“AS THE WORLD TURNS”
TELEPLAY
<FADE IN>
SCENE: OUTSIDE, A COUNTRY ROAD
LILY AND DUSTY ARE WAITING WITH A STRANGER
FOR THE POLICE TO ARRIVE. DUSTY IS PACING, NERVOUS.
A PLAIN CAR DRIVES UP, A LIGHT FLASHING ON THE
DASHBOARD. THE CAR STOPS AND MARGO STEPS OUT.
MARGO:
Lily, thank God you're alright!
LILY:
No thanks to this cretin here!
MARGO:
Who, Dusty?
LILY:
Who else would have the guts to do this?
MARGO PUTS HER ARMS OVER HER CHEST:
What's Dusty done this time?
LILY:
He tried to kidnap me!!!
DUSTY:
No I didn't... It was all a misunderstanding.
LILY:
A misunderstanding? Dusty,
you threatened to break my arm
if I didn't remain quiet and
then you tied me up and
gagged me when we got to the car!
MARGO (WHISTLES):
Yep, that's a kidnapping.
<FADE OUT>
<OPENING TITLES>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
SCENE: THE OAKDALE POLICE STATION
MARGO BRINGS DUSTY IN, WITH HANDCUFFS ON.
MARGO:
Look who's back in town, boys!
DUSTY:
Alright, that's enough humiliation,
don't you think?
MARGO SHRUGS:
Fine.
LILY ENTERS.
MARGO TURNS BACK.
MARGO:
Okay, Lily. We just need your statement.
Then you can go. Donovan, on the other
hand is going to be staying with us for
a while.
DUSTY SIGHS.
LILY:
Alright. Give me the papers.
And someone call my husband,
he'll want to know where I am.
MARGO NODS.
<TRANSITION>
SCENE: THE SNYDER FARMHOUSE
LUKE, NOAH, AND HOLDEN ARE ALL PLAYING WITH NATALIE
AT THE DINING ROOM TABLE. EMMA IS FEEDING ETHAN.
EMMA:
I hope everyone enjoyed dinner.
NOAH:
Yes, ma'am. It was great, as always.
LUKE GRINS:
Grandma is the best cook in the world.
NOAH:
I don't think I can argue with that.
HOLDEN'S CELLPHONE RINGS.
HE PICKS UP.
HOLDEN:
Hello?
MARGO:
Holden! We've found Lily.
HOLDEN:
She's okay?
MARGO:
She's a little mad with Dusty right now,
but otherwise seems to be good.
HOLDEN:
And where's Dusty?
MARGO:
We're booking him for kidnapping.
HOLDEN:
Wha- what? Dusty kidnapped... Lily?!
NOAH, LUKE, NATALIE, AND EMMA STOP WHAT
THEY'RE DOING AND LOOK UP AT HOLDEN.
MARGO:
That's the charge. Lily's making
her statement now.
I think with what we know about
what happened at the Lakeview,
we've got a strong case against
him.
HOLDEN:
Okay. I'll be there to pick Lily up
in a bit.
HOLDEN HANGS UP.
MARGO HANGS UP AND TURNS TO LILY:
Holden's on his way.
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
SCENE: THE OAKDALE POLICE STATION
LILY IS SITTING IN A WAITING AREA.
HOLDEN ENTERS, ANXIOUS.
HE SEES LILY:
Lily, are you alright?!
Did he hurt you?
LILY:
No, I'm fine.
I need to go back to
the Lakeview and pick up my things though.
HOLDEN:
I'll take you there.
HOLDEN TURNS TO MARGO:
Is Dusty already locked up?
MARGO:
Not yet, he's in there.
MARGO POINTS TO AN AREA WITH A DESK
WHERE DUSTY IS SITTING IN A CHAIR,
TALKING TO AN OFFICER – STILL IN HANDCUFFS.
WITHOUT PAUSING OR WAITING FOR PERMISSION
HOLDEN BARGES INTO THE OFFICE AND
PUNCHES DUSTY IN THE MOUTH.
DUSTY GRUNTS AND COLLAPSES AGAINST THE CHAIR.
