Title: Harsh Reality
Part 1: Shattered Perfection
Author: Lala
Rating: PG
Summary: When Doug Witter is killed, his father deals with it by taking his emotions out on his remaining son, who is struggling to cope with his brother's untimely death as well.
Category: Pacey/Andie
Spoilers: Most of season 2, set just after 212. Also, Jack and Joey are still together, and so (possibly) are Dawson and Jen. If these couples are mentioned, it will be very brief.
Author's notes: This fic is rated for a character death, and both physical and mental abuse. I know that the idea of Pacey being abused is very overdone, but I thought that he needed some angst in his life, so you'll have to live with it.
Disclaimer: Dawson's Creek's characters do not in anyway belong to me. I've also changed John Witter's characterization slightly and made him more violent, so forgive me for that.
--
His hands trembled as he walked over to the row of pay phones outside the ER waiting room. His original intent had been to get a soda, but he suddenly needed to hear her voice.
He didn't care that it was 3 in the morning, he needed some reassurance. He needed a reminder that there were people who actually cared about him. People who loved him.
He put the correct amount of money in, but it took him quite a few tries to dial the right number. His hands continued to tremble, as did the rest of him. He could only pray that his voice would not do the same.
"Hello," their answering machine picked up after a few wrings, and Jack's voice filled his ears. "You've reached the McPhee residence. None of us are able to take your call at this time, but if you leave your name and number after the tone, we'll be sure to get back to you."
There was a short pause, before a shrill beep was heard. Pacey took in a deep breath, before speaking.
"Hey, Andie… it's me. Look, I'm at the hospital, Dougie - my brother's been shot. Don't come I just… I just called to tell you where I was in case you were wondering or something."
Unexpected emotions surged through him, and his throat constricted. The thing which he'd been fighting against on and off for the passed hour threatened to overcome him, and he quickly finished his message, his voice unsteady. "Well, I'll call you later, bye."
He hung up the phone, and stared hard at it for a few seconds, not really seeing it. Tears pricked his eyes, and he tried desperately to regain control.
At last he made his way back into the waiting room, expression unreadable, eyes slightly red. He slumped down into a chair, memories of his brother assaulting him.
He and Doug had never been especially close, but Pacey had always sort of looked up to him in a way.
Doug was the perfect one, the one his father loved. Pacey would have given anything to be like his brother, to have his father love him too. To have any of his family members love him, for that matter.
He glanced over at the door leading to the ICU. Doug was in there, and Pacey was terrified he might never see his brother alive again.
--
John Witter's footsteps echoed across the room as he paced restlessly.
He'd been here for hours, doing his incessant pacing for almost the entire time.
Abruptly the hospital door flew open, and a white faced teen entered. He was instantaneously captivated by her sparkling blue eyes, and golden hair. For a few seconds, John forgot that he had a wife and that he was in his late forties. The girl's shout brought him sharply back to reality, and he watched as she rushed passed him.
"Pacey!" John blinked in surprise and glanced at the row of plastic chairs. He'd nearly forgotten his youngest son in his worry, and with the arrival of the stunning girl, he'd forgotten he even existed.
"McPhee, what are you doing here?" Pacey's head jerked up from where he'd been staring at the white wall in front of him, to stare in surprise at the blonde who was now standing over him. John continued to watch them, bemused. How had his screw up of a son gotten himself a girl like that?
"Pacey, did you honestly think that I would sit at home, waiting for you to call?" Her voice had lowered significantly in volume, her tone becoming less frantic.
"You shouldn't be here," was Pacey's reply, though he didn't look as though he meant it.
John watched in disgust as Pacey rose and embraced the girl, and kissed her briefly. As they drew apart, the girl caught sight of him for the first time it seemed.
"Oh," she said, her eyes focused on him, "hello Mr. Witter."
Pacey looked up, and as John made eye contact with his son, he saw him flinch and move closer towards the girl.
"This is Andie McPhee, Dad." Pacey said shortly, before turning away.
Andie turned back to Pacey, and John lost interest in their conversation. He resumed his pacing, worry for his son only being part of his concern.
If Doug died, then whom would he hand the job of sheriff to? Certainly not his screw up of a kid, Pacey. If Pacey were sheriff, the town would be falling apart in a matter of minutes. Stupid boy couldn't even get a good grade on a test. Worthless, good-for-nothing…
Blonde hair brushed passed him, causing him to return to reality.
He looked up in surprise. Pacey and his Girlfriend, Anne something were walking hand-in-hand out the door.
"Where are you going?" He practically spat at their retreating backs.
"To the cafeteria," Pacey replied, his grip tightening on Andie's hand.
John didn't respond, and after a pause, the couple left.
--
Andie McPhee sipped her coke as she watched Pacey pick at his ham sandwich.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked finally, causing Pacey to look up.
He let out a sigh, but still didn't speak.
