PART TWO
Dawson felt like the world had just dropped out from under him. Joey….and Pacey?! He
stared at the two of them, Pacey grinning widely and Joey looking nervous. He finally
found his voice.
"Wow. Um, I'm sorry. You just caught me off guard, is all. I hope you guys have fun."
He stood up. "Well. I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He walked away, conscious that
Pacey and Joey were watching him leave. Just as he was walking out the door, he ran into
Bessie coming in.
"Hey, Dawson," she greeted him. She took a close look at his face. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," he lied. "Hey, did you hear about Joey and Pacey? They have a date tonight."
Bessie gaped at him. "*Our* Joey? Has a date?! Dawson, be serious."
"I am serious," he told her. "I have to go now. Joey and Pacey are in the back. Bye." He
walked off.
Bessie headed back to where her sister was. She saw Pacey helping Joey clear off the
table and grinned. They did look cute together. "So," she said, causing Joey to jump, "I
hear my baby sister has a date."
Joey sighed. Just what she wanted. "Dawson has a big mouth," she replied.
Pacey gave Bessie a huge smile. "Hi, Bessie."
"Hi, Pacey. Now, Joey, come on. We have to get you ready. Pacey, when are you picking
her up?"
"7," he told her, grinning. "We'll go out to dinner and to a movie. Be home around 11 or
so."
"Hey," Joey protested. "Don't I get a say here?"
"No," Bessie told her. Pacey laughed, as Joey glared at him. "Come on, Joey. Time to get
you beautiful," Bessie tugged on her arm.
"What about the restaurant? And Bodie and Alexander?" Joey asked, desperate.
"Bodie can handle things here, Caroline is staying with Alexander, and Bodie can call
Rebecca for help if he needs it. Say good bye to Pacey, you'll see him in a few hours."
She dragged her still complaining sister out of the restaurant. Pacey grinned to himself.
He just couldn't stop. Thank God for Bessie Potter.
* Three hours later *
Joey looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit, Bessie knew what she was doing.
Her hair was pulled back in a braid with some tendrils framing her face. Her sister had
lent her a mint green dress with a pair of strappy sandals. She had on just the barest hint
of make-up and perfume. She looked different, but pretty. She heard the doorbell ring,
and Bessie call that she would get the door.
A minute later, Bessie poked her head in. "Pacey's here. You look great. Come on."
Joey had to laugh. "Yeah, I'm coming." She took one last glance in the mirror and headed
out.
Pacey was waiting nervously, holding a bouquet of flowers while Bessie, holding
Alexander, fussed around him. When Joey appeared in the doorway, he was struck silent.
He couldn't say anything, only stare at her. Joey looked really uncomfortable.
He finally found his voice. "Josephine, you look beautiful," he said sincerely.
She rolled her eyes and grinned teasingly. "Joey, or you don't get your date," she
threatened.
He laughed. "These are for you, Joey," he said, emphasizing the Joey.
She took the flowers from him. "Thanks, Pacey. They're beautiful." Inwardly, she
wondered why he was making this so real, and why she had this nagging feeling that she
was helping make it real, too.
Bessie took the flowers from Joey. "I'll put these in some water, Jo. You guys should
leave, or you'll be late.
"Bye, Bessie," Joey said as she headed out the door.
Pacey grinned conspiratorially at Bessie. "Later." Bessie shook her head with a laugh as
she shut the door behind them. Not even five minutes and they were already bickering.
* Later, after dinner and movie *
Pacey and Joey walked down the pier, both lost in thought. He noticed her
absentmindedly rubbing her arms as she walked.
"Cold?" he asked her. When she shrugged, he took off his jacket and slipped it on her.
"There. You can use mine."
They were at the end of the pier now, looking out at the water. Joey started to protest, but
changed her mind and pulled it closer around her. "Thanks," she said nervously, flashing
a quick smile.
He smiled back, and stared out at the open water. It was so calm and peaceful. They
stood in silence for a few minutes before Joey broke the silence.
"I always wondered, Pacey. Was it true? About you and your teacher, I mean," she asked,
avoiding his eyes.
He blinked. Wow. Talk about questions from left field! "Uh, yeah. It was true." He
smiled wistfully, thinking of his Tammy.
"All of it?" she probed, still looking over the water.
"All of it," he confirmed.
Joey digested this information. She knew she shouldn't continue with her questions
because it was getting dangerous, but- "Did you love her?"
He didn't hesitate. "Yes. I loved her with all my heart, Joey."
She nodded slowly. She didn't know why, but she needed to know that. She cleared her
throat nervously. Okay, that was enough bonding for the night. "It's almost 11," she said
softly. "We better get going."
He nodded. "Right," he said sardonically. "We can't have Cinderella going home late, can
we?"
***
When they were almost at Joey's, Pacey turned to briefly look at Joey, who was staring
out the window.
"Do you love him?" he asked suddenly. Hey, if she could ask, he could ask. Right?
Joey turned to him, surprised. "What?"
"Dawson. Are you in love with him?" he asked in measured tones.
She furrowed her brows and looked at him in confusion. That was a weird question, she
thought. "What do you mean? Of course I am. You know that, Pacey. That's why I'm
here, remember?" she laughed.
