Say Hello and Wave Goodbye Part 2
'Well, aren't you going to ask me in?' Gretchen smiled, tapping her feet slightly impatiently.
'Umm…sure. Hi!' she said, as Gretchen flung herself into her reluctant arms.
'Oh it's so good to be home,' she said, smiling like the cat that had all the cream.
'It's lovely to see you,' Gail lied 'but what are you doing here?'
'Well I wanted to be here to support you, see Jan…'
'Gwen…' Gail interrupted.
'Sorry, Gwen. Where is Dawson?'
'Dawson?...He's at the hospital right now actually. He's on the way home,'
'Oh great. Well I go visit the siblings while I have five minutes then. Can you sort my bags out for me? Thanks mom!' she said, kissing Gail on both cheeks and waltzing out of the door.
Gail gritted her teeth and watched her get into the flashing convertible she has rented and drive off at break neck speed down the country road.
I must warn Dawson…and Joey
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'So she's been blackmailing Doug all this time?' Pacey said, slumping into the beaten armchair at his brother's house.
'Yeah. Apparently she had some information on Amy's real father.' Jack said, passing Andie a cup of coffee as he sat next to her. He had called the pair of them over once Dawson had left. He knew that Pacey, without really knowing it, would have caused unnecessary trouble for all of them if he confronted Dawson.
'I mean, I knew she could be ill tempered and unreasonable but blackmail, adultery, god knows what else. What's Dawson going to do?' Andie asked.
'All he said was he had to call his lawyer. If he calls upon us to say anything in court, I will.'
'What about Doug?' Pacey said
'Of course I would. She's put me through hell over the last 3 months, believe me, I want her to know what it feels like,' Doug said from the doorway.
'I just don't understand what happen to her! She wasn't like this when she was a child was she?' Andie said, shifting in her seat.
'Well she knew how to have mom and dad wrapped around her finger. And she did play us two off against one another but no, no massively illegal practices,' Pacey said bitterly.
'I think LA must have brought out the worst in her. Can't help living in someone's shadow,' Jack said, picking up the article and looking over it again.
'So, what are we going to do?' Pacey asked, looking over at Doug.
'Well I think the best thing is to leave her alone, let Dawson and her sort out what ever is left of there marriage and then deal with her when she comes running home,' Doug said.
The doorbell rung loudly through the house.
'Must be Mom, she would have seen the article by now,' Doug walked towards the door and opened it widely.
'Hey big bro!' Gretchen stood at the doorway.
Everyone swung around and looked at the doorway, Andie with her mouth open wide.
'Gretchen. What are you…?' Doug said slowly, the anger rising in his throat.
'What is it with you people in this town, no one happy to see me?' Gretchen exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air and moving towards Doug. But he stepped aside, moving out of her way.
'Huh, rude…hi Pacey. Come give your big sister a hug!' she said, moving towards him.
'Actually, I'm with Doug on this one.' Pacey stood up and brushed past her, moving towards his brother.
'What? I don't understand…' Gretchen looked confused and the partners stood side by side at the door, Jack clenching his fists slightly.
'Maybe you should tell us Gretchen. How's Amy's father?' Jack asked.
'I don't know what you mean…ha ha ha, you guys are so…'
'They know Gretchen. They know,' Doug said quietly.
'Thing is Gretchen, you've got your facts wrong. Amy's father died. I have the paperwork upstairs if you want to see it. Whoever you've got lined up is a fake' Jack said, taking Doug's hand and squeezing it tightly. 'So you can't blackmail Doug into keeping your marriage afloat. You'll have to deal with that yourself,'
Gretchen went white. Her face shrunk into a frown and an evil glare that landed on Jack.
'Oh, the other thing Gretch, you might want to go and see your husband. I think you have some explaining to do.' Andie said, looking her directly in the eye.
'Well, I can see I'm not welcome here. I'll go find my husband then.' She said, holding her head as high as she could.
She reached the door and opened it slightly, spinning around the face the foursome. 'But you hear me. If this mess costs me my marriage, you will all pay,'
'Sorry, that's a risk we're willing to take. Anyway, I don't think that's what's going to end your marriage,' Pacey said moving towards her and pushing her out the door, slamming it for good effect once she was out.
Gretchen stumbled on her high heels and fell to the floor. Her bruised ego and now bruised legs were too much for her to handle. She got up and got into her car, revving the engine loudly as she pulled away.
