Fairy Tale Endings
Chapter 1

by DeepBlueSea

Pacey bounded up the cement steps and pushed through the glass doors of the building, greeting George, the concierge, as he crossed the wide atrium-styled lobby.

“So, what d’ya think, Georgie? How are the Pats going to do this season?”

“Why, they’re going all the way again. This is their year.” George replied as if it were the most obvious statement in the world.

Pacey grinned as he hit the button for the elevator. “Now, I seem to remember you tellling me the same thing about the Red Sox this summer. Remind me again when they last won the series?”

“1918, I believe.” George smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Pacey chuckled, giving him a quick wave as he disappeared into the elevator.

He emerged a few moments later on the top floor, the quiet hush of the luxurious office suite surrounding him as he stepped out into the hallway. He nodded to the receptionist as he passed her and stopped at the desk of a pretty blond, her long hair swept up in a loose knot on the back of her neck. He bent over to place his hands on her desk, leaning forward to smile at her as she slowly raised her eyes to acknowledge him through her black-framed eyeglasses.

“Can I help you, Pacey?” She asked with exaggerated disinterest, her fingers never faltering as they hammered away at the keyboard in front of her.

“Did you get them?”

She shook her head, stray wisps of hair falling out over the crisp white collar of her tailored blouse, and stopped to adjust the glasses on the bridge of her nose. “You know, I’m not your personal servant here. I work for the entire sales staff. I support eight people at this company and I really don’t have time to be handling personal matters for you.”

“But, you got them, didn’t you?”

She rolled her eyes, pushing her chair away from her desk to pull out the drawer and remove a thin white envelope. “Here you go.” She handed it to him. “But this is the last time I’m doing stuff like this for you, I swear.”

Pacey grinned and nodded, opening the envelope to scan the tickets enclosed inside. “How about the restaurant?”

She slammed her desk drawer shut, rolling her chair forward into position as she resumed typing on her keyboard. “5:30 reservations for two under Witter.”

“Sharon, you’re the best.” He gave her his most charming smile as he started to walk away. “Don’t think I won’t remember things like this when evaluation time comes around.”

“Yeah, and that might even mean something to me…if your lowly opinion had anything to do with me getting a raise around here.” She replied dryly, her focus fixed on her computer screen. She stopped again, removing her glasses with one hand to call after him as he retreated down the hall. “And do you really have to resort to taking someone to the ballet now just to get some?”

Pacey laughed, glancing at her over his shoulder as he raised an eyebrow suggestively. “Why? What works for you?”

A tinge of pink blush rose up in her cheeks and she quickly turned back to her keyboard. “As if I’d ever tell.”

Pacey smiled as he walked into his office, tucking the envelope carefully inside his suit jacket pocket. He glanced through the faxes and picked up the phone messages that had accumulated on his desk in his absence, looking up when he heard a knock on his door.

“Hey, Witter. End of the quarter. We’re all headed out for a couple of beers, maybe shoot a little pool later, if you’re up for it.”

“Ah, no. Thanks, Bob. Not tonight. I’ve, ah…got a date.”

“You dog.” Bob laughed. “Is she hot? Is it that redhead who was sending drinks over to you last week when were at O’Sullivan’s?”

“No.” Pacey shook his head definitively with a chuckle, tossing the messages onto his desk. “It’s not like that. This girl is different.”

“So, who is she?” Bob prodded him.

Pacey smiled, patting him on the shoulder as he passed by him to leave again. “The love of my life.”

***************

Pacey leaned back against his car with the small bouquet of flowers in his hand, checking his watch before gazing up at the brick building in front of him. The doors opened at that moment, students spilling out as they made their way to the sidewalk. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the crowd until he saw her. The smile spread across his face as he watched her descend the steps. She seemed to move with a natural grace that set her apart from the others, and the late afternoon sun reflected off the high lights in her long dark hair and her golden skin, causing her to almost glow. She looked up and hesitated when she saw him, the small crooked smile turning into a full out grin, her bright blue eyes sparkling happily.

“Daddy!”

She ran the rest of the way, leaping up into his waiting arms. Pacey laughed, giving her a gentle squeeze as he wrapped his arms around her. He lowered her to the ground, stepping back to look at her.

