From: Robert Willers <willers@trombone.sps.mot.com>

THE CITY Update for Friday, March 29:

STORYLINE: RUNAWAY FOUND
 (location: A hotel room)
* Zoey asks Richard if he knows that kidnapping is a crime, and asks how
 long he intends to keep her there, without food and water.  He hands
 her a room service menu.  She offers to go out and get some Chinese
 food.  "What, do you think I'm stupid?"  "Do you really want to hear
 the answer to that?"  "No, I want to know why you decided to skip
 town."  She doesn't answer.  He lays down on the bed, saying he can be
 as stubborn as she can.
* Richard says it's fine if she skips town, but Detroit?  Next thing
 you know, you'll be in Pittsburgh.  Pittsburgh was voted the nation's
 most livable city a couple of years ago, says Zoey.  Richard asks who
 they polled, Cleveland residents?  She says it is beautiful, she has
 seen pictures.  Why didn't you go there, then?  Zoey says she doesn't
 know.  He asks if she knows anyone in Detroit.  She says Detroit is a
 lot better than being abducted in a bus station.  He says he thought
 he wasn't going to see her again -- he knows how he feels about her.
 She says feelings change.  He asks why she tried to "pull a Houdini?"
 Was it about her mother?  My mother's dead!  Yeah, and we were going to
 talk about it this morning.  She says she left him a note.  Oh, a nice
 one, too: "Nice knowing you.  Have a nice life, Richard."  "That's not
 what I wrote."  "That's what it boils down to."  He says she was just
 being selfish.
* "If I'm so selfish, why are you hanging around?"  Richard says she has
 other qualities which are less "repulsive."  He says he knows how she's
 feeling -- that she wants to just run away -- but is she running away
 from him or from what he knows about her mother?  "There is nothing
 else to know.  She dumped me and she died."  Richard reminds her that
 Val came to read to her because her mother loved her very much.  Zoey
 asks what the difference is -- she's gone.  Richard says he has lost
 his mother, too, and it was the worst pain he has felt in his life.
* Zoey is laying on the bed, crying.  Richard hands her some tissues
 and says he knows how she feels, having just lost her mother.  "But I
 didn't *know* her or anything."  Zoey says you can't lose someone you
 never had.  Richard says what she really lost is hope.  After a pause,
 he lays down beside her and asks why she bought a ticket to Detroit.
 She says she couldn't afford the ticket to Las Vegas.  He asks why she
 said in her letter that she couldn't stick around much longer.  She
 says it is better to leave than to be left.  He asks if she thinks he
 is going to leave her.  Not today, not tomorrow, but eventually.  Why
 do you think that, he asks.  She says it is a natural law -- everybody
 leaves eventually.  "I don't."  "And I'm supposed to believe that?"
 "No.  Give me a chance to prove it to you."  He rolls over to her and
 kisses her.

