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

THE CITY Update for Friday, May 10:

STORYLINE: DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR DANNY
 (starting location: Ally/Jocelyn/Molly's apartment)
* Molly and Danny are lying in bed; Molly says it was wonderful, but she
 has to go to work.  Danny tries to talk her out of it; Molly suggests a
 compromise: a french toast breakfast in bed.  While she is gone, Danny
 checks his answering machine messages.  He hears Sydney's message from
 the previous night.  Molly returns and asks if he got a call.
* Danny is dressing.  Molly says she doesn't mind giving him a rain
 check on breakfast, but she wonders why he is so upset.  He says he's
 not upset, this is just a last-minute meeting with Sydney.  She points
 out that he is buttoning his shirt all wrong, and he says it's a new
 fashion trend (as he hastily corrects the problem).  Molly asks why
 Sydney never has Bernardo at these meetings.  He says that she called
 Bernardo right before she called him, and he'll be there.  She invites
 him back for french toast if the meeting ends quickly; he tells her
 to get to work, and they'll play hooky when they have a whole day.  He
 kisses her, asks her to "wish me luck," then leaves.  Molly turns to
 the camera, and it looks like she has figured out that he lied to her.
[At the Penthouse.]
Jared comes downstairs and greets Sydney with a "Good morning."  He
 regrets having to sleep in his own bed; Sydney tells him that it won't
 be long now.  Jared starts to leave for a breakfast meeting, and the
 phone rings.  It's Danny calling for Sydney.  He says he can be up
 there to discuss their problems in a few minutes.  Sydney says that
 would be good and hangs up.  Suddenly, Jared turns around and says that
 on second thought, he'd much rather stay and have breakfast with her.
* She says no, he should get to his meeting.  He asks her to come to
 the office later, but she says that since he brought Malcolm into the
 company, coming to the office has lost its appeal.  He says she'll get
 over that: "time heals all wounds."  He leaves.  "Not quite."
Sydney calls for Maria.  She says she knows Jared gave her the night
 off--  Maria tells Sydney that he said it was her idea.  Sydney tells
 her to check with her next time that happens.  Maria asks Sydney if
 she is all right.  Not quite, says Sydney.  "What happened?"  "Nothing
 I can't fix -- for good."  Danny rings the door bell.  Maria opens the
 door and greets him, "Good morning, sir."  He says he could get used
 to that.  He tells Sydney that he knows why she called him here: "It's
 the money, right?"  "I'm afraid so."
* He says he knows he's gone past the $25,000 she fronted.  How much?
 "In the neighborhood of $10 grand."  Then, he admits that it is more
 like $30 grand -- he had to put a bid on a place on the upper-west
 side for the second coffee bar.  Sydney says they're still working on
 the first coffee bar.  She has been getting a lot of phone calls from
 people about the letter of introduction she wrote for him.  He says
 he has been wheeling-and-dealing, that's how the game is played.  He
 says she's good for it -- right?  Well, if it were just me, there
 wouldn't be a problem.  She says she had her people look over the deal
 he worked out, and they were quite impressed, but the problem is Jared.
 What about him?, asks Danny.  At the moment, he has assumed most of her
 responsibilities at Chase International, including the little one that
 all of the corporate finances go through him.  He says she's one of the
 richest women in the world.  On paper, but it's not the same with cash
 flow -- right now, there is none.  Danny asks why this can't be done
 with money from the company -- she could talk to Jared and tell him
 that this would be a good investment for Chase.  No, she can't.  He
 says this is really important, just tell him.  "No!"  After a pause,
 he asks what this really is about.  She says she's afraid of him, and
 she's afraid what he might do to her.
* [In the stairwell.]
Molly sees Bernardo, who is fixing something.  He asks if she has seen
 Danny, and she says she thought he was with him.  No, did he say that?
 Molly thinks for a minute, then says no, she must have heard wrong.
