Episode #20
A Few Days After #19

TEASER
EXT.		CHASE HOME	MIDDAY
The sun in shining, and the neighborhood is full of life.
JASON and COURTNEY sit on the lawn, on a checkered table-cloth. A picnic basket is nearby.
				JASON
				I’m glad this weather is
				finally starting to get nice
				again.
				COURTNEY
				Yeah, me too. It feels like
				spring -- at last!
				JASON
				Nice day for a picnic.
				COURTNEY
				It sure is.
				(pause)
				I’m glad we’re still spending
				time together, even though I
				haven’t been able to get back
				to skating much.
				JASON
				It’s my pleasure. You’re a
				lot more than my skating
				partner; you’re also my best
				friend.
				COURTNEY
				That’s reassuring to know ...
				More lemonade?
				JASON
				Sure.
He hands her the cup, and as she pours the lemonade she continues the conversation.
				COURTNEY
				How’s everything going with
				Shannon?
				JASON
				We’ve been skating pretty
				well together, but it’s not
				the same as when we skate
				together.
				COURTNEY
				You two are getting along
				okay?
				JASON
				Oh, it’s fine, but she seems
				a little shy sometimes.
Courtney seems to deliberate something mentally for a moment.
				COURTNEY
				Don’t let this go to your
				head or anything, Jay, but I
				think she may have a little
				thing for you.
				JASON
				(surprised)
				Really?
Courtney nods an affirmative.
INT.		SHANNON’S ROOM		SAME
SHANNON is sprawled on the bed, looking annoyed.
				SHANNON
				Damn that Courtney! Jason
				finally gets a day off from
				skating, and she has to hog
				him all to herself! But no
				matter ... soon enough I’ll
				have her out of the picture
				for good. I just hope that
				everything goes according to
				plan.
INT.		DIANE’S OFFICE		SAME
DIANE works behind her desk. Enter TIM, looking tired.
				TIM
				Knock knock.
Diane looks up from her papers.
				DIANE
				Oh, hey! Have a seat!
Tim pulls up a chair and sits down.
				DIANE
				(cont’d)
				How are you two doing? Have
				they found Claire’s dad and
				the baby yet?
				TIM
				Nothing. They disappeared
				without a trace. I’ll tell
				you, that guy is slick.
				DIANE
				It’s not exactly something
				he should be proud of, Tim.
				TIM
				Maybe not, but he certainly
				knows what he’s doing.
				(sigh)
				There has to be some way to
				track him down. If someone
				finds my son, I swear, I’d
				gladly give them whatever
				they wanted.
				DIANE
				(thinking)
				Oh, not this again. I might
				know where James and Travis
				are, but I can’t tell Tim -
				it would give away my plan
				to get him for myself. But
				there has to be something I
				can do. There has to be.
INT.		TIM & CLAIRE’S APT.		SAME
SARAH and CLAIRE sit on the couch, talking.
				CLAIRE
				So the police have made no
				progress whatsoever in find-
				ing Travis and my father?
				SARAH
				Nothing at all. He made such
				a clean getaway -- either he
				worked completely alone, or
				he must have his henchmen on
				a permanent payroll. Other-
				wise, we would’ve been able
				to find somebody who would
				talk.
				CLAIRE
				I just don’t believe any of
				this is happening. Every time
				I go to sleep, every time I
				wake up, and just about every
				moment in between, I pray to
				God that Travis is out there,
				safe and sound, and that the
				two of them will be found any
				moment.
				SARAH
				And when we find them, James
				will be locked up for a long
				time.
				CLAIRE
				(voice escalating)
				Good! How could he do this to
				me -- his own daughter! How
				could he do this to anyone? I
				always knew he was involved
				in shady things, but I never
				realized how bad they were. I
				hope he rots in jail for the
				rest of his life! I hate that
				man!
Out on Claire’s fury.
ACT ONE
INT.		SHANNON’S ROOM		MIDDAY
SHANNON sits on her bed.
				SHANNON
				I can’t let Courtney go too
				far ... she needs to be kept
				under control. Otherwise I
				just know that she’ll tell
				Jason how she feels and the
				two of them’ll get together.
				(pause)
				I just hope they’re having
				a rotten time today.
EXT.		CHASE HOME		SAME
JASON and COURTNEY’s picnic continues.
				JASON
				So you think she likes me?
				COURTNEY
				Oh yeah.
				JASON
				Did she say something to you?
Courtney hesitates.
				SHANNON (OS)
				(in Courtney’s head)
				You’d better stay away from
				him, you little bitch. He’s
				mine!
