A Back Room Negotiation

Original TwoP air date 7.19.2006

[Setting: a smoky back room. AM and TW are smoking cigars. KK and AoT enter together.]

Where's everybody else?

This doesn't concern them.

Michael is at Erica's cookout. John is at the opera.

[Slight irritation] It doesn't concern them.

Is this an ambush?

No. There are a couple things we want to hash out about your episode.

[Nervous] Shouldn't everyone be here for that?

[Slightly raising his voice] I said this doesn't concern them! Is nobody listening to me?

[Patronizing] We heard you, Tom. [looks expectantly at AM]

The changes involve only Clark and Chloe. Since you two wrote Trust and we wrote Loyalty we thought we could leave everyone else out of it.

We've decided that in exchange for your requested changes to our episode we require a few changes in yours.

You can't do that.

Oh, yes we can. The authors have final authority over their script and we haven't given your scene official approval yet.

[Suspicious] What do you want?

We want to add to the teaser and make a minor change to another scene.

[Takes a cigar from the box on the table, and sits.] Cuban? Nice. [TW offers her a light] OK. We're listening.

[Hands out copies of the changes, stogie in mouth]

We open in Clark's bedroom before his alarm goes off. Someone is going through his things as he sleeps.

Emily.

Yes, but we shoot the entire scene so the viewer has no idea who it is. All they will know is that the person is female.

Clark is restless. We hear slightly distorted audio from previous episodes as Clark replays them is his mind. All the while Emily is in the back ground poking through his stuff.

Start with Chloe's line from Blank telling him he did everything the same except for one. He trusted her.

Fine telling Clark that humans by nature are duplicitous.

Chloe telling Clark she'd die before revealing his secret.

Fine telling Clark all his friends will all betray him. Every single one.

Clark telling Chloe that Fine obviously didn't know her very well and Chloe's reply about R2D2.

Clark exclaiming to Jor-El that he will never hurt his family again.

Fine berating Clark for giving up his Kryptonian heritage for a human.

Clark telling his mom that she's his heart.

Chloe telling Clark she's sorry his mom is involved.

Clark telling Lionel that secret or no secret stay away from his mom.

Chloe tells Clark "I don't write that article somebody else will."

Clark telling Chloe "I don't want my mom hurt."

Then we start looping four quotes before going into a dream sequence. Clark telling his mom she's his heart. Chloe telling Clark she's sorry his mom is involved. Clark telling Chloe he just doesn't want his mom hurt. Chloe telling Clark that if she doesn't write the article someone else will. Those lines continue to speed up as they repeat a couple of times and the scene morphs into Clark in a fancy restroom washing his hands.

Is that supposed to be symbolic of his relationship with Chloe.

[Shrugging] Uh, sure. I mean it could be. We just kind of made that up.

His super hearing kicks in and he hears Chloe paraphrasing the beach ball line about when she first realized Clark had powers. As he hears different voices we see a close up of their mouth so we can't tell what the setting is.

Next is Lana, paraphrasing her line from Thirst when she realized Clark was special.

Finally Lex, it's his line about how he always knew Clark had a secret but he never realized it was this good.

Clark exits the restroom to find himself in a fancy restaurant. Chloe, Lana, and Lex are seated at a table with a setting for Clark.

"What's going on?" he asks.

Lex tells him they were just talking about him. "Tell me Clark, why don't you trust us?"

Lana asks him "Do you want to be alone the rest of your life? Eventually you're going to have to trust somebody."

Chloe gets up and walks towards Clark, "I used to think it was going to be me." She stops just in front of him, studying his eyes for a couple seconds. "Why can't you let go?"

"Chloe..."

She smiles devilishly and runs her finger along his chest.

Cut back to Clark's bedroom. Emily is leaning over Clark as he lies in bed, faces inches apart. She strokes his cheek. He becomes even more restless. We hear Emily and Chloe's voices overlaid on top of one another.

Cut back to his dream.

"Trust me, Clark." Chloe is touching Clark's face.

Cut back to Emily.

"You're going to help me uncover everything there is to know about Kal-El."

Back to the dream. Chloe is smiling evilly now.

"And once I've exposed all your secrets I'll finally be able to get everything I've always wanted."

Chloe grabs Clark's face and goes in for a kiss.

Cut to Emily kissing Clark in his sleep. Then back again to Clark's dream where he's kissing Chloe.

Clark's clock radio goes off and Clark practically leaps out of bed. He's soaked in sweat. He looks frantically around his bedroom as he wipes his mouth. His room is empty.

Pick-up where you started.

[Takes a long drag from her cigar, studying TW.] How do I get a hold of some of the shit you two have been smoking?

This is serious.

So. You want to put a little context behind Clark's bone headedness.

Unless Clark reading the paper is negotiable.

It's not. [Takes another long draw] So, Mack, supposing we're OK with that, what do you hope to get out of this?

Chloe doesn't cry when talking to Lois.

[Takes her cigar out of her mouth and slams her fist on the table] I knew it!

[Quick puff, raises her eyebrows slightly] So. What do you think?

I might be OK with the dream sequence but I'm not sure about the crying.

This is a package deal.

[Makes a move like she's going to get up]

Wait! [AM looks concerned] The musical montage for the dream sequence. But if you make Chloe cry Martha doesn't kiss the Bastard.

Tom!

[to AM] Trust me on this.

I think John should be in on this negotiation.

It's just the four of us.

[Deep breath. Looks at AoT]

If there's no kiss it throws the whole montage.

[Gives AoT a dirty look]

I'm sorry. I gave away our position, didn't I? I'm not cut out for this crap! [Extinguishes her cigar.]

You've put us in a difficult position.

[Coy smile] I'm sure we can work something out.

[to KK] Would it be so bad if Chloe didn't cry?

[Irritated] Would you let me handle this?

OK. Sorry.

Well. We're waiting.

If Chloe doesn't cry she has to be obviously angry with Clark.

Deal.

Bitchy angry.

[Glares at KK. TW gently elbows AM. She gives TW an annoyed look. Then reluctantly] Fine.

Deal.

[Handing out papers] Now, if you would just sign here. [KK & AoT sign] And here. [sign again] And here.

[Offering her hand.] It's been a please doing business with you! [They shake hands. AoT and KK leave]

[Livid, whispering to AoT] That's the last time we ask the two of them for a favor!

[AM and TW are smiling] To teamwork! [They clink champagne glasses and take a sip]

[Extinguishes his cigar] God, I hate these things.

[Extinguishes hers] Oh, me too!

I bet my clothes stink so bad my wife won't even let me in the house.

I don't think that's going to be an issue at Erica's cookout. Let's go.

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