S8e18



	Episode 18: “Shot Through the Heart” Previously on “The Salingers”: TANIA: (To Julia) We're starting a new column in next month's issue. It'll deal with the stories we print. What's good about them, what works, and why. Would you be interested in doing something like that? *** * * * * WILL: (To Bailey, regarding Jean) I just spend three hours looking through God knows how many stores trying to find the perfect gift. Unsuccessfully, I might add. This is our first Valentine’s Day. That’s important stuff. * * * * * BAILEY: You have to think outside the mall, y’know? Get a little creative here. WILL: What are you and Maria doing? BAILEY: Nothing. Technically speaking, we’re not together. You think she’s expecting something? WILL: I know when it comes to women, it’s always safer to be more thoughtful than less. * * * * * CLAUDIA: (On phone) Hey, Bay. Don’t worry about flying to Denver next week. I didn’t make finals. * * * * * CLAUDIA: (To Sarah) The worst part is, I’ve got to face my class tomorrow. I’ve got to walk into that room, and everyone’s going to think, “That’s her. Poor girl.” * * * * * CLAUDIA walks in to the rehearsal room late, trying quickly to sit down in the back row. The students begin to clap for her. Claudia blushes, fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat. She stands up and leaves quickly, and the clapping gives way to a muffled sound of confusion. * * * * * KIRSTEN: I think we should see a marriage counselor. CHARLIE: I don’t see how a complete stranger who knows nothing about us is going to solve our problems. That’s something we have to figure out on our own. KIRSTEN: Well, that’s not working, is it? * * * * * JULIA: (To Charlie) Weird, huh? How a person can try to make things work out a certain way, and for whatever reason they just don’t. Then something you totally think won’t work – I don’t know – it just might. (Charlie glances back to the picture of Kirsten.) That probably sounds stupid, huh? CHARLIE: (Speaking softly) No. Actually, it doesn’t. * * * * * CHARLIE: (To Kirsten) I don’t ever want to lose you again. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen. (He holds her hand in his and looks straight at her.) Whatever it takes. I want to try, Kirsten. The counseling, I mean. I want to try. (Kirsten smiles as the scene fades.) * * * * *** THE RITTENHOUSE HOTEL, PHILADELPHIA. WILL leads BAILEY into the lobby. It’s beautiful – antique furniture, crystal chandeliers, the works. Will sounds like a real estate agent showing a property when he says… WILL: So… what do you think? BAILEY: (Looking around) I think… it’s a hotel. WILL: Yeah, isn’t it great? BAILEY: Sure. It’s a hotel. What’s the point? WILL: I’ve been killing myself trying to find the perfect Valentine’s present for Jean, right? (Arms outstretched) Well, here it is. BAILEY: A hotel? WILL: A memory. Something that will last forever. (Bailey looks confused.) We’ll start with dinner… in the hotel’s five-star restaurant, I might add. She’ll probably think that’s the gift. Until she sees what’s next… BAILEY: Which is…? WILL: A penthouse suite. Incense, champagne… maybe some bubble bath. The works. BAILEY: Huh. WILL: Once dinner’s over, I’ll make an excuse to get her upstairs, then I’ll fling open the door to our suite… and you know what she’s going to see? BAILEY: A bed? WILL: Candles. Like a million of ‘em. BAILEY: (Taking this in) Huh. WILL: At that point, unless my calculations are severely off, I plan to catch her as she swoons. (A beat.) So… what do you think? BAILEY: It’s… wow. It’s… it’s perfect, is what it is. WILL: Yeah, sometimes I amaze myself. BAILEY: Will, this is genius. It’s— (A beat.) Look, I’ll do it at another hotel – okay? – so it’s not so weird. But you’ve gotta let me crib this idea. (Will puts his hand on Bailey’s shoulder.) WILL: Bay, for you, I won’t even charge. (They smile.) PO5 Credits JUILLIARD. CLAUDIA walks down a long corridor lined with doors leading to practice rooms. She walks slowly holding her violin case. As she passes each room she takes a moment to peer inside, seeing a new musician in each room. She continues down the hall, hearing