"Jennifer!" Jen and Jack pull apart from one another so fast that their heads spin, wincing as the kitchen lights come on. "Jennifer Lindley, what is going on here?" Grams' indignant voice rings throughout the room, and Jen has to fight to bite back an exasperated groan.

"Hi, Grams..." Jen replies, less than enthused. Jack self-consciously wipes his mouth quickly and stands up straight under Mrs. Ryan's threatening gaze, but looking rather stupid as his eyes adjust to the light, his face crinkled up and his eyes half closed. "You're home early."

"Yes, I am that. Good thing, too. Care to tell me who you are, young man?" She steps toward Jack.

"Grams, this is Jack McPhee. Jack, this is my grandmother," Jen says uncordially, gesturing between the two of them.

"Hi, it's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Ryan," Jack tries to sound as polite as possible, extending his hand. Grams shakes it warily, slanting her eyes in a suspicious stare.

"I would say it's nice to meet you too, young man, but since I've just walked in on some indecent activity between you and my granddaughter, I think that another response is necessary."

"Grams, indecent activity? We were only *kissing*," Jen exclaims. "I don't think that quite qualifies as indecent!"

"When it's being done in the dark on *my* kitchen counter in *my* house, Jennifer, I believe I will say what is decent and what is not. Maybe your friend should be on his way, I'm sure his parents are wondering where he is this late on a school night." Jack nods, feeling sheepish and ashamed, like a little boy being scolded. Jen opens her mouth to speak, but Jack gives her a look, telling her it's okay.

"You're probably right, Mrs. Ryan I should be getting home...I'll...see you tomorrow in school, Jen." He half-smiles at her, letting her know that everything is all right. Jen smiles back, walking with him toward the front door. Jack picks up his jacket and steps outside, turning back to say good-night.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Jen says quietly, so her grandmother can't hear. She can feel Grams' eyes boring into them both from down the hallway in the kitchen, and has to restrain herself from turning around and telling her to go away. Jack shrugs.

"She's just being protective. I'm sure she'll eventually get over this. I mean, who couldn't like me?" Jack replies, laughing. Jen giggles too, since Jack's mock-self confidence didn't fly quite so well as Pacey's always did.

"Okay, get outta here," she leans forward and quickly gives him a small kiss good-bye. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye," he replies, squeezing her hand gently before walking down the steps and toward home. After watching him disappear out of sight, Jen walks back to the kitchen, seething with anger.

"Thank you *very* much, Grams. That was just such a wonderful experience. I'm surprised you didn't send him running scared." Grams crosses her arms, glaring at Jen.

"Now you listen to me, Jennifer. I am the one in charge here, I am the adult. As long as your living under my roof, you live by my rules. And I believe that you know without a doubt that I certainly don't approve of you having young boys over here when I'm not home, especially given your....history." Jen's mouth drops open for a second, too angry to think of a good reply.

"I am a completely different person now, Grams. I'm not even reminiscent of the girl I was when I came here. I happen to like Jack. A lot. It was a little harmless kissing. It wasn't going anywhere. I thought you trusted me more than this. I thought we'd moved past this point." Grams sits down at the kitchen table, sighing.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Jennifer," she says, her mood changing from one of anger to one of thoughtfulness. "I just don't want to see you get hurt." Jen sits down next to her.

"Grams, I know that. I know that you think you're doing the right thing by being so strict...but being so uptight and treating my boyfriends like they're the devil's agents isn't going to protect me." Jen smiles a little as her grandmother sits up straight, offended.

"Jennifer! I do not-"

"You do, Grams. You treated Dawson like he was Satan himself, and don't try to say otherwise. And maybe you were right about him, maybe you weren't. But Jack's everything that Dawson isn't, and you can trust me on that." Grams shakes her head, sighing. Jen sets her hand over Grams'. "Just....give him a chance before you decide, okay? Get to know him. I guarantee you'll like him." Jen stands up, patting her grandmother on the shoulder gently. "Besides...Jack goes to church every week. You have to like that, right?"

"Where the hell is it?" Dawson mutters to himself, lifting his math text book out of his locker and desperately searching for his History notebook. It seemed to have disappeared on him without a trace. Things seemed to be doing that lately.

"Hey, Dawson...Did you lose something?"

Dawson shuts his locker, surprised to find Andie standing next to him.

"Yeah. My sanity, my sense of self-worth, my conscience, all of my friends...to name a few things." He meets her eyes for a moment, then looks away quickly. Andie reaches out and sets her hand comfortingly on his shoulder, concerned.

"Look...I know that yesterday wasn't exactly..."

"You could say that, to say the least," Dawson grumbles, rolling his eyes and starting off down the hallway. "Can you just do me a favor and leave me alone, Andie? Of all the people in the world that I want to talk to right now, you're pretty much at the bottom of the list."

"Dawson, what did I do?" She inquires, following after him, hurt. "I know that Pacey and Joey finding about us was...and that you know, it's partially my fault because I told Jack about us and that's the reason he even knew, but they were going to have to find out sooner or later, right?" Andie clings to straws as Dawson walks away from her. She hurries to keep up. "Dawson, please-" He stops and whirls around, scaring her slightly.

"I can't believe that you can be so dense, Andie. You honestly have no idea what my problem is, do you?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means - how am I supposed to feel after finding out that you went to him and you asked him to take you back?"

"What?"

"What Pacey said the other day. I can't believe that you went back to him and begged him to get back together. I don't understand you at all, Andie. The minute I think I understand what's going on up there you go and completely change your mind. I can't get a grip on what you want."

"Dawson, that whole thing with Pacey and I, it was a moment of weakness on my part." Andie has to hurry in order to keep up with Dawson as he goes heads down the hallway, trying to think of a good explanation.

"So just chalk it up to that and then move on, right?" Dawson asks. "I'm sorry, Andie, but I have lost way too much at this point of my life to just accept the fact that the person I lost it for doesn't even know if I'm the one she wants."