				COURTNEY
				Not in so many words ...
				JASON
				You can just tell?
				COURTNEY
				Sure seems like it.
				JASON
				Hmm. Oh well ...
				(joking)
				I guess she just finds it
				difficult to resist all this,
				huh?
Courtney playfully throws an apple at him.
				COURTNEY
				(sarcastic)
				That must be it.
				(pause)
				How do you like the lemonade?
				JASON
				It’s good. Why?
He takes another sip of lemonade.
				COURTNEY
				Guess who made it.
				JASON
				(disbelieving)
				You?!?
				COURTNEY
				Yep.
He spits it out.
				JASON
				Should I be worried? Isn’t
				it gonna come alive or any-
				thing?
				COURTNEY
				Just be quiet. It’s good,
				isn’t it?
				JASON
				I’m just joking. It’s pretty
				good, actually. I’m a little
				bit surprised, to say the
				least.
				COURTNEY
				Are you proud of me?
				JASON
				Very. I just wasn’t aware
				you could make any kind of
				edible substance without it
				being life-threatening.
				COURTNEY
				Yeah, well, I finally did.
				JASON
				Do you remember when we had
				that bake sale in 8th grade?
				COURTNEY
				(embarrassed)
				Oh no ...
				JASON
				You made brownies all on your
				own, and a bunch of kids all
				ended up sick.
				COURTNEY
				How could I forget that?
				JASON
				And incidentally, they were
				the same kids who bought the
				brownies you baked?
				COURTNEY
				That was humiliating.
She starts laughing hysterically.
				COURTNEY
				(through laughter)
				And really funny, now that
				I think about it!
Jason begins to laugh too.
INT.		TIM & CLAIRE’S APT.		SAME
CLAIRE and SARAH’S conversation is in progress.
				SARAH
				Are you sure you mean that?
				I -- I can’t imagine ever
				feeling that way about any
				member of my family.
				CLAIRE
				Yeah, well, your family is
				pretty damn perfect. It must
				be hard for you to fathom,
				hating one of them so much.
				But hasn’t any of them ever
				done something that made you
				so mad ... ?
Sarah ponders this for a moment before developing an upset look.
										FADE TO:
FLASHBACK
INT.		BRENT’S APT.		NIGHT
Through a glass panel, SARAH sees MOLLY and BRENT kissing.
										CUT TO:
INT.		TIM & CLAIRE’S APT.		SAME
				CLAIRE
				I mean, can you just imagine
				that feeling?
				SARAH
				Yeah, I guess I can.
INT.		DIANE’S OFFICE			SAME
DIANE picks up her phone and dials. Ringing can be heard on the other end. A click follows.
				JAMES (OS)
				Alan, is that you? Have you
				boarded the plane for South
				America yet?
Diane considers her move for a moment and then grunts a note of verification.
				JAMES (OS)
				Good, good. Try to get into
				the jungle as quickly as you
				can. Another storm seems to
				be brewing, and it’s going to
				be rough going.
				DIANE
				(grunting a manly impersonation)
				Okay.
She slams her phone down.
				DIANE
				(sotto voce)
				I got it! I figured out where
				James is! He must still have
				the baby -- he had him last
				time I called. I don’t think
				he’d hurt him or anything.
				But now, how do I let Claire
				and Tim know where they are
				without giving myself up?
ACT TWO
INT.		CHASE HOME		LATER THAT AFTERNOON
COURTNEY sits on her bed, apparently deep in thought.
										FADE TO:
DREAM SEQUENCE
Swirling images of COURTNEY and JASON kissing float over the screen, covering it. The setting is not apparent.
In the background, LeAnn Rimes’s "How Do I Live" accompanies the montage:
"How do I live without you / I want to know / How do I breathe without you / If you ever go / How do I ever, ever
survive? / How do I ... how do I ... oh, how do I live?"
				HELEN (OS)
				Courtney?
										CUT TO:
INT.		CHASE HOME		AFTERNOON
COURTNEY, sitting on her bed, snaps out of her daydream. Her mother HELEN stands in the doorway.
				HELEN
				Courtney, how’d your picnic
				with Jason go?
				COURTNEY
				Pretty well ... he was very
				surprised that I made that
				lemonade all by myself.
				HELEN
				So was I, dear. So was I.
				I just wanted to see how
				you’re feeling. Everything’s
				okay?
				COURTNEY
				Oh, I’m fine. I’m feeling
				really good, actually. I had
				a great time.
