The Special Easter Egg Hunt
Part 1/2
By: Holly Ann Leighton
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with Dawson's Creek. At this point I don't want to either, the show is going down hill…Hey, Paul, how about letting the fans take a shot at writing it, huh?
Rating: PG-13
Category: P/J (An Easter Special)
Part: 1/2
Distribution: Meant for the CP site. If anyone else wants it, ask nicely and ye shall receive. :)
Feedback: Yes, please! HAL_095@hotmail.com
Dedication: To Jerry D., who I haven't dedicated a story to yet, so here you go! :) Hope you enjoy it.
Summary: This story takes place after the kiss in "Cinderella's Story". I have the script of what was said before the kiss and the story follows. After the kiss, Pacey grows distant and Joey can't figure out why. Two weeks later on Easter day, Pacey shows up with a surprise that will hold special meaning for both of them and determine their future together.
*Note: Once you start reading this story, it may seem like there is a role-reversal thing going on, like Pacey is acting like Joey and Joey like Pacey, but it is part of the story, so go with it and it all should make sense in the end. :)
Recap of the end of "Cinderella's Story"-
PACEY: What did you mean?
JOEY: About what?
PACEY: About me knowing the real you?
JOEY: Exactly what I said. You know me. In a way that no one else besides Dawson ever has –
PACEY: -- Forget, Dawson. We're talking about me. I mean me. You can't keep doing this to me, Potter.
JOEY: Doing what? I count on you and I tell you secrets and –
PACEY: -- You call me to come get you in the middle of the night!
JOEY: I'm sorry I called, I –
PACEY: -- Why me? Why'd you call me?
JOEY: Because you're there for me.
PACEY: What does that mean?
JOEY: It means I can talk to you.
PACEY: Don't you get tired of talking?
JOEY: No –
PACEY: -- That's all we do! It's making me –
JOEY: -- No, I don't get tired of it.
PACEY: I thought you wanted something more real!
JOEY: I do! What are you trying say? Pacey, what are you trying to say?!
PACEY: I'm trying to say this –
And then it happened. The Kiss. The kiss that Pacey had for so long wished to happen and here they were. The minute their lips met it was…something that couldn't even be described in either one of their heads. It was heaven, pure heaven. All of the pent up feelings and wanting that they had felt for each other was ignited like putting a lit match to gasoline. It happened so fast that Joey had no time to think about what was happening. She had her eyes open and she could see Pacey kissing her and could feel it, but she was still in shock. It felt like so many dreams that she had had of them, but this one was different; it was real and she wanted to savor every moment of it. She soon had to close her eyes because her world started to feel like it was spiraling out of control. It felt like she was riding a roller coaster that was heart-pounding, exciting, thrilling, and at the same time very terrifying. The fear came on strong at first, but as Pacey wrapped his arms around her and she placed her hand on his chest, she could feel his heartbeat racing along with hers and the feeling ceased to exist. She could feel her emotions soar as she reveled in the feeling of knowing that Pacey was feeling the same things that she was. She knew the kiss would have to end soon, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy it right now at this instant. She had no idea if she would ever get another one like it and she needed to embed it in her brain, so that she could remember it forever. This was the way a kiss was supposed to feel like she knew it, like you were coming home to some place warm and safe. As the kiss continued, Joey started letting her defenses down. The walls that she kept up so high normally were tumbling down like building blocks. Pacey could feel it, feel her grow less cautious as the kiss deepened and he was surprised. The girl that had always been his bantering partner, who rarely let anyone in, much less him, was now opening up to him like a flower does to the sunlight. Joey figured that if he was able to find the courage to kiss her then she could at least do something as bold, and without even thinking she slowly slid her tongue into his mouth. As she did this, Pacey's eyes opened and he realized for the first time the impact of what they were doing. He pulled away from her abruptly and stepped back. He needed some distance for just a moment to collect the thoughts running around his head. He felt dizzy and had lost the ability to breathe properly. He took a couple of breaths as he stood there staring at her.
Joey stood feeling a bit shell-shocked. One minute, she had been slipping her tongue in his mouth and the next she felt the cold surround her as he pulled back. They stood together with the cold wind whipping around them for what seemed like an eternity, when it was only really a matter of seconds. The only sounds that could be heard was the rustling of the leaves as the wind blew and if you listened closely enough, the sound of their labored breathing. She wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm and opened her mouth to speak.
