The fourth scene starts with Sandy and Kirsten sitting in their kitchen. The sun has set, it is dark, so the room is lit with unnatural lighting. They are both sitting at the table, dinner dishes and left over food spread over it, just staring off into space, unable to focus on what they want to say as their thoughts rush through their heads at chaotic speeds. Zoe has been excused from the table and is upstairs in her room playing. Silence pervades the room until Kirsten finally breaks through the quiet.
Kirsten: So, how are we going to do this?
Sandy: Talk to Jimmy, I have clue. That man has gotten even more stubborn than your father. Shows you what happens when you hang out with Caleb Nichol. (Kirsten glares at him, slightly annoyed, conveying her wish that he, for once, could just have a serious discussion with her.) I'm sorry honey, but you know how I deal with stressful situations, I joke.
Kirsten: Well, this once, can we just put the stand-up routine aside for a few minutes. (He nods his head yes and they are both silent for a moment while they once again contemplate the situation.)
Sandy: I just cannot imagine how Caitlyn is going to deal with this news.
Kirsten: Yeah, but Marissa said that they're waiting to tell her until after they talk to her doctors.
Sandy: Which I think is a good idea.
Kirsten: You, the advocate for always striving for full disclosure?
Sandy: Yeah, well that girl has a lot to deal with right now, and the last thing she needs, if she can't handle the news, is to have an identity crisis. I think that Marissa and Jane both have her best interests in mind, and if they think they need to take this precaution before proceeding to tell her that Jimmy is not her father, then I trust their judgment.
Kirsten: And now we're faced with trying to convince Jimmy to act like the father he was supposed to be for the past seventeen years to a girl that, it turns out, was not his biological daughter in the first place.
Sandy: Well, we couldn't very well have turned Marissa down. She has enough on her plate right now, and with the way her relationship is so strained right now with Jimmy, I doubt any conversation between them would be productive.
Kirsten: He'd probably end up turning the conversation into why she left and why she won't come back, selfishly ignoring what Caitlyn needs and focusing only on what he wants, Marissa back so that he can take advantage of her again.
Sandy: Do you have any ideas of how you're going to go about this?
Kirsten: Excuse me, what?
Sandy: Well, I figured that since you guys were close in the past, he might open up to you and listen to what you have to say.
Kirsten: The last time I tried to talk to him about his relationship with Caitlyn, it turned into a fight.
Sandy: At least he'll speak to you about the issue. Whenever I bring it up, I just get the silent treatment.
Kirsten: I didn't know you spoke to him about Caitlyn.
Sandy: A couple of weeks ago, but it didn't do any good. It's weird, it's not as if he doesn't want to be a good father or that he doesn't love his kids….
Kirsten: It's just that he doesn't know how.
Sandy: Yeah. I just want to shake him and yell at him that it's not hard, just love them and put their needs ahead of your own and you're pretty much good to go.
Kirsten: But for Jimmy, who's always been selfish, it's pretty hard to put someone else first on the priority list.
Sandy: So, anyway, if you don't want to talk to him on your own, how do you want to do this? Invite him over for dinner one night, both of us try to reason with him at once?
Kirsten: Actually, I had a different idea.
Sandy: And it is what?
Kirsten: (She looks up at him with pleading eyes.) Well,….
Sandy: Oh no, I don't think. There is no way I'm going to do this on my own.
Kirsten: You wouldn't be on your own. (He looks at her confused.) Ryan would be there with you.
Sandy: Ryan?
Kirsten: Yeah, I'd say Seth, Neil, and my Dad, too, but Seth can't be involved because he can't keep a secret, Neil doesn't know the situation or Jimmy that well for that matter, so he can't help, and my Dad's temper would probably get the better of him, so he would just ruin any progress you and Ryan could make, so it will just be you two.
Sandy: (He laughs ironically.) And does Ryan know about his involvement in the Jimmy intervention that you have planned?
Kirsten: Not yet….but he will. I'm going to call and talk to him about it tomorrow evening after he gets off of work.
