Chapter 1: Never Had a Dream Come True

Dawson leans over in his bed, and sets his alarm clock for 5:00 a.m. He knows he has a busy day ahead. Tomorrow he has to meet with Spielberg to finalize the plans for the movie they are co-directing based on Dawson's show, The Creek. As he falls back into his bed, we see a picture of him and Joey taken the day of there junior prom. He sighs. He puts his head back on his pillow, but doesn't close his eyes. He tilts his head and stares at the picture on his night table again. Finally, he sighs again. We see his eyes close slowly, and he falls asleep. Inside his mind he thinks back to the night where he seemed to have it all...

Dawson walks onto his front porch, and opens the door to his house. He doesn't really want to go in, but he knows reality is facing him outside. Walking up the stairs, he reflects on his mistake: kissing Jen. It seems that ever since Jen has arrived, he forgot about his first true love, Joey Potter.

He enters his room. Dawson carelessly throws his jacket on his bed and walks toward his closet. Sadly, he opens the door to see Joey sitting on the floor of his closet.

"Joey! Oh my God! I've been looking all over for you!

Joey stands up and climbs out of the closet with her classic scowl on her face. Dawson turns to her, prepared to speak

"Look, there's nothing going on between Jen and me. What you saw today was completely innocent.

Joey's eyebrows scowl again.

"Look, you don't have to explain to me Dawson."

Dawson tries to Explain. "Yes I do."

Joey throws her hands up in the air, as she says, "Why? Why do you feel the need to explain? We're just friends. That's all."

Dawson is hurt by this.

"Joey, c'mon you know that's not true."

Frustrated, she responds.

"So what are we Dawson?" Joey doesn't give Dawson time to answer. She walks to the center of his bedroom. "You know, I am so tired of the way we relate to one another. We spend all of our time analyzing our sad little adolescent lives."

"I know we know too many big words. But it's a good thing to analyze."

This is the final straw for Joey. "But it doesn't get us anywhere. It doesn't move us forward. We're in the same place we were three months ago. It's time to grow up Dawson."

"I know, Joey. We can. We are growing up."

Joey sighed.

"But were not. Everyday we watch a movie, preferably a Spielberg film, find the appropriate life correlation and then we pat ourselves on the back for being so clever. You know, as much as our perception is right on, our honesty is severely lacking Dawson."

Dawson chuckles. "There is something lacking."

Joey doesn't find the humor in this. "And the reason I came here tonight is because...we need to move on. Look, we're not kids anymore. And I'm not going to do this anymore and I thought you should know. So…"

Joey doesn't want to finish her sentence. She just wants to get out of there. She starts to walk away toward Dawson's window. As she puts one foot out onto the roof, she is ready to climb down the ladder for the last time.

Dawson doesn't want her to leave.

"So are you going to France?"

Joey stops and turns around.

"Are you?

Dawson walks over to her as she sits on the windowsill. He hopes to keep her there, knowing if she leaves, she may never come back.

"Look, I am tired of all the drama in my life right now Dawson. And leaving
town just makes the most sense to me so..."

"No, it doesn't."

Why should I stay?" Joey asks, angry at Dawson. "Is there some new release at the video store I don't know about? It's time to grow up Dawson."

"Well then we'll do it together. Joey, I could grow up give me a chance. Even Spielberg outgrew his Peter Pan syndrome."

Now it's Joey's turn to chuckle. "I could have told you that months ago, Dawson."

Joey leans out the window again.

"You did."

Joey turns back towards him and looks down.

"Yeah," she whispers softly.

Dawson smiles.

Dawson, I'm so tired of dancing around these big words. I just want to be honest with you."

"Me too. Joe, more than anything, I just want to be honest."

"Do you think we're ready for that honesty?" she asks, not knowing if she is ready for the answer.

"Yeah I do."

"Are you sure?" Joey asks again. "Because honesty is a big word and it changes things and it complicates things. Are you sure you're ready for all the things that comes along with telling the truth?"

Joey looks at Dawson and she becomes hurt. Dawson realizes what he's done.

"I'll see ya Dawson."

As she leaves, Dawson pauses. Suddenly everything before him seems to be in slow motion. He doesn't want Joey to leave, so he yells out.

"Joey! Joey!"

