"Hey, Dad! Set an extra placemat! We've got some company…" yells Dawson.
Mitch and Gail, full well knowing who Dawson is bringing home to dinner, decide to act as innocently as they can.
"Hey, Joey! What brings you to this neck of the woods? You up for some spaghetti and shrimp salad tonight?" asks Mrs. Leery
"Well, it'll be a change of pace from Bodie's cooking" smiles Joey
"Speaking of which, shouldn't you call home to tell them you're not going to be home for dinner?" asks Mr. Leery, carefully working his plan into motion.
"Good idea, may I borrow your phone?" asks Joey
"You know where everything in this house is, Joey…" replies Mr. Leery
Joey rings up her number, to find Bessie answer the phone.
"Jesus Christ, Joey, where the hell are you? Last time we didn't know where you were, you were on the brink of meeting the Grim Reaper!! Where are you!" asks a worried Bessie
"I'm over at Dawson's, I'm going to have dinner here…"
"Oh… Is Mr. Leery around?" asks Bessie, changing her tone from upset to cheerful all of a sudden
"Yeah, why? do you want to talk to him?" asks Joey suspiciously… Her older sister is almost never in such a good mood.
"No, no that's OK… Just be sure to thank him…"
"For what, dinner? I wasn't born in a barn, Bessie, I have manners…"
"Other than dinner, you dimwit! Mr. Leery offered Bodie and I jobs at the restaurant that he owns, which is going to be built in 3 weeks near the cove."
Joey's heart skipped a beat… The thoughts of her next question almost seemed to travel through the phone…
"Which means we're not moving to Swampscott, we're staying right here in Capeside…" continued Bessie.
Joey let out a shriek of happiness, to which Mr. Leery raised an eyebrow and looked at his wife. Dawson didn't have a clue as to what was going on. Joey came into the room, and planted a kiss on Mr. Leery's cheek.
"Mr. Leery, have no idea what this means to me!!!"
"Dad, Joey!? What the hell is going on here!?" asks Dawson
"Joey and her family aren't going anywhere, Dawson, your father offered Bodie and Bessie jobs at Kelp…" says Dawson's mother.
"You mean???" Dawson couldn't even finish the sentence, as Joey came over and planted a big sloppy wet kiss on him…
"I'm staying in Capeside!!!!!" replied Joey
"Dad, you are the man of the hour! I will never ask any favor of you ever again, so long as I live!" says Dawson
"Just doin' what I can with what I got…" replies a cheerful Mr. Leery.
The Leerys and Joey finish their meal. Joey and Dawson excuse themselves to go outside.
Mitch and Gail are left alone at the dinner table.
"Mitch, that was an incredibly generous thing to do for your son…"
"I didn't just do it for Dawson, you know… I mean, have you been to the Icehouse lately?? The food there is incredible! Bodie makes the best clam chowder I've ever had!!"
"Wait a minute… don't I make the best clam chowder??" asks Gail, looking at her husband rather quizzically
"Ahhhh… Yours is better, it's just too good to share with the world…"
"Right answer…" says Mrs. Leery, as she approaches her husband in a seductive manner…
"It's good to be king…" replies Mr. Leery, as he kicks back, and puts hands behind his head…
**************************************************************************
Walking hand in hand, Joey and Dawson notice Pacey climbing up the ladder into Dawson's room.
"Pace!!!" yells Dawson
"Hey, Dawson! Joey???" replies Pacey at the sight of Dawson and Joey walking hand in hand, while he climbs down the ladder.
"Yes, Pacey?" replies Joey, unusually cheerful in Pacey's eyes.
"HAHA!!! I knew it! I totally knew it… You guys are sooo meant for each other, it's not even funny… You guys were so blind, I mean, you couldn't have found the floor even if you fell on it…" remarks Pacey. His tone changes from playful to serious in a matter of seconds. "Actually, have you guys considered the inevitability of a break up? With Ms. Potter here moving away…"
"Got some news, pal… Mitch offered Bodie and Bessie jobs down at the restaurant he's going to own…" says Dawson
"Which means I get to stay and make your life miserable some more, jailbait…" says Joey, finishing off Dawson's sentence
"As much as I hate to say it, I would have missed your nagging and bitching at me if you had left…" replies Pacey
"Screw you!" laughs Joey. Joey then notices the light on in Jen's room, from where she's standing. "Excuse me a minute, guys… I need to thank someone…"
Joey heads off to Jen's house, and rings the doorbell. Mrs. Ryan answers the door, looking at Joey rather suspiciously.
"What can I do for you, Josephine?" replies the elderly lady.
Didn't matter to Joey if Mrs. Ryan was going to act like a total nag, nothing could ruin her mood.
"Actually, Mrs. Ryan, I'm here to see Jen… Is she available?"
"Yes, just a moment."
Jen comes down from her room, with hair all jumbled up, and pencil stuck behind her ear.
"Joey, hey, ummm… what's up?" asks Jen, as they step out onto the porch
"I just wanted to thank you…"
"What for?"
