Previously on Dawson's Creek
Capeside's 1999 Homecoming Queen,
Miss Jennifer Lindley.
Rob Logan is not a nice guy.
He's a creep to an exponential degree.
You know what, Rob?
The day your out of whack libido lands you in so deep
that not even Daddy can save your ass?
Don't call me as a character witness.
You're fired. - What?
You're awesome.
You look awesome.
You smell awesome.
Everything about you is awesome.
Good to know.
Genetic inevitability is what it is.
What's what it is?
The fact that I'm turning into my mother.
Take this whole Homecoming Queen debacle.
Your mom was an HQ?
Aw, she was Miss Cape Cod. Same difference.
Who graduated from the swimsuit competition
to a life of cucumber sandwiches,
high teas... And junior league.
Point being?
Just that despite all my best efforts,
I, too, have managed to reach the very pinnacle
of Capeside popular culture.
Dawson, I have sold my soul.
I've become that false character
who just follows their name around.
Beat yourself up much, Jen?
Only when I deserve it.
Just another happy character flaw
brought to you directly from mommy dearest.
You've got it backwards.
I don't think anybody voted for you because you were like your mom.
I think they voted for you because you were different.
They voted for me because I'm blonde
and I fill out my sweater.
That, too, but I think when--
No, when kids voted for you, they voted for an outsider.
Provocateur. Messiah to lead them from the mainstream.
There she is. Miss Lindley, may we interrupt?
With good news I hope, Mr. Milo.
Allow me to introduce to you Capeside High's finest.
You are looking at half a century of Homecoming queens.
Ladies, may I present Miss Jennifer Lindley?
1999's proud addition to your number.
My name is Constance Freckling.
Of the Mayflower Frecklings.
Famous Freckling's candies.
I'm the oldest living HQ.
Now, Jennifer, if you'll extend your index finger
along the inside of my wrist, like this...
Congratulations. You've just learned the secret handshake.
Welcome to the club.
I've heard all about you.
You guys, it's all so exciting.
Now tell me,
whose brilliant idea was this again?
Mine.
Ok, it was your sister's idea
to craft this place into a bed and breakfast,
but I'm the one who told her how she could do it for next to nothing.
Oh, and, Pacey, be sure and thank your dad again
for getting us the help.
Please. I finally figured out
what the police auxiliary in this town is for.
Take it black?
Yeah.
Ok, Potter, what's up?
Well, considering that a lot of our insurance money
is going to be swallowed up in this,
I just hope it all works out.
It'll work.
I can't go back to the Marina gig.
Yeah, whatever happened with that creep anyhow?
Long story.
He was going out on a date with, uh...
Somebody that I know, and I was concerned about her,
and I tried to warn her,
and as a result, he fired me the next day.
Oh, what a charmer.
So who was the girl?
No one you know.
Really? Yeah, Potter. Do yourself a favor.
Don't ever go into politics, ok?
You're constitutionally incapable of lying with a straight face.
So who was she?
Oh.
Sorry.
I wasn't going to tell you, Pacey.
Why do I feel like I just got hit with a sledgehammer?
If it's any consolation, it won't last.
Andie's way too smart to fall for that jerk's act--
Hey, it's ok.
Whatever makes her happy, right?
Hey, Dad. I'm home.
Mom?
Hey.
Oh, honey, I've missed you so much.
What are you doing home?
What, a mother can't surprise her son?
I'm not complaining.
I can tell you why she's here.
This year is HQ gala.
Your father knows me too well.
Being an HQ
from a certain undisclosed year in the late seventies,
yeah, I thought I'd come home.
Late seventies?
Hello, Gale. Hi, Mitch.
You know, Jen's planning it.
Hmm? The gala? Jen Lindley?
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, Capeside's newest Homecoming Queen.
How on earth did that happen?
Nobody's quite sure,
although I'm interpreting it as an early sign of Armageddon.
Hmm. Well, at the very least,
that should make for a fun time for us.
