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

THE CITY Update for Friday, May 24:

[Today's update isn't being done by storyline...]

* [At Alex/Danny/Tony's apartment.]
Danny tells Molly (who is dressed in a painted-on satin dress) that she
 looks "hot," and suggests that they leave the bar early.  Molly says
 she has to meet Zoey, but they can sneak out after that.  They kiss.
 They start to leave (as Molly explains that she offered to "referee"
 between Richard and Father Luke), but the phone rings.  Danny answers;
 it's Sydney.  Danny tells Molly it's business, and sends her ahead to
 ring for the elevator.  Sydney says she didn't know who else to call;
 she can't explain it on the phone and she really needs to see him.  He
 is reluctant, but she says it's important.  He says he'll be right up.
 No, says Sydney, I'm not in the Penthouse.  "I'm in room 14 at the Palm
 Hotel."  He asks if she's OK.  "No, not really."  Danny says he'll be
 right over.  Sydney hangs up the phone...and unbuttons her coat.
[In the stairwell.]
Zoey gets off the elevator, nearly running over Molly.  She is frantic,
 looking for George (the "actor" who is playing Luke).  Molly says she
 spoke to him a few minutes ago; he is not due for another 10 minutes.
 Zoey doesn't care, he should have been here early.  Well, says Molly,
 knowing George, he has over-rehearsed this role anyway, so everybody
 will believe that he's your boyfriend.
Danny comes out the door (Zoey rushes off, still panicking) and tells
 Molly that a coffee bar investor has a bad case of cold feet, and he
 has to go talk to him.  "Now?!"  "I'm afraid so."  He says this won't
 take long and he'll catch up to her at the party.  He kisses her and
 gets in the elevator.  "Yeah."  Molly slams a fist down on the railing.
[At Buck/Nick's apartment.]
Jacob gives Angie a drink.  She giggles as she sees Lorraine and Nick
 making eyes at each other.  Zoey rushes in.  "Where *is* he?"  She
 interrupts a conversation between Buck and Tess, who says she hasn't
 seen a "cute, lovesick priest."  She turns back to Buck.  Zoey says to
 herself that he must be stuck in traffic.  The doorbell rings.  Zoey
 runs to the door, very happy that Luke made it.  She opens the door
 and sees a bouquet of flowers.  "Luke, you made it!"  Unfortunately
 for Zoey, it's not Luke behind the flowers, it's Richard.
[At the Penthouse.]
Jared enters and calls for Sydney.  No answer.  He goes over to the desk
 and picks up a note:
  "Dear Jared-
   Sorry, darling,
   I had some last
   minute business.
   Don't wait up.
   Sydney."
The phone rings.  Jared picks it up.  "Now, listen to me.  I put you in
 charge of this because I trusted your competence.  I don't need these
 minute-by-minute updates.  Is that clear?  Good.  Now, I don't want to
 hear from you again until Tony Soleito and his Girl Friday have been
 taken care of."  He hangs up and picks up Sydney's note again.
[At Alex/Danny/Tony's apartment.]
Tony has a plan: drop some tools off at the Agency, hop a cab to the
 building inspector's office and get the new blueprints, then check out
 the false wall.  "Piece of cake," says Ally.  The phone rings.  It's
 Joey calling.  Joey seems to be a bit reluctant, but says, "We gotta
 talk.  It's important, all right?"
* Tony says he's surprised to hear from him, the way they ended their
 last conversation.  Joey says he knows he came down pretty hard on him.
 Tony says being his big brother, that's his job.  Yeah, says Joey, how
 about getting together for a drink.  A drink?  That's important?  Yeah.
 Being together as a family is important.  Joey suggests tonight.  No,
 says Tony, that's no good.  Ally and I have to run a few errands.  Joey
 says he can bring Ally along.  OK, says Tony, but just one drink.  Joey
 says he'll come there.  No, we have to go to the city building anyway,
 how about that place down the street?  Darnell's?  Yeah.  OK, how about
 an hour from now? hour?  Yeah, I'll see you then.  Tony hangs up.  Ally
 says an hour doesn't give them much time.  Tony says that's not it:
 Joey is trying to sound like he's just extending the olive branch, but
 he is an important part of this puzzle and he just has a feeling...
 "Your 'kisskas'?"  "It's _kishkas_, Ally [he pinches her cheeks], and
 they haven't been wrong yet."  Besides, says Tony, let's talk to him
 now while he's still talking.  But, first things first, let's go get
 those blueprints.  They leave.
[At Buck/Nick's apartment.]
