Dawson's Creek, Season 4

Pacey:
Just what would we be missing from the land of poorly scripted melodramas, huh? Recycled plot lines, tiresome self-realizations. You throw in the occasional downward spiral of a dear friend, and maybe a baby here and a death there and all you've really got is a recipe for some soul sucking, mind numbing ennui, and I for one could skip it.

Joey:
I would like to offer it to you as a...

Dawson:
Please don't say symbol.

Joey:
As an emblematic artifact representing the foundation of... of a new friendship.

Gretchen:
Doug wakes me up every morning at 7 dust-bustering the kitchen. It's like living with Felix Unger on crack.

Joey:
Pacey... I wanted to see Dawson tonight, not because for four months of my life he was my boyfriend, but because for the better part of my life he was my friend. And as my friend, I hurt him deeply, and living with that fact has caused me no small amount of guilt over the past three months. So, yes, I have been preoccupied, and it has made my mind wander, but... my heart? That's a fixed point. Three months riding the open waters couldn't shake it; I'll be damned if I let your insecurities shake it. My heart never left this boat. It's never left you. As far as I can see it's not going to anytime soon.

Joey:
Ah, seafood, great change of pace, Pace.

Pacey:
[to Gretchen] I'm gonna sabatoge it, huh? Hmm, me-thinks you've been watching a little too much Oprah.

Pacey:
Charming? It's like something out of Better Homes and Crap.

Pacey:
Good lord woman, you really are a fickle mistress, you know that? I mean without kissing, what do we really have left?

Joey:
Precious little, we should probably break up.

Pacey:
Yeah, well, we had a good run, huh?

Joey:
Mm-hmm

[They kiss]

Drue:
My father, who is a world class cretin, says stuff like that to the help all the time and I always think what an idiot, you know? I mean they're just going to go back in the kitchen and spit in his food...or worse even.

Joey:
Fancy that, will you excuse me while I go check on your order.

Dawson:
[to Jen] Take it from someone who spent the better part of last spring angry at the world, it's not worth it. I mean, it might numb the pain a little bit, but it's basically just a distraction. My point is: if you do it right, Jen, loving somebody is gonna hurt and the sooner you let yourself feel that, the sooner you'll be able to love again.

Drue:
Must be the Star Wars thing.

Dawson:
Star Wars thing?

Drue:
It's classic, you are obviously Luke to this Pacey guy's Han Solo. So you're the stuff of pre-teen daydreams, cute, smart, non-threatening. Which is great and all, but not for princess Joey here who is clearly smack dab in the middle of her bad boy phase.

Joey:
And where do you fit in to this whole scenario Drue? Jabba the Hut, I think.

Grams:
Jennifer, I'm not so old that I don't remember how important senior fall term is.

Jen:
Old enough to call it fall term.

Drue:
[cell phone rings while they are working on a project] Hello, hey gorgeous.

Dawson:
Unbelievable.

Joey:
Unacceptable. [grabs cell phone] Hello, gorgeous is it? Hi, yes, this is Drue's doctor and he's gonna have to get back to you when the syphilis clears up, ok? Bye-bye.

Mitch:
[watching Joey and Pacey kiss] Just doesn't seem fair, does it?

Dawson:
What's that?

Mitch:
Well, you saved the day and you still don't get the girl. [pause] But maybe, just maybe, you got something more important.

Dawson:
[sigh] How do you figure that?

Mitch:
You have this moment. No matter where your life takes you, you can look back on this and know that you did a great thing. That's something that all the girls and all the things in the world can't replace.

Pacey:
Look, I know that things between you and I are pretty much beyond repair right now. And, I wouldn't presume to be able to solve everything with a conversation 'cause that's just not the way it works. But, I've been wanting to tell you that I'm sorry Dawson. I'm really sorry for the way everything went down this spring. For my part in it, for the pain that it must have caused you. And, [sigh] I'm really sorry that I ruined our friendship, because I miss it, badly. And, uh, however far off it may be, I do look forward to the day when you and I might be friends again...so until then.

Dawson:
Until then.

Gretchen:
But you know what my teacher said was the most bogus line in Hollywood cinema?

Dawson:
What?

Gretchen:
"There's no place like home."

Dawson:
The Wizard of Oz.

Joey:
I wanna be with you, Pacey. I wanna stay and be with you.

