Joey sat up startled at the knock on the door and went to answer it. She stopped at the mirror hanging above one of the hall tables and surveyed her appearance. Her eyes were still a faint red and slightly puffy from crying, but other than that, she looked fine, not a hair out of place. She opened the door for Pacey with an unsure smile.

He didn't return it. He walked by her and instantly began to pace as his planned speech flew from his head. Joey shifted uncomfortably her eyes falling to the floor and she shut the door. "Uh, do you want to sit down?"

"No, I want answers." He frowned at her.

"Answers?" She raised an eyebrow skeptically.

He twisted around to face her. "Why did you lie to me?"

"Lie to you?" She shook her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Think back with me, Potter." He spoke, the frustration evident in his voice. "About, say, eight and a half years ago? You came into my apartment and announced you'd slept with Dawson."

Joey stumbled back against the door. "Oh..."

"My sources now tell me, that was a lie."

Joey's hands fell to her sides limply and she struggled for words. "I--I...it just...it seemed like the right thing to do...at the time...I-I'm sorry."

"It seemed like the right thing to do?!" He echoed with disgust.

Joey struggled helplessly. "I just...I didn't...It seemed like a good way to fix things."

"That fixed things? Ruining the one good thing in my life fixed things?!"

Joey shut her eyes against the coming onslaught of tears, her back pressed firmly against the door. "I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely.

"No...Explain this to me, Joey. Because I need to know why." He choked out.

"I don't know...Things were moving so fast, everything was so intense." She inhaled a shaky breath through her rapidly falling tears. "And I-I didn't know how to handle it so I lied b-because I-I knew that it would hurt you," she paused and inhaled another sharp breath. "And...and that would be enough to make you not want me anymore," she finished quietly.

He shook his head fiercely. "No, that's not true. Even if you had slept with him I could have worked past that." His brow furrowed in frustration and anger. "What I couldn't handle was you going back to him."

Joey sniffled softly. "D-Dawson was there for me and he...He reminded me of how much you hurt me before and...and how he'd never do that because he loved me so much."

"And do you know where your beloved Dawson is now, Joey?"

She shook her head. "No."

"He's out getting laid but the first bimbo he sees!"

Joey gasped and shook her head vehemently. "You're lying. I don't believe you."

"Fine, whether you believe me or not doesn't change the fact that it's true."

"It's not true! Dawson would never do that!"

"And once upon a time, I didn't think you'd do anything to maliciously hurt me, either. Take a reality check, Potter. He's been cheating on you for years. All the signs are there, you just don't want to see it!"

Joey shook her head not wanting to believe it. "He's not! He loves me!"

"Love?" he snorted. "Love?! No, what we had was love. What you have is some pathetic obsession with him. And what he has is the perfect trophy wife," he said with disgust. "I never thought you'd sell out for so little."

Joey collapsed into full guttural sobs by then her shoulders wracking with tears. "I hate you! Get out of here! Leave!" she cried out angrily.

"No."

Joey gazed at him wide-eyed through tears. "What do you mean no? You got what you wanted, didn't you? To hurt me because of what I did to you before. You can go now."

"Right, I came here to hurt you. If I'd wanted to do that I would just let you marry him!"

"Well, what do you want from me then Pacey!?"

"I wanted answers."

"Well you got them!" Joey retorted sharply.

"Half assed ones, at that." He said bitterly.

Joey stalked over to the door and yanked it open. "Feel free to leave then." She bit down on her lower lip to stop it from quivering.

"No," He repeated.

"Why not?"

"Because I still don�t know what you're thinking." He ignored the tears streaming down her face.

"I think you should go," she whispered.

"I think I should stay."

Joey's eyes fell and she shut the door. She sighed. "You should have left."

"Why, are you going to be possessed by some evil demon and kill me now?" He muttered sarcastically.

"If Dawson comes back and finds you here, he probably will."

"Screw Dawson." He paused, "Oh wait, half of Boston already has."

Joey glared. "Dawson wouldn't do that to me."

"Why wouldn't he?'

"He loves me."

"How do you know?'

"He's told me."

"So? What good is his word? He makes a career out of getting criminals off scot free!"

Joey frowned. "He wouldn't marry me if he didn't love me."

"Yes, he would. He needs the perfect wife to be the perfect hostess, be the perfect beauty and bear the perfect children."