"I was scared! For the longest time Pacey was the one I leaned on for support and suddenly I was alone, and I didn't know where we were, and I suddenly felt like I didn't know where to turn. So inevitably I turned to Pacey. It was a habit. I ran back to him, but you have to know that that's not really what I wanted." Her voice grows to a high shriek as they walk along, and Dawson can feel the eyes of other students beginning to look their way.

"Andie, just stop. We can talk about this later," he mumbles, embarrassed. Andie grips his arm, stopping him.

"No, we can talk about it now. You're the one who brought it up, and I'm not going to let you walk away from me still thinking that that's the way it is. Cause it's not." Andie forces Dawson to meet her stare. "You know that." Dawson shakes his head.

"No. I don't." Andie backs away from him. "I have become someone that I can't even recognize anymore, Andie. I need to get back on track. Things need to be fixed, and you and I...we're not one of them. If anything's been made clear to me by all this mess, it's that you and I are simply not going to work out. And maybe it's time for me to start putting the pieces back together. I don't like who I am, and I need to get back to a point where I can live with myself again."

"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" Andie asks, biting her lip and glancing up and down the hallway, not wanting to look at Dawson.

"Andie, all of this...this entire mess, it all started because I really thought we had something. I thought that you were worth all this trouble."

"And now I'm not?" Andie replies angrily.

"I'm obviously not worth it to you, am I?" Dawson retorts. "You already have shown me that much."

"Dawson-" Andie begins, but Dawson holds his hand up to stop her.

"Andie, just stop. This is over. I've had enough of all this shit. Both you and I need to take a step back and make some changes. I, for one, am going to go talk to Jen."

"Jen?" Andie cries, disbelieving. "You're going back to Jen?"

"No. You think I'm the type to go crawling back?" He replies, snidely. "I have some things to apologize for." Re-adjusting his backpack strap on his shoulder, Dawson shoots Andie one last look before turning and hurrying off down the hallway. Andie stands there, too upset to move. She watches as he turns the corner down the hall, disappearing from her view.

Sighing deeply, she grudgingly turns to go to class, not knowing how in the world she would ever concentrate on chemistry. Suddenly, she sees Pacey down the hallway. For a moment, it seemed like he was looking directly at her, but it was only in her mind. Andie stands still, watching intently as Pacey unzips his backpack and takes out an envelope. Stopping in front of Joey's locker, he slips the envelope inside through the vents, then quickly walks away, glancing around to make sure Joey still wasn't in the area. Andie lets out a long breath of despair, but also feeling a bit relieved at the same time.

"At least Pacey isn't giving up on Joey," she thinks inwardly, feeling a faint glimmer of hope in her heart for her and Dawson's relationship. It's not over yet. Not until she could figure out a way to make Dawson see how she really felt.

Joey eyes the clock again, and sighs, annoyed. Only one stupid minute had gone by. Spanish class was dragging on so slowly that Joey swore that she was stuck in some weird parallel demension where time was suddenly frozen.

"No, no, Teresita. You need the infintive after para. It's "in order to..." whatever. To draw or whatever you want to do. But you need the infinitive form of the verb. This is going to be on the test next Wednesday, folks, you were supposed to have learnt this way back in Spanish 2." Her teacher taps Joey's desk, catching her attention. "Josephina, pay attention, you need to know this."

"Sorry," Joey mumbles, managing to muster up a facade of attention for a few moments before fading back into her daydreams of Pacey. He seemed to be showing up in her thoughts every two seconds, she couldn't get him out of her mind. She felt like she was going to go insane. As hard as she tried to push him out, he kept creeping back in, and for some reason it was all the little tiny things about him that kept ringing in her memory. The way he would play with the bottom hem of her shirt when they were just sitting around and talking...whenever they had to study a chapter for history, she would just curl up against him in his lap as they sat on the bed, and she would always feel so warm and loved. She missed meeting him in the Ruins at night, and the way the starry night sky would always reflect in his bright eyes, as if the stars were shining inside them as he gazed at her. She loved his smell...he had left one of his shirts at her house, and she had been going to bed with it every night like a security blanket, hugging it close.

The bell rings, its shrill sound ringing in Joey's ears twice as loudly as it startles her from her deep thoughts.

"Finally," she mutters, gathering up her things from her desk and making a beeline for the door.

"Josephina, may I speak with you for a moment?" Her teacher's voice stops Joey as she's making her long-awaited escape, and reluctantly Joey turns back.

"Yes?" Joey steps back inside, and heads back toward Ms. Missert's desk.

"Are you okay, honey?" she asks, peering at Joey, concerned. Joey gives her a look of confusion.

"Um...yeah...fine, Ms. Missert. Why do you ask?"

"You normally are a major participant in this class, Jo, you seemed to like it a lot. But these past few days, you seem like you're somewhere else entirely. And that quiz we took two days ago..." she hands Joey her paper, which is marked with a big red D. Joey frowns. "That isn't like you, Joey."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Missert. I've just been going through some...stuff...recently. I promise I'll try harder."

"Is this anything you'd like to talk about?" Ms. Missert gestures for Joey to sit down, giving her a reassuring smile. Joey shakes her head no, feeling awkward.

"It's not really...it's not that big of a deal." Joey shrugs. "But thanks for asking." Ms. Missert eyes her student wearily, not quite sure if she's speaking the truth.

"All right...well, if you ever need anything, Jo, I'm here. Just make sure you don't fall behind on this vocab, okay?" She taps the quiz paper.

"Okay," Joey smiles, relieved that the conversation is ending. She moves slowly toward the door. "Well, thanks for your help, Ms. Missert...I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep, hasta luego, chica."

