Epilogue - What the future brought

Pacey closed the door, throwing his keys over the coffee table, loosening his tie. It had been an exhausting day; all he wanted was a peaceful night. Something smelled good in the kitchen; he went there and peeked in the oven. Lasagna. Joey Potter had indeed improved her culinary skills over the years. She certainly wouldn't mind if he took just a bite from it.

"Pacey Witter, don't you dare." A grinning Joey yelled from the doorway.

"I was just verifying if it's eatable." He approached her, leaning in for a kiss. "How was your day, sweetie?"

"I finished my book," she answered frowning.

"What's the frown for?" Pacey asked his wife, following her to the small room converted into an office for them.

"Read it." She pointed to her still open laptop. "There's something missing."

Pacey sat on the armchair with Joey on his lap while he read the last words she typed. She had been working on this new book for almost six months now, and was always changing the twists and turns; nothing seemed to make her content with it.

"I don't know where the problem is, Jo. I think it's really beautiful, sweetheart."

"I'm not sure if it's credible that after five years apart they would get together that easily."

"You call that easily? You have to reconsider your definitions, baby." He kissed her forehead.

"Pace, this is serious, I don't wanna be considered a fluke," she pouted.

"Jo, you can't be considered a fluke on your third book." Pacey tightened his arms around her. "Why don't you go, take a shower, and relax a little? I can finish dinner."

"I have a better idea, why don't you come with me?" she cocked an eyebrow suggestively.

"Dinner will be cold." Pacey nuzzled her neck, kissing the sensitive spot below her ear.

"It won't be a first time." Joey held his face between her hands, kissing him soundly. "Let's go, Mr. Witter." She got up from his lap offering her hand.

"I'm right behind you, Mrs. Witter."

Joey leaned against Pacey's chest, bubbles covering them, a sweet scent coming from the bathtub. She sighed, enjoying the comfort while Pacey's hands rubbed her shoulders. He would drop a kiss here and there occasionally as they talked about their day.

"Hmmm...This is good, Pace," Joey muttered when his hands descended to her back.

"It can get even better," he whispered, lowering his hands a little bit more, grinning with her moan of pleasure. Joey turned her head so she could kiss him until they were both breathless.

A ringing phone startled them. Joey broke off the kiss, leaving the tub, hastily covering up herself with her towel to get it.

"If that is Jen Lindley calling, I'm gonna kill her with bare hands," Pacey mumbled. One thing that hadn't changed through the years: their friends' bad timing. Not having another choice, he also left the bathroom, wrapping a towel around his waist. Joey was animatedly chatting on the phone. Definitely Jen. When she noticed he was around, she quickly changed whatever was the subject.

"What's wrong with Jen this time?" he circled her waist, nuzzling her neck.

"Something about napkins that don't match the flowers. You know how she's been nervous about the wedding. Our soon-to-be Mrs. Drue Valentine is absolutely freaking out," Joey winked, her mind wandering.

How that happened, neither of them could tell. One day, Jen called from Capeside, where she had gone after graduation to work as a teacher at good ole Capeside High, saying that she and Drue were an item, and soon they were engaged. He was still the same ass, softened by the years, but he made Jen happy and was crazy about her. What else could a girl want?

Jack. Jack was currently living in San Francisco, quite smitten with a Hugh Jackman -like boyfriend and working as a TV reporter at a local station. His good looks and easy manner made his job easier, and many fans were disappointed to learn he was actually gay. Although he missed Jen fiercely, he had a life he could finally be proud of.

His sister, Andie never came back to US, except for occasional visits. Italy suited her, she worked as a PR, as she had predicted, for a famous Italian singer, who also happened to be her husband. Nice way to mix pleasure and business.

"Jo? You zoned out for a moment there, sweetheart," Pacey called, bringing her back of her reverie.

"Jen told me everyone is coming to the wedding and I realized how much I miss Jack and Andie," she sighed.

"Feeling lonely in the big city, kitten?" he teased, nibbling her earlobe.

They'd moved to New York five years before, fresh from graduation, Pacey had been admitted to Columbia for Law School and Joey started her meteoric writing career. Her books were loved by critics and public, and sold well. Pacey, on the other hand, was working his way into the DA office. Who would ever guess that, huh? Pacey Witter, juvenile delinquent extraordinaire, was now battling on the right side of the law.

"Never, I've got you," she smiled, her tongue peeking behind her teeth, her arms around his neck. "Where were we when Jen interrupted us?"

"Right here," he whispered against her skin, letting her towel slip to the floor.

