Back To Your Love
Part 5
Karen H.

Scene: - That afternoon - Boston restaurant.

JACK: “I can’t believe you guys have finally done it, you’re going to get married.”

PACEY: “It’s only taken what?? (looks at watch) 17 years.”

Everyone laughs.

JEN: “And just think Pacey, you were there from the beginning.”

ANDIE: “So, when are you going to tell your parents and Bessie?”

DAWSON: “We’re going to drive down next weekend.”

JACK: “Do you think that they’ll be surprised?”

JOEY: “Well Bessie won’t.”

DAWSON: “And why’s that?”

JOEY: “Because she knows about the whole proposal thing, and she knew we were together before that too.”

DAWSON: “Is there anyone you didn’t tell about us? I mean you told this lot.”

JOEY: “Yes, your parents.”

DAWSON (jokingly): “Are you sure you don’t want to go call them just now to inform them?”

JOEY: “No honey, I’ll let you do that.”

DAWSON: “Why thank you very much. (To everyone else) We’re just going to drive down unannounced and surprise them.”

JEN: “How do you think they’ll take it?”

DAWSON: “I’m pretty sure that in the beginning they’ll say ‘oh no, we’re never going to see the back of that Potter girl’. But I’m sure that once they see more of her good side they’ll come around. But that’s only if we ever find her good side.”

Everyone laughs.

JOEY: “Ha Ha Dawson, very funny.”

PACEY: “Who said he was kidding?”

Joey just scowls at Pacey.

DAWSON: “Hey, well it turns out that we weren’t the only ones that had a secret relationship.”

JACK: “Really? Who?”

JEN: “I do.”

JACK: “You’ve been involved in a relationship with someone and you never told me? Your supposed best friend?”

JEN: “You are my best friend Jack, it’s just that it was complicated. I couldn’t.”

JACK: “How was it complicated??”

JEN: “Because he was involved with someone else.”

JOEY: “He was? Who is it Jen?”

PACEY (laughing): “Yeah Jen, who is it?”

ANDIE: “Oh come on Jen just tell them!”

DAWSON: “You know too? How?”

ANDIE: “I walked in on her in a make-out session with him!”

JACK: “Who was it?”

JEN (whispering): “Pacey.”

JOEY: “Who? You’re gonna have to speak louder.”

PACEY: “She said Pacey.”

At first Joey and Jack are surprised.

JACK: “That’s great. And here I was thinking that you had been holding out on us Lindley.”

JOEY: “Hey congrats, wow that is a surprise. (to Dawson) I can’t believe you never told me.”

DAWSON: “I only found out yesterday. And if I remember correctly, we had other more important things to worry about. (He quickly kisses her) Hey, no offense Pace!”

PACEY: “None taken.”

JACK: “It’s a good job we’re related Andie, otherwise they might think that we’re having a secret relationship too!”

ANDIE: “Hey Jack haven’t you heard?”

JACK: “What??”

ANDIE: “You where adopted?”

Everyone laughs.

As the scene fades, so does the song.

Scene: - Thursday night after the proposals.

Dawson and Joey prepare to go tell Mitch, Gail and Bessie about their pending marriage.

JOEY: “Do you really think that they’ll be okay with this? With us getting married!”

DAWSON: “Yes they’ll be okay. What makes you think that they won’t?”

JOEY: “Two words Dawson. Our history.”

Dawson just looks bewildered.

DAWSON (questioningly): “Our history? What about it?”

JOEY: “It’s always gonna be there Dawson.”

DAWSON: “Where?”

JOEY: “In the back of their minds!”

DAWSON: “Joey, what are you talking about?”

JOEY: “They’re going to wonder if I’m going to run from you again. They’ll think that it’s happened twice before and it could happen again.”

DAWSON: “Is this your way of telling me that you’ve changed your mind?? That you want out.”

JOEY: “Of course I haven’t changed my mind Dawson. I’m just afraid that your parents are going to be disappointed in the fact that you chose me. And in the fact that we’ve split twice before.”

DAWSON: “Do you know that I gave Pacey a similar argument in New York? I told him that the reason that this relationship was different from before was because we kept this one to ourselves. They expected us to be together forever, like there was too much pressure on our relationship at such a young age. But we’ve changed, we’ve grown up and more importantly, we’ve fallen in love again. Joey we’ve found our way back to each other.”

JOEY: “So you don’t think that they’ll be angry?”

DAWSON: “No. Put it this way! Don’t you think that it would be a little hypocritical for them to condemn us being together, when Dad gave mum a second chance?”

JOEY: “This is different Dawson, we’re not married.”

DAWSON: “Joey, do you love me?”

JOEY: “Of course I love you Dawson. You do know that don’t you?”

DAWSON: “Yes Joey, I know you love me and I love you too. Do you trust me?”

JOEY: “Yes.”

