Aunt Meta and Jesse in the Bauer Kitchen
Meta: Where do you think Michelle went and wha..why do you think she lied to you?
Jesse: I can only come up with one thing.. Danny. What if this is some kind of a set-up.
Meta: I don’t understand.
Jesse: Think about it, Meta. I mean, if Michelle and Danny aren’t married anymore, she’s not going to be protected by that Family code of honor. And what if they are finally deciding to avenge Mick’s death?
Meta: Oh..oh…no…no.. I understand what you’re nervous about, but I trust Danny… He would never hurt her.
Jesse: Meta…look…The Santos are stone killers…and if they decide its pay-back time.
Meta: (beginning to raise her voice) NO! He is not going to hurt her. THAT IS not what this is about.
Danny, Michelle, and Ray at the Towers discussing the annulment.
Ray: Your silence speaks volumes, Michelle.
Michelle: No..yes…I don’t know… This is …
Ray: Final? Yes it will be… Annulments are exactly that…Which is why we have to be clear about our feelings.
Danny: I’m clear.
Ray: That’s fine, Danny. I…I’m talking to your wife. Danny came to me and asked to have your marriage annulled. But, in order for this to happen I must be certain as to where you both stand. So, you need to tell me, Michelle, before God, that you don’t love this man… That you’ve never loved him.
Michelle: It was never a real marriage.
Ray: I think that’s what shrinks call an avoidance.
Michelle: Um..WHAT?
Ray: You didn’t answer the question Michelle. If you want to end this marriage, you have to tell me.
Opening Credits
Ray: You have an option here, Michelle, a choice. It doesn’t have to go this way.
Danny: Look…its over…we’ve already discussed it.. Nothing’s going to change that.
Ray: Danny, nothing has been done that we can’t work out.
Danny: Ray, Michelle wants this marriage to be over as much as I do…or more.
Ray: All it takes is one of you to speak up…to reach out. The Church doesn’t undo marriages because things aren’t easy. This is not something that’s taken lightly.
Michelle: I’m not taking this lightly, believe me.
Danny (to Ray) Can I talk to Michelle alone, please, Ray?
Ray: Yeah…sure. (Ray leaves)
Danny: Why are you doing this? Why are you dragging it out? Michelle, we never had a marriage…nothing happened between us.
Michelle: How can you say that…You know that’s not true…You know it as well as I do. (Danny starts to walk away) Danny…..
Danny: Why are you doing this…Why are you making this more difficult than it is?
Michelle: It’s a difficult situation.
Danny: Michelle, we never had a real marriage…We never did…
Michelle: Yes we did.
Danny: (angry) WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM! (calmer now) All you have ever talked about is how you were suffocating in this arrangement… How you hated being tied to my Family…How you hated being tied to me, and now I’m giving you your ticket out of this… I’m giving you what you always wanted, and you’re stalling…What More do you WANT from me!
(Michelle is crying) Danny storms off.
The maid leads Ben into the Santos Dining Room. Carmen comes in wearing a sexy, black sequin gown.
Ben: Gracias…
Maid: La Senora will be right with you.
Ben: Spanish talk….don’t EVEN ask me to TRANSLATE…this chick doesn’t have a clue…even after 2 years of Spanish…It really SOUNDS good, though!!!
Carmen: Habla Espanol (How’s that, gang??? LOL), Mr. Warren.
Ben: MUCHO MORE SPANISH TALK…
Carmen: Very impressive. (to the maid) You may leave. (to Ben) Welcome to my home, Mr. Warren.
Ben: Thank you for having me.
Carmen: Is something wrong?
Ben: No, no..everything is right…exactly right (checking out Carmen) I was just expecting something ….more business-like.
Carmen: I’m always all business, Mr. Warren.
Ben: Always, Mrs. Santos?
Carmen: Carmen, please.
Ben: Oh, like the opera..
Carmen: Not quite as dramatic.
Ben: Oh, I’m sure you have your moments.
Carmen: Would you care for a drink.
Ben: Please.
Carmen: Scotch.
Ben. You remembered.
Carmen: No ice.
Ben: No.
Carmen: Let’s not waste time, Mr. Warren. Do you have any concerns…questions…about coming to work for me.
Ben: I think you made yourself very clear… You require loyalty.
Carmen: I demand it.
Ben: And I assume you require someone who sees the law as …flexible??
Carmen: On occasion. That’s why I sought after you…From what I understand, you’re a very flexible and creative attorney.
Ben: Creative…Yes, I am. But suppose I came to work for you…and suppose things didn’t work out…suppose I decided to end our relationship at some point.
Carmen: No lawyer has ever left our employ…but if things didn’t work out between us.. I suppose I would have to terminate you…Shall we eat?
March 31, 1999 Part II
Towers- Ray and Michelle
Ray: What happened?
Michelle: I wish I knew (still crying).
