Joey rose from her seat at the dining room table with a faint smile and started to gather the empty dinner dishes. Remarkably, the evening had gone smoothly. The only blemish was a tiny food fight at the kids table, where Alex, and Carrie's four children had decided the twice baked potatoes made better ammunition than food. Despite the mess, she was rather pleased with how the evening had progressed. Gretchen and Doug had been immediately accepting, and Pacey's parents seemed thrilled that they were marrying in three days. With the added comfort of Jen and Jack's presence, least of all Pacey's, she'd finally relaxed. It didn't hurt that Pacey had forced three glasses of wine on her through the evening.

Pacey followed her into the kitchen, Jen behind him, "See, you were worried about nothing."

"Don't say 'I told you so'." Joey warned, depositing the dishes on the counter and then opening the dishwasher. "I may have to hurt you." She frowned at Jen, "And you, go sit back down. You shouldn't have to help clear."

Jen smiled, "Oh, I'm not going to help, I just came in here to talk."

"Oh," she smiled. "Then talk away."

Jen looked over at Pacey, "You, out."

"Me? Why me? I don't want to go out there."

"Why not?"

"You do realize that my family is out there, right?"

Jen rolled her eyes, "Get out."

"Pacey," Joey smiled sweetly at him, "Go start collecting dishes and I'll make it worth your while."

Pacey smiled, "Okay."

Jen smiled over at Joey as Pacey left the kitchen, "And how will you make it worth his while?"

She shrugged, "I'll think of something. Eventually." She started to load the dirty dishes into the washer. "What's on your mind?"

Jen raised an eyebrow, "Nothing. You're staying at Pacey's tonight?"

"I am." Joey nodded warily. "Bessie and Bodie are in my room, Mary and John are in the guest room, Carrie and her husband are on the fold away couch, Doug's on the couch in the living room and all the kids are in sleeping bags in the study."

"And you're with Pacey...sleeping where?"

"In the bed, I would imagine." She replied without guile. "And whatever you think that means, you're wrong. He's on the couch."

"Uh huh."

Joey frowned, "What?"

"Nothing. You're just kidding yourself. Before the night is over, he will be in that bed too. The couch is too small for him to sleep on. Too small for you too."

"And so what if he is?" Joey rolled her eyes, "It doesn't mean anything. I shared a bed with Dawson for ten years."

"Things have always been different between you and Pacey, though. More sexual."

"I'm not seventeen, Jen. We're both grown adults. We aren't controlled by hormones anymore."

"Please. The sexual tension between you two is...thick, to say the least."

"Jen, you're seeing things."

"And you're in denial, my friend."

"Jen." Joey turned around and put her hands on Jen's shoulders. "We've been over this, I don't want to sleep with Pacey. Period."

"Uh huh. Now. You say that now. Give it time. You start living together, taking care of a child, it makes you appreciate him more. Believe me."

"I have a really hard time believing that I'll be overcome with passion after watching him change a diaper."

Jen smiled knowingly, "Maybe not a diaper, but perhaps rocking the baby to sleep...holding or feeding the baby. It's always the little things that will surprise you."

Joey shook her head determinedly, "Jen, it is not even a possibility. I wont let it happen."

She shook her head, "Which only tells me that you'll be even more shocked when it happens."

"You're delusional, and that's that." Joey rolled her eyes, "My relationship with Pacey is purely platonic, and it will stay that way. Go read a romance novel if you want passion and lust. Better yet, jump your husband."

Jen shook her head, "A little testy aren't you?"

"Annoyed is closer to the emotion I'm feeling right now." Joey replied with a gentle smile. "Now, can we drop this topic of conversation before someone overhears?"

"You are marrying him. Most people already think you're sleeping with him."

"Right, and if they overhear this, they'll know we aren't."

Jen held up her hands, "Fine. We'll drop it."

"Thank you," she gave her a faint smile and reentered the living room to gather several more dishes. "It's safe to come back, Pace. We're done with girl talk."

Pacey smiled, "And what was the topic of conversation, or should I ask?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen with several plates in his hands.

"She was encouraging me to jump your bones tonight." She replied with what she hoped was a casual shrug.

He furrowed his brow, "To do what?"

