Cut to where we left off. Andie pulls Joey into a hug, excitedly.
ANDIE: Oh my god…it is so good to see you!
Joey giggles.
JOEY: Likewise. What are you doing here?
ANDIE: Thought it was time I went home, you know? Don’t get me wrong, Europe is fun…but you start to miss things like fast food and water parks, and you know how you’re always more comfortable at home. Not that it wasn’t comfortable in Venice or anything, because it was. Cuz how can you not be comfortable when all the streets are made of water, and, like…
Suddenly, she stops.
ANDIE: Sorry. I get like that when I’m excited…
Audrey laughs.
AUDREY: Your friend’s a chatterbox.
For the first time, Andie notices her.
ANDIE: Oh, sorry…Andie McPhee.
They shake hands.
AUDREY: Reese Witherspoon. But don’t tell anyone…I’m keeping a low profile.
Joey rolls her eyes.
JOEY: Come on, Audrey.
Andie smirks.
ANDIE: Ah, so you’re Audrey. Pacey’s girlfriend?
AUDREY: Ex-girlfriend. Let me tell you, it’s an honour to meet a fellow notch on Pacey Witter’s bedpost.
Andie laughs.
ANDIE: Come on…he’s not that bad!
AUDREY: You didn’t catch him with the boss.
ANDIE: Where is he, anyway? I wanna try some of his famous omelettes.
JOEY: LA.
Andie’s eyes went wide.
ANDIE: Pacey moved to LA?
JOEY: No, Dawson took him there. He had some stuff to finish up over there.
ANDIE: You mean they’re actually getting along these days? Did you become a nun or something?
Audrey grins.
AUDREY: More or less…
Joey gives her a warning look.
JOEY: Long story.
ANDIE: Well, you can tell it right after I see my little brother. He’ll be sure to fill me in on all the juicy details you leave out. So let’s head over to Grams’ place, and…
Joey bites her lip, which Andie notices.
ANDIE: What? What is it? What’s wrong?
JOEY: Jack’s not here.
Andie looks at her, confused.
ANDIE: What? Is he in LA, too?
Joey shakes her head.
JOEY: No. New York. Jen moved back there with Grams, and Jack went with her.
Andie’s face falls.
ANDIE: Oh…
JOEY: You didn’t know? Didn’t Jack tell you?
Andie shakes her head.
ANDIE: We didn’t exactly talk since Christmas. I meant to call, but I never got around to it. Wow! The big apple, huh?
JOEY: Yeah.
She quickly shakes off her disappointment.
ANDIE: So, what you got to eat around here?
*****
Cut to a studio back lot in LA. Dawson enters the area like he owns the place, while Pacey trails slowly behind him.
PACEY: You sure we should be here?
DAWSON: Mm-hm.
PACEY: Just what are you up to, anyway?
DAWSON: Something. Something that may be able to solve multiple problems in one fell swoop.
They arrive at a part of the studio where they’re currently filming. Pacey watches as a few crewmembers carry some fake palm trees past him.
Then, without warning, a shout sounds throughout the lot.
TODD: NO! No, that will not do at all! Do you people try to frustrate me, because let me tell you…you’re doing it bloody well too much. It’s gonna give me a stroke. This picture will be the death of me. And where’s my broccoli?
Dawson snickers, while Pacey just watches curiously.
A few feet away, Todd Carr is pacing back and forth.
TODD: Do any of you morons remember when we have to get this film done? Well, if you forget, it’s two weeks. TWO WEEKS! That’s not a helluva long time, in case you’re wondering. Which means, if you want to keep your jobs…no, if you EVER want to work in this town again, you’ll do this next scene the way I tell you to do it. Otherwise, I’ll take it out of your hides!
He turns around to see Dawson and Pacey watching.
TODD: Ello, ello, ello! What have we here?
Dawson smirks.
DAWSON: Hey Todd.
Todd grins.
TODD: Lerry! What you doing here? Come to watch a master at work? Hey, how’s that thing you were doing back home going?
