Run To You

Part 1/3

Summary: Joey and Dawson have just started a new relationship not long after Joey and Pacey broke up. This occurs after the finale. Yet another post-finale fan fiction, I hope you enjoy :)

Rating: NC-17

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After Dawson and Joey had made love on the living room floor of the apartment she had shared with Pacey, they dismissed it as nostalgia. It hadn�t been easy to dismiss or talk about, but like many other decisions they had made they thought was for the best.

They had been going through Joey�s �junk� on a Sunday night when Pacey was in Boston, watching movies, eating popcorn and talking, their usual weekly �catch-up� with each other since Dawson had moved to New York. Self-confessed best friends (Joey introduced Dawson to her friends and co-workers as, �my best friend Dawson�) and of course, �soul mates� (Dawson half-jokingly half-seriously introduced Joey to his friends and co-workers as his soul mate) they looked forward to spending time with each other which steadily grew harder to do as their careers grew more demanding�and their relationships grew more intense. Dawson had just started to date Joey�s co-editor, Elizabeth, a very pretty, intelligent and vivacious Yale graduate who had fallen for Dawson the moment she met him.

Joey teased the two of them, especially Dawson��You know why she likes you?� she asked him slyly at his office, perching on his desk. �Why?� he had replied warily, taking the coffee she offered. �Coz I told her you were dynamite in bed.� Joey loved to get a rise out of him. He started to push her gently out of his office. �Thanks Joey.� �I�m serious.� Her eyes were wide and some people in his office who were scattered around looking at scripts tittered amongst themselves.

Joey placed a shoebox in front of her and eyed it with trepidation. Dawson looked up from looking through various folders, and raised an eyebrow, �What�s in there?�

Joey tucked strands of hair behind her ears and smiled wistfully. �Memories.�

�Really?� Dawson put down the folders and skirted over to her. Joey took the lid off and started sorting through the papers and memorabilia in the box.

�It was my�� Joey started to blush.

�Your�?� Dawson tried to get a look.

�My Dawson box.�

�Oh I see.� Dawson started to grin. �Is this back�when��

�I actually liked you? Yes.� Joey replied haughtily.

�What�s in it? I�m curious what would be in a Dawson box,� Dawson said semi-seriously, Joey nudged him.

�Just�notes we wrote each other in school, assignments we did together�poems I wrote,� Joey finished quietly, picking up a silver piece of paper.

�Let me see�� Dawson tried to reach for it but she snatched her arm away. �And so you can tease me for the rest of our lives? No way.�

�Oh come on. There�s no secrets between us, Joey. Not anymore,� Dawson reasoned. Joey hesitated. Dawson pressed, �We�ve seen each other naked now. We have nothing to hold back.�

Joey laughed. �Is that all you think about?�

�Of course.�

�Well, I was lonely in my feelings,� Joey remembered, studying bits of paper. �So I wrote them down.�

�I did that too.� Dawson admitted. �Though, not in poetry.�

�You wrote a movie and then a TV show about them instead,� Joey laughed.

�No, I wrote in a diary�you�� he ruffled her hair.

�Well it was such a difficult time�� Joey sighed. �All anyone at school would talk about was romance and sex, and that�s all we talked about�in the film analytical context�but all along I just wanted you.�

�I was such an idiot,� Dawson reprimanded himself, shaking his head.

�You were a typical teenage boy�� Joey reassured him.

�Yeah, a typical teenage boy who didn�t want to think about the fact he was sharing a bed with a typical teenage girl in short shorts.� Dawson replied in amazement.

�It wasn�t our time, anyway. I mean� god forbid. Sex, and then what? Drugs�violence��

�Does sex really lead to all that?� Dawson wrinkled his brow and Joey nudged him again.

�Anyway, I wrote about you�and me�and�sex.�

�Really?� Dawson waggled his brows in interest.

�Its not so taboo to write about sex anymore, Dawson.� Joey told him sternly. �I have to read a dozen sex scenes a day in my job.�

�I want your job.�

He peeked at the poem. �Can I read?� Joey sighed, �I don�t know, its kind of racy.�

�Like I said�naked�no secrets��

Joey threw the poem at him and got up to go and get more beer. Dawson chuckled and then smoothed it out, crinkling his eyes in the dim-lighted room to read it. When he got to the middle his eyes widened. Wow. Joey was�was�quite a writer. He was kind of ashamed to note that as he read it he was visualizing it all in his mind.

Joey wandered back into the room with two beers. She settled down on the carpet next to him and watched him as he read it. Dawson put it down, his face flaming up.

�Wow.� He said quietly.

Joey smirked, �You�re blushing, Jack.� She quoted the famous movie.

�I had no idea you wrote like that.� He said earnestly. �Its amazing�everything about it.�

Now it was Joey�s turn to go red. �Well�I was fifteen. It�s nothing, really�� she placed it back in the box, on top of �The Kiss� the essay she wrote in Professor Wilder�s class.

�I mean�the want�the passion�writing exactly what you wanted me to do to you�uh�� Dawson realized what he had said and sat up, laughing a little. �You know�it makes the fifteen year old Dawson inside of me want to kick my fifteen year old butt.�

�What about twenty-six year old Dawson?� Joey touched his well-developed bicep and a laugh that was supposed to come out of her lips stopped halfway in her throat when Dawson covered her hand with his.

