12

Gwen and Toshiko are sitting at the kitchen counter with maybe twenty hardboiled eggs. They are cracking the shells gently, and carefully peeling them.

"Well, did you really think you'd meet someone at eleven that you'd spend the rest of your life with?"

Toshiko keeps her eyes on her eggs. A craftswoman. "No, but I thought till Thursday."

Oh. "What's Thursd..."

"A debate. Man's inhumanity to woman. He's pro women. I'm con. Ms. Flannery is twisted."

"I could help with the debate." Gwen offers.

Toshiko gives a glum "Great."

Thinking it over Gwen admits "Actually. I could only help him."

"Every time I'm in the lunch yard, and he's with twelve of his retarded dorkface little adoring out-crowd henchmen..."

"You don't like his friends." Gwen states like it's not bvious.

"...they all yell 'There goes the Virgin Queen' or the 'Ice Princess', or some really clever cut like that. Like it hurts my feelings."

They keep peeling eggs.

"You wouldn't kiss him, huh?" Gwen guesses.

"Not with my mouth open."

Gwen says softly "Good girl."

Toshiko's eyes well up. She covers by concentrating all the harder.

"And what do you do wh..".

"I call him a fartface or a pervert, or something equally lame." Toshiko admits.

"You have to ignore him." And on this. Toshiko looks up. "He's not even there. You don't see him, you don't hear him, you're just too much of a woman to bother with little boys."

"This is a joke, right?"

"Nope." Gwen shakes her head. "All he wants is the attention. When he can't get to you, he'll try harder for a little while. Then, he'll give up. It'll be no fun."

The kid blinks. "You think Yan would do that?"

Takes Mom back a bit. Enough for her daughter to notice. "It's just he's younger. Maybe he remembers how to do this."

Gwen shrugs. Maybe. Toshiko studies her. "This'll work, huh?"

"Oh, yeh." Gwen assures her.

Toshiko takes heart from her mom's confidence. Nods, with her trademark determination.

"How many devilled eggs can you eat?" Gwen asks.

"Maybe twenty."

Gwen surveys the table. "We can always go to the store, if w..."

A sudden BANGING on the screen door. They turn to see a breathless six-year-old Tucker through the screen. The birthday boy at the recent party. "Ms Cooper...?"

"Tucker, is something wr..."

"How tall is your tree? The really, really, really, REALLY big..."

Gwen shrugs "Why?"

"Uh." He grimaces "How bad would it hurt? If you fell off the top?"

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Gwen, Toshiko, Tucker and assorted neighbourhood looky-loo kids are looking seventy feet into in the air. Everyone looks like TINY DOTS running around the lawn. We are almost looking at the top of a giant evergreen tree.

We see a patch of red. And now a blue stripe. The wind reveals more - It's OWEN climbing to the very top of the tree. The calling of his name becoming more and more faint in the distance - His leg misses a branch - causing a cluster of pine needles to fall in front of Gwen - she looks up screaming "OWEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

Owen crouched at the top of the evergreen - as the wind sways the tree perilously back and forth.

"Don't move!"

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An enormous crane moves through the sky. Gwen holds tightly onto Jessica, a diminutive five-foot-tall Firewoman, as they soar skyward towards Owen. A slightly condescending tone "That's quite a grip you have there Ma'am. Do we have an issue with heights?"

"Patronized the wrong gal. In a crisis." Gwen snarls looking her up and down "I don't care if you're a dwarf, so long as you do your job. OWEN! I'M COMING! STAY THERE! MOMMY'S COMING!"

"Ma'am, my arm's going numb, maybe you could loosen your grip just a little."

"That's absolutely out of the question." Gwen snarks then yells "OWEN! I'M HERE!"

The crane stops. Owen has climbed to the top branches of the trees; they sway from side to side like a Metronome

"Hello Owen." Jessica says calmly "Your mother says you're real good at disappearing"

"Owen tries to climb a little higher - Branches snap.

"Owen! Mommy's so glad to see you – Now stop climbing!" Gwen begs but he keeps climbing "Owen listen to me..."

"No! I have to get there."

"Where Owen?"

"Before you."

"Owen where do you have to get to?" Gwen is confused.

"Heaven. I have to tell him he's made a mistake. He should take Grammy Martha first. Or Grandpa Norman."

Gwen's heart breaks, unable to speak. Finally she croaks out "Owen. God doesn't like visitors."

"How do you know?"

"Ask her, she's a heroic Fireperson." Gwen points to Jessica "She does this twenty times a day."

"Oh."

Jessica begins to crawl out to him on the limb. "Oh yeh. It's in our official manual."

"That's right, Owen. That's why Firemen have giant ladders and climb up and down poles. They're like...messengers... carrier pigeons... between heaven and earth." Gwen desperately reaches for him.

"That's good cause we need to hurry." Owen turns to Jessica "my mom doesn't have very much time left."

"Then you know what we should do?" Jessica asks "We should go to the Fire Station together and ring the fire bell to get God's attention."

"Cause it's an emergency." Owen opens his arms, teeters, and Jessica has him. She reaches him out, and...Hands him to Gwen, alone in the cherry picker. Gwen grabs Owen, pulling him fiercely into her arms in a death grip.

From down below, the kids CHEER. The worst is over.

Gwen is clutching her baby for dear life.

Knowing it isn't.

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..

Gwen stands in the doorway watching her son - her baby boy - sleeping. She looks drawn, but even if her body would let her sleep she couldn't.

She sighs a whispered "God...I will do anything...I will go through any amount of pain you give me. If you'll just let me see them grow up."

A slow ragged breath. "Is that asking so damn much?"

She leaves the room soundlessly.

Owen stirs.

