From: Marni Centor <marni@panix.com>

GUIDING LIGHT UPDATE -- THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1998

SPAULDING MANSION: Beth fixes Lizzie's hair & tells her she's going to have 
a wonderful time baking gingerbread cookies with her grandmother tonight. 
Lizzie wants to make a gingerbread family, with a mommy, a daddy & a little 
girl, just like herself & her parents. Beth says this is a wonderful idea. 
The doorbell rings & Nettie shows Lillian in. Lizzie runs to her grandma. 
Lillian asks if Beth is coming too. Beth sends Lizzie upstairs to get her 
stuff. Beth asks Lillian if it's OK for Lizzie to stay over with Lillian 
tonight. Beth is hoping that she & Phillip can get back together because 
Harley & Phillip are having problems. Lillian doesn't like the idea.

DINER: Eleni tells a cute story about Marina while Harley serves meals to 
some customers. Phillip comes in from behind Harley & puts his hands over 
her eyes. Harley guesses RuPaul. Phillip shows her a document that means 
they've got their house. Harley is thrilled & gives him a big hug & kiss.

JAIL: Annie says hi to the guard as he walks by. Then she starts ranting to 
herself that she's got to get out of jail & go to Mexico for a divorce so 
she can come back & marry Alan. She knows he still loves her. She just has 
to explain everything to him. Then Alan will marry her & she can get back 
at Reva.

Annie walks up to the bars & tells the guard she likes him better than the 
others because he's nice & more handsome. He tells her she has a visitor. 
It's Alan. Annie is thrilled to see him. She knew he would forgive her.

She doesn't blame Alan for being mad at her, but she says she's learned her 
lesson. The jail is worse than County General. She says the guard who just 
walked away keeps making lewd suggestions to her & she hasn't been able to 
sleep from worry. And the food is awful. She can't wait to go home with 
Alan & doesn't know what she would have done if he hadn't come. Alan just 
nods slightly as she goes on & on. She apologizes for humiliating Alan in 
front of everyone. She promises to get a quickie divorce so they can be 
married & take over Lewis Oil as planned. She doesn't want a big wedding; a 
simple ceremony will do, with maybe a honeymoon in Tahiti. She can hardly 
wait to be married. She wonders if they should get married as soon as she 
returns from Mexico, or maybe they should wait for all the bad press to 
blow over. Alan says nothing. She says he doesn't have to make up his mind 
right away. Finally she slows down & asks him what's wrong. Alan says she's 
misunderstood why he came. "The truth is, I wouldn't marry you if my life 
depended on it."

SPAULDING MANSION: Beth says Harley was just Phillip's "rebound woman," & 
she now knows that Phillip is bound to come back to her. Tonight, she's 
just going to push things along a little. Lillian wishes Beth would 
reconsider. Beth is smart & beautiful & can have any man she wants. Beth 
says she wants Phillip. Lillian says Phillip has made it very clear that he 
was over Beth. Beth thinks that's just because he thought he loved Harley. 
Tonight she's going to remind him that he really loves her. Lillian thinks 
this isn't at all like Beth. Beth thinks she's doing the right thing by 
trying to put her family back together. Lillian thinks Beth is going about 
it in the wrong way. 

Beth is sorry that her mom feels that way. But living on her own has taught 
her that she has to go after what she wants. Lillian asks what if Beth is 
wrong? Beth refuses to accept this possibility, because she & Phillip had 
such a special love. Lillian can't relate; she never had a love like that. 
Without Phillip, Beth feels empty & incomplete. She & Phillip have always 
been together. She remembers the prom, when she was dancing with Rick & 
Phillip was dancing with Mindy. Their eyes met & she knew the meaning of 
true love. Without Phillip, she feels like part of her soul is missing. She 
needs him back & is sure she can win him back & make him love her again. "I 
have to."

DINER: Harley & Phillip go outside & kiss some more. Frank & Eleni watch 
through the window until Eleni chides Frank for being a peeping Tom. 
Phillip can't wait until they're together in their own place. Harley says 
in just a couple of weeks, they'll be there, but in the meantime, her 
apartment & his desk are working just fine. Phillip jokes that Harley's 
sofabed can't take much more, & they'll have to go furniture shopping. 
Harley knows the perfect place -- the west wing of the Spaulding Mansion, 
where Alex tossed her old furniture every time she replaced it. Harley's 
got a particular four-poster bed in mind, but Phillip doesn't like this 
idea. He wants to start with a clean slate. Harley says it'll cost him a 
fortune, but if that's what he wants. Phillip suggests that they start 
shopping now, but Harley promised to cover for Buzz until he returns. She 
tells Phillip to go home & make a list of everything they might need, & 
she'll meet him later. He agrees & heads off. 