DAWSON: It’s going. Um…ok, I don’t think I’ve introduced you two yet. Todd Carr…Pacey Witter!
Todd and Pacey shake hands.
PACEY: Charmed.
Todd looks at him suspiciously.
TODD: You look familiar. Have I insulted you somewhere before?
PACEY: Christmas party.
A light comes on in Todd’s eyes.
TODD: Oh yeah. You had this weird thing on your face then. Grew a fashion sense? I was drunk then, wasn’t I?
Dawson sighs, remembering it well.
DAWSON: That’s an understatement.
TODD: Well, as you can see, I’m quite dashing and well mannered while sober.
Pacey notices several of the cast members giving Todd the evil eye a few feet away.
PACEY: Well, that’s obvious.
Todd laughs, smiling proudly. He takes out a pad of paper, and writes something down. He then gives it to Dawson.
TODD: Here. Meet me at this little watering hole at six. We got some catching up to do.
He then turns back to the crew.
TODD: Ok, places people! We’re wrapping up early tonight!
*****
Cut to Hell’s Kitchen. Joey, Andie, and Audrey are sitting at one of the tables, talking and laughing.
ANDIE: Ok, so Pacey writes me this love letter, but loses it.
AUDREY: Wait…Pacey writing a love letter? What is this, Bizarre-Pacey?
JOEY: This was during his heroic/sensitive stage.
AUDREY: As opposed to his yucky lawyer stage?
ANDIE: Right before his pirate stage, but after his Dustin Hoffman stage.
The three of them laugh.
ANDIE: Anyway, Chris finds it, and gives it to Abby Morgan. He forgot to sign it, so the two of them play detective to try and find out who’s it was. Eventually, the three of us end up in the same classroom, and vent our respective stresses on camera.
AUDREY: Ok, I must see that videotape.
Joey shakes her head.
AUDREY: You know, he’s in Boston.
Audrey raises her eyebrows.
ANDIE: Who?
AUDREY: Chris.
Andie’s jaw drops.
ANDIE: No way?
JOEY: At Worthington to boot. I must have pissed off some pagan god.
ANDIE: Is there anyone from Capeside High who didn’t end up in Beantown?
Andie takes a drink, then puts it down.
ANDIE: Speaking of which, what do you guys do for fun here?
Audrey raises an eyebrow.
AUDREY: (sarcastically) Fun? What is this ‘fun’ you speak of?
JOEY: Third year, Andie. Neither of us really have time to do anything non-scholastic this year. Especially considering the unfortunate results of last year.
ANDIE: Unfortunate results?
AUDREY: I drove Pacey’s new car through Dawson’s living room.
Andie gasps.
ANDIE: Oh, Gale must have loved that.
JOEY: Gale nothing. You should have seen Pacey’s face.
Andie laughs.
ANDIE: I remember the Viper…no explanation necessary.
JOEY: So, you see…anything remotely fun seems to backfire on us.
Andie scoffs.
ANDIE: Typical Joey.
Joey’s eyes narrow.
JOEY: What do you mean ‘typical Joey’?
ANDIE: I mean it’s obvious my absence has made you all regress. However, it will be my pleasure to re-educate you. Tell me…if Dawson or Pacey invited the two of you to a night on the town, you wouldn’t turn it down, would you? Heck, Jack could convince you.
JOEY: Hey, I have fun. I can have fun!
Audrey scoffs.
AUDREY: Yeah? What millennia?
Joey gives Audrey a cold look.
ANDIE: I say the three of us just let loose and have a night on the town ourselves. No studying, no rules, and especially no boys with unique first names.
Joey bites her lip.
AUDREY: Oh, come on, bunny!
The two blondes start to speak at the same time, so quickly that we can’t even understand them. Finally, Joey caves.
JOEY: All right! All right! Just this once…
ANDIE: YES!
AUDREY: Whoo-hoo! Party time!
Joey sighs.
AUDREY: You know what, Joey…I like her already!
JOEY: You would!
Andie smiles proudly.
*****
Cut back to LA, late at night. Dawson, Pacey and Todd arrive at a bar called ‘Starlight’. It’s hardly what the name would imply. It’s loud, smoky, and crowded.
