The Unseen Obstacle CH.39

I Disclaim

Joey bolts up from her bed, and searches blindly for her surroundings, and relaxes when she recognizes her bedroom, and begins to wonder how she got there.

"John Witter brought you home." Joey turned and gave a slight jump Bodie was sited in the corner chair of her room, watching over her, he gave her a small smile, and stood moving over to the edge to the bed." How are you doing?"

"I don't know." Joey shook her head, and gave him a sad look." There's no chance that I dreamt that, huh?"

"Sorry Jo-Jo, no." He leaned over and kissed her forehead, and moved toward the door." I'll make you something to eat, you must be starved."

"Thanks Bodie." Joey fell back against her bed and tried to find some comfort in the silence but she couldn't it was all coming back to her. Her and Pacey's break up on the dock, the conversation with Jack at Gram's house, and finally the showdown at the cemetery with Dawson and the Witter's.

It sounded like some twisted old country feud, except Dawson seemed to be the only one aware of the fight and the reasons behind it.

"Don't you see Joey; this is just Pacey trying take something from me because he wants what's mine." " He's jealous of me, he always has been, he's the screw up, the town joke, and he'll die in this town, while I'll…….""You and I will leave, and do greater things than he could ever dreamt of."

"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."

It was hard to believe that someone she had once cared for could have been so forgone into insanity, but that's what it was Dawson had lost his mind somewhere between a romantic drama, and a conspiracy theory action film. And decided that Pacey was the villain in both pieces.

She shuts her eyes as she hears the gun go off in her head, she didn't remember much after that just John covering her with his body, before leaping up with his gun drawn. She heard sirens and police officers reading Dawson his rights.

She felt John take her hand and cover her with his coat, and pulling her away from the scene, and looking into Pacey's eyes briefly before his dad bundled her up into the squad car, and something else. It was just on the edge on the on her mind, something she was leaving out of the scene.

"Jo-Jo foods ready." Joey sighed and got up, she opened her door, and before she heard his voice she remember what was different about that scene at the cemetery.

Not just two pairs of Blues eyes, but three. John, Pacey and DOUG.

Doug Witter was back.

"I should have stayed in bed this morning."

Pacey sat in his Dad's office, for the first time he was not in trouble, no this time Dawson Leery was the cause for all the running around out in the squad room, he was just here to make sure the little psycho was leaving and that Joey was going to be safe.

"Pacey?" Gayle knocked on the door, before she opened it up and gave him an uncomfortable look." Hi, how are you?"

"I'm fine Mrs. Leery."

Gayle watched him closely, she didn't know what to say, this was Pacey, for a long time the only home he knew was theirs, and she loved him like she loved her own son, she could look into his eyes and still see that little boy limping towards her trying to act brave, as she dressed his wound. She had dozens of memories like that; God Joey Potter would beat that boy black and blue. "It's still just Gayle, Pacey."

"I don't think it's a good idea to call you by your first name, when at the earliest opportunity I'm going to testify against your son."

"Pacey I understand what you're doing, and I'm here to thank you." At his look of surprise, she walked further into the office, and sat down." You've always been a great friend to my son, and you're not failing in that job now, by testifying against him, Dawson needs help, and unfortunately Mitch and I were too absorbed in our own drama to see it, but you did and you kept him from hurting others and himself."

"We're no longer friends, this was about protecting Joey."

"I know that, and I thank you for that too, I do love like she was my own, just like I love you, I just wish my son could turned out half as well as you two did." She stood and reached over patting his hand." Take care of yourself, Pacey, and take care of Joey; you're all she has left of her childhood."

"Bye Gayle." Pacey watched her walk through the door toward Mitch, the male Leery was taking this much worse then his wife, but Pacey couldn't really blame him. Mitch Leery's world had rose and set on his family, his beautiful wife and perfect son, and now he had neither. He felt bad about it, for years Mitch had been the only man in is life he could depend on, and he felt somewhat responsible for the turn Dawson took.

"It's not your fault you know." John walked into his office and closed the door, and drew the blinds shutting out the madness of the squad room. "Dawson Leery spent too much time locked away in a world that wasn't real he was bound to let the lines get blurry." "If anything you and Joey keep him grounded for much longer then he would have been."

"This is a twist, something's gone wrong, and you're not blaming me, but then you've been acting real strange lately."

John shook his head and then threw up his thumb motioning for Pacey to get out of his chair." Still a damn know it all." He took the chair his son just vacated and looked at him." You know maybe I should apologize for riding you so much, calling you a loser and screw-up, but I don't think I'm going to." At his son's look of surprise he laughed." What for it seems to have worked hasn't it, I didn't encourage you, or smoother you and you're a somewhat responsible man, you're about to graduate, hell there are even colleges out there willing to put up with your mouth for four years, you've done more the okay with the ladies." "I'd say I did a good job."

