What Can I Do? by Becci Wooster
Part One in the Series
Rating: Pg 13
Beta Reader - Angie
Disclaimer - I am in no way connected with the show. This is only a
fanfic, and I am making no profits. Yadda Yadda Yadda! The title comes
from an excellent song by the Corrs. They don’t belong to me either.
Spoilers - I’m guessing that if you’re reading this, you’ve seen the
episodes. There may be references to any of them here.
Summary - It’s their ten year reunion! Not original, I know, but I have
some great ideas. I came up with two ideas for Joey, so I had to give
one to Jen. Just as well, ‘cause I find it hard to write about her. Oh,
by the way, the words to the song after which this is named are below
the story. Just in case you’re interested!
Jen Lindly put a protective hand on her tummy after struggling to get
out of her car. Taking a deep breath, she looked up. There was Dawson’s
house. It looked just the same. It had been 10 years since she had seen
it, but it felt like a lifetime. So much had happened. She and her three
best friends were 28 now, and Jen for one was just as clueless as ever.
Still making stupid mistakes. But she had to stop making them now. She
was eight months pregnant with her first child. She’d left Capeside to
go to college, and hadn’t returned once, until now. She’d spent her
vacations at her family home in New York. After gaining her degree in
Art History, she had met the man of her dreams. They’d been together for
five years. Then she’d found out she was pregnant. She’d told him, and
he’d told her he was sleeping with her best friend. She’d cried a lot,
then eventually pulled herself together. And now, she was going to her
high school reunion. She wanted to be surrounded by people who knew her,
not people who could betray and hurt her so much. She’d received a
letter from Dawson a few weeks to stay a week at his house for the
reunion. Her grandmother had passed away a few years ago, so she had
accepted. And now here she was, ready to meet those that she saw rarely
and heard from infrequently. She knew that the other three shared an
apartment in Boston, but little else. She locked her car door, and
walked towards the door of Dawson’s large house. She took a deep breath
before knocking.
Pacey Witter jumped at the sound of the door being knocked. He silently
scoffed at himself for being such a wimp, and made his way towards the
door. He had been watching Scream 6, the most recent addition to the
series of movies. It was just as good as the first one, and accounted
for him jumping. He too had been invited to stay at Dawson’s, and the
two of them had arrived yesterday. Pacey had worked hard after dating
Andie. She had the energy to get him motivated, and he had been accepted
by three universities. He had accepted a place at the one that Dawson
had decided on. The two of them had been roommates, and it was natural
for them to live together after. Joey had gone to a university just an
hour’s drive away, and they had stayed close. The three of them rented
an apartment in Boston now, and he was happy. His degree in English
meant he now had a good job, and he dated a lot. He had found love a few
times, but every time, the flame died out. He opened the door to find a
rather hot and bothered young woman. He recognised her immediately.
Jen’s face lit up into a perfect smile when the door opened and Pacey
appeared.
"Hey, Jen!" he said, hugging her as best he could with her huge bump.
"When did you get so fat?" he teased.
"Ha ha," she replied good naturedly. "I see you haven’t changed at all."
"Seriously, when did this happen?" he asked.
"About eight months ago," Jen informed him. "And soon after, Jim left
me."
"Oh, Jen! I’m so sorry," Pacey apologised.
"Don’t worry. It was for the best," Jen continued, not wanting to
linger. "So, can I come in, or am I banished from the house?"
"Of course, come in. Do you want to sit down?" he asked. Jen smiled.
"No, but could you carry in my bags? And I could do with a cold drink,"
she added as an after thought. Pacey obediently went out to her car. He
carried the four bags in without any problems. He led Jen into the
kitchen, and began to get her a drink.
"So, where is everyone?" Jen asked.
"Mitch and Gail are out somewhere, and Dawson’s in Boston picking up Joey from the airport," Pacey told her.
"I thought Joey lived with you?" Jen asked, surprised.
"Oh, she does. She went to France on this two week long trip. That was
back in June. She phoned us to tell us she was staying for an extra
month. She’s coming back today for the reunion tomorrow," Pacey
explained.
"Are her and Dawson a thing?" Jen asked.
"No. Not since college," Pacey corrected. "They’re just friends." Jen
nodded, and began to drink the cold drink that had left a water circle
on the counter.
