Classification-Not just a love triangle...a love rectangle! Although one of them won't come in until later...

Rating-PG

Setting-Right after the season finale

Summary-Starts with the kiss at the end of "Breaking Away."

Music-The song is "The Power of Goodbye" by Madonna. You might recognize it as the song from Felicity.

Note-Jen's not gonna really be in this one much, except in mentions. This one revolves more about Joey. I've been focusing so much on Jen in Model Behavior lately, that I'm going to focus more on the other characters.

French Kiss

Your heart is not open so I must go
The spell has been broken I loved you so
Freedom comes when you learn to let go
Creation comes when you learn to say no
You were my lesson I had to learn
I was your fortress you had to burn
Pain is a warning that something's wrong
I pray to God that it won't be long
Walk away
There's nothing left to try
There's no place left to hide
There's no greater power
Than the power of goodbye
Your heart is not open so I must go
The spell has been broken I loved you so
You were my lesson I had to learn
I was your fortress...
There's nothing left to lose
There's no more heart to bruise
There's no greater power
Than the power of goodbye
Learn to say goodbye
I yearn to say goodbye
There's nothing left to try
There's no more places to hide
There's no greater power
Than the power of goodbye
There's nothing left to lose
There's no more heart to bruise
There's no greater power
Than the power of goodbye

Joey broke away from Dawson and looked into his eyes. "I have to ask this," Joey said, "I know it may be a bit self-destructive on my part, but..." she sighed, "are you kissing me because you love me too or because you don't want me to go to France and you think acting like you love me will make me stay?"

"Jo..." Dawson said, cupping her face in his hands, "You know how I feel about you. I told you that night at the pageant."

Joey shook her head, trying to keep the tears away. "But that wasn't me you saw. You saw a girl you wanted to see and a girl I kind of wanted to be, but I can't be her, Dawson. I can't be your next Jen Lindley. I don't want you to agonize over impressing me until you finally give up and notice the next girl who comes your way. I don't thing I could take that."

"What are you saying, Jo?" Dawson asked.

"I'm saying I need to go to France," Joey said, "and don't try to change my mind, this is something I need to do on my own. I can't spend the rest of my life agonizing over my pathetic adolescent life, wondering about what might have been, while the rest of the world is apathetic to my feelings of self-hatred."

"Jo, I couldn't live without you for a whole semester. Eighteen weeks without seeing you? Where would I be without my support group, my therapist?"

"So that's what I am to you?" Joey asked, "some psychiatrist who listens to you bitch and moan about how all the women in your life keep your head in constant revolution?"

"That's not what I meant, Jo," Dawson said, "I meant that I would go insane without you by my side."

Joey looked at her feet. "This is something I have to do, Dawson. I'm not doing it because of you, or my life, or anything like that. I'm doing this because I might never get out of Capeside, and if I pass up this opportunity to see a world I might never have seen otherwise then I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

"Will you still love me when you return?" Dawson asked, "because I'm afraid that all this time and space could destroy what we have." "That will never happen, Dawson," Joey said, "My feelings for you will never change. Maybe this time apart will help clear our heads." Joey walked over to the window and onto the ladder. Before she disappeared outside, she poked her head in and said. "Don't worry Dawson. I'll be alright. I need this farewell, at least for now. There's a power in goodbye."

*****

Joey spent her last days in Capeside the same way she spent the others. She went to school, went to work, and had movie night. Dawson seemed more clingy, Pacey made more cracks, probably to get them all out before she left, and Joey could see Jen practically break into tears everytime Dawson put his arm around Joey.

Joey was doing they days totals for the Icehouse when Pacey showed up.

"Like I told you two weeks ago," Joey said, "the kitchen's closed."

"Actually I came to see you," Pacey said.

"And to what do I owe this honor?" Joey said sarcastically, "did you think up another prude joke and just couldn't wait to try it out?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Pacey said, "I don't waste the good jokes on you. I just came to say goodbye ahead of time. From the way Dawson's been practically stalking you, I get the feeling I won't get a chance to say it later on."

"Thanks...I think," Joey said, somewhat confused.

"So, are you excited about France?" Pacey asked.

Joey shrugged. "Kind of. I mean, it's going to be incredible to see Paris, but then again, I won't know anyone and I'm not looking forward to being alone for the next 3 and a half months."

"Well if you ever get lonely, or you just need someone to snap at, look no further than the Pace Man." Pacey said.

