Episode One-hundred-forty: Jack Saves
Jennifer from a Rattlesnake; He Tells her Two
Scenarios of her Future: One if She Marries
Emilio, and Another if She Waits for Mr. Right.

SCENE ONE: IT IS MORNING AND JACK AND JENNIFER ARE STILL STUCK ON THE LEDGE. SHE IS SITTING UP AND HE IS ASLEEP WITH HIS FACE BURIED IN HER LEFT SHOULDER. HIS RIGHT HAND IS AROUND HER NECK. SHE GENTLY TAKES HIS HAND AND STROKES IT AND SUDDENLY HER EYES OPEN WIDE. SHE SEES A RATTLE-SNAKE FURTHER ALONG THE LEDGE.

SCENE TWO: MEANWHILE EMILIO HAS SPOKEN TO THE FIRE TRUCK DRIVER AND FIGURED OUT WHERE JACK TOOK JENNIFER. HE AND MELISSA SET OFF TO FIND THEM.

SCENE THREE: MEANWHILE ISABELLA'S FRIEND GUISEPPE VITELLO HAS BEEN IN TOWN FOR A WHILE AND HAS BEEN HELPING ISABELLA SINCE THE TRIAL. HE IS A LONG TIME FRIEND OF HER FAMILY AND ASSISTANT TO ERNESTO. HOWEVER, HE HAS BEEN SECRETLY HELPING ERNESTO TOSCANO, WHO IS NOT DEAD. ERNESTO WANTS HIM TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ISABELLA, AND TO GET THE PAGES FROM JACK DEVERAUX. WITH JACK AWAY, GIUSEPPE HAS BEEN GOING THROUGH HIS BELONGINGS, LOOKING FOR THE PAGES.

SCENE FOUR: ON THE LEDGE, JENNIFER BEGINS TO SMILE AND THEN WAKES JACK UP.

 

JACK: (Still half asleep) Huh...what?

JENNIFER: Jack!

JACK: What, what?

JENNIFER: I'm very impressed Jack.

JACK: Hmmm, you are?

JENNIFER: Very impressed Jack.

JACK: Why? Do I know you?

JENNIFER: Not as well as I know you Jack.

JACK: Hmmm. Let's back up here a minute. Let's pretend that I'm asleep and I don't know what you're talking about.

JENNIFER: Jack, I saw your little snake.

 

HE IMMEDIATELY WAKES UP PROPERLY AND LOOKS DOWN AT HIS PANTS.

 

JACK: What, what?

JENNIFER: Jack, there!

 

SHE POINTS TO THE RATTLESNAKE ON THE LEDGE.

 

JENNIFER: You know you're slipping Jack.

JACK: (Frightened) Jennifer!

JENNIFER: You're such a creative guy, how many times do you expect me to fall for this dangerous wildlife trick, Jack?

JACK: Jennifer!

JENNIFER: But I do have to admit that if you really look at it fast, it honestly does look real.

JACK: There's a hell of a good reason for that.

JENNIFER: Jack you almost got me again. For a second I almost thought that was real snake. I can't believe it. You almost got me Jack.

JACK: Jennifer! Look at me. Jennifer, look at me.

JENNIFER: Jack come off it. I know it was lot of effort and a lot of money and whoever helped you put this all together, they did a terrific job Jack. I especially like the way the tongue slips in and out like that. That's really good Jack.

JACK: Yeah, that's really something isn't it.

JENNIFER: You know if you weren't such a lousy actor, I might really believe that that was a real snake.

 

SHE LEANS OVER TO TOUCH THE SNAKE.

 

JACK: NO, NO!

 

THE SNAKE BEGINS TO RATTLE AND LIFT ITS HEAD READY TO STRIKE.

 

JENNIFER: JACK! Oh Jack!

 

SHE JUMPS BACK INTO JACK'S ARMS.

 

JACK: Well at least you believe me now.

JENNIFER: It's real! Why didn't you do this?

JACK: I didn't do anything.

JENNIFER: That's what I mean. Why aren't you responsible for this?

JACK: Just, just be quiet, right. Don't move. Don't move a muscle. Don't even blink.

JENNIFER: Jack?

JACK: What?

JENNIFER: Can I ask you one question?

JACK: Very quietly.

JENNIFER: Just how painful is a snake bite?

JACK: Trust me, you don't want to know.

JENNIFER: No, want has nothing to do with it Jack.

JACK: Why? What's that supposed to mean?

JENNIFER: I....I'm....I'm going to sneeze, Jack, I'm going to....

 

JACK PUTS HIS FINGER ALONG UNDER HER NOSE TO STOP HER SNEEZING.

