ACT 3

Scene 1: Fade In (the next day)

Rachel is in her living room staring out the glass doors when Claudia, the maid, enters.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Hutchins". Rachel turns around as the maid continues. "Mr. Sinclair is here looking for Miss Amanda and I don't know what to tell him".

"That's all right, Claudia. Please tell him to come in". Claudia leaves and a few moments later, a very concerned Cameron enters the room.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Rachel, but I'm looking for Amanda. Is she here?".

"Please come sit down, Cameron", she tells him as she moves to the couch.

Cameron sits down besides her as he continues to speak. "I went to the Cory offices today to surprise Amanda and her secretary told me that she called in sick today. Is she all right?".

"Physically, yes. It's her emotional state that concerns me right now".

"I don't understand. What's wrong?", an anxious Cameron asks.

"Today is Alli's birthday", Rachel sadly tells him.

Shocked, he replies, "Oh my god, I didn't know that". "I know, Cameron".

"But why. Why didn't she tell me?".

"She didn't want to deal with it. She didn't even want us to talk to her about it. I wanted her to tell you, but she didn't want you to have to worry about her".

"I knew it! I knew there was something bothering her last night when I called her". Upset with the situation, he quickly rises from the couch and begins to pace the floor. "She kept telling me that she was just worried about the meeting, but deep inside I knew there was more. I just wished she would have told me. I should have made her tell me. I could have helped her through this".

"Maybe not, Cameron. I think she had to face this day by herself".

"Is that why she didn't go into work today? I mean was she even planning on going in?", he asks, as a small part of him is hurt that Amanda hadn't been truthful with him the night before.

"No. She was planning to go in later in the morning. But then we heard the news".

"What news?".

"They found the remains of two of the missing school children killed in the avalanche in the Alps".

"Oh my god", a disbelieving Cameron blurts out as he sits down again on the couch next to Rachel. "Was one of them, Alli?", he softly asks her.

"No".

"Are you sure, Rachel?".

"Yes. They had already identified them and released the names to the press. I called up the school to make sure there was no mistake. They assured me, there wasn't".

"That's why Amanda didn't go in".

Rachel nods her head in agreement. "It's like she lost Alli all over again, and on her birthday of all days. There's just been no closure for Amanda in all of this".

"Or for any of you, Rachel", Cameron sensitively adds. If they could only find…..". He trails off not wanting to say the next two words.

"her remains", Rachel adds for him as her voice begins to crack. "Then we could finally say goodbye".

Cameron gently puts his arm around her to ease the pain he sees in her eyes and hears in her voice.

"Where is she, Rachel?", he softly asks her. "I think she needs me now".

"You're right, Cameron. She's down at the boat house, by the lake. It's the place Alli most loved to be at. Amanda feels close to her there".

Then, as he gets up to leave, he embraces Rachel once again to comfort her. "We'll get her through this. Don't worry".

Scene 1: Fade Out

Scene 2: Fade In

As Cameron approaches the lake, he sees Amanda sitting on the front porch of the boat house. He can tell that she is deep in thought as she sits, motionless, on the large porch glider, unaware of his presence. Softly, he calls out, "Hello, Amanda", as he keeps some distance from her - he doesn't want to intrude on her privacy without her permission. Amanda, brought back from the quietness of her thoughts by his voice, looks up at him. Seeing who it is, she smiles as best she can as she says hello back to him in a subdued voice.

"If you want me to go, I'll understand", he respectively tells her.

"No, I'm glad your here".

As he walks towards the house and up the steps, his eyes never leave hers. Her eyes are swollen with the tired redness that comes from extended periods of crying. Without saying a word, he sits down next to Amanda, and tenderly puts his arms around her to embrace her pain. She embraces him back as if she was holding on to life itself. The warmth of his body comforts her as she finds solace in the love he is expressing. The beating of his heart that she feels against hers, reminds her that life is continuous, and in faith, there is no real end. This comforts her as she believes Alli's spirit lives on.

Scene 2: Fade Out

Scene 3: Fade In (a moment later)

"Your mother told me what happened. Are you all right?", he asks her, as he gently strokes her face.

"I'm all right, Cameron. Especially now that you're here".