"There's not much to tell," he said finally. "I came home from our date and went to bed. My dad came home a couple of hours later I guess. The phone rang sometime later, and I answered it." His voice shook slightly, and Andie was strongly reminded of the night of their first date, when she'd told him the story of Tim's death. She pleaded silently that this story wouldn't end the same way.
She watched Pacey sadly in the silence that followed. Finally, he cleared his throat.
"It was Doug's partner on the phone. He explained they'd been chasing some guy -- he stole some beer or something -- and… and the guy shot at them… Dougie was hit in the chest."
Andie sucked in her breath and winced. She reached out and touched Pacey's arm, saying nothing. Neither spoke for a time. The ice melted in Andie's coke, and the bread on Pacey's sandwich got soggier and soggier.
"You wanna go back?" Andie inquired finally, standing up and taking one last halfhearted sip of her by now watery coke.
Pacey nodded, and picked up his barely touched sandwich.
--
John's watch read 9:30AM.
6 hours.
He'd been here for 6 hours and still no news on Doug's condition. It didn't look good, he knew that.
Pacey and Andie had returned nearly two hours ago. He glanced over to where they were sitting, and saw that Pacey was nearly asleep on Andie's shoulder. Andie herself was watching him sadly, lost in thought. She had her arm around him, and was absently rubbing her hand soothingly up and down his arm. John glared silently at them.
The love between the two of them was almost palpable and it made him sick to his stomach.
Why did his excuse for a son get the good chick? And she actually cared about him! How could anybody care about that worthless peace of junk?
"Mr. Witter?" The quiet voice of a nurse caused both men to jump. John looked away from the couple, and Pacey sat up quickly. All three were watching the nurse, and the young woman bit her lip. This wasn't going to be easy, it never was.
"Mr. Witter," she continued quietly, "I'm very sorry… your son passed away 2 minutes ago."
--
Anger.
Pure anger.
No, not anger.
Rage. An uncontrollable rage.
It boiled inside him, almost seeming to possess him.
He could no longer hear the nurse's words, could no longer see the waiting room.
His son was dead.
His son, who was actually good at something, who had actually had a chance at becoming something, was dead.
And his worthless nothing of a son wasn't.
His anger surged out in a glare so menacing, so threatening, it would have made a grown man back down.
He glared long and hard at Pacey, his rage and hatred clear.
Pacey didn't seem to notice he was listening to the nurse with pain-filled eyes.
But the blonde beside him did.
And she returned John's glare, her eyes blazing with hatred.
[A/N
Ooh, Andie's mad. Has Andie ever been mad? Hmmm…
Anyway, please review! I live for feedback. Review, quick! It's getting hard to breathe…]
Part 1: Shattered Perfection
Author: Lala
Rating: PG
Summary: When Doug Witter is killed, his father deals with it by taking his emotions out on his remaining son, who is struggling to cope with his brother's untimely death as well.
Category: Pacey/Andie
Spoilers: Most of season 2, set just after 212. Also, Jack and Joey are still together, and so (possibly) are Dawson and Jen. If these couples are mentioned, it will be very brief.
Author's notes: This fic is rated for a character death, and both physical and mental abuse. I know that the idea of Pacey being abused is very overdone, but I thought that he needed some angst in his life, so you'll have to live with it.
Disclaimer: Dawson's Creek's characters do not in anyway belong to me. I've also changed John Witter's characterization slightly and made him more violent, so forgive me for that.
--
His hands trembled as he walked over to the row of pay phones outside the ER waiting room. His original intent had been to get a soda, but he suddenly needed to hear her voice.
He didn't care that it was 3 in the morning, he needed some reassurance. He needed a reminder that there were people who actually cared about him. People who loved him.
He put the correct amount of money in, but it took him quite a few tries to dial the right number. His hands continued to tremble, as did the rest of him. He could only pray that his voice would not do the same.
"Hello," their answering machine picked up after a few wrings, and Jack's voice filled his ears. "You've reached the McPhee residence. None of us are able to take your call at this time, but if you leave your name and number after the tone, we'll be sure to get back to you."
There was a short pause, before a shrill beep was heard. Pacey took in a deep breath, before speaking.
"Hey, Andie… it's me. Look, I'm at the hospital, Dougie - my brother's been shot. Don't come I just… I just called to tell you where I was in case you were wondering or something."
Unexpected emotions surged through him, and his throat constricted. The thing which he'd been fighting against on and off for the passed hour threatened to overcome him, and he quickly finished his message, his voice unsteady. "Well, I'll call you later, bye."
He hung up the phone, and stared hard at it for a few seconds, not really seeing it. Tears pricked his eyes, and he tried desperately to regain control.
At last he made his way back into the waiting room, expression unreadable, eyes slightly red. He slumped down into a chair, memories of his brother assaulting him.
He and Doug had never been especially close, but Pacey had always sort of looked up to him in a way.
Doug was the perfect one, the one his father loved. Pacey would have given anything to be like his brother, to have his father love him too. To have any of his family members love him, for that matter.
He glanced over at the door leading to the ICU. Doug was in there, and Pacey was terrified he might never see his brother alive again.