Harley goes back inside. Frank is looking mightily pissed, but Harley 
doesn't notice. She asks if she can have their mother's armoire, since the 
apartment over the diner is so crowded anyway. Eleni says of course, but 
Frank says, "Over my dead body." Harley is taken aback & says he can keep 
it if it means so much to him. Frank says it's the idea of her moving in 
with Phillip that he doesn't like.

CARRIAGE HOUSE: [The opening exterior shot of the carriage house looks 
vastly different than I remember it in the past. It doesn't look like a 
carriage house at all. Yuck.] Blake brings out a platter of crudite & 
thanks Holly for coming over for dinner. Holly says Fletcher is working 
late again & she couldn't get a baby-sitter. Ross says it's always nice to 
have Holly & Meg around. Blake thinks Meg seems to be doing really well. 
Holly agrees, then rants about Fletcher wanting to pack them all off to 
Canada so Meg can attend a special school in Toronto. Ross finds it hard to 
believe that Fletch would leave the Journal, but Holly says he's like a man 
possessed on this issue. Blake says Holly can't leave. Holly has no 
intentions of doing so. Blake wants to watch her little sister grow up.

Holly suggests a change of subject. She asks about the preparations for 
Abby's trial. Ross explains about the missing videotape that might help 
Abby. Without it, the case will be very tough. Blake suggests another 
change of subject. Suddenly, the door flies open & Vanessa stalks in. As 
Ross starts to say that he was going to call her, she walks right up to him 
& slaps his face.

Blake & Holly are mystified about what's going on. Vanessa says Ross is 
representing Matt in a lawsuit against her. She says he's taking her to 
court & forcing her to have her baby born, and the baby might die. Blake 
can't believe Ross would be involved in something like that. She insists 
that Ross supports a woman's right to do whatever she wants with her body. 
She urges Ross to tell Vanessa that she misunderstood. Ross walks away 
without saying anything. Vanessa turns to Blake & explains the whole thing. 
They want her to have a C-section now & they don't give a damn what happens 
to the baby.

JAIL: Annie tries to convince Alan that he'll get over being angry with 
her, just as she got over her anger at him for losing custody of Tammy. 
Alan sits down & opens his briefcase. He says he will never forgive her. 
Annie thinks it's just his anger talking. She knows he's there to bail her 
out. Alan says bail won't be set until Annie is extradited to Ohio. She 
says he can use his influence to get her out. Alan says he could, but he 
won't. Annie asks why he bothered to come, then. He shows her a document & 
says he's been subpoenaed to testify against her in her extradition 
hearing. He has no choice & wanted her to know in advance. He wishes her 
good luck. Annie yells that she'll get a great lawyer & get out on her own. 
Alan points out that lawyers cost money, but Annie says she'll sell her 
Lewis Oil stock to pay for it. 

Alan doesn't think that will be possible. He reminds Annie about when he 
signed the stock over to her. He advised her at the time to read the 
contract carefully & have a lawyer go over it, but she was too anxious & 
just signed without checking it over. There's a "moral" clause that says if 
Annie does anything illegal or embarrassing, the stock reverts to Alan. 
Annie yells that he can't do this. Alan shows her the Springfield Mirror 
with the headline "Men are Gluttons for Dutton" & says it's all in there. 
The stock is now his.

CARRIAGE HOUSE: Ross says he thinks Vanessa has lost her mind. Vanessa says 
he has to say that because of the lawsuit. Ross says he believes it. He's 
known her a long time & he cares very much about her. They have a daughter 
together. He wants Vanessa to live to see Dinah's children, & Bill's & even 
Peter's. Has she forgotten all the joy she can still bring to the children 
she has? Van shakes her head & says how could she forget. Ross says they've 
barely recovered from thinking they'd lost her. He gave her eulogy & he 
doesn't want to do it again. Matt is doing everything in his power to save 
her because he loves her so much. Ross says he would do the same for Blake. 
Ross says he & Matt want what's best for Van & her baby. Van begs him to 
leave them alone. Ross says no. He filed the papers in court this morning. 
Unless Van has the C-section now, the suit will proceed. Since he flagged 
it as a medical emergency, the suit could be heard in the morning.

