Disclaimer: Don't own the show. Don't own the characters. Don't
own the songs. (I'm sure you all know the first song. The second one is
'Saddest Song' by Cherry. Dunno if you've heard it before.)
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Tempest - Chapter Six: My Invitation
"Where were you last night, Brett?" Isabelle asked as Pacey entered the deserted
bar. "Neither John or Chris could get hold of you all day! Where'd
you go?"
"Oh, uh... I took your advice, Izzy."
"You went to see Natalie?"
"Uh, yeah," he said as he slid down onto a bar stool.
"Ok, so that explains the day... but where were you last night?" she asked as
she stepped out from behind the counter.
When he didn't answer, the look on her face changed from a questioning one to a
suprised and pleased one.
"Oh my god! Brett! Are you insane?!"
"What?" he groaned.
She looked excited. "You slept with her, didn't you?"
"No," Pacey muttered as he looked away.
"You did, didn't you?" she asked again.
"NO!" he yelled.
"Well then where were you?" she challenged him, placing her hands on her hips.
When he didn't answer, she started up again. "See? You did! C'mon, Brett!
I've known you for years. I can read you like a book. Don't deny that you
spent the night with Natalie."
"I won't deny that," he replied.
Isabelle slapped her hands together. "I knew it!"
"No, no. Not like that," Pacey replied, chuckling as he shook his head. "My
car broke down, so Natalie, being the kind-hearted soul that she is, offered me
a place to stay."
"Suuuuure," Isabelle replied, not believing him for a second. "That's
what they all say!"
"I'm serious!" he told her.
"Are you seeing her again?" she asked, ignoring his response to her last
statement.
"Yeah," Pacey replied.
"When?"
"Uh..." he debated whether or not to tell her about the party, but decided against
it. She was on his case bad enough already! "Same time next week."
"Why'd you have to stop and think about it?" she asked suspiciously.
"Ummm... no reason."
"I think there is a reason," she said as she leaned over and pulled a
piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. "What's this?"
SH*T! "Nothing. Give it back," he demanded, trying to grab it off her.
She quickly scanned the paper. "Oh my god! Brett! You're going to her
housewarming party?"
"I'm thinking about it," he replied.
"And I'm thinking that I'm not sure you're being completely honest with me,"
the ever-curious Isabelle replied.
"About what?"
"Sleeping with her."
Pacey groaned loudly. "Izzy, how many times do I have to tell you? I didn't---"
"Well, even if you two didn't sleep together this time - she sure wants
to!"
"How do you figure that one out, Izzy?"
"Because - you don't just invite any old client to spend the night at your place,
then invite them over AGAIN - if you don't feel something," she explained,
then slapped him on the shoulder.
"Think about it," she said as she left the room.
"Melissa?" Dawson asked as he pushed throught the crowds at the airport.
"Damn this stupid airport," he muttered as he glanced up at the clock on the
wall. "Sh*t!"
After pushing his way up to the inquiry desk, Dawson asked, "Hi. Had 'Melissa
Survalli' boarded yet?"
"Which flight?" the short blonde assistant asked.
"Direct to Boston at six-thirty."
The assistant punched some information into the computer in front of her before
replying, "Melissa Survalli has collected her boarding pass, but is yet to
board the plane."
"Ok, thanks!" he replied with a smile before hurrying off to continue his hunt
around the airport.
"Hi! Would you like to eat here or take away?" a waiter asked him with false
cheeriness.
"What?" Dawson asked, confused.
"Eat in or take away?" the waiter repeated.
Dawson looked up at the sign above his head. Oops. The restaurant cafe.
"Sorry. I'm - I'm just looking for someone," Dawson apologised.
"Oh, well, we're kinda busy right now, so could you please NOT wait here?" the
waiter half asked, half demanded.
"Certainly," he replied in a snotty tone, immitating the rude waiter.
"This is the third call. Could all passengers flying direct to Boston at
six-thirty please have their boarding passes and passports ready at gate C," a
voice boomed through the loud speakers.
"Oh shoot!" Dawson yelled.
"Melissa!" he called out. "MELISSA!"
"F*CK!" he cursed before walking over to collect his boarding pass.
Handing over all the documents, he tapped his fingers impatiently as his gaze
skimmed the airport.
"This is the fourth and final call for all passengers flying direct to Boston.
Could all passengers flying direct to Boston please arrive at gate C
immediately."
"Running late, huh?" the lady behind the counter asked.
"Mmm," Dawson grunted in response, not actually having paid any attention to
her.
