"We're too old for this," Jen muttered, folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the side of the black Ford Explorer.
"We're not," Jack retorted, tossing a duffel bag into the back of the jeep.
"We are." She rubbed at her puffy eyes, and blinked blearily at the clear blue sky. "I could have been on a plane. With a towel." Jen sniffled. "I could have had a towel."
Jack smirked, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If it means that much to you, I'll get you a towel. You can have a towel."
Her hazel eyes promised an obscenity that was about to leave her lips, when Joey appeared, a duffel bag in hand along with two thermoses, and a backpack slung over her shoulder. Joey offered a blue thermos to Jen. "I thought we can use some coffee."
Jen grabbed both thermoses from Joey, and hugged them to her chest. "Thank you."
"Pay no mind to her," Jack said as he grabbed the duffel bag from Joey, and threw it in the back with the rest of the bags. "She's cranky." He grinned when Jen stuck her tongue out at him. "Apparently, she thought I was joking when I said we were leaving at seven."
"I believed you, I just didn't believe you meant seven in the morning," Jen responded, as she poured herself some coffee. "Who gets up that early on vacation?"
"And I guess when I told you: Get some sleep, we're leaving in the morning, it translated to: Have another shot of Tequila."
Jen shrugged, and gave an innocent look to Joey. "It's obvious how I got that wrong."
"Oh, totally." Joey winked at her, and took the cup from her hands, taking a long gulp of the coffee herself. "But, hey, at least we get to see one more Miami sunrise."
"One more?" Jen arched a sleepy eyebrow, "You've seen more of these? What is wrong with you people!?" She demanded as Dawson and Pacey approached, the latter swinging the keys to their beach front cabin in his hand. "Don't you understand the concept of sleeping in on vacation."
"To be fair, Lindley," Pacey smirked at the blonde as he slid his arms around Joey and resting his chin on her shoulder. "We hadn't actually gone to bed yet."
"Oh, yeah…" Jen nodded, and then shrugged. "I missed that. I was more interested in lunar activities. Right about that time, neighbor boy was skinny-dipping in the pool next door."
Jack stopped his arranging of luggage, a dark eyebrow rose. "I missed that?"
"Yep, and um, if Dawson asks, his binoculars were lost at sea."
"What?" Dawson's head popped up from the other side of the car.
"Nothing, D." Pacey grinned, winking at the blond.
"You missed a great show, Jackers." Joey added, just to rub it in. "Water sliding over his skin, shimmering in the starlight..."
Jack's eyes narrowed on Joey as Jen began to laugh. "I hate you."
Dawson came around the side of the jeep, and set his backpack on the open door as he fiddled with his video camera. "I filmed a lot more than I thought last night. The battery's dead, and the tape is almost finished." He set the camera down, and opened his backpack. "I think I have some extras."
"Yeah, um...Dawson," Pacey released Joey and picked up the video camera. "Why don't you give me this tape, man. I think I could use that last little bit."
Jack snickered, and Jen choked back her laugh, coughing to clear her throat. "I don't know, Dawson…Maybe you should make sure you didn't capture a memory worth preserving before you go and give it away."
Joey shot her friend a dark look. "It's probably nothing, Dawson." She smiled innocently at her childhood friend. "You probably just left it on while you put it away last night. Or maybe hit the record button by mistake."
"Right," Pacey nodded. "Which means, you basically have a blank tape in there. I could use it to record over."
"Why?" Dawson looked innocently at him, "Is there something on the playboy channel you wanna record for posterity?"
Jack shook his head, his lips curved in a knowing smirk. "But you know, even then, how can Playboy compare to the value of a home movie?"
Jen nodded. "That's right. I mean, it's good to have something so we can look back on this time with a smile."
"It's a blank tape people!" Pacey insisted.
"Give the guy a break," Jack said stepping forward. "If it's a blank tape, and he wants it, he should have it."
"If it's blank, I could probably still use it. And if it's not, it's probably something I could use for the movie." Dawson tried to take the camera from Pacey, who jerked it out of his reach. "Pacey!"
"It doesn't really have to be that complicated. We can clear this up easily enough." Jack slipped between the two of them, and grabbed the camera from Pacey, before tossing it to Jen, who stood by Dawson's backpack. "We'll just play the tape, and see what's on it."
Jen grinned, slipping a new battery into the camera. "Correct, Mr. McPhee, and since we're the only two not involved, we're qualified to act as impartial judges. Now let's see," Jen said as she hit rewind, and then pressed play.
"No!" Pacey and Joey said simultaneously, lunging for the camera.
Jen jumped away, and began to climb in through the back of the car. One eye on the small LCD display screen, she smiled. "You know, one would think there's something on here you don't want us to see."
"Of--of course there isn't," Joey bit her lip. She elbowed Pacey in the ribs, "Do something!"
Jen held her hand up, holding them at bay as she focused her attention on the screen. "Wait. Wait. I see something..."
"No, no, you don't. You see nothing," Pacey insisted, crawling into the Explorer after Jen. "Nothing at all. Blank screen. You hear me, Lindley?" He made another grab for the camera. "Or I might just remember a certain indiscretion that occurred one drunken night in the back seat of a certain someone's brand new car..."
She laughed, swinging a leg over the back seat and scrambling to the front of the car. She perched on the front passenger seat, leaning against the dashboard as she peered into the screen and then glanced up at Pacey. "No. No. It'd be really a crime against humanity if I didn't share this."
Growling, Pacey attempted to go after her again, "I'll show you a crime against humanity. Your humanity in particular!"
"What's the big deal?" Dawson wondered, "It's just a blank tape."
"It's um, nothing, Dawson." Joey tried to steer him away from the car. "You know Pacey and Jen, they're always trying to stir up trouble."
Jen managed a mix of a scream and a giggle as she pulled open the passenger side door, and hopped out, the camera still clutched in one hand. She ran around the front of the car to the back where Jack was and tossed the camera to him.
Jack chuckled as Jen ran behind him, making a mad grab for his shirt as she almost fell. He let out a low whistle as he glanced at the screen, using one hand to steady Jen. "Whoa, ohhhhh."
"I have no qualms about breaking some bones!" Pacey crawled awkwardly out of the car and gave chase to Jack. "I will never get laid again if I let you two keep watching that tape, Jackers."
Jack grinned boyishly as he hid the camera behind his back. "What tape?"
"This tape," Joey snatched the video camera from behind Jack's back with a triumphant smile.
"Sorry, Jack." Jen protested from the ground where she was rubbing her elbow, "She tackled me! The wench is vicious!"
"That's my girl," Pacey grinned, sliding his arm around Joey's waist.
Joey's haughty smile faded as she glanced down at the blank screen, Jack and Jen snickering as Dawson grabbed the camera. "Told you it was blank," he said with authority as he headed back to the flat of the jeep. He smiled, reaching into his blue Jansport. "The tape you're looking for is right here. Found it earlier this morning."
Pacey stared slack jawed at Dawson as Joey flushed a fiery red, snatching the tape from Dawson's outstretched hand.
Leveled them both with a look as he zippered his shut bag, a smirk hovering over his lips. "Next time ask before you borrow my camera."
The End
