From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>


GUIDING LIGHT UPDATE -- THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1996

                   SHOOT FOR THE MOON

Highlights:
*Holly obsesses about her mothering skills.
*Blake helps Rick & Abby finally get their signals straight.
*Lillian and Phillip share a tender moment.
*Van's family fears for her life while she fears for their future.
*Zachary glows in the dark.

READE COTTAGE: Fletch arrives home to find Holly inhaling the fumes from 
Meg's clean laundry. She says she's scared to death about the baby & 
hugs Fletch for dear life.

CEDARS: Somebody didn't hide the hair gel well enough, because Rick 
looks like a bird caught in the Valdez spill. He finishes a phone call & 
tells Blake that Abby is on her way downstairs. Blake says the plan will 
work because it wasn't Rick's idea. Phillip arrives & invites Rick out 
to dinner, but Rick says his timing is poor.

CRASH SCENE: Matt screams for Vanessa & runs toward the burning car, 
undaunted by the cops who try to hold him back. Dinah stands behind the 
cops, also screaming. Matt kicks in a window of the car while Van 
watches from behind a fence. She worries that he's going to hurt himself 
& starts after him.

Van trips as she runs alongside the fence & Zach helps her up. A cop 
(Frank?) drags Matt back from the blaze. Dinah screams for someone to 
help Van & Bill watches wordlessly. Van worries about Matt, but Zach 
says the police took care of him. "I thought I was going to lose him," 
says Van. Zach says she already has. Van realizes he's right--she's lost 
her whole family.

Matt & Dinah both battle with the cops to try to reach the car, but 
Springfield's finest fends them off. Van listens & leans her head on 
Zach's chest in despair. Firemen rush to put out the flames & Matt is 
pulled away from the flaming car once again. Dinah & Bill hold onto him, 
as Dinah says Van can't be in the car. Van tells Zach she can't do it, 
and worries it won't work.

HOUSE OF MEG: Fletch asks what's wrong. Holly says Meg isn't sick; she's 
asleep. The reason Holly is upset is because Meg didn't join in the 
little hand-eye coordination game she tried to play. Meg was supposed to 
reach for the ball Holly showed her, but she didn't. Holly worries that 
she's doing something wrong or that she doesn't know what she's doing. 
She doesn't have the time to learn all the things she needs to know. 
Barbara stays with Meg all day, doing the things Holly should be doing. 
"What am I supposed to do? Quit my job?!" asks Holly in frustration. 

Fletch says Holly is just having a bad day. He thinks that they have to 
let Meg move at her own speed. Holly says she's flunking motherhood one 
more time. "I can't give her what she needs. I just can't do it & it's 
tearing me up."

CEDARS: Abby asks Blake if she found out who Rick is inrested in. Blake 
says yes & walks Abby down the hall, looking over her shoulder. 
Meanwhile, in an exam room, Rick asks Phil what happened when he went to 
patch things up with Beth. Phil says it's over. Rick can't believe this. 
Phil doesn't want to talk about it right now. Rick wishes he could help. 
Phil practically begs Rick to come out to eat with him, but Rick says he 
can't. Phil thinks it's because Rick has to work, but Rick says that's 
not it. Actually, Rick could use Phil's help. Phil is intrigued.

HOLLY'S HOUSE OF HYSTERIA: Fletch massages Holly's shoulders & tries to 
convince her that it's just one of the bad days they have to expect. He 
says they're going to do fine & Meg is going to be all she can be 
because no other parents love their baby as much as Holly & Fletch love 
Meg. He thinks Meg was given them to a reason. Fletch has lots of faith 
in Holly. Meg cries, and Fletch goes to her. 

CEDARS: Abby thinks Blake is making a big deal out of nothing. Then she 
gasps, thinking she's guessed who it is. Blake says it's not the woman 
in accounting. Abby just wants to know the woman's name. Blake says Rick 
didn't mention her name, just a lot of other stuff about her. She sees 
Rick & Phil through a window behind Abby & pretends to cough to keep 
Abby from turning around. She spills her water & sends Abby after paper 
towels, then gestures frantically to Rick. Rick motions for her to wait. 

While Abby mops up the water, Rick tells Phil to wait until Abby looks 
their way before he starts talking. Abby stands up & notices Rick & Phil 
talking. Rick faces the window & tells Phil that he's never dated the 
woman he's interested in, but that's going to end tonight. Phil, his 
back to Abby, prompts Rick on what to say. Rick says he's planning a 
very romantic midnight picnic under the stars, with wine & cheese, etc. 
Blake sees Abby watching & asks what the guys are saying. Abby says Rick 
is planning a picnic in the park. She hopes he gets sand in his cheese.

