. Author’s Note: I always wanted a soap opera style fic, where the relationships change constantly. Anyway it’s sort of based on some life experiences from when I was in high school and had my own Dawson, Pacey, Jack and Jen, in fact some of the PJ banter comes from some banter I shared with a friend of mine. It takes place in multiple points of views so between every break I’ll label the narrator. Summary: The beginning of junior year, this picks up after season 2. Some plots and season 3 story lines from the actual show will be used but only briefly and altered. Example: Andie still cheated on Pacey and Dawson is still being seduced by Eve.. Warning: Contains sexual content. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15

Dawson 

I glance out my window noticing the light flurry; maybe school will be cancelled. "Honey are you awake yet? It's almost time for school," my mother calls. Maybe not. 

I groan applying all of my strength to sitting up, this may be a difficult task. The phone rings jerking me off of the bed in surprise. "Hello?" 

"Hi, Dawson?" It's her. 

"Andie," I say nervously. 

"Hi," she repeats quickly, "um, I was calling you…" she begins. "I just wanted to ask if…" 

"Yes?" I cut in. 

"I, uh, I just remembered that yes we did have English homework, you called this weekend and asked and I said no and I just realized that we did and I've felt awful about it so I thought maybe if I warned you about it now you could finish it in time or I could give it to you or something…" 

"Andie calm down," I break in, "it's okay." 

"No really, you can copy mine, it's my fault." 

"Hm," I shrug my shoulders, "maybe you can come over this morning since English is first period and all, I'll give you a ride to school." 

There's a long silence, "Sounds like a plan, " she says. 

~*~ 

Jen 

It is cold and not just any kind of cold, the kind of cold where you'd pay somebody to let you sit in their oven. Stepping onto my porch I clasp my hands together tightly, briskly rubbing them together as a brush of even cooler air hits me. "Jack," I yell, "hurry your ass up, it's time to go!" 

Jack rushes out the door slipping a sweatshirt over his head, "I'm not sure if you realize this," I say, "but we're in the middle of another Ice Age and your running around in a sweatshirt?" 

He shrugs his shoulders. 

I shake my head, "I don't know why I bother." 

"So Dawson finally has his license?" He asks. 

"Yes, and for that reason we shall bum a ride off of him every waking moment, it's our civic duty as friends." 

"But of course," Jack agrees as we knock on good Mister Leery's door. 

Opening it, Dawson's grin fades slightly, "Oh, hey," he says. 

"Don't be too disappointed," I say dryly slipping past him. 

"No I'm not," he says slightly distracted, "I was just…" he trails off, "never mind." 

"You seem distracted," I say. 

"Is it that obvious?" 

"Is it a girl?" I ask, "Because if it is, you are looking at the match makers of all match makers right here." 

"What?" 

"I got Jack a boyfriend," I say proudly. 

Jack blushes looking away, "I don't need to be the current event in world news." 

"That's besides the point," I dismiss, "who is she?" 

"It's not important," he shakes his head. 

There's a knock at the door, "Who else would be coming to the Leery household before school?" I step between him and the door, "While a nervous Dawson Leery paces around his living room." Twisting the door open I glance over my shoulder, "Andie?" 

~*~ 

Joey 

I spot Pacey at his locker and sneak up behind him before he has the opportunity to bolt. Shielding his eyes with my hands I press the entire length of my body against his licking my lips as a let them slide across his neck catching his earlobe, "Guess who?" I whisper. 

He stills, "Halle Berry?" 

I slap his back, "Cute, really." 

He looks down at his watch still not looking at me, "The bells going to ring soon I should get to class." 

Wrapping my arms around his waist I bury my face between his shoulder blades, "Why aren't you talking to me?" I ask. 

He sighs placing his hands above mine, "I'm talking to you no, aren't I?" 

"Only as tactics to get away from me," I correct. 

"I'm not avoiding you," he says. 

"It seems that way," I keep my forehead pressed against his back, he's been ignoring me for 3 days now but it seems like a life time. "If I did or said something wrong, I need to know what it is so I can fix it." 

"You didn't do anything wrong," he shakes his head. 

"Then is there something wrong with you? Did something happen at home? Do you need help with school? I'm here for you Pace, you know that." 

"It's not that," he shakes his head. 

I step back allowing him to face me, "What's going on?" 

He kisses my forehead, "Absolutely nothing." Running his fingers through my hair he hooks a few tendrils behind my ear, "Now you should probably get to class." 

"It can wait," I refute. 

"Not if Ivy League is waiting," he counters. 

I narrow my eyes caught off guard, "Is there something you're not telling me?" 

"It depends," he shrugs his shoulders, "if there's something that you're not telling me." 

I sigh heavily, "You know don't you." 

"It's not important what I know and don't know, what's important is getting you what you want. And if I know anything about you, that's the first ticket out of Capeside." 