Dawson Leery looked at his watch for the millionth time in the past five
minutes. Where was she? People had begun to pour out of the gate where
she had been flown to, yet she had not appeared. Then, just as he went
to look again at the time, he saw her familiar brown head bobbing behind
a couple. The couple moved away, and she saw him. She ran towards him,
and they embraced.
"Hey, I missed you," he said truthfully. "Six weeks is a long time."
"I’m sorry, I got carried away," she explained. "I missed you too."
"Where are your bags?" Dawson asked, noticing she was empty handed.
"David’s bringing them with his," she said, smiling.
"Who’s David?"
"A guy I met out there," she explained. "He’s the reason I stayed for so
long. He’s from New York, and he’s so nice! We met at this café by the
river, and we clicked. He’s staying here for a bit, to go to the reunion
with me. Then, we’re gonna try and see each other as much as possible."
"Isn’t this kinda sudden?" Dawson asked, shocked. The two of them had
dated, but they tended to set each other up. Neither had had a serious
relationship.
"Not really," Joey said. "It’s Ok for him to stay at your house, isn’t
it? He’s only here for three days, counting today."
"I guess," Dawson said thoughtfully. "It’s kinda a full house though."
"Well, Jen and Pacey are gonna have the spare rooms, right? I’m sleeping
in your room, and you have the sofa. David can share your bed with me."
"I’m not sure mom and dad will like that," Dawson warned. "They wouldn’t
let us," he remembered.
"Well I’ll stay at Bessie’s or something," she said. "Oh! Look, there he
is!" Joey went racing off towards a man. He was in his early forties,
and his hair was a light shade of grey. She ran up to him and kissed him
deeply. Dawson watched open mouthed as David wrapped his arms around
Joey’s waist and placed one hand on her buttock.
Dawson put down Joey’s bags and stood up. He turned towards the open
door, to see Joey yet again in David’s embrace. He cleared his throat,
and they jumped apart. Joey’s face flushed a light shade of pink.
"I guess Jen must be here, too," Dawson announced. He led Joey and David
into the living room. Sure enough, there she was, the picture of health.
"You know it’s the old guy’s grandson who’s the murderer," he called
out.
"Damn, Dawson! Why must you always ruin every movie?" Pacey yelled.
Then, noticing Joey and David, he stood up. "Hey, Jo. Good to see you
again. How was France?" he asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"Hey, Pacey. Hi, Jen! Look at you! you must be eight months now, you’re
absolutely beautiful!" Joey babbled in a single breath. Jen struggled,
and finally got to her feet.
"Come here, then!" she commanded. Joey ran over to her, and hugged her.
David cleared his throat, and gained Joey’s attention. She walked back
over to him, and put her arm around his waist.
"This is David, everyone. David, this is Pacey and Jen, my other best
friends," she added. "David and I met in France," she explained.
"Well, hello David," Pacey said, extending his arm. David took his hand
and shook it.
"I’ve heard a lot about you," he said.
"Don’t believe a word of it," Pacey joked, smiling at Joey.
"What? My little Josie tells lies?" David asked, smiling. Dawson
muttered something unrepeatable under his breath.
A few hours later, David was charming Joey, Pacey and Jen with his
stories, when a phone began to ring. David reached into his pocket, and
pulled out a mobile phone. He pressed a button, and began to talk. A few
moments later, he put it away again.
"Who was it?" Joey asked him.
"The school. Rachel’s had an accident. She broke her leg, and is in
hospital," David said. "I need to go."
"Can I come with you? What should I do?" Joey asked.
"No, you stay here. Your first reunion is much better than the second,"
he advised. "I’ll go. I’ll phone you when you’re back in Boston, OK?"
"OK. I’ll miss you," she said sadly. They both stood up, and David
pulled her in for a deep kiss. They pulled away when they realised there
were three sets of eyes on them.
"I’ll phone you, OK?" David said. Joey nodded. She showed him towards
the door, shutting it behind him. She sighed, and then returned to the
living room.
"Joey, who’s Rachel?" Jen asked.
"His daughter. She’s 17 and is in a boarding school," Joey said, sitting
down in an empty seat.
"OK, so this guy’s had two school reunions, has a 17 year old daughter
and you’re going out with him?" Dawson asked.
"Yeah. What’s the problem?" Joey asked, angry. Pacey screwed his face
up. They were about to have the inevitable fight that happens when
people are protective towards each other.
