I don't own Dawson's creek

"How are you Bess?" Doug looked over at her as she leaned against the counter and he mixed the pancake batter.

"I'm feel emotionally and Physically drained." He noticed how she leaned heavily against the counter. "Doug," she whispered her voice low and sad.

"Bess, What is it?" He put the bowl down and went over to her, he gathered her in his arms and held her close. She pulled back to look at him blue eyes to brown. "Me and Bodie are fighting I don't know how much longer we'll last he just doesn't seem to understand me. My…" her voice shook and he pushed her hair behind her ear. "My dad is in Jail my sister won't come out of a bedroom and…." Here she trailed off.

"And what Bess?" Doug asked her gently.

"And you came, you left your training you drove all night and he came and I love you for that I do but I feel horrible at the same time. Tears shimmered in her eyes and he thought they looked like melted chocolate. He wiped the single tear drop from her cheek with the pad of his thumb and pulled her closer to him. He loved this girl not that he would ever admit it. They all had too much on their plates and she was with Bodie and he'd respect that but that didn't mean he wouldn't lay his life down for this women in front of him.

"Elizabeth Lillian Potter I want you to listen to me right now, I came here because you needed me your sister your mother the Leery's and my family they all needed me here. Bess we're a family we always where and always will be, and family well we stick together and no matter what you do you won't get rid of me I'm sorry but you're just stuck with me.

"Oh is that right Mr. Witter." She chuckled pulling away from the safety of his arms. His arms she sighed they were the only place she ever really felt safe. She never really got that sense of safety and security in Bodie's arms no matter how much she tried to.

He sighed in relief to see the sparkle back in her eyes. "That's right Miss. Potter now let's get back to preparing breakfast. He kissed her cheek and picked up the mixing bowl once again.

Unknown to them the adults had woken up and where watching the interaction between the two in the kitchen.

"do you think we'll get both Potter girls." Mary whispered to John.

"now Mary no counting your chickens before they hatch." John whispered back.

"Yeah Mary I mean Joey could just as easily end up with Dawson and Bessie with Bodie in the end and you'd end up with no Potter girls." Gail joked.

"OK my daughters aren't some type of property their a gift and I'm not sure if either of your family's deserve them." Lily joked back and they five adults burst into laughter causing Bessie and Doug to look over at them.

"Who wants some breakfast?" Doug flipped the first few finished pancakes on to a plate.

"Oh me," Mitch took the plate greedily causing another round of laughter.

"mmm, I'm hungry." Joey pouted.

"Well you're the one that doesn't want to leave this room." Pacey countered Joey shivered and tears came to her eyes. Pacey pulled her closer to him. "Shh Jo I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry, Dawson will go get you some food won't you Dawson."

"Hmm," Dawson looked over at the two of them from where he was laying on the bed seemingly having drifted off into daydream land.

"You'll go and get Joey some food won't you." Dawson could tell Pacey's voice wasn't really asking a question more like giving a command.

"Oh yeah sure I'll go and get you some cocopuffs from my house how does that sound." He rubbed her back.

"Thanks Dawson."

"No problem Jo." He got off the bed and opened the window and crawled out he hurried down the ladder and across the lawn and across town to his house.

Carrie Gretchen and Laura had made their way down stairs Gretchen just hugged her parents and grabbed some pancakes Carrie and Laura looked around themselves wondering what in the world was going on and why all these people where in their house.

"Have they come out yet?" Gretchen took a bite of her pancakes trying not to worry about her baby brother and his friends.

"no," Mary shook her head sadly at her daughter.

"Um not to seem totally out of the loop but what's going on," Laura asked.

"Laura it's a long story ok the cliff notes are Mr. Potter hit Joey who came here last night leading to an influx of people in the house and Joey Pacey and Dawson locking themselves in Pacey's room and refusing to come out." Mary noticed that Lily flinched at the mention of Mike hitting Joey and she rubbed her hand over her arm.

Carrie just happened to look out the window and saw Dawson climbing up the ladder and threw Pacey's window at the exact moment, but she didn't say anything she knew how it was to harbor a secret she laid her hand gently on her stomach and felt her insides twist things just seemed to be going from bad to worse.