"Here you go," she said as she placed his boarding pass on the desk. "All
your documents are in this wallet. You'll find---"
"MELISSA!" Dawson screamed as he grabbed the papers off the woman and
ran across the airport.
"MELISSA!" he screamed again, ignoring the glares of other travellers.
"Oh god. MELISSA! WAIT!" he screamed.
He saw her stop in her tracks. She turned, her blonde hair bouncing with the
movement.
"Steve?" she asked, almost disbelieving.
"Melissa! You came! Oh thank god! Thank god, thank god, thank god!" he sighed,
relieved and EXTREMELY thankful.
"Steve, I'm SO sorry. For everything. For arguing with you. For threatening
to leave. For... for being so... so uncommitted," Melissa apologised.
"It's not your fault. Believe me. If the situation had been reversed, I
would've acted in EXACTLY the same way. Probably a lot worse. I probably
would've done something really drastic. And so now, I want to plan. And I
want to be able to say the word 'future' without us both freaking out. But
most importantly, I want to be able to hold you forever and ever. I never
want to let you go, Melissa. Because you're everything to me."
"Steve?" Melissa asked, having an feeling she knew where this was going.
"Melissa. We're going to be going to probably THE most romantic city on this
planet, and there's going to be SO many more romantic ways and places that I
could ask you this, but I have to ask now. Melissa. Will you let me hold you
forever more? Will you let us plan a future together... starting now? Will
you marry me?"
"If Melissa Survalli and Steve Torpet are in this airport, would they PLEASE
go to gate C IMMEDIATELY!" the loud-speaker boomed.
"I don't think anything would be more romantic than this," Melissa said, smiling.
"I take it that's a yes."
"It's a yes."
"So... what are we gonna do to celebrate our first night of..."
"Of?"
"Of being engaged," Melissa said proudly.
"Oh... well I was thinking we could eat pizza and watch some old reruns on TV,"
Dawson replied, then laughed and held up his hands as a signal of peace when
she glared at him. "Kidding! Kidding!"
"So what DO you want to do?"
"Celebrate. Go out to a club or a restaurant or something. You know. Have
fun!" he replied.
"Club? Since when does Steve Torpet consider clubbing 'fun'?"
"Melissa," he said warningly. "Don't complain. Do you have ANY idea how many
times you've begged me to go clubbing?"
"Yep. Approximately two-hundred and fourty," she replied with a smirk. "You
didn't think I would say that, did you?"
Dawson let out a small chuckle. "Everyday for the past eight months!"
Melissa rolled her eyes. "Ok, ok. We'll go clubbing."
"That's my girl!" Dawson said happily. "You know any good clubs around here?"
"N... actually, yeah. I do. My cousin owns a club not that far away from here!"
"Really?"
"Yeah," she said, purposely leaving out some... rather important information.
Heh. 'This is gonna be hilarious,' she thought to herself with a chuckle.
"Ok. Let's go," Dawson said, draping his arm around her shoulder. "Lead the
way!"
"Hey!" Joey exclaimed as she opened the door on Friday night.
"Hi Natalie!" he said happily, leaning over to hug her as he admired her amazing
red dress.
"You bought food?" she asked, looking at the tray in his left hand.
"Yeah. It's raspberry slice. My friend's wife insisted I bring something. You
know, to be polite. So she made this for me to bring."
"DAMN! I thought I'd finally met a man who could make his own food!" Joey joked.
"C'mon," she said as she led him inside.
"It's a nice place you got here," Pacey commented.
"Thanks. I told you it'd be better than my old apartment."
"You should see my place," he told her. "It's probably smaller than this place's
bathroom!"
"This place isn't that big," Joey shrugged. "It's just furnished well - thanks
to my friend Tonia."
They entered the lounge room, which was set up with several snack tables, candles,
streamers and a stereo which was VERY LOUDLY blasting out dance music. Guests
stood around the room, sipping drinks, chatting and dancing.
"Typical party. You gotta wait for a couple of hours before things actually
start to happen," Joey said as she placed down the tray.
"Awww... cheer up. I promise you, Nat, tonight; things will happen,"
Pacey said convincingly.
Sadly, neither of them were prepared for what the night would bring.
"Hey, I'm just gonna go to the bathroom for a sec, k?" Melissa yelled to Dawson
over the loud music at the club.
"Yeah, sure. You want a drink?" Dawson asked.
"Just water, thanks," she replied before pushing her way through the crowds in
the direction of the toilets.
"There's something so not right about this club," he murmured to himself.