STORYLINE: BIG BUCKS AND SMALL CHEESE
 (starting location: Penthouse)
* Sydney enters and Jared asks where she has been.  She says she had a
 day of being pampered: a facial, a massage, the works.  Jared says she
 looks gorgeous.  He asks her to dinner.  She can't, she has a meeting.
 He thought they were going to be together more often.  She says that he
 is welcome to attend: it is about a coffee bar.
[In Alex/Danny/Tony's apartment.]
Danny asks Molly how he looks.  She says that on the 1-10 scale, he
 is about a 200.  He says he doesn't just want to look good, he wants to
 look like he knows what he's doing.  "No problem."  He apologizes to
 her for standing her up.  She says they can see a movie any time, and
 asks if he has his "pitch" down.  He says he has been practicing all
 afternoon.  He goes to leave.  Molly says he shouldn't arrive *too*
 early, it will make him look too eager.  He says that's no problem, he
 is just going to stop by Jocelyn's place to ask a few legal questions.
 Molly gives him a good luck kiss.
* [Danny *tries* to see Jocelyn -- see below.]
[In the penthouse.]
Danny rings the doorbell and Jared answers.  "Hi, I'm here to see Mrs.
 Chase.  Is she around?"  "And you are...?"  Sydney introduces Danny to
 Jared, saying he has met his sister, Jocelyn.  "How do you do, sir?"
 "I do fine," says Jared.  Sydney tells Danny he looks nice, and Danny
 returns the compliment.  Sydney again invites Jared to stay, but...he
 politely declines, but he won't be too late.  Jared leaves.
Sydney offers Danny a drink; he asks for a coffee.  She says he *must*
 be kidding, and he switches to a gin & tonic.  Sydney gets his drink,
 saying that she thinks the coffee bar fad might have peaked.  Danny
 says they aren't selling coffee.  "Oh, really?"  Danny says they will
 *serve* coffee, but that's not what they're selling.  "OK, I'll bite.
 What *are* we selling?"
* Danny starts his pitch: the best places aren't the best because of
 their music or a bigger sign, people go because it is "the place to
 be."  Sydney asks how he intends to make his place "the place to be."
 Simple law of nature: just like animals who travel in herds, people
 tend to go to the animal who is in charge.  She asks who is in charge.
 Rock stars, supermodels, media moguls -- Azure alone can turn it into
 the hottest place in town.  Sydney says the proposition is interesting,
 and a few details need to be worked out.  She asks if he has a partner.
 One, but that can be "handled" if it is a problem.  He asks if he can
 call her "Syd."  "Sydney will be fine."  He tells her that he has a
 number of people who want in on this action.  Sydney, unconvinced, says
 she knows how that is.  Danny says he has some decisions to make.  He
 then proposes a toast to "opportunity."
* Danny hands Sydney some "bedtime reading" -- profit projections, the
 limited partnership agreement, research financials, etc.  She says
 someone has done their homework, and according to this, Danny will be
 a very rich man.  "That's the plan.  Of course, if I get rich, you get
 rich.  Or, I should say, richER."  She promises to study the papers
 carefully.  As they walk toward the door, Jared enters.  Sydney says
 their meeting was just ending.  Danny extends his hand, telling Jared
 that it was nice meeting him.  Likewise, says a (rather stunned) Jared.
 Danny thanks Sydney for her time.  She says she'll call him, and he
 closes the door.
Jared can't believe she's serious about this coffee bar.  She says she
 is always on the lookout for a good investment.  Good is the keyword,
 according to Jared.  Sydney says she thinks a young, attractive man
 like Danny has potential...a LOT of potential.  Jared gets a pained
 look on his face.
[In Alex/Danny/Tony's apartment.]
Danny enters, ecstatically.  "I blew her away!"  "I knew you would."
 He says he was brilliant, even amazing.  Molly asks if Sydney wrote
 him a check.  No, but she swallowed the bait; all he has to do now
 is reel her in.  "I'm telling you, honey, my luck is changing."

