Chapter 8: Letters
As requested each letter was sent to the recipient after the deceased was buried. The nurse who the letters had been given to had attended the funeral and had watched all of the young girl's friends and family grieving and then walked to the post office with the hope that when the letters were received it would bring some comfort to the mourners. The nurse had wished greatly to deliver them right there during the burial but she had direct order from the deceased and she would comply exactly as she had been instructed.
One by one the nurse slipped each envelop into the mail slot, reading the name of each person who would receive each letter and invisibly leaving her own wish for each to be able to one day let go of their grief. She had seen many people young and old die, the request of the deceased was hardly out of the ordinary and yet she felt that this girl was special in some way.
After each letter was gone, waiting to be delivered to whom it was destined for, the nurse slung her bag back over her shoulders and headed home wondering to herself what Jennifer Lindley had been like before she died, before she had become sick. She had never opened the letters in fear of defying the message inside, in fear of sucking the letter dry of any meaning. So, she could only guess what words were written to each other her friends, to her grandmother.
The letters sat at the bottom of the letter box until the next morning when the post man gathered all out going letters and shoved them into a bag and into the back of his truck. The bag was filled with all sorts of mail, letters to correspondents, family, friends and bills that had been paid. Yet, amongst all those the seven letters that a young girl had written hours before her death seemed to glow with importance next to the other letters.
When the letter bag containing these seven letters arrived at the post office they were sorted, each separated from the next and put into another bag destined to the state they were prescribed to. The bag to Los Angeles held three of the letters, a bag to New York only one, the bag to Soho held one as well, and the bag that would be delivered right there in Capeside held two. The bags destined to another state were meticulously placed into the plane that was to deliver them. The bag that was to remain in Capeside was then thrown into a mail truck to be delivered.
It was safe to say that each letter arrived to the recipients at a different time during the next two weeks. The mail system was slow and saying that since the letters were all mailed at the same time would all arrive at the same time would be foolish. The first to receive their letters were, of course, Jack McPhee and Pacey Witter both whose residence were in Capeside. Yet, they did not get the letter until much later than it had been delivered due to the chaos that had ensued the burial of their beloved Jen as well as Pacey and Joey's engagement.
Joey Potter and the Mrs. Ryan only received theirs next in Soho and New York City when each returned home after weeks of staying in Capeside to help Jack, and for Joey to discuss with Pacey the future of their relationship. Finally, the last three received theirs on the same day in Los Angeles on night after they returned to their homes after sharing a lovely dinner together. Andie McPhee and Dawson Leery, living in the same house, had stared at their envelopes in Dawson's large kitchen trying to decide whether they really wanted to open it or not and Audrey Liddell in her own apartment not far away ripped the letter open immediately and started to read.
The letters touched each of their hearts dearly and also stabbed at their open wound inflicting more pain onto their situations. Reminders of Jen jumped out from each letter, each word made them remember Jen and the fact that she was dead. And for Joey Potter, Pacey Witter, Dawson Leery and Andie McPhee old wounds were opened up although slightly reminding them of their predicament romance wise. They did not regret their actions and decisions of the past few weeks, but Dawson Leery remembered his love for Joey Potter and realized that he had found himself feeling more than friendship towards the blonde sitting in front of him at that very moment. Andie, for the first time since Pacey and Joey announced got engaged, let the fact that Pacey Witter was forever lost to her and looked up and Dawson Leery and thanked Jen for allowing her to finally let go and see Dawson in a different light. As for the engaged couple, immediately after Joey read the letter she called up Pacey and asked him to fly down to New York. She needed to see him.
The letter to Jack somehow helped dull his pain in a way. Jen had told him things that allowed him to accept that she was gone, allowed him to know that she was there with him and always would be there with him. It had taken him hours to open the letter. He had nearly driven his boyfriend, Doug Witter, insane with his pacing and muttering. The letter symbolized that Jen knew what was to come and if he read it he knew that he would have to come to terms with the fact the she was actually gone. He had been holding on and by sending him this letter, by writing it, Jen was allowing him to let go, reminding him that he had to for Madison's sake. Madison, his tiny little angel mumbled in his arms as he read the letter and cried into her blonde hair. This letter and Jen's daughter was all he had left of Jen.