Richard gives Zoey a hard time about the party.  She says that everyone
 wanted to meet Luke, and if Richard gives him a hard time, she'll smack
 him.  He says that sounds good to him.  Nick comes over as Zoey leaves
 and Richard asks him why he didn't tell him that this was going to be a
 town gathering.  "Sorry, Rich."  He advises Richard to do what "I can
 no longer do" -- have a nice, stiff drink.  Nick walks off.
Bernardo enters.  Buck asks him if he had a chance to think about what
 they talked about.  Yeah, says Bernardo, I've thought about it a lot.
 Buck points Azure out: "The ball's in your court."
Angie pins Tess down again, saying that she thinks Jared is dangerous.
 He's not dangerous, he's powerful, and there's a big difference.  Angie
 says he's both, and--  Tess interrupts, saying she's a big girl and she
 can handle this.  Jacob comes up and asks what she can handle.  "You'd
 be surprised."  Really, says Tess, I was just pitching Angie for a gig
 as the lead singer at their wedding.  "Can you do some vintage Marvin?"
 Yeah, says Tess, that's doable.
Zoey pulls Molly away from Azure.  "WHERE IS HE?"  Molly tells Zoey to
 relax.  "That's easy for you to say."  Zoey pours herself a drink and
 asks where Danny is.  He had some business to take care of, but he'll
 be here.
[At the Palm Hotel.]
Sydney finishes putting a robe on, as Danny knocks on the door.  Sydney
 opens the door (with the security chain on).  She tells him she just
 tried to call him again.  "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you to
 come."  Danny asks what's wrong.  No answer.  He tells her to let him
 in.  After the second request, Sydney does so.  Sydney (rather lamely)
 explains that she thought Jared was following her, so she came there
 and called him.  She says she's sorry.  Danny says it's OK.  She says
 she feels so stupid.  "Well, don't."  She tells Danny that she feels
 *safe* with him.  "Do you know what that means -- to feel safe with
 someone?"
* [In a cab.]
Tony asks Ally how she can always go around without a coat on, even on
 a night like tonight when it's cold and raining.  It's almost summer,
 says Ally.  Tony doesn't buy that.  He shoves his sweatshirt at her and
 says that it doesn't get warm around The City until after his family's
 Memorial Day barbecue.  "It's like the official kickoff."  He says it's
 the mother of barbecues: potato salad by the vat, miles of burgers, and
 bratwurst that'll put hair on your chest.  After a pause, Tony takes
 his foot out of his mouth: "Well...maybe it won't.  I don't know."
 She asks if he is going to go, and he says he never misses it.  That's
 another reason he has to straighten things out with Joey.  The zipper
 on Tony's jacket gets stuck (or does it?), and Tony finishes zipping it
 up for Ally.  "Thanks."  "No problem."
[At the club.]
Joey is playing checkers.  His opponent says he has his head in the
 clouds: usually, he gives him a good game.  Another man sits down and
 says that if he wants a good game, play me next.  "The last time you
 beat me, the Pope was in town."  Well, that was the last time we played
 each other.  The two other men laugh, but Joey asks them to pipe down.
 One of the men says that something big is going down tonight; the other
 says they had better stick around there to make sure they have alibis.
 Joey asks what's up.  "You think I ask a lot of questions?  You think
 I get all the details?  That's why I live so long."  Joey says he was
 just wondering.  "Wondering killed the cat," says the other man.  Yeah,
 says the other, I thought that was curiosity.  All they know is that it
 is going down by City Hall.  "What do you mean, City Hall?"  "Somewhere
 near the Building Department."  "Wait, _near_ the building Department,
 or _at_ the Building Department?"  The other men ask why he's getting
 so excited.  He just says, "Tony," and runs out.  The checker-playing
 man complains that Joey didn't king him.  The other man kings him.
[At Buck/Nick's apartment.]
Tess asks Azure about the AIDS benefit she volunteered herself for.
 Azure thinks she's upset that she didn't ask a fee.  No, says Tess,
 although she admits she doesn't think it's a good idea for her to do a
 lot of free appearances.  Her concern is Azure overextending herself.
 She says she knows, but it is something she really wants to do, it's
 important to her.  OK, says Tess, she just thought she'd mention it.
 As Bernardo approaches, Tess mutters to him (half-seriously) that she
 is turning into a prima-donna.  Bernardo tells Azure that Tess' bark
 is worse than her bite.  He says he was hoping she'd be here.  She says
 she is only there because Zoey told her that he would be there.
Angie tells Jacob that Nick and Lorraine seem to be getting pretty tight
 all of a sudden.  Nick and Lorraine, all smiles, bring some food to the
 table.  Jacob tells Angie that she's cute when she's jealous.  They
 kiss.  So still no sign of the main attraction, asks Jacob?  No, says
 Angie, and the hostess is getting pretty antsy.  Jacob ponders: "Zoey
 and a priest.  Things that make you go, 'hmmmm.'"
