Part Three

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"Catch the Frisbee, catch the Frisbee, catch the… Whoah!" Jackson called down the beach.

"Oww!"

"That was much closer this time!"

"Yeah, too close" Beth said, rubbing her head, "I feel like such a girl."

"Mmm"

"It's all your fault anyway - you're throwing it too high!"

"It wouldn't be your fault for not catching it?"

"Shut up!"

They trudged back up the deserted beach to where they had left their stuff. It had become a routine - early morning at the beach, a peaceful swim before the tourists arrived. The first ones were starting to arrive now. A well-off family from New York staying at the Yacht club. Three kids, nice clothes. Jackson watched them idly.

"Remind you of childhood holidays?" He asked Beth slyly.

"Oh yeah," Beth said sarcastically. "Daddy would take us every year to the country club up at Martha's Vineyard. You know, you can say what you want about the President, but his children are just so darn polite!"

"Ha. That's cute."

"Well enough will the rich-kid jokes, okay? We're not that well off."

"Compared with us, you are."

"Well, my mum earned her money. She's a good writer, but she didn't always have an easy life. I'm not going to apologise for that."

Jackson sighed. "I'm not asking you to. You know what, Andersson, it would be pleasant it we could start one morning in the week without having an argument."

"Wouldn't it? But it seems quite impossible, I'm afraid. If you'd just learn to bite your tongue…"

"Bite my tongue!" Jackson shook his towel out in her direction, dispersing sand on to her belongings. He grinned at her.

She grinned back, kicking some sand his way in return. "Have you always been such a goofball?"

"You know, I'd give anything to be able to say "no"."

Beth laughed, her voice ringing out across the water. Jackson smiled as they started to walk companionably up the beach together. It was a nice sound, he thought to himself.

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"Beth is that you?" Bessie's voice called out as Beth returned to the B&B. She waved goodbye to Jackson Witter, swinging away towards his own house, before shutting the door behind her.

"Yeah it's me, Bessie, where are you?"

Beth could hear the sound of guests finishing breakfast in the dining room; Bessie would be started on the laundry soon.

"In the kitchen, your Mom's on the phone!"

Beth dropped her bag and ran through to the kitchen phone. "She wants to speak to you," Bessie said, handing her the handset.

"Hi, Mom?" Beth said down the line.

"Beth, honey, how are you!"

"I'm fine thanks, Mom, how are you and Dad?"

"Oh, we're all right - same as always. How are things really? Bessie says you've been much happier lately - that you've been making some friends?" Joey's voice was concerned, she wanted her daughter to enjoy the summer and start to put the past behind her.

"Well, one friend. I haven't quite made it into plurals yet."

"Tell her who it is!" Bessie hissed from behind the coffeepot. She'll never believe it!"

Sighing, Beth turned her attention back to the phone. "Bessie says I have to tell you who it is. Well, his name's Jackson Witter if that means anything to you, and yes it is a 'he' and no we're just friends."

"Jackson Witter?" Her mother's voice sounded more than surprised. "Pacey's son? What's he doing in Capeside? I thought they lived in California."

"They do. I guess he's just hanging out here for a while, same as me."

"Parents got sick of him too?" Joey said jokingly.

"His dad at least - I don't think his Mom's in the picture."

"Oh."

"We've just been hanging out a little, mom, its nothing to stress out over."

"I'm not, Beth, I'm just surprised that's all. But I'm glad you've got someone your own age to talk to. I never met Jackson but I've heard that he's a really nice boy."

"I've heard that Pacey's really nice too," Beth added. "But not from you. How come you never told me about him, mom?"

"Didn't I?"

"No, you didn't."

"Look, I have to go, Bee, I have a meeting in the city in an hour. We'll talk about this later, okay?"

"Sure," Beth said, disbelievingly. "Whatever you say. Will you be able to make it down here at all, Mom? You said last time you were going to try."

"Yes, I've been rearranging some things, and I should be able to come for a week or so at the end of the summer, can you hold on until then, hon?"

"I guess I can manage, Auntie Bessie is really kind," Beth said, for the benefit of her aunt who was eavesdropping on the other side of the kitchen. "What about dad?"

"He'll be away on a trip from next week."

"Again."

"Yes, I'm sorry. Beth I really must go, I'll call you later okay? Love you."

"Love you too, Mom, bye."

Beth hung up the phone and stared ahead of her slightly. It looked like she wouldn't be able to get the truth out of her mother about Pacey Witter until they were face to face. It was too easy to dodge questions on the phone.

