Disclaimer: Characters property of Kevin Williamson & the WB. No copyright infringement intended. I love DC and love Pacey and Andie. This is my second fanfic and I hope you like it
Summary: It takes place three years after the finale. In addition, I don' not own the song " Baby of mine, Straight from the heart, Baby, let's play house and Beloved one "either.
Andie laugh quietly to herself as she watched the little girl with those familiar gold curls chase playfully after the butterflies. It seem like not long ago Amy was trying to walk , to say her first word and now she was turning four .A butterfly landed on her shirt and quickly flew away, Amy giggled in delight and clapped her hands . Andie, could only think of how proud Jen would be of Amy’s loving nature. This little girl knew that she was loved, and that she fit into this world. It was all because of Jack; Jen knew what she was doing when she let Jack have Amy. Amy had brought the once close group of friends back together again; they had one common bond now. To make sure that Amy never felt lost in this world and that she would always know that she was wanted.
Lost in her thoughts Andie did not notice Jack when he sat down next to her on the back step.
“Andie” he said lightly
She jumps a little “Oh Jack you scared me” and feels embarrassed
“Sorry, Andie” he hands her glass of ice tea.
“Thanks” she takes a small sip
“I am so glad that you came for Amy’s birthday party”
She glance over to him “What kind of Aunt would I be if I miss her birthday.” she looks back to the little girl who was dancing now.
“You’re a great Aunt Andie, it just that I wish you could visit more. I miss you and God knows there will be a time when Amy is going to need a woman around. There are just some things two gay guys just don’t know when comes to girls.”
“Don’t worry Jack I will be there when she needs me. I am only a phone call away. It’s just now work has been keeping me busy.”
Jack knew she was lying; she was busy but not as busy as she said she was. He knew why she did not come down that often.
“You know he spends a lot more time in New York now with Joey and the new restaurant.’’
She quickly turns to him “Jack can we just not talk about this today you know that’s not about him or her. How many times do I have to tell you I am happy that they found each other again?” She rises from the step and hands Jack her glass.
“I am sorry, Andie” he reached for sisters hand.
“It’s okay Jack.” She meets her hand with his and gives him a sad smile.
“Andie,” Amy grabs on to her other hand. “Dance with me!”
Jack lets go of Andie’s hand, Amy drags Andie out to the yard and slowly start to spin in a circle. This was Amy’s idea of dancing and Andie got dizzier with each spin. When Amy let go they both fell to the ground with thud. Amy points at Andie laughing wildly, Andie could not help but laugh at herself too.
“It’s nice to know you can still have a good time McPhee.” Laughter boomed from Pacey’s voice.
“Pacey?” Andie said in confusion
“Pacey, Pacey ….” Amy jumped into his arms.
“Hey kido!” He hugs her tightly.
Andie was trying hard to stand up on her own but the dizziness was still there.
“You need some help.” Pacey put Amy down
“No, I can do it.” but she fell back down
“I can see that.” Pacey helps her up and then pulls her into a crushing bear hug. “I missed you Andie.” he whispers into her ear.
“Me too.” She says half heartily and releases from the hug first, which surprised Pacey a little. She looks over to Jack with a questioning look, Jack just shrugged his shoulder.
“Pacey?” Amy held her arms out to him.
“Pacey …”
“Yes, Amy”
“Did you bring me a present because it is my birthday today?”
“Amy,” Jack scolds her “Sorry Pace, I thought we taught her better manners then that.”
Pacey just snorted, “I would ask the same thing”
Andie took this time to slip into the house before the conversation went her direction. Only Jack had noticed her retreat, knowing she needs time to put herself together.
“You know Amy; you should go show Uncle Pacey what Aunt Andie got you for birthday.” Amy nods her head with agreement. “It plays music.” she grins
“Really, well I got to see this, music really.” Pacey glances over to Jack “ I thought the limited on gifts was 20 bucks , I’m going to have to talk to Aunt Andie about trying to steal the love of my niece away from me.” he laughed .
“Like you would never do that?” Jack smirked
“Me never?” Pacey gave fake shock look on his face.
Jack searches the house for Andie, finally finding her in the den. She was staring out the window lost in her thoughts again.
“I am so sorry Andie, Doug told me he wasn’t coming.”
“Jack, don’t worry I can handle this.” she look sadly to him.
However, deep down inside she did not know if she could handle this. Three years ago, she had let her optimism get the best of her. That talk in the hospital cafeteria had given her false hope, hope that maybe there was still something between them.
Once she heard about Pacey and Joey’s reunion she dove herself deeper in to her work and made a decision to date as many guys as it would take to get Pacey Witter out of her system. What made it harder this time around was now they shared a niece between them, so there was always some kind of get together. She always tried not to be around when she heard that they were coming or at least be prepared. She would put on her perfect smile and lie through her teeth about how happy she was for them. She loved Pacey, she wanted to be happy for him but she could not help thinking that she should be the one on his arm. Through out the three years she would get calls from him before Christmas and Amy’s birthday, always asking her what gift she was getting for Amy.
“I just wanted to make sure we don’t give her the same present, as if that would happen.” He would joke with her.
She tried her hardest to sound happy, to sound light, but inside she was dying. She wanted to tell him how she really felt for him.
The last time she saw him still stayed in her mind and what happened that night had left her day dreaming these last couple of months. Four months ago, he came to Jacks and Doug’s for Christmas and without Joey this time. She remembered that he seemed distant, almost sad. She tried her best to cheer him up even though she was in need of cheering up too .
When she left to leave to go back to Boston, Pacey had asked for a ride to the B&B. The ride over there was quiet, she thought that he would never speak. Once they reached the B&B, he turned to her and looked deep into her eyes. She returned his gaze , he didn’t have to say anything she knew what he was thinking .He was thanking her for being there for him, for not asking a lot of questions about why he was acting the way he was.
Nevertheless, what he did next had surprised her. He leaned over and kissed her on the fore head. “I am sorry Andie,” and then nuzzled his nose with hers and pull back to look into her eyes. “I am sorry I never gave you a second chance.” He then kissed her tenderly on the lips, he stepped out of the car and closed the door behind him.
She never heard from him again. She then decided that she could not put on the act anymore. She avoided him at all cost; she was not going to let that night get to her. She had learned her lesson before, do not take it to heart, it means nothing, and he is still with Joey. Jack, watched his sister in torment, there was not much he could do for her. He knew her well to know that she had given her whole heart and soul to Pacey so many years ago. No matter what guy that came into her life, they all had to compete with her memory of him. He could tell her to move on, to let him go but he knew she had tried all things and now he could only give her his strong shoulder to lean on.
He touched her arm “Just promise me you won’t leave.”
She turns to him. “I promise Jack,” she hugs him tightly but deep down she wants to leave.
“You promised me you would stay the whole weekend and Amy needs to play dress up with someone besides Doug and me . . .,” he continues hugging her.
“Really? I always thought you liked wearing the pink feather boa.” She lets him go
“Ha, Ha …..” he chuckles
“Don’t worry, you know we McPhee’s never break a promise.” she smiles proudly to him. “Give me some time and I’ll be back to my sunny self again.” She giggled.
“Okay!” he walks off to get the party ready.
Andie returns to look out the window.
“Well, we almost don’t break our promises” She says quietly under her breath.
Once Pacey reached the top of the stairs he let Amy down. He hated to admit it but he was getting old and his back was killing him. Amy skipped happily down the hallway to her room not noticing Pacey's woes. As he made his way down the hall, the pictures on the wall caught his eye. He had been down this hall so many times; he had seen the same pictures before. However, for some reason he saw these old pictures in a new light.