"Amanda, why didn't you tell me".

Not understanding what he is actually asking her, she somberly replies, "I just heard it on the news early this morning.".

"I mean…why didn't you tell me it was Alli's birthday today? I guess I should have remembered that it was around this time. I mean, I remember when you sent her the necklace last year. I just didn't know what day it actually was. I'm sorry Amanda. But I could have helped you get through all of this".

"I know you would have been there for me, Cameron", she assures him. "It's just that….well, I needed to deal with this myself. I hope you can understand that".

"I do, Amanda. I really do", he tells her, as he finally takes his eyes away from her for the first time and looks at the lake before him. Reflecting on a past moment in his own life, he looks back at her as he lets her in on his own private pain from the past. "That's exactly what I needed to do when my mother…past away". She looks up at him, wanting for a moment, to comfort him , as he continues sharing his long forgotten feelings. "A few months after I lost my mom, I went to her grave, alone, on her birthday. I didn't want to be around any one else. I just wanted to acknowledge that she had been here. I needed to be close to her again….to tell her that I loved her, and to say goodbye to her one last time".

Realizing that he truly could empathize with what she's been going through, she tenderly tells him, "You do understand, Cameron". He sadly smiles back his confirmation. Then, lowering her head as she is remembering her own special loss, Amanda remorsefully adds, "There's no grave I can go to…to say 'Goodbye'.

Feeling the inability to ease her pain, he simply says, "I'm so sorry, Amanda. I know that's what making this so much harder for you. You haven't had the closure I had with my mother".

As if she has heard the answer to her unanswerable question, she replies, "I think that is what has been tearing me up deep inside. When I heard that they had found… (she looks away for a moment as she composes herself) ….two more…..(she momentarily hesitates as she struggles to hold back her tears) ….of the children….part of me was hoping one of them was Alli. But, the other part of me, was praying that it wasn't".

Cameron remains silent as he doesn't know how to respond.

Amanda, realizing there is nothing anyone can really say to this, smiles at him. "It's all right Cameron. I know I have to accept that she's gone. That's why I needed to come here today. And by myself". She touches his hand as if to make him feel more comfortable with the situation. "The one thing I regret most", she tells him, "is that you never got to know Alli. I wish you had. I think the two of you would have really liked each other".

Taking her hand, he tells her, "Well, if she is anything like her mother, I would have loved her".

Smiling at him, Amanda says, "I think you two would have made quite a team".

"Yeah?", he says smiling back at her.

"Yeah. You both drive my crazy at times", she slightly laughs, " but you both make me so proud. She had great strength of character, and the ability to love well --- just like you".

Cameron blushes for a moment over this wonderful compliment. And then his embarrassment quickly changes to pride for the woman he has fallen in love with - for out of her grief, she is still able to express her love for someone else. He kisses her for a tender moment.

"Yeah, I really do wish you could have known her", she expresses once again.

With great sensitivity, he touches her face and smiles. "It's not too late, Amanda. I can still get to know Alli".

Confused by this, she asks, "What do you mean?".

"Through you", he softly tells her. "Through the stories, and the memories….you'll always have her with you through those. Why don't you share some of them with me now".

Amanda is momentarily speechless as she is so moved by his words. "I don't know where to begin".

"Why don't you start with the simple things. Like her favorite color, favorite food, the movie she loved to watch the most, her first crush, things like that. Anything and everything".

Scene 3: Fade Out

Scene 4: Fade In (a second later)

Happily, Amanda begins to tell Cameron about her daughter.

"Alli loved all colors. Red, blue, purple --- I used to call her my rainbow child. But if I had to pick one, I guess it would be green…hunter green actually. As for her favorite food….it would have to be peanuts. She loved them. But the poor dear developed an allergic reaction to them. Nothing too serious. She would just get a terrible rash. As for the foods she could eat, I would have to say pepperoni pizza.…carrot cake, and….Twizzlers. She just loved Twizzlers. Oh, and Starbursts…I almost forgot Starbursts".

"What do you know", he remarks, "those are some of my favorites too. Alli had good taste", he smiles.

"As for her first crush.…guess who?". He can't. So she tells him. "Jake McKinnon".

"McKinnon!", he incredulously exclaims. "You've got to be kidding".