Again, the telephone rang, interrupting the couple once more.

"Leave it, Pace," Joey whispered seductively. "Let the machine get it."

"Yep," he mumbled against her lips, slowly walking backwards to fall on the couch.

"Pacey? Joey? It's Doug, I've got something important to tell you guys, call me as soon as possible," they heard Doug's voice on the machine. They both started laughing.

"I think we should give up for now, sweetheart. Go call your brother and I'll finish dinner."

"I can't talk to Doug like this," Pacey pressed her against him to make his point.

"Think about your father walking in on us wearing your grandma's panties, that might help," Joey teased, getting off him, going to get dressed.

"On that thought, I think it won't be possible for me to come up with any seduction plans for the next month," he followed her to their room.

"Are you sure, Pace?" Joey asked, running a finger over his chest.

"To hell Dougie and his phone call," Pacey exclaimed, lifting her in his arms, carefully putting her on their bed, his lips on hers. "This is more important than anything else."

"Pacey? Are you still talking to Doug?" Joey called from the kitchen. When he didn't reply, she went to the living room, where her husband was seriously talking to his brother over the phone. He made a sign for her to wait as he finished the phone call.

Pacey hung up tired. He had some bad news and he was worried about how Joey would react to those. It had been a long time since they last heard from Dawson, but no time was enough whenever she remembered that day he'd tried to kill him.

"Pacey? What's wrong? Any problem with your parents?"

"No, Jo, they're ok," he sighed, putting his arms around her waist. "Doug called me to warn us that an old friend is back to Capeside."

"Dawson?" Joey shivered slightly. They knew he'd been out for a while now, but having him back in the Cape wasn't a reality she was prepared for. Not now.

"Yep," he kissed her forehead, holding her closer. "Doug said he hasn't done anything wrong, and apparently is clean, but Dougie thinks it's better for us to get a restraining order."

"Or we could just stay here," Joey sighed.

"And miss Jen's wedding? No way, we're not the wrong side here, sweetheart. And Dawson would be really dumb to try anything; I could get him back behind bars before he blinked an eye."

"All right, Mr. DA," Joey chuckled. "No need to get all worked up."

"I don't wanna you getting all worried, Jo."

"You know, I'm not letting Dawson Leery get on my nerves. I've got more important things to care about."

"Like?" Pacey kissed his way down her neck.

"Our dinner," she smiled. "That's going to need another reheat if you don't stop doing this."

"I'm doing nothing," his voice in an innocent tone, while his hands had found heir way under her shirt.

"God, Pacey, you're insatiable."

"Only when it comes to you," he whispered.

"I can live with that…but right now, we're going to eat," she caught one of his hands, dragging him to the kitchen.

Dawson wandered on the streets of Capeside, enjoying the summer breeze. He had gone to hell and back and a simple day became a precious thing to enjoy. Freedom, people didn't know how vital that was unless it was taken from them. It was his fault; he had fully accepted that, he couldn't blame others for his inability to deal with growing up and letting go.

He knew they'd be here this weekend, Capeside still was a small town, and the talk of day was the upcoming nuptials of Jen Lindley to Drue Valentine; the city expected the Witter couple to be there, after all, Joey'd become a famous writer, her name was now whispered with pride, the town conveniently forgetting how they'd treated her during her teenage years.

Jen bumped into the grumpy figure, taking more than a minute to realize who he was. She wanted to go away, it was awkward to meet him after so long. Dawson looked older than his years, life hadn't been easy to him, she knew it, but he also seemed peaceful, as she never had seen him before.

"I'm sorry, Dawson," she mumbled and started to walk away.

"Jen," he called and walked after her. Worried, Jen stopped, it was clear day, he wouldn't do anything against her. "Don't worry, I don't have any evil plan."

Jen tried to reason. "Dawson, I'm sorry, but I have errands to run."

"I don't wanna cause any problems, rest assured. I just want to know one thing: is she happy?"

"Yes, Dawson, she is," Jen told him, feeling sorry for her former friend. "They both are."

"Thanks, Jen. That's all I needed to know. If I ask you something would you do it?"

"What is it?"

"I'd like you to give this to them," he told her, handing over a worn out envelope.

"I'll do it, don't worry."

"Thanks, Jen, it means a lot to me," he said, walking away from her.

"Take care, Dawson," Jen whispered, turning the envelope in her hands. What did Dawson write in there?

Joey sat on her bed at the B&B, almost scared to open the envelope. Jen had given it to her this morning, and she was waiting for Pacey to come to bed to read it with him. It was disturbing to get anything from Dawson after so much time, and she couldn't shake the memories off. Good and bad ones.

