Author's note. Thanks again for the brilliant response. Going for a big
update today.....
If only for the night.....
Joey looked out of her apartment window onto the busy street below. She saw Jack pushing Amy in her stroller with Doug, his protective arm slung over his husband as they dodged traffic. She had only been gone for 5 minutes and Joey felt empty. When Dawson has returned from the park they had spent a quiet afternoon in, avoiding all questions and not giving any answers. They had both been transfixed by the little girl with the sunshine hair. Now she was gone, they had to talk about what was going to happen.
'Empty isn't it?' Dawson's voice pierced through the mist of Joey's thought. She looked around the apartment. No more toys or discarded books. Everything was orderly and in it's place.
'It's like this every time she goes. But it's not as if I won't see her again.' Joey tried to sound upbeat but it failed.
'You're really lucky. I get to see her once in a blue moon,' Dawson slumped down on the couch, picking up a stray soft toy he found under a cushion.
'That's hardly her fault though is it? You chose to lock yourself away,' Joey said, slumping down next to him. She didn't want to get into an argument about who was the most hard done by. Jen was; she didn't get to see her at all.
Dawson sat still, hurt by her sharp tongue. He knew it wasn't Amy's fault but he just wanted Joey to know things could be worse. 'Sorry, I didn't mean it like that.' Dawson passed the toy to Joey and walked into the kitchen.
Joey sighed deeply. She didn't mean to snap at him either. She followed him into the kitchen a minute later and found him with his head against the wall, he eyes tightly shut.
'I'm sorry too. I forget sometimes she isn't mine. I wish she were,' Joey put her hand on Dawson shoulder and drew him into a hug. He inhaled deeply the scent of Joey's hair. She always smelt of flowers, no matter what time of year.
'I think we need to get out of here,'
'Okay, where too?' Joey asked, pulling away from the hug and looking into his eyes. She saw the same passion that was there the previous night.
'We could go to a movie?' Dawson suggested, his mouth resisting the urge to spread into a huge grin. The absurdity of it all, asking Joey Potter to the movies with him after all these years.
'Okay, we can go to the picture house around the block.' Joey walked into the hallway and pulled on a jacket.
'But you're buying the popcorn.' She said, throwing Dawson's jacket at him.
'Deal,'
============================================================================ ===========================
'Well, that was terrible,' Joey said, walking out of the old picture house quickly.
'What do you mean?! It was a classic.' Dawson said, trying to keep up the fast pace that Joey had set.
'It was formulaic, overdramatic and unrealistic.' Joey tightened her scarf around her neck. It was starting to get chilly in the city.
'It was a romantic comedy Jo; they're supposed to be like that!' Dawson eventually caught up with Joey and grabbed her arm to slow her down.
'I just don't believe in that kind of preordained, self-righteous, Hollywood crap.'
Silence fell between them. Sometimes Joey forgot that Dawson was now part of that Hollywood she had hated when they were younger. Dawson was trying to look serious, hoping that his silence might force an apology out of his friend.
'And I forgot we are not 15, you're not the boy from over the creek and that you make that self-righteous Hollywood crap.' Joey looked over at Dawson 'I'm sorry,'
'It's okay. Just stop calling it crap. I make high quality shows and films.' Dawson's fight to hide his smile was lost and he offered his arm to Joey. She gingerly accepted it, aware that his touch was still doing things to her mind they shouldn't be.
'Shall we go home?' Joey asked, looking up at Dawson.
'And then are we going to talk about what happened last night?' Dawson suddenly blurted out. He knew that he shouldn't have said it, Joey's arm has started to tense up.
'I think we better had,' Joey said, overcoming the fear caught in her throat.
===========================================================================
They sat facing each other over the kitchen table. Joey had decided that the living room was far too full of memories of the night before to have a serious conversation about any future the pair of them could have. Joey had poured them both wine and they were both trying to get the courage to talk.
'Maybe we should not talk about it then?' Joey offered hopefully.
'Not a chance' Dawson said, a cheeky smile spreading across his face. 'We need to talk about this, for once.'
'Okay. You start' Joey took a gulp of wine
'You should really; it's your apartment,'
'Well, you bought the wine!' Joey added, secretly hoping they could do this all night.
'I probably had the best night in a long time last night. I enjoyed being close to you and being here with you. And I loved making love to you.' Dawson suddenly blurted out. Seeing Joey's stunned face, he downed his glass of wine and poured another.
'Really? Joey asked, trying to believe what she had heard.
'And it doesn't matter if you don't feel the same way. Because we needed it, needed each other and if nothing comes of it then so be it.'
The silence engulfed them both again, Joey trying to take in all that was said and Dawson finding it hard to believe he had said all of those things.
'If I said I felt the same way,' Joey's voice filled the room, 'what would you suggested we do?'
Dawson tried to keep his mind and body calm. His soul was raging with passion for this woman, but he knew he had to try to be as cool as possible.
'I think we owe it to ourselves and to everyone else who knows us, to actually give it a proper go. No half measures, no skirting around the issue. Just you and me being together. You want to give it a try?' Dawson held his hand out ready for a handshake, his eyes smiling madly beneath his calm exterior.
Joey took a deep breath and placed her hand in Dawson's. They shock before Dawson pulled her across the table, knocking over the wine and kissing her passionately. The wine remained spilt for the next few days.....
