Episode 65, originally published 02-Oct-97

Chris Cross

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: This AWO episode is being published simultaneously with episode 66 ("Grate Escapes"). I'm sometimes hampered in AWO because I sometimes get into alternate plot areas that don't end up funny. Maybe it's just that I'm sick with a miserable cold as I write this, or maybe I'd have done it anyway, I'm not sure. But for whatever reason, this ended up a "serious" episode with only the barest sprinkling of humor. If you read AWO mostly for the humor, and aren't just interested in alternate plot theories, you may want to just skip it and go straight for that next episode, which will follow immediately on the newsgroup and at the web site.]

Danny and Cricket are at Legal Aid. "That's it. We've got the evidence we need to blow Phyllis out of the water," Cricket says smugly to Danny. "You mean it?" Danny asks disbelievingly. She nods. "You better believe it--when Michael and Phyllis come walking into the court room tomorrow morning, they're never going to know what hit them." "But... but... you sent all the evidence to them, too. Surely they'll know," Danny protests. "It's just a figure of speech, Danny. They'll know. But there won't be anything they can say to refute our testimony." "This calls for a celebration, Chris," Danny says, pulling out a bottle of champagne and two glasses from a bag he's been carrying with him. Cricket looks at her watch. "Well, ok. Maybe just one drink," she says. "But I'm meeting Paul for dinner in a little while, so I don't want to drink too much."

A little while later, the bottle is half empty. Christine and Danny sit on the couch. "Come on, drink up," Danny says. "I told you, Danny. I was only having one glass and I meant it." "Fine," he says, "I'll just keep drinking by myself." He raises his glass. "To our reunion," he toasts. "Our what?" Cricket asks. "Our getting back together," he says in a matter of fact tone. "As soon as I'm free of Phyllis, I'm going to propose to you, Cricket." "Uh, Danny, aren't you forgetting something? I'm married." She holds up her left hand as if to offer a credential. "Oh, come on, Chris. We know that marriage is based on a lie. If Phyllis had never come into my life, we'd still be together." He leans toward her as if to kiss her and she tries to push back, but he is strong. "Danny!" she says. "Admit it, Chris. Paul doesn't give you the same thrill as I do..." Chris is obviously very uncomfortable and somewhat defensive of her relationship with Paul even though she knows in her heart that the only thing more boring on earth is Victor's recent marriage to Diane. Danny pushes more, "Chris, don't you remember that time just before you were married when we did it for one last time..." "That's right, Danny. One LAST time. No more. I've put that behind me." "But why, Cricket? Because you'd fallen out of love with me? No, because you thought I'd been unfaithful. But Chris, I never had... I was yours then and I am now." Chris is obviously alarmed and is unsuccessfully pushing him back. As the scene closes, she is screaming "Danny! Stop!" But Legal Aid is empty today and no one is there to hear her.

A while later, Paul enters Legal Aid to see the two of them finishing dressing. Cricket runs to him, "Paul! Oh my god am I glad to see you!" "WHAT is going on here?" Danny glares at him and says, "Nothing that needs to involve you, Paul." Before anyone can stop him, Danny dashes out. Paul turns to Cricket, who says, "Oh, Paul. It was awful." Paul looks at her uncertainly. "Did the two of you..." She nods and starts crying on his shoulder. Paul pushes her away and starts yelling. "I can't believe this. Phyllis warned me this would happen and I didn't believe her. She said you two were falling in love and I just ignored her." "Paul! What happened tonight was NOT love!" "Oh, fine, just raw sex, huh? That makes it a LOT better. Look, I don't want to hear any more of this. I should have seen the handwriting on the wall but I was too blind to. I'm out of here..." He storms out.

A short while later, Michael enters. "Michael!" Cricket says, looking up at him. "Hello, Christine. Spare me the usual admonishments about how I shouldn't be here. I'll be as brief as I can--" "No, actually, I'm glad you're here." Michael looks around as if confused "You are? Me? Christine, normally the last thing I'd do at this point is pry into your personal life, but I--are you alright?" He sits beside her. She looks at him and shakes her head. "No, Michael, I am NOT alright," she says exhaustedly as she falls into his chest, sobbing. He looks at a loss for what to do. Tentatively he puts a hand on her back and pats her. "Uh, Christine. You do recall that we haven't exactly been on the best of terms. I--I don't really know what to say." She sits back up and looks at him. "Michael, I haven't forgotten. And I try every day to remind myself of what you've done. But the truth is, you've been nothing but a gentleman since your release from prison and I'm REALLY short of friends just now. Could we maybe just call a truce and go back to being enemies some other time when the timing's a little better?"

