"You're awfully quiet, Joey." Charlie commented from his prostrate position beside her on her bed. The movie they had been watching had long since started to roll credits and Joey just continued to stare at it. "Are you okay?"

She blinked and then nodded, glancing at him. "Yeah...That was just kind of a waste of time."

"I can think of far more entertaining ways to have spent the last few hours."

She smirked. "Don't you ever quit?"

"Quitters never win."

"That's what they tell all the losers to make them feel better."

"Are you calling me a loser?" he pouted.

"You said it, not me."

"Well, care to test the theory?" He arched an eyebrow, "I can make us both winners."

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

"I don't get you, Joey," he said contemplatively. "You run hot and cold. It's rather fascinating."

She smiled. "Have to keep the boys interested somehow."

"You've got no problems there," he promised her.

She glanced over at the clock on her night stand. "Ready to call it a night?"

"That depends."

"The movie's over."

"Uh huh...what's your point?"

"Time to say goodnight."

"Does this goodnight include a goodnight kiss?"

A corner of her mouth turned up faintly in amusement. "Nice try."

"Then I don't think I'm ready to say goodnight," he said with a smile and rolled over onto his back.

"Don't make me kick you off my bed."

He gave her his most charming smile. "A kiss might provide me some motivation for leaving."

"And if you don't leave now, I might be motivated to do something drastic," she said warningly.

His smile brightened. "I like the sound of drastic."

"No, you don't."

He sighed dramatically, "Why must you torture me so?"

"Just when I think there is something semi-redeemable about you, you go and prove me wrong."

"If you'd let me, I'd show you just how redeemable I am."

She raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Is that the only thing you're good for?"

"I've been told it's the best thing I'm good for," he smirked. "I wouldn't say only."

"I'm beginning to have my doubts," Joey said switching off the television. "I have no idea what kind of insanity led to me inviting you over."

"You liiiiiiiike me."

She grabbed her pillow and smacked him with it. "Do not."

"You do so. You're head over heels for me!" He declared, reaching for the pillow closest to him. "You just don't know it yet."

"You're delusional."

He hit her with the pillow, "You can deny it all you want, Jo. But I know the signs"

She laughed. "Yeah, you wish."

He rolled over on the bed, pinning her beneath him as she was about to attack him with her pillow. "You don't have the slightest idea what I'm wishing for right now."

She smiled up at him, slightly breathless. "Oh, yeah?"

"I'll have you know," his voice dropped several decibels, "Right now, I'm wishing for..."

The door swung open and Audrey waltzed in, tossing her bag to the floor, followed closely by Pacey. Audrey's eyes widened when they caught sight of Charlie and Joey, "Joey!" She clamped a hand over her mouth, "You didn't hang a scrunchie on the door. I am so sorry," she grabbed Pacey's hand, oblivious to the fact he was looking slightly shell shocked and started dragging him back out the door.

"No." Joey shook her head, and glanced between Audrey and Charlie. "We were just watching a movie, right?"

"Seriously," Audrey shook her head. "We can come back."

"Really, it's nothing," Joey said, moving to sit up.

"She's right," Charlie agreed, reluctantly moving away from her. "The woman puts up a fight."

Joey smiled. "So what are you doing? I thought you'd be here much later."

"We were going to a play at the student union," Audrey explained, moving to sit on the bed. "But then we were late, so I thought we'd take advantage of the fact we had the night to ourselves."

She raised an eyebrow. "And this was the nearest available bed?"

"Well," Audrey smirked, "Yours or mine, I wasn't about to be picky."

Joey made a face. "Can you please refrain and keep all sexual activities to your side of the room?"

"I'll keep that in mind for the future," Audrey winked at her, then turned to Pacey, who still stood within the doorway. "You gonna stand there all day, Pace?"

He blinked, "No, yeah." He shrugged out of his coat and sat on the edge of Audrey's bed. "We can go to my apartment, if--if you two want to be alone." He offered.

"Could you?" Charlie asked wryly.

Joey smacked Charlie with her pillow. "No."