Joey shook her head. "You're lying."

"Why is it so difficult for you to believe he doesn't love you?" He sighed, "You believed it easily enough of me."

"Why are you so intent in convincing me that he doesn't?"

"Because, you're going to end up miserable for the rest of your life!"

"Why do you care so much?"

His mouth opened ready to retort, but clamped shut again. His aggressiveness fell away, his eyes fell and his shoulders slumped. He completely set himself up for that one. He didn't reply.

Joey sighed. "Well? This whole week you've been intent on showing me what a mistake I'm making and I want to know why? Why do you want to ruin this for me?"

"I'm not ruining anything!" His voice softened. "I'm trying to save you from making the biggest mistake of your life."

She shook her head. "It's not a mistake."

"Would you stop being so stubborn! Face the facts, Joey! How many times has he not come home at night? And when he does come home, he reeks of women�s perfume, doesn't he? How come he stopped pressuring you for sex, Jo, if it wasn't because he's already getting it from someone else."

Joey bit her lower lip her eyes beginning to well with tears again. "I'm enough for him. He loves me."

"Oh. My. God. No, he doesn't love you! Why can't you see it!? I love you, he doesn't! For Christ�s sake, he doesn't even lust for you!" He threw up his hands in frustration.

Joey's eyes widened, still glistening with tears. She licked her lips nervously. "You," she paused, the next words falling from her lips in a whisper. "You love me?"

"I- uh," He hadn't even realized he'd said it. He turned around from where he stood to look into her shocked face. Fear and hope seemed to be warring in her eyes. It took him a few moments to regain his voice again, "Well, yeah," he averted his eyes from her and looked at a spot just above her shoulder. "Of course I do. We've been friends all our lives, even if I haven't necessarily been a part of your life in years, that doesn't fade," his said, his voice strained as he tried to make the lie believable.

Joey nodded collecting herself. "Yeah, I know. I love you too." She turned her head as the door opened and Dawson walked in from wherever he had been. She swallowed nervously, her eyes panicked.

Dawson just smiled tightly and nodded locking eyes with Joey. She stiffened as he came up behind her, afraid to move. "Um, hey Dawson. Pacey just stopped by to talk," she said quickly.

He smiled at Pacey coldly and placed a hand calmly at the back of Joey's neck, he pinched the skin there hard before dropping his hand. "Hey Pacey."

He glared stonily at the other man. His ex-best friend. Dawson seemed to want to play nice today, acting the polite old friend. Pacey, however, refused to play along and remained silent.

Dawson frowned not liking the tension he had just walked in on. He glared at Joey who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. His hand lightly grazed her back and he pinched her.

Joey winced and straightened her shoulders. "Actually, Dawson, Pacey was just leaving," she spoke out.

Dawson glanced around disinterestedly. "Oh really? Too bad..."

"No, actually Dawson. I wasn't just leaving."

He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the blond. "Now, why don't you take your hands off of her."

Joey's eyes widened in fear but to her surprise Dawson did as he was told more out of shock than anything. He stared at Pacey incredulously. "Excuse me but just what is your problem? Joey's my fianc�e and I'll touch her if I damn well please."

"If you leave one single bruise on her skin, I will tear you limb from limb, Leery." Pacey seethed, "I don�t care if you're the King and Queen of England."

Dawson scoffed. "Is that what this is about? Joey's been telling you lies about me?"

"No, you moron! I just saw you pinch her! And from the looks of it, it's not the first time," he growled.

Joey's eyes widened warningly. "Pacey, stop it."

His eyes flicked back from Dawson to Joey. The pleading there forced him to halt. He grit his teeth and stared venomously at Dawson, waiting for him to make the next move.

Dawson ignored her. "So that's how it is, you're sleeping with the slut and now you're trying to defend her honor. How noble," he remarked condescendingly.

"Fuck you, Dawson. Oh wait, someone on Main street already took care of that." He sneered.

"Jealous?" Dawson remarked.

"Of what? The thousands of verenial diseases coursing through your veins?"

Joey clenched her teeth together tightly. "Can you just stop it, both of you?"

"Shut up," Dawson spat angrily. "No one's talking to you."

"And you call this love?" Pacey asked them.

She frowned. "Stop it, okay. Just stop it!"

