A Czecheslovakian in Capeside

Chapter Two:

The Wake

Author Note: Thank you to the readers and all of the positive reviews! I hope you are enjoying reading this story as much as I am enjoying it! This will only be a short fic but the next one will be longer. Please r&r!

Summary: Pacey and Isabel declared their love, Michael and Joey have a dysfuncctional relationship and Max healed Joey after she was shot at the Ice House.

Disclaimer: No way. I wish.

Max felt Michael's eyes burning into him as the ambulance sirens faded away in the distance. A few seconds later, he realized that Michael had ragged him outside.

"You were supposed to heal her, Max! Why the hell didn't you do it!"

"Father is always telling us: protect yourself at all times. If I had disolved the bullet, it would've alerted suspicion and exposed us. Father already has one screw-up in the family determined to destroy us, he doesn't need another. I simply shifted the bullet a little. It won't do any damage now - it's just a graze."

"It had better be." Michael warned him, rubbing his eyebrow with his thumb.

"Why do you act like you care, Michael? Everyone knows that you only figure Joey's an easy lay."

"You're right. I only do it to get 'Father's' back up."

"He loves us, Michael! He gave up his life to care for us until we can find a way home!" Max grabbed his brother's arm as he tried to walk away, but Michael shook him off and pushed him hard.

"He is not our Father, Maxwell! He is a lying, cheating, murderous bastard and we wouldv'e been better off without him! I hate him so much, don't you see that! But sure, Max, he loves you; he loves his little golden boy. You know it says a lot to know that you can do no wrong in the eyes of a killer." He turned away again and walked off in the opposite direction, but spun around to face Max just before he was completely out of earshot.

"And just for the record - everyone is wrong; I really do care about her."

Joey's eyes drifted around the room aimlessly, looking for their next target before they settled on Bessie, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. In one had, she gripped Joey's hand and in the other, Bodie's.

The sight of it made Joey feel nauseous. It reminded her of her Mother two days before she had died. Bessie had portrayed the exact same situation the, by holding onto both Joey and teir Mother, Lillian Potter; as though trying to keep her sfrom slipping away.

Seeing the worried look on Bessie's face and remembering her Mother, Joey turned away, afraid she might cry.

"Joey?"

Joey squirmed and pushed her sister away as she realized she was awake and leant over to give her a hug.

"I'm just worried, Jo." A tear ran down Bessie's cheek as she squeezed her little sister's hand tighter.

"It's nice to have you back, Joey." Bodie said as he placed his hadn on her ankle and tightened his grip gently.

"Yeah." That was all Joey could muster as memories of her friend Max flooded her mind. He had done something to her. She wasn't sure what it was exactly, but she knew that he had done something strange.

She could remember his hand over her stomach and a warm tingly glow inside, where she should have been feeling the pain from the gunshot wound. She had seen images of his childhood, too, with Michael and their sister's, Isabel and Tess. She had seen his first day of school, learning to play the guitar and his first kiss (which made her shift uneasily as it was with his sister, Tess): all the momentous occassions of his life so far. But she had seen something else, too, which shocked her even mroe than the incestious kiss: she had seen him and his siblings fighting their way out of glowign pod-like chambers as children. This confused her as it wasn't a very clear or explanable picture - and it gave her a headache to think about it.

"Dr.Cartell wants you to stay here tonight to check on how you are after removing the bullet." Bessie said, obviously taking the hint not to move any close this time. "When you come home tomorrow, we'll talk about summer in Detroit.

"What!" She screeched, but the effort made a sharp pain occour in her stomach. "Bessie, you promised that you wouldn't unless I did something wrong - I didn't do anything! This wans't my fault, I - "

I know that it wasn't you fault. Christ, I know, Joey, but it made me realize that I can't look after you right now. It's summer in a fortnight and you'll be spending the three months in Detroit with Aunt Meghan. It's not up for discussion, Joey: in two weeks, you'll be on that train to Detroit."