Dawson was contemplative as he rejoined the others at the table. Was he bummed about him and Joey? Sure. A part of him will always want to be with her, but he was now mature enough to realize that her being with Pacey didn't mean that he would lose her. What he and Joey have transcends romantic love. In fact, that could be why it never worked out between them every time tried to take things in that direction.

Losing Jen also put other things into perspective for Dawson regarding Pacey. While they would never be best friends again, he didn't want to lose the friendship they had rebuilt. It had been a long road for them after Joey and the stock market debacle, but they were finally in a place where they could share pieces of their lives without the past always clouding their interactions. Dawson appreciated that Pacey told him first. Had he done that last time rather than sneaking around with Joey, the last ten years might have been very different between them.

"You okay?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. Yeah I am." Dawson said with a smile.

Just then, Dawson spied Pacey and Joey exit the kitchen. He was carrying the orange juice pitcher and she was holding a plate of cut fruit. They were smiling at each other. Though there was a respectable distance between them, Dawson could sense the intimacy they used to share as a couple - which drove him insane then - had returned. Or it never really left and he was too blind and self-absorbed to realize it all this time.

Once they were seated, Dawson could tell they were pretending nothing had changed. He assumed that since he was okay with it - well, as okay as he would ever be - they were doing so because they didn't want to take away from Jen's death. But Dawson knew that this was just the news to cheer everyone up - and that Jen would approve. So, he clinked his glass with his spoon. Once he had everyone's attention, he cleared his throat. "So, I wanted to take a moment to remember Jen for being, well, Jen."

Everyone chuckled a little at that. "She rocked the creek the moment she stepped out of that Yellow Cab when we were 15. And her death did the same. In both instances, she inspired us to face the things we needed to face in order to live the life we truly want."

As everyone raised their glasses and nodded in agreement, Dawson added. "But mostly, all she ever wanted was for us to be happy and to stay friends no matter what. So, on that note, Joey and Pacey have some news."


At Dawson's comment, Pacey looked to Joey. When she smiled brightly, he took that as the go-ahead to tell everyone they were back together. They were going to wait until after the funeral, but Dawson kind of backed them into a corner. Leave it to the guy to be accepting but still make it all about him by letting everyone know how okay he is over something that ultimately has nothing to do with him.

Pacey looked into the expectant faces of the people he cared the most for in the world and said, "Joey and I are back together," as he took her hand in his, brought it up to his mouth, and placed a featherlight kiss on it.

Everyone was silent for a moment as they looked from Pacey to Joey to Dawson. Then congratulations were shared all around.