We Will Be Remembered
[December 2023. Fairview Cemetery. Midmorning]
(Dressed in black, all pay their respects and condolences in front of the grave of "Rebecca Stanton, 1957-2023". A short distance from her tombstone is that of "Franklin Howe, 1930-2008". Trying to hold back tears, Sam leaves a bouquet on her grave and Carla hugs him. Cliff, remembering his mother, bursts into tears and hugs Norm. Woody, who was also crying, was spreading his arms in Norm's direction, but when he sees Cliff walking towards Norm, he turned and hugged Diane)
Woody: I can't believe Mrs.- I can't believe Rebecca has...
Sam: None of us are safe from it. And now that we're older, even less so.
Carla: Shut up, Sammy. Don't make it more painful than it already is.
Sam: I'm sorry. I'm having a hard time accepting it too. The only thought that comforts me a little is that for the last 25 years she was happy.
Norm: But no matter how you look at it, she left us too soon. Just like Coach...
Carla: And Eddie...
Diane: And Heather...
Woody: And Alan...
Sam: And Harry... We've lost a lot of great ones.
Cliff: Ma...
Norm: Corinne, from The Hungry Heifer.
Diane: Boggs.
Sam: Al.
Woody: Phil.
Diane: Martin, Frasier's father...
Carla: And others we remember with mixed feelings, like Colcord.
Sam: Or Hill... I have an idea... Why don't we go to Cheers and open a bottle in honor of all of them?
Norm: Good idea.
Making your way in the world today
takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries
sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you wanna go
where everybody knows your name
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see
our troubles are all the same.
You wanna be where everybody knows your name.
You wanna go where people know
people are all the same.
You wanna go where everybody knows your name.
[January 2024. Cheers. Afternoon]
(The scenery at Cheers is not much different than it was a few years ago. Sam and Woody are behind the bar making drinks, Carla and Diane are serving customers, and Cliff and Norm are on their usual stools drinking beer turned toward the TV. When Ernie ends the game with a home run, everyone celebrates)
Cliff: (Looks at his watch) Lizzie and Oakley show is about to start.
Paul: (With remote in hand) What channel is it on?
Cliff: Paramount.
Sam: (Happy) I'm glad to see our customers supporting our kids.
Cliff: It's hard not to, Sammy. The show is great. Sharon and I watch it every week and we often end up crying from laughing so hard.
(Hearing this, Sam, Diane and Woody smile)
(...)
(When the show ends, Sam turns off the TV while Norm, Cliff and Paul comment on the episode with great enthusiasm. Seeing them, Sam and Diane smile and exchange a glance. At that moment, an old friend enters the bar)
Frasier: (Cheerful) Surprise!
(Seeing Frasier, they all turn to him in surprise)
Diane: (Happy and surprised) Frasier!
Sam: (Happy) Good to see you again, man! What brings you here?
Lilith: (Entering with Freddie) We came to show our son the place his parents met.
Daphne: (Entering with Niles and David, excited) Do you have the videotape of the program?
(Hearing Daphne and remembering, Sam and Diane start to laugh)
Niles: (Looks around) So this is Cheers. (Looks at Frasier) Dad would have loved it (smiles).
(Hearing Niles, Frasier smiles tenderly and wistfully and nods)
David: Judging by the amount of alcohol in this place, I think Professor Cornwall would enjoy it too.
(Frasier, hearing David, laughs a little)
Norm: Too bad your father didn't stick it out another year. I would have loved to have had one last beer with him.
(Hearing Norm, Frasier smiles)
Carla: (Watching Niles and David clean the chair before sitting down) Genetics is a wonderful thing (laughs).
Sam: (Happy to see him) Freddie! It's been a long time! How's life?
Freddie: I guess I can't complain.
Norm: Anyone who sees the kid would doubt if Fras is the father (laughs).
(Hearing this, everyone except Frasier and David smiles)
Lilith: Especially since his personality is a mix between Martin Crane and Sam Malone.
(Hearing this, Sam smiles)
Cliff: (To Freddie) Say, kid, psychiatrist like your parents? Or a cop like your grandpa?
Freddie: Neither, I'm a fireman.
Cliff: Civil servant. Best profession. (Smiles as he lifts his beer mug)
Sam: Sounds dangerous, but you must get lots of girls.
Freddie: Well, not to brag, but I'm gonna be Miss July in this year's calendar.
