All good things... (Do they really need to come to an end?)

 

Note: My first posted fic, written right after the finale when I was still crying over Jen’s death and happy that Pacey got the girl. Everything happened up to the series finale, and that’s where things start to change. The main plotline remains, the gang meets again in Capeside after 5 years.

 

PS: I did some editing on this, because it really, really needed it.

 

Chapter 1

 

New York, New York

 

Joey is watching Dawson’s show alone in a fancy apartment. The scene playing on TV is a set dressed up like Dawson’s Bedroom, in which actors playing Colby and Sam, Dawson and Joey’s alter egos, are acting out a scene from Dawson’s TV show called “The Creek.”

 

“Feelings and emotions have an inexplicable way of manifesting themselves in subconscious and not always self-aware behavior,” Colby stated.

 

“Verbal deconstruction of teen angst is really outdated, Colby. There's nothing going on between me and Petey. He's just a friend. Your best friend, I might add. I have no subconscious subliminal intentions towards him,” Sam replied.

 

“Just a friend, huh?”

 

“Yes. That's all. Period. End of sentence, dissertation, and postmodern diatribe. Now can we go to sleep?”

 

“ So, is Petey a friend the same way you and I are just friends?” Colby asked again, needing to be sure.

 

“Yeah... of course.” Sam looked at him wondering what he meant.

“That's what I was afraid of.”

 

They lie back down on the bed together awkwardly, and it fades to black, the words Dawson Leery – Executive Producer showing.

 

The phone rings. Joey answers with a smile, already knowing who it is.

 

“Hey, do you know what time is it? Why aren’t you home yet?  Again? These guys at your office don’t know how to work without you? Yes, I’m watching The Creek....No, I don’t think I need a shrink ...maybe this will save me one...How long will you take?...Bring Chinese, please, I’m hungry...What? Are you insinuating that I’m fat? Apology accepted...But only if you bring ice cream...See you soon...love you.”

 

She smiles again and speaks to herself, patting her belly: “Let’s wait for our dinner, baby.”

 

 

Los Angeles, California

 

Dawson and his assistant are walking quickly down one of the hallways at the production office for The Creek.; while his assistant is going through her notebook and reading things off for him.

 

“We’ll have to loop Colby’s virgin speech in the third act. His mumbling out of control.”

 

“And don't forget about the network notes. They did not clear "masturbate" as acceptable dialogue.”

 

“It's a clinical term,” Dawson states dryly.

 

“They suggested walking your dog. “

 

“Walking your dog? “ That got him surprised.

 

“You’ve gotta talk to Bob. He has no idea that his character's coming out of the closet. He's going to lose it.”

 

“After lunch. I've gotta step in with the writers.”

 

Dawson goes into a meeting room where the writers are brainstorming.

 

“What are we talkin' about?” He asks, interrupting their heated discussion.

 

The writers start to talk again, all at once.

 

“The perpetual dilemma, Dawson. Does Sam hook up with feisty Petey or soul mate Colby in the season cliffhanger? “

 

“If she chooses Petey, it will break convention and surprise the audience,” a woman says.

 

“Surprise, not satisfy. Colby is Sam’s soul mate. It's destiny,” a guy replied.

 

“This show is about twisting the convention, right? Let's break this notion of destiny and fate. Dawson, what do you think? “

 

“I think you guys are onto something,” smiling to himself.

 

Dawson grabs his stuff and leaves them to continue bickering. He joins his assistant who is finishing a phone call.

 

“Look, I've gotta go. Here he comes. I picked up your suit for the wedding. It's hanging on the back of your door. And don't forget that the car is going to come and pick you up for the airport tomorrow at noon.”

 

“Right,” he nods, trying to remember what else he needed to do.

 

“And Rebecca called to confirm dinner.”

 

“Postpone it. Again. And don't give me that look.”

 

“What look?”

 

“For the record, I'm a nice guy. I'm just... late for editing.”

 

Dawson’s assistant sighs. That guy needs to have a life, besides writing and editing a TV show.

