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My Dream Scene. LOL!

SCENE: Evening. Closet at Spaulding Enterprises. Beth finds Harley snooping around in the trash searching for clues that Beth is in cahoots with Alan. Beth confronts her, but as she steps into closet, the door closes and locks! (Okay, I know the set up here is kinda wonky, but stay with me here.)

BETH: [jiggering the door knob] It's locked.
HARLEY: Let me see that.

Harley tugs and twists and tries to turn the doorknob but it's definitely locked.

HARLEY: This can't be happening.
BETH: It's happening, Harley. We're stuck.

Harley and Beth gaze at each other for half a second, then start banging on the door.

TOGETHER: HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY GET US OUT OF HERE!!!

[Commercial Break]

SCENE: Closet. Harley is still banging on the door, but Beth has walked away.

BETH: No one is going to hear us, Harley. Everyone's gone home for the day.
HARLEY: No, no. The janitor. The night janitor must be nearby. [Continues banging] Somebody, please. Help me. I'm stuck in a closet with Beth Raines!
BETH: Oh, very funny, Harley.
HARLEY: [glares at Beth] Trust me, I'm not joking.
BETH: Do you think this is a trip in the park for me? You're not exactly my favorite person in the world right now.
HARLEY: [Continues banging] Please. Is there somebody out there? Help.
BETH: Face it, Harley. Nobody is out there. All the screaming isn't going to bring someone here.
HARLEY: Well, it's better than doing nothing.
BETH: Look, this is the janitor's closet. So the night janitor is going to come around here sooner or later. It's not as hopeless as it seems.
HARLEY: Speak for yourself.
BETH: Funny, I thought I was.
HARLEY: I've got plans, you know. Gus and I had plans tonight. Very...romantic plans.
BETH: Oh. Well, I'm so sorry, Harley. Maybe you should've thought of that instead snooping around in the janitor's closet. And what exactly did you expect to find in here?
HARLEY: Oh, you would like to know that, wouldn't you?
BETH: Well...yes. I would? What did you expect to find in here?
HARLEY: Proof.
BETH: [concerned] What proof?
HARLEY: That you and Alan are in cahoots to undermine me here at Spaulding.

Close-up of Beth's face as the scene fades to black. Commercial break.

SCENE: Closet.

Beth is laughing. Harley is still glaring at her defiantly.

HARLEY: Go ahead. Laugh. We both know it's true, Beth. You and Alan want me to fail. No. You don't just want me to fail. You want to humiliate me.
BETH: Okay. But what makes you think you'd find evidence here? In the janitor's closet?
HARLEY: [V.O. flashback of Harley's "Deep Throat" informant telling her she'd find evidence of Alan's involvement in the fraud charges against Harley in the janitor's closet] Never mind that. I have my sources.
BETH: [hands on hip] Okay.

Beth turns and tries to look for some place to sit. She leans against a crate pushed up against the wall.

HARLEY: Well?
BETH: Well, what?
HARLEY: What have you got to say for yourself?
BETH: Harley, I have nothing to say. You're convinced I'm trying to undermine you. There's nothing I can say to change your mind.

Harley paces the small space, shaking her head.

HARLEY: I don't get you. I mean, first you marry Alan Spaulding, which is just too weird for words. Then you work with him to ruin my job here at Spaulding. Why are you doing this? What? Do you enjoy meddling in my life?
BETH: Meddling? If anybody's meddling here, Harley, it's you.
HARLEY: Oh, I'm the one who's medding.
BETH: Yes. You are.
HARLEY: Because I'm working here at Spaulding, right? Is that it? Well, let me tell you. If I hadn't have come along, Spaulding would be in the dumper right now. I mean, it's not like the Spauldings have done a great job of keeping this company afloat.
BETH: [surprised] Of all the audacious things...
HARLEY: You know it's true, Beth. First Phillip goes after me for no perfectly good reason at all. Then Alan literally terrorizes me. I mean, the people in this family aren't happy unless they're making people miserable.
BETH: And that's what this is all about, right? You.
HARLEY: No. This has nothing to do with me. This has to do with Zach. I'm trying to protect my son's legacy here.
BETH: And I'm not?
HARLEY: Honestly, Beth. I don't know what the hell you're trying to do. I don't know, maybe you just enjoy making me miserable. God knows, you've done it enough times before.

