Episode #34
Immediately After #33

TEASER

EXT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT.

MIDDAY

The door to the apartment opens and CRAIG steps out, carrying two suitcases. He places them down on the landing as MOLLY steps out behind him.

CRAIG: I’m gonna miss you while I’m gone.

MOLLY: I’m gonna miss you too.

CRAIG: I’d rather just get this stupid business trip out of the way now. That way I have the wedding to look forward to when I get back. I can hardly wait ... Can you?

MOLLY: No, of course not. (beat) You need help carrying that stuff down to the car?

CRAIG: No, I can manage it. Okay, then, I will see you in two days.

MOLLY: Sounds good to me.

He kisses her.

CRAIG: Okay, I’ve gotta run.

He picks up the suitcases and heads down the stairs. Before he rounds a corner to the parking lot, he turns back to her.

CRAIG (CONT’D): Just remember -- as soon as I get back, we’ll be man and wife.

Molly smiles at him.

CRAIG (CONT’D): Okay, bye. I love you!

MOLLY: I love you too!

Craig walks around the corner and is gone. Molly stands on the landing outside their apartment.

MOLLY (CONT’D): (sotto voce) Or do I?

INT: OFFICE (HALLWAY)

MIDDAY

An elevator rings and opens. CLAIRE steps out.

CLAIRE (THINKING): I wonder why Tim wanted to see me so much. Anyway, where’s the conference room?

She scans the area for a moment and sees a sign on one wall that reads "Conference Room" and has an arrow pointing in its direction. Claire follows that sign.

INT: CONFERENCE ROOM

MIDDAY

TIM and DIANE are talking. The door is open.

TIM: I still don’t get what you’re talking about, Diane.

DIANE: I need to talk to you about the father of my baby, Tim.

TIM: Diane, I don’t know if this is any of my business.

DIANE: Oh, it is. It definitely is.

TIM: Then what is it you need to tell me about the father of your baby?

DIANE: He-- he’s you, Tim. You’re him.

TIM: What?

INT: HALLWAY

MIDDAY

CLAIRE spies the conference room and approaches it, but peeks in the open door and sees TIM and DIANE talking. She pauses.

INT: CONFERENCE ROOM

MIDDAY

TIM and DIANE are talking. CLAIRE stands outside the door, unseen.

TIM: What?

DIANE: You’re the father of my baby, Tim.

Tim appears completely stunned by this revelation.

Claire looks as if she’s had the wind knocked out of her. She shrieks and runs away.

Tim turns around and sees her running. He dashes after her.

Diane stands alone in the conference room, looking pleased.

ACT ONE

INT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT. (LIVING ROOM)

AFTERNOON

MOLLY walks into the apartment and closes the door behind her.

MOLLY (THINKING): What am I doing here? I need to just sort all of this out.

She glances over at the couch.

CUT TO:

FLASHBACK

INT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT. (LIVING ROOM)

NIGHT

MOLLY and CRAIG are making out on the floor, leaned back onto the couch. Craig’s shirt is off and he is pulling Molly’s dress off as he kisses her neck.

CUT TO:

INT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT. (LIVING ROOM)

AFTERNOON

MOLLY is staring at the couch.

MOLLY: Wow. (beat) But this is definitely more complicated than that.

CUT TO:

FLASHBACK

INT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT. (LIVING ROOM)

AFTERNOON

MOLLY and CRAIG are standing in the middle of the room. He looks upset and she looks somewhat scared.

CRAIG: (angry) What the hell is going on here??

Molly, taken aback, doesn’t answer.

CRAIG: (shouting) Answer the question, Molly! What is going on?

MOLLY: (nervously) What do you mean, Craig?

CRAIG: What I mean is, why did you call Brent to come over instead of me?

MOLLY: Oh, that’s real mature, Craig. Get jealous at a time like this. (beat) He’s a cop. I needed protection. So I called him. I didn’t tell him to personally come over ... I just asked him to send people over.

CRAIG: Are you sure that’s all it was, Molly?