Abby turns away, but Blake stops her. She says Abby can't go home; she 
has to go to the park. Abby thinks this would only make her more upset. 
When Blake doesn't say anything, Abby guesses she's up to something.

CRISPY CAR: Van watches the rescue effor & cries. She says they'll never 
find a body & will be searching for her forever. Zach says he can take 
care of it. He tells her to give him her rings. She stares at him for a 
moment, then takes them off & kisses them before handing them to him. He 
tells her to wait for him under a nearby tree while he does his thing.

The firefighters battle the flame while Matt & Dinah pray that Van isn't 
in the car. The firefighters have to keep pushing Matt out of the way. 
When the flames are almost out, Matt rushes toward the wreck, only to be 
blown back by a sudden explosion.

Frank calls for more units. Bill helps an injured fireman. Dinah doesn't 
know what happened to Matt & Bill has to hold her back from rushing the 
wreck herself. Frank helps Matt limp back from the wreckage. Dinah says 
they don't even know if it's Van's car. Frank says it is; they managed 
to check the plates before the explosion. Matt just shakes his head & 
keeps saying, "No."

MEG-O-MANIA: Meg lolls in her infant seat while Holly & Fletch play with 
her. Meg proves her hand-eye coordination is not too bad after all when 
she reaches for Fletch's hair, but it's not in the script, so no one 
acknowledges this feat. Fletch thinks Meg is a beautiful princess. He 
asks Holly for the ball so he can try the game with Meg. As he whooshes 
the ball past her face, Meg seems to notice it, which thrills her 
parents no end. They smile & coo at her. Meg reaches for the ball.

CEDARS: Blake denies that she's up to anything, but Abby is no fool. She 
knows Blake isn't sharing something. Abby figures if Rick likes some 
other woman, she can handle it. She just hopes someday she will meet 
someone who feels the same way about her. "But you have," says Blake. 
"His name is Rick Bauer." Blake says it's important to scope out the 
competition. Abby admits that she is curious to see who Rick is so 
interested in. Blake says Abby should go to the park. Abby thinks this 
would be cheap. Blake says it's only being competitive. Men don't know 
what they want & it's up to women to point them in the right direction. 
Abby thinks it would be better if she just went home. 

Blake stalls. She asks if Abby is walking. Abby says yes. Blake suggests 
that Abby walk through the park instead of around it, because it will be 
shorter. Abby thinks it's a good night for a long walk. Blake sighs with 
defeat. Rick comes outside & asks if Abby took the bait. Blake says 
she's not sure. She doesn't know if Abby is going to walk through the 
park or past it. She was talking about some guy in the lab. Huh? Rick is 
confused & so am I. Blake says Abby mentioned something about a date for 
coffee. Rick decides Abby is drinking way too much coffee. Phillip is 
making interesting hand motions in the background & I can't decide if 
he's trying to communicate with Blake or just scratching an itchy chin. 
Blake says she thinks Abby has given up on Rick. Rick confirms that Abby 
has to at least walk past the park & then says "it's a long shot, but 
I've got to do it." He rushes off.

Blake lowers herself into a chair while two hospital workers joke about 
the twins-with-two-fathers rumor. Blake heaves herself up again & walks 
down the hall.

Lillian meets up with Phillip. He can tell that she has already talked 
to Beth & knows everything. He wonders if she wants to chew him out 
here, or would she rather go somewhere more private.

They go into an exam room, where Lil says they've known each other a 
long time & she thinks she knows him pretty well. He thinks she's going 
to lecture, but she says she loves him. She's not taking sides, but of 
course she'll always stand by her daughter. She's very sad that the 
marriage is over, & angry because there's nothing she can do & she loves 
them both so much. She wonders if she should have visited more & if she 
could have helped somehow. But in the end, she feels it's all about 
Lizzie. Somehow Lizzie will keep them together, even if they're apart. 
Phillip thinks his daughter has a hell of a grandmother. Lil says she'll 
always love Phil & he can count on her. Phil says he'll need everyone's 
help to get through this. Lil gives him a hug.

PARK: Rick sets up his picnic, right down to the candlelight. Then he 
realizes he has a perfectly chilled bottle of wine, but Abby doesn't 
drink. He wonders if she'll show up at all. He tells himself to be 
patient & she'll show up. Abby passes by & sees Rick, then hides. Rick 
sees her & goes after her. He asks what she's doing there. Abby says 
she's walking home & looking at the constellations. She thought she 
could see better from the dark park. Rick says it's a beautiful night. 

