[Joey's House](The Big Chill is on television, Kevin Kline and others are dancing in the kitchen to 'Ain't Too Proud to Beg.')

Joey: Who are these people? I mean , they're dancing, nobody dances in the kitchen.

Dawson: Your parents danced in the kitchen. I mean, my parents love this movie. This is like the definitive movie of the entire Baby Boom generation.

Joey: (to Pacey) Do your parents dance in the kitchen?

Pacey: (looks up from the bowl of popcorn on his lap) My parents? No, they definitely don't dance in the kitchen.

Joey: (handing popcorn to Dawson) Here.

Dawson: I don't know, I took all the movie pictures off my wall, everything's in question, I figured why not something unexpected for movie night.

Joey: Oh, so we're scaling new heights of Mount Lane? (Turns off tv)

Dawson: Sorry, Joey tonight's activities were meant to calm your nerves, not agitate them.

Joey: Well, that's impossible. I mean, this Bed and Breakfast has been open for a day, a very costly Bed and Breakfast mind you, and there are no guests. Have either one of you checked the reservations list? There's not a name to be found, not a one.

Dawson: Joey, it takes time to establish a reputation--

Joey: Dawson, Bessie and I have invested every dime we have. Along with guests, time is another thing that we don't have.

(The phone rings. Joey sighs hopefully and picks it up.)

Joey: Potter Bed and Breakfast, can I help you? (Annoyed) No, actually I'm perfectly content with my long distance service, thank you. (Excitedly) But how 'bout you? (Dawson smiles, Pacey eats more popcorn) I mean, thinking about a vacation? Come to the Cape, take a room at our lovely- (Sighs and hangs up) She hung up on me. A telemarketer hung up on me.

Pacey: Come on, Jo, keep the faith.

Joey: (Accusatory) Is that all you have to say, considering that you were the primary force that escorted Bessie and I down this road to economic ruin?

Pacey: All I did was figure out a way to kick in some free labor.

Joey: You, Pacey Witter, single-handedly encouraged this pipe dream. I mean, you should know better than going around inspiring financially and spiritually bereft people, people who have no business being inspired.

(There's a knock at the door. Joey stops in her tracks and looks fearfully towards Dawson and Pacey. Dawson glances to the door, directing her to open it.)

Joey: (smiles, then to Pacey) Feet. (Pacey sighs and takes his feet down from where he's had them propped up. Joey hurriedly fixes her hair and opens the door. A couple stands there.) Can I help you?

Woman: Hi, we were wondering…

Joey: Yes?

Man: Have you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior? God loves you.

(He hands her a pamphlet.) (Pacey laughs. Dawson chortles. Joey smiles forcedly.)

[Commercials]

[Capeside High]

Henry: (Meeting up with Jen on the stairs) Hey.

Jen: Hey! Stranger, where you been all week

Henry: Workin'

Jen: Miss Freckling must be keeping you busy, I don't think I've seen you since Capefest.

Henry: Well, actually I've been working at the Bass.

Jen: My favorite restaurant. Do you work there full time?

Henry: No, just a week-long gig. Miss Freckling heard that they had some roof problems so I offered my services.

Jen: That's an expensive place. They better pay you well. (Jen opens her locker and pulls out books.)

Henry: They did, but instead of cash I opted for a free dinner.

Jen: The implication being?

Henry: That you and I are gonna meet there.

Jen: That's funny, 'cause I don't recall being asked.

Henry: You weren't. See, I finally figured you out, Jen. Given the opportunity to say no, you do. So, I'm not giving you the opportunity.

Jen: But then you're also not giving me the opportunity to say yes.

Henry: Would you? Say yes?

Jen: Probably not.

Henry: So I'm not asking.

Jen: Henry, we've been over this before. Dating is a consensual activity.

Henry: Don't get ahead of yourself, I never called it a date. I said we'd eat dinner, you know, get to know each other.

Jen: I've been around the block enough to spot a date in sheep's clothing.

Henry: Do you really think a kid like me would deem to consider himself worthy of dating a woman of your silk?

Jen: Ilk. It- it's ilk.

Henry: See my point? What's it gonna be?

Jen: It's gonna be let me think about it.

Henry: Now we're talkin'.

Jen: Yeah, but I didn't say yes.

Henry: But you didn't say no. (Runs off) I'll see you 'round, I'm late for class.

Jen: Yeah, but I didn't say yes. (The bell rings as she watches him go.)

[Hallway in Capeside High] (Andie sits on a bench, iBook nearby. Jack comes up to her.)

Jack: Hey, my sister the future bureaucrat. How goes it?

