"Last Dance"





Written by

Justyna



Joey Leery walked into her attic. She had to find some
old photo albums that Jen had called about seeing. She
wanted to use some of the pictures for something. Joey
had no idea what. Oh well it was time to find them,
then. Dawson had taken the kids to see his parents so
at least he wouldn't be bothering her. She wondered
what it would be like to be married to a husband that
actually loved her more than as a friend. It had
always been like that with Dawson. She envied what
Will and Bella, and even Andie and Scout and what
those two couples had. They had love. She sure didn't.

Suddenly Joey opened up a photo album containing her
prom pictures. Her senior prom. She remembered this
night so well. Too well at times. It had been a fairly
warm, late spring night. They were all going to take a
limo to the prom. She was getting ready at Jen's
house...

Joey and Jen had been almost ready when the guys had
shown up. Pacey and Dawson both looked so great. Joey
went down and gave Pacey a kiss, as Jen went down and
hugged Dawson. The girls were both so happy, and the
guys were once again best friends. It was the best
time in Joey's life. The best night of her life. Until
it became the worst night of her life. The limo
finally showed up and they sped off to the prom,
laughing and being very happy. When they got there,
they had headed for their table, with Andie and Will,
and Jack had come alone, but he was happy. The dinner
hadn't been too great exactly. Then they had decided
to dance.

Joey sighed as she stepped into Pacey's arms.
Pacey looked concerned, "what's wrong?"
Joey sighed again, smiling, "nothing, I'm just so
happy. My life is finally perfect, and I can't wait
until we get to college. She and Pacey had both gotten
into BU, and they were very happy. Jen and Dawson were
heading out to California and they'd be greatly
missed. Their little dating quartet would be splitting
up. However, she was happy. She was with the lover of her
life...

...Joey suddenly closed the album and tried to stop
her tears. Dawson had come home. She had to go make
him and their kids dinner. She wouldn't be looking at
these pictures anytime soon.

Joey had gone back up to the attic after Dawson had
left to meet some of his friends. She was once again
looking at the pictures. There were now some pictures
right before they had left the prom...

...Joey and Pacey were holding hands and just standing
there holding each other while waiting for Dawson and
Jen so they could find the limo. They went outside.
Pacey looked around for the limo, "hey Jo, I'll go and
look for it, ok?"
Joey sighed, "well wait for Dawson and Jen"
Pacey smiled, "Jo, it's alright, I'll go"
He gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked away, Joey
stood there shivering, although it was a warm night.
Jen called, "Jo! We're here...where's Pace?"
Joey sighed, "He went to go get the limo"
Dawson sighed, "He could've waited for me"
Pacey, "hey guys! I can't seem to find the limo"
He started to cross the street, and suddenly a car,
driving really fast towards Pacey, tried to screech to
a halt, and ended up hitting him.
Joey screamed, "OH MY GOD! Pacey! OH GOD!"
She ran up to him as the driver got out of the car,
drunk of course.
She leaned over him, and Pacey looked a mess. He was
bleeding everywhere, and he wasn't conscious.
Jen ran up, "Dawson went to call 911! Jo, it'll be ok,
sweetie, it'll be fine"

The ambulance drove up soon, and Jen tried to get Joey
away. Andie and Will were near them, and escorted them to
Andie's car, and they sped off towards the hospital.
Joey cried hysterically the whole way as Dawson held
her, and Jen tried to comfort her while Andie drove
and Will tried to not look scared, even though he felt
his best friend was in terrible danger.
Jen soothed, "it'll be ok, Jo. He's going to be fine.
Pacey's tough, he'll be fine"
Joey just shook with sobs...
...Joey was sobbing on the attic floor. Suddenly she
heard the doorbell. She'd have to go get that; her car
was in the driveway...she'd come back later. She still
had to find those pictures for Jen. As she headed
downstairs, she saw Andie was standing outside with
Jen. Great. Jen always knew when Joey had been
crying...

Joey was back in the attic...

...They had just arrived at the hospital. They were
all waiting in the waiting room, including Dawson's
parents. Dawson had called them from the hospital, and
they had called Pacey's family, but no one had been
home. Joey was pacing back and forth when a doctor
came out. Doctor, "Pacey Witter?"
Joey ran up to him, "can I see him, doctor?"
Dawson's parents gave him a pleading look as he nodded
her in. After she had left, he turned to them, looking sad,
"I'm not sure he'll make it. He's conscious, but a lot
of internal bleeding has occurred."
Andie started sobbing, as will put his arms around her
with tears in his own eyes. Dawson held Jen, who was
shaking with sobs, and Dawson's parents looked as if
they were losing their own son.

...Meanwhile in the hospital room, Joey sat by his
bedside. Joey, "Pace, c'mon, sweetie. You have to get better. We
have finals coming up, and you studied way too hard
for them, honey, please."
Pacey looked at her sadly, "Jo, I don't think that
I'll be taking those finals"
Joey smiled weakly, "you got to or how will we go to college?"
Pacey, "Jo, I'm not going to make it there. You'll have
to go without me"
Joey started sobbing, "no, Pacey, you can't, God, you
can't do this to me"
Pacey took her hand, "Jo, I'm going to go now. I'm going to
go to sleep. I need to, Jo. Let me go."
She looked at him with tears in her eyes.
Pacey whispered, "please"
Joey squeezed his hand and whispered back, "ok, Pacey.
I'll let you go."
Pacey smiled reassuringly, "Jo, can I say one thing.
Promise me something"
She smiled, "anything for you"
He looked deep into her eyes, with all the love that
was in him and said, "promise me you'll marry, Jo..."
Joey shook her head; "never"
Pacey cut her off, "Jo. Promise me. But Joey, marry
for love. Never marry for anything but love. True
love, Jo. Promise?"
Joey started crying, "Pacey, I promise. I'll only
marry for love"
Pacey smiled, "I love you, Potter"
She sobbed, "I love you, Pace"
He took one last breath, sat up to kiss her, and he
was gone.
Joey sat there holding his hand, while his last kiss
lingered on her lips...