--
John Witter's footsteps echoed across the room as he paced restlessly.
He'd been here for hours, doing his incessant pacing for almost the entire time.
Abruptly the hospital door flew open, and a white faced teen entered. He was instantaneously captivated by her sparkling blue eyes, and golden hair. For a few seconds, John forgot that he had a wife and that he was in his late forties. The girl's shout brought him sharply back to reality, and he watched as she rushed passed him.
"Pacey!" John blinked in surprise and glanced at the row of plastic chairs. He'd nearly forgotten his youngest son in his worry, and with the arrival of the stunning girl, he'd forgotten he even existed.
"McPhee, what are you doing here?" Pacey's head jerked up from where he'd been staring at the white wall in front of him, to stare in surprise at the blonde who was now standing over him. John continued to watch them, bemused. How had his screw up of a son gotten himself a girl like that?
"Pacey, did you honestly think that I would sit at home, waiting for you to call?" Her voice had lowered significantly in volume, her tone becoming less frantic.
"You shouldn't be here," was Pacey's reply, though he didn't look as though he meant it.
John watched in disgust as Pacey rose and embraced the girl, and kissed her briefly. As they drew apart, the girl caught sight of him for the first time it seemed.
"Oh," she said, her eyes focused on him, "hello Mr. Witter."
Pacey looked up, and as John made eye contact with his son, he saw him flinch and move closer towards the girl.
"This is Andie McPhee, Dad." Pacey said shortly, before turning away.
Andie turned back to Pacey, and John lost interest in their conversation. He resumed his pacing, worry for his son only being part of his concern.
If Doug died, then whom would he hand the job of sheriff to? Certainly not his screw up of a kid, Pacey. If Pacey were sheriff, the town would be falling apart in a matter of minutes. Stupid boy couldn't even get a good grade on a test. Worthless, good-for-nothing…
Blonde hair brushed passed him, causing him to return to reality.
He looked up in surprise. Pacey and his Girlfriend, Anne something were walking hand-in-hand out the door.
"Where are you going?" He practically spat at their retreating backs.
"To the cafeteria," Pacey replied, his grip tightening on Andie's hand.
John didn't respond, and after a pause, the couple left.
--
Andie McPhee sipped her coke as she watched Pacey pick at his ham sandwich.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked finally, causing Pacey to look up.
He let out a sigh, but still didn't speak.
"There's not much to tell," he said finally. "I came home from our date and went to bed. My dad came home a couple of hours later I guess. The phone rang sometime later, and I answered it." His voice shook slightly, and Andie was strongly reminded of the night of their first date, when she'd told him the story of Tim's death. She pleaded silently that this story wouldn't end the same way.
She watched Pacey sadly in the silence that followed. Finally, he cleared his throat.
"It was Doug's partner on the phone. He explained they'd been chasing some guy -- he stole some beer or something -- and… and the guy shot at them… Dougie was hit in the chest."
Andie sucked in her breath and winced. She reached out and touched Pacey's arm, saying nothing. Neither spoke for a time. The ice melted in Andie's coke, and the bread on Pacey's sandwich got soggier and soggier.
"You wanna go back?" Andie inquired finally, standing up and taking one last halfhearted sip of her by now watery coke.
Pacey nodded, and picked up his barely touched sandwich.
--
John's watch read 9:30AM.
6 hours.
He'd been here for 6 hours and still no news on Doug's condition. It didn't look good, he knew that.
Pacey and Andie had returned nearly two hours ago. He glanced over to where they were sitting, and saw that Pacey was nearly asleep on Andie's shoulder. Andie herself was watching him sadly, lost in thought. She had her arm around him, and was absently rubbing her hand soothingly up and down his arm. John glared silently at them.
The love between the two of them was almost palpable and it made him sick to his stomach.
Why did his excuse for a son get the good chick? And she actually cared about him! How could anybody care about that worthless peace of junk?
"Mr. Witter?" The quiet voice of a nurse caused both men to jump. John looked away from the couple, and Pacey sat up quickly. All three were watching the nurse, and the young woman bit her lip. This wasn't going to be easy, it never was.
"Mr. Witter," she continued quietly, "I'm very sorry… your son passed away 2 minutes ago."
--
Anger.
Pure anger.
No, not anger.
Rage. An uncontrollable rage.
It boiled inside him, almost seeming to possess him.
He could no longer hear the nurse's words, could no longer see the waiting room.
His son was dead.
His son, who was actually good at something, who had actually had a chance at becoming something, was dead.
And his worthless nothing of a son wasn't.
His anger surged out in a glare so menacing, so threatening, it would have made a grown man back down.
He glared long and hard at Pacey, his rage and hatred clear.
Pacey didn't seem to notice he was listening to the nurse with pain-filled eyes.
But the blonde beside him did.
And she returned John's glare, her eyes blazing with hatred.
[A/N
Ooh, Andie's mad. Has Andie ever been mad? Hmmm…
Anyway, please review! I live for feedback. Review, quick! It's getting hard to breathe…]