04x10 - Birds in the Cage

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Empire...

We got one sh*t to put
this bitch down for good.

We have a warrant for your arrest

in the kidnapping of Bella Lyon.

Please don't take my baby.

You will no longer use her

to get to me, or my family.

This is how it ends.

No! Jamal!

(g*nsh*t)

Oh, no.

There's been a sh**ting.
I think someone is dead.

Something going on
with the hormones, mama?

Who's the lucky daddy?

I love you.

(GIGGLES)

COOKIE: I really think we should
take our time this go-round.

(SHOUTS)

DR. JOHNSON:
Your son had a psychotic break.

I need you to come back
stronger than ever.

Claudia.

My sweet, sweet Dwight.

(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)

What are we supposed to do now?

Just act like everything is normal?

Baby, look, we just gonna start
putting this behind us, okay?

How does that work? Putting
behind you k*lling somebody?

Look, I don't want to...
hear no more about this.

You did everything in your
power to save a life.

And what about Angelo?

You were acting
in self-defense, Jamal.

What you did was heroic.

Look, I don't have no
answers for Angelo.

All I know is I'm standing
here with my baby,

and not burying him.

And that's all I care about.

Look, try to get some rest, okay?

(QUIETLY): Yeah.

Something's wrong, Thirsty.

Look, they are never gonna press
charges, all right? Warren gave

a full account of the att*ck.
Jamal is in the clear.

- Don't fret.
- I can't find Lucious.

What, he... What do you mean?

He was supposed to come
to the house last night;

he never made it.

I just got that message.

"Going away for a while. I need
some quality time by myself."

- "Quality time"?
- Does that sound like Lucious to you?

No.

Okay. Look, let me see

what I can find out, okay?
D-Don't worry.

I'll call you when I got something.

(EXHALES)

CLAUDIA (WHISPERS): Dwight?

(KISSES)

- Dwight?
- (MOANS)

Can you hear me?

(MOANS)

Hello?

Take it easy.

(SLURRING): What did you do to me?

You just still have a little of
the sedative in your system.

- Take it...
- (SMASHES PIANO KEYS)

(GRUNTS)

Dwight...

just take it easy, be careful.

I don't want you to hurt yourself.

You... look, you've mastered
your prosthetic,

but your other leg is chained
to the piano.

Do... you know who...

I am?

Do you know what I will do to you?

Do you know the kind of pain
that I'm-a bring on your head?!

(SHOUTS)

- (SHOUTS)
- We can discuss this

when you've had
a little bit more rest.

(EXHALES)

What'd you do to me?

I know who you are.

And I know exactly what I'm doing.

COOKIE: So, we doing this, or what?

Man...

Hey, look, b*tches, don't play me.

If you're with me, then we gonna
hit hard and we gonna hit fast

until that man bleeds.

So are we together or what?

POUNDCAKE: Yeah, yeah.

We doing this.

- A'ight. We in.
- Yeah.

Good. Okay, so I say
we hit after chow.

It's only him and two other
guards on the stroll.

We need to distract them, so
Chyna, Tam, that's on you.

Oh, you always cheat.

Bitch, why you tripping?

Hey, sit down.

Sit down! Get in your seat!

And that's when me and
Poundcake go to work.

- You know it.
- Poundcake gonna tenderize his ass.

I'm gonna cut him a buck .

Then if I get close enough...

Mm.

I got a few choice words
for his raping ass.

- (SHOUTING)
- GUARD: Sit down! Hey, sit down!

Quiet down!

Quiet down! Sit down!

- Get in your seats!
- GUARD : Move back, move back!

(GUARD SHOUTS)

WOMAN: Go, go, go! Get him!

GUARD: You, move back!

You sick bastard.

Not today, Cookie.

Stop it!

Stay down!

Get off her!

- Please, no more!
- GUARD: Don't make me tell you again!

She's got a blade.

- (GRUNTS)
- (DROPS BLADE)

GUARD: Settle down, inmates.
We're good.

Throw her in the hole.

Three weeks ought to cool her off.

Come on, get her up.

Playtime's over. Back to your cells.

All right, the show's over.

Back up, inmate.

This is what you get.

- On the gate.
- (LOCK BUZZES)

(DOOR OPENS)

THIRSTY: Hey, Cook.

Hey, what you got for me?

Well, it so happens,
my cousin is an orderly

at the Parkway Institution.