Ray: It didn’t go well…I can see that…
Michelle: I do not understand why Danny is being so cold to me.
Ray: I think a better question would be ….why are you reacting the way you are?
Michelle: He’s saying …that he never felt anything for me…He’s acting like he never cared about me…Ever.
Ray: Acting is the key word here, Michelle. Danny has a lot more invested in this thing than he’s told you.
Michelle: What do you mean?
Ray: It was a big thing for him to go up against Carmen for you…Very big.
Michelle: Wha…What are you talking about?
Ray: You know what…I’ve already said enough…
Michelle: No, Ray…listen to me.. Look… I know that you know everything, obviously. I need you to tell me what he told you… This is very important.
Ray: This is what I’ve been trying to say all along, Michelle… But nobody wants to listen.
Michelle: I’m listening.
Ray: Danny had to threaten his own mother…to free you… to make sure that you’d be safe.
Michelle: He actually threatened Carmen?
Ray: He got a copy of the family books. He told Carmen that he would turn them over to the FBI and expose the Santos’ if anything were to happen to you or your family.
Michelle: He would actually send his family to jail.
Ray: Not only that, Michelle, he’d be implicating himself.
Michelle: I see.
Ray: I hope you do, Michelle… I really hope you do. Excuse me, I have to go check on a parishioner. (Ray walks away)
(Michelle sees Danny having gotten his coat is preparing to leave)
Michelle: Danny, please wait…Danny…
Bauer Kitchen with Meta and Jesse
Jesse: What’s going on with Danny and Michelle that I don’t know about?
Meta: What did she say to you before she left.
Jesse: She got a call…She said she had to run out and give you a hand. She told me to wait right here and she’d be right back.
Meta: You know Michelle loves you.
Jesse: And I love her. We belong together.
Meta: She and Danny have been through a great deal.
Jesse: What’s that suppose to mean? (DUH!!!!!! Sorry guys…I’ve been “biting my tongue” too long ..listening to Jesse…Had to do it ONCE!!!)
Meta: It just means that what’s going on now…is very complicated.
Jesse: Yeah…well, she told me that Santos was suppose to kill her.
Meta: But he couldn’t do it…He couldn’t go through with it…He married her, to protect her…A woman he hardly knew.
Jesse: I know…Is my heart suppose to bleed for this guy, or something ….Wha…wha…wha…wha…What are you saying?
Meta: Just that they’ve both been through an ordeal and they need time to find their way out.
Jesse: I still don’t know what you’re trying to say, Meta. (oh, this is just too much today!!! HELP ME!)
Meta: Only that they have some loose ends that need to be tied up before they can get on with their lives. She asked you to wait for her…and let her tell you in her own words, in her own time…Now, when is the last time you ate?
Jesse: Uh…..I don’t know. (Cindy, this is torture!! This guy is an idiot!!)
Meta: You wait right here, I’m going to put these thing upstairs and then I’m going to put some dinner on for both of us.
Jesse: (talking to himself) I don’t like this one bit. (Jesse picks up the telephone)
Jesse: Hi, Is this the Santos home? Oh it is…good. Listen, could I please speak to Danny Santos…Its…its business… Its important…Oh…he’s at the Towers? Thank you…bye..bye. (Jesse leaves)
Meta: Coming back into the kitchen Okay, Jesse, what do you want…I have a freezer full of …. Jesse? Jesse?
March 31, 1999 Part III
Ben and Carmen eating dinner.
Ben: (Made a comment about the turtle soup, sorry, but didn’t turn my machine on fast enough)
Carmen: No, its authentic turtle soup.
Ben: My compliments to the chef.
Carmen: Actually, it’s a recipe of mine. (I believe this is our first indication that Carmen is, in fact, Martha Stewart) The chef just follows directions.
Ben: I’m sure he does. Something that you said earlier…stuck with me. Something about terminating people if things don’t work out…I’m paraphrasing here…but I think that’s the gist.
Carmen: (avoiding the subject) I have the turtles shipped up from Florida. I’m sorry, what were you saying…Oh yes…that if you got in my way I would have to terminate you…Well, I suppose if I was being threatened..I’d have to protect myself…You know how it is in business, Mr. Warren. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to. A family business is like that of any other, perhaps a little more intense, but on the day to day operation…its like that of any other corporation.
Ben: Of course. So, I’d just be another cog in the corporate machinary?
Maid: Should I serve the main course, Mrs. Santos.
Carmen: Yes, thank you.
Ben: (the maid shows Ben the main course) Very nice.
Carmen: Its pheasant. I shot them myself.
Carmen and Ben finishing dinner
Ben: The pheasant was…memorable.
Carmen: Very tender.
Ben: Not a single piece of buckshot to be found.
Carmen: I don’t like to use shotguns…Some of my other shooting partners favor them, but I find them messy.
