A/N Well it finally hit me, inspiration that is. On the way home from work today it just kinda zapped me like a ray gun. So please enjoy this sequel to Alone Without You. It's set around 6 months after Pacey and Andie's wedding. Just a quick thank you to all the people at Feels Like Home...you are all stars.
Try Again Today.
Hangin' Around
The lights were hot on her face, something she was slowly getting used to. The crowd in front of her looked listless and unhappy at the spectacle in front of them; a woman in her late 20's were her long hair pulled into a tight ponytail, squirming in her formal wear. For her part, the woman wasn't enjoying this much either. Hot lights, uncomfortable suit and the distance between herself and her family were all factors contributing to her unhappiness. But mostly she missed her family.
Suddenly the crowd stood up and started to clap thunderously, taking the woman by surprise. She stood up with them and clapped as her gracious host made her way over. She had hair as high as a sky scraper and her make up had been applied with a trowel. When she smiled all you could see where her gleaming white teeth, almost plastic in their texture. She reached over her hand, her long crimson nails glinting in the lights.
'Nice to meet you, I'm Dianne and I'm the host. You might have seen me on TV?' Dianne said in a put on East coast accent. It was almost transparent that she was from the south.
'Yes, never miss a show,' she lied, cracking her knuckles on one hand. The whole media circus that had become her life of late was more than off putting.
'That's great,' Dianne said, looking away and settling herself into her over sized chair.
'10 seconds to air Dianne!' a stage hand shouted, to which Dianne just put her hand in the air and scanned her questions cards. The theme music started all the sudden and the hot lights became even hotter, sending the temperature in the studio up by at least 10 degrees.
'Hello and welcome to Daytime with Dianne, I'm so pleased you could be here with us today. We have a wonderful show in store for you today, including some music from the hottest boy band in town. Generic 123!!' she started to clap viciously, trying to ignore the screams of the teenage girls in the audience.
'But first I am pleased to say we have best selling author Joey Potter here with her book 'A Mother's Wish'. Thank you for joining us today Joey.'
'It's my pleasure' Joey lied once more, this book tour had been one huge lie.
'So Joey, can you tell us about your muse for this book. I believe it's written about someone you knew?' Dianne recited her lines, clearly not caring about who the book was actually written about.
'Well it's based on a good friend of mine that died suddenly, leaving behind her baby daughter. You can say it was a tool to helping me grieve while trying to preserve something for her daughter to look back on,' Joey recited her own lines carefully. She had said that statement, or at least one very much like it, everyday for the last month.
'What does you friend's daughter think of the book?'
'Well she's still a little too young to fully understand it but her father thinks it captures her magical personality perfectly and if anyone should know it's him' Joey giggled lightly at the end of the statement. She remembered Jack reading the book in one sitting, staying awake and missing school just to finish it.
'I understand you drew a lot from your own experience of motherhood to complete it? How many children do you have?' Dianne asked, flicking through her cards.
'Well Dianne I have 2 children, twins in fact,' Joey heard mothers in the audience gasp in appreciation. 'They are both 1 year old nightmares but I miss them awfully when I'm away from them. When I was trying to finish the book I started to think how I would feel if I knew I had to leave them behind and before I knew it I had written the book,'
Dianne's eyebrows rose as she read the next question in her pack, the interview finally becoming something she was interested in.
'So how's Dawson Leery?' she asked, smiling broadly. People in the audience started to laugh and clap, someone even whistled.
The question hit Joey for six and she glanced over at her PA who was standing off stage behind Dianne. He just shrugged her shoulders in confusion.
'He's great.' Joey answered simply.
'Ah come on, you've got to give us some incite into what it's like to be in a relationship with one of Hollywood's hottest directors? What is his next project?' Dianne started to lean in towards Joey, beckoning her to give her some exclusive.
'Dawson and I have a policy not to discuss each other's projects, I mean it gets in the way of arguing over who makes dinner or who changes the dirty nappies' Joey answered. 'Sufficed to say that Dawson has his hands full with a very special project right now,' Joey smiled with all her teeth at the leering talk show host and turned to the audience who were applauding.
'Well thank you for coming in today and we can't wait for your next work.' Dianne said through gritted teeth. Joey kept smiling until the theme music stopped and watched as Dianne stormed off stage towards her make up lady, patiently waiting in the wings.