He softly smiled when he saw the picture of Jen and Grams. It was hard to believe that they were both gone now, Grams had pass away last summer. Once she knew that Amy and Jack would be okay, she finally decided that it was time to meet Jen. Many pictures of Amy hung on the wall, from her first few days into the world to her new Christmas picture.
Also on the wall hung a picture of the group from Grams funeral, the last
time they all were together. Until today, he never noticed how Joey was looking
at Dawson before in this picture, so loving, so adoring and so full of
happiness.
"That explains everything!" he thought to himself, he closed his
eyes and shook his head. "No keep it together," he muttered under his
breath.
He was looking for anything to free his mind of the negative thoughts that ran thought it. Out the corner of his eye, he saw her, her wide genuine smile. She proudly held her diploma from Harvard, she stood with such grace. He lightly grazed the picture with his fingertip “That’s my girl” he said out loud and looked to see if any one had heard him.
“Pacey" Amy shouted she sat at her little desk holding on to her new cherished gift.
"Sorry, Amy, your Uncle Pacey is getting slow in his old age."
Amy laughed playfully and pop from her chair. "See Pacey” she held out the small music box to him. He looked closely, a broad smile crossed his face at what he saw.
"It’s Dumbo ..." she winds up the music box.
Baby mine, don't you cry.
Baby mine, dry your eyes.
Rest your head close to my heart,
Never to part, baby of mine.
"Did you know he could fly with those big ears?" She sat the music
box down on to her desk and went to dig in her dress up box.
Little one, when you play
Pay no heed what they say.
Let your eyes sparkle and shine,
Never a tear, baby of mine.
He stared at the music box for a while… “Is this his sign? Does she still
care for me after all these years?" he pondered in his mind.
If they knew all about you,
They'd end up loving you, too.
All those same people who scold you,
What they would give just for the right to hold you.
Four months ago he had kissed her and he had told her a secret that he held
inside for so long. However, he never had the nerve to call her to explain why
he said and did those things that night.
From your head down to your toes,
you are not much, goodness knows.
But you’re so precious to me,
Sweet as can be, baby of mine.
Baby of mine by Alison Krauss
Doug stood in the doorway; he could see Amy digging happily for something special for Pacey. "Hey Daddy" she looked up for a second and then dove back into her box.
Doug could see Pacey was in another world. "Pacey" he said with a stern tone.
"Dougie," he snapped out of his thoughts. "I see you’re still fighting the good fight."
Doug look down at his uniform and back to Pacey "Some ones got to do the dirty work"
"I am glad it is you.” Pacey hugs Doug tenderly.
"So you decided to come."
"I always planned on coming.”
"Really, then why did you call me last week and tell me you weren't."
"It's a long story, and now is not the time or the place to discuss it."
"Really?" Doug raised his eyebrow. “So this has nothing to do with Andie then."
Pacey knew he was caught but he wasn't ready to pour out his soul to his big brother, just not yet. "No, I just wanted to surprise you all. Surprise! See? Aren’t you surprised?”
"Pacey ..." Doug crosses his arms
“Doug, I am here that’s all that matters.”
"‘I’ll let it go for now but you and I need to talk later.”
“All right Sheriff Witter but right now I want play with my niece.” Pacey kneels down next to Amy.
Amy sets a gold tiara on top of his head. "How do you like it?”
“Amy, honey you got the wrong Witter."
"Some things never change" Doug rolls his eyes.
At the party she slowly let her guard down around him, it was too hard not to
laugh at the humorous jabs he threw at Doug’s expense. He seemed like a
different person from the last time she had seen him. He caught her looking at
him a couple of times, so in return he would flash that smile he knew she loved.
This made her blush. She tried to hide her face so he would not notice.
They acted as if they were the only two in the room but Jack gave a knowing look to Doug about what he was seeing. He was not sure what was going on or how he felt about it either. Doug shared Jacks concerns, now that they were family he shared the same worries that Jack did about Andie.
After the party ended Andie started to clear the table, it was only natural for her, she hated a mess. Pacey, shook his head. She had not changed, she was the same clean freak she had always been.
Jack followed her into the kitchen with a stack of plates. “Andie, we can leave these dishes for tomorrow.”
“Come on Jack, you know I enjoy washing dishes.” she remarked
Pacey sat two dirty glasses down on the counter “Did I hear someone say that they enjoy washing dishes? No one enjoys washing dishes.” He gave Andie a funny look. She just ignored his comment, swishing the water around to get the bubbles to appear.
Doug piped in. “I agree with Andie I like washing dishes too.”
Pacey gave Jack a curious look “Sometimes I wonder if the wrong Witter and McPhee are dating.”
Jack just sighed. “I ask myself the same question sometimes too?” and
pats Pacey on the back.
“Make fun of us all you want but it’s people like us that make the world
go round. I find it quiet comforting knowing that.” Doug beamed.
“I agree with Doug, Pace. I’d rather have Andie doing surgery on me than you.”
“Jack, I won’t disagree with you on that point and I’d rather see her pretty face then my ugly mug when I come out of surgery.”
She had heard his reply, but she knew she had been too friendly, to open to him tonight. Pulling back now would be the only thing that would save her from heart break later. So she closed her mind off from the conversation and concentrated hard on the task before her. He was disappointed when she did not seem to notice his comment and maybe what he thought was his sign up stairs was only false hope.
The phone rang as the last dish found its home in the cupboards. Jack knew it was the police station and handed the phone to Doug without answering it. The three watched as Doug was on the phone.
“Hello, yes …. No, no it’s okay the birthday party is over …. Okay … I’ll be down in twenty minutes … Alright see you then Ted.” He set the receiver down. Doug looks to the three. “Damn kids partying in the cemetery again. This time they knocked down some head stones. Mr. Hale the caretaker is having a fit and he only wants to talk to me.”
“Why would anyone want to party in a cemetery?” Andie gasped “That’s just creepy.”
“Not everybody likes to have their parties at Chucky Cheese Andie, some people like to live on the wild side.”
“Wild side or not Pacey, these kids cause so much damage. This has to be the third time I’ve been to this cemetery. If the caretaker would take my advice and just put an alarm system in he wouldn’t keep having these problems.” Doug kissed Jack on the cheek. “Don’t wait up for me.”
“I just hope it doesn’t take all night.” Jack gives Doug a sympathetic look.
“I hope so too.” He turns his attention to Pacey. “If you want I can drop you off at the B&B.”
“Thank you but I was hoping to stay here for the weekend?”
“Really?” Jack rubbed his hands together. “Pace, you know we only have the one guest room and Andie is staying in it.”
“I have no problems sharing a room, or bed with Miss. McPhee.”
A shocked look crossed her face. “I am just joking Andie,” he touches her arm “I can camp out on the couch. I mean if it’s alright with everyone?”
“What about the B&B?” Doug gives him a suspicious look.
“No room at the inn at least that is what Bessie told me. She gave my room away to some fat cats from Newport.”
“I don’t see a problem,” Andie put her two cents in. “Just as long as I don’t see any underwear lying on the floor.”
“I will make sure not to do that. I already planned on stuffing them under the couch cushions.”
“Eww,” Jack makes a funny face. “But if Andie is okay with it then so am I .”
Doug could not shake that Pacey was lying, but he did not have time to find out what was going on. “Fine, you can stay but you have to make breakfast in the morning.”
