Don't Forget to Remember by Ygrawn
Part 10 in the series
Once again, they were all assembled before Joey; even Alex, who had
gone down with Pacey, Joey dropping him off without being dressed. There
was little disgruntlement this time around at Joey's procrastination.
Pacey was too busy trying to keep Alex out of trouble and wondering
with new-found respect how Joey did it. Gail was too busy playing
mind-voodoo against Maureen because the witch had dared to call Mitch.
Mitch was too busy trying to distract Dawson, while artfully watching Gail
and knowing she was jealous.
Jen was on the phone talking to her grandmother who didn't believe
that Jen was about to travel in a limousine to the opening premiere of a
movie in a Givenchy dress. She was also trying to distract Dawson while
maintaining her conversation with her grandmother and like Mitch wasn't
succeeding.
Dawson himself was the object of extreme nervousness. He'd shredded
fourteen napkins, wrung his hands till they'd lost circulation, and tried
cracking his knuckles but that didn't work. He'd considered forcing himself
to vomit but felt repulsed by the thought. The smell of food made him wince
and his father and Jen's continued attempts to soothe him riled him. Right
now, he was considering ordering a bottle of tequila, drinking it and
passing out, but he remembered what had happened last time he'd been
seriously sloshed.
His hair that had been neat when he came downstairs was in disarray,
his bow tie crooked, his tuxedo chafing him. He could feel his stomach
liquidating on the spot and his liver and intestines were soon to follow but
he didn't think he could physically get up and go to the bathroom without
falling over and breaking something.
"Where's Joey?" he asked impatiently, breaking through one of his
father's story's, startling his mother, Pacey, his father, Jen and Alex who
were all sitting around, maddeningly calm in the face of his anxiety.
"She's coming," Jen said softly. "Her dress is a little hard to get
into. At least her hair and face is done." Gail, the only other female
nodded, fully aware of what truly dressing up entailed. She herself was in
a black dress, long to the ankle with a split up one leg. Her shoes were
also black and her hair was in its usual style.
She sat beside Jen who had scrubbed up beautifully, and even Pacey
had been surprised. Her dress was indeed Givenchy, a lovely rich red-brown
colour, short, to the point and wonderfully low. The man over the other
side of the bar was checking her out with great precision and he wasn't
alone. The hair woman had curled her hair, and instructed Jen not to move
for another hour. Jen hadn't complied but the effect was still the same.
"You should see her dress," Alex said, seated between Gail and
Pacey, the latter firmly holding the boy down for the fear he'd jump up and
start running around again.
"Yeah?" said Pacey with interest in his eyes. "Tell me about it,
Alex."
"Don't," said Jen in a firm voice. "Let it be a surprise. But if
she takes any longer you and I should go up and see what's happening."
"Okay," said Alex returning to his task of drawing on a menu.
Silence reigned as they all returned to their various tasks, Jen this
time making sure her admirers got a good look. She wasn't going to talk to
any of them, but a little entertainment couldn't hurt anybody. Pacey caught
on quickly and elbowed his flatmate.
"Jen," he said with irritation. "Don't lead men on. It's incredibly
nasty."
"Really?" asked Jen with an arched eyebrow. "If you're a good boy,
I won't lead you on."
"I can live without the distinction," Pacey replied wryly, trying
hard to ignore Jen's curved leg near his.
"You're looking along with the others," she pointed out, and Pacey
used Alex as his defence, returning to the boy and pretending he hadn't
heard Jen. "You'll keep Pacey, 'coz you can't run forever."
"Watch me," he muttered. He didn't like Jen like that, he just
liked women and he really liked blondes. Of course, every now and again
Joey's dark looks made his stomach drop, and his jaw hit the floor.
He looked impatiently around for Joey and then he saw her. He knew
for a fact that his mouth fell open and his tongue practically unrolled to
his feet.
"She's here," Pacey managed to say, and as a group, the five of them
followed Pacey's vision, but it was very hard to miss Joey. She cut through
the people in the lobby like a shark in water.
"Wow," Mitch exhaled, and then watched his son's reaction very
attentively.
Dawson was carefully taking in everything he could see and wondering
if it were possible for his trepidation to come back again. She had reached
them, and Dawson knew the others were talking but he couldn't.
It was green. A jade green, soft, and from the sheen on the material
he knew it was satin. It fell long like his mother's but that's where the
comparisons ended. Joey's split showed just about every inch of her long
legs, a few tiny millimetres at the top covered by the material. The split
fell open even as she stood still.
They were spaghetti straps and Dawson was glad he knew these things.
As the director of his film, he'd been in charge of costume and he'd learnt
a lot about clothing. Her glorious shoulders showed, the light shining on
the white skin, and dipping collarbones.
The neckline fell fairly low, but nothing like Jen's plunging front.
