Disclaimer: Unfortunatly, the characters of Pacey, Joey, Jen, Jack, Andie, Dawson, Henry, Bessie, and everyone else are not mine. They belong to Kevin Williamson. The character of Felicity is not mine, she blongs to someone else. Not really sure who. But I'm gonna borrow her.

Author's Note: With all the recent controversy over what will happen between Joey and Pacey, I decided to take matters into my own hands. This is a complete 'what if' factor here so...don't expect it to happen.

Spoiler: Only a spoiler if you haven't seen Season 3 up to the Cinderlla episode. This takes place a few days after that.

Rating: Not sure...yet. Might heat up...then again, might not.

Over the next couple of days, Joey had kept her distance from the girl who was residing in her home. Just looking at her made Joey feel like loosing her lunch. She hated her. There was nothing that this girl could do or say that would cause Joey to ever see her as anything lower than scum.

The way that Pacey treated the whole situation only made her more furious. He treated her like nothing had happened between them. Like he'd never kissed her. True, she'd pulled away, but there were more things to consider here than how he or she felt. Their friends would have a problem with it. Jen and Jack, they would be there to support them, but Andie and Dawson...neither would be able to forgive the other for their indiscretion. Pacey, Dawson's long time best friend and confidant, moving in on his ex was something she didn't think that Dawson would be able to handle. He would be angry, feel betrayed, and possibly hate Pacey. And then there was Andie, one of Joey's only girl friends. She knew that Andie still had feelings for Pacey. Andie had even blamed her for breaking her and Pacey up the second time. So, she probably wouldn't be too happy to hear that Joey had developed romantic feelings towards the guy that she still loved.

But, Joey sense a double standard here. Dawson and Andie were both allowed to move on, but if she or Pacey showed any signs of getting over their significant others then Andie and Dawson would figure out how to implement themselves in their lives again. Whether she and Dawson were dating or not, he always seemed to want to be around her when it appeared like she was finally starting to get over him. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to her, to Dawson, or to Pacey. Especially not to Pacey.

Pacey was the one she wanted to be with. Not Dawson. She could honestly say that she was over Dawson Leery. It had taken many sleepless nights, several trips to cry on Pacey's shoulder, and a few ice cream binges but she had finally gotten over all her issues with Dawson Leery. She felt like she could finally see Dawson as just her friend once more. Life at sixteen years old shouldn't be this complicated.

Pacey picked Buzz up and put him on his shoulders. He was a cute kid. Buzz reminded Pacey a lot of himself when he was Buzz's age. A smart ass from the get go. And he was smart. This kid knew words that a lot of teenagers didn't know. And he had his family troubles just like Pacey did. Probably why he had the issues with rejection that he did. That could be one of the reasons why he felt such a strong connection with him. He knew what it was like to be rejected.

"Now, Buzz, when you meet this girl, I want you to be nice."

"Is this is girl that you're to chicken to kiss?"

"No, different girl."

"What happened to that girl?"

"She's still around."

"Do you still love her?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"No."

"I thought we said all this Pacey. Tell her."

"Not everything in life is so cut and dry like that okay."

"Then get your feet wet."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're like a little Ghandi or something?"

"No. What's a Ghandi?"

"Never mind."

"Pacey!" Felicity screamed as she met Pacey and Buzz in the park. "Hey. Why did you want to meet here?"

"Felicity, I'd like you to meet Buzz...he's my mentoring kid."

"Hi Buzz."

"Hey. She's a hottie Pacey."

Felicity and Pacey laughed. The kid was cute. It was a good thing he was too, or Pacey would have strangled him right then and there. Buzz needed to learn a little thing called tact.

"Buzz, why don't you go hang out over there with those kids while I talk to Felicity?"

"Okay."

Buzz ran off and joined some children on swing sets. Pacey then turned back to Felicity and looked at her smile.

"What?"

"You'd make a pretty good father."

"You think so?"

"Yeah."

"So you called this little meeting...what's this about?"

"I called it but you got to pick the place."

"Okay, so what's it about?"

"I think that Joey's planning on killing me in my sleep."

Pacey laughed. "Why do you say that?"

"I heard her talking to her friend Jen, and she said something about me keeping one I open while I sleep. She's not homicidal is she?"

