BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
"Above This Scepter’d Sway"
Re-named, "A Gentle Rain"
Written by
M.M. Shelly Moore & Linda Campanelli
WITT/THOMAS
PRODUCTIONS
SECOND HOUSE DRAFT
956 N. Seward
St.
December 6, 1988
Hollywood, CA 90038
(213) 465-7415 - Hollywood, CA
(213) 583-1630 - Vernon, CA
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
"Above This Scepter ’ d Sway"
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
EXT. ESTABLISHING SHOT - CENTRAL PARK (STOCK) - NIGHT
The city’s lights twinkle in the crisp
early spring air
and in the reflection on the lake.
The trees are in
early bud.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. VARIOUS SHOTS OF CENTRAL PARK (STOCK) - NIGHT
A MONTAGE of Central Park images:a
swing swinging slowly in the breeze... Belvedere
Castle... the Mall...the
Delacorte Musical Clock ’s animals
in movement as the hour chimes... the lake, still, until
a grand SWAN glides past
in the moonlight, a small chick trailing...
CAMERA PANS DOW... INTO THE GROUND... THROUGH
THE BEDROCK -- UNTIL WE ` SEE...
DISSOLVE TO :
INT. KANIN’S NEW CHAMBER -NIGHT
CANDLES are being lit. The chamber
is already half-aglow with candlelight. We see it is VINCENT
using one candle
to light the others. There is a warm,
magical feeling...
CATHY (O. C., calling)
Vincent ?
VINCENT
In here.
CATHY enters, carrying a basket filled
with cut lilacs. She stops short... awed by the simple
beauty of the
chamber in the candlelight.
CATHY
Oh, Vincent...
VINCENT
... I agree.
CATHY
It’s perfect.
(meaning both the chamber
and the candles)
Everything.
Vincent has continued lighting candles while Cathy takes in the surroundings: a family-size
chamber, newly
excavated, barren of furnishings,
with nooks, ledges, two or three archways leading to smaller
chambers, candles
everywhere...
CATHY
How can Kanin turn solid rock
into something like this?
VINCENT
(still lighting
candles) I think because Kanin
trained himself, he doesn’t
know what can’t be done.
Cathy remembers her purpose and moves to lay out the
flowers she’s brought.
CATHY
That explains him asking me to get
lilacs this time of year.
VINCENT
(smiling to himself)
When he asked if I would light
the candles, I thought he
meant four or five.
CATHY
How much time do we have?
VINCENT
We should hurry.
CATHY
Was Olivia’s first husband
this romantic?
VINCENT
How can I judge? I never knew
Kanin was this romantic.
Vincent glances towards one of the
archways to the smaller chambers, faint candlelight
glowing from within.
VINCENT
(re: flowers)
In there, too.
Cathy takes the flower basket to the
smaller chamber, laying flowers among the candles
as she goes. She stops
short at the threshold, seeing
A BED
inside, carefully made, the antique
linen white and soft, trimmed in lace, a down comforter,
etc. A wedding bed...
bathed in candlelight.
CATHY
reacts, a sadness flashing across
her eyes. We see she is thinking of Vincent, somewhere
in the chamber behind
her, but she fights to not turn her
head, to not look over at him. As she moves to enter
the bed chamber, we
see.
VINCENT
across the family chamber, still
lighting candles. Reading Cathy’s thoughts and feelings
so clearly at this
moment, he, too, is fighting to not
turn to her. He feels her sadness, he knows he is
the reason.
CUT TO:
INT. BED CHAMBER - CHAMBERS
Cathy lays flowers out among the
candles, holding onto a small bouquet which she places gently
on the bed at the
pillows. She pauses, a bittersweet
reflection on what may never be.
VINCENT
(O.C. FROM THE DOORWAY)
Do you think Olivia will like this room?
The sound of Vincent’s voice pulls
Cathy from her thoughts. She looks over to see
VINCENT
his frame filling the stone archway,
obviously having watched her for at least a moment.
So much they cannot
say to each other ... Finally,
Cathy can only walk out, past him.
CATHY
(moving/a lump in her throat)
Olivia will love this room.
STAY WITH VINCENT a moment longer,
not immediately
following Cathy. Just now, FROM THE
TUNNEL OUTSIDE THE
CHAMBER comes the faint sound of
two people approaching.
KANIN (O.C.)
No, not yet.
CATHY
(overlapping/a whispered warning)
Vincent!
OLIVIA (O.C.)
(girlishly amused)
Kanin.
Vincent hurries back INTO THE FAMILY CHAMBER.
CATHY
They’re coming. What do we do?
Vincent passes, taking Cathy with
him. He steers her to a bend in the stone wall near the
chamber’s entrance.
They are barely there when KANIN
enters, carrying his 10- month-old son LUKE and leading his
blind-folded wife
OLIVIA. Kanin is 36 years old, lean
and muscular, a man not afraid of a hard day’s work.
He came to the tunnel
community 15 years ago and, through
the years, has emerged as the community’s soft-spoken
engineer, a Gary
Cooper-strong-quiet-type who can
work miracles with a pick ax, a shovel, ten tons of bedrock,
and a vision. A
little over two years ago the quiet
bachelor surprised the community by showing an interest
in and subsequently
courting and marrying a young widow,
born in the tunnels, named Olivia. From the moment he
decided to pursue,
Kanin began to show a side to himself
that the community could only assume had always been
there but needed Olivia
to be brought out -- a more fun-loving,
lighter, happier side.
KANIN
Now this way...
OLIVIA
Kanin... this had better be good... Cathy and Vincent slip out, waving
silently to Kanin, who gives them an appreciative smile,
but his attention is on his wife and giving her a surprise.
KANIN
Okay, stand right here.
(positions her)
Are your eyes closed?
OLIVIA
Yes.
KANIN
Okay, keep them closed...
(taking away blindfold)
All right... open them.
Olivia opens her eyes and reacts
-- a young woman seeing her first home for the first time,
a surprise from her
husband. She is dazzled, immediately
affected by what she sees...
KANIN
(quiet/full of love)
Happy anniversary. Olivia’s
eyes have immediately started to glisten.
KANIN
Do you like it?
OLIVIA
(afraid to ask)
... Is it ours?
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. TUNNEL - MINUTES LATER
Cathy and Vincent are waiting. The
tunnel is dark except for the pockets of light where the
torches hang.
VINCENT
There always seemed to be some
other family whose need for a
chamber was greater than his
own.
CATHY
I think Olivia had given up.
Their conversation is interrupted
by Kanin’s approach. He brings Luke with him, hands Luke
out to Cathy, by
prearrangement.
KANIN
Thank you for everything.
CATHY
Hey, Luke.