"That's not how it is Pacey," I shake my head. I bite my lip down casting my gaze, "I'm not going to go." 

"Why?" 

"It's not important," I dismiss. 

He takes a long pause forcing out the words, "I want you to go." 

My eyes meet his, "You don't mean that." 

"It doesn’t matter because staying isn't an option." 

I shake my head, "Don't think this has anything to do with you." 

"Well not to sound arrogant or anything but it kind of does." 

"Pacey, I'm 16 years old, I'm not ready to leave home in the way that a college bound student is expected to. Sure in this sea of mediocre educational achievers I may seem intelligent but in the real world, there are so many things that I've yet to learn and no matter how often I harp about the atrocities of this less then dull town I'm not ready to leave it." 

"Don't say that Jo," he shakes his head, "you are brilliant and you could take any realm of intellectual society down with a single blow." He swallows loudly, "I know that you can do great things, and I know that you could do all of those right now with out even floundering. You shouldn't let your fears force you to miss out on great opportunities Jo, and that's why I think you should go." 

"That's not it though," I continue as the bell rings for class, he makes a move to leave but I stop him, "we're not done," I say. "If I were to leave it would become an artist and I don't want to do that. I don't know what I want to do in life or where I want to be in five years because I'm not ready to decide. All I know is that right now I want to be a kid, I want to make mistakes without having to deal with all the repercussions, I want to stay here and be with you." I move closer to him, wrapping my arms around his neck, "Don't think you can get rid of me that easily." 

He smirks, "Good, because in all honesty I didn't want you to go." 

"I know," I nod, "but you put in a stellar performance." 

"I can put my pride aside… on occasion." 

"Dream another dream," I say brushing my lips against his. "So are we okay now?" I ask my lips teasing his. 

He nods, kissing me again, the passion that we had been lacking seeping through again, "I love you," he murmurs. 

The words are on the tip of my tongue fighting to come out but all I can do is look at him, he's told me this before and each time I've been bewildered as to how to answer. I know how I feel about him, but there's this knot in my stomach that prevents me from expressing it and I'm afraid how it affects him. I smile slightly, "We should get to class now." 

He frowns nodding slowly, "Yeah, we should." 

~*~ 

Andie 

Why am I this nervous? I mean I haven't been this utterly terrified since I realized that I had non-platonic feelings for Pacey but I've never been this nervous around Dawson. Is it because I have a feeling that he has feelings for me? Or is because I've had some sort of epiphany where I've realized that I have feelings for him in return? 

I pace up the hall spotting him immediately, I have to get away before I do something stupid. 

"Andie, wait," too late. 

"Hey Dawson," I say perkily. 

"Hey, I actually wanted to talk to you this morning, but, well Jen and Jack and everything." 

"Yeah," I say slowly. 

"You see the thing is," he trails off laughing nervously, "well." 

"At a loss for words," I grin, "this has to be a first." 

"This never gets easier," he mumbles. 

"What doesn't?" I ask smiling a little wider then I should. 

"Look, Andie," he clears his throat, "I like you… I like you a lot." 

"Really?" 

He blushes, "Can you just forget I said that." 

"No," I shake my head, "I don't want to." 

"What?" 

I've learned that it is important to take the initiative in life, "Do you want to hang out sometime, maybe?" 

He grins, "I think that that can be arranged." 

"Hall passes, or back to class," I nearly jump, unable to tarnish my nearly flawless record. 

"I'll talk to you later," I say. 

"Yeah," he nods. 

~*~ 

Dawson 

I step into Gym a good 7 minutes late but I really don't care. "Mister Leery do you have a pass?" 

I freeze, "Um, no." 

"Hey man, are you alright?" Pacey asks draping his arm over my shoulder, "you didn't look so good out there." 

"Um what?" 

"I suppose you're unprepared like Mister Witter over here," Mister James says. 

"No he ate the elephant scabs, he was puking all over the school, I'm surprised he's still here," Pacey says offering me a wink. 

"Right, right," he rolls his eyes heading back to the more appreciated athletes or the ones who will let him peak at them during their showers. 

"So what are you out for?" I ask Pacey. 

"Fibula's acting up again," he shrugs taking a seat on the bleachers. 

I glance past him to see Joey seated next to him, "What about you?" 

"Feminine issues," she places her hand over her stomach, "men simply don't understand." 

"Sure we don't sweetheart," Pacey says wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "So Dawson, tardiness doesn't run in your resume, where were you?" 

I furrow my brows, "I think I may have gotten together with Andie." 

"Hey good for you man," he says. 

Joey narrows her eyes, "Since when has she been a possibility?" 

"More importantly," Pacey cuts in, "what's with the melancholy attitude? I thought you really dug her." 