“It’s a deal Dougie.”
Doug waved goodbye as he left the house.
“I don’t know about you guys but I am heading off to bed,” Andie yawned, leaning over to kiss Jack on the cheek.
“Do you have one of those for me?” Pacey looks innocently at her.
She hesitated for a second but then kissed his cheek too. “Good night Pacey. Sweet dreams.”
“As long as you’re in them” he whispered to her. She gave him a light hearted smile.
“I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Only the ones that mean anything to me.”
“Oh Pacey,” she sighed and headed up the stairs.
For hours she tossed and turned, she couldn’t sleep; just knowing that he was downstairs kept her awake. That look that he had given her right before she went to bed could not escape her thoughts. Something is wrong; Pacey is a flirt but he doesn’t cheat, at least never on Joey. “Maybe a warm glass of milk will help?” She kicked the covers off the bed in frustration. She slipped her robe over her pink satin chemise and made her way down the hall. Once she was at the bottom of the stairs, she tiptoed into the kitchen so she would not wake Pacey who was snoring lightly on the couch.
No matter how quiet she tried to be, everything seemed louder in the calm of the night. She kept looking out to the living room wondering if Pacey had heard her. After finally getting the milk to the right temperature, she sipped it carefully trying not to burn her tongue. As tired as she was she had to admit she loved this hour of night, everything seemed so peaceful. She drank the last drop of milk out of the cup and washed it out, setting it in the sink.
“Andie is that you?” Pacey rubbed his eyes; he squinted trying to get his eyes to adjust to the light in the kitchen.
Startled by him “Shit, Pacey you scared me,” he swore lightly.
“Did I just hear little Andie McPhee swear?”
“I am not so little any more Pace.”
“Certainly not by the looks of you!” He could see the pink chemise from her open robe.
She closed her robe and tied it tightly, turning her back to him so he could not see her face get red.
“That’s a far cry from the flannel Pj’s that you used to wear when we went out.”
“A lot has changed since we went out.” She turned to face him.
He hung his head down “You don’t know how true that statement is.”
“Well, I should head off to bed if I am going to help Jack teach Amy how to ride her new bike tomorrow.” She passed him on the way out of the kitchen.
“Andie ….”
“Yes,” she stopped and looked back to him
“Why do you keep doing that?”
“Doing what?” She shrugged her shoulders.
“Avoiding me.” He replied looking in to her eyes
“I don’t avoid you?” She looked away hoping he wouldn’t notice that she was lying.
“Yes, you do.”
“How do I avoid you?” She remarked still trying to hide her eyes from his.
“For instance every time you find out that I am coming to visit at the same time as you, something suddenly comes up and you can‘t make it.”
“Pacey, I am a doctor and I can’t always control when my patients need me.”
“For some reason I don’t believe your patients are the ones stopping you from coming down. I have a theory about it. Would you like to hear it? ”
She crossed her arms “What’s your theory oh wise one.” She shot back sarcastically.
“For the last three years you haven’t been the Andie McPhee that I know and love. Oh you try to put on a happy face but I can tell that something is wrong. I could never put my finger on it, but now I know? I know that you avoid me because of the relationship I have with Joey and also because ……” he paused and quickly looked down to the floor and back to her, “and what happened in the car that night.”
“What happened in the car that night was a mistake and your relationship with Joey is the least of my worries. So I would say your theory is BS.” She threw her arms up in the air.
“No, I know I am right about this Andie. It took Joey to break up with me to see what was really going on with you.” He just realized what he had said.
Andie’s eyes went wide. “Pacey, did you just say that Joey broke up with you?” She remarked softly.
He ran his hand threw his hair and started to laugh nervously “Yes, yes she did.”
She gave him a strange look.
“Pacey are you okay?”
“I am fine. It’s just that this is the first time I told anybody. You don’t know how long I have been lying to everyone.” He stopped to look at her.
“When did you break up?”
“Two months after Grams funeral ……”
“That’s almost seven months ago …. Why did it happen?”
“I am not Dawson.”
Andie didn’t really know what to say.
“I am sorry Pacey, I really wished things could have worked out for the both of you.”
He started to laugh again.
“You’re such a liar McPhee.”
Andie was taken aback by his comment.
“What …?”
“Don’t tell me this doesn’t make you happy?”
This remark hurt her.
“No matter what you think Pacey, I do want you to be happy in life with or without Joey.” She expressed truthfully.
“I am sorry Andie, I wasn’t try to sound mean.” He paused “But you’re wrong though!”
“Wrong about what?” She sighed
He stepped closer to her.
“That night in the car wasn’t a mistake. I meant what I said …...” He caressed her cheek with his hand. “I meant what I did.” He kissed her passionately. As much as she wanted to push him away, she didn’t have the strength or the will power. The kisses made them both a little lightheaded and they rested their foreheads on each other.
“How could I forget?” He whispered to her. “How could I forget this feeling? How did I forget us?” He kissed her lovingly this time.
Doug quietly shut the door. He looked at his watch which read two-thirty in the morning. He could see the light in the kitchen on and noticed that Pacey was missing from the couch. “Remember, Pacey leave some food for the people who actually live here.” He amused himself by his witting reply. The grin from his face dropped when he found Pacey and Andie in their tender moment.
Andie became flushed, pushing Pacey away.
“Oh god what am I doing?” She rushed by Doug.
“Andie!” Pacey followed after her but Doug grabbed his arm.
“What the hell is going on Pacey?”
“Let go Doug, I need to talk to her.” He tried to free himself from his grip.
“Not before you talk to me!”
It seemed like forever before Pacey could put into words what he needed to say, to explain to Doug what has been going on for the last 7 months. That for the first time in his life he had really made peace with himself, that he really felt happy even though he lost the only women he ever loved. He laughed to himself, which made Doug look at him strangely. That was a lie that he always believed that she was the only one, but as the months went by he knew that he was wrong and now he was determined to fix the mistake he made so long ago.
“I really don’t know where to start, I mean I could start at the day Joey told me it was me she always loved or….”
“How about you start with tonight and why I caught you kissing Andie in the kitchen?” Doug cut in.
“Well, I can’t explain that, I just know it was meant to happen.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“How is that Pacey? Why would you be kissing Andie when you’re supposed to be in love with Joey?”
“Because it is really hard to be in love with someone when they tell you that you’re the wrong person. That the last two and half years was a mistake and should never have happened.” He avoided Doug’s eyes. He didn’t what to see pity in them.
“She said that? I just can’t believe that Joey would say that.” He tried to comfort him but Pacey moved away from Doug’s touch.
“The funny thing is Doug, that I agreed with her, she was right. I knew that she loved me but I also knew that she loved Dawson and that one day she would figure it out.”
“Figured what out?”
“That he was always the one she was meant to be with.”
“I am sorry Pace.”
“It‘s okay Doug, at least I didn’t have to spend the rest of my life always wondering who she really loved. What kind of life would that be? You would have to be a fool to want to live like that. I was a fool for way too long.”
“It sounds like you’re handling this well.”
Pacey shuffled his feet. He was handling this better than he ever thought. He hated to admit it but he hadn’t felt this free since the day he left Capeside to go to the Caribbean. He would never regret loving her but he regretted all the time he spent trying to get her to pick him.
“Don’t get me wrong Doug, I wish it could of work out but sometimes you just need to move on with your life, no use wallowing in my self pity.” He tried to break up the tone of the conversation.
“And Andie is moving on with your life?” He glanced at Pacey as he unbuttoned his shirt to get ready for bed.
