Episode 164

[Home] [Episode Guide] [News] [Social Register] [Visitor Info] [Interact] [Links] [Credits]

Episode 164

Scene 1:

"So, what is this big announcement you have to make?" Jory asked dropping onto Luke’s bed. Luke was in the process of getting dressed and the sweater he was pulling over his head stifled his response. "I don’t speak mumble, Luke. What did you say?"

"I said," Luke replied tugging the sweater down. "That you’ll just have to wait and find out at dinner."

"Well, that’s kind of juvenile. Why not tell me now?" Jory persisted. "Unless it’s something we’ll all hate. Oh god, you aren’t getting back together with the piranha are you?"

"No. Hallie and I are not getting back together. That boat has sailed and sunk," Luke added firmly. "This is different and I think everyone will like this news. Well, I hope you do at any rate."

"Maybe if you give me a hint-"

Luke tossed a shirt at him. "No way. You’ll have to wait like everyone else." He finished dressing and went to the bedroom door. "Come on, get out of my room."

"At least some things never change," Jory huffed tossing the shirt aside and getting up off the bed. "Still won’t tell me anything and still ordering me around. Some day you won’t have me to kick around anymore."

Luke grinned and watched Jory walk downstairs. Jory was right. But that day wasn’t too far off in the future. Luke had plans. He was going to change things in his life starting tonight. Liza already knew about the changes since she was a part of them and after tonight, his family would know too. Even if they didn’t figure in his plans at all. The doorbell rang interrupting his thoughts. He hurried down the stairs and beat Jory to the door by seconds. Jude was at the door shaking off the rain that had pelted him on his walk to the porch from his car.

"Oh, hi Jude. Maura, Jude’s here!" Luke yelled over his shoulder. "Come inside. It’s really pouring huh?"

"Oh yeah. Maura and I might have to stay in town tonight. I heard the roads outside of town are flooding," Jude replied. "So what’s going on here tonight?"

"Why is everyone so set on hearing this before I’m ready to tell?" Luke demanded.

"Because you’re keeping it such a huge secret!" Maura interrupted sliding past Luke to Jude. She kissed him lightly on the cheek and slipped her arm around his waist. "If you would just tell us, we’d stop bothering you."

"Man, not you too," Luke groaned. "You’re all just going to have to wait."

"Wait for what?" Liza asked coming into the hallway from the family room. Luke spun around, surprised by the sound of her voice. Jory and Kevin were framed in the doorway behind her.

"When did you get here?"

"While you were in the shower," Liza replied innocently. "Didn’t Jory tell you I was here?"

"I knew there was something I was forgetting," Jory said snapping his fingers. "Hey, Luke. Liza’s here," he added with a grin.

Scene 2

Maura pulled Jude into the kitchen with her. "Keep me company?" She asked picking up where she left off slicing vegetables for the salad.

"Of course," Jude responded and sat next to her at the small kitchen table. "Why are you in here anyway? I thought this was Luke’s party?"

"It is. But someone had to make dinner. Luke can’t cook to save his life and Liza... Well, I like her, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t think she makes much more than macaroni and cheese. Luke was going to order in from The Fountains until I told him I would do it." She scraped the vegetables on her cutting board into a bowl. "What a waste."

"Maybe he wanted it to be special," Jude commented. Maura shrugged her shoulders slightly. "So, any idea what this is all about?"

"Not a clue. Dad and I sent Jory upstairs to see what he could get out of him, but Luke isn't talking. He claims that it has nothing to do with Hallie though. So that's something." She picked up the bowl of vegetables and placed them on the drain board next to the sink while she looked for a stockpot. "I don't care what it is, really. It's just nice to have a family dinner without any outsiders."

"So I'm not an outsider then? That's new to me."

Maura glanced over her shoulder smiling at him. "You haven't been an outsider in a year, Jude, and you know it. Besides, I wasn't talking about you."

"Who then? I see Liza Gennaro is already here. So it can't be her... Oh, wait. There is someone missing," Jude said. "Where is Gina anyway? I can't imagine Luke didn't invite her. He likes her after all."

"He's the only one. And yes," Maura answered darkly. "He did invite her. But she turned him down. Apparently, she has a family dinner too. I don't know, Dad said something about it but I tuned him out. I don't really care what Gina does when she isn't around Dad."

"You ought to give her a chance, Maura. Maybe she isn’t so bad."

"And maybe you should give your mother a chance," Maura shot back hotly. She turned away from him, trying to keep her resentment of Gina to herself. She knew she was being unfair, but she couldn’t help it. She was afraid she would betray her mother if she allowed herself to like Gina. Maeve Conlan was Kevin’s soul mate and no one could take her place. At least, that was what Maura believed.

