From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>

GUIDING LIGHT UPDATE -- THURSDAY, JULY 3, 1997

         FREEDOM'S JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE

Highlights:
* The annual Bauer BBQ is underway.
* Michelle invites Jesse to the barbeque, much to Rick's dismay.
* Blake & Ross get ready to discuss their marriage.
* Harley gets pie-envy.
* Dinah & Matt determine that Vanessa is really alive.
* Vanessa decides to return to Switzerland without revealing herself.
* Michael gets a scare.

Independence Day in Springfield, USA...

BAUER KITCHEN: Rick & Michelle prepare for the annual Bauer BBQ, with a 
fair degree of humor and good-natured ribbing. She thanks him for being 
"cool" about Jesse last night, and understanding that Jesse is an OK 
guy. Rick thinks he's OK as long as he stays away. Michelle insists that 
Jesse's not a bad guy & didn't steal her wallet. Rick's not buying it.

POINT LESTER: Jesse answers the phone. It's his probation officer. 
Apparently Jesse's got only one more chance. He pulls out the photo he 
copped from Michelle's wallet & laughs. [Tell me, please, who carries a 
picture of *herself* in her own wallet?!] 

SWISS CONVENT: Matt & Dinah speak with the Mother Superior, but they 
don't give her the real reason why they are there. They claim to be 
Clyde & Marissa Jackson, and are interested in St. Augustine's 
innovative therapy, especially physical therapy. Dinah mentions her Aunt 
Nola, who has a "condition." Matt asks if they can have a tour. The nun 
has other obligations, but says she might be able to arrange for a tour 
by one of the novitiates. She leaves to check on this.

Matt thinks it's better to get a tour from a novice, because the M.S. is 
no pushover & would never give them information on Vanessa. No matter 
what, Matt intends to comb the place until they locate Van.

SPRINGFIELD INN: Van rationalizes about Matt and Dinah. They think she's 
dead and probably helped each other grieve & one thing led to another... 
But she hates that it has happened. It hurts so much. Michael hugs her.

CONVENT: The novice arrives. Matt asks about the physical therapist 
Michael Burke. The novice calls him a miracle worker, and says they have 
a similar patient to Dinah's aunt, who has been working with Michael. 
They've had much more progress than expected. Matt asks if the patient 
is nearby. The novice says her room is right here, with a lovely view of 
the lake.

SPRINGFIELD INN: Van figures Michael must think she's a horrible, 
selfish mother. Michael tries to cheer her up by being sarcastic, but it 
doesn't work. Van feels like she's lost her life. She has to get out of 
Springfield and give Matt and Dinah some time. Michael wonders how long 
--20 or 30 years? Van wonders what would happen if she popped up at the 
Bauer BBQ. Michael predicts that everyone would be shocked, and happy 
that she's not dead. She'd love to do it, but she'd want Matt at her 
side. Michael suggests she do it anyway. She won't because she doesn't 
want to ruin Dinah's life again. She says she has to leave Springfield.

BAUER HOUSE: Michelle asks Rick if she can invite some new people. It's 
fine by him. Phillip answers the door to Abby & Harley, who met on their 
way to the door. Harley has a boxed pie & Abby has one she baked. 
They're both apple. 

Rick is thrilled to see Abby. Meta yells for some help. Abby & Harley 
head to the kitchen while Rick & Phillip duck out to the grill. Michelle 
picks up the phone & dials.

A little later in the kitchen, Rick does a Julia Child impression while 
Phillip stirs the beans. Meta enters & tells the guys to go start the 
grill. Harley enters & says she needs to talk to Phillip. He joins her 
outside. She wants to work out the details of their plan.

Lillian arrives with a date & introduces him to her "son-in-law," then 
sends him off to get the pies from the car. She's been baking for days. 
Harley sighs.

Blake, Holly & Fletch arrive with one of the twins. Blake hands the boy 
to Abby and they all head back to the car for the rest of the kids & 
supplies. Rick assures Blake that they are family & she should feel at 
home. Meta comes over & coos over the baby, then asks where Michelle is. 
No one knows.

POINT LESTER: Michelle knocks on Jesse's door. He answers & she says 
she's glad she found him. He asks why she's there. She asks him to 
invite her in.

SPRINGFIELD INN: Vanessa realizes she needs to make a decision, but she 
doesn't know what to do. She wishes she could stay in Springfield, but 
she can't. Michael says there are lots of other places she can go. She 
can stick a pin in a map. Van asks if that's how Michael wound up in 
Switzerland. No, he says, he actually wanted to work at that particular 
clinic. He says they can both go back there until she feels ready to 
make a decision. She asks what's in Switzerland that she can't find 
elsewhere. "You're looking at him," answers Michael.

CONVENT: Matt asks if they can meet Michael Burke. The novice says she 
has to check whether he's in today. Matt suggests that Dinah go with the 
sister while he waits, since his knee is bothering him. Dinah & the 
novice walk off. Matt prays that Van is in her room. He opens the door 
without even knocking & finds the room empty. He looks around & finds 
his photo on the night stand. He realizes Van is really alive.