“It’s not only about moving on Dougie,” he smiled cheerfully, “It’s about growing up and really knowing what love is all about. I had that with Andie at one time, even though it got screwed up.” He hesitated. “I was an idiot to think that I could find that with Joey, but with Andie it was always possible. It was easy. In the back of my mind I have always known it was her but was too afraid that it would never be as good as it was the first time round. I’m not afraid anymore.”
Doug could see Pacey was serious and that he really believed what he was saying. He was relieved that Pacey had finally grown up on his own without the help of a women by his side.
“I am proud of you Pace, for the first time you know the answers.” He pat his brother on the back. “You know she never stopped loving you!”
“I know …” He smiled sadly “It’s the one thing I always know.” He felt guilty because he knew one time in his life he had stopped loving her. “There were days when I felt like packing it all in but just knowing that she was out there made the world better. Knowing that someone loved me with all my flaws and still wanted to be there for me, how could I not fall in love with her over again?” He was embarrassed by his statement but this was how he felt, he wanted Doug to understand even if it made him look corny.
Doug studied him. He knew Pacey was laying his heart out on the line, something that Pacey didn’t do too often.
“Now, you know how I feel about Jack.” He started to chuckle as he never thought he would be having this talk at three in the mourning with his little brother. Pacey started to laugh too, not sure what was funny.
“Who ever thought we would be in love with two people in the same family.” Doug continued to laugh.
“God only knows? “ Pacey threw his hands up in the air.
“Let’s get some sleep.”
Pacey nods his head in agreement, pouring your soul out was tiring business. As soon as they left the kitchen they saw Andie carrying her suitcase. She was startled by the two, she was thinking she could sneak past them before they were finished.
“Um, Doug could you tell Jack that there was an emergency and I had to leave.” She couldn’t look at either of them in the eyes. “Tell Amy I’ll see her soon, also that I love her very much.” She wiped a tear from her cheek.
All Doug could do was nod his head. He backed away from the couple to leave them alone. Pacey’s face had completely dropped. He did not think she would do this, that she would run away. It wasn’t in her character. The fact that she was leaving because of him hurt too. His eyes would not leave her face, he wanted her to look at him. She could feel his eyes on her, she was afraid he would see how scared she was. Once she had enough courage, she gazed straight into his.
“I am sorry Pacey if I gave you the wrong idea in the kitchen. But you and I had our chance a long time ago, maybe in life that’s all you get. ” She knew she was lying but in her mind it had to be done. She turned to leave.
He didn’t believe her, what she had said was her way of protecting herself. He wouldn’t let her leave now, he knew it didn’t end here that this was only the beginning of the relationship. “I spent most of my life loving the wrong girl, so before you leave Andie, I want to say that I’m sorry. Because the time I wasted with her, was the time that was going to make my life worth while, I was with the wrong person. I want to spend the time I have left with the right person and that is you.”
She stopped dead in her tracks. She turned slowly to him “If I am the right person then you’ll understand that I need time right now.” She gave him a weak smile.
“So take all the time you need, God knows you waited a long time for me to get my head out of my ass.” He replied.
She kissed him deeply; she wanted the kiss to show him how she really felt for him.
“Thank you Pacey.” She quietly breathed and with that she left.
It had been two weeks since Andie had seen Pacey, but his presence had never left her. At work there was always a fresh bouquet of red roses waiting for her at her desk with a small note. The notes were always sweet and of course they would have a touch of Pacey’s humor in them. Today the note was funnier than before.
“Andie, I told you I would give you time to decide but if this lasts very much longer I’ll decide to invest in a flower shop so I can get a discount. I cannot believe how expensive roses are, so do not think I love you any less when on Monday you start getting carnations. Did you know that you get twice as many for the same price? Love always, Pacey.”
“Same old Pacey,,” she thought to herself.
Fridays always seem to last forever, this Friday more than any other. All day long she was debating with herself on the decision she made last night. The decision that she would go to New York to see him, to tell him that she was ready to take a chance. As the day went on she kept changing her mind; at 11 she seriously doubted her decision, at three she knew going was the right thing to do. Now at five she drove home from work rethinking what she decided at three. She hated how Pacey made her feel sometimes, when it came to clear thinking he always had a way of messing her up.
Her place was not huge but it had charm and the neighborhood reminded her of Capeside. Sitting on her bed sat her suitcase; already packed with clothes for the trip to New York. She stared at it for a long time as she tried to analyze what was the right thing to do. In frustration, she threw up her hands and plopped on the bed sitting next to the suitcase. She began to start talking to herself. “Why is this so hard, I love him, this should be easy.” She looks to the clock that reads six. “Window of opportunity is leaving and it’s leaving on the six thirty train McPhee.” Without notice she grabs the suitcase, her purse and her keys. She was going, nothing was going to stop her, and she was on a mission to tell Pacey Witter she loved him. In her excitement she didn’t see Pacey standing in the door just getting ready to knock when she collide into him. Pacey fell down, while Andie dropped all her stuff on the ground.
“Oh my God, Pacey, are you okay?” She reaches for his arm to help him up.
“McPhee, you’re still a disaster waiting to happen, how did you ever become a doctor?” He chuckled.
“I was in a hurry, I didn’t see you. Sorry!” She led him to the couch.
Near the door he could see her suitcase. “Leaving town- is one of your patients suing you for malpractice?” He jokes with her.
She ignored his remark, sitting down next to him, trying to look him over to see if he was all right. He took great amusement in her fussing over him, not many people in his life fuss over him, not even Joey.
She noticed the goofy smile on his face; she was in doctor mode so she tried to be professional. “Stop!” She pleaded with him.
“Stop, what?” He gave her a guilty smile.
“Stop looking at me like that.” She tried not to giggle. “I don’t see any life threatening injures, I think you’ll live.” She arose from the couch to shut the door.
He watches her walking away from him, trying to read her thoughts. He wasn’t sure how to start the conversation.
She was trying so hard to be grown up around him but he was one of the few guys in her life that made her feel like she was sixteen again.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“I thought you were in a hurry to get somewhere?” He asked.
She didn’t know what to say, she didn’t want to tell him the truth, not yet.
“I was, but now that I think of it, it wasn’t that important a trip.”
“Well, it must have been since you practically ran me over.”
She opens the cupboard doors to grab two glasses.
“Is white wine okay, otherwise I have orange juice?”
“White wine would be great, why do I get the feeling you’re trying to change the subject?”
“I am not!” She protested as she handed him his glass.
“Oh, yes you are. I know that look and tone in your voice.” He said playfully. “You’re not a very good liar, you never were.”
She sat across from him on the love seat. “I guess you would know about lying better than me.” She said sarcastically.
“That hurt McPhee; you really got me with that little slam.”
“So instead of giving me the third degree, why are you here?” She asked.
He sat the glass on the coffee table. “That’s easy, I missed you. I needed to get my McPhee fix.”
“Ugh, that’s sounds like something you get at a fast food place.”
“You’re right, that wasn’t very romantic was it?”
She raises her eyebrows and shakes her head no.
“I know I told you I would wait for however long you need, but as you know I am not good at waiting.” He paused looking deep her eyes. “I tried to keep myself busy at the restaurant in New York but all I could think of was-Did she get my flowers? Does she like the little notes I send?”
“I love the flowers Pacey,” she said in a soothing voice. “And the notes were just what I needed some days.”