KANIN
Tell Mary one of us will pick
him up first thing tomorrow
morning. (a kiss for Luke) I love you. Be a good
boy.
(gives Luke’s little hand a
kiss) I love you. (to Vincent
and Cathy) Thanks again, old friend. Catherine.
Kanin is heading back towards his chamber.
CATHY
( giving Luke a kiss )
Don’t worry about Luke.
As Cathy, Luke, and Vincent watch
Kanin disappear into the darkness...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. KANIN’S CHAMBER ENTRANCE AND CHAMBER - MOMENT LATER
FOLLOW KANIN as he reenters the chamber
from the tunnel. Olivia is standing in the middle
of the room, looking
beautifully veiled in candlelight,
still absorbing her anniversary gift. She watches Kanin
approach her, their
eyes connecting. Kanin stands behind
her, wraps his arms around her, drawing her close.
KANIN
You know that fireplace you
always talk about? It’s going to
go right over there.
OLIVIA
(hushed) It is ?
KANIN
And tomorrow, I have
to go topside -- we need some
drill bits for that tunnel
job -- I’m gonna see if I can get
some
materials for wall sconces, maybe one there, one
over there...
Kanin indicates positions above where
the fireplace will be, Olivia’s eyes following the picture
he paints. Her
flood of emotions choke everything
she wants to say. Kanin can tell, understands...
KANIN
And...
(pulling back to take a
simply wrapped small box
from his breast pocket) I have one more present
for you.
Olivia takes the present, hands tremoring.
OLIVIA
(pulling the ribbon loose) Kanin...
Kanin watches Olivia take away the
wrapping paper to see a small wooden box. She opens it,
and we see it’s a
MUSIC BOX. It starts to play a simple
CLASSICAL PIECE.
OLIVIA
(looking up) It’s beautiful.
Kanin takes the box from Olivia and
sets it on a nearby ledge. He goes back to Olivia.
KANIN
Dance with me, Livvy... As Kanin and Olivia start to dance...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. HARDWARE STORE - DAY
Kanin selects several drill bits (for
a hand-powered drill) from a display. He notices
one item idly left in
the wrong place and takes the time
to put it in the right place. GO WITH KANIN to another aisle
where he looks for
and finds mallets. He picks up one
or two to see how each feels in his hands. Through the
shelving we notice
a WOMAN: MRS.. DAVIS, late forties,
an executive assistant at Simon and Schuster. She is a late-bloomer
who has
gained confidence from the fact that
she’s made it through some horrific milestones,
pulled herself together, and seems to be coming
out on top. She is shopping, scanning the items on her
aisle’s side of the shelf. She casually glances up, catching
a glimpse of Kanin, Kanin at the same time glancing
up, each going immediately back to their shopping.
But something
registers with each person, the woman’s
reaction less covert. She looks up at Kanin again,
but now there is a recognition in her eyes, the feelings
of an immediate cold sweat, of being suddenly sick
to her stomach,of literal shock. She freezes, staring
at Kanin through the shelves. Only now does Kanin glance
back up again then quickly back down, trying with every
atom of his being to hide his own feelings of panic, to
appear like any other shopper.
Momentarily, Mrs. Davis forces herself to think, to decide what to do. In this instant, she looks away, and when she looks back
POV - ACROSS THE SHELF
Kanin is not there.Alarmed, Mrs. Davis panics, and WE FOLLOW her down the aisle, around the corner, to the next aisle.
POV - THE EMPTY AISLE
Mrs. Davis glances in all directions. As she hurries OUT OF FRAME...
CUT TO:
EXT. HARDWARE STORE - DAY Mrs. Davis bursts from the store,
looking up and down the street in all directions. The usual
New York City crowd of people fills the sidewalks, but
she does not immediately see Kanin among them.
Her eyes glistening as she takes a fifty-fifty chance and
hurries in the direction AWAY FROM THE CAMERA, walking
backwards one
moment in case Kanin has gone the
other direction, looking in shop windows as she hurries
past, etc. the CAMERA stays fixed then slowly pulls
back to REVEAL Kanin pressed tightly against a wall
in one of the street’s nooks, his brow beading with panicked
sweat, his heart pounding so he can barely breathe...
a man who has suddenly woken up into a nightmare.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. WATERFRONT WAREHOUSE - DAY
LONG SHOT - WAREHOUSE
The warehouse is a large hangar-like
building filled with sunlight which streams through its
high windows. The SOUNDS OF THE WATERFRONT can be heard.
Wooden crates are stacked here and there. We see Kanin
crossing to a water drainage grid. He is hurrying, rattled,
constantly looking behind him. He lifts the
grid cover and climbs down an O. C. ladder, pulling the
grid cover back into place as he disappears.
CUT TO:
INT. TUNNEL ENTRANCE #34 - CONTINUOUS
Kanin hurriedly climbs down the metal
rungs of a wall ladder (similar to that leading to
Cathy’s building), not bothering with the last few rungs
as he jumps to the tunnel floor below. He hurries through
the tunnel...driven, trying to get away, to get
back to his safe world...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SECOND TUNNEL - MINUTES LATER
Kanin moves through the tunnel at
a quick clip, a little voice inside trying to tell him:
"It’s okay, you’re okay, just pull yourself together here,
"but the little voice can barely be heard yet over his
pounding heart and overwhelming emotions. But there
is a slight evidence that he’s trying to regroup. As he
disappears...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. THIRD TUNNEL - MINUTES LATER
Kanin is still moving at a brisk clip.
He is more focused inward now, a thousand unwelcome,
buried memories and their accompanying feelings suddenly
back. He rounds a corner and walks smack into Vincent,
which jolts Kanin from his intensity. He almost overcompensates
in trying to act normal.
KANIN
Vincent. Excuse me.
VINCENT
(simultaneous)
Kanin.
Kanin’s smile is friendly, but Kanin continues moving, no desire to engage in a conversation.
STAY WITH KANIN, moving on, not giving
Vincent a chance to ask if something is wrong...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. TUNNEL - MINUTES LATER
Kanin comes along the tunnel and almost
rounds a corner, seeing his TWO-MAN WORKCREW (SAMUEL
and PAUL), their attention on positioning and shoring
up a vertical support beam along the tunnel wall.
Kanin steps back, his back against the wall, not yet
ready to face these men. For a moment, he tries to steel
his nerves, one last chance to regroup...
OLIVIA
Kanin?
Kanin jumps at the sound of Olivia’s
voice. She has come up on him unexpectedly.
OLIVIA
(off his start) What’s the matter?
KANIN
Nothing. What are you
doing
here?
OLIVIA
I brought you your lunch. What’s wrong?