"Do it, have sex, make love, get laid, screw..." she shot him a faint smile over her shoulder. "Do I need to go on?"

He shook his head, "No, that covered it. She's saying we should have sex?" he whispered. She nodded and he smiled, "It is an option."

Her amused smile faded, "What?"

"It's an option. I'm not saying it's the one we will take...I'm just saying it is an option."

"I really don't think it's even that." Joey shook her head, "If we sleep together...it'll make things complicated when it's time to go our separate ways."

He tilted his head, "I know. Joey...I was kidding..."

"Oh. I knew that," she protested, turning away to load more dishes. "I was just saying..."

He smiled, "You thought I wanted to sleep with you," he teased, lightly poking her in the side.

She slapped his hand away, "I did not."

"You did too."

"I did not." She shook her head, pouting.

He smiled and placed both hands on her shoulders, then leaned in close to her ear, "It's okay, Potter. All women want me."

Her eyes widened in indignation. "I'm not like all women."

He smiled, "It's okay. It's only natural to want me. You did before, and if I recall correctly, you couldn't get enough of me."

"Don't make me smack you, Witter." She threatened, "I'll have you know I'd rather screw Dougie than you."

He shook his head, "Pfft, he couldn't keep up with you."

"As I recall," she smirked, "Neither could you."

He smiled, "Funny how you and I have different versions of our past sexual relationship."

"Face it, Pace. I've been there, done that, and am no longer interested." She said with a grin.

"Interested in what?" Mary Witter entered the kitchen, carrying a couple of glasses.

Pacey looked at Joey wide eyed, "Uh...interested in...sailing. We were talking about going sailing one day in the near future."

"Oh," She smiled widely, "That would be lovely."

Pacey nodded, "I'm trying to convince Joey to go. I almost have her broken down."

"No, ya haven't." Joey replied easily.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head, "You'll go. I'll make you if I have to drag you kicking and screaming."

She narrowed her eyes up at him, "Is that what we're doing on our honeymoon?"

He shook his head and smiled, "I'm gonna go get some more of the plates off the table." He smirked, "And just forget about the honeymoon, I'm not telling you a thing."

She folded her arms over her chest. "For the record, I did not!" She yelled after him as he went back into the living room.

"Did too."

"Your son is difficult." Joey complained to Mary.

She smiled, "He always has been. But you would know that better than anyone I suppose."

"I know too well," she replied simply. "I'm just going to get dessert ready now."

Mary nodded and left the room as Pacey walked back in, "What did she have to say?"

"Nothing," Joey replied. "She just agreed with me that you're annoying."

"I am." He watched as she bent over in front of the refrigerator, "You know, you're not making it easy on me."

"Not making what easy?" She asked, pulling out one of the pies and setting it on the counter before bending over and pulling out the second one.

"You know...the whole...no sex with you thing." Off her look he continued, "Hey, you said you didn't want to have sex with me. I never said it went both ways."

"But....you said you were kidding."

"So? I don't wanna have sex with you, but I do. Does that make sense?"

"Um, no?" She turned away from him and stuck the pies in the oven to warm. "Are you sure we should be discussing this now?"

"We can talk about it later. Although if you bend over again, I might not be help accountable for my actions. Especially while you're wearing that dress."

"What's wrong with this dress?" She protested.

"Nothing, it's sexy."

"Oh," she flushed. Moving awkwardly to the cupboard to take out dessert dishes. "We'll talk tonight, definitely. Could you take these out there?" She handed the plates to him, "And get forks out too."

"Sure."

"Um, and napkins?"

"Yeah, I can get those too."

"Thanks."

Joey leaned back on the counter and rethought what he'd said. Running a hand down her face she groaned, first, she'd have to get through the rest of this evening. She'd deal with that when the time came. She moved to the freezer and pulled out two cartons of ice cream to go with the pie.

Minutes later, she joined everyone in the dining room with the two warmed pies and a smile stretched across her face. Once everyone was served she stood up, taking Pacey's hand in hers. "Um, we have an announcement to make."

Everyone looked up at her expectantly, and Pacey gave her hand a light squeeze, "A big announcement."

"Part of the reason we're marrying so soon..." She cleared her throat, "We're adopting a baby. In about three months."

