The Unseen Obstacle CH.38
I Disclaim
"Dawson." Joey searched the area and to her dismay found not a soul in sight." What are you here in Capeside?"
"I came back." He stepped closer and didn't notice how she backed up every time he moved forward." Aren't you happy to see me?"
"No, I'm not."
"Joey don't think you we've done this enough." He ran a hand through his greasy hair." You're were angry and wanted to punish me for not being ready, well it's worked, okay." "This thing with Pacey is killing me, you win, I'm sorry, I don't know what I did but I'm sorry."
"You're sorry, you don't know what you did but you're sorry." Joey looked at him as if he was insane and she was beginning to think he was. Now she was kind of glad for Jack's interference because she was starting to see how she had let her friendship or blind worship of Dawson blind her. "I'll tell you what you did, you haven't been listening to me, you're being selfish and self-involved, that's what you've done, you've been Dawson, but what you don't get is that I don't want to be friends with Dawson anymore, I don't want him in my life, I don't want contact with him."
"Joey you don't mean that."
"See there you go." Joey she waved her dismissively." I don't mean that, how do you know what I mean, to know that you would have to know me or you'd have to listen and that's something you've never done."
" I know you better then anyone on the planet Joey."
"Really, did you know that until you know one called me Joey?" "It was either Jo or Josephine."
"You liked Joey more." Dawson said shrugging.
"I hate Spielberg, E.T. is a god awful movie, and I can't stand the name Elliot." Joey smirked as he cringed, because now she was just trying to be hurtful, even thought she though it was all true, you knew it hurt him and she liked that.
"Joey…. You're being silly."
" Why because I like things that are different from you or this view you have of me, so what friends can have different interests, but you don't want a friend, you want someone you control and manipulate, and for a very long while that was me, but not anymore." " The choices I make now are not done to punish you or hurt Dawson, that made without you in consideration at all, all my choices now are about me and my happiness, I'm with Pacey cause I love him, I'm paint because I love it, and I don't talk to you cause I don't want to."
"You don't love Pacey." Dawson laughed at the thought. His soul mate with Pacey Witter, the loser of Capeside." You're confused."
"NO YOU'RE CONFUSED." Joey shouted tired of having this conversation. "I know exactly what I want, and it doesn't involve you at all."
"YES YOU ARE." Dawson shouted back." Joey love me and I love you, and we're meant to be together, I was your first kiss, your first boyfriend, when we're ready I'll be your first lover, I'm the future father of your children."
Joey rolled her eyes and stared at him, in a second before her very eyes he managed to change half her life history. " NO I AM, and let me clarify, my first kiss was Pacey in the third grade on a dare, yes you were my first boyfriend, but not my last and I've had colds that lasted longer then we did, and I'm not going to tell you who my first lover was but again it wasn't you nor were my you second, and as for the future father or my children that title is still up for grabs, but you're not even in the running, in fact Jack's closer on my list then you."
That was when it happened Joey didn't notice it, too caught up in her tirade, but at revelation that his soul mate was no longer a virgin Dawson snapped. It wasn't possible, no he shook his head it was possible, Pacey Witter lover extraordinaire, had fast talked his way into Joey's bed, and now she was tainted. No this could be fixed, he could do this, it never happened, she never slept with Pacey, it didn't happen. She was still his." SHUT UP."
Pacey was just driving aimlessly, trying finding the answer if he could find it on one of the road signs, but there was nothing, nothing but the pain he saw in Joey's eyes as she walked away from him.
"You're not saying much of anything, Pacey."" You know what I'm through, I don't know what else I can say or do to show you how much I love you, how much you mean to me." "I'm not sure if this is one of your insecure moments or you don't trust me or what, but nothing I seem to be doing is working." " I feel like I should apologize for Doug, but I'm not going to, and I'm sorry if that hurts you , but I can no more apologize for my past then you can or anyone else can for theirs." "You don't want to be together, then fine, we're not together, have a good life Pacey."
