From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>

GUIDING LIGHT UPDATE -- THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1996

                        BOO!

Highlights:
* Petey celebrates Halloween with a scary cast of characters
* Marina learns about "different" kids from Meg.
* Shayne angles to get Reva & Josh together.
* Annie tricks-or-treats with Phillip & dresses up as a sober person.
* Viv catches up with Griff, but leaves with Charles.
* Blake & Rick find it harder to keep Ross & Abby in the dark.

Full moon in Springfield USA...

JESSUP FARM: While Rog slumps in a chair, Dinah decorates for Halloween. 
Hart enters, wearing a scary mask, & surprises her. They laugh & hug. 
Hart asks about Rog. Dinah says he's pretending to sleep. Hart doesn't 
want to talk about Rog; he just wants to make Halloween fun for Peter. 
Dinah agrees, but doesn't buy Rog's "tweedle-dum" act. Dinah & Hart 
leave the room together & Rog grins, "You'll buy it all right."

Bridget brings in Petey, who is wearing a cowboy costume. "Trick or 
treat!" he says. Rog is delighted. Jet, done up in leapord print, ears & 
wild purple cat-eye glasses, sees Rog's bandages & asks what happened.

REVA & BUZZ'S HOUSE: Buzz & Frank hang a Happy Halloween as Marah chases 
Shayne out the door. Fletch & Holly arrive with Meg, who looks adorable 
in her little bunny outfit. Inside, Reva has somehow managed to be alone 
with Josh, where he is worrying about Annie. Reva is sure Phillip can 
help Annie dry out. Josh blames himself for everything that's happened.

BAUER CABIN: Phillip naps in a chair. He wakes & can't find Annie. He 
grabs his jacket, worried she's gone through half a liquor store by now.

CEDARS: Blake looks for Rick, but no one has seen him. She remembers 
when he told her he knew about his baby. Abby enters, but hasn't seen 
Rick either. In fact, the last time she saw him, he was with Blake, 
after she gave him Fern LaPlante's lab report. Abby continues on her way 
& Ross comes up behind Blake. He says Fern LaPlante was not an alias 
used by Annie & they both know that's not why Rick was so upset.

Since Fern has her own file at the hospital, Ross knows she's not just 
an alias made up by Annie. He wants to know what's going on. Belatedly, 
Blake realizes Ross is just asking her whether Fern is a real person. 
Ross says something is going on & he intends to find out what it is.

Elsewhere in the hospital, Vivian runs a kids' Halloween party. Rick 
shows up & she recruits him, even though he's not in the mood. Griff 
shows up & Viv seems hesitantly glad to see him. Rick morosely watches a 
dad greet his little boy. Abby enters & asks Rick why he never came back 
last night. Rick doesn't answer & continues to watch the father & son.

BUZZ/REVA'S: Buzz organizes games for the kids & asks Reva how Josh is 
doing. Reva says he's OK & just needs to stay focused on the kids. 
Fletch brings Meg over to meet Josh, & this helps bring him out of his 
funk. Josh says kids can really change your life. Fletch says Meg 
teaches them not take stuff for granted, & she's proof that miracles 
happen. Fletch says they're glad to see that Josh & Reva have worked 
things out regarding the kids. Holly asks where Annie is.

BAUER CABIN: Phil finds Annie sitting outside the cabin. She needed some 
air & didn't want to wake him. She assures him she didn't go anywhere & 
thinks she's got the drugs & alcohol out of her system. Phil's glad to 
hear this & asks what's next. "The hard part," she answers. 

JESSUP FARM: Dinah shows Peter a costume she got him--an interplanetary 
space ranger with all kinds of bells & whistles. Petey doesn't want to 
wear it. Jet's sure Dinah can get a refund; besides, Petey already has a 
costume. Hart's impressed when he hears Jet made the costume herself. 
Rog thinks it makes Petey look just like Daddy. Hart scoops up Petey 
while Dinah watches. Petey says she's the wicked stepmother. Jet asks if 
he means like in the story they read. She says it's OK, because mommy's 
there, & gives him a hug.

