Cut to the dump. Dawson and Pacey are walking through the front gate.
PACEY: Remind me why we’re trudging through trash again, bro?
Dawson shakes his head.
PACEY: Come on…at least a hint?
DAWSON: Sorry, Pace. All I’m saying is that it was Andie’s idea.
PACEY: Which is the only reason I agreed to come along.
Finally, they stop. Dawson points off in the distance.
DAWSON: There.
Pacey’s jaw hangs open.
DAWSON: A little idea she came up with during our train ride on New Years. She thought you might like it.
Slowly, Pacey walks up to a car. It has a few shattered windows, and the hood is hanging open. However, there’s no mistake what it used to be.
A Viper.
PACEY: No…freaking…WAY!
Dawson chuckles.
DAWSON: Granted, it’s not in the best shape…
Eyes still wide, Pacey looks back at Dawson.
PACEY: Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted this car, Dawson? Oh man…I could kiss you!
DAWSON: Sorry…my lips are reserved for someone else.
PACEY: Sure, it needs a new coat of paint and a few replacement parts. Probably won’t run unless there’s a new spark plug…
DAWSON: Well, not like you haven’t brought a vehicle ‘back to life’ before, right?
Pacey smirks.
PACEY: This is gonna be a lot more work than that boat. But I can manage.
Dawson smiles.
DAWSON: I’ll get the owner.
*****
Cut to the open road.
Chris and Audrey are racing down the highway in a red convertible. Both of them are wearing sunglasses, the wind blowing through their hair.
AUDREY: Whooo! Faster!
Chris chuckles.
CHRIS: Having fun?
AUDREY: You bet! Now this is what I call fun!
CHRIS: Naturally. None of the gruesome foursome…just the two of us.
AUDREY: Ou, I’m liking this plan!
She leans over and kisses his cheek.
AUDREY: Don’t get me wrong, I love Joey…
CHRIS: You and half of Boston.
AUDREY: BUT she can be such a downer most of the time. Always obsessing over school, or her image, or Dawson. I’ll admit, at first I thought it was cute…but now it’s just annoying.
Chris nods in agreement.
CHRIS: Witter’s little presentation summed it up perfectly.
AUDREY: Just promise me that we’ll never act like that.
Chris appears awkward for a moment.
AUDREY: Chris?
CHRIS: Promise.
She smiles at him. After a moment, she points ahead.
AUDREY: Oh! Look at that!
Ahead of them is a sign: ‘Welcome To New Mexico’.
CHRIS: (muttering) Welcome home…
*****
Cut back to Creek Side Pictures.
Dawson is on the phone.
DAWSON: Yes, I’d like to make the reservation for about six. Just two of us.
He laughs.
DAWSON: Yeah, that’s right…romantic evening for two.
His eyes go wide.
DAWSON: Really? He comes right to the table. Sounds great. Don’t worry…we’ll be there.
He hangs up.
Just then, Pacey enters the kitchen. His shirt is covered in oil and grease stains.
Dawson sighs.
DAWSON: Please tell me you took off your shoes before coming in here?
Pacey cringes.
PACEY: Um…let me get back to you on that.
Dawson rolls his eyes.
DAWSON: Damn it, Pacey! I don’t have time to clean up, today. I’ve got a date. A very important one, mind you?
A smirk appears on Pacey’s face.
PACEY: Oh? What happened to ‘Valentines Day brings back painful memories’?
DAWSON: I’ve had a change of heart. Pun intended. Made a reservation at a fancy restaurant. Just to two of us.
PACEY: Great. I’ll pick you up at seven.
DAWSON: Very funny!
Pacey laughs.
PACEY: Don’t worry, Dawson…I got my own plans. Sure, I may not be able to beat Andie’s cruise missile of a V-Day gift, but I’m gonna do the best I can.
DAWSON: Care to make a wager which one of us can come up with the most out-of-this-world evening?
Pacey shakes his head.
