5
A parked SUV, packed with snowboards and ski gear. No people. Jack, dejected, at Gwen's door. Ianto nearby, still peers into the window of an unlit, empty house. A cellular phone rings.
Jack whips it out, like the Governor's pardon hangs in the balance. Gwen asks from carphone "You paged us?"
Jack is distraught "Where are you?"
Gwen on her cellular, herding the kids toward a CIRCUS tent "Just outside the big top, we're almo..."
"You're WHERE?" Jack roars.
Gwen keeps talking "At the Big Apple Circus, it's the only big top I know. I said I'd get 'em back tonight..."
"Gwen, we were taking them water-skiing for the whole weekend!" Jack yells with exasperation.
Gwen says with an innocent voice "...until the plan changed, when Jessie's mom gave us these tickets. What, Ianto. 'forgot' I told him?"
Jack's eyes dart to an uncomprehended Ianto. he's never seen him this angry.
"Don't tell me. Another machine ate another message? Boy, there's a lot of that going around! Put him on, huh?" A beat. He hands the phone to Ianto.
He brings it to his ear "Yeh?
"Think twice. Before you ever pull that again."
CLICK. The line is dead. And so is Ianto.
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CENTRAL PARK CASTLE
A glum Toshiko and Owen sitting on a bench watching Ianto at his photo shoot, George between them.
A beautiful woman appears in the turret - she lets down her hair -a modern day Rapunzel - her golden locks fall 17 feet - now a burst of yellow - as a hundred yellow canaries fly out from her mane! A beautiful man begins to climb the hair. FLASH! The man dangling in mid air surrounded by canaries.
Ianto works with intense concentration. It's been hours. Toshiko and Owen are completely bored.
Ianto says to Andy "The timing was off - I need this light."
Toshiko mutters to herself "Just where I wanna be all Saturd..."
Ianto yells to everyone "Hold lunch!"
"But we're hungry" Toshiko roars "and I have to pick up my costume for the pageant! It starts at seven!"
"It's only one o'clock...Why don't you get another Fudgesicle - I'll be done soon - really soon." Ianto promises absently.
Toshiko and Owen. Rolling their eyes.
LATER...Toshiko asleep on the bench. Ianto stands over her, a canary on his finger. "Lunch time Sleeping Beauty. Where's Owen? Is he in the bathroom?"
"I don't know...I feel like I'm gonna throw up."
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PARK MEN'S ROOM
Toshiko stands with Ianto by a line of empty urinals.
"What if he's kidnapped?" she asks.
"He's not kidnapped he's - he's just hiding - he's just - OWENNNN? GODDAMMIT!" Panicked, he grabs Toshiko's hand.
"Don't touch me! You bring bad luck!" she screams with rage.
Ianto winces. Starting to believe it lets go.
MOMENTS LATER … CASTLE TOWER
Breathless, Toshiko and Ianto climb the castle stairs when they hear whimpering - Ianto follows the whimpering - running – "Owen! Owen we're here! OWEN!"
In the corner of the tower George is staring up at him. But Owen is NOWHERE to be found.
"He's gone forever and I'm gonna miss the pageant." Toshiko wails.
Ianto sighs once more.
His life flashing before his eyes.
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POLICE STATION, CENTRAL PARK
Gwen BLASTS up in the Volvo, SLAMS to a stop in a non-spot, races into the police station moving down corridors past desks until she sees Owen sitting with two policemen on a bench. She holds him to her chest, shaking. "Owen! Oh my Owen! Are you alright?"
"I knew where I was all the time." Owen assures her.
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AUDITORIUM - THAT EVENING
Owen sits between Gwen and Jack holding each of their hands. Ianto sits on the other side of Jack; all waiting for the Harvest Pageant to begin. It's horribly tense.
Ianto is sincerely apologising "Gwen? I am so sorry about today I really fucked up royalty. When you called Jack I was so goddamn relieved …"
Jack elbows him with a "We're in an Elementary School" elbow.
"No I did - I know I did - I screwed up. I feel like such an asshole..."
Gwen lifts Owen onto her lap, holding him tightly. She turns and faces Ianto, claws bared. "Shhhhhh!"
The lights go down. They sit pretending the other is not there.
On stage - The class is dressed as the harvest Produce. Toshiko is the Corn. Each Food Dish steps forward and introduces rehearing her line over and over.
"Hello! I am Maze. But you can call me Corn. Hello! I am..."
