EPISODE 96
Written by A. Washington-Beeby
Story Consultants: ML Cooks, Nick Monarco & C. Nathaniel Richardson
Sami sits at the table at the Brady Pub, with Ari sitting on her lap, as Gabi and Kate sit with her. The three ladies continue their discussion about their situation with Nick.
SAMI: So? What did the skinny little twerp have to say for himself this time?
Kate puts down her coffee after having taken a sip, she tries to carefully finish her mouthful so as to quickly answer Sami.
KATE: Mm! Well, actually...it has nothing to do with what Nick's done, so much as what Gabi's done.
Sami looks at Gabi, worried and anxious knowing what Gabi's capable of.
SAMI: Oh God. Oh God, what did you do?
Gabi holds out her hand, trying to calm Sami down before she riles herself up too much.
GABI: No no no no no no nothing bad! I promise.
KATE: No! Actually, she might have done one of the smartest things any of us have thought of in awhile when it comes to that louse I've employed.
KATE: No! Actually, she might have done one of the smartest things any of us have thought of in awhile when it comes to that louse I've employed.
Sami looks back at Kate, then Gabi, still confused, and a bit annoyed.
SAMI: Okay? Someone wanna tell me what this great thing is?
KATE: Simple! Gabi's been tricking Nick into using again.
KATE: Simple! Gabi's been tricking Nick into using again.
Sami looks at Gabi, an almost-horrified look on her face.
---
Justin and Tyler step out into the hallway outside Tyler's office at Titan, joking after their short meeting. After a laugh, they smile a moment, before the grave situation at hand hits them again.
TYLER: I uh...I want to thank you for coming by to help keep things rolling. I know it's not easy right now with Victor in the hospital.
JUSTIN: Think nothing of it. I needed the brief distraction, anyway. It's...it hasn't been an easy night.
TYLER: Well, I'm sure Victor will appreciate it.
Justin shrugs at Tyler's comment, smiling politely.
JUSTIN: I'm not entirely sure that Victor will be quite so enthusiastic, considering my...little act of disobedience at the last meeting.
Tyler shakes his head, immediately dismissive of Justin's lack of confidence.
TYLER: Nonsense. I think you'll be surprised. Look, I uh...I'll come visit Vic in the hospital later on...
Sheryl opens the door to her office, after her conversation with Jordan, and spots Justin and Tyler standing in the hallway. Before she's spotted, she stops and hides in the doorway of her office as the two men continue their discussion.
TYLER: ...Will you have everything ready to get the excavation equipment to the site for the weekend.
JUSTIN: Might take a couple extra days, just to handle the legalities and the contracts, but I see no reason why we can't start excavating for the tar sands by Monday.
Sheryl looks on, stunned by what she's hearing. Jerome and Jordan look on, worry in their eyes as they sneak over to Sheryl's side to overhear the conversation as well.
Outside in the hall, Tyler and Justin carry on, blissfully unaware of their company nearby.
TYLER: Well, as long as we get it started, hopefully we'll be able to convince the old man to sell within a few weeks. I don't want this to drag out any longer. The longer it drags on, the more press attention we get, the worse it is for business. You hear me?
Sheryl intones barely above a whisper from her position on the other side of the door, a smug smile on her face.
SHERYL: Loud and clear, Mr. Houston. Loud and clear.
---
Nick sits in the lab, headphones on, beaming from ear-to-ear. Percy motions to Nick, hoping to get his attention.
PERCY: Pardon me, Nicholas, but...what are the ladies discussing?
Nick slips the headphones off his head, still smiling as he looks up at Percy.
NICK: Ohh just the fundamentals of their plan...among other things.
Nick sets the headphones down on the desk in front of him, Percy stands to Nick's side, hanging on Nick's every word.
PERCY: Excellent! So what did we learn?
Nick steps over to grab his cell phone, and begins scrolling through.
NICK: Ohhh don't worry too much, Percy. Just know that we're getting everything in order. One step at a time.
Nick puts his phone up to his ear as he turns to Percy and winks.
