Pacey leaned against the railing of the balcony and stared out over the city. He swished around the brown liquid in his glass, then looked down at it as he contemplated what Joey had asked of him. His initial reaction had been to say yes. He couldn't think of any other answer that wouldn't end with his friend getting hurt. He never wanted to be the reason she was in pain.

He still wanted to say yes. The more he thought about it the more he was convinced it was the right thing to do. He wanted her to be happy and he knew she would be if he told her he would help her. But she wanted him to take time to think about things; to evaluate this from every side and make sure this is something he wanted to get involved in.

He turned away from the balcony and walked into his living room. He shoved one hand in his pocket as he looked over his apartment. He would have to move. They couldn't keep a baby here. The balcony and glass doors were both hazards, not to mention the size. This was an apartment for a single man, not a family. He sighed, he didn't actually want to move. He loved his place. He loved his things. He really didn't want to move.

His mind shifted to his personal life. He sat on the couch and downed his drink. Women might be more reluctant to go out with him if he was married. 'Might be' wasn't the right phrase. Most women would tell him to go to hell and that he should be ashamed of himself for trying to cheat on his wife. And those that weren't upset by the fact that he was married, would be put off by the fact that he was living with her.

He sighed and set the glass on the coffee table in front of him. He put his head in his hands and sighed. His forte had never been thinking things through before he acted, that was Joey�s specialty. She weighed the pro's and con's and made the best decisions based on the information. He rubbed his face as he thought about Joey.

She couldn't have children. Instead of her husband understanding how much that hurt her, he had been selfish and treated her as if it were her problem. Pacey knew he'd kill the guy if he saw him again. He shook his head, and knew that Joey deserved to be happy. He also knew that if she had gone through the trouble of asking him to marry her and telling him about all the things she was having to go through, she was serious about this. It was the one thing she wanted out of life. He knew that if he said no, that somehow she�d find some other way to get a child. Joey never gave up when it came to something she wanted as bad as this. But what would her other options entail? Nothing he could come up with would work as quickly, cheaply, or as easily as marrying her.

He leaned back against the couch and folded his arms behind his head. He sighed and thought about one thing that hadn't occurred to him yet. This could be good for him. It could give him a new appreciation for life. He hadn't been around a baby in years, hadn't really thought about kids since his early twenties, the last time he'd had a serious relationship.

He shook his head. Just thinking about the way things ended there was a little painful. Audrey had just decided that life with Pacey was not what she wanted. He was happy working in a bar, she wasn't happy being with a bar tender. He was content to live in Boston, she wanted to move back to L.A. and pursue an acting career. She wanted everything bigger and better, while he was perfectly happy right where he was.

The more he thought about it, the more pros and cons popped up. He wanted to. If for nothing else to make Joey happy. But, part of him was scared. He was scared that he would become emotionally attached to the baby, leaving would only hurt. Then again, he was sure that Joey would let him see the baby all the time, so that wasn't an issue really. If he wanted to, he could probably see the baby whenever his heart desired. If nothing more than to play or possibly baby-sit if Joey needed a break. He smiled at the thought of having someone so small depend on him for something.

When it came down to it, he could work this out with her. He could always lie to the women he dated about being married. Men who were 'really' in committed relationships did it every day. She'd given him 'permission' to continue to date, but he worried about bringing the other women back to their place. What if the wrong person saw him do it and reported them to the church? Joey would lose the baby and resent him forever. He shook his head, maybe dating wasn't such a good idea.

He sighed, she would push it. She wouldn't want him to feel like he'd lost his freedom because he had chosen to help her out. He just wouldn't bring any of them back to their place. His personal life and his life with Joey and the baby would have to be two separate things. He wouldn't mix the two worlds. He couldn't risk Joey losing the only thing she really wanted.

He looked at the clock on the wall, watching as the second hand clicked past the hour hand that rested on the three. It was three o'clock in the morning and he was still trying to figure out what to do. He shook his head. He knew what he was going to do. He didn't really need to think about it any more. He just had to tell Joey.