"Ok I come baring cocopuffs bowls spoons and milk but I could use some help." Dawson called up to the open window.

Pacey looked out and hurried down grabbing some of the previsions from Dawson and both boys made their way up the ladder.

"Dawson you are a lifesaver." Joey gushed as she poured milk and Cocopuffs into her bowl and took a large bit.

"Well we know the way to your heart don't we Potter," Pacey joked causing Joey to stick her tongue out at him, a tongue that happened to be covered in partially eaten Cocopuffs.

"Oh Gross Potter like I really wanted to see that." Just then a knock was heard on the door. "Kids theirs breakfast down here."

"Go away mom," Pacey called back pouring his own bowl.

"Pacey you guys have to come out sometime."

"And we will when we're ready." He called back. She just shook her head and decided not to push the issue.

"Are they coming?" John asked looking up from his almost empty plate.

"No, and I don't know how they are going to eat they are going to starve," she wailed she was getting a bit hysterical after the events of the last day.

"mom calm down ok they aren't going to starve I saw Dawson climb back in through the window with Cocopuffs milk spoons and bowls they're fine." Carrie smirked at the ingenious methods of those kids.

"Wait Dawson left the room?" Gail was shocked.

"Well the way I see it, Pacey won't leave Joey, Joey won't leave at all and Dawson's house is most lily where they got the food so he had to go and get it. " She shrugged it all made sense to her.

The phone rang and everyone held their breath waiting to see who was on the other end. Doug wiped his hands and went into the hall to answer the phone. "Hello."

"Doug," Bodie's voice floated across the line.

"Oh Bodie did you want to talk to Bessie" Doug really didn't want to hand the phone over to Bessie but he would.

"Yes Please," Bodie was seething Bessie had called the perfect knight in shining armor home so she could cry in his arms instead of calling her own boyfriend.

"Bess, Bod's on the phone." Bessie took the phone with some trepidation.

"Bodie."

"Bess I thought you were going to call me this morning."

"Bodie its barley 9 Am a lot of things have been going on around here can I talk to you about it later we are still trying to get the kids out of the room my fathers in Jail and I just don't feel like hashing everything out with you right now."

"Oh but you'll run straight to Doug Witter's arms won't you isn't that just perfect."

"Bodie that isn't how it is at ok yes I called Doug but his brother was just as involved as my sister ok its just something you can't understand so I'm going to hang up this phone now before either of us say something we regret. " with that she hung up the phone and he stared at the phone the dial tone still ringing in his ear.

Bessie gave the phone one furtive glance and left the room she went up to Doug room and crawled into his bed she let the tears fall from her face. She was trying to make her relationship with Bodie work she really was but it always came back to Doug to her love for Doug and nothing she did could ever seem to get the love she had for him to leave her very Soul.

Everyone looked at the retreating back of Bessie, "I'll go get her." Doug sighed and went after his best friend. He found her in his room and crawled into bed beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She felt his heart beat against her chest and she let it sooth her and the tears stopped flowing. "Ok Bess what is it with the Potter girls and their love for the Witter boys beds."

"Shut it Dougie." She giggled hitting him playfully on the chest but he still didn't realese her from his arms and she was gratefully for Doug Witter was her rock her everything she just hadn't let herself believe it until now.

Joey stared out the window at the passing creek at her little boat bobbing back and forth and at the ladder that leaned against the house she looked at the closed door and the two boys that stood behind her in everything and she got up and their eyes followed her, her hand laid on the handle and she reached her other hand behind her. "Boys, I need your hands lets go." They got up and Pacey took her outstretched hand and Dawson laid his hand over hers on the door handle and together as one they opened the door. Ready to once again face the world outside the bedroom door.

Important A/N first a genrel A/N I know I said I'd keep Bessie and Bodie together but as I tried to write this story Doug and Bessie keep gravitating towards each other and everything inside of me told me to make this story live up to its full potential it had to have a Bessie/Doug couple.