Blake goes to Vanessa & defends her. She tells Ross she won't let him do 
this to Vanessa.

DINER: In the pantry, Frank tells Harley that she'd said earlier that she & 
Phillip were taking things slowly, and now suddenly they're moving in 
together. He wants to know what's going on. Harley angrily replies that 
it's her relationship with the man that she loves. She asks Eleni what's 
the matter with Frank. Eleni is clueless. Frank just thinks they should 
take it slower. Harley says this is the right thing for them now. Frank 
thinks Harley is crazy & asks Eleni to back him up. She opts to leave 
instead. Harley tells Frank to mind his own business, because she & Phillip 
are very happy. Frank points out that Beth is still in Springfield. Harley 
says Beth has decided to stay in Springfield. So what? Frank had better 
stop interrogating her like a suspect. Frank just doesn't want to see 
Harley get hurt again. Harley says she can take care of herself & tells 
Frank to go blow his nose.

Frank cracks up remembering the first time Harley told him to do that. It 
was because she knew if she used a curse, she'd get in even more trouble 
than she was already in. Harley laughs too & the fight is forgotten as they 
reminisce in one of the booths about a time when Harley was a Little League 
umpire & Frank came to her rescue when the crowd was about to lynch her for 
a bad call. Frank reminds her that he's always available to help her out. 
Harley knows that. Frank is just concerned over the whole Phillip & Beth 
thing. Harley says Phillip & Beth are over, and Beth knows it. There's no 
chance of them getting back together.

SPAULDING MANSION: Phillip comes home & says hi to Beth & Lillian. Beth 
says he's just in time to say goodbye to Lizzie, who runs downstairs with 
her stuff. Beth asks Nettie to get Lillian's coat. Lillian shoots daggers 
at Beth as she dons her coat, then hugs Beth goodbye. Lillian & Lizzie 
leave. Phillip thanks Beth for all her help in the past few days, 
especially with regard to Alan. Beth says they've had their problems with 
Alan in the past, but since she's been back, she's seen another side of 
him. He's been less uptight. Phillip agrees that Alan is certainly 
wonderful with Lizzie. Beth wants Lizzie to get to know her grandfather 
better. She feels a sense of family is very important to a child. Phillip 
excuses himself so he can go work in the study.

Beth calls Nettie & asks her to have a tray of champagne & caviar sent up 
to her bedroom.

DINER: Frank beats Harley in an arm-wrestling contest. Eleni is happy to 
see them getting along again & asks if Harley can stay a little longer 
because Buzz is running late. Harley calls Phillip to tell him. He tells 
her not to be too late, if she wants to get to the furniture store. "I have 
a gold card & I'm not afraid to use it," he jokes. "Very good," says 
Harley. "Yes, I am," agrees Phillip. They hang up. Nettie comes downstairs 
& tells Phillip that Beth would like to see him upstairs.

JAIL: Annie says the Lewis stock is all she has left. Alan says she should 
have thought of that before. Annie says never mind; she'll still make a 
bundle with the fragrance that Michael created for her. "No you won't," 
replies Alan, bursting her last bubble. He says Annie has no money to 
distribute the fragrance, so she won't be able to sell it. Besides, he told 
Michael to destroy the formula. "Simply Annie is simply history," he 
sneers. Annie pouts. Alan shows Annie the only bottle of the fragrance that 
exists, & teases her with it as she tries to grab it through the bars. 
Finally, he opens the bottle & pours it all over her hand. She screams as 
she sees her last hope dripping to the floor, then cries.

As Alan wipes his hands on his handkerchief, Annie asks why Alan did that 
when he knew that having her own perfume was her life's dream. Alan reminds 
her that she ruined his dream, too -- the dream of having her as his 
lifelong companion. Annie says the perfume could have made them rich. Alan 
says he already is rich. And Annie can't miss what she never had. Annie 
says she apologized, & what Alan is doing to her is inhumane. Alan says he 
had to make sure she really understood him. Besides, who would buy a 
perfume named after a psychotic bigamist? He only financed the perfume to 
humor Annie anyway. "This nightmare is over," says Alan.