It was fair to say the energy in the room changed that very moment. Maybe the past paid a little visit to them, along with a little bit of magic. Who knew.

Dawson cupped her face and kissed her. Joey closed her eyes to fight the arguing of her mind, and to follow the singing in her heart. And the forbidden cause inside her exploded as her tongue exploring reached his. They hadn�t done this since college. And never had she been kissed like this, so desperately, so wantingly, as if Dawson wanted to reach deep, deep inside of her to find fifteen year old Joey and kiss her.

The kiss grew so desperate their balance was threatened and they lowered themselves to the carpet, kissing tenderly and lingering, biting and fervently. It was just raw, naked lust, and they abandoned themselves to it, feeling no guilt as they felt their bodies start to warm up to love, and as they forcefully ripped the clothes from each other. Need blinded them, all they could see was each other as the flame of passion engulfed them. Dawson drank in her skin, lowering his mouth to between her legs and kissing and nibbling and sucking until she came, shuddering and gasping for him. He managed to steadily roll a condom onto his penis before she wrapped her hand around it and guided it between her thighs. Lust overcame them and Dawson lifted her legs up onto his shoulders as he pounded in and out of her, watching her eyes closely. She gripped his muscular butt and drove him in deeper. If he was making love to fifteen year old Joey it didn�t matter�Joey greedily just wanted his body.

They had sex twice more�once more on the carpet, a second time against the window, before returning to the carpet, the quilt from the couch thrown over them, exhausted and bewildered. Neither of them had done anything like that before. (Infidelity and sex standing up)

�I think we can plead possession,� Dawson whispered to her as they stared up at the ceiling.

�Possession?� Joey was cuddled up against him, not yet ready to let him go. �Yeah. Our old selves carried us away. What we did was meant to be done ten years ago.�

Joey just smiled.

And so, the day after, in Central Park by the Jackie O reservoir, they decided it was �one night�, of nostalgia, of�drinking, even. They made a pact to tell no one, ever.

The first three months were difficult. They had recent, intimate knowledge of each other sexually and that made it challenging to act normal around their partners. Trying to find a topic that didn�t cover sex or the past or something was hard, too. But then six months passed, and then a year. And they knew it was behind them when on New Years Eve they discussed it as �the night they went insane.�

Years later, when Pacey found out, he was amazed they passed it off so simply, and that Joey couldn�t see why Pacey should be jealous of Dawson. Its not everyday you have sex with your soul mate, after all.

****

May, 2010

�Joey?� Dawson called out in his New York apartment, shutting the door behind him and throwing his door keys on the front table.

�In here�� she called in a singsong voice. Dawson laughed to himself and loosened his tie.

�Hey you.� Joey was propped on the big blue comfy couch they had bought a few weeks before, reading glasses sitting on her head, typing away at her laptop and sorting through papers at the same time.

He leaned down to kiss her mouth lovingly. She kissed his nose, running her hands through his haircut in admiration��I like it! Spunky.�

�That�s a good word, right?�

�I just read it in a manuscript,� Joey shrugged.

�How is that going for you?� Dawson dumped a handful of folders from an armchair onto the floor and sat down.

�Great, actually. I�m trying to get a payment issue sorted out. It�s this fantastic 700 page novel about infidelity�fascinating�� Joey told Dawson seriously, her eyes lighting up. He loved seeing her excited about her career.

She then murmured, �Maybe I should save a copy for us.�

Dawson rolled his eyes a little. That was a sore spot between himself and his girlfriend. He hated to be reminded of it, Joey wanted to talk about it. Elizabeth had never found out, but had found working with Joey awkward after finding out Joey and Dawson were dating again so she had resigned.

Dawson and Pacey still talked sometimes, though relations between the beloved �last years couple� were strained to say the least, especially since Joey was �shacked up� with Dawson, and in love with him to boot, just three months after she and Pacey went their separate ways.

�Do you want Thai?� Dawson picked up the phone and waited for her answer.

�Ooh yes please�my usual.� Joey flipped her glasses down to her eyes and squinted at her computer.

He ordered Joey her �usual�- chicken curry and Viet curry for himself.

�You know�it takes twenty minutes to get here.� Dawson started to undo his watch.

Joey watched him with interest, her mouth curling up as she realized what he meant. She hesitated for a moment, and then she picked up her laptop and the manuscript and put them on the floor. She stood up and pushed him down onto the couch, mounting him.

�You like being on top, don�t you?� Dawson murmured into her neck as she started to unzip his pants. They kissed feverishly and passionately, his hands running all over her body before resting one hand on her butt as the other started to pull up her t-shirt. God he wanted her�

The intercom buzzed. They stopped, and looked at each other, out of breath and annoyed. Dawson stood up and pressed it quickly, irritably.

�Yeah?�

�Hey sexy��

�Oh no.� Joey sat up and laughed, �Don�t let her in!� she exclaimed so Audrey could hear.

Dawson buzzed Audrey up.

She sashayed into the apartment in a cloud of Chanel No 5, long blonde hair flying, looking her usual hip self in jeans and a colorful tank top. She gave Dawson a loud, long-er than necessary kiss on his mouth�she knew very well Joey hated it when she did that. She and Dawson played around, it was normal, Dawson always kissed her back now. But Dawson was Joey�s property, after all. Sure enough, Joey stood up, her hands on her hips.