"What can I get for you?" a very... feminine looking bartender asked.
"Uh, just a---"
"He'll take a martini," someone in a skin tight sparkly black dress said. "I'll
have one too."
"No. WATER," Dawson said, irritated.
"What? You don't have enough money? Don't worry. I'm paying," the stranger
said.
"NO YOU'RE NOT, ok? I just want a f*cking water!" Dawson spat.
"Alright. He'll take a water, and I'll have a martini, thanks."
"That'll be nineteen dollars," the bartender said.
"No. NOT together!" Dawson yelled firmly.
"Here you go," they said as they handed over a twenty dollar note, ignoring
Dawson's protests while playing with a lock of curly blonde hair.
"Look. I am here with my FIANCEE, ok? So would you just PISS OFF!?" Dawson
spat as he turned to face the IRRITATING and rather DRUNK person who just didn't
know when to quit.
They both stared at each other for a moment before the stranger seemed to lose
the ability to breathe.
"Dawson?" their voice seemed choked. "What the hell are you doing here?" Jack
asked, horrified.
"You're leaving?" Joey asked.
"Yeah," the short chubby blonde woman replied. "Sorry. It's been a great party,
Nat."
"Thanks," Joey smiled as she opened thr front door. "You still free on Tuesday?"
"Uh huh."
"Wanna go shopping?"
"Sure. I'll call you tomorrow."
"K. Thanks for coming."
"Thanks for inviting me!"
"Anytime. See ya."
"Bye!"
Joey shut the door then wandered back into the lounde room. It was much emptier
now. Various couples remained, however, all of them slow-dancing to sappy
love songs.
She picked up a glass of champagne and took a sip.
The 'crowd' seemed to part, and she saw him. Standing there. Sipping
champagne, just as she was.
He smiled at her as their eyes locked.
Time seemed to stand still as they placed down their champagne glasses
simultaneously and took one single step closer.
The final chord to an old, extremely romantic love song finished, and another
one followed immediately after it.
Pacey felt sick. He had to get out of there! 'What the hell am I doing? What
am I thinking?' he yelled to himself as the all too familiar song started
to play.
You are what they call the human season
You are all the alphabet in one
You are every colour of confusion
You are all the silence I've becomes
Joey gasped, struggling to breathe.
This wasn't supposed to happen. This song wasn't supposed to play. Not now.
She wasn't supposed to feel this way.
Maybe it was supposed to play. Maybe it was just a sign. A reminder of
everything that she'd been building her new life around. Everything that had
come falling down since she'd met Brett.
Love me for stupid reasons
I like those most
Wide-eyed but worth believing
God knows
Brett. He was amazing. She hadn't known him for long, but she knew that he was
a kind, caring, sweet and sensitive guy.
He made her feel things which she hadn't felt for, well, five years. Everything
since the storm had been an act. Her friendships, her past, hell, even her
NAME!
With him she didn't have to act. Sure, he didn't know her past. Nor was she
about to tell him, but she didn't have to fake the fact that she enjoyed
spending time with him. For real.
She ACTUALLY looked forward to him coming over. Not as a distraction from the
pain, but because of... well... no real reason at all. She just wanted to see
him.
Damn the angry voice that keeps us quiet
The editor whose work is never done
Keeping pretty words beneath my teeth and
Sweet confessions
Underneath my tounge
Pacey knew he had to get out of here, but he couldn't move. His feet were bolted
to the ground and his legs were jammed. He needed a distraction. Something
to get him out of there. Or something to get her out of there. Something
that wouldn't prove that this song meant ANYTHING to him.
Yes, Joey was gone. But he couldn't deny that he still loved her. And here
he was, at a party with someone who a close friend believed he was going to
sleep with.
WHAT HAD HE BEEN THINKING? Coming to the party in the first place! He should've
known that it would end badly. Everything did. Everything that seems good
has a built-in SAD ending.
Drowsy contemplation
Do I let you in?
Well this is my invitation
But how do I begin?
But then there was Pacey. Pacey. The guy who she had loved and then lost.
Maybe it would've been easier never to have loved at all.
But it was the right thing to do. She couldn't make herself regret falling for
Pacey. Lord knows she'd tried! It was the smartest thing she'd ever done,
and even though it only a month, it was the best month of her life.
So why was she here considering another guy? A guy who she'd only really met a
week ago. Sure, she was drawn to him, but Pacey... how could she do this to
him?
