"Mama, Hope." Joey bounced the baby on her knee, "Say Mama for me? Just once? Ma-ma. You can do it sweetheart." She sighed as the baby looked up at her with her drooly smile. "Where's Daddy, huh?"

"Dadda!"

"Oh, you can say Dadda but not Mama, huh?" She sighed, and gave her daughter a kiss. "One of these days, you're gonna surprise me, aren't you?"

Pacey opened the door and smiled at Joey holding Hope. The baby looked over and saw him, "Dadda!"

He walked over to them and sat beside Joey, "I need to talk to you."

"Talk? Do we even remember how to do that?" She asked lightly, keeping her eyes on the baby.

"I was hoping we could try to remember what that entailed."

"I'm game," she shot him a quick look.

"Okay. So, I'm thinking, you know, and I've decided that...I love you, you know that. I-I want to be with you, you know that too. My point is...we don't have to stay married, because that's not what you want. But I do want to be with you, despite the not being your husband."

Her jaw dropped, "You...you'd still want to be with me?"

"Well, I wanted to be with you anyway...but I was confused about the divorce thing, I couldn't understand it. And, I just, I want to be with you in any way I can."

She nodded, "What changed your mind?"

He shrugged, "Well, me, in a lot of ways. And beer."

"Must have been the beer," Joey smiled and took his hand. "I want to be with you."

He smiled, "You do?"

"I do," she assured him. "Please...stay."

He brought her hand to his lips, "I will."

"I just," she shifted uncomfortably. "I don't want to stay married."

He nodded, "Okay, I respect that. We can work it out. I mean, we'll do what you want."

Her eyes lowered, "That's not fair to you."

"Joey, I just want to be with you. In any way possible. Married or not."

She held Hope closer, "Does marriage really mean that much to you?"

He sighed, "I...I don't know."

"I don't want to hurt you, Pacey."

He sighed, "It would hurt me more to be without you..."

"It would hurt me too," she turned to look up at him. "I just...I love you and--and I'm so confused."

He smiled, "That doesn't really surprise me."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a joke."

"I know," she smiled, "But I'm still sorry. I feel like I'm always the one making this difficult. Always wanting more, or less, or different."

He shrugged, "I do believe you were the woman who once told me 'It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind'."

"It is," she insisted with a smile. "But Pacey, I love you just the way you are."

"I know that. Okay, so we're gonna be together, right?"

She nodded, "Right."

"So...can I kiss you now?"

"If you don't, I might hurt you," she murmured, tilting her face up to his, her eyes falling closed. He leaned down and kissed her softly, his tongue slipping out to lick her bottom lip. He pulled back and smiled when Hope grunted at them, "I think I'm invading her territory."

Joey sighed happily, "I think I'm invading hers. And frankly," she curved her hand behind his neck, pulling his lips back to hers, "I don't care."

Pacey smiled against her lips, then cupped her face in his hands and deepened the kiss, "Jo?"

"Yeah?"

He looked at Hope and Joey followed his line of vision and they found the baby pouting looking as if she was about to cry, "I don't think she likes us kissing. And honestly," he said taking the baby from her, "she's so cute you just can't look at that face and say you don't care."

"She's going to just have to get used to sharing you." Joey leaned her head back on the couch, watching Pacey with Hope.

Pacey brought the baby over his head and made loud noises as he pretended to bite her stomach. Hope giggled and slapped her hands against the sides of his face. He brought her back into his lap, "You know, she slaps almost as hard as you do."

She winced, "I'm sorry about that."

"I deserved it. I'm an asshole."

"No, you were acting like an asshole, there's a big difference, sweetie."

He shook his head, "Nope. I am an asshole," he said with a smile. "I know my faults and that is one of them."

"Compromise: You have a tendency to act like an asshole when provoked."

He looked at her for a minute, then smiled, "Okay, that I'll accept."

"If I kiss you again, is your daughter going to throw a fit?"

He shrugged, "More than likely. What do you say that I put her to bed in a few minutes and then we have time to...get reacquainted?"

"Sounds perfect."

He nodded and allowed Hope to stand up as he held her, "You're gonna be a good girl for Daddy and go to sleep right away aren't you?"

Joey rubbed Hope's back, "No, she's gonna take her time so I can get ready. We have a deal."