That's where Andre's admitted.

Yeah.

And it's also the last spot
where Lucious was seen.

He went to go visit Andre.

This is the feed
from the security cameras

around the same time he was there.

Wait for it.

Booyah.

Claudia?

Well, does she work there?

No, not at all.

Look-look, I got to ask.

Do you think there might be
a chance he relapsed?

Maybe went a little soft
in the brain, gave her a call?

Do you think that's what he meant

by he "needed time alone"?

- You think he needed her again?
- I don't know,

it's hard to say. You know,
are we talking Lucious,

or we talking Dwight?

I mean, best we can do is ask Claudia,

but therein lies the rub.

This chick is off the grid.

I can't reach her
at any of her numbers.

What about that doctor
who vouched for her? Gloria...

- Gloria Rothman. Yeah, she's on my list.
- Yeah.

I'll reach out to her, give her
the ol' "what's up, Doc?"

I mean, she's got to know something.

I'll get back to you.

Thirsty.

Find him.

Yeah, we will.

Stay strong, Cook.

- (LUCIOUS GROANS)
- (CHAIN RATTLING)

(SMASHES PIANO KEYS)

(GROANS)

I really wish you wouldn't fight this.

Why you doing this, huh?

You know? What,
is it some money you need?

Is it, is it... is this

some kind of a ransom thing

you want to do with me right now?

You know me better than that.

I want Dwight.

I don't know him no more.

I don't believe that.

When we were together, you were kind

and creative and brave.

And now you're just lost,
and so full of rage.

That's not who you are, Dwight.

Bitch, you better stop
calling me that!

My name is Lucious Lyon!

Your trauma is so deep.

But I know what that's like.

To have to shut down a part
of yourself to survive?

(CHAIN RATTLES)

But you are Dwight.

And we'll get him back, together.

Even if we have
to k*ll Lucious to do it.

Ladies and gentlemen,

dropping this Tuesday
on Empire XStream

is one of Empire's rising stars,

performing live at
Laviticus, Tory Ash!

♪ They see my battle scars ♪

♪ They're not here just because ♪

♪ Cigarettes and tattered jeans ♪

♪ I'm a rebel with a cause ♪

♪ They say I'm troublesome ♪

♪ They want to back me
against the wall... ♪

- Becky.
- Hey.

Cookie don't want Tory Ash doing

no interviews with all this
Dubois mess going on.

Of course. We only have every reporter

from every media outlet
in the country.

Who wouldn't want a scoop
on manslaughter?

Yo, don't sh**t the messenger.
I'm just telling you

- what she told me.
- It's just...

where is Lucious?

♪ It only makes me stronger ♪

♪ Makes me stronger ♪

♪ Say it, just say it, just say it ♪

♪ They're gonna talk regardless ♪

♪ But my armor makes me flawless... ♪

He's the only one that can spin this.

PORSHA: He got one son
at the police station,

and another son in the crazy house.

- Lucious got enough on his plate.
- (GROANS)

This family loves drama.
Look, hold this. I'm-a go pee.

TMI.

♪ I was poking at the king, they
trying to wake up the beast ♪

♪ I put them in they place
and tell them to take a seat ♪

- ♪ Try they hardest, oh, they try
to tarnish my image ♪ - Yeah.

♪ But the lion in them means
it ain't no dying in them, so ♪

- ♪ Hey, uh ♪
- (WHOOPS)

♪ Tell them they can talk
as much as they want to ♪

♪ Let 'em talk now ♪

♪ I don't know what the hell
you want from us ♪

- ♪ What you want from us? ♪
- ♪ Yeah ♪

♪ If it doesn't k*ll me,
it only makes me stronger ♪

- ♪ Come on ♪
- ♪ Makes me stronger ♪

- ♪ Say it, just say it, just say it ♪
- Say it ♪

♪ They're gonna talk regardless ♪

♪ But my armor makes me flawless ♪

♪ I'm bulletproof. ♪

Excuse me, Cookie.

I got the doc.

Oh.

Dr. Rothman was kind enough
to come in and talk with us.

Thank you for coming.

She's Claudia's therapist.

Well, in our profession,
it's not uncommon

for colleagues to function
as counselors for each other.

- Mm. Have a seat.
- Uh-huh.

Yeah, we were hoping
that you could, uh,

locate her.
We have a couple of questions.

