Unfortunately, I won't be able to get a new chapter of "All Those Years of Desolation" posted until next weekend, but how about act two of the movie script instead? I had to go through and manually reformat all of this, so hopefully I didn't miss anything. Thank you to everyone who left feedback on the first part, and please keep letting me know what you think! I'm glad everyone is enjoying so far!
ACT TWO
INT. RADLEY HOTEL BAR - LATER THAT NIGHT
The five girls are laughing as they sip their third round of drinks. It's getting late and the lobby has cleared out. The mood is light and carefree as the friends enjoy each other's company.
SPENCER
I've never seen him run so fast. I think Toby's more afraid of Bashful than the other way around.
The girls roar with laughter. Hanna leans sideways into Aria. They're getting progressively drunker and rowdier.
EMILY
Honestly, I don't blame him. I haven't been the biggest fan of horses since we got locked in a stable with one.
Spencer reaches out and gives her a swat on the leg.
SPENCER
Hey, you don't get to talk. I was the one who nearly lost an eye!
ALISON
So...you and Toby seem to have been spending a lot of time together.
The girls all grin at Spencer, but she shakes her head, smiling, and stirs her drink.
SPENCER
It's not what you think. We decided to just be friends, at least for now. After everything that happened with...you know.
ARIA
Have you guys talked about that at all?
SPENCER
A little. Toby's been going to see someone once a week to help him get over it. But it'll take time.
There's an uncomfortable beat of silence as the girls ponder this. Hanna takes a long sip of her drink, then -
HANNA
What about Alex?
Spencer nearly drops her glass.
SPENCER
What about her?
HANNA
Well, she's only locked up ten minutes from here. Have you gone to see her?
SPENCER
No.
The answer is too quick. Spencer's face flushes. The girls exchange looks.
ALISON
Are you sure?
Spencer narrows her eyes. She wants to tell them, but she knows they wouldn't understand.
SPENCER
Of course I'm sure. I have nothing to say to her. Aria, how's the agency search going?
The abrupt subject change does not go unnoticed. Alison and Emily glance at each other as Hanna raises her eyebrows. Aria does not appreciate being put on the spot.
ARIA
Oh, it's...going.
ALISON
Didn't you just send in an application a few weeks ago? Have you heard anything yet?
Aria hesitates, sipping her drink to buy some time. The thought of discussing her failed adoption attempts, seeing the pity on their faces, is more than she can bear.
ARIA
No. Not yet.
EMILY
We're keeping our fingers crossed for you.
Alison chuckles.
ALISON
You, especially.
She turns to Aria.
ALISON (CONT'D)
Someone let it slip to Grace and Lily that you're trying to adopt a baby.
EMILY
They've been carrying around their baby dolls for weeks. It's so cute.
Aria tries to smile, but the look she achieves is closer to stricken. Hanna laughs and throws her head back, downing the rest of her drink.
HANNA
Let's toast to Emily and Ali's kids, to Aria's future kid, and...and just to all of the beautiful babies.
Her words are slightly slurred and almost manic. The girls are obviously alarmed. She reaches for another drink on the table, but Spencer blocks her.
SPENCER
Han. Maybe you should take it easy?
EMILY
Are you sure you should be putting this much alcohol into your system?
Hanna's expression darkens just slightly. Then she shakes her head and gives an exaggerated eye roll.
HANNA
My miscarriage was three months ago, okay? My doctor said I could start drinking again after, like, a week.
She reaches for the glass again, but Alison beats her to it, sliding it out of her reach.
ALISON
It's not just that.
ARIA
We're worried about you, Han.
The giddy drunkenness has subsided. The mood among them is suddenly sober. Hanna looks horrified.
HANNA
Wait. You guys have been talking about me?
There's a pause. No one was expecting to have this conversation tonight, and no one is quite sure what to say.
SPENCER
We've just been worried that you're not really letting yourself process this.
HANNA
What the hell are you talking about? Of course I am!
ALISON
A miscarriage is a really big deal, Han. Have you and Caleb really sat down and talked about it?
HANNA
Of course we have!
She's beginning to get agitated. Aria senses this and holds out her hands in a surrender position.
ARIA
Okay. It's your business. We just want to make sure you know that we're here for you.
Hanna lets out a breath. Her face softens.
HANNA
I do know that. But I don't need support, okay? I'm fine. Caleb's fine. It happened, and it's over. We'll try again.
The girls are still dubious, but Hanna plows on before anyone can question her again.
