Dawson and Joey are still in his room, the moment after the big kiss. They pull apart and stare into each other's eyes. "What was that?" Joey asks. "A kiss," Dawson responds, not quite believing it himself. "So," they both say, unsure of what's going to happen next. Dawson finally asks, "So now what?" Joey suggests they sleep on it (not together, she points out). Dawson suggests that perhaps it was all just a dream, and that they'll wake up and it will all have never happened. Joey is annoyed, thinking that he's wishing it never happened, and she turns to go. Dawson stops her. "Joey," he says, "Don't even think of climbing through that window." He pulls her in for another kiss.
The next morning, both Joey and Dawson wake up in their own beds, obviously happy about the events of the night before. Mr. And Mrs. Leery wake up as well, and Gail tells Mitch that she doesn't have to be into work until late, kissing him. Mitch resists, telling her he has a meeting to get to.
Bessie pulls up to the Icehouse and complains to Joey about the condition of their truck. Joey tells her not to worry, and Bessie is surprised at Joey's optimistic, upbeat attitude. After realizing she hasn't had any coffee that day, Bessie asks why she has such a glow about her. "Where were you last night," she asks coyly. Joey smiles. "Nowhere," she says, avoiding the question, but Bessie prods her further until she reveals she was at Dawson's. "Start talking," Bessie says, and Joey starts filling her in.
Meanwhile, Dawson and Pacey are getting their hair done and discussing the exact same thing. Dawson describes the kiss as "The sweetest most romantic Fourth of July fireworks, waves crashing on the shore beyond any movie I could ever imagine kiss." Both Joey and Dawson avoid all questions pertaining to "doing it."
"I can't believe this," Pacey tells Dawson, "After years of gratuitous self examination you finally did it. You acted. I thought you and Joey were going to draw out this whole 'will they, won't they' drama for at least another couple years, 'cause ya know Sam and Diane, they didn't get together for at least four seasons, and Mulder and Scully? They haven't even kissed." He's inspired, and he tells Dawson he's going to be a new man, and score with "high class chicks." He decides to get his tips frosted.
Pacey is sitting in one of his Dad's squad cars, trying to impress Christy, a Capeside cheerleader. He pulls out and directly into another car, driven by Andie, who mistakes him for a cop and begs him not to revoke her license. Pacey plays along, taking her license and registration and telling her he should take her in and book her. "You cause any more trouble in Capeside," he says, "And officer Pacey's coming after you."
In school that morning, Dawson finds Joey in the hallway and she tells him that she has decided not to go to France. Their conversation is awkward after the night before, but Dawson hugs her after she tells him she's staying. "So Joey Potter is sticking around in Capeside for some guy," he jokes. "Maybe if you're lucky I'll introduce him to you sometime," she says. "He's a very lucky guy," Dawson whispers to her. They start walking down the hall and Dawson tells her he's relieved she's staying... and maybe a little aroused. "Do you think we're making some massive, monumental mistake?" Joey asks. Dawson tells her they'll be fine, and concentrate on the simple stuff, avoiding complications. He invites her to the movies on Saturday. "Will you still be aroused on Saturday night?" she asks, smiling. They run into Jen and she tells them her grandfather died the night before. She is obviously upset and tells them she's decided to head home, she doesn't think she'll make it through the day. She leaves, and Joey tells Dawson to go see if she's okay.
Andie sees Pacey in the hallway bragging to some guys, and realizes the whole thing was a joke. She's not too happy about it, she's been having "major anxiety attacks" since that morning. Christy walks by and says hi to Andie, much to Pacey's surprise. She explains that she knows Christy and tells him she can arrange an introduction between the two.
Jen arrives home to find her grandmother gathering her grandfathers old clothes for the church charity drive. Jen is upset that she's doing this so soon, before they've even buried him. Jen's grandmother tells her how she prayed for his release, and that he is gone, he has been gone, and she must accept the loss.
Gail arrives home late, and she immediately starts making excuses, hoping Mitch doesn't think she was being unfaithful again. He tells her it's okay, and leaves for an appointment.
Andie introduces an eager Pacey to Christy and he tells her he would like to get to know her better, perhaps over dinner and a movie. "See if we have anything that resembles a future together." She agrees to go out with him, much to his surprise.
Mitch is in the lobby of a law firm, and as he goes into the office it is revealed to be a divorce law firm.
Jen is sitting on a swing in her backyard when Dawson brings her something her mom made for them. She asks why he's so dressed up and he tells her he and Joey are going to the movies that night. "How are the two star crossed lovers?" she asks. "You know us," Dawson answers, "Just Dawson and Joey. We'll always be Dawson and Joey, whatever that means." Jen looks up at him. "How about Dawson and Jen?" she asks hopefully. He tells her he thinks she could use a friend more than anything else and she agrees. They hug, and he tells her he has to go.
