~*~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
Part 5
By Jackie

Dawson and Andie were still laughing when Pacey dragged himself out from the bedroom. Andie looked over, a slight, pleasant, smile still on her face.

"Morning darling."

Pacey looked at her with half closed eyes and kissed in her direction before toppling, purposely, face first and head down over the arm of the couch. As he lay stretched out on the couch Andie came and sat on the opposite arm near where his head lay. "Sleep well?"

He replied a muffled, "Hmm."

"Thats nice." She, still smiling patted his head.

Dawson just shook his head and smiled not looking up from his computer. He was now looking over airline tickets on the Internet.

Pacey laid up on his elbows, "Are the kids up?" Andie shook her head. "Still asleep. Oh and I love this look Pacey." Pacey's hair was tousled from a night of sleep.

"Very funny."

"No don't get me wrong. You know that 'just got up from bed' look is good for you." She leaned in closer with a faint grin. "Its sexy."

"Oh....really?" Pacey's eyes lit up and he slightly blushed.

She laughed and tapped his nose playfully as she so often did. Then kissed him, his mustache tickling her lip.

"All right so this is what we've got." Dawson turned towards them on the wheels of his computer chair holding a few papers. He read through the scratches of notes. "Heres the deal. I gotta friend thanks to AOL who pulled a few strings and got us all nonstop, both ways to Chicago for 235 a ticket. What'da ya say?"

Pacey and Andie both look each other in the eye and turn back to Dawson with nods. "Sounds great." Pacey added.

"Okay guys we leave in precisely twenty........six days." Dawson says with a grin as he circles the 19th of May with a red marker.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dawson had just watched from afar as Joey tricked and turned in her father for trafficking drugs. She was now outside her house, facing the creek. Dawson took a deep breath and walked towards her. When she turned and their eyes met Dawson noticed hers were red and swollen from crying and all he wanted to do was take her in his arms so she'd know he was there and as long as they were together everything would be okay....but he resisted. He tried to comfort her with words, but nothing he could say would be able to help her through this situation. He knew he had done the right thing and that feeling had been reinforced by his family, Pacey, even Mr. Witter. But now he faced Joey and although she was his peer he didn't think of her as his equal. Joey frightened him. He had never loved anyone like he loved her and now he stood, the lump in his throat thickening as she spoke, and there was nothing he could do to stop her....to defend himself. He saw her lips moving but didn't hear anything she said. He watched in silent, hidden, horror as tears ran down her cheeks and then before he knew it she had walked away and all he could remember was, 'I'll never forgive you.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dawson sat up in a cold sweat. His chest was heaving as he tried to catch his breath. The words rang in his ears. "I'll never forgive you." He relived that moment almost every night in his dreams as if he was being punished for a terrible crime.

It was quiet in the house now. Witter-free. His breathing had slowed and now the only thing that was heard were the sounds that came from the clock down the hall. Jennifer's wedding would give him his chance to put his feelings for Joey to rest. Perhaps the torture his dreams caused would finally cease and maybe he would learn his feelings for Joey would be matched by her feelings for him.

One can only dream.

"But I-"

"Shh."

"But-"

"Shh!"

"I-"

"Will you shut the hell!...." Andie voice trailed off.

Pacey laughed. "Opps."

She sighed and threw a sweater she was supposed to be packing at him. "If Tim wakes up your sleeping on the couch tonight mister."

"Ohhh....is that so? Too bad its you who'd be the punished one."

Andie scoffed. "Hah! And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing...just that you couldn't go to sleep without me if your life depended on it."

"Well, that's what you think." Andie grabbed the sweater from his shoulder and started folding it again looking up at him before putting it in her suit case. His eyes met hers and she looked back down.

Pacey smiled. "Okay baby, you win. I'm the one who wouldn't be able to go to sleep."

"No really. You were right."

"No I was just kidding."

Pacey JR. stood in the doorway looking back and forth between his mother and his father as they fought about who needed to sleep beside who more. This was typical in the Witter household. Their parents were incredibly in love, but they couldn't go a day without arguing about something...even if they had good intentions.

"Not true! I don't know how I'd get to sleep...I've used you as a pillow for so long."

"Still....I need you more."

The boy slumped and rolled his eyes as he listened, leaning his shoulder against the door jam. "Are you two done yet?"

Andie looked over her mouth open about to say something, holding a folded blouse in her hands. "Oh, sure doll. What was it you wanted to say?"

Pacey, annoyed spoke as he walked away. "I just wanted to tell you Tim woke up."

Andie looked over at her husband and remembering the fight forced a smile. "Its okay sweetheart. I'll get him." She kissed his cheek and pushed the blouse into his chest before leaving the room. Pacey watched her leave the room and with a smile on his face lovingly placed her blouse in her suitcase and zipped it up.

Dawson ripped open the zipper of his duffel bag. "Where is it!?"

"How am I supposed to know man? Its your bag." Pacey said.

Dawson looked up at a man, easily twice his size. The man was holding a scanning gun with a blinking red light and looked down at Dawson, with his hands on his hips. "Sir.? Can I ask you to empty your pockets please?"

Dawson looked up again with a petrified look on his face. "I have my ticket I swear."

"Yes I'm sure you do Sir." He said sarcastically. "Now if you'd just step right over there..theres just a few things I need to check."

Dawson's mouth dropped open.

"Don't make me call secruity, Sir." Just as the guard was about to assist Dawson over to the other side of the walkthrough scanner, Andie reached over and pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket.

"Dawson? What's this?"

He turned around and grabbed the ticket out of her hand. "My ticket!" He looked back at the guard with a self assured and confident look on his face. "I TOLD you I had my ticket." The guard shook his head and nodded towards the entrance.

"Just get outta here....oh and enjoy your flight."

Andie, sitting in the middle, with Dawson at her left by the window, Pacey at her right by the aisle, and holding Tim in her arms looked over at Pacey with a more then concerned look on her face. "Are you sure that the kids are all right in 2nd class?"

Pacey spoke up, "Are you kidding? Their eating it up! The stuertusses just fell in love with them. They'll be waited on hand and foot."

"Well, I feel kind of guilty being in 1st."

"Andie...sweetheart, " He put his hand over hers. "Their just fine."

Dawson glanced at his friends and watched as Pacey leaned over to comfort Andie with a soft kiss. That old flame of jealously started to burn inside of him, starting deep in his heart, and rose until the fire could be seen glowing in his eyes.