Two To The Power Of Love

Doris Schwartz stands in the auditorium at the School of the Arts. She stares at her other self, who is staring back at her, unable to work out why there are now two of them in the past. Doris quickly walks towards the other Doris, who stands open mouthed, and grabs her by the arm.

Doris: "Quickly come with me!"

The Other Doris protests: "Who are you? What the hell is going on?"

At that moment Bruno and Montgomery enter the auditorium through the main entrance, carrying boxes. So Doris tries to lead the other woman to the side exit.

Doris: "Quickly, lets go this way!"

The Other Doris becomes annoyed and raises her voice: "Not until you tell me what is going on?"

Lydia and Shorofsky are watching Julie's audition are disturbed by the commotion and both look over disapprovingly.

Shorofsky snaps: "Silence Please!"

Doris lowers her voice: "Please, we're drawing attention to ourselves. Lets just get out of here and I'll explain everything I know."

The other Doris reluctantly agrees and allows herself to be led by the arm into an empty school corridor. As soon as they are out of the auditorium, the other Doris stops.

The other Doris: "Okay we're out of there now, so tell me what on earth is happening?"

Doris nervously looks around: "Not here someone might see us!"

The other Doris laughs: "What are you talking about, there's no one here!"

At that moment voices can be heard approaching from round the corner. Doris grabs the other woman and pulls her into the open doorway of an empty classroom, just as Leroy and Danny turn into the corridor.

Danny is upset: "Man, love sucks! I thought Sherrie was the one, you know. We had such a wonderful summer together and I thought things were getting serious. Now it's the start of the new school year and she dumps me. She can't even say it to my face! She gets her father to tell me over the phone, pretending she's moved to Tulsa. I mean how ridiculous is that, nobody moves to Tulsa! So then she comes on the phone and just announces she never wants to see me again. I mean she was all over me yesterday! I never want to fall in love again!"

Leroy raises his eyebrows: "Danny, I'm sorry you got burned but you know as well as I do, you're going to be after the next pretty girl that smiles at you!"

Danny shakes his head: "Not this time, I'm through with women and through with love!"

Leroy is sceptical: "Okay, I'll believe it when I see it but now I've got to go and phone my girl. You maybe through with love but Love seems great to me!"

Danny shakes his head as Leroy heads off towards the phone outside the make up room. Danny then enters the nearest classroom.

The other Doris is confused: "What is happening, none of that happened when Julie was auditioning it was years later!"

Doris gives a weak smile: "I know it's confusing. Let's find somewhere quiet like the musical cubicle and I'll try and explain things to you."

As they start to go they hear music coming from the room that Danny is in as he starts to sing.

"There is somebody

In this world somebody

She was put on earth for me

Where can her love be?

See, I'm no exception

I need real affection

What's life worth living for

If not to give it all...so

I'm reaching out

I'm in search of love

You're everything that I'm dreamin' of

I can't give up, no!

I'm reaching out

I'm in search of love

Been on my own for long enough

Well, I'm goin' crazy

Only you can save me

From the tears and loneliness

Girl, I must confess

That day or night time

There is no right time

For a heart to be alone

I just can't go on...so

I'm reaching out

I'm in search of love

You're everything that I'm dreamin' of

I can't give up, no!

I'm reaching out

I'm in search of love

Been on my own for long enough

Don't make me beg

Don't make me plead

Just go ahead and give me what I need

Set me free

Answer me

Can't you hear me calling out to you."

The other Doris watches Danny perform: "Oh he looks really sweet. Let just watch him sing."

Doris becomes impatient and constantly looks around in case anyone comes into the corridor. As the song ends she grabs the other Doris.

Doris: "Okay you've seen it now, lets get out of here!"

The two women rush into a nearby music cubicle and sit down. Doris takes a deep breath as her other self looks at her expectantly.

Doris: "Okay, where do I start?"

The other Doris: "Well, how about telling me who you are and why you look exactly like me?"

Doris smiles: "That's an easy one. I'm you and you're me!"

The other Doris is puzzled: "What do you mean You're me? How can there be two of us? That doesn't make any sense!"

Doris sighs: "I never said what I have to tell you was going to actually make sense! I can't explain the how we are both here, in the past, at this school. I can't even tell you why we are here but I do know that we are one and the same."