Joey exits quickly, letting out a long breath of relief. She glances up and down the hallway, suddenly feeling claustrophobic in the crowded hallway. Getting bumped and shoved as she tries to cut across the hall to her locker, she finally makes it, with only a few bruises to show for the dangerous journey. Throwing a dirty look at a cheerleader who had just hardly missed stomping on her foot with her spiked heel, Joey twirls her locker combination quickly, and opens the bright yellow door with a harsh tug. A white envelope falls out, and she manages to catch it before it lands on the floor. Her heartbeat quickens as she recognizes the handwriting on the front...Pacey's slanting, looping writing always made her name seem far more romantic on the page than it did when anyone else wrote it, almost as if you could sense the tenderness he held for her in it. She lovingly traces over the letters of Josephine on the front, smiling faintly.

Opening it up, she withdraws the paper inside and unfolds it slowly, not sure what it has in store for her. A wide smile spreads across her face effortlessly as she immediately recognizes what is inside.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests, and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error, and upon me prov'd,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
(Sonnet 116, Shakespeare)

I've never stopped loving you, and I never will.
-Pacey

Biting her lip is all Joey can do to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. Did this mean what she thought it meant? She turns and looks up and down the hallway, not even caring that her locker is wide open; she has to find him. It didn't take long. He's standing right across from her across the hall, smiling at her gently as he watches her, studying her movements with love in his eyes. She stops in place, staring at him fixatedly, a dreamy smile lighting up her face like an angel's. Pacey's heart flutters, a thousand thoughts rushing through his mind. The world seemed to have stopped, the lights growing dim and all his focus on Joey, as if he were in some dream sequence in a movie. Had he been right to do this? He knew in his innermost soul in that moment, just by looking at her, that all his doubts were without foundation. Joey Potter's heart truly belonged to him.

Slowly, she takes off her backpack and sets it on the ground in front of her open locker. Not caring about getting in anyone's way, she simply walks straight toward him gracefully, everyone else in the hallway disappearing. All that she could see was Pacey.

"Hey..." he murmurs as she stops in front of him, his letter still clutched in her hand. A single tear of happiness finally escapes Joey's eye as she gazes up at his face.

"Hey," she smiles, throwing her arms around him. "Is this real, Pacey?" she whispers into his ear, and she can feel him nod.

"It's the most real thing I've ever had in my entire life, Joey," he tells her as he pulls back, smiling back. Her entire body swelling with love, Joey brings her lips to his. Every emotion that she'd been holding back, that he'd been holding back, is released, losing themselves completely in the sensation of their passionate kiss. Joey moves closer to him, letting him hold her tightly as his fingers twine in her long brown hair. Her hands don't know where to go; it'd been so long since she'd felt this close to him, and in some ways, she felt as if she'd never been this close before. She could feel what he was thinking, and she was sure he could sense her thoughts as well. Her hands run up and down his chest, tug on his collar, caress his neck and face, run through his hair...his tongue almost dances with hers, both their eyes shut tightly, blocking out the rest of the world. Finally she pulls away, resting her forehead against his.

"Wow..." They both breathe heavily, trying to catch their breath. Pacey looks around, suddenly realizing that almost everyone in the hallway is watching them. He chuckles lightly.

"Um...it seems we've become the center of attention," he murmurs, nuzzling her neck. Joey smiles.

"Let them look, Pace," she says back, tugging on his lower lip. Their lips meet again, this time the feeling growing even hotter than the time before. Joey bit back a groan as Pacey's mouth slipped down to her neck, kissing her soft skin, craving for more. Her lust rising to new heights, Joey is also fueled by an even deeper, more overpowering feeling, surging from the tips of her toes all the way up to her head. How she could have ever so much as been interested in another besides Pacey, she didn't know; the past few weeks without him had left her lost and depressed, and now, having him near her again...she'd never felt more complete or more happy in her entire life. Pacey broke away between kisses to speak, his voice husky, laden with desire.

"Joey...I know it's only third period..." he breathes, kissing his way back up to her swollen lips.

"Hmmmm?" she manages to murmur, her eyes flickering open for a moment to look at him.

"And I know that you're not one to usually...leave...school..." His hands rove up her stomach, yearning to touch her all over. Joey knows what he's trying to propose, and nods.

"Yes, Pacey," she breaks away, purposely brushing her hand against the bulge which was evidently growing, pressing against his faded blue jeans. "Let's go." She walks over and shuts her locker, picking up her bag and comes back to him. Taking his hand, the pair walks straight out of the school, choosing to be oblivious to the open-mouths and shocked eyes that follow them out the door, still not really believing that Joey Potter and Pacey Witter, mortal enemies, had practically just taken each other in the hallway.

Jen groans as she sees Dawson walking down the aisle toward her. Great. Lab with Leery. Just what she always wanted.

"Hi, Jen..." Dawson greets her, his voice betraying his nervousness. "Um...can I talk to you for a minute before class starts?" Jen eyes him suspiciously, wondering what he wants.

"Look, if this is about Pacey and Joey, forget it. If you think that I'm going to help you or something, or give up any more dirty information, you can pretty much throw that idea right out the window. And if this is about you and Andie, well, you can forget about that too, I don't want to hear it." Jen looks at him expectantly as he looks at her, apparently not able to find any words. "Well...?"

"Jen...I'm sorry. For everything. All of it."

"Excuse me?" Jen asks, raising her eyebrows.

"I have been...I have been the epitome of everything I hate about the male race, Jen. I've been insensitive, selfish, unfaithful...not to mention the fact that I'm quite possibly the most self-centered, self-righteous, hypocritical bastard of all time." Jen stares at him for a moment. This was not at all what she expected.

"Um...." she sets her pen down on the desk, still taken aback.