a collage of music from behind closed doors. She reaches a room near the end and hears piano music. A young man is practicing a piece full of pauses and mistakes. He stops and tries again, quickly stumbling over his own fingers. He pauses, mustering enough willpower to try it again… only to make more mistakes. He slams his fingers on the keys and cups his face in his hands. Claudia looks at her violin. She takes a deep breath and exits the corridor. JULIA’S APARTMENT. JULIA and GRIFFIN are in Julia’s bed. Julia is sitting up against some pillows looking over some papers, while Griffin is on his back, leaning his head against Julia’s stomach. Griffin flips over and lifts Julia’s shirt a bit, kissing her belly. He continues kissing her, inching his way up her body until his head is completely hidden under her shirt. JULIA: (Laughing) Griffin, what are you doing? GRIFFIN: (Muffled) Hmm? (Julia wiggles her way upward so Griffin’s head reappears. He looks up at her innocently.) Come on, Jul. You’ve been working all night. Take a break. JULIA: I can’t. I’ve got to get my column done. The first draft is due Thursday. (Griffin sighs and turns over again, leaning back on one arm.) I’m sorry. As soon as I finish this, then… (She leans over and kisses him, then goes directly back to her paperwork. She lets out a huge breath.) I just don’t know how to approach this, you know? I don’t want to be overly critical about this story, but… I’m just not impressed. Should I be completely honest, or do I sugarcoat it? ‘Cuz if I’m honest, they might think I’m just being a sour grape because they turned my story down. But if I’m not completely honest, then I’m not really doing what I’m supposed to do. Ugh. (She shakes her head and sighs.) GRIFFIN: I think you should just do the sugarcoat thing. JULIA: (Turning) Really? GRIFFIN: Sure… if it’ll get you to put that paper down. (He tries kissing her and Julia scowls playfully and smacks him with it.) ILLUMINATIONS CANDLE SHOP. BAILEY and WILL are looking at an unbelievably large assortment of candles – different sizes, shapes, colors. BAILEY picks one up. BAILEY: How about this? WILL: Nah, too tall. Looks like it belongs in a church, and the last thing we want them thinking about is purity. (Bailey picks up a fish-shaped candle, examines it.) BAILEY: Can you think of any occasion where this is appropriate? (Will ignores Bailey, picking up another candle, eyeing it as if it were a piece of art.) WILL: (In awe) Bay, this is the one. BAILEY: Oh, hey. I like that. WILL: It’s perfect. Not too tall, but tall enough to burn through dinner. BAILEY: And the color. It’s… beautiful. What is that? Periwinkle? (Will smells the candle.) WILL: (Amazed) Oh my God. Bay, it smells like vanilla. BAILEY: You know what? I’m starting to feel a little weird here. (A sales woman walks up.) WOMAN: Nice choice there. One of my favorites. WILL: (Trying to be casual) Oh. Hey, it’s just a candle. WOMAN: Shall I wrap it for you? WILL: Uh, actually, I’m going to need about… thirty. WOMAN: Thirty? BAILEY: You know what? Um… could you make that sixty? (Looks at Will) You don’t mind if I use the same…? WILL: No, go ahead. BAILEY: (To the sales woman) Sixty. WOMAN: Coming up. You want wicks in all those? (Bailey and Will look confused.) Sorry. Candle humor. (She walks to the back of the store.) WILL: Get this. I told Jean to pack a bag because my roommate’s out of town. She’s gonna flip. BAILEY: Maria doesn’t even know about the dinner reservations. She’ll probably think that’s the surprise. WILL: (Smiling slyly) Until you get her to the room. (They high-five.) BLACK OAK BOOKS, SAN FRANCISCO. JULIA is in the Literature section, browsing through books on Literary Criticism. She pulls one off the shelf and flips through it, then puts it back. She does this several more times and lets out a sigh. She walks toward the exit, and stops to look at a bulletin board near the door. She notices a flyer that says “Infuse Your Writing with Infusions Writer’s Group! Share your poetry, short stories or works in progress here…” Julia thinks for a moment, then grabs the flyer off the board and exits. CLAUDIA’S