2×18: So This is Love?
Previously on Liberty City:
Donna and Jennifer hold an intervention for Logan.
Cassandra is turned down by Lisa for help.
Dan and Leah have a tiff concerning Cassandra’s place in Claire’s life.
Theo finds his way home.
Scene One: Liberty City Motel – Room 10, 90 Windmill Street, Liberty City, 01948.
Monica sits on her bed in her room at Liberty City Motel. As she switches between the two channels that work on the television, the electricity goes out. “Fuck,” Monica says out loud as Keith walks through the door. He asks, “What’s wrong?” She responds, “The electricity just went out. We went from two shitty channels to no channels.” “I’ll go down to the front desk and see what they can do.”
“Don’t bother,” Monica snarls. He replies, “Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.” “Yes, I did. I went from a comfy home with my husband to a motel room that doesn’t even get electricity.” “And that’s my fault because..?” “Excuse me? Of course it’s your fault! If you hadn’t kept your big mouth shut and stayed out of town like I asked, we wouldn’t be in this mess Keith.”
Suddenly, a knock is heard at the door. “Must be the tech,” Keith says. As he opens the door, Susan stands there looking unimpressed. Before Keith can invite her in, Susan walks in of her own free will. “Well, isn’t it the town trash bag and his two-bit trash bin,” Susan says, not surprised of Keith and Monica’s living arrangement.
“I’m going to go. It was lovely seeing you Susan, let’s never do it again,” Monica says, grabbing her coat as she exits the motel room. As Keith goes to exit himself, Susan interrupts and says, “Oh no you don’t. You don’t get to walk away from me. You think I’d let you get off easy? We’re not done Keith.”
Scene Two: The Smithson Residence, 1423 Seneca Avenue, Liberty City, 01948.
Dustin walks around his living room on the phone with his lawyer. He continues to discuss his wanting of a quickie divorce from Monica: “Yes. I want it done as soon as possible, and as quick as possible. Yes, I want custody of Isaac as well. Okay, thank you. I will be speaking with you soon.”
As Dustin hangs up with his lawyer, he goes over to the sleeper where Isaac is seen napping. “Well buddy, I’m not letting anything happen to you. No sir. Your mom is a nice gal who just makes really bad choices,” Dustin says to Isaac, as he strokes his cheek. As he continues to gaze at his son/half-brother, the doorbell rings.
As Derek rushes to the door, Jamie is there with Little D. “Hey,” Dustin says. Little D responds, “Hey dad!” “Did you have a fun time with mommy?” “Yeah. We played and we hung out with Nana.” Confused, Dustin looks at Jamie who responds, “My mom. She’s in town visiting for a bit.” “Oh, that’s good. I know how important it is that you spend time with her.”
Scene Three: Liberty City Courthouse, 1230 Oakland Road, Liberty City, 01948.
Monica arrives at the Liberty City Courthouse, where she is meeting her attorney. As she walks into her attorney’s office, she is greeted by her attorney. “Hello Monica,” says her attorney. Monica responds, “Hi. It’s nice seeing you, even though it’s under poor circumstances.” “So, what can I help you with?”
“Well, I made some horrible choices and I need to file for sole custody of son against my soon-to-be ex-husband before he tries to take the baby away from me legally,” Monica explains. Her attorney asks, “Do you currently have physical custody of your child?” “No, I don’t. He’s keeping him until we can figure something out and I know that my son belongs with me.” “And your husband, he’s the father of this child, yes?”
Monica swallows and replies, “No. He is not paternally his father. Legally, yes. But paternally, he’s his half-brother.” “So, your baby is your husband’s biological half-brother? Meaning that-” “That the father of my baby is my husband’s father, yes.”
Monica lets out a half-cocked smile as her nerves begin to get the best of her, as if being judged for making the decisions she’s made.
Scene Four: Liberty City Motel – Room 10, 90 Windmill Street, Liberty City, 01948.