CEDARS: Blake says Fern is a real person, but she didn't know that until 
last night. The reason Rick was so upset was because Annie used the name 
of a real person to score drugs. Ross asks why Blake & Rick ran off from 
Holly's the other night. Blake says she went to see Annie. She didn't 
tell Ross because she knew he would say no. Ross reminds Blake that she 
had promised to steer clear of unnecessary stress. Blake felt that Annie 
needed her. Ross thinks Blake's priorities are mixed up. 

A nurse interrupts to tell them that Dr. Sedwick has been delayed, but 
she has some forms for them to fill out. Ross excuses himself for a 
moment & Blake beats herself up for making such a mess of things.

At the party, Viv learns that Fletch bailed Griff out of jail. Griff 
mentions that Gilly called him earlier. She said she's still trying to 
get over what happened, but she's trying to put it behind her & take a 
positive view. Viv is glad to hear this. She mentions that last week was 
Gilly's birthday & she sent something via David, but hasn't heard 
anything. Griff urges her not to give up. Viv thanks him for letting him 
know about Gilly. Griff says he has to go, but Viv chases after him.

Abby asks Rick what happened. Rick says he & Blake were worried about 
Annie & want to help her. Abby takes him by the arm & drags him into the 
hall. "Are you my friend?" she asks. Yes, says Rick. Abby says if he 
doesn't feel he can share his troubles with her, then they're not as 
good friends as she thought. She urges him to trust her & be honest with 
her. Rick says she means a lot to him. Abby wants to know why Rick left 
with Blake & why Ross is so upset about the Fern LaPlante file.

Blake comes up behind Abby & says to Rick, "If you tell her, you'll lose 
her. Don't do it." Of course, since she is conveniently deaf & her back 
is to Blake, Abby misses this. But she senses Blake's presence & turns 
to her. Now maybe Blake & Rick will tell her what's going on. Blake says 
Abby & Ross are both worryworts. Ross was worried because Blake was 
spending so much energy worrying about Annie. Abby thinks this is 
natural for an expectant father. 

Blake says Annie needs their help because she doesn't have many close 
friends. And Rick & Annie go way back. Abby knows they were married & 
says Blake doesn't have to beat around the bush about it. Blake thinks 
it's wonderful that Abby is so accepting, after being raised in a place 
where men & women are expected to act a certain way & don't get divorced 
or have affairs. Rick, who's been watching the exchange with indecision 
written all over his face, says if Blake is finished making her point, 
he & Abby have a show to put on for the kids. He drags Abby back to the 
party. Blake waves good-bye. Rick announces to the kids that he's going 
to treat them to the most underwhelming shadow show they've ever seen.

BAUER CABIN: Annie, who has managed to scrape up the ingredients for 
muffins, pries a freshly baked one out of the pan for Phillip & gives a 
brief plug for Parmalat while pouring him a glass of the long-lasting 
milk. She seems a little manic as she anxiously awaits Phil's verdict on 
the food. He asks her what she meant about the hardest part still being 
yet to come. Annie explains that her disease makes her mind work 
overtime to convince her that she needs a pill or a drink & nobody 
understands her. She can come up with every excuse in the book. 

Phil asks if Annie still feels that way. Annie says it's a daily 
struggle she has to constantly fight. "Can you do it?" he asks. She 
thinks so. She's going to channel all her energy into being the perfect 
wife to Josh. Phil is concerned because Annie should be getting better 
for herself. Annie says she knows the ropes; she's already admitted that 
she's powerless over drugs & booze, & now she needs to concentrate on 
healing the rest of her life. She's not going to let Josh down ever 
again. Phil thinks the focus should be on Annie. She says he's part of 
her life & it's all part of the same thing. Phil thinks Annie's recovery 
is far from over. Annie says it depends on the person. She wonders what 
he's really trying to say. Phil says something doesn't seem right. How 
does he know she's not angling for another way to get pills?

REVA/BUZZ'S: The kids are having a wonderful time. Marah asks Josh what 
his favorite costume was when he was a kid. Josh remembers a costume 
where he had 2 heads & 4 legs & got twice as much candy. Marah remembers 
when Josh & Reva dressed up as Lucy & Ricky Ricardo. Reva says Marah was 
only about 3. Josh & Reva playfully argue about who was better, while 
Buzz watches with interest. "I don't have any memories of Mama & Daddy," 
sulks Shayne. Buzz promises him he'll have plenty after tonight.