Audrey had been alone when she read her letter. Todd was still on his movie set, only due back the next day and other than her director boyfriend she lived alone in this rather large apartment only minutes away from Andie and Dawson. The letter had given Audrey some happiness in the fact that Jen seemed to understand her, and honoured that Jen wanted her to be the only to meddle in her place, although she knew Jen had asked other to meddle as well, she, Audrey Liddell, still had some importance. Knowing that Dawson and Andie must also have gotten their letters that night Audrey grabbed the keys to her apartment and headed over to visit with them, carefully placing her letter in her purse as she did.
As for Mrs. Ryan, as soon as she finished reading Jen's letter she called Jack and arranged for him to get the others to come down and help her move back to Capeside. She was getting old and without Jen it would be getting harder for her to do certain things now. This had been her excuse to Jack. The night before Jack, Joey, Pacey, Dawson, Andie and Audrey arrived; Grams went into Jen's room and looked around. Her Jennifer was gone, she had outlived her only Granddaughter but had lived long enough to see her Granddaughter become a mother, and herself become a Great Grandmother. Out of Jen's room that night Grams took two framed photos, Jen Jack and Madison and one of Jen alone as well as a necklace that Jen had worn often in the past few years.
When the next day Jen's six best friends arrived in Soho along with Jen's daughter there was a bustle of activity. Each one had changed so much since receiving their letter and each had their letters close by. None asked to see the each other's letter and none showed each other their letters. It was silently understood that each felt the same way towards their letters, and everyone understood each others wishes. As Jen had requested Grams told the young adults that they could take whatever they liked from Jen's things as a way of holding on to Jen as well as letting go. They could take whatever they liked and as much as they liked as long as at least one item held some importance to them. They agreed and solemnly went about what they had been instructed to do. They knew that this was what Jen wanted, and although feeling somewhat selfish they did it anyway.
Jack did not take much. He had a small box containing Jen's journal, and a few trinkets from his and Jen's time together. Each item he took held much importance to him and before exiting the room he slipped his own letter into the box knowing that he would be keeping this box close by. Joey and Pacey each seemed to have the hardest of times finding something that meant something to them but in the end ended up leaving each with three items each. Among Pacey's included the book that Jen seemed to have stolen from Witch Island from which she had tried to cast a spell on Pacey with. Dawson took a photo album and a few other trinkets and Andie and Audrey took some clothes and other things that they felt symbolized their friendship with Jen.
At the end of the day they all set up camp in Grams' empty living room. The next day Jack, Madison, Grams, Joey, and Pacey would be heading off to Capeside while Dawson, Andie and Audrey would return to LA. Each of the young adults spread their sleeping bags around the room and Grams lay in bed in her own room. Any furniture that remained in the house would be moved the next day to a storage space in Capeside, waiting to be used. The adults amused themselves talking lightly about old times, Andie telling Audrey stories about the good old days back in Capeside.
By the end of the night they had fallen silent. After saying their goodnights each took a second to themselves taking out the letters Jen had written them. Pacey and Joey curled up in each other's arms, Dawson and Andie holding hands, leaning against each other, Jack with Madison at his side sleeping soundly and Audrey who hugged her knees and looked around the room every so often. Each focused on every word Jen scrawled on the page, taking each in, soaking in everything Jen told them.
Sitting there in the last place Jen had called home each one talked with Jen, and Jen talked back. Because the questions they asked themselves were all directed to Jen wherever she was and she answered each and every question they asked, through these letters.
The End.
A/N: Alright, well I hope that everyone liked this story. I had to put in this last chapter, just to have them receive the letter and have reactions although there is no dialogue they have reactions through their actions. There will be another sequel but it might be at least a week before I get it posted because I'm going on a little trip. Anyway, for those who would like to know the next story in the series which I have dubbed 'True Love' will be a story, which has no title right now, about Joey and Pacey's upcoming wedding and the problems that they encounter on the way to the alter. So, thanks to everyone who reviewed and I hope that you'll keep on the lookout for the next sequel. Take Care and until next time this is Goodbye!
