Part 1
by Karen Dunbar ([email protected])
"AAAAGH!!"
Joey shouted and jerked back as the fire suddenly cracked and flared, just as she lent over to toast another marshmallow. Jen had had enough beer to find this amusing enough to laugh out loud, even as Dawson reached out to calm Joey.
"Jeez, Potter, it was just a little pop!" Pacey was laughing too, Jen was somewhat gratified to see, causing Dawson to spread his glare a little more evenly.
"Lay off, guys. You'd have gotten a fright too." Dawson put his arm around Joey's shoulders, and pulled her in close, comforting her. Not that, to Jen's eyes at least, Joey really needed comforting- the shock, such as it was, past, she seemed perfectly relaxed, and more than happy to be snuggling up with Dawson. Eugh! That pair would take any excuse since their most recent reconciliation. Jen heard a snigger and glanced up to see Jack grinning at the pair, quite obviously thinking exactly the same. Neither of them were quite brash enough to say it out loud, but Pacey had never been one to hold back.
"God, Dawson, do you really have to turn our little get together into some romantic melodrama? I mean, as much as we all respect your total and complete obsession with film and drama, I, for one, don't really appreciate being the supporting cast in "The Dawson and Joey Saga" every time we meet up. If you two get any more loved up, you'll be making an 'R' movie out here, and, forgive me, please, but I really don't wanna be supporting cast for that one."
Joey gave Pacey a level look, as Dawson unwound himself from her. "Not so much a supporting role as co-stars," she said, smiling slightly at Andie, lying with her head on Pacey's chest.
"Yeah, well. We're just here, no drama, not like Mr Speilberg," Pacey replied, but he couldn't help grinning at Andie, who rolled her eyes at him.
"Quit knocking Dawson for having a dream, Pacey. There's nothing wrong with a bit of ambition." Andie was smiling at Pacey, but her meaning was clear. Poor Pacey, Jen thought. Andie's got too much ambition for one person, so Pacey's going to have to use up the excess. "You could do a lot more than just odd-jobs and joinery, you know, Pacey. You could,"
"He could do whatever he wants, Andie, no-one doubts that." Jack interrupted her, "But maybe you should let Pacey decide what that is?" Jen smiled to herself, as she skewered another marshmallow. One of the things she liked best about Jack was the way he tried to protect people.
"We're not all quite as driven as you, Andie," she said, trying in turn to protect Jack, who Andie was not looking very pleased with for interrupting her. "Some of us are content just to muddle along and see what life throws our way." Jen recognised Jack's brief smile in her direction as "Thankyou for taking the heat off me," and she smiled back at him as Andie shook her head.
"You have to have some kind of gameplan, Jen, or you'll never get anywhere."
Jen sighed, not wanting to get into an argument, but not seeing any immediate way out. Suddenly she gave a start as something soft and squishy hit her in the face.
"Enough of this! We're here to have some fun, remember? Marshmallows for everyone!!"
Jen rolled her eyes as Pacey sent the pink and white sweets flying at his targets, then she shrieked as someone poured a can over her head. She spun round to find Jack grinning evilly at her, empty can in hand,
"I just thought you looked kinda thirsty, and you know me- always eager to help."
"Jack McPhee, I am going to kill you!!!" Jack had just enough warning to jump back before she launched herself at him, and he turned and ran, laughing, towards the creek. Jen chuckled to herself. "Bad move, my friend," she said as she started after him purposefully. "I hope that water's really cold!"
Jack peered around the back door of Jen's and Grams' house. Jen's and Grams' and his house. He could feel himself grinning stupidly at the thought, even after all these months. Seeing the coast clear he tugged at Jen's arm. She fell against him, giggling, and he tried to stifle a giggle of his own as her weight sent him staggering against the kitchen table.
"Shhhh, Jen!" Grams wouldn't appreciate being woken at 3am.
Jen collapsed against the table, convulsed with laughter as she looked at him, dripping water all over the floor. Jack shivered with cold and laughter both. Well, it had been pretty daft of him to go anywhere near the creek after pouring his can over Jen- he deserved the dunking. Still, his sopping wet clothes could be a double edged sword. Without warning he lunged at Jen, throwing his arms around her and pulling her to his chest.
She squealed as he lifted her off her feet, "Jack, put me down!! You're soaking!! You're freezing!!!"
Laughing, he staggered to her room, Jen, struggling and giggling uncontrollably. Tripping over the clothes strewn about the floor, they both collapsed on Jen's bed and lay grinning at one another.
"You'll catch your death, sleeping in wet clothes," she whispered, remembering a little too late about Grams sleeping down the hall.
"Hm" was Jack's groggy response. Jen snuggled in close to him and pulled the duvet over them both, as she sank into sleep .
One good thing about working in a coffee house, Jen thought, was the bountiful supply of the stuff, and she needed it this morning.
