outside.
 
BACKSTAGE
as Vanity watches Prince leave.  A
profound sadness sweeps her face.
Suddenly Susan is by her Side, hugging
and kissing her happily.  Brenda runs
up, pouring champagne.  Morris, Jerome
and The Time are at the end of the
hallway and beckon her excitedly into
the room.  Vanity forces a smile, goes
down the hallway, casting another look
at the exit door.
 
(96) EXT. BACK ALLEY, THE TASTE -- NIGHT
 
Morris and Vanity stagger down the ALLEY
obviously very drunk.  Morris pulls from
a FLASK.  Vanity is still in her
lingerie, wears an open coat over it.
Her speech is slurred--
 
VANITY
Did you hear these people
applauding?  They loved us --
they wanted to rip us apart,
and this is just our first
night.  I can see it now,
we're all going to be big
stars.  I can feel it.
 
MORRIS
(singing)
Ain't nobody bad like me.
 
She kisses him spontaneously on the
cheek--
 
VANITY
Morris, you're a genius.
 
MORRIS
Ye-es...
 
He fixes her with a sexy look, takes a
healthy look from his flask, then gives
it too her.  Vanity throws her head
back, drinks fully, the liquor coursing
over her cheeks.  He devours her with
his eyes, opens the door to the Caddy--
 
MORRIS
Let's go, Bebe.
 
She stops as if remembering something--
 
VANITY
Huh, where's Jerome?
 
MORRIS
In his skin...hee, hee...
 
He's trying to nudge her into the Caddy-
-
VANITY
Is he coming?
 
MORRIS
I gave him the night off.
 
VANITY
Why?
 
He staggers back from the car, undulates
his hips wantonly--
 
MORRIS
Whawhak!
 
She busts up.  Just then a MOTORCYCLE
can be heard off screen.  They look
around drunkenly, trying to discern its
direction.  Suddenly Prince BLASTS
around the corner FULL OUT!  He streaks
by Morris and KICKS him flat on his ass
into the garbage--
 
MORRIS
(wails)
Oh, no -- Oh, God...No!
 
Prince skids to a slick stop.  Vanity is
transfixed.  The entire episode  took
less than five seconds.  He twists the
throttle, BLASTS down upon her...
 
She breaks in a panic!  She runs
clumsily down another alley, her coat
flying.  He WHIPS after her like a
madman.  She flies around the corner --
a dead end!  He fishtails to a slick
stop--
 
PRINCE
Get on!
 
There's no way out!  Suddenly she lets
out an excited YELP, jumps on.  He guns
the bike, BURSTS up the alley.  Morris
jumps into his path drunkenly, his arms
extended--
 
MORRIS
Stop! Stop!
 
But Prince BLAZES down upon him, sending
him slipping and sliding to safety.  He
BLASTS around the bend--
 
MORRIS
Motherfucker!  You long-haired
faggot!
 
(97) EXT. HIGHWAY  TO EMBANKMENT -- NIGHT
 
Prince and Vanity WHIPPING down the
highway.
 
(98) EXT. EMBANKMENT -- NIGHT
 
They streak down the road, slow, then
move down a small embankment.  He stops
the bike and gets off.  She's in a foul
mood, staggers around dully, her head
pounding, her speech slurred--
 
VANITY
So here we are again.  So this
is it, huh?  What do you want
this time?
 
He looks at her painfully, upset about
her drunken state--
 
VANITY
What's your problem now?
What's your main problem?
 
PRINCE
No problem.  I just wanted to
talk, alright? I just want us
to be okay, to really get
along.  No big deal.
 
She cackles, falls flat on her ass,
hoists herself up--
 
VANITY
No big deal, huh...
 
She pulls Morris' FLASK from her jacket
-- his eyes blacken--
 
PRINCE
Give me that.
 
VANITY
No, definitely not.  Who are
you?  You can't tell me what
to do.
 
She puts it to her lips--
 
PRINCE
Please don't drink that.  Give
it to me.
 
She holds the flask to her lips
defiantly, then goes to drink.
 
He lashes out suddenly, SMASHES it from
her grip.  She SCREAMS wildly, SLAPS him
hard across the face.  He stands shocked
a moment, his rage surging within him,
smashing through every safety valve he's
acquired in his life.  He BACKHANDS her
savagely across the jaw.
 
