Author's Note: Well, this was supposed to be one part. Then it
became two. Now it is three. And you are probably thinking 'why hasn't this girl
been locked up in an insane asylum yet?' Truthfully, I had never intended to
write a third part, heck I never meant to write a second part, but it turns out
I have very persistent readers! So to all of you out there who sent me feedback,
there was an awful lot of you, this is for you. Without your appreciation of my
writing, I would never have written this.
Thanks To: The readers (duh!) for encouraging this story into creation,
Vixen who assured me I wasn't insane for writing it, and Eden who gives me help,
ideas, love and unconditional friendship.
Disclaimer: Well, since you can't own people, it's obvious that I don't own
the ones in this story. Katie, James, Josh, Kerr, Michelle, Meredith, Paul and
Kevin, if you read this (yeah right!) and are offended, I apologize, it wasn't
my intention.
It was still dark as the cars pulled into Screen
Gem, but there were people bustling about everywhere. Inside the gate crew,
gophers and secretaries bustled madly about their jobs, rushing from once side
of the lot to the other. On the outside, the more enthusiastic of the reporters
had already set up camp, hoping for a glimpse of, and maybe even a chat with,
Hollywood's couple of the moment. But, unbeknown to them, the aforementioned
couple had sneaked in a side entrance half an hour earlier, on their way to a
meeting with several very confused and questioning executives.
By the time the rest of the cast arrived, pointedly ignoring the press outside,
no one had emerged from the conference room where the 'secret' meeting was being
held. Wild theories and scenarios were running rampant through the crew, as all
tried to speculate as to what was being said behind the closed doors.
None were more questioning than the core cast members. They had so far been
unable to reach their two friends, and wanted very much to speak with them. They
were all hovering outside the conference room, pretending to scan new scripts,
under the premise that they were waiting for the production meeting to begin.
The door opened, and they all jumped and looked up, only to be disappointed by
the exit of Julie James, the CTS publicist they all hated. Normally, they
avoided her at all costs, but today they all crowded around her, hoping for some
information. She offered none, instead bustled off quickly, mumbling to herself
about a press release.
The pacing commenced again, as the minutes crawled. Finally, at 12 minutes after
9, the doors to the conference room opened, and the participants poured out.
Kerr, Josh, Michelle and Meredith pounced on the door as inconspicuously as
possible, and were not disappointed.
Paul and Kevin came out first, talking softly with the Columbia/Tri-Star
executives. Paul took a minute to tell the cast that the table read would begin
in an hour, and then hurried off, leaving the 6 friends alone in the hall. The
silence between them all was deafening; no one knew what exactly to say to each
other. Finally, James cleared his throat and spoke.
"We need to talk."
"I'll say." Josh muttered quietly under his breath.
"Why don't we all go sit down." Suggested Katie, motioning toward the
conference room. The others followed in mute agreement, and they all took seats
around the table, Katie and James on one side, the rest along the other. The two
lovebirds shared a silent conversion with their eyes, before turning to their
friends.
"Um, we certainly have a lot of explaining to do," began James,
"but first we have to tell you all something that's very important. It will
be public knowledge later today when the press release comes out, but we want
you to hear it from us first." He took a deep breath, and felt Katie
squeezing his hand, willing him to continue, which he did.
"We got married last week." He finally blurted out, to a response of
gasps and then silence. Katie and James looked carefully at their friends,
desperately trying to read their expressions and gauge their reactions. Kerr
looked bowled over, Michelle and Meredith looked surprised also, but Michelle
had a hint of a smile on her face. Only Josh looked slightly angry and upset,
but his expression was mostly unreadable.
Finally, after a minute's silence, Meredith jumped up from her seat and came
around the table to hug Katie, then James, surprising them both.
"Oh my god, congratulations!" she said, "I can't believe it, it's
wonderful." Michelle and Kerr followed suit, congratulating their friends,
but Josh remained seated. Finally, after the celebrating finished, Katie turned
and looked at Josh.
"Josh," she asked quietly, "don't you have anything you want to
say?" She was greeted with silence. "Please, Josh, don't be
angry." She pleaded.