Pacey:
[sighs] Well if you wanna be with me, then staying here would be a really stupid idea, considering I don't plan to be here... I plan to be wherever you are.

Dawson:
I'm just trying to figure out why someone who's about to reap the benefits of something she's worked for her entire life is trying to drown herself with some 80-proof fruit punch.

Drue:
Witter, I knew you couldn't resist a party. I see you've brought the Grim Reaper.

Joey:
Reaping for your mortal soul, that is if you have one.

Jen:
Okay, first of all, he didn't dump me, I dumped him.

Drue:
Technicality.

Jen:
Second, this isn't a funk. It's my personality.

Drue:
Harsh.

Andie:
...Because in the end, you always go back to the people that were there in the beginning.

Joey:
Drue, what happened?

Drue:
Karma... finally caught up with me.

Pacey:
Well, maybe I just wanted these people to see you through my eyes for one night. To see this girl. This woman, who has more class and intelligence and beauty and grace then anyone else who's walking the face of the planet. Maybe things like this just come tumbling out of my mouth because I happen to be head over heels in love with you. But the really scary thing is, I think that they're true.

Brooks:
God intends to kill us all.

Dawson:
[in his letter to Gretchen] Dear Gretchen, I really enjoyed talking to you in your room today. Try not to be nervous about starting high school. I know you're going to find people that understand you. There's something that I didn't get a chance to tell you. There's someone truly special in my life that I can't stop thinking about. She's unlike anyone I've ever met. Smart and funny and beautiful and just knowing that she's in my life has given me this constant fluttering that keeps me awake at night. When I think about who I can talk to about this, who will understand, the only person that comes to mind is you. And that's a problem because you are the one that I feel this way about. I think about you constantly, every little thing you do. The Elvis Costello sticker you put on your spiral notebook, the way your bangs have grown out every day now for 6 months until Monday when you were finally able to put it all in a ponytail. Today when you invited me to stay and talk to you after Pacey left, it occurred to me that you must think of me too. If I tried to tell anyone else, they would say that you and I are impossible, that our lives are too different, that we could never be right for each other. But we understand each other and we care about each other and years from now I believe that we still will. Your friend forever, love, Dawson.

Pacey:
Dawson, you and I are friends. Friends. But sisters? Sisters are...

Dawson:
Off-limits?

Pacey:
Yes, sisters are off-limits. They're like mothers, only pretty.

Pacey:
Do you "like" her "like" her, or just like her?

Dawson:
Pacey this is Gretchen Witter we're talking about here, not Winnie Cooper.

Mr Witter:
Who the hell are you?

Jack:
Me? I, I, I'm Jack, sir. We met a while back on a fishing....trip.

Mr Witter:
[pause] Don't remember.

Dawson:
It's, well... We're not dropping in on Studio 54, we're having dinner and seeing a band.

Pacey:
I'm offering a brother's opinion, okay, and, as your brother, I can firmly tell you... That is not a leaving-the-house kind of outfit. That's like the bottom layer of something that will become a leaving-the-house outfit when you put on a sweater or something.

Gretchen:
This is a sweater.

Pacey:
A sweater is a big, baggy, shapeless thing which hides the human form. They design them specifically for sisters on dates.

Gretchen:
Yeah, me as Pacey's sister and her ever trusty barkeep, maybe. Me as Mrs. Robinson, maybe not.

Dawson:
Come on, 3 years does not make you Mrs. Robinson.

Mr. Brooks:
Picture's not half bad. [chuckles] And not just because it's about me either.

Dawson:
We should make another one sometime.

Mr. Brooks:
Any time kid... anytime.

Mr. Brooks Friend:
Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to, Miracle on 34th Street. Arthur always believed that the best answers for life's questions could be found in the movies. Crazy idea, huh?

Jack:
Is it just me, or does this place have a real strong John Hughes, 80's vibe?

Pacey:
Do you want to know what I'm scared of? 'Cause I'm not scared of whether or not we sleep together, if-- if and when you and I decide to do that, it will be right. What I am scared of is that little piece of your heart that will always belong to Dawson Leery. OK, I'm scared of that piece of your heart that always envisioned your first time being with him. I'm scared of that part of you that just doesn't want it to be me. That's what I'm scared of.