He beamed at her replied. “Good, I am glad because I wasn’t sure if they were right?” He was so nervous right now, as if he was waiting for a pardon from the governor. He moved his way over to the loveseat to sit next to her. He took the glass from her hand and sat it on the coffee table. He took her hands in his, entwined his fingers with hers, and looked intensively in to her eyes.
“At one time you told me the world was a scary place and it was okay to be
scared, but you also told me not to be scared of you. Right now I think you’re
scared of me and I don’t want you to be scared of me.”
I could start dreaming' but it'd never end
As long as you're gone we may as well pretend
“How can I not be scared of you Pacey? For years you have been in love with Joey. Then one day after she breaks your heart for the millionth time, I am suddenly the woman you always loved. It doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t think it is suppose to make sense, the one thing I learned about
love is that it hits you when you least expect it.” He let out a sigh.
I've been dreaming'
Straight from the heart
She knew this all too well. That day in the cafeteria she had felt something
stirring in her, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. It scared her then,
it was a feeling that she didn’t want to have but it made her feel alive. But
why now, after all this time?” She hung her head.
You said it's easy but who's to say that we'd be able to keep it this way
He lifts her head with his hand. “I don’t think you know how much you impact
my life. You were always there with every decision I made, the good and the bad.
I thought of you as my little angel that sat on my shoulder, forever telling me
the truth when I need it. Boy, some days I needed it!” He laughed softly. “Even
when I was with Joey you were never far from my mind. I would ask myself what
would Andie think of this, what would Andie say about that.”
But its easier Coming' straight from the heart
She shook her head in disbelief. “Pacey” “I know I told you at one time
that my heart told me that you were not the one.” He paused while tears flowed
from her eyes. “I even believed that Joey was the one …”
Give it to me straight from the heart Tell me we can make another start
She didn’t want to hear anymore, it just hurt too much. She tried to stand up
but he wouldn’t let her. “Andie, listen!” He stares directly into her
eyes. “I have said and did some things to you in the past; I wish I could take
them back.”
You know I'll never go - as long as I know its coming' straight from the heart
“No, Pace, you had every right to say those things to me. I am the one who
cheated; I took your trust, your love and, threw it all way. Just because I was
scared.”
I'll see you on the street some other time and all our words would just fall outta line
“You had a right to be scared.”
While we're dreamin' straight from the heart
She removed her hand from his “Don’t make excuses for me. What I did was
wrong and I spent my life hating that moment. I ruined a love that few people
ever find in this world.” She wipes a tear from her cheek.
Give it to me straight from the heart Tell me we can make one more start
“I never knew that you still punished yourself over this?” He cocks his head
to the side.
You know I'll never go - as long as I know its coming' straight from the
heart Straight from the heart - Bryan Adams
She left him sitting on the couch, wrapping her arms around herself in front of
the window, she watched the people below on the street walk by. “It is the one
thing I still lose sleep over once in awhile. How I failed the most important
thing in life, I never failed anything before I met you and since my senior year
I haven’t failed since. The promise I made to myself when I left for Italy is
to never fail again. As long as I kept away from you, I thought I would forget
my sin, but you Pacey Witter have a way of not leaving a girl’s heart no
matter how hard she tries.”
He now stood next to her watching her talk, she was still beautiful. Her hair reached to her shoulders, still the golden blonde he remembers from their younger years. He looked over to the suitcase and back to her. “You were going to see me?” He interjected.
This caught her off guard. “I was just pouring out my heart to you, were you even listening?” She crossed her arms. “Don’t change the subject; you were going to New York?”
He points to her with a sly smile. “I am not changing the subject, I thought we were discussing important issues that pertain to our relationship.”
She pointed back to him. “You’re doing it again,” he smirked. “Yes, is that what you wanted to hear? Yes, I was going to New York to tell you that I loved you and I wanted to try again. As I stand here looking at you I must be crazy. What the hell was I thinking that this would work?” She walked away feeling annoyed.
“I knew it.” His voice danced with excitement .He wraps his arms around her from behind, lifting her off the ground. Instead of protesting Andie just melts in his arms. He put her down, she turned to face him. “I love you Andie McPhee.” He laid his forehead on hers. “I will do whatever it takes to make up all the time we have lost.” He gazed tenderly into her eyes.
They kiss as if they were starving for each other lips, but before it could go far than that she pulls away and Pacey is disappointed by this action. “Pacey, where are you staying in Boston for the night?” She asked.
He was afraid to answer her; his arms were around her waist. “Well, I was assuming that I would stay with you tonight.”
She removes his arms. “Excuse me; you were assuming you would stay with me.” She put her hands on her hips. “Were you also assuming that we would sleep together tonight too?”
“It is one of the perks of being a boyfriend- getting to sleep with your girlfriend.” He tried not to smile.
“You mean getting to have sex with your girlfriend.” She tapped her foot.
“ Oh , Andie McPhee your mind is in the gutter, but since you mention it I think we could have sex .And of course cuddling , I know how much you women like cuddling .” He put his arms around her again, pulling her close to him.
She was trying to keep a straight face. “I am not a naive sixteen year old girl any more, Pacey. So you can give me those puppy dog eyes all you want but I am not going to give in. I am an intelligent, independent woman who doesn’t lose her brain just because a guy kisses her …”
Just then he kisses her long and passionately. “Your place or mine?” She said spell bound. She leads him into the bedroom with a mischievously grin, shutting the door behind them.
With Thanksgiving in only one day, she still needed to go to the store for ingredients: apples, flour, sugar, butter and caramel, she jots down. It was funny to think at this time last year her friend had set her up on a blind date, right before Thanksgiving, with a foot doctor named Mark. The name alone had already given her an indication that this date would not work, but she was willing to give it a shot. He was a nice person, but he was twenty years her senior and still living with his mother. She did not have to worry about blind dates anymore, she was a taken women and she never had to worry if she had a date on Saturday night. Every other weekend she would go to New York to see him. She was surprised how clean his apartment was, but with the limited space he had, it had to be clean. There was enough room for a bed, a table and of course in true Pacey style, a very big TV that took up the rest of the space.
On the weekends when she was not in New York, he was here in Boston driving her crazy but she loved it. He was always trying new recipes out on her, she accused him of trying to fatten her up so no other man would want her.
“It’s all part of my evil plan!” He rubs his hands together and follows with a diabolic laugh.
She would like to think that this time around it was easier, that there was no outside influences to strain their relationship. Her days of seeing Tim and taking medication were gone; she had put that girl behind her. A private nurse was taking care of her mother in Providence where her parents had lived for the last five years. Twice a month Pacey and she would go visit her mother. She was doing better; only once in awhile she would slip and mention Tim.
Pacey was to arrive from New York tomorrow to pick her up and they planned to head to Capeside to Jacks and Doug’s for supper. It had been a week and a half since she had seen him; some business at the restaurant had kept him from visiting. Running two restaurants was hectic and with her job she never knew when her pager would go off. She gathered her keys in her hand, double checking her list and locking the door behind her she walked down the stairs to face the crowds of last minute shoppers.
Not half an hour after she had left, a rustle of keys was heard in the door. Pacey turned and nudged the door open with his foot making sure not to bang the door into the wall. Grocery bags filled his arms. “Hey Andie, can you help me?” He dropped one of the bags. “I guess you’re not home.” He laid the bag on the counters; retrieved the one that fell on the floor, picking up what spilled out from the bag. “I should be happy the eggs were not in this one,” he laughs to himself. In no time he had the empty cupboards stocked with food and had started on dinner. The radio was on full blast to one of his favorite Elvis songs.