“All right, that’s it. You have to stop growing. You’re two inches taller than when I last saw you.”

“It was only two weeks ago, Dad.”

“So, see, you’re growing an inch a week! You really have to cut that out.”

She giggled her thanks as he handed her the flowers and Pacey smiled at the familiar sound.

“Your chariot awaits, m’lady.” He opened the car door and bowed graciously as she climbed into her seat, carefully adjusting her seatbelt for her once she was settled.

He ran around the car to hop into the drivers seat, glancing over at her with a grin. “So, you know, Meg, I’ve been away on this business trip and coming home on the plane this morning I started thinking that there was something special about the date. I can’t be sure, but I think that someone might be having a birthday tomorrow.”

“It’s me, Daddy.” She exclaimed.

“You? Really?” Pacey’s voice cracked with comical disbelief as he pulled the car away from the curb and started down the street. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Megan rolled her eyes at his familiar teasing. “And I’m going to be six.”

“No, now that can’t be right.” Pacey shook his head, taking one hand off the wheel as he drove to scratch his chin thoughtfully.

“It is.” She insisted, her little voice rising in exasperation. “I was just five.”

“Hmm. Well, I guess this works out pretty good, then, because I have these tickets to see ‘Sleeping Beauty’ at the Boston Ballet tonight and you know, it’s not really something I would go see on my own, but if maybe if you wanted to go…” He looked over at her as he slowed to a stop at a traffic light, his voice drifting off as he saw her face, her wide blue eyes shining back at him in wonder as her mouth fell open.

“The real ballet?”

“Yeah, sweetie.” Pacey smile softened with affection, unable to keep the game going any longer. “Happy Birthday.”

***************

Pacey opened the car door, easing Megan out of the seat as he lifted her in his arms, hiking her up as she sleepily draped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. He crossed the dark, dew-covered lawn and climbed the creaking wooden steps to the wide front porch of the house, the door opening before he reached it.

“Is she asleep?” Joey whispered as she held the screen door open for him to enter.

“Almost.” He replied, bending his knees slightly to assist her in transferring Megan into her waiting arms.

Megan mumbled, protesting softly as Joey turned to carry her upstairs and glanced at him over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” Pacey sighed, chewing on the inside of his lower lip as he watched them disappear up the stairs. He heard a low woofing sound come from the kitchen and the smile spread across his face as he saw the brown Shepard mix dog trotting down the hall towards him, wagging his tail wildly.

“Hey, Scupper.” He reached down to ruffle the dog’s ears as he glanced around the small house, frowning as he noticed some paint chipped off the arched doorframe that led into the living room. He was moving closer to inspect it when he heard Joey coming back down the stairs.

She crossed her arms across her chest, still speaking in a hushed tone. “So…did she love it?” She smiled.

“Yeah.” Pacey chuckled softly and nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard her go without saying anything for that long. She was mesmerized.”

“Oh...” Joey sighed and smiled. “I would have loved to have seen her face.”

Their eyes met for a moment before they both quickly glanced away. Pacey shifted awkwardly, clearing his throat. “You know, the boards in those stairs out front need to be replaced and this trim needs to be repainted. I have some free time the weekend after next so I was thinking of coming by and…um, doing some work around here.” He hesitated, watching her.

Joey frowned. “I can paint the trim, Pacey. I think I’m capable of at least that. I painted all the bedrooms upstairs myself.”

“I know, I know.” He sighed tiredly. “Then I’ll just take care of fixing the steps.”

“All right.” Joey conceded, still frowning slightly.

“Okay.” He paused momentarily, and they were both quiet for a minute as his eyes scanned her face. “So, I hear you guys have big plans for tomorrow”

“Mmm. Ten six year olds for a teddy bear construction party.” Joey rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Should be loads of fun.”

Pacey chuckled, furrowing his brow. “Is there heavy machinery involved?”

“No.” Joey laughed. “It’s a place where they let the kids make their own stuffed animals. You know, dress them up the way they want, pick their colors. Megan has already decided that she’s making a ballerina bear who plays hockey.”

