Chapter 2-
By Dannette Lawrence
Summary: Things get complicated as Gretchen and Pacey return from their trip to find out that things aren't exactly the same as they left them. Joey and Dawson feel the repercussions of their 'movie night'
"So how is your and Dawson's relationship going?"
Gretchen looked over at Pacey incredulously while honking at a slower
car in front of them.
"Since when do you care about me and Dawson? I thought you were
against us having a relationship"
Pacey looked out the window and saw Joey's house come into view.
"I have cared since Joey went over to his house last night"
Gretchen rolled her eyes and parked the truck right in front of
Joey's house.
"Jealousy is a really bad trait in a boyfriend, just thought I should
tell you that. Joey has told you a million times that you are her future
plus me and Dawson are together"
Pacey opened the passenger truck door and hopped out slamming the
door behind him, he peeked his head in the car and stared at Gretchen.
"Well when it comes to Joey and Dawson anything can happen. These
two are the queen and king of the on-off relationship."
Before Gretchen could say a word Pacey walked away from the truck
and up to Joey's door. Pacey raised his fist to knock on Joey's door as
Gretchen sped off. Pacey knocked a few more times before grabbing the key
underneath the plant pot.
"She must still be asleep"
Pacey unlocked the door and walked into the house, he shut the door
behind him and walked over to Joey's bedroom door and pushed the door open
and went to wake Joey up but to his shock she wasn't in her bed.
"He's being paranoid"
Gretchen tapped her fingers on the rim of the steering wheel but
the thought Pacey put in her mind wouldn't go away. Joey and Dawson. They
had tons of history and even she knew there were some lingering feelings
left. Gretchen shook her head and stopped the truck in front of Dawson's
house and got out of the car and walked up to his door and knocked on the
door warily.
"Gretchen? What are you doing here this early?"
Gale's voice was scratchy and had a tint of aggravation in it.
"Sorry Gale but I came to see Dawson, is he still asleep?"
Gale yawned loudly and ushered Gretchen in the house.
"I think so but go on upstairs and wake him up, he needs to wake
up anyways"
Gretchen smiled and walked up the stairs to Dawson's bedroom not
aware of what she was going to see next.
"Dawson are you aw-"
Gretchen stopped mid-sentence at what she saw; Joey laying on Dawson's
bed, his arm around her body with a content look on his face.
"Dawson?"
Dawson groaned as he fluttered his eyes open; Dawson looked at who
he was lying next to and then he turned to see Gretchen.
"Gretchen this isn't what it looks like"
Dawson nudged Joey awake; Joey fluttered her brown eyes open to
see that she was still at Dawson's but then she turned her head to see
Gretchen who had a look of pain and anger mixed together painted on her
face.
"Then what is it Dawson? You guys decided to have a sleep-over?"
Joey pushed herself up and grabbed her backpack.
"I'm going to go bye Dawson"
Dawson got up as well and the next words that came out of his mouth
were totally unexpected.
"Wait Jo, don't go"
Gretchen staggered back and felt tears well up in her eyes when
she saw the look Dawson was giving Joey. Pacey was right, she was right…
there were some feelings left between them.
"Yeah don't go, I will"
Dawson turned around to see Gretchen run out, he turned to Joey.
"I'll be right back… Gretchen!"
Dawson ran out of his room and ran after Gretchen.
"Gretchen please wait!"
Dawson grabbed Gretchen's arm when he reached her outside, he forced
Gretchen to face him.
"I'm—"
"Sorry? Is that what you ran after to say to me?"
Dawson shook his head.
"Nothing happened. She came over and we fell asleep watching movies,
that's all. Joey and me are over. She is with Pacey now"
"But if she wasn't would you be here with me now?"
Dawson opened his mouth to say something but he stopped; he didn't
know what to say. He would be lying if he said he still didn't love Joey,
he had loved Joey in one way or another ever since he was a little boy
and not loving Joey didn't seem possible. He thought he had lost her forever
when she left Capeside with Pacey and then Gretchen entered his life and
they both went their own ways occasionally saying hi and having a short
conversation before one of them would excuse themselves but now here they
were again and Dawson didn't know what to say or to think or to do, and
that only happened when Joey Potter was near him.
"Well that answers my question Dawson. We both knew that this wouldn't
be forever, the night we decided to be a couple… remember that night? Pacey's
18th birthday party? Well we told ourselves that we knew this wasn't forever,
that we were both leaving in the end of the year and all that mattered
was now; Well now all that matters is now and the feelings you still have
for Joey. Maybe you guys didn't do anything but it doesn't mean the thoughts
weren't there… the doubts, the feelings, and the outcome. Know what I see
Dawson? I see a high school boy who is still in love with his first love;
sometimes letting go isn't the answer."
Gretchen kissed Dawson on the cheek before walking off towards her
truck not being able to say anything more to Dawson.
"Joey…"
Dawson turned around and walked back in the house and ran up the
stairs and ran in his room and looked around the room and sighed heavily
when he saw that Joey was nowhere to be found.
"Great. Just great"
Dawson plopped himself down on his bed and covered his face with
a pillow. Why was his life so complicated? It was only supposed to be a
movie night, like old times. Why did they have to fall asleep? Why did
she feel so warm? Why did she have to look at him like that? Why did he
have to love her so much? Dawson threw the pillow across the room in anger
and then noticed his video camera on his desk and it had a note by it.
Dawson grabbed the note and read the two words scribbled on it 'watch me',
Dawson grabbed the video camera and turned it on and pushed play and saw
Joey.
Joey brushed her hair back and put in a ponytail and stared back
at the camera.