"No, I'm not. He can be a real charmer when he wants to be".

"Oh really? ", he teasingly asks, as if this is news that maybe he should be aware of.

Amanda laughs. You don't have to worry about that. Besides the fact that he's madly in love with Vicky, and I'm madly in love with you…,she pauses to give him a quick kiss…..he and I probably fought more than we ever got along", she smiles.

"Well I'm relieved to hear that", he teases.

"But he was really good with Alli. He was very kind to her and she had a big crush on him".

"What about her favorite movie?", he quickly asks, as he wants to lose the Jake talk.

"She had so many". Then contemplating a little longer, Amanda reflects, "There is one movie that we loved to watch together. It sort of became 'our' movie".

"What's the name of it?"

"It's called, The Slipper and The Rose".

"Never heard of it".

Amanda laughs, "That's because it's definitely not a guy's movie. It's a version of the Cinderella story. It's an old movie --- from the 70s. We saw it on television one day and really liked it. I think part of our fascination with it was the title".

Puzzled, Cameron asks, "What do you mean".

Amanda sweeps her hair up from the side of her neck and shows him a mark just below the hairline. "See that", she asks him.

"Yeah".

"It's a birthmark. What does it look like to you?".

Cameron goes in for a closer look. Not being able to make anything out of it, he says, "Well I'm not really sure".

"Can't you see? It looks like a tiny ballerina slipper".

"Well I'll take your word for it", he says, baffled at what she's talking about. "Men", she mocks back. "Well, I haven't been around too many ballerinas", he quips. "To me it looks just like….an elongated little blob".

Raising her eyes as if to say he's hopeless, Amanda continues with her story. "Anyway, Alli has a birthmark in the exact same spot. Only hers looks like a small rosebud. Get it?….'The Slipper and the Rose'.

"I got it", he smiles back.

"It became like our code name". Reflecting on the memory, she adds, "It just made the movie more special to us".

As she continues telling her stories and sharing her memories with Cameron, the sadness of the day slowly ebbs away as love begins to heal the wounds. For the first time since Alli's death, Amanda's grief is turning into true acceptance, as Cameron is helping her to realize that no one is really gone if there is someone left to remember them.

Scene 4: Fade Out

Scene 5: Fade In (Still Alli's birthday - late that evening at Cameron's apartment)

Cameron is lying on his bed thinking about Amanda and the day they just shared. Thoughts come flooding into his mind, as the spectrum of emotions sweep over him. Relieved that she has gotten through the rough moments of this day, he is grateful to be the one who helped her through them. His only regret is that he was not able to be with her tonight. But the meeting she had to attend was real, and for the sake of her family business, she needed to be there. He understood this although he wished it wasn't so.

As exhaustion starts to overtake him, Cameron begins to drift off --- somewhere between reality and dreams. He senses Amanda's touch, the smell of her perfume, the feel of her kiss on his lips. Not caring that this is just a dream, he begins to respond back as the intensity of the vision strengthens with every caress. The sound of her voice brings him out of this hypnotic state as he hears her whisper, "Oh Cameron, I love you". Opening his eyes, he sees Amanda in his arms, and realizes that this was not a dream, but his wish come true.

"Amanda, are you really here?", he softly asks her, as if to make sure that this is not a dream.

"Yes", she replies with another kiss and a stroke of her hand along his face. I just had to be with you tonight".

Scene 5: Fade Out

Scene 6: Fade In (***** Flashback to many months prior to the previous scenes, but two days after the avalanche hit the unsuspecting school children *****)

Two men are walking in a snowed covered gorge hidden between two gigantic mountain peaks somewhere in the Alps. They are humble men of peasantry stock who are on their way back to their tiny village that time has forgotten. The winter has been very harsh in the Alps, especially in the vicinity of where they live. They are on their way back from an expedition for food since their people are suffering from the ravages of a winter that shows no mercy to anyone that gets in its way.

As they continue walking one of them notices a red object sticking out from the snow bank before them. Upon closer examination, they discover that it is a glove covering a small hand. When one of the men goes to touch it, he's startled as the hand grabs hold of his.

Scene 6: Fade Out

END OF ACT 3

CONTINUE