"Great," Joey said, "Just when I thought I was safe from the vengeful wrath of the earth gods, they send another plague upon me. What's next, oh great God Pacey, locusts or snakes?"

Pacey laughed. "Well I can safely say I won't miss hearing your insults," he said, "although it was kind of sexy the way you called me a god. So does this make you my servant?"

"Don't make me throw up," Joey said.

"Hey," Pacey said, smiling, "First Commandment of Pacey Witter. Thou shalt not puke upon thy master."

Joey shook her head. "Just when I was regretting my decision to leave everything behind..."

"But seriously," Pacey said, "if you ever need someone to talk to...someone who's a little more grounded in reality than our friend Dawson Leery, just call me up."

"Thanks Pacey," Joey said, "I might just do that."

*****

Jen, Dawson, Pacey, the Leery's, Bodie, Bessie, and Alexander all accompanied Joey to the airport. After many tearful goodbyes and promises to write, Joey boarded flight 762 to Paris.

Joey arrived in the airport in Paris several hours later. Upon arriving, a tall woman in a navy business suit walked over to ask her if she was part of the group who was there to study for a semester. After showing the woman her identification card and getting her bags, Joey followed the woman-who's name was Miss McAlpin-to a taxi.

The taxi weaved through the busy streets of Paris until it reached a dormitory enclosed in a large, walled campus. The school was named Le Lycée des États-Unis, or the American Academy.

Joey lugged her heavy suitcases up the flight of stairs until she reached the floor her dorm was on. She walked to her dorm room and opened the door.

A petite redhead was already unpacking her things inside there. "Hi, you must be Josephine," the girl said, "My name is Dana."

"Hey," Joey said, "and call me Joey. No one calls me Josephine."

Dana laughed. "I understand. My middle name is Dana. My actual name is Linda, but that sounds too much like a math teacher's name, don't you think? So I just go by Dana now. So where are you from? I'm from Syracuse."

"Capeside, Massachusetts," Joey said.

"Small town?" Dana asked, "I wish I lived in a tiny town. In Syracuse I'm just a nameless face. I want to be known, although if I lived in a small town, I'd probably be that psychotic Dana chick. And now that I've completely scared you with my overly perky cheerleader reject personality, wanna go wandering? I figure that if I'm gonna study here for a semester, I might as well learn the campus."

Joey laughed. "Sure."

*****

"Luke, I swear to God!," yelled Maggie Hatter, a tall girl with curly brown hair, "stop it!"

Luke laughed and resumed tickling her. "No," he said, "not until you say that I was right and you were wrong."

"No," Maggie said stubbornly, "I AM right. There is no way I'm gonna say Pierce Brosnan was a better James Bond than Sean Connery. That's just not gonna happen."

"Come on MARGARET," Luke said, taunting Maggie.

"Oh that's it," Maggie said, taking off after him as he ran across the field of the campus.

Maggie tackled him and started tickling him, until he finally said, "I give."

"You're just so...so..." Luke didn't finish. He was looking at something.

Maggie turned to see what he was looking at. A tall brunette was walking across the campus with a petite redhead.

"Wipe your mouth, you're drooling," Maggie said.

"Who is she?" Luke asked.

"You mean the brunette?" Maggie said, "I don't know anymore than you do, she must be new. I haven't seen her here before. I'll bet she's part of that group coming this semester."

"She's gorgeous," Luke said, still staring.

Maggie shrugged. "If you like that tall, dark, mysterious look," she said jealously.

"Find out who she is?" Luke asked, turning to her.

Maggie shook her head. "Uh uh. She's probably some rich little kid who's mummy and daddy decided to put her here while they're touring Italy. Wouldn't want to talk to the rest of us common brains who're here from America to study the year."

"Come on Maggie," Luke said, "I'm not asking you to set me up with her, just find out who she is, where she's from, and what she's doing here." "And after that, become her best friend, follow her like a lap dog while she joins the pep squad, and do her homework for her," Maggie said. Luke rolled his eyes. "You're so overdramatic."

"Bite me," Maggie said.

*****

Joey and Dana immediately bonded. Joey liked Dana's easygoing manner, and Dana could count on Joey to be completely honest.

Maggie found herself becoming more jealous by the day as Luke spent more and more of his time watching the new girl.

One day in the Dinner Hall, Maggie and Luke were having lunch. Luke was staring at Joey from across the cafeteria.

"So what did you find out about her?" Luke asked, turning to Maggie.