"No, Joey. I want to know how you can possibly think he loves you!" His eyes shot back to Dawson, "And I want to know how you call this love!"

Dawson narrowed his eyes at Pacey and rubbed Joey's arms affectionately. "Don't listen to him, Joey. You know that I love you. He's just jealous."

"Let her speak for herself, Dawson."

Joey shifted awkwardly, her eyes wild. "Can you both just stop it already?!"

Dawson brought his hands to rest on her shoulders, a smug grin on his face. "It's okay, honey. Just tell him how much you love me so he can leave us alone."

"Yes, Joey. Tell me." Pacey echoed.

Joey's eyes fell to the floor panicked, Dawson kneading her shoulders forcefully. He clenched his teeth together after a few moments of silence. "Tell him, Joey."

Joey raised her face and locked eyes with Pacey her gaze apologetic before looking away. "I-I'm sorry..." She bit her lower lip and tilted her to gaze up at Dawson. Her big brown eyes teary, her mind in inner turmoil because of what she was about to say. "I...I can't Dawson."

His jaw fell open and he stared at her incredulously. "What?!" His short nails dug into her skin through the thin material of her blouse. "What do you mean you can't?"

Joey grimaced and her knees buckled slightly. "I'm just not sure anymore, Dawson. I just-I just need some time."

His eyes turned cold. "Time?" He growled and violently pushed her away. "You bitch. This is how you repay me after everything I've done for you!"

Joey let out a sharp cry and stumbled forward landing on the floor, tears spilling from her eyes. "Dawson, please listen to me. I didn't mean it like that. I do love you. I do."

Pacey had stepped forward the moment he saw Dawson dig his nails into her shoulder, and now he stood between them facing Dawson. Glaring daggers at him, he spoke, his voice deathly low. "Don't you ever, ever lay a hand on her again." His fists were clenched tightly at his sides, ready and waiting for Dawson to give him a reason to hit him.

Dawson just stared at the guy before turning to Joey and glaring at her angrily, his look pointed. Joey whimpered quietly. "I'll be back later," he promised turning and walked out the door.

Joey fell into a whole new set of sobs. "He's not always like that," she said in Dawson's defense to no one in particular. She rose slowly from her spot on the floor.

Pacey's eyes squeezed tightly shut as he listened to her sobs. He forced his hands to unclench, but he couldn't bring himself to turn around and face her. "He should never be like that."

Joey shook her head fiercely. "I shouldn't have said that. I should have just told him what he wanted to hear."

He grit his teeth, "You shouldn't have been with him period."

Joey laughed bitterly and wiped at her eyes. "It's too late now."

"It's not too late. Because he's gonna come back here and he's going to want you to beg for his forgiveness." He paused, "Or maybe with a shot gun, to kill me."

Joey glared at him through tears. "That's not funny."

"It's true though, isn't it?" He turned around to face her finally.

Joey looked away. "Maybe you should go."

"Why? So he can hurt you again?!" He burst out, tears of frustration, anger and helplessness stung his eyes. �How long had this been going on?�

Joey sighed. "He probably won't even be back till tomorrow."

He shook his head, "Then I'll wait."

"That's probably not a good idea. It'd be better if I just talked to him myself."

"No."

"It'll be okay." Joey persisted.

"No, Joey. It will not be okay!" He walked to her and hooked his arm through hers, dragging her to the mirror hanging in the entry way. He stood her in front of it and pulled the collar of her shirt over her shoulder so she could see the bright red marks Dawson's fingers had left. "That is not okay!"

Joey felt her eyes water. "He didn't mean it," she said lamely.

"And what about this one?" He turned her profile and lifted the hem of her shirt to show her the bright red bruise that was forming on her side where he'd pinched her.

He drew in a ragged breath as he saw the myriad of other bruises there, all in various stages of healing.

She chewed on her lower lip nervously and her eyes caught his in the reflection of the mirror. "I-It was my fault."

His eyes squeezed shut and he shook his head. "No. Never, ever think it was your fault," he said softly, letting the hem of her shirt fall back into place. He opened his eyes and took her hand. "Come on, we're leaving."

Joey eyed him puzzled. "Where are we going?"

"Away from here." He said darkly. "Grab your dress."

Joey nodded and quickly did as she was told. "Okay."