Pacey looked over at her, "A deal? You've made a deal with a baby?" He looked at Hope, "She's getting as bad as me, isn't she baby?"

"Dadda."

"Oh, yes I am." Joey leaned forward and gave him another kiss, pulling away and bestowing one on Hope so she wouldn't get jealous. "Get going."

He stood and walked to the nursery with Hope, "Mommy's gonna give Daddy a surprise," he said with a smile.

"Mama." Hope waved her hands with a grin, still wide awake.

He shook his head, "Are you ever going to say that for her? I've heard it a dozen times now."

"Da."

He sighed and sat in the rocking chair, "Are we back to that again?" He smiled, "Now...if you really want to show Daddy how much you love him, you will close your eyes and go to sleep. Please?"

Fifteen minutes later, Pacey stood with the now sleeping Hope in his arms. He placed her softly in her crib, then rubbed the top of her head softly, "Night baby." He walked out of her door and cracked it slightly behind him, then walked into their bedroom, smiling slightly as he opened the door. He stopped in his tracks and grinned upon finding Joey in the middle of the bed in nothing more than a see through nightgown, "This for me?"

"Well, I considered letting you wear it, but I don't think red's your color." She smiled and sat up on the bed, patting the mattress beside her.

He smiled, "Honestly, I think it looks better on you than it ever would on me," he said as he kicked off his shoes.

"That's not all I've got up my sleeve."

He smiled, "That doesn't exactly have sleeves."

"Then I have it hidden somewhere else, use your imagination."

He pulled his shirt over his head and joined her on the bed, "I have a very...vivid imagination, Jo. You sure you can handle it?"

"Nope," she smiled at him and stood up from the bed. "Tonight, we're all about you. So lay back..."

He looked at her, "Why is it only all about me? I can think of a lot of things I would like to do with you right here."

"Because, Pace," she smiled at him, "Nothing's going to give me more pleasure than to give you pleasure."

"Well, if that's the case, get back on this bed."

"Lose the pants, big boy."

He smiled and began unbuckling his pants. He lifted his hips and pulled them off his legs, then tossed them into the floor. "This more to your liking?"

"Much better," she smiled, "Now put your hands behind your head. And you can't move them until I say so."

He sighed, "Okay." He did as he was told and smiled at her, "Like this?"

"Yep," she moved around to his side of the bed and climbed onto the mattress, straddling his torso. "Sure you can keep your hands behind your head?"

He shook his head, "I'm not promising anything. But I'll do my best."

"The moment you touch me is the moment I stop," she smiled warningly down at him.

He sighed, "Well, get to it woman. Cause I can stay this way for a while...but when my arms get numb is when I touch you."

She licked her lips and gazed down at him, "It's not your hands that are going to go numb."

He shivered, "I like the way you said that." She gave him a long kiss and then pulled away and yanked open the drawer of the night stand. He looked at her oddly, "What is that?"

"This," she grinned down at him, "Is chocolate syrup."

He smiled, "I knew I loved you for a reason."

She slid down his body, and opened the top of the bottle, she put a drop of the syrup on her finger, and traced it over his lower lip. "Taste good?"

He licked his mouth, "I'd say so, yeah."

She repeated the process, "My turn." She leaned forward and licked the chocolate from his lip, and then kissed him more fully.

He licked her lips, and when she pulled away he groaned, "You know...you said you wanted to give me pleasure...how about something a little more than a kiss, which I do love, by the way."

�You're impatient, part of the fun is in anticipation, Pacey."

"I just like touching you too much to wait, you know."

"Which is precisely why I have your hands behind your head." She slid down his body, drizzling chocolate across his chest and down to his abdomen. "But if I have to...I will tie you up."

He smiled, "I knew you were into kink."

"This is not kinky!" She protested, "It's erotic. And I'd only tie you up so that you'd keep your hands to yourself, not cause I get off on making you all helpless."

He smiled, "A part of you would. You're right, this is erotic and extremely difficult for me not to touch you...so get to it woman...I have ways of making you pay, keep that in mind."

"Pacey, I want to torture you...deal with it." She lowered her head, tucking her hair behind her ears as she licked away the chocolate.

"Turns about's fair play," he groaned out as she flicked her tongue over his nipple.

"Enjoy yourself, sweetheart," she whispered against his skin, slowly making her way over his abdomen.