Richard is playing pinball, and says to Zoey that Father Luke must not
 have been able to find a parking space for his kangaroo.  Zoey smacks
 him, as promised.  He asks how a man can take offense if he isn't even
 here.  "He *will* be here."  He asks if Luke is going to leave her at
 the altar, too.  "Well, you won't be invited, so don't worry about it."
The phone rings.  It's George, calling for Molly.  "Sorry, Molly.
 Something came up."
[At the Palm Hote.]
Sydney says that she had spent her life being in control, *needing* to
 be in control, but since she was raped, she has no control.  She just
 lives in this constant state of fear.  "So move out, I'll help you."
 She says it's not that easy to escape a man like Jared, and now she
 has involved Danny, too, and she should never have done that.  Danny
 says he can take care of himself.  Sydney says that she should never
 have called him, and tells him to go.  And leave you like this?  He
 moves toward her, but she recoils in (fake) fear.  "It's just hard for
 me to be touched."  He says he just wanted to--  "I know.  It's not
 you, it's me."  He says he never realized what it is like for a woman.
 She says it's just hard to trust again.  He says he'd never do anything
 to hurt her.  She says she knows that, but she is afraid that she won't
 ever feel anything inside again, that she has just gone numb.  Come on,
 says Danny, whatever Jared did shouldn't have any effect on--you're
 still this fantastic woman.  "I'm telling you, whatever you think you
 lost, it's going to come back."  "I don't think so."  "It will, you've
 gotta believe it."  He takes her hand and kisses it.
* [At Buck/Nick's apartment.]
Bernardo tells Azure that he wants to talk to her about something -- can
 we go somewhere?  Sure.  They leave.
Molly breaks the bad news to Zoey.  "He's not coming?  I'm dead."  Molly
 says he's going to send his roommate, and everything will be fine.  His
 *roommate*?  Angie overhears and asks if everything is OK.  As Molly
 slinks away, Zoey tells Angie that everything is fine.  Angie says,
 "I'm real curious to meet this Luke."  "Well, me too -- I mean, you
 too?  You'll like him."  As she looks over her shoulder at Richard,
 Angie says that what is important is that he is the right man for her.
 As Zoey looks over her shoulder, she says, "Oh yeah, he's the one.
 I'm in love with him."
Molly paces around the apartment.  "Danny Roberts, where *are* you?"
The doorbell rings.  Molly answers the door.  It is the roommate, in a
 priest's outfit.  He says, enthusiastically, "Zoey!" and gives Molly
 a rather passionate kiss.  Zoey looks on, horrified.
[In the stairwell.]
Bernardo and Azure sit on a stair.  Both try to talk, then they laugh.
 Bernardo speaks first, asking her not to take the offer off the table
 yet, not until you hear me out.  Azure says there's something she has
 to tell him first -- "it's something important about me."
[At the Penthouse.]
Malcolm is at the door.  "Malcolm, what an unpleasant surprise."  Jared
 reminds him that he was to lie low and let him handle things himself.
 Malcolm says he knows that, but he thought he'd bring some information
 over personally -- it's about our Miss Azure C.  Jared takes it, and
 invites Malcolm in.  He opens the envelope and reads the papers.  "Can
 this possibly be true?"  "I double-checked."  "I must say, it's not
 the news I was looking for, but it will certainly serve our purposes."
[At the Palm Hotel.]
Danny tells Sydney that he didn't want to do anything to upset her.  She
 says he haven't.  He kisses her hand again.  "Are you feeling better?"
 "Yes, thank you."  "You know, you really are a beautiful woman."  He
 kisses her on the cheek.  "Danny, it's just that I'm so frightened--"
 He shooshes her and kisses her.  "Don't be afraid.  All I want is to
 make you feel good -- and safe."  He kisses her on the neck.
[In a garage.]
Danny and Tony enter.  He asks where the secretary is.  Maybe she's
 still in the office, offers Ally.  Tony gets a little bit nervous.
 "This place is awful empty, Ally."  Ally says maybe she got her car
 started and went home.  "No," says Tony, "that's not it.  Come on,
 let's get out of here."  What about the blueprints?  Forget about the
 blueprints, says Tony.  He goes toward the door, pulling Ally along.
 We see a gun pointed at them from behind a nearby car.  We hear Joey
 scream, "Tony!"  [In slow-motion.]  He runs to Tony and tackles him.
 A shot rings out.

-----
|  "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 ------------+---------------+

