Romeo Is Bleeding
Part One in the Series
by: Jenny

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they do not belong to me and I am not making any profit from this story. Send comments/feedback to Jennifer@which.net

Dawson Leery was walking down the aisles of the video store for what must have been the hundreth time that evening when his thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of his best friend Joey Potter.

'Hey, Joey, what's up?' he called. He could tell by the look on her face that she hadn't turned up by accident.

"Dawson, where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere" Joey rushed out as she closed the door and by-passed two other customers to reach Dawson.

"Everywhere?" Pacey Witter said from behind the counter. "Are you honestly saying that you looked everywhere in Capeside before trying here? Where else does Dawson go on a Monday night, I mean..." Pacey paused to correct himself "where else does Dawson go on any night."

"Hey!" Dawson cried out indignantly.

"Oh, I'm sorry my friend. Of course I am only referring to the post-Jen era."

By now both Joey and Dawson were looking at Pacey in a non-impressed fashion.

"You know what I think, Dawson?" Pacey carried on, oblivious. "I think you spend too much time indoors. You need to get out more, get a new girlfriend. What do you think Joey?"

Joey looked daggers at him. Pacey grinned back evilly. The situation between Dawson and Joey exasperated him. Neither would do anything about it - not until they had got a good few months angst out of it at least. Pacey loved being able to twist the knife in whenever he could.

"Just ignore him, Joey" Dawson said, turning to her. He could feel the embaressment Pacey's question had caused her - had caused him too. "he's been like that all evening. Why were you looking for me anyway?"

The annoyed look left Joey's face as she remembered her original reason for being there.

"I need your help, Dawson" Joey smiled at him. "I want to enter this photograph competition" Joey handed him the details "there's up to $1000 prize money. I could put the money towards my colledge fund."

"That's great, Joey, but why do you need my help?"

"Well, two reasons. First, I need to borrow your camera - mine's broken - and second, as I want to take some photo's of the wild birds that live around the creek, I'll need somone to help with the boat and the equipment and stuff." Joey looked hopefully at Dawson.

"You don't want too much then." He said sarcastically, but not nastily.

"Will you help me, Dawson? Please?" Joey put on her best pleading look.

"I'm sorry Joe, but I just don't have the time. I've got assignments due all this week and on Saturday, Pacey and I are going out."

"Hey look man," Pacey interrupted "we can do that anytime, I wouldn't want you to miss out on the oppertunity of a lifetime - lugging around stuff for Joey all day."

"I don't know," Dawson felt awkward. The thought of spending a whole day alone with Joey would at one point not have bothered him. But since breaking up with Jen, and Pacey stirring things up between them, Dawson had been more unsure of his feelings. The risk of messing up their friendship was too great.

"Look, Joey, I'll lend you my camera and I'll help you develop the pictures but ... this weekend....it's just...."

"- your busy. It's okay, Dawson, it doesn't matter." Joey said, trying to hide her dissapointment. "I'll ask someone else. Maybe Jen or -"

"- I'll do it" said Pacey suddenly "Anything to help a friend."

"No. No way." said Joey, backing away from the counter behind which Pacey stood "look what happened when we did that Biology assignment together, it was a complete disaster."

"I wouldn't say a disaster exactly, as I recall some good things did come of it" Pacey winked at her.

Joey blushed and pushed her hair behind her ear nervously. "I don't think so!" she said sternly.

Pacey looked hurt.

"Well...I mean...I don't mean that I didn't...Aaagh Pacey! We lost the boat!! We had to wade back, I was soaked through!"

"We had fun though didn't we...huh?"

Joey was trying unsuccessfully not to smile at him. Dawson watched them converse and felt more and more ill at ease. After that last trip Joey and Pacey had almost got together and although Pacey had not pursued it, Dawson felt that it was not because he wasn't interested. Given the oppertunity he would probably try again. But could Joey really like Pacey? They spent more time sparring than they did getting on. But they do say oppositites attract...

"Look, Joey it's okay" Dawson said "I'll rearrange some stuff, I'll come on Saturday - if you still want me."

"Of course I do - if you're sure. You can't go changing your mind again." She wagged her finger at him with mock-severity.

"Hey what about me?" Pacey cried out with a pained look, which replaced the triumphant smile which had been there just moments before.

"You didn't seriously think I'd take you with me do you?" Joey turned on Pacey.

"Why what's wrong with me?" began Pacey.

Joey rolled her eyes.

"I mean I'm fun, I'm almost reliable, I never lose my temper - except with you, I -"

"- enough! I haven't got time for this. I've got to get back." Joey said, stopping Pacey before he really got going. "I'll see you guys tomorrow" she called out as she sailed out the store.

