Romeo is Bleeding
Part Ten of Something To Talk About
By Ainsley


Disclaimer: Yes, you see, it was a conspiracy. I'm really the person who invented Dawson's Creek, but the network didn't like me, so they hired Kevin Williamson to pretend that he wrote the show. Really. I swear...

Props: As much as I truly hate to do this, I have to thank my French teacher, O'Dell, for teaching me...well, French, so I can use it in my stories. I really, really hate to do this. Oh, yuck...I may never recover from this.

Recap: Joey decided to forgive Pacey, and went home to read his letter. But she was shocked to discover that in his letter, he wrote that he was letting her go, for his own sanity, and because he loved her too much. Awww...


"I quote the fabulous Mr. Woody Allen," Pacey said drunkenly, leaning back against the wall in Dawson's room. "Life is divided up into the horrible and the miserable."

Jen and Dawson exchanged a look.

"Pacey, you're drunk," Jen said nervously.

"Yes I am!" Pacey agreed, climbing to his feet and glancing out the window he had just entered through. "It feels great. I don't have to think about anything, anything at all."

"That anything would be Joey?" Dawson guessed.

"Joey who?" Pacey asked, his speech slurred. "Joey Cotter? Uh, no, why would I think about her? Isn't she in Africa or something?"

"Pacey, give me the beer," Jen reached out to take the can of Budweiser from his hand.

"You want some too, Jenny?" He waved the can in front of her face, then dizzily fell back against the wall. "Get your own."

"You don't want to do this," Dawson said. "This is stupid. I know you miss Joey, but - "

"I don't miss Joey!" Pacey took a swig of his beer. "That girl that went to Africa? Why would I miss her? Hey, why does she have a boy's name, anyway?"

"It's short for Josephine," Jen reminded him. "And she's in France."

"I know. Isn't France in Africa?" he asked slowly.

"No, Pace. It isn't." Dawson answered.

"Oh," Pacey took another drink, then held the can upside down and shook it.

"Hey, it's gone! D-man, you got any beer in your fridge?" He stepped clumsily toward the door, but Jen caught him and pulled him back onto the bed.

"Thanks, Jenny, but don't you think we should do this when your boyfriend isn't around?" he whispered loudly.

"She doesn't want to sleep with you, you idiot!" Dawson yelled. "She's trying to keep you from falling down the stairs and killing yourself!"

"Sure she is..." Pacey winked at Jen. "Just keep tellin' yourself that, buddy."

Jen sighed. "Dawson, what are we going to do with him?"

"Just get me another beer, and I'll be outta your way," Pacey promised.

"Then you two can get back to doing whatever you were doing...hey, what were you doing?"

"Nothing, Pacey. Absolutely nothing." Dawson sighed. "I can't send you home like this. If you don't kill yourself on the way, your dad will find a use for his gun when you get there. You can crash here tonight, but only if you promise to never do this again."

"Okay, Dawson," Pacey giggled, then fell against the pillows and began snoring loudly.

"Call me if you need help," Jen whispered.

"Thanks, Jen," Dawson leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Bye," she said, then disappeared through the door. Dawson turned around and sighed wearily. Pacey had taken up the entire bed, and was still snoring. Dawson turned off the light and went to sleep in the guest room.

~*~

"Josephine," Sylvie said, gently shaking her friend's shoulder. "Josephine, it's twelve o'clock. Why are you sleeping?"

"I don't want to get up," Joey mumbled. "Go away, Sylvie."

"This isn't healthy. You need to get up, go out, and get over this Pacey boy. Come on. I'll take you out for a café au lait...we can ever get some chocolate pastries...Josephine, you must get out of bed."

"No,"

"Get up," Sylvie ordered. "Josephine!" She pulled the pillow out from under Joey's head.

Joey just pulled the covers tighter and shut her eyes. "Go away."

"Would you get up if I told you Pacey was here?"

Joey shot out of bed, and turned to face Sylvie. "You're kidding! He's here? In Paris?"

"Of course not, but at least I got you out of bed," Sylvie replied.

Joey groaned. "That was low, Sylvie."

"I know. Come on. Get dressed, and we'll go out."

"Okay," Joey agreed reluctantly.

An hour later, they were sitting in a café and waiting for Jean-Claude to show up.

"I'm so happy for you, Sylvie. You and Jean-Claude will make a great couple."

"Thank you, Josephine," Sylvie giggled. "I am nervous. I cannot believe that I am nervous about seeing Jean-Claude. He is my best friend." Joey smiled softly, remembering a time when she had felt the same thing for Dawson. It had passed, of course, but she could still indentify with how Sylvie felt.

"Salut, Sylvie," a male voice said, standing awkwardly in front of their table.

