"What are you doing on the couch, little brother?" Doug asked, waking Pacey from his sleep. "Get into a fight with Joey or something?"

All the memories of last night came rushing back. Did he really call her a book a "stupid fairy tale"? He wasn't sure how he'd work his way out of this mess. He wasn't even sure he wanted to. He hated feeling like he wasn't good enough for Joey. He hated always being overshadowed by Dawson and now by Joey.

"I guess you could say that."

"So, go in there and apologize to her."

"No, I can't."

"Yes, you can. Just swallow your pride and say you're sorry. I'm sure you were wrong."

"No, Doug, you're not listening. She left. She's gone." Pacey wasn't sure how permanent that state of being gone actually was.

"Where did she go? Her sister's?"

"I have no idea."

At that moment, Jack and Amy walked into the living room. Jack immediately realized something was off, not in the least because Pacey was lying down on the couch.

"Uh oh, what happened?"

"My little brother here got into a fight with Joey."

"Uncle Pacey and Aunt Joey got into a fight? About what?" Amy had certainly inherited her mother's affinity for drama.

"I said something mean to her. I called her book stupid."

"The new one?" Jack asked.

"No, the fairy tale."

"I love that book!" Amy said excitedly.

"Well, Dawson wants to make a movie out of it, and, you know me, I got all jealous about it."

"So, where is she now?" Jack asked.

"I don't know. I don't even know if she's coming back."

"Of course she is," Doug reassured his brother. "You two have been fighting for 20 years. You've always gotten through it. You'll get through this, too."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought."

"Exactly, I'm just not good enough for her."

At that moment, they heard a knock on the door. Doug went to answer it. He came back in with Dawson. Jack greeted him warmly. Dawson always had a special fondness for Jack after he started dating Gretchen. He was the one who was always reminding him how much and for how long he loved her.

"Pace, get up."

"I'm not even dressed."

"Doug, do you have any coffee? Pour Pacey a cup of coffee, and make sure to put a splash of whiskey in it. He's going to need it."

The town sheriff wasn't used to taking orders from anyone other than his husband, certainly not in his own home, but he complied. He could see that Dawson was a man on a mission.

"Joey and I got into a fight," Pacey said, but he suspected Dawson already knew.

"Yeah, she told me," Dawson handed Pacey the whiskey-laced coffee.

"So you saw her? You know where she is?"

"Yes, drink."

"Where is she?" Pacey took a deep sip.

"She slept over at my mom's house. My mom and Gretchen are looking after her. She was quite worked up. Slept in Lilly's room, my old bed, said it was the only place she felt safe."

Pacey couldn't be bothered to care. Jack and Doug both looked worried.

"I shouldn't have called her fairy tale stupid."

"That's not what you fought about, and you know it."

"It's because I'm not good enough for her."

"Damn right, you're not."

"What?"

Pacey looked at Dawson in shock. Jack looked worried, and Doug wondered if he'd need to break up a fight. The whiskey wasn't going to help matters.

"I said. You. Are not. Good enough. For. JOEY POTTER."

"Who are you to tell me that? You had your shot with her, she picked me, not you. If anyone's not good enough for her, it's you."

"Then prove it. Prove to me you're good enough for her."

Pacey put his coffee down and walked up to Dawson. It looked to Doug like his brother was about to slug Dawson, and Doug moved as if to break up the potential fight. Dawson didn't flinch, and he just put his hand up towards Doug to stop him.

"I'm the head chef at a hot new restaurant."

"That's it? That's your whole argument?"

"No, I'm just getting started. I've been in love with this girl as long as you have, longer. I always get the groceries when we're running low. If there's a new book she wants to read, I get it the day it comes out. If there's a movie she wants to see, I make sure to get tickets opening weekend. I've never forgotten a single birthday or anniversary. I've always been faithful to her. But none of that matters. The mere fact that Joey Potter fell in love with me, that's proof enough that I'm good enough for her. It's all the proof I'll ever need, and it's all the proof you should need, too."

"Okay," Dawson said smiling at Pacey mischievously.

"You were goading me!"

"Finish your coffee, Pacey."

They sat back down. Dawson knew they'd find something new to fight about before long, but he was glad to have resolved this particular matter, or at least part of it. He just waited for Pacey to start talking.

"I don't know why you have to do it. I'm happy you've made all these millions of dollars, but can't you just let Joey stand on her own?"

"Like she let me stand on my own?"

"What do you mean?" Pacey was confused.

"Do you know where I'd be without her?"

"Where?"

"I'd probably still be getting coffee for the people who actually make movies. Or I'd be working as an usher at a movie theater in Hollywood. Any argument you could make about how I've given her opportunities, I could make the same argument about how I owe my entire success to her, that's not really the point. All I did was showcase her talent. It was her talent that made her a success. Would you rather I never gave her those showcases?"

"No, I guess not."

"Do you not want to me to adapt her book? Say the word, and I'll forget the idea. I'll let someone else do it. It's probably going to get made one way or the other."

"No. You should do it. That's what she wants. Besides, money is money."

