October 18, 2007 Screencaps

Diane: Alexis Davis is a topnotch attorney who thrives on competition in the courtroom. She will use every trick in the book to shore up Lucky's position, which means that you need to be prepared. This is going to get ugly.

Elizabeth: I don't want this to turn into a long, drawn-out fight.

Emily: Then be clear on what it is you want, and not on what your attorney thinks she can get you.

Elizabeth: What I want is a cut-and-dried divorce that gives me custody of Cameron and Jake and allows Lucky to see them as much as he wants.

Diane: Let's leave that last part out, shall we? You walk into a mediation with your heart on your sleeve, and Alexis is going to steamroll right over you.

Emily: Wait, I thought the whole point of a mediation was to come to an agreement that's best for the kids.

Diane: It is.

Emily: Well, then why are you being so combative?

Diane: If I don't defend Elizabeth, she will be the one who winds up with visitation.

Car horn.

Elizabeth: Oh, um, that's Gram. She's dropping off the last load from the house. Can you --

Emily: Yeah --

Elizabeth: Okay, thanks.

Emily: I'll go get it.

Diane: You know there is one way to resolve this custody issue, and that is for you to declare that Jake is not Lucky's child.

Elizabeth: No. I do not want to hurt Lucky any more than I already have. And Jason has made it clear that he doesn't want to risk Jake’s safety by letting the rest of the world know that he's the father.

Diane: I'm sure he would much prefer that than to living --

Emily: This is the last of it.

Elizabeth: Oh, okay.

Emily: You're officially moved in. Where should I put it?

Elizabeth: I don't know -- let me see what it is.

Phone rings.

Emily: Okay.

Elizabeth: Thanks.

Diane: Diane Miller. Thank you. Well, things have officially kicked into high gear. Lucky just filed for emergency guardianship of Jake.

Alfred: Your mail, Sir.

Nikolas: Thank you.

Alfred: Is there anything else I can get you, perhaps some coffee or tea?

Nikolas: No, no, that'll be all, thank you.

Alfred: Very well, Sir.

Nikolas: Uh -- Alfred?

Alfred: Mm-hmm? Shall I take that for you, Sir?

Nikolas: Yes, just go ahead and get rid of it -- and any other sharp objects in the house. I don't want anything lying around while I'm having these blackouts.

Alfred: Hmm. If I may be so bold, Sir, there are a few other precautions you may want to consider.

Nikolas: Such as?

Alfred: This masked ball you're planning -- perhaps it would be best if it were held at a later date.

Nikolas: I'm not postponing the ball, I've already told Emily about it.

Alfred: Miss Emily may not have been made aware of all the details. She may not be as disappoint as you expect if you choose to reschedule.

Nikolas: I've already made my decision, so if you would please stop badgering me about it.

Alfred: Yes.

Lucky: Nikolas, do you have a minute?

Nikolas: Yes. Attend to that matter we discussed, please?

Alfred: Certainly, Sir.

Nikolas: Okay, so what's going on?

Lucky: I just filed for emergency custody of Jake.

Nikolas: Why? I thought you and Elizabeth agreed to share custody.

Lucky: Yeah. Well, that was before Diane got involved, and now she's pushing for visitation only. Alexis is hoping this will scare Elizabeth into agreeing to a 50/50 split.

Nikolas: Well, has the petition already been granted or --

Lucky: There hasn't been any word yet, but Alexis thinks that there will be.

Nikolas: Huh.

Lucky sighs.

Nikolas: Are you prepared for what that means?

Lucky: I know -- it's going to be hard on Elizabeth.

Nikolas: "Hard on Elizabeth"? She hasn't spent more than a few hours away from Jake since he was kidnapped, Lucky.

Lucky: If I don't fight for my son now, I could lose him altogether. Well, do you think that I'm doing the right thing?

Nikolas: I don't know. If you have to ask, then you already know the answer.

Emily: After what Alexis went through with her own child, I can't even believe that she would consider taking yours away.

Elizabeth: Not half as surprised as I am that Lucky agreed to go along with it. I mean, how could he even think filing for emergency guardianship was going to solve anything?

Emily: Now, see, that's the problem -- he's not thinking. He's hurt and he's angry.

Elizabeth: And he's going out of his way to punish me. Because jumping into bed with Sam wasn't enough, now he's bound and determined to take away my child.

Emily: Okay, wait, that hasn't happened yet, okay, Elizabeth? Diane's an excellent attorney and she's going to find a way to block this petition.

Elizabeth: God. I cannot believe things have gotten this far. I mean, how could two people who loved each other so much end up hurting each other so badly? This is -- this is not who Lucky is.

Emily: Well, maybe Lucky's realized that sleeping with Sam and giving up on your marriage was a terrible mistake, and he's lashing out and frustrated because he -- he doesn't know how to fix it.

Elizabeth: And taking away my child isn't going to make anything better.

Lucky: Elizabeth and I -- we made a lot of mistakes in our marriage. But we always wanted what was best for our kids.

Nikolas: And you think taking Jake away from his mother is what's best for him?

Lucky: But Elizabeth didn't leave me much choice.

Nikolas: Look, as Jake’s father, you have every right to be a part of his life. But there has to be a way to ensure that without filing for emergency guardianship.

Lucky: Elizabeth started this. I never wanted a fight.

Nikolas: No, it doesn't have to be a fight. Call Alexis, tell her to back off, stop this petition before the situation gets out of hand.

Lucky: Nikolas, if I back down now, I could wind up seeing Jake and Cameron every other weekend. I can't take that chance.

Nikolas: Listen, listen, listen, Lucky, taking the position that the best defense is a good offense might not be the right thing to do at this point, given that you're -- you're essentially telling the court that Elizabeth is a bad mother. If you continue to let this get out of control, you could end up doing damage beyond your imagination, Lucky.

Elizabeth: I hate that this is what Lucky and I have become. We couldn't make our marriage work, and now we're playing tug of war with our children. I never wanted Jake and Cameron to be caught in the middle of our problems.

Emily: What if you don't fight the petition for emergency guardianship -- just for right now.

Elizabeth: No, no, no, I am not giving up my son.

Elizabeth sighs.

Emily: Elizabeth, I just think that once Lucky has a chance to relax, to calm down without feeling threatened, that he's going to be able to back off and be more reasonable about the whole custody arrangement.

Elizabeth: The Lucky I used to know would've done that, but now he's just too angry -- not that I blame him. I lied to him for months; I remarried him when I knew my heart was with Jason. But still, I am not going to let him use Jake to get back at me.

Emily: Lucky's not going to give up.

Elizabeth: Well, neither am I. I am going to fight with everything I have to keep my boys with me.