'That could have gone better,' Phillip, her PA said as she approached him.
'Well maybe if you had checked the question list before hand...' Joey started, pushing past him and down the hallway to her dressing room.
'I did, I swear Joey! She must have slipped it into the mix at the last moment.' Philip opened her dressing room door and followed her inside.
'I know, I'm just glad this is all over today. I, for one, would like to spend some time with my family for Christmas.' She said, pulling off her suit jacket and unbuttoning her blouse to reveal a tank top.
'Well all you have is one more paper interview and then it's Capetown you are bound,'
'Capeside Philip, Cape Town is in South Africa,' Joey said, kicking off her shoes and slamming them into a bag.
'Sorry...I'll meet you outside,' Philip said, feeling her angry stare on him.
'That might be a good idea...' She said, standing straight up and crossing her hands across her chest.
She waited till she heard the door click before she started to smile. She loved to wind up Philip, he was easy game. When she was picking PA's for this book tour she ended up picking an uptight and self righteous woman who she fired within 3 hours. Philip was her PA's PA and thus got a promotion. Young, inexperienced and very gullible, Joey loved him immediately.
She pulled on her jeans and Christmas sweater that Gail had knitted her. Gail had completely fallen into the grandmother role, knitting everyone something for Christmas. The twins were practically drowning in knitwear. She shook her hair loose and smoothed it down, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Sometimes it was hard to believe she was a mother of two. She still looked 18 some days but then a closer inspection would have revealed her wrinkles around her eyes and the stretch marks which cascaded across her stomach in waves. She sat down and reached over to her bag, pulling out her weather beaten cell phone.
'Hello?'
'Pacey, what are you doing at my house?' Joey asked, panic rising in her throat.
'Save the inquisition Potter, I came over to watch you TV performance with D. It went....' Pacey stalled.
'...awfully Pace, don't lie' Joey said, pulling out her hat and gloves and putting them on.
'Well it wasn't the best one I've seen. You were right about one thing though.'
'What's that then oh great wise one?' Joey asked, grinning.
'Dawson does have his hands full,' Pacey said, glancing over to where he had found Dawson asleep on the couch, Dylan passed out on his chest and Belle curled up next to him. He certainly had his hands full.
'Well he can handle it, can you put him on?' Joey asked, finally struggling into her winter coat.
'He's putting those twins down for a nap actually but I will get him to call you as soon as he can. When you coming home?'
'Tonight, hopefully,' Joey said, unsure herself if she was going to be able to get the flight out of Chicago she had booked for herself.
'Well here's hoping. See you when you get home, we will all be at Dawson's mom's party,'
'I will make sure to make a grand entrance. See ya Pace,'
'Be safe Potter,' Pacey said, smiling as he hung up the phone. He looked over at the three sleeping on the couch and chuckled lightly to himself. He picked up Belle and slung her over his shoulder in a fireman's lift, the little girl not waking up. Dylan, however stirred slightly as he picked him up. Finally, all those years of baby sitting had come in handy.
He climbed the stairs carefully and placed each of them in their cribs, pulling their blanket up around them and placing gentle kisses on their heads. He loved them both so much and as a godfather, he got the best deal. All the fun with none of the responsibility, just how he liked it.
When he got back downstairs Dawson was still fast asleep. Normally he would leave him be, but with it being the night of the Leery party he had to wake him up.
'D man, wake up,' Pacey shook him gently. All this resulted in was a shallow grunt.
'Dawson, Spielberg called. He wants his lawnmower back,' Pacey shouted.
'Wha, who...Pacey?' Dawson woke with a start.
'Good morning sunshine, I made pancakes...' Pacey joked, hitting his friend on the shoulder.
'How long was I asleep for?' Dawson asked, rubbing his eyes and running his hand through his hair.
'For as long as I've been here man, so at least an hour.'
'The kids, where are the...' Dawson said, suddenly realising they were not asleep next to him.
'I've put them to bed. I wasn't going to carry your sorry ass up those stairs however, no matter how cute you look in your sleep. I value my spine,' Pacey said, throwing a cushion over at Dawson's face.
'Funny, Joey always manages it...' Dawson started, a smile creeping across his face.