"There goes one happy woman" Pacey said while watching the door swing shut. "I think you made her week, Dawson. A whole day alone together. Oooo."

"Shut up, Pacey" Dawson reproached him. Somehow he felt as though the decision had been made for him. He'd ended up doing the exact opposite of what he had intended. Still there was nothing to worry about. He'd been on plenty of trips before with Joey. There was no reason this one was going to be any different.

_______________________________________

Saturday morning. Joey glanced at her watch impatiently, it read 11:10. Dawson was already ten minutes late and there was still no sign of him. Her toe started tapping. 11:12. Still nothing. She started pacing up and down the path. They had arranged to meet at the dock. Dawson hadn't wanted her going to his house. He had some 'stuff' to do that morning he said. She was starting to think that Dawson was avoiding her. They still had movie night, but sometimes Dawson's manner was... cautious towards her. But he had agreed to spend the day helping her. 11:15. Why wasn't he there?

Dawson hurried down towards the creek. It was nearly eleven-thirty. Joey was going to kill him. As he turned the corner he saw Joey in the distance, standing by the boat as they had arranged. Her dark hair stood out clearly against the pale cream of the boat and the creek behind reflected the light back towards her making the edge of her hair tinge gold. From that distance he couldn't make out her expression clearly, but hastened his step anyway, aware that Joey had to be in a very good mood not to be annoyed by his unpunctual start.

"Hey, Jo." He called out cheerfully once he was near enough to be heard.

"Dawson," she said walking towards him, arms crossed. "You're thirty minutes late."

Her brevity suggested to Dawson that she wasn't as calm as she looked. "I know, Joe. I'm really sorry, I got caught up. I would've let you know, only I didn't realise I'd take so long."

"Well let's just get going while there's still some hours of daylight left."

"I can't believe how bright it is today." Dawson began, attempting to ease the situation. "I heard on the radio this morning there was bad weather coming. Maybe it's a good omen for you."

"What? Bad weather coming is a good omen for me? Thanks, Dawson."

"No, Joe, I meant the good weather, the weathermen were wrong."

"Dawson, if it was a good omen for somebody everytime the weathermen were wrong the world would be a much happier place."

"I'll just row shall I?"

"You do that, Dawson."

_______________________________________

"So aren't you going to ask me why I was late?" Dawson asked when they'd been rowing about ten minutes.

"No." Joey said matter-of-factly and reached for a pair of binoculars to scan the area for wildlife.

"Oh. I mean I did have a good reason you know."

Joey looked at him. His eyes looked excited about something. She recognised it as the creative buzz Dawson got when he thought of a new idea for a film, and she knew he was dying to talk about it. She decided to feign indifference as a punishment for leaving her waiting half an hour.

"I'm sure you did, Dawson. I forgive you."

"No I mean I shouldn't have left you stranded like that. It was - "

" - Don't worry, Dawson. It doesn't matter now. We won't say another word about it."

Dawson fell silent. Joey watched him as he gloomily concentrated on his rowing. he was so easy to tease. Especially about his films. He took it all so seriously. In a way Joey enjoyed teasing Pacey more than Dawson. At least he gave as good as he got. The problem with Pacey though was that so often it was more than just teasing, it was serious arguing. *Whoah, reality check* Joey said to herself *I've got a whole day alone with Dawson and I'm thinking about Pacey, get it together.*

They rowed over to a small island where a lot of the wild birds seem to congregate. They quietly got out of the boat and found a spot to set up their equipment.

"So why were you late this morning, Dawson?" Joey asked innocently as if their earlier conversation had never occured.

"What?...Joey! I thought - " His face was a picture Joey noted triumphantly.

"Come on, Dawson. I know you're dying to tell me. You've got a new idea for a film right?"

"You know me too well" he smiled.

"Way too well if you ask me"

"Enough with the teasing Joey! Now do you wanna hear or not?"

Joey turned round so she was directly facing her friend.

"Go right ahead, you have my full attention."

"Okay, so I was watching that Kevin Kline film 'In and Out' last night -"

" - spot the stereotype night I get it."

"And it was based on that Tom Hanks speech at the Oscars right?"

"Right."

"So the film gets me thinking about the other unscheduled things that have happened at the Oscars."

"So we're thinking political messages here?" Joey asked

"Well they're the most interesting one's yeah. But then that got me thinking about the Titanic-affair last year."

"What do you mean?"