PACEY: Guess they’ve got dives everywhere, huh?
TODD: Eh, keep an open mind, mate!
Over at the corner of the bar, a red-haired woman looks at Pacey. She winks.
Todd smirks at Pacey.
TODD: See that? That was for me.
Pacey snickers.
PACEY: Yeah, sure she was.
TODD: Doubt if you will, my young friend. If you’ll excuse me…
Todd makes a beeline towards her, while Pacey rolls his eyes about it. Dawson is busy chuckling.
PACEY: You’re laughing at this? In the old days, if I had done something like that, you’d be dragging me outta here by now.
DAWSON: As you’re fond of reminding me, Pace, this isn’t the old days. I’ve become somewhat more tolerant to certain…practices.
PACEY: Practices? Oh, you mean like statutory rape?
DAWSON: Come on…she’s at least eighteen.
PACEY: I don’t care. Your mop-headed friend is old enough to be her dad! It’s creepy.
Dawson sighs.
DAWSON: I understand that Todd can be a bit hormonal at times, but…
PACEY: Hormonal? The guy makes me look like a freaking Eunuch, Dawson! I get that you’re the kind of guy who looks for the best in everybody, but I think Todd’s exactly what he seems.
Dawson smirks.
DAWSON: No one’s ‘exactly what they seem’, Pacey. You taught me that. Believe me, the first time I met Todd, I thought exactly the same thing. I told him so…and he fired me.
Pacey goes wide-eyed.
PACEY: He fired you? When?
DAWSON: Right around the same time you first docked in Boston.
Pacey shakes his head in amazement.
PACEY: That why you moved back?
DAWSON: Yeah. Why’d you think I moved back?
Pacey gives him a look.
PACEY: You really have to ask?
Dawson sighs.
DAWSON: Ok, that may have been part of the reason…but, come on, Pacey. Do you honestly think I’d move all the way back there just to be with Joey?
PACEY: I would.
Dawson stares at him in surprise.
PACEY: If I knew for a fact she wanted me there for that reason, I’d drop everything. Then again, I don’t really have that much invested in anything else, do I? Maybe if I were more like you…
Before he can continue, Todd shows up with three girls in tow.
TODD: Hey. I was just telling the girls all about you!
Two of the women look towards Dawson and Pacey, flirtatious looks in their eyes.
DAWSON: (muttering) This could take awhile…
*****
Cut to Worthington University. In one of the classes, Chris is standing up in front of the other students, reading from a piece of paper. He finishes, and then bows.
TEACHER: Thank you, Christopher.
He takes his seat next to Audrey.
TEACHER: Well done, people. The results will be posted by the end of the week, for you to find out whether you made the cut. I want to try and select this year’s winter play as soon as possible, so be sure to come to rehearsals.
The bell rings, and people begin to pile out of the class. All except Chris and Audrey who stray behind.
CHRIS: Well, what did you think? Am I the next Mel Gibson?
AUDREY: More like Jason Biggs. There’s such a thing as over-acting.
Chris scoffs.
CHRIS: I’ll have you know that my technique has improved in the intervening years. Why don’t you come on up to my room and I’ll show you some of my stuff?
Audrey laughs.
AUDREY: Oh, I bet you would. Nice try, buddy!
CHRIS: Not everything I say is an innuendo.
AUDREY: Only most of it?
He sighs, shaking his head.
AUDREY: Besides, I’m busy. The girls and I are going out tonight for some fun.
Chris raises an eyebrow.
CHRIS: Fun? I didn’t think your two partners-in-crime knew the meaning of the word.
AUDREY: Oh, Joey can be a party animal when she wants to. Wanna come?
Chris’ eyes went wide. That was the last thing he expected to hear.
CHRIS: Excuse me?
AUDREY: We’re kinda short of male companionship right now, and besides…it’d be fun. I wanna see you in action. Witness the ‘great Chris Wolff’ strut his stuff in his native environment.
Chris smirks.
CHRIS: Ok. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.
They leave the classroom.