CUT TO:

INT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT. (LIVING ROOM)

AFTERNOON

MOLLY snaps out of her flashback and shudders at the memory of it.

MOLLY: Maybe there was more to me calling Brent over than wanting protection. Maybe-- maybe I wanted him.

INT: OFFICE HALLWAY

AFTERNOON

An angry-looking CLAIRE runs and presses the button for the elevator. As she waits, TIM rushes up behind her. The elevator door opens and she dashes in, trying to hit the "Close Door" button, but Tim manages to get in as well as the door slides closed.

INT: ELEVATOR

AFTERNOON -- CONTINUOUS

TIM is reaching out for CLAIRE, who pulls away.

TIM: Claire, let me explain!

She does not answer. She has turned away from him and is hiding her face in a corner.

TIM (CONT’D): I-- I don’t know what Diane is talking about! I don’t know how I could be the father of her baby!

With her back to Tim, Claire has begun to cry.

CLAIRE: How could you do this to me?

TIM: Do what?

CLAIRE: Gee, I don’t know -- father another woman’s baby, perhaps?

TIM: Like I said, I don’t know how that’s possible.

CLAIRE: Let me explain it to you, Tim. When a stupid man who thinks he can have a little extra fun and fool his wife decides to rip off his pants at the sight of any woman--

TIM: You’ve got this all wrong, Claire!

CLAIRE: Do I, Tim? I have a feeling I know exactly what’s going on.

TIM: And just what would that be?

CLAIRE: You decided you could get laid at work and at home and I would never be the wiser. You and Diane were stupid enough to not take any kind of precautions, and now you’ve pretty much ruined all of our lives!

TIM: You’ve got this so wrong!

CLAIRE: I don’t know about that.

The elevator dings as it settles to a stop. The door opens.

INT: PARKING GARAGE

AFTERNOON -- CONTINUOUS

CLAIRE (CONT’D): Look, I’m leaving. Don’t bother coming home tonight unless you’ve got an awfully good explanation for all of this, okay?

TIM: No, wait! I love you, Claire!

CLAIRE: Love obviously wasn’t enough when you were cheating on me, was it? Who else have you been with behind my back?

TIM: No one, Claire, I swear! I don’t even know what Diane is talking about.

She tries to run away, but he pulls her back by the arm.

TIM (CONT’D): Just calm down. I will get Diane and let her explain exactly how all of this happened. Then maybe we can work out some kind of understanding, okay?

Claire does not respond, but she is still fuming.

TIM (CONT’D): Please, Claire? Just let Diane explain this whole thing to us. Please?

Claire stares him down angrily as Tim desperately bites his lower lip.

ACT TWO

INT: PARKING GARAGE

AFTERNOON

TIM grabs CLAIRE by the arm to stop her from fleeing.

TIM: Please, just let Diane explain what’s going on, okay?

Claire stares into his eyes, which are beginning to tear. He bites his lower lip to stop from crying.

CLAIRE: Fine. I’ll listen to what she has to say.

Tim looks extremely relieved.

TIM: Thank you! You won’t regret this!

CLAIRE: But if what she has to say just confirms what I think is going on, well ... You’d better have someplace good to stay, because you sure won’t be coming home tonight.

TIM: I’m sure she’ll be able to clear this up, Claire ... I know she will.

He leads her back into the elevator by the arm.

INT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT.

AFTERNOON

MOLLY has fallen asleep in an armchair.

FADE TO:

DREAM

INT: BEDROOM

NIGHT

MOLLY is lying on the lavish bed of a majestic suite, posed seductively and clad in some extremely sexy lingerie. The door opens and in walks BRENT, wearing only a robe.

MOLLY: Well, hello there.

BRENT: Hello yourself.

MOLLY: Did you bring me a surprise?

BRENT: Not much. Just …

He begins to pull his robe off. Finally it falls to the floor around his feet.

BRENT (CONT’D): … this.

MOLLY: Well, that’ll certainly do for me.

