Author's Notes: Thanks to - Mich and Meaghan. For their constant support, and love of my stories. Mich and I have bonded over long e-mails, whilst Meaghan regularly tells me that she's enjoying such and such series. Also, thanks go to VO5. Thanks to them, my hair is now a lovely shade of dark read, instead of mousy brown. Thank you so much! :)

This story basically started thanks to Cole, who sent me an e-mail with the idea. At the time, I knew how I wanted the first parts to go. Now, I'm not so sure. It just kinda flows. I'm open to any suggestions with regard to the storyline. Obviously, people are enjoying this - it's second in order of how much feedback I get. Thanks for writing to me.

For Your Information - As a response to the feedback I've had, I'm gonna stop calling the protagonists by their altered names. I thought by calling them James and Kate, it would be easier, as their names are similar to those of the actors. However, from now on, they are Dawson and Joey.

Dawson looked at Joey, who was obviously nervous. She turned to see him watching her, and they exchanged a nervous smile. He reached for her hand, and gave it a supportive squeeze. It still amazed outsiders how close they were.

After 25 years, they were foremost friends. And with that friendship followed love. Passion was there, but compassion was more important.

They knew instinctively what the other was thinking. Of course, it wouldn't have taken a rocket scientist to figure out what made the so nervous. They'd just gone to Bessie's house, only to find that no one was in. It had taken a lot of strength summoning for Joey to be able to knock tentatively on the door, only to find that there was no answer.

So they had made their way to Dawson's house. They stood still for a moment in the driveway. It was now.

The moment that they had both anticipated and dreaded. And despite the fact that the past seven years had been filled with adult responsibility, they were a little scared of what the reaction would be to them.

They walked up the driveway, still holding hands, and stood on the doorstep. Dawson took a deep breath before pressing the doorbell. As Joey had knocked at her old home, it was only fair if Dawson did the same at his. A moment of silence passed before someone came to the door. They looked at each other nervously as the door lock was fumbled with. Then the door opened.

Bessie Potter looked confused for a moment, and the clarity flooded her face. A hand shot up to cover her mouth, and then dropped.

"Gail!" she shouted. Almost immediately, Gail Leery came into the hallway, followed shortly by her husband. Their faces also blanched as shock registered.

Bessie watched as her sister leaned forward to reach the coffee mug.

Deftly, she poured two cups of the steaming black liquid. She added milk to one, and a spoonful of sugar into the other. Stirring both cups, she passed the milky one to Dawson, who was sat beside her on the sofa, and sat back in her seat holding hers.

Bessie found it hard to relate this beautiful, and quietly confident young woman to the still awkward younger sister she had lost seven years ago.

Somehow Bessie had forgotten to add years to the image of Joey in her mind. Joey felt her eyes on her, and looked Bessie in the eye. There it was. The spark in her eye that Joey possessed assured Bessie that this was her sister.

"The child?" Mitch asked aloud. For all they knew, the pair had gone through with an abortion after all. Joey looked at Dawson for a moment, and smiled.

"Diana's six," Dawson informed their families. "Her birthday's January 17th. She's with the crèche workers on the film set today."

"What happened?" Gail asked, voicing all their questions in one go. "We searched for you, but we couldn't find you."

"We changed our names," Joey answered. "All this time, we've been Kate and James Corrmick.

"So you never got to university?" Bessie asked. Joey nodded her head.

"We did, one after the other. First Dawson, then me. It was hard, but we've both got degrees. Dawson did Creative Writing, and I did European History, just as we'd planned. Luckily, my SAT score was high enough for the university to prolong my offer."

"So why did you come back now?" Gail asked her son and daughter-in-law.

"Because my script got picked up. We're making the movie here in Capeside, where it's set. You might have seen the posters about auditions floating around town," Dawson answered. "We've got Freddie Prinze Jr. and Reese Witherspoon to play the lead roles. I was concerned that they were a bit old now, but they worked perfectly."

"What's the movie about?" Mitch asked, impressed by the success his son had.

"It's about a couple who fall in love. They live in a small town, and the movie focuses on how the town reacts when the girl falls pregnant," Dawson said bluntly.

Silence ensued as the three eldest in the room realised the significance of the plot.

A while later, Joey and Dawson said that they had to go and pick Diana up from the crèche. They left the house, hugging their families beforehand.

"Joey?" Bessie asked. Joey turned around. "Can I come and see my niece tomorrow?" Joey smiled, and nodded. Bessie smiled back, and opened her arms.

Joey flew into them and they held each other tight, afraid to let go. Joey was the first to cry. Bessie followed suit soon after.

Eventually, the sisters pulled away. Joey walked up to Dawson, who put his arm on her shoulder.

"I always knew you'd look after her," Bessie told him. "Just make sure that I'm right, ok?" Dawson nodded, and then they left the Leery house.

Okay, peeps. Feedback time.
I really don't know what to write, so tell me! I hope that you're enjoying the story so far.

Becci Wooster
5th July 1999

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