Moment of Truth


TITLE: Moment of Truth
AUTHOR: Melody
E-MAIL: Scully574@aol.com
DISTRIBUTION: NONE
FEEDBACK: Always a pleasure, good or bad!
CONTENT/RATING: If you can watch the show, you can read this. This story does contain some adult content and serious teenage problems. So if you're under 13, I ask that you let your parents read this before you do.
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Kevin, of course. The idea is mine however...so don't steal it! Also, I make no money, trust me, so don't bother suing me.
Author's Notes: This story was written against my better judgement. I wanted to let this series die, scared that I'd continue writing and it would lead nowhere. But due to the overwhelming response I recieved from the other six, and considering you guys begged me to continue the series, here's an attempt. If I don't like the way it goes, or get negative feedback, this WILL be the last in the series. All stories must end.

Joey let out a scream that woke Dawson. He sat up and looked over at her. She was still asleep. "Joey, wake up."
She slowly stirred, turning over. Dawson saw the tears under her unopened eyes. "Joey, it's me Dawson. Come on, get up."
"Dawson?"
"Hey. You had another nightmare."
"Yeah." Joey sat up and wiped the tears from her face. "It just wont go away. No matter what I do."
"It'll be okay Joey. It's only been a few weeks."
"Every time I close my eyes, I just see that room again. I see you, Bob, that gun. I wish I could just forget about it."
"You'll be fine. You can't just forget something like that, no matter how hard you try."
"Thanks for letting me stay here Dawson. Bessie was just way overprotective when I went back there. She's always fussing over me like I'm some fragile doll. Everything's fine."
"Except the nightmares."
"Yeah." Joey paused, looking at Dawson. "Do you think something's wrong with me?"
Dawson moved the hair from her face. "Nothing's wrong with you. You went through something normal people don't go through. If you didn't have nightmares, I'd be worried. That would mean that you enjoyed it!"
Joey managed a smile, and hit Dawson with the pillow. "Yeah, pure enjoyment. What time is it, anyway?"
Dawson turned over and looked at the clock. "Two thirty. Still enough time to sleep before school."
Joey nodded and sank back down under the covers. Dawson lay next to her, put his arm around her until she fell asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey Joey, how are you?"
"Fine Jen. You?"
"Okay." Joey ran into Jen at her locker. They haven't really spoken since the whole kidnap mess. Joey tried to avoid everyone. She was tired of hearing about it, tired of thinking about it. She just wanted it over. "So what are you doing after school?"
Joey closed her locker. "Probably just going home. I don't feel that good."
"What's wrong? Your arm hurt?"
"Nah, it's fine now. Probably something I ate last night. What are you doing?"
"I was thinking we could all go to the movies or something. You know, like we used to?"
"You can ask Dawson if you want. I don't think he's doing anything."
"Come on Joey. If you don't go, he wont go. He's been attached to you ever since..."
"Yeah I know. I'll bring it up to him. He'll probably talk to you seventh period. See ya."
"Okay, see ya." Jen watched Joey walk away. Pacey snuck up behind her and grabbed her waiste. "Pacey!"
"Did I scare you? Because I have that affect on women you know."
"Scaring them? I know."
"What were you and Josephine talking about?"
"I just wanted to see if they felt like going out tonight. She hasn't really hung out since the whole hostage thing. And of course we never see Dawson."
"He's way to caught up in this protection thing. Maybe going out would be good for both of them."
"She says she doesn't want to. Doesn't feel good or something."
"Yeah sure. She just doesn't want to go out. And if she don't go, he wont go."
"I know that Pacey. Maybe you should talk to him."
"Why? You want him back, don't you?"
"Of course not. He's with Joey, I can accept that. But I don't think it's right that she's isolating him from his friends."
"It's not her Jen. He's the one that's doing it. I've heard her plenty of times tell him to give her space. But he wont. He's worried about her."
"It's over. It's been over. I just don't get it."
"Well I can understand that it's a little hard to get through something that traumatic. But hey, what do I know? I'm just a kid, like the rest of us."
"Speak for yourself Pacey." She walked away from him.

