from the 'prophecy'

INT. SPORTS BAR -- NIGHT

Somerset and Mills sit with a full pitcher of beer between them.
The JUKEBOX plays QUIETLY for other customers. The walls of the
bar are lined with trophies, ribbons and other victory symbols.

SOMERSET
There's not going to be a happy ending.
It's not possible.

MILLS
If we get him, I'll be happy enough.

SOMERSET
No. Face it now. Stop thinking it's
good guys against the bad guys in this
city.

Mills drinks deep, pours more.

MILLS
How can you say that? Especially after
today?

SOMERSET
You tell me... when you walk into an
apartment, and a man has beaten his wife
to death, or, a wife murdered her
husband in cold blood... and you have to
wash the blood off their children. You
put the killer in jail. Who won?

MILLS
If I thought like you, I'd have slit my
wrists a long time ago.

SOMERSET
Where's the victory?

MILLS
You do your job. Follow the law and do
the best you can. It's all there.

SOMERSET
If we caught John Doe tomorrow, and it
turned out he was the devil... if it
turned out he was literally Satan, then,
that might live up to our expectations.
No human being could do these horrible
things, right?! But, this is not the
devil. It's only a man.

MILLS
Why don't you shut the fuck up for a
while?! Huh? You make these
speeches... like you know everything
there is to know.

Somerset sits back, looking at Mills.

MILLS (CONT)
You think you're preparing me for the
hard times ahead?
You think you're toughening me up?
Well, you're not!
(pause)
You're quitting, fine... but I'm staying
to fight.

SOMERSET
Who are you fighting for? People don't
want a champion. They just want to keep
playing the lottery and eating
hamburgers.

MILLS
What the fuck is wrong with you, huh?
What burnt you out?

SOMERSET
There's no one thing, if that's what you
mean. I just... I can't live anymore
where stupidity is embraced and nurtured
as if it were a virtue.

MILLS
You're so much better than everyone,
right? No one's worthy of you.

SOMERSET
Wrong! I sympathize completely.
Because if you can't win... then, if you
don't ignore everything and everyone
around you, you go insane. It's easier
to smoke crack, and not worry that your
wife and kids are starving to death.
And, it's so much easier to bear a child
till that child finally shuts up,
because it takes so much work to love.
And, if you bothered to think about the
abuse, and the damage, you'd be sad.

MILLS
You're talking about people who are
mentally ill. You're...

SOMERSET
(cuts in, furious)
No, I am not! I'm talking about common,
everyday life here. Where Ignorance
isn't bliss, it's a matter of survival.

MILLS
Listen to yourself. You say, "the
problem with people is they don't care,
so I don't care about people." But, if
you're not part of the solution...

SOMERSET
(cuts him off)
People who are in arguments over their
heads always use meaningless slogans.
But, life doesn't conform to analogies.

MILLS
You're already here, and you've been
here a long time. So, there's a part of
you that knows, even if everything you
say is true, none of it matters.

SOMERSET
That part of me is dead.

Mills stands.

MILLS
Fuck you. You want me to agree with
you. "Yeah, you're right, Somerset,
this place is fucked. Let's go live in
a fucking log cabin!" Well, I don't
agree with you. You're quitting, and it
makes me sick. Cause, you're the best
I've ever seen.

Mills digs out some money and throws it on the table.

MILLS (CONT)
Thanks for the beer.

Mills leaves. Other patrons watch him go. Somerset takes out a
cigarette. He goes to light it. The lighter will not light,
and when it does, Somerset's hand is shaking.


INT. SAFE HOUSE -- NIGHT

Mills comes quietly into the bedroom. Tracy is asleep in the
bed. Mills takes off his jacket, puts it down. He sits on a
chair and unties one shoe, takes it off. He looks at Tracy,
looks at her a long time.

He puts the shoe on the floor and goes to get on the bed. He
kisses Tracy's forehead, looks at her sleeping innocently. He
is touched, saddened. He kisses her cheek, then wraps his arms
under and around her. He holds tight, kisses her again. Tracy
stirs.

TRACY
David?

Mills his face against her, holding tighter still.

MILLS
I love you.

Tracy holds his face in her hands, sees that he is crying.

TRACY
David?

MILLS
I love you.

Mills clings to her. She wraps her arms around him as he cries
quietly against her, and she kisses him, tries to comfort him.
He sobs.


