A Valentine's Day Agreement
February 11, 14-15, 1994

THE SETTING: It's Valentine's Day 1994, and Roger comes back to WSPR for the first time since he was shot, with Holly by his side. In the aftermath of Roger's shooting, Alexandra is pressing fraud charges against him for his role in Jenna's takeover of Spaulding Enterprises. Meanwhile, Roger is angry that the Lewises are lying about Peter's identity (he's Hart's son, and Roger's grandson)  and he has accused Billy Lewis of shooting him.  Tangie confronts Roger with her belief that he switched the bullets to frame Billy, and she  tells Roger that she's fighting for the Lewises, not because of Josh, but because she wants Peter to stay with the family who loves him.  Roger responds:    "Peter's family, his real family, never got the chance to love him, because they were never told of his existence." Unfortunately for Billy,  the evidence does tend to point to him, and even though he did switch the bullets, Roger appears to be thoroughly convinced that Billy is guilty.  But on this day, Roger is seemingly inspired when Tangie asks him "what do you want Roger?", just as he sees Holly outside his office, and so he decides to propose a deal to Nick Spaulding ...

At WSPR, Gilly is in charge, and loving it. As she runs out of Roger's office:

Gilly:  William, one more thing. I want at least two crews out handling the local news.

William: Gilly, that would mean hiring several new staff members.

Gilly:  That's right.  I'm planning to add a half hour to the evening news broadcast by the end of the month.

William:  Well maybe you forgot that Mr. Thorpe vetoed that idea months ago.

Gilly doesn't see that Roger and Holly have exited the elevator and are approaching her.

Gilly:  Well Mr. Thorpe isn't running WSPR now, is he William?

Roger:  Who is Gilly?  You?

Next scene:

Gilly:  My understanding is that you were going to be a silent partner from now on. I know you were recuperating from your accident, and very busy dealing with your many legal problems.

Roger:   So if I didn't die I'd be safely tucked away in prison for awhile, is that it?  Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm very much alive, and I have no intention of going to jail.

Gilly:  But if Alexandra presses her fraud charges, isn't that going to take up a lot of your time, fighting them, not to mention, your energy.

Roger:  I have energy to burn.

Gilly smiles, knowing she's lost this battle, and she finally acknowledges Holly's presence at Roger's side:  Holly. Haven't seen you around here for awhile.

Holly:  Roger's just not able to drive, so I thought I'd give him a lift over.

Tangie interrupts, insistent upon speaking with Roger.

Later, Holly walks into Roger's office, concerned, having seen him talking to Tangie: Roger, is everything okay?

Roger (uncertain):  I think so. (He gets up from his desk and walks to the door, closing it, then faces Holly).

Roger: There's something I need to know, and you're the only one who can tell me.

Holly: What is it?

Roger: These last few days have been just remarkable for me. You know; you've seen it. Your kindness and your caring is something I just never imagined I'd know again.

Holly: What is it? What do you need to know?

Roger: I'm about to be arrested. Would you have been feeling and acting the same way ... would you even let yourself feel and act the same way if you thought I might be around for good?

End of Friday episode.

Monday, February 14, 1994:

Roger (very quietly): I have a very important decision to make, so, um,  I have to know something. If I don't go to prison, is this all gonna fall apart?

Holly: I don't understand.

Roger: Are you gonna run away from me again, the way you always have before?

Holly: Why are you asking me this now?

Roger: If there was suddenly a future for us ... I mean, if that's what we wanted ...

Holly: ...if that's what we wanted ...

Roger: Yeah.

Holly (smiles, tries to laugh): What do you want me to say?

Roger: I guess I want you to tell me if you think there's a chance for us again.

Holly: You know I've never been much good at predicting what's going to happen down the line.

Roger: Please - try.

Holly: I want my answer to be ... maybe there is a chance.

They look at each other for a long moment, then Nick knocks on the door, and walks in.

Nick: Bad timing?

Roger (quickly): No. Um ... (to Holly): You have to go to work?

Holly: Yes.

Roger:  And I have business with my new partner, so I'll call you when we're through.

Holly:  Right. I'll be back.  (She leaves).

Nick:  Why don't we skip the niceties, all right?

Roger:  I had no intention of including them.  All right Nick. You want me to drop the charges against Billy. Fine. I will. If your mother will drop the fraud charges against me.

Nick laughs at Roger's offer.

Nick:  No, Thorpe, I'm not about to make any deal with you. Either you back down on your eyewitness statement naming Billy, or I blow the whistle, and you get taken down for trying to work a frame-up.

Roger:  Oh, come on. If you could do that, you wouldn't be here right now. You'd be over at Cutter's office, freeing Billy yourself, but you're not.  Which only proves that you know there's a helluva good case against Billy, and one that's gonna get even better if I'm forced to tell the police that he's also a drunk and a child thief.   And wouldn't you agree that my knowledge of these ugly facts is ample reason for Billy to try to kill me?

Nick:  You're just blowing smoke Thorpe.

Roger: And this bullet, you know, that you claim that you have ...  well, it could've come from some other gun of Billy's that he got rid of.   No, I'm gonna need a little more incentive if I'm going to, uh,  let you have your future father-in-law accompany Melinda down the aisle.  (Roger can't resist getting a dig in...) Gets harder and harder to keep Melinda happy, doesn't it?  I found that out ...

Nick:  Shut up Thorpe!

Roger smiles.

Nick:  If you think Alexandra is gonna back down on her charges against you you're out of your mind.  Not after you and Jenna set up camp in her house, took over her business, squandered millions of dollars, her dollars ...!!!