"You've ignored me for half my life."

" Yeah well I was fully involved in Doug's and your sister, as about as involved as Mitch was with Film boy , and you see how all of them turned out, you're the only I don't have to worry about." John leaned forward on his desk and narrowed his eyes." Or do I?"

"What's that mean?"

"It means that Dawson Leery, is on his way to a sanitarium, and Joey Potter is sitting home all alone." He raised an eyebrow and gave a smirk." Well except for Douglas who went to get her statement and here you are, is it just me or does that seem like an odd arrangement."

"Joey, thank god, I was getting worried." Bessie took her sisters hand and dragged her into the kitchen were Doug was sipping some coffee and watching her from underneath his lashes. Her sister wrapped her in a hug and then proceeds to push her into a chair, as Bodie sat down a plate of food in front of her, a grilled cheese sandwich one of her favorites, she gave him a smile. "I was so worried about you, thank god for Doug and his Dad."

Joey notices how she intentionally leaves out Pacey's name, but doesn't do anything to correct her, she's too overloaded on everything to worry about her love life just right now. "Well don't worry anymore, I'm fine, and….. Well actually the only thing I confirm at this time is me so."

"Yeah." Bessie doesn't say anything about Dawson, but she could tell that her sisters thoughts on the 'film geek with a big forehead were unkind and most likely violent. "Well Doug's just here to get your statement, unless you're too tired, then he can come back tomorrow."

"No I'm fine." She took a bite out of her sandwich and finally met Doug's eyes, she couldn't really read them, but then he wasn't like Pacey, the younger Witter was an open book, he let you see his emotions and thoughts in his eyes, Doug was trained to hide things. "You want to talk outside."

"Sure." Doug got up and nodded at Bessie, and ignored the glare he received from Bodie, he didn't know what he had done but for some reason Bodie had taken an extreme dislike to him. He pulled on his coat and offered hers to her, afraid to let himself touch her.

"I'll be back soon." Joey and began leading Doug outside to the dock. "Okay so where should I begin."

"Uh… the scene at the cemetery will work for now; anything else we'll leave for the D.A. or lawyers to work out."

Joey nodded." Uh, I went to the cemetery to be closer to my mom, and work some things out, and I turned around and there he was, looking a little off, I asked what he was doing here and he said he had come for me." "He apologized …"

"For what?" Doug said taking out a notebook as he began writing.

"He said he didn't know what, whatever made me angry at him and was forcing me to 'punish him', his words." She shrugged." I don't know what happened it was like all our other conversation had been these past few months, me telling him what I want, him ignoring what I said, and telling me what I really mean." "He said I was confused, that I couldn't really be feeling what I was feeling, then he started telling me how he was going to be the father of my children and how he was my first everything, and I corrected him."

Doug stopped and looked at her sharply." Corrected him how?"

Joey gave a bitter laugh at the uncomfortable look on the deputy's face." Chill out Doug, I just told him that he was wrong and that title of father of my children was way out of his reach, and then he just snapped."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No." Although she would be washing the last traces of his touch away from his face for the next few days. "I managed to keep him at a distance, then John showed up and I think you know the rest."

"John?" Doug said as he closed his notebook with a raised eyebrow. "New development?"

"Yeah, they're have been several since your departure."

"Yeah I heard congratulations Bessie tells me Stanford is beating your door down."

"What can I say, I'm a hot commodity." She looked away from the creek and stared at him." Are we actually going to have this conversation or just skip around it, because if we are could we just jump in, the dance is tiring me out."

"What do I say Josephine."

"Don't call me Josephine." She said backing away from him slightly. "Josephine was someone you don't talk about anymore, you broke up with her, and you don't get to know her anymore."

"That's fair." He looked at her and this time she could clearly see regret in his eyes." I don't know what I could say to make this better or okay between us, but I do want you to know that even thought it ended badly, I don't regret what we had , because I truly did care for you."

"I know you did, and you did the right thing, obviously we wouldn't have worked, I mean first of all Bessie would have killed you, and dead is no way to began a relationship."

"Joey, about Pacey…."

"I love him, Doug." Joey looked at him and felt pangs of guilt for the admission, she didn't want to hurt him, and she could see the words did, but she also wasn't going to apologize to anyone for her feelings not anymore. She caught something in his eyes, and sighed." But why do I have a feeling that you knew that."

" You two where made for each other, and I think deep down everyone knew that, we've all just let other factors interfere with things that we know are basically written in stone." He gave her a sad smile." Let's consider our liaison as it were as a vacation from logic, we're two of the most logical and grounded people in Capeside, we're allowed a walk on the side of rebellion, and that was ours." They turned when they heard footsteps on the dock, and both froze when they recognized Pacey at the end of the dock. "Well I have everything I need, take care Joey."

"You too Doug."