While he waited for her to grab her dress and he wrote a note for Bessie, telling her Joey had gone out. "Do you need to lock up?" He asked her when she reappeared.

Joey shook her head. "No, I think everything is fine."

"Ok, let's go." He held open the door for her and closed it behind him.

Joey eyed him through her peripheral vision as they walked to his car and said nothing.

He opened the trunk and took her wedding dress from her, laying carefully it in the back. He shut it carefully and unlocked her door and his before climbing into the seats and pulling out of the driveway. All the while he said nothing, fighting the anger and frustration that felt it was going to burst out of skin.

She frowned and wrung her hands in her lap nervously. She didn't say anything, afraid to speak. She just stared out the window at the passing scenery wordlessly. She didn't want to think about what had happened with Dawson.

Within minutes he'd parked the car in front of a line of stores and shops in downtown Capeside. He popped the trunk and got out of the car, still not finding himself able to talk to her.

Joey climbed out of the car in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"You are taking back the dress." He answered, pulling it from the trunk and handing it to her.

She frowned and held onto the material tightly. "No, I am not."

"Why not?" He asked in frustration.

"Because Pacey, Dawson and I get into arguments all the time. By tomorrow morning he'll be apologizing."

"And the day after he'll hurt you again!"

Joey scowled. "Just stay out of it!"

"I can't do that!"

"Yes, you can! It's none of your business. It's between Dawson and I." Joey retorted sharply.

"You did it for me," He replied angrily. "You saved me from my father! I won�t turn my back on you, like I wanted you to do for me. This is the exact same thing. And I will not walk away!"

Joey stumbled back in surprise. "This is different."

"How, Joey?" His voice was pleading now, gone was the anger, overcome by the fear very obviously now in his eyes. "This is exactly the same thing."

Joey leaned back against the car realization coming over her. "He loves me," Joey said weakly. "It's only because he loves me."

"He doesn't love you!" Pacey cried, his eyes growing moist. "My dad said he loved me just like Dawson tells you!"

Joey felt her own tears start to burn her eyes and she stood up angrily. "Yes, he does! He loves me! He has to love me because who else is going to if he doesn't!?"

"Who wouldn't?" He replied.

Joey scowled. "That's easy for you to say, you have Jen. Without Dawson, what do I have?"

"Freedom! A chance to find real love! What do you have with Dawson?"

Joey slumped against the car. "There's no such thing as real love."

"Yes there is, and you felt it once. Who's to say you won�t find it again?"

"Who else is going to want me but Dawson? Look at me! I'm a mess, emotionally and physically. My whole life back in Boston is Dawson. I have no friends there or family. I need him. I'm nothing without him."

"You have me!"

Joey smiled half-heartedly. "Thanks but it's not exactly the same thing."

"No, it's better. Because I won't hurt you. Ever."

Joey sighed hopelessly. "You don't understand."

"Then explain it to me."

Joey wiped her eyes and straightened herself. "Never mind." She looked down at the dress in her hands. She couldn't bring herself to return it.

"God, Joey. Tell me why you want to marry him so badly! What is so special about him that you feel marrying him is your only option!"

"He knows me better than anyone, he loves me. I'm not going to give that up to be alone."

"He doesn't though! Why can't you see that!?" he cried.

She licked her lips nervously. "He does and I love him."

"How? How do you know besides the fact that he's told you?"

She shrugged unsurely. "What other proof do I need?"

"Look at all the proof to the contrary! He left you alone to plan the wedding," he sneered as he said the word. "He hurts you! And don't you dare say that you deserved it again."

"Pacey, just mind your business. I don't tell you how to run your life so don't try to tell me how to handle mine, okay?"

He shook his head, "You did once; under the same circumstances. And I don't care what's happened between us since... I'm not going to let you go back to him!"

She sighed tiredly. "That was a long time ago things were different then and things are different now. There's a lot that you don't know, Pacey. You weren't the only one racking up life experience points these past few years."

He swallowed and took a step closer to on the pavement. "Tell me."

She shook her head. "It's too complicated to get into right now."

They stood there in a stalemate. She clutching her dress tightly, leaning against the side of the car, and he standing on the curb, his arms hanging at his side, his fists clenched tightly. Finally, after a few moments, he spoke. "Fine," he said grimly, stepped off the curb and passed her and popped open the trunk so she could return the dress. He then went around to unlock her door before getting back in the driver�s seat.

