New Blood
Part 2 in series
by: hzeleyes

Disclaimer: I don't own the Joey, Dawson, Jen, or Pacey characters. They belong to Kevin Williamson and whoever else is lucky enough to be involved in that wonderful show. I don't even own any of the other characters either, but I do own Lila. YAY! Oh, and this story has nothing to do with blood, I just thought it would make a catchy title. LOL. Enjoy =)



Joey woke to the sounds of a crying Alex. Great, she thought, who needs an alarm clock when you can have earlybird baby. "Bessie," she yelled, "Your son wants you."

She heard Bessie open the door of her and Bodies room and stumble to the crib near Joey's couch/bed. "Y'know Joey, you're right here and you can't even try to quiet him down."

"Last time I checked, you were his mother. Did that change suddenly?"

"No. But last time I checked you were his aunt," Bessie lifted Alex out and rocked him a little. He pulled on her dark blond hair.

"What time is it anyway, Bess? Hopefully after seven," Joey sat up and pushed her frazzled dark brown hair behind her ears.

Bessie looked at the clock and shrugged. "Seven fifteen." Joey groaned and flopped back down. "Come on, sleepyhead, get up," Bessie shook her.

"It's Sunday, summer, and your son woke me up at seven fifteen. I think I have a right to go back to sleep." "Well, you would have to get up soon anyway. You have the eight-thirty shift at the Icehouse."

Joey reluctantly got out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom, where she locked herself in and started to get ready. An hour later, dressed in jeans and a tanktop, she hurried out into the morning sunlight. On the way to the Icehouse she thought about Dawson. They were actually going out. That was what she wanted for the longest time, but why now did she still have this empty feeling in her?

She saw Pacey go into the video store when she arrived at Main Street. She smiled to herself, not knowing why, and decided she could spend the next fifteen minutes before her shift at the store and rushed inside. Pacey was in the back when Joey came to the cash register.

"My, my, the service here really stinks. I demand to see the manager," Joey sighed dramatically.

Pacey came out from the back. "Well, you can go see Nellie Olsen. That's the closest you can get."

"Nellie Olsen? Yuck. I think I'll stick with the bad service. She might give me a lecture about fashion and make-up," Joey laughed.

"Well, since it is my job, how may I help you?"

"You can try to get Bess to give me a day off from the Icehouse," Joey sighed.

"Sorry, Jo, I have to work, too, and if I have to work, you have to work 'cause I can't be the only one suffering."

"Where's Dawson? Doesn't he work here anymore? Or did he get his ass fired?" Joey looked around.

Pacey's eyes got cold at the mention of Dawson, but tried not to show it in his voice. "He should be here soon. We have the same shift today. If you want, I'll tell him to go to the Icehouse for lunch."

"Yeah," Joey nodded, "and you can come, too."

"Yeah?" Pacey smiled. Joey nodded, not knowing why Pacey was so surprised at her invitation. "Ok, cool. I hate to do this, but I really have to work. New video day today. I have to stock up, but I'll see you later."

"Ok, later," Joey smiled and turned around, bumping into Dawson. "Oh, hey. Didn't hear you come in."

He bent down to kiss her on the cheek. "What are you doing here? And what's happening later?"

"You and Pacey are coming to the Icehouse for lunch. So I'll see both of you later. Duty calls." She waved to Pacey, kissed Dawson good bye, and hurried out of the video store. I cant believe I just kissed Dawson, Joey thought, I guess I'll have to get used to it now. Me and Dawson are going out? God, how weird. Weird? It's not weird. It's great. It's-

"Joey!!" Bessie screamed in her ear.

"What?" Joey looked at her annoyed.

"Are you actually going in? Or are you gonna stare at the restaraunt all day?"

Joey turned and saw she had been standing in front of the restaraunt for the past minute. "I was just....uh....um...thinking we need a new look for the place," Joey tried to come up with a good answer so her sister wouldn't think she was a total airhead.

"First, we need some new money, so get your lazy butt in there and work it off, okay?" Bessie gave her a little push towards the door. Joey glared at her, but went inside and to the back to get her maroon apron, the official waitress uniform.

After a morning of loud, obnoxious people, Bessie screaming at her, hearing Alex cry for two hours straight, running out of coffee and eggs and having to run to the market across town and back Joey was beat and grateful for her break with Dawson and Pacey. She rushed to them when they entered and led them out back.

"Rough morning, Joe?" Pacey asked when they were seated. Joey groaned as she set her head on Dawson's shoulder. "Guess so." Pacey frowned and looked away from the couple. "Where's the waitress?"

"Be nice, Pacey," Joey mumbled, her eyes closed. "It's a full house today and everyone has their hands full."

"Yeah, it was pretty rough in the video store today too," Dawson smiled down at her.

Pacey rolled his eyes and glared at Dawson. "Yeah, it must be so hard for you Dawson to stay in the back and work on your script while I'm in the front being bombarded by people and having to stock the shelves at the same time." There was a coldness in Pacey's voice that he never used with Dawson and immediately regretted it.

Joey glanced at the two boys, a confused look on her face. "Are you guys okay?"

"I'm not sure. What's up, Pacey?" Dawson asked his friend.

Pacey shrugged the question off and turned his attention to Sarah who came to take their order. "I'll have a turkey sandwich with extra mayo, hold the pickle and the onions and a glass of ice water."