"Pacey, I…" She trailed off because she had no clue what to say to him. Obviously Pacey had no clue what to say either as he stood there staring at her waiting for her to finish her sentence. "I…don't know what to say to you, Pace. What was that that we just did?" Pacey continued to stare at her, but as she spoke her words, his face changed facial expressions and he got this hard look on his face that seemed to pierce through her body straight to her heart and scared her. "You want to know what we just did, Jo? I'll tell you what we just did, I made a huge mistake just now and we need to forget it ever happened, understand?" He didn't wait for his answer as he started back towards the car and yelled for her to follow.
Joey was too stunned to object, as she let his words sink into her brain. He wanted them to forget the kiss? He had kissed her and now he wanted her to just erase it as if it never happened? It was too much for her to think about right now and she decided to just leave it alone for awhile. She slowly walked back to the car and climbed in. The two of them spent the rest of the trip, which was about an hour long, in total silence. Once they reached her house, she waited a second before climbing out, hesitating as to whether she should say something or not, but realizing it was hopeless right now, she grabbed her bags and climbed out of the car silently.
Two weeks later at Pacey and Doug's Apartment…
Pacey sat in the dark, in the living room of the apartment he shared with Doug and continued to think about what had happened with Joey that day two weeks ago. He still couldn't believe that he had kissed her. If only that weren't the only thing he had done, though. After kissing her, he had pushed her away; the one thing he never thought he could have done and he had done it. He had been surprised by the intensity of their kiss and felt the fear of not knowing if she had the same feelings as he did for it. So when he felt the fear he did the first thing that came to his mind, he closed up and tried to forget. The problem was that the more he tried to forget, the more he thought about it. The conclusion he came up with after all this thought? He had to lay it all out on the table and be totally honest with Joey. He already knew how he felt for her and now he needed to tell her so she could know and then they could go from there. He knew he would be crushed if she didn't feel the same way, but there was no getting around it.
These past weeks had been a nightmare for him and he assumed Joey too. Dawson seemed oblivious to what was going on around him, which was Joey and Pacey totally avoiding each other. Every time they got into each other's way, Pacey would move aside to get away and Joey would give him this cold stare that just about killed him every time he saw it. It gave new meaning to Joey's nickname "Ice Princess". She obviously thought that Pacey meant what he had said to her and she was mad. She had every right to be though, with that one kiss, Pacey had destroyed everything between him and Joey's friendship, him and Dawson's friendship, and whatever Joey and Dawson had. It was time to salvage whatever he could from the situation.
The very first person he had to talk was going to be the hardest for him. Dawson Leery. The guy who had been his best friend and closest thing to a brother that he had ever had. He had to tell him that he was in love with the girl down the creek, the one that Dawson thought was his soulmate. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, he'd be lucky if Dawson didn't slug him for telling him, but he couldn't keep something this big from him. There was never going to be a right time or place to tell him, so it was now or never. He slowly got up off the couch, walked out the door and over to Dawson's house.
Meanwhile over at Joey's House…
Joey sat with Bessie at the kitchen table eating chocolate cake for dessert. The past two weeks for Joey had involved a lot of tears and tension between anyone that Joey came in contact with. Joey knew that Bessie was worried, but for once her sister had actually kept her mouth shut and waited until the time was right for Joey to tell her.
Joey- Bessie, there's something I want to tell you.
Bessie- What, Jo?
Joey- You've noticed how…cranky I have been the last two weeks right?
Bessie- Everyone in the town can tell, Joey.
Joey- Well anyway, I know that you think I have just been my normal self but I have been upset for a reason and I'm not even sure what that reason is, because the whole thing is no big deal and…
Bessie put her hand up to stop Joey from rambling on and said- What whole thing?
Joey- Pacey kissed me.
There. She had said it aloud for the first time since it happened. Sure she had written endless pages about it in her journal, but to finally say it aloud was too much for her to handle. She buried her head in her hands and started to cry.
Bessie- What is it, Joey? Did you kiss him back? Did you like it? What happened afterwards? Give me some details here, Jo, because I have been good about not prying up until now.
Joey rubbed her eyes and tried to compose herself while she thought of what to say.
"I…I…I don't know what happened. One minute we were talking and Pacey got weird and then just…kissed me. At first I was too stunned to do anything and then…Yeah, I kissed him back and I enjoyed it. When it was over I was all prepared to tell him what a mistake it was and you know what happened? You can't even guess Bessie. He told me he had made a mistake first! Can you believe him? I mean he has to nerve to ruin everything in a split second by giving me this earth-shattering kiss and then he tells me that it was a mistake. I just don't understand him sometimes!