Joey sat in the library with Dawson fifth period. "Dawson, Jen want's to do the movie thing tonight. You up for it?"
"Are you?"
"Dawson, I asked you first. Do you not have a mind of your own anymore?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing Dawson. I just thought that maybe for once you could spend a night away from me."
"Is that what you want?"
"What I want is for everyone to forget what happened. I want everyone to stop feeling sorry for me. I'm fine. So do you want to or not?"
"I'm sorry Joey, I didn't realize you felt that way."
Joey sighed. "Can we just pretend that nothing ever happened? That we're the same four people that annoyed each other yet always hung out?"
"Yeah, I guess. So you'll come tonight? To the movies with us?"
"If that's what it takes to drop all this, yes, I'll go."
"Good. I'll tell Jen."
"Good."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Joey came home that night to an empty house. The movie thing went well, with the exception of Pacey almost getting thrown out for being too roudy. There was a note from Bessie saying the three of them took off for the weekend. Joey was secretly gratefull, a weekend of peace. She threw on the radio and sat on the couch. She made an attempt at her homework, but she was so exhausted from the evening that she fell instantly asleep.
The phone disturbed Joey's slumber. She slowly stood up, went into the kitchen, and picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey Joey. Were you sleeping?"
"Trying to. What's up Dawson?"
"Just wanted to see what you were doing today?"
Joey rubbed her eyes and looked outside. Sunlight. She looked at the clock. Twelve thirty. "I feel like I didn't even sleep. I'm not sure Dawson, let me take a shower and I'll call you back."
"How was the night? Any nightmares?"
Joey thought about it. "No, not any dreams. Good sign, huh?"
"Yeah. I'll talk to you soon."
"If you want, you can just come over. I'll leave the door open for you."
"Okay, I'll be over in a few minutes."
"Kay. Bye." Joey hung up the phone and wandered into the bathroom. She took a shower, and forgetting Dawson was coming by, walked out the door with only a towel on.
Dawson, who was sitting in the living room, couldn't resist. "Nice outfit Joey."
"Dawson!" She screamed, slightly embarressed.
"Hey, it's not like I haven't seen you with no clothes on. Kind of like it, actually."
"Careful Dawson, you're starting to sound like Pacey." Joey ran into her bedroom and closed the door. She quickly got dressed and came out into the living room. "So, what are we doing today?"
"I'm not sure. I thought we'd just wander around for a while."
Joey sat down next to Dawson. "So did you invite the other two on this grand adventure?"
"No, I figured I'd leave that up to you."
"Well I know Jen's feeling kind of friendless lately. And I'm sure Pacey isn't doing anything. We should probably let them tag along."
"If that's what you want. You ready?" Dawson stood up and walked towards the door.
Joey stood up, and slightly lost her balance. She began to fall, but grabbed the couch to regain her balance.
Dawson came over to her. "Joey? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine. Just got a little dizzy for a minute. Must of gotten up too fast."
"You sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine Dawson. Let's go."