She has such an awful lot of soldiers
Quite a lovely army all her own
Night and day they stand before the fortress
Very safe but very all alone
As the final chord played, a couple let go of their tight holds on each other,
the woman breaking Joey and Pacey's eye contact.
This was her escape. She had to get out of here. Her guests were NOT going to
see her cry. They'd become curious, and it would break down this entire world
she'd built up around her. She'd lost one life. There was NO WAY she'd lose
another one.
Pacey looked back at the blank spot where she had stood only a couple of seconds
ago. Who knows where she went? HE had to get out of there before everyone
saw him break down.
As the final note faded off, he ran out of the room.
Pacey slowly, cautiously pushed open the door to the only empty room in the
house.
The lights were off, and he made no move to turn them on. Instead, he closed
the door and sank to the ground, letting out a few sobs as he did it.
He bit his lip and placed his head in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut.
As he did so, he heard someone else's strangled sobs coming from the bed.
Remember that song
It was your song
It was my song
It used to be our song
It used to make me smile
I memorised every line
Ooh... In happier times
Pacey stood up.
"Hello?"
No answer.
"I'm gonna turn on the lights now, ok?" he announced. "So if you have any
objections, please speak up now."
After a moment of silence, he heard them reply, "Just switch on the lamp,
please?"
"Sure," he said as he wandered over to the bedside table and flicked the
switch.
"Natalie?!"
Now when the radio plays
I just wanna run away
'Cos it hurts too much inside
That song just makes me cry
"Hi Brett," she said, trying to fix herself up, even thought she already knew
that it was pretty obvious she'd been crying.
"Hey Nat," he muttered uncomfortably. "Are... are you ok?"
"Yeah. Just a little..."
"Depressed? Angry? Nervous? Stressed?"
"Yeah. Stressed," she lied.
"I'm sorry," he said, looking down at her fragile form as he stood beside
her bed.
"Don't apologise. You've got nothing to apologise for," she said as she
brushed away a few tears. "It's just - I've had a lot happen to me in my life.
And I---" she stopped and let out a bitter laugh at the irony of the whole
situation. "I can't believe I'm doing this!"
"What?"
"Crying in front of a client! I'm supposed to be helping you, but as it turns
out, I'm even more screwed up than you!"
Now it's the saddest song
I ever heard
My heart is breaking baby
Now with every word
Used to be the sweetest song
But now you're gone
And I can't no I can't
Understand oh why
Tell me why, tell me why
Why did our song turn so sad?
Pacey chuckled. "I doubt that."
"It's true," she said softly. "My whole life has just been one f*cking lie
after another! This is fake! It's all fake! I don't deserve any of it!"
Remember those words
Remember those lines
We had a love so sweet
We had a love so right
But like a song must end
Our love just faded too soon
And left me still loving you
"I think you're wrong," Pacey told her.
Joey's head snapped up. "What?"
"I said I think you're wrong," he repeated. "When I look at you, I see an
indredibly strong woman who deserves everything that she has. And I'm not
just talking about material things. All your friends who came tonight - they
came for a reason," he said as he gazed down into her big brown eyes. "They
love you, Natalie. Can't you see the way they admire you? They way they
respect you, yet still feel that they can talk to you as though you're equals?
It's AMAZING! You've got almost everything I've ever dreamed of!"
"Almost everything?" Joey asked. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean
to---"
"That's alright, Nat. You're right though. I was thinking about her."
Now when the music comes on
I pray they'll never play that song
'Cos it's just too much to take
That song makes my heart break
Joey nodded slightly, then looked away, fresh tears welling in her eyes.
"Hey, now what's wrong?" Pacey asked caringly.
"Nothing," she muttered as she starred at a blank spot on the wall.
"If it really is nothing, then why are you suddenly avoiding me?"
"I'm not avoiding you."
"Then LOOK AT ME," he demanded.
Everytime I hear that melody
Memories come crashing down on me
Yeah every beat just makes me think of you - everythign you do
How can I get you off my mind
When you're wrapped up in every line
Don't wanna hear that sound when you're not around
"I'm sorry," she said regretfully.
"Don't apologise," he said, using the same phrase as she had just moments
before. "You've got nothing to apologise for."
She smiled. She was clearly still sad, but at least now a PART of her was
happy.
"That's better," he said as he smiled back at her and brushed away a single
tear which his thumb.
He allowed his hand to rest there for a moment, before letting it slide down
to cup her face.
Joey closed her eyes and swallowed nervously, but before she could re-open
them, she felt his lips on hers...
TO BE (guess what!?) CONTINUED!
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