Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, except the twins and Judy…Please don't sue. Author's Note: This one gets a little graphic as far as the birthing process goes. I work in a hospital, so I know what goes on. I toned it down about 70%. Just fair warning for those who can't stomach some of these things.

"Okay, how far apart are the contractions?" the nurse asked upon their arrival.

"They only seem to be about eight minutes apart. Is that bad?" a worried Dawson asked as he helped Joey into a wheelchair.

"No, not at all. This baby just wants out fast."

"Babies," Joey corrected.

"Twins? Well congratulations! Well we're going to have to get you into a labor and delivery room ASAP then. Dad, you're going to have to fill out some paper work for us, then you can go in there with her," the nurse explained.

Joey looked at Dawson and smiled, "Yeah Dad. Fill out the paperwork."

He smiled back and leaned down to kiss her. He whispered, "I love you. You'll do great, and I'll be by your side the whole time."

"I know you will. Can you believe that by this time tomorrow, we'll be parents?"

"Pretty intense, huh? Are you okay?" he asked as Joey winced in pain.

"Yeah, it's just, I feel another one coming," she breathed.

"Nurse?" Dawson asked anxiously, "My wife is about to have another contraction."

"Okay, here are the papers," the nurse said, emerging from behind the desk with a stack of paperwork. "Take a seat over in the waiting room, and we'll get your wife set up in birthing room number four. By the way, my name is Judy. Stop at the labor desk when you're done with it, and they will give you some scrubs to where during the delivery because God knows you can't wear a tux in there. Are we all set Josephine?"

"It's Joey," she snapped out of pain. Not meaning to sound rude, she blushed.

"She hates being called Josephine. She's been Joey since we were four years old," Dawson explained apologetically.

Judy laughed as she rolled Joey to the birthing room, "Don't worry, I'm used to it. Oh, I think you have some people waiting in the lobby. It looks like a party out there!"

With that, they disappeared around the corner, with Joey looking over her shoulder, smiling through her pain at her husband.

"So, where did you and your husband meet?" Judy asked, trying to distract Joey from the pain.

"Oh, we've known each other forever. We grew up together. We've been best friends practically since we were born," Joey explained.

"I knew it. I could tell by the way that you look at each other. It's a soul-mate marriage. They are the best kind," Judy smiled.

Joey blushed, and said shyly, "He's my everything."

"Well by tomorrow, you'll have two more everythings! Here we are. This room will serve as your birthing room and your recovery room. A few hours after the birth, we'll move you to a normal room without all of the gadgets. Here's a gown to put on. The bathroom is right there. Just take off all of your clothes and put it on. Are you going to need some help?" Judy asked.

"No, just help me out of the chair, please," Joey requested.

"No problem," Judy said, taking hold of Joey's arms and helping her from the wheelchair. "I'll be waiting out here for you," Judy said as Joey waddled into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, in the lobby…

"How is she?" Bessie and Gail asked simultaneously when they spotted Dawson.

Dawson stared at the lobby filled with people. Judy was right. It was a party. Everyone that was at the wedding had come to the hospital, including Jen and Pacey, who were currently kissing in the corner of the lobby.

"She's fine. Progressing well, they tell me. Why are all of you here? What happened to the reception?"

Pacey and Jen separated, and they walked up to the crowd surrounding Dawson. "We wanted to be here for you and the Ice Queen," Pacey joked as he shook Dawson's hand.

"But it was supposed to be your day!"

"Well it can wait. We can have the reception when the babies come home or something. We'll make it a dual celebration. Besides, we could hardly dispute nature. Those babies want out, and we wanted to be here to witness it!" Jen explained.

"Okay, well make yourselves comfortable. I need to fill out all of this paperwork, and then I'm going in there to be with her."

Dawson hurried through the paperwork and he soon was putting on the scrubs that the hospital provided for him. Another nurse guided him to Joey's room and as he approached the door, he heard a horrendous scream.

Dawson rushed to his wife's side with a worried expression on his face. "Oh damn, Jo. Are you all right?"

"NOOO! OWWW! Dawson Leery where have you been?" Joey demanded through her screams of pain.

"I'm sorry. I'll be here through the whole thing. I'll never leave you."

