Note: I have not seen all of the Dawson's Creek episodes. I've seen a lot
of the first ones but have no clue as to how it ends so this might not fit
in with the show's storyline at all so if it don't consider it an AU fic. I
hope you will read and enjoy it anyway. I want to thank C-Chan96 for
spurring me on to write the story by convincing me to read her story Loser,
which in a way deals with the same thing and was the first Dawson Creek fic
I read. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thought there might be
something else going on at the Witter house.
Deputy Doug Witter's patrol took him past Capeside High School just as the kids were getting out for the afternoon. He pulled the squad car over to the curb and put it in park. He wasn't sure why he was even here. All he knew was that something was bothering him about his brother. He wasn't sure what was going on but he knew he was worried about him.
Doug saw Pacey Witter come out of the school with Dawson Leery. The two were chatting and both were smiling. At least until Pacey got a glance of the Capeside Patrol Car sitting across the street. As he saw his brother start walking across the street toward him Doug quit looking at the school and looked down at his steering wheel.
"Why if it isn't Deputy Doug. On a dangerous stakeout of the high school. You know someone might run away with the front door in the middle of the day."
"Very funny, Pacey," Doug said looking up at his brother who was now standing next to the patrol car. There was no trace of humor in Doug's voice. Why couldn't he and his brother ever have a serious conversation.
"Oh then let me guess, Dad sent you over to keep an eye on me. You know you wouldn't want the black sheep of the family casting a bad image of the family."
"Pacey, stop it," Doug said.
"Look I have a friend waiting for me, I know that's a foreign concept for you being as you have no friends, but I'll have to cut this conversation short. And while you're at it do us both a favor and stop keeping tabs on me," Pacey told him taking a step away from the car.
As his brother started to turn away Doug caught a glance of a bruise on his brother's wrist despite the long sleeve shirt Pacey was wearing.
"Pacey is everything okay?" Doug asked.
"Yeah its fine," Pacey told him cheerfully. "Couldn't be better." Doug could tell that the cheerfulness was fake.
"And the bruise," Doug said stepping out of the car.
"What bruise," Pacey said trying to pretend that he had no idea what his brother was talking about.
Doug reached out and took a hold of his brother's hand with one hand and pushed the sleeve of his shirt up. "That bruise," Doug said.
Pacey looked down at his own wrist surprised, like he didn't even realize the bruise was there. "Hmm, I guess I must have ran into something," Pacey said calmly. "I got to go," he told his brother again.
"Pacey is everything okay at home?" Doug asked.
"Yeah everything is fine," Pacey said. "You know what the Witter family is like. We're the perfect American family," he said sarcastically and walked back across the street to where Dawson was waiting.
"Yeah I know," Doug said softly as he watched his brother walk toward his friend Dawson. ***flashback***
The nine year old Doug Witter stood timidly in front of his dad. John Witter was staring down at paper in front of him - anger etched in his face. The paper was Doug's report card and Sheriff John Witter was none to happy to see the low marks his son had gotten and this was only third grade.
"This is disgraceful," John Witter yelled at the young boy. "How do you plan on making anything of yourself if you get grades like this."
"I don't need school," Doug told his father calmly. The remark earned him a hard slap across the face. It was only another time in the long line of times that Doug had been hit by his father. It was just the way things were. Doug had lost count of the bruises he had seen on his mother from times when his Dad had hit her.
"Don't you say that. No son of mine is going to be a drop out. You need school and you will do good at school whether you like it or not. What kind of job do you think you're going to get if you get grades like this."
"I'm not going to get a job," Doug said confidently. "I'm going to be a baseball player." Doug was the star on his little league team. His dream wasn't so far fetched. He did have a shot at playing professional baseball.
John Witter quickly stood up and pushed his son up against the wall. "I never want to hear that from you again, do you hear me," he yelled slapping his son across the face again. "I won't have my son disgracing this family by not doing something worthwhile. You will get good grades and you will make something respectable of yourself. Do you understand me?"