Dawson:
I mean...do I pray for him to make it, to sit up in his bed and tell us that we've all been here long enough and it's time to go home? Or do I pray for him to die, to ease his suffering. And I keep looking for some kind of sign, you know, something to confirm my instincts.

Joey:
Hey, Pace?

Pacey:
Hmm?

Joey:
Do you still have your wallet?

Pacey:
I thought we were done talking about that.

Joey:
We are.

Pacey:
OK, you wanna throw it away?

Joey:
I wanna throw the wrapper away.

Pacey:
If this is about what I was --

Joey:
-- Pacey, this is about how you carried my bag off the bus yesterday. This is about how when we go to the movies and you go and you buy popcorn you always make sure you bring back a napkin so I don't wipe all the grease on my jeans. And this is about how just last week when we were at miniature golf, you took all of the shots first so I would know the correct path.

Pacey:
That was just --

Joey:
-- You taught me how to drive. [Starts unbuttoning his shirt] And last year at prom, you knew that the bracelet I was wearing was my mom's. You kissed me first, sweetheart. The second time you counted to ten before doing it again just in case I wanted to stop you. [Takes off his shirt] You bought me a wall. [She takes his hand and kisses it]

Pacey:
I didn't buy it so much as I --

Joey:
-- We were alone on a boat for three months and you understood without a word why I wasn't ready. [She takes off his under shirt so his chest is bare] So you have to ask now why I am? Pace.....I'm gonna count to ten, and then I'm going to start kissing you. If you don't want me to... then you're just gonna have to stop me. [pause] Ten, my love. [He carries her to the bed]

Joey:
Pacey, I'm glad I had sex...I'm glad I had sex with you. [Pause] And now, I just want to go home...[She grabs his coat and pulls him toward her] So we can do it again. [They smile and kiss each other]

Joey:
Yearbook is a shameful, squalid waste of time.

Jen:
Just shut up and watch the fish.

Mr. Lindley:
A city like New York, where every thing's moving all the time at this constant driving pace, it's like a living organism, breathing and changing, and over time your relationship to it becomes like this incredible romance. At first it's intoxicating, irresistible, and then slowly it becomes comfortable and safe. You have this cellular connection to it, as if you've known each other forever, like your oldest happiness. Sometimes you're on the outs and sometimes you're making up, and every now and then you catch yourself in this transcendent moment where you think to yourself "Oh my god, I'm madly in love with you and I always will be," and I think that's when it surprises me.

Gretchen:
I'm at the prom, Pacey. I'm at the prom again. I mean, I graduated 4 years ago and I'm still here. You know, tonight for the first time, I didn't just feel older than Dawson, I felt old. Too old to be here. Too old to be doing what I'm doing.

Pacey:
Want pathetic? How's this for pathetic... I'm technically still a junior. I'm not even supposed to be here.

Gretchen:
A brother who's too young and a sister who's too old. We're quite the lot now Pacey.

Pacey:
I'm not sure... I don't know what the future holds. But it doesn't hold what they think it does.

Drue:
Now, come on, Jennypenny.

Joey:
So, you really like my dress?

Pacey:
I believe I already used the word "radiant".

Dawson:
I was just gonna say, you know, given everything that's happened in the twelve months since last year's prom -- I'm glad we ended up here.

Joey:
Me too, Dawson.

Dawson:
God, we're so healthy, it makes me wanna puke.

Joey:
I know. It is kinda sickening.

Pacey:
I miss you, Jo...[He looks completely heartbroken and destroyed as he sways a little]

Joey:
I miss you too.

Joey:
Principal Peskin, our families, my fellow graduates, I stand here before you aware of the similarities that we share. I know that you're feeling, outside of my incredible stage fright, the same things that I'm feeling-- pride and accomplishment, closure and regret, and a hopeful outlook on the future. But I don't think you need me to elaborate on those feelings. Instead I--I wanted to share something personal and tell you that... there are people in my life who are gone now, people I miss very much and people who I am haunted by in different ways, but whether we're separated by death or merely distance, I know that they're still with me because I keep them in my heart. The truth is, in time, that's all that we're going to be to each other anyway, this population of memories, some wonderful and endearing, some less so. But taken together, those memories help make us who we are and who we will be. So whether you're here with each other now or you're merely in each other's thoughts, remember each other on that road ahead. And I hope that no matter where your travels lead you in this life... you'll always take Capeside with you. Congratulations.