"I should never have asked him." Joey groaned into the phone. She was curled up on the corner of her couch, an afghan wrapped comfortably around her the next evening. "What was I thinking, Jen? It�s a ridiculous idea."

"Joey, calm down," Jen�s soothing voice answered her. "We�ve been over this. Getting married is the cheapest, fastest and safest way to adopt for you. Granted, it�s a little unethical to get married for the soul purpose of divorcing within the year, but when it comes down to it�how badly do you want a baby?"

The brunette was quiet for a moment, worrying her lower lip. "Badly enough that�d I�d kill for the chance."

"See, so marrying Pacey is really a small sacrifice."

"It�s not a sacrifice at all. But, Jen, it�s Pacey."

"Um, yeah�"

"He�s�"

"One of your best friends? Smart? Funny? Successful? Responsible�when he wants to be." She added with a smile.

"He also thinks he�s a superhero. He doesn�t lack anything but the tights."

"You know," Jen said lighting the mood, "I think he has a pair. I saw them in his laundry basket once."

Joey cracked a smile. "My point is, he�ll do this because he thinks it�s what I want. That he�ll be coming to my rescue."

"Joey, it is what you want. And he will be coming to your rescue."

"You�re not helping."

She laughed, "What do you want me to say? Pacey is the perfect choice for this, how many other men do you know who�d even stay and listen after you proposed marriage out of the blue? He�s your friend, he cares about you, and he�s not in a committed relationship right now. What more do you want?"

She sighed, "I want to have a baby with someone I love."

"Jo�" Jen�s sigh was sympathetic.

"Blah," Joey shook her head. "I�m being self-pitying. I just wish that Samuel was willing to adopt."

"No, you don�t." Jen said determinedly. "You got along great for the first two years, but then when trouble came along�you learned what a complete and utter selfish asshole he was. Would you want to bring a child into that? You�re lucky you found out when you did."

"I suppose you�re right." Joey sighed, "I just can�t see myself starting the whole dating thing over again, once I start to trust someone and open up and tell them about my infertility�why would any guy bother to pursue a relationship with half a woman?"

"You�re underestimating the male species, Jo."

"No, I think I�m estimating them rather well. And I�m okay with it, really. I don�t need a man to define my self-worth. I let Dawson do that for most of my adolescence and I let Samuel do it for all of our marriage and it�s only made me miserable."

"Joey, who�s to say that there isn�t a man out there who wont care that you have to adopt children? You�re a very lovable person if you�d just give dating another chance."

"Who�s to say that there is a man like that? And I don�t want to waste time. I just plain don�t want a relationship anymore. I�m going to have this baby, and they�ll be all that I need."

"A baby doesn�t make up for a man, Jo." Jen said gently.

"I was with a man for three years, and a baby will more than make up for those wasted years."

Jen sighed with resignation, it was Joey�s life and she�d live it however she pleased. No matter what advice her friends gave her. "What if Pacey says no?"

"I�ll have to think of something else�" She glanced around her living room. "Maybe sell the house. I have some art work that could bring in a few thousand�"

"Well, I guess you�ll be finding out soon enough, right? He said he�d tell you today."

"Yeah, he should be here any minute actually. Maybe I should get ready?"

"Are you asking me?" Jen chuckled, "It�s just Pacey. No need to get fancied up."

Joey bit her lip, "I should at least look nice�"

Jen rolled her eyes on the other end. "Fine, I�ll let you go then. But promise to call me when he leaves, okay?"

"I swear. Have a good night."

"You too." Joey clicked end on her receiver and unwrapped the blankets from around her body. With a sigh, she pulled her hair from the messy ponytail it had been in and brushed her fingers through it. She padded from the living room down the hall into the laundry room and was in the process of changing from her sweats into a pair of jeans when the doorbell rang.

"Damn you, Pacey. Since when are you on time for anything?" She grumbled, quickly snapping the button closed and trying to rearrange her hair as she went to the front door.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she opened it.

Pacey smiled at her, "Evening."

"Hey," she stepped aside with a soft smile to let him in. "I, um, didn't really have time to clean...Well, actually, I did. But I was just being too lazy, so you'll have to excuse the mess."