He drops down on top of her and begins to kiss her neck and then her shoulders. He begins to move down her body as the focus closes in on her head. Her eyes are closed as she throws her head back.

Suddenly the sound of a ringing phone is heard.

CUT TO:

INT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT.

AFTERNOON

MOLLY jerks awake in the chair, looking disappointed at having her dream interrupted. She answers the ringing phone.

MOLLY: Hello?

No answer is heard.

MOLLY (CONT’D): Hello?? (beat) Who’s there?

DISGUISED VOICE (OS): (takes a deep breath and then pauses) Hi, Molly.

Molly gasps and covers her mouth with one hand.

INT: CONFERENCE ROOM

AFTERNOON

DIANE is standing by the window, looking satisfied.

DIANE (THINKING): This is definitely going well. The timing was perfect! The minute she overheard that, Claire was out of here like a bat out of hell. I can only imagine the fight they’re having now.

TIM rushes in, pulling along with him CLAIRE.

TIM: Diane, I want you to explain to both Claire and I how exactly I am the father of your baby.

DIANE: It’s pretty simple, Tim ... we made love.

TIM: That’s a little too vague for me -- for us. I want to know exactly what you claim happened.

Diane takes a deep breath as she prepares to respond.

ACT THREE

INT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT.

AFTERNOON

MOLLY removes her hand from over her mouth as she clutches the phone to her ear. Her face is white as chalk.

MOLLY: (shaken) Who is this?

DISGUISED VOICE (OS): You know exactly who it is, Molly. (beat) It’s me.

She slams the phone down.

MOLLY: (frantic) Oh my God, what am I gonna do? I can’t be alone ... What if he comes for me? What am I gonna do?

She again picks up the phone and dials a number.

MOLLY (CONT’D): (on phone) It’s Molly. Can you do me a favor?

INT: DARK ROOM

AFTERNOON

The only light in the room comes from a candle that sits atop a desk. The desk itself is cluttered with messy looking papers and writing utensils. A telephone sits towards the edge of the desk.

PHOTOS can be seen tacked up on a bulletin board above the desk, but it is too dark to see the subject of these photos. Finally a MALE HAND pulls the thumbtack out from one of them and holds it up to the candlelight -- it’s a picture of MOLLY. The OTHER HAND passes gently over the picture several times before vanishing. It returns seconds later clutching a KNIFE, which it stabs through Molly’s face in the photo. The hand drags the knife down the rest of the picture, tearing it in half. Both hands now let the photo fall onto the desk, where the candle illuminates the two halves for one last haunting shot of Molly slashed in two pieces.

INT: CONFERENCE ROOM

AFTERNOON

TIM, looking annoyed, has CLAIRE by his side. The tears have now dried on her cheeks; he is still trying to hold his own tears back. DIANE stands before them, looking shocked.

TIM: Diane, both of us wanna know exactly what the hell is going on.

DIANE: You mean to tell me you don’t remember?

TIM: Remember what?

DIANE: The night that we made love, Tim.

Claire throws her hands up into the air, exasperated, and then covers her face with them briefly.

CLAIRE: Tim, I don’t know what you’re trying to do--

TIM: Diane, what the hell are you talking about??

DIANE: I can’t believe that you don’t remember ... or at least you’re pretending not to so your wife doesn’t kick you out.

TIM: What am I pretending not to remember??

CLAIRE: (trying to be calm) Diane, what exactly are you talking about?

DIANE: (takes a deep breath) Well, one night Tim and I took some clients out to dinner. It was innocent enough. But I think we both had a little too much to drink at dinner. We wound up back at my place, and, well, one thing led to another ...

Tim’s jaw drops in disbelief.

TIM: What are you talking about? I never--

CLAIRE: Let her finish.

DIANE: As I was saying, one thing sort of led to another. We made wild, passionate love at my place. Then we both fell asleep ... When we woke up it was after midnight and he said he had to leave. He seemed a little disoriented and didn’t seem to be ... exactly aware of what was going on, but he left.

TIM: When was this?