Joey:
Am I supposed to feel good knowing that I have the power to change somebody's life?

Joey:
You know, I was just gonna... keep my mouth shut and let you go... but...[Sighs]... It's not me. That's some Merchant Ivory movie, you know, where people suffer in silence, and you're supposed to be so impressed by their restraint. Well... you know... sorry, but screw that. My best friend in the whole world is leaving tomorrow, and a big part of me wants him to stay... so I hope you don't hate me.

Dawson:
I could never hate you, Joey... and not for lack of trying, either.

Joey:
These past couple of years, it's been one big soap opera. I wouldn't take it back. I wouldn't... take any of it back, but... I'm glad that it's over. 'Cause I like the way things are now. My life being the cruel joke that it is, now that things are so nice... you're leaving.

Dawson:
Jo... if I thought for one second it was the right thing to do, I would stay, but it's time to go. It's time for me to get out of this room, and it's time for you to discover who you are without us. This chapter's over, Jo. I can feel it.

Joey:
[With tears running down her cheeks] Do you believe in magic? I never used to. I mean, how could I? 13, your mom dies. You hope against hope for--for magic, something to make it all better. It never comes, and, you know, you look to your father who's unable to overcome all of his tragic flaws. Well, no abracadabra there. And then there's Pacey. Well... any magic that was there, that ran out, didn't it? But, uh, then there's you. There's proof that someone out there is thinking of me... my friend who was with me always. It's pure magic. I guess this is pretty much just a long-winded way of saying that, um... I'm gonna miss you, Dawson.

Dawson:
I'm gonna miss you, too, Joey.

Gretchen:
Guys, Gale's been throwing up a lot, right?

Mitch:
Yeah.

Gretchen:
And she's still hungry and putting on some weight. She's tired all the time. Her back hurts. Irritability. Mood swings.

Dawson:
Yeah.

Mitch:
The worst. How'd you know?

Gretchen:
Sounds to me like she'll be feeling a lot better in about nine months.

Pacey:
I don't want to make you do anything that you're not ready to do.

Joey:
No. Pacey, I get it. Just as long as you realize that if you do turn into some typical hormone filled silly ass boy and try to manipulate me again, you're out the door.

Joey:
Pacey's not the problem. It's me. I mean, let's face it, the waiting just goes on and on. And at this point even I'm getting impatient. But for some reason, I just keep waiting.

Jen:
Joey, let me ask you something. Are you sure that you really want to have sex?

Joey:
Of course I want to have sex. But the question is, am I ready?

Bessie:
You're a seventeen-year-old girl who doesn't understand the first thing about consequences and responsibility. You are not ready to have sex.

Joey:
I am the oldest seventeen year old in Capeside, Bessie. My whole life is consequences and responsibility, okay?

Drue:
Hi there, we haven't met.

Gretchen:
I don't have a problem with that.

Gretchen:
Is it possible, even in the vaguest way, you're here because you think there's a chance something's happening between us?

Dawson:
It think there is something happening between us. It's called friendship.

Joey:
You know, Dawson... I think about it sometimes and wherever we go next, it's hard to imagine life without you.

Dawson:
You did pretty well for three months.

Joey:
I think you know what I mean.

Dawson:
Yeah. Yeah, I do.

Dawson:
It's scary how things can turn so bad so fast.

Joey:
It's scary how real everything's been this year, you know? Jen and Pacey in the storm. Andie tonight. Does make you kind of realize that one of us can go at any moment for the stupidest of reasons.

Joey:
Gretchen, Dawson has this way of hanging on to things since he was like 12. You know, sure he outgrows them in their proper perspective. But that doesn't always mean that they're gone. Sometimes I think they're just waiting around for the right moment to come out again... and maybe if he thinks there's the slightest chance...

Gretchen:
Do you know what I think? If Dawson is waiting for some childhood crush to come around, he's not waiting on me.

Pacey:
I think what we're going to miss about you the most, McPhee, is your overwhelming optimism. Your ardent believe that everything in the world is wonderful until proven crap.

Pacey:
I reacted like Pacey.

Joey:
You know who that guy you reacted like is going to be in 10 years, Pace? The person who knows me best. Dawson knows my past. My future lies with you. Think about it, you know you didn't even like me three years ago.