"That's not love, Jo. Lust, maybe. Infatuation? Probably. I know that already. But do you
really love him?" he asked, frustrated.
She cocked her head towards him, even more confused. Was he dense? "Pacey, yes. Of
course I am in love with him!"
"There you go again! 'Of course'. Damn, Joey, there is no 'of course' in love." He sighed,
upset that she just didn't get it. "You know what? Just forget it."
She was quiet for a minute, thinking about what he said. "Do you miss her?"
"Miss who?" he snapped, still annoyed.
"Tamara Jacobs."
"Yeah, sometimes," he said, still angry, but a little softer.
Joey was put off by his curt answer. "Sometimes? What, when you're horny? You miss
the sex, Pacey? Is that it?" she taunted.
He felt slapped. "Damn you, Joey. No! I miss everything about her. I miss her smile, and
her laugh, and her eyes. And how she always was happy to see me." His voice trailed off,
and Joey regretted her outburst at him. She had really hurt him. "Did you know that
Tammy was the first person who ever really loved me, Jo. She loved me for who I was,
the way I was. No one else ever did, not even my parents."
Joey felt even worse. She knew exactly what that felt like. "Pace, I'm sorry."
"Why?" he asked bitterly. "I'm used to it."
"Not that, Pacey. About what I said. My comment about you and Tammy. I shouldn't
have said that."
Pacey sighed. "Boy. Some date I am. We were doing fine, and then this. I'm sorry."
Joey smiled a little nervously as they pulled into her driveway. She shook her head. "No.
You were a fine date, Pacey. Really. It wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected." She
leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Bye, Pacey."
Pacey was stunned as she climbed out of the truck. "Bye."
*Three months later*
Joey stormed into Pacey's house, gave a curt wave to Mrs. Witter, who was in the living
room, and slammed into Pacey's bedroom. He was on his bed, leafing through a
magazine.
"Why, hello there, Joey. Did you miss me?"
Joey ignored him, as she stood glaring down at him with flushed cheeks. "Pacey, we've
been dating for three months now. Three months! If Dawson is affected by us, he's really
doing a cracker jack job of hiding it! Pacey, he's *still* talking about Jen," she
complained.
"Joey, relax, okay?" he sat up on his bed, and Joey collapsed down at the foot.
"I don't want to relax," she said obstinately.
Pacey took a long look at Joey. Something was wrong. "Jo, do you feel okay?" he asked
with concern. He leaned over to feel her forehead.
She pulled away. "Get off of me!"
"Joey, I'm serious. Please?" he asked.
She sighed and leaned closer to him. She had been feeling lousy for days now, and she
was starting to feel worse.
He felt her forehead. "Jo! My God, you're burning up. You're sick. Come on," he said,
pulling her gently to her feet. He looked down at her arms, which seemed to be covered
in, "Spots? Joey, you're covered with spots! Haven't you ever had the chicken pox?"
"No," she mumbled. She was feeling really dizzy now. "Pacey," she moaned, just before
she fainted in his arms.
His first reaction was a grin. After all, the girl of his dreams had just fainted into his
arms. It was straight out of a romance novel. The he realized that she had actually
*fainted*, which wasn't a good thing. He picked her up, and carried her out to the car to
take hr home.
When he walked into Joey's house 10 minutes later, she was awake, but barely.
"Bessie?" he called out. "Bodie? Anyone here?"
"In the kitchen," Bessie called back. "Joey's not here, though. I think she was going to
your house."
Pacey led Joey into the kitchen, slowly. "Actually, she with me, but she's sick. She was at
my house, and she fainted. She has a lot of spots, and I think she has a bad case of the
chicken pox."
"The chicken pox?" Bessie echoed unbelievingly. She took a good look at her sister, who
was leaning against Pacey for support. "I had no idea you fainted with the chicken pox,"
she mused, as she got the thermometer out of the cabinet and stuck it in Joey's mouth. It
beeped a minute later. "103. Let's get her into her bed, okay? I can take it from there." He
left after promising to come back later.
He decided to go tell Dawson that Joey wouldn't be at movie night that night. A few
minutes later, he climbed through Dawson's window. "Hey, Dawson," he greeted him/
"What's up, man?"
"Hey, Pace," Dawson replied. He was on his bed, watching ET on television.
Pacey dropped down on Dawson's bed. "I just came from Joey's. She has the chicken pox,
so she can't come over tonight."
Dawson looked disappointed. "Chicken pox? That sucks. Jen has them, too. Who knows
where they caught them," he laughed. "I guess I'll ask Nicole if she wants to come."
Nicole Lindley, Jen's 15-year-old sister, had moved to Capeside to live with her
grandmother a few months earlier. She and Dawson had become fast friends, with their
mutual love of movies. Nicole had also become good friends with Joey, and knew how
much her friend loved Dawson Leery.
"Cool," Pacey said. "Have fun."
"We will," Dawson replied. "It won't be the same as Joey, though. Tell her I hope she
feels better, next time you see her."
"Will do," Pacey said, heading for the window. "See ya tomorrow."