Joey placed her dress in the trunk sadly, her movements meticulous. She shut the trunk and carefully walked over to the passenger side door. She climbed into the car quietly, afraid to speak.

Silently, he restarted the car and pulled back into the traffic. He fumed inwardly as they sped along towards a decrepit part of town. If she wouldn't believe him, maybe she'd believe her own eyes.

She wrung her hands in her lap anxiously and gazed out the window in a daze. It took her a few moments to realize that they weren't going back to the B&B. "Where are you taking me?" she questioned cautiously.

"To Dawson." He said gruffly. "Since you love him so much, I thought you'd like to go straight to him to apologize." He kept his eyes on the road, refusing to look at her.

She fiddled with the engagement that adorned her finger. "Oh..." She forced a smile to hide the unease in her stomach. "He's probably already on his way back to the B&B anyway."

"For someone who's in love with him, you don't seem to know him well." he said sardonically.

She slumped in her seat. "He is," she said knowingly.

He snorted under his breath, but remained silent. He pulled into the bar he and Dawson had gone to last night, had it really just been the night before? It seemed like ages ago. He climbed out of the car and glanced at his watch, 5:00. A little early, but knowing Dawson as he did now, he didn't doubt he'd be there. And sure enough he spotted Dawson's black BMW across the parking lot. He didn't bother to point it out to Joey.

Joey crossed her arms in front of her chest in annoyance. "I don't see what this proves."

"You haven't seen anything yet," he said. He gestured to the door, mocking her with a bow as she passed him and pulled the door open with a scowl on her face.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light in the bar, not to mention the haze of smoke that seemed to permeate the air, even this early in the afternoon. He scanned the room from the entrance, looking for Dawson's familiar shock of dirty blond hair.

He never found it, instead, he saw the back of a thin Asian woman, her hair shielding the man's face from view. Her legs were splayed open, straddling the lap of the jean-clad man at a table in the corner. Her head was bent forward and it seemed she was trying to swallow the man's face whole. The man's hand was traveling up the back of the woman's shirt. Had he not already known it was Dawson, the fact that the man wore the very watch Pacey had given him for an engagement present proved it.

He glanced warily to his side to see if Joey had caught sight of the couple yet. She hadn't seem to, and he was already being subjected to waves of guilt for bringing her here.

Joey coughed and waved smoke out of her face, her eyes adjusting to the dimly lit bar. She gave it a quick once over definitely didn't seem like a place Dawson would visit. She brought her hands together. "Okay, I've seen enough. Let's go," she said turning around eager to get out of there.

"Have you?" he put out his hand to stop her. "What did you see?" He asked quietly.

"Nothing, Pacey. Was I supposed to see something in this living den of inequity besides the high risk of lung cancer," she coughed and fanned her face.

He looked into her eyes for a moment, inwardly warring with himself. He couldn't forgive himself if he let her marry him, but he doubted she'd ever forgive him if he stopped her. Staring into her eyes, he knew what he had to do, what she had done for him years ago. If she ended up hating him for it, so be it.

He pointed to the back corner, where the couple was furiously feeling one another up beneath their clothing.

She rolled her eyes and reluctantly looked at what he was talking about. "Pacey, I really don't see the point in this-" She faltered a bit and stumbled back as if she had just been hit in the gut, releasing a startled choke and cry. She shook her head adamantly not believing what she saw because that wasn't Dawson. That wasn't her fianc� in the corner of some seedy bar, feeling up some complete stranger, her tongue jammed down his throat. Then her eyes locked on the familiar watch on his wrist and it was. She brought her hand to her mouth to mask her surprise, her eyes burning with tears of disbelief.

She inhaled a sharp breath and calmed herself. She stalked over to them steadily, her eyes filled with grim determination. She calmly tapped the girl on her shoulder. "Excuse me." The girl pulled away from Dawson surprised and before Dawson had a chance to react with anything but shock and confusion, she brought up her tightly locked fingers and punched him squarely in the face, breaking his nose.

His hands immediately went to his cover his face. "You bitch!" he mumbled.

The girl made a move to help him but Joey shot her a glare and she stayed where she was.

She calmly removed her engagement ring off her finger and placed it on the table. "Have a nice life, Dawson," she said sweetly. She inhaled a sharp breath turned around and walked straight out of the building, not even flinching. It wasn't until she was outside that she collapsed in tears.