She did love him; he knew that, Joey wasn't the kind of girl to go to bed with a guy because she thought he was cute, or hot. She didn't have sex, she made love, and that was part of the problem, because one of her lovers was his brother.
"You ignore it because it's part of her past, part of the past that made her who she is now, the woman you say you love." " The same way she got over the fact that you had two lovers before her, the same way she ignored that stupid sex pact we had."
Jen was right Joey didn't hold Tamara or Andie against him, but it was still different. His exes weren't related to her, she didn't have to look across the thanksgiving table from the guy that slept with his wife.
"When the hell did that happen?" Pacey asked himself, when had thought of Joey being his wife become so natural that it was just there, probably always if he was honest with himself, after all she was the only person that had thought he could have a future just being himself. Andie and Dawson were always encouraging changes he made, but Joey had thought he was okay as she was, and bound for better things, even when she didn't love him she believed in him.
"Don't screw it up Pacey; you have a chance to get a Taylor woman something that no Witter has done yet."
He didn't plan on it, braking hard he made a quick U-turn and headed back to the Potter B&B, breaking all kinds of speeding records. He pulled dup minutes later, and frowned his Dad was here and so was Doug and neither of them seemed to happy as they spoke to Bodie. He jumped out the car." What's going on?"
"Where's Joey, son?" John asked, and for the first time, noticed that he Dad was in his sheriffs' uniform, and that Bessie was wringing her hands.
"I don't know, I thought she was back here, she was at Grams earlier with Jack."
"I'll call." Bessie rushed into the house, to call the Ryan's.
"Why what's going on?" Pacey asked again, Bodie looked scared and angry, and Doug looked the same, he met his Dad's gaze." Pop?"
"Mitch Leery reported Dawson as missing, the school called him and said they haven't seen him for a few days, we just want to make sure Joey okay."
Bessie rushed back out and was shaking." Jack says she left half an hour ago." Bodie took her into his arms." Where could she be?"
Doug didn't meet anyone's eyes, but he spoke up." I think I might know someplace she would go."
Pacey nodded reluctantly, and started by his car, looking over his shoulder, and yelling back." Then why are we standing here let's go."
"SHUT UP."
Joey jumped back at the tone of his voice, not even when he yelled not that he did that very often, did his voice have that strange lilt to it, like he was hysterical and from the looks in his eyes, and she was beginning to think he was. "Dawson calm down."
"Calm down, you tell that you've been sleeping around and then you tell me to calm down." Dawson began pacing the space in front of her mother's grave, constantly sweeping his hair thought his hair. "This isn't possible, damn Pacey."
" Dawson this isn't about Pacey."
"Yes it is." Dawson came closer to her and too her hand." Don't you see Joey, this is just Pacey trying take something from me cause he wants what's mine." " He's jealous of me, he always has been, he's the screw up, the town joke, and he die in this town, while I'll……." He tried to cup her cheek, but she moved away." You and I will leave, and do greater things they he could ever dream of."
"How you have called him your friend if you feel this way." Joey asked stunned, she knew that Dawson had consider Pacey a slacker, but she always thought that like her , he knew that Pacey just wasn't trying, not that he wasn't capable. "He's been there for you so often, always had your back."
"Yeah just within stabbing reach."
"Pacey is one of the kindest men I know, he's not a backstabber, he doesn't even lye."
"See, he's got you fooled, you think he's this great guy, but he's not Joey, he wanted one thing from you and now that he's got it where is he now?" Dawson backed up and made a sweeping gesture of the cemetery, and then pot to her eyes." Why are you here crying about being alone here at your mother's graveside, if Pacey is so wonderful?"
"Just because we're having problems right now doesn't mean that he's not still my friend, that we don't still love each other no matter what."
"YOU DON'T LOVE HIM, YOU LOVE ME."
They parked their cars down the road from the cemetery, and found that parked just outside the gates of the Cemetery was a rental car. John stopped his sons. "Okay I think it's safe to assume that's Leery's car."
