INT. PASTOR'S OFFICE – CALVARY CHURCH

Rose leans forward while seated in one of two fold-out chairs to peer across the hall through the open office door into the next room. There she sees Ethan sprawled out on a bargain-basement couch with a cup of coffee in his hands. A second man, PASTOR CAMP (45), wearing a suit and tie, sits across from him in the dark, talking to him. We can't hear what they're saying.

ROSE
You don't understand. I don't even drink champagne at weddings. During the toast, I press it to my lips and then wipe them with a napkin. I hate it when people drink. It's cost me friends. My best friend from preschool was Casey Kelly. In first grade, we threw a pretend wedding for me and her two year old brother so we could be sisters.

In the small cramped office, over by the window, the Doctor obsessively looks out the window at every angle. He bends his knees to look up, stands on his toes to look down, and moves left and right every other moment.

DOCTOR
Mmhm.

ROSE
Then, one night in high school, my Mom was going to be out, so I invited a bunch of friends over for a sleepover. Okay, it was kind of a party. The point is, Casey brought alcohol, even though I told everyone not to, and they all got wasted. I just hid in my room and cried. The next day in school, we had a big fight in the middle of the caf, and we haven't spoken to each other since.

The Doctor exhales onto the glass window, creating a fogged spot. He wipes it away with the meaty side of his fist and looks through that exact spot.

Rose notices his attention is elsewhere.

ROSE
Are you even listening to me?

He turns around.

DOCTOR
Where's the dragon?

ROSE
What?

DOCTOR
Your father dies when you're a baby. You grow up, grab a time machine, so you go back in time to save him. You did that, so now, in the future, you've got no reason to go back in time. That creates a paradox, which rips spacetime a new one, and let's a dragon slip in to terrorize the villagers. But... no dragon. Where's the damn dragon?

ROSE
I don't know.

DOCTOR
Well, that's a problem. We've done everything the same, but things are happening differently.

ROSE
Doctor, I'm having a little bit of a personal crisis over here.

DOCTOR
Oh, yes, right.

He walks over and sits down in the chair next to her. He reaches over and takes her hand. He leans in and looks her right in the eye.

DOCTOR
And how long will you be needing for that? Because we really need to find that dragon.

She takes her hand back as the Pastor walks across the hall and into the office.

PASTOR CAMP
Thank you so much for waiting. He's still a bit shaken up, and the like, but I've given him some coffee and he's just laying down for a bit.

Pastor Camp shakes their hands then walks around his desk and sits.

PASTOR CAMP
So, I'm Pastor Winn Camp. I didn't catch your names.

DOCTOR
She's Rose-

ROSE
I'm Mary-

They look at each other.

ROSE
Rosemary.

DOCTOR
Rosemary, yes, and I'm the Doctor.

ROSE
-Columbus. Dr. Columbus.

The Doctor grins.

Pastor Camp looks at them quizzically.

PASTOR CAMP
Okay. And are you friends of Ethan's?

DOCTOR
Yes.

ROSE
No.

They look at each other.

DOCTOR
More friends of the family, really.

PASTOR CAMP
Oh, so you're friends of Jackie's?

DOCTOR
Nooooo.

ROSE
Yes.

PASTOR CAMP
Sh-should I leave and come back? Would that be helpful?

DOCTOR
Probably not.

ROSE
I knew Jackie in another time... of our lives. She probably wouldn't remember me, but when I ran into Ethan, I remembered her. We got to talking, you know.

PASTOR CAMP
Oh, well, it's an incredible thing you've done. I saw the whole thing from the window. I can't imagine what it would've done to Jackie if anything happened to him. Plus, with the little one at home. I did call her, just so you know.

ROSE
Jackie's coming here?

PASTOR CAMP
We have sort of an arrangement, she and I. This isn't the first time this has happened.

DOCTOR
No kidding.

PASTOR CAMP
We try to sneak him out of here before the bitties come in to the office. He's a good man. I'm afraid just not a very happy one.

DOCTOR
Right, so, what can you tell me about the dragon?

PASTOR CAMP
I'm sorry, the what?

ROSE
When you say "not very happy", what do you mean by that?

PASTOR CAMP
You'd have to ask him. It's not my place to go into details. Did he just say 'dragon'?

ROSE
It's the name of his dog. He's lost his dog.

She gets up and heads for the door. The Doctor sees this and follows.

PASTOR CAMP
Where are you going?

DOCTOR
To look for the dragon.

Pastor Camp follows them out into...

INT. HALLWAY – CALVARY CHURCH

Rose marches across the hall and into the dark room where Ethan was seen sprawled out on the couch.

ROSE (O.S.)
I'm going to kick a grown man in the... he's gone.

She comes back out into the hall.

ROSE
He's not in there.

PASTOR CAMP
What do you mean he's not in there? I was just...

Pastor Camp leans into the room and turns the light on. He looks around.

PASTOR CAMP
He was just here.

ROSE
Come on, he couldn't have gone far.

The Doctor runs. Rose follows, with Pastor Camp not far behind.