---
Eric walks over to the corner of Nicole's room, grabbing his jacket, leans over to a partly-clothed, who is rummaging through her closet for her red dress she intends to wear to their wedding later in the day.
He gives Nicole a kiss before he heads out to sort out the final wedding details. Nicole and he linger in their kiss a moment, breathing in the moment for as long as they can. Once their kiss ends, both smile with satisfaction in their eyes.
NICOLE: Love you too.
Eric closes the door to Nicole's bedroom and heads out. Nicole, left behind smiles happily, with a slight sense of worry in her eyes.
She turns to face the mirror in the bedroom, putting the red dress she's taken from the closet up against her. She looks up from admiring the dress, and sees Sami standing behind her, a focused, enraged look in her eye.
She shrieks, as she turns around in a panic.
No one's there. She breathes in deeply, relieved yet again.
NICOLE: Damn it, Nicole. You have to relax. You've got this far, you have absolutely no reason to think you won't make it all the way.
Nicole's phone rings, causing Nicole to jump again.
NICOLE: DAMMIT!
Nicole takes a second to catch her breath before reaching to her bedside table, and seeing who's calling.
It's Nick.
Nicole rolls her eyes, unsure if she even wants to answer.
---
---
Sami looks at Gabi, incredulously.
SAMI: You WHAT?
GABI: I had to! I didn't know what else to do, and EJ thought...
SAMI: EJ??
Sami tries everything to stop herself from shouting out in the middle of the pub. Instead, she leans in, nearly hissing her words to Gabi.
SAMI: You mean you've been scheming with my husband to trick your crazy ex-, who, might I add, only gets CRAZIER when he's hooked on pills, to get hooked on his crazy pills again! GEE! What could possibly go wrong with that?
GABI: It was supposed to be a simple, one-time thing. I asked EJ to do something to get Nick back behind bars.
SAMI: And this was the great plan. Hm?
Gabi sighs as Ari begins to fuss. Sami picks the toddler up and puts her back in her high chair, as Gabi reaches out to her daughter, hoping to calm her down. She grabs a bottle from her bag, and hands it to Ari as she continues.
GABI: Look, all that was supposed to happen was that I was supposed to feed him a pill or two, leave them behind and then get Hope to find them in his apartment and arrest him, but she didn't find them.
SAMI: What do you mean, she didn't find them?
Gabi shrugs in response as she carries on.
GABI: I have no idea! She just said she couldn't find them, and I KNOW I put them on his shelf in the bathroom. So I had to get a new pack and...went from there.
SAMI: Well, how do you know he's even taking them?
Kate interjects, putting her coffee down again, as she looks knowingly Gabi's way as she answers Sami.
KATE: Mm! You'd know without a doubt from the way he was acting in here yesterday.
GABI: Definitely. He was a mess, and he ran out of pills, so...
GABI: Definitely. He was a mess, and he ran out of pills, so...
Sami looks at Gabi inquistively.
SAMI: So you're saying he found them again.
GABI: I guess.
SAMI: So is that when...
Kate raises her hand again, interrupting Sami.
KATE: When I found out? Yes. I was really impressed. I didn't think she had it in her.
Sami looks on, not sure how to feel at this point. She looks between Kate and Gabi, who both seem sure they're on the right path, though Gabi slightly less so.
SAMI: Okay, but...what happens now? I mean, how are we gonna get him locked up so he can't use what he has against us?
GABI: Well...the guy I'm getting the pills from...he...
Gabi leans in close to whisper her next statement.
GABI: He also gave me someone's perscription pad.
Sami looks on, a bit impressed.
SAMI: Okay! Not bad. So...when are the cops gonna get him?
GABI: That's...kinda what we need to figure out. Hope won't dig into it anymore.
Sami rolls her eyes, knowingly.
SAMI: She wouldn't.
KATE: Well...maybe you could ask Rafe to look into it, Gabi?
Sami nearly spits out her coffee, pleasantly surprised by Kate's idea.