"I'm not angry." He said carefully, "I'm just surprised is
all." He looked both his friends directly in their eyes. "Why did you
keep this a secret? Couldn't you trust us or something? I just find it weird
that 2 of the people I consider my closest friends felt they couldn't share
their happiness with us until now."
James sighed, "We can explain that, there is a reason why we didn't tell
anyone."
"We never intended to deceive you, but we didn't understand it all
ourselves." Katie interjected, "You see, none of this was planned, it
just kinda came up and bit us both." She smiled lovingly at James.
"When?" Kerr asked. "I mean, how long has this been going
on?"
Katie looked at James and laughed, "Well, it's an interesting story, I'll
tell you that. It all started last July…"
* * * * *
Katie pushed open the door to the restaurant and took a moment to absorb all of
the familiar sounds and smells around her. It felt good to be back. She surveyed
the room, and was surprised to see a familiar figure sitting at a table in the
back. She smiled, and headed toward him.
"Hey stranger." She said, causing him to look up. James face broke
into a wide smile, and he stood up to hug her.
"Katie, what are you doing here? Come, sit, sit. I want to hear everything
you've been doing for the last 5 months." James rambled as he and Katie
both sat down.
"Woah, slow down!" she laughed, "First question, I am here
because I can't move into my new place for another 3 weeks, and room service at
the hotel did NOT look appealing. So it was come here, or starve." She
chuckled, perusing the menu. "What about you?"
"Truthfully, I have no food in my place yet. I only got in today, so at the
moment it is just a pile of boxes and suitcases waiting to be unpacked."
"So you opted not to share a place with Josh this year I hear."
"Well, we figured unless one of us left we'd end up killing each other. So
I said I'd go, he likes the apartment better anyway."
They chuckled softly together, then made small talk for a few minutes whilst the
waiter took their order.
While they waited for their food, they swapped stories on their respective
summers, the movies they'd done, who they'd met etc. Katie discovered she was
totally at ease just talking with James, something that surprised. Last year,
they had never spent any time just the two of them, other than when they were
filming. Then, the cast had had a tendency to stick together, safety in
numbers.
"So, do you know when is everyone coming in?" asked James as they
began to eat. "I spoke to Josh yesterday, and he said he'll be in Friday,
but I haven't heard about the others."
Katie chewed thoughtfully for a moment, before answering. "From what Paul
said last week, Michelle is coming in on Thursday, and we're meeting with Kerr
and Meredith on Friday."
James raised his eyebrows. "That will be interesting, have you ever met
either of them before?"
"No, I haven't. I don't know much about them at all, but Paul assured me
that they are perfect, and I tend to trust his judgement. I mean, he did cast
us, how bad can he be!" Katie said with a laugh.
James laughed also, "I would have to agree there." They sat for a few
minutes in comfortable silence. "So," James asked, "How is Kevin
as a director?"
* * * * *
Two nights later, Katie answered her hotel room door to find James standing
there, a take-out bag in his hand and a huge smile on his face.
"Hey!" she greeted him warmly, "What are you doing here?"
She opened the door fully and allowed him to enter.
"Well, I still have no food in my place, and I figured that instead of
eating alone, I'd see if you wanted to join me." James said as he placed
the food bags on the table. "I bought Chinese, you interested?" he
asked, giving her a look she couldn't refuse.
Katie just laughed, and searched in the small kitchenette for plates and
glasses.
* * * * *
"…so I offered to beat him up for her, but she just laughed at me. I
must say, I took great offence to that, I was, after all, just trying to be a
stereotypical over-protective older brother. Still, she didn't seem to be to
receptive to my offer."
Katie laughed heartily, as did James, despite his mock disappointment. They had
spent the last few hours just sharing and talking comfortably. Katie was again
pleasantly surprised. She was enjoying this chance to forge a different
friendship with James away from the craziness of the set. It was refreshing.
"Well," said James, standing, "As much fun as this has been, we
both have to be up early in the morning." Katie looked at her witch and was
startled to see that it was almost 1am.
"Wow, it is late." She stood and smiled at James, "I've been
having so much fun that I didn't notice."
