Truth and Dare

 

Author: M.A.Y.

 

Email:

 

Rating: PG

 

Summary: Nick's life is complicated: He covets a married Lulu, Mandy
Gressler's on the prowl and Senator Caldwell waits in the wings of F&A

 

--+--

 

Part I


{Nick is completely distraught.  He has witnessed the murder of possibly
two men at the bar earlier that day.  After hearing from his father that
he has made the short-list for the position on the federal bench, Nick
assures his father that his probation infractions will no longer be a
problem.  Earlier that evening while attending the engagement party for
Lulu and Brian, Nick wrestles with his knowledge of Brian's infidelity
and his feelings for Lulu.  Watching the festivities in disgust, Nick
slips out of the party without saying goodnight to Lulu.  He finds
himself at the offices of Pittsburgh Legal Services.}

The scene opens with Nick trying to work on a legal aid file. It is late
and the office is deserted.  Nick's mind is racing and he is unable to
concentrate on his work.  He stares out the window into the night, his
mind as dark as the sky.  He is so lost in his thoughts that he does not
hear the movements of the person who has just entered the office.  Nick
rises from his desk and heads to the water cooler, and spots a light on
in Alvin's office.

Nick pushes open the door to Alvin's office and is surprised to find
Lulu inside.  She is startled by his silent entrance and stands up
quickly to see who it is.  Only the desk lamp is on and the room remains
mostly dark, except for the moonlight that falls on Lulu, illuminating
only the left side of her face as she stands.  She looks towards the
door, and Nick remains mostly in the shadows of the doorway, but she
sees that it is him.  

Nick apologizes for scaring her.  She denies that she was scared, saying
that she was just a little surprised to find anyone in the office, least
of all Nick.  She begins to tell him about the file she came back to the
office for, when Nick, feeling churlish, cuts her off telling her that
he didn't ask why she was here.  Lulu is startled again by his curtness
and harsh tone.  Nick looks away and at the floor after seeing how his
remarks register on her face.

Lulu finds that her initial feelings of anger at Nick's rudeness
dissolve into cool dismay, finally expressing themselves as a heavy
sigh.  As she stares at him she wonders why this man behaves the way he
does.  She was surprised to hear that he had been helping Brian with the
engagement party, but then he leaves the party without saying anything
and now this.  But what bothers her most is her attraction to him.  A
heaviness settles in her stomach as she recalls the time she kissed Nick
and told him that no man had ever looked at her the way he does.  She
looks at him again as he avoids her eyes, questions on her mind.  Nick
steps further into the shadows.

Nick listens to her question and wants to tell her why he left the
engagement party without a word.  But instead offers an excuse.  Lulu
finds herself unexpectedly provoked by his obvious evasion and tells him
that she thinks he's lying.

Nick angered by her charge, shoots back at her that at least he isn't
lying to himself.  Lulu feels the flush of her earlier anger at him
return and she begins to say something, but instead grabs her files and
her coat and moves to leave the office, brushing roughly by Nick as he
stands in the doorway.  He takes a step after her and instinctively
grabs her arm.  She tells him to let go, that he's hurting her.  There
is so much that he wants to say....


 

Part II


He lets go immediately, apologizing as they stand in the darkened space
of the outer office.  He begins to say something but she interrupts him,
recalling the night he told her that his mother had said that he would
grow up to treat women better than his father had.  Nick is thrown by
this, his hurt and rage that she would throw this back at him, causing
his voice to crack and race along as he tries to defend himself.  He
warns her to never bring up his mother again reminding her that she
doesn't know him at all.

Lulu sees that she has touch a raw nerve in him and her mind tells her
to back off, but choosing to follow her instincts she presses him. She
asks about his mother.  He remains silent, staring at her.  "Please,"
she says to him.  Lulu notices his face begin to soften and he starts to
speak of his mother.

Nick surprises himself and relaxes into the peace he feels as he tells
Lulu about his mother.  How kind she was, how gentle she was with him,
how much she loved him, how beautiful she was.  He is about to go on but
the pain he feels over her loss stifles his words and shuts him down.
 When he realizes that he has stopped speaking he finds that Lulu is
standing directly in front of him, so close that he can hear her
breathing.  

Nick asks her what she wants from him.  She takes a step back, away from
the sudden intimacy.  Nick moves to close the gap and leans in to kiss
her.  His lips are dry and he feels them moisten from the wetness of her
mouth.  The scent of her perfume filling his nose as he breathes deeply.
She does not pull away.  His hand rises to brush the line of her cheek
and…the elevator doors into the clinic slide open.  Brian steps out and
the small light from the elevator casts a pale illumination on Nick and
Lulu.