"Joey and Pacey's relationship...you were right. You had an obligation to keep it a secret. Joey's your friend and she confided in you, and it would've been wrong for you to tell me about it. Granted, the fact that you didn't tell me hurt, but that's just the way it is." Dawson pauses, checking Jen for a reaction. "As for me and Andie....there's no excuse for that. I won't insult your intelligence by offering you one. I was wrong, and I was stupid. It was something that shouldn't have happened, and I regret it. I regret hurting you and lying to you about it. I never would've thought that I would be the person to be unfaithful, Jen. I honestly detest the very idea - I mean, look at what happened with my parents. It tore me up inside when I found out my mom was having an affair." Dawson looks down at his hands, feeling awkward. "And I can't believe I did that to you and then had the nerve to treat you like you were the one who was wrong. I said things that no person should ever say, especially to a person they're supposed to care about." Dawson raises his eyes again to meet Jen's. "And I do care about you, Jen. I only hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Dawson..." Jen starts, still shocked by this sudden apology. "Um...well. I really don't know how to react to this. You really hurt me and upset me with all of this, and I think that maybe you understand that now...but that doesn't really change anything or excuse what you did."

"I know, Jen, I just-"

"About Pacey and Joey. I know that that reality was hard for you to accept. Their actions were *so* wrong, and it must have hurt to realize that your own two best friends could do that to you. And Andie..." Jen sighs. "Dawson, we were never meant to be. It's time for us to just be honest with ourselves and admit that we were using each other. Simply treading water and keeping one another company until we found someone better, someone we really connected with. You found Andie. And I found Jack." Dawson is startled by this confession, opening his mouth to jump to his normal conclusions. Jen cuts him off. "Granted, I didn't realize how strongly I felt for Jack until just last night, but it had been building for a long time, I have to admit."

"So...you and Jack, huh?" Dawson smiles half-heartedly, trying to be happy for her.

"Yeah...me and Jack," Jen replies. "I think that we could really be something...good."

"I'm glad, Jen. You deserve something good for a change. Not a jerk like me," Dawson laughs lightly, shaking his head sadly. "Man...the sad thing is that out of all this mess, the only thing that survives is going to be you and Jack. Sort of ironic."

"What about you and Andie?" Jen asks, surprised. She knew Pacey and Joey were having troubles, but she obviously hadn't been keeping tabs on Dawson and Andie, since she just found out about their little affair.

"Well..." Dawson runs his hands through his hair. "Let's just say that things aren't going to work out. So now I'm girlfriendless, friendless...I say I have a good life going for me." He laughs again; this time, his tone rings with bitterness and sadness. "But I'm trying to get things back on track, Jen. And you were the first person I wanted to apologize to. My actions toward you were irreprehensible, and I wanted you to know how deeply sorry I am for how I acted." Jen finally smiles at him, shrugging a little.

"The past's the past, Dawson. I mean...if you hadn't acted like a jerk, I never would've found Jack, right? Maybe it was fate."

"So fate made me into an asshole?" He chuckles. "That's a good excuse...you think anyone would actually buy that?"

"I wouldn't count on it." The bell rings, and the teacher finally strolls in from the hallway, tossing his briefcase on the lab table with a loud thud, obviously disgusted at the thought of teaching another lab. "But Dawson?" Jen whispers as the teacher goes right into a droning monologue with no segway whatsoever. "You're not friendless." She comfortingly gives his hand a squeeze. "I might have to slap you once in awhile when I get a momentary surge of memory as to how you acted, but...you can count on me, okay?" Dawson smiles at her gratefully.

"Thanks, Jen. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"Mr. Leery? Ms. Lindley? Something interesting you'd like to share with the class about the molecular structure of sulfate?" Dawson and Jen both shake their heads no, blushing. "Good. Then perhaps you can save the chit-chat for later and pay attention to the work at hand." They both nod. "Now when sulfate reacts with..."

"Pacey!" Joey wards off his eager touch as she unlocks her front door, giggling lightly. "Wait a minute." Smiling, he presses her against the door, leaning in to kiss her. She dodges his lips, managing to unlock the door and dash inside. He follows her in quickly, shutting and locking it again.

"You sure no one is home?" He asks, looking around. The house seems empty and quiet. Joey goes to the window and draws the drapes, and the the living room is suddenly dimmed dramatically, the sunlight seeping through the green curtains giving a faint warm glow to the darkness. Joey goes to him, smiling seductively. She rests her hands on his stomach.

"No one here...we have the house all to ourselves, Pacey..." She slips one hand daringly down the front of Pacey's jeans, causing his body to react quickly. "Bessie is at the Ice House...Alex is at the sitter's..." Pacey's hands find the back pockets of her pants, sliding his hands inside and pushing her toward his body gently as his arms encircle her. He inhales deeply as her hair brushes against his face.

"God, I've missed that smell," he whispers, closing his eyes.

"There's a lot of things that I've missed," Joey replies.

"Like what?" Pacey asks, his voice low.

"I missed how you would kiss along my collarbone and shoulder blades after we have sex," she murmurs, slipping her hands underneath his blue shirt to touch his hot skin. "And how your eyes look when you're making love to me..."

"And what do they look like?" Pacey asks, kissing her neck softly.

"Like you have the entire universe inside of them and only I get to see it," she replies, pulling up his shirt a little and sinking down to her knees. She kisses the chisled plane of his stomach and chest, letting her fingers trail down the firmness of his tight muscles. A small groan escapes Pacey's mouth as Joey pushes his shirt up higher, moving up toward his collarbone. Not being able to take it anymore, he moves away slightly and pulls his shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor. Pulling her up to him, Pacey slides his tongue into her mouth, his kisses stirring the lust inside Joey to a boil. The kiss deepens rapidly, their entire bodies reacting to one another as their lips meet again and again, yearning to connect once more after such a long time apart.

Pacey pulls her body closer to his, tearing his lips away from hers and beginning to explore the soft, sensuous skin of her neck. Eager to have his hands on her, Joey unbuttons her shirt and lets it slide off her shoulders; Pacey gets the message and steps away from her, breathing heavily. With an almost religious reverence, he undoes the top of her jeans and peels them down her thin, shapely legs, laying light kisses on her thighs as he unclothes her body. Joey sighs in pleasure and smiles as she steps out of her jeans and takes off her socks. Pacey smiles back, stepping closer and running his hands lightly around the top edge of her panties. Joey bites her lip out of anticipation, but shakes her head no. Pacey raises his eyebrows for a moment, but it is all made clear when Joey unbuckles his belt.