DORM, JUILLIARD. CLAUDIA and TESS are in the kitchen, washing dishes. TESS: And in front of everyone, my professor tells me to stop playing. He can’t take it. CLAUDIA: Harsh. TESS: You know the fast part of Brandenburg Concerto 3? (Claudia nods.) He said I’m lifting my fingers too high… that I should be lifting them no more than half an inch off the string. Me, I’m a moron - I was lifting them three-quarters of an inch. Can you believe that? Lecturing me over a lousy quarter of an inch! CLAUDIA: Hey, that’s the way it is around here. Like it or not, everyone’s suffers from this… musical tunnelvision. TESS: Yeah. Sometimes I wonder why I don’t quit and get a normal job. (Claudia look at her.) I mean, I’m sure butchers don’t get lectured about the way they cut meat, right? Or plumbers about the way they turn a wrench. (Smiling) Hey, maybe we can become dishwashers, huh? (Raising a plate) Experience. (Tess laughs. Claudia doesn’t.) CLAUDIA: It’s funny, ‘cause I thinking the same thing. TESS: About… becoming dishwashers? CLAUDIA: How we’re constantly under the microscope here. How much easier it would be if… I don’t know… TESS: …You were a plumber or a butcher? CLAUDIA: Something like that. TESS: Claud, come on. I was kidding. CLAUDIA: But… don’t you ever wonder if it’s worth it? I mean, we’re at this school where people do nothing but… but play music. Or act or dance. (Sighs) I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like I’m trapped. Like I should be doing something more important. Something that actually matters in the real world. TESS: You don’t think music matters? CLAUDIA: Of course it matters, but… it’s not like the world would stop spinning if there were no music, you know? It’s not like— TESS: (Looking down) Look, maybe we should talk about something else, okay? (She takes a glass from Claudia and begin drying it.) CLAUDIA: Tess, why are you…? I’m talking about me, okay? TESS: I’m just saying, maybe you shouldn’t talk to me about it. CLAUDIA: Tess— TESS: Claudia, look - I made a lot of sacrifices in my life… just so I can come to this school. Big sacrifices. And you stand there telling me it doesn’t matter? (Angrily) That what I chose to dedicate my life to doesn’t matter? CLAUDIA: That’s not what I meant. TESS: No, it’s just what you said. (Tess throws down the towel and begins to walk away.) CLAUDIA: Look, I’m sorry, okay? (Tess stops, turns around.) But you said it yourself. Getting lectured over a quarter of an inch… killing ourselves to be the best at what we’re doing. TESS: It’s a choice, Claudia. CLAUDIA: Yes, at the expense of every other thing in our lives. TESS: You know what? (She pauses, calming herself.) Maybe you ought to figure out if that’s how you really feel. ‘Cause if it is, I’m not sure what you’re doing here. (She walks away as Claudia contemplates her words.) THE WAITING ROOM AT THE PEDIATRICIAN’S OFFICE. KIRSTEN is sitting in a chair, bouncing STEWIE on her lap. Stewie is clapping happily. The waiting room nurse peeks out from behind the reception area, and looks over to Kirsten. NURSE: Mrs. Salinger, Dr. Peterson will see Stewart now. KIRSTEN: (Looks up) Thank you. (To Stewie) Come on, sweetie. It’s time to see Dr. Pete. (Stewie begins to cry, disappointed that the playing has stopped.) I know, honey. It’s not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it’s only for a little while, and we have to be big about it. (Holding Stewie close to her, she stands up and walks into the examination room. She places a tearful Stewie on the exam table, and tries unsuccessfully to calm him. Facing him, she leans over, and begins to softly sing to him. Stewie continues to scream, and she continues to sing, completely unaware that DR. PETERSON has just entered the room. He sees Kirsten, and stops just beyond the doorway, watching.) KIRSTEN: (Singing) You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are blue… um… no, that’s not right… PETE: …when skies are grey… KIRSTEN: (Startled, turns around) Oh, gosh! (With an embarrassed smile) How long have you been standing there? PETE: Not long. I just wanted to hear your version of the song. KIRSTEN: (Blushing) I’m so embarrassed. Stewie loves that song, but I always mess it up. PETE: (Coming closer, singing to Stewie) …You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you… (looks at Kirsten) …so please don’t take my sunshine away. (They look into each other’s eyes a moment, then Kirsten takes a step back.) So, how’s the little guy? (He starts examining Stewie.) KIRSTEN: Um, okay. Great, actually. That tooth finally came in, so he’s been a lot less cranky. PETE: (Looks in Stewie’s mouth) That’s good. He must be so relieved. KIRSTEN: Yeah, me too. (There is an awkward silence between them as Dr. Peterson continues to examine Stewie. Kirsten catches herself staring at Pete, quickly looks away, and proceeds to look around the room.) We’ve never been in this room before. These paintings are so cute. PETE: (Picks up Stewie, and places him on the scale) One of the nurse’s sisters painted them for us. (He writes down Stewie’s weight in his chart, lifts him from the scale. Holding him, he walks back over to Kirsten.) So… how are you doing? KIRSTEN: (Taking Stewie from his arms) Okay… fine. I’m fine, thanks. (Starts putting Stewie’s coat on) So… is everything okay? PETE: Yeah… I guess. (Kirsten looks concerned.) Well, to be honest, I’ve been a little sad… KIRSTEN: I meant with Stewie. PETE: (Blushing) Oh! Yes, he’s a perfectly healthy little boy. I’m sorry. I thought you meant— KIRSTEN: You’re sad? PETE: I suppose I could use a lullaby, too. KIRSTEN: (Forcing a small smile) I’d just mess up the words anyway. PETE: (Looks deep into her eyes) That’s okay. I like your version better. COFFEE HOUSE, HAIGHT/ASHBURY. JULIA is meeting with the “literary group,” THREE GUYS and TWO GIRLS, each looking more like psychadelic t-shirt street-vendors than literary critics. They hold copies of the short story Julia is to critique. GUY 1: That story was… God, it was amazing! (To Julia) You wrote that? GUY 2: It wasn’t that great. Can we get to my poem now? GIRL 1: Does anyone get that part about the mirrors? (To Julia) What did you mean by that? JULIA: Uh, well… I’d kind of like to hear your opinions first. GIRL 2: I sort of saw the mirror as a symbol of his lost self. It’s like, he didn’t exist any more. All that’s left was the image he wanted the world to see. JULIA: Interesting. GUY 2: Well, that was easy. Now, this poem— GUY 1: I disagree. I see it as a rediscovery of his true self. I mean, why introduce the idea of the mirror at the end of the story if not to show him confronting who he really is? (Everyone looks at Julia.) GIRL 1: (To Julia) So, who’s right? JULIA: (Hesitantly) Well… GUY 3: (To Julia) Do you mind if I give my opinion? JULIA: (Relieved) Yes. I mean, no, no - I don’t mind. Please do. GUY 3: Well, I don’t know what to think about the mirrors. That’s because - and please excuse my frankness - by the time we got to the mirrors, I didn’t care any more. JULIA: You too, huh? (Catching herself) I mean… really? I’m… sorry to hear that. GUY 3: I don’t mean to offend you, but… there just weren’t any redeeming qualities in your character. And for me, it’s always been tough to care about characters I can’t identify with. JULIA: Huh. GIRL 2: (To Julia) Speaking of that, I was wondering why you made your main character male. JULIA: Good question. Uh… (Turning to Guy 2) Hey, I’m like hogging up all the time. (Turning to Guy 2) And I’m dying to hear your poem. GUY 2: Finally! (He pulls out a sheet of lined paper and begins reading. The group shifts uncomfortably in their seats as he begins.) “The Tree.” The pinnacle of a tree am I / Stood here, I’ve, years scored by five… UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. BAILEY and MARIA thread their way through the crowd of a busy corridor, carrying their backpacks. BAILEY: So I’m thinking – Cole’s gonna be out of town, so maybe you should pack some stuff so we can – you know – hang out. MARIA: Stuff? BAILEY: Yeah, you know - toothbrush, sleeping clothes. So after dinner we can— MARIA: (Stops walking) Dinner… tonight? BAILEY: Yeah. Is that a problem? MARIA: (Nervously) No, of course not, no. (Smiling) It’s just, um… this paper. Due tomorrow