He sighed, "I am."

She smiled, feeling him tense beneath her mouth. Sitting up, she licked her lips seductively. Slowly, she drizzled the chocolate over his cock, watching his expression as it slid over his skin.

"Dear God..." he groaned, "You really do hate me don't you?"

She winked at him, tucking her hair behind her ears, "There's a fine line between love and hate." Her eyes slid over him hungrily before she lowered her head and ran her tongue along his length, taking a drop of chocolate with her.

"Mmm...I have to touch you..."

She pulled away, "I'll stop."

"Please...don't stop!"

Nodding, she smiled as she lowered her mouth to him, cleaning away the residual chocolate. She took her time, relishing every sigh, and moan and nonsense word that fell from his lips. When he began to squirm, she took him into her mouth completely.

"Oh dear God!" Feeling him tense, she applied some suction and he arched his hips up from the bed. "Joey..." he removed his hands from behind his head and clutched at the bed spread.

She ignored him, and bobbed her head, taking him even deeper into her mouth. He gritted his teeth together, "Joey..." She continued as long as she could, knowing how far she could go before he'd lose control. Taking her time, she sucked lightly on his cock as she pulled away. She licked her lips and then kissed the tip before crawling along his body.

"Why'd you stop?" he panted.

She slid her palms over his sweat slickened chest, "I wanted to draw this out a little." She gave him a half smile, lowering her lips to his. "Make you crazy with desire..." she grazed her lips along his jaw. "Until you can't stand to be without me anymore..." she placed open mouthed kisses along his neck.

"You've succeeded."

"Good," she moaned, taking his hands in hers, entwining their fingers. "I can't wait anymore," she slid over his body, taking him inside her.

He moaned, "I love you, you know?"

"Love you too," she gasped, rocking her hips and taking him even deeper. "So much, Pace."

He moved his hands to her hips, "Why...why are you still wearing that?"

"You don't--don't like it?"

"I do. But...you need to be....no clothes."

"Take it off," she moaned.

He grabbed the hem of the night gown and pulled it over her head and tossed it onto the floor. He slid his hands over her body and cupped her breasts. He pinched the tips and listened to her moan fill the room.

"Pacey..." she cried out his name with every thrust of their hips.

"God, Joey."

She pulled back, tugging on his shoulders as she rolled to the side, pulling him down on top of her. "Faster," she pleaded, spreading her legs further as he settled between them.

He nipped at her neck as he moved faster inside of her, "I...I love you."

Tears stung her eyes as she got closer and closer to orgasm, each thrust of his hips taking her higher, "God, I love you," she gasped, arching her back. His arms wrapped around her as he kissed her thoroughly, her orgasm rocking through her body.

Trembling, she ran her hands over his shoulders, her hips gently rocking forward to meet his as she panted to catch her breath. "I love you."

He came and buried his head in her hair. He kissed her shoulder softly as they both struggled to catch their breath. He kissed the spot beneath her ear and nibbled lightly along her ear lobe. "I love you, too."

"Um..." Joey wiggled beneath him after a moment, "Uh...Pace..."

"Yeah?"

"There's something...wet..." she wrinkled her nose, but smiled up at him.

"Huh? I don't think it's me."

She giggled, "Of course not." She sighed as she arched up to him, sliding her hand beneath her back. Withdrawing her fingers she looked up at him with a smile, "I think we rolled over the chocolate."

He smiled, "That's not good. You have another comforter, right?"

"I'll take it to the dry cleaners," she murmured, kissing his neck. "I've got other blankets till then."

He released her and rolled onto his side. He propped his head up on his elbow as he looked down at her, "I've missed you."

"Hmmm," she smiled up at him. "Me too."

"Want to know a secret?"

"Always," she nodded, smoothing a hand over his hip.

"I had been trying to tell you I loved you for months. Every time I got up the nerve something interrupted me. The phone, Hope, sex, you sleeping...Dawson."

"That long?" She teased.

"Yeah...it started to get very frustrating."

"There were times, Pace...when you'd say or do something. And the words were on the tip of my tongue. But I kept denying the feelings."

"Why?"

She smiled softly, "I'm stupid?"

"Well, you and me both."

Leaning forward she kissed him again, "I feel sticky, let's take a shower."

He smiled, "Don't have to tell me twice."