Lulu runs from Nick past Brian and into the elevator closing it,
descending to the street alone.

 

 

Part III

 

 

It is early Sunday morning and Nick Fallin is at home sweating in the
dark. In the basement of his house he is boxing furiously. Against the
solid weight of a heavy bag, suspended from the rafters in the ceiling,
he purges his anger and frustrations. With each jab, cross and hook his
mind becomes more clear. But the memory of the kiss will not leave him.
Not the churning of his guts as he leaned in to kiss her, not the
feeling of her skin against his, not the sound of her gentle sighing as
he worked his lips along the length of her neck. Not the look on her
face when she realized what he was about to do.

Exhausted, he stops his arms slung around the canvas bag as he tries to
catch his breath. Disgusted at his own weakness he pushes himself off
the bag and launches another attack: a flurry of blows against
everything in his way. That guy doesn't deserve her he tells himself
over and over.

Dressed and on his way to the office, Nick mulls over the messages on
his answering machine. Two from his father looking for him, and one
cryptic message from Mandy: "Don't get too comfortable...see ya soon Mr.
Fallin." His first thought was to call the police, but he decided not
to. Nick decides that the cops can handle Mandy. If they know that Mandy
called him at home it might make them suspect that he is much more
involved with her than he first told them. Feeling now that his earlier
statement to the police was forthcoming enough, Nick tries to put the
trouble from his mind. To his surprise it is easy since the one person
he was hoping to hear from was noticeably silent.

The offices of F&A are quiet this Sunday, a few junior lawyers looking
to impress Burton with "face time" and of course Jake. Nick avoids Jake
and heads directly for his father's office. The door is ajar and Nick
peers through the crack. His father has his head tilted back instilling
some eye drops. He pushes the door open without knocking and enters his
father's office. Burton is startled and quickly puts the tiny bottle of
medication away in his desk drawer. Nick inquires about the eye drops,
but Burton dismisses it as nothing, saying that he is fine.

"Nick, I want you to have the firm if I get this federal appointment."
Nick, completely nonplused by his father's announcement simply stares.
This man, who has more times than he can remember, told him that he
wasn't ready, that he was not partnership material, now wants to give it
all to him. At the same time Nick can't remember the last time he felt
like a son. And now, standing before Burton, in this moment, he feels as
though this man is his father.

Later, back in his own office, Nick let's his father's request sink in.
Initially he felt overwhelmed, but he was soon seized by a feeling of
entitlement and a burning desire to prove himself, to his father and the
others at the firm. Mostly, though he is yet to realize it, he wants to
prove to himself that he can handle something this big--successfully.
Hidden behind his arrogance and aloofness is the irritating thought that
people see him as nothing more than the drug addicted son of Burton
Fallin. And as always, his mother is not far from his thoughts.

Just as Nick is about to get down to his work, the phone rings. He
answers--it's Lulu…

 

 

Part IV

 

 

On his way to meet Lulu, Nick's thoughts are centred on their kiss. How
good it felt to hold her and express what he was feeling for her at that
moment. He isn't sure what to call what he is feeling. The idea of
falling in love scares him.


Nick arrives first. As he sits waiting on a park bench overlooking the
Allegheny River, he has the urge to leave. Burying his head in his hands
he feels a hand squeeze his shoulder from behind, and lips on his ear,
and then teeth biting into his ear lobe. He turns to see Mandy laughing
at him.


She tells him that she wants money and some time to think about her next
move. Nick tells her that he's already been to the police and that he
isn't going to give her anything, except some advice: turn yourself in.
She threatens him with her own version of events, warning that if she
goes down she's bringing him with her. She moves in close to him and
again asks for money. She wraps her arms around Nick and he quickly
steps back from her as he grabs her wrists. He wants to know how she
found him here. Mandy confesses that she's been following him.


Nick spots Lulu approaching and he begins to feel very anxious. He tells
Mandy to leave. She sees Lulu and asks if she is Nick's girlfriend. Nick
does not reply. She then tries to kiss Nick and he pushes her off. He
begs her to go, his anger rising. Seeing all of this, Lulu stops in her
tracks and starts to turn away only a few feet away from Nick and Mandy.
Nick moves quickly to catch up with Lulu. Mandy disappears as suddenly
as she had appeared only moments ago.


Nick grabs Lulu' s arm. She pulls free, her face angry. He tells her
that Mandy is a client. She scoffs at his lie: "Do you expect me to
believe that?!"

