*Sunday Very Early Morning*
Dawson and Pacey are at the door of the Potter home.
"I think I can handle this, D-man, if you want to go find Jen."
"Thanks, Pace. Be careful, if Bess or Bodie sees her she is dead." Dawson offers.
"I think I can manage." Pacey answers and Dawson takes off.
Joey becomes somewhat alert as Pacey opens the door.
Pacey whispers, " You know, this probably is not the brightest thing you've ever done."
" Shut up." She weakly replies.
Joey leans against Pacey as he helps her inside.
He whispers into her ear, "Shh, Potter, you don't want to wake up the family."
Joey whispers "Don't wake the baby."
Pacey leads Joey to the couch and gently lays her down. The baby starts to cry in the other room and Joey attempts to get up.
"Don't worry, Potter." He whispers and runs into the other room and tries to calm the baby. He notices the baby monitor and turns it off.
" Hey, heya little man Just bringing your drunk Aunt Joey in. Why don't you just go back to sleep?" He says softly and gently rocks the little one.
" Shh, shh, shh. Come on, little guy. Come on. You want that?" He attempts to put the pacifier in Alexander's mouth to no avail. The baby continues to cry.
"Pace?" Joey calls, lightly, from the other room.
"Just a second. . . Come on, God, there's got be something to quiet this kid down." He mutters as he glances around the room.
~*~*~*~ " . . . So then, the guy who ends up being the English Patient and the girl, they're stranded in the cave. And she looks up at him."
He continues with an accent, "She's like oh, please don't leave me. Promise me, you'll come back someday."
The baby listens quietly, " And he turns around. Hey, hey, listen, listen to this, he turns around and he's like . . ."
Pacey waits to begin again until the baby turns to look at him. He starts again with the accent, " Don't worry, darling, I'll come back for you, unless of course, my plane is shot down by Nazis and my face is burned beyond recognition after cutting off William Dafoe's fingers. "
He hears a thump from the other room and turns back to the quiet baby, "Sleep tight, little man."
He turns on the baby monitor and rushes into the other room.
"Joe?" He calls, quietly. It is too dark to see her.
"Pace? I fell." She calls from a few feet ahead of him.
He finds her and helps her up. She leans on him as he walks her to the couch. She lays down again and he pulls the blanket up over her. Then he sits down on the edge of the couch right beside her. He pauses for a moment just to look at her.
" This is probably the wrong time to tell you this but, um, well, maybe it's the perfect time. I realize how annoying I can be. It's not that I don't care, Joe. I can't even begin to explain our relationship besides the constant banter we toss back and forth. You probably can't either. But, um, I just want you to know that if you ever need me, I'm here. I know how stubborn you are and that you hate to ask for help, but I promise that if you come to me I won't rub it in your face . . . for at least a little while." He offered, laughing a little at the end.
She opened her eyes and for a moment he got lost in their chocolate depths.
"Pace." She whispered, and with one hand on his neck, drew him towards her and kissed him passionately.
She pulled away and for a brief moment they stared into each other's eyes. With his own free hand he took her hand and gently held it for a moment before letting it down beside her. A slight smile brushed her lips, "Pace."
He froze and watched her eyes close and soon her chest began to rise and fall and she was sleeping. He was startled to say the least and for a moment considered waiting until she woke up to question her about the meaning behind the kiss. But he realized that if Bessie or Bodie saw him then he would just get Joey into trouble. He sighed, took one last look at her, and then planted a chaste kiss on her forehead.
" 'Night, Jo."
~*~*~*~ Pacey borrowed Joey's boat and rowed across the creek to the Leery dock. Dawson was standing out there alone. He looked at Pacey quizzically. Pacey tied the boat to the dock and climbed up.
"Get caught?" Dawson inquired.
"I think you are confusing me with someone else. Pacey J. Witter never gets caught."
Dawson laughed, "So, how's Joey doing?"
"To tell you the truth, I'm not exactly sure." Pacey started, getting an awkward glance from Dawson, "Up until recently that girl was so predictable, but now she's an enigma. First, the ride with Billy from New York. Next she's getting drunk at a party at Cliff Elliot's house. . ."
"Yeah," Dawson agreed, "By next week the Joey we know will cease to exist. She'll become a cheerleader and start lusting after you . . ."