HE GETS UP SLOWLY AND LOOKS AT HOLDEN:
DUSTY:
Are you through now?
HOLDEN:
Hell, no! Just getting started.
BUT DESPITE HIS ROUGH WORDS, HOLDEN
IS NURSING HIS HAND.
MARGO PUTS A HAND ON HIS SHOULDER AND URGES HIM OUT:
We've got it from here, Holden.
You and Lily get out of here. Go home.
HOLDEN NODS CURTLY AND LEAVES WITH LILY.
<TRANSITION>
SCENE: THE SNYDER FARMHOUSE.
LUKE, NATALIE, AND NOAH ARE STILL PLAYING THE GAME.
EMMA GETS UP WITH A SLEEPING ETHAN AND
TAKES HIM UPSTAIRS.
LUKE PRETENDS TO GROAN IN DEFEAT:
Ohh, and Natalie wins again.
NATALIE LOOKS UP, SMILING:
Yeah, but Noah got really close.
LUKE LOOKS UP TO NOAH, FLIRTING:
I happen to like it when he gets really close.
NOAH SMILES BACK AT LUKE, BUT IS SUDDENLY
OVERCOME WITH A MORE SOMBER THOUGHT.
LUKE NOTICES THE CHANGE IN EXPRESSION.
LUKE:
Is something wrong?
NOAH:
Ummm... I need to talk to you out
on the porch.
LUKE (CONCERNED):
Okay.
NOAH SMILES AT NATALIE:
It was a fun game, Natalie.
Ask me again whenever you want to play.
NATALIE SMILES:
Okay.
LUKE RUFFLES NATALIE'S HAIR AFFECTIONATELY:
Go see if you can help Grandma.
LUKE CROUCHES DOWN TO NATALIES LEVEL (CONT'D):
But be very quiet, she's still putting Ethan to sleep.
NATALIE SMILES AND NODS, TAKING HER DOMINOES
UP THE STEPS WITH HER WHEN SHE EXITS.
NOAH MAKES HIS WAY TO THE DOOR AND LOOKS BACK
AT LUKE, WHO IS LOOKING AT HIM WITH
A PAINFUL EXPRESSION.
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
SCENE: THE SNYDER FARMHOUSE PORCH
NOAH TAKES LUKE'S HAND GENTLY AND PULLS HIM INTO HIS ARMS.
THEY KISS BRIEFLY THEN JUST RUB THEIR FOREHEADS TOGETHER.
NOAH (CONCERNED):
Luke, I need to ask you something,
and I need you to answer truthfully,
and I want you to know that whatever
you tell me, I'll still be here.
I'm not going to run away from you,
or stop caring for you, or
try to hurt you in any way.
LUKE SIGHS:
What do you need to know?
NOAH:
What happened between
you and Kevin?
LUKE TAKES A RAGGED BREATH
AND WRAPS HIS ARMS AROUND NOAH TIGHTER:
Nothing happened, Noah.
He didn't.... want to be with me.
NOAH SIGHS, KISSES LUKE'S FOREHEAD:
That's what I mean.
I want you to tell me what
happened.
LUKE'S BREATH BECOMES SHARPER AND MORE PAINED.
LUKE WHISPERS:
What... what do you want to know?
NOAH SIGHS, CLOSING HIS EYES AND WINCING
AS HE BECOMES MORE AWARE OF LUKE'S PAIN.
NOAH:
Everything.
How you fell in love with him.
What he did when you came out to him.
PAUSE.
NOAH (CONT'D):
And what you were feeling
when all this was going on.
LUKE SPASMS FOR A SECOND, AND NOAH HOLDS HIM.
LUKE TRIES TO PULL AWAY, TEARS IN HIS EYES.
LUKE:
I can't do that, Noah.
NOAH:
Yes you can, Luke.
I know you can.
You have a way with words
that goes beyond anything that I've ever seen.
You can express things
that I've only barely known I was experiencing.
I...
NOAH TAKES A BREATH AND TRIES TO PULL LUKE BACK
INTO HIS ARMS:
If anyone can tell me this, Luke, its you.
And no one else.