It hugged her body like skin, without a wrinkle, practically outlining her
ribcage and Dawson found himself checking for underwear. Stop it, he
admonished himself.
Her hair was also in curls, a cascade of them, falling down her neck
and over her shoulders a little. And as she bent to fix Alex's collar, he
realized the dress was completely, utterly, without a doubt backless.
Dawson swallowed hard. The butterflies were completely gone and
thoughts of tequila banished. Joey hadn't even opened her mouth and his
fear was gone. She looked up at him and smiled. Dawson was decisively glad
he was seated.
Pacey had no such scruples as Dawson and had determined after some
serious observation that Joey did indeed wear underwear, though no bra. Her
shoes were silver and high and Pacey found himself how Gail, Jen and Joey
could possibly walk in them.
The limousine navigated the highways easily, putting Pacey's driving
to shame, but there was no surprise. They meandered along to Hollywood on
Wilshire Boulevard, taking in the sights. Alex chattered incessantly and
though it looked as though Joey paid no attention, she managed to know
exactly what he was saying.
Jen sat beside him again and Pacey wondered how she'd managed to land
that position.
"So the Egyptian Theatre, huh?" Pacey said to Dawson.
"Mmm," his friend intoned, a little distracted by the object
opposite him. Namely Joey. "That's right."
"Say," said Joey suddenly, "isn't this the first film to be shown at
the theatre since it was done up?"
"Yeah, it is," said Dawson coming alive. "They were going to show
Spielberg's new film, but it wasn't ready and mine was so they said why
not?"
"They must really think you're film's going places," Joey commented.
"I don't know about that," Dawson looked down at his knees.
"I do," said Joey, Jen and Pacey at the same time and Dawson
couldn't help but smile at his friends.
"Your confidence in is supremely reassuring."
"Don't use such big words," Pacey said, "it makes my head hurt."
"Poor Pacey," Jen sympathized, letting her hand touch his knees.
"You're playing with me Jen, and it's not very nice."
"I know." Pacey tried to concentrate on something else. Their
driver had somehow made it to Hollywood Boulevard and Pacey took in the
nightlife without batting an eyelid. Hollywood wasn't really what everybody
said it was, and at night especially its seedy underworld life came into
action.
No one in the car was very fazed, though Joey did try to distract
Alex from looking out the window. Although he shrugged it off Pacey
wondered when he'd lost his naiveté. He longed for it back and in the same
way, he didn't. Knowing what he did now he knew that he couldn't ever back
to having a country-town mentality of simplicity, but in moments of
nostalgia he longed for his childhood even if he had hated it then.
"Mr. Leery. We're here." The driver quietly announced their
arrival as the car came to a stop. Every stared expectantly at Dawson who
breathed in deeply.
"Let's go," he said, his eyes travelling around the car.
"It will be perfect," Joey said, "because you made it."
Alex stood between Joey and Jen who were looking around at the crowd.
Dawson had gone to see his stars and have photos taken with them and the
girls were watching the process take place. Dawson still looked a little
nervous and Joey hoped he was okay.
"There's Michelle Pfiefer," said Jen and Joey followed her line of
sight.
"With her husband David Kelley," Joey added. "And there's George
Clooney. He hasn't made a good movie for years."
"They say it was because he left ER. But Noah Wyle manages okay.
Of course, he's still there. It's been better since Susan came back," Jen
stated.
"I've missed all those episodes. I haven't had time to watch them."
"I'll fill you in," Jen promised and the two women shared a smile.
Alex looked around at the large crowd, sparkling jewellery, expensive
dresses and the sound of laughter. Mitch and Gail stood a few feet away
arguing about something and Pacey had disappeared straight away, muttering
something about Winona Ryder.
"There's Jack Nicholson. He's still winning awards." Jen pointed,
throwing manners to the wind.
"If there's any left he can win." Joey shrugged. "He does nothing
for me. But that's probably because he's seventy something and I'm twenty."
"Probably." Silence reigned for a little while as the women
continued to star spot, their eyes a little wide.
"There's Neve Campbell," Joey said.
"Where? I love her work. Scream was such a good move," Jen was
excited.
"There. If you look past Minnie Driver, Jarod Leto and Claire
Danes, she's near the plants in the red dress."
Jen spotted her. "I couldn't believe it when she married Scott Wolf.
Apparently, they'd been going out since the beginning of the show even
though she was originally married. Did you see pictures of the wedding?"
Joey shook her head. "Well, Matthew Fox was the best man, Lacey Charbet was
the bridesmaid and the Owen kid was the pageboy. A bit sickening if you ask
me."
"But what a romantic story," Joey pointed out. Joey herself was
attracting a bit of attention though it took her a little while to notice.
"Aren't you glad I made you wear a dress with a little more…" Jen
searched for the right word.
