As she straightens out a picture standing on the desk, her eye catches sight of something which, at first, she barely notices. After a quick double take, she looks up at the familiar man approaching her desk.

MOLLY: What are you doing here?

***

INT: FITCH MANSION (BILLIARD ROOM)
MIDDAY

ANDY and DANIELLE are busily packing his belongings from assorted rooms of the mansion. A half-full cardboard box rests atop the pool table as Danielle places in the box whichever items Andy hands her.

ANDY: I can’t believe I’m actually moving out. I’ve literally spent my entire life in this house.

DANIELLE: I think it’s about time for a change.

ANDY: You couldn’t be more correct. This isn’t the same house to me that it was a year ago.

Danielle nods, unsure of how to respond.

ANDY: It used to simply hold so many memories for me – memories of my childhood, memories of my father. But lately it’s gotten to the point that all I can think about when I’m in this house is my mother: What kind of mood will she be in? How is she going to treat me – or you?

DANIELLE: She promised you she’d try to accept us being together.

ANDY: I know. And she’s kept her promise so far. I guess it just changed the way I look at her -- I can see now that she’s far from perfect. Besides, there would just be too much tension if I were living here in the weeks before our wedding, for both of us.

DANIELLE: It’s time for you to move out, Andy. I truly believe that.

ANDY: You’re right, like I said.

From elsewhere in the house, they hear approaching footsteps and a familiar, aristocratic voice.

KATHERINE: Andrew? Where are you?

KATHERINE enters the room, where Andy and Danielle are already standing several feet apart out of sheer instinct.

KATHERINE: Ah, there you are.

She looks over at her future daughter-in-law.

KATHERINE: Hello, Danielle.

A thick tension is suddenly hanging in the air.

ACT ONE

INT: WILLIS ADVERTISING
MIDDAY

MOLLY smiles as BRENT approaches her desk.

BRENT: I just thought I’d drop by and see how your first day of work was going.

MOLLY: Aren’t you supposed to be at the station?

BRENT: It’s lunchtime, isn’t it?

MOLLY: I guess so.

BRENT: Speaking of which ... Do you wanna go out and get a bite to eat?

MOLLY: You know, I want to, but it’s not really a matter of what I want right now. It’s probably better if I stick around here today.

BRENT: Yeah, you’re probably right. So how’s everything going?

MOLLY: Fine, I guess. I haven’t really done much yet.

Glancing over the desk once more, she catches sight of a picture that is standing ever-so-slightly at the wrong angle. She adjusts it and steps back to admire the finished desk.

BRENT: Being your usual obsessive self?

MOLLY: I just want everything to look perfect.

BRENT: It looks fine to me.

MOLLY: See, you’re just not particular enough. Like that picture I just moved ... It was totally out of place. You wouldn’t’ve even noticed that.

BRENT: There was nothing to notice! You moved it like two degrees!

He says this with a laugh.

MOLLY: Just shut up. No, really, it all looks okay?

BRENT: It looks great. You sure brought a lot of stuff, didn’t you?

MOLLY: Just stuff I wanted around. Important stuff.

He walks around to the other side of the desk to examine it. She has carefully laid out a calendar, a small crystal clock, a number of other knick-knacks, and several pictures: one of the Fisher family at Christmas a few years ago; one of Tim and Claire with Samantha and Travis; and one of Molly at last year’s New Year’s Eve party -- posing with Brent.

***

INT: FITCH MANSION (BILLIARD ROOM)
MIDDAY

For a moment, KATHERINE, DANIELLE, and ANDY are all silent. Danielle finally breaks the quiet by speaking in a rather reserved voice.

DANIELLE: Hi, Mrs. Fitch.

KATHERINE: Please, call me Katherine.

Though she bristles inside at having said this, she knows it is a necessary measure.

KATHERINE: Are you packing up the rest of your things, Andrew?

ANDY: Yeah. I want to get it all cleared out so I can actually make my apartment look a little more personal.

KATHERINE: You know, you don’t have to move out yet. You could wait until after the wedding--

ANDY: I think this is best, Mother.

KATHERINE: All right. When are you two planning on getting married, anyway?

ANDY: We haven’t set a date yet. We’d rather take things slowly, especially since Danielle’s career is finally taking off.

KATHERINE: Really? I’d love to hear all about it.

She smiles, radiating sweetness at her son and the woman she grown to dislike so much. Unbeknownst to them, however, her joy comes not from hearing about Danielle’s success, but from the continuing success of her own scheme.

ACT TWO

INT: WILLIS ADVERTISING
MIDDAY

BRENT is quite surprised to find the photo of himself and MOLLY on the desk, but says nothing.