"I don’t think you can compare Gwen and Gina. But now that you mention it, she did invite me to Four Winds tonight. You too." Maura stiffened at the mention of the invitation. She had kept Gwen’s visit to their home earlier in the day to herself not wanting to ruin the evening and, in the flurry of getting ready for the Conlan dinner, it had slipped her mind. She wondered now if Gwen had mentioned it. "I turned her down, in case you’re wondering. I told her I would rather spend the evening with your family but maybe I should have said yes after all."

Maura sighed heavily and turned back towards Jude. "I’m glad you did. Even if I wasn’t so nice to you just now. I’m sorry, Jude."

"Oh, I know. Don’t worry about it," he replied getting up from the table. He reached out a hand for her and pulled her close. "I’m sorry I got on you about being nice to Gina. I know it’s a sore spot."

"I shouldn’t be so mean to her. I mean, Dad likes her and I’m just so... God, can you believe I’m jealous of her? Not for me. But for Mom. It’s ridiculous when you think about it."

"It isn’t. I understand."

"Somehow, I knew that you would." Maura smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Listen, maybe we should go to Four Winds tonight. After dinner here. After all, when was the last time you saw your cousin Dane? Or Ellen for that matter?"

Jude swept a suspicious gaze over her. "You’re right; I haven’t seen them in a while. Fine, we can go. But we’re not staying long. I’ll go call Gwen." He reached into his pocket and retrieved his cell phone preparing to step away to make the call.

"You do that. While you call her, I’ll call Piper. She’s been so distant lately... And Luke never did get an answer from her one way or the other. Oh and Jude?" He looked back expectantly at her. "If I haven’t said it today, I love you."

"I know. I love you too," Jude answered softly.

Scene 3

Jory waited until Kevin had trapped Luke and Liza in the living room talking about the diner to slip outside with his cell. He dialed Ellen’s number quickly and waited for her to answer. She had asked the impossible of him and he should have said no, absolutely not, but his desire to keep Georgia away from Ian McCormick won out and he had agreed to her plan.

"Ellen, it’s Jory," he said when she picked up.

"This isn’t a very good time, Jory. My family is about to have dinner."

"So is mine. But we didn’t get to finish our conversation this afternoon. I need to know what to do. And I need some reassurance that Ian isn’t going to find out about all of this and go running to Georgia."

"I’m pretty sure I can keep Ian in the dark about our endeavor. It isn’t as if he wants to touch me right now anyway," she had said during their short meeting earlier that day. "And he can’t get into my medical records either. Especially since I’m seeing a doctor in Richmond. He’ll never know I’m not pregnant."

"So what then? You’ll just wear a fake belly until you’re supposed due date? God, Ellen, this is an awful idea. What were you thinking?" Jory asked thoroughly disgusted with himself.

"I was thinking that I didn’t want Ian with Georgia Corelli. You understand that don’t you? Besides, I promise, no one is going to find out the truth. And no one is going to find out that you were involved, okay?"

"Fine. What’s the plan then?"

"Well, first things first, I need a baby obviously. Think you can handle that?"

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. "A baby," he echoed. "And where am I supposed to get a baby?"

"You’re a lawyer. Can’t you just find some teenager who doesn’t want her kid? I’ve got plenty of money to pay expenses. We could even make it legal. I’ll adopt the baby. Yes, that might work."

"Ellen, get a grip. Even if I find some unsuspecting teenager to give up her kid, there’s no way, I can push an adoption through."

"Look, Jory. You agreed to help me. I don’t care that you have doubts now. You’re in on this with me now. If I fail, you fail. And you wouldn’t want sweet Georgia Corelli to know that you knew all along, would you? I mean, how could she ever forgive you?"

"Are threatening me?" Jory asked incredulously.

"No. I’m just telling you what will happen. So, what will it be Jory?"

He was trapped. He should never have agreed to this in the first place. Worse, he should have told Georgia when he found out. But it was too late for that. He was caught in Ellen’s web of lies with no way out but to help her. Of course, he could tell Georgia now. But she would just tell Ian and then Ian would divorce Ellen and leave Jory in the cold. He’d given up too much of himself in the last year to lose the one thing he actually wanted for himself.

"I’ll start looking tomorrow," he said at last.

"Good. Just remember Jory. Don’t look at the locals. Go somewhere else. You won’t regret this Jory," Ellen added hanging up.

"I already do, Ellen," he muttered to himself. "I already do."

Scene 5

Luke poked his head into the kitchen where Maura was taking rolls out of the oven. "Anything I can do to help?" He asked.

"Sure. Could you get the table set?" She returned. She set the rolls on a cooling rack and turned back to the stovetop.

"That smells great. Irish stew?" Luke grinned, peaking over her shoulder.

"What else?" She replied. "You were expecting filet mignon?"

"From you? No. This is perfect, Mo." Luke glanced at the china hutch where their mother’s china sat unused for ten years. There was an unsaid understanding amongst the Conlans that although Maeve was gone, she was still there among them. And yet, her belongings remained untouched. "Do you think we should use Mom’s dishes?"

Maura turned to look at him, a thoughtful expression in her eyes. "Do you think Dad would mind? I wouldn’t want to hurt him."

"Mo, Mom’s been gone for ten years. I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but I think Dad is ready to move on," Luke pointed out sarcastically.

"Really? I hadn’t noticed. Thanks for letting me know," Maura returned.

"So should we use them?"

"Do you want to?"

"Yeah, I do. This is a special day for me and I want everything to be perfect. Using Mom’s china would be a great idea. How many plates?" Luke asked moving decisively to the china hutch.

"Well, there’s you, Liza, me, Jude, Dad, and Jory. So six."

Luke frowned. "Wait, what about Piper? And Jillie?"

"Jillie’s out of town according to Jory. And Piper..." Maura paused, chewing on her lip trying to think of a way to phrase it nicely. "Piper won’t come because of Dad."

"She’s still mad about that fight they had about college?"

Maura shrugged. "Probably. But there’s more to it than that, I think. She’s not the same girl she was last year. Chase Garrett really messed with her. I talked to Noah the other day and he says she’s quiet and withdrawn."

"He actually used those words?"

"Well, no. But it’s what he meant. I tried to convince her she needed to come but she just won’t. She would barely speak to me either. And I stood up for her," Maura told him.

"And to think I introduced her to that monster..."

"You couldn’t have known, Luke."

Luke nodded and reached for the china, counting out six plates. He really wanted everyone here for this, but he understood. Jillie had a life. She’d never been one for family gatherings anyway. Piper was understandably upset with him. He would make it up to her somehow. He had a brief idea and smiled to himself before heading off to set the table.

Scene 6

After everyone had finished eating, Luke stood and lifted his glass. "I just wanted to say to you all thanks for coming tonight. You guys have stood by me in the last year when I needed you and I'm so grateful for that. And if you don't mind, I have a few things I'd like to say to each of you."

"Oh man, I knew it," Jory cut in. "He's going to tell us what he really thinks of us!"

Luke grinned, pushing Jory's head playfully. "You don't want to know what I really think of you, do you? But Jory's right. I do want to tell you how I feel about you." He turned his gaze to Maura, smiling gently. "Maura, you know when we were kids, you and I were the first to do things. First to graduate, go to college, move out...I've always felt a connection to you. It's the not the same that Jory and Jillie feel but its close. I respect you for all that you've done for us and I wish I could be more like you. I know I've been a little wrapped up in my own life, but I wanted to tell you how happy I am that you've found someone like Jude Fontaine. I think we all know I'm not a big fan of the Masons, but he's definitely the best of the bunch. I know you'll be happy with him. Just remember to trust him and always, always love him."

Jude and Maura exchanged serious glances and nodded silently. Luke looked around the table, taking in each sibling. "If Jillie were here, I’d be telling her that despite what she may think, she has more to offer than just a pretty face. But since she isn’t here, I’ll just save that for another time. Instead, I think I’ll just move on to Jory. Man, you are without a doubt, my best friend in the world. Sometimes I think you're my only friend. I only regret that I can't be as good to you as you are to us. We almost lost you in that fire and I don't want to think about what could have happened if we had. But you’ve got a second chance to live for yourself for a change. Promise me that you’ll think about yourself for a while and not worry about the rest of us so much?"

"Yeah," Jory replied seriously. "I promise."

"Good." Luke shifted his gaze to the empty seat Piper would have filled. "Piper’s mad at me right now. I hope she gets over it and forgives me for bringing that psycho into her life. Dad, I know you don’t particularly like her choices but she’s an adult now. Think about that the next time you talk to her. And before you say a word about that, let me say what I have to say to you." He took a deep breath and dropped his eyes, trying to collect his thoughts. He felt Liza’s hand slip into his, reassuring him.

"Dad, I know I’m not the son you had hoped for. I hope you know that I love you. You’ve got to know that I’m not made for this town or this life. I’m not like you. Maura is and you both know it. I’m sorry I couldn’t take over Connie’s like you wanted but I really think my life is supposed to be spent doing something else. Which actually brings me to the reason why I wanted everyone here. Last year, I made a big mistake and all of you knew I was doing it. But you loved me enough to support me in spite of everything. Well, this year I’m trying to correct that mistake. My divorce from Hallie is final and I’m leaving Mason Enterprises. So. Where does that leave me? Well, there really is no easy way to say this so here goes. I’ve asked Liza to marry me and we’re moving to New York next week. I’ve found a job in a really good company called Casiraghi Enterprises. And I’m going for it." There was a small burst of chatter at his announcement. He quieted them by raising his glass. "I know it’s a surprise but it’s the right thing to do. So, I’d like to propose a toast. To the Conlans."

For a brief moment, he didn’t think anyone else would raise their glass. But Jory pushed his chair back and raised his followed by Jude and Maura. Kevin stared at the table for a moment before getting to his feet. He lifted his glass and looked around at them all soberly.

"I’m damn proud of you, son. Damn proud of all of you. To all of us."