DIANE: Derek and Cecilia from the cereal company, remember?

TIM: What??

CLAIRE: How far along in your pregnancy are you, Diane?

DIANE: About four months.

CLAIRE: So that would be ... (she figures the time out mentally) That would be not long after Tim got out of the hospital, right?

DIANE: Come to think of it, you’re right. It was right after he got released.

TIM: I remember that night, Diane ... we had dinner and then I went straight home from the restaurant.

CLAIRE: Are you sure about that, Tim?

DIANE: Yeah, Tim, it looks like you’re trying to cover up. But Claire, don’t you remember that night? You can prove that he didn’t get in until well after midnight.

CLAIRE: I do remember it, just because it was his first business dinner since he’d gotten out of the hospital and I was worried about him holding up the whole night. I waited up for a while, but I went to bed at about eleven-thirty.

DIANE: And was he or was he not drunk in the morning?

CLAIRE: I don’t think he was drunk ... he definitely had a little too much to drink, but he didn’t have a hangover or anything.

TIM: Claire, I came straight home that night. The clients left about eleven, and Diane and I sat there for a while reviewing everything. By the time I left the restaurant and drove home, you were well asleep.

Claire eyes him uncertainly.

TIM (CONT’D): (begging) Claire, you have got to believe me! I never slept with Diane! Never!

Claire doesn’t respond.

TIM (CONT’D): You know how much I love you -- you and Travis! I’d never do anything like this to screw all of that up. We’ve had enough trouble already, with James and everything. (beat) You’re not gonna believe her, Claire, are you?

CLAIRE: Look, I don’t know what to believe right now. I’m gonna head over to your parents’ house to get the baby and then I’ll go home. I need some time to think all of this over, okay?

TIM: Claire, just listen to me--

CLAIRE: I just need some time to let this all sink in, okay? I’ll talk to you later.

She leaves, almost on the verge of tears.

DIANE: And for the record, we made love.

TIM: Shut up! I’m positive none of that ever happened, and you know it as well as I do. I don’t know what you’re up to, but it’s pretty much ruining my life. I demand a paternity test as soon as you can do it ... I hope you’re happy now.

He storms out furiously.

DIANE: (sotto voce) Actually, I’m rather happy. This is going perfectly! Maybe Tim knows that we never slept together that night, but there’s no way he can prove any of that. Claire is so screwed up right now that she’s susceptible to anything I make up. I just hope Tim never remembers what happened at the hospital that night ... If he remembers that I tricked him into thinking I was Claire and making love to me in the hospital, this will all have been for nothing. And that letter from James ... I can’t let anyone find that -- ever.

ACT FOUR

EXT: FISHER HOME

NIGHT

TIM, holding a suitcase, walks up to the door and rings the doorbell. He is looking rather unhappy and extremely exhausted.

TIM: (sotto voce) I know I didn’t sleep with Diane that night. I know it! But how can I prove that to Claire?

PAULA opens the door from the inside.

PAULA: Tim, what’re you doing here?

TIM: It’s a long story.

PAULA: All right, why don’t you come on in and tell me what’s going on?

Tim steps into the house and lets the door close behind him.

INT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT.

NIGHT

MOLLY is sitting on the couch watching TV.

MOLLY (THINKING): I can’t believe this is happening. Who is stalking me? I need to find out ... I need to have this resolved. Otherwise, there’s always gonna be this loose end hanging over my life, this unresolved threat. (beat) Well, I guess there’s something else that’s bothering me.

CUT TO:

FLASHBACK

INT: CHURCH

AFTERNOON

As MOLLY, JOSH, DANIELLE, and the rest of the wedding party look on, BRENT and SARAH stand before the PRIEST at the altar. Sarah looks hopeful, ready to explode with joy; Brent seems almost unsure.

BRENT: I ... do.

CUT TO:

INT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT.

NIGHT

MOLLY snaps out of her flashback and sits up on the couch.