Annie says he shouldn't be so sure. She knows lots of things about him, & 
they're all bad. Once she opens her moth, he's going to be in a heap of 
trouble. Alan says everyone else was right -- she's really a piece of work. 
Does she really think she can prove anything? He never told her anything 
she could use against him. Annie is sure that when she tells the police 
what Alan did to help her against Reva, they'll find proof. Alan thinks it 
unlikely that they're going to listen to her at all. "I hate you!" she 
yells at him. He says the feeling is mutual, and leaves. Annie continues to 
yell after him that she hates him. She cries as she picks up the empty 
perfume bottle. 

The guard comes by with Annie's supper. She says she's not very hungry. He 
asks if she's OK. No, she says. She thanks him for noticing that 
something's wrong. He says he hates to see a woman cry. Annie says it's 
very sweet of him & asks him his first name. He says it's Stanley. She says 
it's always nice to be on a first-name basis.

SPAULDING MANSION: Phillip knocks on Beth's door & she invites him in. 
She's wearing a short fur coat & says it's very drafty in the house. She 
asks if he can build a fire for her. As he kneels in front of the 
fireplace, she pulls out the hidden tray of champagne & caviar. Phillip 
stands up to get some more kindling & notices the tray. Annoyed, he asks if 
she's planning on entertaining some company in her bedroom. Beth says he's 
already here. Phillip sighs. "Is this what I think it is?" he asks. Beth 
says it depends. What does he think it is?

CARRIAGE HOUSE: Blake tells Ross he has to talk Matt into dropping the 
lawsuit. Vanessa will hate Matt if he forces her to give up her baby. Ross 
says Matt is determined. "Then you tell him to get another lawyer," says 
Blake. Holly agrees. Ross says it's very important that they understand 
what's at stake. Vanessa will die if she continues with the pregnancy. Ross 
refuses to let that happen. He calls it suicide in slow motion & says Matt 
has the right to try to stop it, if he can. Holly accuses them of playing 
god. Ross says god doesn't want us to take our own lives. 

Blake reminds Ross that he said earlier that he would do the same thing as 
Matt. She dares him to say that he would have done anything to prevent 
their boys from being born.

Ross says Van is asking Matt to accept the baby's life in exchange for 
hers, & that's not fair. He points out that the doctors have said that if 
Van has the C-section now, there's a good chance the baby will survive & be 
fine. He doesn't see that there's really any choice to be made. Blake says 
it's about a mother's right to anything she can to protect her baby. Van 
says Ross should go ahead & do what he has to, but realize that she will 
never forgive him. Suddenly, she cries out in pain & starts to fall. Ross 
catches her & Holly rushes to her side. Ross says it's obvious that Van is 
getting worse. Why can't she see what she's doing. Van says she's giving 
her husband a healthy baby. Ross begs her to save herself & the baby by 
having the C-section. Holly helps Van to the door. Ross calls to Vanessa to 
remember Dinah, Bill & Peter. Do they have to lose her all over again? Van 
says she heard him, & leaves with Holly's support. Outside, Van asks Holly 
to get her to the hospital.

DINER: Eleni tells Harley that she's happy she & Frank made up. Harley says 
Frank has always tried to keep her from getting hurt. Harley just wants 
everyone to stop giving her & Phillip advice. She says they are now off-
limits to everyone except Lizzie. Eleni agrees with this & tells Harley she 
should get going to Phillip's. Harley rushes out happily.

SPAULDING MANSION: Beth says if Phillip thinks this is a nice, quiet 
evening with his ex-wife, he's exactly right. Phillip tries to say 
something, but Beth won't let him. She says she's suddenly feeling very 
warm. She removes her coat to reveal that she's wearing black lace 
underwear, garter belt & stockings. Phillip stares at her from across the 
room with his mouth hanging open.

JAIL: Stanley brings Annie's meal into her cell. While he's setting it 
down, she pulls her hair out of its ponytail & undoes a few buttons at the 
top of her snazzy orange jumpsuit, then leans against the door. She tells 
him that his eyes are an incredible shade of blue. She thinks they're 
"bedroom" eyes & when he looks at her, she gets all warm & fuzzy inside. 
Stanley thinks Annie had better eat her supper before it gets cold. He 
tries to leave, but she grabs him & starts kissing him, feeling for 
something with her hands as the screen fades to black.

--Marni (marni@panix.com)