"That's not true, Pace. You, more than anyone know that money isn't money. It's why you're not still a stockbroker."

"I guess so." He paused. "Dawson, I really love cooking. You have your art, and this is mine. There was no beauty in selling stocks to rich people."

"And that's how Joey feels about her writing. All right, get dressed."

"Where we going?"

"To my mom's house, so you can apologize to Joey."

"Why did you do it?" Pacey asked Dawson.

They were driving back to the Leery house, and Pacey felt like a complete fool. Dawson had tricked him into realizing what he already knew but was too afraid to admit. That jealousy, uncertainty still existed and probably always would, but Dawson had perfectly used it against him, the same as a martial artist who uses his opponent's strength against him.

"Do what?"

"Fix things with me and Joey. This could have been your shot."

"And that's what you think I want? Wait for you to leave Joey, and then I can leave Gretchen to be with her instead?"

"Yeah, isn't it?" Pacey seemed pretty nonchalant about his confidence in that assessment.

"No, Pacey. Joey and I are too similar, we're far too Apollonian around each other." Dawson flashed Pacey a pensive smile. "I guess that's why we both wanted to marry Witters."

Pacey returned a proud smile, which quickly gave way to confusion. "Apo what now?"

"Never mind. Besides," Dawson continued, "I owed you one."

"For what?"

"For begging me to dance with Gretchen at your wedding."

Pacey laughed lightly, and they finished the drive in silence. They walked in together and found Joey still in the kitchen. She looked up at them hesitantly. Dawson subtly nodded.

"I'm sorry I called your fairy tale stupid. It's not."

Joey wasn't quite ready to forgive Pacey. The wounds had cut deep.

"Pace, do you remember when you used to hold my hand and read me fairy tales until I fell asleep, when we were aboard the True Love."

"How could I forget…"

"That was the whole reason I wanted to write a fairy tale. You know, before you counted to ten and kissed me at Aunt Gwen's house, I told you how you made me feel alive, and I thought that was all there was too it, but, those nights aboard the True Love, you just made me feel safe, and I liked it. Last night I didn't feel too safe, not until I got here."

"I'm sorry, Jo. I screwed up. Big time. And I never should have brought Dawson into it."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because I got jealous, all right?"

Joey relaxed a little, seeing him let himself be this vulnerable. She wasn't even entirely sure if he meant that he was jealous of Dawson or of her. Or both.

"I don't get it. Not long after you moved in with me, I asked you if you were okay with me and Dawson being soulmates or whatever, and-"

"-I said that everything good that happened between us was because of Dawson's love for you and that I wanted to see what other good things would happen for us, all of us, because of his love for you."

"Yeah. What happened to that?"

"I don't know, Jo, I guess it got lost somewhere along the way."

Joey was heartbroken.

"Do you think you could find it again?"

"I could certainly try."

Joey finally unleashed all the emotions she was holding back. She ran to Pacey crying and started pounding his chest, not hard enough to hurt him, but not playfully soft either.

"I'm sorry, Jo. What do I have to do for you to forgive me?" Pacey hugged her, and she stopped crying.

"Just promise me you'll never try to say you're not good enough for me, okay? I'm the only one who gets to decide what's good enough for me. Not you, not Dawson, not my sister, no one. Just me."

"Okay, Jo. Say," he surveyed the table, "any pancakes left?"

He hadn't meant it as a joke, but everyone else laughed. It successfully lightened the mood. Gale started to offer Pacey some pancakes, but Gretchen cut her off.

"That's my little brother for you, always thinking with his stomach," Gretchen teased. "I'll make you a plate."

After she laid Pacey's plate down, she looked at Dawson before walking over to him and grabbing him by the hand and leading him away.

"Where we going?" he asked playfully.

"Your rowboat," she said seductively.

"I thought that was supposed to be our afternoon activity."

"I don't wanna wait."

"All right, Paula Cole, let's go."

As they hurried out, Pacey seemed more interested in his pancakes than anything else. Joey wondered how long it would take for them to fully repair the damage they had done last night.

"Gale, these pancakes are amazing."

"You're too kind, Pacey. We have plenty left. Didn't seem like anyone else had much of an appetite this morning…"

Pacey didn't seem to hear that last part.

"Hey, Jo, you didn't happen to bring your rowboat over last night?"

"I did," she answered perking up. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason."

Joey suspected that Pacey had a reason in mind, a very specific Dionysian one.

As they headed to the dock after breakfast, Pacey was suddenly struck by a memory in front of that same dock from when they were 11.

He had seen Joey leaving Dawson's house as he showed up, and she had seemed unsettled. He had never been the person she had turned to for comfort growing up, but if she wanted to vent, sometimes he would have been the target.

Hey, Potter, he had greeted her.

Hey, Witter, she had responded.

Is Dawson upstairs?

No, I was supposed to hang out with him this afternoon, but he never showed up. I figured he was with you.

I thought he was with you. He was talking to Gretchen when I left the house, but that was two hours ago…

Pacey hadn't been thrilled about the growing bond between his best friend and his youngest sister.

You don't think he spent the whole afternoon with her do, do you?