Cliff: So many memories... I was in one of those calendars too, when I was a mailman.
Carla: Yes, in the Halloween edition.
(Hearing Carla's comment, Sam and Diane turn around to hide their laughter and Norm laughs)
Carla: So how come you're all here? A family trip?
Niles: More like a weekend trip. We came to see David.
Sam: (To David) Are you studying in Boston?
David: Yes, I'm in my first year of Psychology at Harvard.
Diane: (Surprised) Harvard! That's wonderful! Congratulations.
Sam: So, Fras, you came just to show Freddie the bar?
Freddie: If you mean coming to Cheers, yes. If you mean coming to Boston, no. He's been living here for over four months.
Sam: (Surprised) You've been in town for over four months and you haven't come to see us?! (Somewhat hurt) What's wrong with you?
Frasier: I'm sorry, Sam. I guess I have no excuse... When I moved out, just like the first time, I tried to start my life from scratch. Well, not from scratch, but you know what I mean. I got a new job, bought a new house, met new people... I think deep down I didn't want to run away to what I knew, but to try to prove to myself that I could make a new place home, like when I moved to Seattle.
Sam: And how's that been going?
Frasier: Well, we're getting there. (Looks at Freddie with a smile and he smiles back)
Carla: (Comes out of Sam's office with a VHS videotape) I got the tape!
Daphne: This is gonna be good! (Sits down next to Niles) Do you think you can make me a copy for a friend?
Carla: (Gives her a page from her notebook and her pen) Write down your number. I'll share it with you later. I have a video collection of the best moments from Cheers history at home.
(Hearing Carla, Frasier laughs. Meanwhile, Carla runs to put the tape in the DVD player. When she turns on the TV, everyone stands around to watch the tape)
Host: First I'd like to introduce Dr. Frasier Crane. Dr. Crane is an eminent psychiatrist here in the Boston area specializing in treatment of phobias.Joining Dr. Crane in this discussion is Dr. Lilith Sternin. Dr. Sternin is a member of the psychiatric staff at Boston General Hospital.Welcome, Dr. Sternin.
Lilith: Thank you.
Host: Dr. Crane...
Daphne: (Surprised) Lilith, you were dazzling!
Lilith: Thank you. Although I can't take credit for it beyond my genetics. The makeup and hairstyle were Diane's doing.
(Diane, hearing her, smiles. Seeing the look on Frasier's face when he sees Lilith on the show, everyone laughs, including them)
Freddie: It's shocking how young you guys were. Mom there is younger than I am now. What were you? 25?
Lilith: Slightly older. Keep in mind that I had four titles there: M.D., Ph.D., Ed.D, A.P.A.
(...)
Host: You've made many excellent points, Dr. Sternin. How do you respond to them, Dr. Crane? (Seeing that Frasier is inattentive and staring blankly) Dr. Crane?
Frasier: Oh, excu... What was the question? Oh, uh, yes, of course. Excuse me, uh... Yes, my method of... flooding, uh, seeks out the patient's, well, most sensitive and vulnerable spot in the defense system, and, uh... (very horny) penetrates... probing deeper and deeper into the patient's psyche, thrusting over and over. And thereby uncovering the reality behind the irrational fear.
(Seeing how horny Frasier is, everyone laughs, although he and Lilith look back at it with some embarrassment)
Host: (Perplexed) Thank you, Dr. Crane. Anything to add, Dr. Sternin?
Lilith: (Very horny) Yes.(She pulls herself together and regains her usual seriousness) Uh... (Clears her throat, nervously) Although Dr. Crane's method is faster... (horny) a slow and methodical approach can be much more rewarding.
(Hearing Lilith, Freddie rubs his eyes and laughs a little, embarrassed; Lilith is embarrassed at the memory and the rest laugh)
Lilith: (Very horny) Gentle stroking of the psyche will bring about a far more intense release of emotion building until the patient quite often will literally cry out in a release of satisfaction and joy.
Lilith: (Embarrassed) Carla, turn that off.
Carla: (Looks at her with a mischievous smile) Not even for money.
Frasier: (Gasping): Point well taken.
(Hearing Frasier, everyone laughs; Freddie is still embarrassed; and Frasier and Lilith are somewhat embarrassed too)
Host: And that concludes this afternoon's program. (Shaking her hand) Dr. Sternin, (shaking his hand) Dr. Crane, thank you for joining us.