 Bernardo asks, "Where *is* he?"  Molly hurries down the stairs, saying
 she is late for something.  Bernardo looks up and says to himself,
 "Three guesses where he is."
[In the penthouse.]
Danny can't believe Sydney is afraid of Jared.  He asks why.  She says
 Jared can be very unreasonable when he wants to be.  Danny offers to
 talk to him, but Sydney says that would be the worst thing he could do.
 She says he is a smart, very good looking man.  "Do I really have to
 paint you a picture?"  Danny is stunned: Jared jealous of him?  Sydney
 says he would never admit it, but that possibility worries her.  Danny
 says that the best thing would be to tell him that it is just business.
 Sydney says no, let's call the whole thing off.  Danny says NO!...just
 let me talk to Jared, I'll straighten it all out.  Sydney says it would
 be too dangerous.  "Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"  Just
 then, Jared enters and stares at them.  "What do we have here?"

STORYLINE: A STUPID ELEPHANT and A SECRET *FINALLY* REVEALED
 (starting location: Fifth-floor hallway, between the guys' and gals'
                     apartments)
* Alex tells Jocelyn that he's going to shower first, then he'll get the
 paper and they'll find someplace to live.  Jocelyn asks if they are
 going to do that together -- meaning the shower -- and Alex likes that
 idea.  Tony comes out the door and informs them that they stink "like
 a camp fire."  Alex says he'll bring the soap, then he goes into his
 apartment.  Tony follows, asking if anything "out of the ordinary"
 happened on their trip.  Alex tells Tony that's none of his business,
 then he says actually, something *did* happen.  Tony puts his hand on
 Alex's shoulder and tells him that he can talk to him about it.  Alex
 tells him that he and Jocelyn are planning to move in together.
[In Ally/Jocelyn/Molly's apartment.]
Jocelyn is telling Ally the same story.  "Well, did you tell him?"  "No.
 I couldn't."  Ally says she *has* to tell him.  She says she will.
 When?  Today.  Ally says he won't be in the mood for any apartment
 hunting when she tells him that she's a prostitute.
[In the room at the Palm hotel.]
Malcolm, alone, says that he doesn't know what Jocelyn was thinking
 when she "planned this little escapade, but you're gonna pay."  He
 picks up his coat and leaves.
* [In Ally/Jocelyn/Molly's apartment.]
Jocelyn says it was different out there, away from everything.  They
 really got to focus on each other.  She felt that she *could* tell him
 the truth.  She tells Ally that she couldn't have done without her
 standing by her through this.  They hug.  Ally says she just wants the
 best for them, but she can't help Jocelyn with the next step.
[In Alex/Danny/Tony's apartment.]
Alex tells Tony that at the campsite, with just the two of them and no
 distractions, they connected.  Tony brings up Stephanie: one minute,
 he was putting a ring on her finger and he was sure that she was what
 his life was all about; the next, she was gone.  Alex says he doesn't
 have a Cooper lurking in the background.  Tony reminds him that there
 is a Malcolm, and Alex says Jocelyn's relationship with Malcolm is
 nothing like Stephanie's with Cooper.  "Ain't that the truth."  "What's
 that supposed to mean?"  "Nothing."  He tells Alex to get in the shower
 before he sets off the smoke alarm.  Alex leaves.  There is a knock on
 the door; Tony opens it, it's Bernardo, looking for "Mr. Coffee."  He
 says he has to talk to him.  Why, problems?  No -- yeah, he's spending
 money hand over foot.  Well, says Tony, it's Sydney's money.  Bernardo
 feels uneasy about that because he's never had a conversation with her.
 He vents, then apologizes to Tony.  He asks Tony to tell Danny that he
 is looking for him, then leaves.  Ally enters.  Tony says that Jocelyn
 didn't tell him yet.  No, but she will, she really means it this time.
 Ally asks if he has read the stuff she got from Malcolm yet.  No, he's
 waiting for Alex to leave.  She asks if they can do that together.  He
 was wondering about this "together" thing.  "Last night...the kiss."