DAWSON (taking her hands): “Then trust me when I tell you that things will be fine. Not only will they be delighted with the news, (He then kisses her nose). But I bet that you get more cuddles than I do.” She laughs and then they kiss passionately.

DAWSON: “You’re just going to have to learn to stop living in the past. We’ve moved on. So are you okay with this now? Is it settled?”

JOEY: “Yes, it’s settled. Do you know something? I think that you have been hanging around Andie too much because lately you seem to always be right.” She gives him a kiss.

DAWSON: “I think that I always have been right, you just didn’t always agree with me.”

JOEY: “Okay, now you’re just delusional!” She playfully punches him in the stomach.

DAWSON (rubbing his stomach): “Great, only now that we are betrothed do you show your true self.” Joey just laughs. “So who are we telling first?”

JOEY: “Well technically Bessie knows, well she has an idea anyway. I could always ask her to meet us at your parents. That way we could tell them together.”

DAWSON: “Okay then it’s settled. Anything else?”

JOEY: “Yes, kiss me!!”

DAWSON: “Now why would I want to do something like that.” She pulls Dawson close and kisses him.

Scene: - Leery Driveway.

Dawson and Joey are just about to get out of the car to tell his parents that they plan to get married.

DAWSON: “Are you okay?”

JOEY: “For the eighth time Dawson, yes!”

DAWSON: “Good lets go”

They walk to the front door and Dawson knocks on the door.

GAIL (answering the door): “Hello . . . Dawson, Joey. Isn’t this a surprise?”

DAWSON: “Hi there. We just stopped off and wondered if maybe you had a spare room so that

we could maybe stay here for a few days.?”

GAIL: “You may just be in luck. My son is away at college and so his room is empty. You could stay there. ”

JOEY (laughing): “Great we’ll take it. How are you Gail?”

GAIL: “I’m fine. And you?”

JOEY: “I’m doing okay. Although I can’t wait until this semester’s exams are over so I can get a break from studying.”

They enter the living room, where Mitch is reading a book. Gail goes and calls Lily.

GAIL: “Lily, Dawson and Joey are here.”

The little girl comes running into the room and goes over to hug Dawson and then Joey. She wants to sit on Joey’s knee. Dawson starts talking to his parents. Joey is talking to Lily. Who is twirling some of Joey’s hair around her fingers.

GAIL: “So how long are you two home for?”

DAWSON: “Just until Sunday night. We both have classes on Monday morning.”

MITCH: “Dawson, how many times do I have to tell you 12 noon isn’t classed as morning.”

DAWSON: “Very funny Dad! I have a class at 9am and Joey has a class at 10am.”

GAIL: “So how was New York?”

JOEY: “It was different. Louder than Boston. We managed to see some of the sites. And Jen played tour guide.”

DAWSON: “We went to the Statue of Liberty, drove through Harlem, saw St. Patrick’s.”

JOEY: “Walked to Time Square, Central Park, shopped. Bloomingdale’s was the best.”

DAWSON: “My favourite was the Empire state building. You can see everything from up there. Jen gave us a whole tour of Manhattan from up there. I think we’d all love to go back someday.”

JOEY: “I hope you don’t mind but I asked Bessie to stop by, so that she could see our photo’s.”

GAIL: “Why would we mind? You two are practically family anyway.”

So far no one has noticed the rings on Dawson and Joey’s wedding finger. Just then the door goes.

JOEY: “That’s probably Bessie.”

MITCH: “I’ll get it.”

Lily has climbed of off Joey’s knee and is standing behind her on the chair, playing with her hair. She is holding some of Joey’s hair in different styles and then leaning forward to see how Joey looks. She likes what she’s done and tells Joey.

LILY: “You look pretty with your hair like that!”

JOEY: “Thank you very much.” She then turns in the seat and tickles Lily.

Dawson just sits there and watches all of this, seeing how good Joey is with his sister.

BESSIE: “Hey you two. Hi Gail. You’re looking very pretty today Lily!”

LILY (shyly): “Thank you.” She then hides behind Joey.

DAWSON: “Ah, now that everyone is here, I have a little bit of an announcement to make.”

Gail and Mitch look at Dawson expectantly.

MITCH: “What is it Dawson?”

DAWSON: “I’m getting married!”

GAIL: “Dawson, we weren’t even aware that you were seeing someone!”

DAWSON: “There’s more.”

JOEY: “I’m getting married too”

BESSIE: “Wow, so he said yes.”

JOEY: “Eventually once he’d thought it over.”

MITCH: “You’re both getting married??”

Gail looks shocked.

DAWSON: “We both proposed to our other halves, they said yes and now we are getting married!”

JOEY: “I proposed to my guy in New York”

DAWSON: “And I proposed to my gal in Boston the next day funnily enough.”

Gail now looks a little disappointed, knowing that they aren’t marrying each other.

