The door to the Bed and Breakfast opened and Pacey looked up to meet Joey's hazel eyes. His jaw tightened, "Bessie said you wouldn't be here."

"I do live here."

"I'll come back later," he backed away from the door.

She stepped back from the door. "I'll stay out of your way."

"I appreciate that," he stepped past her and headed for the furnace, taking off his coat, immediately feeling the wave of heat inside the house.

"Thanks."

Kneeling down, he opened the door under the sink and pulled out the tool box before braving the heat and entering the laundry room. Joey wandered over to the kitchen and served herself a glass of ice water, trying to keep herself cool.

The back door opened and Bessie groaned as she came inside."Isn't Pacey here yet?" She whined.

"He's working on it now. Wouldn't it be better to just get a professional to look at it?"

"Pacey's cheap," Bessie reminded her.

"And easy," Joey murmured under her breath before taking a drink of water.

"What was that?" Bessie asked, helping Alexander off with his coat.

"Nothing," Joey said innocently.

"He hasn't been around lately," her sister replied.

"New girlfriend," Joey said, sitting at the table.

"I thought you were his girlfriend?" Bessie blinked at her in confusion.

Joey balked. "I am not Pacey's girlfriend."

"Well, obviously, if he's seeing other women." She patted Alex on the butt, "Go play."

"Pacey and I never were or ever will be in any kind of romantic relationship."

"Jeez, Jo. Chill out. I wasn't accusing you of anything. I just thought that you were...I mean, he was always over here. And when you guys weren't here, you were off working on his boat." She shook her head with exasperation, "But then there was AJ, I can't keep up with you all."

Joey bit her lip, letting the ice clink together in her glass. "Dawson and I are back together."

Bessie laughed, "Case in point. I thought you guys decided to take a break to find yourselves?"

"And we've found ourselves together."

"So, how did it happen?" Bessie asked with a curious smile, "Give me details."

"There's not much to say."

"I didn't even know you were talking to him, what about AJ?"

"I'm going to break up with him."

"Wait..." Bessie shook her head, "Didn't Pacey spend the night here after his play a couple weeks ago? I didn't say anything then...but if you're not dating, then why?"

"I've slept in Dawson's bed plenty of times and it's never meant anything."

Her sister snorted, "Yeah, well...Dawson and Pacey aren't exactly the same."

Joey rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Bess, I'm going to have sex with Pacey in the house I share with my sister."

"I didn't say that. I know you've learned from my mistakes. But I just figured...there are things you could do."

Joey chuckled in disbelief. "We are not having this conversation."

"Besides, if I was ten years younger and Pacey were sleeping in my bed..." she shrugged her shoulder with a mischievous smile. "I'd do more than sleeping."

"Thanks for the visuals."

Bessie chuckled, "Joey, you've got problems."

Joey rolled her eyes. "Sometimes your immaturity amazes me."

"Jo, as a much older and wiser member of this family, I suggest you take my advice."

"I�m dating Dawson."

Bessie frowned a little, "So you've said. But listen to me...you have your whole life ahead of you to do the things you should. You're only sixteen once. Live."

Joey arched an eyebrow. "So what exactly are you suggesting I do?"

"I'm suggesting you do what feels right, not what you think you should do, or what's fair, or what's easy. If you're living life unhappy, than you're living it wrong."

"Total nonsense."

Bessie laughed, "You don't care that Pacey didn't want to see you?"

Joey shrugged. "What can I do about it?"

"Whatever's going to make you happier." Bessie said simply, and then moved to the refrigerator. "Why don't you invite him to dinner? What do you want?"

"He's just going to say no."

"So you wont even try?" She pulled out a package of chicken breast, and started pulling out veggies.

"It's a waste of time." Joey pushed away from the table, taking her glass of water with her. "I'm going to my room."

"I'll call you when dinner's ready. Oh, and check on Alex too, please."

Joey nodded. "Will do."

"Thank you," Bessie gave her a soft smile and turned back to the food.

Joey set her glass down on the coffee table in the living room and smiled when she noticed Alex behind the couch, giggling as he tried to hide from her. Joey brought her hand to her cheek as she pretended to glance around. "Oh my God, where did Alex go?" She lifted a pillow off the couch, checking under it. "Alex where are you?"

He waited until her back was turned, and then giggling took off down the hallway away from his Aunt. Joey laughed and went after him. "Oh, no. Come over here you little monster."

Pacey stepped out of the laundry room, bare chested, his pants hanging from his hips and hooked an arm around Alexander's middle, lifting him squealing into the air. "Running away from your mean ole aunt?" He teased, throwing the toddler into the air. "Here's a hint, Alex. Door's that way."

Joey stopped in front of them and frowned, noticing not for the first time, that her moments of happiness were shortlived and fleeting. "Put him down. You're going to make him sick."

He hoisted the child up on his hip, and looked down at Alex. "I can see why you were in such a hurry."

Joey tried to curb her annoyance. "I was playing with him."

