Boredom was slowly overtaking her as she hid out in her hotel room. She finished reading the novel she had brought along on the plane ride. She'd read through all three magazines that the bellboy had brought her and watched French television only understanding every other word. She walked over to where her luggage was sitting and started looking for the videos Pacey had packed for her. "For…ever," she read off finally finding the 4 videos he'd given her to keep herself entertained.

"Big enough head, Pacey?" she asked no one.

"ET," like I wouldn't notice she thought reading the label of the second video. "Chance," the new movie about a guy who chases after a girl after their eyes meet on the highway. "The Fab Gang," she read off the last label not remembering it. She took the tape and put into the VCR before settling on the couch comfortably. She pressed play and the faces of her five best friends and she appeared on the screen.

"Are we rolling?" Jack asked looking into the camera.

"Rolling," Dawson said stepping out from behind the camera pod. "Are you guys sure you wanna do this? Feels kinda weird taping one of our Friday sessions."

Friday sessions, the words floated in Joey's head. Senior year was the year of change. They had all started hanging out more together and developed a habit of all coming over to Dawson's bedroom on Fridays. It was just a way for them to catch up with each other after a long week and retain their close friendship that they had worked so hard to develop. They'd watch movies and have pillow fights. Sometimes they'd go out for the night to a dance club in Providence, but mostly they'd be together in some way. That was when she had started to develop a friendship with Jen. That was how they had developed their dancing habit started. Then after a long night they'd all find a place or even a tiny corner in Dawson's bedroom and sleep. They called it, Friday sessions.

"We need something to remember when we're all dried up adults," Jen replied from the bed where she was leaning on Jack who had joined her.

"I'm with Dawson," Joey said in a chair by Dawson's desk. "I feel like I'm being taped for a documentary about teenage behavioral patterns."

"Just relax, and play it cool," Pacey said sitting on the floor against the foot of the bed. "We might become a scientific discovery. Teens who actually don't go out and party or drink."

"I think it's cool," Andie said lying on her stomach with her feet in the air on the floor besides Pacey. She swung her legs and nearly hit Pacey. "Friendship matters a whole lot more to me then some drink and binge party."

"Everything matters more to you, McPhee, than drinking," Pacey replied.

She swung her leg at him and he caught it mid air. Rolling her over he started to tickle her furiously. Dawson and Jack exchanged a look that was not unnoticed by Jen and Joey. Jen quickly grabbed a pillow and threw one to Joey as Andie grabbed one of her own. There stood the girls with pillows in hand and the guys completely unarmed.

"Charge," Andie yelled as all three girls ran at the guys swatting them with the pillows. Pacey, Dawson, and Jack used the only thing they had to protect themselves, their strength. Jack picked up Jen over his shoulder. She pounded her pillow into his back and flapped her legs back and forth between giggles. Dawson and Pacey followed, Dawson lifting Joey and Pacey lifting Andie.

"Put me down, Dawson Leery," Joey yelled into his ear as she fidgeted in his grasp.

"I second that," Andie yelled through laughter. "Paaa…ceeey."

The guys obliged and put the three girls down on their feet. Dawson slowly slide Joey down, his body brushing against hers. He could feel her hair tickling his shoulder and her breath travel down his neck as she felt for the floor. Joey felt all the nerves in her body stand on edge. She looked up at him as she finally stood on her own feet. Their faces were inches apart. She could feel his heart beating against hers. Pacey, Andie, Jen, and Jack all on safe ground already watched the two, unbeknownst to Joey and Dawson.

"Kiss her already," Jack finally pleaded. Dawson and Joey broke out of their trance and looked at their four friends. Both were a tomato shade of red. "If I wasn't gay, I just might."

"You did," Jen whispered to which he replied, "Right, well then I might again." Andie giggled through a yawn as she slipped into her sleeping bag.

"I with Andie on that yawn," Jen said laying down on an air mattress Dawson had set up besides Andie's sleeping bag. Jack lay down next to her covering both of them with a thin blanket. Pacey started to unroll his sleeping bag too as Dawson and Joey watched everyone take a place and go to sleep.

"Well, I guess that leaves you and Joey in the bed," Pacey said to Dawson as he lay on his own bag vertical to the others. He smiled devilishly. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That leaves a world of possibilities," Joey remarked as she slipped underneath the covers of Dawson's bed. Dawson stood at the other side pondering.

"Maybe I should go get another sleeping bag," Dawson said.

"Don't be ridiculous," Jen replied. "If you two are just friends as you say, then there shouldn't be a problem." Jen smiled happily, putting the plan into action.

Everyone knew they weren't just friends. Even Grams. They were foreplay partners; Pacey had called them once. They came so close to that line, but never crossed it. Dawson turned off the light, leaving only the lamp besides his bed on. Frustrated and awkwardly, he slipped into the bed as Joey looked at him. There they lay both on their sides starring at each other until Joey turned her back to him. Half an hour passed when Dawson felt a leg brush up against his. Quietly she slide over to him and resumed their normal position. One besides the other with his arm around her. Everyone knew about their game, but they didn't know their game went as far as sleeping in the same bed together. Wrapped together. The gang's plan was to push them to the limits until they were faced with their hormones by sticking them in awkward situations far beyond foreplay. Thus taking all the sleeping space so they'd be left to sleep in the same bed, something unknown to their friends they had already been doing. Just sleep and cuddling. Joey wrapped her toes around his. "Would you two stop playing footsie," Pacey said from the floor. "I can hear the sheets rumbling."

"We were not playing footsie," Joey replied moving away from Dawson.

"Oh yeah? We'll let's check the tape," he said getting up and walking over to the camera. Dawson and Joey stepped out of the bed and followed Pacey. By now everyone was wide-awake and looking at the spectacle in awe.