Dawson joked and Pacey barely laughed. Dawson caught on to the fact that something was wrong.
"Pace, there isn't anything . . . between . . . you and Joey, is there?" Dawson asked, suddenly remember what Billy had said earlier.
Dawson expected Pacey to laugh, he didn't. Dawson looked at him seriously.
"In her drunken stupor she kissed me." He offered, surprising Dawson.
" She kissed you like an aunt on Thanksgiving kiss or she kissed you?"
" No, she, she kissed me. It, it meant nothing, obviously. I mean, we know how Joey feels about me. She was completely wasted. Obliviously mistook me for some movie star." Pacey offered, although he recalled Joey saying his name after the kiss and knew that she was sure it was him.
"Well, seems like you have some new material to taunt her with for the next month or two." Dawson joked.
Pacey considered it, "I just might hold off, my friend. There are some lines you just don't cross."
"Okay, who are you and what did you do to Pacey?"
Pacey hesitated briefly, "Dawson, honestly, dude, how do you feel about Joey?"
" Joey and I have a great time together, and it's great to have someone you know so well that you don't even have to verbalize what you're thinking, most of the time. And I like it but it's not love." Dawson offered, "I don't know where you get this insane idea that Joey and I are meant to be or something. I just don't see her that way."
Pacey mumbled under his breathe," Right and you're so sure that you know the difference."
Dawson overheard, "You, you don't know what you're talking about."
"So if some guy comes along and starts dating Joey, you would not have the slightest problem?"
"No, not at all. She's just my friend, Pace. Just like you, I could care less who you date."
"Well, Dawson, if you don't see a difference between me and the doe-eyed beauty Joey Potter, then you might want to get your eyes checked." Pacey spit back.
Finally, Dawson got a clue.
"You have the hots for Joey? Pacey, you and Joey are mortal enemies. How exactly do you go from that to having the hots for her?" Dawson says getting defensive.
"You seem a little worked up, Dawson."
"I'm not worked up, Pacey," Dawson started, "I just know how you are with girls and I don't want you to hurt Joey?"
Pacey gets defensive, "How * I * am with girls, Dawson? What the hell is that suppose to mean? I can't believe that you'd actually think that I could or would hurt Joey."
"Pacey, that's not . . ."
Pacey interrupted, "No need to explain, D-man, I get it. You don't mind a random guy with Joey, but you don't trust me with her. Thanks for the vote of confidence, man."
Pacey takes off, leaving Dawson alone on the dock.
~*~*~*~ Jen comes up behind Dawson.
"Hey." He greets her.
"Hey." Jen replies, weakly.
Dawson causally wraps his arms around her, " What is the most backwards thing you can think of?"
She shifts slightly in his arms so she can look him in the eyes, "Um, I'm not exactly sure what you mean."
He laughed slightly, "I mean, Joey and Pacey."
Jen didn't catch on as quick, "What about Joe-Oh, you mean them, together?"
She looked shocked, and he offered, "Exactly the reaction I had."
"So they are--?"
"No. Not yet, anyway. As far as I know, anyhow."
"You know, I'm surprised, but I'm not. If you think about it, it makes sense."
He looked at her quizzically, "Joey and Pacey make sense?"
Dawson was getting increasingly uncomfortable, but Jen took no notice and continued.
"Think back to elementary school, Dawson. Boys chase and tease the girls they like. If you think about it, maybe Pacey just never grew out of that stage. And you saw him punch out Brett Tate . . . all I have to say is, I'm not surprised. Opposites attract."
Dawson pulls away from Jen and walks to the other side of the pier.
"Do you have a problem or something with them being together?"
"No." He spit back, before considering it.
"Then why are you acting all defensive?"
Dawson remains silent.
Jen reads between the lines, "Dawson, are you more upset because Pacey likes Joey or that someone has taken interest in her?"
"If you are trying to say something, just say it." Dawson replied.
"I know that you're not blind, Dawson. Joey is attractive. Are you telling me that you have never looked at her in a way other than as a friend?"
"Why is that so hard to believe?" He offered.
Jen sighed, "You know how you're always curious about how my life was like in New York? Truth is, it's really no different than it is right now. I mean, geography aside, I am still the same stupid girl who's always found it easier to escape into a relationship than to face life on her own."