He chuckled a little, "Still cleaner than my place."

She rolled her eyes, "A zoo is cleaner than your place."

He smirked, "I won't take offense to that because it's probably true."

"So, um, can I get you anything? I've got juice, diet coke, beer..."

He shook his head, "Nah. It's kind of delaying the inevitable question here, right?"

"Maybe I want to delay it?"

He furrowed his brow, "Why? It's like a band-aid; rip it off fast to avoid the pain."

Her eyes fell to the carpeting, "Well, if there's going to be pain, let's make it fast."

He shook his head, "I never said that. I was just saying, let's get it out in the open."

She laughed weakly, "Now I'm really nervous. So, what's the verdict?"

He sighed, "The verdict is that I have thought of every reason not to do this. I have looked at this from every angle and every possible scenario has come into my head in the last twenty four hours. And my answer is still the same. I would be happy to be Mr. Josephine Potter," he said with a grin.

She laughed and through her arms around him in a nearly suffocating hug, "Thank you, Pacey. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Potter."

To her embarrassment, she began to cry, "Oh, god, this is so stupid." She pulled away, trying to wipe away the tears.

He shook his head, "It's not stupid. Cry all you want. I will only hold it against you for a few hours," he said with a small grin.

She gave a watery chuckled, "I just never thought...it was such a shot in the dark." She used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe away the tears.

"What was?"

"This whole scheme," she waved her hand. "It's crazy. I can't believe you're agreeing to it." She smiled happily up at him, "Thank you."

He sighed, "It is crazy. Which was one of the selling points. But hey, I couldn't let you be unhappy, and you would have been if I hadn't do this...so, you got yourself a husband."

"I never thought I'd hear those words from your mouth." She tugged him by the hand toward the couch. "Do you have a few hours? We have some things to go over. It can wait until morning if you've got plans?"

"Nah. I have nothing else to do."

"Perfect," She grinned, feeling like her life was finally going to start. "Are you sure you don't want anything? A sandwich? Drink? I have a few steaks in the freezer..."

He laughed, "No. I'm good. Just ate before I came over here."

"I'm just a tiny bit excited," she admitted with a blush. She crossed to the desk and grabbed a note pad and pen before sitting down in the recliner.

"What kind of things do we need to go over?"

"Well, we're going to have to meet with Pastor Rick and then with Robin. We'll have to set a date, I'll need an engagement ring of some kind, a fake one will do, we should probably inform our friends. We'll need to get you moved, I've gotta clean out the guest room before that. Then there's our finances to work out, I don't seen any reason to change anything, and I don't expect you to pay rent or buy food or anything at all..." she rattled.

"So...you expect me to live here rent free and eat all your food? I don't think so. As for the meeting with the Pastor and Robin, afternoon is good for me since I check on the bar at night. I'll find a ring, and not necessarily a fake one. The only friend that scares me is gonna be Bessie. She's all yours."

She chuckled, "Bessie always liked you."

"Still, that woman strikes fear in me worse than God."

She grinned, "And I refuse to let you pay for anything while you're here. You're the one doing me a favor, Pace. I'll never be able to repay you, at least let me do this?"

"Uh...no."

She arched an eyebrow, "I take it this is going to be our first fight as a couple then?"

"One I'm not giving in on."

She narrowed her eyes, "Pacey. You're being unreasonable. I'm stealing a year of your life, the least you should be able to do is save your money during that time since I obviously can't pay you for it."

He shook his head, "You don't realize how much I eat, which is the real problem. I'll pay for the food, if for nothing else."

"And the ring?"

"Of course the ring. You better not even argue with me over that one."

She leaned forward, her eyes flashing a challenge. "I'll let you pick out and pay for the ring if you let me pay for food and any other expenses that come up."

He leaned forward also, "You gotta beat me to it."

She gave him an amused smile, "You're telling me I have to buy the food first?"

"Yep. Stop being so stubborn. I'm going to be living here, let me pull my weight around here, okay?"

