todd: I'm doin' what I have to do to build a good paper. Briggs is the best in the business. Now, why shouldn't I go after him?
Clint: You go after whomever or whatever you want. It isn't gonna change the fact that The Banner's gonna be flying high long after The Sun has gone down.
Todd: Oh, I like those images -- that's real cute. But you're way off. See, The Sun is gonna shine for a long, long time.

Todd raises his wine glass to Clint for a toast.

Todd: So here's to a little friendly competition.
Clint: (ignoring the toast) Oh, there's nothing friendly about it, Manning.
Todd: Oh, there you go getting personal again. (taking a sip of wine)
Clint: You're damn straight it's personal. And I am personally going to see to it that you and your newspaper get exactly what you deserve.

Clint gets up and leaves the dining room, and Todd continues to sip his wine.

--end transcript--