Frasier: (Seeing that Lilith accidentally rubbed his shoe when crossing her leg) Oh, excuse me.
(As the host ends the program, Frasier and Lilith caress each other's legs with their shoes until they reach each other's thigh)
Host: For a written transcript of this afternoon's show, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to "Psychology This Week", Box 84037, Boston, Massachusetts, 0220... (Seeing Frasier and Lilith) 5.
Daphne: (Wiping away her tears) This is cinema.
Niles: (Laughing) Roz is going to laugh at you for hours.
(Frasier, hearing him, laughs. As soon as Daphne had asked Carla for a copy, he had already imagined Roz sending him an audio of her laughing her head off as soon as she got home from work and saw the recording)
David: Did Grandpa and Grandma ever get to see this?
Frasier: Oh, sure they did... At that time your grandma was already sick, and Grandpa had the day off, so they witnessed the disaster together and live.
Niles: (Laughs) I still remember when you called me that night telling me how Mom and Dad had called to scold you (laughs).
(Frasier, hearing Niles, laughs embarrassedly)
Sam: I still think it's one of the best moments in Cheers history.
Diane: I agree. And also when they became a couple that same afternoon, after the show.
Carla: I don't know what made me laugh harder, how horny and desperate Frasier and Lilith were or your reaction to the kiss (laughs).
Norm: Especially Diane's (laughs).
Diane: (Frowns at the memory) How do you know that? If I remember correctly, you weren't there for once.
Norm: Some guys from the bar saw it and recreated it for us.
(Hearing Norm, Sam laughs and Diane smiles resignedly. At that moment, Ernie, Lizzie, Holly and Oakley enter the bar)
Ernie and Oakley: (Very happy) We have an important announcement!
(Hearing them, everyone turns to them and looks at them intently. Sam, Diane and Woody look at them nervously as they wonder if this is what they think they are thinking)
Lizzie and Holly: (Very happy, they show them their rings) We're engaged!
(Hearing the news, everyone celebrates and Sam, Diane and Woody run crying to hug them)
Frasier: (Very happy) Congratulations.
Woody: (Crying) Kelly is gonna be so happy when she finds out.
Norm: She was on a trip, wasn't she?
Oakley: Be back tonight.
Diane: (Looking at her children and Woody's children tearful and smiling, emotional) Tonight I want all the details.
Oakley: Why wait until tonight? We can recreate it now. (Holds Lizzie's hand)
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
for the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
in my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
with my lost saints.
I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life;
and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee even after death. (Puts one knee on the floor) Elizabeth Malone, would you marry me?
Diane: (Crying and holding a handkerchief in her hand, moved) Did you ask her to marry you with a Elizabeth Barret Brownie poem?
Oakley: Yes (smiles). When we were kids, Elizabeth told me how when you got engaged, Sam recited an excerpt from Tennyson's Ulysses. And also about the origin of her name. Reciting to her a poem by the author after whom you named your kitty when you were a child seemed like the perfect way to close the circle.
(Diane, touched, looks at him with a smile)
Carla: (To Sam, Diane and Woody) How does it feel to know that you're gonna be family now?
Sam: Honestly, it already felt like we were before. I mean, our kids have been dating since they were in high school, and when they moved in together we saw that it was serious. By the time they got through college and the pandemic, we both took it for granted that it was gonna be forever and that it was just a matter of time before this happened.
(Hearing Sam, his children are a little surprised)
Sam: Though we would have been happy either way. If you wanted to be together forever without getting married, we would have respected that. And whether or not you want kids, we're gonna respect that decision too, just like we respected that you chose the path that made you happy: Lizzie going to college, Ernie playing for the Red Socks.
Ernie: Thanks, Dad. And don't worry, you'll be grandparents someday.
Sam: (Happy and unable to contain himself, Sam clenches his fists and shrugs slightly in victory as a smile appears on his face) Great!
(Seeing Sam's reaction, Carla and Diane laugh)
Ernie: But that'll be pushing 30 or in our 30's. There's a lot we want to do before that.
Sam: That's fine with me.
Diane: And regarding your question earlier, Carla... I want to add that I feel equally happy and at ease. I have known Oakley since he was a little boy, and he has always been a gentleman. I know he will always respect Lizzie and try to make her happy. And Ernie takes after his father in many ways, but he's always been a one-woman man, and even though he can be a little difficult sometimes, we've raised him to always apologize for his mistakes and not to blow opportunities out of pride. I know Holly is going to have it a little harder with him than Oakley with Lizzie, but I know they're going to be happy together. Sam and I argued an awful lot more and here we are: happy, on our way to 30 years of marriage and with a healthier relationship and a purer love than we had for each other 40 years ago.