She knew where she was going.
She knew who was to blame for all this…
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'So she was cheating on you all this time?' Bessie asked, looking at Dawson starring at Joey intently.
'Yup. My lawyer says that this is enough to get her to back down. Because the only pictures they have of me and Joey are us just talking, she couldn't pin it on us.' Dawson reached over and squeezed Joey's hand.
She looked up and smiled. 'Even though there is nothing happening,'
'I know. But she convinced herself there is. It doesn't matter. I've filed for divorce.' He said, putting his other hand on hers.
'Wow, that's a big step. Are you sure?' Joey said.
'She blackmails my friends, tries to corner me into having children and finally cheats on me with my ex boss. Yeah, I'm sure,' He smiled, relieved. He knew that to the Hollywood community it was going to look rushed. But he didn't care. He didn't want to go back.
His phone vibrated again but he ignored it. Since he called his lawyers they called every 5 minutes with new clauses and new court dates, plus the beginnings of press attention into the news. Bad news moved fast in Hollywood.
The sound of a car approaching at high speed rang through the house.
'People in this town are getting worse, I'll tell you something…' but Bessie didn't get the chance to finish her sentence. The door flew open and Gretchen stormed in, a wild look in her eyes. All of them jumped to their feet, unsure of what was going to happen.
'I knew it! I knew it! This is it for us. I'm going to take you for everything you have! You here and your slut!' she screamed loudly. Her eyes landed on Joey, who was edging away from the screaming.
'Gretchen, calm down…' Dawson began but she lunged at him, smacking him over the head with her handbag and scratching his face.
Finally Bessie grabbed her arms and held them tightly behind her back, restraining her from hurting him anymore.
'Stay still Gretchen or I will call Doug to hall you off to the station, you hear me?' Bessie whispered into her ear. Gretchen continued to struggle but Bessie held on tight.
'It's over Gretch…I've had enough. I filled for divorce this morning,' Dawson said in a quiet voice.
'You fool, you know I'll take you for everything!' she screamed loudly, bucking against Bessie's tight grip.
'I don't think so. How's Ira?' Dawson said, picking up the magazine and opening the page.
'Ira? Who's Ira, what are you babbling on about!' she said and then her face dropped when presented with the pictures of her. She stopped struggling at once. She looked up at Dawson. He was smiling. Smiling like mad.
'So, I think that we could settle this amicably and quickly? You get the house, the stuff inside it and the cars in LA. I'll get everything else and you never speak to me again, how about that?' he said, nodded at Bessie to let her go.
'It's not that simple Dawson, you've been doing just as much wrong as I…'
'Not true I'm afraid. You see, I have several witnesses' who can state that while I was here in Capeside nothing happened between Joey and me. Do you have that luxury?' His will to finish this grew with every sentence he said, her power over him decreasing.
'Yeah, like they would believe you. Sick aunt was it? That's going to look real good in court…'
'…almost as good as you blackmailing your own brother with fake documents relating to his adopted child? Face it. It's over. Now pack your synthetic little ass back in your car and go home. I'll see you in court.' Dawson turned his back on her to face Joey. But she had gone.
'Where is she? Joey. Joey!' he screamed, running to her bedroom. But her case was gone and the window was wide open.
'Soul mate trouble Dawson?' Gretchen laughed bitterly, picking up the paper and making her way for the door. 'Well, at least my other half isn't so flaky. You're over in Hollywood Dawson. When me and Ira are finished, no one is going to want to touch you.'
'Okay I've had enough of you…' Bessie walked forward and grabbed her bye the arm, opening the door and dragging her towards the shore of the river.
'Are you mad…I'll have you done for assault you bitch!...arrrhhh,' With one massive hurl, Bessie threw Gretchen into the Creek, picking up her designer handbag and chucking it at her head for good measure.
'Now if I find you near my sister or my family again, I will finish the job.' Bessie stared intently into her eyes and marched back to the house.
Gretchen pulled herself out of the creek and crawled back to her car, throwing her wet bag at the seat in anger and pulling out her relatively dry phone.
'Hello Ira….it's me…look I've left Dawson! We can be….what?...what do you mean it's not possible…well screw your press officer, what do you mean 'bad news'…you promised me that if…Ira?...Ira!' her phone went dead.