 He says he's been thinking about it, a lot.
* "It was something that happened.  We had been through a lot together,
 and I was grateful."  Tony also says it was spontaneous.  "So we're
 both cool with this?"  He's cool with it if she is.  He suggests that
 they go over the stuff she nabbed from Malcolm.  He gets the folder.
 Their hands touch.  Trying to change the subject, Tony suggests that
 he read off the receipts and checks, and she write them down.  He gets
 to the first one, then says this is ridiculous.  "There's an elephant
 in the room with us.  We can pretend all we want, but it's not gonna
 go away."  Alex looks up at Tony.
[In Ally/Jocelyn/Molly's apartment.]
Jocelyn thanks Molly for going to the hospital with Danny to check on
 her mother while she was away with Alex.  Molly says she is doing a
 lot better.  Jocelyn asks if she was planning to stay for breakfast,
 not-so-subtly telling her that Alex is coming by shortly.  Molly says
 she'll get breakfast at the bar, and that she can use the french toast
 fixings in the fridge.  "The way to a man's heart."  Molly leaves.
 Jocelyn says to herself that she's gonna need a lot more than french
 toast for this man's heart.  There is a knock at the door, but instead
 of Alex, it is Malcolm at the door.  He says, "It's payback time."
* [In Alex/Danny/Tony's apartment.]
 "What elephant?"  "The kiss is the elephant."  They each accuse the
 other of making a big deal out of it.  Alex enters, asking what they
 are arguing about.  Together, they say, "Nothing important."  He says
 those are sometimes the best kinds of argument.  No response.  He asks
 if they have the paper; he and Jocelyn are going to start looking for
 an apartment today.  No.  He tells them that they are a big help, then
 he leaves to go to Jocelyn's.  Ally says, "Good luck."
[In Ally/Jocelyn/Molly's apartment.]
Jocelyn asks what he's talking about.  Entering but leaving the door
 open, Malcolm accuses her of setting him up, then having her friends
 "roll" him.  She says she didn't have anything to do with that.  He
 grabs her and shakes her, saying that she is lying.  "I'm not lying,
 I was out of town for the past two days."  He says she paid someone
 to do her dirty work.
Alex enters the open door.  "Get your hands off of her, Malcolm!"
 Malcolm says this is between the two of them.  Jocelyn screams that
 there is *nothing* between the two of them.  Alex shoves Malcolm
 down onto the couch, saying, "She is *not* one of your hookers."
 Malcolm laughs.  "Oh, Masters, very funny that you should mention
 that."  Jocelyn shakes her head and says, "Don't."  Malcolm continues,
 "Look, Jocelyn, you don't want your boyfriend to know, huh?  [To Alex.]
 As a matter of fact, she *is* one of my hookers.  She's the cream of
 the crop."  Alex doesn't know exactly what to do.  He looks back and
 forth at the two of them, the still-angry Malcolm, then Jocelyn, who
 is cowering and shaking her head.
[In Alex/Danny/Tony's apartment.]
Tony tries to steer the conversation back to work, but Ally asks what
 is wrong with the way she has been acting since "that stupid kiss."
 Oh, now it's a *stupid* kiss.  Well, says Ally, it was one of those
 stupid things you do when you get embarrassed.  And you think it might
 happen again?  No way, says Ally, not that it was--  "Unpleasant?"
 "Yeah, it was kind of--"  "Kind of pleasant."  "Yeah."  "This is not
 good, Ally."  "We can't let this happen again."  "No, never, no way."
 They kiss...and kiss...and kiss...

-----
|  "I'm surrounded by idiots!"                         |  Bob Willers  |
|  --Simba's uncle Scar (voice talent: Jeremy Irons),  |  Phoenix, AZ  |
|    THE LION KING.                                    | MY opinions!! |
+------------ willers@trombone.sps.mot.com ------------+---------------+