" Jen, that's not true, okay? It's this whole Billy thing. Now that the
ghost of boyfriend's past is gone, we can go back to being Dawson and Jen. "
"Dawson, I'm sixteen, I've never stayed home on a Saturday night. I've never gone stag to a school dance. I mean, I'm pretty, I'm lucky, I'm fortunate and I am still way too unhappy most of the time. I said goodbye to Billy today. And now I have to say the same thing to you. "
" What? Jen?"
" I know I criticize you for living in a fantasy world, Dawson, but the truth is, I envy you. Everything's so new, so untouched for you. I would gladly trade in all my experiences for just an ounce of your idealism. But you are also so clueless about some things, Dawson. Like the fact that is staring you right in the face, even if you can't see it yet."
"What are you trying to say, Jen?"
She sighs, "We come from two different worlds, Dawson. I need someone that doesn't have their head in the clouds. And you need someone who can cherish that, and I'm not that person."
" You know, sleep on this. We'll talk in the morning. We don't need to go over this now." He pleaded.
" Dawson, please. Listen to me. I've got to take a few steps back. I've, I've got to try life on my own for awhile."
Dawson is obviously upset," You can't just make me fall for you and then bail as soon as it starts getting rough."
" I'll miss you, you know . . .I'll be sleeping 80 feet away from you and it will feel like a thousand miles. I'll regret my decision constantly. I'll kick myself to no end and when I come crawling back to you, you'll have every right to say 'take a hike, Jen, I'm with somebody else now'."
" Somebody who appreciates me. Somebody who doesn't blow into town with her dysfunctional past and play mind games with the boy next door. Somebody who is capable of a healthy committed relationship and unfortunately, somebody nothing like you.
He starts to rush off, "Someone like Joey, Dawson?"
He stops in mid-stride and turns to face her, "Not this from you too."
"I think you are acting so defensive because you know it is the truth. And the only reason you are upset that Pacey is interested in Joey is because you want her too."
He retorted, "At least with Joey I know I'm not being lied to. With Joey, she tells it like it is whether I want to hear it or not. That is because she respects me enough to be honest with me. Something, which apparently you cannot grasp."
He takes off into the night, leaving Jen alone on the docks.
Dawson and Pacey are at the door of the Potter home.
"I think I can handle this, D-man, if you want to go find Jen."
"Thanks, Pace. Be careful, if Bess or Bodie sees her she is dead." Dawson offers.
"I think I can manage." Pacey answers and Dawson takes off.
Joey becomes somewhat alert as Pacey opens the door.
Pacey whispers, " You know, this probably is not the brightest thing you've ever done."
" Shut up." She weakly replies.
Joey leans against Pacey as he helps her inside.
He whispers into her ear, "Shh, Potter, you don't want to wake up the family."
Joey whispers "Don't wake the baby."
Pacey leads Joey to the couch and gently lays her down. The baby starts to cry in the other room and Joey attempts to get up.
"Don't worry, Potter." He whispers and runs into the other room and tries to calm the baby. He notices the baby monitor and turns it off.
" Hey, heya little man Just bringing your drunk Aunt Joey in. Why don't you just go back to sleep?" He says softly and gently rocks the little one.
" Shh, shh, shh. Come on, little guy. Come on. You want that?" He attempts to put the pacifier in Alexander's mouth to no avail. The baby continues to cry.
"Pace?" Joey calls, lightly, from the other room.
"Just a second. . . Come on, God, there's got be something to quiet this kid down." He mutters as he glances around the room.
~*~*~*~ " . . . So then, the guy who ends up being the English Patient and the girl, they're stranded in the cave. And she looks up at him."
He continues with an accent, "She's like oh, please don't leave me. Promise me, you'll come back someday."
The baby listens quietly, " And he turns around. Hey, hey, listen, listen to this, he turns around and he's like . . ."
Pacey waits to begin again until the baby turns to look at him. He starts again with the accent, " Don't worry, darling, I'll come back for you, unless of course, my plane is shot down by Nazis and my face is burned beyond recognition after cutting off William Dafoe's fingers. "
He hears a thump from the other room and turns back to the quiet baby, "Sleep tight, little man."
He turns on the baby monitor and rushes into the other room.
"Joe?" He calls, quietly. It is too dark to see her.
"Pace? I fell." She calls from a few feet ahead of him.
