Part 2
Category: D/J
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Everything up until the last ten minutes of ‘Two Gentlemen Of Capeside’.
Warning: This is a D/J fic, but P/J are together in the prologue and first chapter. Don’t worry, though…I fully intend to present them as the dysfunctual train wreck they are.
Dawson tried not to think about what happened back at the school. As he carried piles of wood for his dad’s current project, it kept popping back into his mind. Was he dangerous? Was Pacey right?
Then there was the added problem of Joey. If this was freaking him out, imagine what it would do to her. By some strange twist of fate, nature had made sure the two of them were thrown together in this…and that Pacey wasn’t. That should have him feel better.
It didn’t.
“Hey!” a voice called out behind him.
Dawson turned around to see who it was. He saw Andie walking towards him.
“Oh,” he commented. “It’s you.”
Andie put her hands on her hips, an annoyed look on her face.
“Oh, it’s you?” she asked. “Well, somebody’s sure glad to see me!”
Dawson smirked.
“Sorry,” he replied. “I just thought it might be Joey.”
Andie looked at him with pity. It was obvious he still had a thing for Joey, even after all this time.
“Ouu…” she exclaimed, and hugged him. “Have you talked to her yet?”
“Nope,” he sighed. “Not a big deal, though. I’ve hardly seen anyone, expect for you of course.”
“Well, you DID throw Pacey down a hallway!” she giggled. “How did that feel?”
“Truthfully?” Dawson asked. “I wanted to do that for months.”
They both laughed.
“It’s just surreal,” Dawson told her. “Of all the people in Capeside, Joey and I are the only two mutants? That can’t be coincidence!”
Andie bites her lip.
“Not exactly,” she informed him. “I got positive, too.”
Dawson went wide-eyed.
“Wow!” he exclaimed. “So you’re…wow!”
“I know!” she said, a huge grin on her face. “Isn’t it exciting?”
“Wait?” he asked, raising and eyebrow. “You’re…not upset about this?”
“Why would I be?” Andie challenged. “This is just so cool!”
Dawson smiled at her. Andie’s enthusiasm was refreshing. Andie was happy about being a mutant, Joey was devastated, and he didn’t know what to make of it.
He just needed to talk to Joey about it. And soon.
*****
Meanwhile, at the yacht club.
“You’re firing me?” Joey exclaimed in outrage. “This isn’t fair!”
Mrs. Valentine didn’t even look at her.
“Understand something, Miss Potter,” she said, with disdain dripping from her words. “We try to run a distinguished business here. I’ve gotten a few complaints from guests who don’t like the idea of being in the presence of someone with your…condition.”
Joey’s mouth hung open in shock.
“That’s discrimination!” she snapped. “You can’t do this.”
“I own this club, I can do anything I please,” she reminded her. “I merely wish to insure the safety of the members. You might, I don’t know…blow up or something. Now, could you please leave? Through the back door?”
Joey gave Mrs. Valentine a furious look. Then she stormed out, through the club, making sure that everyone saw her.
One of the customers raised his eyebrows. He was tall and lean, at least six feet. With his blonde hair a blue eyes, he bore a striking resemblance to Dawson. Only he kept himself much better. His hair was slicked back, and he wore a dashing blue suit that seemed to fit him like a glove.
His eyes followed Joey as she left the club. He then excused himself from the other people at the table, and then followed her outside.
*****
Joey was almost in tears by the time she got outside. This was just too much for her to take. First Dawson, then finding she was a…?
A what? A freak? A monster? Pacey sure seemed to think so. He hadn’t even spoken to her since she found out she was a mutant. No one had. Although, she hadn’t exactly made it easy to talk to her. Being almost a recluse, and hiding from everyone. Dawson would understand, wouldn’t he? But somehow, she just couldn’t bring herself to go to him.
“Hey!” a voice called out from behind her.
Quickly, she spun around. It was the tall, blonde guy from the club.
“Sorry, I don’t work here anymore!” she muttered. “I can’t help you.”
“Actually, I just wanted to talk to you,” he informed her. “I saw what happened in there, and I’d like to help.”
Joey scoffed.
“Unless you personally know Dean Worthington, I doubt you can help!” she snapped.
The guy started to chuckle.
“What?” Joey demanded. “What’s so funny?”
“It just so happens that I am,” he informed her.
Joey looked at him doubtfully.
“You know Dean Worthington?” she asked, not quite believing him.
“Yep,” he replied. “Only I call him ‘grandpa’. It’s less formal.”
Joey’s eyes went wide in total shock. The guy simply offered his hand.
“Warren Worthington, the third, at your service!” he greeted her.
Joey shook his hand anxiously.
“Wow!” she said. “I mean, this is a honour, sir!”
Warren shook his head.
“No ‘sir’, ok?” he asked her. “I’m not big on formality.”
They sit down on the docks.
“So, you came all this way to see me?” Joey asked him.
