Disclaimer: I do not own the 'Dawson's Creek' charaters mentioned in this fan~fic, although there are quite a few creations of my own in here. The whole story is fiction and if anything mentioned in my story happens in the show it is completely a coincidence. But that would be pretty weird huh.....also any names that might belong to someone else is also merely a coincidence. (All except Joshua Ryan which is the name of a friend.) The places are real, and some characters are based on real people. Friends...family...etc. Anyhoo...This story is my baby so if you don't like it please keep all comments to yourself. BUT if you do have any ideas or considerably nice comments then PLEASE e-mail me. I'll love you forever. hehehe anyhoo.....on to the story!

~*~Theres no summery because I love surprises...and this ones full of them. I hope you have fun finding out what's happened to everyone 'through the years.'~*~

And now without further ado.....

Through the Years
Chapter 3
By Jackie

Abby had long since died. Her body had been buried in one of the small cemeteries Capeside had to offer. It was rarely seen, or better phrased, rarely noticed. The headstone was occasionally glanced upon by strangers looking to focus their teary eyes on a name other then that of their own loved one. But visited it was not. Abby's mother had abandoned the small town some time after the death of her daughter. Her father had remained in Capeside for his business and since then died of a weak heart. Joey was reminded each trip to Capeside, by Andie, to visit the grave and place a bouquet of flowers on the headstone.

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Joey Potter walked, hands in her coat pockets, and head hung through the cemetery. It was a peaceful and quiet day. The only sounds were the scattered sobs of the mourning. She didn't let her eyes meet with them for she knew their purpose was one of good, unlike her own. Andie had sent Joey a letter, which she received a week or two back. The letter was on thick, expensive stationary with a small floral print and matching seal. It was a simple and rightful request- visit Abby's grave. Andie had inclosed enough money to pay a fairly nice bouquet. The instructions in full read as this:
During your trip I hope you set time aside to visit Abigail Morgan's grave. Please use the inclosed money to pay flowers to place on her headstone. I wish of you to dust off the headstone and place the flowers over it. I would like to be there myself, but it is not possible at this time. Please say a prayer for her and remember I'll be doing the same......
The letter went on. It was right for Andie to ask this of Joey, and they both knew it. They also knew that no matter how much Joey's pride wanted to keep her away that her conscience would win in the end.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably 10 or 15 minutes of dragging her feet through the cemetery, taking care to avoid other visitors and the headstones of the dead, Joey came upon her target. At first she kept a distance. It was hard to swallow the fact that only a few feet of dirt lay in-between her and Abby's corpse. Joey took a deep breath and approached the grave. She was suddenly filled with an uncontrollable feeling of guilt, not for anything in her past, but for feeling the way she did at this moment. Even as she read the words ... even as she remembered her friend's pain, even as she knelt placed her hands over the headstone's text and softly wiped it of the dirt and leaves that had covered it from being unattentended and placed the flowers gently down making sure not to cover Abby's name, even through all this she didn't want to be there. She wanted to turn and run in the opposite direction, not caring what anyone thought. The truth was Joey didn't like Abby, she never did, and now more then ever felt she never would. Her death didn't make her suddenly a saint. Joey hung her head and rose as she thought of this and tried to sort her feelings.

Why did she hate the girl when the rest of her friends mourned her death and wept at the loss of her life? Why couldn't she let go of her feelings now that she was an adult? Her questions only led to more. She stood for a few more minutes not able to bring herself to say the prayer Andie had wished for. Then she placed her hands back in her pockets and without a tear shed, marched back to her car with the satisfaction of a job done....not well done, but done.

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Andie shrived as the thought of Abby's death invaded her thoughts. She had always felt responsible for her death, for forcing her to leave the party, for letting her take the bottle of champagne which had sealed her fate. The bottle which had brought an end to Abby's partying, her drinking, and her life.

Jen had watched as Abby's head was lost in the angry waves of the water. She thrashed and would be seen for just a moment, long enough to haunt Jen in her dreams, before being submerged in the suffocating water again. The currents seemed to taught Abby in her last moments of life, allowing her to come up and open her mouth for a breath of air, but pushing her under before she could be successful. Over and over she was forced to the top and then engulfed in the never merciful waves. And then finally Abby rose, this time for the last. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her body bobbed lifeless in the water. Her wild gasps and screams of horror had ended. Her fraling arms down laid underneath her in an unnatural manner as she floated in the now calm, cruel waters...the waters which had claimed in youthful existence. Her eyes gazed unending upwards towards the heavens in which she now dwelled.

"Andie!"

Andie jumped at the broken silence. Her starry eyes which had been fixed on the end of the coffee table as she stirred her mug, now blinked as she looked up at her husband's comforting face. His expression was soft yet concerned and when she glanced over at Dawson's his was the same.

"Is everything alright?" Pacey asked.