I don't know about this, Potter. He won't even buy trading cards anymore, just wants to save his money to buy her chocolates.

Joey had scrunched up the corner of her face into a grimace that had lasted for about one second flat. As much as the Potter girl had constantly annoyed him, he had always found her facial expressions endearing.

So what. Dawson's mom always makes me pancakes when I stay over, she had said far too quickly and far too casually. She'd make me chocolate pancakes if I wanted, but I like blueberry better. That's my favorite. Pancakes are better than chocolate, anyway.

Pacey had realized then that the whole Gretchen thing had been bothering Joey as much as it had been bothering him. He hadn't wanted to give too much to consideration to why exactly it had been bothering her, but he had been starting to get an idea of it. The whole conversation had been making him uncomfortable, so he had just taken the last water balloon out of his pocket. He had pelted Joey square in the chest with it before running away from the inevitable chase he had known she would give.

Joey didn't understand now why Pacey was running towards the docks, but she ran after him. She and Pacey had been fighting a lot more than usual lately, and she really hoped that the baby would help things. Pacey was so good with kids. A part of her just wanted to run back to Dawson's house, but, as she chased Pacey to her rowboat, she felt like she was running home. They had been chasing each other for 20 years, she mused.

That afternoon

After the noon sun had ceased to allow their make-out session to be enjoyable, Dawson and Gretchen had gone to the cemetery, as planned. For Dawson, it was just part of his Capeside routine, giving his father quarterly updates on his life. He was glad to be able to share this newest piece of news. For Gretchen, it was still pretty new. She never had a particularly close relationship with her parents, always having to share their attention with her four siblings, along with her nieces and nephews. She went to visit her older brother when Dawson said he needed to make his phone call.

Dawson Leery, to what do I owe this honor?

"Hey, Todd. Been a while."

It certainly has been. I get a bloody Oscar for your horror movie, and you haven't called me since the ceremony.

Dawson knew that his old mentor was just teasing him. If they had been having this conversation in person, Todd would have followed it up with one of his trademark winks.

"That's the life of a Hollywood filmmaker, too busy for his friends."

Don't I know it.

"Anyway, I've got a new project for us."

For us.

Dawson was amused by his mentor's habit of repeating key phrases, as if in disbelief.

"Yeah, didn't you see the Variety article? Apparently we're the new Spielberg and Kaminski."

Oh, right, I did read that…

"So, which continent are you on these days?"

I'm across the pond, but I need to get out of here well before those damn Olympics start.

Of course Todd would hate having such a large global sporting event in town, Dawson reflected. Anything that disrupted his calm or prevented him from getting to bed early was something that Todd would find objectionable.

"Good, we can start pitching to studios when you get to Cali."

Pitching to studios.

"Yeah, I want to go to Warner first, but Disney might be a better fit."

Not Weinstein?

Dawson shuddered at the name.

"No, he's impossible to work with. Ten times worse than you ever were at your worst, yelling at everyone in sight. The man only has eyes for dollar signs and statues, and his own power and pride."

That's the industry for you. So, what did you have in mind for the project?

"I want to adapt Joey's fairy tale."

You want to adapt Joey's fairy tale.

"Don't tell me you're too good to shoot a fairy tale?"

No, not at all. I read her Princess story, and it was bloody good.

"I don't know how to buy the options, the rights, any of this. I need you to guide me through it. I don't even know how much to offer her."

Fifty grand should do it for the option, but then there's the renewal fee, in case you can't get everything lined up in time, which shouldn't be an issue for you. Buying the rights is where everything gets complicated. The studio will probably try to lowball her. She should probably hire an agent to deal with the studio. They'll take 10%, but it'll be worth it, I can recommend someone, or maybe her publisher has someone they like to use.

"What's a good fee for the rights?"

Usually about 2-3% of the production budget, plus 2-3% on the gross profits for the film. The studio will want to have a ceiling on their total exposure, though, and Joey should insist on a guaranteed minimum fee, too. Oh, and of course there's the rights for remakes, sequels, even a stage adaptation. Those all need to be negotiated. And merchandising.

"Merchandising?"

Yeah, it was a popular book, girls will want to get dolls and such from the movie, but she needs to sign over those rights, too, and she is entitled to a cut of those sales.

Dawson had no idea so much went into this. The more he thought about this, the more he realized Disney would be the right studio for this, but he knew he owed it to Warner to pitch it to them first.

"All right, should I have my assistant schedule a meeting in Burbank for next month?"

Yeah, let's do it.

"Sounds, good, I'll probably stay in Capeside for a bit. I bought a new summer home here, right next door to my mother."

Right next door to your mother.

"Oh, Todd! I didn't even tell you the biggest news. Gretchen and I got engaged!"

You and Gretchen got engaged.

"Yeah, these have been the two best years of my life. How many people are lucky enough to wind up marrying their first love?"

Not many. This is brilliant, Dawson, I'm really happy for you, for both of you.

"I'm telling you, Todd, I've never met anyone like her."

Not even Joey?

"Not even Joey," Dawson repeated.

He meant it.