Pacey smiled, nodding his head. “That sounds like her.” He said softly, almost wistfully, before turning to leave. “So, I guess I’ll see you on Friday. I think I’m going to have to pick her up here rather than at school because I have a late meeting that day, if that’s okay.”

“Yeah, I don’t have any afternoon classes on Friday, so that shouldn’t be a problem.” Joey shrugged again, following him to the door. “We’ll be here.”

Pacey dropped his head as he stepped out onto the porch, hesitating just slightly. “Well…see ya, Jo.” He started down the stairs to his car.

“See ya, Pace.” She stood there a moment and heard a soft, agitated whining sound next to her. She looked down to see the dog’s nose pressed to the screen, his big brown eyes fixed on Pacey as he walked away. She patted his head and he looked up to turn his sad liquid gaze on her. “I know, Scup.” She sighed, pulling him away from the screen so she could close the door.

***************

“Hello? Anyone home?”

Joey stood up from the kitchen table where Megan sat next to her with her crayons, and saw her neighbor, Anne, at the back door.

“Hey. Come on in.” Joey smiled.

Anne pushed through the door, holding up a plastic bag. “I was just weeding through some of Jenny’s old clothes and pulled some things out that might fit Megan.”

“Oh, thanks.” Joey sighed appreciatively as she took the bag. “You are too nice to us.”

Anne glanced over to greet Megan with a smile, noticing Joey’s textbooks piled up next to the coloring books. “Are you trying to get some studying done?”

“Trying. I’m really just waiting for Pacey to show up. It’s Megan’s weekend to visit her dad.” She smiled at her daughter.

“Oh.” Anne nodded. “So, what are your big weekend plans then?” She raised an eyebrow.

Joey motioned to the books. “You’re looking at it.”

Anne shook her head, moving over to stand behind Megan and playfully cover her ears with her hands. “Joey, forgive me for saying this, but you really need to get a life.”

“Yeah, I have been meaning to get one of those.” Joey smirked, walking over to the kitchen counter. “Can I get you anything? Coffee?”

“No, thanks.” Anne joined her at the counter, glancing back over her shoulder at the little girl before lowering her voice discreetly. “I’ve told you before that Sam has a lot of nice friends he could introduce you to and I’d…”

“I actually have a date.” Joey whispered, stealing a furtive glance back at Megan as well. “A guy from one of my classes asked me out for next Saturday night.”

Anne watched her. “Well, that’s great. Right?”

“Yeah.” Joey replied quietly, unconvincingly, as she cast her eyes to the ground. She paused before continuing, keeping her voice low. “I was going to actually ask you if you wouldn’t mind watching Megan for me that night.”

Anne nodded. “You know I’d be happy to baby-sit, if you need me to. This will be good for you, Joey. You haven’t gone out like this in a while.”

Joey smiled. “Yeah, I’m sort of the ‘one-hit wonder’ when it comes to dating. Amazing how fast a guy can lose interest once they find out…” Joey hesitated, looking over at Megan again. “Well, you know.” She shrugged.

“Yeah.” Anne reached over to rub her arm. “But the important thing is you’re putting yourself out there. It’s time you did this, Joey. And, just remember, we all have to kiss a lot of frogs before we find a prince.” She laughed.

Joey smirked and nodded her head. Megan looked up at that moment and Joey’s smile faded slightly when the little girl’s clear blue eyes met hers.

***************

“Well, we’ll be looking forward to doing business with you. I can assume that you will be handling our account personally?”

“Absolutely, sir.” Pacey smiled, discreetly checking his watch as he shook the older man’s hand. “And my cell phone number is on the business card I gave you in case you need to reach me with any questions before we sign the final contract.”

“Fine, fine.” The man nodded his head, appraising Pacey for a moment. “Now, I understand you’ve only been with this company for the last six months. You certainly have honed your sales presentation skills in a short amount of time. Where did you go to college?”

“Umm…” Pacey shoved the paperwork into his briefcase, chuckling uncomfortably before he straightened up to face him. “I, ah…didn’t attend college. I’ve only been at this company a short while, but I’ve actually been in sales for about six years now.”

“Six years?” The man raised his eyebrows in surprise. “How old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Twenty-five.” Pacey shrugged.