Beth stares openmouthed at Harley. Fade to Black. Commercial Break.

BETH: I've made your life miserable?
HARLEY: [shocked by Beth's show of innocence] You're not going to deny that you've played a huge part in breaking up my marriage, are you?
BETH: Oh, everything goes back to that.
HARLEY: Yes. Everything goes back to that. You know, Beth, believe it or not, Phillip and I were happy once. Until you came back to town.
BETH: If you and Phillip were so happy, Harley, then nothing I could've done would have torn you apart. And for the record, once again, Phillip and I thought we were going to die. Sometimes when people are caught in extreme situations they reach out to the person that's nearest to them for a little bit of comfort and reassurance. [Harley has a flashback of kissing Mallet in prison.] I'm sorry you and Phillip weren't able to work out your differences, Harley, but what happened between Phillip and I on that mountain was a tender and sweet moment for me. And I don't care what you think, you are not going to take that away from me. I lost Phillip. All I have left are memories.

Harley shakes her head.

HARLEY: Look. It doesn't even matter. That's all water under the bridge. I'm more concerned about what's going on now...
BETH: Is it, Harley?
HARLEY: Excuse me?
BETH: Is it really water under the bridge? Let's face it. You and I haven't been friends for a long, long time. And it has everything to do with your relationship with Phillip.

Beth and Harley stare each other down as ominous music plays in the background. Fade to black. Commercial Break.

Beth and Harley Confrontation Part II

SCENE: Closet

Beth paces the small closet space, shaking her head.

BETH: You know, I have never loved any one in my life like I loved Phillip. There've been other men in my life. Men I have loved as fiercely. But Phillip was always my one constant. No one understood me as well as he did. And no one...and I mean no one...understood him. Phillip, Lizzie, and I were so happy in Arizona. It was like I was living a dream. Then one day, Phillip found out someone had framed him for Neil Everest's murder. So, he left Lizzie and me and came right back here to Springfield. I knew that once he got dragged back into Spaulding Enterprises and Alan, that I was going to lose him forever. I threatened to divorce him because I thought...the one thing Phillip would hate to lose was the family he loved so much. But that didn't work. He came back to Springfield anyway.
HARLEY: Which is why all of this is so confusing, Beth? You never cared about Spaulding.
BETH: [ignoring Harley] Do you know what he said to me when he left Arizona? He said [laughs] He said that he had to find out who framed him, so he would know whom to blame for stealing five years of his life. [Laughs again] Do you know what that felt like, Harley? Being told that the man you loved say the years he spent with you was stolen? I felt...I felt worthless, Harley. That's how I felt.
HARLEY: Look. I'm sorry things didn't work out for you and Phillip. I am. Really? But you were the one who threw him away. He wanted to get back with you.
BETH: It was too late. I thought it was too late.
HARLEY: Yeah, well that didn't stop you from coming back and trying to break us up.
BETH: I always had this affect on Phillip. He always trusted my opinion. I remember when he got Mindy pregnant–[Harley gives Beth a knowing glance]–oh, yes, Harley, you're not the only one that happened to. He got Mindy pregnant and decided he was going to marry her because he couldn't bear to see his own child being raised without knowing who his real father was just as he had. He'd already made up his mind. But he came to me to tell about this, and, even though he knew what he had to do, he still asked me if he was doing the right thing. He valued my opinion that much. Me. Quiet, mousy Beth Raines. Sometimes, it infuriated me when he did that. Other times, I was flattered. What I said mattered to him. But back in Arizona, Harley, when I told him that coming back to Springfield was going to do more harm than good, he didn't listen. [tearful] He didn't listen to me. He didn't value my judgment. Not anymore.
HARLEY: Beth, I really don't see what this has to do with you and Alan trying to humiliate me...
BETH: [raises voice] See, Harley, I thought we were happy, but obviously we weren't. I mean, Phillip being obsessed with finding out who framed him...[shakes head] that was all a smokescreen. The reality was I wasn't making him happy.