Andie: Uh, to start with I have 42 ads, 10 bios and a directors note that I have to turn into a play bill by Monday. In addition to which, I have to pick up the posters, hang 'em around town , get the tickets to the community box office and check to make sure the local paper's running our ad next week. Oh, and did I mention that I'm a student with a little obligation called homework?

Jack: (looking over her shoulder) And you're not very familiar with this layout program, are you?

Andie: What gave that away?

Jack: Each of your words are in a different font.

Andie: It's a style choice.

Jack: And upside down.

Andie: It's a bold style choice.

Jack: Yeah, right. (He takes the computer and sets it on his lap.)

Andie: What are you doing?

Jack: Helping out a wayward sister. Where are the bios?

Andie: In there.

Jack: I don't know how you keep all that together. I mean, personally I wouldn't be able to handle all this.

Andie: You would if you had a supportive family to come home to every night.

Jack: Thanks, but I'm happy where I am.

Andie: You couldn't be happy at home?

Jack: Not with him there, no.

Andie: Dad misses you.

Jack: (laughs) Yeah, I'm sure he does. All those father-son heart-to-hearts we used to have…

Andie: It'll be different.

Jack: Okay, so he knows that I don't want to move home so he enlists you to speak for him. That's what this is, isn't it?

Andie: (gathering her stuff) You know what, Jack, thanks for you help, but I can manage on my own. (She walks off) See ya.

[Office] (Joey and Bessie are in a Loan Office)

Woman: Bess, I gotta be honest with you. I spoke to our manager about you, I made a personal plea. But you're a single mother with multiple dependents, and an income-to-debt ratio that doesn't even qualify for our most liberal profile.

Bessie: Is there something you could suggest? Some solutions?

Woman: Well, you could do what a lot of small businesses do, and that's leverage your assets.

Joey: Unfortunately, our Microsoft options have been called and our yacht is in hock.

Woman: Have you thought about taking out a mortgage?

Joey: On the house?

Woman: It is paid for, free and clear.

Bessie: Do you have an application?(Joey looks astonished.)

[The Potter house] (Joey and Bessie drive up in the truck.)

Bessie: I'm just thinking about it. (gets out)

Joey: (angrily) Bess, it's our house, where we live, the only connection we have to Mom. How could you even think about it?

Bessie: Joey, everything takes longer and costs more than we expect. If there's a way to take a little out, then maybe we should.

Joey: Well, you can't do something like this without my approval, and I'm not giving it to you.

Bessie: Actually, I can. I'm an adult, you're a sixteen year old girl.

Joey: Bessie, I am your sister, a part of this family. If this thing doesn't work out, I lose my house, the only tangible connection that I have--

Bessie: (shouting) She left it to me, Joey. Just like she left me in charge around here until you turn eighteen. That's a responsibility you can't understand.

Joey: I know all about responsibility.

Bessie: Do you? Because until you know what it's like to humiliate yourself by asking some trust-fund snob who looked down on you in High School for money, I don't want to talk about it with you anymore.

(Bessie goes inside. Joey walks down the steps, still upset. Dawson comes walking through the yard, camcorder in hand.)

Joey: Dawson?

Dawson: Hey. I figure, even if my film career is in no man's land, I can still at least put this thing to good use, right?

Joey: What are you doing?

Dawson: Making a virtual tour of Capeside's newest B&B. If we post this thing on the web, we get it to all the Cape Cod visitor information sites--

Joey: Dawson, we don't exactly have the money for such frivolous things known as advertising.

Dawson: Which is where this comes in.

Joey: Look, I really appreciate the offer but--

Dawson: No buts, Jo. This is actually a really good idea. I mean, look at this place. Who wouldn't want to come stay here if they could see it from every angle and meet the charming proprietors beforehand?

[Inside Joey's house] (Joey scowls and drinks a glass of juice. Dawson stands nearby with the camera.)

Dawson: Uh, Joey if you could try to look welcoming that would be great, because anxiety really doesn't fit in with this whole homey come-stay-with-us thing we're going for.

Joey: Dawson, I do toilets and I do windows. I draw the line at faux perkiness.

Dawson: Okay…

Pacey: (enters) Let me tell ya, kiddies, we are looking good. Looking good.

Joey: What canary did you swallow?

Pacey: Well, after having felt just a teensy, weensy little bit of guilt over having wrongfully inspired this establishment, I took it upon myself to expose the Potter B&B to the outside world via the mighty pen of Mr. Frederick Fricke.

Dawson: Fred who?