"I did," I shrug, "I do, it's just it was so anti-climactic." 

"How so?" 

"It wasn't a dance under the stars or a kiss beside the moon," I sigh heavily, "it was a meager passing in between classes." 

"Not Hollywood enough for you?" Joey raises a brow. 

"I just want some excitement in my relationships that's all." 

"She's going to have a hell of a time living up to that now isn't she honey," Pacey teases her. 

"So very not funny," she elbows him. Is it possible for everything to be entirely different yet exactly the same? 

"So excitement," Pacey begins, "I tried to get Joey to take a dance class." 

"And I told him to fulfill his perverted pleasures some where else." 

I chortle, "How long have you two been married?" 

"Ten years next Tuesday," Joey says. 

"I hate to tell you this then Pace, but I have it on pretty good authority that Joey hasn't been entirely faithful for about four months last year." 

"I know," he smirks, "we like to keep it an open relationship, makes interesting pillow talk. I heard you disproved Joey's whole finger theory, luckily I was around as her factual evidence," he says holding up his hand. 

"Yeah," she measures his finger with her forefingers, "he's got very short fingers." 

"Cute really." 

"See there are simple ways to find entertainment in a relationship," Joey tells me. 

"Yeah through deterioration of said partners self esteem, it's an incredible practice," Pacey quirks, "Well kiddies, I need to go swipe last nights chem homework from someone, I'll catch you latter." 

He kisses Joey quickly knocking my head on the way out. "I see you and Pacey are doing better." 

She narrows her eyes, "And how would you know how they were going beforehand?" 

"Pacey told me, actually." 

"Really?" Her jaw nearly drops, "so not only have you and Pacey rehabilitated your ailing friendship but you've also found the time to sneak in some relationship advice based on your former soul mate?" 

"Pretty much," I nod. 

"You never cease to amaze Me." 

There's a long pause, "So are you going to go?" 

She frowns, "No." 

Part of me wanted her to go, to show that he didn't mean as much to her as I did. "Oh." 

"Yeah, it was just so inconvenient I mean Bessie is in enough financial turmoil as it is, and my schedule is too jam packed to fit in an extra English and what not, and…" 

"Pacey wasn't going to be there," I say softly. 

She shakes her head slowly, "No he wouldn't have." 

I chew silently on my lip, "You love him don't you." 

The awkward tension grows and I hate it, "Yeah," she says softly. 

"Does he know?" 

She shakes her head again, "I think I may have a fear of that kind of commitment," she scoffs, "I mean every man that I love in my life just slips through my fingers. My father slides in and out of jail, I begin to fall for Jack and he leaves me for the other sex, and you," she trails off, "and we didn't exactly get our fairytale ending, now did we?" 

I take in a deep breath, "Don't let that stop you from being happy, Jo." 

~*~ 

Joey 

School ends and I meet Pacey by the door taking his hand in mine as we walk off to the Witterwagoneer. "You know, Bessie's not home tonight, I'll be all alone in that, well not large house more quaint, but still…" 

"You want me to come over," he finishes for me. 

"Well I've missed you that's all," I say lifting our joined hands to my lips. 

He chuckles, "I haven't been gone." 

"No," I stop running my hand down his cheek, "In other ways." 

He narrows his eyes, "What kind of ways?" 

I miss him and I want him and I'm not afraid anymore, I know he loves me and that it's not about sex anymore, and that's why I want to make love to him. 

I run my finger through the first few buttons of his shirt, "Do I have to tell you?" I ask pressing my lips against his hot neck. 

He simply groans, "How about I take you home?" 

~*~ 

Pacey 

I sit in a lawn chair overlooking the creek my coat wrapped tightly around me my thin boots already cold in the wet snow. The sun hangs just above the horizon, well more like peaks as it climbs its way back up the sky. There's something about the sunrise that gives you hope in every single schmaltzy way out there. It's like a new start every morning, proof that some things will never change. 

Joey comes out wrapped tightly in her robe. "I was wondering where you went," she says sinking into my lap. 

"I just wanted to watch the sun," I say softly, "it's nice to do from time to time." 

"That doesn't sound like the usual Witter outlook on life," she states. 

"And what is that?" 

"Morning? What's the morning?" 

"Cute," I chuckle pulling her closer to me, "we can go back inside if you want to." 

"No," she shakes her head, "It's nice to watch the sunrise from time to time," she repeats kissing my temple. "I love you," she whispers, her lips lingering above my cool skin. 

I hold her a little tighter, "It's about time, Potter." 

And so we sit, cuddled together huddling for warmth in the cold September morning. Snow crunched below our feet, cheeks rosy red, and ears that have lost feeling long ago, staring at the sunrise. 

Possibility, that's another aspect the sun offers, and after this year I've learned that one statement is most definitely true, anything is possible.