Harley rolls her eyes. She really doesn't want to dredge up all these old and bad memories.

BETH: So, of course, when Mama calls me and tells me that Phillip was involved with you, I lightbulb went off. I really didn't make him happy. Because obviously he didn't have any trouble finding someone else.
HARLEY: That was a year after the two of you broke off, so if you're trying to say I broke up the two of you, forget it. You're not going to make me feel guilty for coming between the great, fabled Phillip and Beth!

Harley glares at Beth. Fade to Black. Commercial Break.

BETH: I was lost without, Phillip. My whole life revolved around him and Lizzie in Arizona. And when he left, I...I didn't know what to do. And then, to find out that Phillip was involved with you. Harley Cooper. I mean, you're pretty and fun and funny and young...
HARLEY: Young?
BETH: Oh, come on, Harley. I'm not blind and you're not stupid. You don't think that that wasn't just a tiny part of it. You were young and perky...
HARLEY: Oh, God. [Harley shakes his head]
BETH: Well, that's what it felt like to me. I felt old and unwanted. I felt like the best part of my life had passed me by.
HARLEY: Look. I'm sorry about what happened then, but you were no innocent. You and Phillip did a lot of things that hurt me. [A tear comes in Harley's voice] It took me a long time to get over that.
BETH: It took me a long time to get over the pain you cause me too, Harley.
HARLEY: [shocked] I caused you pain? I caused you pain?
BETH: Yes, you did, Harley. You like to pretend that you're the poor, innocent, put-upon Harley. But you've done a lot to hurt me and my family, too. Something of which I've had to swallow with a grain of salt all these years.
HARLEY: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's slow down here. I caused you pain. When in the hell have I ever caused you any pain? You were the one who tried to come between Phillip and me. You were the one who slept with him and had his baby while we were married. And even now, you're trying to humiliate me here at Spaulding. You, Beth. You are the one who's caused me a boatload of pain and you know what---I'm sick of it. I am sick and tired of being your doormat.
BETH: [calmly] You caused me and my daughter a great deal of pain, Harley, when you brought Carl Stevens back into our lives.

Close-up of Harley's face with jaw dropping. Fade to Black. Commercial Break.

SCENE: Closet

HARLEY: What?
BETH: What happened to my girl, to Lizzie, I blamed you for that, Harley. [Harley shakes her head in disbelief]. Surprised, huh? Didn't know that. Well, maybe in a way neither did I. I suppressed it so much...I've had to suppress so much.
HARLEY: I don't believe you. How dare you? How dare you have the audacity to stand there and say I was responsible for what happened to Carl Stevens?
BETH: [Tearfully] Carl Stevens had put my life through hell in Arizona. I didn't even think it was possible for there to be an end to the kind of abuse he put me through. But I left. I left him, Harley, because the one thing I did not want to do was raise my little girl in the same environment I grew up in. I got out of that relationship and he would never have darkened my door again but for you. [Shouts] When you went poking around in my life in Arizona, trying to get what, Harley? Trying to prove to Phillip that I was manipulative? That I was good for him? You opened up Pandora's Box and sent a monster back into our lives. And my baby girl was the one who suffered for it. My Lizzie has been haunted by that one moment in her life. I saw her struggle with her sanity, Harley! Her innocence was robbed from her because of Carl, and you [pointing finger at Harley] you were the one responsible.

Harley is shaking her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. Fade to Black. Commercial Break.

Dream Scene with Beth and Harley PT 3

SCENE: Closet.