Everyone looked at Pacey and Joey, Bessie spoke up first, "So soon?"

Joey shot Pacey a worried look, "Well, I can't have children naturally." She cleared her throat, "I...we both want this and the opportunity arose and so..."

"So we jumped on it. We want this and we want you to be happy for us." Joey squeezed his hand tightly as she waited for a response.

"Well, I for one, think it's great." Jack said, when it looked like everyone else was still shocked into silence.

"It's too soon, son." John said, shaking his head. "You're too young to be having children yet."

Pacey sighed, "I knew one of you would say that."

"You're not even married yet," Carrie pointed out with a worried frown.

"What matters is that we love each other, and that we'll love this baby." Joey stated, leaning closer to Pacey. "We're not asking that you be a part of this baby's life."

Pacey looked down at her, "But we would like for you to be. But if you're going to act like we're making the biggest mistake of our lives, don't bother, okay?"

"It's your mistake to make," John sighed. "You're both adults."

"I approve," Doug said, clapping Pacey on the back. "You need more responsibility in your life, little brother."

Pacey rolled his eyes, "Thanks Dougie."

"I'm sorry if any of you object," Joey began, her voice wavering. "But it wont make any difference. I hope you'll all consider staying for the wedding."

"Of course we will, Jo." Bodie nodded.

"As will we," Mary said determinedly. "Whether we approve of your choice to become parents so soon or not."

Joey sighed, "I...I guess we can't ask for more than that."








Joey covered her mouth as she let out a long yawn, climbing the single flight of stairs that led up to Pacey's apartment. They hadn't left Joey's house until after midnight, she'd refused to leave until the kitchen was spotless and all her guests were settled comfortably in their separate rooms--a task more easily said than done. She mechanically followed behind Pacey as he led her down the hall, leaning her weight against the door as he paused to unlock it.

"Sleepy?" he asked with a smile, opening the door for her.

"More like exhausted."

"I understand that. But before we get to bed, we have to talk."

"I haven't forgotten," she smiled faintly at him and then froze.

"What?" he asked as he looked at her concerned.

"I forgot to pack a bag." She slapped herself on the forehead. "I knew I would forget something. I was so concerned with making sure I'd gotten the stove off.

He smiled, "Well, you can get something out of my room. Follow me," he said as he led the way down the hall to his bedroom. He walked over to the bed and sat on the end as he kicked off his shoes. He nodded his head to the dresser, "You can get something out of there to wear."

"Do you have a collection of women's underwear in there?" She questioned, masking another yawn as she opened the drawer.

He smirked, "Afraid not. But you're welcome to whatever you can find to wear."

"Damn." She frowned playfully, pawing through the clothes and pulling out a pair of his boxers and an oversized shirt. "You're ruining my image of you as a lady killer."

He laughed, "You think I would bring women here? They would take one look at the living room and run screaming from the building. No, no...they don't come here."

"I'm honored that I'm the only woman to sleep in your bed." She carefully removed her high heels, setting the neatly by the door.

He nodded, "It is an honor to be had. So...you ready to talk about it?"

"Let me just go change first," she gestured to the bathroom door, picking up the clothes. "I'll be right back."

He nodded, "Okay."

She returned momentarily, her hair pulled back in a braid, her dress folded carefully under her arm. "Ready whenever you are."

"I kind of freaked you out earlier, huh?"

"Well," she shrugged a shoulder, "I wouldn't say freaked out...more like shocked."

"It shocked you that I said I wanted to have sex with you..." he shook his head, "I don't think the sentence came out at all right." He ran his fingers through his hair, and looked up at her, "As a man, it is only natural for me to want you. It's like...built into every hormone and instinct I have to want to have sex with you. But as your friend, who's been there with you in the past, I don't. Does...any of that make sense?"

She nodded her head slowly, "The brain in your penis sees a pair of breasts and immediately comes to attention. And the brain in your head notices that those breasts are attached to me and puts on the breaks, right?"

He laughed softly, "Something like that, yeah."

She sat down on the bed, crossing her legs beneath her. "When we were dating, we never really had a problem when it came to desire, it was everything else that ruined things."

"Yeah. We...we were pretty much open about wanting one another. But..." he shook his head, "We messed up. I never let you know how I was feeling about things...and...we made really stupid mistakes."