"A ham and cheese sandwich and put some lettuce in it and water," Joey told her, "Oh and do you have any asprin for that water?"

Sarah smiled, but shook her head. "Sorry, Joey, only plain water."

"Then give me a glass of iced tea instead."

"Got it, what about you, Dawson?"

"Um..a burger, medium rare with lettuce, mayo, pickles, hold the onions and tomatoe, a salad on the side, some fries, and a coke."

"Whoa, Dawson, pack on the calories," Joey joked.

Dawson and Joey provided most of the conversation, with Pacey grunted occasionally and stuffed himself with food. Dawson and Joey both noticed something was wrong with him, but didn't chance asking him what it was for fear he would bawl them out for being nosy.

Afterwards, Pacey left quickly giving Dawson and Joey an extra few minutes alone.

"Something is definitely wrong with him," Joey stared after Pacey's disappearing figure. "Did he say anything to you?"

"Besides finding something wrong with everything I say or do? Nope, not a thing," Dawson shrugged. "But I do have to get back to work. Come by later, we can have a movie night."

Joey smiled and nodded. "I'll be there," she said as she brushed a lock of his golden hair off his forehead and kissed him lightly on the lips.



Pacey fumed as he entered the video store and went in the back to get his employee vest. Nellie, who was at the register doing her nails, looked up as he stormed in.

"Hey," she yelled, "if that door breaks it's coming out of your paycheck." Her light eyebrows knitted together as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Keep your attitude outside when you step into MY store," she put an emphesis on the word "my".

Pacey rolled his deep brown eyes. "Please Nellie, it's your father's store, and he wouldn't fire me for slamming a door."

"Yeah, right. If I really wanted to get you fired do you think I would tell him you slammed a door? I would make up something far worse and of course he would believe me," she gave a chilling laugh. Pacey sighed, knowing she was capable of doing that and went in the back to label some tapes.

He hadn't meant to get so mad at Dawson and Joey, well maybe more Dawson. It was just that when he saw them together his mind went crazy. Even when he had been with his English teacher, Tamara Jacobs, and had seen her with the film teacher, Mr. Gold, he hadn't felt that jealous. It was scary to him how much he liked Joey. He heard Dawson come in and tried to ignore him when he came in the back to get his vest.

"What happened back there, man?"

Pacey sighed for the second time in the past ten minutes. "I don't know Dawson. I didn't mean to act like that. Something inside me snapped."

"Why? What did I do that was so horrible? Is it something completely unredemable? Tell me now, so I won't analyze everything about myself to the point where I have found every one of my flaws and even some that don't exist."

Pacey looked sadly at his long time friend. How could he tell him that he was mad because Dawson was dating the girl he loved? He was about to come up with another reason when the service bell gave a ding. Pacey stood and rushed out, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw a gorgeous girl standing at the counter. Nellie was putting some videos on the shelves and had headphones on her ears so she didn't even hear the girl come in.

"H-H-How may I help you?" Pacey squeaked.

The girl smiled warmly, and Pacey noticed right away what an amazing smile she had; one that could have been advertised in a toothpaste commercial. "Hi, I'm new here and was wondering how I can rent some videos."

"Yeah, um, well I need an ID of some sort." Pacey couldn't take his eyes off the girl. She had light brown hair with an even lighter shade of streaks, big sapphire eyes, and a great body. Tall and athletic, but not too bulky.

She fumbled in her purse and came up with her ID card and handed it to him. He saw her name was Lila Reynolds, she was 15, and used to live in California which would explain her nice tan. He entered her into the computer and gave it back to her, his fingers brushing hers. "There ya go, Lila."

"Ok, you know my name, it's only fair that I know yours now."

"Pacey Whitter-"

"And I'm Dawson Leery," Dawson jumped into the conversation.

"Great, I made some friends. I don't really have any money to rent anything, so I'll come back another time."

"Oh, no, it's pay when you return," Pacey informed her.

"Great! In that case where do you keep the new releases?" she turned to Pacey. "I especially love romance flicks."

"Me, too," Dawson grinned.

Pacey glared at Dawson as he went around the counter and showed Lila the new releases section. It seemed every girl that Pacey liked Dawson moved in on.

"Who's she?" Nellie came over to Pacey, her headphones around her neck.

"New girl. Lila Reynolds. Don't go and get her in your little club, Nellie, she's actually sweet."

Nellie threw him an icy stare, then went back to stocking the shelves and listening to her music, not really caring she was putting Forrest Gump in the comedy section for the fifth time. Lila and Dawson returned, and Dawson went into the back to get her tape. It was now or never, Pacey thought.

"Lila, The Mask of Zorro is playing at the local theater and I was wondering if you would like to go see it with me tonight. I could introduce you to some of my other friends. You don't have to think of it as a date, just hanging as a friend."

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that'd be nice. I moved in a week ago and my family and I just finished unpacking and I haven't had a chance to meet anyone. And we can think of it as a date."

"Great," Pacey smiled. What a great way to forget about Joey, Pacey thought.

"What's great?" Dawson came back with the movie L.A. Confidential.

"Oh, Dawson, me and Lila are going to see The Mask of Zorro tonight. You and Joey wanna come with us? We could invite Jen...."