				HELEN
				That’s nice to hear. Jason
				is such a nice young man ...
				did you ever think of him as
				maybe, well, a little more
				than your best friend?
				COURTNEY
				Mom! He’s ... he’s Jason.
				HELEN
				My point exactly. Certainly
				better than some of those
				morons you dated during high
				school.
				COURTNEY
				Rest assured, Mom, they are
				all behind me.
				HELEN
				Fine by me. Just a thought
				about Jason, though. Nothing
				you need to get worked up
				over.
Helen exits the room.
				COURTNEY
				(thinking)
				Is it that obvious? Jason is
				a great guy ... I definitely
				could do a lot worse ... and
				we’re really close. Could it
				be possible that I’m falling
				for him, more seriously than
				I thought?
A strange muffled sound is heard.
				SHANNON (OS)
				Courtney ... Courtney ...
				COURTNEY
				What is that?
				SHANNON (OS)
				He’s mine! All mine!
				COURTNEY
				Why do I keep hearing her
				voice? What is going on?
										CUT TO:
INT.		SHANNON’S ROOM		SAME
Sitting on her bed, SHANNON clutches a small microphone near her face.
				SHANNON
				Courtney ... he’s mine!
She flips a switch on the microphone and sets it down.
				SHANNON
				I hope she was around to hear
				that. This is too funny ... I
				hope she doesn’t find that
				transmitter that I hid in her
				room. Otherwise my perfectly
				good plan would be ruined and
				I’d never get Jason!
INT.		CROWDED STORE		SAME
DIANE stands near a fax machine, digging through her purse. Finally she pulls a paper out of it.
				DIANE
				(thinking)
				This was a brilliant idea.
				Why didn’t I think of it
				before? All I had to do was
				come down to a public place
				that charged for faxes and
				fax Tim a piece of paper. I
				wrote down everything that
				I’ve figured out from James.
As she thinks, she slips the paper in the machine and begins dialing.
ACT THREE
INT.		TIM & CLAIRE’S APT.		AFTERNOON
SARAH stands by the door, wearing her coat. CLAIRE is by the couch.
				CLAIRE
				It was nice of you to take
				the time to drop by, Sarah.
				I needed someone to talk to.
				SARAH
				No problem at all, Claire.
				Travis is my nephew, after
				all. We’ll find him.
				CLAIRE
				I pray that you do.
Suddenly Claire seems startled.
				CLAIRE
				(cont’d)
				Oh my God!
				SARAH
				What?
				CLAIRE
				I was just thinking ... what
				if my dad hurts Travis? What
				if by the time we find them,
				it’s too late ... ?
Sarah nervously bites her lower lip.
INT.		CHASE HOME		SAME
HELEN is cooking when COURTNEY enters.
				COURTNEY
				Mom, I’ll be right back.
				HELEN
				Where are you going?
				COURTNEY
				I’ve gotta run over to see
				Jason real quick. He left
				his sweatshirt here.
				HELEN
				You gonna take the car?
				COURTNEY
				No, I’ll run. It’s only a
				few blocks.
				HELEN
				Okay, dear. Knock yourself
				out.
				COURTNEY
				See you in a few. Bye!
Helen resumes cooking as Courtney jogs out of the room. The sound of the front door closing behind her is soon heard.
INT.		JUNGLE COMPOUND		SAME
JAMES looks over a sleeping TRAVIS.
				JAMES
				I know I’ll be able to pull
				this off, Travis. I hate to
				do this to my Claire, but I
				must admit, she really asked
				for it this time. How could
				she turn in her own father?
				How?!
				(pause)
				But no matter, they’ll never
				get you back. I shall raise
				you as my own, raise you to
				follow in my footsteps ...
ACT FOUR
INT.		FISHER HOME		AFTERNOON
JASON comes down the stairs into the living room.
				JASON
				Oh, I left my sweatshirt at
				Courtney’s. I’d better go
				get it.
He walks out the front door.
EXT.		NEIGBORHOOD		SAME
COURTNEY walks down the street, JASON’S sweatshirt in hand.
				COURTNEY
				(sotto voce)
				This was a great day ... I
				just need to sort out how I
				feel about Jason. I mean, he
				is my best friend; I always
				loved to spend time with him.
				But lately ... I don’t know.
				Since Shannon told me just
				how crazed for him she is,
				everything seems different.
				Maybe I am falling for him.
INT.		SHANNON’S ROOM		SAME
SHANNON sits on her bed.
				SHANNON
				I hope Courtney heard me
				talking to her. I bet it’s
				driving her out of her mind
				right now. If everything
				just goes according to my
				plan ...