A few moments later Joey finds herself back in Pacey's arms, her breathing growing out of control as his heat rubs against hers. Every inch of her body is tingling, excited, aroused. Only yesterday she had been wallowing in misery, believing she and Pacey didn't stand a chance. Now it is as if they had never been apart, except their longings and desires were burning more hotly than ever before. Pacey couldn't remember a time when he had felt this electrified with attraction and lust, nor any other time when he had felt more in love with Joey Potter. Her deep, endless chocolate brown eyes had never been so expressive or more beautiful, and he felt as if he could just stay with her, like this, forever and he'd be the happiest man alive.

They begin moving toward the couch in the living room, but they both keep moving off track, first going one way and then the other, moving in a blind daze, unwilling to tear their attention away from one another for a second. The temperature in the room seemed to be rising 10 degrees every instant; Joey felt like waves of warmth were spreading through her body, washing over her gently as the smoothly turning tide.

"Pacey..." Joey murmurs before his lips return to hers, his hands working on derobing her of the rest of her clothing. "You have no idea how much I really love you..." Though said in a moment of passion, Pacey knows that Joey's words have never been more sincere. He draws away from her a little, the passion receding a little to make way for a surge of soft joy that goes through his heart. Glancing down at his right hand as he twines his fingers in hers, Pacey can hardly even tell where he leaves off and she begins.

"I love you too, Jo," he whispers back, his eyes returning to hers, his other hand caressing her cheek gently. "Promise me that we won't forget that ever again?" Joey smiles lightly and brushes her lips against his lovingly.

"I wouldn't even let you think about forgetting it, Witter. I wouldn't even let it cross your mind," she teases, the mood heating back up quickly when she brushes her hand against his erection, then tugs on the hem of his boxers suggestively. Pacey grins ever so slightly. His mouth finds hers again, and soon they collapse onto the Potter's couch, all of their clothes strewn over the floor. Joey had never felt happier about skipping out on school in her entire life.

"Hi..." Abby approaches Bessie Potter cautiously. She isn't quite sure what Joey's sister knows about her and what she doesn't, and isn't exactly prepared to find out. Bessie greets her with a friendly smile; apparently Joey had not told her that Abby was the root of all her problems. Abby forces a smile back. Talk about guilt. "I'm Abby...I was over at your house last night?"

"Yes, I remember you, Abby...Morgan, right?" Bessie slings her dishtowel over her shoulder, glancing over at the door, thinking she heard someone entering the restaurant.

"Joey's doing okay, right?" Abby asks, staring down at the dark hardwood floor of the Ice House.

"Joey? Good as she can be, I guess. The cuts on her hands from the glass were very, very small, they're practically almost gone already."

"That's good to hear," Abby replies, glancing up at Bessie nervously. Bessie looks at the girl, concerned. She swore her face was turning green as they were talking.

"Are *you* okay? You look like you're about to be sick."

"That's probably because I feel like I am about to be sick," Abby grumbles, shifting on the balls of her feet anxiously and taking a deep breath. Bessie immediately pulls out a stool from the counter.

"Here, sit down," Bessie says, patting the red plastic cushion. Abby shakes her head no, almost adamantly.

"No. I mean...I'm okay. Really. I just- I'm fine. I-"

"You don't look fine. Want a glass of water?" Bessie takes a step toward the kitchen.

"The thing is, Bessie, I sort of...I kind of have a reason that I'm here right now, and I'd just like to get it off my chest before I literally start puking my lunch up, because right now my stomach is doing flip flops like crazy," Abby blurts out, stopping her. She glances at her watch; she'd skipped lunch to come and do this...confessing one's horrible crimes was hard enough without being on a time clock. Joey's older sister looks at her with bemused confusion.

"Tell me? What, has Joey done something that I should know about?" Bessie half-smiles, a little amused at Abby's obvious nervousness. She'd never seen someone look so wretched since well, since she'd looked the mirror after finding out she was pregnant. Her smile falls quickly. "Oh my god, Abby, Joey's not pregnant, is she?"

"Oh, no! God no, that's not it at all," Abby stutters, shaking her head no like crazy.

"God, you really scared me there for a second," Bessie lets out a long sigh of relief, sitting down on the stool herself and waiting for her pulse to stop racing. "It's just she's been so depressed lately, and she and Pacey have been avoiding each other...I mean, I thought it was just because of..." Bessie stops herself, suddenly wondering if Joey and Pacey's relationship was public knowledge.

"I know about it all," Abby says.

"Everyone knows already?"

"Well, I don't know...I bet they do, but...I mean...that's what I came to talk to you about. About why I know about everything." Abby looks away, her fingers twining together, fidgeting. "I'm the reason why Dawson and Andie and everyone else found out. About them. About their affair." Abby glances back at Bessie, who is staring at Abby in bewilderment. "I saw Joey and Pacey together way back when they first...you know...started, I guess, and I sort of...I did some things that eventually led up to...um...Dawson getting a videotape of the two of them...doing it."

"You what?" Bessie stands up, shocked. "You...you...let me get this straight. You videotaped my sister and her...whatever Pacey is...having...in a compromising situation and then *sent* it to Dawson Leery?" A couple of people in the restaurant look up with interest, suddenly finding the conversation more than necessary to listen to. Bessie and Abby both look around sheepishly, and Bessie pulls Abby into the kitchen quickly. "Is that what you came here to tell me? That you purposely tried to ruin Joey's friendships with Dawson and everyone else? Are you some kind of sadistic bitch?" Bessie doesn't bother to censor her language.

"That's not why I came here, no, and yes I am a sadistic bitch," Abby replies. She'd spent most of her life delighting in the joys of being wicked, but now, as a result of her most evil and daring deed, Abby Morgan had never felt more awful in her life. Every bit of joy that could have been derived from the whole Pacey/Joey scandal had been squeezed out of her the previous night when Joey had broke down right before her very eyes.

