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

THE CITY Mini-Update for Friday, December 15:

STORYLINE: BEST MAN and WORST LADY
           (location: Agency)
* Tony is playing receptionist at the agency.  Alex enters, saying that
 he found out some information about Sydney that will knock his socks
 off.  Tess enters and asks for the information "slow and sweet."
[At Sydney's apartment.]
Sydney hangs up the phone.  She has found out that Tess has hired
 PIs to check her out.  She tells Samuel to bring her up.  "And if she
 puts up a fight, shoot her."
* [At the agency.]
It turns out that Samuel did some time at Riker's for manslaughter.
 That news doesn't quiet cut it with Tess -- she doesn't care about the
 chauffeur.  Tony asks who he "whacked."  Alex answers, somebody from
 Chase International.  Suddenly, Tess is a bit more interested.  Tony
 asks why he isn't still at Riker's.  Cash and lawyers.  Apparently,
 Sydney hired him to "do the hit."  Samuel enters.  Tess mentions that
 they were just talking about him.  "Miss Chase would like to see you."
 Tess says she's busy.  Samuel says it would be in her best interest to
 come upstairs.  "And what are you going to do if I don't?  Shoot me?"
 Tony walks over and suggests that Tess go see what she has to say.  She
 agrees, saying it might be fun.  Samuel leaves, Tess follows.
[Later, at Sydney's apartment.]
Samuel announces Tess.  Sydney says she knows about the PIs and she
 suggests that Tess fire them immediately.  "And why would I want to
 do that?"  Sydney says that if she doesn't, not only won't she have
 a business to run, she won't have a life.  "Succinct enough?"
* [At the agency.]
Alex is bothered that he didn't "smell" Samuel as an ex-con right away.
 Tony changes the subject, asking how he proposed to Ava.  ("Did you
 rent a plane or something?")  "Which time?"  Oh yeah, says Tony, you
 were married twice.  [Actually three or four times, but Corinth history
 doesn't seem to be this soap's strong suit.]  Tony says he's going to
 rent a horse and carriage in front of the Empire State Building.  Alex
 reminds Tony that she's carrying Cooper's baby.  Tony says she wrote
 Cooper a letter explaining everything.  Alex says he's glad someone
 believes in romance.
[At Sydney's apartment.]
Tess says she "just might have some ammunition" that she has dug up on
 her own.  Sydney warns her that she might end up using that shovel to
 bury herself and tells her to call off her two detectives.  Tess asks,
 "You'll what?"  "I'll destroy you."  Tess says she'll go to Sydney's
 stockholders and tell them that she used their money to defend Samuel,
 a murderer.  Sydney says they know all about that.  Tess says that the
 public doesn't.  Sydney asks if she really wants to duke this out in
 the media -- Chase International owns over 30% of the TV station and
 newspapers in the country, and does Tess really want her dirty laundry
 aired in the media?  Tess says her life is an open book.  Sydney says
 a few chapters wouldn't make it past the censors.  "What about Gwyneth
 Alden's suicide?  You were in the room."  "So?"  "So what if the police
 found evidence that it wasn't a suicide?"  Sydney also mentions Tess
 being in Clay's arms when he died.  Tess says she happens to be a good
 friend of the Corinth police chief.  Sydney says *she* is a good friend
 of the Governor of Pennsylvania, and he wouldn't want to see the media
 frenzy if this case had to be reopened.  "You wouldn't do that."  "You
 wouldn't want to bet the rest of your miserable life on that."
* [At the agency.]
Tony apologizes to Alex for being inconsiderate: talking about his plans
 with Stephanie while Alex's marriage is in the toilet.  Alex accepts
 the apology.  He says the mornings are the worst -- he's used to the
 kids fighting over a toy and Ava taking control, threatening to cut it
 in two.  But at least he stays warm now -- Ava always used to steal the
 covers.  One time he even pinned the covers to his pajamas and she
 somehow still stole them!  "It's funny, the things you miss.  Actually,
 there's nothing I don't miss."  He says he has a big hole in his soul.
 Tony asks if there's anything he can do.  No.  How about picking up the
 phone and calling her?  No, he's done enough of that.  Tony says this
 may be bad timing, but he wants him to be Godfather to the child...and
 he wants him to be his Best Man.  "You're kidding me."  What is his
 family going to think?  Alex, you *are* my family.
[At Sydney's apartment.]
Tess asks if she thinks she can have her framed for murder.  "Play a
 card; let's find out."  Tess thinks she's bluffing.  Sydney says that
 Tess doesn't know who she's playing against.  Tess thinks she does.
 She says that Sydney can't have her convicted for a murder that never
 happened.  "Really?  Well, I suppose you'll eventually get off."  But
 she'd have spent all her money on a legal defense.  Then, says Sydney,
 she would have to come up with something else, but making Tess' life
 miserable would become her new hobby.  "And believe me, honey, I will
 chase you to the ends of the earth."  So she advises her to call off
 her two friends.  "Any questions?"  Tess is stone-faced.  "Nope."
 "Well, then, _au revior_."  Sydney pats Tess on the back and Tess
 starts toward the door.  Sydney says that her deal with the agency
 still stands, so if she hears that anything is going wrong down there,
 she'll lose that, too.  "That's all."

