Author's note:: My take on what I would like to have happened during the season Gretchen came back to Capeside.
Disclaimer; I do not own the characters of Dawson Leery, Gretchen Witter or any others portrayed in this fanfic. They belong to Kevin Williamson.
Chapter Two:
The newly acquired beach house Gretchen had rented for her and her brother, Pacey needed some work, but that didn't matter as she showed him around the place, hoping to make him in favour of their house share together, rather than him see the cobwebs and few broken windows that needed fixing.
"So, what do you think?" she asked him and smiled brightly as she opened the patio doors, which caught a little as they slid along in their fixings.
"I...think we'll be splitting the utilities with the cockroaches." Pacey replied and smirked a little.
"Oh, come on Pace!" Gretchen smiled and moved towards him again, "This place has potential. Plus, you'll be getting away from that couch in Doug's and his cleaning regime at stupid A.M..." she suggested to her baby brother, using her usual smile and raised brow to sway him.
Pacey didn't really need much persuading, but he always liked to tease his sister, so he pretended to think. Gently, he leaned his head back as if weighing up his options and he replied, "I'll have you know that couch is top notch comfort. And those regimes aren't so bad when you get used to them, Gretch." he smiled as he saw her face fall a little, and she donned a pleading expression. Before his sister began to pout at him, Pacey felt a large grin sweep across his mouth and he nodded, "Show me the potential, Gretch..."
"You'll move in?" she beamed.
"Well, only because I know you have killer parties and you wouldn't mind if I'm there. Doug's a wet blanket, remember last time I tried to have a party?" he said.
She snorted a little and nodded before she squeaked with excitement and hugged her little brother. When Gretchen regained her composure, she looked at Pacey and smiled brightly, "Okay, so as soon as the house is done; even just essentials: beds, groceries, bathroom stuff, we can have a party, Pace. A proper housewarming."
"Sounds good to me." Pacey smiled and nodded a little, "Gretch, at this party, can I drink? I mean, I will be under supervision of a responsible adult, right?"
"Pacey, you don't even have to ask me. It's our house, you're...as close to an adult as you can get for now..." she smirked a little, "So, yeah, you can drink. Just don't puke anywhere, loser!" she chuckled and made her way out of the house, through the patio doors she'd opened. From the porch, Gretchen called back to her brother, "Hey, Pace! I'm going to get an extra set of keys cut for you, stay here til I get back. Then we can go get some of our essentials, okay?" she smiled slid the door back along to close Pacey in the house.
"Well, I better go, make myself known to the roaches." Pacey sighed to himself as he stood from the couch and looked around the basic shell of the living room.
Just as she was about to enter the Key Cutter's store, she heard her name called out from across the street. It was Dawson. As Gretchen turned and saw him, she remembered how much time they all used to spend together as kids, playing either in the Witter's yard with the paddling pool, or sitting on the deck near to Dawson's. She smiled thinking of it as she watched Dawson crossing over to greet her.
"Dawson, hey." she smiled softly up at him, looking down to the CD collection he was carrying, "Where are those going to?"
"CD trade-in..." he replied and smiled a little, "You busy?"
"Uhh, just about to get some keys cut for Pacey." she replied, "I can spare a few minutes though." she nodded and glanced to the first case in Dawson's hands, "Dawson, Vanilla Ice?" Gretchen questioned him and chuckled a little as they entered the CD store.
"Hey, I was ten, don't judge." he blushed slightly and smiled back at her, his tone as soft as ever still.
"Okay, what else do you have?" she asked Dawson as he placed the stack onto the counter, and she began to flip through them, "N-Sync, Black Box, more Vanilla Ice, Dawson...really?"
"And this CD my parents bought me one Christmas."
"Are you kidding me! You cannot get rid of this!" Gretchen chuckled, "Come on, lets listen to it, and I'll change your mind.." she smiled to him, dragging him over to the headphones.
Before they got the headphones on, and Gretchen put the disc into the player, Dawson smiled down to her, also remembering that infamous crush he used to have on his best friend's sister. The crush Dawson had on Gretchen lasted for near enough three years and both families; Leery's and Witter's had all known about Dawson's affections for Gretchen, even when he tried to keep them anonymous by leaving small bunches of roses or other gifts on the Witter's front porch.
"Hey, Gretchen?" Dawson smiled, realising she head one headphone over her ear and the other free from the music, "You remember Jack, right?" he asked her.
"Jack. Jack McPhee?" she replied.
Dawson replied with a nod before he spoke up, "Well, he reminded me yesterday of the gifts I used to leave on your front porch. Gifts I'd have saved my pocket money up for weeks, so I could buy you a box of chocolates of a nice bouquet of flowers." he blushed softly.
Gretchen smiled gratefully before she touched his arm and smiled, "Dawson, I always knew they were from you." she told him before catching sight of the time and looking back to the CD player, "Take my word for it, keep this CD, ditch the rest and I gotta get back to Pacey." she told him.
"You want to grab a bite later?" Dawson asked as Gretchen put down the pair of headphones.
She pursed her lips a little as she thought first, "Can I...call you?"
"Sure, I'll be at my parents' restaurant. Number's still the same." Dawson replied.
"Great, I'll see you later, Dawson." Gretchen smiled and rushed out of the store to get keys cut for Pacey.
"Hey, Pace...you have anything at Doug's you could bring here?" Gretchen asked her brother after she'd chosen her room. Since she was going to be paying most of the rent, she got first choice on the bedrooms and where everything was to go in the house.
"I think I have a few books and odd things that can be brought over."
"Well, you wanna ask Doug if he can help you?" she tilted her head a little and smiled to him.
"In other words, go ask Doug can he help me bring my things over. Sure Gretch, I'm pretty sure that'd go down well with his department Lieutenant."
"Come on, Pace. Dougie's been dying to get rid of you for months! Don't you think he finally had some peace when you and Joey took off for the summer?"
"What's Doug been telling you?"
Gretchen chortled, "Nothing...I just. I got that impression, since he wasn't so hesitant to let me take your spot on his couch. Look I just want things in place so I can go for dinner."
"You have plans, and I'm not included. How nice." Pacey smiled sarcastically.
"I can have a life without you, Pace." Gretchen replied, "Besides, I don't know if you'd been too keen on this plan anyway."
"Why?" he suddenly became interested as Gretchen began to push him towards the open sliding door.
"Get your things from Doug's." she told him, she said already sliding the door closed. As soon as it was near enough closed she told her brother, "I'm having dinner with Dawson."
"Noooo! No, you're not."
"Pacey, Dawson was my friend too, okay. And I'm not losing out on one friendship because Joey chose you over him. After everything that went on over summer, Pace...you still got the girl. Dawson didn't, which is why he needs his friends." she sighed, as she saw Pacey's expression acknowledge her reasoning, "Now, go. Get your stuff." she smiled and locked him out, before beaming at him through the glass doors.