MITCH (looks disappointed) : “I thought that it was just the six of you that were going to New York?”

JOEY: “It was”

Mitch starts to think that Joey and Pacey must have got back together when Pacey moved to Boston. And wonders how Dawson is taking it. He also wonders if that is why he proposed to his girlfriend the next day.

DAWSON: “Well I’ve known this women since we were kids.”

JOEY: “And I’ve known my man forever.”

GAIL (finally finding her voice) : “She’s from Capeside?”

DAWSON: “You are really going to like her.”

JOEY: “And you already like my guy.”

It still hasn’t registered with Mitch and Gail and Bessie starts laughing.

DAWSON + JOEY (looking at each other and then in unison) : “It’s me, we’re marrying each other.”

Finally the penny drops. Gail jumps up from her seat and hugs Joey, then Dawson and then back to Joey. Mitch does the same.

BESSIE: “Nice to see you didn’t disappoint me Dawson.” She hugs him.

DAWSON (to Joey) : “I told you that you would get more hugs than me.” Joey laughs. (to Lily): “Lily, how would you like a big sister?”

LILY: “I’d love a big sister.”

DAWSON: “Well Lily, Joey and I are getting married and she can be sorta your big sister.”

LILY: “Cool.” She throws her arms around Joey. “My big sister, Joey.”

GAIL: “So, how’d it happen??”

Scene :- Dawson’s Bedroom

Dawson and Joey are unpacking the little amount of clothing that they brought with them. Mitch and Gail have gone to their restaurant ‘coz they were short staffed and Bessie has taken Lily to play with Alex.

JOEY: “I can’t believe your parents thought that I had asked Pacey to marry me!!”

DAWSON: “We really played them didn’t we?? They were so surprised when we finally told them what they wanted to hear.”

JOEY: “Could you imagine having to tell them that you were getting married to someone else? Someone like Nellie Olsen??”

DAWSON: “Oh Joey don’t, I just ate.”

Once they have finished putting away their stuff, they just stand holding each other.

DAWSON: “Wow, this feels strange!”

JOEY: “Hugging me feels strange? Boy do we have a problem then!”

DAWSON: “No, being back in this room with you. Do you know that we haven’t been in this room together sine before Boston??”

JOEY: “I know.”

DAWSON: “Which means that there something that we haven’t done in here yet?” (He kisses her).

JOEY: “Is that all that you think about these days??”

DAWSON: “No. And it would be weird for us not to . . . you know??”

JOEY: “And why’s that Dawson??”

DAWSON: “Well, how much time have we spent in here Jo?? And what is the one thing that we haven’t done??”

JOEY: “Well the answer certainly isn’t movies cause we’ve done plenty of that.”

DAWSON: “Put it this way. When the kids ask if we ever did anything other that watch movies in my room, I’d like to say ‘yes’.”

JOEY: “Oh, so anytime we kissed in this room doesn’t count?” (She kisses him as she leads him over to the bed and pushes him onto it). “All of those times your parents caught us in heavy make out sessions don’t count??”

DAWSON: “Well not really.”

JOEY: “Well if I must, I must”. (Dawson pulls her down onto him) “Oh the things we do for love.”

We then see various scenes of Dawson and Joey kissing and in various stages of undress, then the scene fades.

Scene - the next morning at breakfast.

GAIL: “So have you guys talked much about the wedding?”

DAWSON: “Yes”

MITCH: “And?”

JOEY: “We don’t really want a big wedding. Something simple, we’re going to have to get together with Bess to plan everything.”

GAIL: “You mean you want me to help?”

DAWSON: “Of course we want you to help.”

JOEY: “Gail, I’m going to need all of the help that I can get. What with planning the wedding and exams. I mean it’s in just over a year.”

DAWSON: “And I’ll be director of course!!

JOEY: “Ah, not this time honey. Assistant? Nope, don’t think so. I already have plenty of those. If anything you’ll be producer for a change!”

DAWSON: “Huh, I’ve been demoted.”

Mitch and Gail laugh.

JOEY: “Oh and Dawson honey.” DAWSON: “Yeah?”

JOEY (laughing): “I control the script too! Although I might be open to some suggestions. The key word in that sentence was might.”

MITCH(laughing uncontrollably): “Now you’ll have to see what Joey had to do for your movies.”

GAIL: “Have you set a date yet?”

JOEY: “We’re thinking after we graduate next summer.”

MITCH: “Is it going to be in Boston?”

DAWSON: “Nope.”

JOEY: “We want to have it here, just like your wedding.”

DAWSON: “In the garden.”

GAIL: “How lovely”

MITCH: ”So have you made any of the really big decisions yet?? Like bridesmaids and best man??”

JOEY: “Well I did ask Bessie, but she said that she will be too busy helping me organise things. And she thought that it would be better if I asked a friend. So I’m asking Jen”

DAWSON: “And Pacey will be best man of course.”