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Toshiko sleeps soundly in the glow of a night light. Gwen appears, leaning down to rouse her gently. "Toshiko...wake up honey..."

A sleepy "Mom? What's wrong?"

"Nothing sweetheart." Gwen sits on the edge of the bed, stroking Toshiko's head. "I got Ginny Weintraub to come stay with Owen."

Toshiko's puzzled look. "Why would you do that?"

"How'd you like to go someplace special with me? Right now."

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..

The light of the full moon illuminates the night and we see Gwen and Toshiko sitting on a horse. Toshiko in front, Gwen with a strong hold on her. Both have their nightgowns tucked into their jeans, coats over them.

"Hold tight, sweetheart." She kicks the horse forward and they head off toward the rolling hills in the distance. Gwen and Toshiko ride faster and faster along the trail. Gwen has one arm firmly around Toshiko's waist and controls the horse with the other. Gwen closes her eyes for a moment, allowing the wind to wash over her. The smells and sounds of the night seem to free her, give her strength.

Toshiko relaxes against her mother and giggles with delight. Gwen soon joins her, and the sounds of their laughter break the silence of the night.

They come to a stop at the crest of a small hill and we now see the tears on Gwen's face. Toshiko can't see, and stares out at the moonlit valley before them. Gwen sighs "I'm never, never going to forget this."

Toshiko snuggles back. Happy. "Never say never."

Gwen kisses the top of her baby's head. "You're old enough to learn the loophole. You can say 'never, never'. If you mean it enough. To say it twice."

Toshiko yawns. So content in her mother's arms. "I'll remember. Always, always."

So Gwen grips a little tighter. Breathes a single word, just loud enough to hear "Promise?"

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Ianto and Jack heading up the path to Gwen's door. It is early winter. Stark trees, a light snow on the ground. Ianto pulls his coat tighter around himself.

Owen rumbling down the hall to the door. Stands in front of it, as the bell RINGS again. "IS THAT YOU?"

"IT'S YOUR BOYFRIEND, BIG GUY, OPEN UP."

So he does. Gives him a sweet hug.

"Hey. Remember me?" Jack laughs as He enters behind him. Scoops his body in the air.

Jack says in a John Wayne voice "Listen up. That's a pretty big love you're givin' my best boy, pard."

Owen tries a Clint Eastwood reply "Listen sideways. I love him and you love him. Now what are we gonna do about it?"

They follow Ianto down the hall as Jack goes into a Mister Rogers "We'll share. Like good neighbours."

They enter the living room. Toshiko sits sullenly in front of the TV. Her overnight duffle and book bag and coat piled beside her.

"Hey, gorgeous, where's Big Mama?" Ianto calls to her.

No answer. Toshiko worried about something.

"She still packing for her trip?"

"I killed my math quiz, A-minus."

They slap FIVE. Go through the ritual of a three-step black guy handshake.

"And...other things? At school?"

Toshiko cuts a look in Jack and Owen's direction. Please not in front of the menfolk.

Ianto hisses softly "We'll talk. I'll go check on Mom."

Toshiko frowns at Mom's name. Ianto strokes her hair. Heads down the hall... Knocks at the open door to Gwen's bedroom, where Gwen is calmly, meticulously, laying out things beside her large open suitcase. She waves Ianto in, and keeps working.

Checking out the stuff Ianto asks "It's gonna be cool, huh?"

Bulky sweaters. Wool things.

"I can never figure weather. Last trip, I made all the wrong choices." Gwen huffs.

Ianto and has a better angle now. Gwen looks awful. Drawn, weak, masking pain with obvious courage. "Bad day?"

Ianto sits on the edge of the bed. Gwen turns away, goes to her open chest of drawers. "Can't complain."

Even her voice is carefully under control. Awkward, Ianto looks around the room. A stack of photo albums, scrapbooks, open. Works in progress. "Can I look at the pictures?"

"It's a mess, right now. That's my project when I get back."

So quiet, we can hear a clock TICKING nearby. Ianto's gaze returns to the bulky sweaters. Holds there.

"See, I'm not going to Houston, after all." Gwen huffs "Like you obviously figured out. There's this clinic in Montreal. We've studied their process, we like their success rate..." Two Welshies nodding, in a calm, matter-of-fact way. As if discussing recipes. "They combine some compounds that have been getting results in France, with vitamin injections. Seems to activate the chemo..."

Silence.

"So." Ianto tries to sound supportive "Hopeful."

"It's promising, this one." We're upbeat.

Ianto swallows. He's out of words.

"I really look like shit."

You look sick. But you look..." Ianto considers "together. Mentally tough."

"Yeh, that's bull. I'm going for serene, they say some actually get there." A shrug. The first bitterness to seep through. "Prob'ly low percentage on mothers."

She sits, unceremoniously, right on the floor. Pantomimes a smoke.

Ianto goes into his pocket.

"You try to centre on the big issues, y'know. What it's all about. What this whole trip has meant. But then, the really big issues keep swamping y..."

"Brad Kovitsky." Ianto agrees. Tosses Gwen a pack. Matches next.

"You don't have any pot, I s'pose?"

Ianto's eyebrows head north.

"The primo stuff is great for pain."

"I think my 'primo shit' got left in my 'bellbottoms.'" Ianto drones.

Gwen lighting up. Deep soulful drag.

"So. She ignores this little Kovitsky punk, takes the high moral ground..." Reading Ianto's face. Who is already wincing. "He's relentless. A major asshole."

Ianto is nodding "And you said..."

"What else? Keep on keepin' on." Oh. Ianto tries to hide his disappointment as Gwen goes on "She has to stick with it. Have the patience, the guts, to ignore the pain. You disagree?"

Half a beat. Ianto shakes his head, nope.

Ianto admits softly "Hey. You oughta know."