on… T.S. Eliot. BAILEY: A paper? MARIA: Yeah, sorry. Gotta pull an all-nighter. (Bailey processes this.) Uh, I feel terrible. Now I’ll be thinking about you when I write about Prufrock. BAILEY: Wait, I thought you turned that paper in last week. MARIA: I did? BAILEY: Yeah. Remember? I checked those books out for you ‘cause you forgot your card. (Maria looks down. Busted.) MARIA: Okay, look. I was going to tell you about this before, but… BAILEY: About what? MARIA: (Looking up) I kind of… have a date tonight. (Bailey raises his eyebrows.) BAILEY: You…? Oh. MARIA: He’s in my Modern Poetry class. Kind of shy. (Smiling) Said he’s been wanting to ask me out, but couldn’t get up the nerve until, well… Valentine’s. BAILEY: Huh. MARIA: You’re not mad, are you? BAILEY: Mad? No, no. That’s— Of course not. No. MARIA: Really? That makes me feel so much better. (Bailey forces a somewhat unconvincing smile, and they begin walking again.) I don’t know why I was so nervous. I mean, it’s not like we… well, you know. BAILEY: Yeah. (Almost to himself.) I know. CHARLIE’S HOUSE. KIRSTEN is answering the door as DAPHNE looks on. A DELIVERY PERSON from Le Bouquet Florists is hidden behind two dozen red roses. Kirsten takes the flowers and thanks the smiling delivery woman. DELIVERY WOMAN: Lucky girl… enjoy! (Kirsten holds the arrangement with two hands. She brings them into the kitchen and places them on the table.) DAPHNE: Wow. Now those are flowers. KIRSTEN: (Smiling) You’re not kidding. Oh my gosh… Charlie really went all out. DAPHNE: (Slyly) How do you know they’re from Charlie? KIRSTEN: What? Who else— DAPHNE: (Pointing at the flowers) You’d better check the card… KIRSTEN: Oh, come on. Of course they’re from Charlie. (A glimpse of uncertainty flashes over Kirsten’s face as she opens the small envelope and reads. Relief sets in as she thrusts the card at Daphne.) See? DAPHNE: (Shrugging) Okay, but you never know. (She sits down at the table and takes a cookie from a plate.) So, what did you get him? KIRSTEN: Get him? (Kirsten looks blankly at Daphne as the scene fades.) CLAUDIA’S DORM ROOM, JUILLIARD. CLAUDIA lies on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, as she hears a soft knock on her door. HEATHER pushes the door open slowly. HEATHER: Hey, can you come out here? (Claudia sits up.) You’ve got to sign for a delivery. (Claudia follows Heather out of the room and opens the front door, where she sees Todd standing with flowers and a heart-shaped “Be Mine” balloon.) CLAUDIA: (Covering her mouth) Todd! TODD: (Smiling) Special delivery. LONG’S DRUG STORE. KIRSTEN is standing in front of the Valentine’s Day card section, looking through the sparse rack that has been severely picked over. There are more empty spaces than cards. She picks one up that has two love bugs on the front, one male and one female. The male bug is handing the female bug a flower. The inside of the card reads, “From your one and only true li’l love bug.” Kirsten grimaces and puts the card back. She tries another one that has a picture of a closed flower. The inside shows the flower smiling and with all petals out. The card reads, “Okay, I’m going to just open up and ask: Will you be my Valentine?” Kirsten puts that one back quickly. She finally settles on one with a cartoon bumblebee on the front, that reads simply “Bee Mine.” She moves on to the candy and gift aisle, where there are even fewer choices. There are a few boxes of candy left, but they are either opened or smashed. She brightens when she sees a giant Hershey Kiss, but on closer inspection sees it is crushed on one side. ROLLING FOG PUBLICATIONS – TANIA’S OFFICE. JULIA sits across from TANIA, who looks over Julia’s submission. Julia squirms a bit in anticipation. TANIA: Hmm. (Puts down the papers, looks at Julia.) How do I say this without…? (Julia raises her eyebrows.) I’m a little disappointed, Julia. JULIA: Disappointed? TANIA: Maybe that’s too strong a word. Surprised. JULIA: Okay. TANIA: I love what you say about the style and thematic content. And I agree they certainly are good, but… to me there were some pretty obvious flaws with this story. The