"Not that I know of."

"Have you fully thought this out? I mean, it's obvious that this girl cares about you...why don't you just call her on it?"

"She'd never admit it. She's to stubborn."

"Speaking of Joey. There she is."

Pacey looked up and saw Joey go into a store across from where they were sitting in the park. Pacey looked at Felicity shyly. He gave her a half smile and leaned in when he saw Joey walk out. The next thing Pacey knew, he was kissing Felicity again. While she was beautiful and he liked her, it couldn't compare to kissing Joey. It wasn't as intense and as full of passion. It wasn't Joey.

Pacey pulled away and glanced over to where Buzz was playing, keeping one eye on Joey's reaction. She wasn't happy. In fact, she looked like she was going to kill something, but she quickly walked away.

"You know, Pacey, if you're going to kiss me, you should at least make it look real."

He turned his attention back to Felicity. He felt bad. This beautiful woman was willing to help him and she didn't get much in return. What made her so willing?

"I'm sorry. It's just that...all I want is her. She's all I can think about. And while you're a great kisser..."

"...You're not in love with me so it's not special. I'm aware of that. I'm not in any way trying to distract you from being with Joey, I just think that maybe if you made some kind of gesture towards liking her, then maybe she would make a similar gesture back."

"I tried that. She...she blew me off."

"Is she worth this?"

"Worth what?"

"Putting your heart on the line? Putting it out there to be smashed? That's what you're doing. You're setting yourself up, Pacey. What if you're wrong? What if she doesn't reciprocate your feelings. Then what? Will you go on the rest of your life pinning away for her? Or will you graciously move on?"

"I'll do both."

"But think about all your future relationships. How will they feel knowing that they will always be compared to someone you've never been able to have? They will always feel like they will have to vie for your affection with someone that you've always loved and will always love more than them. It's not fair to you and it's not fair to them."

"You speak as if you have some experience in this field."

"I do. Trust me, Pacey. Unrequited love is the worst kind because...just when you think you have the chance with them...it blows up in your face. And the person who cared about you the most ends up getting the most hurt."

"You don't think I know that? I have tried to keep my feelings for her hidden. I've tried to deny what I feel and how I act towards her...but I can't. When it comes to her...I'm mush."

"Well, I just hope you know what you're doing."

"I do."

"So...you know you're posing for me today, right?"

"Yeah. I know. At 7:00. And what a wonderful place to do it! Joey's house."

"Sorry. My room has great lighting. And where better to make your girl jealous?" she said woefully.

"Yeah."

"Well, I have to go. I'm meeting my friend for lunch."

"See ya."

"Bye Pacey."

Felicity walked off down the street. She felt this gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew exactly what it was. It was the feeling of remorse about what she was doing for Pacey. It felt bad, but in a way, it felt like she was doing something for unrequited loves every where. And she saw that when Pacey talked about Joey, when he looked at her, when he thought about her; he had this look. This look of complete and unconditional love that couldn't be compared with anything else in this world. And that was something that she could appreciate. His love for Joey was beautiful and special. And she always appreciated beauty, even in it's rarest forms.

Joey was pacing back and forth in her living room while Jack and Jen watched. She was like a cat clawing the curtains. She was paranoid and angry and hurt, and she had been ranting about seeing Pacey and Felicity in the park kissing for over an hour. It was the worst thing she'd ever seen.

"You know...I'm really starting to hate her. I hated her before, but it's getting to the point of no return."

Jack and Jen looked at each other and then back at their friend who had stopped pacing for the moment and stared at them. She was biting her lower lip which meant she was thinking. She always did that when she was thinking. It was one of her many signature facial expressions.

"Joey you need to calm down," Jen said quietly.

"Calm down?! Ask me what's going on here tonight. Ask me!"

"What's going on here tonight?"

"Bodie's cooking supper, Bessie's going to give Alex a bath, and Felicity is going to draw Pacey...nude. I don't think I can handle that!"

"Bodie cooks supper all the time..."

"Jack, this is no time to be cute! She's going to see parts of Pacey that..."

"Joey, breathe!" Jen yelled.

Joey sat in a chair and put her head in her hands. "What am I going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't let this happen."

"Why?"

"Because...he doesn't love her."