�Audrey.� She warned her friend. �What�s up?�

�So a girl can�t just hang with her best friends?� Audrey said incredulously, not noticing her friends� faces were pink from sexual frustration. She placed a bag down on the kitchen counter. She pulled out a tub of ice cream. Dawson grinned and rubbed his hands. �I knew there was a reason I liked you.�

Joey smiled and hugged her friend. She put away her laptop and they all settled on the couch to watch reruns of �The Creek.� When Audrey wasn�t looking Joey and Dawson would exchange quick, meaningful glances. They went to the kitchen at the same time and he pressed her up against the refrigerator, letting her feel his erection. �Stop it,� Joey whispered, rubbing her hand over it anyway.

On her way out, Audrey cornered Joey in the hallway and spoke softly, �I spoke to Pacey yesterday.�

�Me too. On the phone.� Joey was nonchalant.

�Well.� Audrey flickered her eyes towards Dawson. �I have to say, I�m�happy for you. Really.�

Joey smiled gratefully at her friend, one of few who wasn�t telling her she and Dawson were �rebound.�

�I�ll see you tomorrow, okay sweetie?� they hugged. Audrey waved at Dawson who was throwing the empty takeout cartons into the trash.

Joey shut the door and leaned against it, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

�She took forever to leave,� she laughed. Dawson came out into the hall and advanced towards her, putting both his arms on either side of her.

�I know.�

Joey felt herself melt with the sensation of him being so close to her. His lips trailed down her neck. Down�down�he pressed his face against her lower stomach and gripped her hips, and she gasped, raking her hands through his hair. He then picked her up slightly and she giggled as he walked her into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind them.

Rebound? Joey thought as Dawson set about preparing to make love to her�was it so wrong she fell in love with her soul mate?

****

To Be Continued

PART TWO

Three months earlier

Dawson had managed to take his jacket and shirt off before falling into his bed, shutting his eyes as soon as his head hit the pillow. It was 3am. He�d been out all night with friends, �bar-hopping� all over Manhattan. He had run into Audrey and they had slow-danced before his co-executive producer friend Billy Reynolds asked if he could hit on her. Audrey had thrown a drink in his face before blowing Dawson a kiss, herding her girlfriends and tottering out, on their way to a nightclub in TriBeCa. Audrey had moved to the Big Apple after catching her London boyfriend �snogging� (British word for kissing) one of her �friends� at a party. She had chosen NY over Boston mainly because Joey was there, her best girlfriend, and of course, Jack, and himself. Audrey had admitted to Dawson she thought of them all as her safety net�they caught her in mid-air.

Dawson had moved there shortly afterwards after he swapped the reigns of �The Creek� and decided to take a job offer on the East Coast as a producer of a thriving cable network, which actually housed �The Creek� syndications. He also had move offers rushing in after his first screenplay, based on a Friday The Thirteenth he and his friends had been involved in. Jack already inhabited an Upper East Side apartment with an older but still healthy Grams, five-year-old Amy and Amy�s grandmother. So after many years scattered across the country �the gang� were now all in the same city.

Dawson was jolted out of a hazy sleep by the loud insistent buzz of his intercom. He struggled out of bed and answered it gruffly, �Hello?�

�Dawson? Can I talk to you for a second?� Joey. She sounded wide-awake. Her coming to his apartment in the middle of the night wasn�t unusual, so Dawson wasn�t worried.

�Joey�come on up, come on up,� Dawson wakened up a little more. He unlocked his apartment door and stumbled into the bathroom to splash water on his face.

She knocked, and he opened his door quickly.

�Oh.� Joey looked at his half-naked body and raised an eyebrow. �You�re naked.�

�No I�m not.� Dawson looked down at himself. Okay so his boxer shorts left nothing to the imagination. He instinctively covered his crotch with one of his hands and Joey, despite the anguish on her face, managed to crack a smile. Her face then dropped a little.

�Pacey and I broke up,� she admitted with a short shrug, and then a resigned sigh.

�Shit�� Dawson was actually surprised, although the fighting between the two of them had definitely intensified lately. The last argument, at a book launch, Dawson had found himself in-between, facing off with Pacey once more. He�d vowed after that not to get involved.

He pulled her into the apartment for a quick hug, and shut the door behind her.

Whilst Joey was in the kitchen looking for coffee ground, Dawson hopped into his bedroom, yanking on a pair of jeans and trying not trip in the semi-darkness. He berated himself for not dressing earlier and sparing Joey�s embarrassment at just-woken-up �Dawson.�

�Okay Jo, it�s 3am. You shouldn�t have been walking out there this time of night,� Dawson told her, taking her hand and leading her into the kitchen. He started to make some coffee.

�I can take care of myself.� Joey retorted.

Joey opened his fridge. �Dawson you need to go shopping.� �I eat out.� Dawson closed the fridge and poured her a cup.

�What the hell happened?�

�I don�t know exactly.� Joey walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Dawson joined her.

�For a year everything was� fine. We were happy.� Joey blew on her coffee. She sipped the coffee. �This is good. I didn�t know you made such good coffee.�

�Jo�stick to the subject here,� Dawson said softly, patting her knee.