 

JACK: Jennifer, I'm going to tell you this and I'm only going to tell you once. You are not going to sneeze.

JENNIFER: Don't tell me what to do Jack.

 

JACK HOLDS HER TIGHTLY, AND NOZZLES HIS HEAD AGAINST HERS, TRYING TO CALM HER.

JACK: Jennifer, alright, I love your sneezes. Under any other circumstance, the sound of your sneeze would send me into orgasmic tremors. I'd be so happy, I would.

 

SHE STARTS TO GIGGLE.

 

JACK: Don't move! Are you going to be okay?

JENNIFER: I'm okay.

JACK: You sure?

JENNIFER: Yeah.

JACK: Great.

 

HE REMOVES HIS FINGER FROM UNDER HER NOSE.

 

JENNIFER: Thank you.

JACK: You're welcome.

 

THE SNAKE MOVES AGAIN AND SHE STARTS TO SNEEZE AGAIN. HE PUTS HIS FINGER BACK UNDER HER NOSE.

 

JACK: No, stop it right now. Hold it, okay! I want you to close your eyes. Close em!

JENNIFER: Closed.

JACK: I want you to just concentrate on everything I say. Listen to every word. Follow everything no matter how silly it sounds. Okay?

JENNIFER: Okay.

JACK: I want you to....ah (Trying to think of something) ....India.

JENNIFER: What?

JACK: India, think about India.

JENNIFER: Okay.

JACK: Alright, I want you to just imagine, ah I don't know, whatever comes into your head. The Taj Mahal!

JENNIFER: I saw Gandhi.

JACK: Good start, Gandhi. I want you to just think about music.

JENNIFER: Alright.

JACK: Ah....remember that weird kind of twangy kind of crazy weird kind of music, Sitar or something like that.

 

WHILE JACK IS TALKING HE IS MOVING AROUND AND PICKING UP A STICK SO THAT HE CAN GET RID OF THE SNAKE, BUT STILL KEEPING HIS LEFT FINGER UNDER HER NOSE. SHE HAS HER EYES SQUEEZED SHUT.

 

JENNIFER: Yeah.

JACK: Right, right. Can you hear it?

JENNIFER: Yeah, I can hear it. I'm in India.

JACK: You're in India. Good, good, good, good. Okay, I want you to listen to the music. I want you to think about India and I want you to think about the.....

 

JENNIFER LETS OUT A BIG SNEEZE JUST AS JACK PICKS UP THE STICK AND FLICKS THE SNAKE OFF THE LEDGE THEN COLLAPSES.

 

JENNIFER: Jack, Jack!

JACK: (Stunned) I'm here, I'm here!

JENNIFER: Jack.

JACK: Right here. Present!

JENNIFER: You did it Jack.

JACK: I didn't do it.

JENNIFER: It worked.

JACK: I didn't do anything.

JENNIFER: Yes you did. Yes you did. Look we're okay and the snake is gone. You did it.

JACK: I didn't do anything. I think you did it. I think it was your sneeze. You know a hundred miles an hour down the nostrils. You did it.

JENNIFER: Well I don't care how it happened Jack. I don't even want an explanation. What are we going to do now?

JACK: Look you worry too much, you know that. I tell you, I tell you what

we're going to do. We're going to sit here and not worry.

 

JACK HAS PLACED HIS HAND ON HER KNEE AND SHE LOOKS DOWN AT IT.

 

JACK: Because somebody is going to come along, sooner or later, the law of averages, and all we have to do is find a safe way to pass the time.

JENNIFER: I'm open to suggestions. What do you have in mind Jack?

SCENE FIVE: ON HE CLIFF, JACK BECOMES NERVOUS, HE KNOWS WHAT JENNIFER HAS IN MIND.

 

JACK: Jennifer!

JENNIFER: Jack, you're absolutely right. There are a lot of things we have to keep our mind off. So what do you think would do the trick?

JACK: Not what you think.

JENNIFER: What do you think I think?

JACK: Jennifer, look, you got this all wrong. The reason I did this, the reason I did all of this....

JENNIFER: Yes....

JACK: ....is because I'm trying to keep you from marrying Emilio.

JENNIFER: Why don't you want me to marry Emilio Jack?

JACK: Because if you...if you marry him you're never going to have the kind of life you....you worked for, you studied for, the kind of life that you deserve.

JENNIFER: Jack, I think you're wrong. I think Emilio can give me everything that I need.

 

JENNIFER DOES NOT BELIEVE THIS. BUT WITH JACK GETTING SO CLOSE SHE CONTINUES TO USE EMILIO TO GET HIM TO FINALLY OPEN UP TO HER.