I haven't seen Claudia
for a few weeks now.

I've been unable to reach her.

Is... there something wrong?

Look, Lucious Lyon is missing, okay?

And-and security cameras
picked Claudia up lingering

around the last place he was seen.

So I'm-a ask you this once,
and I'm-a ask you nicely.

Do I got to worry about this bitch?

Um...

Claudia has had her own
fair share of trauma.

It's made her an ideal person
to help others, but...

there have been times

when she took her methods too far.

Would you like to hear
about your curriculum?

I was thinking that we would start

with some of the sensory exercises

that we did before. I'll just need you

to be open and cooperative.

Well, what if I don't feel like
being open and cooperative?

Oh.

I have this if you refuse medication,

and this is for my safety.

GLORIA: There was this
Olympic track star.

His team bus ran off
the road one night,

but he survived.

To help with his rehabilitation,

Claudia moved in with the patient

and his wife up in Westchester.

The same damn thing she did
with me and Lucious.

Well, his doctors could not
believe his recovery,

but things took a turn
when his wife decided

to discontinue some of Claudia's
more nontraditional techniques.

- Okay, nontraditional?
- COOKIE: Yeah.

She likes to get
a little too hands on.

GLORIA: She thought it would be best

to take him to a more secluded
environment upstate.

Upstate? You have an address?

Uh, I'm not sure.

The wife intervened before
she was able to take him.

I-I'm sorry.

I really don't feel comfortable
saying anything more

until I've had the chance
to talk to Claudia, but I-I will

- continue to reach out to her.
- Thank you. -Yes. Oh, please do.

All right, and when you talk to
Claudia, I would like to know.

Nontraditional treatment.

- Upstate.
- Yeah.

(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)

(SIGHS) I don't know
if you've seen it yet,

but the sun came out.

It keeps doing that.

- Yo, man, what are you doing?
- Man, I don't like this, Mal.

You're getting into fights.

You're shouting at people,
like a punk.

That's my gig, not you.

Come on, man. I thought we were
like the princes of England.

You were the stable one.

What's his name? William?

Did you know that when
you pull the trigger, it...

it's like the gunpowder
just stays on you.

No matter how much you wash it.

It don't matter how many times
I tell myself that we were...

we were both fighting for the g*n.

I can still feel myself...

(g*nsh*t)

I can still feel it going off.

Look, the Dubois came after
us with all they had.

- We still survived.
- Did we?

All of us.

Get dressed.

♪

- Where are we going?
- We going out.

Put your Guccis on.

(HAKEEM CLAPS, HOLLERS)

(TOILET FLUSHES)

You know, you got a bladder
the size of a thimble.

Why you got to tinkle all the time?

Yo, how much I tinkle and when I do it

is none of your business.

That's between me and the toilet.

You pregnant?

What kind of question is that?

Ain't that a pregnancy test
in your hand?

Yeah, but these things
don't even mean anything, so...

They're like . % accurate.
They mean a lot. What's it say?

- Can I wash my hands now, or...
- What does it say, Becky?

You know, it really doesn't matter

what it says because until
I see an actual doctor,

every single one of these
are inconclusive.

So...

- And it's just not even...
- Damn, Becky!

How many of those you done took?

You got, like, a dozen tinkle tests.

They positive?

(CRYING): I... I, um...

They positive.

I... I need to wash my hands, okay?

- Oh, Becky.
- No, I...

- It's okay.
- (SOBBING)

It's okay.

I still didn't wash my hands.

That's ok... I didn't wash
my hands, either. It's okay.

(PIANO PLAYING)

♪

(PIANO PLAYING STOPS)

Dwight?

What's wrong?

My whole life, I never felt safe.

Even as a child.

Except within the music.

And being here in this cabin,

it's like... the fog is lifting.

I can...

I can hear the music again.

I should've never
sent you away. (SOBS)

- It's okay.
- (SOBBING)

I'm here now.

- It's okay.
- I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry.

It's all right.

I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

(CHOKING)

Didn't I tell you?

I told you to let me go, didn't I?

You didn't want to listen to me.
You should've let me go.

- You should've let me go, shouldn't you?
- (COUGHING)

(GRUNTS)

Aah!

(LUCIOUS SHOUTS)

- (SIZZLING)
- Aah!

(GROANS)

(LOUD, OVERLAPPING MUSIC PLAYS)

(LUCIOUS SCREAMS)

Aah! Stop! No!