"Oh of course," she nodded to reassure herself more then anyone else in the room, "Just fine."

Andie had stopped taking her medication as she had lost the need for it. Her family and now stable life kept her content and although she remained her worrying and tense self, she didn't get stressed quite as easily. The clock in the hall now struck 12 and the four still sat discussing anything and everything that came up. The wine bottle laid empty on it's side and had been replaced with another full bottle. The night had claimed all the kids. Tim was downstairs in the guest room, Emily upstairs in the bedroom, and the two boys, Pacey and Andy, remained in front of the television. Andy fell asleep around 8 on the reclining chair, and Pacey had fought his yawns in the very end before giving up. His eyes fluttered and closed as he softly toppled over onto his side in front of the TV's glow.

"Andie your looking good. The kids haven't gotten to you yet? Or maybe better put as Pacey hasn't gotten to you yet."

Andie fained a smile. "No Dawson...not yet. And thank you." Pacey glanced over at his wife and smiled, placing his free hand over hers and then cheered his wine glass with the other. Andie yawned.

"Hey sweetheart, why don't you go up to the guestroom and lay down for a while?"

"No, no its alright."

"No really," Dawson cut in, "That'd be fine. Rest..please. You deserve it."

Andie stood up and stretched. She said a quick goodbye kissed Pacey, and tip-toed into the guestroom.

Both the men sat and watched until the door had closed and she was out of sight. "I'll check on her in a while."

Dawson nodded. "So Mr. Man...how's married life treatn' ya'?"

"I have no reason to complain," Pacey took another sip of wine and then stopped to fill his glass, "Nope...none at all."

"Hah, you know Pace, the 'bachelor's life' isn't all its made out to be. The glory of being single is a bunch of BS." The tone of sarcasm in Dawson's voice was one Pacey rarely heard from his friend. At first he wanted to laugh, but he then realized what a mistake that would be. He had to think fast, the silence in the room made it almost hard to breathe and if it wasn't broken Pacey was sure a fight was in the works. "Well, you'll find her. You'll find the right women. You can't rush those kinda things."

"Rush? Pacey you've been married almost 8 years."

"Yeah I know," Pacey didn't stop to think about the next statement, "But you don't find a woman like Andie everyday." He looked up from his glass to make sure Dawson hadn't taken it the wrong way. He hadn't. He too starred at his glass, watching as the liquid inside turned with each twist. Pacey sinced his friend's loneliness. He himself couldn't even imagine his life without Andie. It wasn't possible to think of it. It had always been so clear that Andie would be a part of his life.

He set down his glass and placed his hand on Dawson's shoulder. He looked up and sighed. "Oh Pacey, I can't do this." Dawson wanted to cry, but didn't want to without a fight. "I'm gonna be 30. I can't go on living like this. Alone." There was an uncomfortable pause. "I get up. I go to work and write. I come home and write. I eat and watch TV and then I go to bed," he forced a laugh before continuing. "So how pathetic am I?"

Pacey had never seen this side of Dawson. He witnessed Dawson go through his premature mid-life crisis's that he'd have every other week all through high school, but never had he been taken seriously. As he listened to Dawson he realized just how blessed he was....'I wake up' it had been said like a curse, but when Pacey thought back to his mornings he was waken up by Andie's soft kiss. Her gentle eyes gazing at him and being the first thing he sees while his world came into focus after the night's sleep. And then they'd lay in bed talking with an occasional kiss as long as possible until they were forced out by a phone call from a client or publisher or a child jumping in next to them.

Pacey glanced down the hall at the room Andie was sleeping in. He forced a smile, but was more concerned about his friend. Across from the couch in the reclining chair Dawson was sitting in, he starred at his wine glass, turning it. "So you think Joey ever gets lonely?"

Pacey's eyes instantly moved from the hall to Dawson. "Where'd that come from?"

Dawson shrugged. "I don't know. I think about that sometimes...about her. I miss her."

"Dawson is that supposed to mean what I think it means?"

Dawson sighed and threw his bed back on the chair. "I don't know, man." He ran his fingers threw his hair, finishing his glass and setting in down on the coffee table.

"You gotta tell her."

"How? What am I supposed to say? "Oh and by the way Joey I've been thinking, we should get back together. You can move to California and drop everything your doing and everything you've worked for, so I won't be lonely anymore.....yeah Pace. Real cute."

Dawson chuckled some, but for once Pacey was the serious one. He piped in flatly, "Well, do you love her?"

There was a slight pause, but then Dawson looked at Pacey with an almost confused look on his face. "Of course. I always have. By moving away I escaped Capeside, but not my love for Joey."

"Ever thought maybe she feels the same way?"

There was silence in the room. Shadows from the fire danced around the two friends. Only the clock could be heard as Dawson reached for the half empty wine bottle. He nodded slowly taking into consideration the statement, then spoke up with a laugh. "Maybe your right, man...maybe your right."

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