"Then why did you come here, *Abby*?"

"I need your help."

"Need my help?" Bessie scoffs. "I can't believe you. I don't understand how any human being with a conscience can knowingly do what you have done. What was your reason? Vengeance? My little sister do something to you that warranted this level of revenge?"

"I...I don't...I don't know why I did it..." Abby replies, her voice wavering noticably. "It's too hard to explain, I just..." She pauses, trying to regain control of herself. "I just know that I can make things right again. I can re-do what I've undone. I just need your help."

"Give me one good reason why I should help you," Bessie demands, crossing her arms in front of her chest and raising an eyebrow. "Cause I can't think of one."

"Joey's happiness." Abby states, matter-of-factly. "I used my skills of the devious nature to hurt her, and I know that I can use those same skills to help her. But none of this will work unless you decide to set aside the fact that you have newly discovered you hate my guts and let me try and make things right again." Bessie is silent for a few moments, staring at Abby coldly as she ponders what Abby's saying. Uncrossing her arms, she takes a step away from Abby and looks at her skeptically.

"Fine. You have five minutes to convince me that this plan of yours will work. I don't like what I hear, I'm going to take the utmost pleasure in personally throwing you out of this restaurant."

"Hey, chica, what's up?" Jack plops down at the table next to his sister with a large smile and start pulling things out of his paper lunch bag. "I am so starving."

"Ironic," Andie mumbles, and hands him her sandwich. "I'm not hungry at all." She proceeds to hand him over her entire lunch, piece by piece. "You can eat it."

"This is where I ask you what's wrong, right?" Jack eyes her, cautiously beginning to unwrap his sandwich.

"No, this would be the part where you eay your lunch quietly and leave me to agonize over my own stupid life and wallow in my misery, but thanks for the sentiment," Andie sighs and opens up her history book, pretending to be genuinely interested in the history of the Weimar Republic. Jack is quiet for a moment, trying to think of something good to say. He gives up after a second and goes with the next thing to pop into his mind.

"Quit being Mistress Misterioso and throw me a bone, here, sis. You're obviously upset about something. Is it Pacey?"

"Pacey, Dawson...name a guy and I've probably ruined a relationship with him or will ruin a relationship with him in the future. I feel like the reverse form of King Midas here, Jack. Only someone as utterly pathetic as I am could simultaneously ruin not one but two relationships, both of which were with guys who couldn't have possibly been more wonderful."

"What happened with Dawson?" Jack inquires, looking at her with concern.

"Like you don't know, Jack. I mean, what did you think was going to happen after you told Pacey about me and Dawson?" Jack sighs, feeling guilty.

"Andie, you know that I didn't want to betray you. I just couldn't sit there and let you and Dawson-"

"Jack, I know. I don't care. If I were mad at you, you think I'd be sitting here right now talking to you? I deserved what I got. You should have told them...I mean, *I* should have told them." Andie crumples up her own paper lunch bag into a small little ball, holding onto it tightly, almost wanting to rip it apart. "I deserved it."

"You didn't deserve this, Andie. No one deserves this."

"I do. I mean...look at me. I've lost Pacey, Dawson, Joey, Jen...I have no friends, no boyfriend, and my own brother hates me enough to go behind my back and-"

"I thought you said you weren't mad!" Jack interrupts, flustered.

"I'm not."

"You're acting like you are!"

"Okay so maybe I am! Can you blame me? I'm just trying not to be because frankly you're my only friend in the entire world right now." Andie exclaims back, her voice breaking. "So could you just cut me some slack?"

"God, Andie..." Jack groans, setting his sandwich down on the table. "I'd rather have you just yell at me and get it all out instead of sitting there and holding it all in. I'd rather have you be mad at me for telling Pacey about you and Dawson then drive yourself crazy trying to pretend you're all forgiving about it. It's not natural and it's not good."

"Fine, Jack. You want me to be mad? Fine. You want me to say that you really hurt my feelings? That you are a jerk for thinking you had the right to tell Pacey about me? That it was your place? That you're my brother, and you're supposed to be loyal to me, but instead you were loyal to your *other* brain and stood up for Jen rather than standing up for me?"

"How could I possibly stand up for something that I know isn't right?" Jack replies.

"It doesn't matter if I was right or if I was wrong! You're my family, you're supposed to support me in what I do."

"So, if you go rob a bank, I'm supposed to be happy for you?"

"No, but the least you could do is not turn me in," Andie bites back. "Your family is the one thing you're supposed to be able to trust." Jack starts packing up his lunch, cramming everything back into the bag angrily.

"You know, for someone so insistent on being forgiving, you're being a real jerk, Andie. Maybe you should stop blaming everyone else for what your problems are and actually take steps to repair the damage, ever thought of that? It's not my fault you lost your friends. You're the one who cheated on Pacey with Dawson. I didn't make you do that, and neither did anyone else. Start acting like an adult, for christ's sake, and take responsibility for your actions." Jack gets up and walks away, leaving Andie completely alone at the lunch table. She glances around the cafeteria, feeling more lost and alone than ever before.

She knows Jack is right. Ever since the whole thing started, she'd been saying how wrong it was but kept doing it anyway. She'd made the conscious choice to have an affair with Dawson, but then used Pacey and Joey's affair as an excuse to forget her own guilt. Now Pacey knows about her and Dawson, but there isn't even a "her and Dawson" anymore. And whose fault is that? Andie McPhee had alienated herself from everyone and had managed to convince herself that she was happy while she'd been doing it. "Now I'm more miserable then ever," she thinks to herself. "And they thought I was crazy before. Look at me now, in a prison of my own making." And there didn't seem to be any way out.

Pacey lays down on Joey's bed, pulling her body close to his. It's four in the afternoon, now; the day had flown by too fast. He moves around to face her, propping his head up on his hand and staring at her. She blushes, self-consciously.

