Don't Forget to Remember by Ygrawn
Part 11, and the final installment, in the series
Joey had found her old baggy pants and sweater in the bottom of her
bag, and had gratefully swapped her dress for them. She did hang the dress
up though, and put the shoes back in their box. She let her hair fall out,
not bothering to brush it, and with heavy limbs, she got rid of most of the
makeup.
Then with a resigned attitude, with her head telling her not to go,
she grabbed the key, locked the door behind her and crossed the hallway in
monotonous steps. She was in bare feet, and the carpet was thick and
springy on her skin.
Joey didn't bother with knocking-she never had, so she wasn't about
to start now. Her eyes immediately found him lounging on the right side of
the bed. He was staring at her, tie hanging around his neck, shirt untucked
and half undone. His pants were creased and his hair fell messily about his
face.
"Hey," he said his voice almost rusty. "It's Saturday night," he
said after a few seconds and grinned at her. She cottoned on very quickly,
and wondered how it was she'd forgotten.
"So what movie are we watching this week Dawson?"
"Oh, I think my film was enough for tonight. But there are reruns
on. You can help me throw sarcastic remarks at M*A*S*H."
"I'd rather not if it's all the same to you. We did M*A*S*H years
ago. Find something new Dawson."
He picked the remote up and flicked as Joey tentatively sat down on
the left side of the bed.
"Here we go," he said, and she settled back against the pillows,
very aware of his long body right near hers. She was careful not to touch
it. "The Nanny."
"Too easy to poke fun at. Find something hard for me Dawson."
More flicking ensued and Joey wondered if they'd ever get around to
issue that they both wanted to discuss. "Now, Josephine, I've found it.
Starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny…the X-Files."
"Much better. Their whole sexual tension thing is great material
for me to work with."
It was a third season episode, about cockroaches. She couldn't
remember the name of the episode, but she had fun bantering with Dawson.
They fell back into their old routine easily, so easily it was almost scary
until Joey let herself beginning to fly with it.
"Now, Bambi. How symbolic is that name?" Dawson was gesturing with
the remote control, trying to point something out to her. "I bet you any
money, Scully wants to get her gun out and put an end to the miserable
deer's life.
"And Fox and Bambi," he continued. "Please, that's just…"
"Dawson," said Joey suddenly. "Dawson look at me." He realized
that it was serious, and very carefully he turned the television off, put
the remote down and turned onto his hip to face her.
She continued to look up at the ceiling until she rolled towards the
centre of the bed onto her hip and propped her head in her hand, mirroring
Dawson. The two almost bumped noses and their knees touched.
"Dawson," she began. And words failed her. She quite literally
could not think of a thing to say. Everything she wanted to tell him,
everything about what that movie had meant, and how she couldn't believe
he'd given her such an incredible gift and what he'd done was the nicest,
most amazing thing ever…she didn't have to voice them, she didn't have
anything left to say. He could see it all in her eyes.
So she did the only thing that was left to do. She leant forward
just a few inches and kissed him. Hardly, soundly and without a morsel of
doubt.
Joey figured he was too stunned to do much because he sat there like
a dead fish as she kissed him. For a few seconds at least. After that, his
passion came to meet her with such force that she was frightened, but she'd
known this was coming. She'd only come here tonight because she knew where
it would lead.
There was only one road for Dawson and her now. They'd said what
they wanted to say, they'd mulled over it in their own minds, second-guessed
themselves, tried to find the traps, tried to analyze until they couldn't
any longer and both had come to same conclusion.
That what they could have completely outweighed the dangers. That
the love they had for each other was too great to waste, and trying to work
out what would happen in ten years not only gave them a headache, but was
impossible to predict.
Dawson's hands were in her hair; one ran down her face to the back of
her neck. All roads lead to Rome, was her thought and she wondered if
Dawson was going to try anything on her. He didn't disappoint.
