Easy Love
Andie sighed as she watched her friends leave the restaurant one by
one on their way home. Pacey strolling hand in hand with Joey, the
image that once would have caused her so much pain and anxiety was a
somewhat comforting sight. She knew that Joey would take care of him.
She had no doubt that they would be okay. She had to admit that she
was a little worried about him. Even though they hadn't been exactly
best friends these last few months that didn't stop her from caring
about him as a person. In fact when she knew that 'True Love' was lost
at sea in that storm she was sure if anything happened to him, she
would break. Of course she never told him that. he didn't need to hear
it. Their time had passed and even though the thought made her sad she
had come to accept it. She had been honest while on her brief hiatus
from sanity when she was on the X pill. She knew that he really was
the love of her life even if she wasn't his. Joey and Pacey were good
for one another and he was happy and in turn that made her happy.
Jack came up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey are you ready?"
He asked.
She smiled and nodded refusing to cry anymore tonight. "Yeah." She
whispered as she grabbed her sweater and made her way outside. Dawson
and Jen were still there waiting on them it seemed. "What are you guys
doing here?"
Dawson smiled a little looking at her with those big blue eyes. "I was
hoping that you would let me walk you home. I mean it will be the last
time that I get to do it." He admonished.
She gave him a well-meant smirk. "What about Jen?"
"I'll take care of my surrogate sister if that is okay with her?" Jack
replied throwing his arm around Jennifer and bumping the side of his
head into hers gently.
"Fine by me." She replied with a shrug knowing that it meant a lot to
her. Walking over to Andie she hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much
Andie."
"No thanks needed. just take care of him for me."
"You don't even have to ask."
"And let him take care of you too. He's really good at that." She
remarked looking into Jen's brown eyes.
She nodded feeling the tears well up without her control. "Okay look
we better hit the road before I become a quivering mass of emotional
distress." She replied wiping her tears away. "I'll see you Andie."
She whispered as Andie nodded in response.
"I'll see you at home." He stated looking at his sister.
"Okay."
Once gone that left just the two of them standing in the pale
moonlight in front of his restaurant. "So." She said looking over at
him.
"So." He sighed deeply putting on a brave smile as a front. "Take a
walk with me?" He offered putting out his hand.
She looked down at it for a moment with a genuine grin as she slipped
her palm in his. He closed his fingers around it and gave it a small
squeeze as he led her down the pier walking aimlessly in the general
direction of her house. They walked in silence for a few moments
enjoying the crisp fall breeze. "I uh. I have no idea what I should
say." He remarked.
"Well. you can tell me that you'll miss me and that we'll write and
keep in touch."
He sighed. "All the things that you already know. Andie. I feel like I
should say something indescribably creative and emotionally heart
wrenching because that's the way that I feel inside." He stopped them
and she turned so she was facing him. "We have been through so much in
the past few months. You know I don't think that I would have gotten
this far with dealing with my emotions if it hadn't of been for you."
"Dawson you would have gotten through anything because that's the kind
of person that you are. You pull through, and you deal."
"But part of the reason why I was able to deal was because you were
there going through the same emotional turmoil that I was. You were
there giving me strength when I couldn't let go of the anger. You. you
became my inspiration and the embodiment of everything positive in my
life. And now the one thing that kept me going. the living proof that
there is still a bright light at the end of the tunnel is leaving. how
am I suppose to deal with that?"