James returned her smile. "Me too." He said as they walked to the
door.
"Thanks for dinner." Katie said, opening the door for him.
"Thanks for keeping me company." He replied, as he kissed her cheek
quickly. Katie opened her mouth to say goodnight, and was surprised when James
kissed her again, this time on the lips.
The second kiss was much less innocent than the first, it was fueled by passion
and lust. Katie's mind told her to push James away, that this was a mistake, but
she found herself placing her hand behind his head to pull him closer to him.
Eventually, after several minutes, her conscience kicked in fully, and she broke
away.
"Wait, we shouldn't do this." she said quickly, unable to meet James'
eyes.
"Why not?"
"It's just too complicated, ok. I mean we work together, we're friends, it
just wouldn't work." Katie stated, trying hard to keep her voice and
pounding heart in check.
"Yeah, um, you're right." He stammered, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't
have done that. I'll, um, I'll see you tomorrow" He hurriedly put his coat
on and started down the hall.
Katie closed the door behind her, and leaned heavily against it, the events of
the last few minutes running madly through her head. She sighed heavily, her
mind in overdrive. What had they just done?
* * * * *
Katie spent the next 10 days successfully avoiding a confrontation with James.
She went about her job as normal, meeting the new cast members, pre-production
read through, rehearsals, she even managed to be her usual self around Josh and
Meredith. The rest of the cast and the crew noticed nothing different in neither
her behavior nor James', but Katie caught him watching her a few times.
Finally, the big test came. They were filming the first scene for the season,
which happened to be the last scene of the first episode. Due to studio
scheduling, they were filming all their nighttime scenes first. Katie paced
nervously around the set, before retiring to one of the director's chairs
labeled CAST.
"You all prepared for the scene?" a voice behind her asked. Katie
turned to see Josh. She smiled warmly, so as not to cause any suspicion.
"Yeah, I think so." She said quietly, before suppressing a giggle.
"What?" asked Josh.
"When are you going to fix your hair?" Katie asked, laughing.
Josh gave her a 'look', before answering. "When we finish filming this ep,
it'll be back to normal soon."
"Well, no offence, but good. I doesn't suit you at all."
"Gee, thanks, way to make a man feel loved." Josh said in a
mock-annoyed tone.
A PA interrupted their joking, 'Katie, we're ready for you now." Katie
nodded, then stood up from her seat.
"That's my cue, I'll talk to you later Josh." She said, farewelling
her friend.
"Good luck!" he called after her.
Katie walked to where they were filming on the riverfront. The director told her
to sit on the bench whilst they fiddled with the lighting. She did as she was
told, allowing make-up artists to do touch ups while she waited. Out of the
corner of her eye, she saw James receiving the same treatment. He smiled at her,
and she looked quickly away. Finally they were ready to go, places were taken,
and the director yelled 'action.'
The scene was a powerful one, and one of the most pivotal in the episode. Katie
and James were cautious but confident as they played out their character's
lines, Joey explaining why she stayed in Capeside, whilst Dawson listened
intently. Katie noticed the look in James' eyes; it was a look that said he
wasn't just playing a character here.
Katie tried to ignore his eyes, and the fact that the scene could just have
easily been played out in her own life. The final straw came when she delivered
the line, "as complicated as our friendship was, it doesn't begin to
compare to how complicated what you and I have here is bound to be."
She tried to avert his gaze with the next line, but James grabbed both her
hands, and forced her to look directly into his eyes. As he spoke, his eyes
again conveyed their 'not in character' message. "What you and I have may
never be simple, but that doesn't mean we're not gonna be scorching!"
Katie felt herself melt under his gaze, the truth of the words hitting home for
her. The rest of the scene seemed more like a dream, she had no idea how she
remembered her lines or cues but somehow she got through it. Her and James sat
on the swings, passionately kissing as the script called for, neither of them
hearing the call of 'cut' from the director at first. Finally, they broke away,
and turned to the director, who was smiling widely.
"Cut and print, that was perfect you two! Quite a way to start the new
season." James and Katie just smiled nicely, and walked off toward their
chairs, sneaking small glances at one another along the way.