"What we do is……"
"YOU DON'T LOVE HIM, YOU LOVE ME."
The shout made Pacey and Doug takes off running but John was quick enough to catch his sons." Calm down, do this with caution, we don't want Joey hurt, Doug you take the right and call back up, Pacey you go left, we'll triangulate, just in case." I'm going to see if can talk him down from this but make no sudden movements, we don't want Joey hurt." He let them go, and headed through the entrance.
That was when he saw them Joey was standing behind her mothers grave using as a shield , as Leery was pacing and talking making waving notions with his hands. The look in his eyes, even from the twenty feet that separated them, he could see Dawson eyes looked crazed. He kept walking careful not to make too much noise and stopped with about three feet of them. "Good afternoon Kids." Joey turned and gave a sigh of relief when she saw John Witter and began moving towards him, he gave her a small smile, before he turned he gaze Dawson. "Dawson I've been looking for you, according to your parents you're supposed to be in school."
"With all due respect Sheriff." Dawson said with distain." This is a private conversation between Joey and myself, I'll my father know where I am when I done."
"Actually is it, cause Bessie's getting worried about her sister out here in the cold and sent me to get her, so I think you're done now." John moved closer and made a move to reach for Joey, when he heard a click that stopped his heart.
He turned and looked and clenched his jaw, some how he just knew that Dawson wasn't stupid enough to be carrying a weapon, but as he saw the small revolver, he shook his head. He was wrong Dawson Leery was all kinds of stupid. "Now Dawson there's no reason for that."
"No reason, I know what you're doing; you're trying to keep Joey from me." Dawson said pointing the gun at John." Don't think I don't understand what's happening here, your son Pacey is embarrassment, don't get me wrong I understand, it was hard to be his friend for so long, the way he attracted trouble, but don't think because I understand I'm going to let keep your families self-respect by allowing you to let him tie himself to Joey."
John shook his head and narrowed his eyes." Let me get this straight, I'm trying to keep you from Joey so that Pacey can become respectable by dating Joey." John looks at Joey but she quickly shakes her head, herself unfamiliar with the newest script being played out in Dawson's head. "Okay here's the thing Leery, I'm here because Joey doesn't want anything to do with you, and I'm here to make sure you stay away from her, nothing else, no other purpose."
"Except that Joey doesn't want that."
"Really." John asked nodding and noticed that Doug was coming up on Leery's right, and Pacey was far behind on the other side of the man, he just needed to keep him talk and make sure he stayed calm." Why don't we ask Joey?"
"Cause she's lying now."
"Why would she lye, Dawson."
"Cause Pacey got her believing that he cares about her, but it's not true." He looked at Joey pleading shaking his head." It's not true Joey; he doesn't care for you, not like I do." "People are telling her not to trust me, to trust him, and their wrong, THEIR ALL WRONG."
"Oh. Dawson how long has this been going on, this people, how long have they been turning Joey against you."
"It doesn't matter what matters is that I know what they're doing and I won't let them, not anymore."
"Okay Dawson, this isn't how you go about stopping them. This is playing into theirs hands," The blonde shakes his head no, but John nods." Yes, cause look at Joey." Dawson looks at her noticing how scared she looks, she shaking a little and there are tears building in her brown eyes. "She's afraid of you, you walked right into their plan, because you're coming off as everything they've been telling her." "If you don't want them to win then you need to put the gun down."
"No, I'm not stupid Sheriff; I know you're one of them." "You want to me out of the picture, so your loser son, can steal Joey from me."
"I'm not with you, Dawson." Joey spoke for the first time in minutes and drew the men's' attention to her." And it's my choice, I'm not being controlled or lead by anyone, I just don't want you."
"You don't mean that.' Dawson faced tightened and tears began to run down his face." You love me."
"I love Pacey."
John saw Dawson hand clench the gun tighter, and made a slight motion with his head, before he grabbed Joey and threw her to the ground cover her body with his own, as he heard his sons tussled with Dawson , right before he heard the loud bang of a gun shot followed by a deadly silence.