Have you developed a lazy eye,
or were you actively looking in my direction when you said us?
Honey, I need an escort.
Hi.
I just remembered I got some French vocab to study for.
You don't take French.
Well, all the more reason, right?
You told him.
Slipped out over breakfast.
Breakfast?
Yeah, Pacey's been helping Bessie and me with the addition.
The one we're investing every spare cent we have to build
so we can hopefully open soon
and financially barely scrape by.
Look, Joey, it wasn't my fault you got fired,
and even if it was, which it wasn't,
you can't stay mad at me forever, ok?
Not forever, but...
A few solid months.
Ok, I don't know what Rob and I are.
All I know is I can't help it. I like him.
For now, but I can promise you this, Andie.
You're going to get a big, fat "I told you so."
Don't slouch, young lady.
Square your shoulders and face the world.
What do you think?
Excuse me?
The dress. It's nearly finished.
I make a new one every year for tomorrow's gala celebration.
Oh, see, that's what I wanted to--
One must remain modern, after all.
I'm thinking of lifting the hem and softening the neckline a little.
Softening would be good.
Listen, Mrs. Freckling--
Miss Freckling.
I never married.
Oh. What in the--
w-world was that?
Hank.
Hank?
My handyboy.
Heh heh. Lovely child.
Lives right down the road.
Presently, he's hanging extra twinkle bulbs on my roof.
Oh.
Yeah, about that party--
I hope that you don't mind, but...
It's just that I've been through all this before,
with my mother,
and she was constantly trying to turn me into a debutante.
It's just not really my thing.
Oh, but I do mind.
You have a responsibility, young lady,
as the newly crowned queen
to help me host this event.
But I never asked for any of this.
Nor did I ask for you, Jennifer.
Most girls who walk through this door
are pleased as punch to be here.
They're sweet, upstanding, enthusiastic girls
who relish the chance to be role models.
They tend to...
Stand up straight, comb their hair, and...
Wear brassieres.
Am I making myself clear?
Crystal.
Aah!
You're Hank?
Quick. Bees. Run for your life!
Just like the cops to disappear
when the going gets tough.
Some of them do have wives and children to get home to.
Besides, we're almost done here,
and, you know, I was thinking,
you're gonna need a name for this addition when we do get finished,
so a suggestion, if I may.
How does the Pacey j. Witter wing strike you?
Hmm. Keep talking,
it'll be a memorial dedication.
You know, Potter,
sometimes your lack of gratefulness--
it borders on unappealing.
Joey, it's for you.
And whoever it is, she sounds upset.
Hello?
Hello.
Andie, is that you?
Joey, please help me.
Andie, what happened?
I don't wanna talk about it. I just wanna go home.
Andie, you gotta tell us what happened first.
Pacey, please.
Andie, what did he do? Did he try to hurt you?
Andie, you gotta tell us. What did this guy do to you?
Um...we were...upstairs in the bedroom...
And we were just kissing.
And then...he started trying to...
And I kept saying no, and he kept trying,
and then I managed to get away before anything else happened,
and that's when I came down and I called Joey,
and can we just go now, please?
Where is he?
Don't worry about it.
Is he in there?
Pacey, let's just go.
I'm not leaving until I talk to that bastard.
Pacey, no!
...but I tell him, it is easy.
Hey, Rob.
Yeah.
You're here with Andie, right?
What the hell did you do to her?
I didn't do anything!
So she's outside bawling for nothing?
Where is she? Let me talk to her.
You're not going anywhere near her.
Get out of my face, man.
Get off me.
If you so much as touch her again,
I am going to nail you to a cross.
Wait a minute. I didn't even lay a hand on her.
Oh, hey, save it for the judge, Logan, huh?
Get out of my house!
It's really beautiful in here.
Isn't it? You're looking at over 200 plants.
Bulbophyllum Virginalis.
You're making that up.
No, I'm not. I swear.