HANNA (CONT'D)
This must be the most depressing bachelorette party in history. Can we please start talking about why we're all actually here?
Looks are exchanged once more, but then it's as if everyone lets out a breath of relief. The mood begins to lighten as Aria smiles.
ARIA
Two more days!
SPENCER
Em, how excited is your mom?
EMILY
I'm pretty sure she's been imagining my wedding for years. She's arranging flower girl bouquets with Lily and Grace as we speak.
HANNA
Ali, Jason's flying in tomorrow, right?
Alison doesn't respond. She's staring dully into space, seeming disconnected from the conversation.
SPENCER
Ali.
Alison snaps back to attention. She shakes her head.
ALISON
What?
ARIA
When's Jason getting here?
ALISON
Oh. Not until Saturday. He has more work to catch up on than he thought.
Spencer clears her throat awkwardly, hesitating.
SPENCER
What about your dad? Is he coming?
Alison's expression hardens.
ALISON
He probably would...if I'd invited him.
The girls go quiet. The deteriorated relationship between Alison and her father is a topic that's rarely discussed. Emily rubs Alison's arm gently.
EMILY
We all understand why you didn't.
Aria laughs suddenly. She splays her hand out and looks down at her wedding ring. Hanna raises an eyebrow.
HANNA
What's so funny?
ARIA
I just realized that two days from now, four out of five of us will be married.
SPENCER
I guess I'm the old maid now, huh?
EMILY
Never. You'll get there.
She nudges Alison.
EMILY (CONT'D)
Right?
Once again, it's as if Alison is on a different planet. This time she's staring down at her lap, fiddling aimlessly with her hands and engagement ring. Emily shakes her shoulder a little.
EMILY (CONT'D)
Ali?
Alison glances at her.
ALISON
Sorry.
HANNA
Ali, what's going on with you tonight?
ALISON
I don't know what you mean.
ARIA
Well, you've kind of been acting like a space cadet.
Emily touches Alison's hand, giving her a concerned look.
EMILY
Is something wrong?
On instrict, Alison jerks away from her. Emily furrows her brow. Alison stops, taking a breath and composing herself.
ALISON
It's nothing. There's just a lot on my mind, that's all.
She smiles brightly and pats Emily's knee.
ALISON (CONT'D)
Why don't I get us all another round of drinks?
She gets up and heads to the bar. Spencer, Aria, and Hanna shrug and go back to chatting, but Emily frowns, staring after Alison in obvious concern. She gets the sense that there's something Alison isn't telling her...
INT. HANNA AND CALEB'S LOFT - MORNING
CALEB RIVERS stands at the stove, attempting to make scrambled eggs, which are turning out more burnt than yellow. He's just giving up and removing the pan from the burner when Hanna walks into the room, wearing a bathrobe and looking tired and rough from the night before.
HANNA
Morning.
CALEB
Not for long. It's almost noon.
Hanna groans and runs a hand through her hair. She sinks down into a chair at the table.
HANNA
God, really? I feel like I've been dead to the world for the past eight hours.
Caleb chuckles, dumping the eggs onto a plate.
CALEB
Yeah, pretty much.
Is there a slight bite to his words? Hanna raises an eyebrow, noticing despite her hangover.
HANNA
Are you mad or something?
CALEB
No.
He brings the plate to the table and sets it in front of her. As she wrinkles her nose at the burnt eggs, he slides into the seat across the table.
CALEB (CONT'D)
I'm just wondering if we're still on the same page.
Hanna freezes with her fork in midair.
HANNA
What?
CALEB
It's just, you keep saying you want to try again, but...
Her eyes narrow as she realizes what he's trying to say. Caleb notices. He braces himself a little as her expression hardens.
HANNA
I went out for drinks with my friends. Once. It was Emily and Ali's freaking bachelorette party, what else did you expect?
She stands, the chair screeching back. She glares at him, folding her arms tight across her chest. Caleb lets out a long breath.
CALEB
Han. Come on. It hasn't just been once.
Hanna shifts, looking suddenly uncomfortable.
HANNA
That's not true.
CALEB
That night you went out with Emily, the weekend Mona came to visit...
He walks over and places his hands gently on her shoulders. She lets him, closing her eyes, resigned.
CALEB (CONT'D)
Hanna, last month you told me you were going to babysit Emily and Alison's kids, then you tried to sneak in at four in the morning with your shoes in your hand.
He saw that? Hanna opens and closes her mouth, at a loss for words. She tries to laugh it off.
HANNA
I guess I wasn't doing a very good job of sneaking, was I?