"You're already more than pulling your weight." She frowned, "Fine, we can split the cost of food, since there will be two of us eating it. But you have to promise to buy the cheapest ring you can find."

He laughed, "Why don't I go find one of those toy machines and get you one of those? Will that be to your liking?"

"Yes," She nodded with a smile. "Except it'll turn my finger green. Then you'd look cheap."

He sighed, "You want me to be cheap."

She laughed, "Not that cheap. I just don't want you spending your money on me."

He rolled her eyes, "Joey, I'm a grown man, it's my money, and I spend it the way I want. If I want to buy you the biggest diamond I can afford, I will."

"But you wont...right?" She asked unsurely.

He smiled, "I don't know, Potter. Depends on the mood I'm in."

"I should have known you'd be stubborn about this." She shook her head, "Just keep in mind there's a wedding to pay for as well. And if you insist on paying for something, I could use the financial help there instead."

He nodded, "Noted. What next?"

"Well," she glanced down at her notepad where she'd been scribbling a list. "Moving. There's no real rush, it can probably wait until after the ceremony." She gave him a charming half-smile, "The pastor will probably like that."

He smiled, "I bet."

"I want to keep the ceremony small. We'll have to have it in the church, and Pastor Rick will marry us. Jen, Jack, and their entourage will be invited, and my family. And whoever you want to invite."

He smirked, "I suppose I could invite my parents. They would be so happy to see one of their sons make it down the aisle."

"Are you still on that Doug-is-gay kick?"

He shook his head, "Nope, walking in on him having sex with a girl kind of cured me of that."

She winced, "There's an image I never wanted in my head."

"I still have nightmares."

She shook her head with amusement. "First thing we'll have to do is visit with Pastor Rick. He's um, anxious to meet you."

He smirked, "What did you tell him about me?"

"I always just called you my fianc�." She shook her head, "I wasn't sure you'd do this."

"Well, I am. So, what next?"

"We'll have to get a marriage license and find out when the church is available, the sooner we're married the better. Rick's wife, Madeline heads the adoption service, she's the one we really have to convince that we're capable of being parents. She'll be the one checking on us periodically, that'll probably be the hardest part."

He bit the inside of his mouth, "What kind of things will she be looking for?"

"That we're happily married. That we have the financial ability to care for a child. That we're emotionally capable to raise a baby and that we can handle the responsibility." She sighed, "I've met her, and although all those things are important, she stressed the loving household aspect the most. She doesn't believe that children from broken homes are emotionally healthy. I feel bad about tricking them this way...but I think I'll make a competent single mother."

He smiled, "I think you will to. But I don't know about her theory for children from broken homes not being emotionally healthy. I mean, you are a prime example that if a person is willing they can over come anything."

"Why thank you," she shot him a teasing grin. "And you're an example of just the opposite."

He smiled, "Hey, my family should all be committed. But I have no intention of the baby or the social worker...woman ever meeting my psycho family."

"And then there's Robin." Joey smiled, "She's six months along, the baby's due in January. She and her boyfriend are giving it up because they're only sixteen. You'll get to meet her as well, she and I both decided that she should be a part of the baby's life. Like an aunt or cousin." She frowned, "I don't know what I'll tell the baby when it's old enough..."

He nodded, "The truth. Lies only hurt everyone in the end. And I think it's great that Robin still wants to be in the baby's life. There's no chance she'll change her mind about the adoption, will she?"

"No." Joey shook her head, "She's adamant about being unable to raise a baby. And the paper work will prevent it if somewhere down the line she changes her mind."

"Good." He nodded, "Okay, what else is there to go over. Oh...baby things. You got the money to spend on that? Cause I would be very happy to splurge on that stuff."

"Pacey," She sighed with a smile, "You're making this difficult. I've already got the money put away for those thing, and the hospital bills. Don't argue with me on this," she smiled brightly, "But, if were to buy a few toys or something, I don't think I'll argue too much."

He smiled, "Deal. What else?"

"I think that's it from my end. I'll make a appointment with the pastor sometime this week and I'll let you know." She curled up in the recliner, "Your turn."