"Just stop talking and hold my hand," Joey said as she clenched his hand in hers.

"Okay…Deep breaths honey, deep breaths," Dawson coaxed her.

Joey sucked in all her breath and let it all out many times, until she felt the pain subsiding. "Thanks Dawson. Sorry I got a little wicked back there. This is probably the most excruciating pain I have ever had to endure."

"Sorry to tell you honey, but I think that it's only going to get worse from here on out," Dawson said.

"You have wonderful bedside manner dear."

"Well I'm just trying to be truthful," Dawson said.

"I know. And I love you for it, believe me. But I'd rather not think about it in between contractions. So who is out in the lobby?"

"Only the whole wedding party," Dawson said.

"What? Even Pacey and Jen? That's awful. It's their wedding day! Did you tell them to go to the reception?"

"Of course I did, but they wouldn't listen. They wanted to be here. All of them did," Dawson explained.

"That's sweet…I feel so awful though, like I ruined their wedding day or something," Joey said with a frown.

"You did not ruin our wedding day. If anything, you made it better," a voice said from the door, "Is the coast clear?"

"Pace, how did you get back here?" Dawson asked.

"I may be a married man now, but I still have my ways with the la-OUCH! Sorry honey," he said as a grinning Jen poked her head in the door.

"Actually we snuck in when their backs were turned. How are you feeling Joey?" Jen asked.

"Awful, especially now that I know that you and everyone else abandoned your own wedding reception for us."

"It was our decision. We wanted to be here, so stop feeling bad. We're honored to share our anniversary with your twins' birthday," Jen said.

Joey smiled but her smile faded as she saw an authoritative figure standing in the doorway. "Based on the wedding garb, can I assume this is the happy couple?" Judy asked motioning to Jen and Pacey.

"Yes, we are," Pacey said, grinning broadly.

"Congratulations. How did you get back here?" Judy asked sternly.

"Um, well, that nurse at the desk said we could," Pacey lied.

"Sure she did. Out!" she said, pointing swiftly to the door.

"Okay, okay. Good luck Jo!" Pacey said, following his wife out the door.

"Jeez, good friends you got their to ditch their wedding reception," Judy observed.

"The best," Joey and Dawson said simultaneously.

"Judy? I have a question," Dawson said with concern in his voice.

"Shoot."

"Well Jo's not quite nine months yet. Is there going to be a problem?"

"Based on the ultrasounds you had in New York, I can safely say that your babies will be healthy. They will be a little premature and small, but not so much so to show great amounts of concern. Plus, based on your size and weight gain, you might be farther along then you thought, which was a possibility that you discussed with your obstetrician in New York, correct?"

"Yeah, he said that the due date could have been off by a couple of weeks."

"Everything should be okay. The babies will most likely have to stay here for an extended period of time in an incubator, but not for more than a week. It's normal, believe me."

"Thanks, that makes us feel better," Dawson said.

"You're welcome. The doctor will be in shortly to check your progress. No more visitors!" Judy said as she left the room.

"Dawson?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"It's starting again," Joey said, her breaths becoming fast.

"Okay, just hold my hand and listen to me. I'll try to keep your mind off things, okay?"

"OHH! Okay. Ouch," Joey said between breaths.

"Okay…Let's see. Remember the night we became a couple?" Dawson asked.

"How could I ever forget? OWWW! It was ::gasp:: the best night of my ::gasp:: life," Joey managed.

Dawson continued to give her a play by play memory of the evening they decided that they were meant to be…

***

Joey pulled away from Dawson. She looked up at him with fear, happiness, and confusion in her eyes. "Dawson, let's play a game," she said.

"Umm, like what?" Dawson said dreamily with his eyes still closed and his head resting atop hers.

"Truth or Dare," Joey said flatly.

Dawson opened his eyes and frowned. "I was thinking more along the lines of strip poker," he said as he started to grin suggestively.

"Are you really that afraid of the truth?" Joey asked.

"No Jo. I'm not. Not anymore. Go ahead; hit me with your best shot. Truth," Dawson challenged.

"Okay, I'll steal Pacey's question from the day in detention…Who do you love?"

