Disclaimer: hey, if you got this far you should be as bord with these things as i am.

Part 9 ~ Is there life out there?

"So what do you need?" Dawson asks.

"I need for everything to calm down. I need to feel like everything is normal again. But I know that after tonight nothing will be the same."

Pacey and Jen have been standing in the doorway since the song began. When Pacey heard the song he knew that Dawson had made the right decision. It had taken all of his will power to not make a sound while Dawson poured his heart out. Pacey know this wasn't the way Dawson wanted to tell him and Jen, but he realized that this was the best way for them to find out.

Jen knew that Dawson would always have feelings for Joey, that sometimes she would come first in his life. But for the first time in their relationship she was secure in the knowledge that he loved her.

Pacey breaks in, "This IS normal now, Joey. Nothing will be the same. But not everything has changed. We all knew who we loved, and who we really wanted before tonight. It just took your push to make us say it. We just had to admit it and be honest." Pacey walks over to were Joey is standing near the coach and takes her hands. "This is how it should be, this is finally how it is." Looking at Dawson, "And I can promise that I will always be your friend, no matter how much that fact can irritate you."

Dawson walks over to Jen and hugs her. "Thank you for waiting, and for know why I'm the way I am."

"It's okay, Dawson. It's not like I had a choice in the matter anyway. I love you and I had to wait, there was nothing else I could do."

"Okay now, I planned for a party. We have chips, dips, soda and date films. Or we have cookie dough ice cream, chocolate bars, and action films. I didn't know what kind of party it would be so I planned for both."

Jen and Joey laugh. The couples pair up. Jen and Dawson sit on the couch, and Joey and Pacey lay out on the floor. "So, All Mighty Producer," Joey asks. "What's the first film for us tonight?"

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

"Ahug." Jen says. "Was that one of the adventures or one of the dates? Then again, maybe I don't want to know everything that goes on in your head."

"Hey it's got humor, its got romance, its got the undead."

"It's got Katy Swainson." Pacey butts in, earning himself a jab in the ribs.

"Just press play before Bozo the Clown here opens his mouth again." Joey says, smiling.

"I'm genuinely hurt by that comment. My name is not Bozo, it's Pacey, since we're dating I think you should learn it."

Joey raises her eyebrows. "We're dating are we. So when did we have our first date, and I don't remember you asking me if I wanted to be associated with you."

"Dawson, why didn't you warn me about her."

Dawson laughs. "Warn you, no way. It took me this long to get rid of her, do you think I would warn you that she's completely lovable and extremely witty?"

"Press play." Jen says as she snuggles into Dawson's side.

so it's the end of this life. I may use the universe again. it's a nice universe. it makes me happy to own a universe where pacey and joey pair up without to much difficulty from dawson, and I didn't kill jen or send her back to new york. all in all this is a good universe.< smile >