"You left the camera on?" Dawson asked stunned.

"No," Pacey replied innocently, "you did. You, cameraman. Me, actor."

"Boys, boys," Jen said getting up. "Why can't we all just get along?"

"Because hormones have taken over Potter and Leery," Jack said from the mattress, "but somehow common sense missed them."

"Jack," Andie said hitting him with the pillow beneath her head. "That was uncalled for."

"Thank you, Andie," Joey said sincerely as Dawson tried to get past Pacey to turn the camera off and get a tape. Jen stood by watching trying to find a way to get to the camera herself.

"They're just in their pre-mating stage," Andie said as she let out a burst of giggles. Jack smiled and Joey's mouth dropped.

"Okay, let the lady threw," Jen said pushing Dawosn and Pacey aside. She looked into the camera and said, "Sorry ladies and gents, the production of this documentary will be temporarily shut down so we can work out our offset dramas." She turned the camera off and the screen went black.

Joey starred at the black screen for what seemed like minutes. Little tears started to form in her eyes from happiness and reminiscing. At that time things seemed so complicated, but now they were the most simplistic of her problems through her life. She wiped the tears underneath her eyes with her fingertips. The phone rang just as turned off the TV and VCR.

"Hello," she said into the receiver trying to regain her voice.

"Hey, Jo," Jen's voice said on the other line. "Are you crying?"

"No," Joey tried to reply, "yes. Yes, I am. I found that tape we made. You know the fab gang one. Damn, Pacey for packing it."

"Well, then damn Pacey and me. It was my idea," Jen said. "Surprise."

"Jen, how…you knew it…ahh," Joey said in frustration. "I can't even get a normal sentence out now."

"I'll tell you why, Joey," Jen said reading her thoughts. "Did you talk to Dawosn yet?"

"No," she replied quietly.

"Excuse me?" Jen asked. "I didn't hear you."

"NO," Joey yelled. "No, okay, I didn't talk to him."

"That's why," Jen said. "That's why I had Pacey pack the tape. Joey, you need a push and I can't give it to you from California. Hopefully, that tape did it. Go talk to him."

"It's not that easy, Jen," Joey said trying to keep her voice from breaking. "I can't just walk into his hotel room and say, 'My bed is broken. Can I sleep in yours?'"

"That might work," Jen said smiling to herself on the other end of the phone.

"Jen!" Joey exclaimed secretly smiling.

"Okay, okay. What are you waiting for, Joey? He's not gonna be in Paris forever."

"I don't know. I don't know. I'm just afraid to be hurt again, but I want to be loved again too. By him only."

"Then just do it, Jo," Jen replied. "Think of it as a bandage. If you peel it off fast and quickly the pain is gone before you know it."

"Jen," Joey said.

"Your welcome," she replied before Joey could get the words out.

Dawson stared out the window of his room. He wondered where Joey was, what she was doing, how she was doing. Is she thinking about me? He thought about her everyday. He dreamed about her, lived for her, and wished for her. He had decided that he would not stop until she was with him, where she belonged, again. Every girl he meet never compared with Joey. There was Amber, some random girl Scott met at a club and promised to introduce to Dawson in hopes of impressing her. Of course Amber never cared for Scott, she wanted Dawson Leery the director. Then came Haley, the production assistant at MTV, April, the fashion designer, Lacey, the reporter at People Weekly, and then finally Samantha. He thought he could have something real with her. She was Scott's sister and had an unmistakable resemblance to Joey. Her name had also caught his attention; it was the same one as the Joey-based character in "Creek Daze." Things started to look up for his love life. The two quickly became an item, but just like Joey could read his eyes, so could Sammy. She saw the look he always had and she knew it didn't belong to her.

"The way you stare at me," Dawson remembered her saying before she broke up with him. "That look isn't meant for me. I'm not the one. You're not supposed to stare into my soul or even stare at me like that. It belongs to someone else and I hope you find her."

The two had been lucky enough to escape reporters, but after the break up Dawson's career skyrocketed and everyone wanted to know what happened. Soon after he escaped to London to start filming his biggest and longest film yet. The film that would never get made, but had made something else. Reporters started to link him with the lead actress. They bombarded him and dove at him with personal questions. Questions about Joey. Questions that made him face reality. Questions and an unfinished movie that he was now thankful for.

"Mr. Leery," someone called from the door as they knocked.

"Coming," he said rushing to the door. He opened the door and the hotel's front desk clerk stood there. "Come in."

"Thank you, Monsieur," he said coming in from the hallway. "I have a message for you."

"Oh, thank you," he said taking the paper. The man left before Dawson could ask him anything. He unfolded the paper and read.

December 15, 2010

Dear Dawson,

I should have known you'd use an alias name, Mr. Lennon. You have no idea how hard it was for me to find you. I almost didn't want to, but I'm glad I did. I'm here in Paris escaping the warpath of our friends, the reporters. What you said about me being a flower, it made me remember when you'd send me roses every Valentine's Day even if we weren't together. I remember that one time you filled my whole room with roses before I woke and when I did it smelled like heaven. Then you carefully placed a single read rose by my cheek as my eyes opened. All I can think about lately is how carefully you placed it. So gently as not to damage it or wake me until I was ready to. How you laid its petals down on my pillow so that not even one was bent or lost. How you held it lightly by it's stem and put it in your palm until it was perfectly placed. If I am a flower as you say, will you take care of me as you did that rose? Will you care for me and love me like the rose? I'm ready to find out if you are.

xoxo,
Joey

"Hello, Dawson," a familiar voice called from the doorway.

One more part and an epilogue to go. I would love some feedback, be it bad or good. If you'd like to receive my work hot of the press, you can by joining my list here.

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