So because I couldn't figure out what time line the writers of the show are using, I cemented my own time line i'm sticking to. Season one is Aug of 98' to Dec 98' of Sophomore year. Season two is going to be Dec 98' to May of 98' Any birthdates that I cant figure out, I will decide for myself. Also I have to say the way Bodie and Alexander are described irritate me some. I guess that for 20 years ago in small mostly white suburban town it was normal, but I live in Phoenix AZ in the 2020, and in my neighborhood, as a white woman I am the minority. So I may change up how somethings are said, because why not.

Ava had started on all that she needed to. She had taken a shift for someone else at the Icehouse the night before successfully missing out on the awkward conversation Joey had originally created. She planned to avoid as many sleepover's at Dawson's as she could in the future, eventually stopping them all together. Today when Jen had arrived, Ava had been friendly, welcoming her to town. Ava had left right after the filming for the day ended due to Dawson and Pacey heading to work. She waited till Dowson and Pacey were supposed to be gone, then headed back over to use the computer in his room on the painfully slow dial up. She could not wait for wifi to become the new normal. She had built a couple firewalls around the ip address and hidden the location of said address, and made it appear like it was located somewhere else, then she proceeded to hack into some little know banks in countries that people would normally try and hide money in. After about an hour she found what she was looking for. In one of her previous lives she had become a cyber agent with one of the initial agencies, and she had gotten good at finding the hidden accounts. Luckily for her at least one of those bad guys she had caught in that life existed in other lives she had lived… well the ones that were in the same time period. There had been a couple lives in different time periods, those adjustment had not been as easy to make.

After funneling the funds, she needed into a hidden account she controlled, she had gotten in and increased the amount on the insurance on the Icehouse, creating a second one under Lilly Potters name and had successfully been able to make it look like Lilly had opened it before she died. She arranged a prize that would be won by the Potters, maybe she could talk Bessie building her a room before the insurance money comes in. Once she had completed that she had erased any traces of what she had done or that she had even been on the computer in the first place. Ava made her way back to the Potter house without any one being aware that she had been anywhere else. She then made her way to the rental store to let Dawson know she would not be over for a movie that night because she had to cover at the restaurant once again.

It was Monday and Ava was walking out of the classroom with Jen right beside her, headed to the lunchroom.

"Hey Joey. Um, can I ask you something kinda up front?" Jen starts.

Ava remembers how this conversation was going to go. "Sure." She responds.

"Are you and Dawson a thing?"

"No, were just friends." She says shaking her head.

"Like wer're going to be, I hope." Ava smiles and nods in agreement as they continue to walk down the hall. "You know, my grams warned me about you, she says you're severely troubled." Jen says with a slight smile on her face.

"Doesn't surprise me." Ava said instead of insulting grams like she knew Joey had done in the show.

"Why does she rag on you?"

"Pick a topic. There's my dad, the imprisoned convict, or my sister, impregnated by her black boyfriend-"

"Your father's in prison?" Jen interrupted.

"Conspiracy to traffic marijuana in excess of 10.000 pounds." She explained shrugging.

"Wow, um, so then where's your mother?"

"She died about two years ago, Cancer." Ava explained once again changing the script just slightly.

"So then you live with your sister?" Jen asks continuing with her quest to get to know Joey better.

"Yup, and the boyfriend." She nodded.

"What about you, back in Ney York did you live with both your parents?" Ava asked Jen.

"Yup both mom and dad, dad works too much, and mom is always involved in one social event or another." Jen answered.

"So how long you think you'll be banished to boring Capeside? A couple months, a year, all of high school?"

"What makes you think I was banished?"

"Nothing, I just can't imagine anyone choosing to live here over New York is all." Ava assured her.

"Not really sure how long I'll be here, at least for the school year." Jen said as they walked into the lunchroom and got into line to get food.

"Good, I could really use an actual girl for a friend. I gotta tell you having two hetero guys as your best friends is not always healthy for a girls, well… girliness." Ava said smiling at Jen. "Leaves no one to talk to about boys." Jen smiled back as they moved along.