Mr. Brooks:
As you take on years Mr. Leery, you'll come to realize that you don't always lose people from your life by choice. Sometimes it just happens when you make the wrong ones.

Pacey:
Maybe not all friendships have to be saved. You know, maybe we're just meant to spend a certain part of our lives with certain people and then move on. Isn't that what this whole year is suppose to be about? Moving on?

Andie:
Pacey, we can move on without moving away from each other.

Pacey:
Do you think it's possible that someday I could convince you that maybe I'm the type of person you could trust again?

Dawson:
I would like to believe that it is.

Pacey:
When you told me you'd never be able to trust me again, that was probably among the top 5 worst moments of my life.

Dawson:
When I walked out on my back porch and saw you and Joey, that was my worst. Number 1 with a bullet.

Dawson:
Today when I was going through your things I found your high school year book. Underneath your picture, the caption said that your life's ambition was to become a Hollywood filmmaker. Pretty striking coincidence given that I've had the exact same dream for as long as I can remember.

Mr. Brooks:
Good for you.

Dawson:
Scared the hell out of me. Cause I don't ever want to be like you. I don't ever want to be the kind of person who pushes everything and everyone away from him. I don't want to be alone. And I know that you don't want to be alone, either. You can't get rid of me, Mr. Brooks.

[Joey runs into Drue who's just been suspended from school after being framed for a prank]

Drue:
Hey, Potter. Send a message to the boys for me. Tell them that I admire the brilliance of their design. No, wait. Just tell them that I said "touché."

Joey:
Which boys? Who are you talking about?

[Drue is suddenly being forcibly escorted from the school building]

Joey:
Drue, what's going on? What happened?

Drue:
Karma... finally caught up with me.

Gretchen:
You sound like a guy who just broke up with this girl. And he's happy he broke up with her; at least he says he is. And he goes on and on about how much better off he is without her. But the thing is, he can't stop talking about her. Everything comes back to this girl. You love this girl, Dawson.

Dawson:
And that, oddly enough, has not kept her from breaking my heart time and time again.

Pacey:
Jo, this world, it is opening its doors to you. And when you step through, you are going to be such an amazing part of all this. And wherever you chose to go, you're doing them a favor. Not the other way around.

Joey:
I know that I don't fit in...

Mr. Kubeck:
Joey, you didn't blow it. Your academic record stands on its own. You're a stunningly bright young lady and no one is grading you on your social skills. Be that as it may, you couldn't ask for a better character witness than that boyfriend of yours. Seriously. He just talked the dean's ear off all about you. How you changed him. How you helped him. How he couldn't imagine a better life than one with you by his side. It's a rare gift to have someone say such things about you.

Dawson:
I think I'm ready to make a movie again.

Mr. Brooks:
Oh, crisis of faith over. I'll alert the media.

Dawson:
Now, laugh all you want.

Mr. Brooks:
I intend to. Now what is this picture of yours going to be about?

Dawson:
You.

Mr. Brooks:
Excuse me? Say that again into my good ear, would you?

Dawson:
My mov... my picture is going to be about you. Your life story. We'll talk later. Enjoy the party.

Pacey:
Please, tell me the truth. Because it's certainly not about you and me. I haven't screwed up for at least a day or two.

Joey:
No, you haven't. You never do. You are the perfect boyfriend. You win the perfect boyfriend contest. You beat Dawson. Is that what you want to hear, Pacey?

Gretchen:
[about Joey being upset by seeing her and Dawson kissing] I think you should be understanding and sweet and kind.

Pacey:
And if none of that works?

Gretchen:
Force the issue. Be a world class jerk. You can do it, Pacey. I know you can. I have complete and total faith in you.

Dawson:
Why ruin a perfectly good friendship?

Joey:
Things don't always have to work that way. Look at us. Look at all that's happened. And we're friends. If we weren't, you wouldn't have... you wouldn't have given me this [Her early Christmas present, a picture of her and Pacey]. And I wouldn't be sitting here, telling you to do what your heart tells you to do. Truth is, Gretchen would be very lucky to have someone like you.

Jack:
Has it ever occurred to you, Dawson, that maybe they're not mistakes at all? Maybe this is exactly where you're supposed to be at this moment in time. With a girl that you wanted way before Joey Potter.