Sandy: Why not now?
Kirsten: Oh, Marissa said something about going home and spending time with just the two of them, and I figured I wouldn't interrupt. They need to have some time to just be with each other right now, to offer comfort to each other, especially after the afternoon she had today.
Sandy: (He leans back and puts his hands behind his head to get comfortable.) So, what does this plan of yours entail?
Kirsten: You invite him over to join in on the guys' weekend.
Sandy: (He bolts upright and stares at her like she has gone insane.) Are you nuts! Ruin our weekend by having to deal with Jimmy?
Kirsten: Wait, would you just hear me out before you overreact?
Sandy: (He begrudgingly sits back and relaxes yet again.) Fine, but this better be good.
Kirsten: (She smiles slightly at his childish behavior before starting to talk.) Alright, so what I was thinking is that you would invite him over Friday night, let him relax, eat guy food, drink a lot of beer, and talk about guy things, make him feel comfortable and slightly buzzed from the alcohol, then you and Ryan would pull him aside as the other guys were busy doing something else and you would speak to him calmly and rationally. I think, because he's dating Marissa, Ryan might be able to pull the 'Marissa wants this' card, and no matter what you think, I believe that Jimmy respects you and your opinion. He wants you to be his friend. So then after you talk to him, the way I see it, there are two possible reactions he could have. One, he'll be reasonable and will listen to everything you two say to him and then leave to go off and think quietly to himself. This is the response we hope to get. The other one is that he'll be furious at the two of you for forcing him to face a situation he wants to avoid, which we all know is how Jimmy Cooper will deal with this, so he'll yell and scream for a few seconds before running off to pout somewhere and feel sorry for himself. No matter what, he won't stay after you talk to him, so you'll have the rest of your guys' weekend to do whatever you want, to have fun in peace.
Sandy: You do know that the chances are better that the second reaction is what we'll get.
Kirsten: I do, but I have hope that the Jimmy I used to know, the compassionate person despite his selfishness, still exists somewhere inside of him, and that when he's needed the most, that Jimmy will surface. (Sandy is quiet as he thinks over her plan and she remains silent as well as she watches him think, hopeful that he will like the plan and go along with it.)
Sandy: And you honestly think this route has the best chances of yielding the results we're looking for?
Kirsten: I do.
Sandy: Okay then, as long as Ryan goes for it, I'm in. (She stands up and goes to his side of the table and wraps her arms around him in a hug and kisses his cheek.)
Kirsten: Thank you for doing this.
Sandy: (He laughs.) If you would have told me in the first place that this would be your reaction if I said yes, we would have been able to save ourselves a lot of time and could have gotten to the fun part, my reward for doing what you want, a lot sooner. (She laughs at him.)
Kirsten: Oh no we can't, because our daughter is upstairs in her room playing and there are still a couple of hours left this evening before she goes to bed.
Sandy: Oh, I think she's tired now.
Kirsten: Nice try. (She lets go of him and stands up. After grabbing dishes from the table, she proceeds to take them to the counter and sets them in the sink. Sandy just watches her walk for a few seconds, but as she returns to the table for her second load, she raises her eyebrows at him and speaks.) You know, you could help me if you want to remain on that good side you mentioned so that you can collect that reward later.
Sandy: Anything for you dear. (He stands up as well and together they clear the table. As he makes his first trip to the sink, he starts laughing out loud which puts a puzzled look on her face.)
Kirsten: What's so funny?
Sandy: You.
Kirsten: Me?
Sandy: Yeah you.
Kirsten: Care to explain.
Sandy: I just find it humorous how all you Newpsies resort to the use of alcohol in all your plots of trickery.
Kirsten: Do you want to talk to Jimmy about this when he's perfectly sober? (Sandy thinks about this silently for a few moments before laughing out loud again.)
Sandy: Hell no! (They laugh together as she gives him an 'I told you so' look and the camera leaves them and goes to Seth and Branning in Branning's apartment. Both guys are lounging on separate couches, they hands resting behind their heads as they stare up at the ceiling as they talk, completely relaxed and comfortable with each other. The room is partially in the dark since there is only one light on and the window only emits the city lights.)