“What do you want from me Susan? You know the truth, it’s out in the open. I can’t go denying it anymore,” Keith says. Susan lets out a half-cocked laugh and replies, “What do I want from you? Nothing now. You know, it’s not so much that you ruined our marriage, but you ruined my family.” “You’re family!? Isn’t is our family Susan?”
Enraged, Susan replies, “No. It’s my family. If it were our family, you wouldn’t have not only cheated on me, but slept with your son’s wife.” “You hated her anyway.” “That doesn’t matter, I at least tolerated the relationship. I’m not claiming to be a saint Keith, but compared to you, I sure am.”
Keith asks, “What makes you so high and mighty that you think you can talk to me this way? We’re still married Susan. I’m your husband, flaws and all.” “I’ve stood beside you for 40 years. Three children and three grandchildren. Where were you when our kids grew up?! Where were you when we lost Natalie.” “Don’t bring her into this. Don’t you dare,” Keith rages, throwing a glass vase across the room.
Susan laughs, unimpressed once again. She continues, “What about the years you weren’t there to help raise our children? You were there for Dustin; somewhat there for Derek and by the time Natalie came around, you weren’t even there. Isn’t that why we split in ’84? Isn’t that why we had that year apart, because you couldn’t get your act together.” “You know what that year apart was for. And you know what you did during the year, too. Or did you think I forgot about what,” Keith responds.
Infuriated, Susan brace fully walks over to Keith and slaps him straight across the face as hard as she possibly can. “Don’t you ever compare what happened that year to what you’ve done to this damn family. Don’t you ever,” Susan yells in rage.
As Susan gets ready to walk out, she turns around and says, “I’m done. I’m filing for divorce before the end of the year. This marriage is done.”
Scene Five: The Smithson Residence, 1423 Seneca Avenue, Liberty City, 01948.
“He sure is cute,” Jamie says, leaning over looking at Isaac. Dustin replies, “Yeah, he sure is. Absolutely cute as a button.” “Dustin, I’m sorry how this all went down. I really am.” “Yeah, I appreciate it Jamie. And I’m happy for you, getting your memory back and all.” “Thanks.”
Jamie and Dustin both take seats at the couch and catch up on what’s been happening in their lives. “So, how are you handling this whole situation with Monica and your dad? I mean, it must be stressful,” Jamie says. Dustin replies, “Yeah it is. I mean, it sucks. And I’m pissed. But I can’t turn the clocks back. I just feel like a fool, yah know; that I was able to be fooled for so long by not only my wife, but my father. I think my father’s betrayal is the one that hurts more.” “Yeah, I get it. I mean, he’s your father. He should know that boundary. And he crossed it. And now he needs to pay that price, and you just have to hope that Isaac is the main focus for everyone.”
Jamie asks, “So, do you think you’re going to divorce Monica?” “Actually, I’ve already filed for the divorce,” Dustin responds without a thought. “Wow. That’s fast.” “Yeah it is. And it’s helping me realize how much I disrespected you during our marriage. So, I apologize for that. I know it’s too late, but better late than never.” “I appreciate that Dustin, I do. I never wanted this for you. I would’ve never wished that your child turned out to be your brother.” “Yeah, well, that is my life for you.”
Both of them share a giggle, as if erasing the past and starting over on a clean slate. Dustin asks, “So your mom is in town, huh? You must be enjoying that.” “Yeah, I am. It was a true surprise, I wasn’t expecting her to visit,” Jamie responds. “Who’s watching your dad, then?” “Aunt Linda.” Jamie’s response leads both her and Dustin into a hysterical laugh. “Wow, that ought to be fun,” Dustin says sarcastically.
Jamie responds, “Oh yeah. Real fun. Good ‘ol Aunt Linda. But yeah, Little D is yours for the next few nights. Thank you for letting me have him for a little extra time.” “It’s no problem Jamie, I never wished to keep you two apart. So, are you and Derek on good terms?” “Yeah, we’re recollecting ourselves. It’s tough, being apart for so long.” “Well at least he’s there for you, and you know he’s got your back.”
