Pacey swallowed hard at the lump that appeared in his throat. Joey, Jen,
Henry and Tom had all turned to face him but the only gaze he felt was
Andie's, which at this moment was making him feel as if he was burning up
to a 110 temperature. "ugh, well. There's no one special." Pacey finally
said before standing up, "Is it me or did it just get hot in here, I'm
going to get another drink" he said quickly before rushing out of the
living. Andie looked after him inquisitively before turning to Joey.
"So what's the real story?" She asked
"Well," Joey started, nervous as to whether she should disclose the story when Pacey hadn't told it himself. "he was with someone, for along time. A girl called Ellie, but in the end it finished. Pacey was ready to settle down, she wasn't. Pacey had serious relationships as a teenager, we both know that first hand, so the concept wasn't anything new to him, but she wasn't ready. It broke his heart. He's had a few girlfriends since. Mainly just airhead bimbos, last I heard he was seeing a girl called Ashleigh. Don't know if that's still happening though." Joey quickly went quiet as Pacey re-entered the room.
"So, Andie. Why don't you fill us in on what's been going on with you for the past few years? I mean I know the basics but I'd like to hear it all from you." Jen said stretching sleepily.
"Um, well. The most obvious and main thing would be Clayton. I dropped out of College when I had him, couldn't afford to keep going, and pay for everything we needed. His dad wasn't any help. He was at first. I really thought we were going to be okay." Andie babbled out, trying to say things with as little emotion as possible. Looking around she saw her friends weren't fooled, Joey was looking at her with sadness and sympathy in her eyes. Jen was giving her a sad smile, urging her friend to continue, Tom looked sympathetic but a little uncomfortable and Henry just avoided looking at Andie all. Then there was Pacey, Pacey's eyes were dark with rage and his fist clenched as he spoke with a low voice.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, uh, we were doing really well, talking about marriage and everything" Andie smiled and nodded her head before the smile faded and she began to chew on her lower lip, "then he started partying kinda heavy and didn't really seem to care about me or the baby, and then he left, the night I went into labour." Andie tried hard to push the tears back down, it had been an emotional few days and in the best of times the hurt was almost unbearable. "but you know, I had to get on with my life, I had a son to support. That was my priority and so I did, and that's what I've been doing. Taking care of my son." She finished looking down at the floor. Breathing deeply she looked back up, "I hate to play the ungrateful hostess guys but it's getting late and it's been a long day, do you think, maybe, we could call it a night."
"Oh Andie, Sure, Of course. It is getting late. Pacey do you want a lift?" Joey asked standing up and Tom followed suit.
"Uh Yeah Jo, that'd be good" Pacey said standing up his eyes never leaving Andie, the anger was still their, but the rage was good, right now he just felt this insane consuming need to take care of her. Something he hadn't experienced in a long time.
"I'll see you out." Andie said standing up and following the trio into the hall way.
"It was great to see you again Andie." Joey said wrapping her arms around Andie as she pulled on her coat. "Anything you need give me a call. Anytime. Middle of the night even you want to talk." Andie just smiled
"Okay Joey."
"No Andie I mean it, anytime you want to talk, call me, please, promise me" Joey's voice pleaded into Andie's ear, holding her tightly.
"I promise." Andie's voice was barely over a whisper as she pulled out of the embrace. "It was lovely meeting you Tom" She said taking the taller mans outstretched hand.
"I'm just sorry it wasn't under better circumstances." He responded as he shook her hand warmly.
"Me to." Andie said that familiar sad smile once again appearing across her face.
"Bye McPhee" Pacey said stepping forwards and wrapping his arms around Andie, his face buried lightly in her blonde locks. "You don't know how much I've missed you" he whispered so quietly that Andie wasn't sure if she'd imagined it. But the tear that was shining in his right eye affirmed it for her as they parted.
"Goodbye Pace" Andie said quietly and stood in the door way to see the trio off. Waving lightly she watched as the car drove off. Sighing deeply she took in the Capeside air before turning back into the house.
"Hey Andie, we're off to bed hon." Jen said with a yawn, shocking Andie as she turned into what she'd assumed would be an empty entrance hall.
"Oh, Okay, Night." Andie said absentmindedly, her brain was too crowded with memories right now to process anything that was happening. Memories of, Memories of Jack, Memories of Pacey. She walked into the living room and started to pick up the various things that had been left in the room, taking it into the kitchen she decided against carrying on and slowly made her way up the stairs. Pausing she looked into Clayton's sleeping form, the earlier image of him and Pacey and flashing before her eyes. So many years had passed, so many things had happened. They were in essence different people now, but he still made her heart beat faster and a smile form on her lips. That familiar pang of regret resonated through her. How could she have just left it all behind her, her friends, her family, Pacey. Too many things had happened her life that she'd promised herself she'd never look back, she'd never regret the things she couldn't control or change, but as she slipped between the warm sheets of her bed, the thoughts and sorrow came to her, as they often did and she wondered, what would of happened if she'd never left Capeside. If she'd never had Clayton, if she'd just decided against going away. She loved her son, more than anything, but she wasn't ready to be a mother when she fell pregnant, she could barely take care of herself. She wasn't ready to be consumed by that amount of love and responsibility. She'd dealt with it, and now she couldn't imagine a world without him, without this person who made her smile, cry, laugh, he was her world. But since he was born, he'd been her everything, she'd lived through him. She didn't know what It was like to live for herself anymore. To do things just because it was what she wanted. She hadn't had a relationship since he was born, she'd been on dates, but she was too consumed with making Clayton's life perfect it left little time to bond with people on an adult level. If Jack's untimely death had thought her anything it made her realise, once again, that life was short, and it wasn't perfect. She had to let Clayton make his mistakes, and feel free to make her own. With that thought in her mind she drifted off to sleep.