Fletch whips out a camera & starts flashing away at Holly & Meg. Marina 
watches from the couch, then asks Frank, "What's wrong with that baby? 
She looks different." Frank reproves Marina mildly. Holly walks outside 
with Meg; Fletch assures Frank it's all right before chasing after her.

Outside, Holly tells Fletch she knows it was an innocent remark, but it 
still hurts to know that Meg is going to have to deal with it all her 
life. People will notice the shape of her head or eyes & make careless 
comments & it will hurt like hell. Fletch kisses Holly's hair & reminds 
her how she was the one who said they can't hide Meg away from the cruel 
world. If Meg can teach one person a little more about life & hope, then 
they've done their job & so has she. Holly cheers up & tells Fletch how 
wise & wonderful he is. [Updater pukes at pod-Holly's Stepfordness.]

Eleni comes out to apologize for Marina's innocent question & says 
Marina feels awful that she upset Holly. Holly says she's the one who 
should apologize & goes inside to talk to Marina. Frank leaves them 
alone together. Marina apologizes for being mean. Holly says she wasn't 
mean & asked a perfectly natural question about why Meg is different. 
Holly explains that Meg is different & might not ever be able to do all 
the things that other children can, but different doesn't have to be a 
bad thing. She says Meg is special & very sweet & likes "big girls" a 
lot. Meg would love to spend some time with Marina. Marina offers to 
show Meg her dolls. Everyone smiles at this touching moment.

JESSUP FARM: Bridget repeats that she's sure Dinah can get a refund on 
the costume & adds that she doesn't have to try so hard, because Peter 
can see right through it. Dinah says she's not trying to compete for 
Peter's affection the way Jet is always trying to compete for Hart's. 
Jet is surprised that Dinah considers her competition, after all, Dinah 
is practically living with Hart. But isn't it weird to have Roger there 
too, seeing as Dinah's still married to him? 

Hart returns with Peter, after showing him around the farm & pointing 
out all the dangerous places that he should never go by himself. Hart 
sends Peter over to Dinah for some cider. Jet tells Hart with some 
concern that Rog was talking about leaving town soon. Hart says he's 
going to keep Rog at the farm until he's well.

Dinah shows Peter a big basket of candy & says the Great Pumpkin brought 
it all for him. Jet gets all concerned & says Peter doesn't like candy 
corn. Hart says there's plenty of other stuff & roots through the basket 
to find soemthing for Peter. Jet says they can give some of it to other 
kids for trick or treat. While no one is looking, Rog takes some pills 
out of his prescription container & puts them in his shirt pocket.

CEDARS: Rick entertains the kids with amazing shadow puppets. The crowd 
applauds wildly. Out in the hall Viv asks Griff what his plans are. He 
says he's not leaving Springfield. He's lost a lot, including Vivian, 
his self-respect & his son. Marcus is disgusted with him. He wants to 
stick around to prove to everyone that he's worth something. 

Charles shows up & asks Viv if she's ready to go. Viv says Griff stopped 
by to tell her about Gilly's call. Charles says Gilly also called him & 
he was going to tell Viv about it. She asks him to give her a moment 
with Griff. Charles goes to see if Rick needs help. Griff asks if Viv & 
Charles are back together. Viv says not yet. She hurt Charles deeply. 
But they've shared a lot & they're seeing if they can build something 
new based on all the good they shared. Griff wishes them luck. Viv hopes 
Marcus comes around because Griff deserves to have the love of his son.

As they're cleaning up, Abby says she thinks Rick's wonderful with kids. 
Blake enters & takes Rick aside, telling him that he can't destroy the 
look in Abby's eyes. She asks if Rick is going to wreck her marriage & 
any chance he has at a relationship with Abby. "Not if I can help it," 
he replies. Blake says that's what will happen if he tells Ross the 
truth. Abby can barely handle the fact that Rick was once married to 
Annie. Rick says Abby is much more sophisticated than Blake thinks, but 
Blake disagrees. She thinks Abby will bolt if she learns Rick fathered 
one of her babies. Rick tells Blake to keep it down. Ross enters.

Ross says Dr. Sedwick is still tied up & asks Blake if she got the test 
results yet. Blake says no; she was just asking Rick about the test she 
just took. Rick confirms. It has something to do with whether one baby 
is getting more nutrition than the other. Rick says there's no reason to 
worry before the test results come back. Ross thinks Rick is wise & 
leads Blake off to the cafeteria.

