Enchanted 1

Ok, so I wrote this a long time ago. Maybe ten years or more. Back before I was married, or had kids. It's meant to be fun. If you can't suspend your disbelief then this is not the story for you! I figured I'd repost some really old stories whilst I thought about whether to take Reclamation any further - some people were happy with it as is, some not.

Setting
This is kind of like the film Ella Enchanted but set in the DC universe. This is the prologue. It should be lots of fun - feisty Joey - forced to do everything she's told. I think Pacey might have fun with that. It's Joey's POV! And there is a little "Dawson as a the bad guy" going on. The first part is a little slow but it gets fun quick...

To be clear:

If you haven't seen the movie - Joey is under a curse/spell (lets not worry about the logistics right now) and she must always be obediant. Whatever someone tells her to do she will do. i.e. eat your toast, go to sleep, ride off the dock on your bike, kiss me... she is literally forced by the spell to do it. She has her own free mind but is absolutely obedient to any demand or request made of her!

Anyway - let me know what you think- I love the reviews people! This is a bit different so feedback will help. I should be able to update every day - what an incentive to review;-)

Tab:-)

Chapter 1

Prologue

'Stop it,' I yell furiously at Pacey Witter as he pulls on my braid for the tenth time today. He's such an idiot. He thinks it's so funny and it's not, just annoying.

'Nope,' Pacey shakes his head with that characteristic grin. The grin that makes me want to thump him.

'Why have you always gotta be so mean?' I stamp my foot as hard as I can, wanting to impress my point on him. My mom says the reason my foot stamping does no good is because I'm only seven and small for my age. I hope one day I'm bigger than Pacey and Dawson and I can show them what for. Dawson is just laughing at me. Sometimes he tells Pacey to stop picking on me but I know he finds it funny.

'Cos you get all angry and it's funny,' Pacey explains his teasing nonchalantly and I feel my cheeks burn red I'm so angry. He reaches to pull my braid again and I hit his arm out the way as hard as I can.

,You're such a moron,' I moan at him, glaring at both the boys.

'And you're ugly,' Pacey tells me.

'You're mean,' I screech at him feeling the tears prick at my eyes. I hate it when he calls me ugly. I know I'm not pretty but it's just mean to tell me so.

'And you sound like a prima donna,' Pacey smirked.

'Do you even know what that is?' I scowl at him, gulping back my tears.

'I'm not stupid,' Pacey tells me and I smile inside because I know this is what he worries about.

'Could have fooled me,' I tell him stepping up to him, feeling defiant.

'I AM NOT STUPID,' he yells in my face taking a step nearer to me.

'Then stop acting like it,' I prod him in the chest.

'Then you stop acting like a cold hearted bitch,' Pacey shouts, the swear word rolling off his tongue and I gulp and as always I do exactly as Im told.

'I'm sorry Pacey,' I tell him immediately. 'You're not stupid. Would you like to come to my house for tea? My mom makes the best chocolate chip cookies,' I know rambling on about cookies isn't the opposite of cold hearted but I know I'm smiling inanely.

'Huh?' Pacey's staring at me kind of blankly and he almost looks cute.

'Your mom doesn't make cookies and my moms are the best in town,' I tell him warmly and I even squeeze his hand. 'Then we can play.'

'And when you say play, you mean what exactly?' Pacey looks at Dawson confused.

'You know play tag or we can collect worms my dad bought me a wormery,' I tell him enthusiastically.

'A whatery?' Pacey looks rather helpless in the face of my turnaround and I can't help thinking that being nice to Pacey is quite fun.

'A wormery,' I tell him brightly giving him a big smile, what my mom calls a megawatt smile, 'it has all these layers and stuff and you put in the worms. It's really cool. I think you'd really like it. So do you want to?'

'Do I what?' Pacey doesn't seem to know just what I'm asking.

'Do you want to come over to my house after school?' I tilt my head so I can look into his eyes under his lowered lashes.

'Ok,' Pacey agrees faintly.

'You said I was coming over after school,'Dawson moans and I grin at him.

'You are, but Pacey can come to,' I shrug wondering what Dawson's problem is.

It's really hot, but I'm not going to be hot for long. Before this moment people thought of me as nine year old Joey Potter, girl from down the creek, but hence forth they shall know me as the girl who defied gravity. Or so I like to think. I adjust my swimsuit and pick up my bike, ignoring Dawson.

'Joey you don't have to do it just cos he told you to,' Dawson's voice is faint and I ignore him as I wheel my bike away from the dock.

'Joeys gonna cycle into the creek,' Pacey is clapping his hands in obvious delight and it makes me smile, not that I'd let him see the smile. I'm only doing this because he told me to, not that he needs to know that. If he wants to think of me as brave thats just fine. Finally I am at an appropriate distance for the ride up to the ramp he made and I get on my bike.

'This is dangerous Joey,' Dawson is practically hyperventilating.

'Go for it Joey,' Pacey yells, his nine year old self seeming to be very, very impressed by my daring. Without further ado I begin pedalling with all my might heading straight for the dock, the ramp and the creek. Pacey cheers as the bike lifts into the air before falling into the creek with an almighty splash. The bike drags me down and I bang into the handle bars rather painfully, but when I surface Pacey is bobbing in the water beside me with a huge grin on his face.

'That was so cool!' Pacey tells me.

