Author's Note: Takes place in the future, everyone is in their early thirties. I really enjoyed writing this, and it is my first submission, so please be kind and send me feedback (I would send it to you!) [email protected] Thanks for taking time to read this.

"Hi guys!" Andie says enthusiastically opening the door to reveal Dawson and Joey holding a sleeping Taylor. "How was the trip?"

"Ugh." Joey tells her walking into the house. "I think we should fly back home. A two plus hour car drive with a four year old is no picnic."

"At least he was sleeping for a good part of it." Dawson smiles.

"Bags in the car?" Pacey asks Dawson, hugging each of them.

Dawson nods. "Yeah, let's go." He says and they go back outside to get the luggage.

"Where can I put Taylor down?" Joey asks Andie.

Andie smiles. "Here, let me take him." Andie takes Taylor from Joey's arms. Taylor was an adorable little boy, far too smart for his age, with little blonde curls and blue eyes. Andie and Pacey were Taylor's Godparents, and Joey and Dawson were Tim's. Tim and Taylor were the best of friends, and Tim had been excitedly awaiting Taylor's arrival all day. "Tim is gonna be disappointed that Taylor's asleep. It's all he's talked about all day." Andie laughs, as she and Joey walk upstairs and down the hall to Tim's room. Tim had bunk beds, and Taylor would be staying in his room. Joey and Dawson would be in the guest room the next door down.

"They get along so well. They're just like brothers." Joey agrees. They walk into Tim's room and find he's asleep on his floor.

"Well, at least they're both asleep." Andie puts Taylor in the top bunk, then Tim in the bottom. Joey stands next to Taylor and rubs his forehead, and touches his curls. He was such a good boy. Joey felt tears sting her eyes, she hadn't let this get her down yet, and she was determined to keep it that way. She couldn't lose her guard, she had to stay strong, for Dawson. And Taylor, and Bessie and Andie and Pacey. But she couldn't help realizing that this would be the last Christmas she would be able to spend with them.

"Thank you, Dawson. I'm glad someone appreciates my cooking." Andie says pointedly at Pacey.

"What?" Pacey smirks.

"Pacey you hate my cooking." Andie reminds him.

"Andie you don't cook. How can I hate your cooking when I've only tasted it a total of two times in the past eight years?" He asks her.

"What are you talking about?!" Andie demands.

"Please, Andie. We get take out or eat out almost every night."

"That is such a lie!" Andie tells him, but in good humor. "On Tuesday we had spaghetti, who do you think made that?"

"Spaghetti! That doesn't count. You take it out of a box and put it in some water." Pacey waves it off.

"I happen to like spaghetti." Joey tells Pacey.

"Of course you do. Women stick together." Pacey laughs. "In fact, so does Andie's spaghetti."

"Pacey get out of here before I throw you out." Andie warns him.

"Yes, us women will do the dishes." Joey tells him.

"Fine with me!" Pacey says smiling and stands up from his chair. Dawson grabs his plate and silverware and begins to bring it into the kitchen. Pacey grabs his wrist. "Dawson, have some dignity, man."

"Pacey get some tact." Dawson tells him, laughing as they leave the room to go into the family room and watch TV.

Joey grabs some dishes and begins to carry them into the kitchen. "Joey, don't worry about that, I'll get them." Andie tells her.

Joey shrugs. "Andie, I can do it. I always help you clear the plates. And somehow Dawson and Pacey always manage to get out of doing them." Joey smiles.

"Joey, look, why don't you just keep me company, you don't have to worry about it." Andie tells her.

Joey realizes what this is all about. "Look, Andie, we have to get something straight. I'm not an incapable person or a cripple or inept. I can help you carry in some dishes, okay? I don't want to be treated like this, I want to be treated normally."

Andie looks upset. "I'm sorry." She says quietly. "You're right." Andie nods. "You bring in the plates, and I'll rinse them and put them in the dishwasher."

"Okay." Joey agrees and walks back into the dinning room. Andie glances from the kitchen to the dining room as Joey stacks some of the plates up. She grabs the bottom plate to lift the stack. Andie watches as Joey struggles to lift up the four plates and two salad bowls she's stacked up. Joey had lost strength, and her muscles constantly ached. She finally musters up the strength to hold them and carries them into the kitchen for Andie to rinse and put in the dishwasher. "Thanks, Jo." Andie tells her. Joey nods and goes back for some more. There were several dessert dishes and salad bowls left.

"Andie, have you seen where I put the tape?" Pacey asks her walking into the kitchen.

"Could you be a little more specific here?" Andie asks him, smiling despite her sarcasm. "Video tape, scotch tape..."

Pacey rolls his eyes at her. "The extra tapes we keep for the camcorder? I want to charge it up so we can get some home movies of this week." Pacey tells her.

"They're in the bottom cabinet-" Andie starts to tell him, but they both spin around hearing a loud crash from the dinning room.