(MUSIC STOPS)

(PANTING):
You shouldn't have done that.

- (SIGHS)
- What did you do to me?

Experimental medications
heightened your receptors.

And with the synesthesia

combined with the music and lights,

it creates this intense pain.

Something maybe a little bit
like a migraine.

- That wasn't music.
- Oh, yes, it is.

That's all of your rap songs
layered over each other.

That's what Lucious Lyon sounds like.

Pain.

Five minutes should be sufficient.

- No! No! (SCREAMING)
- (LOUD, OVERLAPPING MUSIC PLAYS)

♪ Check it out now ♪

♪ I got you stuck off the realness ♪

♪ We be the infamous,
you heard of us... ♪

- (PHONE RINGING)
- Talk to me.

THIRSTY: Well, Claudia has never
owned any property upstate,

but her father owned a house up there,

and it's still listed under his name.

Yeah, well that must be it.

Text me the address.
It shouldn't be too far.

THIRSTY: All right, Cookie,
maybe you shouldn't do this.

All right? The place looks
a little secluded.

Don't know what you're walking into.

Look, I'll finish with the police,

- and I can head right over there.
- No. Look,

if he's back to his
old Dwight self, I just...

just want to have a mature
conversation with him.

- That's all.
- Cookie, have you met you?

All right, most of your
conversations usually involve

a baseball bat and three
weeks of carpentry repairs.

Get off my phone.

- ♪ You could put your whole
army against my team ♪ - (SIGHS)

You got this, Cook.

♪ I guarantee you it'll be your
very last time breathing ♪

You got this.

You got this, Cook. You got this.

You got this, Cook.

- You got this.
- (METALLIC SCRAPING)

Oh, don't get up. It's just me.

You busy?

I thought you might be
interested in this.

"Rising rap star, Lucious Lyon,

attended The Source Awards
last night."

He's a handsome fella.

Might explain this supermodel
wrapped around him.

(BANGING ON DOOR)

Come on, look alive.
You got family here.

Lucious. Lucious came.

(LAUGHS)

Lucious! My babies came to see me.

I ain't got nothing
to say to you, bitch.

Burleson told me that
I could see my baby

and get an early leave if, you know,

I just tipped him on anything
that was going down.

But I didn't ask you for nothing,

and I don't own you a damn thing.

Yeah, that's right.

You saved your baby all by yourself.

Get the hell out of my face.

You got no family inside,

you got no family outside.

I'm gonna break you.

I'm gonna break you so
you have to crawl out of here.

♪

Did you let him know we were coming?

I thought we'd surprise him.

(HOLLERS)

What are y'all doing here?

You know I'm coming home in a week.

We just thought we'd came
to check up on you

before you came back.

Is it okay to catch a hug or what?

(CHUCKLES)

I heard about what happened. You okay?

Yeah, I'm fine.

Yeah, we're just looking
forward to you coming home.

Whenever you're ready.

Warren?

He's fine.

Lucky Mal was there
to take Angelo out.

JAMAL: You know how stupid you sound

saying something like that.

What would you possibly know

about taking somebody out, Hakeem?

Huh?

It's not some damn movie.

Look, I'm sorry, all right?

I shouldn't have come here. I...

Jamal, you can't leave.

We got to stick together.

No, that woman,

that woman, Diana,
she wanted to destroy us,

and she did.

She did, y'all.

Look at what she did to you.

And you and Bella and me.

And her own flesh and blood.

And now everybody's
just patting me on the back

and I'm so pissed about that
'cause they're just like,

"Oh, good job. Good job."
But for what?

Look, I ain't want to k*ll nobody.

(SNIFFLES)

But I did.

But I did!

- (SOBS)
- Jamal, it's okay.

(SIGHS)

It's okay.

JAMAL (SOBBING): No.

Dre, man, I'm sorry.
I'm fine, all right?

I'm really sorry.

Jamal, you listen to me, all right?

We all carry our burdens with us.

You don't have to carry them alone.

I'm with you.

I'm with you, too.

I'm with you, too.

(SMASHES PIANO KEYS)

(GROANS SOFTLY)

(CHAIN RATTLING)

I didn't mean to hurt you.

I know.

You weren't yourself.

(CAR APPROACHING)

It's Cookie.

Cookie!

I'm in here!