Pacey: Fricke. He's, I don't know, he's like the Roger Ebert of the B&B world. Writes for Travel, Travel and Leisure, and most importantly, he writes for the New York Times travel section, the next edition of which will have nothing but glowing things to say about this establishment, because one Mr. Fred Fricke is frequenting here.

Joey: He's coming here?

Pacey: Oh yeah, he's on his way back to Boston right now. Happened to fit into his plans, I gave him a call…

Joey: Are you insane? Have you seen the half-finished room? Have you tasted Bessie's blueberry pancakes? We're not ready for something like this! Not to mention that we don't have any guests…

Pacey: I beg to differ, we do have guests. Not only do we have guests, we have the perfect guests for the perfect heartwarming weekend at your local B&B. Guests, if you would, please? (Grams enters with Jack, Jen and Andie.) We have the sweet, God-fearing grandmother here to help her grandkids try to reconnect to the magical Creekside village where she frolicked as a little girl.

Andie: I'll need an 8am wake up call.

Jack: I take my OJ freshly squeezed.

Jen: Black coffee for me, and God help you if you wake me up before noon.

(Joey looks a little embarrassed)

Pacey: (Mitch and Gale enter) And just to make sure that our home is filled with happy, boisterous people, we have a loving married couple here to spend a romantic weekend getaway.

(Dawson is crestfallen. Joey forces a smile.)

[Commercials]

[Joey's Porch] (Joey pulls Pacey outside with Dawson in tow.)

Joey: One minor detail, Pacey, don't you think you could've asked me first?

Dawson: You think you could've left my parents out of it?

Joey: It was reckless.

Dawson: And insensitive.

Pacey: Okay, one at a time, shall we? Starting with you. (pointing to Dawson) I only asked Mitch to help, okay? It was his idea to bring Gale along.

Dawson: His idea?

Pacey: Yes, his idea. So if you want to tear somebody's head off, why don't you try the guy that sired you? (To Joey) And as for you, how could you possibly be so ungrateful after just having witnessed an outpouring of love and support that would've made George Bayley proud?

Joey: (Angrily) There is nothing wonderful about my life right now, okay? (She grabs the phone and gives it to him.) So I don't care how you do it, but you get Mr. Fricke on the phone and you tell him that there is no room at the inn.

Pacey: Why?

Joey: Because you don't show a movie reviewer a rough cut, and you don't serve a food critic your first stab at a new recipe. Especially if that recipe is your last chance of keeping a roof over your head.

Pacey: What?

Dawson: What do you mean, last chance?

Joey: (hanging her head) Bessie is thinking about taking out a mortgage.

Dawson: What? A mortgage? You can't let her risk the house!

Joey: Dawson, does the term "legal guardian" mean anything to you?

Pacey: Um, I'm sorry, Jo. I'll make this right right now, okay?

(There's a knock at the door. Joey goes inside and finds a man in the front room.)

Joey: (sarcastically) Don't tell me, the Fuller Brush Man?

Mr. Fricke: Hardly. (He hands her his card.) Fred Fricke, Bed and Breakfast Quarterly. Is now a bad time?

Joey: No. Not at all.

(Joey looks worriedly back at Dawson, who throws a glance at Pacey. Pacey stares at the floor.)

[Mitch and Gale's Room] (Dawson enters.)

Gale: Hi, Honey.

Dawson: So you two are staying in the honeymoon suite?

Gale: Well, we're just here to help out Joey and Bessie, Honey. Later tonight, after the critic is asleep, your Dad is gonna go home and crash. (She hangs up clothes from her bag)

Dawson: Don't you think it might be a little confusing, even hurtful to the child of a divorce to see his parents playacting a happy marriage?

Mitch: Like your Mother said, Dawson, we're just here to help out.

Dawson: Dad, Pacey asked you to help out. He didn't say anything about Mom.

Mitch: (slightly amused) Easy, Dawson. Listen, you're seeing something dark and complex here. There's nothing there.

Dawson: You know what I'm seeing? I'm seeing two people who don't know what the hell they want, and I'm sick of it. (He storms out.)

[Potter Bed and Breakfast] (Joey addresses Mr. Fricke who stands inquiringly in the middle of the room.)

Joey: So, is there anything else I can get for you?

Mr. Fricke: Heat.

Joey: I beg your pardon?

Mr. Fricke: It's freezing in here.

Joey: (goes to thermostat) Well, that's because we're an environmentally friendly inn. We like to conserve our natural resources, not to mention save on our energy bills.

Mr. Fricke: (looking inside the room and coming back out) What? No en suite commode?

Joey: Excuse me?

Mr. Fricke: (slowly, as if Joey was a little dense) Where is the bathroom?