He finds her and helps her up. She leans on him as he walks her to the couch. She lays down again and he pulls the blanket up over her. Then he sits down on the edge of the couch right beside her. He pauses for a moment just to look at her.
" This is probably the wrong time to tell you this but, um, well, maybe it's the perfect time. I realize how annoying I can be. It's not that I don't care, Joe. I can't even begin to explain our relationship besides the constant banter we toss back and forth. You probably can't either. But, um, I just want you to know that if you ever need me, I'm here. I know how stubborn you are and that you hate to ask for help, but I promise that if you come to me I won't rub it in your face . . . for at least a little while." He offered, laughing a little at the end.
She opened her eyes and for a moment he got lost in their chocolate depths.
"Pace." She whispered, and with one hand on his neck, drew him towards her and kissed him passionately.
She pulled away and for a brief moment they stared into each other's eyes. With his own free hand he took her hand and gently held it for a moment before letting it down beside her. A slight smile brushed her lips, "Pace."
He froze and watched her eyes close and soon her chest began to rise and fall and she was sleeping. He was startled to say the least and for a moment considered waiting until she woke up to question her about the meaning behind the kiss. But he realized that if Bessie or Bodie saw him then he would just get Joey into trouble. He sighed, took one last look at her, and then planted a chaste kiss on her forehead.
" 'Night, Jo."
~*~*~*~ Pacey borrowed Joey's boat and rowed across the creek to the Leery dock. Dawson was standing out there alone. He looked at Pacey quizzically. Pacey tied the boat to the dock and climbed up.
"Get caught?" Dawson inquired.
"I think you are confusing me with someone else. Pacey J. Witter never gets caught."
Dawson laughed, "So, how's Joey doing?"
"To tell you the truth, I'm not exactly sure." Pacey started, getting an awkward glance from Dawson, "Up until recently that girl was so predictable, but now she's an enigma. First, the ride with Billy from New York. Next she's getting drunk at a party at Cliff Elliot's house. . ."
"Yeah," Dawson agreed, "By next week the Joey we know will cease to exist. She'll become a cheerleader and start lusting after you . . ."
Dawson joked and Pacey barely laughed. Dawson caught on to the fact that something was wrong.
"Pace, there isn't anything . . . between . . . you and Joey, is there?" Dawson asked, suddenly remember what Billy had said earlier.
Dawson expected Pacey to laugh, he didn't. Dawson looked at him seriously.
"In her drunken stupor she kissed me." He offered, surprising Dawson.
" She kissed you like an aunt on Thanksgiving kiss or she kissed you?"
" No, she, she kissed me. It, it meant nothing, obviously. I mean, we know how Joey feels about me. She was completely wasted. Obliviously mistook me for some movie star." Pacey offered, although he recalled Joey saying his name after the kiss and knew that she was sure it was him.
"Well, seems like you have some new material to taunt her with for the next month or two." Dawson joked.
Pacey considered it, "I just might hold off, my friend. There are some lines you just don't cross."
"Okay, who are you and what did you do to Pacey?"
Pacey hesitated briefly, "Dawson, honestly, dude, how do you feel about Joey?"
" Joey and I have a great time together, and it's great to have someone you know so well that you don't even have to verbalize what you're thinking, most of the time. And I like it but it's not love." Dawson offered, "I don't know where you get this insane idea that Joey and I are meant to be or something. I just don't see her that way."
Pacey mumbled under his breathe," Right and you're so sure that you know the difference."
Dawson overheard, "You, you don't know what you're talking about."
"So if some guy comes along and starts dating Joey, you would not have the slightest problem?"
"No, not at all. She's just my friend, Pace. Just like you, I could care less who you date."
"Well, Dawson, if you don't see a difference between me and the doe-eyed beauty Joey Potter, then you might want to get your eyes checked." Pacey spit back.
Finally, Dawson got a clue.
"You have the hots for Joey? Pacey, you and Joey are mortal enemies. How exactly do you go from that to having the hots for her?" Dawson says getting defensive.
"You seem a little worked up, Dawson."
"I'm not worked up, Pacey," Dawson started, "I just know how you are with girls and I don't want you to hurt Joey?"
Pacey gets defensive, "How * I * am with girls, Dawson? What the hell is that suppose to mean? I can't believe that you'd actually think that I could or would hurt Joey."