"And who does he love, Joey?"

"I don't know, but I know that it's not her. It couldn't be her."

"Why not?"

"Because, what does he know about her? Nothing. She's only been here five days and..."

"The green eyed monster rears it's ugly head."

"Jack, one more comment out of you and you will officially become a member of the 'John Bobbit' foundation, if you catch my drift."

"Joey, for the one hundredth time, calm down."

"Hello!" Pacey said walking in the room. "Hey guys. Is Felicity here?"

"Haven't seen her," Joey lied.

"She's in her room," Jack said.

"Thanks Jack. Hey, Joey...you need to get some sleep. You look rough."

Joey swallowed the lump in her throat. She felt bad enough as it is and he had to say something like that. That was it, she was going to kill him and her and be done with it all. Joey started off behind Pacey and Jen grabbed her wrist.

Joey looked down at her defeated. "I know, I know, calm down."

"Well, my sister is cooking dinner for the two of us and she's expecting me so I have to go. Joey, good luck."

Jack left the house and Jen sat there staring at Joey. She looked horrible. All her worrying made her appear as if she'd aged ten years. It wasn't helping anything. She needed to see that. The more she obsessed over this little situation the worse it became. But she did understand where she was coming from. She wouldn't be very happy if Henry posed for someone nude, as a matter of fact, she would be severely pissed off.

"Jen," Joey said defeated. "You have to help me."

"How can I help? They are in the privacy of her room and you can't get in there."

"I know. It's killing me, Jen."

"What's killing you?" Dawson asked as he walked into her house.

Jen and Joey quickly looked at each other. Jen then turned back to Dawson and made up a quick lie. "Her term paper. She has a really bad topic."

"Oh. Sorry Jo."

"Yeah." Joey looked to Jen. She offered what she could of a smile. "Dawson, haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

"I could ask you the same question every time you come through my window."

"I guess you could." Joey looked down at the floor and started playing with her hands. She very rarely felt uncomfortable when she was around Dawson, but something about being with him now made her a little uneasy.

"So what's up with you two, other than Joey's early demise?"

"Nothing really. Just...the same."

"How's little Henry?"

"How long are you going to call him little Henry?"

"Until it stops bugging you."

Dawson took a seat next to Jen on the couch. Joey was ready for him to leave. This was extremely strange. Earlier this year, she would have done anything to be around Dawson, but now, she didn't even want to look at him. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was his fault.

Her falling in love with Pacey was all his fault. If he hadn't pushed Pacey to watch after he she never would have realized that he cared. If he hadn't persuaded her that Pacey did care about her, then she never would have given Pacey another thought. And now, because of Dawson, she was head over heels for his best friend. Love sucks.

Pacey was in the position that Felicity had told him to be in and felt a little uneasy. This was very strange. It wasn't the first time he was naked in front of someone before, yet this time he was nervous. It made no sense to him. Felicity concentrated on what she was doing, not really paying him much mind, except when she needed to sketch him.

Pacey let out a heavy sigh. He couldn't do anything but think about Joey. She was his every thought. The other night, seeing her cry, it had hurt him deeply. He never wanted to see her cry, and he never thought that he'd be the reason for her shedding tears. It was awful. She was his everything, and he couldn't be with her because she was stubborn. She refused to see everything he'd done for her as an act of love and just let him suffer.

"Stop thinking about her."

"I can't."

"Yes you can. Think of something else."

"Easier said than done."

"No it's not. Trust me on this. Think of anything but her. Think of something that only you know about, not something that she knows about too."

Pacey stared at the ceiling. There was nothing he could think about that wasn't in some way linked to her. She knew everything about him and he knew everything about her. And she still didn't see it. She didn't see the obvious ramifications that his love for her had. He couldn't remove himself from her. He always wanted to be with her, to be in the presence of her. He never wanted to let her go. And he never wanted anything to break the kiss they'd shared. What possessed her to do that? Why would she pull away?

His first instinct was Dawson. No matter what happened between them, everything would always end up back at Dawson. He was the reason they met, he was the reason he started hanging out with Joey, and he was ultimately the reason he fell for Joey.