“Uh huh,” he nodded. “But don’t get the wrong idea, it’s not about Worthington University. I really don’t have much to do with it, other than being a blood relative of the owners. My schooling interests lie elsewhere. I’m here to make you an offer.”
“An offer?” Joey asked, raising her eyebrows. “I’m listening.”
“I represent this small private school down in Westchester,” he told her. “I heard about the testing that went on at Capeside High, as well as the results. This school…well, it’s a school for the gifted. People like yourself.”
Joey sighed.
“Gifted, huh?” she asked. “I get it. That’s a nice way of saying ‘mutant’, right?”
Warren smiled. He wasn’t finished yet.
“This isn’t a science lab or anything like that,” he continued. “We don’t want to study you, we want to help you. You’ve obviously seen how people have a hard time accepting things that are different. At the institute you’d be able to interact with other people…mutants…just like you. To help you understand what you are.”
“I know what I am!” Joey muttered.
“Just think about it, ok?” he asked, giving her a card. “Call me if you change your mind.”
With that, Warren Worthington headed back into the club. Joey simply sat there, examining the card.
*****
Awhile later, Dawson was at Screenplay Video, returning videos to their shelves. Pacey hadn’t shown up for work today, so he was stuck doing both their jobs.
He didn’t mind, though. He’d prefer not to talk to Pacey right then. Not after what happened at school.
Finally, a customer entered. Dawson was hoping it was an actual customer this time, and not just someone who wanted to see him ‘do stuff’. He’d levitated way too many tapes today.
“Can I help you find anything?” he asked, not actually facing the newcomer.
“Yes, actually,” he replied, with a voice that had a slight oxford accent to it. “I’m looking for Dawson Leery.”
Dawson raised an eyebrow, then turned to face him.
“You found him,” he sighed, then turned to face him.
The man was seated in a motorized wheelchair. He was completely bald, except for his eyebrows, which stood out against the rest of his face. He looked very distinguished, and not at all uncomfortable with his handicap.
What Dawson noticed most of all were the man’s eyes. He had very focused, piercing eyes. Almost as if he could see into someone’s very soul just by looking at him.
He seemed familiar, but Dawson couldn’t place where he’d seen him before.
“Do I know you?” Dawson asked.
“You should!” the bald man told him. “You are reading my book!”
Dawson looked over to the counter, where he had placed the book on mutants that Andie had given him. He picked it up and flipped to the back cover. Sure enough, there was a picture of the very same person he was talking to right now. Professor Charles Francis Xavier.
“Oh my god…” he gasped. “You’re Charles Xavier?”
Xavier nodded.
“That is correct,” he replied with a smile. “Believe me, Mr. Leery, I have come a long way to meet you.”
*****
After his shift was over, Dawson left with Professor Xavier. They talked for a while, about everything that had happened in the past week. The boat, the tests…everything. Then Xavier told him about his school.
“I don’t know,” Dawson told him. “I’m not sure if I could just…pick up and leave like that. This is my home.”
“I understand that,” Charles assured him. “I’m not trying to force you to do something you don’t want to, Dawson. All I’m offering is another choice.”
“Meaning?” he inquired.
“You’ve seen the way people have reacted since your abilities manifested,” Xavier explained. “Throughout history, mankind has feared what they don’t understand. They’re frightened of you, Dawson. And some may even try to turn you. I’ve offering a chance to prevent that. If you come with me…to my school…I can teach you how to use your powers.”
“For whom?” Dawson asked. “Myself, you…the government?”
“For everyone,” he said simply. “The choice is yours, Mr. Leery.”
Dawson stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say. There really was no other option.
“I’ll go,” he whispered. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
Charles simply smiled at him.
“Don’t we all?”
*****
The next day, Joey Potter entered the school parking lot nervously. She didn’t know what to expect. Maybe some kids had overheard her talking to Bessie, and had planned an ambush. You know…jump the mutant freak and leave her a bloody mess.
Let them try. Even though Joey didn’t know what her supposed ‘powers’ were, that didn’t mean she couldn’t break their faces if anyone tried something.
I wouldn’t be necessary, though. She saw only one car parked there. It was a black stretch limo, with shaded windows and bright silver hubcaps. Wherever this place was, Worthington Jr. must be bankrolling it himself.
The doors opened, and Warren stepped out. He opened the passenger door, where Charles Xavier sat there waiting.
“I’m glad you reconsidered,” Warren greeted her. “I’d like you to meet the headmaster, Professor Xavier.”
Warren took her suitcase, and put it in the trunk. Joey sat next to Xavier, who smiled at her.
“There’s no need to be afraid, young lady,” he assured her. “You’re among friends, here.”
For some reason, Joey was inclined to believe him. Even though she had never met this man before in her life, there was something about him that was so open. So honest.
“The others should be joining us shortly,” he said.
“Others?” Joey asked curiously, then turned around.