Dawson runs after Joey and grabs her arm to turn her around. He leans in to kiss her. They look at each other and kiss again. She wraps her arms around his neck and he wraps his arms around her waist.

Dawson jumps up, startled. He looks at the clock, and realized he had been sleeping for a couple of hours.

"It was only a dream. Only a dream."

He folds his arms behind his head and leans back on his pillow.

"But she is with Pacey now," his mutters to himself, trying to admit the fact he lost the only girl he ever loved.

Dawson starts to close his eyes, but suddenly he awakes at the sound of his palm pilot beeping from the other side of his room. He gets out of bed, goes over to his desk. Dawson opens up the case, and reads the words on the screen. It says 'Joey Potter's Birthday.' Dawson set this so he wouldn't forget to call her. He realizes it is now 12:01.

He walks back over to his bed, and manages to make himself comfortable. He tries to get at least a couple of hours of sleep before his meeting.

At last, we see Dawson looking at the picture of him and Joey again.

"Happy Birthday, Joey."

(Scene: Joey Potter's old bedroom in her sister's house..)

Joey Potter turns over in her bed. She rolls over to far and falls off the bed. She tries to get up, but keeps tripping.

"God, can't I sleep normally for one night."

She finally manages to stand up, pulls the blanket off her, and puts it on the bed. As she sits on the edge of her bed, she sees her clock. It reads 12:02.

"Wow, I have been 27 for two minutes."

Next to her bed, on her night table, there are two pictures. One of her boyfriend, Pacey, and one of her and Dawson taken the day of there junior prom. Joey sighs.

"I miss you, Dawson," she says to herself.

She picks up the picture and countinues to talk to herself.

"I haven't seen you in such a long time."

She places the picture back on her night table, and slides herself into bed. As she pulls the covers up, she takes one last glance at the picture. Finally, Joey closes her eyes. She tries hard to sleep, but keeps thinking back…

Joey is sitting on Dawson's windowsill. She looks outside, ready to leave.

"I'll see ya Dawson."

As she starts to leaves, she wonders. She really doesn't want to, but she cannot stay in the bedroom of the man she finally relizes she loves any longer.

"Joey! Joey!"

She turns around to see Dawson coming toward her. He grabs her arm, and leans in to kiss her. They stand there in front of the window, kissing.

Joey breaks the kiss.

"What was that?" she asks.

Dawson looks at her in a daze.

Joey smiles and giggles. "You kissed me," she says.

Dawson backs off a little. He smiles. "I know," he responds.

Joey goes to sit on Dawson's bed. She thinks over the events of the last five minutes. Dawson joins her.

"So?" he says.

Joey looks at him, but this time is not smiling.

"Well that was a kiss."

Dawson stands up, and walks over to the window. "So now what?" he asks.

Joey sighs and leans back on his bed. "I don't know."

"Me either."

"Well, uh, maybe we could…" Joey says as she sits up again.

Dawson walks over and sits on the bed.

"What?" he asks.

"Nothing."

"No, no, you were going to say something. What were you going to
say? Dawson asks, now curious.

Joey stands up. "Nothing, I mean, I don't know. I don't know what I was going to say."

Dawson stands up besides, now more confused then ever.

"You were going to say we shouldn't have done that. I mean, that's
what you're thinking, right?

Joey becomes frustrated. "Actually, Dawson, I don't have a thought in my head now. But apparently, that's what you're thinking so…"

Dawson doesn't want her to leave, again. He tries to make her stay.

"No, no, I..."

Joey tries to be rational. "Look. Why don't we sleep on it?

Dawson looks at her, then his bed.

Joey tilts her head and frowns. "Not together! I mean, YOU in your bed and me in mine."

"Right, right, uh, absolutely. Obviously. We'll sleep on it, wake up, and this will all be a dream," Dawson responds as he suddenly becomes uncomfortable again.

Joey is now really upset. She throws her hands up in the air.

"You mean like it never happened?"

"Is that what you want?" he asks.

Joey sighs. "Okay, poof! Didn't happen, Dawson. See ya later."

She starts climbing out the window

Dawson calls after her again.

"Joey! Joey!"

He runs to the window and pulls her by the arm back inside.

"Don't even think about climbing out that window."

Joey smiles and they kiss again.

Joey rolls over in her bed, smiling.