"Do you two mind clearing out so *we* can be alone at least?" Audrey asked with an amused smile.

"Actually, Aud, why don't the four of us go doing something together? When's the last time we all hung out?" Pacey suggested.

Audrey eyed him strangely. "That would be never."

Joey nodded. "Why break tradition?"

He shrugged, his blue eyes focused on Joey, "It was only a suggestion. Why don't you two vamoose then so Audrey and I can...you know."

Joey sighed and glanced at Charlie. "I think we're being thrown out."

"Sure looks that way." Charlie agreed, and then grinned over at her. "My dorm room is empty. We could always go over there and...rock the casba."

"You're not that lucky."

He sighed, flopping down on her bed. "Are you ever going to put out for me?"

"Who knows," she said climbing to her feet. "Stranger things have happened."

"Have stranger things happened tonight?" He asked hopefully.

"Probably not."

He sighed, "Probably's better than no." He stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Enjoy your evening guys."

Joey pulled on her coat and glanced at Audrey. "I'll be back later, probably. Stay away from my bed."

"Promise." Audrey grinned, "But is your desk off limits too?"

"What's wrong with yours? It's not like you use it for anything."

"Oh," Audrey grinned, "We use it."

"And on that nausea inducing note, we'll be going." Joey grabbed Charlie's hand and tugged him out the door.

Pacey sighed, "Must you tease her like that?"

Audrey grinned. "She knows I'm joking. Mostly."

"Even so."

She shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"How much longer do you think it'll take before Charlie has his way with her?" Pacey asked skeptically, eyeing the door.

Audrey smirked, nuzzling his neck. "Depends on how convincing he is."

"What does she see in him?" He frowned, "The guy is slimy."

"Hmm....He's not so bad."

"He's pressuring her for sex, what's *good* about that?" He scoffed

"Joey's a big girl, so why are we still discussing her?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I thought as her friend, you might be concerned about her getting involved with Charlie so soon after Professor Sleazy pulled that number on her, but hey, if you wanna fuck instead, I'll more than oblige."

She blinked in surprise, speechless.

He winced, "I'm sorry, Audrey. That came out wrong, I didn't mean to sound accusing." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. She still looked hurt at his outburst, and he stood up. "Maybe I should just go home."

She pursed her lips together, folding her arms across her chest. "Maybe you should."

He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure. Whatever."

He grimaced as he grabbed his coat and silently left the room. It seemed like he was slowly perfecting his talent for screwing the good things in his life completely to hell.

"You're worse than he is!" Audrey said loudly with scorn, loudly enough to be heard out in the hallway of her dorm. "How dare you just waltz in here spouting grand declarations of love. We barely know each other!"

"We may not know each other in the literal sense, but I know your heart. I've knew in my heart the moment we met we were meant for each other. It wasn't until now that I realized it in my head." Dawson familiar voice pleaded emphatically, "Give us a chance."

"Do I want to know?" Joey said, tossing her bag onto her bed as she came in through the door.

"Dawson's new script." Audrey said with a grin, breaking out of character. "He's already promised me the role of Monique."

"Well, I didn't say promised, Audrey..."

"Snap her up while you have the chance, Dawson," Joey teased as she pulled off her coat and hung it in her closet. "She comes cheap."

"I resent that," Audrey frowned.

"I just meant that he wouldn't have to pay you," Joey amended.

"You want a copy of the script too, Jo?" He moved to his backpack on the floor and pulled out a thick packet of papers. "I brought a few extras."

Joey's eyes widened as she glanced at the script. "I think I'll pass."

"She's been really busy lately, Dawson." Audrey jumped in, taking the script from Dawson's hand. "School and all. But I'll make sure she gets around to it."

"Uh, yeah, sure..." Joey said sitting down on her bed. "I'll get to it."

"See," Audrey smiled brightly and took Dawson's hand. "We'll leave you to your reading and continue my audition elsewhere."

"But, Audrey, this isn't an audition." Dawson tried to protest.

She put her hand over his lips, "Shhh, it is too. By the time we're done, you'll be dying to cast me."