A few feet away, she saw him. A duffel bag was slung across his shoulder, and he was wearing that same brown jacket he always had. He had got it for him for his fourteenth birthday. He had nicknamed it his ‘Indy’ jacket, because it reminded him of that Harrison Ford movie.
It was him. Dawson Leery.
“Hey,” he greeted her. “It’s been awhile.”
She just nodded. Dawson climbed in the limo, across from her. It was at this moment that Joey first noticed his hair…it was short again.
“Your hair?” she asked.
“Huh?” Dawson asked, confused. Then he realized what she was referring to and chuckled. “Mom had me cut it. Said first impressions are everything at the first day of school, and didn’t want me looking like ‘a poor man’s Tom Cruise’.”
“That’s so like her!” she replied.
They laughed. It felt good, laughing like that again. It was the first time Joey had smiled in days.
Suddenly, they heard a familiar squealing sound from behind. Dawson and Joey turned as Andie McPhee ran towards the limo.
“Oh my god!” she exclaimed. “They didn’t tell me you were gonna be here. Both of you? Oh, wow!”
“Andie?” Joey asked, devastated. “I…I didn’t know you were…”
Andie, however, didn’t seem to see it the way Joey did. She just kept smiling. Then they noticed someone walking up behind her, suitcases in hand.
The first thing they noticed about him was his hands. They were huge. He could probably fit a person’s entire head in the palm of just one of them. Dawson theorized that it was the same with the feet, considering the size of his shoes.
Other than that, he was a pretty big guy. Not fat or anything…just fairly large. Like a football player. His face was somewhat round, articulated by a pair of glasses over his eyes. On top was a nicely brushed head of black hair. He had a cheery smile on his face. Not the calm, relaxed one that Xavier had. No, this was more like he was amused by a joke that no one else knew about.
“Oh, this is Dr. Henry McCoy,” Andie introduced him. “He’s one of the faculty, can you believe that? I saw him on an interview, and he’s one of the teachers? How cool is that?”
“Call me ‘Hank’!” Dr. McCoy corrected her, shaking Dawson’s hand. “And please, no ‘Bones’ jokes. Dammit, Jim…I’m a bio-chemist, not an M.D.!”
Dawson chuckled. He was definitely an improvement over Peterson.
The two of them climbed into the limo, taking their seats.
“Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” Hank suggested.
In the front seat, the driver started the car. Warren sat next to him, and they took off.
As they pulled out, Dawson stole a look out the window. In the distance, he saw Pacey Witter watching them leave.
In his old friend’s eyes, Dawson saw a look he couldn’t describe. Was it anger? Resentment? Hatred? Sorrow? Regret? He’d probably never know.
He then noticed Joey had seen him, too. She bit her lip nervously, the pain of the past week still fresh in her mind.
Dawson did the only thing he could do…he took her hand.
“It’s gonna be ok, Jo,” he whispered. “Everything’s going to be all right.”
*****
Nothing would ever be ‘all right’ again, no matter what Jen or Jack told him.
That was the one thing that kept going through Pacey Witter’s mind as the limo pulled out of Capeside High’s parking lot. A big chunk of his life just left in that limo, and he didn’t even have the guts to say goodbye.
Face it, Pacey, he thought. You’re nothing but a big coward.
Who cared if they were mutants? He had spent three months with Joey, and he just let her leave without apologizing for being cold to her? What about Dawson, who had been his best friend for as long as he could remember? Then Andie…now that had hit him by surprise. He hadn’t even known Andie WAS a mutant until he saw her just now. After what that girl did for him, how could he not know about something like that?
Now it was just him. True, Jen and Jack were still there, but he didn’t have as close of a bond to them as he did to the other three. It wasn’t so much that they left, but that they were practically abandoning him…along with the rest of the human race. They were ‘better’, and he was just…Pacey.
“It just doesn’t seem fair, does it?” a voice asked him from behind.
“Huh?” Pacey asked, spinning around.
Behind him, a man with a cane approached. He was in his mid-40’s, with a beard and moustache, and going slightly grey at the temples. He was dressed well. A brown tweed suit hung on his frame like he was meant to wear it.
“They think they’re better than us, you know?” the mysterious newcomer told him. “Maybe they are. After all, that’s what evolution is about, isn’t it? Something new replacing something old. We’re the Neanderthals and they’re the Cro-Magnons, my friend.”
“Just who the hell are you?” Pacey grumbled. “I’m really not in the mood right now.”
The man just smiled, then offered his hand.
“Bolivar Trask,” he introduced himself. “Perhaps you’ve heard of me?”
Pacey gave him a blank look.
“Or perhaps not,” he sighed. “However, I think we could learn a lot from each other, Mr. Witter.”
Pacey looked at him curiously.
“How do you know my name?” he muttered.
“I know many things, Pacey!” he explained. “I know what they’re planning, you know? Of what the mutants will do to the rest of us. But I can assure you, we will not go down without a fight!”
Trask made a fist.
“Humanity will survive!” he claimed. “That I promise you!”