Bessie- Wait a sec, Jo, let me get this straight. Pacey Witter, your long time friend who you have never have a romantic notion for before, gives you this fabulous kiss, which you contributed to, then when it's over, you decide it was a mistake; but before you can say anything, he tells you what you were already thinking and your mad at him? Sis, I think that you need to seriously think about what you're saying here because you know what I am hearing out of you? A teenage girl who just experienced something that very few girls do and then you were rejected when you really didn't want to be. It's clear as day how you're feeling, Jo. I think you need to figure out what you're going to do about it now.
Bessie got up from the table, gave Joey a hug, and went over to the sink to start washing dishes. Joey, in awe of what her sister said, walked out of the room and went up to her bedroom to think.
Over at Dawson's House…
Dawson laid in his bed staring at his Imagine poster like he had been doing for many nights since Joey had brought it over. He was still no closer to figuring out what he wanted out of their relationship together. He loved her; that much was certain. Beyond that though? He didn't know. Lately he hadn't been able to spend any time with her; it seemed like every moment she was free was being spent with Pacey. Even though he had asked Pacey to watch over her, he couldn't help feeling guilty sometimes watching them together. Behind all the bantering he could see that they were still close friends and seemed to be getting closer as the days went on. It was almost as if… "No, there was no way the two of them could ever be like that," he thought to himself. As he started to drift off the sleep, he heard the sound of knocking on his bedroom door. Before he could say "Come in", Pacey walked in the room and started pacing the floor in front of the bed.
Dawson- Hey, Pace, what's going on?
Pacey- We need to talk.
Dawson- Okay, what about?
Pacey- Joey.
Dawson- What about Joey?
Pacey- Would you quit asking questions for just a second, Dawson, I'm trying to tell you something here.
Dawson could tell that Pacey was nervous, so he backed off to hear what Pacey had to say.
Pacey- I'm in love with her.
Dawson stood rooted at the spot he was in for a second while absorbing what Pacey had just said to him. He felt like someone had just punched him in the gut and he was struggling to stand up. As Pacey looked into Dawson's face, he could see the hurt and anger brewing in his eyes.
Pacey- Damn, Dawson, I didn't mean to say it like that—
Before he could finish his sentence, Dawson rolled his hand into a fist and pulled back to punch Pacey. Pacey knew it was coming and let him do it, he figured the guy deserved to get one punch in for what had just happened. Dawson took his fist and slammed it into Pacey's jaw. Pacey fell backwards on to the bed and just laid there for a second letting the pain set in and listened as Dawson released his anger in words.
Dawson- How could you do this to me, Pace? Huh? God, you knew I was in love with her, you knew all this time and you still went after her? What has happened between the two of you when I'm not around that I don't know about? I thought you were my friend! I thought Joey was my friend! I even thought she still wanted me back…Shoot, Joey and you must have just been having a ball getting it on while I was oblivious to the whole thing, huh? You'll probably go to her after this and laugh with her about it. About how stupid Dawson Leery is, huh? Well, you know what, Pacey? I'm not letting her go without a fight. Joey and I are meant to be together and that's all there is to it. Consider yourself my ex-best friend, as well.
Dawson started to climb out the window to go outside, but Pacey grabbed him by the arm and jerked him back in.
Pacey- Where do you think your going? You can't say all of that and then not let me tell you what has been going on. You can't know how much I have thought about all of this and nothing is going on with Joey and I. I kissed her once and that was it. Once it was over, I pushed her away before she could say anything. I don't know if she liked it or she is now repulsed by me. We haven't talked since that day. Don't you remember what you did? Months ago you sat on your front porch and asked me to watch out for her. You practically threw her on me and neither Joey nor I liked it, but we went along. We got our friendship back, Dawson. I can't thank you enough for that, but don't stand there and tell me what happened between you and Joey can't happen between other friends. No one knows whether anyone is really they're soulmate at this point in our lives. We are just teenagers, Dawson. We are supposed to experience life, new people, and stuff like that. I didn't come here to ask your permission to go after Joey. I came to tell you because you're my best friend and you deserve to know how I feel about our other best friend. You can fight all you want, but neither one of us has any say in who gets her. It's her say in the end. I just came to tell you that I'm giving her a choice now, to let her know how I feel and then she will have my heart in her hands, which she can either take or break. See ya later, Dawson.
Pacey walked out of Dawson's bedroom and slammed the door behind him. Dawson flopped on his bed in defeat. He was right about everything. It was Joey's decision who she wanted and so there was nothing he could do but see what happens and then go from there. "How the hell did Pacey get to be so smart about romance," he thought to himself. So, Dawson did the only thing he could do for the rest of the night, he laid in bed and stared at his Imagine poster until he went to sleep.
To Be Continued…