"My turn? Okay...uh...I can move whenever you need me to. I was looking at my apartment and realized that most of the furniture I have, I've rented, so I won't have to move any of that. Ring size?"

"Seven. And I'm serious about the cost, Pacey."

He rolled his eyes, "Get off my case, woman. I'll hire another bartender to cover some of my shifts. I work just about every night these days. I need a break from it. I'm making drinks in my sleep now."

She chuckled, "Fine, fine, fine. Do you have any other concerns? Questions? You're free to back out, Pace. I'll think of some other way if you're having second thoughts."

He rolled his eyes, "Quit trying to talk me out of this. I've made up my mind. So back off," he said with a smile to take the sting out of his words.

She nodded, and then broke into a wide smile. "I can't believe this is happening."

He smiled, "Well, believe it. Besides, it's about time you were happy. And just so you know, if you want me to have Samuel killed, I know people."

She shook her head with a smile. "He did what he had to do, and now, so am I. With your help."

"He did what he had to do, my ass. He was being selfish. And I'm glad I can help. Besides, this will give me something to do for a while."

"Glad to be of service." She rolled her eyes, "Are you sure you don't have any questions?"

He sighed, "Got any names picked out for the kid?"

"Not one." She smiled, "We don't know the sex yet."

He smiled, "Never to early to think about it. I'm thinking if it's a boy, Pacey Jr."

"You think I'd curse my son with that name?" She scoffed, "Maybe for his middle name."

"Fine. What about if it's a girl...Sarah Beth."

She smiled softly, "You're going to help me choose baby names?"

"Sure. Don't want this kid to end up with a name like Rain or anything."

She grimaced, "Do I look like a hippy to you?"

"No...nevermind. You should get some baby books, you know? Start thinking about it. The kid needs a name that means something, not just sounds pretty."

"Okay," she sighed, "Maybe I have chosen a few names I liked."

He smiled, "I knew you were thinking about. Let's hear them."

She tilted her head to the side, "Well, for girls, I had thought Morgan, Samantha, Emma, Amber, and Sierra. And boys, I really like the name Gage, or Ryan, or Cody, or Lucas."

He nodded and chuckled slightly, "I thought you said you hadn't thought of a single one?"

She shrugged a shoulder, a faint blush climbing her neck. "I lied?"

He smiled, "I like those names. Specifically Emma and Morgan, never dated a girl with either of those names. And I like the name Gage. Very strong."

"Gage Pacey Potter," she grimaced. "I don't think your names goes very well. Ryan Pacey, Cody Pacey, Lucas Pacey," she tested the sounds out. "It doesn't go with anything."

Pacey shrugged, "Just don't use the middle name."

"Nope, you are going to be that child's namesake." She shook her head. "No arguing. Unless it's a girl, and then I'll let you argue."

He laughed, "I hope you would argue about that. Gage Pacey Potter. Maybe we should go with a P name?"

"Peter? Paul? Patrick?" She named the few that came to mind.

"Okay, maybe not."

She shrugged, "He'll just have to go by the initial."

Pacey stood and smiled, "Well, we have time to discuss everything else, so I think I'll leave you to...call all the necessary people. I need to go so I can wait for all of them to call me and question my sanity."

"They're going to, ya know." She replied with a smile, rising to walk him to the door.

He nodded, "I know. I'm trying to think of a decent reply that doesn't leave the both of us looking like idiots."

"The fewer people that know it's a pretense the better. If someone says the wrong thing at the wrong time..." she shifted her weight uneasily.

He nodded, "I know. I'll come up with something believable, and I won't tell anyone without your permission."

"There's no way we could keep the truth from Jack and Jen. Everyone else will just have to believe that we had a whirlwind romance."

Pacey smiled knowingly, "Jen already knows doesn't she?"

"Maybe..." she replied coyly.

He laughed, "Okay. Well, I'll be on my way. Night Potter."

"G'night, Pace." She gave him an impulsive hug.

He rubbed her back and pulled away, offering a slight wave as he walked down the hallway.