EXT. SUBURBAN STREET CORNER – DAY

Ethan fumbles with his keys to unlock the door to his Ford Tempo. Across the street, Rose, Pastor Camp, and the Doctor run after him.

ROSE
No!

PASTOR CAMP
Ethan, don't!

DOCTOR
Here dragon, dragon. Here dragon, dragon.

Ethan pretends not to hear them. He finally gets the key in the door, unlocks it, and pulls the handle. Rose makes it to him before he can open the door all the way and slams it shut as he tries to open it.

ROSE
What are you doing? Are you trying to kill somebody? Are you trying to get yourself killed?

ETHAN
What? Oh, hello, again. No, it's fine. I was just going to, um, grab a paper.

PASTOR CAMP
Ethan, give me your keys.

ETHAN
I was gonna get you one, too, Pastor. I felt bad. You love reading the paper.

Pastor Camp reaches for the keys, but Ethan plays keep-away.

ROSE
You can't just get into a car when you're loaded. You're a grown man. Do you have any idea how irresponsible that is?

ETHAN
I had coffee. Besides, it's just down the street.

The Doctor hops forward, pressing his own hands and face against the back window of the Tempo. He obsesses over the interior.

DOCTOR
Dragon? Are you hiding in there, dragon?

PASTOR CAMP
Were you three out drinking together last night?

Rose pulls the Doctor away from the car.

ROSE
Doctor, I really need you to focus. Okay? Can you help me, please?

ETHAN
You called a Doctor on me, Pastor?

PASTOR CAMP
I didn't call him. These people saved your life.

JACKIE (O.S.)
Ethan!

They all turn.

Across the street, a bus drives away from the nearby bus stop from where Jackie approaches wearing a yellow waitress's apron. She's carrying a BABY GIRL with her in an infant carrier.

ETHAN
Saved my life for a few minutes, anyway.

The Doctor sees Jackie.

DOCTOR
(whispers)
Dragon?

ETHAN
Close enough.

Jackie marches up to Ethan and sniffs him several times.

JACKIE
Blow into my face.

ETHAN
Jackie, come on.

JACKIE
(sniffs)
I can't believe you. You promised.

Rose looks down at the baby, sees herself.

ROSE
Is that... Rose?

DOCTOR
Beautiful.

JACKIE
Who the hell are you two?

PASTOR CAMP
Jackie, we've talked about that word.

JACKIE
Well, I'm sorry, Pastor, but I'm supposed to be dropping Rose off at Jannie Culberson's, and then quickly darting across town by six, which I was already late for from making a thousand calls trying to track down this souse. I thought your were dead.

ETHAN
I told you I was sleeping at Donny's. You're always forgetting things.

JACKIE
You told me no such thing, or Donny for that matter. Who do you think I called first? Gave him an earful before I realized you weren't even with him.

ROSE
You weren't even home last night? You've got a little baby.

ETHAN
(to Jackie)
I was at Donny's. You know him. He's just a kidder. He was riding you, is all. Trust me.

JACKIE
How can I, when all you ever do is lie? It's my Dad all over again. Don't think I'm stupid.

ETHAN
That's not fair. After everything I've done for you, driving you around, to all the doctors, all I've sacrificed to pay off your debts.

JACKIE
After all of it, I'm my mother. You've turned me into my mother. Is this her?

Jackie motions to Rose.

ETHAN
Oh, for pete's sake, Jackie. In front of people like this? That's how you want it?

Jackie casts an accusatory glance at Rose.

JACKIE
Just another one of your tramps.

ROSE
(to Ethan)
You're a drunkard and a cheat?

JACKIE
You ought to know.

ETHAN
I am not a cheat.

Pastor Camp notices some curious onlookers at the bus stop.

PASTOR CAMP
Maybe we should move this inside. Come on.

He tries to pull Jackie with him but she shakes him off.

DOCTOR
Why inside? Is that where the dragon is? Do you have a pet dragon?

PASTOR CAMP
What?

DOCTOR
Dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon, dragon.

JACKIE
This your drinking buddy? He sounds even more loaded than you.

ETHAN
Don't be ridiculous. I have no idea who these people are.

PASTOR CAMP
(to Jackie)
Uh, she said she was an old friend of yours.

JACKIE
I've never seen this girl before in my life.

The baby whines.

ROSE
I told you she wouldn't remember me.

PASTOR CAMP
They did save Ethan's life.

JACKIE
Well, thank you for that. Cause now I'm gonna be the one to kill him.

A guttural 'SKREEEEEEE' is heard from above. Everyone looks up to where a black-fanged dragon the size of a double decker bus tucks its wings to its side and dive-bombs PEDESTRIANS waiting at the bus stop. It picks one of them up in its teeth and flies off as everyone else runs away screaming.

The Doctor points at the dragon.

DOCTOR
Oh, there's the dragon.

The Doctor feints, bouncing off the car as he falls. Rose sees this and kneels down to try and wake him.

ROSE
Doctor, wake up.

Jackie screams. The baby cries. Pastor Camp and Ethan huddle around Jackie, not knowing what to do. Rose observes the mayhem with her hand to her head.

ROSE
Oh, I am so overwhelmed.

The dragon SKREEEEEs.

-To be Continued...-