�But this past year�� Joey gestured with her hand, �We started fighting, like we did back in high school. Pacey wanted to move back to Capeside. Then he got angry when I set him up with a job from a friend, and then�� Joey hesitated, sending Dawson a quick, guilty look, �He got jealous.�

�Jealous.� Dawson repeated with a furrowed brow.

�Yes. Of you.�

�Oh.�

Dawson frowned a little. �Why? Why now?�

He and Joey both then almost stopped breathing as they both remembered the night on the floor.

�But he doesn�t know.� Dawson said urgently. �Right?�

Joey shook her head. �No. But remember when we went to Capeside together?�

�But that was nothing�� Dawson argued. �We slept in separate beds.�

�For one night.� Joey held up her index finger. �Then we shared.�

�But we had our clothes on. It was nothing��

Joey held up her hand. �I know, Dawson. But not to him.�

She looked down at the steam rising from the liquid.

�I can sort of understand his jealousy.�

�Well, I can�t,� Dawson said, shaking his head.

Joey sighed, �Dawson, if you had a girlfriend who had this best friend she�s known forever�this guy she loves and trusts as much as she trusts you, this guy who is her�her soul mate�this guy who knows her better than anyone else in the world��

Dawson leaned back on the couch and winced a little. �I see.� He said quietly.

�It. Is. Over. I saw him with someone else last week. A girl he knew back in Boston. You know, the usual.� Joey placed the coffee mug down hard on his hardwood coffee table. �So I moved out.�

She tucked her knees underneath her chin. Dawson watched her. He then sighed a little. �Are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure you can�t work things out with him?�

�Dawson, I don�t love him anymore,� Joey admitted after a short silence. �I�m just so�tired. I love him, but not in a way I can provide him for the rest of my life.�

Dawson was so surprised he clumsily reached for his coffee and knocked it onto the floor. Porcelain and coffee went everywhere.

Whilst he started cleaning up, Joey knelt down with him and picked up some pieces carefully with her hand.

�Um�Dawson?� she approached; well aware her bags had been secretly stowed away outside his apartment for a while.

�Yeah?�

�I moved out, which I told you. So I�m sort of�homeless. So�can I move in with you? Just temporarily, of course,� she added quickly.

Dawson stopped mopping up the floor and just looked at her.

�Okay.� He scratched his head. �You�ve sprung me two surprises and it�s only 3:30am.�

Joey bit her lip in worry. Dawson smiled, �But�are you kidding me? Of course you can move in.�

Joey flung her arms around him.

****

That night she slept in his bed. Dawson planned to sleep on the pullout couch but Joey wasn�t having it. �No�sleep with me.� She pleaded. �I don�t want to sleep alone tonight.�

So he had. She slept soundly, her hand on his chest. It felt like the situation with Jen many moons ago.

The next day they went out for lunch, and she told him everything, leaving out nothing, about Pacey and her and their relationship (some of which Dawson didn�t want to know about) for the past two years. By the time she was finished Dawson was even more confused then he had been when she showed up at his door at 3am.

Walking through Central Park Joey held his hand. She was emotional, Dawson knew that, but her insistence to hold him, to be near him, was a little� unexpected.

They went out to dinner that night and danced, and then sat out on Dawson�s balcony and watched Manhattan go by.

****

And so Joey moved not only into his apartment but also into his bed�platonically, of course. They stayed up for hours talking, or watched TV in content.

She offered to pay some of the rent but Dawson disagreed, saying she was his guest. Instead, Joey made up for it by going shopping. One day Dawson came home from work to find green beaded throw cushions on the couch. �This place needs decoration,� was Joey�s excuse.

When he went to the fridge to get a beer, he was greeted with the sight of various different kinds of�food. Vegetables, fruit, milk�it was all there. Joey watched his reaction with an expectant smile. �Well?�

�Uh�this is great, Jo.� Dawson said, with a bemused smile.

�Thanks.� �My pleasure.�

****

It was no secret Dawson was attracted to Joey. Even though he had strong feelings for Elizabeth, Joey was undoubtedly sexy and his best friend to boot�Dawson couldn�t help himself. Joey reciprocated his feelings, flirting with him, kissing him�walking around the apartment in just a towel. They were playing a game of cat and mouse, of teasing, dangling the coveted desire. Their crazy night in Joey�s apartment was not forgotten. Joey abandoned the pull out couch and snuggled up to her best friend every night. It didn�t do wonders for Dawson�s sex life, but he wasn�t thinking about that when he had Joey in his arms.

Elizabeth got suspicious, however. She didn�t broadcast it, she sort of quietly just knew. That was her nature. �You and Joey are living together? That�s�that�s sweet,� she said when she found out. Dawson tried to make it up to her and they had a romantic evening at the Plaza, making love till dawn, something Dawson was very good at. But then the inevitable happened. Joey got jealous.

****

Her jealousy wasn�t huge but it was there. She asked Dawson questions�where they went, what she wore, what they did, and she was uncomfortable around Elizabeth. She complained to a bemused Audrey who knew exactly what was going on.

One day Elizabeth asked Joey what Dawson�s favorite drink was, and Joey had said quite callously, �Shouldn�t you know?�

Elizabeth and Joey tried to avoid each other at work, neither knowing what to say to each other. Elizabeth was sure she had lost the �battle� however�Dawson was 100% devoted to his best friend. You don�t get past that. It was like he had to chose between his girlfriend or best friend, and the best friend was a woman.