Joey: Oh, just down the hall. It's communal.

Mr. Fricke: (dissatisfied) I see.

Joey: Well, enjoy your stay. Um, we serve high tea at five o'clock and breakfast tomorrow morning starting at seven. Enjoy your stay.

Mr. Fricke: You said that already.

Joey: (smiles nervously) You're right, I did. My mistake. (She leaves, shutting the door behind it. She leans back against it and sighs.)

[Jack and Andie's Room] (Jack shivers as Andie walks to the dresser)

Jack: Is it just me or is it cold in here?

Andie: So, you think we can successfully impersonate brother and sister this weekend? (She opens a drawer)

Jack: I don't see why not.

Andie: Jack, I don't know how you do it. I can never get a good night's sleep if I'm not in my own bed. (Unpacks)

Jack: (buttons up jacket) God, Andie. Listen to me. I get the message, okay? If Dad wants me to move back home that's fine, but you're not going to spend the next couple of days waging a subtle campaign to wear me down.

Andie: (turns back innocently) Who me?

Jack: (not convincingly) I'm serious. Any mention of home, house, any kind of dwelling where people live, I'm gonna go stay in Jen's room. You understand?

[Potter Bed and Breakfast] (Joey and Bessie look on as Mr. Fricke sits on the couch.)

Bessie: (whispering) Does he look like he's having a good time?

Joey: Does a lemon ever look like its having a good time?

Bessie: Be nice, Joey. He's just doing his job.

Joey: And we trust our entire future.

Bessie: Where's Pacey anyway? He said he'd help me turn down the beds.

Joey: He's in the bathroom, counting animals two by two.

Bessie: Why? What happened?

Joey: What else? A flood. The toilet overflowed.

[Bathroom] (Pacey mops the floor frantically.)

Pacey: Note to self. Career options. Delete hotel management.

[Dock] (Dawson sits on the dock, gazing into the distance. Mitch joins him.)

Mitch: You're right. I didn't ask her here for just any reason. Your Mother and I have enough of the same friends for me to know what's going on in her life. And she's hitting a wall, Dawson. Every network, large and small, it seems, is passing her by for a job.

Dawson: (surprised) She never told me that.

Mitch: She didn't tell me.

Dawson: Well, no offense, Dad, but I'm her son. You're her divorced husband.

Mitch: I'm her friend. And I want her to know that, whatever our history, I am there for her. I'm sorry if that threatens you.

Dawson: It doesn't threaten me.

Mitch: (annoyed) Well, it does something.

Dawson: It pisses me off.

Mitch: It pisses you off that your parents have a cordial post-divorce relationship?

Dawson: No, it pisses me off that I don't know what to believe anymore, okay? You're married, you're divorced. You're enemies, you're friends. What?

Mitch: We are trying very hard to be friends right now.

Dawson: Well, it's a little late for that, don't you think?

Mitch: That's where you're wrong. There's no time constraint about how long you can care about someone, no limit on how much. Especially if they've been so much a part of your life already.

[Potter Bed and Breakfast] (Mr. Fricke is sandwiched on the couch between Joey and Bessie)

Bessie: Now, this is our first full week of operation, Fred.

Joey: So we're still trying to work out all the kinks.

Bessie: I think our family style approach is what sets us apart form all the competition, Fred.

(She puts her hand on his knee. Joey looks worried)

Pacey: (Off Camera) Bathroom's almost fixed!

Joey: We have great people working for us.

Bessie: Fred, have you met our on-site handyman, Pacey Witter?

Mr. Fricke: (Stiffly) No, I haven't had the pleasure.

Pacey: (enters, mop in hand) Rest assured, folks. I have everything under control now. Taken care of . (A thump is accompanied by a cloud of smoke coming from the overhead vent. They all look up.)

Mr. Fricke: You might want to have Handyman Witter check the furnace. (Pacey looks sheepish and exits.)

[Commercials]

[Potter Bed and Breakfast] (Joey pounds on the furnace)

Bessie: Hey, we're in luck. Fricke went into town to grab dinner.

Joey: Shoot.

Bessie: (laughs) I don't think swearing at the thing's gonna help.

Joey: (snidely) Oh, and flirting with it might?

Bessie: What's that supposed to mean?

Joey: (she rises and goes into the kitchen) Nothing. I'm just a child, remember? I'll just stick with the little things, you know, like how we're going to prevent everyone we know from freezing to death in what's supposed to be the coldest night of the year? (She retrieves something form the cupboard.)

Bessie: You know, you're certainly behaving like a child. What is your problem?

