Aaron and Kate look at each other for a long time.

                                                                 KATE
                                Beth says when she and you make love, you
                                burst out laughing when you climax. You didn't
                                do that with me.

                                                                 AARON
                                Well . . . We never made love. We went through
                                an insemination process, like mollusks or encephalo-
                                pods, only with less passion. Maybe I should've just
                                jerked-off on the floor and you could've sat on it for
                                nine months and hatched a kid.

                                                                 KATE
                                Hey, come on. We're still friends, right?

                                                                 AARON
                                You might be surprised to learn that most of my
                                friends could care less how I climax.

                                                                 KATE
                                You acting very hostile, ya know.

                                                                 AARON
                                I'm sorry. I don't know how to act anymore.

                                                                 KATE
                                Me, neither. I told you this would fuck up our
                                friendship.

                                                                 AARON
                                Congratulations, you were right. What are we
                                gonna do now?

                                                                 KATE
                                                           (shakes her head)
                                I don't know. I want a cigarette so badly I
                                could just die.

She buries her face in her hands and moans. Aaron wants to go to her, or at least give her a cigarette, but he can't move.

There's nowhere to go. It is a silent tableau: Kate on one side of the room, Aaron on the other; a roll of paper towel separating them.

The doorbell rings. Aaron rises to his feet.

                                                                 AARON
                                Saved by the bell, euphemistically speaking.

                                                                 KATE
                                That's not a euphemism; it's a cliché - a trite
                                expression.

                                                                 AARON
                                Thank you.

He goes to the door and opens it.

There stands a good-looking, dark-haired man in his mid-thirties. He points into Aaron's face and asks in what sounds like an Australian accent:

                                                                 MAN WITH ACCENT
                                Aaron Brooks, royt?

                                                                 AARON
                                Yes.

                                                                 MAN WITH ACCENT
                                Leave my bloody wife alone!

He punches Aaron solidly in the eye. Aaron spins around falling face-first into a bookshelf, knocking down all the books.

Kate is on her feet, screaming:

                                                                 KATE
                                Lawrence! Are you insane?!!

Kate runs to Aaron, who has yet to get up.

The assailant, LAWRENCE REYNOLDS, Beth's husband, looks at Kate quizzically.

                                                                 LAWRENCE
                                You're Kate, royt?

                                                                 KATE
                                I stood up at your fucking wedding, don't you
                                remember?

She takes Aaron's head in her lap. His eye is already swelling, his nose bloody. Aaron opens his good eye.

                                                                 AARON
                                Where is he, the son of a bitch? I'll kill 'em!

                                                                 LAWRENCE
                                                           (to Kate)
                                Where's Beth?

                                                                 KATE
                                At her mom's house.
                                                           (Kate stands and walks up to
                                                           Lawrence. She hauls off and
                                                           slaps him across the face, hard.
                                                           There's a loud crack. Lawrence
                                                           is stunned.)
                                That's for punching Aaron . . .
                                                           (Kate backhands Lawrence
                                                           across the face)
                                . . . And that's for being a shitty husband to my
                                best friend . . .
                                                           (she comes back
                                                           across his face again)
                                . . . And that's for being a shitty father to your
                                kids!

                                                                 LAWRENCE
                                                           (aghast)
                                I am not a shitty father to my kids! They love me
                                more than anything in the whole world!

                                                                 KATE
                                Are you supporting them?

                                                                 LAWRENCE
                                Well . . .

                                                                 KATE
                                Well, what? Are you sleeping with your wife?

Lawrence looks to Aaron, who is on his feet, then grows red and furious.

                                                                 LAWRENCE
                                Who the bloody hell are you to be asking me any
                                of this?

Lawrence pulls his hand back as though he were going to strike Kate. Aaron is right there between them. He has a little trickle of blood running from his nose, but he's grinning deviously.

                                                                 AARON
                                Whoa there big fellah. Why not talk to me?

                                                                 LAWRENCE
                                And who the fuck are you?

                                                                 AARON
                                                           (grins)
                                Me? I'm the guy who slept with your wife last
                                night.

Lawrence puts his fists up.

                                                                 LAWRENCE
                                You want some more?

                                                                 AARON
                                                           (smiles)
                                Sure . . . When she comes back.

Lawrence takes another swing at him. This time Aaron ducks, kicking Lawrence solidly in the ass, sending him headfirst into the broken bookshelf. Lawrence hits the wall with his head, dropping into the pile of books.

Kate steps between them and says to Aaron:

                                                                 KATE
                                Are you boys done?

                                                                 AARON
                                Us boys? You got in three slaps, I just kicked
                                him in the ass. Look at my eye.

Lawrence stands up, rubbing his head. He looks at Aaron and Kate.

                                                                 LAWRENCE
                                Guess what, I don't like either one of you! And
                                I never did!

Kate and Aaron look at each other, both make sad faces and say simultaneously:

                                                                 KATE & AARON
                                Awww, that's too bad.

Lawrence starts to leave, rubbing his head.

                                                                 AARON
                                By the way, just out of curiosity, how did you get
                                here so fast? Beth spoke to you on the phone this
                                morning in New Zealand. That's further than Bora
                                Bora, right?

                                                                 LAWRENCE
                                Yes, it is. New Zealand is a day ahead of the U.S.
                                I left Auckland at eight on Friday, got into L.A. at
                                noon on Friday - today, having gained a day - changed
                                planes, and got into Detroit an hour ago. I'm gonna go
                                get moy wife and take her back to her kids, either one
                                of you got a problem with that?
                                                           (Kate and Aaron both shrug)
                                Good-on-ya!