Pacey's smile of satisfaction at seeing the Joey of old return, faded as she walked passed him. He paused momentarily to shoot Dawson a dark look, just to make sure Dawson knew he was the reason Joey had found out. It was a bittersweet victory against his one time best friend. His smile turned grim when he walked out the door. He found her leaning against his car, holding her hands to her face as she cried.

He winced as he heard her sob. Approaching her quietly, he paused in front of her before touching her arm, wondering if she'd accept his comfort or turn him away.

"You must think I'm an idiot," Joey muttered pulling her hands away from her face and wiping her eyes furiously. "I trusted him. I gave him everything and-and look what he did to me." She threw her head back in frustration. "God, am I really that bad of a person? Maybe I'm just expecting too much�" She paused and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I just-I thought, he wasn't going to do it anymore. He promised me. I told him no but he persisted, told me it was a mistake and that he was never going to do it again.

"Then he made it seem like it was my fault and I believed him and I forgave him and obviously it was for nothing. Everybody's probably laughing at me, I mean what a joke right? I mean how could I not notice? How could I be stupid enough to believe that he actually loved me? No one else could, why should he be any different?" She slid against the car helplessly. "Maybe it is my fault. It's my fault for being so damn unlovable, for not being the type of girl you stay faithful to," Joey said to no one in particular.

Every single word she said cut into him like a knife. Each of her misconceptions about her self, every lie she spoke that she really believed. He wanted nothing more than to go back into that bar and finish what she'd started.

But she needed him more. He bent down beside her and gathered her in his arms. "You're wrong, Jo. About everything. You're so very wrong." He said past the lump in his throat, searching for the right words to say to her.

She gazed at him brown eyes wide with sorrow. "Am I, Pacey?" she stated softly, words laced with incredulity.

He nodded, cupping the side of her face. "Yes," he said softly. "Dawson is the one to blame not yourself. If you want to blame anything on you, it should be that you lacked the self esteem to walk away earlier."

She fell against him with a new onset of tears. "I was so stupid."

He rubbed her back gently, "Shhh, I know, Jo, I know.."

She sniffled after a few moments and pulled away. "Can you take me to Bessie's? I want to grab my stuff and leave before Dawson shows up. I'm just going to go home, no need to stay around here anymore."

He nodded, and rose. "We should probably get outta here before he comes out," he opened her door for her.

"Yeah, it'd be best," Joey said emotionlessly as she climbed into the car.

He walked around to his side of the car and got in without a word. He was trying to decide how best to bring up the topic of her leaving. Finally, five minutes later, he just blurted it out. "I don't think you should go."

She turned to him startled out of her thoughts. "Why?"

"You live with Dawson." He shrugged. "Isn't that reason enough not to go back?"

She sighed. "Pacey, I have to go somewhere and right now that's my only home. So I have to go back."

"You'll always have a home in Capeside, Jo," he said. "Stay."

Joey frowned. "I can't stay. I do have a life to get back to, somewhat, and I do have a job that I need to return to."

"You were going to stay here until after the wedding, why not stay that long at least?"

She bit her lower lip contemplatively. "I can't. There's nowhere for me to stay. The B&B is booked solid for the rest of the week, Dawson and I were going to get a hotel, I can't impose on Bessie and there's no way I'd be able to afford a hotel on my own. He controls all our money.."

�Stay with me.�

Joey shook her head. "I can't do that to you. It wouldn't be fair."

"If that makes you uncomfortable, there's always Jen's."

She laughed. "Oh yeah, like that would happen."

He gave her an uncertain look. "If you're going back there right away, then I want to go with you."

"Now you're talking crazy," Joey protested. "I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself."

"Like you have been so far?" He asked her carefully, trying not to sound condescending. Joey's face fell and she remained quiet. "I just want you to stay safe, Joey." He continued, pulling into the B&B.

"Yeah, well thanks for your help," Joey muttered pushing the door open. She immediately pulled it shut and sat still. "How in the hell did he get here so fast?" she asked her lips barely moving.

"I thought he'd go to the hospital first," Pacey muttered, "It looked like you broke his nose." He turned to her. "Do you want to leave?"

Joey shook her head swiftly, her eyes panicked. "Yeah, get me out of here. Fast."