She picked up her phone and pressed the speed dial of her friend Angela.
'Hi Angela…yeah, pretty bad…you're busy?...well what about tomorrow when I get back?...okay Monday…Tuesday then?...I'm free all week?...fine then, I can fine plenty of other people to hang out with… Bye!'
Maybe life wasn't going to be as easy as she had imagined.
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Dawson circled the Main Street for what felt like the millionth time that afternoon. He had gone to all the places she would have gone. Or at least the places he thought she would be.
But she was no where.
He parked by the train station hoping that she might be there, maybe on the way home.
He walked into the waiting room.
Was it really only two days ago when I first saw her?
He looked at the TV screen, flickering in the corner of the room.
18.30 New York.
Glancing at his watch, it was past due. Something fell inside of him.
'Excuse me, has a young woman bought a ticket for the 18.30 train? Late 20's, brown hair, glasses?' he asked the girl behind the ticket counter.
'Yes sir, around 40 minutes ago. But the New York train's just left sir,' she smiled at him.
Oh my god, I can't believe it's Dawson Leery!
'Thank you very much,' he said to the girl, smiling politely to hide the disappointment.
'Oh sir, could I have an autograph?' said asked hopefully.
Dawson looked at her optimistic face and melted. 'Of course,'
'Thank you Mr Leery, I loved you film.'
'Finding you?' Dawson said, signing the crumpled bit of paper she passed through the hatch.
'No, Love Lost Again.'
Dawson looked up and saw the girl smiling. It was a genuine smile, something he hadn't seen in a while.
'Thanks, not many people say they like that one,' he pushed the piece of paper through the hatch.
'What! It's amazing, all that love and tension between the two. Plus the message is such a strong one, it's an a amazing film Mr Leery,'
'What was the message?'
'Well, I think it's about realising that no matter where you are in the world or whatever you are doing, love never ends. That you could be on another planet but if you love someone, it doesn't matter where you are,' she said.
Dawson considered this moment. Considered the honest and open opinion of someone who loved his work. It touched him. More than that, it made him realise something he should have known all along.
'When's the next train to New York?' he said, pulling his wallet out.
'Umm…actually there is one in 20 minutes, its rush hour.'
'Can I have a ticket please?' he said, pulling a card out and almost throwing it through the hatch.
'Certainly. One way or return?'
'Oh, one way.' He said confidently.
'Okay, sign this…perfect. One way ticket to the big apple for you,' she said, pushing the ticket and card back through the hatch and smiling at him once more.
'Thank you. What's you name?'
'Debbie,'
'Well Debbie, consider myself a fan of yours. Next time I make anything, you're in it,'
'Seriously! Wow, thank you Mr Leery,' she all but screeched out of the hatch.
'Bye,' He said, grabbing the ticket and walking on the platform.
The girl pulled out her cell phone and hastily pressed her last number redial
'Sandra, you'll never guess who I've just served?'
The platform was deserted. Dawson saw that since he had used it last they have opened a coffee shop in one of the waiting rooms.
Why not, I've got time to kill…
Sitting at the table by the window, her bags at her feet, sat Joey. She had been crying, he could tell. She stared out of the window, her crumpled ticket in hand.
'Stopped running yet?' he said in a soft voice.
She gasped as she turned to face him. Looking down she saw the ticket in his hand.
'Have you?'
'No. But I'm not running away. I'm running to something. I'm running to you,'
She stood up quickly and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Closing his eyes, he drew in her scent, filling his head. She did the same, adoring the way he felt. The way he felt in her arms. For the first time that day, she wasn't crying.
'So, Gretchen gone and I'm slightly homeless. Plus I have nothing to do.' He said, pulling away so he could look her in the eyes, still holding her in his arms.
'I think we could work on that,' she said, leaning her face forward into his. Her soft lips met his and the fireworks in her heart downed out the concerns in her heart. Dawson's hand found their way to her face and through her hair.
'Wahoo! Way to go Dawson!' the café assistants shouted. The pair broke away quickly, startled by the round of applause given by the staff at the train station, including the ticket girl.
'Is it always going to be like this? I mean, does dating a Hollywood star mean we are going to have a constant audience,' Joey said sarcastically.
'Yeah.'
'I wouldn't have it any other way,' she said, pulling him into another kiss.