"Hey, daydreamer, get an apron on and start helping me clear up!" Bessie threw a dishcloth at her, breaking into her thoughts.

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Later, when they had finished the morning chores at the B&B, they sat out on the porch together.

"Why doesn't mom want to talk about Pacey Witter, Aunt Bessie? Surely all that stuff between them happened years ago?"

Bessie took a long sip of coffee and pondered her reply. "I don't know exactly, dear. I suppose she hasn't really seen Pacey much since she finished college. She moved to Boston, he went west. And there were so many problems between her and Dawson and Pacey. I guess it all had a pretty deep effect on her."

"But they were together for what, a year, I think you said? And they were seventeen? I'm that age now. It's so long ago - it can't still hurt to talk about, can it?"

"Oh, I don't know, Beth. Ask your mother. I thought you guys were pretty open about this sort of stuff?"

"We are, that's why I'm so surprised she never told me anything. Especially after … well, Scott."

"Your old boyfriend?" Bessie asked gently.

"Yes. It was … well it was hard a lot of the time, and mom was so cool … Anyway, it doesn't matter I guess."

"Are you going to the beach again tomorrow?"

"Yes I think so," Beth said, glad for the change of subject. "I bit of fun does you good I reckon."

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"Catch the football, catch the football, catch the FOOTBALL!"

"I'm sorry!"

"How can you miss that? I'm stood eight feet away and it's the size of a melon! How can you miss that kind of target?!"

"God, give it a rest!"

Beth picked up the football and threw it hard at Jackson's middle. He dodged it narrowly.

"Oh, now you can throw!"

"Why do all your games involve throwing objects? Don't you get bored of the monotonous rhythm of your life?"

"Don't get testy with me, just because you have no hand-eye co-ordination. I expect you're a crap driver as well."

"You're a male chauvinist pig."

"Hey, what-ya-gonna-do?"

Beth flopped down onto the ground, staring at the blue expanse in front of them. Jackson put the football away, then sat down beside her.

"Is there a game you are good at?"

The blue eyes looked at him piercingly. He almost winced.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Is there something you'd rather do instead of throwing objects around?"

"I like swimming," she said, indicating the water in front of them.

Jackson shivered. "Looks freezing."

"All the better. Washes the cobwebs away."

"Still need to get rid of them, huh?" he said lightly.

"I don't think they'll ever go away," she whispered. Then she looked at him, trying to smile. "How about yours?"

"Oh, all gone," he gave a careless shrug. She looked disbelieving at him. "Okay, until I think about having to go back to school at the end of the summer, and then I just want to go and throw myself off the nearest cliff."

She smiled. "Both hopeless then. Sounds like we both need a swim."

"I'll do you a deal" he said, grinning, "I'll go swimming with you, if you go to the cinema with me tonight. I only ever see you in daylight, I'm beginning to think you're a werewolf."

"Are you asking me out on a date, Witter?" She stared.

"Good God no!" He gasped, laughing. "I want all my body parts in tact, thank you very much. No, I am merely suggesting that we do another monotonous teenage type-thing that no doubt will bore your highly cultured mind stupid, but that might pass the time for a few hours. Please help me," he said, his voice changing to a little squeak like a child trapped down a well. "Please don't make me spend another evening alone with Dougie, I'll kill him!" He added in his own voice.

Beth laughed.

"You wouldn't want murder on your hands would you? A murder you could have prevented, another senseless young life wasted in the American prison system - "

" - Alright!" Said Beth, clapping a hand over his mouth to make his stop. He carried on mumbling through it until she said, "I'll go to the damn movies with you, okay!" He was finally silent. "God, you're wheedlesome! Yes, I'll go, so now can we have a swim?"

He nodded, her hand still over his mouth. She pulled it away. He was smiling. "Great!"

He jumped to his feet and started for the water, "First one in has to buy popcorn!" He shouted.

"Oh dear God," Beth said aloud, shaking her head. Then she dropped her things and started sprinting towards him.

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To their surprise they both enjoyed the film. They didn't even have an argument over which one to go and see.

"Well, that's a first," Jackson said, dumbstruck.

"Yes," Beth agreed. "And now we don't have anything to talk about. I assumed we spend the rest of the evening arguing whether it was good or bad. But we both though it was crap."

"Yeah, dumb Hollywood film."

"I thought you'd like all that kind of stuff."

"What, mindless bubblegum, happy-ever-after crap?"

"Well, not exactly, but I wouldn't have thought you were the type to go and see foreign movies with subtitles either."

"You really think I'm stupid, don't you?" His voice sounded hurt.