Norm: I'd honestly worry if you ate each other up the way you did 40 years ago.
(Hearing this, Sam and Diane laugh)
Diane: And as for us, Woody has always been like our younger brother. Kelly I met much later, but we have a good relationship and sometimes we go to cultural events together or with our daughters. Personally, I don't think it will make much of a difference. Like Sam said, it felt like we were family before.
Carla: (With a mischievous look) What about sex?
Lizzie: (Embarrassed) Carla...
Diane: (Looks at Carla with a resigned smile) Really? They're adults, we don't care what they do. They've been together since they were teenagers and they've never had any mishaps. We've clearly raised them well in that sense. Much better than your parents did with you.
Carla: (At the biting comment, she looks at her with a mischievous smile) Touché.
(Seeing her reaction, Diane looks at her with satisfaction)
Diane: (To Ernie) Did you go for a romantic proposal too?
Ernie: Judge for yourself. (Takes Holly's hand)
We have walked in Love's land a little way,
we have learnt his lesson a little while,
and shall we not part at the end of day,
with a sigh, a smile?
A little while in the shine of the sun,
we were twined together, joined lips, forgot
how the shadows fall when the day is done,
and when Love is not.
We have made no vows, there will none be broke,
our love was free as the wind on the hill,
there was no word said we need wish unspoke,
we have wrought no ill.
So shall we not part at the end of day,
who have loved and lingered a little while,
join lips for the last time, on our way,
with a sigh, a smile?
With a query?
Would you marry me?
Diane: (Moved) That's beautiful. I love how you added two lines to the poem to ask the big question. (Proudly, she looks at him with a smile) That's my boy.
Ernie: (Smiles) I tried to find one by Hemingway to live up to my name, but in the end I ended up going with Dowson.
Diane: It was a good choice.
Lizzie: I'm just curious, what were you guys doing all gathered here? Were you celebrating something?
Sam: No. If you're talking about the Cranes, they're coming to visit. And as far as what we were doing... I guess just remembering. We were talking about the best times we had on Cheers.
Frasier: Which ones do you remember with particular fondness or joy?
Sam: Technically it wasn't Cheers, although this is where we came to celebrate, but when Diane made us win the bowling game against Gary in '85 and when Ernie made us win the game against Gary Christmas 2003.
Frasier: (Frowns in confusion) 2003? Weren't your kids born in '97? They were 6 years old in 2003. And Gary lost the bar in '93, ten years earlier.
Sam: He came to visit and we beat him up (laughs). Ernie show promise at a young age. You should have seen Gary's face when he saw a kiddo hit a home run (laughs).
Norm: And Diane. I don't think he expected her to be good at two sports.
Diane: I was good at more than two.
Sam: You mean sex?
Diane: No (smiles). I meant that time we played ping-pong.
Sam: Ah!
Carla: The time Harry helped us get Gary to destroy his bar we also made history (laughs).
Woody: Another funny story was when we teamed up with Gary to teach Sam a lesson.
Sam: That time you went too far.
Lilith: And when Rebecca pretended to kill her sister (laughs).
Norm: Or when Sam thought he got his ex pregnant, went for the next one after promising celibacy to God and thought he had come down from heaven to punish him but it was just Woody rehearsing for his play (laughs).
Diane: (Laughs) Carla, do you have the security footage from that day?
Carla: I guess I can find it.
Frasier: One of the most special moments for me was when Freddie was born.
(Hearing him, everyone smiles tenderly)
Sam: I remember that day we were celebrating the anniversary of Cheers. Rebecca had thrown a costume party and dressed up as if she were a woman from the 19th century.
Diane: I wish I could have been at that party.
Sam: I know. You guys would've been annoying, but you would've been beautiful.
Norm: We complained a lot about Rebecca, but the truth is that she looked really good dressed like that.
Sam: Except for when she came in a robe and slippers and without combing her hair, I don't remember a time when she looked bad. As far as clothes go. The hair and makeup when she was depressed were not precisely beautiful.
Frasier: She was still a gorgeous woman.
Sam: Yes, and she had beautiful eyes. She's missed...