PACEY: How about which one of us can screw this up the most?
Both of them laugh.
PACEY: Well, I gotta go get changed before Andie gets back. Good luck.
They shakes hands.
DAWSON: You too, Pace!
Pacey heads upstairs, while Dawson walks towards the door.
*****
Cut to Worthington.
Joey hears a knock on the door to her dorm room. She answers to see Dawson’s smiling face.
DAWSON: Hey, ready to go?
JOEY: Yeah, sure. What we going to see again?
DAWSON: No movie this time. Slight change of plans.
Joey raises an eyebrow.
JOEY: Oh really?
Dawson smirks.
DAWSON: I made reservations at a fancy restaurant. I promise you, this will be a Valentines Day you’ll never forget.
JOEY: Not a French place, right?
Dawson laughs.
DAWSON: Nope. Italian. I even asked my mom in advance just to make sure she wasn’t going to the same one.
Joey looks at him for a moment.
JOEY: Stay right here. I’m going to change into something fancier.
Joey closes the door, going back into the room.
*****
Cut back to the house.
Andie comes in. Looks around.
ANDIE: Pacey?
Suddenly, Pacey leaps out of the kitchen. He has a package in his hands, while holding a long-stemmed red rose between his teeth.
Andie giggles.
ANDIE: Don’t those things have thorns?
Pacey shakes his head, his eyes giving her a pleading look. Quickly, she takes the rose out of his mouth.
PACEY: You know the expression ‘love hurts’? Guy who said it probably did that.
Andie smells the flower.
ANDIE: Happy Valentines Day, Pacey.
She kisses him.
PACEY: Well, I know there’s no chance I’ll be able to outdo your present, but anyway…
He gives her the package.
ANDIE: Did you like it?
PACEY: Do you even have to ask, McPhee? Go ahead…open it!
Andie opens it, then gasps.
Inside is a small statuette of Tinkerbelle from the movie ‘Peter Pan’. There’s a crank on the side.
PACEY: See…it plays music and dances. How cool is that?
Andie blushes.
PACEY: I was actually looking for Dumbo, but they didn’t have a Dumbo one, so I figured…next best thing, right? Plus she’s blonde like you. Thought maybe you’d be tempted to try out her wardrobe too, know what I mean?
Pacey smiles at her suggestively. She smiles back.
ANDIE: We’ll see.
*****
Cut to a club.
Chris and Audrey enter through the front door, taking in the sights. The music is turned up very loud, and people are spilling their drinks everywhere.
Audrey smiles from ear to ear.
AUDREY: This brings back memories. You know, there was this time Joey, Charlie, and I went on a road trip…
CHRIS: Who’s Charlie?
AUDREY: Who isn’t he? That guy switched personalities like they went out of style. But anyway, I so rule on stage.
Chris smiles at her.
CHRIS: I know. I was there.
AUDREY: Duh! I meant modern music, bucko! Maybe I can give you a little number later. In the meantime, what’s there to drink around here?
CHRIS: I’ll get you something.
Chris heads towards the bar. On his way there, he accidentally bumps into a woman.
GIRL:: Ooof!
CHRIS: Sorry. I guess I wasn’t watching where I was…
Suddenly, Chris freezes. Almost as if he knows the brunette in front of him.
CHRIS: Sharon?
She gasps in surprise.
SHARON: Chris?
She smiles and hugs him.
SHARON: Oh my god…what are you doing here?
CHRIS: Road trip. Wow, you look…you look great.
She blushes. The two of them share a ‘look’.
SHARON: You do, too.
At that moment, they both hear the sound of someone clearing their voice behind them. Chris and Sharon turn around to see Audrey standing there.
AUDREY: Who’s this?
Chris bites his lip nervously.
CHRIS: Um…Audrey? This…this is Sharon. My ex.
Audrey’s face falls.
AUDREY: Oh…great!
A wave of awkwardness comes over the three of them.