~*~*~*~*~*~

After they had picked up Jen and Pacey, the foursome decided to go out to lunch. They walked to a small cafe just outside of Capeside. They sat down at a corner table and ordered. "So Jen, when are you going to take me out to lunch?" Pacey stared at her, blowing her kisses from across the table.
"Not in this lifetime Pacey."
"Oh, you hurt me with such cruel words. Are you sure? I know it would be the best time of your life."
Dawson looked at Pacey. "Do you really want us to throw up before we eat?"
"Dawson, I'm shocked! You of all people should know the dangers of putting oneself on the line to ask out beautiful women. It's not every day I make myself available to someone. Jen should feel privilaged."
Joey stood up. "I don't know about Jen, but I think I'm gonna throw up. Excuse me."
Jen followed Joey's lead. "Me too. We'll be right back."
Joey and Jen followed the signs to the restrooms. Joey went in first. Jen leaned against the wall waiting patiently. She heard the water being turned on, then she thought she heard Joey actually being sick. She knocked on the door. "Joe, you okay in there?"
A few seconds later came the response. "I'm fine. Be out in a sec."
Jen ignored Joey's reassurance and opened the door. Joey was seated on the floor, holding her stomach. The water was still on. Jen closed the door, turned off the water, and knelt next to Joey. "You don't look fine."
Joey held on to the wall for support as she stood up. "Just something I ate probably. It's nothing."
Jen blocked the door as Joey tried to leave. "You're not getting away that easy. You said it was something you ate last time you didn't feel well. What's going on Joey?"
Joey turned defensive. "Nothing's going on. And I'd appreciate if you didn't tell Dawson about this. Now excuse me." She waited for Jen to move before slamming the door as she left.
Jen arrived back at the table a few minutes later. Joey was in conversation with Dawson, smiling and laughing as if nothing went on in the bathroom. Since Jen didn't want to cause trouble, she kept her mouth shut through lunch.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After lunch was a different story. After Pacey and Joey had gone home, and Dawson and Jen were walking towards theirs, Jen brought it up. "Dawson, we need to talk."
Dawson looked at her curiously. "About what? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Dawson. I'm fine. It's about Joey."
They walked on to Dawson's front porch and sat down. "What about her?"
"Have you noticed anything a little weird about her lately?"
Dawson thought for a moment. "Not really. Like what?"
"She hardly eats anything anymore. And at the cafe, she got sick in the bathroom."
Dawson shrugged. "Probably something she ate."
"No. She hasn't eaten. Not last night at the movies, she hardly touched anything today at lunch."
"Well if she was sick, she probably didn't feel like eating. Look, Jen. I'm sure it's nothing."
"Dawson, there's something I want to tell you. And you might not want to hear it, but please listen."
Dawson looked at her with concern. "Go ahead."
Jen took a deep breath and looked at the ground. "I think Joey might have an eating disorder."
Dawson raised one eyebrow and stared at her. "Just because she doesn't feel well?"
"Dawson, I've been there. I know what the signs are because I've been there. A little while ago I was the same way she is. I never ate anything, afraid to gain just a little bit of weight. I constantly went to the bathroom to get rid of anything that I did eat. And I didn't take it seriously until I started passing out."
Dawson interupted. "What do you mean passing out? Like getting dizzy?"
"Yeah. It's from lack of food and dehydration. Sometimes when I'd try to get up, I wasn't very stable from being so weak."
"That was Joey this morning. Before we met up with you. She went to get up and almost fell."
"Dawson, please. You have to talk to her. I told her I wouldn't say anything, but I know how serious this is."
"How come you never told me before? I mean about you?"
"I don't like to talk about my past, as you know."
Dawson stood up and walked Jen over to her house. "Thanks for telling me Jen. I'm gonna go talk to Joey now, see what I can do. Any suggestions?"
"Just be there for her. Try to get her to admit it. If anything, maybe we should tell her sister."
"They're gone for the weekend. Doesn't matter, I'll go talk to her."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Dawson banged on Joey's door until she answered. "Dawson, miss me already?"
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Joey noticed the seriousness on his face. "Sure, come in."
They made their way to the couch. Dawson sat next to Joey and tried to figure out where to begin. Joey noticed how uncomfortable he was. "Dawson, what's wrong?"
Dawson cleared his throught. "I want to know what's going on."
Joey looked confused. "Going on with what?"
"I spoke to Jen. She told me what happened."
Joey looked away, avoiding Dawson's eyes. "What did she tell you?"
"She told me what happened at the cafe. And she knows what's going on."
"Oh does she? What does she think is going on?"
Dawson got off the couch and got on his knees in front of her. He took her hand. "Jen says she's been through the same thing. She wants to help. I want to help. But you have to want the help."
Joey looked completely confused. "Dawson, what are you talking about? Help with what?"
"You know what Joey. The reason you've been sick lately, not eating, getting dizzy, sleeping more than usual."
"And Jen's been through the same thing? What did she do about it?"
"I'm not sure, I didn't want to push. The question is what are you going to do about it?"
"Me?" Joey stood up and walked away from him. "Don't you mean us ?"
Dawson stood. "Of course. I'll do whatever you want. If you want help, we'll get some help. If you want to do this on your own, that's fine too. And if you're scared your sister will find out, we don't have to tell her."
"Dawson, I don't think we're talking about the same thing here."
"What do you mean?"
Joey sat back down on the couch. "What do you think is wrong here? What did little miss perfect suggest?"
Dawson looked away, almost afraid to say it. "She thinks you have an eating disorder."
Joey got off the couch and started laughing hysterically. Dawson, looking completely confused, remained on the couch.
Once Joey had finally calmed down enough, she looked at Dawson. "Where did she get an idea like that?"
"She said it happened to her. Joey, there's no point lying about it. We can deal with it together."
"God Dawson, sometimes you are so blind from the truth that you'll believe anything that suits you. Trust me Dawson, there's no eating disorder here." She walked towards the back and looked out onto the creek.
Dawson walked up behind her and put his arms around her. "So then what's going on?"
Joey shrugged. "Nothing. There's nothing going on."
"Obivously there is. You thought I knew at first. Tell me."
Joey was quiet. She leaned back against Dawson, letting him support her. She put her arms around his and they both were silent for a few minutes. Then Dawson repeated the question. "Joey, please tell me."
Joey turned around and looked at him. She stared right into his eyes. She felt the tears swelling up in her own, and looked away as they fell.
Dawson, now extremely concerned, placed his hand under her face and made her look at him. He wiped the tears from her cheek and asked her once more. "Joey, what is it?"
"It's nothing, really. Forget it." Joey walked out the back door and stood on the dock. Dawson followed. "Dawson, I'd appreciate it if you left. I'm kind of tired."
Dawson sighed behind her and finally left her alone. He walked away silently, which frightened Joey.
A few minutes later Joey heard the phone ringing. Bessie was on the other end. "Hey kiddo, how are ya doing?"
"I'm fine Bess, how's vacation?"
"Not much of one, but what else is new. Everything okay over there?"
"Yeah, same old Capeside."
There was silence for a few seconds, then Bessie said, "Joe, what's wrong?"
Joey tried to fight back the tears. "Nothing, everything's fine. I'll let you go."
"Wait a minute Joey, what's going on?"
Joey could no longer control herself. The tears and the sobbing came quickly. She couldn't speak.
Bessie listened to her sobbing. "Joey, we're coming home tonight."
"You....d -don't h-have to," she barely said.
"Then tell me what happened."
Joey was silent, gathered her strength, and spoke, "I screwed up Bess, I really screwed up this time."
"How Joey? How did you screw up?"
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