She hits the ground like a rag doll.  He
looks at her curiously, bends over her -
- she sucker-punches him with everything
she's got!  He SCREAMS in rage and grabs
her hands as they flail about his face.
He squeezes her fingers back while the
tears stream down her cheeks and her
mouth forms a silent "ow"!  She bares
her teeth angrily and he sucks at her
mouth, biting and kissing her in a fever
pitch.
 
She kicks at him violently, hot tears
streaming down her cheeks.  He jams his
leg between hers, rubs it firmly against
her bottom.  She struggles helplessly
against him as he covers her breasts,
her stomach, her thighs with his lips.
Quick breaths escape from her -- her
breathing begins to race...
 
He snaps her panties in two, pulls them
from between her legs.  She spreads
herself as he releases his pants.  She
squeezes his buttocks, pulls him toward
her -- but Prince resists her coldly,
regards her with contempt.  Suddenly he
flips her onto her stomach, forces her
to stand painfully on her knees.  He
rubs his hand between her buttocks, then
thrusts into her painfully, driving
himself to the very depths of her...
 
...but she stifles a cry, arches her
back, and meets his thrusts fiercely,
moving quicker and quicker, banging her
buttocks against his thighs again and
again.  She's drawing from him now,
turning the humiliation around,
obtaining all that she needs and
desires.  He's powerless -- her thrusts
set the pace.  She rises, Prince still
inside her and tugs on him rapidly,
causing him to ejaculate suddenly,
drawing from him a sharp and sudden
cry...
 
She moves away, draws her coat tightly
about her, fixes him with a contemptuous
look--
 
VANITY
 
You're nothing, Prince,
absolutely nothing.  You think
you're so special --  but deep
down you're just like all the
rest.
(a beat)
Your whole life you've been
hiding, hiding behind your
music.  But now you don't even
have that, because last
night...last night you used it
to hurt someone, someone who
really cares.
 
She runs up the embankment, wipes away
her tears, faces him--
 
VANITY
If you put your hands on me
like that ever again, I'll be
the last person you touch.
 
She pulls off his Mother's earring,
throws it at him.  Tears flowing, she
streaks into the HIGHWAY blindly,
directly into the path of a SPEEDING CAR-
-
THE DRIVER
spots her in his HEADLIGHTS, SLAMS on
his brakes!  He SKIDS wildly across the
road, comes to a SCREECHING, BURNING
stop inches from her thigh!
 
VANITY
shoots a look at Prince, her lips
trembling, her love for him, written
plainly on her face.  But his eyes flash
defiantly.  She bites her lip sadly,
then snaps a hot look at the Driver--
 
VANITY
I  need a  ride.
 
She cuts around the car, hops in.  The
Driver skids off into the night.  Prince
stands there trembling, watches as it
disappears into the distance.
 
DISSOLVE   TO:
 
(99) EXT. PRINCE'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
 
Prince pulls up to the wooden gate, cuts
the motor, gets off.  He walk wearily
across the porch, moves to the front
door -- it's wide open.  He thinks
nothing of it, cuts into the house,
closes it behind him.
 
(100) INT. PRINCE'S HOUSE -- GROUND  FLOOR -- NIGHT
 
He stands by the door motionless, a
curious look on his face.  The STEREO is
on, the NEEDLE skipping monotonously
along the record.  His mouth opens into
a spasm--
 
PRINCE
Dad...?
 
Silence.  A sudden dread courses through
him, leaving a hollow in his stomach.
His feet are like lead.  He moves
heavily into the room--
 
PRINCE
Mom...?
 
Nothing.  Panic sets in.  He STREAKS
down the hallway, twists open the
bedroom door -- it's empty.  Blue NIGHT
LIGHT glows through the windows.
CURTAINS play delicately in the breeze.
He's thoughtful, walks back into the
living room...
 
...the COFFEE TABLE is SMASHED.  He
looks at it curiously, wondering
stupidly if it had always been like
that.  Then sudden bolt of fear makes
his head swim.  A lamp, a porcelain
dish, some knickknacks on the mantle --
all smashed.  He rushes into the
kitchen, looks around crazily--
 
PRINCE
Daddd...!
 
Nothing but the decay of his scream.
The BASEMENT door is ajar.  He cuts to
it quickly, pulls it open, peers
frantically into the darkness below.  He
snaps ON the light...