Frasier: (Smiles sadly) Yes... Another moment I remember with particular fondness is when Freddie said "Norm" for the first time (smiles). His first word (laughs). Or when Lilith and Nanette got into a fight (laughs). What a show.
Sam: For a show though, Woody and Kelly's wedding (laughs). What a disaster...
Cliff: Not all the parties were bad. Halloween '84 and '96 were almost perfect. Those are the moments I cherish the most.
Norm: No wonder (laughs).
Diane: In general, holidays here are fun. At Christmas we always have a good time together.
Sam: And when we leave the bar to do something together out there too.
Diane: I personally think that's one of the things that has made us grow and improve as a group.
Norm: Do you really think we've grown and improved in some ways, Diane?
Diane: Absolutely. Carla is less obnoxious now than she was 40 years ago, and most of the time she teases us just for the fun of it, not because she really hates us.
Carla: I'm also much happier than I was 40 years ago. I went from being divorced from that jerk Nick and always pregnant to being married to a man who loves me and being able to do it without worries.
Sam: Is Hank sterile?
Diane: No, you idiot. She was talking about age. Don't you remember the day she came to the bar celebrating?
Norm: (Laughs) Like we'd forget. She made confetti out of her leftover condoms (laughs).
Diane: Hank and Carla's wedding day is also one of my fondest memories. Obviously because it was the day Ernie and Lizzie were born, but also because of the wedding itself. It made me so happy to see Carla happy at last.
(Hearing her, Sam, Carla, Norm, Woody and Frasier smile)
Sam: Also when you told me we were going to be parents. To this day it is still one of the happiest days of my life.
(Hearing this, Diane, Frasier, Woody, Carla, their children and their children's partners smile)
Sam: And when Coach told his daughter that she deserved better than that jerk.
Diane: It was a beautiful moment. And he did the right thing. Lisa and Tom are very happy, and I'm sure Coach loves his grandchildren.
Sam: That reminds me of another memory, although it didn't take place in Cheers. But it will always be one of my favorites. When Coach taught Ernie to play in his dreams and when he and Lizzie recognized him in our photo albums and called him "Grandpa".
(Hearing Sam, Frasier is surprised)
Frasier: But they had seen pictures before, right?
Sam: At home we didn't have any of him in sight. When Diane found out she was pregnant, we took the picture frames off the furniture and most of the pictures out of precaution.
Diane: And thank goodness we did. We couldn't take our eyes off those two when they were kids.
Frasier: So... They met him for the first time in their dreams? Without ever seeing him? But you would have told him about him.
Sam: No, they were just three years old when that happened.
Frasier: (Surprised) That's impressive.
Lilith: I know of cases of people who have developed both motor and intellectual skills in their sleep, but to this day I lack a plausible scientific hypothesis to explain how they could recognize a person they'd never seen before.
Carla: The only possible explanation is that it was really Coach. Diane also had a similar experience.
Lilith: But in her case it was reasonable. When a person has a near-death experience, they often dream of a loved one who has passed away. Although I personally find it frightening and ominous rather than comforting in many cases.
Diane: It scared me badly at first. Luckily I quickly realized it was a dream.
Woody: Perhaps some things are better left unexplained.
Norm: I agree. Some things are meant to be enjoyed without thinking too much about them. Like beer.
(Hearing him, Sam, Diane and Frasier smile resignedly)
Sam: Another memory I'll always treasure even though it didn't take place at Cheers either was when you gave me the painting with the kids and Coach (smiles). Along with my Corvette, our house and our photo albums, it's my most prized possession.
(Diane, hearing Sam, smiles)
Sam: Another precious memory: when Coach and I bought Cheers (smiles).
(Hearing Sam, Carla, Norm and Diane smile)
Carla: I know my life was miserable back then, but I will always remember fondly the day I started working at Cheers (smiles). It changed my life forever (smiles).
(Hearing Carla, Sam, Woody, Diane, Frasier and Norm smile)
Woody: Mine too. I honestly would have liked to work at least for a while with Coach, but I'll always be grateful that you guys took me in like family. Because of that, this place quickly became home to me (smiles).
(Hearing Woody, everyone smiles)
Sam: And to think that when you started working here you were younger than our kids are now... Time flies.
Diane: Yes, but Cheers will always feel like home. A place where we belong.
Norm: Where everybody knows our name.
Frasier: And they're always glad we came (smiles).