"Hey Dawson. I hope everything works out between you and Gretchen,
I hope she will be able to get past what she saw. Dawson, me and you, starting
up a relationship again, it's just a bad idea. We should know, we did it
a few times over the period of time since you first kissed me. Dawson,
it's not about not loving each other, it's about knowing when to let go
and when to hold on, and it's about decisions."
Joey took a breath.
"I have loved you my whole life, there is no doubt when I say this
I still love you. My life is so intertwined with yours that sometimes I
forget where I end and you begin and the last time I told you that it seemed
like a bad thing, but I now realize that it's the best thing about us.
We're soul mates."
Joey laughed.
"Never thought you would hear cynical Joey say that huh? I am going
to tell Pacey what happened, I can't lie to him. I won't do to him what
I did to you."
Tears rolled down Joey's face.
"I love you."
Dawson finally made a sound once the tape ended. Dawson shut off
his camera and looked down at his hands not knowing what to do. How could
'movie night' turned out to be this? Dawson looked at his window and hoping
to see Joey crawl back up that ladder and tell him she couldn't leave.
Dawson shook his head, why was he so stupid? Real life wasn't like that.
Real life wasn't a fairy tale like the naïve 15 yr. Old boy that he
used to be used to believe. There weren't happy endings; he now knew that.
Pacey and Joey taught him that. They taught him that first loves never
lasted. Dawson had felt his heart break when he saw his best friend and
the girl he loved kissing outside his house; he thought he could never
hurt that bad but now he felt even worse. He was content where he was in
his life, he had Gretchen, him and Pacey were beginning to be friends again,
his mom was expecting another child… life was pretty good for him but then
she had to call him. She had to ask him if they could hang out…. She had
to sound so hurt when he said he was busy… she had to climb up that ladder…
she had to look so beautiful when she was watching Scream 2…. She had to
feel so good close to him… she had to look at him that way… she had to
be her…. Why were things so complicated? Dawson all of a sudden heard
Gretchen's voice enter his head.
"Sometimes letting go isn't the answer"
Dawson grabbed his jacket and ran out of his room and back down
the stairs and out of his house. Mitch looked over at Gale.
"What in the world is going on?"
Gale shook her head.
"Love is going on."
Mitch opened his mouth to ask another question but shut it instead
not wanting to know at the moment, right now he just wanted to drink his
cup of coffee in peace, without complication.
"Pacey! Please!"
Pacey staggered back as he felt hot tears run down his cheeks, they
felt like acid burning his face but he didn't dare wipe them away, he didn't
know if he had the strength to.
"How could this happen? I was only gone a day, how could everything
go bad in a day?"
Joey shook her head trying not to cry.
"Nothing happened Pacey"
Pacey laughed. Was he supposed to believe that?
"Something did happen Joey!"
Joey ran up to Pacey and shook her head.
"No Pacey! All we did was sleep! Nothing else"
Pacey remained where he was.
"That is something! Every simple little thing is a big something
with you and Dawson! I knew something like this would happen if you two
became friends again. I knew you two would eventually realize you two were
still in love with each other. Somehow this little act never gets old Potter"
Joey looked at Pacey confused.
"What little act?"
"The little act you and Dawson play with each other. I love you
but I can't be with you right now because it's just too complicating. You
two dance around each other's emotions while me and Gretchen get the short
end of the stick."
"It wasn't like that Pacey! Dawson and I didn't plan this to happen,
we're not starting up a relationship again. I'm with you"
Pacey shook his head and turned to leave.
"No you're not. I can't handle being second best. I asked you once
if you could ever love me like you love him, you know what? You never answered
me"
With that Pacey walked out the door even though every cell in his
body told him to go back and forgive Joey. She wants to be with you after
all. But for how long? Pacey couldn't handle being dumped by Joey; he had
to be the dumper. He just had to be. He had to be strong and walk away
while he can. Joey watched after Pacey and realized he wasn't coming back…
Joey felt the tears finally fall out of her eyes and down her face, staining
her face. Joey slid to the ground and wrapped her arms around her legs
and buried her face in her arms crying.
Dawson jumped out of his rowboat and ran up to Joey's house but stopped
dead when he saw Pacey walking away with a look of pure heartbreak on his
face. He knows. She told him.
"Pacey wait!"
Dawson ran up to Pacey and grabbed him by the arm.
"I never meant to…. We never meant to…"
Pacey turned around and felt the urge to punch Dawson out but something
was stopping him.
"What Dawson? Finish your sentence"
"I never meant to fall in love with her again"
Pacey shook his head.
"Did you ever fall out of love with her? Honestly I don't think
you did"
"I don't think I did either. You knew what you were getting into
Pacey. Did you really think that 16 years of love and friendship was going
to go away just because you became her boyfriend?"
Pacey smirked.
"This was just some plan to get me back wasn't it? This was some
plan to get revenge on me for kissing her isn't it? God you make me sick"
Dawson released Pacey's arm.
"No it wasn't some plan. It just happened. Did you plan to kiss
Joey? Did you plan to betray me? Did you plan it all Pacey?"
Pacey shook his head.
"Neither did I. Actually I never planned to fall in love with her
the first time. I never planned to have these emotions for her. I wish
I could make them go away but I can't. I can't stop loving her, because
that means I gave up, and I'm not ready to give up on her"
Pacey began to walk away but turned back to Dawson.
"Her choice changed everything… it still does."
With that Pacey walked off not looking back to see the look on Dawson's
face. He just needed time. He needed some time to himself and then everything
would be okay. Dawson watched after Pacey and then he turned to see Joey's
house. Her choice changed everything… it still does. Dawson ran
up to Joey's door and walked in to see Joey sitting on the ground crying,
Dawson walked over to Joey and sat down next to her. Dawson looked over
at Joey and felt a huge urge to put his arms around her, but he knew she
didn't need that right now, she needed to cry; she needed to let it out.
To let it all out.
"So what do we do now?"