STORYLINE: SAD DRUNK and SADDER CHILD
           (location: Clinic)
* Kayla is sitting on a bed, holding her dinosaur.  Angie wants her to
 eat something.  Jacob enters and asks how "the kid" is feeling.  No
 answer.  Angie pulls him aside and says she's worried about Kayla.  He
 kidding -- she just found out that her mother is dead.  But not a word,
 not even a tear.  Jacob says she has to give her some time and asks if
 she has called Social Services yet.  Not yet.  He says that the longer
 she holds on to Kayla, the harder it will eventually be on her.
Tess brings Nick in.  Angie asks if this has happened before.  Nick says
 no.  Tess calls him a liar, saying that he has a nasty habit of passing
 out.  Tess asks if she can do anything, and Angie says she can handle
 this.  Tess leaves.  Nick asks for some pills for his stomach and he'll
 leave.
* Angie says she's not a drug dealer.  She says she *will* give him a
 physical and, possibly, a prescription.  No, says Nick, he's lived this
 long by staying away from the medical profession.  Then, Angie asks him
 to leave, because she has a little girl there who really does need her
 attention.  Angie walks away.  Nick pleads with Jacob to talk to Angie
 because he *really* needs those pills.  Jacob gives him the silent
 treatment.  Nick apologizes for last night; he'll make it up to him.
 How?  By giving him back the $10,000?  Nick asks what he has to do,
 open up a vein?  Jacob screams, "WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOW UP LAST NIGHT?"
* Nick says he didn't do anything all *that* terrible -- he was just
 late.  "Two hours late!"  Jacob points out that when he *did* get
 there, his partner had to drag him off the stage because he was so
 drunk.  "Oh come on, I had a couple of drinks."  "You were stupid
 drunk!"  Nick says he has had much more to drink than that and he did
 just fine.  Jacob says that explains his great success the last ten
 years.  Nick says his career is in the toilet, but that had nothing to
 do with his drinking.  He says Buck blindsided him, and it wasn't all
 his fault.  Jacob says he gave him a chance, a chance to perform his
 new stuff.  "Well thank you, Father Christmas."  Nick turns to leave.
 "HEY!  I believed in you."
[Elsewhere in the Clinic.]
Angie is obviously sad.  She sings "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" to
 Kayla.  She can barely finish the song.
* Nick says he doesn't owe Jacob any answers.  Jacob says that Nick owes
 him *a lot* more than just answers.  Nick says that he should scrap his
 romantic notion about Nick Rivers.  "I am what I am and I don't answer
 to you or anyone else."  Jacob says he should strap down his ego.  Nick
 says he doesn't have a faucet inside himself which turns his music on
 and off.  Jacob says maybe not, but he blew his only chance for a long
 time.  At your little no-name bar?  Yes, at our little no-name bar,
 which did capacity business that night.  Nick says he was there and
 Buck wouldn't let him go on.  Jacob says he was two hours late and too
 drunk.  Jacob accuses him of being scared.  Nick says he has played
 50,000-seat stadiums with Aerosmith.  "You think I cared about your
 little dump?"  "Yeah."  Nick says he has been to Hell and back and he's
 not afraid of anything.  "Because frankly, my dear, I just don't give
 a damn."  Nick gets on the elevator.  Jacob comments about "the great
 Nick Rivers," then overhears Angie humming Brahms' lullaby to Kayla.
 He gets in the bed with the two of them.

