Andie walked from her room to Clayton's clutching the teddy bear she'd just
recovered from under her bed and stood in the doorway of the small boys
room. She smiled as she watched Pacey tickle Clayton mercilessly. Her mind
lead her back to the old fantasies she had of Pacey and herself with their
own children. Images like the one before her had come to mind and she
regretted the fact that she never got to see what kind of a father he'd
become. "Look what I found." Andie said as she walked into the room smiling
waving the stuffed bear in her arms.
"TIMMY BEAR!" Clayton said climbing under his covers and sticking his arms out for his mother to pass him the toy. Andie passed the toy over and sat down on the bed next to her son. Wrapping her arms around him she curled her legs under her.
"Did you pick a story?"
"Yup." Clayton said and smiled as Pacey shook the book at Andie as he sat down at the opposite end of the bed to mother and son. He opened the book and began to read. Andie closed her eyes and let herself listen to his voice for a moment. It still stirred so much emotion on her. She couldn't understand how these feelings she had when she was sixteen got stirred up inside so much by just seeing him again. She's changed so much since she left Capeside. She thought those feelings had disapeared along time ago. She opened her eyes and noticed Pacey was looking directly at her.
"I thought you were asleep." He whispered as he motioned towards Clayton sleeping peacefully next to her. His gaze never leaving hers.
"Oh, um, I. No I was just resting my eyes." Andie stammered nervously under Pacey's stare. "You got him to sleep quick, it usually takes me 3 or 4 stories before he even attempts to go to sleep." Andie said with a nervous giggle as she stood up. Her heart was racing and her mouth was dry. She felt like she was a teenager again. "We better go downstairs. Joey will be here soon and I have some stuff to finish with the dinner." She said stood up and leant over kissing Clayton's head lightly. She pushed a strand of hair from his face and smiled. "He really likes you." Andie stated quietly
"Yea well he's not too bad himself." Pacey said with a smile.
Andie opened her mouth to speak but was interupted by the doorbell. She smiled sweetly at Pacey's before quickly heading out of the room. Happy for the escape. Worried she would say something she'd regret. When she got to the bottom of the stairs Henry had already answered the door and Joey and a tall blonde were stood in the entrance hall. When she saw Andie Joey quickly made her way towards her and wrapped her arms around. Joey montioned for the blonde to come over to them when Jen called out. "Can we have the meet 'n' greet in here please!" The group obliged the pregnant blonde and walked into the living room. "God Jen you're much bigger than when I saw you last month!" Joey placed her hand on her friends abondmen and grinned.
"Why is it that everyone wants to touch you when you're pregnant?!" Jen said with mock annoyance which got a laugh from the group.
"Andie, I'd like you to meet Tom." Joey said hocking her arm proudly around the tall blondes arm. Tom smiled at Andie and stuck out his hand which Andie shock smiling.
"It's nice to finally meet you." Tom said. His voice was deep and thick the kind which made you melt at the knees. "I'm sorry it was under such unfortunate circumstances." The sad smile which Andie had grown acustomed to spread across her face as she nodded in agreement.
"Would anybody like anything to drink?" Andie said playing hostess.
Andie stood in the kitchen pouring out drinks when Joey came in.
"Need a hand?"
"That'd be great. If you could take these through then I can start serving the dinner."
"What do you think of Tom?" Joey asked as she placed glasses on a silver serving tray.
"He seems really nice." Andie said smiling at the brunnette.
"Yeah, he is." Joey stood awkwardly, the small talk was awkward. When you hadn't seen someone for years you just couldn't be expected to drop back into being close friends, no matter how much you wanted it to be. "I'll take these through." Joey said finally breaking the silence and walking into the living room.
Andie listened to the laughing and conversation coming from the living room as she walked back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room. She wondered just how much she'd missed out on over years. She wondered if she'd ever fit back into the friendship unit. She wondered if she ever wanted to. She'd changed a lot since the last time she'd seen them. She wasn't a girl anymore but a woman, a mother. She'd grown up a lot and come accustomed to a different type of life. Could a childhood friendship venture into adult hood when the transition years were lost? She didn't know, all she knew was she was feeling more and more out of place with everyone overheard laughter. She laid the last plate on the table and walking through to the living room. "Dinners ready." She said with a bright smile not wanting to let them know her negative thoughts.
"...So I walked out of the bookstore. One hand on the coffee cup other one in my bag looking for my keys, not looking where I'm going and I bump right into him. Coffee goes everyone..especially over him. Well after that I couldn't really ignore him could I!" Jen said with a smile as she explained how her and Henry had got back together. "Well after that we met up a few times and eventually friendship turned into more. What can I say, he'd wisened up but he still had that innocence in his eyes that I loved, but a mature innocence y'know." She smiled and took her and Henry's clasped hands and placed them on her rounded stomach. "After about a year Henry proposed and I told him I was pregnant on our first anniversary." Andie smiled at her obviously happy friends.
"What about you and Tom, Joey?" Andie asked, "I still don't know how you two met." She sipped on her wine as she sat in the living room. The awkward dinner conversation had eventually eased and after finshing they'd all moved into the living room where the topic turned to the past few years, everyone taking their turns to fill Andie in. Andie was enjoying hearing about her friends but nervously knew it would soon be her turn to tell them.
"Well," Joey said smiling. "It was just after I'd taken over the B&B and Tom came in looking for a room. It was a stormy night and he'd got sidetracked in his travels and was desprate for a place to stay. To be honest I was a bit freaked at first. I'd watched so many horror movies with Dawson throughout the years that forging a friendship with a stranger in a thunderstorm did not really appeal to me! But eventually through out the night we got to talking and the next day he decided to stay another night. Then another, then another, and he just never left!" Andie locked eyes with Pacey and asked the question she'd wanted to ask since she'd first seen him early that day, the drink giving her courage she formed the words.