"Well there were rumours going around that because of all the awards that went out to independant films the year before, Titanic and the other studio films had to win to restore faith in the big-guys ability to mass produce quality films and to justify the spending of such massive budgets."

"And it was for this reason more than any other that Titanic won all the awards." Joey finished.

"So the theory goes - correct. So in my film I thought you know, that we could see the run up to the voting; hidden agenda's, possible bias, maybe some corruption what do you think?"

"Wow, Dawson. It sounds great, but socio-politics in the major movie corporations isn't really your style is it?"

"I know I havn't done much like this before. But I'd like to see how the script turns out."

"You'd have to be careful though, Dawson, this could be you're future employers your bagging!"

As they discussed the idea, they also took photo's and they spent a while exploring the island and having lunch. It was late afternoon when Dawson said to Joey as she was changing the film in the camera -"We'd better get going soon Joe, the light's beginning to go."

"Okay, lets go now. I'd like to try getting some shots from the boat."

"I guess that means I'm rowing again then."

"How kind of you to offer, Dawson!"

"Yeah right." Dawson moaned as he picked up the camera bag.

Dawson found it harder this time as they started rowing back. The wind had picked up and they were heading into it. Joey was at the far end of the boat, taking shots of the island as they pulled away from it. At that moment, a huge grey cloud approached and the sky went dark as it blocked out the sunlight.

"Joey can you help me row please?" Dawson shouted over the din of the wind and the water.

"Yeah sure, Dawson, in a minute. This could make a great atmospheric shot. The birds are all excited about something." Joey called back.

"I think that storm I told you about is on it's way, Joey." Dawson told her "I think we should get out of here before it arrives."

"Just hang on a minute, Dawson, I think this could be the winning picture. Stop rowing a minute."

"Joey hurry up!" Dawson called out. The wind was getting stronger and the boat was being jostled about more violently in the water.

"Damm it!" Joey exclaimed "This would be a lot easier if the boat wasn't moving around as much."

"Joey, come ON!"

"Alright,alright. I think I got it that time." Joey started to clamber down from her perch at the stern. As she did so, the the rain started coming down. Big heavy drops of rain landed on the floor of the boat, each one making a thud as it did so.

"We'd better get moving." stated Joey.

"Yeah, great idea, Joey. What have I just been saying? Come and help me row, I can't pull the weight on my own."

"Sure, Dawson, I'd better pack the camera up though."

"Joey! For heaven's sake!" Dawson moved towards her and took the camera away from her. He roughly shoved it into a plastic bag which he then put into his backpack. He then grabbed her hand and led her to the oars."

"Let's GO, Joey"

Together they started rowing. The wind was gale force now and even with the two of them it felt like they were getting nowhere.

"It's pointless. As soon as we get a few yards the wind moves us somewhere else" Dawson shouted at Joey. Even though she was sitting right next to him she could barely hear what he was saying.

"We've got to keep trying, Dawson" she shouted back. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you earlier."

"Don't worry, it doesn't matter now, Joey." Dawson called.

They started rowing again but they were soon fatigued by the enormous physical effort and dismayed at their lack of progress. But eventually in the distance Joey saw a dim grey shape and some lights.

"It's a boat!" she cried pointing.

"They'll never see us from here!" Dawson yelled.

"Hang on! I've got a torch in my bag." Joey stood up and uncertainly groped her way towards her backpack. The heavy rain made it difficult to see anything clearly.

"Joey - be CAREFUL!" Dawson called, unable to get up in case the boat toppled over.

"WHAT?" Joey made to turn towards him but slipped on some water on the floor of the boat and went flying.

Dawson watched in dismay as she fell towards the water. He jumped to his feet and tried to grab hold of her but the boat swayed violently and almost overturned. It was the most he could do to keep hold of the boat, and as it righted up again he was flung to the floor.

He clambered to his feet as soon as he got his breath back and turned to look for Joey. She wasn't on the boat. He looked desperatly at the stormy water but could see nothing. Then, all of a sudden, something rose to the surface. Dawson knew it was Joey. He reached out for her, with one hand gripping tightly to the boat. After a great struggle, with the wind howling and the rain hammering down, Dawson finally got Joey into the boat.

Dawson looked dismayed at the woman he loved as she lay unconcious and bleeding on the floor.
_______________________________________

Dawson mever remembered much of what happened after that. At least not the details. He knew he had got the torch that Joey had been searching for and used it to attract the attention of the passing fishing boat. After that the crew of the 'Jolly Teacher' had taken over, dealing with Joey until they reached the shore. Then both Joey and Dawson had been taken to hospital. Dawson, asides from a few cuts and bruises, was fine. Joey though had been much worse. From what they could tell, Joey had hit her head on the side of the boat as she fell in the water and had been knocked unconcious. The wound was serious and that night Dawson had to face learning the news that, after surgery, Joey was still unconcious, the extent of her injuries unknown.