So Elizabeth caught Dawson by surprise at work one day and gently broke it off. �You know you have it all wrong, Liz.� Dawson told her strongly. �Joey and I are�just friends.�

�Then you�re deluded, Dawson Leery.� Upset, Elizabeth had kissed him, and then given him back the diamond earrings he had gotten her for her birthday.

�I loved him, you know.� She told Joey simply as she packed up her things at work. She had resigned and taken an offer at Doubleday.

�And I wasn�t in your way,� Joey argued.

Elizabeth just walked out.

****

�I�m sorry.� Joey whispered to Dawson that night in their bed. She hugged him. He let go of her, however, and went to sleep on the couch.

****

Pacey found out they were living together from Jack, and had confronted Dawson at work just like Elizabeth had.

�She�s just staying with me until she finds another place, Pacey.� Dawson had told his former best friend calmly, cleaning folders and papers off his desk.

�I�ll bet.� Pacey chuckled sarcastically. �Don�t forget who she always chooses in the end.� He gave Dawson a steeling gaze and then walked out. Dawson had a brief, unpleasant reminder of what it felt like to find out Pacey and Joey were together, and he shut his eyes tight. He just hoped Joey found an apartment soon.

****

But Joey hadn�t even been looking for an apartment. She had been slowly but surely starting to fall in love with Dawson�again.

Dawson hadn�t been able to tell, but their closest friends, of course, had. Audrey, Jack, Dawson and Joey had gone out together to a favorite club of Audrey�s one Saturday night and the two began to catch on. Joey would touch Dawson�s elbow whenever she spoke to him, Dawson bought all of Joey�s drinks, and when they danced, well�

�Look at them,� Jack pointed out to Audrey as they did some Vodka shots at the bar. �Practically dry-humping.� They were dancing slowly despite the fast-paced music, completely lost in their own world.

�Its sweet��

�Its annoying. Get together, already. How many mistakes does Joey have to make with Pacey?� Jack shook his head.

Audrey reached for a cocktail olive and sucked it from the toothpick. �Enough so that when she�s with Dawson he comes across as perfect, I guess.�

****

They went to a South Hampton wedding for mutual friends in the summer, and had been inseparable the entire weekend until people just took them as and introduced them as a couple. Their minds may have not caught on, but their bodies had�something was going to happen.

They had been dancing to a slow song at the reception when Dawson had a strange flashback to the last wedding he had attended�and the fallout. Saddened, he had quickly walked away down to the beach. Joey had followed him.

She seemed to know exactly what was wrong, and she held him tight. �Its okay,� she whispered. �It�ll all be alright, I promise.� Her lips were on his face, his lips were near her neck, and then she started to kiss his ears, his cheek, and his forehead until finally she laid a kiss on his lips. It seemed whenever their mouths touched magic happened.

To be continued

PART 3

****

Their bedroom was dark, but occasional lights from the city filtered in the billowing curtain as it swayed with the wind that struggled against the immense heat of a typical New York City heat wave in October.

Dawson and Joey lay facing each other, naked, their legs entwined, a thin sheet thrown casually over their hips as they talked in muted voices, unable to sleep in the heat.

Joey played with the hair at the nape of his neck as she talked.

�When I first slept with Pacey, I lied to you about it�and when you slept with Jen I was so distraught but I denied it. I wanted to be your first.� �So did I.� Dawson smiled.

�We would have saved a lot of trouble if we had just done it while we were dating.� Joey said thoughtfully. �It wasn�t our time�� he nuzzled her neck. �It worked out for us eventually, though, Jo, despite the shit we�ve had to go through.�

�I know. I�m responsible for half of it,� Joey said ruefully.

�Don�t be stupid.�

�Okay, I won�t be.� They kissed.

Dawson then asked, �Were you even ever sexually attracted to me�even when we were just friends?�

Joey searched his face. �I was extremely hot for you while you were dating Jen. Both times. Jealousy makes me want you more. And of course�other times�� she reached down to fondle him. Not wanting to slide off track, he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed each of her fingers. �I was always hot for you,� he admitted.

He then cupped her face and kissed her mouth.

She sighed into his mouth dreamily, gripping his muscular back. She then pulled away regretfully, laughing a little, �You�re so hot, Dawson.�

�Thanks.� He bowed his head to tickle her nipple with his tongue.

�Oh you�re vain. I mean literally. You�re hot. I�m hot.� Joey fanned herself with her hand, letting a moan escape her lips as he now sucked on her breast.

�You�re hot too�� Dawson said hoarsely, sliding onto her deliciously, keeping his body an inch above hers, supporting himself with those strong biceps of his.

�You�re even hotter inside.� He trailed his hand down her stomach to her inner thighs and between. Joey couldn�t help but shudder completely. Damn he was good.

Lost in a state of sexual deliria, Joey didn�t even notice when he reached his arm out to fumble for a condom. When he slid into her, lifting her leg up for more leverage, she gasped in surprise. �Again?�

�Last time, I promise,� he groaned in frenzy, and she flung her head back as those wonderful sensations started to creep up her legs.

After earth-shattering sex, Joey collapsed against the sheets, breathing hard. �Dawson we really shouldn�t wear ourselves out in this heat.�

�Better than exercising,� he pointed out.