Abby looks at his setup & says she didn't mean to intrude. She can tell 
he's waiting for someone. "Not anymore," says Rick. "She's here." Abby 
looks around & decides she should go. Rick says the picnic is for her. 
"You're the woman I was waiting for." Abby is speechless.

LIGHTHOUSE: Zach offers Van some water. She asks him to pour some in her 
hands & uses it to splash her face. She's covered in soot. Zach asks if 
she's still dizzy. Just a little, she says. She thinks of how horrible 
it was to see her family looking for her. She regrets that she didn't 
have a chance to say good-bye. She wonders if what she's done is really 
a bad mistake. Zach doesn't know. Van figures if she hadn't faked her 
death, her family would have to watch her deteriorate. She can't imagine 
herself stuck in a nursing home bed.

Zach says it's not too late to go back to the car & say she was dazed by 
the crash. Then she & Matt would have a little more time together before 
the illness takes over. "What do you want to do?" Van is torn.

PARK: Abby is pleasantly surprised. Rick says he's been trying to set 
something like this up for weeks, but it never worked out. He thought 
she was interested in someone else. Abby says she's had some offers for 
coffee, but she always said no. She thought Rick was interested in a 
blonde. He asks why she thought that. "I read your lips," she admits. 
Rick laughs, remembering that day. He says he & Phil were talking about 
her. Abby asks if Blake put Rick up to this. Rick says he did ask her to 
get Abby to walk through the park.

They sit down to their picnic. Rick shows her all the food. Abby thinks 
the pate looks like liverwurst. Abby sees the wine & reminds him she 
doesn't drink alcohol. Rick says it's just for ambiance. He offers her 
spring water instead. She watches him adoringly & passes on the 
"liverwurst." Rick offers a toast to starting over. Abby thinks they've 
already done that twice. Rick tries to come up with another toast, but 
Abby says she'll drink to starting over if Rick can explain what it 
means. Rick asks what she thinks about dating. "I think we should drink 
to that," she agrees. 

LIGHTHOUSE: Van asks if her wedding rings will be enough to convince 
them she's dead. "They will if you don't go back," says Zach. Van asks 
where she will go. Zach says he can make sure she lives out the rest of 
her life in quiet anonymity, cared for & safe. Van wonders how he can do 
all this. "I have friends in high places," Zach replies enigmatically. 
Van can be cared for by the Sisters of Charity in Lucerne. [Oh no! Not 
Switzerland! Do you suppose she'll run into Hope & Trish & Dietrich 
Lindsey there?] Zach says it's a beautiful, quiet little convent. Van 
says she has no way to get there without her passport, & if she did have 
it, someone would track her. Zach says he'll just have to trust him. 

Van says she tries to imagine what it will be like, but she can't 
because she won't have any consciousness. She thinks if she could hold 
Matt's image in her mind, it would be all right. It's the nothingness 
that scares her. Zach says it scares everyone. She asks if he thinks 
Matt will be able to be happy eventually. Zach says it will be very 
painful for Matt. Van asks if he thinks Matt will find someone he can 
love, to care for him & love him as much as she has. Zach says even-
tually Matt will be free to do this, but whether he does or not will be 
up to him. "Matt's not going to let you go easily." 

Van sighs & walks to the window. Zach joins her. Van says Matt is strong 
& he'll be OK. "Let's just do this."

CRASH SITE: Matt doesn't care about the plates; they could be stolen. So 
could the car, adds Bill. Maybe somebody stole the car, grasp Dinah & 
Matt. And they don't know if there was anyone in the car, Bill says. 
Frank says there was. How he knows this, I have no clue. Matt wants to 
check out the body, but Frank says they have to wait for the car to cool 
down; it was so hot the frame melted. Dinah starts crying. Matt insists 
that Van isn't in the car. He knows she's alive. 

MOONLIGHT OVER MEG: A song plays while Fletch stares at the full moon. 
Holly joins him outside with Meg. They cuddle their little girl & hug 
each other. 

CEDARS: Outside, Lil & Phil hug again, then Phil leaves. Lil stares up 
at the sky, then goes back inside, where Dr. Sedwick is chatting with 
Blake. Dr. Sedwick leaves. Blake rubs her tummy & looks upward.

PARK: Rick & Abby stare into each other's eyes, then look into the sky 
together, pointing out stars. They lay back on the blanket and Rick 
stares at Abby lovingly while she talks. He takes her hand & lays back, 
looking up at the moon.

CRASH SITE: Workers mill around while Bill hugs Dinah. Matt stares off 
into the distance, the rescue lights flashing on his face.

LIGHTHOUSE: Van & Zach stare out the window as the song ends & the 
screen fades to black. 


--Marni (marni@panix.com)