...Joey sobbed. She remembered that promise. Marry
only for love, he had said. She had promised. But she
hadn't kept it. But she was going to try and make
things right, for once in her life.

Joey was sitting in the kitchen. After taking a long
time to ponder of things, she had finally made her
decision. She knew that she was going to hurt Dawson
deeply. She really didn't want to. He had always been
such a great friend to her. But that was the point.
There was juts nothing there. No mystery, no
excitement, and most importantly, there wasn't any
love. It was a shallow, fragile marriage that just
wasn't meant to be. Dawson always remarked that it was
their destiny to be together. Joey had always bought
into that. But she had always thought it was her
destiny to be with Pacey. Her true love. But that
wasn't meant to be either, obviously. She didn't know
what her destiny was, but it wasn't to be with Dawson.
Her marriage to Dawson had been an escape route. It
had been the wise, easy thing to do at the time,
especially after she had had the child some time after
graduation. She couldn't believe it...

...Joey had been sitting on the dock. The very same
dock, Pacey drifted towards after Dawson had pushed
him onto Joey those almost two years ago. It seemed a
lifetime, but it also seemed like just yesterday when
that had happened. It was a week after the funeral.
She couldn't believe Pacey was dead. Her true love
dead. Another thing she just couldn't believe was that
she was going to have his child. She was actually
really happy about this. It was as if God had taken
her true love, but realizing how terrible this was,
had sent her something in his place...

...Joey remembered. Bessie had taken care of the
little girl, which Joey called Lillian after her own
mother, until Joey was out of college. Dawson ended up
proposing, she really was surprised he had done it, and
they had married. Joey had done it for Lily's sake, so
that she could have a home and a father. There
marriage had been stale and dry, but Dawson had always
treated Lily as his own child. He was the only father
she knew, and now that she was six Joey hated to tear
the family apart. But she knew that her destiny wasn't
Dawson. And she had to take Lily with her because she
was part of Pacey. The only thing Joey had left
besides bittersweet memories and pictures.

She heard Dawson come in the front door and she
prepared herself to tell him the truth.

Dawson came into the living room and saw Joey sitting
calmly on the sofa but looking very pale. He realized
something was wrong. "Jo? What's wrong? Is Lily ok?"
Joey smiled nervously, "Dawson Lily's fine...I just
wanted to say...that...it's over"
Dawson looked alarmed, "excuse me?"
Joey sighed, "the marriage Dawson. It's BEEN over. I
just haven't been able to face it until today"
Dawson, "no, no, no, Jo, but we're soul mates! I love you"
Joey sighed, "I love you too, Dawson. But it's not real...it's not true love."
Dawson suddenly realized the truth, "it's him isn't it? True love? Even in his death, he's managed to screw me over"
Joey sat up looking angry, "Dawson I'm leaving. Don't
talk about him like that, he's dead Dawson. God, have some damn respect"
Dawson started shouting, "fine! Leave! Go! I married
you, when no one else would because you had a
child-his child-and this is how I get repaid?"
Joey started crying, "what do you want me to say
Dawson?"
Dawson looked at her, his soul mate, his one true love.
Why couldn't he be hers? "I want you to get OUT OF MY HOUSE! NOW!"
As he left the room Joey started sobbing, went
upstairs to pack her things, and to get Lily.

Joey had finally packed her Lillian's things. Dawson
had escaped into his study, which was his was of
"dealing" with things. She took one last look at her
bedroom, in the house, which she lived for so many
years, which all now flew together in her head, and
they didn't seem very substantial at all. She wondered
if, when she was cold and tired somewhere, she'd
regret leaving Dawson and his big house. Then she
remembered what she had to do. If not herself then for
Lily...and for Pacey. She knew he was smiling down at
her, and someday they'd be together again and she
would be able to look him in the eye, and know that
she had kept her promise. She slowly walked downstairs
holding Lily's hand. She looked at the living room,
all around the house, and squeezed her daughter's
hand.

Lily, "mommy, where are we going?"
Joey smiled at her through the tears welling up in her
eyes, "honey, I'll explain everything someday...but
all I can say now...is that we're going to find our destiny."
Lily frowned, "destiny, mommy? What's that? And what about Daddy?"
Joey, "sweetie, I'll tell you everything someday...let's just go now"
Lily smiled up at her mother, "ok, mommy"
Joey walked through the door and she felt as if
weights had been lifted from her, and suddenly she
felt a chill pass through her body. It was a pleasant
chill, but a chill none the less. She suddenly knew.
She knew that no matter what happened, he'd always be
watching her and helping her and his little girl.
She'd always regretted that he had died without knowing
he had a child. But she knew now, that he had always
somehow known it.

~The End~
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