"Don't you dare moan," she admonished Jack, sitting on the other side of the counter. "I don't care what your head feels like, mine's worse. And you didn't have to be at work at 9.00 this morning."
Jack sipped gingerly at the coffee she'd just served him, and retorted, "Maybe not, but then, you didn't nearly drown last night, and then have to sleep in soaking clothes."
Jen tried a smile- the coffee must be working, she thought, as the top of her head failed to explode. "You deserved that, you pig. And while we're on the subject, I hope you're going to pay for dry-cleaning my top?"
"Would that be the one with the tomato sauce stain from last month on it?" Jack inquired, eyebrow raised.
She gave him a rueful smile. "Since when did you ever notice things like that? Well, you can't blame me for trying- that was one of my favourite." Her voice drifted off as she noticed the customer coming in the door.
Jen froze, felt her face turning to stone.
Jack frowned, "Jen?" He turned to see a man approaching the counter- a very attractive man, he thought, and looks perfectly nice, so why does Jen look like she'd like to kill him with her bare hands?
"Jen." the man began, but got no further.
"Out. Get out now." Oh, God, she thought, what's he doing here? How could he dare? Memories came rushing back, and she fought against them.
"Jen, please, I have to talk to you."
How dared he! "No! You had your chance to talk. Just get out!!" She shouldn't shout, she knew, but she had to keep him from talking, she didn't want to hear that voice, that sneaking, lying voice.
"Take it easy, Jen." Jack caught her eye, stroked her arm, calming her. She felt some of the tension leave her as she looked back at him. He's right, she thought, I need to calm down- that scumbag isn't worth getting upset about.
She turned stiffly to her antagonist. "I want you to leave. I'm not going to talk to you, and I'm not going to serve you." With that she turned on her heel and strode off towards the staff room, leaving both him and Jack staring after her.
"So," Jack began, breaking the silence that had encompassed them since they left the coffee house, "are you going to tell me what all that was about?" Jen was practically marching along the sidewalk, arms folded rigidly across her chest. Jack frowned, "Jen, I don't want to pry, but that guy's got you all worked up, and I kinda thought the idea behind the whole "best friends" thing was that we helped each other out when we were in trouble."
Jen slowed and, shaking her head slightly, as if to clear it, looked up at him. "There's no trouble, really. I just got a shock seeing that jerk again." One look at Jack's face told her he wasn't about to let the issue go for that feeble explanation. She sighed. "His name's Terry. I dated him for a while in New York." Jack nodded, waiting for more. "We were quite serious for a while- I actually thought we had something special going on. And then I found out he'd conned 2 other girls into thinking the same thing, all the while convincing me I was "the only one he could ever love." Pathetic, I know, but I was young, and he really hurt me. I think for a while I actually was in love with him." She laughed. "Stupid, isn't it? It took me 2 years to get him out of my system. It just made me really mad that he would wander back in."
Jack took her hand, "Doesn't sound stupid at all. You should have told me before- I could have decked him for you." He half laughed as he said it, but his face looked so grim Jen thought he might just have done it.
"Hold onto that thought, Jack. I don't know what he's after, and I really don't care, but if he comes near me again.."
"He'd just better not," said Jack, without a hint of a laugh.
By the time they arrived home Terry's reappearance didn't seem quite so troubling- at least, not compared to the task of explaining to Grams why her carpets had been waterlogged when she got up.
"I don't mind you having a bit of fun, but if you intend to have water fights I'd rather you did it outside."
Jen grinned insolently, as Jack looked sheepishly at his feet, "That was outside, Grams," Jen retorted. "Believe me, if we'd had that particular little scuffle in here, you'd have known about it." She leaned towards Grams to whisper conspiratorially, but loudly enough that she could have been heard through the wall, "He screams like a girl, you know." Jack pretended to glare, while Jen grinned impishly at him. Grams smiled to herself as she watched Jen walk off to get changed.
"Uh Sorry about the mess. And the noise last night. I guess we got a little carried away." Jen might feel comfortable making a joke of things, but Jack wasn't quite sure enough of himself to be so glib with this woman, who had taken him into her home as if he were her own flesh and blood.
"Don't worry about it, Dear. Last night was positively tranquil compared to some of Jennifer's previous escapades. But if you feel the need to make amends, I could use some help preparing dinner." It wasn't an order, or even really a request, but Jack was happy to take her up on the suggestion. Grams had told him often enough how welcome he was in her house, but Jack still felt like a freeloader unless he could tell himself he was earning his keep.
Jack was busily peeling carrots when he heard the doorbell. "Would you get that, Jack?" Grams asked, looking up from the cooker. As Jack walked towards the door he could make out a vague impression of the visitor through the glass, so he wasn't totally unprepared for finding himself face to face with Terry when he opened it. Terry had obviously not been expecting to see him, though.
"Oh.. hi. Uhm is Jen around?"