As they sat Dawson took the seat next to Jen and handed his script to Ava to look over. He and Jen started their little create a story game. Ava handed the papers to Jen. "You should look over his script maybe you can punch up his dialog." And then she turned to her lunch tray and ate, making conversation with both Jen and Dawson.

The end of the school day brought Ava walking home, when she heard her Dawson calling to her. "Hey Joey. I need a favor." He says as he pulls his bike up alongside her, he jumps off to walk with her as they talk. "Uh-oh." She says already knowing what's coming.

"I have a semi quasi date with Jen tonight. We're going to the movies with Pacey and I need you to come with us."

"I would rather go down in a plane crash." She quips back knowing she isn't supposed to like Pacey yet, that she isn't supposed to want to go with them.

"C'mon it's gonna be really weird, just two guys and Jen. You would even it out."

"Fine, but just so that Jen won't feel uncomfortable." She concedes faster than Dawson thought she would be, judging by the surprised look on his face. It quickly morphed to one of happiness and exactment as he pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Thank you you're the best." He releases her. "I'll see you later." He says as he rides off.

She hadn't changed her outfit, but she had brushed out her hair, still thinking about changing it somehow. As she walked out the door Bessie had caught her and put some lipstick on her, before handing it to her advising how to use it. Bodie looking on, a small smile on his face. Ava had thanked her before rushing off to row herself over to Dawson's where they were all meeting to walk over to the theater.

They were walking along the sidewalk to the theater, Jen and Dawson in front and Ava walked next to Pacey. He seemed only half interested in what Dawson and Jen were talking about, but he had changed clothes.

"So, do you plan on staying the whole school year?" Dawson asked Jen.

"Well, that depends on my Grams really, and my mom and dad." She answered before turning to me in an attempt to change the conversations. "Hey Joey, I really love your lipstick, what shade is it?" She asks me.

"Thanks, it's wicked red." I answer her. "Oh maybe you could help me, I was thinking of changing my hair, what do you think I should do?" Jen looked at her for a moment contemplating. "Maybe you should cut it, I think that would look wickedly cute on you." She answered with a smile.

"Thanks, I'll think about that."

"Why would you want to change your hair Jo?" Dawson asks confused.

"Just something I've been thinking about lately." She answered, falling back to walk beside Pacey again, she then bumped her hip into his to draw him into the conversation, he had hardly said anything the whole walk over. "So, what's this hormonal mission Dawson said that you're on, prompting this night at the movies?" She asked him in a voice that only he could hear. She wondered if he would explain anything to her.

"And look we're here." Pacey says as they reach the theater, avoiding the question as he walks a bit faster to the ticket window.

They purchase tickets and walk in Pacey sitting first then Ava followed him in, Jen walked into the row after her and Dawson was the last to sit. Pacey immediately started looking around. "Back in a bit." He says as he stands up rushing from the row. Ava watches him as the lights go down in the theater, shaking her head slightly as she sees him approach Tamara. From the corner of her eye she sees Dawson reach over and hold Jens hand. After a couple of moments, she watches as Pacey gets punched in the face falling backwards on other movie goers. They didn't end up staying very long after that. She dragged pacey to the Icehouse to get some ice to put on his eye, al he had been willing to say about getting punched was that it had been a misunderstanding.

As she laid in her bed that night, she thought of the changes she had already started. There was no fight between Joey and Dawson, they hadn't started talking about sex or hormones. She felt she was starting off on a better foot with Jen, and there was a small chance that by dragging Pacey to get ice rather than letting him wander he doesn't run into Tamara. And she didn't see Gale kissing Bob. She knows about the affair, but she hasn't seen anything, while she doesn't condone cheating, it's not her place to tell anyone about anything or how they should live their life. She hopes that she is creating enough space between Dawson and herself, and by not bringing up any awkward conversations maybe she won't create any awkward drawn-out subtext between them.