AN: So I know it's been a long time since I updated! But I do have the ending of this fic sorted, only a couple more parts to go. So if you guys do want more, then rest will be out in the near future. So let me know. xXxDawnxXx
"So what's the real story?" She asked
"Well," Joey started, nervous as to whether she should disclose the story when Pacey hadn't told it himself. "he was with someone, for along time. A girl called Ellie, but in the end it finished. Pacey was ready to settle down, she wasn't. Pacey had serious relationships as a teenager, we both know that first hand, so the concept wasn't anything new to him, but she wasn't ready. It broke his heart. He's had a few girlfriends since. Mainly just airhead bimbos, last I heard he was seeing a girl called Ashleigh. Don't know if that's still happening though." Joey quickly went quiet as Pacey re-entered the room.
"So, Andie. Why don't you fill us in on what's been going on with you for the past few years? I mean I know the basics but I'd like to hear it all from you." Jen said stretching sleepily.
"Um, well. The most obvious and main thing would be Clayton. I dropped out of College when I had him, couldn't afford to keep going, and pay for everything we needed. His dad wasn't any help. He was at first. I really thought we were going to be okay." Andie babbled out, trying to say things with as little emotion as possible. Looking around she saw her friends weren't fooled, Joey was looking at her with sadness and sympathy in her eyes. Jen was giving her a sad smile, urging her friend to continue, Tom looked sympathetic but a little uncomfortable and Henry just avoided looking at Andie all. Then there was Pacey, Pacey's eyes were dark with rage and his fist clenched as he spoke with a low voice.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, uh, we were doing really well, talking about marriage and everything" Andie smiled and nodded her head before the smile faded and she began to chew on her lower lip, "then he started partying kinda heavy and didn't really seem to care about me or the baby, and then he left, the night I went into labour." Andie tried hard to push the tears back down, it had been an emotional few days and in the best of times the hurt was almost unbearable. "but you know, I had to get on with my life, I had a son to support. That was my priority and so I did, and that's what I've been doing. Taking care of my son." She finished looking down at the floor. Breathing deeply she looked back up, "I hate to play the ungrateful hostess guys but it's getting late and it's been a long day, do you think, maybe, we could call it a night."
"Oh Andie, Sure, Of course. It is getting late. Pacey do you want a lift?" Joey asked standing up and Tom followed suit.
"Uh Yeah Jo, that'd be good" Pacey said standing up his eyes never leaving Andie, the anger was still their, but the rage was good, right now he just felt this insane consuming need to take care of her. Something he hadn't experienced in a long time.
"I'll see you out." Andie said standing up and following the trio into the hall way.
"It was great to see you again Andie." Joey said wrapping her arms around Andie as she pulled on her coat. "Anything you need give me a call. Anytime. Middle of the night even you want to talk." Andie just smiled
"Okay Joey."
"No Andie I mean it, anytime you want to talk, call me, please, promise me" Joey's voice pleaded into Andie's ear, holding her tightly.
"I promise." Andie's voice was barely over a whisper as she pulled out of the embrace. "It was lovely meeting you Tom" She said taking the taller mans outstretched hand.
"I'm just sorry it wasn't under better circumstances." He responded as he shook her hand warmly.
"Me to." Andie said that familiar sad smile once again appearing across her face.
"Bye McPhee" Pacey said stepping forwards and wrapping his arms around Andie, his face buried lightly in her blonde locks. "You don't know how much I've missed you" he whispered so quietly that Andie wasn't sure if she'd imagined it. But the tear that was shining in his right eye affirmed it for her as they parted.
"Goodbye Pace" Andie said quietly and stood in the door way to see the trio off. Waving lightly she watched as the car drove off. Sighing deeply she took in the Capeside air before turning back into the house.
"Hey Andie, we're off to bed hon." Jen said with a yawn, shocking Andie as she turned into what she'd assumed would be an empty entrance hall.
"Oh, Okay, Night." Andie said absentmindedly, her brain was too crowded with memories right now to process anything that was happening. Memories of, Memories of Jack, Memories of Pacey. She walked into the living room and started to pick up the various things that had been left in the room, taking it into the kitchen she decided against carrying on and slowly made her way up the stairs. Pausing she looked into Clayton's sleeping form, the earlier image of him and Pacey and flashing before her eyes. So many years had passed, so many things had happened. They were in essence different people now, but he still made her heart beat faster and a smile form on her lips. That familiar pang of regret resonated through her. How could she have just left it all behind her, her friends, her family, Pacey. Too many things had happened her life that she'd promised herself she'd never look back, she'd never regret the things she couldn't control or change, but as she slipped between the warm sheets of her bed, the thoughts and sorrow came to her, as they often did and she wondered, what would of happened if she'd never left Capeside. If she'd never had Clayton, if she'd just decided against going away. She loved her son, more than anything, but she wasn't ready to be a mother when she fell pregnant, she could barely take care of herself. She wasn't ready to be consumed by that amount of love and responsibility. She'd dealt with it, and now she couldn't imagine a world without him, without this person who made her smile, cry, laugh, he was her world. But since he was born, he'd been her everything, she'd lived through him. She didn't know what It was like to live for herself anymore. To do things just because it was what she wanted. She hadn't had a relationship since he was born, she'd been on dates, but she was too consumed with making Clayton's life perfect it left little time to bond with people on an adult level. If Jack's untimely death had thought her anything it made her realise, once again, that life was short, and it wasn't perfect. She had to let Clayton make his mistakes, and feel free to make her own. With that thought in her mind she drifted off to sleep.
AN: So I know it's been a long time since I updated! But I do have the ending of this fic sorted, only a couple more parts to go. So if you guys do want more, then rest will be out in the near future. So let me know. xXxDawnxXx