Joey: Bessie, do you even remember what it's like to be sixteen? Is it like some far off planet?

(Joey goes back into the furnace room)

Bessie: I remember.

Joey: Because it's like you have all the responsibilities of an adult, but none of the authority. You can't vote, you can't drink, you can't make any definitive decisions about your life. (Joey tries to light a match)

Bessie: You think getting older automatically gives you more say in your life? Get real, Joey. You think I wanted to be stuck here at 26 taking care of two kids by myself?

Joey: Well, I guess I missed the part where you begged and pleaded with Bodie to stay.

Bessie: I ask him to come home every chance I get, but he knows we can't afford it. Trust me, this is now how I planned for my life to turn out.

Joey: Well, I'm really sorry if Alexander are putting a such a crimp in your lifestyle, but with any luck, I won't be here much longer to trouble you.

Bessie: That's not what I meant and you know it.

Joey: That's certainly what it sounded like. (She gets the match lit and lights the furnace.)

Bessie: You know, for a girl who supposedly wants to leave Capeside as soon as she can, you sure are putting a hell of a lot of effort into this place.

Joey: (rises from the furnace) You're right. Maybe it's just time I stopped.

(Bessie rolls her eyes.)

[Outside the Bed and Breakfast] (Pacey is splitting logs with an axe. Mitch comes up behind him, eating an apple.)

Mitch: Whose head was that?

Pacey: Ah, not to worry, Coach. If anybody's head belongs on the chopping block, it's mine. (He puts another log on the block.)

Mitch: What makes you say that?

Pacey: Oh, let me count the ways, shall we? For one, it was my idea to refurbish the old furnace instead of just buying a new one. (He chops.)

Mitch: Guilty as charged.

Pacey: Yeah, and this is the one you're really gonna love. It was my idea to bring Herr Fricke down to our little weekend in the country.

Mitch: You did?

Pacey: Yes. I did. Let me tell ya, (he chops) it was no easy feat, okay? I had to pull out all the stops on that guy, use all my dazzling people skills. And for what? A comedy of errors that's probably going to put the Sisters Potter in the poorhouse. (chops)

Mitch: (laughs) You know what I think? (throws the apple core away) I think that if I were Joey and Bessie, I would consider myself very lucky to have you in my life. (Mitch hands him another log)

Pacey: Why? Everything and everybody that I touch, I screw up, all right? You're aware of the Midas touch, right? You've heard of that? Okay, well the Midas touch, whatever that is, I got the opposite. (chops)

Mitch: Don't be so sure. I mean, look at you. You're still at it, right? You haven't given up. Pace, instead of dwelling on everything that's gone wrong this weekend, so far, um… think about what you contributed. You've put a lot of selfless work into this place, right? That is the real question. Listen, that goes to the heart of who Pacey Witter is.Pacey (chops) What?

Mitch: What makes you care so much.

[Dawson's House] (Gale and Dawson are rummaging through a closet.)

Gale: The heavy wool blankets are on the top shelf.

Dawson: I got it. (climbing up to reach them) Hey, Mom, I'm sorry. (He hands a blanket down to her.)

Gale: For what, Honey?

Dawson: For blowing up at you before. I should've been a little more sympathetic. It's just the rules of engagement keep changing on me.

Gale: Tell me about it. The post-divorce landscape is like an emotional battlefield.

Dawson: What I don't understand is that you and Dad seem to really like each other, still care about each other. (He grabs another blanket)

Gale: Well we do, Honey. Which is what makes the knowledge that were better off apart even more difficult to bear. I mean, think about your own life.

Dawson: What about it?

Gale: You and Joey. The decision to break up it isn't made in one sitting. It's cumulative. You have to re-decide over and over each day.

[Jen's House] (Jack and Andie enter. Jack goes into the next room while Andie looks at a note on the refrigerator.)

Jack: Okay, I know there's a space heater in here somewhere.

Andie: Hey, what's Jack Milk?

Jack: What?

Andie: It says, 'get more Jack Milk.'

Jack: (coming back into the room and heading to the door) Oh, that's whole milk. You know, Grams is skim, Jen's one percent.

Andie: Ah everybody gets their own milk.

Jack: Yeah, Grams isn't commenting, but she runs a tight ship.

Andie: (picking up a large mug with JACK written on the side) Coffee much?

Jack: (laughing) No.

Andie: What's this about?

Jack: That's an inside joke, it's kind of hard to explain.

Andie: It's okay, you don't have to. I get it. I mean, you're part of a family now. Families have three types of milk and inside jokes. Why would you want to move back into that big, cold house with a man who has no idea what kind of milk you drink or what kind of play you're directing. You're really lucky.