"So Pacey, what about you. I know Jen's married, I know Joey's happily settled. What about you?"
"TIMMY BEAR!" Clayton said climbing under his covers and sticking his arms out for his mother to pass him the toy. Andie passed the toy over and sat down on the bed next to her son. Wrapping her arms around him she curled her legs under her.
"Did you pick a story?"
"Yup." Clayton said and smiled as Pacey shook the book at Andie as he sat down at the opposite end of the bed to mother and son. He opened the book and began to read. Andie closed her eyes and let herself listen to his voice for a moment. It still stirred so much emotion on her. She couldn't understand how these feelings she had when she was sixteen got stirred up inside so much by just seeing him again. She's changed so much since she left Capeside. She thought those feelings had disapeared along time ago. She opened her eyes and noticed Pacey was looking directly at her.
"I thought you were asleep." He whispered as he motioned towards Clayton sleeping peacefully next to her. His gaze never leaving hers.
"Oh, um, I. No I was just resting my eyes." Andie stammered nervously under Pacey's stare. "You got him to sleep quick, it usually takes me 3 or 4 stories before he even attempts to go to sleep." Andie said with a nervous giggle as she stood up. Her heart was racing and her mouth was dry. She felt like she was a teenager again. "We better go downstairs. Joey will be here soon and I have some stuff to finish with the dinner." She said stood up and leant over kissing Clayton's head lightly. She pushed a strand of hair from his face and smiled. "He really likes you." Andie stated quietly
"Yea well he's not too bad himself." Pacey said with a smile.
Andie opened her mouth to speak but was interupted by the doorbell. She smiled sweetly at Pacey's before quickly heading out of the room. Happy for the escape. Worried she would say something she'd regret. When she got to the bottom of the stairs Henry had already answered the door and Joey and a tall blonde were stood in the entrance hall. When she saw Andie Joey quickly made her way towards her and wrapped her arms around. Joey montioned for the blonde to come over to them when Jen called out. "Can we have the meet 'n' greet in here please!" The group obliged the pregnant blonde and walked into the living room. "God Jen you're much bigger than when I saw you last month!" Joey placed her hand on her friends abondmen and grinned.
"Why is it that everyone wants to touch you when you're pregnant?!" Jen said with mock annoyance which got a laugh from the group.
"Andie, I'd like you to meet Tom." Joey said hocking her arm proudly around the tall blondes arm. Tom smiled at Andie and stuck out his hand which Andie shock smiling.
"It's nice to finally meet you." Tom said. His voice was deep and thick the kind which made you melt at the knees. "I'm sorry it was under such unfortunate circumstances." The sad smile which Andie had grown acustomed to spread across her face as she nodded in agreement.
"Would anybody like anything to drink?" Andie said playing hostess.
Andie stood in the kitchen pouring out drinks when Joey came in.
"Need a hand?"
"That'd be great. If you could take these through then I can start serving the dinner."
"What do you think of Tom?" Joey asked as she placed glasses on a silver serving tray.
"He seems really nice." Andie said smiling at the brunnette.
"Yeah, he is." Joey stood awkwardly, the small talk was awkward. When you hadn't seen someone for years you just couldn't be expected to drop back into being close friends, no matter how much you wanted it to be. "I'll take these through." Joey said finally breaking the silence and walking into the living room.
Andie listened to the laughing and conversation coming from the living room as she walked back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room. She wondered just how much she'd missed out on over years. She wondered if she'd ever fit back into the friendship unit. She wondered if she ever wanted to. She'd changed a lot since the last time she'd seen them. She wasn't a girl anymore but a woman, a mother. She'd grown up a lot and come accustomed to a different type of life. Could a childhood friendship venture into adult hood when the transition years were lost? She didn't know, all she knew was she was feeling more and more out of place with everyone overheard laughter. She laid the last plate on the table and walking through to the living room. "Dinners ready." She said with a bright smile not wanting to let them know her negative thoughts.
"...So I walked out of the bookstore. One hand on the coffee cup other one in my bag looking for my keys, not looking where I'm going and I bump right into him. Coffee goes everyone..especially over him. Well after that I couldn't really ignore him could I!" Jen said with a smile as she explained how her and Henry had got back together. "Well after that we met up a few times and eventually friendship turned into more. What can I say, he'd wisened up but he still had that innocence in his eyes that I loved, but a mature innocence y'know." She smiled and took her and Henry's clasped hands and placed them on her rounded stomach. "After about a year Henry proposed and I told him I was pregnant on our first anniversary." Andie smiled at her obviously happy friends.
"What about you and Tom, Joey?" Andie asked, "I still don't know how you two met." She sipped on her wine as she sat in the living room. The awkward dinner conversation had eventually eased and after finshing they'd all moved into the living room where the topic turned to the past few years, everyone taking their turns to fill Andie in. Andie was enjoying hearing about her friends but nervously knew it would soon be her turn to tell them.
"Well," Joey said smiling. "It was just after I'd taken over the B&B and Tom came in looking for a room. It was a stormy night and he'd got sidetracked in his travels and was desprate for a place to stay. To be honest I was a bit freaked at first. I'd watched so many horror movies with Dawson throughout the years that forging a friendship with a stranger in a thunderstorm did not really appeal to me! But eventually through out the night we got to talking and the next day he decided to stay another night. Then another, then another, and he just never left!" Andie locked eyes with Pacey and asked the question she'd wanted to ask since she'd first seen him early that day, the drink giving her courage she formed the words.
"So Pacey, what about you. I know Jen's married, I know Joey's happily settled. What about you?"