MOLLY: Have you heard from your charming wife yet?

BRENT: Danielle told me Sarah called her the other night because she was trying to get in touch with me.

MOLLY: She forgot you had the charity dinner?

BRENT: Either forgot or didn’t care. It doesn’t matter. Anyway, I called the hotel yesterday morning, but she had already gone out. I should try again later today.

MOLLY: Yeah, you should. You guys need to work out all this stuff between you.

BRENT: You’re telling me. I just don’t understand how this happened ... How did we get so off-track so quickly?

MOLLY: It didn’t happen as quickly as you think, Brent.

BRENT: What do you mean?

MOLLY: Look at the whole marriage. Granted, you guys did have a couple of happy months, but you had your disagreements along the way, didn’t you?

BRENT: Of course ... but every marriage has those.

MOLLY: Yeah, they do. But maybe it just took a while for you and Sarah to really get to know each other. I mean, you guys got married so quickly ...

BRENT: What are you getting at?

MOLLY: I don’t know. Maybe nothing. All I’m saying is this: Maybe your marriage was never as strong as you thought it was.

***

INT: FITCH MANSION (BILLIARD ROOM)
MIDDAY

A tentative DANIELLE has launched into the story of her career break. KATHERINE stands by, appearing thrilled over this turn of events. ANDY listens, but also watches his mother for signs of disapproval; he sees none.

DANIELLE: ... So finally I called the woman back and accepted the offer.

KATHERINE: I’m glad to hear that. I know that when you took the job here, you were trying to save up money for your singing career, right?

DANIELLE: Yeah. I got really lucky that I didn’t have to go through the process of shopping a demo tape around and getting rejected by record companies.

KATHERINE: Well, I’m certainly glad that things are going your way.

ANDY: I didn’t expect to hear you say that, Mother.

There is a coldness to this statement that only reminds Katherine of how important it is that she appear supportive of their relationship, that her involvement with Roberta stay hidden.

KATHERINE: I know this may be a little late, Andrew, but I am happy for the two of you. I’m sorry I ever acted so horribly towards you.

DANIELLE: You’re forgiven.

Andy nearly gasps in shock at hearing his fiancée utter these words. Before he can respond, however, the doorbell rings. They wait in silence, listening, before the butler can be heard calling.

WALTER: Mrs. Fitch! There’s someone at the door for you!

KATHERINE: Excuse me, please.

She exits the billiard room and goes to the foyer.

INT: FITCH MANSION (FOYER)
MIDDAY

KATHERINE walks into the foyer and finds WALTER, the butler, holding the door open. Just outside the house is ROBERTA.

ACT THREE

INT: WILLIS ADVERTISING
MIDDAY

BRENT swallows uncomfortably. He is unsure of how to respond to MOLLY’s claim.

BRENT: I do love Sarah, Molly.

MOLLY: I know that. But maybe ... maybe there’s more to it.

BRENT: Like what? What are you trying to say?

MOLLY: I don’t know. I guess the whole thing just seems weird to me.

BRENT: In what way?

MOLLY: Sarah’s always been like that – defiant, antagonistic. It’s a good trait sometimes, and God knows that if believes in something or someone, she’ll fight for them.

BRENT: I guess I’m learning that the hard way with this Matt situation, huh?

MOLLY: Exactly. I just find it weird that in the year-and-a-half you’ve been married, you were hardly aware that she had that in her.

BRENT: It takes time to get to know everything about a person.

MOLLY: ... And lots of people do that before they get married. Look how suddenly you guys ran off and got married.

BRENT: It was romantic ...

MOLLY: Maybe, but it was also stupid. If you were so in love, you could’ve waited.

BRENT: None of us can go back and change that now, Molly!

MOLLY: I know. I’m just saying, waiting longer before you got married might’ve changed your view of things.

BRENT: Like what?

By this point, they have both grown very intense. Molly hesitates with her answer for a moment.

MOLLY: I don’t know! Sarah just seemed so crazy that night -- she was on an emotional high, and neither of you were thinking rationally.

BRENT: That night ...

The very mention of that night sends both of their minds whirling. They had shared a kiss – and soon after, Sarah had burst in and proposed that she and Brent elope. So much had been left unsaid after that whirlwind of an evening ... and hardly a day has passed that both Brent and Molly have not thought of it in some way.

***

INT: FITCH MANSION (FOYER)
MIDDAY

KATHERINE’s eyes bulge at the sight of ROBERTA, and after dismissing WALTER, she steps into the doorway and begins speaking quietly, but frantically.

KATHERINE: You’ve got to get out of here! My son and that woman are here!

ROBERTA: Danielle?