The other Doris shakes her head slowly: "This is madness! We're in the past? That's not possible!"

Doris snaps: "Well, you're just seen Danny and Leroy and Bruno, did they look like they do now? How do you explain Mr Shorofsky being in the auditorium, telling us to be quiet?"

The other Doris shrugs her shoulders: "I don't know but surely we can't be in the past!"

Doris squeezes the other woman's hand reassuringly: "I know it sounds crazy and believe me I was as shocked as you but I swear I'm telling you the truth. Something happened to me, I don't know what because I can't remember, but I ended up in the past, here at this school where all our friends are teenagers. I've been trying to get back home again. Whatever happened to me has now happened to you. I was trying to stop it but have obviously failed."

The other Doris still isn't sure: "How do I know you are telling me the truth?"

Doris pauses and thinks for a moment: "Do you remember being in the ladies room at Julie's concert? You had some pills in one hand and some alcohol in the other. You were just about to take them when coco interrupted you and then the two of you had an argument?"

The other Doris is shocked: "How could you possibly know that?"

Doris continues: "I know, because I was there. I was the one who turned on all the taps and was banging the doors. In your own time you can't see or hear me and I needed to get your attention to stop you doing something silly."

The other Doris contemplates what she is being told and for a few minutes there is silence.

The other Doris eventually breaks the silence: "Okay, if what you say is true, then how do we get out of here? How do we get back to our own time and our own lives?"

Doris shakes her head: "I wish I knew. I've been asking myself that since I found myself here and I'm still asking it. When I found myself at Julie's concert and saw you I thought I was close to finding some answers but now I'm as far away from them as ever. All I can say is that so many strange things have happened to me since I've been here and I've seen things you wouldn't believe. I've seen and spoke to people who are dead. Not just dead in the future but who are dead in this timeline too. I've seen Mother, Will, Nicole, Angelo Martelli......"

The other Doris is stunned by what she's hearing: "You've seen Mother.....But......"

Her words trail off as she remembers the events of how her mother died.

Doris nods sympathetically: "I know, ... I know how you feel. I've been on such an emotional roller coaster since I've been here. It's been draining but in some ways seems to have made me stronger.

Doris proceeds to tell her other self about everything that has happened to her since being in the past. She tells about trying to stop Angelo and Nicole from

dying and the terrible consequences of her actions; How she witnessed Leroy killing another version of herself in the hospital and how she's been haunted by him; about helping Nicole say goodbye to Jesse; about meeting her Mother and being able tell her she loves her after all these years; about Sandy murdering Will and about Bruno finally declaring his love for her.

The other Doris sits listening intently with tears running down her face as Doris goes from one emotional story to the next.

The other Doris: "I'm not sure how I could have coped with facing all of that. It sounds like a nightmare."

Doris nods: "It was and at times I didn't think I could cope either but as I said I now feel stronger. I had the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to mother and I was there when Will died. He wasn't alone and that has brought me great comfort. Don't get me wrong there have been plenty of times when I thought I was going mad!"

The other Doris: "We'll I guess if you're going mad then I am too so at least we'll be going through it together!"

They both burst out laughing which lightens the atmosphere.

Doris: "It's good to have someone to share things with. That has been one of the biggest problems, it has been incredibly lonely not knowing who I can talk to."

The other Doris reaches out her hand to take the hand of her new friend: "Well, we're in it together now. I just hope there isn't anything too traumatic to face!"

Doris smiles: "Well just prepare yourself for moving for one place to another without any warning. Also we need to try and avoid being noticed and avoid getting involved in things that are going on around us. I guess I haven't been that successful of staying out of things myself but I guess I'm learning.

At that moment Teenage Doris enters the adjoining musical cubical. The other Doris immediately throws herself on the floor underneath the connecting window so she won't be seen.

Doris is puzzled: "What are you doing?"

The other Doris: "You said try not to be seen!"

Doris laughs: "It's okay, our younger self can't actually see us for some strange reason."

They both stand up and look through the window. Doris waves but there's no reaction from the teenager in the next room. The door between the cubicles is slightly ajar and they can hear the teenager playing guitar and singing a mournful song.

"And life's full of flaws

Who knows the cause?