LUKE TRIES TO PULL AWAY AGAIN:
Alright, I can. I just choose not to.
NOAH IS STUBBORN AND WON'T LET HIM GO:
Then we'll just have to stay out here until you do.
LUKE LOOKS AT NOAH, WONDERING IF HE'S SERIOUS:
But... it'll get cold.
NOAH (SOFTLY):
That's what I'm here for, remember?
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
LUKE'S BREATHING GROWS SHARPER AND SHORTER,
AS THOUGH HE IS STARTING TO HYPERVENTILATE:
NOAH SWALLOWS GUILTILY AND WITH A SWIFT MOTION PULLS
LUKE BACK AGAINST HIM. HE BREATHES SLOWLY AND
STEADILY AND CRADLES LUKE AGAINST HIM UNTIL LUKE'S
BREATH MATCHES HIS AGAIN.
LUKE (MISERABLE):
Why... why do you want to know, Noah?
Do you take some special pleasure in torturing me?
NOAH PAUSES, UNCERTAINTY PLAYS ACROSS HIS FACE:
I'll tell you why I want to know after you've told me.
LUKE CRUMBLES AGAINST NOAH,
NOW REALIZING WHAT HE'S UP AGAINST.
LUKE:
I don't-don't want our relationship
to be like this, Noah.
NOAH SIGHS SADLY:
Neither do I, Luke... That's why I'm getting this
out of the way.
LUKE:
I need – I need to sit down.
NOAH:
Fine, but I'm not letting you go
until you tell me.
LUKE (SAD AND ANGRY):
How many contingencies are you making here?
NOAH:
As many as I need to.
<FADE OUT>
<COMMERCIAL>
<FADE IN>
NOAH AND LUKE ARE SITTING ON THE SOFA,
LUKE STILL IN NOAH'S ARMS.
NOAH SIGHS:
Can you at least tell me why you don't want
to talk about it.
LUKE:
Because it... it...
Noah, it's personal.
NOAH SHAKES HIS HEAD:
Luke, that's not it!
There's something else going on here.
Something you're afraid to tell me.
LUKE REMAINS SILENT.
NOAH TAKES A BREATH:
What are you afraid I'll do?
LUKE TAKES ANOTHER RAGGED BREATH,
HOLDING HIS TEARS BACK.
LUKE:
I-I don't know.
NOAH:
But you are afraid of something, right?
LILY AND HOLDEN WALK UP TO THE PORCH FROM OUTSIDE,
OVERHEARING THE NEXT PART OF THE EXCHANGE.
LUKE (GETTING ANGRY):
I don't know!
You keep asking me the same
questions over and over again,
as though I'm going to have a different answer.
NOAH:
Luke, you do have a different answer.
You just won't let it come out.
LILY BEGINS TO OPEN HER MOUTH
BUT HOLDEN REACHES OUT AND GRABS HER ARM.
SHE STOPS, WITH A QUIZZICAL GLANCE AT HOLDEN.
HOLDEN WHISPERS:
Let this play out.
LILY WHISPERS BACK:
But Noah's hurting him.
HOLDEN SHRUGS AND WHISPERS:
Sometimes pain is a good thing to face.
LILY LOOKS UP AND REALIZES HOLDEN IS RIGHT.
LILY AND HOLDEN WALK UP TO THE PORCH DOOR AND
STEP IN.
HOLDEN:
Oh, Luke and Noah. I see you two
lovebirds are back in your favorite place.
LUKE GLARES AT HOLDEN BUT DOESN'T SAY
ANYTHING.
LILY TURNS TO HOLDEN:
I'll just grab Ethan and the girls and head
back home. Good night, Luke, Noah. Sorry
I didn't get to WOAK today. I'll stop by
tomorrow and see about that job for you.
NOAH:
That's alright, Mrs. Snyder.
I'm just relieved to see you unharmed.
LUKE:
Can I come in with you guys?
HOLDEN:
Why don't you stay out here a bit more? It's a nice night for it.
NOAH:
It may be a while before we're in.
HOLDEN NODS:
We'll leave the lights on for you.
<FADE OUT>
END