****

The next day at lunch they were completely different people from the sweaty, lusty people they had been the night before. The heat wave had broken at 3 in the morning and it was still raining. They agreed to meet for lunch at the Grill near the Plaza and shared a chicken sandwich, and sweet kisses as they chattered about their day, their jobs, the people they worked with, and mutual friends. At night they changed into lusty, passionate sexual beings, in the searing light of day they were as they always would be: best friends.

They were preparing to go back outside into the pouring rain when who did they bump into but Pacey Witter, and a blonde he introduced to them as Melanie.

It was awkward, but much better than it had been when Pacey had first found out they were dating. He had been angry and suspicious that Joey and Dawson had found each other almost straight away. He himself had gone through a difficult time before meeting someone else, before picking up his life, and now, as he told them, he was making plans to move back to Boston. There was nothing really in New York for him. Joey looked away as he said that.

�Keep in touch, okay?� Dawson said to Pacey, holding out his hand, apologizes in his eyes. Pacey shook Dawson�s hand, forgiveness in his own. He and Joey then looked at each other, before

Joey hugged him, quickly. Melanie watched with interest. The three of them had a mutual understanding after that. They had to be civil, for Jen�s sake, for their own sakes.

Before going into her building, Joey held Dawson close under the alcove, her umbrella resting against his leg.

�I love you.� Joey whispered into his ear.

****

Getting engaged was only a matter of time for Dawson and Joey after that. It was almost as if getting Pacey�s blessing had settled some past dust. �It has to be perfect,� Dawson was telling Jack on a sunny Saturday morning as they watched Amy play in the playground in the park.

�What do I say?�

�You�re asking me?� Jack said incredulously, picking the salt off his pretzel, �Dawson Leery the creative genius is asking me what to say in a marriage proposal? You�re the one who wrote an entire screenplay about her.�

Dawson cracked a smile, �Yeah�but still. �I mean, this is a defining moment for us. This isn�t just any moment�� Dawson spread his hands to make his point, �This is *the* moment.�

�Well from experience, sometimes the best moments are the spontaneous ones,� Jack advised him.

A small smile appeared on Dawson�s face. �Yeah that�s true,� he said softly.

�Thinking of an R-rated moment?� Jack asked blithely.

�Try X-rated.�

�I don�t want to know.�

Amy jumped off the slide and ran over to her daddy and Dawson. �Can I have a ice cream?� she asked politely, battering those long dark eyelashes she had inherited off a certain someone.

�Here, let me.� Dawson stopped Jack from reaching in his pocket and he handed Amy two dollars and tousled her hair. �There you go.�

�Thanks!� she kissed him then ran off.

�I want one of those,� Dawson said out of the blue.

Jack raised an eyebrow. �An ice-cream?�

�A child,� Dawson said humbly. �A mini-Joey. A mini football team.�

Jack shook his head and patted Dawson�s back. �Well, you�re ready for marriage, that�s for sure. But you have no idea what you�re in for when it comes to kids.�

****

The next Monday afternoon, Joey visited him at his office with sandwiches. He had been working all day on accounts and had been pleased to see Joey, a breath of fresh air in a

white blouse and black pinstriped skirt. �Hi handsome.� She closed and locked the door behind her and he leaned back in his chair, curious.

�Hi��

She put the sandwiches on his file cabinet then she took her jacket off and started to unbutton her blouse.

Dawson dropped his pen. �What the�?�

�We have half an hour.� Joey said teasingly, unzipping her skirt and standing before him in only her bra, panties and stockings, the black lingerie Dawson had given her for their 2nd month anniversary. She held up a small condom wrapper.

�I told Sarah to withhold all calls. She thinks we�re having an intimate lunch��

�Oh god Joey, you are so�� he couldn�t think of any words with his mouth hanging open.

�So are you...�

She went around to him and pushed him back in his chair, practically ripping his shirt open and unzipping his fly at the same time, working his pants down off his legs.

They started to kiss passionately and noisily, and Dawson was grateful he had a solid-walled office. He forgot everything else and concentrated on being incredibly horny. He lifted Joey up and grabbed her butt with one hand, and with the other he hastily shoved everything off his desk. He�d always wanted to do that.

He laid her down on it and she giggled, �Wow��

He started to take off his tie but Joey stopped him, whispering, �Keep it on.�

�Ookay�� He pushed her bra up with his hands to reveal her breasts, which he kissed greedily before yanking her panties to the side and rolling a condom on. He slid into her with a satisfied moan and he covered her mouth with his as they made love so she wouldn�t scream out loud and cause the whole office to bang the door down.

To drown out his cries he buried his head into the hollow between her breasts.

�Wow,� Joey said breathlessly afterwards. �Wow, wow, wow.�

He nodded in agreement.

There was a loud ring from his telephone, which startled them. Joey jumped up and searched for her clothes.

Dawson answered it, �Yeah?�

�Mr. Levin is here to see you, Mr. Leery.�

�I�ll be right out.�

Joey, who had slipped her blouse and skirt back on, smirked, �Leave what you have on. I think it can be a big look for the New York working man.�

He had on just a striped tie.

He sat down behind his desk and grabbed his pants, blushing a little.

Joey leaned over and kissed him tenderly.

Dawson sighed as he watched her go. �I�m going to marry her,� he told himself.