 

Capeside, Massachusetts

 

 A road on the outskirts of Capeside. Jack is driving down the road listening to the radio, when he hears a siren and looks back to see a cop car behind him. He pulls over and the cop car stops behind him. Doug gets out of the car and walks up to Jack’s door.

 

“Looks like somebody's in quite the hurry this morning.”

 

‘Sheriff Doug, hey, look, I'm sorry. I'm late and I'm trying to get to class.”

 

“Well, I have no choice but to issue you a citation for doing 40 in a 25.”

 

‘Look, I already have all these points against my license. You think maybe there's something I could do to...get you to look the other way,” Jack wiggles his brows suggestively.

 

“May I remind you, Mr. McPhee that attempting to bribe a public official is a serious offense?”

 

“Uh, you know, I was just hoping that maybe, um... I could appeal to your greater sense of compassion?”

 

Doug leans in and kisses him.

 

“All right. Just this once, I'll let you go with a warning.”

 

“Thanks, honey.”

 

“No, no, never, never call me honey.”

 

“Dude, it's a deserted road. Chill.”

 

“Don’t call me dude, either.”

 

“All right, tonight? Dinner later?”

 

“Yeah. I'll cook. My place.”

 

“Great. I'll bring the handcuffs. Kidding.”

 

Doug clears his throat.

 

“I’ll see you.”

 

“Yeah, I'll see you. Jack... slow down.”

 

“You got it.”

 

“All right.”

 

Doug sighs as he watches Jack’s car speeding again. Maybe he’d never be ready for the kind of relationship Jack wanted.

 

New York, New York

 

Pacey is sitting on a leather chair at his office, late at night, his tie loose, just looking at his window that had a great view of New York City’s skyline. His secretary comes in, talking no stop.

 

“Mr. Witter, your papers to sign...And your flight to Boston is booked for tomorrow’s morning, and the rental car will be waiting for you at the airport.”

 

“Thanks, Liz...Now you can go home, I’ll stay here for a while,” he smiles, thankful for her efficiency.

 

“Have a nice trip, Mr. Witter,” she replies, leaving him to his thoughts.

 

He stays there for a while. Coming back to Capeside right now is quite a challenge. He doesn’t know if he is ready to do it, but he had to. He turns his attention to an old picture of all his friends he keeps on his table. Was he ready to face them all?

 

Capeside, Massachusetts

 

A student is reading some poetry from a book during Jack’s High School English class, looking very  uncomfortable while Jack is sitting in one of the desks towards the back.

 

"We two boys together clinging... "One the other, never leaving... "Up and down, the roads going north and south excursions making..."

 

“Mr. Hampton... is there a problem?”

 

“Do I have to keep reading?” the boy whines.

 

“Well, the poem's not finished.”

 

“No, offense, Mr. McPhee, but this is a poem by a guy about another guy. It's, like, a gay poem.”

 

All students in class laugh.

 

“I wasn't aware that poems had sexual orientation,” Jack says to his student’s dismay.

 

“See, this gay poem and others like it actually got Whitman fired from his job. See, he was an outcast most of his life. But he didn't care. He loved his country. He loved the freedom that it stood for, and he celebrated the American spirit every chance that he got. And here we are 150 years later, and we're still laughing at him.”

 

The bell rings and Jack looks to the door and sees Jen standing in the doorway waiting for the class to leave.

 

“Your assignment for this weekend is to find a way to say, through the conventions of poetry, what you are afraid to say. I want you guys to write about something that you're scared of. We're gonna read these things out loud on Monday to each other, so I would hope that you give the same courtesy to each other that you did not give to Mr. Whitman today. Have a good weekend.”

 

Everyone leaves, and Jen walks in pushing a baby carriage.

 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Jack is amazed by seeing her.

 

“Hi, Jack,” Jen greets him smiling.

 

“Oh, let me see my goddaughter. Hey, gorgeous,”Jack leans down and looks into the carriage.“Oh, my god. She's beautiful. So are you”. He can’t help hugging her.

 

“Hi, sweetheart,” Jen mutters.

 

“God, it's good to see you.”

 

“You, too. Mmm... So I just caught some of your act. Looks like Capeside finally hired a good teacher.”