 

He shoots back: "Do you expect me to believe that you should be with
Brian?"


"You know", she begins, "I'm beginning to regret ever asking you to meet
me here". "Why did you call me?"


She was going to explain why she had allowed him to kiss her. Help him
understand what she is feeling. But she changes her mind and turns it
back on him.


"Are you in love with me?"


Nick stammers and cannot answer her.


"Because Brian loves me. As for you, I don't think you even know what
love is, or how to love anyone. How can you ask me to take a chance on
you when you can't even tell me what I'd be taking a risk for?  I
can't--won't-- risk my future on a kiss."


Nick is hurt by her accusation, but hides his pain. "I never asked you
to do anything, or give up anyone."


"Oh, that's right! Because then you'd be opening yourself up to actually
feeling something. You know, I guess my question was unfair...I thought
that you might have a clue about your feelings for me, but the truth is
that you don't even seem to like yourself!"


Though her words have stung him badly, he is on the verge of cracking
open emotionally. Lulu begins to walk away.

"Lulu...wait...I..."

 

 

Part V

 

 

Lulu has just questioned Nick's ability to love, even whether he loves
himself. Nick's mind is reeling from her bold assessment of him. He is
angry and fearful all at once. He wants to explain to her about himself,
but isn't sure what to say. He's never had to open himself up and isn't
sure how to.

"Lulu...wait...I


Lulu, who is walking away from Nick, stops, her back still towards him.
A cold wind blows in off the Allegheny River and she shivers pulling her
coat tightly around herself. Thinking of Nick always aroused two things
in her: confusion and passion; but the passion would often vacillate
between anger and something she felt was approaching love. She turns to
look at Nick. He is having trouble meeting her gaze.

"There's a lot about me you don't know--or understand." Each word spoken
is like torture for him as he feels the emotional defences he so often
relies upon falling.


"Then tell me something...if you want to."


"I know that you want me to say that I--"


"I just want the truth...whatever it is."


"Lulu, I'm really struggling with this..."


"Why is it so hard for you?"


"I don't mean us, if there is an us. But everything...I have to fight so
hard to keep everything under control, because I don't know what will
happen if I don't. No, that's not true...the problem is that I know
exactly what I'll do if I let things go...and I can't end up there again."


"The drugs--right?"


Nick nods. He meets her gaze for the first time and takes a step to
close the gap between them. Nick reaches for her hand, and looks down at
his fingers holding hers. He takes her other had and pressing them
together wraps his own around hers, puling them up between them, a
connection and barrier all at once. Her fingers are cold and he begins
to rub them in a gentle effort to warm her.


"Nick, I have to go."


Nick is desperate for her to stay, but cannot think of anything to say.
He reluctantly lets her hands fall from his. They say nothing for a
moment and then Lulu is gone, leaving Nick standing so very alone.

 

 

Part VI

 

 

Wednesday, late morning at F&A, Burton has called an open meeting for
all associates and partners. Nick is in the back of the lobby leaning
against a wall. Burton enters smiling. Nick stiffens as his father
begins to speak to the firm. Burton announces that he has accepted the
appointment to the Federal bench. Nick has mixed emotions about his
father's impending departure from the firm. There is applause and
congratulations for Burton. The room continues to buzz with chatter and
Burton motions for Nick to follow him into his office.


Nick congratulates his father, but notices his father's expression and
mood have darkened. He asks Nick to sit, Nick remains standing.


"I've been floating the idea of you assuming control of the firm around."


"And--"


"There isn't the support that I was expecting--hoping for."


"Well, I just need the opportunity and the time to prove that I can
handle this."


"Nicholas, it just isn't going to work, not yet. I'm sorry son."


"So that's it?! One day you promise me the firm and the next you snatch
it all back. You--"


"Nicholas, my hands are tied on this one! I'm halfway out the
door...it's not my call anymore. You've got to accept this as what's
best for the firm!"


"Oh, best for the firm or best for you Dad! I saw you talking with
Caldwell. What the hell is going on?! Is he the one your giving the firm
to?!"


Burton is silent.


Nick, yelling now, "Is he taking over here?! Tell me you didn't hand my
future over to Caldwell and his lackey Mitchell!"


"I'm sorry son."


Nick glares at his father and storms out of the office.

Nick, trying to clear his head, spends the rest of the day at Legal
Services. But the entire office reminds him of Lulu. He hasn't seen her
since the Sunday in the park, and since she was scheduled to be in court
all day he resigns himself to another day without her. One minute he is
angry with his father over the betrayal, the next he is daydreaming
about Lulu. But his thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of his cell
phone.