Mr. Brooks:
[To Dawson] Make no mistake about it kid, God intends to kill us all. You'll find that you don't have to have your life dictated by the cosmos. You fall in love with the wrong woman. Tell fate to piss off if you don't like his plans for you. Sure there's heart ache to be had but it's small price to be paid for living and dying on your own terms.

Pacey:
Any other day that I was to find you making out on the basement floor with Dawson of all people, I would probably freak out. And then we would have words. But not today. Today I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to think about it. In fact, I'd like to pretend it never even happen, cause frankly I got bigger problems on my mind.

Gretchen:
Which are?

Pacey:
A conversation that I'm supposed to have with Joey, that will impact the entire rest of our relationship.

Jen:
You are very sneaky, you know that? You just turned around that entire conversation without ever having to admit that you were day dreaming about sex. I'm impressed.

Grams:
[smiling] I've learned from the best.

Jen:
Well, that's true.

Pacey:
My family could give a crap about me or my birthday. This is just an excuse for my father to get a little bit drunker than usual, have some birthday cake, tell me I'm a disappointment and then pass out in his chair while watching When Animals Attack!.

Joey:
Okay, so they're not perfect. Granted. But they're your family, Pace. Don't you get what that means? The least you can do is make a little bit of an effort.

Pacey:
It doesn't matter what kind of effort I make. I'm still going to fail.

Pacey:
You and I are just on opposite paths, Jo. On different roads. And we are heading further and further away from each other.

Joey:
I don't think so. I think both roads lead back to the same place. Right here. You and me, Pace.

Gale:
I am trying to protect you.

Dawson:
From what? The dangers of having a good time with my girlfriend? Come on!

Gale:
No, the dangers of getting hurt by a woman whom, as perfect a person as she seems right now, might actually be in a different place in her life.

Dawson:
Mom, it's not like that with Gretchen.

Gale:
Honey, I'm not so sure.

Dawson:
Well I am. And you know what? It really doesn't matter what you think because it's my life and it's my relationship. If you want to express a little last minute maternal control, you're gonna have to wait for the next one to come along because I really don't want that from you right now.

Joey:
Really? Virtually topless female comes knocking on our door, asking if Pacey can come out to play, and you don't have any comment?

Pacey:
Well, no matter what I say, you're just gonna take it wrong.

Jack:
Did it ever occur to you that you're so caught up in trying to make the right choice that you've never stopped to consider the possibility that there may not be a right choice, or a wrong choice, just a bunch of choices?

Joey:
Thanks Jack. That's helpful.

Jack:
That's the point. You don't need help. There's nothing to figure out here. There's only what you feel.

Joey:
What I feel is fear.

Jack:
I'm not telling you to sleep with Pacey...

Joey:
But...

Jack:
All the really exciting things in life require more courage than we currently have. A deep breath and a leap. See Joey, the kind of fear you're talking about... sometimes it's how you know what's worthwhile.

Joey:
Years from now when I look back, I'm really not going to remember the clumsy positioning or the morning after awkwardness or whether or not the experience itself meant the text book definition of great sex. I'll remember how sweet you were. How you took me to this brand new place. Pace, I'm glad I had sex. And I'm really glad that I had sex with you. [Pause] And now, I just want to go home...[She grabs his coat and pulls him toward her] So we can do it again. [They smile and kiss each other]

Pacey:
[about Dawson] I do want to be able to have sex with my girlfriend whom I adore, without having to worry about the soap operatic repercussions of him finding out. Let me ask you one question, Jo. What would you say to him? You know, if he were here right now and he asked you, what would you tell him?

Joey:
I would have to tell him the truth.

Pacey:
Let's say that you were the type of person who enjoyed discussing your boyfriend's sexual prowess, what do you think you might say?

Joey:
About what? About the prowess?

Pacey:
Yeah, about the prowess.

Joey:
You know, just when I think you're the antithesis of the typical male, there you are dragging your knuckles with the rest of my primates.

Dawson:
Jo, you're not a bad friend. I don't get to say it much anymore, but... you're my best friend. You always were. No matter where you are, no matter where your life may take you, and no matter who you're with...

Joey:
You'll always have a piece of my heart.

Dawson:
Something like that.

Joey:
Yeah. Doesn't have to be a huge piece.

Dawson:
No, no, no, no. Not a huge piece. Just enough. You know, tiny piece.