Doug had never seen such fury in his Dad's eyes before. His dad slammed him up against the wall again. Doug bit his lip to keep from crying out.
"Do you?" John Witter yelled again. Doug just nodded his head. His father let him go and Doug sank to his knees and started crying.
From that day Doug gave up his dream of playing baseball. He didn't want to make his Dad mad at him. From that day on Doug did well at school. Schoolwork became the most important thing to him. He did everything his father asked of him, trying to make him proud. His new dream was to follow in his father's footsteps. That dream made his Dad happy and Doug never had to see that fury in his father's eyes again, at least not directed at him. He had found a way to keep his father from hitting him. Why couldn't his mother see that all she had to do was what his father wanted her too. She only brought the bruises upon herself. Just like he had been doing but Doug knew better now. Kneeling there on the floor in tears Doug made a vow to never stand up to his father again. Never.
***end flashback***
"Believe me Pacey, I know," Doug whispered to himself as he got back into the squad car. He cast one more look back at his younger brother before pulling the car away from the curb and continuing his patrol.
He couldn't put all the blame on Pacey for the relationship, or lack of one, between the two of them. Doug was just as much to blame as Pacey was, maybe more so.
***flashback***
It was the day after his fourteenth birthday. Doug was out in the yard under the tree studying for an upcoming test when he heard the commotion start. He heard the raised voices and the breaking dishes but he tried to tune them out. It wasn't such an odd occurrence at his house. His mother had done something wrong again.
"Doug," he heard a young voice cry out. He looked up to see his six year-old brother come running toward him, fear on his face and tears running down his cheeks. "Doug do something," Pacey pleaded as he stopped before his older brother. "Daddy's hurting mommy."
"She must have did something wrong," Doug said without so much as a glance toward the house. He remembered the beatings he use to get when he did something wrong. He had learned his lesson -why couldn't his mother.
"Do something," Pacey pleaded with him.
"There is nothing I can do," Doug said and stood up. He started to walk away.
"You could if you wanted to. You just don't care," Pacey called after his older brother. Doug glanced back at the young boy. He saw the disappointment is his eyes. The resentment. But there was nothing that could be done. The fourteen year-old Doug just walked away. He knew someday his brother would understand. ***end flashback***
Deputy Doug Witter's patrol took him past Capeside High School just as the kids were getting out for the afternoon. He pulled the squad car over to the curb and put it in park. He wasn't sure why he was even here. All he knew was that something was bothering him about his brother. He wasn't sure what was going on but he knew he was worried about him.
Doug saw Pacey Witter come out of the school with Dawson Leery. The two were chatting and both were smiling. At least until Pacey got a glance of the Capeside Patrol Car sitting across the street. As he saw his brother start walking across the street toward him Doug quit looking at the school and looked down at his steering wheel.
"Why if it isn't Deputy Doug. On a dangerous stakeout of the high school. You know someone might run away with the front door in the middle of the day."
"Very funny, Pacey," Doug said looking up at his brother who was now standing next to the patrol car. There was no trace of humor in Doug's voice. Why couldn't he and his brother ever have a serious conversation.
"Oh then let me guess, Dad sent you over to keep an eye on me. You know you wouldn't want the black sheep of the family casting a bad image of the family."
"Pacey, stop it," Doug said.
"Look I have a friend waiting for me, I know that's a foreign concept for you being as you have no friends, but I'll have to cut this conversation short. And while you're at it do us both a favor and stop keeping tabs on me," Pacey told him taking a step away from the car.
As his brother started to turn away Doug caught a glance of a bruise on his brother's wrist despite the long sleeve shirt Pacey was wearing.
"Pacey is everything okay?" Doug asked.
"Yeah its fine," Pacey told him cheerfully. "Couldn't be better." Doug could tell that the cheerfulness was fake.
"And the bruise," Doug said stepping out of the car.
"What bruise," Pacey said trying to pretend that he had no idea what his brother was talking about.
Doug reached out and took a hold of his brother's hand with one hand and pushed the sleeve of his shirt up. "That bruise," Doug said.