"Do you really have to ask that?"

"Yes Dawson, I do. What are you afraid of?"

"No, that's not what I mean. I mean that you should already know the answer," he said softly, brushing a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

"Do I?"

"Yes Jo. It's you. It's always been you. I knew it, but to be honest with you, it scared the shit out of me. I didn't think that the feelings I had were capable of a fifteen-year-old kid. I didn't know what to do about them, so I ran. Unfortunately, I ran into the arms of Jen," Dawson scowled, remembering the morning.

Joey smiled, liking his answer to her 'truth' question. "Good answer," she said.v "Okay, now it's my turn. Truth or dare?" Dawson countered.

"What the hell. Truth," Joey replied boldly.

"Okay. Are you going to France?"

"I don't know Dawson. How can I be sure that if I stay, we'll be together? How do I know you aren't saying all of this because you're afraid of losing me?"

"Well, I'm not the one who's supposed to be answering the questions, but I will say this. Three months is not that long of a time so if you feel that France is where you should go, I say go for it. I'll be unhappy, but it's something I would sacrifice for you and your future. I love you Jo. I want to be with you. Nothing, not even a country as big as France, will change that…So, back to my question. Are you going to France?" Dawson said, gazing into her eyes.

"No," she said with tears forming in her eyes, "I can never leave you Dawson. I love you too."

"Don't cry, please. I hate seeing you cry," he said as he brought his finger to her face to catch her tears. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her tenderly. Overcome by emotion, he too started to cry lightly as their faces pressed together.

Joey pulled away and sniffled. She smiled at him and said, "Truth or dare?"

"Umm, dare," he said thoughtfully.

"Okay, strip. Just down to your boxers," Joey dared.

"What?"

"Well you said you wanted to play strip poker. We'll just skip the poker part."

"Why? You've seen me in swimming trunks before. It's the same thing."

"Because I've always been too shy to admire the view. Now, I feel I have the right to," Joey said, smiling, "Go on. Drop em."

Dawson stripped down until he was wearing nothing but his boxers. Joey gazed at him with adoration and approval. "Not bad. You've definitely got the bigger biceps…We'll have to see about the joystick sooner or later," she said suggestively as she moved to kiss him.

Dawson was surprised by how forward Joey was being, but he didn't mind it one bit. "Wait, wait," Dawson said between kisses, "Truth or dare?"

"What? Oh nevermind. Dare."

"Okay, since I seem to be at a slight disadvantage in the clothing department, you strip. Just to your bra and underwear of course. We have to maintain a little bit of innocence you know."

"Okay, okay," Joey said as she started to strip deliberately slowly. "There. We're even now. You happy?"

"Oh yes. Very," he said as he moved to her and encircled her in his arms.

"Okay, well I have another dare," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What?"

"It's a secret," she said. Then she lowered her mouth to close to his ear and whispered something that made his eyebrows raise in surprise.

***

"We entered some uncharted territory that night," Dawson said as he held one of his wife's hands in his and stroked her hair with the other.

"Yeah. Territory that ultimately led us here," Joey said smiling. The story helped her calm down and the contraction had subsided. "Thank you sweetie."

"My pleasure. There's many more where that came from," he replied as he brought his lips to hers.

"Joey?" Judy asked, not wanting to interrupt the moment for the couple. They both looked up and blushed. "Sorry to interrupt, but there's a certain window of time that we can administer the epidural, and that window is right now."

"Okay. I want it. Please. I need drugs. OH! And fast. They're started to come closer together."

They gave Joey the epidural and the doctor came to examine her. He found her almost fully dialated. Joey's contractions came more and more frequently. They weren't as painful, but Dawson still sat by her side, holding her hand and coaching her by saying, "Deep breaths" in a soothing voice. It soon became time for Joey to start pushing.

"Okay honey, now on three, PUSH! One, two, three!" Dawson said.

"Easy for you to say," Joey groaned, "OH! OWW!"

"Okay, Joey. A few more pushes and you're home free," Judy said. There were numerous nurses in the room and the doctor was also there. The only one that mattered to Joey though was Dawson. And he was the only one she really listened to.

