The Unseen Obstacle CH.13

I Disclaim

"Excuse me?"

"I need you to be my boyfriend."

The waitress came by and dropped off two glasses of water, and Pacey didn't even let his hit the table before he drunk it down., suddenly wishing it were vodka or arsenic, anything that would get him out of here and this situation." Can I ask why you're suddenly dating me?"

"Please Pacey; I'm not interested in dating anyone least of all another Witter." She pauses then grimaces at the statement." No offense, but seeing as your brother got me into this situation, I figured you might as well get me out it."

"What situation?" A thought suddenly came to Pacey and he leaned into the table so that he was inches away from Joey." Joey, are you trying to tell me that you're….." He looked around and lowered his voice till even he had a hard time hearing it." Pregnant."

Joey fell back onto the cushion before she just began laughing hysterically." GOD NO." "If that were the case Pacey, I need more then a fake boyfriend."

"Then what's going on?"

"Bessie knows about us."

Pacey raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders." Knows what, what's to know."

"Bessie knows that for several weeks a cruiser was parked in the woods by my house, and for those hours that the said vehicle was there I went missing only to reappear when the car left." He began nodding and shaking his head.

"And she naturally assumed that I stole a cruiser and it was us in the car."

"Of course who logically comes to the conclusion that it was me and you know who."

"You know who, what is this a Harry Potter book?"

"Pacey I need you, please." She sees him weakening, and grabs his hand excitedly." Oh thank you Pacey it won't be for long, and all you really have to do is let Bessie believe that we've together for months before this, and after a little while we can break up."

"Yeah it sounds real easy, except for your ex boyfriend, the blonde kid that believes you're his soul mate, how are we handling him?"

"I'll handle Dawson." The lye came easily, she didn't need to handle Dawson, he was the least of her worries right now. Her main focus had to be convincing Bessie that she and Pacey had spent the least few months sneaking around behind everyone's back. Dawson and his issue came last. "Now we have to fill in Jack and Jen, because just dumping in on it them, they help won't convince anyone."

Dawson sat down on the porch swing and just looked mesmerized across the creek, if as he stare would bring her to him. He knew he was doing the right thing, only by losing him completely could Joey truly appreciate what he was in her life, the his was her life , just as she was his.

"Hey son." Mitch Leery sat down on the front step and followed his son gaze. He should have known, these past few month his son had spent the bulk of his time gazing across the creek, as the little house in the woods that housed the Potter family." Still no word?"

"Nothing meaningful that makes senses."

"Well are you sure, maybe you just didn't read between the lines." The older man let his head fall back against the pillar and looked at he son." Woman are complicated, no one sentence is at it seems."

"She said she loved me, but wasn't in love with me."

"Well son, I'm sorry but that seems pretty meaningful to me, and seems to explain her behavior."

"No it doesn't." Getting of the swing he walks down the step and begins pacing on the grass." Joey loves me, she always has, and this is … this just to get back at me for her father and Eve."

"Dawson, do you really think Joey is capable of that."

" Once upon a time I would have said no, that Joey doesn't hide any feeling, she doesn't believe in subterfuge , or misleading someone, but that thing with her Dad changed her. " He ran a hand through his blonde locks. " Before that happened I knew Joey Potter inside and out, I could predict her behavior and see her every thought as if it were mine own, and now…"

"Trust."

"What?"

"Dawson, I know you did the right thing turning Mike in, but you have to remember that it was her father, she helped put her father behind bars again, and her memory will always have you as a part of that. If you're right and this is all about what happened that summer then Joey is probably not ready to trust you again." "You need to prove she can trust you again."

"But I didn't do anything wrong, it was the right thing to do, you said so yourself."

"And it was, but not to her, Joey has become a woman Dawson and part of that is her seeing events differently form the way they happened, it's the way she copes." "She just needs to know that you're trying to earn her trust."

"No, I'm not doing it."

"Dawson."

" No, I shouldn't have to earn her trust again when I've done nothing wrong, she's made the mistakes, she ruined us, and from now on she just have to deal with the consequences of her actions." Fed up he gives a final glance across the creek before he lets his tantrum take him into the house.

"Well that was a shocking display of bad parental advice." Gayle says as she rounds the corner of the house and stares down at her ex. "Do you honestly believe that garbage you told him."

" Do I believe my son did the right think with Mike , yes, do I believe it's irritation for Joey to lay blame for the entire thing as Dawson feet, yes, but I'm did advise him that he should at least try pretend to go along with her delusions for the sake of their friendship."

" You're unbelievable, what you and your son don't seem to realize is that it's not about one moment or one act, that can be fixed or edited, the only thing Dawson got right was that Joey has changed and sadly for him her changes includes her feeling about him." "You're giving him false hope Mitch, if she's not in love with him anymore then no amount of 'placating' on Dawson's part will change that."

"Typical." Mitch grumbled to himself, not expecting her to hear him.

"What?"

Mitch looked away not sure he wanted to have this fight with her, but tired of the walking on egg shells." I said typical, that you would side with Joey, you're both cheaters, and neither one of you appreciate what you had." "Dawson and I are willing to do anything for you and her, and yet all are actions and overtures are met with heartache and pain."

" Because the fact of the matter Mitch that all of your actions and overtures are purely selfish, neither one of you is interesting loving who we've become, you're interesting in turning us back into who you fell in love with, and like me Joey's probably just fed with not being herself." She opened up her purse and pulled out some sheets of paper and dropped them by him." The final divorce papers." She shook her head sadly wondering if there was a way to avoid this outcome." Goodbye Mitch."

"Do you honestly think this is going to work?" Pacey asked amused as he watched Joey plot out their fake romance on a sheet of paper. "

"What are my alternatives Pacey?" Joey dropped the pencil and looks at him, the pain in her eyes evident." That I let my sister find out what really happened, I hate him, but not enough to let it become public knowledge and ruin his life over." " Besides how hard is this really, we just tell the truth, after the thing with Dawson and Andie we became better friends, and then something more and because we thought it was too son or that that it would hurt other people we decided to keep it to ourselves?"

"You're right that's very feasible." Pacey took out his wallet and dropped some money on the table, before he pulled her hand and lifted her out the seat." Come on might as well start now, I'll drive you home."

"I really appreciate this Pacey."Joey said as she walked ached of him to the Witter Wagoner.

"Come on Potter what kind of boyfriend would I be if didn't drive you home."

She waited till he got in unlocked her door before jumping and looking at him." Seriously, you'd end up fourth on my list of bad boyfriends."

"Really just fourth?" Pacey chuckled at he started the car.

"Well considering the other offenses have including coming out of the closet and dumping me by email, yeah making me walk home almost seems like a valentine."

"Ah." Pacey leaned over and kissed her check." Joey?"

"Yeah?" She looked at wearily.

"I love you."

"Thank you, Pacey."

"No problem." He pulled out of the parking lot and drove toward the B&B.

Neither noticed that Andie McPhee was sitting on the bench outside the diner reading. "I wonder at what point the happy couple was going to fill me and Dawson in."