Bessie finds Joey sitting on the dock thinking about the night to come, and Joey tells her how strange it all seems, her and Dawson on a date. She's worried about their next kiss, and Bessie explains that he second kiss is always more important than the first. The first is the passionate one, fueled by desire and longing, while the second is more rational. You have time to think about it. "It's about something more," she says.
Dawson drives his boat to Joey's house to pick her up. She looks incredible, and he picks her a flower, handing it to her as they meet. They stand together awkwardly before starting to leave. "I'm really glad we already bypassed the end of the evening will she kiss me drama," Dawson says, " it should be pretty much smooth sailing from here on out." Joey tells him he now has to worry about the "now that I've already kissed her should we just get a motel and shag like porn stars" anxiety. He tells her he thinks he can handle it, and she jokes that she knows a good motel. He asks if he could just hold her hand instead. Hand in hand they walk to the boat.
Pacey is waiting for Christy in the park, singing songs about she'll be his. It's getting late.
They arrive at the movie and after a few moments Jen arrives as well, sitting down beside a shocked Dawson. She realizes she's intruding and leaves, upset. Dawson looks between her and Joey, then decides to go after her. "I'll be right back," he tells Joey, who appropriately rolls her eyes.
Dawson finds Jen in the lobby and apologizes to her. "The whole time we were dating were you really wishing you were with Joey instead?" Jen asks, she's upset about losing Dawson and coming between him and Joey. He once again says he wants to be her friend. "From being the girl next door, to the object of your affection, to the third wheel, it's been quite a ride Dawson," she says. Se asks him not to "jump Joey" right away, which angers Dawson. Jen runs off and Dawson goes back into the theater to find Joey. She's gone, the flower he gave her resting on her chair.
Back in the park, Christy finally shows up and Pacey could't be happier. However, she explains she can't stay because her boyfriend is waiting for her in the car. "I had to stop by and tell you how brave I think you are," she says. She explains that Andie told her he had a "heart stripe" and that he could die at any time. She respects that, and tells him so, but Pacey is obviously pre-occupied by the joke Andie has played on him. Christy leaves Pacey in the park, bewildered.
Jen's grandmother finds her in the theater after the movie, and Jen tells her how pathetic she is and how she has no friends. Her grandmother tells her she is loved, and that she is now her entire world. "If I'm all you got then I pity you too," Jen jokes. They hug and Jen's grandmother starts reminiscing about her first date with Jen's grandfather.
Pacey sees Andie in the store that night and she starts joking about how he should be at home on life support. "Look Pacey," she says, "I don't really know you, but if you thought for even one second that Christy was going to dump her beautiful all-state football boyfriend for you, a sophomore with a heart stripe, you're massively deluded." He explains that Christy was a metaphor for the "new him" with the new hair and that now he'd have to go back to the old Pacey, the loser, the brunette. She helps him find something to take the blonde out of his hair.
Gail confronts Mitch that night, having found the business card for the divorce firm in his laundry. He explains that he doesn't know if he can stay married to a woman he loves and hates in equal measure. "The reason that I went to see Mr. Drake," he says, "Is that I want to know what my options are." "You can give me another chance," Gail answers, "Or you can go back there, write Mr. Drake a very large check, and make this marriage another statistic. Either one of those options sound appealing?" "Yes," Mitch says, "I just don't know which one yet."
Dawson finds Joey sitting by the water, and he apologies for what happened, trying to tell hr he doesn't have feelings for Jen any longer. She tells him it's okay, and then explains that the reason she didn't go to France was that it was more of a challenge for her to stay here with him instead of escaping to France. "It just seemed that sticking around here would only make me stronger," she says, "And there was you too, Dawson Leery, who finally got a clue. I have to tell you Dawson, as complicated as our friendship was, it doesn't even compare to how complicated what you and I have here is bound to be." "What you and I have may never be simple," Dawson replies, "But that doesn't mean that we're not going to be scorching." They walk along and end up at a small playground, sitting together on the swings. They kiss again, and Joey points out that this was the famed "second kiss" Bessie talked about. "The rational one," she says. Dawson tells her they're replacing the old movie theater with another, better one. "I don't understand why they have to change something if it already works," Joey says. "Because maybe it'll work even better," Dawson replies. "It's going to be so simple Joey," he says. After a brief moment in Joey's eyes, he speaks again. "All this talk about a second kiss has kinda put me in the mood for a third," he says. "Me too," Joey says. "I told you it was going to be simple," Dawson says, before pulling her close for their third kiss.
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