She stared at him with a sad smile as tears shined brightly in her
hazel brown eyes. "You just will. Do you know that if this was us a
month ago, I wouldn't have been so sure about you. There were so many
things happening and I know that you were just trying to find your way
but lately Dawson you haven't needed me as much as you think." She
stated and shook her head when she saw that he was about to object to
her statement. "No wait just listen to me. When Pacey and Joey left
and came back closer then you ever thought possible I have to admit
that I was afraid for you. I really was worried that you wouldn't be
able to cope with the changes. and at first I did help you. we helped
each other. We stood by one another through some really tough
predicaments that we put ourselves in. me with the PSAT's and you with
your temper and abandoning film to be sure about what you wanted. I
mean while everyone else thought we were suffering from a severe case
of the body-snatchers, you and I always supported one another. Because
I think that we believed we were all we had. but that wasn't true. And
for the past couple of weeks we both have been living these separate
lives. You and I have been on two different paths always checking with
the other as though we were each other's safety nets. And we can still
be that for one another but what you don't need me to be is your
shoulder to cry on anymore because. there aren't any more tears. And I
know for a fact that you are going to be just fine." She whispered
empathetically.
Reaching out he took both of her hands in his and gave them a gentle
squeeze. "What if I have a relapse?" He asked with a smile.
She laughed. "Well, then you just call me and I will be on the first
plane back to Capeside to help you through it. But you won't." She
reassured him softly.
He opened his mouth about to say something, hesitated and shut it
again bowing his head. "What? What is it?" She asked.
"I just. I still feel like there is something that I haven't said.
something that I should say and for the life of me I can't think of
what it is." He admitted.
She nodded. "How about. Andie you are my Goddess and the Sun just
won't shine the same without you here in this small provincial town
that I call home?" She joked.
"Well, I was thinking more on the lines of. I love you Andie, and my
days won't be the same without your smile." He whispered.
"That works too." She remarked and fell into his embrace as he hugged
her tight.
Potter Bed and Breakfast.
"Is it just me or does this still seem extremely surreal?" Joey asked.
"What would that be?"
"Andie's impromptu departure. I mean not only is she leaving this
fractured group of dare I even say it, friends, but she managed to put
some adhesive tape over the cracks that existed. I mean she bridged
the gap between Jen and Jack. She even managed a small truce between
the three of us. How did she do that?" She asked softly.
Pacey sighed deeply truly thinking over her question. "Well she's an
angel." He remarked with a smile before he got serious. "We all know
that you never truly know what you have until it's gone and I have to
admit that I never believed in that saying until now. I mean Andie and
I kind of fell out of the loop a little while back and I guess I just
never stopped to think about how important her presence was and is in
my life. Even when we stopped fighting and just let things be, we
still weren't on that same sparring level that we once had been and
now that I think about it, I know that I'm going to miss that. I'm
going to miss it more then I thought I would. So even with all the
good that she did tonight, she still left a broken heart in Capeside."
He whispered looking over at Joey.
She smiled sadly. Reaching out she stroked his cheek and placed a kiss
on the center of his forehead. "I think she left a few broken hearts
Pacey." She remarked softly holding him close to her.
Gram's house.
Jack stopped as they approached her house and stood right in front of
her porch. "Here we are." He remarked.
She turned to him. "Yeah. do you want to come in and hang out? We
could have a snack. God tell me when did I become the stereotypical
teenager?"
"Nothing about you is remotely typical. that's why I love you." He
stated with a smile. "But no. I want to get home."
She nodded understanding. "Okay right now what are you thinking?"
"At this very moment?"
"Yeah."
"How do I ask Andie to stay. without asking her to stay? I mean I love
you Jen, I really do but."
"But I'm not Andie."
He nodded. "Yeah, Andie's like my twin soul you know? There has never
been someone who has known me better then she has. I can talk to her
about anything and even when she doesn't agree with me, I know that
she'll support me in the end. And when I can't talk. she usually will
and the sound of her voice can calm my nerves and relax me better then
any herbal substance ever could. She has been with me for the last
eighteen years of my life and the furthest apart we've ever been has
totaled up to the five minute walk it took to get from your house to
mine. Not counting the summer she went to that hospital. And I just
don't know what I'm going to do without her." His voice cracked with
emotion as the tears welled up in his eyes.
Jen exhaled deeply as she reached out and took him into her awaiting
embrace. "Hey it's okay." She whispered into his ear.
Reaching up he clung to her as though she were the only real thing he
had.