Joey:
A couple of years ago, if you would have asked me who the first person I was going to have sex with was, I would have answered unequivocally: Dawson Leery, that's who. The possibility of sleeping with anyone else hadn't even occurred to me. Especially not Pacey.

Dawson:
So what are you saying, Jo?

Joey:
No. I have not slept with Pacey.

Gretchen:
You have no idea what you're doing, do you?

Dawson:
No.

Gretchen:
Good, keep it that way. Because the second you become aware of just how charming you are, you're going to use your powers for evil.

Joey:
When we weren't having sex. And everything and every moment wasn't about sex.

Pacey:
I don't know if that time ever really existed.

Joey:
I guess you're right. Before, when we hadn't had sex, everything was about sex. Now that we've have had sex…

Pacey:
Everything is still about sex. Do you think we're doing something wrong?

Joey:
No. Do you?

Pacey:
No.

Gretchen:
Just promise me something.

Dawson:
Anything.

Gretchen:
That you'll always be as honest with me as you were last night. Cause that's the hardest part about having a relationship. It's so much harder than sex. And trusting someone is like this gigantic act of faith. You put it out there and you can never really be sure if you're gonna get it back. Sex... sex is just mechanical.

Dawson:
I want to apologize.

Joey:
For what?

Dawson:
For that question I asked you a couple weeks ago. That very personal question. I should have never asked you. I don't know why I did. It was some masochistic side of me that I haven't explored yet. Probably the same side of me that's sabotaging my relationship with Gretchen.

Joey:
You think you're sabotaging your relationship?

Dawson:
Well, mentioning you every 30 seconds, I'm sure it doesn't help.

Gretchen:
You lied to Dawson about you and Pacey having sex.

Joey:
I made a decision, a very private decision about my life and I really don't want the whole world to know about that.

Gretchen:
You really don't want Dawson to know about that.

Joey:
It's the same thing.

Gretchen:
No it's not, Joey. I don't want to be an ogre here, but lying to Dawson isn't going to solve anything. It's not fair to him and it's not fair to somebody who's trying to have a relationship with him.

Joey:
Meaning you.

Pacey:
You know, I don't think I like this turn that our relationship is taking here. You have no respect for my feelings, we never talk anymore.

[Joey keeps kissing him. He groans]

Joey:
Pace, we spent 9 months talking. We've been doing this for two weeks.

[She goes back to kissing]

Pacey:
But this still doesn't mean you get to treat me like a sex object.

Joey:
Oh, I can tell you're all broken up about it.

Dawson:
Worthington is what you want, right?

Joey:
It doesn't matter what I want, Dawson.

Dawson:
Yes or no?

Joey:
Yes.

Dawson:
Then I want you to have Mr. Brooks' money.

Joey:
Dawson, are you insane? I can't.

Dawson:
Joey, I... I've watched you go through so much pain in your life. I mean, even before your mom got sick and your dad...

Joey:
Don't do this. Don't feel sorry for me, Dawson.

Dawson:
I don't. That's not what this is about. Jo, all the pain I've watched you go through, I've never been able to fix it before. And this I can fix. All I need you to do is let me.

Joey:
I'm still trying to process this whole college thing. You know, it's... kinda weird to get your dream.

Pacey:
I know it. I say that every time I look at you.

Joey:
You always do that. You change the subject.

Pacey:
Joey, we're not talking about this today, because we're not talking about anything negative today, because today is your day to celebrate this most amazing accomplishment that you have worked so hard for.

Gretchen:
I want to make love to you so much. So much. And I really believe that that was why we came here, but it's not. I guess just as much as I want you and I love you, we're not gonna do this.

Dawson:
Why not?

Gretchen:
Because when we go there, it's not gonna be because you have something to prove to yourself. It's gonna be because we love each other, and because we're prepared to show each other what that really means.

Doug:
[picking Pacey up at jail] You're not satisfied with being a moron and failure. You gotta add drunk to your list of credentials?

Pacey:
[Gets angry and attacks Doug] What? This is it for me! [Doug tries to hold him off] This is my whole life right here! This is all I get.

Dawson:
I still have my distortions and my delusions. I still think that everything should be perfect, and that Joey and I should have slept together for the first time. What I realized is that I gotta let go. You know, it's time. And there's so much ahead of me. I mean, there's college, there's... there's this new baby... and there's you.

Gretchen:
So what are you saying?