 

JACK: Have you thought about it? No I mean have you really really thought about it? Because I have. I've thought about it a lot.

JENNIFER: Well what do you see Jack?

JACK: I see....life on the road. Runnin' on empty, a lot of backstages. You'd be a backstage Janie, fightin' off the roadies, the people....

 

THE SCENE FADES TO A CONCERT WITH EMILIO. HE IS TAKING BOWS AND JENNIFER IS WAITING IN THE WINGS TRYING TO GET JIS ATTENTION. HE IS SO SELF-INVOLVED, AND CAUGHT UP IN THE FANS THAT HE DOES NOT NOTICE HER. SHE SHOWS EMILIO AN AWARD SHE WON BUT HE BRUSHES HER ASIDE FOR THE FANS. HE TELLS JENNIFER TO LOOK AFTER HIS BUSINESS THEN RUNS BACK FOR AN ENCORE. THE FANS TELL HER HOW LUCKY SHE IS BUT SHE IS LONELY, LEFT ALONE.

SCENE SIX: BACK ON THE LEDGE, JENNIFER THINKS OVER JACK'S SCENARIO.

 

JENNIFER: You're wrong, Jack.

JACK: Am I?

JENNIFER: Huh, uh! That's not how it's going to be. Not at all.

JACK: You know something you are crazy if you think you can keep your own

life going and run after Emilio. Look I know you. The thing is you've got an alternative.

JENNIFER: I do?

JACK: Just take your time and wait for the right person to come along. Not Emilio! Okay. The right person. Somebody....the man of your dreams is going to come right around the corner. You just have....you just have to be patient, just take your time.

JENNIFER: The "man of my dreams," Jack.

 

JENNIFER ALREADY KNOWS WHO THE "MAN OF HER DREAMS" IS, IT IS JACK. SHE IS FRUSTRATED AND SAD BECAUSE JACK KEEPS PUSHING HER AWAY, AND REFUSES TO ADMIT HE FEELS THE SAME WAY ABOUT HER.

 

JACK: Alright, for want of a snappier phrase, yes, the man of your dreams.

JENNIFER: Who is that man Jack, huh? Exactly where is this man of my dreams? Well, Swami, who is the man of my dreams?

JACK: I don't know. I mean I just tell these stories. I don't cast them. I don't know.

JENNIFER: Who says that I don't already know?

JACK: If you already knew, I wouldn't have had to rescue you out of that church.

JENNIFER: Wait a minute Jack, if you didn't....

JACK: Now, look, look, I may not know much. I do know some things. I may not know much but I do know the right relationship for you.

JENNIFER: Oh really!

JACK: Huh, really.

 

THE SCENE FADES TO A STAGE WHERE JENNIFER IS RECEIVING AN AWARD FOR JOURNALISM. "THE MAN OF HER DREAMS," JACK, IS CALLING HER FROM THE WINGS.

 

JACK: Excuse her. Are you okay!

JENNIFER: I can't believe it.

JACK: Oh come on, come on!

JENNIFER: Are you proud of me?

JACK: Proud of you? I'm so pro....listen I'm so proud I'm going to make this acceptance speech for you.

JENNIFER: No Jack don't you dare. You know you should because this never would have happened without you.

JACK: I know that.

JENNIFER: I know that.

 

THEY BOTH LAUGH.

 

JENNIFER: It belongs to both of us.

JACK: Sure it does. I think we make a pretty good team to tell you the truth. In the office and out of the office.

JENNIFER: You want to know the truth?

JACK: I always want to know the truth.

JENNIFER: I think it's the out that counts the most. I mean all of this is really great but there is nothing in the world more important than us. Just you and me Jack.

JACK: I just thought I'd let you know that I've got a little celebration party planned for when we get home. Let me give you the guest list. There's just two people....

JENNIFER: No, no, no. I don't want wait till we get home. I want to celebrate now.

JACK: Well....

 

THEY KISS TENDERLY.

 

JENNIFER: Right now.

JACK: Well what about your peers, all your fellow reporters and the speech?

JENNIFER: It was a terrible speech, terrible!

JACK: (Kiddingly, and smiling) Because I didn't write it.

JENNIFER: (Smiling) Yeah.

JACK: Yeah.

THEY KISS AGAIN, WITH TENDERNESS AND LOVE.

THE SCENE FADES TO THE LEDGE WHERE JACK SLOWLY BRUSHES HIS FINGERS OVER HERS, AND MOVES CLOSER TO HER LIPS.

 

JACK: And that's the way it's going to be.

JENNIFER: Jack.

JACK: Sssshhh careful. You don't want to raise anymore snakes.