Pacey looked thoughtfully at the boy, "Well, he does seem to be smiling."

"And you interrupted."

"He seems perfectly happy where he is," Pacey ticked his tummy and grinned at the boy.

"You fixed the furnace already?"

"Nope, I need to go buy a replacement part."

She folded her arms across her chest. "So what are you waiting for?"

His smile faded and he put Alex down, "Nothing." Oblivious to the tension, Alex scurried off down the hall, and Pacey went back into the laundry room to get his shirt.

Joey leaned against the doorframe and watched him. "How's Shelly?"

"She's fine. How's Dawson?" He returned fluidly, pulling his shirt down over his bare chest.

"He's perfect."

"Isn't he always?" Pacey asked sarcastically, brushing past her to get through the doorway.

"I guess he is."

He shook his head as he walked into the kitchen, "Bess, I need to replace one of the hoses, that should take care of the problem."

Bessie frowned. "How long would that take?"

"Well, I need to run to the hardware store, hope they have what I need, come back here and put it in. I took the old one out already, which means that it's going to be blasting heat until I hook up the replacement. Two hours, at the very most."

Joey came into the kitchen, and set her glass in the seat, glancing at Bessie. "Maybe we should open some more windows."

"Do what you have to do," Pacey grabbed his coat from the back of a chair, but didn't put it on yet. "I'll try and hurry."

"I think I'm going to head to Dawson's," Joey said to Bessie as she rinsed out her glass. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take."

"No way, little sister. Misery loves company. I need you to clean up room three and dinner�s going to be ready in a few hours. Either that or you can get Alex out of my hair and go with Pacey. Make sure he doesn't take his time getting back here."

"I don't need a chaperone, Bess." Pacey said, his expression dark.

"Oh, come on, this is so not fair. What if I compromise and take Alex with me to Dawson's?"

"Can't make out with a two-year-old underfoot," Pacey reminded her and turned back to Bessie, "I'll be back soon."

Joey gazed at Bessie hopefully. "So?"

"Fine, Jo. Go, wherever you want. But be back in time for dinner."

Joey smiled. "Thank you!" Pacey rolled his eyes and escaped out the back door. Joey picked her nephew off the floor, and headed out of the room. "Come on, Alex. We're leaving."

"Make sure he wears a coat." Bessie called after her.

"I will!"

Pacey sat in his car, gunning the engine, waiting for the damned thing to warm up. Joey made sure she and Alex were perfectly bundled up before heading outside, prepared to brave the cold. He watched them from the safety of the car, not having to disguise the pain on his face.

"Right now, I can't decide which is better, being out here or back inside," Joey told Alex as she carried him down the porch steps.

"Is cold," Alex nodded, wrapping his little arms around Joey's neck.

Joey nodded, holding him a bit closer. "I agree. Thinking back on this half-baked plan, I should have called Dawson and asked him to pick us up."

"Dawthon?"

Joey nodded. "Or at least scored the keys to the truck."

Steeling himself, Pacey opened the door. "Bring the rugrat and get in, Potter. I'll drop you off."

"Thanks."

He waited until they were both strapped in, and then pulled out of the drive. He didn't say anything as they pulled out onto the paved road. "Thanks," Joey said again, glancing out the window. "I was about to have one cranky Alex on my hands."

"You do well with cranky."

"The appeal wears thin."

"Tell me about it," he sighed.

She glanced down at her hands and exhaled sharply. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said...at the coffee shop."

His hands tightened around the steering wheel. "You said what you were thinking, you shouldn't have to apologize for that."

She shook her head. "No, it was completely stupid of me."

"And hurtful," he added.

"I guess I was more upset about AJ canceling on me than I thought, and I took it out on you, which was totally unfair So I'm sorry."

"AJ, right. And now you have Dawson."

"Well, Dawson and I are rather inevitable, right?"

Flinching slightly, he nodded. "Sure." They had been inevitable, and he knew it. Which is why falling for her hurt all the more.

"That's some girlfriend you have."

A shadow of a smile crossed his face, "She's got spunk."

"Lucky you."

"It wont last."

"How do you know?"

"Nothing ever does. Look at our relationship. Those four months of actually being friends just came and went. Like they never even existed."

"Friends fight."

"Yeah, they do. But they don't attack one another in public places. Friends actually *like* each other."

"I said I was sorry."

"Maybe sorry isn't enough."

She bit her lip. "Oh."

"I don't know what possessed me to think we could even be friends, let alone anything more. So let's just cut our losses, huh?"

She nodded slowly. "Okay...If that's what you want."

"That's what I need."

She sighed softly. "Alright."

He shook his head, not knowing why he was so surprised that she accepted his declaration without argument. "We're here. "

She began to unbuckle Alex from his seat. "Well, thanks for the ride, Pace."

"You're welcome."

She slid out of the truck, Alexander in hand. "Bye." He gave them a halfhearted wave as she closed the door.

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