Dawson:
I'm in love with you, and I no longer remember what we're waiting for.

Gretchen:
Neither do I.

Joey:
[to Dawson] I want you to know something. Sex doesn't necessarily bring people closer together. It's just a magnifying glass. I mean, if there's a problem, it gets bigger. And if there's closeness... you get closer. As far as you and Gretchen are concerned, I mean... you guys are probably a lot closer than a lot of people who are having sex.

Dawson:
Have you and Pacey talked about him being near Worthington next year?

Joey:
[laughs] Uh, Pacey and I haven't really discussed the future too much lately.

Dawson:
You should. It has a peculiar way of unexpectedly becoming the present.

Mitch:
One night, you're standing in a dark room, exhausted, reaching for diapers and answers on a shelf you can't see, and this little person calls out to you. "Daddy." That's when you get it. You feel your heart expand in a way you never knew was possible, and you love this little person so much... that you actually ache. I can't explain it any better.

Joey:
Pacey isn't on a fishing trip, is he?

Gretchen:
Pacey got arrested for public drunkenness while you were in New York. Doug got the charges dropped, and then he took him camping to try to talk some sense into him.

Joey:
Oh, my god.

Gretchen:
This is an intense time. We're all planning our futures, trying to figure out what we're gonna do with the rest of our lives, but if we can't put all that aside and try to do everything possible to make Pacey's life easier right now, he might not have much of one.

Pacey:
Why don't you just tell me how you want me to act? 'Cause I can't win with you, Jo. If I act like I'm unhappy, you get angry with me. But if I act like I'm happy, you get angry with me.

Joey:
Well, maybe you should stop acting and just talk to me.

Pacey:
Maybe I just don't have anything left to say.

Gretchen:
Look, I just don't think you should go to the party tonight, Pace. I mean, even if you and Joey are supposed to be together, you both need to take some time apart to figure out what went wrong. Otherwise you're gonna wind up making the same mistakes all over again. Trust me. I know from whence I speak.

Pacey:
Trust you? Miss pack-up-and-leave-town? Forgive me if you're not exactly my relationship role model right now.

Gretchen:
I'm just trying to help, Pace. I don't want to see you getting hurt.

Pacey:
Well, it's too late for that. I'm already hurt. And that's exactly the situation I'm trying to rectify. That's why I gotta go to this party, just to see what the gods have in store for me.

[Mitch and Dawson have just finished watching his movie of Mr. Brooks]

Mitch:
I can't get over how much he reminded me of you.

Dawson:
I remind you of him?

Mitch:
Well, that part where he talks about that girl? How she jumped over the counter, they went off to California together, they didn't even know each other? Who does that?

Dawson:
Hitchhikers.

Mitch:
Risk takers. Dreamers. People who understand that every once in a while, an opportunity presents itself. And whatever they decide to do in that moment will change the rest of their lives forever. Brooks could have told that girl to get lost. He could have gone off to California alone like he planned, but he didn't.

Dawson:
No, he didn't.

Mitch:
Because he knew. Very few men are lucky enough to actually see those moments, Dawson.

Dawson:
You know, on occasions like this, it's nice that we can dress up in polyester choir robes and stupid hats, sit in the sun for a couple of hours to mark the occasion. What fashion Einstein came up with this whole outfit? I mean, is this a hat you really want to be wearing the day you know people are going to be taking pictures?

Jen:
[sighs] Come here. [They hug] Mm. Ok. Go. Get the Hell out of here. Walk across that lawn, have a great life, and don't ever call me again.

Dawson:
What? So I can confirm your worst fears about men?

Jen:
Yes, exactly. Oh, wait, I forgot. We never slept together.

Dawson:
You got 5 minutes?

Jen:
For you? Always.

Pacey:
So how is she?

Dawson:
She's, um... you know, she's doing the same thing you are, Pace. She's keepin' busy. (Sighs) She doesn't say much, but, um... you know, I get the feeling that she thinks about you every 10 seconds or so. I know she'd appreciate a call.

Pacey:
Uh, you know, I just don't think that's a place I'm ready to go quite yet, Dawson.

Joey:
So what was yours, by the way?

Dawson:
What was my what?

Joey:
Your all time most life altering moment?

Dawson:
For all I know, it could be this one right now... saying good-bye to you.

[They start kissing]