It is Mandy. She is rambling and anxious. Nick recognizes the manner in
her speech as a person who is high on drugs. She is becoming hysterical
and repeats her desperate demand for money. Nick refuses and she begins
to curse him, telling him that he'll be sorry. Nick hangs up in the
middle of her rambling threats.

 

Again, he decides not to call the police.


A couple of hours later it is after 7:00 PM and Nick has gone home. As
soon as he gets inside his home his cell rings again. It is Mandy. Nick
angrily tells her to leave him alone. She interrupts him, telling him
that she has someone he might like to talk to. The next voice he hears
is Lulu's. Mandy's voice quickly comes back on the phone. She tells Nick
where to meet them and to bring cash, he then hears yelling and
screaming and what sounds like a struggle...the phone goes dead.


As he is about to rush out the door, he nearly runs over a police
officer who was about to knock on the door.


"Are you Nicholas Fallin?"


"Yes."


"Son of Burton Fallin?"


"Yes."


"I'm afraid that your father has been in a car accident."


"Is he all right?!


"It's very serious. He's at Pittsburgh General."


Nick is sick to his stomach and it is all he can do to remain standing.

 

 

Part VII

 

 

Nicholas Fallin has never felt so cold in his entire life. Every
decision that brought him back to Pittsburgh from New York floods into
his mind as he sits in this place where he never expected to be. The
medical equipment beeps and clicks as his father lies unconscious in the
hospital bed. He has massive internal injuries and the doctors have
informed Nick that his father will require surgery. All the while the
danger that Lulu is in gnaws at his conscience and causes his heart to race.


The orderlies come into the room to take Burton up to surgery. Nick is
fighting back tears as he kisses his father and tells him that he loves him.

On his way now to meet Mandy, who is holding Lulu hostage, Nick is
overwhelmed by fear. Fear that his father may die, with so much
unresolved between them, and fear that the woman he is now sure that he
loves is in danger because of him. Everything is his fault. One bad
decision after another thwarting his deepest desire: simply to be a good
man.


Mandy has returned to the scene of the crime. Nick parks in the alley
behind the strip club where the shooting took place, and it all seems as
though it happened so long ago. Thunder and lightening can be heard in
the distance. Nick reaches into the pocket of his suit jacket and
fingers the $5000 he has brought for Mandy. Rain begins to fall heavily
as he steps out of his car. The yellow police seal has been broken and
he steps over the tape that flickers in the evening wind.


The bar is silent. He calls out for Mandy. No answer. His stomach in
knots he yells Lulu's name. No answer. The dusty floorboards creak as he
continues into the bar. He is in the corridor that he made his way out
of after Mandy had shot the owner of the club. Nick remembers how his
heart was pounding, drawing out the ringing of the fire alarm that he
pulled, as he walked slowly out, not knowing from one step to the next
whether it would be his last as he could feel Mandy's eyes, and her gun,
on him.


He looks behind the bar where the bodies fell and he thinks that he can
see blood.


"You're late Mr. Fallin! I was starting to think you didn't want to see
your girlfriend again." Mandy, who is still high, laughs at him as she
waves her gun at him.


Nick demands to see Lulu. Mandy asks to see the money first. Nick puts
the money on the bar next to him, his hand on top of it.


"That doesn't look like ten grand to me!"


"It's all I have right now...it's $5000...so take it, just take it!"


"Ooooh you've got a temper. Maybe you're not as dull as I thought."


"Where is she?!!"


"I don't like it when men shout at me Mr. Fallin," she says raising the
gun level with his head. "Now ask me nice."


Nick fights the urge to lunge at her: "Please let her go now."


Mandy walks over to Nick, holding the gun on him she moves. She is now
behind him and presses the gun into his spine.


"You're kind of cute." She runs her free hand down his back and stops
with her hand on his butt. Nick's body arches away at her touch. "Maybe
I should get rid of your girlfriend, and then I can really turn you into
a bad boy. Because from what I hear you're halfway there already."


Nick tells her to go to hell, and she shoves him forward. Mandy grabs
the cash from the bar and they walk into the kitchen behind the bar.
Mandy leads Nick to the rear of the kitchen and they stop in front of a
locked freezer.


"Open the door Mr. Fallin."