"Jo, you hardly know the guy! I assume you’re sleeping with him?" Dawson
asked.
"Yes, I am. How does it concern you?" she said, anger bubbling in the
pit of her stomach.
"Guys!" Jen screamed. "Can you please not fight over this right now? I
don’t need the added stress!" Joey and Dawson both turned to look at her
and apologised.
"I’m just not sure he’s right for you, Joey," Dawson explained.
"Well, who is? Luke? Mark? You?" Joey asked, getting louder with each
section. She got up and stormed off. Jen winced as the front door
slammed shut.
"Maybe I am," Dawson said quietly, yet both his friends heard it.
Joey ran her hands through her hair as she stood up. She had been sat on
the jetty for a full three hours now, thinking. It was time to go back
to Dawson’s house. She had stormed out, and rowed to Bessie’s house, but
no one was in. So she’d rowed to another place along the creek. She
thought long and hard, and then began to return in the rickety old boat.
God, Dawson was so infuriating! She’d tried to move on from him, but in
that one moment when he’d showed he cared about who she was seeing,
she’d fallen for him all over again. She liked David. But he was 43. Not
really her type, but he was handsome. He knew so much more than her, and
she’d stuck to him like glue. But Dawson was right. He was too old. And
his daughter wasn’t that much younger than her. So what now? Back to
living with Pacey and Dawson. It was so hard to be that close to him,
and not being able to kiss him just once. But she knew that he didn’t
care for her like that anymore…
Dawson was worried. Joey had been gone almost four hours now. He’d
phoned Bessie about an hour ago, but she hadn’t seen her. It was unlike
Joey to run away. Something must have happened. He felt a surge of panic
rise inside him. He loved her so much. What would he do if anything
happened to her? It was so hard to live with her, and not tell her how
he felt, or kiss her wonderful loving lips. He wanted to be that close
to her again. He wanted to lie next to her, watching her breath. He had
long ago forgiven her for their break-up in university. He loved her too
much to hold a grudge. But he knew she didn’t feel the same way about
him…
Dawson stood up and ran into the hallway as soon as he heard the door
open. Sure enough, it was Joey returning.
"Joey! I was worried!" he exclaimed.
"Well, I’m OK," she replied coolly.
"Where did you go?"
"I’m back, all right? I don’t have to explain myself to you, Dawson,"
she returned. She started to climb the stairs, and turned round quickly.
Dawson expected another sound-bite, but instead she smiled at him. "I’m
sorry." She turned around again, and went upstairs. Dawson smiled
warmly.
Jen smiled to herself as she looked around the dinner table. It was so
comfortable and familiar. Mr and Mrs Leery sat next to each other,
opposite Dawson and Joey. Pacey sat next to Gail, and Jen was sat by
Joey. It was like old times. The discussion revolved around the film
that Dawson was working on. Filming had just begun. It was a low budget
movie, but a step in the right direction for the budding director. He
had a degree in film, and his career was beginning to take off. Gail,
Mitch and Jen all sat enthralled as Dawson described the plot. Joey
threw in the occasional criticism or comment. Pacey threw in the remarks
against Joey.
"Well, it sounds great to me," Jen added. Dawson smiled at her.
"Great! His head gets even bigger!" Joey exclaimed.
"Yet not as big as yours," Pacey joked. Joey kicked him under the table.
"So, I know Dawson’s the director, and Pacey’s the publishing assistant.
"What is the great Josephine doing?" Jen asked. She was enjoying the
conversation immensely. She had hardly spoken to these people since they
had left college.
"Well, by career, I’m in advertising," Joey explained. "But I still
paint and I write on the side. Which brings me to an announcement… I got
my novel accepted!" Joey smiled. A round of congratulations followed,
and Dawson hugged her, kissing the top of her head.
"See? I told you! It’s so good, and it’s not just me who thinks so!" he
shouted.
"You did it without my influence?" Pacey asked, pretending to be hurt.
"Exactly. I wanted to say it was my book, not my friend," Joey
explained. I need to revise it slightly, but it’s due for publication in
a few months!"
"Congratulations, honey!" Gail said, smiling proudly. "You deserve every
success!"
"Enough about me," Joey said modestly. "What about you, Jen?"
"Well, I was teaching seventh grade until last month," Jen explained. "I
hope to go back after I have the baby, but I don’t know yet."
"That’s great, but why seventh grade?" Pacey asked.