His other hand went from her hair, trailing down her neck and then it
skipped an awful lot of space and found the bottom of her top. Joey broke
the kiss.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his forehead against hers, his left hand
resting against her hip, stirring all sorts of strange hormones in her. "If
you're not ready, I'll wait. I'll wait for eternity."
"It's not that," she said in a whisper. "I'm just wondering if
you've got any protection."
Dawson laughed, and kissed her nose. "As they say in the Scouts,
always be prepared."
"So you had this planned," Joey said in a teasing voice. "You've
just been trying to land me into bed. And I thought I knew you." She
kissed him so that he knew it was a joke.
"You do know me. But you're about to discover a whole new side."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Joey murmured between kisses. He didn't
give her much opportunity to talk.
Slowly his hands were creeping up her ribcage, travelling over the
bones as if they were a foreign concept.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"Jen and I used to have quite a few conversations about those
deliciously long fingers of yours." Dawson laughed in mid-kiss and his
hands continued to crawl. Joey revelled in the sensation and wondered if
he'd hurry up. She wriggled almost impatiently.
"Patience, Joey," he whispered, but his fingers were moving a little
faster. "It's a virtue women are meant to possess."
"Oh," said Joey, "now probably isn't the best time to tell you,
but…" she broke off as she decided to move things along herself. She was
trying to figure out to best remove Dawson's shirt when his fingers found
their destination.
She didn't talk again for a very long time.
Pacey overslept and woke to find the sun already risen, and that
breakfast downstairs would close in half-hour. Just enough time to eat some
bacon, eggs, sausages, toast and a cup of coffee.
He couldn't remember if the management objected to pyjamas or not,
but he figured they'd hardly throw him out over it, so he pulled a dressing
gown on and took the stairs in a bid to get to the food faster.
He was the last downstairs. All the others were still in their
pyjamas, except for Jen. She'd saved him and seat and got him some bacon
and eggs. They were waiting for him, still warm.
"Thank you Jen," he said, with genuine warmth. She shrugged but
smiled and in a surprise movement, he leaned across and kissed her on the
cheek. "Don't you get any ideas," he added afterwards though, and she hit
him in the shoulder.
"I won't," she said, and sipped some more of her tea.
"Where's Dawson?" asked Pacey, realizing his roommate wasn't there.
"Perhaps I'm not last one down this morning."
"He's over there, getting some coffee," said Joey, with a strange
tone in her voice. She was trying to eat her breakfast and pour Alex some
orange juice at the same time.
"I'll go and visit him. Grab some coffee myself." He swung out of
his seat, taking some bacon on in his fingers and eating on the way, despite
the negative scrutiny of a few patrons who were not amused by his caveman
way of eating.
"Nice to see you eat the same way in public as you do at home,"
Dawson commented as he poured the steaming black coffee into his cup.
"God made fingers before he made forks," Pacey shrugged and watched
as Dawson grabbed another cup. "Thank you Dawson. You don't have to do
that for me."
"I'm not. It's for my mother."
"Oh, well, I can get my own then…" Pacey pretended to be annoyed,
but then Dawson handed him the cup and he shut up.
"There." Dawson returned to the pot to the table.
"Hey, there's something strange about you," said Pacey suddenly. He
stared at his friend with great curiosity.
"Sorry?" Dawson was playing it down well, but something clicked in
Pacey's mind.
"You've got that look on your face," he said, in an excited tone of
voice. "You just got laid," Pacey unfortunately didn't lower his voice very
much and a few people around them stopped eating and glared in his
direction. Pacey didn't even see them. "I don't believe it."
"Don't be ridiculous Pacey. Just go and drink some coffee, and then
you'll wake up."
"No, I know what I'm seeing. And I know what it means. So…"
"So…" Dawson was not going to give him anything without a long and
painful extraction process.
"Fine, don't tell me anything. I'm going to eat my breakfast."
"Good."
Pacey hadn't planned on that.
Jen however, had been planning a little better. She knew exactly
what had happened the second she'd met Joey on the way down for breakfast..