"No! Jackson, I didn't mean it like that."

"Well, I guess you're kind of right," he said in an off-hand voice. "I only went to stuff like that because my ex-girlfriend was into it. So what if I got into it too - I only went in the first place because it sounded like a porn movie."

Beth couldn't resist a smile but she didn't let Jackson see it. He was in a rare serious mood, and she found herself not wanting to aggravate him.

"I guess she figured me for a fraud all along." He laughed. A painful, self-deprecating laugh. "I must be stupid to have thought she really cared for me. How dumb was I, acting like we were love's young dream when all along she's playing me for a fool. My best friend too! No, maybe I am exactly what you think, Beth."

"No," she said sharply. Turning him to face her. "You're so much, Jackson, so much of so many things. I don't know you at all. You annoyed me the first time we met, but for all that you're the only person I've ever met that is never offended by my sarcasm, or can't give as good as he gets. You've met me every step of the way and now I find that I'm trying to keep up with you.

You've entertained me and been my friend for the last four weeks, when I've been so miserable and such awful company. You didn't have to do that, Jackson and if I were you, I'd have left me well alone by now. I'm not good at saying things like this, Jackson, but I am grateful to you. That you've stuck around, for saying stupid things all day. You've been the best thing about this whole town."

Jackson looked slightly taken aback. "Normally I never get a civil word out of you and now you throw that lot at me! I'm stunned."

Beth shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed. She hadn't meant to say all those things but somehow, hearing about Jackson's ex-girlfriend she had felt that she had to say them. He didn't deserve to have his self-esteem kicked so low. "Yeah well, I guess I feel nicer in the evenings."

"Not a werewolf after all, hey?"

They smiled at each other.

Since leaving the movie house they had been wondering about in no particular direction, but now Jackson steered them in the direction of Beth's house. The night was over. As they reached the gate, Jackson slowed a little and turned to Beth.

"I should really thank you, for what you said before, it was amazing. You're a pretty great person yourself, Beth Andersson, and you don't deserve to be so unhappy."

"Jackson…" she began, uncomfortably.

"It's okay" he held a hand up to silence her, then rested it on her shoulder. "I know you don't want to talk about it, I just want you to know that I've come to care about you, Beth, and I want you to be happy. And, and, if I can do anything to make that easier for you, you just have to ask."

Beth felt slightly breathless. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I think it's enough - just - just to be friends and have some fun."

"Okay," he said. But he didn't move, his hand didn't move from her shoulder.

"Okay," she said but she didn't stop staring at him, with deep blue eyes searching his brown ones.

"Well, goodnight then" he said.

"Goodnight."

He leant down to kiss her on the cheek. As his lips touched her skin he felt her whole body jolt with some kind of emotion. He couldn't resist moving to her lips, to see what the response there would be.

She felt him moving to kiss her properly, but she didn't let herself think. Just as she hadn't let herself think about him every morning at the beach, in a bathing costume or pretending to wrestle with her. She didn't want to be attracted to him but if she didn't think about it…

She was responding. Her arms went up around his neck and he gripped her waist with his hands. She felt so warm and so perfect. Her lips were so soft, so tender. It was the opposite of the scorching remarks he normally received from them. It felt so right … like the proper resolution to all those arguments. The proper way to make up… Eventually he broke gently away from her, struggling to get his breath back.

Her eyes stayed closed for a minute, her hands fell back down to her sides. Jackson took a step away from her, waiting. Her eyes opened and she stared at him.

"What the hell was that?"

He was dumbfounded. "Huh?"

"What the hell did you do that for?"

"Huh?"

"You kissed me!"

"And you kissed me!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did!"

Beth swung her way through the gate and closed in on Jackson. "I can't believe this. I said I just wanted a friend, I'm not interested in anything else. I've had it with relationships and I don't believe in romance. I can't believe you took advantage of me like this!"

Jackson stared at her, his brain not fully processing what was happening. "Took advantage of you? You kissed me back! I don't take advantage of girl's okay. You're the one who started it all, saying all that stuff to me. I'm the best thing in Capeside, remember?"

"Well the rest of this town must be a real dump then," she said nastily. "I said all that to try and cheer you up - and instead you do this! I really don't believe it! Goodbye Jackson!" She said and stormed up the path into the house, slamming the door behind her.

"You kissed me back!" Jackson shouted at the door, then after a few minutes of bewildered staring, he stormed back in a rage to his own house, doing the usual twenty-minute walk in ten.

"What the hell was that all about?" he thought to himself desperately.

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To be continued - Please Read/Review (pretty pretty please…)