You better get rid of her
or I will slit her throat.

She will not interrupt me again.

♪

Hello, Cookie.

Is Lucious here?

Because if he is, I would like
to speak with him, please.

Please.

(PIANO PLAYING)

How'd you find us?

Is there a reason why you're not
returning my phone calls?

We had some very important work
to do alone.

What's this "we," white wo...?

You know what?

(LAUGHS): You just...

Talk to me.

Ain't you got nothing better
to do than looking for me?

I mean, yeah, you asked Lucious

to help you to take down the Dubois.

I did that, right?

But there was a part of me
that was developed

w-with Claudia
that-that I need to flesh out.

I don't know whether to call it
Lucious or Dwight,

but whatever it is... (STAMMERS)
I want to be a better man.

(PIANO PLAYING)

(CLEARS THROAT SOFTLY)

(PIANO PLAYING STOPS)

I don't know how this
white woman got you twisted,

but we have a company to run.

So I need you to get up
off your ass and come with me.

I need you to hear me.
I'm writing new music.

- Can't you hear that?
- (PLAYING PIANO FORCEFULLY)

Are you serious?

I've got to have time
to finish this new song. Please.

(PLAYS DISTINCTIVE MELODY)

Okay, I'm not gonna sit here
and beg you.

If you want to stay here
with your wet nurse,

then you suck right on, baby.

(PLAYS DISTINCTIVE MELODY)

♪

(DOOR OPENS, SLAMS)

♪ Yesterday, I had a dream ♪

♪ We were family ♪

♪ When I woke up ♪

♪ You were next to me ♪

LUCIOUS: Ain't you got
nothing better to do

than looking for me?

I've got to have time
to finish this new song.

- Please.
- (PLAYS DISTINCTIVE MELODY)

Yesterday, I had a dream
we were a family.

JAMAL: It was Mom's idea
to change your sound.

So she wrote you a love song.

(DISTINCTIVE MELODY PLAYS)

♪ Yesterday I had a dream
that we were family ♪

This love song.

(TIRES SCREECH)

LUCIOUS: I need you to hear me.

I'm writing new music.

Write new music?

Hello, Cookie.

We had some very important work

to do alone.

It's new music.

(DISTINCTIVE MELODY PLAYS)

That's a lie.

That's my song.

(SIGHS) Great.

Come on, Cookie. Come on.

Come on, Cookie.

If you don't mind me asking,

how did this happen?

I mean, you know

- I know how it happened, you know?
- Ugh.

But, like... you know
what I'm trying to say.

It's a really good question,

'cause I hooked up
with J Poppa one time.

All it takes is one time, Becky.

More like six times.

- Eight.
- Eight?!

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

J Poppa really better get on his knees

and pray about something.

(BOTH LAUGHING)

Stupid.

(QUIETLY): Damn.

When this used to happen
to girls on my block,

I would swear up and down
it was never gonna be me.

I'm too smart for this.

And I worked too hard
to get where I am.

I bust my ass to get my job.

(BECKY SIGHS)

I just never saw being a mother
as a job for me.

So... what you gonna do?

(SIGHS)

CLAUDIA: I thought

you might be hungry.

I hope you meant what you said

about wanting to be a better man.

It was nice.

Maybe you could play me a song.

I only play when I'm inspired,

and my inspiration just
walked out the front door.

I understand that you're angry
and tired, Dwight.

(YELLS)

You better just calm down.

You know what?
I would walk a thousand miles

through broken glass, I would
k*ll everybody on this planet...

- I'm warning you.
- ...to save Cookie,

because I love her.

I love her. I love Cookie.

You'll never know what that feels like

because you're a broken bitch.

- (YELLS)
- (LOUD, OVERLAPPING MUSIC PLAYS)

(LUCIOUS GROANS)

(MUSIC STOPS)

(GROANS)

Damn it. See what you made me do?

Blown a circuit.

(PANTING)

- (GASPS)
- Shh, shh, shh.

(WHISPERS): You want to
give me a heart att*ck?

No, no, no.

- Come on, I'm gonna get you out of here.
- No, I can't.

The bitch chained me
to the frickin' piano.

- What? Okay.
- (CHAIN SCRAPES LOUDLY)

Shh. Let me see what I can find
and get you out of here.

(WHIMPERS)

It looks like the Cookie crumbled.

Get up.

Walk.