Unlike Pacey though, she wasn't about to blunder into the situation.
After breakfast finished, she waited till she knew Joey would have
finished changing before she knocked on Joey's door.
"Come in," Joey called, and the sound of running could be heard from
the hallway. Jen entered with some trepidation. Joey was chasing Alex
around, up and over beds, around and under seats, having a wonderful time..
Joey was still to dress in clothes, but Alex had some shorts and a top on.
Alex ran out the door, racing through Jen's legs, straight into
Mitch's arms.
"Whoa there, little man," said Mitch. "I was just about to go the
market. Me and Gail were wondering if you wanted to come."
"Can I Mommy?" asked Alex, staring beguilingly at his aunt.
"Please, please, please?"
"Off you go. Come here and get some money for an ice-cream."
"I've got it covered," said Mitch already waking away with Alex,
singing some ridiculous ditty to the ecstatic five-year-old.
Joey stared imperceptibly at Jen. "You had that planned didn't you?"
She grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom to change. She
re-emerged in a few moments with some jeans and a tank top on. "Didn't
you?"
"Of course. You could expect nothing less of me. I won't beat
around the bush. You can either tell me you didn't, or you can give me all
the details."
Joey hesitated, unsure, until she grinned. "Maybe not all of the
details, but let's just say that our estimates were pretty much right."
"Yeah?" Jen jumped onto the bed and Joey followed. The two lay
back and giggled as Joey filled Jen in.
It was unavoidable really. So, here they stood all in the airport,
Gail and Mitch heading one direction, Jen flying out tomorrow and Joey's
flight now boarding. The second call was made and the last minute
passengers began to hurry. Joey stood there with Alex and wished it all
away.
The others stood hesitantly around. They'd said their goodbyes. Jen
had promised to write and call, and Pacey had hugged her so hard she was
convinced her ribs would pop. Gail had made Joey promise on pain of death
that she would call her, and Mitch had followed his ex-wife's act.
"Well," said Joey, deciding to do it like a Band-Aid: fast and
hopefully painless. Who was she kidding, of course it was going to be
painful. "Goodbye Dawson."
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" he asked suddenly, with a large smile on
his face.
"Tell me what?"
"Well, I'm coming to Chicago."
Joey stared at his blue eyes, and realized that he was telling the
truth. "You're coming to Chicago."
"Yeah. I mean, not only are their great things to film there, but
the woman that I love happens to live there."
"The woman that you love? Me?" she questioned stupidly,
shell-shocked.
"Of course not Joey. I'm talking about Annabelle Ryan. Of course
you."
"You're really coming to Chicago?"
He took a step closer to her. "Yeah I am. And I was wondering if I
could maybe stay at your place for a couple of days, till I get myself
sorted out."
Joey gravely nodded and then knelt down to look at Alex, who had
heard the conversation and was grinning. "Do you think it would be all
right if Dawson stayed with us for a couple of days?"
"Not really," Alex said and Joey started.
"Why not?"
"Well, he may as well stay. He won't like the bathroom, but there's
room in your bed for him."
"Oh no," said Joey, picking Alex up as she rose and balancing him on
her hip. Dawson enclosed them in the circle of his arms. "He can have the
trundle bed. I'm not sharing with anybody else but you."
Alex laughed, throwing his head back and clutching tight to Joey.
The third and final boarding call was made.
"That's us," said Dawson assertively.
"Then let's go Dawson."
They walked away and were lost from Pacey's sight. He sighed, and
turned to Jen with a rueful smile.
"It's gonna be mighty lonely around here."
"You'll live."
"I most certainly will, Jennifer. Now, if you would be so kind as
to escort me from the airport."
"It would be my pleasure."
On the plane, Alex ate and sang. But Dawson and Joey just smiled.
All comments welcome! I live for feedback. (Well maybe not live, but it
makes my day.)
As for that scene at the movie premiere…well, if you don't like what I did
with your favourite celebrity, have your own fun and come up with asinine
futures for all of them.