They both run into the room, as does Dawson from the family room. "Andie I am so sorry." Joey tells her with tears in her eyes, standing around a pile of broken dishes and glass "Jo, are you okay?" Dawson asks rubbing her shoulders.

"Dawson I'm fine." She tells him hotly. "I'll replace the plates, I just...." she fades off and bites her lip to stop her from herself from crying, embarrassed. She'd just convinced Andie that she could she could handle carrying in a few plates, but the truth was, she couldn't.

"Joey, it's fine." Andie tells her waving her hand. "We were going to buy new plates anyway. I was sick of these ones."

Joey puts her hand on her forehead. "I..." she starts, but tears start to burn her eyes. "I'm sorry." She says walking out of the room, and runs up the stairs.

"I went to do the dishes. Andie told me not to. I told her I could. She told me not to. I told her that I wasn't a cripple I could handle a few dishes. I dropped the dishes." Joey reiterates, as tears run down her face.

"Joey, you need to face yourself. You need to realize that maybe you can't do the dishes."

"Why shouldn't I be able to like a normal person?!" Joey asks him.

"This isn't about dishes, Joey. You haven't discussed this since we left the doctor's office months ago. The cancer has spread too far, they can't do anything. Your body is weakened, you can't try to do these things. But you don't want to face the truth, and now look what happened. Not only that, but you could've gotten hurt." Dawson tells her. "We have to talk about this sometime, it won?t go away if we don't talk about it, it will only make it worse."

"What do you want to discuss Dawson? The fact that in a few months, or even weeks I'll be dead?" She asks him angrily.

Dawson feels her words hit him like cold water. He can't think of anything to say, thoughts were running through his head, and at the same time, he couldn't say anything.

"Don't cut yourself." Pacey tells Andie helping her clean up the broken pieces of the dishes and glass.

"I'm not worried about myself right now." Andie sighs. "God, why is this happening to her? I hate seeing her like this. She can barely lift four dishes, Dawson. I told her to leave them." Andie tells him, getting teary. "I told her I would do them, but she told she wanted to be treated normally. I just don't know what to do, she's so pale and thin and weak. I don't know what to do."

Pacey embraces Andie. "Andie, you're doing everything right. What Joey needs you to do is be the best friend you can be."

"Mommy?"

"Taylor, sweetie, what's wrong?" Joey asks as Taylor comes into their room and sits down next to her. Dawson is standing in front of her, his head still spinning.

"Why are you and Daddy fighting?"

"We're not fighting." Joey tells him.

"We're having a disagreement. Sometimes you argue with your friends and sometimes I argue with mommy." Dawson tells him.

Taylor leans against Joey. "Tim's sleeping. I'm hungry." He tells her.

Joey looks up at Dawson, talking with her eyes. "Taylor, mommy is going to bed." Dawson tells his son. "Why don't we go downstairs and see if Aunt Andie will make you some chocolate milk." Dawson offers extending his hand.

"No chocolate milk before bed." Joey says raising an eyebrow. "Which is where you should be, it's after nine o'clock." Joey tells Taylor. He was only four years old and usually went to bed at eight the latest.

"Well, maybe some water or juice." Dawson says, but more at Joey. He wanted her to know that things would be okay, that he was capable of handling things. He didn't have much of a choice.

"Is she okay?" Andie pulls Dawson aside after handing Taylor a cup with some apple juice in it.

Dawson shrugs. "She doesn't want to have to think about it, she still wants to be like always but that can't happen. She's in denial."

Andie nods and says good night to Dawson and Pacey who were staying up to watch some game on Pay Per View. It had been a long day and she was tired. Taylor had fallen asleep on the kitchen table while drinking his juice and Andie carried him up to bed and tucked him in.

"Can I come in?" Andie knocks on the guest room door after putting Taylor down.

"Yeah." Joey answers and Andie walks in. Joey's sitting upright in bed, reading a book.

"I just wanted to say good night." Andie says giving Joey a hug. "Joey I'm so sorry about before. Let's start all over tomorrow."

Joey shakes her head. "No, Andie. I feel bad about the plates, I was being stupid. I should've known that I wouldn't be able to carry that many plates, or even any. The muscles in my back and in my arms hurt so much, I can barely lift Taylor anymore."

"Don't worry about the plates." Andie tells her. "Really, I mean it. I was hoping Pacey would get me new ones for Christmas, but now if he doesn't I have a semi-excuse to buy them." Andie smiles. "Joey, look, I want you to feel comfortable here, so if you don't feel up to doing something, say it and if you do, mean it. I'm not judging you, you're my best friend and I love you."

"I know." Joey nods. "I talked with Dawson. I blew up at him, I feel terrible. I just feel like I have to be strong about this, but I'm sick of being strong. Andie, the truth is, I'm not worried about dying. I'm worried about Taylor and Dawson. Dying doesn't bother me. Some days the pain is bad that I just want it to end, I want to be at peace, but then I think of my son and of Dawson and I know I have to be strong for them. I just don't know how much longer I can do that for."

On to Part 4