Diane: It's funny how when I first came to Cheers, you all thought I was a fish out of water. But when I came back years later, with several failures behind me, but with a new job, a project in mind and determined to stay, I felt like I had come back home. You really make this place our own (smiles).
Frasier: I still remember when you came to Seattle to try to premiere an adaptation of what our life was like at the bar.
David: (Surprised) You write fanfics?!
(Hearing Diane's comment, Lizzie, Ernie and Oakley laugh and Diane looks at him with a smile)
Diane: Do you consider the Bible a fanfic?
Lilith: In a sense, yes.
(Hearing her, Sam and Frasier hold back their laughter)
Diane: Let's say I write based on real events.
Frasier: You sure do (laughs). But back to where I was... I could tell you missed this place and its people (smiles). Sam especially (laughs).
(Hearing Frasier, Sam and Diane laugh)
Frasier: (To Sam) You laugh now, but when you came to see me a year before she did, I could tell you missed her too, even though you did not mention her at any point. You were trying to find with Sheila what you had with Diane. If you think about it, it's even funny. You had exactly the same reaction Diane had when she left me at the altar (laughs). As much for your sake as hers, I'm glad that after what happened in Seattle, Diane realized and changed direction. I myself am seeing that reconnecting and going back to where we were happy is not always crazy. (Looks at Freddie and Lilith with a smile and they smile back) And I'm also glad I found a new Diane the next time we met again.
(At Frasier's comment, Diane smiles)
Frasier: A happy, successful Diane, on her way to accomplishing her goals (smiles). And look at you now: happy in your marriage to Sam, with two children you can be proud of, a wonderful son and daughter-in-law, a few published novels, a couple of movies that were relatively successful at the box office and among critics, three series that have received awards and two of which have brought you fame (smile). And the best part is that one of them tells our story. The story of all of us. The 30-40-year-old Diane would have been so happy to see all the accomplishments of the 50-60-year-old Diane... And I can say the same about you, Sam: married to the woman you never stopped loving and with three families, all perfect and intertwined: your friends, the one you two created and your in-laws (smiles). And... (laughs) I never thought I'd see Cliff married or Carla happy instead of angry, and for that to be with Sam and Diane still married has a lot of merit (laughs).
Niles: I guess... deep down we're all looking for the same thing: a reciprocal love and people and a place to call home (smiles as he looks at Daphne and kisses her).
Frasier: Yes... (smiles).
(Ernie and Lizzie, seeing the direction the conversation was taking, exchange glances and smiles and, as if reading each other's thoughts, nod)
Lizzie: We were planning to screen this for Mom's birthday, but I think now feels more right. Just give me a few minutes.
(...)
(After a while, Lizzie turns on the TV and Taylor Swift's Long Live starts playing while little clips of everyone in the 80's and 90's walking into the bar appear on screen)
Sam: (Surprised) How did you get all those clips?
Lizzie: Carla, home videos and security cameras. Rebecca shared her files with us when she knew her time was near.
(Hearing Lizzie, everyone is surprised)
Sam: (Surprised) That's what she wanted your email for...
Ernie: Wait, 'cause you're not gonna believe your eyes.