Inside her costume, her breathing is sharp. She stands very straight, very bold. A brazen ear of corn. She steps forward. "Hello! I am..."
Ianto POPS UP next to the stage with his huge professional camera and giant flash. His camera flashes three times, quickly. After each flash, we see the picture for a split second, Toshiko. A terrified ear of corn. A lost ear of corn.
Toshiko blinks, disoriented "Um...I'm...I'm...Oh..."
In the audience, Gwen is willing her daughter a recovery. Sees instead a completely devastated ear of corn.
Exploding in tears Toshiko howls "Oh forget it!"
She runs offstage amidst laughter and applause. Jack looks over at Gwen but she and Owen have already left their seats.
Gwen comforts Toshiko. Owen watches closely, getting caught up in his sister's sadness. Jack and Ianto approach.
"I hate him. I really hate him." Toshiko sobs.
"There you are!" Jack says.
Covering her face Toshio wails "Don't take my picture!"
She starts to cry. Owen's lip quivers, his eyes well up.
"Toshiko doesn't really want to talk to you right now." Gwen snarls.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to break your concentration." Ianto croons "I thought it would be a nice moment to rememb..."
"I don't ever want to remember this!" Toshiko snarls like her mother.
A Turkey approaches. "They're taking a picture of the Produce, we need the Corn. C'mon Toshiko."
See? No one's laughing at you. Your friends want you to join them, Toshi. Corn is a very important part of the Harvest Produce. Now Owen, walk your sister over to the Yams."
Owen takes Toshiko's hand. When they are gone.
Ianto takes a deep breath "Gwen, if I thought for one moment..."
Gwen ignores him, lighting into Jack "You listen carefully because I am only going to say this once. That man has nothing more to do with my children."
"Our children."
"Do you realize what could have happened to your son today? How lucky we are the police found him before some lunatic did? He could have been..."
"But he hasn't. Jack said forcefully "He wandered off. I know it's terrifying. I can imagine how you felt when that call came - But it happens."
"Not to me."
Jack tries to be soft, reasonable "Gwen, you've made mistakes - We all make mistakes"
"I'm not gonna wait around to see the next one. I'm not gonna watch my kids fall through the cracks of this arrangement. I'm seeing a lawyer." Gwen says with triumph.
"Gwen stop." Jack pleads "We promised we never go there."
"We've broken a lot of promises, haven't we Jack?"
"Why are you taking this out on him?" Ianto asks.
Jack waves a hand "Yan, get out of th..."
Ianto is still speaking to Gwen "You haven't done one goddamn thing to make any of this easier..."
"I am not here to make it easier for you. These are my children." Gwen thumps her chest "They don't want to be with you."
"Well, maybe they would if they thought it was okay, with y..."
Gwen is poking Jack's chest "A court order is gonna say that man is never alone with my children! Ever again! Do you HEAR that?"
All of New Jersey heard that. On the silence that follows, she stalks off. The mother lion. Doing what she has to do.
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NORTH VALE STABLES
Gwen and her children ride horses side by side through a perfect Fall afternoon. Our riders look about alertly, as if patrolling enemy territory.
Toshiko speaks in a pompous voice "Guinevere, Godiva, I sense enemy sol..."
Owen cuts her off "I don't want to be Lady Godiva anymore, no matter how much I like chocolate. I want to be a stud."
In distance, a gaggle of Groundskeepers. Gwen points these out to Owen, without missing a beat "Lord Nelson, Napoleon's troops. I fear for the women and the property values."
"I'll ride ahead. Nelson, protect the Queen" Toshiko demands and she canters off, blood in her eye. Alone now with his mom, Owen has something serious on his mind.
"Mommy?" Owen says softly "It's not Ianto's fault I ran away."
Gwen doesn't turn "No, that's your fault. It's his fault for not watching over my precious son, as if it were his priority. Which means, the most important job."
Owen thinks about this "Ianto's job is he works."
"Owen, mommies work too. They work very hard. Mommy works harder as a mom than she did when she was working. I just don't get paid."
"Does Ianto make a lot of money?"
"People like Ianto who only think about themselves often do make a lot of money." Gwen sniffs.
"I think he's nice, Mommy."
"Yes...if you like big hands..."
"Mommy?"
"What honey?"
"If you want me to hate him I will." Owen says sadly.
Gwen is stunned.
Her lips part for an answer.
But she hasn't got one.