The Unseen Obstacle CH.22

I Disclaim

The ride home was pretty much the same as the ride there, except now it was just Pacey and Joey, Bessie had stayed to help Bodie close up, and Jack and Jen went home with Grams. The quiet and tension was wearing on both their nerves. Finally fed up Joey just turned to Pacey." What were you thinking hitting him like that?"

"Excuse me?"

"Dawson, why did you hit him, it's going to feed his delusional."

"Because he was manhandling you, and he's been cornering you for weeks now, I don't care if I'm feeding his delusions, as long as he knows that he just keep doing this, you shouldn't have to deal with him every time you end up in the same place."

"I understand that, trust me I have the urge to hit him too, but you doing it makes him think he's right, and just keeps encouraging him to prove it to me."

"I don't think we have to worry about him anymore." At her look he continued." Mitch came after you left, told me to tell you he was sorry and that it would never happen again."

"Oh, good, maybe Mitch can set him straight."

"Mitch is just as unrealistic as his son, he's better but I'd feel better if Gayle was taking charge."

"Whoever, all that matters is that I don't have to keep talking to him?"

"Really is that all that matters."

"What else?"

"How bout this mood that you're in, one moment you're Joey, then the next you're not speaking to me, you won't look at me, and god knows you gone out of your way not to be more then few feet near me." They paused at a stoplight." Want to explain that Joey, what I have done to deserve his?" She didn't say anything just stared ahead." You know Joey, I think I have been a really good friend, you ask me to do things and I do them no questions asked, I don't ask for repayment, and I got to tell you I'm really starting to feel used here."

"Pacey…."

"No I'm really tired of this." The light turned green and he gassed the car." Pacey watch Joey for me, Pacey takes care of Joey, Pacey pretend to be my boyfriend." "It's amazing how often I help you people and then somehow end up as the villain, I wouldn't be surprised if Doug showed up back in town and wanted to kick my ass."

"Pacey…"

" No now you're listening, cause I'm really trying to be what you need me to be, but that doesn't seem to be enough for any of you people, and I getting tired of it." "At what point do I get credit for being here, when Dawson bailed, when Doug fled, and I'm still here?"

"Pacey…"

He roared into the gravel parking lot of the B&B, and didn't kill the engine." You're home."

"Pace…"

"Get out Joey I don't want to talk anymore."

"But…"

"But nothing, don't worry I'll report for Boyfriend duty tomorrow, like a good little sucker." He reached over her and opened her door." Bye Jo."

Joey got out the car and turned to say something but he just slammed the door and roared out the parking lot. Leaving Joey just standing there.

He couldn't go home, his parents would be there and right now he didn't feel like running into any more fans of his perfect brother Doug. The upstanding perfect son that spent months sleeping with a school girl, and not just any girl, but Joey the one girl he …Loved, and he did love her.

Without realizing it, he arrived at the marina, and with no place else to go, he got out, and began walking along the docks. He missed his boat, True Love hadn't fair well in a recent storm, it would take weeks to get back to sailing condition, and he couldn't do anything in the winter.

"Pacey?"

He turned toward the sound of his name, and faked a small smile." Andrea, how are you doing?"

"I'm managing." This was basically true, she had done some thinking and knew that Jack and Jen were right she was self-destructing, with the hope that Pacey was going to ride to her rescues, and that they'd get back to where they were before it all fell apart. But she knew after watching him with Joey that, that couldn't happen. She was no longer in Pacey's line of vision. All he could see now was Joey Potter. "I wanted to apologize to you Pacey."

Pacey gave a bitter laugh; he couldn't remember anyone ever really apologizing to him." For what?"

"I don't know, everything, the cheating, hurting you, expecting everything and giving nothing."

"Andie…"

"No I need to do this Pacey, I hurt you and not only didn't I ever really apologize for it, I've been waiting got you to come back to me, but I get it now." "I ruined us, and we can't get it back, and I've been trying to get that back and not being honest about it."

Pacey looked away and gave her a sad shake of his head." Andie the thing is…"

"I know you love Joey; I don't think anyone with eyes could miss it." She paused and gave a weird laugh." Except Dawson, but then he's only looking at things through some fictional camera lens." " I get that we can't be together, and right now being friends seems a real long stretch, but I just wanted to say sorry and that If that ever anything I could do to help you then don't be afraid to ask, I owe you a lot Pacey, thank you." She turned to walk away, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

Pacey took her I his arms and gave her a hug, before kissing her forehead." Take care McPhee."

"You too Witter."

By the time he arrived home he knew he was way past his curfew, but he really didn't care, getting into it with his father would probably do him some good, release the tension that was surging through his body.

"Bout time you got home, your mother was worried." John turned on the kitchen light and glanced at his son, as he began to make some coffee.

"Mom hasn't worried about me since I was twelve." He shrugged out of his jacket, and dropped it onto his shoulder." But as I'm home now she can stop worrying."

"I want to talk to you."

"Yeah well I want to avoid you."

"I know what you think of what happened Pacey."

"Really because I don't think you do." Pacey said as he sank down in to a chair and glared at the older man.

"You think I just let Doug get away with his affair with Joey Potter."

Pacey's head snapped up and he gave a bitter laugh." You know I'm starting to think this secret affair was the worst kept secret in Capeside, it seems if everybody knows about it."

"I did this for Doug AND Joey."

"You did something for the convict's daughter, that's a laugh."

"I know what you think of me, but I like Joey and her sister, and I made sure that Doug went away because he was determined to stay here and try to make this work with her." Pacey too so quickly that the chair he was sitting I fell to the ground. He was I his father's face in seconds.

"And you think sending him away helps her how." "Do you have any idea how often Joey gets left behind, do you know what this is doing to her."

"I know that Doug would have asked her to stay and she might be naïve enough to agree, and ruin any chance that she has of getting out this town and doing something that her mother and sister never got to do." He picked up the fallen chair, and pushed his son into it." She might hurt now, but one day when's far away from her and what everyone think of 'that Potter family' she won't remember the heartache." "And I'd think you love her enough to want that for her."

"You don't know anything."

"I know you're a lucky SOB, because you actually have a shot with her, you're not bound to his place like me and Doug, you don't mind going out and exploring the world not knowing if you'll succeed or fail, and you can do that with her." "Doug can't and he knows that now." "You should thank me; I gave you what you didn't have before, a chance with her." He motioned toward the coffee maker." Don't forget to turn it off when you done,"