KANIN
Nothing.
(re: lunch) Thanks.
(a kiss on the cheek) I’d better get back
to work.
OLIVIA
Are you sure you’re
okay?
KANIN
Yeah. Thanks for bringing this.
OLIVIA
Okay.
Still not
convinced nothing’s wrong, Olivia starts to exit. Kanin watches her, trying to
appear normal. When she’s about seven feet away, he is
as surprised as anyone to hear his voice:
KANIN
Livvy?
Olivia turns back. Kanin buries whatever
impulse that was and lands on something else.
KANIN
Your hair. I like it
that way.
OLIVIA
Thank you.
They smile. Olivia exits. GO WITH
KANIN as he rejoins his workcrew who are just now moving
a heavy beam into
place. Spikes have already been driven
through it, ready to be hammered into the bedrock.
KANIN
Hey.
SAMUEL
Hey, just in time.
PAUL
That was quick.
Kanin immediately picks up a mallet
and starts driving in one of the spikes.
PAUL
Where are the drills?
KANIN
They were out. Have
to get them next trip.
As
KANIN
drives in the spike, the SOUND OF
METAL HAMMERING ROCK, all of his energies focused, the
work an outlet...
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
INT. KANIN’S CHAMBER - THAT NIGHT
TIGHT ON A LARGE PICK AX striking
a bedrock wall. THE SOUND CARRIES OVER as we...
CUT TO:
INT. TUNNEL - SIMULTANEOUS
Vincent is returning from a night’s
walk. Suddenly hearing the FAINT RHYTHMIC HAMMERING
( from a distant
chamber), he pauses...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. KANIN’S NEW CHAMBER - A FEW MINUTES LATER
As the pick ax continues to chip away
at the bedrock, PULL BACK to see it is Kanin working
on an alcove for the
promised fireplace. He is intense,
his body sweating and red; he has been at this for hours,
but he has no concept
of time tonight . He’s trying to
pound some demon inside of him away. The candles from last
night still dot the
room, intermixed with the lilacs,
but the candles aren’t lit. Kanin works by the light of
oil lamps.
VINCENT
comes up at the entrance, watches
a moment, sensing Kanin’s torment. Kanin catches sight
of Vincent out of
the corner of his eye but barely
pauses in swinging the ax.
KANIN
Hey, Vincent.
VINCENT
(entering)
It’s late.
Kanin continues picking at the rock
while talking:
KANIN
Am I making too much
noise?
VINCENT
No, I only heard you
because I was walking past.
There is a pause, Vincent wondering if Kanin will bring up whatever’s on his mind.
KANIN
Thanks again for helping
me out last night.
VINCENT
Was Olivia surprised?
KANIN
...Yeah. That’s gotta
be a record for keeping a
secret...
Kanin’s voice trails at the end when he hears what he is about to say. He hopes the picking covers.
VINCENT
How soon before you’ll
have it Ready to move in?
KANIN
Well, now that Livvy
knows About it, I figure I’ve
got about a week. (a pause) At the most.
VINCENT
Luke will probably celebrate the occasion by walking
for you.
Kanin smiles with quiet pride to himself,
as only a Daddy can.
KANIN
Yeah, he’s sure trying. The thought of his son soon to be
walking seems to only disturb Kanin more. As he continues
to swing the pick ax...
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. ESTABLISHING SHOT - THE CITY
(STOCK) - DAY
CUT TO:
INT. D. A.’S OFFICE - MID-MORNING
Cathy is under the gun on a case.
Her disk is covered with piles of stuffed file folders
and several open law books. She is in the middle of a
phone call:
CATHY
...Well, what about
Harris versus--- what was it? Georgia? What about
Harris versus Georgia?
While Cathy waits for an answer, JOE exits his office, a stack of about ten files in hand. He appears to be in the midst of a hard day too.
CATHY
(on phone) Okay, no, it wasn’t
that one...
(she thinks, racking her brain...) Oh, wait---
(grabbing a nearby text) I’ve got it -- what
about---
(searching through the text) ---wasn’t there some
case against the Albany police department a couple
of years
ago...?
JOE
(heading for Cathy’s desk) Sorry, Radcliffe.
CATHY
(into phone) Yeah, read it to---
(looking up)
Hang on, Charlie.
(sensing more work/to Joe) No.
Joe lays the folders on top of one
of Cathy’s book stacks.
JOE
It’your turn.
CATHY
No.
JOE
Just go through the
motions, push ‘em through, we’ll
never Find any of them.
Joe is already heading off.
CATHY
Joe , I’m swamped.
JOE
So don’t get your nails
done this week.
Joe exits back to his office. Cathy
goes back to her
phone call, seeing no light at the
end of the tunnel.
CATHY
(hearing Charlie on phone) Yeah, I’m here -- read
it to me. As she listens, she sets the stack
of new files in front of her, starts half-heartedly flipping
them open one-by- one to see what they are. In the
middle of the third one...
CATHY
(into phone)
That’s perfect. I need
the opposite decision.
(as she moves on to fourth
file) What am I going to do?
This case
(opening folder)
is on the docket for
next---
(her voice trails) ---week...
POV- TIGHT ON THE TYPED NAME: KANIN
EVANS
then
THE TYPED WORD: MANSLAUGHTER
then
A MUGSHOT OF KANIN
sixteen years younger
As Cathy reacts...
FADE OUT:
END OF ACT ONE
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
INT. CHAMBER OF THE WINDS - SAME DAY
CATHY
enters the Chamber of the Winds as
seen in "Promises of Someday." She has come looking
for someone. She sees
him.
POV-KANIN, SAMUEL, AND PAUL
on the staircase, their attention focused on hauling a heavy beam up the stairs. They are sweaty and grimy from their day’s work.
WIDE SHOT- CHAMBER
as Cathy descends the stairs.
THE MEN
notice Cathy approaching.
SAMUEL
Hey, Catherine.
CATHY
Samuel.
PAUL
What are you doing here?
CATHY
(looking directly at Kanin) I need to talk to Kanin. Cathy’s tone, the way she’s looking
at him...gives Kanin a sinking feeling.
KANIN
Can you guys get this?
PAUL
Yeah. You got
it, Samuel?
SAMUEL
Yeah.
Kanin leaves the beam-carrying to Samuel and Paul who continue on up the stairs. Kanin indicates for Cathy to follow him down.
KANIN
Come on.
As Kanin escorts Cathy down the steps...
CUT TO:
INT. GREAT HALL- A FEW SECONDS LATER
One of the doors is opened with great
effort by Kanin. He and Cathy slip inside, Kanin shutting
the door behind them. The hall is lit ; what little
furniture has been left in int is pushed up against
the walls, giving the chamber an empty feeling.