"Because that’s when a kid’s life starts to change. I’d like to think I
can stop some mistakes being made," Jen said, deep in thought. A silence
followed. Each of Dawson’s friends were thinking about their time in
seventh grade. Jen had started to get drunk, and had lost her virginity.
That was the year her childhood had ended. Pacey had been beaten by his
father for failing a test. That was the year that his childhood ended.
Joey had lost her mother, the closest person to her. She could still
feel the pain of watching her withered body waste away. Her childhood
had ended that year. A single tear fell down her cheek, noticed only by
Dawson. She stood up, embarrassed.
"Excuse me," she apologised before bolting from the room. Curious faces
peered at Dawson. He stood up too.
"Her mother died when we were in seventh grade," he informed them. Then
he followed her upstairs to his room.
"Oh, God! I didn’t realise!" Jen said, regretting her words.
Dawson walked up to Joey, and slid his arms around her waist. She was in
his room, looking out of the window with her back towards him. As she
relaxed into his arms, she started to sob.
"Shh…it’s Ok, Jo. I’m here for you," Dawson said soothingly.
"I still miss her. I wish she was here now. I need her, Dawson. Even
more now than when we were kids," Joey said, trying to regain her
composure.
"I know, Joey. But you have me and Pacey. We’ll never leave you." Joey
turned, and stepped back a short distance, so she could look at Dawson.
She smiled sadly, and shook her head.
"No. One day you’ll be gone. I’ll be alone."
"That’s not true, Jo. We’re gonna move on together. Me and my movies.
You and your books. We’re gonna take the world by storm. Just you wait!"
Joey looked at him again. His eyes were honest and he smiled at her. She
shrugged.
"It’s been 10 years, Dawson. It hasn’t happened yet." She sat down on
the bed, and he followed suit.
"Can you remember graduation?" Dawson asked.
"10 years today," Joey acknowledged.
"You looked wonderful that night Joey, but not as wonderful as I know
you’re gonna look tomorrow. You’re gonna walk into that gym, and be able
to tell all those people that you are somebody. And you did it all by
yourself. Something that I can’t say, because you have always helped me..
Every time I’ve doubted, or been frightened, you’ve been there. And I’ll
always be there for you too." He paused, and looked into Joey’s eyes.
They were filled with tears.
"I’m tired Dawson. Jet lag or whatever. I need to sleep." Dawson nodded.
"I know. I’ll leave you now. But remember, you mean everything to me.
I’m happy when you’re with me." Joey smiled again. She leaned close to
him, and kissed him on his lips. It was a kiss of friendship,
understanding and of love. After a few moments, she pulled away, and
laid back on the bed. Dawson pulled the covers over her, and left the
room. He shut the door, and paused, remembering the feel of his lips on
hers. He smiled, and went back downstairs.
Bessie opened the door, flustered. As the mother of a 13 year old boy
and a 9 year old girl who hated each other, she was busy that morning.
Bodie, her husband, was out of town, and she had about a million things
to do. She was about to yell, when she realised who the person on her
doorstep was.
"Joey! Come in! God, you look great, I hate you!" Bessie said in one
breath. Joey smiled.
"Hey, Bess. I’m not disturbing you, am I?" Joey asked, hugging her older
sister.
"No, of course not. Come in!" Bessie cried, happy to have adult
conversation. A few minutes later, the sisters were in the kitchen with
coffee.
"Well, he’s really nice, but I’m not so sure now…" Joey trailed off,
explaining her feelings toward David.
"Why?" Bessie asked, although she knew the answer.
"I don’t know. In France, it was exciting. But maybe it was just a
holiday romance. As soon as I was talking about him to Dawson, Jen and
Pacey, I couldn’t see the attraction. Dawson hated him, and the other
thought I was mad!"
"Does Dawson’s opinion matter to you?" Bessie probed.
"No! Well…yeah, it does. It shouldn’t, but it does," she admitted.
"You love him, Joey. You’re 28. You need to make a move," Bessie
advised.
"I can’t! He’s my roommate! Plus, we’re friends again. Finally. I can’t
ruin that again!" Joey protested. She sighed, and ran her hands through
her hair.
"If you insist, but he loves you too, Joey. I can see it, why can’t
you?"
So? What did you think? Please tell me! I’m in the middle of my Mock
GCSEs, and this is my excuse for not revising! I need feedback! Part two
is coming soon.