Ben: Well, you make a very clean kill.
Carmen: Shall we have an after dinner drink…Cognac?
Ben: Perfect. Perfect for a perfect dinner. I don’t often dine like this in Springfield.
Carmen: I like to live well, Mr. Warren, and I do believe that you are a man with a similar appetite.
Ben: A very large appetite.
Carmen: The question is…are you the kind of man who can cope with the pressures of this particular business. It requires a special sensibility.
Ben: Exquisite. (sniffing…….ok, he’s sniffing the cognac, not Carmen…had you going there…huh??)
Carmen: You know, I’m a very good judge of character, Mr. Warren, and I do believe that you would work well within my organization.
Ben: Your company retirement policy strikes me as a little harsh.
Carmen: The risks are great, but he rewards…oh…so much greater.
Ben: If you say so.
Carmen: Now, your turn. Why are you here, Mr. Warren.
Ben: Well, I never turn down dinner with a beautiful woman.
Carmen: Why are you really here, Mr. Warren. What is it that you want? I have been VERY straight forward with you…I would appreciate the same.
Ben: I am more than happy to reciprocate. I am open to change at this point in my life. I was promised a big reward for a recent job…and I lost it for now…
Carmen: Ah well…K-Sarah, Sarah (in Spanish please) You got Alan Spaulding’s girlfriend off without spending one day in jail and you received precious little for your pains…
Ben: So far…You’re very well informed.
Carmen: I make it my business to know all I can about a person before I employ them, Mr. Warren. Spaulding offered you an entire company..You were counting on it…It meant a great deal to you…and then…he reneged.
Ben: That’s a fairly accurate synopsis.
Carmen: So, searching for a change, and you think you’re interested in my offer….Can you meet my requirements, Mr. Warren?
Ben: I’m sure I can. But I’m exploring all possibilities.
Carmen: As I am, Mr. Warren.
Ben: Ben, call me Ben.
Carmen: Ben.
Towers- Danny and Michelle
Michelle: Will you please talk to me? There’s a few things you haven’t told me apparently.
Danny: Look, I don’t know what Ray told you?
Michelle: Did you call Carmen and tell her that you would turn her into the FBI? Did you threaten her?
Danny: Ray’s got a big mouth.
Michelle: Is it true?
Danny: So what? So what if it is?
Michelle: So you did that for me?
Danny: No Michelle…I was solving a problem.
Michelle: You were solving a problem by sending your mother to prison..I don’t think so.
Danny: It wasn’t exactly like that…
Michelle: How was it? (very soft voice)
Danny: You know…it doesn’t matter…I don’t want to talk about it anymore.
Michelle: I want to talk about it because it matters to me. You went up against your family…again…You put yourself at risk…AGAIN, Danny!
Danny: Do you have a point, Michelle.
Michelle: YES, I have a point…If you go through with this you could put yourself in jail (emotional). Danny…
Danny: (cold) Did you ever think that I might be doing this for myself? Maybe now, I can have a life. So, why don’t you just stop asking so many questions…and sign the annulment papers.
Michelle: You already have them?
Danny: I’m having them drawn up. Michelle, you can have your life back like you never lost it. Like whatever happened between us…never happened.
(Jesse walks in and spots Danny and Michelle talking)
Carmen and Ben
Ben: Thank you for a memorable evening.
Carmen: For me too.
Ben: Now I have a better idea of … what I’d be getting into.
Carmen: Smoldering looks may melt Blake Mauler, Mr. Warren, but I’m not so easily impressed.
Ben: Neither does talk of terminating people impress me.
Carmen: I think we understand each other now.
Ben: (MORE SPANISH TALK…. SORRY DON’T HAVE A CLUE!)
I’ll be in touch.
Jesse, Danny, and Michelle still at Towers
Jesse: Listen Michelle. I need to talk to Danny. Can you give us a minute?
Michelle: (barely audible) yeah.
Jesse: Now you listen to me, Danny. I know that Michelle was marked, I know she was one you your targets. You stay away from her.
Danny: Don’t worry about it. I took care of it. I made sure that Michelle would be protected.
Jesse: The way you made sure Drew was protected?
Danny: That really bothers you, doesn’t it?
Jesse: You just caught her at a bad time and took advantage of her.
Danny: I don’t hear Drew complaining.
Jesse: Just stay away from both of ‘em.
Danny: Wait…why do you care what I do with Drew? I thought you were with Michelle?
(Michelle walks up to the guys, holding her coat)
Michelle: You know what…I think..that I should go. (to Danny) When you get the papers you can send them over and I will sign them.
Danny: Ok…I’ll take care of it.
Michelle: (still emotional) So, its over.
Danny: Yep.
Jesse: Come on. There’s no reason for you ever to see Danny Santos again.
Jesse and Michelle walk away. Michelle glanced back to Danny. He keeps his back turned to her.
THE END