 

 

Part VIII

 

 

Nick's heart is pounding in his chest as Mandy keeps the tip of the gun
against his back. As they walk thunder and lightning can be heard. In
the kitchen of the bar where the shooting took place, Mandy has led Nick
to the door of a locked freezer. Nick assumes that she is keeping Lulu
in there.


"She'll freeze to death in there!"


"Don't worry lover boy, it's not on--yet. Now open it!"


As Nick begins to lift the latch, there is a loud clap of thunder and
the lights go out. Nick struggles with Mandy in the dark. They fall and
the gun goes off. Nick hears the click of Mandy's heels as she scampers
into the dark, cursing and breathing heavily as she gets away. Nick is
on his back staring up into the darkness. He moves to get up but is sent
back down quickly by a searing bolt of pain in his left arm. He reaches
for his left biceps and feels a sticky wetness. The pain is incredible
but the thought of Lulu focuses his attention and he rises awkwardly. He
yells out for Lulu as he tries to find the door of the freezer in the
dark. Finally his hands locate the door latch. He calls out for Lulu in
the blackness. To his right he hears a muffled cry. Nick moves toward
the sound until his feet bump into something on the floor.


He kneels down and searches, he is all at once terrified and relieved
that he has found her. Nick's hands locate her head and then her mouth
that is covered with duct tape. Slowly and gently he peels the tape off
her mouth. As he frees her hands and feet, the words "I'm sorry" tumble
endlessly and uncontrollably from his lips. He kisses her in the dark,
the tears on her face wetting his mouth.


Perhaps it was the distraction of the pain in his arm, or the
exhilaration of holding her safely, but the last words from Nick Fallin
before a deep silence set in were, "Lulu...I love you...."

Nick sits in an examination room of the Emergency department of
Pittsburgh General. Lulu is being examined elsewhere and he sits with
his arm in a sling. The bullet only grazed him, though the pain is
telling him otherwise. He goes to look for Lulu. He finds her room but
he stops just outside the door.

 

Brian is at Lulu's side. He gets up and goes at Nick, his face red with
anger. He accuses Nick of almost getting Lulu killed.

 

Nick accepts the blame and asks Brian if he can see her. Brian tells
Nick to "stay the hell away from her!"

 

Even though Brian is right, Nick did put Lulu in danger, he still feels
that Brian does not deserve her. The declaration of love he made to her
in the heavy darkness of the strip club swirls in his mind and he
desperately wants to be next to her. But Nick has no energy to argue. He
peers around Brian and sees that she is sleeping and backs off.

The thunder and lightning have stopped but the rain continues to fall
heavily against the window. Nick stares out into the night contemplating
nothing and everything. He is sitting in his father's hospital room
waiting for Burton to return from surgery. Outside the door a police
detective is about to enter the room but stops because he notices that
the young man with the sling on his arm and his head bowed is crying
quietly.

 

 

Part IX

 

 

Four weeks have passed since Nick rescued Lulu after she was abducted by
Mandy. Nick's arm is recovering well from his gunshot wound. His
father's surgery was successful, but Burton faces a long recovery and
difficult rehabilitation. Nick, over the protests of his father, has
moved into his father's house to help him. The police have been unable
to locate Mandy.


Lulu has been on a leave of absence since the abduction and Nick has not
seen her since that night in the hospital when he watched her sleeping,
with the undeserving Brian at her side. Nick has tried to call Lulu
several times, but Brian continually intercepts his calls and will not
allow Nick to talk to Lulu.


Caldwell and Mitchell have taken over F&A and have renamed the firm as
Caldwell & Associates. Nick and Jake have been working on trying to
establish their own firm with several former associates of F&A; however,
Nick is finding it difficult leading this group and things are not going
well.

It is early on a Monday morning and Nick Fallin is about to leave to
meet with Jake and his other lawyers. He passes by his father's bedroom
and hears moaning and groaning. He peers in to find Burton lying on the
floor, his legs being manipulated and stretched by the physical
therapist. Burton spots Nick and tells him to come in and dismisses the
therapist. Nick helps his father back on to the bed. Burton reaches for
and lights a cigarette. Burton tells Nick that he appreciates having his
son around. Telling him that it makes him wonder about all the time they
missed together.


Nick is irritated by this talk of regrets, because he has always felt
that it was what his father wanted--for them to have been apart when he
was growing up. But at the same time some part of him wants to know that
he is loved as a son.


Burton continues on talking about how their relationship has gone wrong
and then he suddenly stops. He puts his cigarette out and looks Nick in
the eyes.


"Nicholas...I've thought it over and I don't want to be a judge. I'm
going to decline the appointment."