Dawson couldn't be angry. If he had listened to Pacey the first time, when he'd told Dawson that he didn't want to look out for her, none of this would have happened. Dawson wouldn't be able to hate him, Joey would still be his friend/enemy, and his life would be peachy. But no. Because of his loyalty towards Dawson, he'd done what he'd asked. He went to comfort Joey, he spent time with her, he danced with her, he helped her, and he fell in love with her. Not only did he fall in love with her, he fell so hard that he knew he would never recover from his feelings for her. She was what he wanted, she was what he needed, and she was what he loved. And he could see that it would never change. She was the type of person that you could loose yourself in. You could see all her passion for life, all her dreams in her peircing blue eyes. And he loved her for reason he couldn't even explain. Whether it be her cynisim, her vulnerability, or her strength, he loved her unconditionally. And there was no chaning that.

If she wasn't so amazing then she would be easier to get over. But she was amazing. She was beautiful, intelligent, witty, cynical, charming, and...at times...something that he could be so swept away with that he lost all train of thought. He couldn't help it. He wanted to be a part of that. He wanted to be the one that she loved, she kissed, she wanted. But he wasn't. Why did Dawson always get the best of everything? He gets the good family, good grades, support, and the love of the most precious being in the world. It wasn't fair. But then again life isn't fair. And anyone who says otherwise must be selling something.

"I thought I told you to stop thinking about her."

"You did. But that doesn't mean I have to listen."

"Are you always this insubordinate?"

"Yes."

"Great. I guess I have a while to look forward to this, huh?"

"A good bit of time, yeah."

"Wonderful."

"So...let me ask you...this Ben guy...you love him?"

"I think I might."

"You're not sure?"

"Not really."

"What about the other guy...Noel, right?"

"Yeah. Noel. I really liked Noel. He was sweet, caring, and watched over me. Like I said before, I almost had sex with him, but it wasn't meant to be."

"Why not?"

"I'm not sure really. I think mainly because...I wasn't over Ben. In order for you to care about someone you have to be completly over someone else. And in my and Noel's case, it was bound to fail. And that's because no matter how much I cared about him, I always wanted to be with Ben."

"And did you and Ben have a relationship?"

"For a while. But he betrayed my trust. He listened to my tape that I send to my friend that I put all my personal thoughts on...and I couldn't be with someone I can't trust."

"So you ended things?"

"Yes."

"Sounds like for a justifiable cause."

"What's your deal? You have a girlfriend or is Joey the only one in your life?"

"Did have."

"What happened?"

"She slept with someone else."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. But being with her...I guess it showed me to what depths I could care about someone."

"And where do your feelings for Joey come in?"

"I did a favor for a friend and lost my heart in the process."

"That sucks."

"You're telling me. And she's hung up on my best friend."

"Double ouch."

"No kidding."

"And you still love her."

"I guess in ways I always have."

"So...anyone else other than Joey and your ex-girlfriend?"

"Yeah." he said with a smile.

"And what does that smile mean?"

"It means that if I told you, you'd think something was wrong with me."

"I promise I won't judge you."

"Okay...her name was Tamara Jacobs. She was my English teacher."

"You had an affair with a teacher?"

"Yeah."

"And how long ago was this?"

"About a year and a half."

"So you were fifteen?"

"Yeah."

"That's...twisted."

"Yeah."

"So what happened there?"

"Well, it didn't work out for obvious reasons. But someone heard me talking and it was spread around school and then around the town and she almost got in big trouble."

"Almost?"

"I confessed, saying that I made up the whole thing. And that it was my hormonal induced adolescence that made me make up the lie. So instead of ruining her reputation, I ruined mine and established myself as the blacksheep of the Witter clan."

"That was very chivalrous of you."

"I'm just wonderful that way."

She laughed. "You have a great sense of humor. How your friends aren't constantly laughing I don't know."

"Got me. Some times they laugh. Others they just throw things at me."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah."

"So what are your special skills?"

"I don't really have any."

"You have to be able to do something better than anyone else."

"Well, I'm not good at anything, but all my friends are. Jack's the football player, Andie's the one capable of over taking any situation, Jen's a great listener, Dawson's the movie guy, and Joey's the artist."

"But, you don't do anything?"

"Well, I do, but since I'm in the presence of the a lady, I think I'll spare you."