(Jack comes back from the door.)

Jack: It's you, isn't it? It's not Dad that's asking me back home, it's you.

Andie: I miss my brother, Jack. Especially when my life gets crazy and I want somebody around to share it with. And that's not meant to make you feel guilty and its not meant as a sympathetic plea. It's just the truth.

(Andie goes to the door. Jack looks guilty.)

[Outside] (Jen and Dawson stare up at the moon, which has a rosy cloud around it.)

Jen: Gorgeous.

Dawson: It's pollution. Certain, uh, industrial pollutants make the moon appear more vivid. Right about now, some factory in Boston just released something highly toxic into the air.

Jen: You know, there was a time when you'd just see the magic in a sight like this.

Dawson: I still do, it's just-- you know, I have a bitter sense of the reality behind the magic.

Jen: Can I ask you something, just for the record?

Dawson: Yeah, sure. Fire away.

Jen: When we were dating and I told you about me, my past, um what was it that you were scared of?

Dawson: I think anything that we don't know or understand can scare us, and I had certainly never known anyone with your degree of life experience. I admit that I was madly infatuated with you.

Jen: And you have one very intimidated Dawson Leery. Do you think that most other boys would react the same way?

Dawson: I'd love to say no, but honestly I don't know. I can't know how anyone's gonna react. But I can tell you, just for the record, that how I reacted was wrong. And that now I can see that the only thing more beautiful than Jen Lindley is the reality behind her magic. And I feel sorry for any guy who's too insecure to see that.

[Potter Bed and Breakfast] (Mitch, Jack, Dawson and Pacey are all gathered round the fireplace, trying to light a fire. Grams, Jen, Joey, Gale, Andie and Bessie all sit nearby.)

Mitch: Okay, let's get that right up there.

(All guys talk at once.)

Mitch: Air vents, okay? Guys, blow, blow, blow!

(Nothing happens)

Jen: We're so gonna freeze.

Grams: You'll never get it started with the hickory on the bottom. May I? (She goes to the fireplace and arranges the wood.) Hickory is a glorious wood, but it's a hard wood. Will never burn on its own. Soft pine goes on the bottom, oak in the middle, hickory on top. (She lights it.) There we go.

Mitch: Wow, I'm impressed.

Jen: You know, she churns her own butter, too.

Grams: Oh, I used to build a fire after dinner every night in the winter. Jennifer's Grandfather would sit in his leather chair, feet on ottoman, and read to me. Some nights we'd travel with Ahab in search of the great whale. Or some nights we'd float down the perilous river with Huck and Jim. Nearly every night, at some point in our journey, he'd fall asleep, chin on chest, book in lap, content. You know you love someone when you can spend the entire night just sitting by the fire, watching him sleep.

Gale: Sounds like you loved him very much.

Grams: Love is the hardest of woods. Takes a long, long time to heat up, but it does.

Jen: God, it smells good in here.

Grams: Hickory burning in the hearth, smells like 46 years of my life.

Dawson: They say that smell is the most powerful sense of recall that we have. It can bring back all kinds of buried experiences.

Gale: Vanilla.

Mitch: (surprised) Still?

Gale: Every time I smell it… Your Father worked in a restaurant when we first started dating…

Mitch: (laughs) The Franklin Family Fish House. (Everyone laughs.)

Gale: And every night after work, when he would come to pick me up, he always smelled like vanilla.

Mitch: Well, I used to soak my hands in it to, uh, alleviate the smell of the cod.

Dawson: Phenylene diamine. It's the main chemical used to process film, might've been the first time I ever opened a film canister. It's an intense smell. At the time, it smelled like possibility.

Jen: (curled up in a blanket) Mothballs. I love the smell of mothballs. (Everyone laughs.)

Jen: No, when class would get out at the Chapin's School in New York, um, there was this old storage room in the back of the auditorium that the drama club used to keep all their costumes and props in. God, I would spend hours in there hiding under Guinevere's skirt, wrapped in Lady Macbeth's cloak. It always seemed like, no matter what had happened or how bad the day had been or how much I thought I was falling apart, there was nothing that could get to me in there.

Jack: (laying by the fire) Kickapoo juice. It was this grape juice, and they used to hand out a cup of it at the end of every day at summer camp. And the owner of the camp, Mr. A, gave it that stupid name. We all knew it was Hi-C. (transcriber's note: Product placement much?)

Pacey: This might sound a little goofy, but do you think it's actually possible to smell snow?

Mitch: Absolutely.