CATHY
Kanin, I don’t know
how to say this except to say it. (hesitating, struggling) I got a file on my desk
this morning... (another
pause) and the person I’m supposed
to find is you.
A beat, the eye contact between these
two friends palpable. Kanin moves
away. For a moment, neither person speaks, Kanin’s world coming
to a screeching halt.
Finally:
KANIN
Do you believe there’s
a God, Catherine?
CATHY
Yes.
KANIN
Do you believe if you
pray real Hard for something,
do you believe God will answer
your
prayers?
CATHY
Not necessarily.
KANIN
... I’ve been praying
that woman didn’t recognize me...
even though I knew she did.
... But even then, I’ve been
telling myself it wouldn’t make
any difference -- how would
she ever find me down here...
Funny what the mind does...
Not once did I ever think about
you. (a longer pause) Have you told anyone
else?
CATHY
No. Kanin nods.
KANIN
Thanks. A beat, Kanin’s world spinning.
CATHY
Why did you run?
KANIN
I was twenty years old
-- I was scared. Jail isn’t some
place you want to go when
you’re twenty. Kanin looks at Cathy, ashamed, hoping
she’ll understand but understanding if she doesn’t.
Jail isn’t some place he wants to go now either, but for
different reasons. After a moment, he goes on...
KANIN
And every year I didn’t
go back, it got easier... Finally I just lived
with it.
CATHY
... Does anyone know? Kanin looks at Cathy, a moment of
directness -- his thought hitting clearly on Olivia.
KANIN
No. (after a moment,
Kanin has to look away) So... what are you going
to do?
CATHY
Kanin, the question
is what are you going to do?
KANIN starts to speak more than once, finally says:
KANIN
I have to be the one
to tell Olivia
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. KANIN’S OLD CHAMBER - THAT NIGHT
ANGLE - LUKE
peacefully asleep in his crib.
PAN ACROSS the chamber. This chamber
is the one Kanin has had for years. It served fine
for one person but
seems crowded now. We find...
OLIVIA AND KANIN
They are close, Olivia looking up a Kanin, who has been trying to find the courage, the words...
OLIVIA
Just tell me.
Kanin can’t, wants to, but can’t.
OLIVIA
You’re scaring me.
Finally....
KANIN
Catherine found something
out about me. About my past.
Kanin can’t go on, ultimately has to move away, struggling, fighting, so afraid once he says it, he’ll lose this woman’s respect and then her love... Momentarily, Olivia comes up behind him, reaches out to touch him. She wants to ask "what is it?" but he has scared her so she can’t summon the courage. Finally...
KANIN
When I was twenty...
He turns to her, holds both her hands
for a second before he can look into her eyes.
KANIN
... a year before I
came to the tunnels... I was in
a car accident... one night
after a Party out on Long Island... A little boy was killed.
Kanin hesitates. Olivia waits, not
sure where this is leading.
KANIN
It was my fault.
OLIVIA
Your fault?
KANIN
It’s called a D.W.I.
-- driving while intoxicated.
In all the years Olivia has known Kanin, she has never seen him drink.
OLIVIA
You don’t drink.
KANIN
I’d had a couple of
beers. (a pause) I haven’t had one since.
For a moment, their eyes connect, but neither person knows what to say.
KANIN
The other day when I
was topside, the mother
of the little boy spotted me.
She’s bringing it all up again.
OLIVIA
(a sinking feeling getting deeper) What do you mean she’s
bringing it all up again?
Kanin has to dig to find the courage.
KANIN
Livvy, I ran. Sixteen
years ago, I jumped bail,
and I ran. There’s a warrant out
for my arrest.
Olivia’s mind is reeling, she tries to focus...
OLIVIA
(momentarily realizing) That’s why you’re here. There is a connection between them,
Kanin’s look acknowledging "yes."
OLIVIA
(a beat, almost
afraid to ask) And your family---
KANIN
(cutting her off) My family lives on Long
Island. Everything I’ve told
you has been a lie.
Olivia looks at Kanin, her eyes brimming.
OLIVIA
(hushed, almost
just mouthing) ...Not everything... It’s killing Kanin to be putting
his wife through this.
KANIN
Catherine says I have
to go up.
OLIVIA
No.
KANIN
I can’t ask her to lie
for me.
OLIVIA
(moving to him) No.
She draws him protectively into her
arms, her reaction definite, uncompromising.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. VINCENT’S CHAMBER - SAME NIGHT
Vincent is leaning over the fireplace
Kanin built for him, staring into the fire, his mind
reeling from what
Cathy has just told him.
VINCENT
I can’t begin to tell
you all the things Kanin has
done, what he means to this community.
CATHY
...Kanin was one of
the first friends I had down here.
VINCENT
He called me old friend
the first day we met. (reeling, moving) I can’t believe this!
A beat, Cathy feeling miserable,
in some way responsible.
VINCENT
How much trouble is
he in?
CATHY
He killed someone, he
jumped bail, he hid out for
sixteen years, he was spotted,
he ran again -- if there’s
a mistake he hasn’t made, I don’t
know what it is.
VINCENT
And now he has a wife
and a child.
CATHY
When I was talking to
him, I kept seeing this look
in his eyes... he wouldn’t
say it. but he was begging me... couldn’t I just let
it go?
(a beat) Ten other desks in that
office -- why’d it have to
land on Mine!
VINCENT
So you can help him.
CATHY
So I can arrest him
and turn him over to a bunch
of strangers. How’s that
or being a friend? As Vincent and Cathy look at each
other, burdened...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. D.A.’S OFFICE - THE NEXT DAY
Cathy returns to the office.
On her way back to her desk, she is intercepted by Joe,
who calls from behind his desk.
JOE
Cathy.
CATHY
(at Joe’s doorway) Yes?
JOE
Those case files I put
on your desk -- one was a D.W.I.?
CATHY
Yeah?
JOE
The mother’s here.
Cathy unconsciously steps inside Joe’s office.
INT. JOE’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
CATHY
What? Why?
JOE
She wants to talk to you.
CATHY
About what?
JOE
I don’t know. She’s
in the conference room.
CATHY
Joe, I haven’t done
anything with it.
JOE
I know. (off Cathy’s hesitation) Just go in and see what
she wants. I’ll stick my
head in, in a couple of minutes and rescue you.
Cathy is still hesitating, trying to figure out how she’s going to handle the woman, what her story’s going to be.
JOE
Is there a problem?
CATHY
No. (looking at Joe,
assuring) No.
Cathy exits, still not sure how she’s going to handle this.