Andie sighed as she watched her friends leave the restaurant one by
one on their way home. Pacey strolling hand in hand with Joey, the
image that once would have caused her so much pain and anxiety was a
somewhat comforting sight. She knew that Joey would take care of him.
She had no doubt that they would be okay. She had to admit that she
was a little worried about him. Even though they hadn't been exactly
best friends these last few months that didn't stop her from caring
about him as a person. In fact when she knew that 'True Love' was lost
at sea in that storm she was sure if anything happened to him, she
would break. Of course she never told him that. he didn't need to hear
it. Their time had passed and even though the thought made her sad she
had come to accept it. She had been honest while on her brief hiatus
from sanity when she was on the X pill. She knew that he really was
the love of her life even if she wasn't his. Joey and Pacey were good
for one another and he was happy and in turn that made her happy.
Jack came up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey are you ready?"
He asked.
She smiled and nodded refusing to cry anymore tonight. "Yeah." She
whispered as she grabbed her sweater and made her way outside. Dawson
and Jen were still there waiting on them it seemed. "What are you guys
doing here?"
Dawson smiled a little looking at her with those big blue eyes. "I was
hoping that you would let me walk you home. I mean it will be the last
time that I get to do it." He admonished.
She gave him a well-meant smirk. "What about Jen?"
"I'll take care of my surrogate sister if that is okay with her?" Jack
replied throwing his arm around Jennifer and bumping the side of his
head into hers gently.
"Fine by me." She replied with a shrug knowing that it meant a lot to
her. Walking over to Andie she hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much
Andie."
"No thanks needed. just take care of him for me."
"You don't even have to ask."
"And let him take care of you too. He's really good at that." She
remarked looking into Jen's brown eyes.
She nodded feeling the tears well up without her control. "Okay look
we better hit the road before I become a quivering mass of emotional
distress." She replied wiping her tears away. "I'll see you Andie."
She whispered as Andie nodded in response.
"I'll see you at home." He stated looking at his sister.
"Okay."
Once gone that left just the two of them standing in the pale
moonlight in front of his restaurant. "So." She said looking over at
him.
"So." He sighed deeply putting on a brave smile as a front. "Take a
walk with me?" He offered putting out his hand.
She looked down at it for a moment with a genuine grin as she slipped
her palm in his. He closed his fingers around it and gave it a small
squeeze as he led her down the pier walking aimlessly in the general
direction of her house. They walked in silence for a few moments
enjoying the crisp fall breeze. "I uh. I have no idea what I should
say." He remarked.
"Well. you can tell me that you'll miss me and that we'll write and
keep in touch."
He sighed. "All the things that you already know. Andie. I feel like I
should say something indescribably creative and emotionally heart
wrenching because that's the way that I feel inside." He stopped them
and she turned so she was facing him. "We have been through so much in
the past few months. You know I don't think that I would have gotten
this far with dealing with my emotions if it hadn't of been for you."
"Dawson you would have gotten through anything because that's the kind
of person that you are. You pull through, and you deal."
"But part of the reason why I was able to deal was because you were
there going through the same emotional turmoil that I was. You were
there giving me strength when I couldn't let go of the anger. You. you
became my inspiration and the embodiment of everything positive in my
life. And now the one thing that kept me going. the living proof that
there is still a bright light at the end of the tunnel is leaving. how
am I suppose to deal with that?"