fact that you didn’t catch them… (Sighs) Well, I’m surprised. JULIA: So…? Huh. (Julia thinks about this.) So you want me to…? TANIA: Like this. (Points to a specific passage.) Didn’t you notice he ranted for almost a page about something that has nothing to do with his story? JULIA: (Softly) Actually, I kind of did. TANIA: I actually wrote “what’s the point?” in the margin. (Julia looks through her briefcase, pulling out another paper.) And his characters. How are we supposed to care about them when… JULIA: …They have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. TANIA: (Surprised) Yes. JULIA: (Reading from the other paper) “Because any story – no matter how wonderfully written – fails without occassional glimpses of reality. Without these as a base, the foundation of the story cracks.” TANIA: Julia, what is that? Did you…? JULIA: Write it? Yeah. I did. TANIA: I don’t understand. JULIA: (Smiling) I just wasn’t sure I was supposed to point out things like that in my column. I mean, these are stories we chose to print. TANIA: So you thought you had to skim over the flaws. Is that it? JULIA: Pretty much. TANIA: Julia, you get a paycheck every other week because of your opinion. Don’t second-guess it. That’s what I’m for. JULIA: In that case… (handing her the second draft) …you’re going to want this. (They smile.) OMNI HOTEL AT INDEPENDENCE PARK, PHILADELPHIA. BAILEY is at the front desk, talking to a college-aged, male CLERK. CLERK: I’m sorry, but we have a twenty-four hour cancellation policy. BAILEY: Yeah, but… (Looks down) Look, there’s no way I could have known about this twenty-four hours ago, okay? (The clerk doesn’t flinch.) I mean, c’mon. Can’t you just resell it? CLERK: We’re running twenty-eight percent occupancy, Mr. Salinger. BAILEY: Yeah, but— CLERK: I’m sorry. OFFICE OF FELICIA LOMBARD, MARRIAGE COUNSELOR. CHARLIE is sitting in the office lobby, thumbing through a People Magazine. KIRSTEN enters, holding a small red gift bag. Charlie looks up. KIRSTEN: Hey. CHARLIE: (Smiling) Hey. KIRSTEN: (Sitting down one seat away) Thanks so much for the flowers, Charlie. They’re beautiful. (She smiles.) CHARLIE: Oh, that’s great. I’m glad you got them already. Those delivery places always make me nervous. Especially on Valentine’s. (Kirsten tentatively extends the red gift bag toward Charlie.) KIRSTEN: Um… here. Happy Valentine’s Day. CHARLIE: (Grinning) Thanks. (He opens the bag and takes out the Valentine’s card. He opens the envelope and reads it. He leans over and kisses Kirsten on the cheek.) Thanks, Kirsten. (He turns back to the bag and sifts through the colorful tissue paper to pull out a small brown gorilla, wearing sunglasses, a red headband and a white jacket. The gorilla is holding a small “electric guitar” that says “Dr. Love.” His hand has a small sticker that says “Press Me – I Sing!” Charlie laughs.) Cute. (He presses “Dr. Love’s” hand.) KIRSTEN: Oh, no — wait! Don’t… oh gosh. (She covers her face with her hand in embarrassment. “Dr. Love” begins his rendition of “Bad Case of Loving You.” His head bobs to the rhythm. Charlie laughs loudly as Kirsten blushes. The office door suddenly opens and Dr. Lombard is standing there, smiling.) DR. LOMBARD: Mr. and Mrs. Salinger? You can come on in, now. (Charlie puts the gorilla back into his Valentine bag and he and Kirsten smile at each other as they stand to enter.) GRIFFIN’S APARTMENT. GRIFFIN enters and flips his shoes off by the door. He takes his jacket off and sets it over the back of the couch. He feels something hard under his feet and looks down. He sees a small yellow heart with some writing on it. He looks closer and sees there is a line of small pastel hearts. He follows the trail of hearts, which lead into the bedroom and end at the edge of the bed. In the center of the bed is a huge heart made out of the small candies. In the center are the words, “I Love You.” Griffin smiles and shakes his head. LUKE AND DAPHNE’S APARTMENT. LUKE and DAPHNE are sitting on the couch, enjoying some wine by candlelight. UB40’s version of “Only Fools Rush In” is playing. Luke stands up and extends his hand. Daphne looks up at