"Salut, Jean-Claude," Sylvie murmured. "This is my friend, Josephine. Josephine, this is Jean-Claude."

"Hello, Josephine. It is nice to finally meet you."

Joey blushed, remembering their first 'meeting'. "Hi, Jean-Claude. I'm really sorry about the first time we met. Something reminded me of my boyfriend, and I had to leave."

"Ex-boyfriend," Sylvie pointed out gently.

Joey blinked. "What?"

"Pacey is your ex-boyfriend," she repeated.

"Right," Joey nodded mechanically. "My ex-boyfriend."

"So, Josephine, how do you like Paris?" Jean-Claude asked, sitting down in the empty chair between her and Sylvie.

"I love it," Joey replied. "I miss home, but Paris is amazing. And the Benureaus have been so hospitable." She smiled at Sylvie. "And Sylvie's been so wonderful. I don't know what I would've done without her these past few weeks."

"When do you leave?"

"A week and a half," Joey answered.

"Are you looking forward to it?"

"I don't know," She shook her head. "I haven't decided yet. I'm looking forward to seeing my friends, and my family, but I'll miss Sylvie, and Paris..."

"I understand," Jean-Claude nodded. "It must be hard to be away from the people you love."

"Yes," Joey agreed, conjuring up a picture of Pacey in her head. "It is."

* * * * *

"Home, home on the range/where the deer and the anteloupe plaaaayyyy/where the buffaloes roooaaamm/and da da da da hoommme/and the skies are all cloudy all daaayyy!" Pacey crooned, then bent over to take a bow.

"That's amazing, Pacey," Abby said, leaning up against him. "You're sooo talented. You should sing professally." She paused.

"Porfessionally...professiony?"

Pacey laughed loudly. "Professly!"

"No, that's not it!" She giggled helplessly, and fell back onto the couch behind them, and pulling Pacey with her. "Pro-fress-only?"

"That's it," Pacey nodded seriously. "Pro-fress-only."

"Mmm," Abby snuggled up next to him, and grabbed his beer to take a long sip.

"Don't drink it all!" Pacey cried.

"I won't," Abby poured some more down her throat, then handed it back to him.

"Oops! All gone!" She giggled again.

"I'll go get another," He stood up, and staggered over to the refridgerator.

"Hey! Where'd all the beer go?"

"It's gone?" Abby asked, coming over and taking his arm. "That's okay. I know where we can get something even better."

"What's that?"

"Wine," She rubbed up against him, lowering her voice seductively. "I have some at my house, and my mother's out of town..."

"Let's go," Pacey agreed, stumbling toward the front door. "This party was no fun anyway."

Just as he reached for the doorknob, it opened and in walked Jen and Dawson.

"Pacey! What are you doing?" Dawson asked, his mouth agape.

"Jus headin' to Abby's," Pacey stuttered.

"Abby, what are you doing?" Jen glared at her. "Don't you have any self- respect, or will you do it with anything that breathes and has a penis? You know that Pacey's in love with Joey."

"That Cotter girl again," Pacey shook his head. "I'm not in love with her. Besides, even if I were, she's in Africa, and Abby's here. Now, get outta my way." He pushed Dawson aside.

"Pacey," Dawson caught his arm. "You don't want to do this."

"Lemme alone, Leery," Pacey pulled his arm away, and walked out the door.

"We can't let him do this," Jen said cautiously.

Dawson sighed. "We can't stop him."

Pacey and Abby stumbled to his car, and climbed in. Abby cranked up the radio, and they sang loudly the entire way to Abby's house. Once they reached Abby's, she led him through the front door and into the living room. "You jus make yourself comfy," Abby said, pushing him lightly on the couch. "I'll go get the wine."

Pacey sat down and waited for Abby to return with something to drink. "Hurry up, Abby!" He called, after she had been gone a few minutes. "I'm losin' my buzz!"

A moment later, Abby walked into the living room carrying a bottle of wine. Pacey noticed that she had unbuttoned her shirt, and her black lace bra was glaringly obvious, as she sat down on his lap.

"Have some, baby," she said, holding the bottle up to his lips.

Pacey took a long sip of wine, then watched Abby drink some.

Abby put the bottle down on the floor, and pushed one hand under Pacey's shirt. She tilted her head to the side. "Wanna have some fun, Pacey baby?"

He reached over and kissed her hard, blocking all thoughts of Joey, and everyone else. Abby pulled off his shirt and and straddled his legs. Pacey yanked away her blouse, and unbuttoned her bra. She kissed him harder, pushing her tongue into his mouth. He pulled her under him, and rested his hand on her bare stomach.

"Joey..." Pacey murmured. "Joey..."

* * * * *

Write to Ainsley