INT. D.A.’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Cathy goes to her desk first, sticks
her purse in a drawer, takes off her coat, gets
the file and a legal pad and pen... and steels herself for
an awkward interview. As she heads for the door...
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY
Cathy exits the D.A.’s office, half-hoping
the mother’s back will be turned, giving Cathy
at least a two-second
reprieve.
POV - MRS. DAVIS
through the conference room’s glass
door, as Mrs. Davis, standing, seems to sense Cathy’s
approach and turns...a
hint of hope and, more definitely,
need in her eyes -- maybe this person (Cathy) will be
the one to help her. The look in Mrs. Davis’s eyes affects
Cathy. She opens the door.
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Cathy entering...
CATHY
Mrs. Davis?
MRS. DAVIS
Yes---
Mrs. Davis seems uncomfortably on
edge. She’s been telling herself for two days to be
calm, cool, and business-like, to let the authorities
handle this, and especially to not let her ghosts
from the past make her appear defensive. She hopes she is
carrying this off.
CATHY
(extending
hand)
-- I’m Catherine Chandler
-- Cathy. I’m the deputy
D.A. assigned to your case, but I’m afraid
I just got it and I Haven’t really had a
chance to do much with it yet.
MRS. DAVIS
Is there something I should be doing?
CATHY
No, not really.
MRS. DAVIS
Have you been able to do anything?
CATHY
No, not really.
MRS. DAVIS
Are there any questions
you need to ask me?
CATHY
...Um, not right now,
but (flipping open
file, checking statement) I have your number if
I need to call you -- 555-4206....?
MRS. DAVIS
Yes. Do you think you’ll
be able to find him?
CATHY
We’ll do everything
we can.
MRS. DAVIS
Um, how long do you
think it could take?
CATHY
I don’t know.
MRS. DAVIS
A week, two weeks---
CATHY
Mrs. Davis, I don’t
want to make any promises.
MRS. DAVIS
(nodding) I understand. I just
--- can’t believe it’s all back--- (suddenly unexpectedly
tearing up) I’m sorry.
CATHY
(a little caught
off-guard) It’s okay.
Just now, Joe gives a quick knock
and sticks his head in.
JOE
Excuse me, Cath, but---
CATHY
Joe, I’m in the middle
of a Conference -- can it
wait? Joe is a little thrown by Cathy’s
attitude/tone; he thought she wanted a rescue.
JOE
Sure. Sorry. Joe pulls the door shut, exiting
off. Cathy’s focus immediately goes back to Mrs. Davis,
who is making a real
effort to collect herself and not
embarrass herself. Things have been made worse by this
man catching her crying.
MRS. DAVIS
(trying to wipe
her tears) I’m sorry. I know how uncomfortable this makes people. ... I
thought I’d gotten past all this.
CATHY
...Don’t apologize.
MRS. DAVIS
What will happen if
you catch him?
CATHY
He’ll be brought up
on charges, there’ll probably be
a trial...
A beat, Mrs. Davis seeming to take
this in...
MRS. DAVIS
(very quiet, almost
as if preparing herself) How long could that
take?
CATHY
Maybe a year before
it gets into court.
Mrs. Davis takes a beat, sitting,
or moving to look out the door’s window.
MRS. DAVIS
(almost to herself) Why’s I have to go in
that hardware store?
CATHY
Don’t you want this
man to be found?
MRS. DAVIS
(quiet) God, yes. For Joey.
I want it for Joey.
CATHY
What about for you?
MRS. DAVIS
I just want it to be
over. (she pauses) Sixteen years ago --
in less than one minute -- the
bottom fell out of my world.
I lost
Joey, then after awhile,
my husband left me, he
couldn’t take me anymore -- neither Could my friends... (pauses, a glimmer
of new energy) But now I have new friends,
I have--- I’ve been seeing
this man lately, I have a
job -- that I love... then
three days
ago I saw that face
in that hardware store, and
suddenly I’m afraid I’m going
to lose everything all over
again... (her tone unintentionally carries a plea
for help) I don’t want to go back
to where I was. Mrs. Davis pauses again then seems
to hear herself, which makes her feel self-conscious. She
tries to straighten, to take all these things back inside...
unable to make eye
contact with Cathy for the moment...
CLOSE ON MRS. DAVIS....
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
INT. D.A.’S OFFICE - LATER THAT AFTERNOON
ANGLE - CATHY
sitting at her desk, deep within
herself. She leans forward, idly opens Kanin’s case
file, flips through the pages, nothing there she hasn’t already
seen. She comes to a snapshot, idly lifts it to look
at it...
POV - SNAPSHOT
of JOEY DAVIS, forever frozen as
a seven-year old, full of life (a great candid close-up
of a kid just cracking up -- you can practically hear his
laughter, i.e. with a garden hose, drenched). As Cathy’s focus stays unconsciously
fixed on the snapshot, SLOWLY PULL BACK: the office
is bustling in the middle of a typical busy afternoon;
in contrast to all the OFFICE CHATTER AND NOISE and
people, Cathy seems isolated... oblivious to her surroundings...
in her own little world... staring at the snapshot...
feeling the weight of the world... caught...
FADE OUT:
END OF ACT TWO
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
EXT. CATHY’S BALCONY - THAT NIGHT
Vincent and Cathy are talking...
VINCENT
What did you tell her?
CATHY
Nothing really.
I just listened. Part of me
felt like I was lying to
her -- part of me wanted to
tell her to just hang in there,
the
end’s in sight... part
of me wanted to tell her about
Kanin. (a pause, then) I don’t know what I’m
supposed to be here, Vincent.
Am I a prosecutor or a friend?
How do you be both?
VINCENT
...You follow Truth.
After a moment...
CATHY
Well, the truth is this
woman wants this to be over
with. She wants that desperately.
VINCENT
Both she and Kanin are
so afraid of losing everything a second time. (pause) Intimate strangers...each somehow having found
a
fragile peace...
A beat.
CATHY
They’ve been kidding
themselves ...and sitting on a
time bomb.
VINCENT
I know. (pausing) I’m concerned about
Kanin. Father and I kept thinking he would come talk to
us today.
CATHY
He didn’t?
VINCENT
(a little shake
of the head) We don’t think he’s
told anyone.
This information suddenly opens the floodgates to several new possibilities which send Cathy reeling, trying to see a solution, knowing something must be done.
CATHY
Vincent---
VINCENT
(cutting her off)
I know. ... We’re going
to talk to him.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. THE CITY ESTABLISHING SHOT (STOCK) - NEXT MORNING
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. KANIN’S OLD CHAMBER - MORNING
Father and Vincent are already there
with Olivia and Kanin. Luke is in a handcrafted baby
swing hanging from
the ceiling, playing with a sock
monkey. We open in mid-discussion. Kanin is neither desperate
nor belligerent. He has thought this through and realized
there is only one acceptable conclusion; he’s certain
once Vincent and Father go through the same thinking
process, they’ll reach the same conclusion.
