Thank you for the reviews! There still seems to be a feeling that there should be more to the story than there is but sorry, folks, this is as close to pure fluff as I get and that's not going to change. Hope you enjoy!

CHAPTER SEVEN

Dawson looked around the area outside the family home. It had been set up for the wedding and guests were starting to gather, while Dawson was already dressed in his suit. He was aware that it was the same spot where his parents had re-married, with himself and Joey as attendants, and very aware of the irony that back then with him was pretty much the last place Joey wanted to be. So much had changed.

"Looking like quite a turnout,"remarked Evelyn Ryan, the woman who had grown from a scary neighbour into a surrogate grandmother.

Dawson smiled at her. "I'm glad you could be here, Grams. I just wish…"

Grams nodded, understanding. "I think Jennifer would have been very happy to see the two of you together. Now if you excuse me, there's someone I need to say hello to."

"Great-Grams!"greeted a little blonde girl of around three years old who Dawson realised with a start was Amy.

Grams bent down to address the girl. "Hello, Amy. I hope you're being a good girl for your father." Her gaze shifted from Jack to Doug. "Fathers,"she amended, with only a slight discomfort at these strange modern ways of doing things.

"Dawson, my man!"a loud and enthusiastic voice that could only belong to one person greeted the groom.

"Hi, Todd,"Dawson responded in a long-suffering voice.

Todd looked around with some dismay. "Dawson, what have I taught you? Never pass up a chance for free publicity! You could have sold this to a magazine."

"We just wanted something quiet and low key. But I'm glad you could be here."

"Well, I was hoping to catch a glimpse of that blonde hottie I'm sure I had sex with on an airplane once."

It took Dawson a moment to catch the reference. "Jen died a couple of years ago. I told you that, remember?"

"That was her?"Todd asked, confused. Dawson nodded. "Downer." He thought hard. "Did she have a sister?"

"Um, yeah, I guess she did."

"Do you have her number?"

There were times, Dawson thought, when you had to accept Todd as a force of nature. "Yeah, I can get you it."

"Sweet. We'll talk later." Todd sauntered off…much to Dawson's consternation, in the direction of his mother.

"Yeah, I wouldn't trust him around my mother either from what I hear,"remarked a voice behind him.

Dawson turned round with a smile. "Gretchen?" He couldn't help looking his ex up and down. "You look great! I wasn't sure if you'd make it."

"Well, I couldn't let my high school prom date get married without me being here. Even if it was your high school prom and not mine. I'm glad you finally got her."

"Not yet,"Dawson noted, checking his watch. "But in forty minutes…"

Bessie was applying Joey's make-up, something that Joey had become more accepting of over the years, even though she was worried about getting some on her wedding dress. "Izz it dun now?"she asked, her enunciation affected by the fact that Bessie was holding her mouth open while applying the lipstick.

Bessie applied the finishing touch. "Yeah, done." She took a step back and smiled. "You make a beautiful bride."

Joey smiled shyly. "Thanks." Her firey side was instantly brought back to the surface by the sight of Lily and Alexander, in full bridesmaid and page boy outfits, chasing each other around the B&B. "Pack it in, you two! You'll ruin your outfits!"

"Wow, look at you!"exclaimed an enthusiastic female voice, moments before Joey was bowled over by Audrey's hug. "I seriously thought I would never see this day." She gestured to the dress bag slung over the shoulder. "And my chief bridesmaid dress is right here."

"Chief bridesmaid?"Bessie asked.

"I am prepared to share the role with you,"Audrey told her, with the air of doing her a great favour. "Oh, and have you seen my plus one?"

Joey hadn't paid much attention to the young man that had followed Audrey in, but now she did her jaw dropped open. "Charlie? Charlie Todd?"

Charlie raised his hand awkwardly. "Hi."

Audrey linked her arm with him. "We met on tour and just clicked."

"Right, yeah. Nice to see you, Charlie." Joey grabbed Audrey's arm and took her aside. "Are you planning to date all my ex-boyfriends?"

Audrey pretended to consider. "Is it too late to have a go at Dawson?" Joey gave her a glare that would have floored most people. She didn't even flinch. "Relax, Joey. Charlie!"

Charlie came over. "Yeah."

Audrey gave him a lengthy kiss then handed him an invite. "If anyone stops you, show them this. See you on the dance floor!" She gave him a pat on the behind.

Charlie made a quick exit…nearly colliding with Mike as he did so. Joey's father stopped at the sight of his younger daughter, temporarily speechless. "Yeah, everyone's getting that reaction,"Joey noted. "You'd think they'd never seen me in a dress before."

Mike took her gently by the arms. "Joey, I don't think I've ever been more proud of the fact that you're my daughter. And thank you for asking me to walk you down the aisle. I know there's probably plenty of other people you could have asked…"

Joey shook her head. "I know things haven't always been that easy between us but…you never stopped being my dad."

Mike gathered her into a warm hug.

Jack and Bodie had been roped in as ushers but Pacey was still playing his part in getting the guests seated, while answering Dawson's occasional nervous questions. But his own nerves were eased by a familiar voice. "You scrub up pretty nice in a suit, Witter."

Pacey turned to the source of the voice, a big smile on his face. "McPhee!"

Andie gave him her sweetest smile. "In the flesh, so to speak."

"And looking pretty good in it too."

Andie looked around. "Didn't think we'd ever find ourselves on this day. Dawson and Joey's wedding."

Pacey nodded, looking around with her. "Yeah, it's been a long road."

Andie nodded to where a boat was approaching. "Looks like you're on. And I need to catch up with Jack."

"Catch up with you later, McPhee." Pacey gave her a brief hug and went to join Dawson.

The moment was finally there. Dawson and Joey in front of their friends and family, him in his morning suit, her in her wedding dress. She had foregone a veil, instead having her hair tied back with a head dress. Pacey and Mike stood as attendants, Bessie and Audrey stood in the centre of the aisle with Lily and Alexander in front of them, smiles on all their faces.

Dawson took a deep breath. "Joey, I can barely remember a time when you weren't in my life. So I don't know why it took me so long to fall in love with you. Just slow, I guess. But once I did, there was no turning back. I've loved you every moment since and longed to share my life with you. And now I've got that chance, I'm not going to waste it. I'm going to be the best husband I can be, the husband you deserve, and I'm going to be by your side for the rest of our lives."

Joey beamed back at him. "Dawson, I fell in love with you when I was just a little girl. And I've gone on falling in love with you ever since, for so many different reasons, in so many different ways. I tried to convince myself I was happy just to love you as a friend, but being your friend was never going to be enough. I love you as a wife and that's what I'm going to be. Your wife. And believe me, calling myself that makes me happier than I ever thought possible."

The reverend cleared his throat. "And now, by the power vested in me, I'm happy to pronounce you husband and wife."

Their first kiss as man and wife was greeted by cheers and applause.