Dawson paused the home movie he was emotionally trekking through when someone by his window demanded his attention. He laughed ruefully as Jen bumped her head and stumbled into the room, "It's a lot harder than Joey makes out," she whined, taking his hand.
"So what brings you here?"
"I felt like we haven't talked in a while," Jen nodded with a smile, jumping onto his bed and fixing herself cross-legged against one of his pillows, "So what we watching?"
"Jen," Dawson sighed, "I'm way too tired to have a way too energetic Jen bouncing about the place, what brings you here?"
"Pacey," Jen relented, her shoulders dropping. "Pacey brings me here. He hasn't been in school all week, he isn't returning my phone calls and at first I thought I did something wrong, but Jack and Andie said they can't get through to him either. We went round, but Doug said he wasn't allowing any form of life to interact with him and-"
"Jen, you're rambling," Dawson smiled politely. "How can I digest anything if you're talking a mile a minute?"
"He was fine one day and then the next he's all... clammed up. Jack said to talk to you, he tried Joey, but she got all defensive."
"Well, I wouldn't know," Dawson thought after a few seconds, "Me and Jo aren't exactly on speaking terms right now either."
"I noticed," Jen nodded again, "Which is odd. You and Joey fall out and Pacey refuses to leave Doug's. Why?"
"The two aren't related, trust me," Dawson dragged a hand through his hair. "We kind of got back together..." He swallowed and then laughed miserably. Jen eyed him with quiet disgust, "But as soon as we got home Joey over-analysed everything to death and-"
"When you got home?"
"We were at Doug's," Dawson informed, "We... he was giving us a lift home and we kind of got snookered into staying for dinner... anyway," He shook his head, "I don't know what's up with Pacey. I can't figure the guy out at all anymore."
Jen glanced at him before falling back against the pillows with her arms folded, "I see," was all she could manage, it was clear to her what had happened, "Is that your dad?" She laughed suddenly, pointing to the stilled screen.
Dawson chuckled and nodded, "I felt like taking a trip down nostalgia lane. Want to join me?"
"Do I ever!"
A youthful Mitch moved aside from John Witter and bent down to his son who was pulling on his trouser leg and demanding to be lifted. The young boy, with his arms outstretched, giggled hysterically once feeling himself erected from the ground and playfully spun in a circle before collapsing against his father's warm chest.
"Careful, Mitch!" Gale laughed, juggling the camera at them. "I don't want to catch on tape the first time Dawson splits his head open."
Mitch set the toddler down and took the video camera from her. He focused in on his wife and gave a running commentary on how attractive he found her; she batted him playfully before leaving to fix some coffee for their guests. "Now where did the boys go?" Mitch directed at John as he came into shot again.
"Put that away," his friend chuckled, trying to hide himself. Mitch took a sweep of the living room before zooming in on one corner where the two small children sat hunched over a collection of toys, both dressed in dungarees. Mitch positioned the video camera onto the coffee table and lay on his front on the floor beside them.
"What's up kids?"
"Daws don' share," Pacey accused at once, trying to hide an action figure behind his back. "So me not."
"Oh, you have to learn to share your toys, boys," Mitch drawled, ruffling Pacey's dark curls, "Or else do you know what'll happen?"
"No," Dawson answered quickly, throwing his own doll down. "What?"
"Santa's watching and not only will you get coal for Christmas," Mitch leant in, "But he'll take away everything you play with now. He'll give it to good boys and girls."
"This boy's toy!" Pacey tried to reason. "No girls."
"This bad boy's toy?" Dawson wondered intelligently, snatching out at Pacey's hand. Pacey retracted his arm behind his back again and stuck out his tongue. "You a bad boy."
"Daws a girl," Pacey laughed, pulling himself up from his knees and running away as Dawson chased him. Mitch stretched and returned to the video camera, the squeals of the children's play descending into the living room even after they reached the stairs.
He turned it over in his hands until he was looking into the lense itself, "Well, that's all folks. So ends Dawson's third birthday."
"You're so cute in your little dungarees! Oh my God, you were both adorable," Jen gushed immediately, "Pacey hasn't changed a bit."
"Were adorable? Past tense?" Dawson smirked, "I don't know if that's a compliment or if you're mocking me. And what do you mean Pacey hasn't changed? So he's still adorable and I'm - what?" He feigned hurt.
"Oh, you know I love you," Jen slapped his arm gently, "But please, don't say the words 'Pacey' and 'adorable' in the same sentence again. It's just weird coming from you."
Dawson nodded, "We've been friends for a very long time."
"I can see that."
"And now we aren't."
"Yeah..." Jen started fidgeting with her thumb nail, biting it and picking it and taking great interest in it, so long as she didn't have to catch Dawson's eye. "Look, if you want me to say something-"
"No! Um, no," Dawson pleaded. "No, it won't make a difference. Nothing can be said to make him budge. He's a man of action and I'm a man of words and... well, we're on two different planets to ever - God, Jen I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore. Am I confusing you? I think I'm confusing myself."
"Knock, knock."
Jen and Dawson turned back towards the television and shared a giggle. The next update was obviously some years in the future and the child holding the camera, as Mitch had done, to film himself, was grinning and tapping the lense with a small fist.
"Pacey, you'll break it!"
"Shut up Josephine!" Pacey glared as the delicate young girl in pigtails rough-housed him for the same video camera.
Dawson intervened and filmed them, roaring with laughter, when Joey was able to take Pacey to the floor and twist on his arm. He banged for mercy with a free hand and she pressed up against him, hard, before releasing.
"You're such a loser, Pacey."
"You're such a girl, Joey."
"You're more of a girl than I am!" Joey mocked with a hearty laugh, "Tell him, Dawson."
"Oh, I'm not arguing with that, Joey," Pacey smirked, before getting distracted. "Dawson I want the camera now! It's still my turn."
Dawson backed away slowly as Pacey advanced on him with outstretched palms. Joey was in shot just over Pacey's shoulder. She winked at her friend before latching her arms around the waist of an unsuspecting Pacey and threw him to the ground a second time. The children brawled viciously: kicking and biting and clawing and punching.
"Pacey you can't hit a - Joey, you can't kick someone there!" Dawson criticised. As soon as they broke into tears, Dawson decided it time to set the camera aside for the day. He discarded it on his bed with little care and forced himself between the pair.
The camera tumbled over, obscuring the picture. Before cutting out, Dawson physically removed Pacey from Joey. He had his friend by both arms, but couldn't defend him from the girl's unforgiving fist; she clipped Pacey on the jaw and he fell limp in Dawson's arms, wailing.
"See, I don't think any of us really liked each other," Dawson smiled across at Jen. "But man could Joey hold her own."