Pacey looked down at his own wrist surprised, like he didn't even realize the bruise was there. "Hmm, I guess I must have ran into something," Pacey said calmly. "I got to go," he told his brother again.
"Pacey is everything okay at home?" Doug asked.
"Yeah everything is fine," Pacey said. "You know what the Witter family is like. We're the perfect American family," he said sarcastically and walked back across the street to where Dawson was waiting.
"Yeah I know," Doug said softly as he watched his brother walk toward his friend Dawson. ***flashback***
The nine year old Doug Witter stood timidly in front of his dad. John Witter was staring down at paper in front of him - anger etched in his face. The paper was Doug's report card and Sheriff John Witter was none to happy to see the low marks his son had gotten and this was only third grade.
"This is disgraceful," John Witter yelled at the young boy. "How do you plan on making anything of yourself if you get grades like this."
"I don't need school," Doug told his father calmly. The remark earned him a hard slap across the face. It was only another time in the long line of times that Doug had been hit by his father. It was just the way things were. Doug had lost count of the bruises he had seen on his mother from times when his Dad had hit her.
"Don't you say that. No son of mine is going to be a drop out. You need school and you will do good at school whether you like it or not. What kind of job do you think you're going to get if you get grades like this."
"I'm not going to get a job," Doug said confidently. "I'm going to be a baseball player." Doug was the star on his little league team. His dream wasn't so far fetched. He did have a shot at playing professional baseball.
John Witter quickly stood up and pushed his son up against the wall. "I never want to hear that from you again, do you hear me," he yelled slapping his son across the face again. "I won't have my son disgracing this family by not doing something worthwhile. You will get good grades and you will make something respectable of yourself. Do you understand me?"
Doug had never seen such fury in his Dad's eyes before. His dad slammed him up against the wall again. Doug bit his lip to keep from crying out.
"Do you?" John Witter yelled again. Doug just nodded his head. His father let him go and Doug sank to his knees and started crying.
From that day Doug gave up his dream of playing baseball. He didn't want to make his Dad mad at him. From that day on Doug did well at school. Schoolwork became the most important thing to him. He did everything his father asked of him, trying to make him proud. His new dream was to follow in his father's footsteps. That dream made his Dad happy and Doug never had to see that fury in his father's eyes again, at least not directed at him. He had found a way to keep his father from hitting him. Why couldn't his mother see that all she had to do was what his father wanted her too. She only brought the bruises upon herself. Just like he had been doing but Doug knew better now. Kneeling there on the floor in tears Doug made a vow to never stand up to his father again. Never.
***end flashback***
"Believe me Pacey, I know," Doug whispered to himself as he got back into the squad car. He cast one more look back at his younger brother before pulling the car away from the curb and continuing his patrol.
He couldn't put all the blame on Pacey for the relationship, or lack of one, between the two of them. Doug was just as much to blame as Pacey was, maybe more so.
***flashback***
It was the day after his fourteenth birthday. Doug was out in the yard under the tree studying for an upcoming test when he heard the commotion start. He heard the raised voices and the breaking dishes but he tried to tune them out. It wasn't such an odd occurrence at his house. His mother had done something wrong again.
"Doug," he heard a young voice cry out. He looked up to see his six year-old brother come running toward him, fear on his face and tears running down his cheeks. "Doug do something," Pacey pleaded as he stopped before his older brother. "Daddy's hurting mommy."
"She must have did something wrong," Doug said without so much as a glance toward the house. He remembered the beatings he use to get when he did something wrong. He had learned his lesson -why couldn't his mother.
"Do something," Pacey pleaded with him.
"There is nothing I can do," Doug said and stood up. He started to walk away.
"You could if you wanted to. You just don't care," Pacey called after his older brother. Doug glanced back at the young boy. He saw the disappointment is his eyes. The resentment. But there was nothing that could be done. The fourteen year-old Doug just walked away. He knew someday his brother would understand. ***end flashback***