Pacey entered the room, watching his wife's worried face as she played with that damned envelope. If it were for him, he'd burn it without second thoughts, but Joey wanted to read it, to see if it was possible to finally close that door in their past. In his heart, he already closed it, the day Dawson shot him, but he knew Joey still needed closure with the past.

"I could turn Drue into a widower before the ceremony after Jen gave you this," he said in a mock tone, sitting beside her.

"Pacey, please, Dawson already left town, as Doug told you, what harm can a letter do? Jen said he looked different."

"I'm not arguing about that, Jo, you know it, and for Dawson being changed, we fell for that more than a hundred times," he laid back on bed, bringing her to his arms. "What's bothering me is that you're worried and it's not good for you. Neither of you." He touched her still flat stomach, the secret they still kept from all their friends and family.

Joey smiled warmly, covering his hand with hers. They had been trying to have a baby for the past three years; they were almost losing faith it would happen naturally, when she went to a routine check up and almost choked when her doctor told her she was pregnant. And Pacey's expression when she told him was priceless.

Joey arrived home still speechless. If she hadn't seen it on the ultrasound scan, she wouldn't believe it either. She was about to ask about infertility treatments, and now there was no need for that. She sighed, wondering how she would tell Pacey.

"Hey, Jo, already home?" He asked, coming from the kitchen. "I thought you had a meeting with your editor today."

"I cancelled it," she explained, giving him a peck on his lips. "I wanted to come home early and stay with you."

"Is everything all right?" he asked, circling her waist.

"Yes, I'm just thinking about my doc's visit today," she replied unsure of how to tell him they were going to have a baby.

"Jo, sweetheart," he said worriedly, putting a finger under her chin to gaze into her eyes. "Don't tell me you're sick or something."

"Definitely not sick, Pace. But there's something about it we should discuss."

"You're scaring me here, sweetie."

"I asked her about our problem, you know, with conceiving and she told me she can't help us with that."

"We can't have babies, is that it?" he interrupted, frustration evident on his features.

"Nope, she can't help us with that because we already did it," she told him softly, waiting for his reaction.

Pacey stared at her in shock, and then realization started to kick in. "You are…I mean...we are…" he mumbled, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Joey nodded, grabbing his hands and putting over her stomach. "Yes, sweetheart, we're going to have a baby."

He cupped her face with his hands, his thumbs brushing her cheeks softly. "You've made me the happiest man alive."

"It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it," she joked, brushing her lips against his. "I love you, Pacey."

"We're going to have a baby," he said again, in awe, hugging her tightly and then dropping to his knees to kiss her navel. "Hello, baby."

"You're such a sap, Pace," Joey laughed, running her fingers through his hair as he kept placing kisses all over her stomach.

"A sap who loves you more than life itself," he replied, taking her lips with his. "And you too," he said, touching again her abdomen.

"Jo? Are you ready for this?" he asked, pointing the letter.

She simply nodded, and Pacey's arms circled her shoulders, bringing her as close as possible, as they both read Dawson's letter.

Joey and Pacey,

I know I can't send this letter, because I can't have your address, but there are things I have to say. I've made so many mistakes that it's hard to point the first one. But I know what was the most important one: I acted like a self absorbed ass most of time, if I had acknowledged that, I would never treat you, Joey, like a possession or you, Pacey, as a sidekick, usually kicked when you were at your worst. You were my friends, the best friends a person could ask for and I underestimated that. There are no excuses for my behavior, and I will not ask for forgiveness or show you I've been through redemption, we all know these only work in movies. Believe me, I know that. The only thing I ask is for you to remember me not as the crazy demented who shot Pacey, but as that boy who lived by the creek and dreamed about movies. I wish I had recognized what love story was real and true since the beginning. Who knows where we'd be now? I just hope you two will make justice to the true love story and have the happy ever after ending. I'll try to find my own story again, who knows, I might be able to dream again.

Good-bye,

Dawson.

Joey gave a sad chuckle as Pacey wiped a tear that slipped from her eyes.

"He always has to try to script everything, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, but you know one thing, Potter?" he kissed her forehead. "He's wrong about the happy ending."

"We got the happy ending," she said, snuggling closer.

"No, Josephine, we got the happy beginning of forever," Pacey replied, his lips descending on hers.

"Forever," Joey repeated, peace taking over her. She used to worry so much about the future, but she knew now that no matter what the future brought, she would overcome, with Pacey and their family by her side.

The end
Now I can really say good-bye to them.