Lawrence leaves.

Kate looks at Aaron, whose eye and nose are swelling.

                                                                 AARON
                                                           (winces)
                                He sucker-punched me.

                                                                 KATE
                                                           (frowns)
                                So did I.

                                                                 AARON
                                                           (shakes his head; laughs)
                                No you didn't.

                                                                 KATE
                                I took advantage of your good nature. And it's all
                                the wrong vibes for making a baby.

                                                                 AARON
                                So, what are you saying?

Kate slumps onto the couch and puts her hand on her stomach.

                                                                 KATE
                                Well . . . This was a mistake. One of my truly
                                knuckle-headed schemes. No human being
                                should exist for such a stupid reason. So . . .
                                I'll deal with it, and hopefully we can go back to
                                where we were before.

Aaron sits beside her.

                                                                 AARON
                                Kate, Kate, Kate . . . That's not why this human
                                being would exist. I've been doing a lot of thinking
                                about this. It's because you wanted a baby - one
                                that would be kind of like you, and kind of like
                                me. You can nod if you think I'm going in the right
                                direction.
                                                           (Kate nods)
                                Good. Now, if you want to have a baby and call it
                                all your own, although I don't like it, if I get to still be
                                around you Kate, then I'll put up with it. On the other
                                hand, if you want to have this baby and call you the
                                mother, which you are, and me the father, which I
                                am, then we have to get a few things straight.

                                                                 KATE
                                                           (looks at him)
                                Like what?

                                                                 AARON
                                Well, first of all, no matter what your preconceived
                                notions of what love used to be, what you and I have
                                is love, and it's the best kind. We don't love each other
                                because we went skinny-dipping when we were kids
                                at camp, or because we're both Jewish, or because
                                our parents knew each other as kids, or even because
                                you're pregnant. We love each other because we like
                                each other. At least, I like you.

                                                                 KATE
                                                           (nods)
                                I like you, too. Is that enough?

                                                                 AARON
                                                           (shrugs; palms up)
                                Kate, why ask for the stars when we have the
                                moon.

Kate takes Aaron's hands in hers and sighs.

                                                                 KATE
                                Did you just make that up?

                                                                 AARON
                                                           (lying)
                                Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did. Like it?

                                                                 KATE
                                It's beautiful. Aaron, um, I have another idea.

                                                                 AARON
                                Uh-oh, now what?

                                                                 KATE
                                What do you think about marrying me, and raising
                                this child with me, and maybe even another one,
                                too?

                                                                 AARON
                                                           (shrugs)
                                Perhaps . . .

                                                                 KATE
                                                           (her smile fades)
                                Perhaps what?

                                                                 AARON
                                . . . There is one big thing we still have to get straight.

                                                                 KATE
                                                           (confused)
                                What?

                                                                 AARON
                                Sex.

                                                                 KATE
                                What about it?

                                                                 AARON
                                Quite frankly, I don't know that we're sexually
                                compatible.

                                                                 KATE
                                Why not?

                                                                 AARON
                                I think maybe you've got all kinds of hang-ups.

                                                                 KATE
                                Oh, really? Like what?

                                                                 AARON
                                How am I supposed to know?

                                                                 KATE
                                                           (grins)
                                Ya know . . . The last time we did it was pretty
                                damn good in my book.

                                                                 AARON
                                                           (shrugs)
                                It was okay.

                                                                 KATE
                                I thought it was better than okay myself.

                                                                 AARON
                                What of it?

                                                                 KATE
                                Maybe we should just experiment a little and see
                                how it goes?

                                                                 AARON
                                                           (nods; considering)
                                That seems fair. When would you like to start?

Kate moves right next to Aaron.

                                                                 KATE
                                How about now?

Aaron looks at Kate for what seems like a long time.

                                                                 AARON
                                                           (nods)
                                Deal.

Kate and Aaron shake hands. They look at each other again, then slowly kiss. Aaron grins, reaches down and takes Kate's hand and leads her into the bedroom. Along the way Aaron's foot kicks the remote control on the floor and the stereo goes on. Frank Sinatra sings Fly Me To the Moon.

                                                                 FRANK
                                                           (singing)
                                Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the
                                stars/ Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter
                                and Mars . . .

Our view stays in the living room, where we can just see into the bedroom, catching a glimpse of the very edge of the bed. We can see their feet, and soon pieces of clothing sail through view. We move back, across the living room, accompanied by the sounds of love-making, and Frank Sinatra.

                                                                 FRANK
                                In other words, hold my hand/ In other words,
                                baby, kiss me . . .

EXT. AARON'S HOUSE - DUSK           75

Outside Aaron's house it's just getting dark. The creaks and groans of Aaron's bed can still be faintly heard, as well as muffled moans. We continue moving back until Aaron's house is just one of several on the block.

                                                                 FRANK
                                Fill my heart with song, and let it play forever
                                more/ You are all I long for, all I worship and
                                adore/ In other words, please be true . . .

Suddenly, spectacular fireworks explode in the sky in an astounding display of light and color - BOOM! - BOOM! - BOOM!

Though distant and difficult to exactly locate amongst all the similar houses, we can just hear Aaron burst out laughing, followed by Kate joining him.

Fireworks continue to explode.

                                                                 FRANK
                                In other words . . . I . . . Love . . . You.

The End

                                                                                                       FADE OUT: