Joey was seeing off Christine and Laura, outside her home.
"I'm sorry things didn't turn out better" Laura said
"We did the best we could" Joey admitted "I'm sure that Principal Green will land on his feet. Nikki too"
"You were amazing, Joey" Christine added "And I'm sure everyone appreciates your efforts"
The three of them hugged and then Christine and Laura finally got into the taxi. They waved goodbye and wondered if they'd see each other again.
Just then Bessie emerged from the house.
"Phone call, it's Dawson" she said
Dawson arrived home to see both his parents. This was unusual enough, but they were making out on the coffee table. It was a scene he'd unfortunately seen many times already. But that was before they separated.
"Dawson" Mitch said "Your mother and I need to have a talk with you"
"If this is about the birds and the bees, I already know and you're the last people I want to hear it from" Dawson replied
"Actually, its about us" Gail said "I lost my job and so, I'm moving back in for a while"
"A while?" Mitch wondered aloud
"Why don't you guys explain it to me when you get your stories straight?" Dawson was feeling increasingly awkward, and turned to leave
"Wait, there's actually something else we need to discuss, honey" Gail interjected
Pacey and Andie were approaching Dawson's house.
"So what's going on?" Andie inquired
"Dawson's Aunt Gwen. We're going to spend spring break at her place" Pacey replied, carrying quite a bit of luggage (Andie was carrying none)
"What about Jack and Jen?" It was Joey that had asked, having sneaked up behind them (at least that's what it felt like to Andie)
"They have other plans" Dawson said, emerging from the house
"Will, too" Pacey added
"And those are…?" Asked Joey
"I'll be working at Leery's Fresh Fish. I can't speak for Jack and Will though. Have fun guys" Jen said, emerging from her own house.
They drove off as Jen waved them goodbye.
She then went into the Leery house to chat to Mitch and Gail about her new job.
Along the way Andie asked "What's she like, your Aunt Gwen?"
"She's a very talented artist, she does yoga and... she lives life on her own terms" Joey replied
"Is she married?" Andie followed up
"She was once, to this uptight lawyer. She had this picture-perfect suburban life, and then she met Richard, who was this crazy, bearded painter about 20 years older than her. She left her husband for him and never looked back." Dawson explained
"We gonna get to meet this wife-stealing Picasso?" Pacey asked
"Unfortunately, their happily-ever-after only lasted a couple years. Richard died about a year ago of a heart attack." Dawson said
"Wow, that's sad" Andie replied
"I don't know. Isn't it better to have a short time with somebody you really love than a lifetime with somebody who's basically your roommate? Just a thought." Pacey suggested
"Have you ever worked as a waitress before?" Gail asked
"No, but I've seen Joey do it. How hard can it be?" Jen replied
"The main thing is to get the orders right. And be polite to the customers, no matter how much they annoy you" Gail explained
"Got it" Jen said, while wondering to herself if she hadn't chosen the wrong line of work (what would Daria do? she thought)
Dawson knocked on the door, but there was no answer. There was however very loud music coming from inside and the door was unlocked, so Dawson ventured inside.
Inside, Aunt Gwen was somehow painting and dancing to the music at the same time. Dawson tapped her on the shoulder.
"Come on in. Hello. Hello. Oh, Dawson, Baby, you made it!" Aunt Gwen said in an excited tone.
Turning her attention to the others "Hi! Mmm! Joey. How gorgeous did you turn out, Wow! And this must be Pacey."
"I see my reputation precedes me" Pacey replied confidently
"Actually, we've met before" Aunt Gwen explained
"We have?"
"Yeah. I wouldn't expect you to remember it. It was years ago at my sister's 4th of July picnic, and you were chasing this one around and teasing her mercilessly. And when i went to intervene, you said to me, 'hey, lady, step on my buzz, why don't ya?'"
"Ha, That sounds about right"
"Which would make you… Andie?"
"Yup, nice to meet you Aunt Gwen"
Will showed up to Leery's Fresh Fish to pick up Jen
"Hey Will. You're early, my shift doesn't end for another half hour" Jen said, kissing him
"Oh that's alright honey, we're not that busy" Gail insisted
"Are you sure?"
"You seem to have gotten the hang of things" Gail reassured her
"I guess so" Jen replied "See you tomorrow, Mrs Leery"
"Remember when we were that age?" Mitch asked, approaching Gail
"They have no idea what they're in for, do they?"
"Well, hopefully they'll do better than we did"
"You should talk to Andie" Joey said to Pacey, the two of them were the last ones awake and Dawson and Andie were asleep in the next room.
"About what?" Pacey was equal parts annoyed and curious at Joey's cryptic tone
"I just think the two of you should, you know, clear the air tomorrow"
"You don't want to give me a hint?"
"Just talk to her" Joey was quite firm this time
Upon entering the room, they saw that Andie and Dawson were sharing the double bed, leaving the floor to the two of them. Aunt Gwen hadn't thought too hard about sleeping arrangements. They'd need to talk to her about it tomorrow
The following day, Pacey and Andie went out to a local bar to play pool. Without any prior planning or intention, they managed to hustle some locals out of quite a bit of money. Quite an achievement and a testament to how well they could communicate without saying a word. However, Pacey didn't forget Joey's words and decided he would talk about it with Andie later tonight. This wasn't the right moment.
Dawson, Joey and Aunt Gwen were at a local store, shopping
"What are you lookin' for?" Aunt Gwen asked
"Something for my wall." Dawson explained
"Ah, which, as I recall correctly, is plastered in wall-to-wall movie posters. You know, somehow I don't think this is gonna go with that whole film geek aesthetic you've got goin' on."
"The posters are gone, actually. I took 'em all down."
"Amistad wasn't that bad, honey"
"Actually, I've been having crisis of faith" Dawson laughed awkwardly
"What do you mean?"
"Well...I guess I got tired of having this larger-than-life-dream to compensate for my smaller-than-life life."
"Okay. So... The movie posters are down. Film has lost its luster. And I am detecting a significant lack of...Smooching, hand-holding, general all-around cuddliness between the two of you? So...Come on. Tell me everything"
"Well, to make a long soap opera short, um, we got together…" Dawson began
"Which was so completely overwhelming that it forced me to retreat into this long, protracted period of soul searching." Joey continued
"Which sent me into a dizzying downward spiral of depression. And then I finally managed to get her back, but..."
"It was exceptionally bad timing. He discovered my dad was dealing drugs again, so I got angry and broke up with him. Then he interned with his mom in Phillie. And then he got back from summer vacation."
"The possibility of having my heart ripped out of my chest once again didn't sound as appealing as it once had, so I decided maybe it would be best just to be friends"
"Well, you've obviously skipped over a few things, but I have just one question. Why aren't the two of you together now?" Aunt Gwen asked
Neither of them had an answer
"Okay Will, why are we sitting out the front of my house instead of on a date?" Jen asked
"I haven't exactly told you why I'm in Capeside, have I?" Will said
"I guess not" Jen said, after thinking about it for a moment
"It's my dad, He's a jerk. He works at the factory. So, he's a total townie. Treats my mother like crap. Can't wait to get the hell away from him. I came to Capeside, because I just couldn't take it anymore. Had to get out of the house."
"Okay" Jen said, taking it all in
"But I might be going back. I've applied to Rawley Academy. It's a prestigious prep school. I should be able to get a scholarship. I'm hoping to start there next year" Will added
"This was your big secret?" Jen asked, doing her best to absorb all the information
"Well, one of them"
"And the other…?"
"Actually, we're going to need Jack for that"
"Jack, what does he have to do with anything?"
"Do you want to go inside and get him, or should I?"
"I'll do it" Jen said, somewhat concerned about where this was going
That evening at Karaoke (Aunt Gwen insisted) they all sang Louis, Louis together.
Andie sang Ooh Child by the Five Stairsteps
Pacey sang Wild Thing
Dawson and Joey (reluctantly) sang Daydream Believer (Which Aunt Gwen made a big deal of)
During the performance, Andie saw a look on Pacey's face. She didn't quite understand it, but she didn't like it.
"I'm going outside to get some fresh air" Pacey said, and then did just that
Andie went after him. Joey had an idea of what was about to happen. The others didn't.