Branning: So let me get this straight. You've been secretly talking to her since she left years ago and not a single person in your family or, more importantly, your fiancé knows that you are in contact?
Seth: Yes.
Branning: And you ask her for advice, especially about Summer?
Seth: Well, she is a woman, and I started going to her for help long before Marissa moved here, and now it's like I'm addicted to her words of wisdom.
Branning: Were you always this close….I mean, when she was still in Newport?
Seth: No. We got along but we barely knew each other until she moved away. She was just always someone who I knew, but there was never really an opportunity to form a bond.
Branning: Then how….
Seth: How did we get so close?
Branning: Yeah.
Seth: I really don't know. One day I was online, bored stiff, and she was on, too. We started talking, had a good time, and that one talk turned to two, then ten, then a hundred, and eventually we moved onto real voice to voice action.
Branning: Ew, you make it sound dirty.
Seth: Yeah, I realized that after I said it, but that was not my intention. That would just be wrong.
Branning Yes, it would. (They both pause and shudder at the thought before Branning continues with his line of questioning.) And now you're worried about her?
Seth: Really worried. She's always tired and says that she never really feels right, and I just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong.
Branning: Has she ever been sick before?
Seth: I don't know, I mean, I'm sure she's had the regular illnesses, the flu, lots of common colds, the chicken pox, but whether or not she's had any serious diseases, I have no clue.
Branning: What about family history?
Seth: There is some history of heart trouble, but that wouldn't be it because she's not that old and she's active, eats healthy, but there's also a history of cancer.
Branning: You don't think….
Seth: I don't know what to think. She won't go to he doctor. It's like she knows that something is wrong, too, but she doesn't want to face it, so she avoids it and just keeps telling me that she'll be fine, that she's just overstressed and overworked.
Branning: What about getting her to come here for a visit so that you can persuade her in person to see a doctor. At least you'd be able to see what shape she's in physically, something you can't tell over the phone.
Seth: That's an idea, but I don't think she'll go for it. She hasn't been in Newport for such a long time, and she never really liked it here.
Branning: You could always go there.
Seth: I've been thinking about that, but how would I explain a trip to Summer?
Branning: I don't know, how about the truth? I don't get why you haven't told her about this yet.
Seth: I guess it's just that I've been keeping it a secret for so long now that it's second nature. Plus, she doesn't want me to tell anyone that we're in contact with each other.
Branning: (He thinks for a moment before proceeding to talk.) Well, the way it looks to me, I think you have two options.
Seth: Oh, why are there always only two!
Branning: Seth, shut up.
Seth: Okay.
Branning: Like I was saying, option number one, you tell Summer the truth and risk ticking off and loosing your confident.
Seth: Yeah, that's not an option.
Branning: Alright, well then option number two is to just keep Summer and the rest of your family in the dark and trust her that she'll take care of herself, that if she really is sick that she'll get herself the proper help.
Seth: You suck at this!
Branning: At what?
Seth: Giving advice! Both of those options are terrible.
Branning: Do you have a better idea? (Seth thinks for a few seconds before jumping off of the couch and snapping his fingers together excitedly.) I take that as a yes. Oh, I don't want to hear this.
Seth: You could go and see her for me, spy on her, check her out and report back to me. We'll get you a good digital camera so that you can take pictures from afar but still get close up shots, you can email me the photos, and then I'll be able to decide from there what to do.
Branning: Yeah, no.
Seth: Why not?
Branning: Dude, that's stalking! I'm not going to jail just so that you can sleep better at night.
Seth: It's not so that I can sleep better at night, you might be saving a life.
Branning: Nice try, Seth, but not happening.
Seth: It was worth a shot. (He lays back down and they both resume thinking. After a moment, this time Branning breaks the silence.)
Branning: What do you normally do when you have a problem that you can't figure out and you can't ask her?