Living in the memory of a love that never was

Cause I've done everything I know

to try and change your mind

and I think I'm gonna miss you for a long long time

Cause I've done everything I know

to try and make you mine

And I think I'm gonna love you

for a long long time."

While the younger Doris is singing Danny walks into the cubicle

Doris grabs her other self and pulls her on to the floor: "Okay now it's time to hide!"

The two older Doris' sit on the cubicle floor listening to the conversation next door.

Danny: "That was beautiful Schwartz!"

Teenage Doris gives a weak smile: "Thanks Danny."

Danny: "Ham, I gotta talk to you. I'm falling apart over here.."

Teenage Doris: "You're falling apart. I just got dumped."

Danny is surprised: "Get out of here, you did?"

Teenager Doris nods and Danny continues: "So did I...But do you hurt as much as I do?"

Teenage Doris: "At least!.... Do you think I'm attractive?"

Danny: "Doris you know I don't think of you that way!"

Teenage Doris: "Well try and think of me that way!"

Danny becomes frustrated: "This is silly. I don't have to do this."

Teenage Doris snaps: "Danny!"

Danny raises his voice: "We'll what would you do if I asked you that question?"

Teenage Doris: "I would answer it."

Danny waits expectantly and Teenage Doris continues: "I think you're a very attractive guy."

Danny laughs: "You know you have a cute smile? And it's kinda sexy."

Teenage Doris: "You really think I .... You really think I have a sexy smile?"

Danny: "Yes I do..... Hey this is ridiculous right?"

Teenage Doris: "Yeah right.......Danny?"

Danny feeling bashful: "Yeah"

Teenage Doris: "You're the guy, make the damn move."

There is then silence and the two older women remember that their younger self then shared a kiss with Danny.

The other Doris whispers: "Oh that's so sweet. I always thought I should have tried harder with that relationship with Danny. Who knows what may have happened if we'd stuck it out."

Doris: "Well we've got Bruno now and he was always more suitable than Danny.

The other Doris: "But Danny's cuter!"

Doris is surprised: "No he's not! We are the same person how can we possibly have a different opinions on which guy is cuter?"

The other Doris shrugs: "Bests me, but Danny is definitely hotter!"

Doris: "Is not!"

The school bell rings and teenage Doris rushes off: "I'll be late for Readon's class.....Call me."

Danny hears the bickering coming from the other cubicle and goes in to see what is happening. He is surprised to see the two identical, older woman, dressed exactly the same.

Danny: "Who are you?"

There is a silence for a few moments until the other Doris speaks: "We are, erm, we are Doris' twin aunts, Doreen and Dorien. We heard what was going on in there and we hope you are going to look after our niece. No messing her around you here?"

Danny is a little surprised: "Erm no Miss."

The other Doris: "And no quitting if things get a little tough. Doris needs someone to look after her and she takes time to get to know someone properly. It's no good letting her down after a few days. If you do you'll have us to deal with."

Danny feels awkward: "Okay."

Doris glares at her other self. Just then teenage Doris enters the other musical cubicle: "I forgot my bag."

Danny calls to her: "Hey Ham, your aunts are here."

While Danny isn't looking Doris grabs her other self by the arm and drags her out of the room down the hallway and turns into the main corridor.

The other Doris is annoyed: "What are you doing?"

Doris: "Didn't you hear a single word I said in there. Don't get involved, Don't get noticed! The first chance you get you are trying to interfere and change what happened. Things don't last with Danny don't try making that into something it can't ever be."

The other Doris: "Just because you've got Bruno doesn't mean to say I want him too!"

Doris shakes her head in despair: "So much for being in this together!"

The are both startled by a noise behind them

"Aaarghh"

They turn and see Mrs Berg looking back at them.

Mrs Berg: "Oh no, oh my, there's two of you now..... How can that be?....Oh dear, We're all doomed!"

Doris rolls her eyes: "Don't you think you're being a little dramatic here?"

Danny and Teenage Doris then turn in to the main corridor and everyone turns to look at them.

Danny: "I swear Doris, I'm not making it up, they said they were your aunts Doreen and Dorien. Hey look there they are."

Teenage Doris looks and her mouth falls open: "Who are those people, they aren't my aunts!"

The two older women exchanged puzzled glances as they release their teenage self can now see them!

Mrs Berg: "Now do you think I'm being dramatic? The end is definitely near!"

To Be Continued....