Pacey: Well, that's my first memory, then. I don't know, I was maybe two or three years old. I just distinctly remember getting up on my tippy toes so I could look through this half open window at the snow falling down on the frozen creek, and everything just blanketed in stillness.

Andie: New car. We'd go on these family trips, and dad would always request a brand new rental car. And I guess, um, that smell just reminds me of all of us traveling together down some big open highway.

Joey: Bacon. Sizzling, crackling, wafting into my bedroom while I was still asleep, starting in my dreams and coaxing me into awake.

Bessie: I know that smell.

Joey: Mom.

Bessie: Yeah.

Joey: See, every Sunday when she didn't have to work, she would make breakfast. And I would find my way down the hallway and stand next to her by the stove. And we would talk about school, and boys, and we'd take the pancake batter and pour it into tiny molds shaped like pine trees and animals. My Mom always loved to cook and take care of everyone, and hated working at that bar every night. She always told me not to worry, because eventually she was going to make enough money and she was going to open up her very own, um, her very own Bed and Breakfast. She obviously didn't get the chance to see that dream happen, so I thought I would give it a shot. So, thank you everyone for coming and helping us. You're the best fake guests a girl could ask for. But really, you can all go home now.

(Joey rises and walks across the room. She finds Mr. Fricke is in the doorway.)

Joey: Mr. Fricke, I'm really sorry this has been such a horrendous experience. I realize it's no five star B&B, but I'm pretty sure my mother would've loved it.

[Commercials]

[Joey's Room] (Joey is asleep in bed. Voices come from off camera. Joey opens her eyes and gets up and smiles. Ain't Too Proud to Beg plays. The gang is in the kitchen dancing as they make breakfast.)

Andie: Woo!

Jen: Oh, yeah.

Andie: Ow! (laughing)

Jen: Ow, that hit me!

Pacey: What kind of toss was that man?

Andie: Okay! Oo! Oo! Oo! (singing along)

Pacey: Ah! Ah! (handling the bacon)

Jen: Oh yeah, oh yeah. Oh, that smells good.

Joey: (smiling) So is someone going to tell me what's going on?

Pacey: Hey. Want some coffee? Could someone please get this lady a cup of coffee?

Joey: I thought everyone was going home.

Dawson: Well you know you sleep late, you miss a lot. O okay you've done the bed thing its time for some breakfast

(The gang gathers around the table with their plates. Mr. Fricke is at the head.)

Pacey: This is for you, Mr. Fricke.

Joey: Morning, everyone.

All: Morning.

Joey: Morning, Mr. Fricke.

Mr. Fricke: Morning.

Joey: You know, I know we still have a few kinks to work out. We'll probably never have the fine linens and gourmet food that you're used to.

Mr. Fricke: The heat didn't work last night, but this is one of the warmest places I've ever stayed. (He lifts up a forkful of pancake.) And these pancakes may be the best in the county.

Andie: All right!

Joey: (confused) Um, what am I missing?

Bessie: Why, whatever do you mean?

Joey: Well, for one thing your pancakes are nowhere near this good, Bessie.

Pacey: Well, then perhaps we should pay our compliments to the chef, huh?

All: (chanting) Chef, chef, chef, chef!

Bodie: (entering the kitchen with Alexander in his arms) Now who here wants seconds?

Joey: (rising and hugging him) Bodie? What are you doing here?

Bodie: What do you mean? I wouldn't miss this for the world!

(Bessie pulls Joey aside into a neighboring room.)

Bessie: I was up for hours last night, thinking about what you said by the fire. And I went up to the attic--

Joey: (apologetically) Look, Bessie--

Bessie: (she shows her an old Guest Book) Dad gave this to Mom for Christmas ten years ago. We signed it over breakfast… her first guests. How could I have forgotten her dream?

Joey: You've had a few other things to worry about, Bessie. The lives of two kids.

(There's noise from the other room.)

Mr. Fricke: (raising his glass in a toast) To the Potter B&B! May it live long and prosper!

Pacey: Here, here.

Andie: Yay!

[Gale and Mitch's Room] (Gale is at the mirror fastening a necklace. Mitch is packing.)

Gale: May I bother you?

Mitch: Yeah. (He fastens the clasp for her.) You remember last night around the fire, that whole nostalgia vanilla thing? That brought back another memory…

Gale: The Fish Bistro.

Mitch: Yeah.

Gale: How could I ever forget that pipe dream?

Mitch: We thought that up when you were pregnant with Dawson. Leery's Fresh Fish. But you know what? I think back to that time now, before the teaching and the coaching, that wasn't really my dream at all. It was yours.