(GROANING SOFTLY)

Oh.

You can't get up on your own?

All right, come on,
get her on her feet.

- Let's go.
- (COOKIE GRUNTS)

CHYNA: Come on.

Come on. Get up, Cook.

You can do this. Get up!

- Stand up, Cookie.
- Get up. You can do it.

- Come on. -Come on, girl.
- Come on, Cookie. Get up.

- You can do it. Let's go.
- There you go.

You got it. Let's go. Get up.

- There you go.
- Show them, you got it.

- That's it.
- Yes.

There you go, Cookie.
Stand up, Cookie.

- Come on, girl.
- Don't let them. There you go, Cookie!

- Come on.
- You got it.

- There you go.
- (BANGING ON BARS)

♪

That's it!

(WHOOPS) Yes!

(CHEERING CONTINUES IN DISTANCE)

(GASPS)

Go ahead, turn the key,hack.

You ain't free yet.

(WHISPERS): Cookie?

Hey.

- Are you all right?
- Ow.

(GROANING SOFTLY)

What is going on?

- (COOKIE GROANS SOFTLY)
- CLAUDIA: Dwight made it

perfectly clear he didn't need you.

You shouldn't have come back.

So, what's your plan, Claudia?
Huh? You can't keep him

chained to a piano on some
Black Snake Moan kink.

I'm trying to save Dwight,
not hurt him.

We have a... a connection
you will never understand.

I love him.

(COOKIE LAUGHS)

Girl, do you think you the only bitch

that's been caught up
in some fantasy puppy love

over that old salty dog?

CLAUDIA: Oh, this is not puppy love.

He loves me. He told me.

He ain't never told you that, heifer.

Are you serious, Lucious?

I'm strapped to a table
because you led this psycho on?

No, it's not what you...
it-it was a mistake.

A mistake?

Yes, 'cause I thought she was you.

- What?
- What?

A mistake

like when you was hitting
Giuliana in Vegas,

when you were on your long con?

Or like you and Angelo.

- COOKIE: Okay.
- LUCIOUS: You want to throw bones?

- You want to throw sticks?
- You a trip, Lucious.

You always act like you don't
have a jealous streak, but...

Yeah, I'm not jealous of Angelo.

It was just the fact that
Angelo was disrespecting me,

and you parading him in front of me

and the boy wasn't good enough
for you in the first place.

Well, we don't have to worry
about Angelo anymore, do we?

He got his dumb ass sh*t.

He's dead?

You need to pay attention, okay?

Giuliana's probably in the dirt
somewhere, pushing up daisies.

So anyone that gets involved
with you two turns up dead?

COOKIE: Well, I mean,

I wouldn't say everyone.

That's ridiculous.

I mean, we got a couple bodies.

(COOKIE AND LUCIOUS LAUGH)

You think this is funny?

That you ruin people's lives?

What you have is not love.

It's some kind of evil alchemy.

Like where you amplify the worst

and most vile instincts in each other.

You're toxic.

I'm not gonna sit here and
let you head-shrink me, lady.

Okay? So do what you got to do.

How long were you in prison
before he served you

- with divorce papers?
- COOKIE: I told you I wasn't doing this

with you, lady.

Did you ever tell him
how badly that hurt you?

Why'd you abandon her?

I did not abandon her.

Well, you did stop calling,

you stopped visiting and no letters.

So, what's that?

- That's abandonment.
- LUCIOUS: Did you ever think

how difficult it was for me
to come there every week

and see you with new scars,
new scratches, new bruises

and not to be able to do nothing?

I felt helpless.

And when you got out,
did he greet you with open arms

- or did he give you half the company?
- Yes, I did.

COOKIE: No. What? No,
you didn't, Lucious.

- LUCIOUS: I did.
- You did not.

You were pitting our sons
against each other, remember?

Well, because I thought
I was dying from ALS.

So that stopped you from
giving me what was mine? Huh?

As much as I sacrifice
for this family...

No, if I got to hear
one more time you talking about

you spent years in prison
for this damn family,

I'm telling you, Claudia,

you got permission
to s*ab me in my neck.

Have you thought how hard it
might have been for me out there

trying to raise them boys by myself

and try and build a freaking company?

Yeah, out there. Out there, Lucious.

You had help. You had my sisters.

You-you had my cousin, Bunkie,

till you didn't need him anymore.