Nick is stunned. "But why…?"


"This accident…you getting shot…it's all made me think about why I want
the things I think I do. I'm a damn good lawyer and that's what I want.
And I know that I haven't been a good father but I want to try. I know
an old guy like me can't have a second chance, but maybe a fresh start?"


Nick remains silent.


"Nicholas, I want you to help me get the firm back!"

As Nick drives on his way to meet with Jake he tries to contain his
excitement. The thought of ousting Caldwell and his lackey and regaining
control of F&A feels like the revenge that Nick dreamt of when he quit
the firm.


The meeting with Jake and the group goes poorly. Everyone is looking
towards Nick for leadership and Nick is unable to respond or inspire the
way he knows that his father could. After the meeting ends, Jake takes
Nick aside. He tells him the obvious, that this may fall apart before it
even begins. Nick, frustrated by his own failure, even though it may all
be irrelevant now, lashes out at Jake and leaves abruptly.

Nick is back in his car headed nowhere. He finds himself parked outside
the house that Lulu and Brian bought. He gets out of his car and leans
against it staring at the house. He sees some movement inside and walks
up the front steps to the door. He knocks and waits--no answer. He tries
the door and finds it unlocked and enters. They have not moved in yet
and the house remains mostly empty. He walks around the house imagining
himself there with Lulu. He hears foot steps in the rear of the house
and walks toward the sound. He turns a corner and comes face to face
with…Brian!


"What the hell are you doing here?!"


"Where's Lulu?"


"I told you to stay away from her!"


"I need to talk to her--"


"So you can almost get her killed again!"


"At least I won't be bringing home any diseases to her."


Brian is outraged and takes a swing at Nick and misses. Nick grabs
Brian's arm and twists it up behind his back and pushes the taller man
up against a wall.


"You don't deserve her you prick! For all the years you've known her,
you can't even begin to understand who she is!" Nick releases his grip
and steps back, from the angry and humiliated Brian. Nick stares at
Brian with disgust and leaves.

Nick thinks about dropping by Legal Services and then about going back
to his father's, but he is far too angry to see anyone and decides to go
back to his own home. He pulls into the drive and gets out of his car.
He walks up to his front door eyes downcast. As he reaches the top step
he stops and looks up.


"Hello Nick."

 

 

Part X

 

Nick has returned home after his angry confrontation with Brian. He is
met at the top of the steps by a woman.


"Hello Nick."


"Lulu!" Nick is stunned to see her. His first thought is to hold her
close, but he keeps his distance. He opens the door and lets them both
inside. "How are you...are you okay...I'm sorry...I--"


"The police told me that they still haven't found that sick woman. I've
never been that scared before, at least not for myself. And for the past
few weeks I've been wishing that I never met you. I've let you
complicate my entire life. And then this morning I--"


"I'm sorry."


"You said that."


"I...I don't know what else to say."


There is a long silence.


"Did you mean it...I mean was it true...because if it wasn't and it was
just something you said in the moment I...well, I just need to know the
truth."


Nick knows what she is talking about and is surprised that he has no
desire to shut himself down and run from this moment of truth. He feels
that she is quietly daring him to reveal himself in the simplicity of
this moment.


"Yes. It was--is--true." A breath he feels like he's been holding
forever, escapes slowly from his lips. Nick steps in close to Lulu and
holds her face in his hands, looking deeply into her eyes. They both
smile as his nose rubs gently against hers, and Nick begins to kiss Lulu
all over. First her forehead, then her eyes, and her flushed cheeks, and
her ears. He pulls back and then slips his arms around her waist and
kisses her full on the lips. It is a deep and slow kiss, one that
manages to say everything he never could.


"I don't know if we should."


Nick kisses her doubts away, and picks her up in his arms.


"Your arm?"


"It's fine." Nick continues to climb the stairs carrying Lulu up to his
bedroom.


They stop outside the closed door and Nick puts Lulu down.


"Am I the man you want...because if--"


"Nick, I do love you."


Nick takes her hand and opens the door. The shades are drawn and the
room is dark. Nick turns the light on. The room is a mess and appears to
have been ransacked. There is a figure in the bed and Nick rushes to
pull back the sheets. Underneath he discovers an unconscious Mandy. She
has a rubber tourniquet wrapped on her arm just above her elbow and
clutched in her hand is a syringe of heroin.


Lulu is horrified and when she finally regains her composure speaks:
"Nick...?"


Nick listens for breathing and then feels for a pulse and finds nothing.
"Oh God...I think she's dead!"

THE END...for now