"Pacey, that's not . . ."
Pacey interrupted, "No need to explain, D-man, I get it. You don't mind a random guy with Joey, but you don't trust me with her. Thanks for the vote of confidence, man."
Pacey takes off, leaving Dawson alone on the dock.
~*~*~*~ Jen comes up behind Dawson.
"Hey." He greets her.
"Hey." Jen replies, weakly.
Dawson causally wraps his arms around her, " What is the most backwards thing you can think of?"
She shifts slightly in his arms so she can look him in the eyes, "Um, I'm not exactly sure what you mean."
He laughed slightly, "I mean, Joey and Pacey."
Jen didn't catch on as quick, "What about Joe-Oh, you mean them, together?"
She looked shocked, and he offered, "Exactly the reaction I had."
"So they are--?"
"No. Not yet, anyway. As far as I know, anyhow."
"You know, I'm surprised, but I'm not. If you think about it, it makes sense."
He looked at her quizzically, "Joey and Pacey make sense?"
Dawson was getting increasingly uncomfortable, but Jen took no notice and continued.
"Think back to elementary school, Dawson. Boys chase and tease the girls they like. If you think about it, maybe Pacey just never grew out of that stage. And you saw him punch out Brett Tate . . . all I have to say is, I'm not surprised. Opposites attract."
Dawson pulls away from Jen and walks to the other side of the pier.
"Do you have a problem or something with them being together?"
"No." He spit back, before considering it.
"Then why are you acting all defensive?"
Dawson remains silent.
Jen reads between the lines, "Dawson, are you more upset because Pacey likes Joey or that someone has taken interest in her?"
"If you are trying to say something, just say it." Dawson replied.
"I know that you're not blind, Dawson. Joey is attractive. Are you telling me that you have never looked at her in a way other than as a friend?"
"Why is that so hard to believe?" He offered.
Jen sighed, "You know how you're always curious about how my life was like in New York? Truth is, it's really no different than it is right now. I mean, geography aside, I am still the same stupid girl who's always found it easier to escape into a relationship than to face life on her own."
" Jen, that's not true, okay? It's this whole Billy thing. Now that the
ghost of boyfriend's past is gone, we can go back to being Dawson and Jen. "
"Dawson, I'm sixteen, I've never stayed home on a Saturday night. I've never gone stag to a school dance. I mean, I'm pretty, I'm lucky, I'm fortunate and I am still way too unhappy most of the time. I said goodbye to Billy today. And now I have to say the same thing to you. "
" What? Jen?"
" I know I criticize you for living in a fantasy world, Dawson, but the truth is, I envy you. Everything's so new, so untouched for you. I would gladly trade in all my experiences for just an ounce of your idealism. But you are also so clueless about some things, Dawson. Like the fact that is staring you right in the face, even if you can't see it yet."
"What are you trying to say, Jen?"
She sighs, "We come from two different worlds, Dawson. I need someone that doesn't have their head in the clouds. And you need someone who can cherish that, and I'm not that person."
" You know, sleep on this. We'll talk in the morning. We don't need to go over this now." He pleaded.
" Dawson, please. Listen to me. I've got to take a few steps back. I've, I've got to try life on my own for awhile."
Dawson is obviously upset," You can't just make me fall for you and then bail as soon as it starts getting rough."
" I'll miss you, you know . . .I'll be sleeping 80 feet away from you and it will feel like a thousand miles. I'll regret my decision constantly. I'll kick myself to no end and when I come crawling back to you, you'll have every right to say 'take a hike, Jen, I'm with somebody else now'."
" Somebody who appreciates me. Somebody who doesn't blow into town with her dysfunctional past and play mind games with the boy next door. Somebody who is capable of a healthy committed relationship and unfortunately, somebody nothing like you.
He starts to rush off, "Someone like Joey, Dawson?"
He stops in mid-stride and turns to face her, "Not this from you too."
"I think you are acting so defensive because you know it is the truth. And the only reason you are upset that Pacey is interested in Joey is because you want her too."
He retorted, "At least with Joey I know I'm not being lied to. With Joey, she tells it like it is whether I want to hear it or not. That is because she respects me enough to be honest with me. Something, which apparently you cannot grasp."
He takes off into the night, leaving Jen alone on the docks.