If only for the night.....
Joey looked out of her apartment window onto the busy street below. She saw Jack pushing Amy in her stroller with Doug, his protective arm slung over his husband as they dodged traffic. She had only been gone for 5 minutes and Joey felt empty. When Dawson has returned from the park they had spent a quiet afternoon in, avoiding all questions and not giving any answers. They had both been transfixed by the little girl with the sunshine hair. Now she was gone, they had to talk about what was going to happen.
'Empty isn't it?' Dawson's voice pierced through the mist of Joey's thought. She looked around the apartment. No more toys or discarded books. Everything was orderly and in it's place.
'It's like this every time she goes. But it's not as if I won't see her again.' Joey tried to sound upbeat but it failed.
'You're really lucky. I get to see her once in a blue moon,' Dawson slumped down on the couch, picking up a stray soft toy he found under a cushion.
'That's hardly her fault though is it? You chose to lock yourself away,' Joey said, slumping down next to him. She didn't want to get into an argument about who was the most hard done by. Jen was; she didn't get to see her at all.
Dawson sat still, hurt by her sharp tongue. He knew it wasn't Amy's fault but he just wanted Joey to know things could be worse. 'Sorry, I didn't mean it like that.' Dawson passed the toy to Joey and walked into the kitchen.
Joey sighed deeply. She didn't mean to snap at him either. She followed him into the kitchen a minute later and found him with his head against the wall, he eyes tightly shut.
'I'm sorry too. I forget sometimes she isn't mine. I wish she were,' Joey put her hand on Dawson shoulder and drew him into a hug. He inhaled deeply the scent of Joey's hair. She always smelt of flowers, no matter what time of year.
'I think we need to get out of here,'
'Okay, where too?' Joey asked, pulling away from the hug and looking into his eyes. She saw the same passion that was there the previous night.
'We could go to a movie?' Dawson suggested, his mouth resisting the urge to spread into a huge grin. The absurdity of it all, asking Joey Potter to the movies with him after all these years.
'Okay, we can go to the picture house around the block.' Joey walked into the hallway and pulled on a jacket.
'But you're buying the popcorn.' She said, throwing Dawson's jacket at him.
'Deal,'
============================================================================ ===========================
'Well, that was terrible,' Joey said, walking out of the old picture house quickly.
'What do you mean?! It was a classic.' Dawson said, trying to keep up the fast pace that Joey had set.
'It was formulaic, overdramatic and unrealistic.' Joey tightened her scarf around her neck. It was starting to get chilly in the city.
'It was a romantic comedy Jo; they're supposed to be like that!' Dawson eventually caught up with Joey and grabbed her arm to slow her down.
'I just don't believe in that kind of preordained, self-righteous, Hollywood crap.'
Silence fell between them. Sometimes Joey forgot that Dawson was now part of that Hollywood she had hated when they were younger. Dawson was trying to look serious, hoping that his silence might force an apology out of his friend.
'And I forgot we are not 15, you're not the boy from over the creek and that you make that self-righteous Hollywood crap.' Joey looked over at Dawson 'I'm sorry,'
'It's okay. Just stop calling it crap. I make high quality shows and films.' Dawson's fight to hide his smile was lost and he offered his arm to Joey. She gingerly accepted it, aware that his touch was still doing things to her mind they shouldn't be.
'Shall we go home?' Joey asked, looking up at Dawson.
'And then are we going to talk about what happened last night?' Dawson suddenly blurted out. He knew that he shouldn't have said it, Joey's arm has started to tense up.
'I think we better had,' Joey said, overcoming the fear caught in her throat.
===========================================================================
They sat facing each other over the kitchen table. Joey had decided that the living room was far too full of memories of the night before to have a serious conversation about any future the pair of them could have. Joey had poured them both wine and they were both trying to get the courage to talk.
'Maybe we should not talk about it then?' Joey offered hopefully.
'Not a chance' Dawson said, a cheeky smile spreading across his face. 'We need to talk about this, for once.'
'Okay. You start' Joey took a gulp of wine
'You should really; it's your apartment,'
'Well, you bought the wine!' Joey added, secretly hoping they could do this all night.
'I probably had the best night in a long time last night. I enjoyed being close to you and being here with you. And I loved making love to you.' Dawson suddenly blurted out. Seeing Joey's stunned face, he downed his glass of wine and poured another.
'Really? Joey asked, trying to believe what she had heard.
'And it doesn't matter if you don't feel the same way. Because we needed it, needed each other and if nothing comes of it then so be it.'
The silence engulfed them both again, Joey trying to take in all that was said and Dawson finding it hard to believe he had said all of those things.
'If I said I felt the same way,' Joey's voice filled the room, 'what would you suggested we do?'
Dawson tried to keep his mind and body calm. His soul was raging with passion for this woman, but he knew he had to try to be as cool as possible.
'I think we owe it to ourselves and to everyone else who knows us, to actually give it a proper go. No half measures, no skirting around the issue. Just you and me being together. You want to give it a try?' Dawson held his hand out ready for a handshake, his eyes smiling madly beneath his calm exterior.
Joey took a deep breath and placed her hand in Dawson's. They shock before Dawson pulled her across the table, knocking over the wine and kissing her passionately. The wine remained spilt for the next few days.....