****

The next afternoon, during his lunch break, Dawson wandered down onto Fifth avenue to �take a peek� at rings in Tiffany�s. He told his co-workers he was going to get a sandwich. He had no expertise in the area of jewelry, but several rings did jump out at him�one in particular, a silver band with clusters of diamonds in the shape of a heart. He�d always envisioned Jen would be here to help him out with her cool head and her style. He spoke to her inwardly��I miss you.�

He contemplated just asking Joey, but he wanted to surprise her. He got out his cell and rang Audrey, who promised to be there in less than five minutes.

�Well its about time,� she said happily when she got there, hugging him tight. �We gotta be discreet, though, coz she�s coming down this way soon for a lunch meeting.�

Dawson was pleased he had called her in the end. She in turn had called Jack who raced down there, eager to be apart of things. �I�m gay, Dawson, I know *all* about this sort of stuff,� Jack reassured him jokingly.

After twenty minutes they had it narrowed down, and then finally, they all agreed on the heart-shaped diamonds over the larger one. Joey wasn�t that vulgar.

Dawson hid the small blue package in his coat pocket and thanked his friends, before hurriedly going back to work.

****

Next was the obstacle of *where* and *how*. But the answer was staring him right in his face when he got a phone call from his mom, asking them to come down that weekend.

�I haven�t seen you two as a couple yet. I want to see you two together,� was his mom�s excuse. They didn�t go down to Capeside a lot, only about once a month, so he�d agreed.

Joey had been happy to go, especially since, according to her, they hadn�t �done it� on his old bed yet, and they owed it to the bed. �With my mom down the hall?� Dawson had said, half- horrified, half-turned on.

�It never seemed to bother you before,� Joey retorted.

�That�s because we weren�t naked.�

�Speaking of being naked,� Joey said pointedly, pointing a wooden spoon covered with soup at her boyfriend, �I don�t like the fact you keep your clothes on for too long,� she said innocently.

�You should be naked more often.�

Dawson rolled his eyes and started to open up the mail.

****

I�ve decided to stretch the fan fiction so the parts aren�t so long! Part 4 coming soon.

Like? Not like? Tell all!

PART FOUR

Gale cooked a delicious meal and bounced around the entire evening, thrilled just to see her son so happy and in love. She had been worried for him after Joey left with Pacey soon after Jen�s funeral, but he had managed well and had been, in her eyes, brave. She had suspected something would eventually happen, though. Whenever the two of them were in the same room together-- regardless if they were �just� friends, or if a boyfriend or girlfriend were in sight�the room just lit up with energy. They would share little looks, have secret understandings and go off and talk for hours. Gale thought they were stupid if they didn�t think what they had was love.

Finally, Dawson had called her up to casually mention he and Joey were�together.

This weekend, Gale had an inkling something would happen. They held hands almost all night, and several times Gale caught them necking in the kitchen or under the stairs. She also knew that for the two nights out of three they were staying there they had made love, despite the fact it was a full house. When he wasn�t looking Joey would gaze at him adoringly, and vice versa. They would finish each other�s sentences, they would banter about something completely meaningless; they would share a private joke and laugh for hours. At night they would go outside and she would sit in his lap on the stairs and they would count the stars.

When she was around them, Gale felt like she was witnessing�magic. Pure magic. What fools they had been, to not be together, to waste all that time.

****

Today was the day. It was time. They spent the day with Bessie and Alex before returning to the Leery house at sunset, and Dawson felt like the ring in his pocket was burning a hole.

�What�s up?� Joey read Dawson�s nervousness as they walked out into the backyard, Joey twirling sticks of lavender from Bessie�s lavender garden.

�Uh�nothing,� Dawson said innocently, reaching out to hold her hand. He led her over to the picnic table, a sacred spot of sorts.

She sat down on the top, smelling the lavender bush and smiling, oblivious to Dawson�s edginess. She put her hand on his butt playfully, trying to get him to sit down next to her. When he resisted and grabbed both her hands, Joey knew something was up, and felt the beginnings of an exciting flutter in her stomach.

�I�ve never done this before, so�� he laughed and Joey bit her lip, waiting, looking deep into his eyes.

�I once told you, right here, that what we had went beyond friendship, lovers��

�Soul mates,� Joey interrupted quietly.

�Yeah.� They looked into each other�s eyes, and he felt his breath being taken away as Joey gazed at him. This was perfect. The pink from the setting sun bathed everything in a pinky-red glow.

�Well I�d kind of like to spend the rest of my life with you�because I could never love someone the way I love you.� He traced her cheekbone with her hand. �I�ve lost you too many times to let you go now, when we�ve spent the best times of my life together.�

Joey, who had started to blink away tears, laughed a light tinkling, happy laugh. She placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed him. �You�re so good at the sweet talk,� she murmured. He grinned and then took the ring out of his pocket.

Joey gaped, though she had had an intuition that this was a full-fledge proposal. She couldn�t

believe her eyes when she saw the ring, a stunning cluster of diamonds on a silver band. It was beautiful. He picked up her hand and lifted the ring out of the box. He slipped the ring onto her fourth finger gently and overwhelmed by the beauty of the ring and the moment and the disbelief Dawson was *proposing* to her she started to cry.

A little anxious, Dawson sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. �You okay?� he asked worriedly, stroking her hair. She nodded and smiled brilliantly, kissing him.

�So�will you�marry me Joey?� he asked in anticipation, holding her at arms length.