Matt sees the other photos Van has displayed of her family & thanks god 
she's alive. He picks up some of her clothes & greedily inhales their 
scent. He sits down at the desk & sees Van's laptop. He opens it up & 
sees his e-mail saying that he loves her & wants her to come home. Dinah 
enters & looks questioningly at Matt. he confirms that this is Van's 
room; she's definitely alive. Dinah squeals with excitement & gives Matt 
a huge hug.

SPRINGFIELD INN: Van toys with her lunch. Michael tells her to eat, but 
she just hands her food to him instead. He tries to convince her to come 
back to Switzerland with him. She decides that she can rebuild her life 
& she will do it in Switzerland. Michael says the plane leaves in a 
couple of hours.

JESSE'S PLACE: Michelle looks around the dump that Jesse calls home & 
says it's nice. Jesse tells her to get to the point. He hopes she 
doesn't expect him to thank her for helping him out with the cop last 
night. No, she actually came to thank *him* & to apologize for the way 
her friends & family treated him. Jesse's not really interested. 
Michelle decides maybe Rick was right about Jesse being a jerk. 
Nevertheless, she invites him to the Bauer BBQ. She tries to explain 
about Rick, but Jesse could care less. Michelle gives up & leaves. Jesse 
swigs a beer & muses about going to the party.

BAUER PATIO: Rick tells Abby about Michelle & Jesse. He worries that 
Abby thinks he's a jerk, but she doesn't. Some kids come by looking for 
Michelle & Rick tells them to try the kitchen.

Fletcher, Holly & Blake return. Much to my relief, Fletcher disappears 
while Holly & Blake sit & talk. Holly asks about Ross. Blake hasn't 
heard from him yet (he's on a trip), but says she's fine. Watching Annie 
at the trial was a real wake-up call for Blake. She saw the desperation 
& realized it could have been her. Holly thinks Blake is nothing at all 
like Annie. Blake says everything Annie did was to save her marriage, & 
Blake could see herself doing equally drastic things. But she's in a 
different place now; she's growing up. Suddenly, she notices Ross 
talking with Rick, Abby & one twin. She wasn't expecting him to be 
there. She asks Holly to look after the boys while she goes to get 
herself together. She slips out as Roger arrives.

Holly is annoyed by Roger's presence. He says Michelle invited him, 
because her mother would have liked it. Holly buys this, but looks at 
Rog suspiciously nevertheless.

BAUER KITCHEN: Lillian lends Meta a hand. Michelle returns & asks for 
work. Meta asks where she's been. Michelle doesn't want to talk about 
it. Meta gives her onions to chop.

PATIO: Holly asks Rog to forgive her for assuming he was crashing. He 
chows down on a hot dog & decides that he will, since he has indeed 
crashed his share of parties in the past. She asks him to behave himself 
& let Blake & Ross work out their own problems. He asks if it's OK to 
give Blake a kiss & tell her he loves her. Holly will allow this & Rog 
thinks her generosity deserves a kiss. She pushes him away gently when 
he aims for her lips, but he takes her hand & gives her a peck on the 
cheek. Amanda arrives just in time to see the kiss & jealously sparks in 
her eyes.

SPRINGFIELD INN: Michael calls the convent & lets them know that he & 
Vanessa will be back tomorrow. He learns that someone was looking for 
him & sounds concerned. He flashes on a scene where he's wearing 
hospital scrubs and a guy in a suit grabs him by his shirt front & 
threatens to kill him for what he's done. Michael asks the nun on the 
other end to give a message to the Mother Superior.

CONVENT: Dinah is ecstatic now that she knows her mom is really alive. 
The novice returns & gets very angry at them for going into a private 
room. They apologize, saying they were looking for Michael. She informs 
them that he & the patient whose room they are in went away together. 
Matt asks where they've gone & says it's very important. 

The nun says she can't tell them anything about Michael, and she has to 
go to vespers. Dinah says she needs to use the facilities first & the 
nun leaves them by Vanessa's room. They go back inside & Matt wonders 
where Michael & Van might have gone. He wonders if they might be having 
a relationship.

SPRINGFIELD INN: Van says she's all packed & ready to go. Michael says 
he's not going back. Van doesn't understand.

BAUER PATIO: Roger greets Michelle, who is hanging with her friends. 
Amanda asks him why he blew her off, instead of telling her the truth 
about what he was doing today.

Ross approaches Blake & asks if she's going to say hi. She acts 
surprised to see him & asks how his trip was. Did he get a chance to 
think about things? Ross says yes, and it's time for them to talk.

Jesse arrives & watches Michelle splashing with her friends around the 
hot tub. Rick sees Jesse & tells him to get lost. Michelle sees the 
impending confrontation & rushes over to stop it. Jesse cops an attitude 
as the screen fades to black.


--Marni (marni@panix.com)