"Thank you."

"Welcome."

"Okay...I'm done for tonight. You can get dressed."

"You know, if you think about that statement, it sounds like I'm a prostitute."

"Pacey the prostitute? That is pretty funny."

Pacey stood up and got dressed quickly. Felicity was packing away her shading pencils and sketch pad. Pacey grabbed the pad before she could put it away.

"You're not going to let me see?"

"Not until I'm done."

"But I wanna see now."

"Pacey...I could march out there right now and spill everything to..."

"Okay, okay, here's your pad back. You big baby."

"Big baby? I am no such thing. You're the one sitting around here pouting, constantly."

"No...not constantly."

"Liar."

"Whatever. You hungry?"

"Yeah. Actually I am."

"Let's go eat then."

"Sounds like a plan."

Felicity opened her door and grabbed Pacey by the hand and led him out of her room. Pacey walked out smiling at Felicity. They both stopped in the living room.

"Hey, would you guys like to join us for dinner?"

"Where are you going?" Dawson asked.

"Don't know. Pacey, where are we going?"

"Don't know. What do you feel like eating?" He asked wrapping both arms around her stomach.

"Mexican."

"Mexican?"

"Yeah...Mexican. Some...real nachos or something like that."

"Well, Mexican it is."

"So you guys wanna come?"

"Jen?" Dawson asked. She shook her head "Joey?"

Joey looked over at Pacey and Felicity and decided that two could play at that game. She wasn't going to let Pacey flaunt his relationship with Felicity in her face. She could do the same thing with Dawson. She could do it ten times worse than he could. But she didn't really want to use Dawson. He was her friend. She couldn't do that with a clear conscience. But Pacey began placing soft kisses on her neck and that did it.

"Sure. Why not?"

"Okay, the Ice Queen is on board. You sure you don't wanna come with us Jen?" Pacey asked quickly.

"I'm sure. But, Joey, could I speak to you for a moment please?"

Jen pulled Joey off into the hall way. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm going to dinner."

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing. I like Mexican just as much as the next person."

"Are you really willing to put yourself through that kind of pain?"

"What pain?"

"The pain of spending the entire night watching Pacey and Felicity paw each other all night."

"And who says they'll be the only ones."

"What are you getting at Joey?"

"You asked me the other day what my ammunition was...and he's standing in the living room with Pacey and Felicity."

"You can not use Dawson!"

"I'm not."

"And what is it you have planned for Pacey? How are you going to use Dawson as your ammunition?"

"I can't reveal all my secrets to you Jen."

"Joey, I swear if you hurt Dawson you'll regret it."

"I'm not going to hurt Dawson. I'm just going to shove the fact that Dawson knows me better than Pacey in Pacey's face."

"And don't you think that Pacey'll see that?"

"No."

"Give him a little credit, Joey. He's smart. He'll see right through that in no time."

"No he won't. I'll do it casually."

"And what if you open up to Dawson and he sees that he wants you back. Then what?"

"Then...I don't know. But that's an impossible scenario."

"No. It's not Joey."

"Look, they're waiting on me. I'll call you later Jen."

"Joey, be careful."

"I will."

Pacey was infuriated. How could she agree to go with Dawson? How could she agree to go period? This was not going the way he had planned. He had planned on just Dawson going and he and Felicity playing up their relationship and having Dawson report back to Joey. That was how it was supposed to play out. But Joey going...he was going to see that look that Joey had. That look of pain and hurt. He hated that look.

They stood there at the entrance of the restaurant waiting for a table. Felicity had her arms wrapped around Pacey's waist, and her head resting on his shoulder. Joey just stood there and watched them. Something wasn't right. Something was off. She couldn't pin point what it was, but she could tell that there was something with the way Felicity was looking across the room.

She scanned to see what she could be looking at, and her eyes fell upon a guy that resembled Cliff Elliot. But as she looked at him, he looked much older and definetly a lot cuter. This was almost to good to be true. The guy looked up and saw Felicity. She quickly ducked her head into Pacey's shoulder. It was like she was trying to hide.

Joey watched as he got up from his seat and headed over to them. He was gorgeous. He was tall, dark, and handsome. Things that she found very attractive in a man.

"Hey, Felicity."

"Noel...hey."

