Chapter 18

Four Weeks Later…

"Dawson, we're not going to be able to get everything done by the time they get here!" Joey said worriedly, standing in the kitchen as she smoothed her hair out quickly. They had decided to have Thanksgiving at the apartment this year instead back at home in Capeside and Joey was rushing around like crazy to make sure everything was perfect.

"Jo, we're going to get this all done in time," he assured her as he took out the box of stuffing from the shopping bad.

"That goes on the counter 'till later," Joey said quickly. She sighed as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before getting back to cutting the potatoes.

"Can I help you with something?" Dawson asked, afraid with her mood swings lately he'd end up making her mad.

"Um.. You can get the stuffing ready," she said, her back to Dawson as she worked at the counter. Dawson walked up to her and put his arms around her, resting his hands on her growing stomach. Joey was now four months pregnant and glowing. He kissed her neck.

"Your doing fine," he assured her. Joey put the knife down and turned around to face him.

"I'm just worried that things are going to be disastrous," Joey said. "This is our first Thanksgiving together as a real family, and our last one alone before the baby's born and I just want things to be-" Dawson cut her off by kissing her.

"Perfect," she finished in a whisper.

"Jo, let me finish the potatoes and stuffing; You go and rest your feet for a little while," Dawson told her.

Joey smiled. "Alright." Dawson grinned; he won. Joey was going to take a break. Something he had been trying to get her to do all morning.

He looked back over at the food covered counter and sighed. "It's a good thing I love her," he said to himself.

"How's it coming?" Joey said a little while later as she walked into the kitchen. "Mmmm, it smells sooo good!" she said. Dawson smiled.

"Things are coming along very good," he assured her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly.

"Dawson?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm hungry," she pouted.

"Well what do you want?" he asked, almost afraid of what she'll say. Her food cravings were getting worse and worse.

"Mmm.." She thought for a second. "Do we still have slim jims?" she asked. Dawson thought for a second.

"Yeah, I think so," he said as he walked over to the cabinet where the slim jims would usually be kept- in the junk food cabinet. "Yup."

"Good, hand 'em over," she said smiling. "Oh and Dawson, while your over there, can you grab the peanut butter?"

Dawson groaned as he thought of combining the two. "Here, and please; eat them in the other room."

Joey stuck her tongue out before walking back into the living room. A few minutes later, Dawson joined Joey on the couch.

"I thought you were grossed out by what I was eating?" she asked.

"I am, but I wanted to come in here and sit with you," he explained. Joey smiled.

"How's my little guy?" Dawson said as he rubbed Joey's stomach.

"You mean girl," she corrected. Dawson shook his head.

"Not a chance." He smiled. "But I'll be happy either way."

Joey leaned over and kissed him. "But it's still a girl," she whispered before dipping her last slim jim into the jar of peanut butter. Dawson cringed.

"Boy I'll be glad when you get these food cravings out of your system," he said. Joey rolled her eyes at his comment while making a mental rundown of the food. She suddenly realized they were forgetting something.

"Dawson, please tell me you got the cranberry sauce!" she said.

"That's what I forgot!" he said. Joey had sent him out earlier to the store to pick up a few last minute things, and on the way home he had a feeling he was forgetting something.

"Dawson! I can't believe you forgot them!" Joey exclaimed as she got up from the couch. Dawson groaned. She's having another mood swing.

"Joey I'm sorry," he said. He knew there was no real sense getting mad at her, he knew from experience the past few months to just go with whatever she said when she's having a mood swing.

"How could you forget them! I TOLD you before you left that that was one of the things you had to get!"

"Ok, honey, I'll go out right now and get them, ok?" he said as he grabbed his coat. "And I'll be right back." Dawson took a deep breath as he stood outside the door.

"Who knew forgetting cranberry sauce could be that dangerous," he said to himself as he headed for his car.

Dawson searched the isles in the store for the Cranberry sauce.

"Finally!" he said as he found the isle the cranberry sauce was stocked. He looked around on the shelves for it, finally coming to where they are usually shelved just as another man took the last one.

"Excuse me!" Dawson said. "But I need that can of Cranberry sauce." The man looked at Dawson strangely.

"So don't I," he said.

"No you see, you don't understand; my girlfriend will KILL me if I don't come home with this," he said. The man still looked like he wasn't going to give up the can. "Look, she's pregnant and she's going though this mood swing right now and.." he paused. "I'll pay you twenty dollars for that can," Dawson pleaded.

The man laughed at Dawson before looking down at the can. "Well since your pregnant girlfriend wants it… I suppose I should give it to you," he said. Dawson smiled in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

The man nodded. "I know what your going through man. I have three young ones back at home." Dawson suddenly felt very bad for the man; having to go through that more than once.

He handed the can to Dawson. "Here ya go, enjoy!"

"Thank you so much. You don't know how much you just saved my ass," Dawson said. "Happy Thanksgiving."

The man smiled at Dawson. "Happy Thanksgiving to you too. And good luck with your girlfriend." He then walked away.

"Yeah, I need it," he mumbled before heading towards the checkout lanes. Dawson made it back to the apartment in record time, taking him twenty minutes to run in, find the stupid cranberry sauce, pay for it, and get back to the apartment. He braced himself for whatever mood Joey would be in.

She wasn't in the living room like she was when he had left. Instead, he found her in the kitchen checking on the turkey. He carefully walked into the kitchen, the smell of the turkey instantly assaulting his senses. He looked back over in Joey's direction as he put the can down on the table.

"Need some help?" he asked, testing the waters, or in this case, her mood. Joey shook her head, her back still facing him.

"I uh, got the cranberry sauce," he offered. He then heard sobs escape from Joey. He looked at her worriedly as he began towards her.

"Joey?" She turned around towards him, her eye make-up smudged from crying.

"Dawson, I'm so sorry for yelling at you," she said. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she said, now standing in front of him.

Dawson rubbed his hands up and down the length of her arms. "Joey, it's called hormones; that's all," he said.

"But I shouldn't have yelled at you, it's just.." she trailed off as she began crying again. Dawson hugged her.

"Jo it's ok, trust me; I'm used to it," he said. As soon as he said the words, he wished he could have taken them back. Luckily Joey was too caught up in her crying mood that she didn't catch it.

"So you forgive me?" she asked as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Dawson's heart melted. As bad as it was having to deal with her mood swings, it must have been just as hard on her.

Dawson wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "Yes."

Joey smiled. "Aright." She wiped the tears from her face.

"Look, it's eleven thirty, why don't you go lay down for n hour or so before everyone gets here? I've got everything under control in here," he said.

Joey nodded. "Alright, thank you." She kissed him quickly on the lips before heading to their bedroom, leaving Dawson to finish up preparing the meal.