�Of course I will you dope,� she replied, half crying, half laughing, hurriedly trying to wipe the tears away. �Yes, yes.�

They embraced and Joey sighed, �I get to marry my soul mate. I�m pretty lucky.�

***

Joey called Audrey as soon as she and Dawson had told Gale, who immediately called Bessie who called their father. Bessie then came over with Alex and Bodie and the two families celebrated with champagne.

�So, when will you get married?� Gale asked, pouring the bubbly nectar into Joey�s glass. �Summer or spring?�

Dawson and Joey looked at each other and shrugged. �We haven�t got past being engaged, mom,� Dawson laughed. �We can�t think about the wedding yet.�

�Spring,� Joey answered for Gale, flickering her left brow at Dawson.

�Ah, Joey the planner.� He nuzzled her neck and she smiled at Gale, who picked up Joey�s hand and admired the ring.

****

�Hey handsome.� Audrey hugged her beloved ex-boyfriend warmly. She was in Boston for the weekend, and Pacey had suggested they go out for a few drinks to catch up.

He was looking good, and he told her he felt good. �Seeing anyone?� Audrey asked candidly, sipping on a martini.

�Just having fun,� Pacey replied. �But with one girl in particular�� he waggled his brows and Audrey laughed, �Good��

�What about you?�

�Not too good�� Audrey rolled her eyes. �I can�t trust men after the last one.�

�You�re gorgeous, you�ll get one.� He reassured her. She nodded, smiling to herself.

�So�are you�going?� Audrey then asked cautiously, smoothing her hair down.

�Going�� Pacey signaled to the bartender for another drink.

�You know�Dawson and Joey�s wedding. The invitations aren�t sent out yet but they must have told you� Capeside. May 12th�oh shit you don�t know.� Audrey put her head in her hands and groaned.

Pacey blinked, and leaned back in his chair. �They�re getting *married*?� he repeated incredulously.

�How did this happen?�

�He asked her�she accepted�� Audrey said weakly. �Are you okay?�

Pacey nodded quickly. �We broke up a long time ago. Its just�this is so final.� He shook his head in disbelief. �This just isn�t the way I saw our future.�

Audrey covered his hand with hers. ****

For the next six months, they were consumed with wedding fever. Well, Joey was. Dawson, who had never been interested in weddings and never really would be, decided his input would be minimal. All he cared about was marrying her.

Joey shyly showed off her ring to her impressed friends and co-workers, as if by being engaged everyone in the whole world knew she was in love. It was a nice feeling, though.

She hadn�t even thought about planning a wedding until Gale started asking her questions��New York or�here?�

�Roses or lilies?�

�Veil or headpiece?�

And then Jack asked her the same thing during lunch together�the wedding�s whereabouts�and Audrey dragged her to Vera Wang�s. Vera Wang�s was the baffling point. Joey had stared at herself in the mirror, in an ivory creation of lace and beads, and had to blink to make sure it was really herself in the reflection.

�Dawson will want to go on the honeymoon right after the vows,� Audrey murmured, adjusting the bustier. Joey blushed.

The weirdest thing about being engaged was that people she had lost touch with called her up after hearing it from �somebody�s cousin who is friends with my friend of a friend�� Andie called her at work and they had a wonderful one-hour talk about everything�about Pacey, about the past, about the shoes she would wear. Joey then surprised herself and Andie by asking her to be a bridesmaid. �You are, believe it or not, one of my oldest girl friends,� Joey admitted.

�I would love to,� Andie said excitedly.

And then the ex-boyfriends called. First, Eddie, who had heard it from some old friends at Worthington. �I thought you were shacked up with Pacey,� he had said in his sardonic tone. �It sounded pretty serious.�

�Things change,� Joey had replied with a shrug on the other end of the phone. �People grow up, and I guess I grew away from him.�

And then Pacey called. It was a difficult conversation, but a necessary one. They talked about the date of the wedding, and who was coming, and then what they were doing career-wise.

�What happened, Jo?� he asked near the end.

�I don�t know,� she replied truthfully. �But�this thing between Dawson and me�it feels right.�

Pacey was quiet.

�It doesn�t mean what we had was wrong,� Joey then said seriously. �But you of all people know what its like to just�fall in love.�

�I do.�

He sighed and then said, �I�ll be there, anyway. No matter what fucked up things we all did to each other we still share the same past. We can�t just�I can�t just�abandon that.� ****

�It has to be in Capeside. I can�t imagine us getting married anywhere else�� Joey was saying as she and Dawson loaded the washing machine at the Laundromat.

�That�s cool,� Dawson agreed with his fianc�e, sprinkling fabric softener in the machine.

�You know�� Joey tipped her head to the side. �Its kind of annoying to walk four blocks every week to do our laundry. Why don�t we�� she flickered her brow. �Find an apartment with its own laundry room?�

Dawson closed the machine and frowned thoughtfully. �You don�t like where we are?�

�I do, it�s just�� Joey looked down, blushing a little, as she reached out and grabbed his hand. �It might be a little small for us, now. You know. And�small for children.�

�Children?� a slow smile appeared on Dawson�s face, which matched Joey�s. They gazed at each other.

It was the first time they had discussed the subject. Dawson caressed her ribcage, and then her stomach, gently, with his fingers.

�Okay�we can start looking tomorrow,� he said softly. They kissed.

To Be Continued! ****