CUT TO: 67 INT. CYNDER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
(As she undresses for bed Cynder sees Flame standing in her doorway, reflected in the cracked mirror of her vanity. He comes toward her.)
FLAME: (unexpectedly tender) I know you've been melancholy, and I don't pretend to know why. (From behind his back he hands her a large black velvet jewel case. She takes it, numbly.) I intended to save this till the engagement gals next week. But I thought tonight, perhaps a reminder of my feeling for you...
(Cynder slowly opens the box. Inside is the necklace... "HEART OF THE OCEAN" in all its glory. It is huge... a malevolent blue stone glittering with an infinity of scalpel-like inner reflections.)
CYNDER: My God... Flame. Is it a-
FLAME: Diamond. Yes it is. 56 carats. (He takes the necklace and during the following places it around her throat. He turns her to the mirror, staring behind her.) It was once worn by Louis the Sixteenth. They call it Le Coeur de la Mer, the-
CYNDER: The Heart of the Ocean. Flame, it's... it's overwhelming. He gazes at the image of the two of them in the mirror.
FLAME: It's for royalty. And we are royalty. (His fingers caress her neck and throat. He seems himself to be disarmed by Cynder's elegance and beauty. His emotion is, for the first time, unguarded.) There's nothing I couldn't give you. There's nothing I'd deny you if you would deny me. Open your heart to me, Cynder.
(CAMERA begins to TRACK IN ON CYNDER. Closer and closer, during the following:)
OLD CYNDER (V.O.): Of course his gift was only to reflect light back onto himself, to illuminate the greatness that was Flame Hockley. It was a cold stone... a heart of ice.
(Finally, when Cynder's eyes FILL FRAM, we MORPH SLOWLY to her eyes as they are now... transforming through 37 stressful years of life... TRANSITION 68 INT. KELDYSH IMAGING SHACK: Without a cut the wrinkled, weathered landscape of age has appeared around her eyes. But the eyes themselves are the same.)
OLD CYNDER: After all these years, feel it closing around my throat like a dog collar. (THE CAMERA PULLS BACK to show her whole face.) I can still feel its weight. If you could have felt it, not just seen it...
GILL GRUNT: Well, that's the general idea, my dear.
TRIGGER HAPPY: So let me get this right. You were going to kill yourself by jumping off the Titanic? (He guffaws) That's great!
GILL GRUNT: (warningly) Trig...
(But Cynder laughs with Trigger Happy.)
TRIGGER HAPPY: (still laughing) All you had to do was wait two days!
(Gill Grunt, standing out of Cynder's sightline, checks his watch. Hours have passed. This process is taking too long.)
GILL GRUNT: Cynder, tell us more about the diamond. What did Hockley do with it after that?
CYNDER: I'm afraid I'm feeling a little tired, Mr. Gill Grunt.
(Flashwing picks up the cue and starts to wheel her out.)
GILL GRUNT: Wait! Can you give us something go on, here. Like who had access to the safe. What about this Hunter guy? The valet. Did he have the combination?
FLASHWING: That's enough.
(Flashwing takes her out. Cynder's old hand reappears at the doorway in a frail wave goodbye.)
Wow! We finally find the Heart of the Ocean! First off, sorry I've been gone from this story for so long. Sophomore year really caught up with me, stress and all. And also, I was trying to do some normal style fanfiction styled stories, so I've gotten a bit off track for this one. Also, now that I'm here, SHAMELESS SELF-ADVERTISING TIME! Check out my other stories "The Doll Collector" and "The Dragon and the Blade" in the original Spyro fanfiction archive. And check later this summer to see Part III of the Return of Malefor series, "The Ties that Bind"! Shameless Self-Advertising ends here. Now back on track, There's a lot more to this story than we already know, those of you who've see the movie should know, so keep reading onward, if you dare… (Evil laugh) There's nothing scary upcoming, unless you count the actual wrecking scene. Anyways, just keep reading.