KANIN
I know what I should
do -- I know I should go up
there. But I don’t want to
-- I don’t want to leave my wife
-- I don’t want to leave
my baby. (a pause)
If I go up -- if I turn
myself in -- what am I going
to say? I’m a good guy, trust
me? I’ve been a good guy for
the past sixteen years? I haven’t
had one drink in the past
sixteen years? You think they’re
just going to take my word
for it? Don’t you think they’re
going to wonder, if I’m such
a good guy, where all my friends
are -- why no one’s standing
up for me?
VINCENT
Catherine will be there---
KANIN
(overlapping;
he’s thought of that) Catherine can’t say
any more than I can.
(a beat)
Not to the judge --
not to that mother--- They’re
going to put me on a witness
stand, swear me to tell the
truth, and what do I tell them? (waits for an
answer, but no one offers
one) Do I get to say anything? (no one has an
answer) Is that fair? Is that
justice? Is that going to be
a fair trail?
OLIVIA
You’re telling him to
go up there and stand trial
and he’s not even gonna be able
to defend himself.
FATHER
(regretful, standing
firm) But for the safety of
our community here, we cannot harbor criminals---
OLIVIA
He isn’t a criminal.
FATHER
There is a warrant out
for his arrest, and he admits
he committed the crime. Technically, he is a
criminal.
OLIVIA
Technically -- he is
one of the most decent men you’ve
ever met.
VINCENT
Did Catherine explain
to you that because this was
your first and only offense,
the
sentence may not be
as harsh as you’re anticipating?
KANIN
(soft-spoken) Vincent, I just don’t
see the purpose in me going
to jail at all now. Who will
it help? Who will it protect?
It’s not
going to help the mother
-- she wants her little
boy back. It’s not going to help
my family or the community
down here. Is it going to
help me? Is there some lesson
I’m going to learn by sitting
in jail for two years? Some lesson
I haven’t already learned?
(a beat) I live with that night.
There isn’t a day that goes
by that I don’t think about
it. There isn’t one thing that
I’ve done that isn’t in some way
trying to make up for it .
To give back--- (instinctively
cuts off from saying "what
I took," finds other words:)
(MORE)
KANIN (CONT.)
to give something back. (pausing) Because that’s my sentence. I’m already serving
a life sentence. (pausing) I had a family above,
I had friends, I had a life
-- I was going to college. (makes a decision
to share something
else) Eight years ago, I read
in a paper that my father
died. It said he was survived
by a wife, two sons, and
a daughter. Another son
was deceased. (a beat)
That’s me. I’m deceased. All the topsiders wanted
was one or two years of my life
-- I’m the one who said forever.
I’m the
one who said it’s going
to be forever. And now you’re telling me on top of
that I have to go back and
serve their sentence too?
FATHER
(pained)
Kanin, we’re telling
you that your being here jeopardizes the community---
OLIVIA
Then we’ll leave---
KANIN
No--- !
OLIVIA
Yes, you know the tunnels,
you know someplace -- if
these people don’t want us,
we’ll go someplace else.
KANIN
Livvy, this is your
home, this is where you were born---
VINCENT
Olivia, we don’t want
you to go someplace else.
OLIVIA
Well, I’m not going
to say goodbye to him so he
can go up there and try to
fix something that can’t
be fixed.
For a moment, no one has a ready
response....
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. D.A.’S OFFICE - SAME DAY
Cathy is at her desk. She grabs a
couple of files and takes them across the office, placing
them on a desk or in a file cabinet within eyeshot
of Joe’s office.
JOE
(standing behind
his desk)
Cath.
CATHY
Yeah?
JOE
Come her for a second. Cathy goes into Joe’s office. She
leaves the door open behind her.
CATHY
What?
What Joe is about to divulge, he
takes very seriously, keeping his voice low:
JOE
Last night, I met this
woman.
CATHY
(tries to be serious
back) Congratulations.
JOE
Radcliffe, this is serious. This wasn’t just any
woman -- this could be the woman.
She wasn’t like any other
woman
I’ve ever met.
CATHY
So she wasn’t wearing
spandex?
JOE
(an impatient
look) Did I just say this
was serious?
CATHY
(swallowing a
laugh) Yes, you did.
JOE
Cath, what I do today
could affect the rest of my
life... (another pause) What do I do today? Joe is so focused, so serious, Cathy
can’t resist having fun with him. She pretends to weigh
the question very carefully, finally hits on an answer...something
novel.
CATHY
Call her.
JOE
You don’t think it’s
too soon?
CATHY
No.
JOE
Okay, good, so far,
so good. I did, I called her.
CATHY
What’d she say?
MRS. DAVIS
(simultaneous
to Cathy)
Mrs. Chandler?
Cathy turns and sees that Mrs. Davis
is standing in the exterior office. Her appearance has
deteriorated slightly (partly because she has
only been able to snatch eleven or twelve hours of accumulative
sleep in the last four days). She seems out-of-sorts,
apprehensive.
CATHY
Mrs. Davis.
MRS. DAVIS
I’m sorry -- I don’t
mean to interrupt.
CATHY
No, that’s okay -- is
something wrong?
MRS. DAVIS
I--- just haven’t heard
anything. Pulling on his jacket, Joe slides
past Cathy, standing in the doorway. He too is sensitive
to Mrs. Davis’s demeanor.
JOE
Why don’t you guys use
my office?
CATHY
Thanks. (to Mrs. Davis) Come on in.
MRS. DAVIS
Thank you.
CATHY
Can I get you some coffee?
MRS. DAVIS
No. (a second thought) Thank you. (pausing, wanting
to say why she’s here.) I--- just haven’t heard anything. No one’s called.
CATHY
We are working on the
case -- I just --- I don’t have
anything to tell you.
MRS. DAVIS
Have you been over to
the hardware store? To talk
to the people who work
there?
CATHY
No -- the police will
cover that---
MRS. DAVIS
They aren’t. I was just
over there. At the police
station. No one’s working on
this case.
CATHY
Mrs. Davis, has something
happened? Mrs. Davis’s eyes suddenly, unwillingly
fill with helpless tears. She looks away, ashamed
and afraid.
CATHY
... What’s happened? (when Mrs. Davis
doesn’t answer) Mrs. Davis, what happened?
Finally:
MRS. DAVIS
(hushed)
...Everything. It’s
all starting again. (after a moment) Everything that happened--- (not finishing
"when I lost Joey"/after
a second) it’s all going to happen
again.