STORYLINE: JOCELYN'S THE BOOK, AND SHE FINALLY OPENS HER COVER
 (starting location: Ally/Jocelyn/Molly's apartment)
* Jocelyn is pacing, waiting for Alex to get there.  She asks Ally how
 she's supposed to do this -- she even rehearsed her speech last night.
 Ally says maybe she should get it out any way she can.  Jocelyn is sure
 that Alex will leave her after she tells him.  The door bell rings.
 Ally says she'll only be a little while; she's going out to get a pizza
 with Tony.  She opens the door and lets Alex (flowers and all) in.
* Ally says Jocelyn, then Alex, that she'll see them later.  She leaves.
 Alex hands Jocelyn chocolates and the flowers, apologizing for being a
 grump when she came by earlier.  She says he doesn't have to make up
 to her for anything.  He suggests that she get dressed for a night of
 dancing [!], but she says she wants to stay in.  Alex says that's fine,
 this (as he puts a Yankees baseball cap on her head) probably wouldn't
 go over well in the Rainbow Room.  He was hoping she might go to a ball
 game at Yankee Stadium -- or Shea (he produces a Mets cap) -- while the
 kids are in town.  She says that's great, and gets him a beer.  He says
 he talked about her to the kids (they call her the "pretty courtroom
 lady") today.  He says he'll be glad when they are there.  They start
 to kiss, but Jocelyn pulls away, saying the beers will get cold -- er,
 warm.  As she takes a big swig of her beer, Alex tries to figure out
 what the heck is going on.
[In the stairwell between the men's and the women's apartments.]
Tony and Ally are sitting on the stairs.  Ally is staring into space.
 Tony says that instead of pizza tonight, he was thinking of something
 *healthy* -- maybe a cheeseburger and fries.  "OK, sounds good."  Tony
 laughs; Ally says she's just not very hungry.  She suggests skating.
 Tony says it's dark, they'll get mugged.  Besides, he still has bruises
 from the last time they went.  Bowling, then, suggests Ally.  He says
 he didn't get any sleep last night, so he doesn't have the energy.
Danny enters from his apartment.  Tony says he thought Danny had a hot
 date with Molly; Danny answers "maybe later."  He starts to go across
 the way to Jocelyn's apartment, but Ally stops him, saying that Alex is
 there and this wouldn't be a good time.  Danny asks if they are naked
 already.  She says he does *not* want to go in there.  Danny asks, "Why
 not?"  "Because."  "Because?  What are you, a five-year-old?"  Ally
 doesn't budge, and Danny finally leaves, asking Ally to tell Jocelyn
 that he stopped by.  Danny gets in the elevator.
Tony asks what that was all about.  Ally says that Jocelyn and Alex
 need some time alone.  He asks if she wants pizza or burgers?  Ally
 changes the subject, asking Tony if he thinks someone can truly know
 another person.
* [In the apartment.]
Jocelyn is putting the flowers in a vase (and stalling).  Alex asks if
 she is finished, and Jocelyn says she wants to put them in a different
 vase.  "Honey, that vase is fine."  Jocelyn notes that he has never
 called her "honey" before.  He says that makes them sound like an old,
 married couple, doesn't it?  After an uneasy pause, she asks what he is
 looking at.  You, of course.  He says she should wear the cap in court,
 "you're so cute in that hat [sic], you'd never lose."  Jocelyn quickly
 takes it off, saying she forgot she had it on.  He walks up to her (she
 is in the kitchen) and says she gave him goose pimples the first time
 he laid eyes on her.  She says that is because he wanted to wring her
 neck.  He says yes, but people can have two different emotions at the
 same time.  She knows that.  Yes, says Alex, but she wanted to wring
 *his* neck the first time she met him.  She says he was handsome, but
 humorless.  Alex says, "Well, so much for first impressions.  There's
 something--  Now, I can't speak for you but, personally, I'm crazy
 about you."
[In the stairwell.]
Ally says, "you can't judge a book by its cover, right?"  He says you
 have to read the entire book.  Ally says you can't do that with people,
 you have to go by what they do and say and, let's face it, people lie,
 it's human nature.  Tony says he doesn't believe that, people learn how
 to lie.  Ally says maybe so, but it is a necessary skill.  He asks how
 she figures that.  She asks if he thinks people should never lie, and
 he says that's right, they shouldn't.  She reminds him that he lied to
 Alex about Joey's involvement in the problems at the building, and he
 says yes, and it was wrong.  He isn't saying he has never lied, but he
 things it is not a good practice.  "Even when it's to spare someone's
 feelings?"  He gives an example: his mom comes home with a new hairdo.
 It looks like a pigeon set up house.  Do I tell her?  Of course not.
 But that's not a real lie.  She accuses him of picking and choosing.
 He says you know in your heart whether it is a real lie.  No, sometimes
 you are in a grey area and you don't know whether you should lie or
 not.  Tony says, "let's get specific.  What's going on between you and
 me?"  "Nothing."  "Liar."  Tony smiles.  Ally smiles.
* "So...um...pizza now?"  They discuss dinner plans.  Tony gets up and
 takes Ally's hand to help her up.  She asks who's buying.  "You are, of
 course."  "Of course."  As they walk down the stairs, they smile and
 laugh at each other.
[Later, in the apartment.]
Jocelyn takes the vase to the table.  "Done, right?"  "Yeah, I guess
 so."  Alex says he'll never buy her flowers again, it has taken her
 45 minutes to arrange them.  She says she's sorry.  He doesn't want
 her to be sorry, he wants her to "make it up to him."  He goes to her
 and puts his arms around her, but she stiffens.  "What's the matter?"
 "Um...Alex, remember the other day when I said I loved you, and it
 just kinda slipped out."  "Oh, no, no, no, you can't take that back."
 "I don't want to take it back.  I do love you.  I'm so in love with
 you--"  "Well, that makes me the luckiest guy in the world, doesn't
 it?"  "Any chance you're the most understanding?"  "What do you mean?"
 "I gotta tell you something about me, Alex.  It's not very good."

-----
|  "Half of the people are stoned and the              |  Bob Willers  |
|   other half are waiting for the next election..."   |  Phoenix, AZ  |
|   (Can anyone guess what this is taken from?)        | MY opinions!! |
+------------ willers@trombone.sps.mot.com ------------+---------------+