"So..." he noticed Felicity hugging Pacey. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Pacey Witter. Pacey this is Noel Crane."

"Noel, nice to meet you. These are my friends, Dawson and Joey."

"Hi." Noel extended his hand to Dawson, then turned to Joey. She was beautiful. She held out her hand and he brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

"Ma cherie."

"Hi."

Dawson and Pacey both felt their blood boiling. Felicity wasn't exactly happy. In fact, she was ready to hurl herself on Joey and start a cat fight. Noel released Joey's hand and just stared at the brunette.

"Joey, would you care to join me?"

"Uhhhh....I'm here with them."

"They can come too."

"Sure."

"No," Pacey and Dawson said in unison. This was awkward to say the least. Pacey did not like this guy's flirting with Joey. He didn't want to think about sitting at a table with Noel and Joey flirting with one another, while he would feel nauseous.

"Come on you guys. It'll be another thirty minutes before we get our table...at least this way, we'll be seated."

"Yeah. What could it hurt?" Noel chimmed in, never taking his eyes off Joey.

"Right."

Noel escorted Joey over to his table while the others followed. Pacey watched as he pulled Joey's chair out for her, then took his seat next to her. Dawson took the seat on the other side of her. Felicity clasped her hands around Pacey's fore arm. She didn't want to do this any more than he did.

"So...Joey, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?"

"Well, what do you like?"

"I like a lot of things. I like music, TV, some people."

"I like all of those things too."

"Well, what do you know? We're compatible."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"So...Noel, right? What do you like?"

"Right now? What I see."

"And what do you see?"

"A rather beautiful girl."

"Oh."

"And I see my luch is about to pay me another visit," Felicity said in Pacey's ear.

"You and me both."

The waiter approached and took their order. Pacey, Felicity, and Dawson tried to tune out Joey and Noel gushing over one another. It was making them all sick to no ends. They all wished their food would hurry up and get to the table, maybe if they got something in their mouths they would shut up.

The food finally arrived at the table, but that didn't stop the flirting between the two. Instead everyone noticed how Noel never took his eyes off Joey. Not that Pacey could blame him, but he still wanted something horrible to happen to him.

"So, Noel, what are you doing in Capeside?"

"I'm actually here visiting some cousins of mine. Uhh...you might know my cousin Cliff Elliot."

"You know, when I saw you, I thought you resembeled him a little. That explains it."

"Yeah...but Cliff is more of a jock than I am."

"He's also a bigger jerk," Joey said before she realized what she was saying.

Noel smiled at her. She was incredible. She was smart, funny, clever and one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen in his life. The dark hair set against pale skin, those shining blue eyes, and soft lips; he couldn't help but t be attracted to her. Joey was...well, she wasn't Felicity, but she was close. He felt that same flutter that he felt the first time he'd seen Felicity. Maybe this was a way for him to get over her.

"So you don't think I'm a jerk?"

"Well, I'd have to get to know you a little better...but from what I've met so far, you are as far away from being a jerk as Dawson here."

"Seeing as how I don't know your friend, I'll have to take your word for it."

"Noel, could I talk to you?"

"Felicity, I'm in the middle of a conversation."

"Well, pause it."

"Excuse me Joey. My services are needed."

Noel rose from his seat as Felicity pulled him away from the three. Pacey watched Noel and Felicity retreat and knew that Felicity had reached her boiling point. She couldn't take the mushy crap any more and he was about to say something himself.

"Joey, are you crazy?" Dawson asked.

"What?"

"He's in college. You can't be serious."

"As I recall my ex-boyfriend was also in college."

"And look how well that turned out," Pacey said under his breath.

Joey was furious. How could he say that? That was low. He...he was maliciously trying to get under her skin and it was working. She wanted to tell Pacey that if he hadn't hooked up with Felicity, she was going to tell him how she felt about him. And if Dawson hadn't been there, she would have. But Dawson seemed to be the root of all her problems.

Joey stood and walked out of the restaurant. Dawson was baffeled by Joey's reaction. She didn't ream Pacey or tell him that he was wrong, she just left. He felt like he was missing a whole piece of the puzzle. The next thing he knew, Pacey was up and after her.

"Dawson, tell Felicity I had to go."