(As lines from the song play, different moments in the lives of all of them appear on screen. Just as Ernie had said, they were all stunned and amazed by the projection. By the end of the video, everyone was emotional)
I said remember this moment / in the back of my mind
(When Sam and Diane said goodbye to each other in '87, she promising to come back in six months and he wishing her a good life)
The time we stood with our shaking hands / The crowds in stands went wild
(When Sam and Diane tried to get married in '87, but in the end decided not to and the public went wild)
We were the kings and the queens / and they read off our names
(When Diane and Sam got married in '96)
The night you danced like you knew our lives / would never be the same
(When Diane took to the dance floor on their honeymoon in Barcelona in '96 and blew Sam off his feet)
You held your head like a hero / on a history book page
(When Sam proposed to Diane in the garden in the summer of '96 and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket to recite an excerpt from a poem)
It was the end of a decade, / but the start of an age
(When Diane accepted the proposal in '96 and when they kissed at their wedding)
Long live the walls we crashed through
(When Diane threw the bouquet after their wedding in '96 and when Gary blew the Cheers door down with dynamite in '92)
How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you
(When they all made the final apotheosis in front of the door singing You'll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and the Pacemakers after collecting money to help Carla when she got pregnant with Lucinda in '83; and the glances between Sam and Diane when they became sweethearts for the first time in '83)
I was screaming: "Long live all the magic we made"
(When they beat Gary at bowling in '85, and Harry the Hat's tricks in the early '80s)
And bring on all the pretenders
(When Gary pretended to be Woody and fooled Sam after faking his death in '91)
One day we will be remembered
(When Sam properly placed Geronimo's painting after the failed attempt to get back together with Diane in '93)
I said remember this feeling
(A shot of Sam and Diane from a home video in which they are looking at each other on the couch in front of a photo album in the late 90s or early 2000s)
I passed the pictures around
(A shot of Diane turning the pages of a photo album)
Of all the years that we stood there on the sidelines
(Photos of Sam and Diane between '87 and '95)
Wishing for right now
(Another clip from the home video of Sam and Diane, kissing after having been looking at the photos in the album)
We are the kings and the queens
(When Ernie and Lizzie made his parents dress up as king and queen and played the Coronation March from The Prophet, by Giacomo Meyerbeer in 2003 as they left the room)
You traded your baseball cap for a crown
(When Ernie and Lizzie crowned their father and mother in front of Toby and Becky)
When they gave us our trophies / and we held them up for our town
(When, in 2003, Ernie made them win the baseball game against Gary and they raised the trophy and the winner as a sign of victory)
And the cynics were outraged, / screaming: "This is absurd"
(When Gary could not believe that a six-year-old had made such a pitch)
'Cause for a moment, a band of thieves / in ripped up jeans got to rule the world
(When they danced with umbrellas around one of the tables at Gary's Olde Towne Tavern after setting off the fire alarm and filling the bar with water in '92)
Long live the walls we crashed through
(When Carla and Diane chased Cliff and Norm with squirt guns on the beach in the summer of '96)
How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you
(When they lit sparklers at Cheers to bid farewell to '96 and welcome '97)
I was screaming: "Long live all the magic we made"
(When Cliff screamed in fright as he heard an evil laugh as the door opened on Halloween '96 and when he saw Sharon again, this time dressed as Miss Marple)
And bring on all the pretenders, I'm not afraid
(When Lillian discovered Harry's trick in the summer of '96, while Sam and Diane were on their honeymoon)
Long live all the mountains we moved
(When they all returned to Cheers after the pandemic of covid 19)
I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you
(When Sam and Diane played a game of filling a glass with water from afar with a hose in '82, the day Coach's daughter came to visit)
I was screaming: "Long live that look on your face"
(When Diane shuffled all the papers in frustration trying to write a good poem after a prestigious magazine published Sam's poem and not hers, and when she realized that Sam kept her love letters all the time, even after they had broken up)
And bring on all the pretenders
(When Jack Dalton went on Cheers to try to encourage Diane to do something crazy)
One day we will be remembered
(When they all went to the cemetery in December 2023 to leave flowers to those who are no longer with them)
Hold on to spinning around
(When Sam and Diane had a Valentine's date on the boat where Diane turned down Sam's first proposal and they danced to Titanic's song at sunset on Valentine's Day '98)
Confetti falls to the ground
(When confetti balls exploded on the ceiling and fell to the floor at the beginning of '97)
May these memories break our fall
(When they all went camping in the fall of '97 and when Sam and Diane finished Frankenstein cuddling on the couch with a cup of tea)
Will you take a moment? / Promise me this / That you'll stand by me forever
(When Sam and Diane got back together in May '96 and said goodbye in front of the front door of the house)
But if, God forbid, fate should step in
(When Diane collapsed in the bar in '96 after Andy ordered her poisoning)
And force us into a goodbye
(When everyone –with the exception of Diane, who was in Europe and did not find out until much later– said goodbye to Coach at his funeral)