"For giving me the courage to express my feelings to Dawson… You were right…"
As much as Jen loved Dawson, a sense of happiness overwhelmed her, knowing that Dawson was happy with the woman he really cared about. Still, something was eating Jen up inside. It didn't hurt to see the guy she cared about with another person. However, she knows she'll never find anyone like Dawson ever again. A guy so sweet and unassuming, someone who was consciously devoted to her. A tear started to roll down her cheek.
"Jen, what's wrong?" asks Joey, genuinely concerned.
"Just thinking to myself… You've got a lucky catch there Joey Potter… You'd have to a total idiot to let go of him. If you so much as hurt his feelings one bit, I'm coming after you with a pick ax…" laughs Jen, trying to hold back some more tears. "Hey, what happened to your wrist?" notices Jen, through some tears…
"Oh, just a small mishap…" says Joey, downplaying her suicide attempt with a small smile. Her slashed wrist was something that didn't need to happen, nor did it need to remind her of the fact that she almost moved away from Dawson. Thanks to his dad, Joey wasn't going anywhere. "Look, the day I hurt Dawson will be the day they have ski lifts in Hell… Jen, I know how much Dawson means to you…" says Joey, as she leaves the porch.
"Yeah?" asks Jen
"You wouldn't have gotten jealous during the kiss in detention if Dawson didn't mean anything to you…" replies Joey with a smile.
Jen smiles back, and walks back up to her room, wiping away the tear from her eye.
Joey walks back to Dawson and Pacey, who were in the middle of discussing Deputy Doug's date.
"Looks like my cue to exit, Dawson…" says Pacey as he bows out of the conversation. "Good night, and play safe. After seeing your sister Joey, I'm almost completely sure you don't want to end up like her."
"Eat me raw, Pace!" yells Joey back at Pacey, who hops on his bike, and rides away.
"Don't tempt me!" yells Pacey as he rides off.
**************************************************************************
Dawson and Joey sit on the lake, holding hands and leaning on each other. They were both looking at the stars, in silence.
"Dawson, thanks…" says Joey, out of nowhere
"For what?" asks Dawson
"For saving my life…"
"You would have done the same thing for me, Jo… Except I don't think I'd be nuts enough to take a rusty knife to my wrist…" replies Dawson, smiling
Joey, stung by the words, lets a tear out of her eye, which Dawson notices
"Correction - I don't think I'd be nuts enough to take a rusty knife to my wrist for anyone but you…" says Dawson
Joey grins, wiping the tear away from her cheek. The two of them sit there on the dock, looking at the moon and the stars. Dawson's brain starts to shift into gear.
"Joey, I'll be right back, I need to get something from my room…"
"OK" replies Joey, quickly pecking Dawson on the cheek with a kiss.
Dawson runs up to his room, takes his CD player, plugs some batteries into it, and grabs his Wallflowers CD. He comes out carrying the CD player, and Joey looks at him with a puzzled look.
"Just bear with me here…" says Dawson as he sets the CD Player down on the dock, switches it on and presses play on track number 8… "Josephine Potter, may I have the pleasure of dancing with you?" asks Dawson as he stretches his hand out to Joey.
Joey takes his hand, and they embrace, slowly moving to the rhythm of the song "Josephine"
"I feel pretty good
I feel all right
And I've been thinkin' maybe
I could spend the night
I know you've been sad
I know I've been bad
But if you'd let me
Make you ribbons from a paper bag
Josephine
You're so good to me
And I know
It ain't easy
Josephine
You're so sweet
You must taste just like sugar & tangerines
I won't make a sound
Sleep on the ground
When you wake I will
Drive you into town
I missed your smile
Your schoolgirl style
But I never had much fun
Maybe the very first mile
Josephine
You're so good to me
And I know
It ain't easy
Josephine
You're so sweet
You must taste just like sugar & tangerines
Don't you know
I watched you walkin' home from school
Your friends on the old playgrounds
You never looked so down
Won't you come and help me with these cuts of mine?
I've disconnected my heart
And cut myself on the wires
Josephine
I know I was wrong
I knew all along
But I got so far from my home
I never thought I'd be so lonesome
Josephine
You're so good to me
And I know
It ain't easy
Josephine
You're so sweet
You must taste just like sugar & tangerines"
"Joey, can I ask you something?" asks Dawson, lost in the song and into Joey.
"Sure, what is it?" wonders Joey, as she snuggles up into his shoulder.
"Am I really "unbelievably handsome??" asks a shy Dawson
"Hmmm… Let me put it this way…" laughs Dawson
Joey takes her head off Dawson's shoulder, and kisses him passionately, both of them lost in the kiss, just dancing underneath the stars and the moon, no one to bother them.
Questions, suggestions, or comments?
Send them to : marcb@pspro.ml.org
Up next : "Addicted to Love" - While Dawson and Joey are off in their own little world, Jen agonizes over the fact that Dawson will never truly be hers. Realizing she needs some time off from her time off, she takes a trip to New York, and drags Pacey along with him, after he pleads and begs, for reasons unknown to her…