His concerned expression wipes the smile from her face. He shakes his head, searching her face with his eyes. Hanna's shoulders slump. She knows the charade is over.
HANNA (CONT'D)
Okay. You know how I said that I'd be fine after we lost the baby? That we'd try again and it would be like it never happened?
Caleb nods slowly. He already knows where she's going with this, but it's important for her to get it out.
CALEB
Yeah.
HANNA
It doesn't feel like it never happened. I think about it all the time. And every time we talk about trying again, I just keep remembering how hard we tried to get pregnant the first time, and...
She trails off, choking up. Tears roll down her cheeks. She lowers her head, unable to finish the thought.
Caleb's eyes are wet, too. He slides his hands down to grasp hers.
CALEB
You think we won't be able to do it again?
Hanna raises her eyes. She looks desperate.
HANNA
What if that was our only chance?
To her surprise, he starts to smile. After a moment, he lets out a sad, short laugh.
CALEB
Babe, it's us. If we were going to run out of chances, it would've happened a long time ago.
She can't help but smile at the truth to his statement. One last tear slips from the corner of her eye, but then she flings her arms around his neck. They kiss as we CUT TO:
INT. SPENCER'S BARN - EVENING
Spencer and Aria sit on the couch, sipping wine and putting together bouquets of white and pink roses for tomorrow's wedding. Spencer's concentrating hard, turning the flowers from one side to the other to make sure they're just so. Beside her, Aria is twirling a rose between her fingers, looking pensive and almost dreamy.
ARIA
Isn't it funny?
Spencer doesn't look up from her work.
SPENCER
Hmm?
ARIA
Emily and Ali. I mean, and this is gonna sound really bad, but did you ever in a million years think they'd end up married with kids?
Spencer snorts, sticking a flower in the bunch then frowning and pulling it out again.
SPENCER
I definitely didn't imagine them having kids the way they did.
ARIA
You know what I mean. I just...I think back to Ali in high school, before she disappeared, taunting Em about liking Beyonce...
Spencer finally sets the bouquet down and sits back on the couch. She picks up her wine glass and takes a long sip.
SPENCER
She's really turned around. You should see her with guests at the Lost Woods. I used to think I was the people pleaser.
Aria smiles, but it fades as she chews contemplatively on her lower lip. She shoots Spencer a slightly nervous look, like she's unsure whether or not she should say what she's thinking. Spencer notices.
SPENCER (CONT'D)
What is it?
ARIA
Do you ever...do you ever miss when it was just the four of us? Before Ali came back?
They meet each other's eyes. A long moment of silence passes between them. Spencer shifts as several emotions pass across her face. She's just taking in a deep breath and getting ready to answer when realization suddenly washes over her.
SPENCER
Oh my God.
Aria jolts, caught off-guard by her outburst.
ARIA
What?
Spencer jumps to her feet. She grabs her phone from the coffee table.
SPENCER
I completely forgot. I got a call last night from the prison.
Now it's Aria who leaps up from the couch. Her face whitens.
ARIA
Wait. You mean the prison that Alex is locked up in?
SPENCER
Yeah.
She hurriedly calls the number back and waits impatiently. The call immediately goes to the prison's generic voicemail. Instead of leaving a message, she shakes her head and stabs the "end" button.
SPENCER (CONT'D)
Dammit.
She throws the phone down on the couch and brushes her hair out of her face in exasperation. Aria watches her, her brow wrinkled in confusion. Something here doesn't make sense.
ARIA
Why would Alex be calling you?
Spencer clears her throat. Her expression is guarded.
SPENCER
No idea.
ARIA
Well, it's just that you don't seem very surprised...
Spencer glances at her, and Aria raises her eyebrows. Spencer sighs. As much as she wanted to keep this a secret from her friends, she knows that she's going to have to give it up.
SPENCER
I went to visit her the other day.
Aria's mouth falls open. She lets out an incredulous laugh.
ARIA
You're kidding.
SPENCER
I know we said we wouldn't have anything to do with her. But it hasn't been as easy for me as for the rest of you.
ARIA
Spencer -
SPENCER
She's my sister, Aria. My twin sister. Of course I'm not going to forgive her. But if I don't talk to her and try to get some closure out of this, I don't think I'm ever going to be able to move on from it.
Aria sinks back down onto the couch, and Spencer joins her. She watches warily as Aria takes a long sip of wine. Finally Aria sighs and purses her lips.
ARIA
I get it. I just wish you would have said something to us. We could have helped you.
