From: djg@city.hq.ileaf.com (Deborah Graham x5530 4NE tech:writer)

Today on "the city" (in story-line style, since I did 
this at home, after watching and not real-time):

Ally is taking pictures of Nick, telling him she wants to 
see angst. What's her definition? Sadness, despair. Tess 
comes out and tells him he looks all wrong! He looks good. 
She wants dejected lover, not someone with a twinkle in 
his eyes...he *didn't*, she says, he didn't do the deed 
with Sydney...did he?. Nick says he never talks about one 
woman to another. She takes that as a "he did". Bernardo 
comes over and asks how things worked out for Nick. Just 
wonderful, Nick says with a twinkle. Tess thinks that 
they have something going on with Sydney. She kinda hints 
about Jared's ashes, but Nick doesn't have a clue. She 
tells him to go get scruffy looking, she has to go see an 
old friend. Nick says sounds like a good plan. Tess goes 
down to Jared's resting place and retrieves him. Bernardo 
comes out of his place just as Tess is putting Jared's 
urn into her shopping bag. What are you doing? he asks.

Alex and Jocelyn are having lunch at the City Bar. Alex 
asks her about Malcolm, and she gets all aggitated. She 
says he lured her there with the promise of a romantic 
lunch and he's giving her the third degree. Alex says no, 
he was just wondering since they...they...they were lovers, 
Jocelyn says, but that was a long time ago, and it's over 
now. She tells him not to make her sorry she was honest 
with him. He says he just thought she'd be interested in 
what he found out about Malcolm, but if she doesn't want 
to talk about it. She's interested. He says he can't tell 
her the details, but when they were...were..well, did he 
spend money...like he had a gambling adiction or a lot of 
women? She yells that he's grilling her again, and she 
won't have it. He wants all this information from her and 
he can't even tell her what little he found out about 
Malcolm. They decide to start lunch over, and they end up 
kissing.

Tony compliments Ally, and while Tess is talking to Nick, 
Tony tells Ally that he appreciates all she did for him 
and his spirits after he talked to Stephanie. She says it 
was nothing. He hopes that someday he can think of it as 
nothing, but it was a big deal for him. They talk about 
Casey Antonio Alden (Stephanie's daughter). Menawhile, 
Danny is talking to Molly, and he asks her out on another 
date tonight. She can't. Tomorrow? What, she says, do the 
Nicks play every night? No sports, he promises. He was 
thinking of dinner, his place. A dinner party? Molly 
thinks that's a great idea; who else is coming? Danny 
gets up and goes over to Tony and Ally and interrupts 
them. He pulls Tony aside and says he has to throw a 
dinner party. What does he do? Tony and Danny talk about 
Molly and how Danny wanted to have her over for dinner 
and maybe a tour of the bedroom. Tony suggests he keep 
his pants on for a little while. He asks if Danny likes 
Molly. He says he thinks she's a nice girl, the kind of 
girl he *should* be going out with. He uses an analogy 
to a box of donuts or a plate of spinich. Tony says he 
likes spinich, he'd choose that. Figures, Danny says. 
Well, he's been dating donuts, and they're gonna give 
him a heart attack if he goes on like that. So, Tony 
surmises, Molly is Danny's spinich? You got it, Danny 
says. He knows if he invites his friends for the dinner 
party, Molly will leave and he'll never see her again. 
They talk some more and Tony asks Danny who his donut is. 
Tony says he won't say. Meanwhile, Ally ("the donut") is 
talking to Molly ("the spinich"), who tells Ally that she 
has another date with Danny tomorrow night. Before she 
can answer Ally's question of where is Danny taking her, 
the phone rings and she has to answer it. Tony comes over 
and asks Ally if she's busy tomorrow night. She says no. 
Tony invites her over for dinner. She beams. 

Sydney is on the phone, frantic, looking for Samuel. 
The computer says "I have your knight, your move". She 
calls someone else, then goes to the computer. Samuel 
comes back, and he tells Sydney that she has to call off 
the merger. She realizes they have Lauren (Laurie, 
Loraine, whatever), Samuel's daughter, and they'll kill 
her (so....where is the Chief of Police of Corinth when 
his wife is kidnapped?). Sydney also realizes Samuel knows 
who is behind this, but isn't saying. He says he can't - 
if they knew that he told Sydney, they'd kill his daughter. 
He says he's said too much already. Sydney relents, and 
says okay, the merger is off. He says he's leaving. Is he 
coming back? No, Samuel says. He tells her to take care 
of herself. They hug. Sydney goes to the computer. She 
slams the laptop's lid down, and calls Alex, leaving a 
message for him to call her as soon as he gets the message. 
Nick says he was hoping it was for him. She's having a bad 
day, Sydney says. It's about to get worse, he says, with a 
grin and that twinkle in his eye :-). She almost smiles. 
She goes to his arms, but tells him that she can't. No 
regrets, he reminds her. None, she *wants* to be with him, 
more than he'll know, but...business? he completes. She 
sighs and nods. She tells him to come for dinner. He'll 
be there, he promises. She goes back to the computer and 
types "Checkmate. You win." Jared (come on, is there *any* 
doubt?) sees the response in the Chat window (ed. note: 
gee, Sydney's isbroadcast on the screen, and his shows up 
in a text area of a chat window...weird). Anyway, Jared 
tells Malcolm see, that was quick. He rubs it in, when it's
done right, it's done quickly. So, Malcolm says, what's 
next? Phase Two, Jared replies, holding up two fingers. 
Meanwhile, Sydney, staring at the response she just sent, 
says but the game has just begun...

I-never-did-like-chess-hanger

deb
(djg@city.hq.ileaf.com)
 