Dawson spent that night by her bedside, willing her to get well. During that time he came to realise the extent of his feelings for Joey - how blind he had been to her in the past. He promised himself that if they got through this then he wouldn't make the same mistake again.
_______________________________________

The news that Joey's life was in danger knocked Pacey harder than anything else in his life. More so because it made him realise something that he had never seen before. He much he cared for Joey. He could barely believe it but the feelings were so strong. He couldn't deny that he found Joey attractive and that sometimes he had thought about her romantically. But even so, it was still a shock.

But she was in love with Dawson. And Dawson, though he would never admit it, was in love with her. Pacey would never dream of trying anything while that was the case. When Pacey had tried to get closer to Joey a few months back, she had made it quite clear what her feelings were. He had thought that he had put Joey to the back of his mind, happy just to be her friend - even if they did spend most of their time arguing. But that was one of the things he liked about her - that she would stand up to him. Their frequent conflicts made the relationship more interesting.

But since Jen's phone call telling him the news, Pacey had begun to realise how much he had come to care about Joey. His feelings were more than just casual interest and friendly regard, they were more like....more like....Man! He had to stop thinking like that! Joey's heart belonged to Dawson. Instead of his own feelings, he should be concentrating his thoughts on making Joey better. What if she didn't pull through? Again that heart-wrenching tug in his stomach made Pacey physically feel the depth of his feelings. He had to get out....

As he walked along by the creek he made out a shape walking towards him. Wanting to be left alone to his thoughts, Pacey began to change direction to avoid the approaching figure, but as he did so a familiar voice called out his name.

"Pacey, hey, Pacey wait up. It's me, Jen" the figure called out in the darkness.

Pacey stopped, trying to decide whether or not to walk away, but the quiver in her voice made him turn around. She was feeling it too.

"Hey, Jen" he said in a low voice "I thought you were going to the hospital."

"I did but there were so many people there, I felt like a spare part. Everyone kept telling me to go home. In the end I decided I'd keep out of the way. Dawson promised to tell us if there's any news."

"Dawson? He's still there?"

"Yeah, he won't leave. His parents are there but no-one can convince him. I know it's awful to say it but at least this has made Dawson face up to his real feelings." Jen looked up at Pacey waiting to hear his thoughts on the matter. To her suprise Pacey looked angry.

"So Joey has to nearly die before he can admit how he feels?" Pacey cried out, his voice loud in the night air. "Well maybe now at least he'll stop stringing her along."

"Stringing her along?" cried Jen in amazement. She knew that Pacey sometimes lost patience with Dawson's love life, but she had always thought that he was amused by the unresolved tension between Dawson and Joey.

"It's been months since you two broke up, Jen, months. Dawson knows how Joey feels about him, and he feels the same way. I knew it, you knew it, and I think he knew it. But would he do anything about it? Dammit, Jen, he just kept her at arms length the whole time and now she might die and never know how he feels...oh God!" Pacey reeled away in shock. Saying those words - 'and now she might die' had made the possibility horribly real to him. No she couldn't die, she musn't.

He felt guilty now too, about the anger he had shown towards Dawson. Especially as some of it was aimed at himself. His words applied to him as much as Dawson. He had never told Joey of his feelings for her. But he had never realised how deep they were before now. And Joey certanly didn't have feelings back.
_______________________________________

The moon was bright that evening as Pacey and Jen walked along together to the pier. Neither spoke, they didn't know what to say. They lent on the pier edge and studied the water. The moon's reflected twin danced in front of them as the ripples moved across it. The night was beautiful, it didn't seem right somehow. The storm which had caused such havoc earlier had passed, leaving peaceful waters and heartache in it's wake.

Jen looked up at Pacey's face. The darkly troubled frown mirrored her own. She turned her head to look up at the sky.

"You know, the sky has always been a great comfort to me" she said gently "whenever my life's been a total mess, I've looked up at the sky - and there it's been. Still there, just the same."

"Like a constant" Pacey said suddenly.

"Yeah like a constant." Jen repeated.

They both watched the sky and thought of Joey in the hospital, fighting her way back. The sky gave them strength during their vigil - and hope. They looked up at the moon and they knew it would always be there, a constant forever in their lives. At a point in their lives where time seemed irrelevant, it signified the future.