“Hmmpf.” The old man considered this. “Well, I started out in business early in life myself, young man. Of course, I had a wife and kids to support, as things were a little different back then.” He patted him on the back as he led him to the door, and Pacey dropped his head but made no attempt to respond. “But, I can certainly appreciate someone who knows what they want to do in life. My son will be attending grad school in the fall and he still doesn’t have a plan for his future.” He shook his head and then extended his hand to Pacey once again. “It’s nice to meet a young person who is looking ahead.”

Pacey gave him a half smile, shaking his hand as they said their good-byes, not feeling the need to explain that he spent most days looking back.

***************

“Daddy? I want a story.”

Pacey walked into the small spare room in his apartment, followed closely behind by Scupper, and sat on the edge of the bed to reach over and pull the covers up around Megan. The dog jumped up on the end of the bed to lie down, resting his head on his paw as he stared up adoringly at Pacey. “A story, huh? Which one?”

“The princess one.” She gave him her crooked smile and Pacey felt a little stab to his heart with his intake of breath. He exhaled slowly and then shifted positions so that he was sitting next to her, resting against the small headboard behind them. “Okay, but you have to help me with where we left off.”

“Okay.”

It was a ritual they had started long ago, when Megan was really no more than a baby and used to be up all hours. Exhausted, they would finally give in to her cries and bring her into their bed, and they began to take turns telling portions of a story. They completely made it up as they went along, afraid to stop once they discovered that their hushed voices in the quiet of the night were the only things that seemed to have the power to lull her back to sleep. They created characters (any resemblance to actual people they knew was purely coincidental, of course) and plot twists solely to amuse themselves, the believability factor contingent upon the amount of sleep deprivation they had endured. And, whoever had to pick up from where the story last left off had the onus of staying true to the other’s vision.

As Megan got older, the stories moved to her room and eventually became part of the regular bedtime routine. She came to serve as a continuity advisor, reminding them if they ever forgot what happened previously, reprimanding them if one’s chapter did not match the other’s from the night before in any way, shape or form. It became a sort of a game between the two of them, to try and throw the other off as much as possible with more outrageous characters and ridiculous developments, compiling a complex set of rules over the years that had to be religiously followed, even if they made no sense to anyone else.

Pacey didn’t really know why they continued it even now after being apart all this time, but there was something almost comforting about having this one last connection with her. The one last thing, other than Megan and a name, they shared. Although they never even spoke of it, it was almost, in a strange way, a form of communication between the two of them. And, while Pacey would never admit it, it was a way that he could feel, so ever briefly, that she was still with him.

Pacey smiled down at Megan after a while and saw her struggling to keep her eyes open. He lowered his voice to a deep, soft whisper to wrap up his latest installment to the saga. “So, the prince saved her from the dungeon where the evil King Fricke had her shoveling coal into the furnaces that heated the castle, and they ran away as fast as they could until they reached a town on the other side of the forest to hide out in.” He grinned to himself, imagining Joey’s reaction when it came time for her turn to continue. “It was called Upside Down Town, and everyone who crossed its borders had to talk backwards, all the time, no matter what. They decided to play it safe and stay there a while.”

Megan’s voice took on a drowsy, far-away sound as slumber started to overtake her senses. “Mommy says that the princess needs to learn how to save herself once in a while.”

Pacey chuckled sadly, brushing his hand over her dark hair where it spilled across the pillow. “Yeah, that sounds like something Mommy would say.”

She shifted and mumbled sleepily. “Why didn’t they sail away on the prince’s boat this time?”

Pacey hesitated as he furrowed his brow. “I don’t think…I don’t remember the prince having a boat, sweetie.”

Megan sighed, her words muffled by the pillow as she drifted off. “Yes, he does. Mommy said so.”

“When did she say that?” He asked quietly as he chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip, but he got no reply.

Pacey glanced down to see Megan fast asleep beside him and realized just how much she still resembled that baby he remembered when her face was so peaceful and innocent in her dreams. He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there watching her before he finally got up, patting Scupper’s head as the dog quickly jumped down onto the floor to follow him again. He paused in the doorway of the room to look back at her one more time before he shut off the light.

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