"What?" she asks, pulling the covers up around her. Pacey laughs lightly.

"Nothing, I was just looking. Admiring." He sets his hand on her hip, lightly tapping his fingers against the sheet, feeling the curve of her body. His entire being felt tired but incredibly happy, happier than he'd felt in a very long time. It'd been a wild day; they had taken advantage of having the house to themselves and had made use of the kitchen table, the couch, the shower, the floor, her bed...Joey giggles as she stares right back at him, knowing that he's vividly recalling the exact same memories that she is.

"Would it be really corny if I thanked you for today?" Joey murmurs.

"You can thank me now, but I have a feeling you won't be thanking me tomorrow in that detention we're gonna get for skipping out, Josephine," Pacey replies.

"Detention? Like I care," she waves it off, laughing. Pacey gives her a knowing look. "Okay, so I do care, but I wouldn't trade today for anything in the world." She lays her hands on Pacey's chest. "The ironic thing about this is...this is actually the first time that we've done it that can be considered 'okay' by moral standards? I mean...we are officially not morally bound to any significant other. Finally." Just then, Joey hears the front door to the house opening.

"Joey? I'm home," Bessie's voice rings down the hallway and the sound of her setting her keys down on the table and letting the energetic Alexander go tumbling off into the living room cause Pacey and Joey to sit up, startled. They both laugh lightly and Joey jumps out of bed, closing the door and opening her closet, grabbing a random shirt.

"Right. We're not that home free," Pacey smiles, quickly getting up and picking his clothes up from the floor.

"Joey? You here?" Bessie calls.

"Pacey!" Joey half-shrieks, half-whispers, as he almost falls over while trying to put his socks on. They both try to stop laughing. Watching Joey scramble around the room in her shirt and underwear searching for her jeans was an amusing sight, especially with Bessie surely coming down the hallway that very moment. Any other day they would've been mortified at the thought, but today they both found the situation highly comical. Joey throws open her window and pulls Pacey toward it as he clumsily pulls his shirt on. "Get out! Go!" She whispers, giving him a shove. He begins climbing out, but Joey stops him and pulls him back. "No, wait a sec, no kiss good-bye?" He smiles and pulls her to him, kissing her passionately. After a moment, she breaks away. "Okay, now you can go." They both laugh, trying to stop themselves as Bessie knocks on Joey's door, jiggling the doorknob and finding it locked. Pacey ducks out the window, sticking his head back in and kissing Joey one more time.

"Joey, are you okay in there?"

Pacey hits his head on the window frame as he breaks away from Joey, causing them to both erupt in stifled giggles all over again.

"Good bye, Pacey!" She mouths, taking a step toward the door and beginning to close the window.

"Call me later!" he mouths back and disappears out of sight. Joey supresses another smile and goes to the door.

"Yes, Bessie?" She opens it, and Bessie looks at her strangely.

"What took so long?"

"I was...I was getting changed." Bessie looks at her sister's clothes, then tries to look into her bedroom. Joey tries to limit her view, knowing her bed is a complete mess and feeling as if the instant Bessie saw it, she'd know what had been going on.

"Are you all right? You look flushed."

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. Totally fine. Great, in fact," Joey rambles, a smile breaking through. She tries to force a straight face back on.

"O....kay..." Bessie replies, thinking back to what Abby had told her previously that day. "Um...Joey? I was wondering...I mean, I just wanted to let you know that...if there's anything you need to talk about...you know, about you and Pacey...I'm willing to listen. I know that at first I forbade you to see him after I found out...but...I mean, I know that things are different now and I don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me about things. About important things that you really need to talk about." Joey raises her eyebrows, wondering what brought on this stumbling offer from her older sister. She hadn't heard Pacey in her bedroom, had she? "I just know that this whole thing, with you and Pacey and Dawson and Andie...it's gotta be tough. You've bene incredibly depressed lately and I don't think it's good for you to keep it all bottled up inside."

"Oh, that!" Joey shakes her head. "Don't worry about that. I mean...I'm okay."

"Really."

"Yeah. Fine," Joey nods adamantly. "Perfectly fine. No problems here." Bessie backs away from her sister's door, feeling as if her sister is definitely holding something back.

"All right...well, the offer's still there if you ever feel like talking," she tells Joey. "And don't forget to make your bed. I'm not the maid, I'm not doing it for you." Bessie adds as she heads off back toward the kitchen. Bessie stops, turning to Joey before she disappears into her room again. "Oh, and by the way, I'm gonna need you down at the Ice House tomorrow after school." Joey nods, and Bessie looks surprised. She'd expected a fight. Joey just sighs, not really caring.

"Okay, that's fine. I'll be there."

Joey shuts her bedroom door and locks it again, then falls onto her bed. She can smell Pacey's familiar and sexy scent all over her sheets, and brings them up to her face, sighing happily. Things were finally looking up.

Dawson drags himself up his front steps, glad to be home after a long, boring night at Screenplay Video. He thanked his lucky stars that neither Pacey or Andie were on his shift. He didn't think he was up for that quite yet, especially facing Pacey. Pacey. His best friend. Or rather, former best friend. It was hard to believe that the same guy who he used to build forts with in the woods and and play football with wasn't even his friend anymore. When had all of this happened? He yearned to just be six years old again, when girls were still icky and Pacey especially hated Joey more than any other girl in the world. It was more than ironic that Pacey Witter and Joey Potter would end up together. Or was it?

He thought back to the time last year when Pacey had confessed to him that he was attracted to Joey, at the carnival. It made him wonder if Joey had ever had those same feelings for Pacey before too. If hidden attraction had been the true cause of their frenzied sarcastic banter for all these years...he'd been living under a cloak of denial just as much as they had. And if they had been attracted to one another for so long, did he, Dawson Leery, Joey's former "love of her life" really have any right or claim to her at all? Or was it really Pacey who had owned Joey's heart all this time, and he had been just another tool of her rampant denial?