Neither of them was needed again tonight, the other scenes being filmed only
required Josh and Ali. Katie had a quick word with the wardrobe assistant, and
arranged to return her costume in the morning. As she attempted to follow James
to where their cars were parked, she got intercepted by one of Screen Gems
assistants, asking a few dozen questions. Katie tried to answer them as quickly
as she could, but when she was finally freed James was nowhere to be seen. She
sighed, and headed dejectedly toward her car.
"You know that I was talking to you back there." Came a voice from
behind her. Katie turned to see James leaning against his car, waiting for her.
She walked over and stood next to him.
"I know." She said quietly. For a few moments there was nothing but
silence between them. "Do you really believe that we have a chance?"
Katie asked finally, "Or has all this just been some game or
something?"
James moved to stand in front of her, placing his hand on her cheek. "If I
didn't think we had a chance, I wouldn't pursue this." he said, smiling.
"I know that there are a million reasons why we shouldn't do this, but my
heart is telling me that I have to take that chance, I have to see what will
happen."
Katie smiled shyly at him, "Mine is saying the same." She said
quietly, focusing her attention on his shoes. She felt his hand gently lift up
her chin to meet his face. She looked into his eyes and saw the affection that
was there.
"So what do you say we take a chance?" he suggested.
Katie nodded, "Ok. On one condition, no one can know."
"Agreed." Said James, "Can I kiss you now?"
Katie laughed, "That is a definite yes." She said, looking carefully
into his eyes.
* * * * *
"And it all kinda led on from there." Said James, finishing the story.
"That's quite a story." Said Josh, in an overwhelmed tone, "But I
must say, so many things make sense now."
"Like what?" asked Katie.
"Like the time you two needed 17 takes on the opening scene of episode two
last season.", exclaimed Michelle, causing the happy couple to blush.
"Guilty as charged." Said Katie meekly. "We're sorry we kept it
from you, but we hope you understand why we did." She said again.
"We do, don't worry." Said Meredith, "So, now tell us all about
the wedding." She pleaded, causing them all to laugh.
They sat together for a few more minutes, talking, joking and laughing about
their respective summer activities. Eventually, they were interrupted by a knock
at the door.
"Um, sorry to break up the party, but Paul wants to see you 6 on set
now." Said the PA who had stuck her head in the door.
"I think that's our exit cue." Said Kerr, standing. "We don't
want to leave our boss waiting." The others laughed a little, and they all
headed out of the conference room, James and Katie straggling along behind the
others.
"They took that well." Commented James.
"Yeah they did. Better than I thought they would." Katie added.
* * * * *
A week later, Michelle was sitting on the side of the set running
through lines, when Meredith came and sat next to her. "Heya Mere, whatcha
up to?" Michelle asked her friend.
"Just watching those two." Answered Meredith, pointing to where
James and Katie were goofing around near the crafts services table. "I
can't believe we never picked up on their relationship, are we dumb or
what?"
"We're not dumb, they just hid it well." Said Michelle, putting down
her script to watch the couple. "But you have to admit, they are perfect
for each other."
"Yeah, that they are." Sighed Meredith. "So, you never did tell
me, how was your summer in New York?" she asked turning to Michelle.
"Oh, now there's a looooong story!" said Michelle with a laugh.
"So, we have 9 months to hear all about it." Meredith replied with a
smile.
OK, so it was dumb, it was corny, but hey that's who
I am. I seriously doubt that ANY of the events depicted here actually happened,
but that is the fun of fanfiction. Though according to Michelle Williams, my
ideas are not all that far off. Did anyone else hear her on Howard Stern? Very interesting
interview, trust me.
But I digress, this is the FINAL part in this series, there is NO WAY I am going
to continue this at all. Granted I said that with the first part, but I really
mean it this time. Tell me what you though of this, even if you hated it I'd
love to know why. Email me at missymcphee@dawsonmail.com or
missymcphee@hotmail.com. I am also available on AIM as MAndieM527 or on ICQ: 41164311.
Can you hear me begging for feedback?? Oh well, tootles peoples, have a great
summer, and go see Notting Hill, it is the best movie I've ever seen
BYA!!!!