Summary: Dawson makes a startling discovery about his two best friends. Set in the future.

Spoilers: Episode This Story Is Influenced By: Okay, I've just been watching 'Discovery', #103.

I look at myself in a mirror for a few moments. Things have changed so much over the past fifteen years, but I don’t look any different. The blond hair’s gone, but that’s it. We’ve all grown up a little, but things are always going to be the same between us. We’ll always be best friends. By ‘we’ I mean Joey, Pacey and me, Dawson. The eternal triangle of support and friendship that started in our early teens has followed us right through. While our triangle grew at points, it’s always been led by the three of us. Jen died a couple of years ago – she was crossing the street near her home in Detroit, and a driver didn’t see her. Andie finally sorted through her problems that scarred her teenage years. She lives with her boyfriend in Florida. I haven’t seen her since the summer actually, but she seems happy. Jack lives in Paris, where else? He’s also in a steady relationship with a guy named Bruce. They’ve been together since college.

Pacey. Well, Pacey’s changed the most I guess. He didn’t get into college because of his GPA. So he started to write. He got himself a job at the local newspaper, and spent three years writing obituaries and wedding announcements. Eventually, he got himself out of Capeside and moved to Washington DC where he got a job on one of the nationals. That’s how he met his wife, Sue. She was his editor. He’s always had a thing for power, I suppose. They got married last year. Then there’s Joey. My best friend Joey. We never got back together after the disastrous incident with her father. But we built on the empty frames of our friendship, and we were closer than ever before we left for college. We both went to NYU. I did film while she studied interior design. Joey turned out to be the biggest surprise out of all of us. She had a boyfriend in her senior year of college. He was a rich boy, straight from the high society of Manhattan. But Joey fell in love. They went on a holiday to Rome after graduation, and when she came back, she announced they’d got married. His parents went mad, and threatened to disinherit him, but Joey won them round with that eternal charm of hers. So she’s been married for just over eight years now. They don’t have kids yet – Joey’s always been too busy. She’s built up a successful business, and consults the biggest names in society. She has a six figure salary, and lives here in Capeside. Pacey moved back too. I moved right back here after a few years trying my luck in LA. I don’t want to be in that rat race, so I teach my own evening class and during the summer, I run a scheme where we make a film and tour the festival circuit.

And even though we live in the same town and we see each other every day, we still spend Christmas and New Year together every year. We all go to my parent’s old house, where my father lives alone. Mum comes down from Philadelphia and Bessie and her husband Mike come from Mississippi where they live, bringing Alex and their daughter, Nicole with them. And the two kids and nine adults join together in the celebrations.

And today it’s Christmas Eve. Dinner’s just about to be served, and I’ve just washed my hands. And I now catch sight of myself in the mirror, and smile. Reflecting on everything that has happened, I’m glad. I’m glad that I have two people who know everything about me. And in return, I know everything about them. I still have two parents, unlike Joey and Bessie and Pacey, whose mother died while we were in High School. I may still be single, but it doesn’t bother me that much – I have a lot of people I love around me that love me.

With that thought in mind, I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen. Mum’s there, and I hug her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Hey honey," she says smiling.

"Is everybody ready?" I ask. She shakes her head.

"Joey and Max popped out for a bottle of white wine, and they should have been back by now," she explains. I raise an eyebrow and she smiles at me. Mike and Bessie come into the room, laughing at a joke they don’t bother to share.

"Are they back yet?" Bessie asks.

"Not yet," I reply.

"Are the roads safe out there? What if they’ve had an accident?" Bessie says beginning to panic. Mum and I begin to laugh. It’s a well known fact in Capeside that Joey and Max… well, they are both highly sexed. And we all know for a fact that they’ll be at it now, whether it is in the back seat of the car or up against a car park wall.

"I’m sure they’re just fine," Mum says in between sniggers. "They’re probably just…" Mum doesn’t have to finish her sentence with tact – the door opens and Joey and Max enter the house. Joey’s cheeks flush as the temperature change affects her – it’s snowing outside.

"Did you get the wine?" I ask, desperately trying to keep a straight face. But something in Max’s face doesn’t quite ring true. There’s tension there, and anger is flashing in Joey’s eyes. My smile fades as I notice the glare she gives Max before turning and walking up the stairs.

"I’m just going to clean up for dinner," she called behind her. I could tell by her voice that she was angry. I looked questioningly at Max, who recognised that I knew something was going on.

"Here’s the wine," he said before going into the living room.

I went upstairs to find Joey sat on the foot of my bed, like I’ve done a thousand times. But she’s crying. Not loud sobs, but quiet ripples of unhappiness. It scares me for a second. The last time I saw her like this was the night of the infamous Homecoming Dance, when she told me she had to find herself. I start imagining all sorts of nightmare situations, and I make a silent vow to hurt Max for whatever he’s done to her. I sit beside her, and wrap my arms round her body, like I’ve done a thousand times before.

"Ssssh," I calm her. "What’s happened?" She rubbed at her eyes, obviously embarrassed.

"Nothing, Dawson. You know, the holiday period can be really emotional… I’m just missing my mum and everything…" I could tell that she was lying. She knew I knew.

"Josephine Alison Potter-Millen. Tell me now, or I’ll tell everyone about the time you kissed me when you were drunk."

"Pacey already knows," Joey said, smiling and looking up.

"Jo?" I asked, more softly.

"Max is going back home tonight. We had a fight, and I’m going to tell everyone that he got a call that his mother is sick."

"Christmas Day without your husband?" I asked, my concern showing through. She chewed on her lip for a moment. I knew there was more, and that she was debating whether or not to tell me.

"We’ve been having problems, Dawson. I’m not sure that I’ll still be with him this time next year. And don’t look at me like that. I never said this would be forever."

"Joey? You said that when you stood up in front of your witnesses in Rome and you got married to him. If there’s one thing that’s meant to last forever, it’s a marriage. We know that more than anything."

"Dawson, get off your high moral righteousness horse. Max and I… we’ve had some problems. He’s no longer the man I married. And I’m not the girl I was either. And I’m sorry if I’m a disappointment to you, Dawson, but if I can’t tell my best friend the truth, who can I talk to?"

"Joey. I’m sorry. It’s just a shock, Okay? You two are normally all over each other. And now you’re sat there telling me you want to divorce him."

"Dawson? You have not got a clue. Look in front of you. Max and I have been humping like rabbits, but neither of us has been happy for a long time. And he decided that he doesn’t want to spend Christmas with me or my friends and family. Besides, Pacey and Sue are hardly happy either," she retorted.

"What?"

"Forget it, Dawson. I’m going downstairs for dinner now. Please don’t say anything. And forget what I said about Pacey, Okay? He didn’t want me to tell anyone." And she got up and left.

Leaving me very confused, and wondering if I had ever known the two people I call my best friends. And why have they been having secret conversations? And what’s wrong with Pacey and Sue? "Am I completely oblivious?" Oh great. And now I’m talking to myself…

Okay, sorry it's so short, but there will be a lot more coming, I promise. I just wanted to see if people liked it so far or not. Oh, and the main storyline has nowhere near started.

Back to Becci's Stories | Back to Fan Fiction | Back to the Main Page This page has been visited times.