Joey laughed lifting up her copy of the script. "I'll start reading then."

"Perfect," she grabbed a sweater and her copy of the script and pulled Dawson to the door. "Bye, bunny."

"Later."

Dawson rolled his eyes as Hurricane Audrey whisked him out the door. "Lemme know what you think!"

Joey nodded. "Will do." Dawson was gone before he'd gotten the chance to hear her reply.

Joey was halfway through her math homework when the door opened again. "Hey, Joey." Pacey paused unsurely inside the doorway and then came inside.

"Hey," Joey glanced up from her book and flashed him a smile. "Audrey's not here. She's auditioning for Dawson's latest opus, I think."

"Didn't he just finish one?" He asked with a relieved smile; she was still talking to him.

She shrugged. "I know better than to ask questions."

"I always knew you were the smart one."

She tipped her head toward the end of her bed and the thick sheaf of papers that rested there. "There's the script if you're interested."

He laughed, "As if."

"It's pretty good."

"You've read it?" He arched a suspicious eyebrow at her as he thumbed through the pages.

"No." She grinned. "But did it sound like I did?"

"Very convincing," He smiled softly back at her.

"Good, maybe I'd be able to fool Dawson."

"You will." He flipped to one of the pages, "Just quote a few select lines and he'll be in the palm of your hand."

"Well, I don't want to overdo it."

He nodded, tossing the script aside. "So..."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're planning to wait for Audrey?"

"I should," he nodded. "I owe her some heavy duty apologizing. What else is new?" He shrugged.

"It's a relationship prerequisite."

"At least for me," he agreed.

Her lips curved in a faint smile. "For most guys."

"You and Charlie fight much?" He asked, laying back on Audrey's bed to feign indifference.

She shrugged. "Depends."

"On?"

"Well, Charlie and I are not dating, so it's a completely different set of circumstances."

"Oh." He was quiet for a long time. "What kind of circumstances?" He winced even as he asked the question.

"I guess we don't necessarily fight. There's Charlie hitting on me constantly and me turning him down."

"Why do you keep turning him down?" Pacey breathed a quiet sigh of relief and stood up. "He's obviously head over heels for you."

Joey shrugged. "He's Charlie."

He gave her wicked half smile, "And for that I commend you on your good taste."

She smiled. "He's not so bad."

"Then why not date him?"

Her head tilted thoughtfully. "I don't know..."

He made a face as he moved behind her, "I shouldn't have asked."

"Besides, Charlie doesn't really seem like the dating type."

"If his history with Jen is any indication..." Pacey trailed off, sliding his hands onto her shoulders and beginning a soft massage.

She sighed. "I know. I guess in some weird way he's endearing himself to me."

"As long as you know what you're getting into," he said with some misgiving.

"I do, believe me."

"Hmm." He dug his thumbs deeper into her shoulders, working out the tension. "What are you working on?"

"Some work for my Calc class," she said gesturing to her open notebook.

He moved closer to her to look over her shoulder, "I'd forgotten what math looked like." He didn't step back.

She rolled her eyes. "And I'm sure that disturbs you deeply."

"Not at all." She could hear the smile in his voice.

"Actually, I'm a little disappointed after all those hours I wasted trying to tutor you."

"You got me a passing grade, that's a miracle in and of itself, Potter."

She smirked. "I know."

His hands moved up to her neck, "Have you considered going into teaching?"

"I don't have the patience."

"Jo, if you could handle me, you could handle a classroom of six-year-olds blindfolded."

"I doubt it."

"You underestimate yourself."

She shook her head with a small smile. "No, I know."

"Good," he said from behind her, "Because that's my job, and you're really bad for business."

She tilted her head back and smiled up at him. "Sorry about that."

The urge to kiss her again was tugging at his gut and he used more force in his massage to keep himself from doing just that. "I think," he had to clear his throat, "I think you've been under too much stress lately, Jo. You feel really tense."

She sighed. "Class. Studying. College is hard."

"Really?" He sounded surprised, "I thought you were infallible."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"What classes are you taking?"