Sometimes they get a little suggestive with the names.
Ok, gimme another one.
Ok, how about...
Polystachya Pubescens?
Or... Vanda Vaginatum?
Ooh, is it hot in here,
or did you just make me blush?
Oh.
Relax, Henry. It'll take a lot more than a flower to offend me.
Hmm, how did you learn so much about these?
Miss Freckling.
What's the deal with her?
What do you mean?
She's wound so tight, she's like a violin string.
No, she's... She's just sad.
Sad?
She's got no one in her life.
She never had kids, no relatives.
I've lived next door to her for 10 years.
I think I'm her best friend.
I don't know who to feel sorrier for,
you or her.
We're gonna have to toughen you up.
You keep wearing your heart on your sleeve like that,
and you're gonna bleed to death.
It's not me. It's...
It's her.
You have no idea how much she was looking forward to meeting you.
She was?
I told her all about you.
See. The thing is, she has exactly 2 events on her social calendar--
The W.O.C. in Miami every spring--
W.O.C.?
The World Orchid Conference.
And in the fall, the Homecoming Queen gala.
It's what she lives for.
Without them... She's got nothing at all.
Look, um, you need to go to the station tonight.
Uh-uh, I can't go to the station.
Andie, you have to.
You have to talk to the police.
Joey, it's not like he actually did anything.
Well, then, why don't you stay here?
I really don't think you should be alone tonight.
Thanks, but I can't.
I can take care of this, Jo.
You sure?
Yeah.
Ok.
Miss Freckling?
Constance?
She's got her aid turned off.
Aid?
Hearing aid. Sometimes she likes to tune out the world.
Oh, Hank, you startled me. Oh.
I, um, I ran into Jen outside.
Miss Freckling, I know that we got off on the wrong foot,
and...I just wanted to see if we could start over.
He is persuasive when he wants to be, isn't he?
I...I...
I'm just getting to know him.
Well, if he likes you, you can't be all bad.
You know, I was just thinking the same thing about you.
So, should we wait for the waters to calm
or just dive right into the party planning?
I say dive right in.
Very well.
Um, entertainment or food?
Take your pick.
Um...
Entertainment?
Ahh, surprise, surprise.
Now, since it's my house, there are some rules.
Surprise, surprise.
No mimes, no magicians, no Barry Manilow,
no Elvis look-alikes, no motivational speakers,
no comedy troupes, no break dancing,
no gangsta rap, no animal tricks--
Ok, no nothing that you might possibly see on Letterman.
What's Letterman?
How does a string quartet
playing Mozart strike you?
Perfect.
Ok, I'll split the difference.
I'm sure you will.
Oh, and there's one more thing.
What's that?
Well, uh, he doesn't know it yet, but... Hank here...
Is going as my date.
True Love.
That's ironic.
Yeah, well...
I figured since it didn't exist,
I'd try and create it for myself.
Why did you bring me here?
Because...well, you said you wanted to go someplace quiet.
There's lots of quiet places, Pacey.
Yeah, I guess there are, heh.
Um...
I guess I just wanted to show you I've been ok
since we ended things.
I've found a way to turn what's been killing me
into something potentially beautiful.
I haven't, Pacey.
I'm not over you.
You will be, McPhee.
See, even that-- just you calling me by my last name--
Do you know how long I've waited to hear that?
You've been through a lot tonight, Andie. Let's not go there.
If it took what happened tonight
to bring us together, then so be it.
We're not together.
I mean, I'm here for you, but we're not together.
If we're not together, then...
I'm not sitting beside you...
Staring into your eyes...
And kissing you.
Andie...
Sorry.
We just can't.
Phew! We can't.
For so many reasons, we can't.
I'm not asking you what we can't do, Pacey.
I'm asking you what you want to do.
I want to know that you're ok.
That's all that matters to me now.
That's a shame because you still matter to me in every way.
I want to be with you, Pacey.