"Do you hear that honey?" Dawson asked as he wiped the sweat from her brow, "Only a few more pushes. Come on."

"DAWSON! WE'RE NEVER HAVING SEX AGAIN!" she screamed as she pushed.

He laughed nervously. "That's the drugs talking, right?" he asked Judy nervously.

"Yeah. Definitely," she reassured him.

"Come on Jo. Only a few more," Dawson said as she moaned in pain.

"Okay, we can see a head. Can I have some forceps please?" the doctor asked.

"Here you go doctor," Judy obeyed.

"Okay, one more push Jo," Dawson smiled as he stroked her head and allowed her to squeeze his hand tightly. Tiny screams soon filled the room. But they weren't Joey's.

"And here she is," the doctor said triumphantly as he held up a tiny little girl. Dawson beamed. He was a father. And Joey, the love of his life, his best friend, was his child's mother. The nurses standing by quickly grabbed the tiny little girl to get her cleaned up and weighed.

"Okay Joey. Just a few more to go. Let's get your little girls twin out of there too," the doctor encouraged her. After a few more painful and tiring pushes, more tiny screams filled the room.

"And here he is," the doctor said as he held up a little boy.

Dawson looked down at his exhausted wife proudly. "You did it! I knew you could," he said as he rained kisses on her face. "I'm so proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without you. What do you say we get a look at our babies?" she asked.

The babies had weighed in at four in a half pounds each. They were large enough to be held some of the time, but most of the time, they had to remain in the incubators, surrounded in constant warmth.

"Okay, who wants the boy and who wants the girl?" Judy asked, wheeling the portable incubators to the couple.

"I'll take the girl," Joey said.

"Okay, here you go mom," Judy said, handing the little four and a half pound bundle to her proud, exhausted mother. "And here you go dad. Not too long though. We want them in those incubators so you can take them home as soon as possible. I'll leave you all alone. Enjoy your babies."

"Thanks so much Judy," Dawson said.

"So, who are you little man?" Dawson asked his son.

"I was thinking about Taylor Michael for him. What do you think?" Joey asked.

"I love it. How about Mackenzie Rose for her?"

"Perfect. After my mother. Thank you honey."

"You're welcome. Joey?" he asked nervously. Reading his mind, she smiled at him and remembered what she said during the delivery. "Don't worry babe. We can still have sex."

"Phew," Dawson sighed as they both laughed.

The couple spent a few minutes with each baby and then the nurse came to put them in the incubators. Joey begged for rest, and Dawson obeyed. He waited until she fell asleep and quietly exited the room.

"I'm a father!" Dawson exclaimed as he burst into the waiting room where all of his friends and family were waiting.

It was now about eleven thirty at night and some of the people had dozed off, including Jen and Pacey who fell asleep, sharing a chair, wrapped in each other's arms. Hearing Dawson's announcement, the sleepers awoke and soon the room filled with "Congratulations!" "Boys or girls?" "Both? Oh my, how lucky!"

Pacey got up and stuffed a cigar in his friend's mouth. "Congratulations man! Okay, Jen can we go home now?" he asked anxiously.

"Pacey!"

"What? It is our wedding night, you know. We stayed here for Joey, but my guess is, she'll be out for the night, so we won't be able to see her til morning anyway," Pacey explained logically.

"I don't think that there is a reason that anyone should stay. Thank you all so much for coming. It means so much to Joey and I that you all were here. And Pacey and Jen, it was above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you guys. Thank you everyone."

"Your welcome man," Pacey said as he gave him a hug. "Congrats again."

"Congrats to you too!" Dawson said returning the hug, "To you too Jen," he said as he hugged her too.

"Thanks Dawson. Tell Joey we're thinking about her."

"Will do."

"Okay, can we leave now?" Pacey asked as Jen led him to the door.

Dawson made some more thanked the remaining people, especially his parents, Mr. Potter, Bessie, and Bodie and sent the stragglers on their way.

He made his way back to Joey's room and just sat and lovingly watched his family sleep until sleep overcame him too.

To be continued? I think so, but I'm not sure, so send me feedback! Send comments to: Rachy2000@aol.com Sorry about any typos. I got really sick of typing and sometimes spell check just doesn't cut it.

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