"Don't you meant a lot less material?" said Pacey appearing on
Joey's right side.
"Winona didn't want you?" Joey replied sweetly.
"You guys could have told me she was married," Pacey argued
aggressively.
"We could have," Jen said with a wicked smile. "But hey, there's
Minnie Driver. She's single and desperate, even enough so for you Pacey."
Pacey shuddered. "Her I can live without." He sighed. "No, all my
hopes have been dashed since Gwenyth up and married Mr. Pitt. Forever my
heart was pledged and now I suffer unrequited love."
"I feel for you," Jen rolled her eyes as she spoke.
"So that's who was feeling me in my bedroom last night." Despite
her outrage, Jen had to laugh. "But you will never guess what I found out,"
continued Pacey in a gossiping tone.
"What?"
"Steven Spielberg is inside the theatre already, demanding a better
seat for the movie tonight."
There was stunned silence all around. Joey almost had to force
herself to breathe. "Steven Spielberg."
"The one and only man himself. I'm going to try and find Dawson and
tell him. Either he'll jump with glee or pass out from nervousness."
"Excuse us ladies," said a kind voice behind them as Pacey moved
away, trying to force though the crowd to get to Dawson.
The girls turned. It was Matt Damon and following behind was Ben
Affleck. Jen pulled Alex up against her and took a few steps back. "Thank
you," said Matt as he walked through the two of them, smiling congenially.
"That's alright." Joey forced a smile as Ben Affleck made his passage.
"That's a really nice dress," Matt said stopping to stand just
beside Joey. "Who's the designer?"
"The one starting with V…" said Joey helplessly and Jen almost
smacked her hand against her forehead.
"Versace," Ben asserted confidently. He was looking around,
obviously trying to find somebody. "Good colour," was his absent comment.
"Thanks." Joey shrugged. The two men obviously found what they
were looking for because they made a beeline in that direction. Joey
watched them leave with disdain, while Jen had all but taken her clothes off
in front of them.
"Should have kept the dress for myself," said Jen good-naturedly and
Joey rolled her eyes.
Dawson arrived back a few minutes before they were due to enter the
theatre, and Gail and Mitch returned from wherever it was they'd been.
"Where were you?" Jen asked in suspicion. Gail and Mitch wore sly
grins.
"Oh nowhere," was the remark repeated by both. Dawson rolled his
eyes.
"I can't believe it. The night of my film premiere and you two
sneak off to jump each other's bones. It's become progressively worse since
you divorced."
"We know."
It took Joey about fifteen minutes to cotton on. Considering what
the film was about, it took Pacey about twenty minutes, Gail and Mitch about
half hour, and for Jen, it took at least forty-five minutes.
It was the story of Joey's life.
From when she was about five, and met Dawson, right through the years
of her adolescence. Instead of being called Joey, she was Jessie, and
Dawson was David. Jen was conspicuously absent and Pacey was a hilarious
character with all the best one-liners.
Pacey watched fascinated at how his friend had managed to capture
Joey's situation, her style, so perfectly. He doubted the actress had much
to do with it-he was certain it was all Dawson's work. Jen watched with an
equal amount of fascination, because in the film she was seeing Joey in a
light she never really had before.
Dawson watched anxiously, apprising everybody's responses, desperate
to know what they thought. Alex was a little out of his depth, but he sat
quietly through the film and wondered why his mother was so deathly still.
It didn't bring any sort of romantic side into it. It was simply
about her father and her mother and Bessie and Bodie, and even Alex. It was
about moving to Seattle, about having to leave behind everything and make a
new life for her nephew.
The film ended with "Jessie," saying good bye to "David" and climbing
on a plane to leave. There was a few seconds of blank and then other
footage came on. Joey stared confused.
"That's me," said Alex suddenly, looking at the screen with great
attention. Joey's mind was furiously racing. It was she and Alex, in a
park…in Lincoln Park, playing, running. Her hair was shorter; Alex would
have been about three. It was when they'd been at the park during their
assignment, she realized with crashing clarity.
The film was of them running, tickling, laughing at one another, and
Joey stared bewitched at herself. A voiceover came on.
It was Dawson speaking. "This is my best friend, Joey. She's my
world; my purpose for being here. I can not imagine anything without her
existence, and I know I wouldn't be here if it weren't for her.
"She's been to hell and back, in ways that I can't fathom. I've
always tried to be there for her, and most of the time I wish I could be
her, so that she wouldn't have to suffer-I would gladly do that for her.
"She gives, even when everybody figures there's nothing left in her
to give; she finds something else and she lets you have it. It's her gift.
"Most of all, I have a lot of thankful for in my life, but of all
the things I could be thankful for, I guess the greatest of all is that even
after everything, Joey, my Joey, can still smile."