BAUER CABIN: Phil says he doesn't know much about addiction & has no way 
of knowing when she's ready to go home. Annie says the physical craving 
has passed & she's not nervous or jittery. "You tried to stuff a boiling 
muffin down my throat," argues Phillip. Annie admits that maybe she's a 
little wired. But her hands are perfectly steady. Phil concedes this. 
Annie says Phil can't stop her from taking pills for the rest of her 
life--that's up to her. Phil can't help thinking that he has something 
invested in how it all turns out. Annie doesn't know how to thank him. 
Phil is glad to have helped. She apologizes for the horrible things she 
said to him. Phil knows it wasn't really Annie talking. Annie says she's 
learned what it means to have a true friend. She hugs him.

BUZZ/REVA'S: Fletch & Holly get ready to leave. Marina asks if she can 
come visit Meg sometime. Of course, say the Reades. Josh tells Reva that 
he's going to bring the kids home to get them cleaned up & to pack some 
clothes. Reva says she'll get their beds ready in the meantime. Shayne 
asks Reva to come help Josh pack. The adults all smile uncomfortably.

JESSUP FARM: While playing with Peter, Rog feigns pain in his arm. Hart 
thinks Rog is due for more pain medication, but when he checks the con-
tainer, he sees it's empty. Rog "realizes" he forgot to refill the 
prescription. Hart says he'll go to the pharmacy. Dinah tries to stop 
him, saying Rog will just have to wait til morning, but Jet says there's 
an all-night pharmacy near Clayton. She tries to give directions, but 
they're muddled. Jet offers to go, but wants a pitchfork for protection 
if she's going alone. Hart offers to go with her & suddenly everyone is 
going. "What about Halloween?" asks Petey forlornly. 

Dinah offers to take Petey trick-or-treating while Hart & Jet get the 
meds. Hart takes Dinah aside; he doesn't want to leave her alone with 
Rog. Dinah says he wouldn't pull anything with Petey there. She's more 
worried about Hart being alone with Jet. Hart warns Dinah not to provoke 
Rog. She promises. It's all decided. Jet kisses Petey & says she's glad 
he'll have time with Dinah. She & Hart leave & Rog eyes Dinah.

Dinah looks at Rog for a moment, then concentrates on Petey. She says he 
looks perfect, but he needs a mustache & sideburns. She draws them on 
while Rog wishes he could join them trick-or-treating. Dinah's sure 
he'll be OK alone by himself for a little while. Rog says nothing could 
make him happier than to know he hasn't spoiled Halloween for Petey. He 
tells Petey to bring back lots of candy. Dinah finishes drawing & turns 
Petey around so Rog can see him. Rog thinks he looks great. 

Dinah & Petey leave, & Rog pulls himself to his feet, carrying one of 
Petey's trucks. He goes over to Petey's toy area & picks up some more 
toys. He also grabs a screwdriver from a ledge & says, "It's perfect."

BUZZ/REVA'S: Reva says Josh will bring the kids right back. Marah agrees 
with Shayne that Josh isn't a very good packer. He always forgets the 
fun things. Buzz says Reva should go ahead. She says she'll go with Josh 
to the house & then bring the kids back with her. They all file out as 
Buzz watches. Eleni puts her arm around his shoulder. 

BAUER CABIN: Annie says she doesn't have all the answers, but she's 
ready to get her husband & kids back. When she sees Josh, the first 
thing she's going to do is ask him to forgive her & let them start over. 
She asks Phillip to drive her home.

CEDARS, EXTERIOR: Rick says he loves crisp fall nights. Abby remembers 
last Halloween when she got lost in the hospital & was terrified of all 
the people in costumes. She remembers how Rick helped her & asks him to 
let her help him. Rick says she's right & deserves to know the truth.

Inside, Blake says Ross is right & from now on she will only concentrate 
on the babies. She doesn't want to hear another word about Fern 
LaPlante. Good, says Ross. Dr. Sedwick shows up, having heard mention of 
Fern. "Oh Blake, thank heavens," she says with relief. "You finally told 
Ross the truth." Ross shoots a questioning look at Blake, whose face 
freezes in horror as the screen fades to black.


--Marni (marni@panix.com)