Beginning to feel uncomfortable, Jamie says, “Okay, I should probably go. It’s getting late and I need to get home and you should get Isaac in bed.” “Yeah, thanks again Jamie,” Dustin says. “Anytime Dustin, I’m here as a friend, if you need me.”
Jamie grabs her coat, kisses Little D who has come downstairs to say bye, and leaves. Dustin says to Little D, “Alright bud, up to bed with you. I’ll be up in two minutes to tuck you in. I got to put Isaac to bed first.” “Aw man, I wanted to stay up,” Little D says. “Go!”
Scene Six: Liberty City Courthouse, 1230 Oakland Road, Liberty City, 01948.
Monica sits in her attorney’s office, as she waits for her to return with the filed paperwork. Her phone then rings and she sees that it’s Keith. She picks up:
Monica: Hello?
Keith: Hey, how’s it going with you?
Monica: Alright, I’m just wrapping up some business and then I’ll be back at the motel. How did your time with Susan go?
Keith: Let’s just say, there is glass all over the place and my face is sore.
Monica: What did you two do? Have rough sex?
Keith: No. She freaked out when I got a tad mad. And she’s filing for divorce.
Monica: Ouch. Just make sure the glass is cleaned up before I get there, I don’t want to deal with that bull. But I got to go. Bye.
As Monica hangs up, her attorney arrives. “Is everything okay? You don’t seem enthused,” Monica says to her attorney. She replies, “I just got these in, from Dustin.”
The attorney hands Monica papers that show that Dustin has filed for immediate divorce from her and for 50/50 custody of Isaac. “He’s filing for 50/50? He can’t do this,” Monica says out loud. Her attorney replies, “Actually, he can. He’s legally Isaac’s father. So unless you somehow get the baby’s biological father involved, there’s no keeping Dustin from getting 50/50 or even sole custody. That’s why I want to make sure that you want to file for sole custody of Isaac.”
After sitting and looking at the documents, Monica replies, “Yes. I want sole custody. And I want to file my own petition for divorce. Immediately; and it should be quicker than his.”
Scene Seven
Susan walks into The Buzz Café, where her phone immediately rings. She makes her way out onto the lanai, and answers: “Hey, thanks for calling back. You honestly don’t think I’d be making this call if it wasn’t an emergency? Keith is bringing up ’84. Yeah, I’m afraid of that, too. We can’t let him do that. You and I both know what we stand to lose, and at this point, I could give two shits. Let him burn.”
Monica arrives back at the motel, and upon opening the door, she sees a badly bruised Keith. She gently grabs the ice from his hands and rewraps it up in a towel. She gently presses the ice against his bruised face. And in this moment of compassion, the two share a longing kiss. Keith asks, “Are you sure?” “I’m sure,” Monica replies leaning back and pulls Keith on top of her.
Dustin tucks Little D in and goes to turn the light out. “Dad,” Little D says. “Yeah bud?” “Do you ever think you and mommy will get back together?” “I can’t say no and I can’t say yes bud. That relationship is complicated, but mommy and I love you. Goodnight.” Dustin shuts out the light and closes the door, leaving it ajar.
As Dustin walks downstairs and heads to the couch, a knock is heard at the door. As he opens up, he sees Jamie standing there with a blank expression on her face. As they stare at each other, they both attack each other in a very rigorous kiss. Dustin slams Jamie against the now closed door and they continue to kiss. Jamie rips the shirt off of Dustin, and he kisses her neck, letting her moan and press her finger tips into Dustin’s back. Jamie jumps up and wraps her legs around Dustin, as both of them go to the couch and continue on; neither of them caring about what they were doing.
On the Next Liberty City:
Leah and Dan’s relationship comes to an earth-shattering halt.
Dr. Ameera Perry finally meets Mathew and Braden as they retreieve Brenda’s belongings.
Tragedy strikes one family.