BETH: You brought Carl back into our lives. He terrorized me. And my little girl tried to protect me. [Shakes head]. Me, Harley. I was her mother, I was supposed to protect her. And I thought I had when I left Carl.
HARLEY: Beth, I...you know I didn't do that intentionally. I wouldn't have done anything to put Lizzie or you in jeopardy.
BETH: Intentional, Harley. Unintentional. What difference does it make? You run head-long first into any idiot idea that pops in your brain without even considering the consequences.
HARLEY: [defensive] How the hell was I supposed to know about Carl...
BETH: [angry] It wasn't any of your damn business.
HARLEY: You were trying to break Phillip and me up. What was I supposed to do? I mean, can you blame me for being insecure? You don't think I didn't know about you and Phillip. And what he felt about you? What was I supposed to do? Look, I know what I did was wrong, all right. And I'm sorry. I really am. But I am not responsible for what happened with Lizzie and Carl. Alan was the one who brought Carl into your life. Blame him. Whoops. Sorry, forgot. He's your hubby, now. Can't do that.
BETH: [laughing, shaking head] Yes. He's my husband now.
HARLEY: You talk about protecting and defending Lizzie. Did you even consider what that would do to her?
BETH: The only reason I married Alan was to protect Lizzie and James.
HARLEY: From what?
BETH: From you, Harley. From you and that husband of yours. [Close-up of Harley open-mouthed] You see, Harley, it all came to me when Gus grilled my daughter on the witness stand during your trial and made her relive all those horrible memories. You don't give a damn about anyone but yourselves.
HARLEY: That is not true.
BETH: Yes, it is, Harley. That's why you tried to pin Phillip's murder on your alter-ego. That's why you went snooping into my past and dredged Carl back up. It was all about you. About what Harley wanted. You don't even stop to think about the consequences. You didn't even stop to think about what taking over Spaulding Enterprises might mean for the Spauldings. You just dive right on in without thinking, because in your own twisted sense logic if you could think of it then it must be right, isn't it, Harley? [Laughs maniacally] I don't even give a damn about Spaulding Enterprises. I never did. And I'm married to Alan Spaulding. The man who murdered the love of my life! That ought to tell you how've desperate I've gotten. I did it because I was just a little tired of seeing you usurp everything that ever mattered to me.
HARLEY: Oh, please!
BETH: It's true. You might not admit it, but it's true, Harley. You took Phillip. Hell, he spent the last months of his life obsessed about you. Now, my daughter thinks you're just great. And I'm the bad guy. When I was the one who tried to protect her all along. You and your irresponsibility turned my daughter's life inside-out and she thinks you're just a wonderful person. [Laughs] And I have nothing. I lost Phillip. I lost my daughter. I've lost everything, Harley. And you---oh, you've got a husband who adores you, you've got the CEO post at Spaulding Enterprises. What more could you possibly want? What more do you want, Harley. Do you want a pound of my flesh? Do you want to see me completely ruined? You want everyone who ever loved me to hate me? Is that it? Tell me, Harley, what is it do you want?

Harley stares stunned by Beth angry outburst. In the silence, someone's voice comes through the locked door.

VOICE: Is anybody in there?
HARLEY: [runs to door] Yes. Yes. We're locked inside. Please, get us out.
VOICE: All right. Hold on. I'll go find the janitor.
HARLEY: [relieved] Oh, thank God.

Close-up of Beth, looking distraught and tired.

SCENE: Corridor at Spaulding Enterprises.

HARLEY: [to janitor] Oh, thank you. Thank God. I don't know how long I would've lasted in there.
JANITOR: Are you both okay?
BETH: [subdued] We're fine. Thank you.

Janitor accepts this answer and leaves. Harley and Beth are in the hall, awkwardly glancing at one another. A-M comes rushing down the corridor, slipping into his overcoat. He glances at both women.

ALAN-MICHAEL: Harley. Beth. I'm glad you're both here. Did you hear?
HARLEY: Hear what?
ALAN-MICHAEL: It's dad. Dad's in the hospital. They think he had a stroke.

Beth and Harley exchange shocked glances at A-M. Fade to Black. Commercial Break. Credit rolls.

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