I know that's how you're feeling right now,
but tomorrow could be an entirely different story.
I'm not talking about tomorrow.
I'm talking about right now.
Tonight. You and me together, under the stars...
Just like it used to be.
I'm talking about a kiss.
That's all I'm asking.
Don't you want to?
Thanks for taking care of me.
Right back at you, Andie.
I just wanna say, for the record, about last night?
Whatever did or did not happen between us
happened for a reason,
and I, for one, am 100% ok with it.
And wherever it may lead, whatever new status may result--
it's totally-- Andie.
I'm rambling.
Yeah.
Well, it's an awkward moment, and I'm scared,
and in scared moments, I ramble.
Some people do that.
Sometimes they ramble when they're-- Andie.
Rambling again. Right.
I guess I just wanna know
that you're feeling what I'm feeling.
I am.
That makes me so happy.
Ok.
Didn't you read the sign?
No known sex offenders within 200 yards of my property.
I didn't do it!
Not bad. You could use a little work
on the delivery, however.
I suggest a less forceful interpretation.
Joey, please, just tell me...
Tell me she hasn't gone to the police.
You touch me again, and I will scream
faster than you can say William Kennedy Smith!
Look, Joey, she was the one that wanted to go upstairs, ok?
She--she practically dragged me up to that room.
And when we started kissing,
I swear, she just freaked out.
Rob, you do not have a lot of credibility with me right now.
Fine. I admit it, ok? But there is a difference
between an inappropriate workplace flirtation--
And sexual assault?
You draw your own line in the sand, Rob.
They are both against the law.
I have never forced myself on anyone.
If you say so.
It's no secret that she's unstable.
No secret that she spent some time in a mental hospital.
I'm going to pretend you never said that.
Then why would she do this, huh?
That's all I wanna know! For what possible reason?
Splendid.
I wonder where Jen is.
Oh, don't look now,
but here comes Marilyn Mednick and her husband.
I haven't seen them in years.
I can't stand that woman.
Oh...
Oh, Gale, Dawson.
Neil, Marilyn.
I heard all about Philadelphia.
I'm sure you did. Excuse us.
We were just gonna get a drink.
Actually, I'm quite proud of my mom.
Oh, we all are.
Even if Philadelphia didn't quite agree with her.
Honestly, I think it's perfectly absurd...
To fire an anchor because the public
felt she was too old to identify with.
Oh, you wouldn't hear them saying that about Diane Sawyer.
Gale, I speak for the whole county when I say
you'd be welcome back on our airwaves anytime.
Thank you, Neil.
Shall we?
Mom, is there something you want to tell me?
You're late.
The entertainment still isn't here.
And that wardrobe is far from appropriate attire.
I demand you return home and change this instant.
I can understand why she would turn this into a travesty,
but why you, Henry?
Relax, ok? I put him up to it.
And you haven't seen anything yet.
I swear it's hotter than a French prostitute in this dress.
Who and what are they?
They...are the entertainment.
I need to sit down.
Andie, have you told your dad?
Why should I? I mean, it's only gonna upset him,
and it's not like anything cataclysmic happened.
Andie, this guy could have hurt you.
You don't know that, Joey, and maybe I overreacted.
Do you think you overreacted?
Well, I didn't cry wolf, if that's what you're saying.
No. That's not what I'm saying.
Then what are you saying?
I have to tell you something.
What?
Rob stopped by my house this morning.
He told me his side of the story,
and he basically got down on his knees, pleading his innocence.
So that's why you're here.
You, of all people, are gonna believe that scum.
I didn't say I believed him.
No? You just stopped by for a friendly little chat.
No. I stopped by to make sure that we were doing the right thing, Andie.
Look, I should've reported the guy myself, about his behavior towards me.
I mean, maybe I could've prevented this whole thing.
I think your water's boiling.
Listen, Joey...
Maybe all of this happened for a reason.
I mean, maybe something good came out of it.
What do you mean?