"Pacey...?"

"Please."

"Sure."

"Thanks."

Pacey quickly went after her. As he got outside, he saw Joey running down the street and to the park. He had to catch up with her. He had to explain that the comment he made wasn't really directed at her, but more from his own jealousy. He wished he could take it back. He wished he could correct his major mistake in comment.

When he reached the park he saw her sitting on a bench hunched over. As he got closer her heard her sobs. He'd done it again. He'd made her cry. And no matter how much he wished she'd come to him, he knew that he had to go to her. It was the only way to solve this problem. It was the only way to show her that he was truly sorry.

Pacey took the seat next to her and she looked up at him. Never had his heart hurt so much. This was killing him to see. Why, of all the things he could have said, did he have to make that comment.

"Jo..."

"No! I've had enough of you Pacey! You...you messed...you confused me when you kissed me. You made...you made me feel all these things for you that...I never wanted to feel or...admit. And then...you move on!"

"Joey..."

"I'm not finished! I am sick of watching you...of seeing the two of you play...the love birds! If you'd given me a few days to...to just think...but now..."

"Now what?"

"I don't know if I can be your friend."

Pacey lowered his head. This sucked. He didn't mean to say it. It just slipped out. And right now, he wasn't sure he knew how to explain that to her.

"Joey...hear me out okay?"

"There is nothing you can say to make me forgive you."

"I think there might be."

"No, there's not Pacey. You've spent the last couple of days making goo-goo eyes at a girl you don't even know...and not a week ago, you kissed me."

"You pushed me away, Joey!"

"What was I supposed to do? Tell you that I was in love with you, pledge my undying devotion to you? Pacey, up until then, I spent time getting over Dawson, then suddenly his best friend kisses me...what was it that I was supposed to do? Please tell me!"

"You could have told me that you needed time to think. Instead, you let me think that it meant nothing to you. And that's still what I think, because you've never really stated that it did mean anything to you."

"It did mean something Pacey. A kiss between the two of us...it means so much more than any regular kiss. And that's because there's always been this force between us. And if you don't see that..."

"I did see it, Jo. I still do. But you pushed me away. You said no. And I'm supposed to read into what you did, that it did mean something to you?"

"You should have already known that."

"I didn't Joey. I didn't know that. I'm not psychic. I can't read minds, especially not yours."

"Joey...I care about you. And...from your actions...I didn't get that you cared about me, at least not in the same way."

"So what is it you want, Pacey? Because, you kissed me and then less than two days later your kissing college girl and this has me all confused."

"You know what I want Joey. I made it very clear when I kissed you. I think the person that needs to make up their mind is you. You're the one who's going psycho and everything over me and Felicity...so what is it that you want?"

"Why do you think I've gone psycho over you and Felicity? Why have I been avoiding you for a week? Has it not occured to you that I may just feel the same way about you that you do about me?"

"No! It hasn't Joey...because if you did...you wouldn't have pulled away the way you did. I actually assumed that I had completely destroyed our friendship and that you would never want to speak to me again. So honestly, it never crossed my mind."

Joey sighed. She didn't know what to say. "Pacey...tell me, once and for all, how do you feel about me? Do you like me? Do you love me? Are you in lust with me? What?"

"I can honestly say that I am head over heels in love with you Joey."

Joey took a shaky breath. "You are?"

"Yes." He sat quite for a second. "How do you feel about me?"

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

"Try me."

"I love you. To steal a line from Renee Zelwigger, I love you for the man you want to be and I love you for the man that you almost are," she said smiling.

Pacey smiled too. He wrapped an arm around Joey's shoulders and pulled her to him. He loved her. And she loved him. Things were perfect. But there was one thing he had to do to make sure that she was telling the truth.

He leaned in slowly, this was going to be a kiss that he was sure he'd remember for the rest of his life. He held her face in his hands and their lips touched softly, feeling the love that they felt for one another. And it was wonderful.

Joey wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Joey felt his tounge run along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, accepting his tounge graciously. She loved the taste of him. His tounge ran over the top of hers, sending shivers over her spine. It was wonderful. Nobody had ever kissed her like this.

"What the hell?!"

Both pulled away to see Dawson standing at the entrance of the park looking angry and furious. This was not good.