Seth: I go to Ryan.
Branning: Then go to him.
Seth: But he's a part of the family, he's not allowed to know that I'm in contact with her either.
Branning: So then don't tell him who it is. Just say that it is someone from your past before he moved to Newport and you need some advice.
Seth: That could work.
Branning: Yes, it could.
Seth: (He jumps up again and starts pacing around the apartment.) Now, where are those take out menus?
Branning: (He stands up to get the menus for him.) Are you always this manic-depressive?
Seth: Just when I go off my meds. (Branning's mouth falls open in shock.) Dude, I was just joking, get a grip. Now let me see, what am I in the mood for….. (The scene fades away from them and goes back to the apartment where Ryan and Marissa are just finishing the dishes in the kitchen together. As she puts the last plate away, he takes her hand and leads her to the couch where he sits down and pulls her down to sit on top of him.)
Ryan: So, are you ready to talk yet? You had your peaceful dinner where it was only about you and me, but I know you need to get whatever happened off of your chest, a chest I like very much by the way,…
Marissa: Ryan! (She laughs at his attempt to flirt despite the seriousness of the situation.)
Ryan: Sorry, couldn't help myself. The comment was just waiting for me to use it.
Marissa: I'm sure it was, but you're right. I do want to tell you, no, actually, I need to tell you what happened, it's just I'm so sick of my crazy family getting in the way of my life. How bad of a person does that make me sound?
Ryan: I think you're justified in feeling that way by now, after everything they've put you through. We just did not luck out when we got in line for our biological families. Between your alcoholic and neglectful parents to my alcoholic, abusive, and criminal parents, we're quite the pair.
Marissa: Yes, but at least we know that the cycle will stop with us. Our kids will not have to put up with childhoods like we had. (She kisses him softly before snuggling deeper into him.) It's funny that you used the word biological, because that's actually what we have to talk about, biology.
Ryan: What?
Marissa: (She laughs at his confusion.) Caitlyn's biology to be exact. (She turns to look at his baffled expression and continues talking.) It turns out that after all these years, Caitlyn is not Jimmy's biological daughter.
Ryan: (He is utterly shocked.) Excuse me!
Marissa: Yeah. Julie dropped the bomb on us today while we were talking. We, Jane and I, got her drunk to try to pacify her so that she would stop picking fights with Jimmy, but all it did was make her talk more. She got mad and went off that she and I were the only two who had a right to be there talking about Caitlyn because Jimmy and Jane were not actually related to her.
Ryan: Wow! (She is quiet for a moment as she lets the information sink in for him.) So then, who is her father?
Marissa: Oh my god, I never even thought to ask….not that Julie knows for sure.
Ryan: So how did everyone take the news?
Marissa: Julie laughed and taunted, Jimmy ran away, like always, and Jane and I sat in shock for the first few minutes. Once we got rid of Julie, we talked about it though and Jane was great. Nothing changed for her. Caitlyn is still her granddaughter, no questions asked.
Ryan: And what do you think about that…about Jane?
Marissa: I'm glad that she's going to be there for Caity, in fact, we're going to try and get Jimmy to sign over guardianship to her. (Ryan looks at her confused.) He's still the father as of the birth records, so the law will accept his decision. At this point, I believe that Jane is the only adult amongst them who still cares for Caitlyn, so she's her best option. I respect her for loving Caitlyn no questions asked, blood or not.
Ryan: So then there might be a relationship between the two of you someday?
Marissa: Perhaps. She said some things today that got to me, how she regrets letting her pride stand in the way of knowing and taking care of us, but there are still some wounds that need healed before I consider her my Grandma. We're going to have lunch soon though.
Ryan: That sounds good. Do you want me to come with you or is it just a girls' afternoon out? (She smiles at his offer.)
Marissa: Just a girls' afternoon out, but I'll keep my cell phone handy in case I need you to come in and whisk me away.
Ryan: My white horse and I are always ready to whisk you away anytime you want. (She laughs at him.) Too cheesy?