CATHY
No, it’s not
A long beat.
MRS. DAVIS
...I want him found.
Mrs. Davis pauses, knowing Evans will never be found.
MRS. DAVIS
(a sad edge)
...I want it over with. Cathy can’t bring herself to speak
just now, can only listen. Mrs. Davis moves away. Finally,
quietly....
MRS. DAVIS
It’s like a song you
heard on the radio on a certain
vacation. Years later, you hear
it again... and suddenly all the
memories
attached to it are back
too... So clear... You don’t know
why you remember those things... (a beat) I saw Kanin Evan’s face
in that hardware store, and
all of a sudden I’m remembering... all these things...you
don’t want to remember... Momentarily, Mrs. Davis squeezes
her eyes shut to block out a memory.
MRS. DAVIS
...And I can’t make
them go away. Cathy is listening, nothing to say
without joining the crowd of everyone else telling Mrs. Davis she’s going
to be all right.
MRS. DAVIS
It’s just such a joke,
you know? Sixteen years
ago, my life’s going along just
fine, everything’s fine, then,
boom, Kanin Evans comes along
and my life’s all different.
Last week, my life’s going along just fine,
then, boom, Kanin Evans comes along
and it’s all different again, my
life’s falling apart again. I’ve got the
shakes again, I can’t go to sleep again. ...
Can’t go to work again.
(a beat) God, why did I have
to go into that hardware store? (another beat) I’m sorry, it’s not
your fault.
CATHY
takes this in, her guilt compounded.
She goes to Mrs. Davis, gently puts her hand on her arm.
CATHY
It’s okay. The touch, the closeness, the tone
in Cathy’s voice allow Mrs. Davis to continue.
MRS. DAVIS
(quietly crumbling) I just keep seeing him.
CATHY
Kanin? (covering her
slip) Evans?
MRS. DAVIS
My little boy. I can’t
stop seeing him. Everywhere
I look, I see him. I see him
in that car... (she closes her
eyes tight
for a moment,
trying to wipe the whole
memory from her mind, her
emotions about to win the
battle) I see him in that car...
He
looks up at me, and he says, "Mama..." like "Mama,
help me, " but I can’t get to him...
I can’t even touch him... (she pauses)
I told him I loved him...
I don’t know if he heard
me. (a beat, looking
up to Cathy) Trying living with that.
Try living with
the fact that the man
who did that to your little boy never
spent one day in jail.
CATHY
...Kanin Evans is going
to be prosecuted.
MRS. DAVIS
Oh, who are you kidding? You’re never going to
find him. No one’s even out looking
for him. (a beat/just like
before) And people are going
to start telling me that I have to accept
it. That I have to learn to live with
it.... And I’ll try, but it just--- it’s always
there. (looks to Cathy
with plaintive eyes) Nobody thinks I’ve tried.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. FATHER’S CHAMBER - SAME DAY
Father and Vincent have returned
from their visit to see Kanin and Olivia. They are burdened
by the implications.
FATHER
They can’t go live in
the tunnels outside the
perimeter.
VINCENT
They can. They can survive. But it’s not the life
any of us wish for them.
FATHER
Olivia was just being
rash.
VINCENT
She has her own fears
about Kanin going topside.
Father doesn’t understand, thinks about that, then sees what Vincent means.
FATHER
Yes, I suppose she does. (a beat) What are we going to
do?
VINCENT
We can’t ask Catherine
to lie.
Voices from the doorway catch both
men:
WILLIAM
Why not?
MARY
I think we have to,
Vincent.
William and Mary enter.
MARY
Everyone’s heard what’s
going on. The entire community’s talking about it.
WILLIAM
And what we’re all saying
is that we’d be feeding Kanin to
the wolves.
FATHER
William, you know the
rules---
WILLIAM
Then we have to change
the rules. We have to make an exception.
MARY
Father, the law is for
criminals. Kanin is no more a criminal
than you or I am. If we make Kanin go
up, half of this
community should go
with him.
FATHER
But---
WILLIAM
But nothing. It’s not
going to help anyone for him to turn
himself in. From the doorway, another voice catches
their attention:
CATHY
Yes, it will. It will
help a mother.
FADE OUT:
END OF ACT THREE
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
INT. KANIN’S NEW CHAMBER - SAME DAY
CLOSE ON - MUSIC BOX
left among the lilacs and candles.
TORCHLIGHT flickers on it. Kanin’s HAND COMES INTO FRAME,
opens the box.
The MUSIC starts to play...
KANIN
is in the chamber, alone. He looks around, slowly, at the room, at what could have been...what he wanted to be... He sees ghost-like images in front of him...
GHOSTLY OLIVIA AND KANIN
dancing amidst the candlelight, Olivia
looking up at him with such love and joy in her eyes...
The IMAGE IS DISTURBED
by THE SOUND OF A CHILD’S VOICE.
GHOSTLY 4-YEAR-OLD LUKE
Daddy’s home!
KANIN
turns to see the ghost-like image
of a FOUR-YEAR-OLD BOY run out of one of the smaller chambers.
On the boy’s
tail is a THREE-YEAR-OLD GIRL.
GHOSTLY 3-YEAR-OLD GIRL
Daddy’s home!
The children run past, not seeing
the REAL KANIN standing there, bound for the O.C. entrance
to run into their
Daddy’s arm. Kanin’s thoughts are
again disturbed by
THE SOUND OF KANIN READING.
KANIN
turns and sees A THIRD GHOSTLY IMAGE:
a ghost-like Kanin sits in a chair in front of a warm
fire roaring in the
fireplace. Olivia sits at his feet,
watching the dancing flames, as Kanin reads a bedtime
tale to his two children
(same ages as previous image) who
are snuggled on either side if him in the chair, enraptured
with the story:
GHOSTLY KANIN
"The old moon laughed
and sung a song as they rocked
in the wooden shoe, and the
wind that sped them all night
long
ruffled the waves of
dew..."
CLOSE ON - REAL KANIN
reflecting on the image then looking sadly down. He looks back over at
ANGLE - THE FIREPLACE
but now it is only the half-chipped-out alcove we saw him working on earlier.
A moment, then Kanin reaches to the
music box and with a sense of finality closes it, picking
it up. The MUSIC
STOPS. SIMULTANEOUSLY, behind him,
he hears CATHY AND VINCENT ENTERING. Kanin turns, was
leaving anyway.
CATHY AND VINCENT
are there.
KANIN
We’re leaving. Livvy
wanted--- something we left here.
VINCENT
Don’t do this, Kanin.
KANIN
I don’t seem to have
a choice, old friend.
CATHY
Yes, you do. You can
stop running.
KANIN
And turn myself in? (pausing) I don’t think so.