'Good huh?' I agree.

'Awesome,' Pacey confirms again. 'I never thought you'd do it!'

'It was so much funner than I thought,' my heart is still racing.

'Make sure you get your bike from the bottom,' Pacey teases and of course I instantly dive to retrieve the bike, surprised to find Pacey helping. Laughing and splashing in the water together we manage to get my bike to the edge, where a frowning and highly disapproving Dawson helps us remove it.

I hate being thirteen and having two boy best friends. Were at Aunt Gwen's house for Spring break, as normal, and she got us out Dirty Dancing to watch. I loved it. I know it's so stereotypically girly to like it, but who couldn't like it. It's such a nice love story. I thought I'd die when they had sex, but luckily Dawson and Pacey seemed just as embarrassed. They were making so many jokes whilst I tried to ignore the weird feeling it gave me in my tummy. I wish we could rewind the tape and watch it again, although I'd rather watch it without Pacey and Dawson who keep making sick noises. I bet Dawson really liked it and is only making the gagging noises to save face with Pacey. Ugggg, boys are so annoying. Unless they're Patrick Swayze and they can dance of course.

'You know what D, I think Joey liked the romantic little filmy,' Pacey begins to tease, looking at me with that evil glint in his eye.

'I did not,' I scowl at him feeling the normal irritation he causes rising up. If I admit I like it, I'll never hear the end of it.

'You so did,' Pacey laughs jumping up from the sofa, 'you wanna dirty dance huh Jo?'

'I do not want to dirty dance,' I deny in my best scathing voice, blushing wildly. 'And I didn't think it was a great film. I just liked the fact that they got some girl in the lead who isn't a stereotypical blond bimbo. She's pretty but not that pretty. It's refreshing,' I huff.

'Admit it Joey you liked the movie and you'd love to dirty dance,' Pacey waggles his butt in front of me and then points his fingers at my face with each demand.

'I liked the movie and I'd love to dirty dance,' the words came out without my being able to stop them, although I do say them grudgingly. The effect is obvious - both Pacey and Dawson laugh.

'Dance with me,' Pacey tells me, the teasing tone thick in his demand as he stands in front of me. I scowl even more but it doesn't change the fact that I am out of my seat in an instant and in his arms. 'Who knew youd be so keen Potter,' Pacey mocks me. 'Music comrade,' Pacey looks at Dawson, who laughing at the sight of us sticks on an old sixties LP, blasting out Do You Love Me by Brian Poole.

Pacey begins to swing me around and of course I am forced to swing around as well. I hate to admit it but it is pretty good fun, that is until Pacey says, 'this is supposed to be dirty dancing Jo - do it properly!' Without choice I press myself closer to him and begin to move like they did in the film, pretty well if you ask me. But of course Pacey is a teenage boy and I feel something happening as I press against him, gyrating my hips and suddenly he's blushing.

'Uh, lets stop now,' he chuckles nervously but I know what happened. We catch each others eye and I feel bad so I let him off. I give him a little smile and he shrugs and mouths at me, 'Well what did you expect?'

'You're such a pervert,' I tell him out loud. 'Keep your hands away from me.'

'As if I want your hands anywhere near me,' he protests and I know were back to our comfortable banter. 'As I recall you were the one all over me just then.'

'We were dancing Pacey not taking part in a mating ritual,' it's at this point we both look at Dawson who is clutching his sides and laughing.

'Seriously Potter, that was kind of fun,' Pacey tells me.

'Only because you got to cop a feel,' I tell him and give him a pointed look.

'Now didn't I tell you to be nice to me,' Pacey asks in his teacher voice.

'I'm sorry Pacey you probably just wanted to dance,' the words slink from my mouth and I curse my obedience.

'Has anyone told you you're weird?' Pacey asks me for the umpteenth time in the course of our friendship.

'Weird for being friends with you two,' I tell them both with disdain.

'Why don't you sing us a karaoke number Jo?' Dawson asks trying to change the subject as he always does when Pacey and fight.

'Because I dont want to,' I frown at him.

'Sing us You're the one that I want,' Pacey tells me sticking on the track. Full of reticence I'm on my feet again and reaching for the microphone, my voice filling the room as the boys chuckle on the couch. God I hate them sometimes.

'I should get going,' I tell Dawson as the credits rolled on the movie.

'Why?'

'Because we're getting older, things are changing and I don't think I should stay over anymore,' I began my spiel again. He's heard it before.

'Stay the night Jo,' Dawson chuckles and of course I do as he asks.

'Oh ok,' I sigh kicking off my shoes and climbing into bed.

'You don't always have to do as I say you know Jo,' Dawson looks at me as I lay stiffly in bed next to him.

'I don't always do as you say,' I protest in a small voice.

'No not always, but well I don't know...You always seem like you want to please everyone. You're fifteen now and it's time to start doing things for yourself. If you want to leave you should leave.'

'I do what I want, I just like people to be happy,' I maintain because this subject is a difficult one.

'I mean I get how it is with Pacey and you. I know your friendship, if you can call it that, is different. He dares you and you do it. I know you don't like to think he's getting a one up but you don't always have to do as he says,' Dawson tries to explain what he means and I understand, but the thing is he doesn't.

'Can we just go to sleep Dawson?' I ask softly.

'Sure Jo go to sleep,' Dawson sighs and in a flash I'm fast asleep.