Thinking of what Jen had told him that afternoon, Jack resisted the urge to slam the door in Terry's face. "She already told you, she doesn't want to see you." Jack started to swing the door shut, but Terry put out his hand to stop it. He swallowed nervously as Jack glared at him.
"Please, I really need to speak to her. It's important. Please." Terry was pale, and Jack could see beads of sweat trickling down his face. He seemed to be making a determined effort not to turn and walk away. Despite himself Jack wondered what could be so important as to make Terry beg a total stranger, who was openly hostile towards him, to help him do something he obviously didn't want to do. But the fact remained that this guy had hurt Jen, and Jack wasn't about to let that happen again. He hardened his face.
"Look, Jen does not want to talk to you. Leave her alone." Jack stared belligerently, and for a moment he thought Terry was going to go. Jack was sure he thought about it, wanted to. But he didn't.
The effort it took him was noticeable, but he held his ground, drew himself up and said, "I can't do that. I know she doesn't want to see me- I don't blame her, after the way I treated her, and I'm sorry for that. Quite honestly I don't want to see her either, but I have to. For her sake." Terry looked pleadingly at Jack, who felt himself wavering- he couldn't help but feel that Terry really was sorry. But this was a guy who had treated his best friend like dirt, lied to her, cheated on her, and broken her heart. Jen had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with the guy, and no matter how sincere Terry might seem now, if Jen didn't want to see him Jack wasn't about to betray her friendship. He shook his head, refusing entrance. Terry pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Jack. "That's where I'm staying. Please, ask Jen to contact me. If you care about her at all Please." With one final meaningful glance Terry stepped off the front step, then turned and walked off.
Finally! Jen thought, as she watched Terry walk away. From her vantage point by the living room window she glared at his back as he disappeared from view. He had some nerve, actually coming to her house after this morning! And what had Jack been thinking of, standing there listening to him? Why hadn't he just slammed the door in the bastard's face? Coldly furious, she marched out into the hallway, nearly crashing into Jack on his way back in.
"You took your time getting rid of him." If her voice sounded accusing, right now she really didn't care. "What happened to "I'll deck him for you"? Or were you too busy drooling over him to remember?!"
Jack looked at her, his mind working, "Jen, I think,"
"He's got you taken in hasn't he?! Five minutes on the front porch and you're thinking, "Oh, he's not so bad. What's all the fuss about? Jen's just over-reacting!" Well I'm not, Jack! I said I didn't want to see him and I meant it, so if you're even thinking of telling me to talk to him, just forget it!!" Jen stormed past him, ignoring Grams, standing shocked in the kitchen doorway, and slammed her bedroom door behind her.
Jen lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her anger having faded somewhat she was starting to feel a little foolish over her outburst. After all, it wasn't Jack's fault that Terry had showed up at her door, or that he'd been so persistent about seeing her. For all that she'd been willing him on, she knew it really wasn't in Jack's nature to be either rude or violent, even to the likes of Terry. And he had stopped Terry from coming in. Jen swung her legs off the bed, intending to go and apologise to Jack, and maybe get some dinner, she thought, as her stomach growled, when there was a knock at her door.
"Come on in, Jack." She knew it was him. Grams never knocked quite so deferentially. The door swung open, and he poked his head into the room warily, unsure of his welcome. Jen forced a laugh, "It's OK, I promise not to go off at you again." Smiling uncertainly Jack came over to sit beside her on the bed.
"You've got Grams pretty worried, you know. I didn't tell her anything about Terry, though," he was quick to point out. He looked like he still half expected her to explode.
"Thanks, Jack, but I don't mind her knowing. I guess I'd better apologise to her. And to you. I was pretty nasty. It's not your fault he turned up, and I know you did your best to get rid of him, so Sorry." She smiled at him, hopefully, expectantly, and was rather disconcerted when he didn't smile back. "Are you mad at me?" She was surprised and worried, not because she didn't think he had the right to be angry, but because he so very rarely was. If he was angry with her now, she must have really hurt him before.
"No, I'm not mad, it's just" he looked so concerned and serious, trying to choose his words. "Jen, he really did not want to talk to you." Jen stared at him. Was Jack talking about someone else? "I mean He was here because he needed to talk to you, because he has something important to say, but believe me, he'd rather be anywhere else, doing anything else." He looked right into her eyes, trying to get his point across. "Jen, if what he has to say is that important. maybe you should listen." He flinched back instinctively, expecting another outburst. Jen looked ready to deliver. "Just think about it, Jen. I'll go with you if you want, but I really think you should give him a chance."
She gawked at him, truly shocked that he could be suggesting this. "Are you serious? He's probably only here 'cos his therapist told him to, or something like that. I have no desire to listen to him spouting some load of crap about how he's sorry, and can I forgive him, just so he can feel better about himself and get rid of all his 'guilt issues'."
Jack turned away, looking troubled. "Just think about it, that's all. I just think it might be important." He looked back, serious, concerned for her, and held her gaze.
"OK, Jack. I'll think about it."