Oh, baby, baby, baby, baby.
Baby, baby, b-b-b-b-b-b baby, baby.
Baby Come back,
baby, I wanna play house with you.
He started to sing into the soup ladle; it is funny what you do when no one is watching.
“Well, you may go to college, You may go to school.
You may have a pink Cadillac,
But don't you be nobody's fool.
Now baby, Come back, baby, come.
Come back, baby, come.
Come back, baby, I wanna play house with you”
She walks in with an amused smile on her face. She had no idea that he was
arriving tonight. He noticed her standing there watching him, he turned around
and he could see that she was enjoying his performance. He kept on singing
taking the grocery bags out of her hands. “Hello, gorgeous!” He gave her a
quick peck on the cheek.
“What I'm talking about. Come on back to me, little girl,
So we can play some house.
Now baby, baby Come back, baby, come.
Come back, baby, come. Come back, baby,”
He picks her up and swings her around in the air and she screams with delight.
“Now listen and I'll tell you baby Now this is one thing, baby That I want you
to know.
Come on back and let's play a little house, And we can act like we did before.
Well, baby, Come back, baby, come.
Come back, baby, come.
Come back, baby, I wanna play house with you. Yeah.”
He sets her down and dips her and gives her a slow deep kiss. They continue to
kiss, falling on to the couch. Out side only a soft giggling can be heard. The
next sound is the noise of shoes being kicked off and falling to the floor.
Oh, baby baby baby.
Baby baby baby b-b-b-b-b-b baby baby baby.
Baby baby baby.
Come back, baby, I wanna play house with you Baby, let's play house
by Elvis Presley
***************************************************************************************************
Jack had out done himself this Thanksgiving. When everyone had stuffed themselves to way beyond the full capacity of what a stomach could hold, they all sat in the living room trying to digest their food .Even Andie wasn’t in a hurry to do the dishes. She laid her head on Pacey’s chest feeling miserable that she ate two pieces of pie on top of that second serving of turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes earlier.
The feeling of contentment filled Pacey’s mind, a feeling that he had searched for but only found with Andie; he never had this with Joey. With Joey, he was always wondering how long it would last, but with Andie this never crossed his mind. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to his chest. At this moment he could die a happy man, and if he never accomplished any thing more then this in his life, he would be fine.
After everyone has gone to bed, Pacey coaxed Andie to take a walk down underneath the stars at the dock that holds all their history. “Here we are at the place where we first danced.” In a dancing move, he twirls her around in a circle and brings her back to him kissing her. “And don’t forget the first kiss.” He beams.
“And also where we broke up for the first time,” she said sadly.
He grimaced at her reply, not sure what to say. “But at least you finally kept your promise.”
At first, she gave him a questioning look but then she understood. She intertwines her fingers with his. “You and me together again, happy, healthy, more in love than ever,” she replied.
“I am surprised you remember,” he said jokingly.
“Unlike you I do remember everything,” she jokes back.
He took a deep breath and, slowly letting it out, “Andie,” he said in a confident voice. “Yes, Pacey” she turned to him with her usual bright smile.
“Sometimes I think too many words can ruin a moment, so with that in mind.”
He retrieved a small black box from his pocket; he fixed his eyes on hers. “I
love you Andie. Will, you marry me?”
It took her awhile to take in what just happened. Her hesitation worried him.
However, once she recovered from the shock, she leaned in placing a soft but
passionate kiss on his lips that answered Pacey’s question without saying a
word.
Andie hushed Pacey as they got closer to the house so not to wake up the neighbors
or occupants sleeping inside. He was flying high with anticipation on
what the future held for them. A big house, with a big yard and of course a few
rug rats to make it complete. He could not quit kissing her, holding her close
and whispering in her ear what he was going to do to her once they reached the
room. She acted shocked by what he said but she whispered back into his ear what
she planned to do to him.
“I didn’t know that was possible.” He gave her a sly smile. She nods her head yes. “Well I learn something new about you every day.” He teases her nuzzling his nose with his.
Oblivious to the world around them, they have not noticed Joey standing there watching them.
“Hello Pacey, did I come at bad time?” she announce to him.
His face fell at the sound of
her voice. “Pacey?” Andie looks for answers in his eyes, but he could not
give them to her. For the first time in the last six months Pacey Witter was
scared; scared that what he had just found, he was going to lose.
“Let there be light,” he says jokily, flipping on the switch.
Andie turns to him. “Gee, Jack that was witty where ever do you come up with those fabulous one liners,’ she replies sarcastically and refocuses on her search in the fridge.
“Retract the claws sis, I come in peace.”
“I am sorry I snapped at you, I am a little stressed out right now.” She steps back from the fridge. “Where is that bottle of wine from dinner?’ she asks.
“On the left hand side under the salad,” he pointed.
She pulls out a half empty wine bottle. She tries to loosen the cork but in frustration she gives up.
“Did you and Pacey have a fight?” He takes the bottle from her.
“No much worse.” Jack struggles with the cork. “You didn’t break up?” He opens it with ease handing it back to her.
“No.” She takes a swig from the bottle. “Actually he asked me to marry him.” She takes another swig.
He looks at her dumbfounded. “This is not the kind of reaction I would expect from some one who got engaged.” He looks around. “Where’s Pacey?”
She casually walks to the living room with the wine bottle in tow. Jacks follows closely behind her. “He is out side with her.” She points to the front door.
“Her?” Jack was even more confused
“You know Her,” Andie takes another big swig “Joey Potter, the heart breaker of Capeside, the indecisive queen of the century and my personal favorite: “What Joey wants Joey gets” Diva.” She hops into the armchair. “I have a feeling she is here because she wants something, or someone.”
“You’re overreacting; she didn’t come to steal your man.” He tries to take the bottle away from her but she playfully slaps his hand. “They’re just outside talking.” He rubbed his hand where she hit him.
“Talking is never talking in Capeside.” She wildly waves her arms in the air. “You know hello can mean ten different things here,” she joked.
“That’s true.”
She stares over to the door wishing she knew what was going on on the other side.
Outside
For a long time they stood there without a word said between them. Pacey never
felt this uncomfortable with her before, it was a new feeling for him. “What
are you doing here Jo?” He finally broke the silence.
Joey shuffled her feet, not sure how to answer the question. “I need to talk to you, we’re still friends aren’t we Pace?” she said with her famous half smile.
“In a strange, twisted way I guess we are.” He places his hands in his pockets. “I thought we said everything we needed to say a year ago.”
“We did, but I would like to think I could still talk to you about anything, no matter what happens between us,” she replied.
He studied her face for a while. He wished he felt the same way as she did but he wanted this conversation to be over before it even started. He wanted to go back to celebrating his future with Andie. “So, what did you need to talk to me about?” he remarked hoping that it would make the conversation go faster.
“Well it has to do with ...” she paused not sure if she should say it
. “Dawson,” he stated.
“Yes,” she said so softly that he could hardly hear her.
Shaking his head, “I am not sure how I can help you with the problem you’re having with Dawson.”
Joey sits down on the front steps covering her face with her hands; she began to cry. He sat down next to her not sure what to do. “Joey, what’s wrong?” he asked.
“Pacey, he is getting married,” she whispered burying her face into his chest, she sobbed quietly.
“I am sorry.” He comforted her by placing his arms around her and pulling her close to him. He rested his head on top of hers stroking her hair. She buried herself deeper in to his embrace.
Living Room
“Andie,” Jack sits on the coffee table next to her. He removes the bottle
from her hand without her noticing.