				(pause)
				Wait. I don’t even have much
				of a plan. What am I doing?
				She’s gonna find that thing
				in her room and I’ll be done
				for. What am I trying to do
				to her? I’m not capable of
				doing something like that!
										FADE TO:
FLASHBACK
INT.		BURNING HOUSE		NIGHT
A MAN and a WOMAN, both middle-aged, are lying on the floor frantically. Flames surround them and everything in the house.
				WOMAN
				Shannon, stop!
				MAN
				Stop! What are you doing?
				WOMAN
				Please, Shannon, stop! Help
				us!
										CUT TO:
INT.		SHANNON’S ROOM		AFTERNOON
SHANNON shivers, obviously disturbed by the thought.
				SHANNON
				(sotto voce)
				Never mind. I’ll do what I
				need to do to get Jason.
INT.		TIM’S OFFICE		SAME
TIM and a COWORKER sit in the office, having a meeting. The fax machine begins to beep.
				TIM
				Oh, that must be for me.
They both stare at the machine as it prints out the fax.
				TIM
				That’s odd -- I wasn’t really
				expecting anything.
				COWORKER
				What is it?
Tim scrolls the paper quickly and gasps.
				TIM
				I don’t believe it ...
				COWORKER
				What? What is it?
				TIM
				I’ve gotta call my wife.
ACT FIVE
INT.		OFFICE HALLWAY		AFTERNOON
DIANE walks down the hallway and pauses outside the door to her office.
				DIANE
				(thinking)
				I hope that works. Tim and
				Claire need to catch James
				and find that baby ... that
				way Claire won’t be quite
				as alone when Tim leaves her
				to be with me!
INT.		TIM & CLAIRE’S APT.		SAME
CLAIRE sits eating at the kitchen table when the phone rings. She leaps up and bounds towards it.
				CLAIRE
				Maybe it’s the police ...
				maybe they found Travis ...
She picks up the phone.
				CLAIRE
				Hello?
										CUT TO:
INT.		TIM’S OFFICE		SAME
TIM stands anxiously, the phone to his ear.
				TIM
				Claire, it’s me. You would
				not believe the fax I just
				got!
INT.		FISHER HOME		SAME
PAULA cooks in the kitchen. The phone rings.
				PAULA
				Hello?
				SHANNON (OS)
				Oh, hi, Mrs. Fisher. It’s
				Shannon. Is Jason around?
				PAULA
				No, dear, I’m afraid he’s
				still at Courtney’s. Should
				I tell him to call you?
										CUT TO:
INT.		SHANNON’S ROOM		SAME
SHANNON talks on the phone.
				SHANNON
				No, don’t bother. I’ll just
				try again later.
				PAULA (OS)
				Okay, Shannon. Goodbye.
				SHANNON
				Thanks, Mrs. Fisher. Bye!
A click is heard on the other end of the line. Shannon slams her phone down angrily.
				SHANNON
				Dammit! He’s still over there?
				I need to get Courtney out of
				the way!
EXT.		NEIGHBORHOOD		SAME
JASON walks down the sidewalk.
				JASON
				Why did I have to leave that
				thing over there?
He sees COURTNEY walking down the sidewalk towards him, his sweatshirt in hand.
				JASON
				Courtney! Hey! You found it!
They run towards each other and meet up.
				COURTNEY
				Here you go. I found it just
				after you left.
				JASON
				Thanks. Okay, well, I’ll see
				you later, okay?
				COURTNEY
				Sure.
				JASON
				Bye. Thanks again, Courtney!
He heads off in the opposite direction.
Courtney begins to walk back in the direction she came from. She seems preoccupied.
				SHANNON (OS)
				(in Courtney’s mind)
				Courtney ... Courtney ...
				He’s mine! All mine! You’ll
				never have him.
				COURTNEY
				(sotto voce)
				What is wrong with me? Why
				do I keep hearing Shannon?
She steps down off the curb to cross the street. She begins walking across without looking either way.
				SHANNON (OS)
				(in Courtney’s mind)
				Courtney ... Courtney ...
				Courtney!
Courtney stops dead in her tracks and clutches her head.
				COURTNEY
				(screaming)
				Stop! Stop it already!
Further down the road, Jason turns around upon hearing her scream and runs back in her direction.
Courtney, still paused in the middle of the road, looks up in time to see a car headed straight for her.
				COURTNEY
				Aaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhh!!!!
Hold on a direct close-up of Courtney’s screaming face.
END OF EPISODE #20

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