Marissa: Just a little bit, but I'll let it slide since I detect a slight sense of self-deprecating humor behind that remark.
Ryan: Just a tad. (He joins in the laughter with her.) So what about Caitlyn? Did you get Jimmy or Julie to agree to take her to the doctors?
Marissa: Not exactly, but Jane said she will resort to violence if she has to in order to get Jimmy to take her, and I think, if anything, she is a very capable woman of getting what she wants.
Ryan: (He laughs.) I've met her a few times before, but I don't really know her, but I think Jane and I are going to get along. (Marissa laughs, too.)
Marissa: I could see that.
Ryan: And what about our offer, is she going to move in with us?
Marissa: Actually, the more I thought about it, the more I realized it's probably not the best idea. With our work schedules, she'd be alone more here than she would in Newport, so it's probably best if she stays living with Jane and we just spend as much free time with her as possible on the weekends. She can always come down here if she needs a break, too.
Ryan: (He smiles up at her and kisses her forehead.) I would have done anything to help Caitlyn, because she's your sister, but for personal reasons, I can't help but be happy that it's just going to be you and me this summer. (Marissa turns her head so that she can kiss him on the lips softly. Whispering, after she pulls away, she smiles at him.)
Marissa: Me, too. (He sits up suddenly and she falls gently back onto the couch as he stands up. She watches him, curious, as he moves.)
Ryan: Don't move; I'll be right back. I have a surprise for you.
Marissa: (She smiles and laughs slightly as she sits up on her knees in anticipation.) Ooohhh, a surpise! Is it another cupcake?
Ryan: (He laughs.) No. (Walking towards the CD player, he presses play since he already had it inside so that she wouldn't see it. "Cry to Me" by Solomon Burke starts to play. Marissa's face changes from a smile to a shocked expression of pleasure when she hears what the song is.) Dance with me? (She nods her head, so he helps her up off the couch and attempts to take her in his arms, but she shakes his hands loose and takes off his shirt and wife beater quickly.)
Marissa: If we're going to do this, then we're going to do this right. (Silkily, she moves around his shoulder, letting her hands caress him and kissing the back of his neck before letting her hand trail down to his butt as she grazes it softly while expressing exactly what is one her mind at the same time. Returning to face him, they stare in each others eyes for a few seconds until she raises her arms and he takes her shirt off of her before pulling her to him and dancing a Dirty Dance. The scene leaves them as their passion escalates and goes to Caitlyn, who unbeknownst to anyone, has snuck out of her house and has gone to Trey's apartment. Letting herself in with the key she knew was hidden outside, she looks around the apartment with her blood shot eyes and tear stained face, slightly red due to her drunken condition. Her clothes are loose and baggy, her hair greasy and dirty, thrown up in a messy bun, her posture depressed and stooped. Everything about her screams someone who has been hurt beyond words. As more tears come to her eyes, music starts to play in the background. The song should be The Mars Volta's "The Widow". Refusing to let her painful emotions take over again, she lashes out in rage, ripping posters off the walls, knocking things off his shelves, taking a light chair and throwing it against his TV and then throwing it into his coffee table, shattering both things. Then she runs to the kitchen, and grabs a knife, going back to the living room and slashing every single pillow and piece of upholstered furniture. When there is nothing left to destroy in the dingy, small room, she runs to his bedroom, stabbing and ripping his pillows, sheets, and mattress, screaming and crying in pain despite her best efforts. Dropping the knife when there was nothing else to destroy, she turns to his drawers and begins to throw everything out of them until she spots the laptop and blueprints. She picks them up, shock written all over her face as recognition of what they mean sets in. She gathers them without a second thought and runs out of the apartment, not even bothering to relock the door. When she steps off the porch she sees a man watching her intently. Unbeknownst to her, it is Dan. He makes his way towards her, but she is quick enough to out run him and gets herself safely back to the cab, she luckily asked to wait for her. The scene fades off as she rides away in the car with Dan still chasing her after her.)
Commercial Break