KATHERINE: Yes! Now get out!

ROBERTA: Hold your horses. I need to talk to you about something ... When can I come back?

KATHERINE: I’ll give you a call, all right? Just get out of here.

Roberta is slow in budging.

***

INT: FITCH MANSION (BILLIARD ROOM)
MIDDAY

At the same time, ANDY is confronting DANIELLE about a comment she made.

ANDY: She’s forgiven?

DANIELLE: What? What’s wrong?

ANDY: You just forgave my mother like it was nothing!

DANIELLE: She’s sorry, Andy. I can tell that she’s trying to accept our being together, and we can’t ask for anything more out of her.

ANDY: No, maybe not ... but still, be careful.

DANIELLE: How can you be so cavalier about your own mother?

ANDY: Oh – I see what’s going on here!

DANIELLE: What?

ANDY: This is because of your mother, isn’t it?

DANIELLE: What do you mean?

ANDY: Because she died when you were so young. You’re suddenly feeling close to my mother because she’s acting motherly.

DANIELLE: No, it’s because I feel bad for her!

ANDY: Yeah, sure.

DANIELLE: What is up with you?

She heads for the door. He grabs her by the shoulder and spins her around to face him.

ANDY: Where are you going?

DANIELLE: Home. Let’s just say that right now, you are not my favorite Fitch.

ANDY: I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just saying--

DANIELLE: Look, Andy, we can talk about this later. I don’t wanna deal with you when you’re so snippy all of a sudden.

With that, she exits the room -- and heads for the foyer, where Katherine and Roberta are still in the midst of conversation.

ACT FOUR

INT: WILLIS ADVERTISING
MIDDAY

There is a visible intensity between MOLLY and BRENT that people cannot help but pick up on as they walk through the office. However, both are now silent; the mention of the evening of their forbidden kiss has brought a strange hush over them.

MOLLY: Brent ...

BRENT: What?

MOLLY: Do you think that maybe Sarah saw what happened between us that night?

BRENT: What?!?

MOLLY: It’s possible, isn’t it? She came in so soon afterward ...

BRENT: No, it’s not possible! Sarah wouldn’t have pushed for us to get married that night if she’d seen it. She would have blown up and dumped me right then and there.

MOLLY: You’re probably right. It’s just always seemed so ... coincidental to me.

BRENT: And that’s what it was. Nothing more. Look, I’ve got to get back to work.

MOLLY: Yeah, you probably should.

BRENT: Good luck with the new job.

MOLLY: Thanks.

Their halfhearted partings leave both a little unsettled as Brent walks away. Molly watches him get in the elevator and leave.

Just then, her new boss, SUSAN JOHNSON, emerges from her office and approaches Molly, carrying a packet of papers.

SUSAN: Molly, could you go run off 50 copies of this for me? I’ve got to send it to everyone in the department ASAP.

MOLLY: Yeah, sure.

The older woman picks up on Molly’s distraction.

SUSAN: You had an argument with that guy, didn’t you?

Molly nods, upset.

SUSAN: Is he your boyfriend?

MOLLY: No ...

There is a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

MOLLY: No.

***

INT: FITCH MANSION (FOYER)
MIDDAY

Hearing footsteps, KATHERINE shoves ROBERTA out the door.

KATHERINE: I’ll call you later! Now get out!

She slams the door shut just as DANIELLE enters.

DANIELLE: What was that all about?

KATHERINE: Just a door-to-door solicitor. Those people bother the life out of me.

Kind of like you, she thinks to herself.

KATHERINE: Where are you off to in such a hurry?

DANIELLE: I’m going home. I had a little disagreement with your son.

KATHERINE: Oh, that’s terrible. If there’s anything I can do--

DANIELLE: No, it’ll be fine. But thank you.

She exits the house, and no sooner has the door shut behind her than ANDY rushes into the foyer.

ANDY: Did she leave?

KATHERINE: Yes, she did. What happened, Andrew?

ANDY: Nothing -- a minor argument. It’ll be fine.

KATHERINE: Are you sure?

ANDY: It’s nothing, really. I’ve just got to talk to her.

KATHERINE: I hope everything works out all right.

Without saying anything else, Andy leaves the house as well. Katherine leans against the closed door, a grin now stretched out on her face.

KATHERINE: That was too close ... but I did it. I managed to keep them from finding Roberta here. And it looks like there’s a little trouble in paradise even without my interference.

She rubs her hands together excitedly.

KATHERINE: Ooh, this is too good! This is working out just wonderfully ... and if things go my way, Andrew and Danielle will never make it to the altar.

She cannot help but allow a small, satisfied laugh to escape from her lips.

END OF EPISODE #102

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