Dawson opens up his front door, shaking his head. Too many thoughts at one time. His brain was growing tired of the constant analyzation. All he wanted to do was go to sleep. He plods inside, kicking off his shoes and heading directly for the stairs. He doesn't notice his mother in the kitchen. She hears the front door close and looks up just as Dawson starts up the stairs. Taking the white envelope from the kitchen counter, she gets up from her exciting task of coupon clipping and goes after him.

"Dawson?" He stops, hearing his name, and turns around. Gale is standing at the bottom of the stairs, holding something out for him. Dawson looks at her for a minute, not sure if she's still mad at him or if he's already been forgiven. He slowly goes back down the stairs and takes the envelope from her hand. "This was in the mail box for you when I got home from work today. I don't know who it's from." Is all she says, and then goes back to the kitchen. Guess that was his answer. Dawson stares after her for a minute, feeling terrible that his own mother can't even forgive him at a time like this. Sighing, he drags himself back upstairs and goes into his bedroom. He switches on the light and drops his backpack on the ground.

He looks down at the envelope in his hand, wondering who could have possibly sent him something. Only his name was written on the front, and it was in handwriting that he didn't recognize. His curiosity piqued, he opens it up and reads it, puzzled by the cryptic message inside.

"This is yours," Doug shoves an envelope in his little brother's face as he comes into the kitchen happily. Pacey takes it from him without any kind of barbed remark in response.

"Thanks, Dougie," he says, heading toward his bedroom.

"You're in a good mood," Doug says, getting up and following him. He obviously wasn't in a good mood himself.

"Yes, that I am. It's been a good day."

"I'm sure that days when you choose not to attend school are probably good, you're right." Pacey lets his backpack drop to the ground and he groans. "I went by the school today because you left your history book in the squad car when I dropped you off, but for some reason...you weren't there! Care to enlighten me on your whereabouts?"

"God, Doug, not right now. I have just had one of the best days of my life thus far and I beg you...please don't ruin it with talk of punishment for a simple juvenile act."

"One of the best days of your life, huh?"

"Yes. I *beg* you not to tell Dad and mar my beautiful life with unnecessary tragedy."

"Not tell Dad? I believe I already withheld your little bout with brew the other night, and now you're asking me to cover your ass again? Pacey, Pacey, Pacey...what are we going to do with you?" Doug crosses his arms, shaking his head. Pacey rolls his eyes. "Is this about Joey again?"

"If I tell you, will you promise not to tell Dad?"

"I'll consider it."

"Well...I was with Joey today. We skipped school together, went to her house and..." Pacey trails off, knowing his brother can fill in the blanks.

"So you basically blew off your education for sex." Pacey lays down on his bed, groaning in frustration.

"This wasn't just sex, Doug...I mean...it was..." Doug raises his eyebrows, chuckling at his little brother.

"That good, huh?" he laughs, his mood lightening a bit. For some reason, he'd been feeling the need to relate with Pacey more often as of late. Mr. Witter had hired a new, young rookie to the force, and had pretty much taken the guy under his wing, and suddenly Doug Witter, Chief Witter's son and protegé, was just...Officer Witter. It felt good to have Pacey look up to him...sort of. He knew it'd be stretching it a bit to say that Pacey really respected him.

Pacey runs his hands through his hair, staring up at the ceiling.

"Yes...that good," Pacey replies, images of Joey running through his mind.

"Well...I don't know, Pacey...I don't think this is a good enough reason to just let you off the hook."

"I'm going to get detention tomorrow, if that helps you in your decision at all," Pacey pleads, sitting up. Doug doens't look moved. "Come on, Doug. You said that there was someone, once. Can't you relate at all?"

"Yeah, except she and I never skipped school to retreat into our own re-enactment of the Blue Room, now did we?"

"Who was this mystery girl, anyway, Dougie?" Pacey probes, eyeing Doug questioningly. Doug shakes his head no, obviously not about to give that piece of information away. "Come on, you telling me that you get to know every detail of my love life yet I don't even know who the one girl was that tore you away from your Barbara Streisand collection?"

"She was no one. I mean, no one that you would know, anyway."

"So?" Doug is quiet for a moment, debating whether or not to tell him.

"Fine. Her name was Julie Livingstone."

"Oh my god, Kristy Livingstone's older sister?" Pacey laughs, disbelieving. Doug turns to go.

"God, I know I shouldn't have told you."

"I can't believe I never knew that the two of you went out! All this time...damn, bro."

"I'm glad that you find this so funny, Pacey."

"How did someone like you get a girl like her?" Pacey asks, still laughing. Nothing in the world could've shocked him more. "You know how long I tried to get Kristy Livingstone to notice I was even alive?"

"Well, what can I say, little brother, I have charms that you simply don't possess," Doug shrugs, feeling a little bit better. "But look at Joey Potter, Pacey. She's quite the beautiful girl herself."

"I guess us Witter men have impeccable taste in women," Pacey grins. They both laugh lightly, feeling connected for the very first time in their lives. They fall silent for a moment before either of them speak again. "So...not gonna tell Dad?"

"No...not gonna tell Dad." Doug turns to leave. "Little brother?"

"Yeah?"

"That's *two* you owe me now."

"Yessir." Pacey replies, saluting. Doug shuts Pacey's door, leaving Pacey alone with his thoughts. Pacey smiles lightly, thinking of the conversation he's just had. He sits in quiet for a few moments, then remembers the envelope his brother had handed to him when he came into the house. Grabbing it from the floor where his backpack is, he rips it open.

It didn't make any sense. Who could've sent it? He looks at the front of the envelope, but all it said was Pacey Witter, in almost unidentifiable scrawl. His first thought was to call Joey and ask her if she got something like it too, but decides against it. He'd just have to go there tomorrow and find out what it was all about.

To Be Continued...

Back to Laura's Stories | Back to Fan Fiction | Back to the Main Page This page has been visited times.