Roger (smiling):  Hey, it's a hard sell, I'll be the first to admit!  But, ya know, if anybody can convince Alexandra, it's her  "Sonny Boy".  Oh, before we shake on it, there's one more condition.  Nothing that we talk about leaves this room.

Nick:  What's the matter Thorpe? You afraid Holly might find out?

Roger: You wanna be a hero to Melinda, those are my terms.  Take'em or leave'em. What do you say, partner?

Later, Holly overhears Nick tell Roger that Alexandra will be calling him back regarding his offer, but in the meantime, Nick will work up a revised statement for his signature.

Holly comes up behind Roger and asks:  What statement, and what's Alexandra got to do with it?

Tuesday, February 15, 1994:

Scene:  In the newsroom, outside Roger's office:

Holly:  Ah, Roger, what's going on between you and Nick?  What was he doing in your office?

Roger:  Oh, c'mon ...you don't expect me to give away our journalist secrets to the competition, now do you? Of course you don't.

Holly:  It didn't sound like business to me.

Gilly approaches them. To Roger:

Gilly:   I got a message in the booth saying you want me to bump two stories from the late news?

Roger: Ah, well, something very big is developing, and it has to be handled very delicately.

Gilly:  You want to fill me in?

Roger:  Ah, later.  Well, (turning to Holly) ... I'll see you later, right?

Holly:  No. I think I'll hang out here.

Meanwhile, Nick and Mindy are in Roger's office huddled over the computer, composing a statement.

Nick:  A lousy way to spend Valentine's Day, wouldn't you say?

Mindy:  No!  If you can get Roger to drop the charges on my father, then that's the best Valentine's present you could ever give me!

Nick (finishing his typing): All right, here goes.

Mindy: All right.  "I, Roger Thorpe, in the presence of the witnesses named below, in retrospect and considering the traumatic nature of the events and of my injuries, cannot with certainty identify the person who fired the shot as Mr. Billy Lewis".

Roger (standing at his door):  Oh, I don't like the sound of that at all. 

Nick:  All right, fine. You wanna write your own statement, go ahead.

Roger:  Oh no, I will. But I think we're being a little premature. After all, we haven't heard from Alexandra yet.

Later, Roger is in the newsroom, working, and Holly is dying to know what's going on.  She sees Gilly looking at a computer screen, and asks:

Holly:  What are you doing?

Gilly:  You wanna find out what Nick and Roger are up to, or not?

Holly:  Look, that was saved three minutes ago. Could be what Roger's dictating to Nick. 

Holly (reading from the computer screen):  "I, Roger Thorpe, in the presence of the witnesses named below..."

Gilly (continues reading): "in retrospect and considering the traumatic nature of the events and of my injuries..."

Holly: (reading the rest)  "... cannot with certainty identify the person who fired the shot as Mr. Billy Lewis". Hmm.....(she walks off towards the fax machine).

Gilly: Roger's playing some kind of crazy game of "spin the bottle". Now who's he gonna try and say shot him next?

Gilly looks back at Holly, then walks over and picks up a fax.

Gilly:  Nick? Nick?! You have a fax out here. The cover sheet says it's from Alexandra.  (Nick and Mindy walk away and read the fax, and Roger approaches from behind and listens).

Nick: "I hereby decline all civil and criminal recourse in the matter known as Spaulding vs. Thorpe, requesting the charges against Mr. Thorpe be dropped and the matter pursued no further."  Nick and Mindy smile at each other, and Roger  looks pleased too.

Next scene:

Roger gets off the elevator and approaches Holly and Gilly. Having overheard the last part of what Gilly just said, he asks: I'm sorry I missed that. You'll be damned if you allow who to use you for what? 

Holly  watches and smiles at Roger.

Gilly (handing him his story):  I will not be airing your "free at last" story tonight.  It's not only vain and self-serving, but it'll come back to haunt this station when people find out, and they will, that this is all part of some little sleazy deal that you cooked up with Nick Spaulding.

Roger (his mood is too good to be ruined):  Okay!  I bow to your editorial judgment.

Gilly (unmoved):  You'll be bowing to a lot more than that before I'm through.

Gilly walks away, and Roger and Holly continue to smile. He begins folding the piece of paper, then picks up a pair of scissors from a desk.  Roger's back is to her; Holly begins theorizing over his shoulder.

Holly: Well, my guess is that you thought it would be easier to get custody of your grandson if Billy Lewis were out of the picture, so you lied about the person who you thought shot you ... and Nick found out. Am I close?

Roger (we can't see his hands, but he's cutting up the piece of paper): Okay, you really want to know why I struck a deal with Nick Spaulding?

Holly: Yeah, I really want to know.

Roger (turns to her and holds a paper heart he has cut out up to his chest): I did it for you.

Next scene: Roger and Holly have walked inside Roger's office.

Roger: Do you know how long and how desperately I have wanted you back? Not that I claim I have you. But, I do sleep in the room across from yours, I do breathe the same air you breathe. I see you first thing in the morning, last thing at night. Do you understand that I would give up anything for this chance you have, by some miracle, decided to give me? Do you think I was wrong?

Holly (holding the paper heart): I might have jumped to conclusions.

Roger: Do you like your Valentine's gift?

Holly (smiles and nods): I like it. (She hugs him)

Copyright © 1999 by Michael Zaslow's ZazAngels. All rights reserved.
01/04/06 05:14:45 PM