'I do not want to hear what you get up to in your spare time man, I've got enough horrible images involving you swirling their way across my mind on a near daily basis.'
'Is he boring you Dawson, I can kick him out?' Andie's voice appeared from the kitchen, an apron tied around waist.
'When did you get here?' Dawson asked, completely confused.
'Same time as Pacey. I've just finished cleaning your kitchen and can I point out that the whole purpose of a refrigerator is to keep fresh food fresh, not rotting food cold,' Andie started.
'Thank Andie, with Joey being gone for a month I just haven't had to chance to get any of it done.' Dawson stood up and raked his hands across his head again. His clothes were covered in differing kinds of food stuff's that the twins had smeared across him that day, a little sweet potato here, a bit of porridge there.
'Well I have at least removed anything I would consider a risk to health. Is there anything else that needs doing before she gets home?' Andie asked, walking over and sitting on Pacey's lap.
'Umm... I don't suppose I could ask you just to keep an eye on the twins while I have a shower, I don't think I've had one of them recently'
'So maybe the stench wasn't the fridge?' Pacey said, getting a slap from Andie.
'Of course, if they wake up I will send up the clown here.'
'Thanks you guys, I couldn't have done this without you.' Dawson went to hug Andie but she held her nose and pointed to the stairs. Dawson took the hint and made his way out of the room.
'Oh D, call Joey!,' Pacey shouted before turning his attention to his wide 'You are a hard task master, you know that Dr Witter?' Pacey said, pressing his lips to the back of Andie's neck.
'Well you know, I try,' Andie said, closing her eyes and losing herself in the sensation.
'You know, he's going to be gone for at least 20 minutes... we could...' Pacey said, kissing his way up her jaw line.
'...we could... but we are not 16 and this is not baby sitting...so get up,' Andie said, quickly pulling herself out of the dream and the seat. She turned around and pulled him by the arms out of the chair.
'What then??'
'You can help me with the washing.' Andie dragged him across the lounge and into the utility room, where a massive pile of baby clothes had formed.
'Oh my...' Pacey said, shocked by the sheer amount of it.
Dawson had tiptoed into the twin's room to see if they were still sleeping. Thankfully they were. As much as he loved them, and he loved them more than anything, they were exhausting at times. Not that he would change those times for anything. He gently placed his hands on Dylan's chest, feeling it gently rise and fall with every breath. It was his ritual, right from when they were tiny babies and they were in their incubators at the hospital. He heard a slight snivel and looked over at Belle, a tear forming in her closed eye. She did that sometimes, cried so hard that the tears would leak out in her sleep. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead gently, hoping that it would help placate her. On this occasion it did and Dawson made his way out of the room to get the phone.
'Hey honey, sorry I missed your call. I'm in the baby's room now, want to help me?' Dawson said into the phone.
'Always. I love you,' Joey said, looking out of her hotel room window onto the snow covered city.
'I love you too honey,' Dawson said and switched the phone over to speakerphone.
'Well I could Oh, I could hide 'neath the wings' Dawson started to sing gently.
'Of the bluebird as she sings.
The six o'clock alarm would never ring.' Joey's voice sang through the phone softly, joining in with Dawson's
'But it rings and I rise,
Wipe the sleep out of my eyes.
My shavin' razor's cold and it stings.
Cheer up, Sleepy Jean.
Oh, what can it mean.
To a daydream believer
And a homecoming queen.'
Dylan stirred slightly, hearing his mother's voice but quickly settled down when Dawson placed his hand on his chest lightly. Dawson clicked the phone off of speaker and lifted the handset to his ear.
'When you home?'
'Well I've got one more interview and then I'm on a plane out of here. I can't wait to see you,'
'Me too, I've missed you so much.'
'Well you know I'm going to more than make up for it when I get home,' Joey said quietly into the phone.
'Oh yeah, how?' Dawson asked, closing the twins door behind him and walking towards the bathroom.
'Well you're just going to have to wait and see...I've gotta run. See you in a little while,'
'I love you,' Dawson said, disappointed that the phone call wouldn't go on for longer.
'I love you too. Kiss those kids for me,' Joey said, sending loud kisses down the phone.
He hung up and started to undress, hoping that the twins would give him long enough to maybe even have a bath.
'Waahhhhhhhh'
No such luck.