SAMI: MM! Yeah! That's a great idea! Ask Rafe to look into it, get his sympathy and let him know how much Nick scares you without, you know, giving too much away, obviously.
Sami looks over at Kate, who's smiling and nodding in agreement with Sami.
SAMI: Gee, Kate. You know, I've never known you to have good ideas, but I guess everyone has one or two in them now and again.
Sami smiles at Kate, who gives Sami a cutting glare in return as she sips her coffee.
---
Nicole picks up her phone and answers, her irritation plain in her voice.
NICOLE: (Into phone) What?
...
Nick stands in the lab, while Percy stands behind him, cleaning some test tubes, but obviously listening into Nick's conversation.
NICK: (into phone) I need you to cover something this afternoon.
...
NICOLE: (into phone) Can't. I'm busy.
Nicole hangs up the phone and tosses it back on her bedside table.
She picks up her dress again, but before a second passes, the phone rings again.
Nicole picks it up, again it's Nick.
NICOLE: (into phone) You know, you seem to think you're the only priority in my life right now, and I have to break it to you, Nick, you're not.
...
NICK: (into phone) You might want to reconsider. If you know what's good for you.
...
Nicole stays on the line, dead silent. Nick's threatening words continue through the phone.
...
NICK: (into phone) We're organizing the first formal protest of the EnerNext project today on Percy's property. It's last minute, but I think I can convince some of the treehuggers in the Outdoor Rec program at Salem U to come along. So what do you say?
Percy's head sticks up from the sink, surprised by the news that he'll have company on such short notice. Nick looks his way momentarily and winks.
...
NICOLE: (into phone) Look, Nick, any other day, you know I'd be all over this, but I CANNOT today. Under ANY circumstances. You understand? Besides, isn't this way too short a notice for a protest? Like...at least schedule it for tomorrow.
...
NICK: (into phone) It can't wait, Nicole. Be at the Titan Lab for 1pm. Don't let anyone see you come in. Don't be late.
Nick hangs up the phone.
...
Nicole tries in vain to stop Nick from unilaterally making these plans.
NICOLE: (into phone) Are you deaf, I can't...Nick??? NICK! DAMMIT!
Nicole resists the urge to throw her phone across the room, instead setting it down on the dresser in front of her. She sighs, not sure what to do next. She stares at herself in the mirror, as though the reflection were another person.
NICOLE: So, what do we do now, Nicole? Risk Sami and Marlena finding out about your wedding and crashing it...if you even get that far...or piss off your blackmailer. (sigh)
Nicole turns around, and begins to pace the room nervously.
NICOLE: There's only one thing I can do. Try to convince Eric to postpone the wedding. And take my chances with Sami and company.
Nicole scowls as she thinks of the potential for the Bradys to ruin her big day.
---
Sheryl steps back into her office, where Jordan and Jerome are waiting.
JEROME: What were they saying?
Sheryl grabs her laptop and quickly opens it on her desk, while scrolling and typing away furiously, she gives Jerome hasty instructions.
SHERYL: I need you...to head to Salem U. Round up all the environmental studies students, outdoor rec, anyone you can convince to come out to...
Sheryl quickly scrawls out something on a scrap piece of paper, and then hands it to Jerome.
SHERYL: ...this address.
Jerome takes the paper and studies it a moment, before looking up at Sheryl. Jordan looks over Jerome's shoulder, before interjecting with a question of her own.
JORDAN: ...And just what exactly are we doing out there?
Sheryl looks at Jordan, a bit exasperated.
SHERYL: That's Nick's lab assistant's house. You know, the one they're trying to steal the land from and dig up all the oil underneath? You know, like, why we came here?
Jordan looks at Sheryl blankly.
SHERYL: I want to start a protest. The old fashioned way.
Jordan looks at Sheryl, then at Jerome, still confused. Sheryl speaks emphatically, and slower.
SHERYL: They just said that they're going to start digging by Monday, and to send the equipment out ASAP. And we have to make absolutely sure...that that. Doesn't. Happen.
Jerome and Jordan both look stunned.
---