Tearing her eyes slowly away from the door, she cast them on him. “What if he forgets,” she whimpers.
“Forgets what? What could Pacey forget?”
“The last six months.” She paused. “She’s the one person who could make him forget them.” She could feel the tears spilling down her face.
Lost for words Jack glanced over to the door, part of him wanted to rip the door off the hinges and drag Pacey inside, anything so he didn’t have to see her in pain. The other part of him wanted to keep his cool, to keep it together; he had be strong for her. Reaching for her hand he held it tenderly. “I don’t know why Joey’s here and frankly I don’t care,” he began. “I consider Pacey to be one of my best friends but he would have to be an imbecile if he forgets the women that loves him unconditionally and chooses a woman who doesn’t know the meaning of the word. If that is what happens tonight, then I want you to know this: You have shown him more love in six months than she will ever show him in a life time.” Andie leaned in giving him a hug; she rested her head on his shoulder. “But,” he continued, “If Joey’s made anyone forget the past six months, Andie it’s you.”
Breaking away from him, she seemed shocked by his remark, but she knew he was right. Wiping away the tears, she could feel her body release the stress and sadness that she let invade her when she first saw Joey. Now she was upset that she had been corrupted so easily, and doubted their love for each other. “I am ashamed to say I forgot.” She frowned. “Believe me as much as I would like to forget when he leaves wet towels on the floor, or that he drinks all the milk leaving the empty carton in the fridge,” now a grin replaced the frown she once had. “Or when he chases me around the apartment, pretending he is Long John Sliver and he wants me to find his buried treas…. ”
Jack breaks in; “Okay too much info.” He waves his hand.
She starts to giggle. “I am sorry Jack.” She tries to put on a straight face to continue. “No matter how crazy he makes me, she could never make me forget one moment I had with him good or bad. I have to believe he feels the same way.”
“I know he feels the same,” Jack remarked. He tugs at her finger that has the engagement ring. “He asked you to marry him.”
Outside
“I have lost him Pacey,” she announced weakly.
He let out a heavy sigh. “If I know anything about Dawson, you could never really lose him. He might be on a different path than you are on now, but in the end it will always be Dawson and Joey.”
“I wish I could believe that.” She broke from his embrace.
“Face it Jo, he will never love anybody but you and you will never love anybody but him.”
She looked at him surprised. “I loved you?”
He started to laugh. “That wasn’t love, and it couldn’t have been Jo.”
“Why do you say that?” she seems wounded by his remark. “In the past when I looked into your eyes I saw him, for too long I was under the notion that it was normal as long as I had you it didn’t matter.”
Her face dropped. “I am sorry Pacey, I …”
He interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. “But since I’ve been with Andie I realized I was wrong because it does matter and when I look into her eyes I see me.”
“I lost you too?” She glanced over to him.
“You can’t lose something that doesn’t want to be found, Joey,” he replied. “As for Dawson, give him time, you’d be surprised when someone really loves you, they’re always willing to give you another chance.”
She begins to cry. “So, what do I do now?” she asked.
He stood up from the step. ”If there is one thing I
know about you Ms. Josephine Potter, you always land on your feet.” He bent
down placing a kiss on her forehead. Goodbye, Jo.” He left her sitting on the
step; she was truly alone for the first time.
“Hey, Jack.” He let his presence be known.
Jack looked over his shoulder nodding his head at him. “Pacey.”
“Andie go to bed?” he threw his coat over the chair.
“Yes.” He remarked.
“Is there any pie left?”
Jack points over to the counter and continues to eat. He reaches for a fork out the drawer, then grabbing the pie tin, nervously sits next to Jack. He looks over to Jack and wonders if he knows about Joey’s visit and how Andie was dealing with it. “How is...”
However, before he could ask the question Jack answered him. “At first she was a little crazed, you know how she gets.”
Pacey smiled to himself. “Yeah,” he picked at the pie in front him.
“But, it did not take her long to realize with the help of her big brother that this time,” he glanced over to him, “what you two have now is real and even Joey couldn’t come between you and her.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, “I was a little worried.” He set down his fork.
“You wouldn’t be human if tonight’s events didn’t bring some worries,” Jack replied taking the last bite of pie on his plate.
At that moment it hit Pacey that he and Jack have never had a discussion about his new relationship with his sister. “Jack, I want you to know what I feel for Andie now is real.” He made eye contact with him. “But never doubt that what I felt for her at sixteen was real too.”
“I never doubted that you loved her back then Pacey, but I can’t say that six months ago I didn’t question your new found love for her. I still wondered if Joey would have never broken up with you last year, would you be here with Andie tonight asking her to marry you.”
Pacey thought carefully before he replied back. “I understand where you’re coming from, I have asked myself the very same question before and I am not sure what the answer is but, I like to think if Joey wouldn’t have broken up with me, I would have eventually broken up with her as time went by.”
“You and Joey breaking up was inevitable, it was trying to predicting when it would happen, now that was the tricky part.” He stood up from the table placing his plate and fork in the sink.
Pacey raised his eyebrows at Jacks comments. Jack notices this reaction to this revelation. “Oh come on , did you really think that when Joey chose you that the rest us thought she made the right choice?”
“No, I never really thought about it, I just assumed that everyone one was okay with it.” He looked a little unnerved.
“I am sorry, I never planned on telling you but since you’re with Andie, I didn’t think you would care.”
“It‘s not that Jack, but the fact that everyone knew it wouldn’t last before I did.”
“Well, you were always a little slow when it came to all things Joey.”
Pacey shook his head in agreement. “That’s an understatement!”
“I better hit the sack. Doug wants to get up early and go shopping.”
“Are you kidding, there is going to be a mob tomorrow. You’re a brave man.”
“You know the things we do for love Pacey. Good Night.”
“Good night, Jack.” “Oh by the way, Pace,” Jack pokes his head around the corner. “Yea?” “Congratulations on your engagement, Mr. Long John Sliver.” He smiles trying not to laugh and leaves before Pacey can make a comment.
Pacey bows his head, rubbing his hand on his forehead “Oh, she is going to get it,” he laughs. He flicks off the light and heads upstairs.
Passing by Amy’s room he notices Andie is sitting there quietly watching her
sleep. He decides not to disturb her and continues to the bedroom.
This was what Andie liked most about her visits to sit and watch Amy. It was
her way to talk to Jen. She would tell Jen all her fears and hopes. But mostly
she would tell her how much she missed her, and how she wished she was here to
see Amy grow up. She picked up a picture of Jen on Amy’s nightstand. “I don’t
know if you had anything to do with Pacey and me,” she whispers aloud, “but,
if you did, I wanted to say thank you.” She gently put the picture down trying
not to wake up the little girl that slept so peacefully next to her. “Goodnight
Amy.” She kissed her on the cheek and took one last look at the picture of Jen
before she left the room.
While Pacey was brushing his teeth, he caught a glimpse of Andie slipping on her
nightgown in the mirror. If any thing had changed from their relationship in the
past, it was sex. The inexperience and self-conscious teenage girl he had known,
had grown up in to a knowledgeable and confident woman. He loved the Andie from
the past, the one that inspired him to be a better man, to do the right thing
when he knew something was wrong. Nevertheless, the Andie he knew now put to
rest all the fears that he once had about their relationship before. She had
learned over the years that she did not have to be perfect all the time. That it
was okay to ask for help when you need it and life was too short to care what
others thought about her. In return Pacey had learned that it is not about
making someone your whole world, it’s about sharing that world with someone
else and Andie was that someone.