"We're really doing this?" Jack asked incredulously
"We really are" Will insisted
"Doing what? I don't understand" Jen was starting to worry
"Jack and I have been, I don't even know how to put this into words" Will tried to explain
"Seeing each other behind my back" Jen offered
"No. Absolutely not" Jack insisted "We almost kissed once, but that's it. I swear" Jack insisted
"But you wanted to do more?" Jen was starting to understand
There was an awkward moment of silence
"Are you into guys?" Jen asked Will, and cringed inwardly at her choice of words
"No, Yes, I don't know. That's not the point. I mean, I suppose I'm attracted to people, rather than their gender" Will said, very unsure of himself
"And you're attracted to Jack?" Jen asked
"I suppose, but I know how close you two are, so I just wanted to be honest with you, before things got, um, out of hand"
"Why couldn't you two just sneak around behind my back, like normal people?" Jen asked, more annoyed than hurt
"You know why not" Jack insisted, finally realizing this was the right thing
"I don't want to screw things up for the two of you" Will insisted
"Its a bit late for that now" Jen said, beginning to calm down "But…
I appreciate your honesty, both of you. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone to think about this"
Jack went back inside the house and Will went into the Leery house, where he had been staying.
As Jack went back inside, he saw that Grams had been listening
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I'm sure the two of you will work this thing out" Grams assured her.
Jack didn't say anything, but his face showed this made him feel better.
Pacey was standing out the front of the house, when Andie came up behind him
"What's going on with you?" She asked
"What's going on with you?" he fired back
"What do you mean?"
"Ever since you got back, you've been different"
"Of course, I went through a very big, life altering experience"
"And..."
"And what?"
"What are you not telling me?"
"What makes you think I'm..."
"Because Joey said..." he trailed off
"Okay, I guess this had to come out sooner or later. Better that you hear it from me"
"Hear what"
"Promise you won't overreact?"
"Andie, just tell me what it is" he was becoming annoyed and impatient
"When I was at the mental hospital, I slept with someone, another patient. But it meant nothing. He meant nothing. I love you, Pacey. I just, really need you to tell me that it's alright and that you still love me"
Billie Myer's song Kiss The Rain begins to play
"Say something, Pacey"
Go away, Andie. I don't want to talk to you right now" he said with a cold rage
Andie turned and went back inside, seeing that Joey had been standing behind them
"I'll talk to him" Joey whispered to Andie as she passed her
"She still loves you Pacey" Joey insisted
"You know, maybe its good that the cats out of the bag. Maybe now I can get a secret off my chest. One I've been holding inside for months now"
He stepped closer to her.
"I really need to…
tell you…
about..."
The two of them moved closer and were about to kiss.
But then Joey put the brakes on.
"I knew" she said softly
"You knew?" Pacey replied angrily "For how long?"
"She told me when I visited her, just before her release"
"So, you've known this whole time and you didn't say anything?"
"It wasn't my place to tell you" Joey insisted
Pacey was shocked and hurt. He didn't know what do to.
"Just, go" Pacey finally said
Aunt Gwen was standing behind them
"So, about the sleeping arrangements..." She said, awkwardly
After Pacey calmed down, he decided to talk things out with Andie
"I'm sorry I overreacted" he said, climbing into bed with her
"And I'm sorry too" she admitted "I should have told you sooner"
"And…?"
"And I shouldn't have cheated on you" she conceded. Her tone was very apologetic.
"I think I can forgive you, in time" Pacey said, and the two of them went to sleep in each other's arms.
Dawson was half asleep, when Joey climbed into bed with him
"So I guess you got the short straw?" Dawson said jokingly, not entirely sure who it was he was now sharing a bed with
"I've been stupid and I never should have, you know, that whole thing with my dad. It totally wasn't your fault..." Joey was rambling
"Jo, is there any chance we could do this tomorrow?" he asked "I am way too tired for..."
And then she kissed him.
Mary Beth Maziarz' version of Daydream Believer plays
Both couples shared a bed that night, but neither had sex.
Upon waking up the next day, Joey chastised herself for acting rashly and emotionally.
Damn! what have I done, she thought to herself
Pacey however was beginning to realise he was in over his head.
What am I going to do now, he thought to himself
Both Pacey and Joey regretted their actions, but where did they go from there? It was a question neither could answer.