"Just the core requirements.

"Aren't you taking anything fun? Like an art class?"

She lifted her shoulder uncomfortably. "I was taking creative writing."

He lightened the pressure of his massage. "Was?"

"Professor Wilder teaches the class," she said softly.

"Ahh." He was quiet for a moment. "You know, I could happily go kick his ass for you. Maybe a few other more sensitive parts as well."

"Nah, not worth it."

"You should reconsider creative writing if you liked it, Jo." He said after another long moment. "I'm sure there are other professors who teach the class."

She shrugged, turning her attention back to her books and her work. "Maybe."

"You need something fun to ward off some of the stress."

She raised an eyebrow. "A distraction?"

"A distraction." He agreed, his voice dropping several decibels.

"I don't need a distraction."

"You need something, Potter."

"And what's that?"

"A little pleasure in your life. Maybe Charlie could provide it, maybe you should find it for yourself..."

"I think I'm fine."

"You are." He agreed, "But you're not particularly happy either."

"Maybe I'm ecstatic..."

"And maybe I'll be president someday." He shook his head gently, "No, you're not happy, Potter. You might be able to hide it from Audrey and Dawson and everyone else. But not me. At least, not when I'm sober."

She gazed up at him. "You don't think I'm happy?"

"No," he shook his head, looking down into her face, his hands freezing on her shoulders. "I don't."

"I am."

"Jo, I've seen you happy." He said quietly, "And I know you're not miserable or anything, but you're not happy. You're just going through the motions.'

"Why would I be doing that?"

"I don't know," he traced a finger lightly over her neck. "Because you have to?"

She bit her lip, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm happy."

"Fine," he sighed, giving up. "You're happy and I'm imagining things."

She nodded. "Right."

He continued his ministrations on her shoulders, his finger caught on the chain of her necklace and he started to pull it out from under her collar. She sighed softly, letting her eyes fall shut tiredly. Pacey lifted the ring out from under her shirt where it hung from the chain. His breath caught in his throat when he realized what it was, "Where did--where did you get this?"

She frowned, her face filled with confusion. "You gave it to me."

"I did? When?" He moved around her, a furrow creasing his brow.

She fingered her chain uncomfortably. "At your birthday party."

"I...I really need to stop drinking," he said with a choked laugh.

"Do you want it back?"

"No!" He cleared his throat, "I mean no. I don't really think it goes with my coloring, do you?"

She smiled and tucked the ring back inside her shirt. "No, not really."

He sat on the edge of her bed. "I bought it for you, I just..."

"What?"

"When I heard about you and Dawson, it just didn't seem appropriate." He shrugged a tired shoulder, his eyes drifted to the front of her shirt where the small bump made by the ring was visible. "I can't believe you're wearing it."

She smiled. "Well, why wouldn't I wear it?"

"Did you see the engraving?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He licked his lips when they went dry, "I...I guess, I expected it to mean more. But it's been awhile, so maybe I was just attaching too much meaning to two words..." He ran a hand down his face.

"It means a lot."

"Is that why you wear it?"

She nodded, touching the ring lightly through the thin cotton of her shirt. "Yeah."

"If I don't leave I'm going to do something stupid again."

"Oh." She bit her lip.

He stood up and started for the door, but then came back, standing in front of where she sat in her desk chair. "Would you stop me if I did?"

"Audrey'll be back soon."

He flinched but didn't back away. "That's not an answer."

Her gaze dropped to the floor. "I don't know."

"Then I'd better go." He swallowed and took several steps backwards before turning to the door.

"Maybe that's a good idea," she said quietly.

"None of the options I come up with are a good idea," he replied turning back to her. He crossed the room in two long steps and cupped her face in his hands, giving her a slow, soul searching kiss. He broke away breathless, "I went with instinct."

"Not a good idea." She swallowed, shutting her eyes as she inhaled an unsteady breath, trying to put order to her thoughts.

"I know." He smoothed her hair behind her ear, "That's why I'm going." This time when he started walking to the door, he kept going.