 

“Good teachers are just traumatized students trying to erase whatever went wrong with their own high school experience.”

 

“Do you think that you could erase my memories while you're at it?”

 

“That would be a lifetime in a nunnery.”

 

“So, what's on your agenda tonight, huh?”

 

“Well, I gotta have dinner with the sheriff, but if you want to catch a drink later?”

 

“Yeah, sure. Gosh, 6 months in, you two are already an old married couple, huh?”

 

“Yes, but with the added element of pretending we don't know each other every time we pass on the street.”

 

“Oh, still?”

 

“Yeah, what can I say? He's a paranoid, closeted freak... but he's my paranoid, closeted freak. You are staying at the Potter B&B?”

 

“Mm-hmm. I'll be there, awaiting your phone call.”

 

“All right, let's get out of here before you make me late for my next class.”

 

“Ok, sorry.”

 

“It’s good to see you. And by the way, Andie will be here tomorrow’s afternoon; she’s coming with her fiancé.”

 

“Andie is going to be here? So, is this going to be the all Capeside High reunion?”

 

“Kind of that...but we still don’t know if some of the guys will actually show up.”

 

”See you later, Jack.”

 

 

Dawson’s House

 

 Dawson walks into the house carrying his bags, and looks around the familiar walls reminding him of all his teen years. Gale comes running and gives him a huge hug.

 

“Ah! You're here! Yay! Ha ha ha! Oh, look at you. You get handsome every time I see you.”

 

“Mom, I look terrible. I've aged 10 years in the past 9 months.”

 

“Well, you wear it well. So, how was your flight?”

 

“Oh, it was ok. I've got five scenes to write by tomorrow, and the season finale shoots in a week, I still don't have an ending. But...other than that,” he shrugs.

 

“I’m just so glad you're here.”

 

“And miss my mom's wedding? Not a chance.”

 

 “Dawson!” Lilly comes running down the stairs and gives Dawson another hug.

 

“Lily. Hey, hey, hey, you got tall!” Dawson exclaims.

 

“Dawson, I just got Annie Hall on DVD. Wanna watch it with me?”

 

“Sure. Go set it up.”

 

Lilly runs off and Dawson looks oddly to his mom. “Annie Hall?”

 

Dawson climbs the stairs to his old room. He stands in the middle of it, looking around. He sees a Director’s chair with his name on it and a poster of his show on the wall. He puts down his bags and picks up a picture of him and Joey happy together. He missed her. He was so lost in his Hollywood bubble that he couldn’t believe he hadn’t spoken to her for more that a year. Actually, he’d lost touch with all his friends.

 

Next day

 

Jack takes Jen and Andie to the new restaurant in Capeside, the new Ice House, owned by Bodie, Bessie’s husband. Dawson is already there.

 

“Look who I see...the most famous Capesidian is back.”

 

“Nice to see you, Jack, Jen. And...Oh, God, is that Andie?”

 

“It’s me, Dawson, in flesh and blood.”

 

He looks to her left hand and sees the diamond.

 

“God, it’s been so long and now, you’re engaged. Who is the lucky guy?”

 

That same moment Pacey arrives at the restaurant.

 

 “Pacey!” Andie cries out happily.

 

Dawson looks at Andie, awkwardly. Andie engaged to Pacey?

 

“Whoa there, Mc Phee...Can’t believe you’re here!” Pacey takes her in one of his bear hugs.

 

Dawson looks at them without understanding. Pacey looks at all his old friends. He knows if there’s anyone  who actually knows anything about his life now are Jack, being almost family, courtesy of Sheriff Witter, for sure and Jen, his usual company whenever he craved for coffee in New York.

 

“Pacey, man, it’s too good to see you again...How’s the big city going?”

 

“Same as ever, Jackers...you should come to visit more often. Hey, Momma Jen,” he hugs her too. “Hi, Dawson,” he greets, slightly unsure of how to act around him.

 

“Pacey,” Dawson nods.

 

Andie watches Pacey ruffling Jen’s hair, her eyes growing wide with surprise.

 

“Pacey! When did you get married?” she asks, everybody’s attention now centered on him.