So, it's been about a year now since I wrote my post-finale finale that was meant to provide an ending to the series...only to promptly be asked for another one. Fortunately, I did actually have an idea for a sequel, so here it is!

CHAPTER ONE

Joey Leery woke to the feel of someone laying next to her and smiled to herself. She and Dawson had been sharing a bed on and off for most of their lives but there had been a time when she'd given up on the hope of ever sharing it with him as his wife, a time when she'd even managed to convince herself it wasn't what she wanted. But now…now they'd been married five years. And she'd loved every second of it.

Dawson stirred as well, disturbed by her movement. A smile soon spread across his face at the sight of her lying there, as if he too still needed to pinch himself every now and then to make sure this was actually what their life was. "Morning,"he said quietly.

"Morning,"she returned in the same light tone of voice.

He kissed her softly. "How long do you reckon we can stay here?"

"Mum! Dad!" A male voice echoed through the flat.

Joey rolled her eyes. "Not long by the sound of it."

Dawson smiled. "All right, Mitchell, I'm coming!" He rolled out of bed and headed out of the room.

Joey climbed out of bed as well, taking a moment to look out the window. The Los Angeles skyline looked back at her. She'd moved there after the wedding, that whirlwind ceremony when they'd bumped into each other back in Capeside. Much to her surprise, it had soon felt like home. Anywhere with Dawson felt like home.

She headed through into their son's bedroom. Dawson was trying to calm Mitchell down. The object of his anger was his sister, Susie. She was looking innocently down at the pile of bricks which had until recently been Mitchell's skyscraper. "She broke it!"Mitchell bellowed, sounding close to tears.

Joey looked reproachfully at her daughter. "Susie, you know you're not supposed to come into your brother's room without permission."

"Wanned to ee him,"Susie protested. Still only two years old, talking was a work in progress for her.

Joey knelt down by her and put an arm round the girl. "I know you love your brother but you need to be careful of his things. It's not nice for him when they get broken."

Dawson rubbed Mitchell's back soothingly. "You can build the skyscraper up again. You remember how it went, right?"

"Yes,"Mitchell admitted. "But I wanted it kept the way it was."

"Yeah but sometimes things get broken." Dawson looked at Joey as he spoke and she sensed there was more to his words than there appeared. "But you don't give up on them. You have to fix them and build them up again."

Susie wandered over and held out a brick to her brother. "Orry,"she said.

Mitchell took the brick and gave her a hug, then led her back over to the pile of bricks where he started rebuilding.

Dawson and Joey both straightened up and he put an arm round her. "Another crisis averted,"he commented.

An hour or so later, Dawson was holding court at the breakfast table. Mitchell was at least willing to eat the bowl of cereal that had been put in front of him, if only to prove that he was a big boy now. Susie however was refusing to eat anything unless she was spoon fed it. Dawson's bowl of oatmeal had long since grown cold as he instead concentrated on filling up Susie's spoon and pushing it into her mouth. "You know, you could do this yourself,"he pointed out. Susie shook her head resolutely.

"She definitely knows how to get your attention,"Joey commented as she entered the room.

Dawson gave her a wry look. "Must be in the DNA." He glanced at the clock. "Are you due in the office this morning?"

"Not until ten. I've got a new writer coming in this morning. What about you, are you needed in editing?"

Dawson shook his head. "They're doing the dub of the first cut today. I'm going to see the results tomorrow."

"So are we actually going to do the kindergarten run together?"

Mitchell's face lit up. "Please!"

Dawson smiled at him and then at Joey. "Guess that's the answer." His response was interrupted however by his phone ringing. He checked the caller ID, then answered it. "Hey, Mum, what's up?" His expression instantly became serious as he listened to her news.

Joey waited until the call had finished before asking "What's up?"

"It's Grams,"Dawson replied. Both of them knew who that meant. The grandmother of one of their closest friends, who she'd now outlived by seven years. "Mum's found out she's in a hospice in Boston. They don't think she'll last more than a few days."

"Then we've got to go,"Joey concluded.

Dawson nodded in agreement. "I'll book flights for tomorrow. You sort everything out at the office and I'll get the set to send me the edit in a dropbox, I can send them notes." He thought for a moment. "And there's someone else I need to call."

Pacey was heading across the landing when he heard the irate voice of Andi, his partner. "Stephanie Witter-McPhee, you are going to wear what shoes I tell you to!"

Pacey poked his head around the door to see their daughter once more kicking away the pair of smart black shoes that Andi was trying to force on her and retrieving her trainers. "Stubborn genes, that one,"he commented.

Andi gave him a long-suffering look. "As if I didn't already know that."

Pacey picked up the pair of black shoes. "So what's the matter with these?"

"They're not as comfy,"Stephanie complained.

"True but if you want to be a class act like your mum when you grow up, you gotta get used to uncomfortable shoes."

Andi sighed. "That's true."

Almost simultaneously, their phones started ringing. Pacey glanced at his. "Dawson,"he read.

"Jack,"Andi added. They both answered…and both had the same reaction to the message.

Pacey looked at his girlfriend. "Grams?"

Andi nodded. "Yeah, Jack just told me. It's not looking good."

"A hospice in Boston Dawson said."

"Jack says they're moving her nearer Capeside."

"Okay, I'll give Dawson the update. He and Joey are going to fly down as soon as they can." Pacey paused, letting the implication sink in. "Looks like we're going home."