Smiling, she touched her hand to his shoulder, "We were eighteen, we were supposed to make stupid mistakes."

He removed her hand and held it in his, "But...we did love one another though, right? I mean, I know I loved you. For me, you hung the moon...did you ever feel that way about me? I mean...I know it's the past now...but it might help me in the future to know that I can be loved just as much as I can love someone else."

"Oh, Pace," she sighed softly. "I don't think I can ever tell you how much I loved you....I can't even begin to find the words." She touched the curve of his cheek ever so lightly, "I'd have followed you anywhere." Smiling weakly, she withdrew her touch, "Someday some lucky woman will see past the cocky charm and fall in love with what I did."

He nodded, "Good." He shook his head then and looked at her, "Because I honestly don't want to end up alone. I don't...I don't want to spend my life thinking that I will always care more about someone than they could ever care about me."

"You wont." She said firmly, "Love is written in the stars for you, Pacey Witter. It always has been. The love of your life is out there, just waiting for you to find her."

He sighed, "You know what scares me most? What if I already met her...and let her go?"

Her eyes flitted away from his, her voice light with amusement. "Well, considering you've slept with half the city, that's a very realistic possibility."

He chuckled softly, "Thanks, Potter."

She shrugged a shoulder, smiling at him, "It's what I'm here for."

He smiled, "So, are we good now?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Just promise me one thing?"

"What's that?"

"If you start feeling..." she struggled for a word, "horny, take a cold shower."

He smiled, "No problem."

"I'll do the same."

"See...I knew you wanted me."

"Yeah, well," she smiled innocently. "I lied."

He shook his head, "Nope. It's all out in the open. You want me. But sadly, you can't have me."

She rolled her eyes, "If I wanted you, I could have you like that!" She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

He scoffed, "Uh...have a little more faith in me.

"Have a little more faith in me," she replied, her lips curving sensually, the pink tip of her tongue slipped from her mouth to moisten her lower lip. Abruptly, she grinned, "But I'm much to nice to tease you that way."

"Bullshit, you would do it just to be mean."

She shook her head, "No�well, maybe."

He smiled, "Little witch."

She slid back across his bed, her long legs crossing at the knee. "Do you really think I'm a tease?" She pouted.

He smiled as he looked at her, "Yep. But you know, I've been able to suppress any urges I had for you in the past, I could do it again."

"I just bet," she winked at him. "I'm still not wearing any underwear."

He smirked, "I know. Those boxers are pretty see through," he said as he tugged on the bottom.

She blushed a bright red, "Okay. On that note: time for bed."

"See...you still can't do stuff like that without blushing."

"As long as I live, I'll never be able to do stuff like that without blushing." Her face continued to burn, "On the other hand, I've only dared to do stuff like that with you, so maybe you're to blame."

He nodded, "Completely. I helped introduce you to the world of sex and all it's corruptions," he said with a wide grin.

"Don't remind me." She slid off the bed and pulled back the covers. "Are we sharing the bed or should one of us take the couch?"

He shook his head, "No one should have to sleep on my couch. Bed is big enough, though. As long as you don't steal the covers as much as you used to, we should be fine."

"I still maintain that I never stole the covers." She yawned again, turning to fiddle with his alarm clock, setting it to seven am.

"Seven? Good God woman, why are you planning on waking up at that un-Godly hour? And you did steal the covers too. While I froze my ass off."

"Your ass was no worse for wear. And I'm setting it for seven so we can go back to my house and make breakfast for your family."

"They can fend for themselves," he said pulling his shirt over his head, revealing the white t-shirt underneath. "Set it for nine."

"I'll settle for eight." She quickly hit the buttons on the alarm while he continued to undress.

He put his hands on his hips, "Eight thirty."

"Eight o'clock and I'll hit the snooze."

He nodded, "Deal."

"Deal." She smiled to herself, sliding under his blankets.

He climbed in the bed on the other side and rolled onto his side, burying one arm under the pillow, then rolled onto his back to reach for the lamp with his other. The room then went into darkness, and he rolled back the way he was before, "Night Potter."

"Night, Pace." She gathered all the blankets around her, curling into a ball as she fell into an exhausted slumber.