VINCENT
Kanin, your family will
wait for you here, they’ll be
cared for.
A long moment....
KANIN
I can’t, Vincent.
VINCENT
You can. You have the
strength within you.
KANIN
No...
A long beat, Kanin turning away.
KANIN
You don’t understand...
VINCENT
Help me.
KANIN
(finally cracking) I know what I took from
her. Don’t you get it? How
am I supposed to face her?
VINCENT
With courage.
KANIN
I don’t have that kind
of courage. (he pauses) If someone took Luke
from me, if someone did to Luke
what I
did to her son, don’t
you think I would? I would do
anything for her.
CATHY
Then face her. That’s
what she needs. If that’s all
you can do for her, then do
that.
KANIN
It won’t do any good.
VINCENT
It will give her someone
to blame, and then it will
give her someone to begin
to forgive.
KANIN
She’s never going to
forgive me, Vincent.
VINCENT
You’ve never given her
the chance to.
Kanin is struggling within himself,
just needs a little
more encouragement.
VINCENT
Kanin, you seem so afraid
that you have nothing to
give to this woman, that there’s nothing you can do for
her. But there’s so much
you can do for her. You can change
her life.
A beat, Vincent’s words getting through...
CATHY
I promised you won’t
be alone, Kanin. Kanin is thinking... struggling...
KANIN
(hushed) What would I say to
her? In Kanin’s eyes we see an acquiescence
as he looks up at Vincent.
VINCENT
(drawing his old
friend into a hug) You know what to say
to her.
On the embrace.....
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. KANIN’S OLD CHAMBER - DAY
Kanin is packing a small, old suitcase;
he keeps moving back and forth between suitcase and
chest of drawers,
etc. Olivia watches. Luke is asleep
in his crib.
OLIVIA
We’ll go with you.
KANIN
Where would you stay?
OLIVIA
Who cares where we’ll
stay? We’ll be with you.
KANIN
I’ve already jumped
bail once, Livvy. Do you know what
that means?
OLIVIA
No.
KANIN
It means they’re going
to keep me in jail. You have
to stay here.
Olivia feels left behind; she’s scared of an uncertain future and feeling helpless. She watches Kanin pack a second longer then looks down. When she looks back up again, tears are tumbling from her eyes. Kanin notices. Her eyes are begging him, she’s so afraid she’s losing him, she’s already feeling the loss. He takes her in his arms.
KANIN
Livvy....
OLIVIA
(in the embrace) Come back to me...
KANIN
I will.... As they pull back, looking into each
other’s eyes, memorizing the look...
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. D.A.’S OFFICE - CONFERENCE ROOM
- SAME DAY
MRS. DAVIS
is talking to Cathy. Mrs. Davis is
quiet, nervous; sixteen years of waiting for something, of thinking
it will never happen is
about to forever change. At least
this meeting will no longer haunt her.
MRS. DAVIS
Will I be able to say
anything to him?
CATHY
Yes.
MRS. DAVIS
(to herself) I don’t know what to
say to him.
CATHY
Say whatever you want.
He’ll listen.
MRS. DAVIS
Have you talked to him?
CATHY
Yes.
MRS. DAVIS
So, what’s his story?
Where’s he been? Cathy hesitates, choosing her words
carefully.
CATHY
He has a family -- a
wife, a ten-month-old child.
MRS. DAVIS
Don’t spare me the details, a little boy or a little
girl?
CATHY
A boy. It---- was hard
for him to leave them.
MRS. DAVIS
I’ll bet. (pausing,
trying to shake something
off) I can’t stop shaking.
CATHY
Cathy I get you something?
Do you want some water
or something?
MRS. DAVIS
Hm-uh. (after a moment,
a nervous smile to Cathy) I feel like I want to
kill him.
Cathy doesn’t respond, just understands.
Mrs. Davis turns away, still trying to steel
her nerves. She turns
when she hears a MALE POLICE GUARD
opening the door.
KANIN
walks in, handcuffed. He exchanges
a quick glance with Cathy, but his focus is on Mrs. Davis,
across the room,
across the table from him. Seeing
Kanin for the first time in handcuffs affects Cathy.
Kanin looks at Mrs. Davis...who looks
back at Kanin. Their eyes are locked. For both people
the rest of the
world suddenly doesn’t exist.
Mrs. Davis’s heart is in her throat, sixteen years of emotion
suddenly here, in
this room. She’s trying her
damndest to not lose it in front of this guy, but she doesn’t
have a prayer of
winning the battle . Her eyes start
to well. For a long beat neither person says anything.
Then Kanin’s eyes
start to well. Finally, he tries
to speak, has more than one false start, finally says the
two hardest words he’ll
ever say, not because he doesn’t
mean them but because he means them so much...
KANIN
I’m sorry.
MRS. DAVIS
instantly-- almost simultaneously--
covers her mouth to stifle a sob...her eyes still locked
on Kanin...
As the two people look at each other...
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. THE CITY (STOCK)- NIGHT
The skyscape lights twinkle over
the park... GO INTO A MONTAGE OF VARIOUS IMAGES of the
park...quiet, lonely,
empty... OVER THIS, WE HEAR:
VINCENT’S VOICE
(reading)
"...His head almost
filled the fourth wall of her little
room as he knelt near her
in distress. Every
moment her light was growing fainter;
and he knew that if it went
out she would be no more..."
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. CATHY’S BALCONY - NIGHT
VINCENT’S READING CARRIES OVER.
We see Vincent is sitting on the
floor of the balcony, leaning up against the wall; Cathy
sits next to him, her arms wrapped around one of his,
her head resting against his shoulder, her eyes closed. She’s
had a rough, exhausting day. They are sitting
on a quilt. Vincent is reading from an old book...
VINCENT
"...She liked his tears
so much that she put our her
beautiful finger and let them
run over it. Her voice was so
low that at first he could not
make out what she said..."
Vincent pauses in reading, sensing
that Cathy has fallen asleep. He is about to close the
book..
CATHY
(not opening her
eyes) Don’t stop...
After a second, Vincent continues reading...
VINCENT
"...She was saying that
she thought she could get
well again if children believed
in Fairies. Peter flung
out his arms. There were no
children there, and it was nighttime; but he addressed all
who might be dreaming of the Neverland..."
START TO PULL BACK SLOWLY...
VINCENT
"...and who were therefore nearer to him than you
think: boys and girls in their nighties, and naked
papooses in their baskets hung
from trees. ... ‘Do you believe?’ he cried..."
LONG SHOT - VINCENT AND CATHY
surrounded by the City...
VINCENT
"...Tink sat up in bed..." as we...
FADE OUT:
THE END