him and smiles. She takes his hand and gets up. They move to the center of the living room. Daphne leans onto Luke’s shoulder, kicks her high heels off and they begin swaying to the music. THE RITTENHOUSE HOTEL. WILL leads JEAN to the door of their suite. JEAN: Will, what are you…? (Will opens the door, and Jean sees the flickering light of thirty candles. She covers her mouth, unable to say anything, as they move forward. She sees a bottle of champagne chilling in a silver ice bucket, rose petals on the bed, etc. Nat King Cole plays softly in the background.) JEAN: Oh my God, Will… it’s… it’s— (Turning toward him.) Oh my God. (They kiss and then hug.) WILL: (Softly) Happy Valentine’s Day. JEAN: You are so going to get lucky tonight. (They smile then kiss again, this time more passionately, falling out of frame, onto the bed. We hear just their giggles.) BAILEY’S SUITE at the OMNI HOTEL. We see a quick shot of Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck in “Double Indemnity.” It comes from the television. BAILEY sits up in the bed, eating from a bag of potato chips. Pissed about it. Thirty candles burn without purpose around him as we hear the dialogue from the television: FRED MACMURRAY: Don’t tell me it’s because you’ve been in love with me all this time. BARBARA STANWYCK: No, I never loved you, Walter. Not you or anybody else. I’m rotten to the heart. I used you just as you said. (Bailey sighs.) BOUTERIN RESTAURANT, NEW YORK. CLAUDIA and TODD sit at a private booth near the fireplace. New York’s evening skyline is seen through the large windows. Claudia gazes down as she speaks, and Todd looks at her adoringly. CLAUDIA: Everything seems so different since I got back. I mean, I expect Tina and Val to annoy me. But Tess – we’ve always gotten along great. And now it’s like— (Noticing Todd’s look, she smiles.) Why are you looking at me like that? TODD: Huh? Oh, no reason. Go on… CLAUDIA: I don’t know. Maybe it’s me that’s different. Sometimes – when I was feeling like I needed some kind of inspiration or something – I used to watch the students walking on campus. Just walking. But they had this look – all of them. TODD: A look? CLAUDIA: A look of… extreme determination. And I’d think, wow - maybe he’ll be the next Olivier. Or maybe she’ll be the next Pavlova. And for some reason, that would inspire me. TODD: That’s good, right? CLAUDIA: I guess. But now when I look at those same faces, I wonder… what are they giving up to be here? Then I think about everything I’m giving up. You… my family… TODD: Claudia, you haven’t given anything up. We’re still here. And I’m here right now. (He places his hand over hers.) CLAUDIA: You know what I mean, Todd. It’s not the same, being so far apart. You know what I think about sometime? I think… if it weren’t for the violin, we’d be together every day. (Laughs distantly) Ironic, isn’t it? The thing that brought us together’s keeping us apart now. (A beat. Todd processes this.) TODD: But… Claudia, your music is a huge part of who you are. Your love for it – your passion – that’s one of the first things I noticed about you. CLAUDIA: Really? TODD: Of course. It’s part of why I think you’re so amazing… why I love you. And it’s part of the reason I— (Todd smiles.) CLAUDIA: (Smiling) You what? TODD: Close your eyes. CLAUDIA: What? TODD: Come on. Close ‘em. (Claudia obliges, smiling.) CLAUDIA: Todd, if you put something gross on my plate, I swear, I’m gonna— (Todd slips a ring on her finger. She opens her eyes, stares at it.) TODD: I love you, Claudia, and I know this is kind of out of the blue, but— Oh! I knew I’d screw this up. (He bends down on a knee in front of her, taking her breath away.) It’s been hard not seeing you – I admit that. And a lot of people might think distance makes relationships grow apart, but it’s only made me love you more. I know that I want to be with you… always. (Claudia sits still, shocked.) Claudia, will you marry me? (The shocked look on Claudia’s face holds for a moment, but soon gives way to a loving smile.) Read and post messages about tonight's episode... PO5 "7th Season" Yahoo Club "The Salingers" Delphi Forum