As Andie sits in the bed waiting for Pacey, she mulls over the decision if she
should ask him or let him tell her why Joey came tonight. In her nervousness she
puts a small dab of lotion in her hand, and rubs her hands together. Still
wrestling with her decision on how to approach the subject, the lotion bottle
catches her eye and a small smile appears on her lips.
“It’s nice to know that my presence still puts a smile on your face. He crawled in bed next to her.
She waves her hand to him. “It’s not you.”
“I am not sure how to react to the remark you just made?” He gave her a curious look.
She grabs his shoulder “Oh, Pacey, I did not mean it the way it sounded,” she reassures him. “I was thinking about this bottle of lotion.” She holds it up to him.
He takes the bottle from her. ”This bottle of lotion brings a smile to your
face, instead of yours truly.” He points to the bottle. “Is there something
you’re not telling me that pertains to some past sexual experience that
involves lotion and another guy?” he asks her jokily but is interested in the
answer.
“Pacey I can‘t believe you asked me that!” She takes the bottle away from him and lightly hits him with it on his arm.
“Ow!” he rubs his arm. “That hurt.
” “It’s plastic you big baby.”
“It still hurts,” he whines.
She shook her head in disbelief. “Anyway, what I was trying to tell you was this bottle lotion has to do with us.”
“So I am the lucky guy who gets to have a sexual experience with you and the lotion. I’m not that kind of guy you know, but if it would make you happy Andie I’ll give it a shot.” He gives her a sly grin. “No one can ever say that Pacey Witter doesn’t care about his girlfriend’s needs.” He puts his arm around her.
“Pacey,” she rolls her eyes at him. “I am trying to be serious here. I was asking myself how I should let the discussion of Joey’s visit come up. You know, should I come right out and ask you or should I wait for you to tell me?”
The sly grin is now replaced with a serious look. He removes his arm from around her and sits up straighter. “I was going to tell you. You do have the right to know why she was here and what we were talking about.”
“No!” she remarked. “You’re wrong Pacey, I don’t need to know.”
He was shocked by her statement “Of course you need to know, I would want to know what was going on if one of your ex boyfriends showed up on the doorstep wanting to talk to you in the middle of the night.”
“At first I did, but then I saw this bottle of lotion and it just didn‘t matter any more.”
He gives her a strange look. “You lost me McPhee I don’t understand how this bottle of lotion plays in to you not caring about what happened tonight?”
We have both been here before Knockin’ upon love’s door Begging for someone
to let us in
Knowing this we can agree to keep each other company
Never to go down that road again My beloved one, my beloved one
She slides one of her legs over him and sits carefully down on his lap. He
gently rested his hands onto her hips. Now facing him she gazes tenderly into
his eyes.
“Because, Pace. A couple of months ago in conversation I briefly mentioned that I loved this lotion, but that it was hard to find because they only sold it in Italy.”
Your eyes shine through me You are so divine to me
Your heart has a home in mine
We won’t have to say a word
With a touch all shall be heard
When I search my heart it’s you
I find My beloved one, my beloved one, my beloved one
She runs her fingers through his hair. “After you left to go back to New York
one day, I found this hard to find bottle of lotion sitting on the shelf in the
bathroom.” She leans in close to him, her forehead touching his. “The idea,
that you spent your time and money to find this bottle of lotion based on the
fact that all I said was that I loved it,” she leans in letting her lips
almost touch his, “It tells me you’re the one and that’s all I need to
know.”
You were meant for me,
I believe you were sent to me from a dream straight into To my *arms*
Hold your body* *close to me
You mean the most to me
We will keep each other safe from harm
He brings his hand to her face letting his thumb lightly graze her cheek. “It’s
always been you Andie, even when I was too blind to see, you were, and are the
one.” He then kisses her and she returns the kiss. Before the room is plunged
into darkness, she lets her nightgown slip off her shoulders and gives him a
wicked smile. His eyes light up and she pulls him in for another kiss.
My beloved one, my beloved one, my beloved one Beloved one.
by Ben Harper
A radio is lightly heard in the background. An older Pacey stands in front of a
stove top with an apron tied around his waist, his hair slowly starting to gray
and his once boyish good looks have turned him into a mature but a handsome man.
He is adding some mince garlic into a big pot of sauce on the stove. He takes a
small sip and closes his eyes. “Perfect?” He calls out to the next room, “Sweetheart,
I need you to taste this?” After a few minutes, he realizes she did not hear
him and heads to the next room with a spoon full of sauce. “Andie, honey?”
He finds her sitting on the couch wrapped up in the book she is reading, her hair is shorter now and strands of silver weave through the blonde. After four kids she is still slender, and even though she has a few more winkles than before, she is still beautiful.
He places the spoon in front of her face. “I really think you’re going to like this, I would go as far to say that this is the best I have ever made.”
She looks at the spoon, and then to him. “Pacey,” she scolds him, “be careful, you’re going to get that stuff all over the place.” She stands up and leads him back to the kitchen.
They pass by a wall that is covered with pictures of their family and friends throughout the years. There are pictures of Jack, Doug and Amy scattered all over, with Amy’s recent one from her college graduation. A black and white photo of Dawson and Joey’s wedding hung on the left hand side and next to it was a new family photo of Dawson, Joey and their kids Mitch and Katie. In a large frame was a picture of Andie and Pacey standing in front of the fountain that held all their history. This was where they decided to get married, to Pacey surprised Andie was the one who suggest this idea. She told him in her mind Capeside was her Venice. The picture of their four children surrounded the large picture; Beth was their first, Ashley their second and then the twins Tim and John.
Back in the kitchen Andie is still scolding Pacey. “I spent all morning cleaning the house Pace without a certain person helping me.” She gives him a look.
“Don’t look at me? You haven’t been slaving away in the kitchen all day trying to create the perfect sauce for tonight’s dinner.”
She crosses her arms. “I don’t see why you can’t just open up a can of Ragu Sauce- it tastes about the same,” she shot back joking.
He is shocked by her statement. “That, Andie, was a low blow.” He throws the spoon into the pot. “You take that back, right now,” he replies trying to be serious with her.
“Or what? You’re going to send me to my room without dinner that would be a blessing.” She laughs.
He moves closer to her. “I would spank you but I know how much you like It.” he smirks.
“Pacey?” she tries not smile.
He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Twenty five years later McPhee and you’re still the only woman that makes my heart go boom -boom, boom-boom.” He puts her hand over his heart. He leans in and kisses her. After the kiss, she looks down to her knees.
“My knees are shaking like crazy, Pace.”
Looking into her eyes so lovely he then asks her, “Now will you taste my sauce?”
She softly hits him on the arm. “Pacey, you’re such a child?”
He kisses her nose “It’s one of my many qualities that you love about me.”
“So you say.” She rubs her nose where he just kissed her
. Holding the spoon a few inches from her face. “Come on, you know you want to.”
“Fine,” she throws her hands up in to the air, and then tastes it. She smiles at him. “It is good but just one thing…” (beat) “Ragu called-they want their recipe back.” She starts to walk away.
“Oh, that was hilarious.” He slaps his knee. “Now, come back here telling me the truth?”
She stops at the entrance of the kitchen. “Make me Officer Pacey.” She sticks out her tongue out him.
He approaches her with a smile. “Make you huh?” She starts backing away from him.
“Pacey, I know that look!” She laughs and
heads up the stairs with Pacey close behind her.