Hey, Bunkie didn't deserve to die.

Yeah, you need to stop talking,
Cookie.

- No, I'm not gonna stop.
- You need to shut up!

I'm not gonna shut up!

'Cause Lucious don't shut up

until he gets what he wants.

You stole me from my boyfriend, Barry,

and that is what put my daddy
in the grave.

You know the one thing that
ain't never happened to you,

Cookie, in this lifetime,
is you ain't never been took.

And you saw an opportunity

to get out of the ghetto
and you took it.

I saw you, and I saw a woman
that could help me

get to the top of this damn game
and I took it.

That's what brought us together.

It was the game recognizing game.

It was hustle recognizing hustle.

Ah, so it wasn't love.

You said I was your muse.

You said you loved me,

so I guess that was hustle, too, huh?

CLAUDIA: Don't you get it now, Cookie?

After all that pain and suffering,

he didn't love you.

That's not what I said.

If you're really honest with yourself,

you don't love him, either.

You're in love with that gold logo

that spins around on the record.

Not the man, not Dwight.

When I was in prison,
my family was the only thing

that kept me going.

I know we may argue over money

and power and turf,

but you can take all of that away

and I will continue
to love them all, even Lucious.

So you can kidnap him,

you can chain him to a piano,

you can t*rture him

until he turns
into a little church boy,

but I prefer that monster
over Dwight any day.

You know why?

Because he belongs to me.

And if you think I'm gonna walk
out of here without him,

you don't know Cookie Lyon at all.

So I suggest you ask about me, bitch,

'cause I don't make a move without him

and he don't make one without me.

Do what you got to do.

- So be it.
- So be it.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

No, Claudia,
you don't have to do this.

I'm sorry.
This is not what I had planned.

No, you don't have to do this at all.

And if you had just stayed away

- and let me do my work...
- Do it.

- Everything would've been fine.
- No, you don't have to do it!

I just need to do my work!

- Do your work, bitch. Do it.
- Shut up, Cookie.

- I wanted to do my work.
- Do your work.

Cookie, shut the hell up!

- Do it.
- (CAR HORN HONKING)

She's not supposed to be here.

This is...

You got to go see.

Gloria, you can't be here.

You need to go now.

What is going on? Do you have
Lucious Lyon with you?

- His family is looking for him.
- I appreciate your concern,

but this is not your business.

- Hey!
- Wait, no, no, no, Lucious!

Lucious, Lucious, Lucious.

I got a plan.

- Claudia, I need to go inside.
- No.

I am working.

I'm going inside.

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTS)

(PANTING)

Where is she?

She went to get the police.

Told you it wouldn't work out
the way...

(LOUD, OVERLAPPING MUSIC PLAYS)

(OVERLAPPING MUSIC CONTINUES)

♪ Snitching is bitching ♪

(OVERLAPPING MUSIC CONTINUES
IN DISTANCE)

- LUCIOUS: Cookie!
- (GRUNTS)

(BOTH GRUNTING)

(YELLING)

You want to tussle? Come on.

Let's tussle.

(TASER CRACKLING)

(GRUNTS) You b-bitch.

Aah! Aah!

- (TASER CRACKLING)
- (GROANS)

You can have Lucious,

- but Dwight is mine.
- LUCIOUS: No.

k*ll her. (GROANS)

Go ahead, just do it.

You're a k*ller. That's who
you are, Lucious, so just do it.

k*ll her!

k*ll that bitch.

Do it!

COOKIE: No.

(PANTING): What?

(INDISTINCT POLICE RADIO CHATTER)

- Thanks.
- Mm-hmm.

(LUCIOUS SIGHS)

Why didn't you k*ll her?

And prove her right?

I decide who I am, not her.

Who are we, Lucious?

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

ANDRE: And yet you look at me

like I'm some kind of mutant.

Why do you hate me?

I'm the only one that knows

(ECHOES): what he truly is.

- At the push of a button.
- Boom.

That's why I got to k*ll him.

LUCIOUS: The keys to the kingdom.

(ECHOES): It's all yours, Dre.

ANDRE: Mom! Mom!

Get away from the car!

- (COOKIE SCREAMING)
- (ANDRE SCREAMING)

(GASPING)

Mr. Lyon.

You all right?

Anything you need?

Yeah, I'm okay.

(PANTING)

I have to tell him.

Oh, God. I have to tell him.