She stared at him with a sad smile as tears shined brightly in her
hazel brown eyes. "You just will. Do you know that if this was us a
month ago, I wouldn't have been so sure about you. There were so many
things happening and I know that you were just trying to find your way
but lately Dawson you haven't needed me as much as you think." She
stated and shook her head when she saw that he was about to object to
her statement. "No wait just listen to me. When Pacey and Joey left
and came back closer then you ever thought possible I have to admit
that I was afraid for you. I really was worried that you wouldn't be
able to cope with the changes. and at first I did help you. we helped
each other. We stood by one another through some really tough
predicaments that we put ourselves in. me with the PSAT's and you with
your temper and abandoning film to be sure about what you wanted. I
mean while everyone else thought we were suffering from a severe case
of the body-snatchers, you and I always supported one another. Because
I think that we believed we were all we had. but that wasn't true. And
for the past couple of weeks we both have been living these separate
lives. You and I have been on two different paths always checking with
the other as though we were each other's safety nets. And we can still
be that for one another but what you don't need me to be is your
shoulder to cry on anymore because. there aren't any more tears. And I
know for a fact that you are going to be just fine." She whispered
empathetically.
Reaching out he took both of her hands in his and gave them a gentle
squeeze. "What if I have a relapse?" He asked with a smile.
She laughed. "Well, then you just call me and I will be on the first
plane back to Capeside to help you through it. But you won't." She
reassured him softly.
He opened his mouth about to say something, hesitated and shut it
again bowing his head. "What? What is it?" She asked.
"I just. I still feel like there is something that I haven't said.
something that I should say and for the life of me I can't think of
what it is." He admitted.
She nodded. "How about. Andie you are my Goddess and the Sun just
won't shine the same without you here in this small provincial town
that I call home?" She joked.
"Well, I was thinking more on the lines of. I love you Andie, and my
days won't be the same without your smile." He whispered.
"That works too." She remarked and fell into his embrace as he hugged
her tight.
Potter Bed and Breakfast.
"Is it just me or does this still seem extremely surreal?" Joey asked.
"What would that be?"
"Andie's impromptu departure. I mean not only is she leaving this
fractured group of dare I even say it, friends, but she managed to put
some adhesive tape over the cracks that existed. I mean she bridged
the gap between Jen and Jack. She even managed a small truce between
the three of us. How did she do that?" She asked softly.
Pacey sighed deeply truly thinking over her question. "Well she's an
angel." He remarked with a smile before he got serious. "We all know
that you never truly know what you have until it's gone and I have to
admit that I never believed in that saying until now. I mean Andie and
I kind of fell out of the loop a little while back and I guess I just
never stopped to think about how important her presence was and is in
my life. Even when we stopped fighting and just let things be, we
still weren't on that same sparring level that we once had been and
now that I think about it, I know that I'm going to miss that. I'm
going to miss it more then I thought I would. So even with all the
good that she did tonight, she still left a broken heart in Capeside."
He whispered looking over at Joey.
She smiled sadly. Reaching out she stroked his cheek and placed a kiss
on the center of his forehead. "I think she left a few broken hearts
Pacey." She remarked softly holding him close to her.
Gram's house.
Jack stopped as they approached her house and stood right in front of
her porch. "Here we are." He remarked.
She turned to him. "Yeah. do you want to come in and hang out? We
could have a snack. God tell me when did I become the stereotypical
teenager?"
"Nothing about you is remotely typical. that's why I love you." He
stated with a smile. "But no. I want to get home."
She nodded understanding. "Okay right now what are you thinking?"
"At this very moment?"
"Yeah."
"How do I ask Andie to stay. without asking her to stay? I mean I love
you Jen, I really do but."
"But I'm not Andie."
He nodded. "Yeah, Andie's like my twin soul you know? There has never
been someone who has known me better then she has. I can talk to her
about anything and even when she doesn't agree with me, I know that
she'll support me in the end. And when I can't talk. she usually will
and the sound of her voice can calm my nerves and relax me better then
any herbal substance ever could. She has been with me for the last
eighteen years of my life and the furthest apart we've ever been has
totaled up to the five minute walk it took to get from your house to
mine. Not counting the summer she went to that hospital. And I just
don't know what I'm going to do without her." His voice cracked with
emotion as the tears welled up in his eyes.
Jen exhaled deeply as she reached out and took him into her awaiting
embrace. "Hey it's okay." She whispered into his ear.
Reaching up he clung to her as though she were the only real thing he
had.