HE PUTS HIS FINGER OVER HER LIPS THEN RUNS IT DOWN HER CHIN, MOVING HIS HAND UP HER ARM. HE MOVES CLOSER AND EVER SO GENTLY CARESSES HER LIPS WITH HIS. THEY KISS A FEW TIMES.

SCENE SEVEN: THEY ARE STILL KISSING. JACK PULLS BACK, AND LOOKS INTO HER EYES. HE IS ABOUT TO KISS HER AGAIN WHEN THEY HEAR A VOICE.

 

EMILIO: JENNIFER!

MELISSA: JENNIFER!

 

JACK PAUSES. BOTH ARE NONE TOO HAPPY ABOUT THE INTERRUPTION.

 

JACK: Emilio.

JENNIFER: Jack.

 

JACK CALLS BACK, REALIZING THEY NEED TO BE RESCUED, AND THAT IF THEY STAY THERE MUCH LONGER SOMETHING MORE WOULD HAPPENED BETWEEN THEM.

 

JACK: EMILIO! Down here. Look down.

EMILIO: JENNIFER!

JENNIFER: (Unenthusiastically) Emilio!

EMILIO: Are you alright?

JENNIFER: Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. We're both fine.

 

JACK LOOKS ACROSS INTO HER EYES.

 

MELISSA: How did you guys get down there?

JACK: Ah... it doesn't really matter.

EMILIO: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. It matters plenty.

JACK: Emilio I'm sure that we can settle this up there on the top side up there. But let me tell you one thing, I'm really glad to see you.

EMILIO: Yeah, well I wouldn't be so glad if I were you. If you know what I mean.

JACK: If I were me.

EMILIO: You got it comin' Deveraux!

JACK: Emilio, I'll tell what, maybe you can save it till I get up there unless you could come down here.

EMILIO: Eh, don't tempt me.

JACK: Whatever you want to do Emilio, it's fine with me. Make yourself happy.

JENNIFER: Okay, you two, have you finished?

EMILIO: Yeah. Come on let's go, let's go.

JACK: Want me to do something?

EMILIO: Yeah, I'd like you to pick her up if you can handle that. Now come on!

JACK: Okay.

JENNIFER: Okay.

JACK: Right ma'am this way.

 

JENNIFER LOOKS DOWN AT JACK WHO IS KNEELING IN FRONT OF HER.

 

JENNIFER: Are you sure?

JACK: I'm sure we better not stand in this position much longer.

EMILIO: Come on let's go. Come on.

JENNIFER: Ready?

JACK: Huh, uh.

 

JACK LIFTS JENNIFER UP BY HER LEGS AND GRADUALLY STANDS UP SO THAT SHE CAN CLIMB ONTO HIS SHOULDER.

 

EMILIO: Grab my hand now, grab my hand.

JENNIFER: Okay.

EMILIO: Just step on him, it don't matter.

JENNIFER: Okay, okay.

EMILIO: Alright, let's go.

 

EMILIO GRABS JENNIFER AND DRAGS HER TO THE TOP OF THE CLIFF. HE GIVES HER A HUG, SHE, JACK NOR MELISSA ARE HAPPY ABOUT THIS.

 

MELISSA: You made it. Are you okay?

JENNIFER: Yeah, I'm okay.

EMILIO: Are you alright?

JENNIFER: Yeah I'm fine. Everything's fine.

MELISSA: We're lucky we found you at all.

JENNIFER: How did you know to come all the way out here?

EMILIO: Look it's a long story. Don't worry about it.

JACK: You know we'd love to hear that but....

JENNIFER: Emilio, you've got to help Jack.

EMILIO: Who?

JACK: JACK! Down below!

JENNIFER: Emilio's going to help you right now Jack.

EMILIO: You're a lucky man Deveraux!

JACK: Oh you're telling me. I know how lucky I am.

EMILIO: Come on. Give me your hand.

JACK: Got me?

EMILIO: Come on, reach!

JACK: Just testing, just testing.

EMILIO: Come on, let's go. Ready.

 

EMILIO BEGINS TO PULL JACK UP THE CLIFF FACE.

 

EMILIO: I'm pullin'. Let's go, let's go.

 

JACK SCRAMBLES UP AND OVER THE TOP TO JOIN THE OTHERS BUT EMILIO DROPS THE WEDDING RING WHILE HE IS PULLING JACK.

 

EMILIO: DA RING!

 

EMILIO LEANS OVER TO SEE WHERE THE RING IS AND FALLS OVER THE CLIFF, MISSING THE LEDGE AND LANDING ON THE GROUND BELOW. THE OTHERS LOOK DOWN IN HORROR.