Gale: Well, I don't know about that…

Mitch: I'm not saying that you bailed on it or anything, I mean, it's not your fault you were more successful doing something else. (Gale looks away) Anyway, I know that you're interviewing with a lot of different stations and everything, but there is this little empty place by the river. I, um, came across it the other day and wrote the number down, (he hands her a paper from his pocket) just in case you wanted to take a look at it.

Gale: Thank you, Mitch, but that dream was so very long ago.

Mitch: Seems like yesterday to me.

[The Docks] (Henry and Jen sit outside talking.)

Henry: So this is why you brought me here?

Jen: Henry, I just shared with you all the events of my sordid past, a veritable laundry list of sexual crimes and misdemeanors.

Henry: Yeah?

Jen: (confused) So, so you're not acting disgusted or self-righteous or intimidated or even agog?

Henry: Why would I be any of those things?

Jen: Because that's how boys always react.

Henry: Whatever you did before is part of what makes you who you are. And I'm thankful for that.

Jen: Did you just say what I think you said?

Henry: Whatever it was, I think I did, yeah.

Jen: (smiling) Who are you, Henry Parker?

[Outside the Potter B&B] (Pacey is setting up the camcorder on a tripod while Dawson looks on.)

Dawson: Pacey, do you have any idea what you're doing?

Pacey: Well, I have put a lens cap on before, yeah.

Dawson: I meant just in general. Everything's changing so rapidly, I'm having troubles finding my bearings, you know?

Pacey: I'll second that emotion.

Dawson: You know, I lay awake at night on my bed staring at my walls, which are now blank except for a Lennon poster, trying to imagine the future… and it's as blank as the walls. All I can see is a past that's barely recognizable anymore. Perfect example: you.

Pacey: Me?

Dawson: Yeah, you concocted this whole metamorphosis. You used to be glib and predictable. I don't know, I mean I thought it was, you know, your relationship with Andie, but now you're not with her and still… I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you.

Pacey: For what, man?

Dawson: For doing what I asked you to do: taking care of Joey. You really went above and beyond the call. I mean, you did something really special for her. I'm glad she has you.

Pacey: Let me tell you something, Man. It's no picnic, okay? That Potter girl, she ain't easy, alright? She's physically incapable of keeping her mouth shut for more than two seconds at a time. She's got an opinion about everything. I mean, it's uncanny, alright? So anytime you want to jump back in there, you just let me know, because I am eager to return to our regularly scheduled programming. That good enough for you?

Dawson: That'll do fine, Pace.

[Joey's Porch] (Grams and Jen are leaving with their bags.

Grams: (singing) Sunshine all over the place, just put on a happy face.

Jen: Did you mix your red pills with your blue ones today?

Grams: I like that song. (Jack comes up to them.) Ah.

Jen: Oh, just in time to carry our bags. (They hand him their bags.)

Jack: (setting them down) Uh, listen there's something I want to talk through with you guys if you have a second.

Jen: Absolutely. What is it?

Jack: Okay, uh, Andie is, um, Andie's giving me the hard sell about moving back home.

Jen: Well, what about your Dad?

Jack: As much as I thought it was, my moving back home doesn't really have anything to do with my Dad. He's not there half the time anyway. It's about Andie. You see, when you guys invited me last summer to stay with you, I didn't have anything or anyone. And it was so generous of both of you and it's not that you just offered me a home, it was the act of reminding me that somebody cared about me when I didn't really feel like I deserved it. And now Andie needs to be reminded of that. I'm her brother. So look, I'm sorry. I want you to think that I appreciate everything and you did so much for me and I--

Jen: Go home, Jack. Go home. (The three of them hug.)

[Potter Bed and Breakfast] (Pacey enters. Music montage begins.)

Pacey: Potter? Potter, look, I talked to the furnace guy. He said he could come by tomorrow if you didn't…(He finds Joey asleep by the fire. He walks over and kneels beside her, tucking her in. He watches her for a moment, then walks away.)

[Outside. Night.] (Bessie, Bodie and Alex sit outside together, playing by candlelight.)

[Docks. Night.] (Henry and Jen sit together, talking.)

[Street. Night.] (Gale walks along, and looks at the property by the river hopefully.)

[Jen's house] (Jack sadly pulls a dreamcatcher off the wall, and puts it in a box. He takes the box out of his room, turning off the light and shutting the door.)

[Dawson's room] (Dawson stares with deep concentration at the wall and sees his Imagine poster.)

[Potter Bed and Breakfast] (Pacey stares with deep concentration at Joey as she sleeps by the fire. It looks as though he could sit there all night…)