If you have children someday
(When Ernie and Lizzie were born)
When they point to the pictures, / please tell them my name
(When Ernie and Lizzie recognized Coach in a '80s photo album and called him "Grandpa" and Sam told them who Coach really was, what his name was and that they had named Ernie after him)
Tell them how the crowds went wild
(When the Red Sox won games during Sam's golden years and he and Coach celebrated as the crowd went wild)
Tell them how I hope they shine
(When Ernie won his first game with the Red Sox in 2015 and Lizzie triumphed with her first play in 2019)
Long live the walls we crashed through
(When they all danced with their partners on Valentine's Day '97, Sam and Diane, Cliff and Sharon and Hank and Carla after a long time and after overcoming many hardships)
I had the time of my life with you
(When Sam and Diane were playing underwater on the beach in the summer of '96, her laughing at him because he reminded her of a fish and him squeezing her cheeks and laughing at her)
Long, long live the walls we crashed through
(When Sam was trying to learn how to parent a doll on Cheers in '96, and when Sam first babysat alone with the kids in '98 while Diane was in Europe)
How the kingdom lights shined just for me and you
(When Sam, Diane, Ernie, Lizzie, Woody, Kelly, Oakley and Holly danced in the castle on Christmas 2003)
And I was screaming: "Long live all the magic we made"
(When Sam gave his children a map for Christmas and they discovered a secret magical world behind a bookshelf in the basement on Christmas 2003)
And bring on all the pretenders, I'm not afraid
(When Diane talked to Andy just after the trial was over in '96)
Singing long live all the mountains we moved
(When Hank and Carla got married on Cheers in March '97)
I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you
(When Sam and Diane walked into the bar playing with squirt guns in '83)
And long, long live the look on your face
(When Woody unintentionally scared Sam and Carla by walking in dressed as Moses for a play in '88)
And bring on all the pretenders
(When Carla tried to kill Diane with her scythe at the '96 Halloween party after she confessed that the letters were her doing)
One day, we will be remembered
(A calendar flipping the pages from 1983 to 2023 and the Cheers logo)
(...)
[Malone's home. Nighttime]
(Still in street clothes, Sam and Diane are sitting on the couch. Diane is reading a book and Sam is watching an episode of Cheers. When he finishes, he turns off the TV, is quiet for a few seconds and looks at his wife)
Sam: Hey, Diane... I was wondering... How...? How do you think your life would have been if you hadn't been offered that job in Boston back in '96?
Diane: (Surprised) Why are you asking me that now?
Sam: I was thinking about us, and about the ones who aren't here anymore... Even though some of them left too soon... they... they had a good life. Well, Rebecca for the last 20 or 25 years, taking out probably the last three.
Diane: If I'm honest with you, Sam, I think sooner or later I would have ended up coming back to you. Maybe we wouldn't have had Ernie and Lizzie, but at least we would have had each other.
(Sam smiled as he heard her. He also liked to think that is what would have happened)
Diane: How do you see it?
Sam: The same... And... If you could go back... Would you come back in six months?
(Diane was silent for a while before answering)
Diane: Knowing what I know now... yes. The projects that have made me famous would have eventually come to me. And at your side those years would have been much happier.
Sam: Looking at it this way, we actually lost six years of our lives... While everyone else was moving forward, we were stumbling and falling, and that missing each other all the time without admitting it. We were two idiots.
Diane: At least we realized it in time.
Sam: Yeah...
Diane: Of the three times there was something between us, the last one was the best. Even though we were older, we still had the same chemistry we had when we first became lovers: the complicity gazes, the smiles, the laughs, the passion in bed, the desire to be with each other... The difference is that we no longer doubted why we were together, we respected each other and there was a new kind of love, a purer one.
Sam: That was there the time before too.
Diane: Yes, but with me driving you crazy and you getting mad all the time I couldn't enjoy it.
(Sam, listening to Diane, laughs)
Diane: I'm glad this time it wasn't a year or a few months, but 27 years and counting.
Sam: Yes. (Grabs her hand and kisses it) It's been a good life, and it will keep on being.
*Author's note. If you've made it this far, thank you for reading this story. Now that it's over I want to take this opportunity to say that feedback is appreciated, to thank a friend who has supported me throughout the whole process and whose comments have always brightened my day, and to recommend two fanfics. Two of the moments Woody and Carla highlight in this chapter are when they started working at Cheers. There are two authors who have written or expanded on this moment and I would like to recommend them because I really enjoyed their stories. The Calling, by FuzzyBlueStockings, narrates a first meeting between Carla and Coach, how Coach encourages her to work at Cheers and the first meeting with Norm and Sam before she starts working as a waitress. First Impressions Never Fade, by Rush Limborg, relates the moment Diane returns to Cheers after having been working at a convent and meets Woody. Personally, it's a moment I feel they should have included in the show, and this story fills that gap perfectly. Both stories are beautifully written and are very faithful to the characters. Here are the links if you want to read them:
- The Calling: /works/47289436/chapters/119158570
- First Impressions Never Fade: s/9308736/1/First-Impressions-Never-Fade#google_vignette