Spencer tilts her head, giving Aria a "yeah, right" look.
SPENCER
So you're saying you wouldn't have had a problem at all with me going to talk to A.D.?
Aria averts her gaze. She knows that Spencer's right - the thought of her friend sitting across the table from Alex Drake makes her sick to her stomach. She tries to smile.
ARIA
Okay, fine. But we would have gotten over it. So...are you going to see her again?
Spencer lets out a breath. She looks down at her phone sitting on the couch between them. We PAN IN on it ominously as we -
FADE TO BLACK
INT. EMILY AND ALISON'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Emily and Alison sit side by side in bed. Emily's writing notes for the substitute coach that will take over for her while she's on her honeymoon, and Alison is reading a book. The silence between them is comfortable, normal.
Alison turns a page and smiles, remembering something.
ALISON
Did I tell you that Grace caught me putting her blankie in the washing machine today? She cried for two hours until I got it back to her.
EMILY
Yeah, you did tell me.
She doesn't look up from her writing, and her words are clipped. Alison shoots her a sideways glance, but continues as if she didn't notice.
ALISON
And of course that got Lily going, too. I swear, it's like they can feel when the other is upset.
EMILY
Mmm-hmm.
Alison finally closes her book and sets it down hard in her lap.
ALISON
Okay, what's going on with you?
Emily doesn't take her eyes off of her notes.
EMILY
Nothing.
ALISON
Seriously, Em? You've been freezing me out all night. What, did I accidentally throw one of your Rosewood Sharks shirts in with the whites?
Emily finally heaves a sigh and reaches over to set her papers on the nightstand. Her expression morphs from indifference to something closer to hurt.
EMILY
I've been freezing you out? Ali, every time someone's brought up the wedding these past few days, you act like you're on another planet!
Alison sucks in a breath. Her expression tightens.
ALISON
That's not true.
Emily sits up straighter. Tears begin to glisten in her eyes. She's so frustrated she can barely get the words out.
EMILY
Yes, it is! When Hanna brought over the bridesmaid dresses, when we got together with the girls last night...don't lie to me, Alison. Something's going on.
Alison laughs shortly, opening her book again. She focuses her eyes on it, but her hands are visibly shaking.
ALISON
You're being ridiculous.
EMILY
Ali.
She reaches over and gently removes the book from Alison's hands. She sets it aside and looks at her, the worry and confusion clear on her face.
EMILY (CONT'D)
Are you having second thoughts? Do you...not want to get married tomorrow?
Alison finally looks at her. She seems taken aback by the question.
ALISON
Em -
EMILY
I'm serious, Ali. We'll be at the wedding hall in less than twenty four hours. If you're rethinking any of this, you need to tell me. Now.
Her words are straightforward and direct, but her voice is shaking. Her eyes are wide and terrified. She's been waiting so many years for this moment, and she can practically see it all falling apart in front of her eyes.
Alison stares at her for a moment. Her expression is blank. Then, without warning, her own eyes begin to fill with tears.
ALISON
It's not that. It would never be that. I want to marry you more than anything in the world.
Emily sits up straighter, furrowing her brow and resting her hand on the bed. A bit of the fear seems to deflate out of her, but she's still perplexed.
EMILY
I don't understand what's wrong, then.
Alison takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. She seems to be struggling to find the words...or to speak them.
ALISON
My family doesn't exactly have the best track record with relationships, okay? My parents were a disaster, my Aunt Carol was divorced three times, and my first marriage wasn't exactly a walk in the park.
Emily is horrified. She grabs Alison's hand.
EMILY
Ali, Rollins was insane. That had nothing to do with you.
Alison shakes her head, not seeming to have heard her. Tears are glistening in her eyes.
ALISON
What if it's...in my blood? What if we're doomed from the start?
Emily reaches out and takes her other hand. She squeezes hard, desperate to bring Alison back to Earth.
EMILY
You are not your parents. Okay? And we're not doomed.
ALISON
How can you know that?
EMILY
Ali, we are nothing like your mom and dad. And we are nothing like you and Archer. Our love is real. Just look at everything we've been through - together. If we can get through these past eight years, we can get through anything.
She holds Alison's hands tightly in her own, giving her a meaningful look.
EMILY (CONT'D)
We're going to be fine. I promise.
Alison looks down for a moment, then nods and gives Emily a shaky smile. After a moment, she leans in and kisses her. They embrace, and begin to lay back on the bed together as we -
FADE TO BLACK
End of Act Two.