As of last night, Pacey and I are back together.
I can't tell you how happy I am
because now everything can just go back to the way it was.
Ladies and gentlemen, the moment that you've all been waiting for.
Please help me in welcoming the awesome talents of...
Amanda Wreckinwith, summer clearance,
Megan Whoopie, and Ms. Christy Anity.
Don't--don't tell anyone, but I think I got the hots for Christy.
Ha. I always knew you had excellent taste in women.
Constance is gonna kill me.
Don't be so sure.
Down deep, buried somewhere, I think that she gets it.
Get-gets what?
Homecoming queens, drag queens, what's the difference?
They're all just people dressing up,
pretending to be something that they're not,
playing a role.
Come on.
What-- what are we doing?
Dancing, Henry.
In hopes of performing a miracle and awakening the dead.
I come bearing gifts.
Hey, Andie.
Hey. I thought that,
uh, True Love could use a woman's touch.
What do you think?
Well, to tell you the truth, what she could use
is a new rudder and a keel.
Ok. Would you settle for a skipper's cap
and a pair of my dad's old topsiders?
Very nice.
To be honest, I... I'm really starting to wonder
whether I'm ever gonna finish her at all.
Why do you say that?
Well, because sometimes it's harder to rebuild something
than it is to just start from scratch.
Why?
That picture that you have in your mind of the way something was...
It's never gonna be that way again.
Yeah, but it could be better.
Yeah, it could be...
Depending on how badly damaged it was in the first place.
How badly damaged was it?
It was pretty much totaled.
Ok, Pacey, could we please stop beating this metaphor to death
and just talk about what we're actually talking about?
I made a mistake last night, Andie.
We both made a mistake.
What did we do? Nothing.
All I can tell you is how it made me feel.
How?
Like I went against what I know is right.
That's funny because today is actually the first day
that I felt really happy since I left the hospital.
It is funny.
You know, there used to be a time
when you and I were so in sync...
In everything that we did.
Uh, just connected.
Look at us now.
We have the opposite reaction to the exact same event.
Pacey, please don't do this.
Not now. Don't break up with me.
I never wanted to break up with you, Andie, never.
I mean, all those months...
Just waiting, secretly hoping...
You're just... You're just punishing me.
That's what this is about. And you just need to stop being angry with me.
I'm not punishing you, Andie.
Punishment implies you did something wrong.
I slept with another guy 6 months ago.
I knew it was wrong when I did it.
I keep trying to tell you this and make you understand it.
How many times do I have to say it?
Andie...
If you wanted to sleep with him,
if even just for a second,
then maybe it wasn't wrong.
Maybe... It was.
Maybe...
That was just your heart's way of telling you I'm not the one.
'Cause that's what my heart's telling me right now.
It's telling me that you're not the one.
You don't mean that, Pacey.
Pacey, you can't mean that.
Andie, I'm sorry.
No. Just...
Just forget it.
Well, Jennifer, the evening wasn't a total disaster.
I will say one thing.
They sure do know how to dance.
That they do.
You know, Miss Freckling,
I believe that I owe you an apology.
Whatever for?
Besides the obvious, that is.
Well, the truth is that I intended to shock you tonight,
but something unexpected happened.
For the first time, I was able to see past the cliche,
and I actually enjoyed being a Homecoming Queen.
Which brings us to one small unresolved item.
Hank.
He adores you, you know.
It's just a crush. It's completely harmless.
It's more than that.
He talks about you nonstop.
Your presence in his life has awakened him somehow.
It's quite special.
Though my concern is the sentiment's not mutual.
That would be correct.
I had a beau, once.
Heir to a mattress fortune.
Beautiful man.
I was 17. We courted.
He asked me to marry him.
I remember it like yesterday.
He took off his hat, got down on one knee.
It was at his mother's grave site on the anniversary of her death.
What? He proposed to you at a cemetery?
Looking back, I should've run from there screaming,
like a woman from a burning house, but...