"Finally you pay attention to me," Maggie mumbled. Then, she said, "Her name's Josephine Potter, but she hates it when people call her that, so she goes by Joey. Only her closest friends call her Jo. She's from Capeside, Massachusetts, some small town. She's here on a scholarship to study the semester, only she came to escape some guy. I don't know the details, but that's what I heard. So just give up on her, she's probably taken."

"Maybe," Luke said, "or maybe she's here to start over, and she needs someone to start over with."

"And that person would be you?" Maggie asked dubiously.

"Why not?" Luke said, "why couldn't I date her?"

"For one thing," Maggie said, "she has no idea you exist. You don't talk to her, you gape when she walks across the campus, and I'm pretty sure that's not a banana in your pocket. Second, you don't know her. What do you know about her except that she's a mysterious girl from America?" "I can't describe it, Maggie," Luke said, "there's just something about her. It's like, sometimes, you can just feel something, like it's destiny or something. It just hits you. One day you'll fall in love and you'll know what it's like."

"I probably know more than you think," Maggie mumbled as Luke returned to staring at Joey.

*****

"Don't look now," Dana said, leaning over the table towards Joey, "but that guy across the room is totally staring at you."

Joey turned. A good-looking boy with light brown hair was looking in their direction.

"No he's not," Joey said, turning back around, "he's just looking in our direction. A casual glance."

"Nuh uh," Dana said, "I have 4 brothers. I grew up with them. No sisters. I know how guys think. They don't just look somewhere for no reason, and they aren't exactly subtle when they look at girls. Us girls glance quickly then stay as far away as possible from the guys we like so they think we don't know they exist. Guys stare and gape and hang around the girls they like."

"You're wrong," Joey said.

"Fine, don't believe me, just ask any guy," Dana said, "I dare you."

Joey turned back around to look at the boy. He was still looking. When Joey met his eyes, he turned around quickly.

"I'm telling you, he was definitely checking you out. Definitely. There's a little spot on your head where his eyes burned through." Dana said.

*****

Pacey was having a dream where, let's just say, could not be played on any station but Cinemax or the Pay-Per-View channel, when the phone rang. He shot up out of bed. "No!" he said, shaking the phone angrily, "I know you did not just do that."

"Hello," he said into the phone.

"Pacey!" came Joey's voice.

"Joey?" Pacey asked, "why are you...what are you...hi."

"I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" Joey asked.

"No no," Pacey said, "just one of my torrid affairs with several members of the cheerleading squad."

"Perv," Joey said, "Anyway, you know how you said I could talk to you about anything?"

"Yeah...." Pacey said.

"Well," Joey said, "I've finally sunk to that level. And before you go getting a swelled head, keep in mind that I will regret this, and probably have a psychiatric exam tomorrow."

"So nice to hear from the charming Miss Potter again," Pacey said, "Hurry up, I don't want to keep the cheerleaders waiting."

"Well there's kind of this guy," Joey said.

Pacey raised his eyebrow. "I assume when you say guy, you don't mean Dawson, otherwise you wouldn't be calling me," Pacey said.

Joey sighed. "I don't know why I'm calling you anyway," she said, "But anyway, I've never actually spoken to him, but my dormmate Dana keeps saying he's staring at me, and even though I don't believe her, it kind of intrigues me and I'm sort of interested, and now I feel like I'm cheating on Dawson, even though I haven't done anything, and we're technically not together. So am I just scum dragging myself from the primordial ooze, or is this just another kink in my already twisted adolescent life?"

"First off," Pacey said, "Breathe. I don't think you stopped to take a breath when you said that. Second, what does primordial mean? And third, no you aren't doing anything wrong."

Joey sighed, relieved. "Good," she said.

"However," Pacey said, "for all I know, you could be lying and saying there's nothing going on, while Pablo or Pierre or whatever this guy's name is, is out buying condoms for the wild passionate night you have planned tonight."

"Pervert," Joey said, "I knew you couldn't resist."

"Never could resist feisty, sexually-repressed, and unbelievably tortured prudes," Pacey said.

"Bite me," Joey said, "You just wait until a girl, one your own age, makes you get confused, and you see what I'll say then."

Joey hung up, and Pacey held the phone for a moment longer. "I'm kind of afraid what you would say," Pacey said to the dark room.

To Be Continued in
"In Love and War"
a.k.a. "Tainted Love"

Back to Katy's Stories | Back to Fan Fiction | Back to the Main Page This page has been visited times.