...



INT. SOMERSET'S APARTMENT, BEDROOM -- NIGHT

Somerset is in bed. The metronome is sounding: tick, tick,
tick... The SOUNDS of the CITY are LOUD.

Somerset closes his eyes, concentrating on the metronome. Tick,
tick, tick... A MAN and a WOMAN are HEARD SCREAMING at each
other incoherently from outside. Somerset rolls over, restless.
Tick, tick, tick...

A THIRD VOICE is HEARD from outside. This man is screaming at
the other two people to shut up. Somerset opens his eyes, sits
up. He reaches over, grabs the metronome and throws it against
the wall.


INSERT -- TITLE CARD

SUNDAY

INT. SOMERSET'S APARTMENT, BEDROOM -- EARLY MORNING

Somerset sits away from the bed. He's smoking a cigarette. The
PHONE RINGS. Somerset gets up, not in the best of moods.

SOMERSET
(into phone)
Hello.

TRACY (V.O.)
(from phone, upset)
Hello, Somerset. It's Tracy.

SOMERSET
Is everything alright?

TRACY (V.O.)
Yes. Everything's fine. Could... could
you meet me somewhere. To talk.

SOMERSET
(pause)
I don't think that's a good idea.

TRACY (V.O.)
I need to talk to someone, Somerset.
You're the only friend I have here. I
don't know anyone else.


INT. COFFEE CAFE -- MORNING

Somerset and Tracy are seated in a booth by the window. The
city's morning rush passes by outside. The cafe is noisy.
Tracy is very upset. Somerset is very uneasy.

SOMERSET
David doesn't know about this? You
haven't told him?

Tracy shakes her head. Somerset sighs. Long silence.

SOMERSET (CONT)
I have to tell you, Tracy, I'm not the
one to talk to about this.

TRACY
I just can't think straight. I don't
know why I called you, except I can't
stand to hold it as a secret anymore. I
had to get it out... and I can't tell
David yet. Not yet.

Somerset takes out his cigarettes, but thinks better of it and
puts them away. He watches Tracy stir her coffee.

SOMERSET
I... I had a relationship once, very
much like a marriage. And, there was a
baby. A long time ago. Things were
good. And I got up one morning, and I
went on a case... a murder, like any
other. Except it was my first since
hearing about the baby. And, I felt
this fear and anxiety coming over me. I
looked around and I thought, how can I
raise a child here? So, that night, I
told her I didn't want us to have
children, And, over the next few
weeks... I convinced her...

Tears come to Somerset's eyes.

SOMERSET (CONT)
I mean, I wore her down... slowly.

TRACY
I want to have children. But...

SOMERSET
I can tell you, I know... I'm positive I
made the right decision. I'm positive
it was the right thing to do. But,
there's never a day that goes by that I
don't wish I had decided differently.

Tracy reaches to hold Somerset's hand, but he withdraws it,
wipes his tears away.

SOMERSET (CONT)
If you... if you decide not to have the
baby... if that's what you decide, then
never tell Mills you were pregnant.
I mean that. Never tell.
(pause)
Your marriage would just wither, and die
altogether.

Tracy looks around the cafe, tears in her eyes.

SOMERSET (CONT)
But, if you decide to have the baby,
then, at that very instant, when you're
absolutely sure... tell him. Tell him
that exact second. And, spoil that kid
every chance you get.

TRACY
Somerset...

Somerset stands. He forces a smile.

SOMERSET
That's all the wisdom I can share with
you, Tracy. I barely know you.

TRACY
Will I see you again, before you leave?

SOMERSET
Probably not. But, it's probably better
that way.

Somerset steps away, leaves. Tracy watches him go.


EXT. CITY STREET -- DAY

Mills and Somerset walk towards the precinct house. They wade
through cars to cross the street.

SOMERSET
I've decided... I want to stay on, till
this is over. Till either it's done, or
we can see it will never end.

Mills remains impassive.

MILLS
Oh, you want to stay now?

SOMERSET
One of two things is going to happen.
We're either going to get John Doe...
or, he will finish his series of seven,
and he'll never be found.

MILLS
You think if you stay you're doing me
some big favor?

SOMERSET
I'm requesting you keep me on as your
partner a few more days. You'd be doing
me the favor.

MILLS
You knew I'd say yes.

SOMERSET
No. I wasn't sure at all.