But you didn't.
No. I didn't.
But the wedding never happened anyway.
He led me on, Jennifer...
Played me for a fool.
And then he ran off to California
with the girl who'd sold him his Cadillac.
But the point is the heart is a fragile thing.
Break it too badly, and it might well never recover.
She calls it the spotted heart.
It's her most sacred blossom.
Took her over 15 years to breed it correctly.
It's older than you are.
The world's most beautiful things are.
Henry.
I thought we were having fun.
We are.
But not like that.
You asked me to come with you tonight.
Yes, I did.
Doesn't that count for something?
It counts for us becoming friends.
Jen, I’m...
I--I think I’m in love with you.
Henry, you're not in love with me.
You can't say that. How do you know what I feel?
You don't even know me. How could you possibly be in love with me?
Because I just-- I am.
I wish it was that simple.
It is that simple.
If it's our age you're worried about,
we're not even 2 years apart. It's nothing.
Right now, it's everything, Henry.
Do you know how much is gonna happen to you in the next 2 years
if you do them right?
Your heart is gonna swell and break a hundred times before you turn 16.
How does that make me any less ready for you now?
I can still care about you more than anyone ever has.
No offense, but that's not saying much.
Then give me a shot.
What do you have to lose?
Listen, Henry, what you need right now
is somebody who can not only understand what you're going through,
but who can also go through it with you.
Believe me, everything that you haven't done, I have.
Except fall in love?
You haven't done that.
Or else you'd have someone.
But you don't.
Which leads me to believe
that everything you think you know about love is questionable.
And as long as it is, you can't tell me I'm not the one for you.
Henry, what you need to know about me...
And it's something that I’m just beginning to understand,
is that until I can look at myself without judgment
or condemnation, I'm not ready for anyone.
Let alone you.
You know what you just said...
About my heart breaking a hundred times?
Well, there goes number one.
I'm just sorry you didn't feel you could tell me.
How does a mother tell a son,
whom she's supposed to be teaching to dream,
that she failed at her own?
Mom.
First of all, you didn't fail.
And second of all, you don't look old.
You look great.
Thank you, honey.
Now, as for coming home...
Sweetheart, I have my reasons
why I don't want to race back to Capeside.
Right. And that's between you and Dad,
and I don't want to get in the middle.
But...
But you think that I should talk to him, don't you?
I just think you could use a friend like him right now.
It's not that easy, Dawson.
There's way too much history there.
But there's no law saying that you can't,
you know, lean on him a little.
Tell him the truth. What's the worst that could happen?
He could help me.
We could become friends again.
Hah.
God help us.
You lied to me. You told me one thing to my face,
and then you went right behind my back.
I thought you were supposed to be my friend.
I am, Andie.
Oh, and you have such deep feelings for me
that you went straight to Pacey and sabotaged everything.
Pacey? I haven't even talked to Pacey
since you guys dropped me off.
And I'm supposed to believe that?
Well, it's the truth.
Oh, ok. So it's just a coincidence
that one minute we're together
and the next he never wants to see me again?
When did this happen?
Tonight.
An hour ago.
Right after you went and told him
that I made up the entire story about Rob just to get him back.
Look. Ok, Andie, I admit it did cross my mind.
But I didn't believe it, not for a minute.
Is that right?
Look, I know you.
I...
I know that you're a good person. You--
You would never do anything so hurtful and plainly wrong.
What? What did I say?
Nothing.
You can tell me, Andie.
Look, you don't know me, Joey, ok?
You don't know what I'm capable of
when I set my sights on something.
Andie, you're a stubborn and determined person.
There's nothing wrong with that.
No! It's more. It's like I've got blinders on.
And all I can see is what's right in front of me, what I'm after,
and everything on the edges just gets blocked out somehow.
What are you talking about?
I'm talking about Pacey.
I love him, and I need him.
And the truth is...
I don't know what the truth is anymore.
It's ok.
Cheers.