Michael hands Cricket his handkerchief and she dries her tears. He sits quietly and waits for her to speak. Finally she says, "I've been raped." Michael looks around. The room is calm. There is no sign of anyone else or even a breakin. "Raped?" he says. "Who? How?" "Danny. He was drinking, and he got out of hand. I tried to tell Paul, but--" Michael shushes her gently. "But Paul didn't believe you--he thinks if it was Danny, it must have been consensual." Cricket nods. "That's why I need your help, Michael," she says. "I want to press charges. And I know already no one will believe me." "And you think they'll believe me?" "Well," Cricket says, "if they see you and me speaking to each other, they're going to know something pretty major must have happened. Yes, Michael. I think they will..." Michael sighs. "Just one little problem," Michael says. "You're already representing Danny. I can't represent you--it would be a huge conflict of interest." Cricket stares at him. "Danny will have to defend himself, Michael. I am NOT going to do that man any favors at this point. I am not his lawyer. I am not his friend. I am not his anything." Michael nods and says, "Well, let's get you to an emergency room so they can have a look at you, shall we?" He puts his coat around her as they walk out the door.

Michael Baldwin enters the office of Dr. Timothy Reid and sits down. "How may I help you?" Tim inquires cautiously. "It's me, doc. Michael. Dr. Jekyll, as it were. You were expecting perhaps Mr. Hyde?" Tim relaxes a bit. "Well, to tell you the truth, Michael... Your circumstance is very rare and I'm not sure exactly what to expect. You'll pardon my reserved nature because if you'd been--the other one--I wasn't sure if there'd have been any memory of your prior visit." "Oh, he knows, doc. He hasn't had much in the way of control since prison, but he's always just out of sight around the corner, watching me." Tim nods. "Well, I've done a bit of research since last we spoke, and--well, there's very little reliable clinical experience with this situation so we don't have much to go on." Michael says, "Well, let's go with what we have." "Conditions such as yours, in the rare case where they occur at all--Michael, this is not just some game you're playing, is it?" Michael shakes his head. "Believe me, I wish it were. Go on, please." "Well, in the rare case where they occur, the cause is usually a traumatic event in the childhood which creates a need for various defensive personalities to arise." "And the cure?" "Well, there's no sure cure. But if the cause is an event in the past, it's possible that if we can find the event we can confront it and that could help. But for this to have happened--it's going to be buried deep and it will take a while."

"Oh, great. Time is not what I have a lot of, doc," Michael says. "Has something happened? You said he hasn't been in control." "No, nothing like that. But something else happened--with Christine." "The woman you attempted to rape--" Michael cuts him off. "The woman HE attempted to rape," he says. The he goes on, "Yes. I think I've had a lucky break." "And that was?" "She was raped." Tim frowns at him. "That, uh, didn't come out like I meant it to. And it wasn't me! Ok, look, it's all pretty ugly really. But it has a silver lining. It was Danny, and he DID rape her--" "Danny?" Tim is surprised. "Her former husband?" Michael nods. "She tried to tell her husband Paul about it, but he didn't believe it wasn't consensual. So, amazingly enough, she came to me." "And you're worried your strong feelings for Christine, and against Danny, are going to give Mr. Hyde a wedge to drive." Michael nods. "Exactly."

It's night at Phyllis's apartment. Paul is dressed in black and wears a ski mask. He looks both ways down the corridor, and seeing no one, he lets himself in. He moves slowly about the living room until Joani enters without warning. "Mr. Williams!" she says. He puts a finger over his mouth as if to quiet her and says "It's a surprise." "Oh!" Joani says in her usual unquestioning way. "A surprise!" she repeats quietly, nodding to herself as she gets a glass of water from the kitchen and then returns to her bedroom, waving behind her. Paul continues to creep along to the hallway and peers into the bedroom, where Phyllis sleeps quietly. He goes to the side of the bed that she is turned away from and opens a bag and inserts something under the sheets. Then he moves to the other side of the bed and stands waiting and watching. As he watches, he slowly and quietly peels off his cap and gloves and drops them on the floor. Eventually, Phyllis stirs and rolls the other way, and he slides beneath the covers. Moments later, more clothing is deposited on the floor. Suddenly, Phyllis shrieks and jumps back in the bed. In front of her is a plastic octopus, but before she can react to that, she reacts to the feeling of a nude body behind her. "Michael?" she asks. Then as she turns. "Paul!" He laughs. "Hi, Phyllis..." "Paul, what are you--" she starts to ask, but at the same time she's busy peeking under the covers. "Uh, you know," she says instead, "let me get back to you with questions. Something's come up." She pulls the sheets over them and the scene fades out.

That's all for this episode. Hope you learned something. Don't miss Episode 66!
If you missed any older episodes, see the index.

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