MOLLY (THINKING): But Brent renewed his vows to Sarah. He’s in love with her ... not me. I have no chance with him now and I never will. I need to give up on him -- maybe not by marrying Craig, but I definitely need to move on somehow. But I still don’t know what to do about Craig. Can I really call off the wedding on such short notice?

EXT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT.

NIGHT

A pair of FEET in male shoes walk along the pavement. The unseen person climbs the stairs up to Molly’s apartment and pauses on the landing, in front of the door and window.

From his point of view, MOLLY is seen sitting alone on the couch.

ACT FIVE

INT: FISHER HOME (LIVING ROOM)

NIGHT

PAULA and TIM walk into the room. He drops his suitcase by the side of the couch.

PAULA: I don’t understand why you brought a suitcase, honey. Did you and Claire have a fight?

TIM: Oh, a little more than that.

PAULA: What happened?

TIM: She found out that another woman is having my baby.

Paula is absolutely stunned.

PAULA: What?? How could you cheat on Claire? I thought we raised you better than that!

TIM: You did -- I never did any such thing!

PAULA: So this woman -- who is she?

TIM: Believe it or not, my boss, Diane.

PAULA: Really?

Tim nods.

PAULA (CONT’D): Wow ... So she’s lying, you say?

TIM: She has to be. I never -- I never did anything with her, Mom. I swear. You know how much I love Claire and Travis. I’d never do anything to hurt them -- especially after what we went through with James.

PAULA: Well, you were in the jungle for quite a while. You’ve only been back a few days. How could you possibly have gotten her pregnant?

TIM: She claims she’s four months pregnant.

PAULA: What??

TIM: I know. This is all ridiculous. Anyway, I demanded that she take a paternity test ASAP. That should clear things up. (beat) But that doesn’t help my current situation with Claire.

PAULA: How did she react to all of this?

She glances over at the suitcase.

PAULA (CONT’D): Not well, I suppose.

TIM: Not well at all. I could see how her trust in everyone would be shaken after what her dad did ... She just needs some time to work through all of it. Once we get back the test results I’ll be able to prove that Diane’s baby isn’t mine, and this will all be cleared up.

PAULA: I hope so, honey. For you and Claire’s sake. And for Travis.

TIM: I know. I’m confident that whatever scheme Diane is trying to pull will shows its flaws eventually. (beat) I just hope it’s sooner rather than later.

EXT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT.

NIGHT

The mysterious MAN is still looking inside the apartment’s front window. He can see MOLLY sitting on the couch.

His face is hidden by a ski mask that covers the whole face except for the eyes and mouth. He passes a black-gloved hand over the window as he continues to peer in.

INT: MOLLY & CRAIG’S APT.

NIGHT

MOLLY is still sitting on the couch. The TV is on, but she is paying no attention to it.

MOLLY (THINKING): I can’t marry Craig. It’s not fair to him ... it’s not fair to me. I’m not really in love with him. But how do I tell him that? He’s been there for me through so much. He’s held me up throughout this whole stalker mess. Can I really do this to him?

A knocking sound is heard. She glances instinctively over to the window, where the sound came from. No one is in sight.

MOLLY: That’s really weird.

She tries to focus on the TV again but appears distracted. The knocking sound resumes. Again, Molly looks to the window, but there is no one there.

MOLLY: What is going on?

She rises and walks over to the door. She looks out the peephole but again sees no one.

MOLLY: Hmm ... I wonder if my mind is playing tricks on me. I’m--

She is interrupted by the knocking noise. She again looks to the window, but this time sees a BLACK-GLOVED HAND holding a KNIFE.

MOLLY: (terrified) Aaaaagggghhh!

The MAN, clad in all black, steps into full view of the window. He hurls a ROCK through it and it shatters, exploding into thousands of pieces. Finally he reaches a hand in and unlocks the door. As he begins to turn the doorknob, she bellows again.

MOLLY: (screaming in terror) Help me!! Help!!

END OF EPISODE #34

Next Episode

Main Page . Current Episode . Episode Archives . Story Recap . Characters . Making Prints . Interact . Around King's Bay . Links