He shifted into reverse immediately and peeled out of the drive and back onto the main drive.

She breathed in deeply. "Okay...I'll just call Bessie later and explain what happened." She ran her hands through her hair frustrated. "How in the hell am I supposed to get my things now? He's going to be waiting for me."

"He can't wait forever can he?" He asked. "We'll just...wait awhile. Let him cool down. If need be, we'll get Dougie to come with us." He turned the car in the direction of his apartment.

"But right now all I have are the clothes that I'm wearing and whatever little bit of money I have in my purse." She chewed on her lower lip apprehensively. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Come home with me." He said, "We'll stop by the store and buy you anything else you need, and you can call Bessie and let her know what's going on and maybe she can bring your stuff over." He suggested.

Joey sighed never feeling more hopeless in her life. "I guess I'm going to have to."

Pacey unlocked the door to his apartment, and stood aside to let her enter. They'd already stopped by the grocery store to buy her toothpaste and a toothbrush and various other things she'd need until tomorrow, as well as mixings for spaghetti and garlic bread. He followed behind her and flipped on the lights, he deposited the groceries on the kitchen counter.

Joey walked in tentatively sliding her hands into the back of her jean pockets as she glanced around. "Nice...kitchen," she commented with a small smile.

He chuckled, "I know it's been a stressful day, Jo. Don't feel like you need to make small talk." He smiled gently at her.

She sighed tiredly leaning against a wall. "I don't think I can cry anymore, not even if I wanted to."

"Come 'ere, Potter," he said openings his arms to her and pulling her into his arms for a tight hug.

She moved against him, wrapping her arms around him. "I must seem like a really big baby, huh?"

"Naw, no bigger than you used to be," he said lightly against her hair.

She smiled faintly. "Shut up."

He laughed and stepped out of her embrace, "Do you wanna call Bessie before or after we eat?" he asked.

She shrugged casually. "Doesn't really matter."

"Ok, then feel like helping me with dinner?" he asked, unloading the groceries from the bags. "Or, you could go take a nap for a while. Whatever you want."

"Um, I'd like to lay down if you don't mind."

"Okay," He left the groceries on the counter and led her into the livingroom and into his bedroom. He began cleaning up various stray articals of clothing in his room as he spoke. "You can sleep in here. I know it's not as nice as the B&B, and it probably smells a hell of a lot worse, but it's the best I can offer." He gave her a crooked smile.

She smiled wryly glancing around the room. "I'll make do." She turned to him. "Thanks--for everything.""

"Don't mention it," he waved her thanks away. "Do you want me to wake you when dinner's ready?"

She nodded. "Yeah, sure. That'd be fine."

"Alright, then," he backed out of the room. "Bye." He closed the door behind him.

Joey let out a breath of relief as the door closed. She sighed tiredly and climbed on the bed her movements stiff. She moved cautiously as if testing the bed's stability before grinning and claiming a pillow as her own. She fluffed it before settling in comfortably.

She nestled her head burying her nose in the soft cotton of the pillow. She breathed in deeply and smiled. It smelt like him. She fell asleep somewhat comforted.

He returned to the kitchen, grabbing the portable phone on his way. He dialed Jen's number with one hand as he finished putting away the food.

Jen picked up the phone on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hey Lindley," He said, his voice apologetic.

"Hello? Pacey?" Jen started anxiously. "Where the hell are you and have you seen Joey? Dawson is here looking for her and Bessie's on the other line frantic, wanting to know if I know where Joey is."

He winced, "She's..." he couldn't decide what he should say. "She's safe."

Jen released an exasperated breath and turned her back to Dawson's questioning eyes. "What the hell is going on here?" she hissed.

"It's a long story, Jen." He sighed, "She finally believes me about him now." He moved around the kitchen, putting away the rest of the groceries. "And, I guess, there's been more going on between them that either of us had thought."

Jen sighed and eyed Dawson through her peripheral vision. "I think his nose is broken...but tell her to call Bessie. What should I tell Dawson then?"

"I don't know, Jen. I'm sorry you're stuck with him." He apologized, he couldn't keep the smile off his face however at the confirmation that Dawson's nose my indeed be broken. "Just tell him the truth, that you don't know where she is."

Jen nodded. "Okay fine. Let me get rid of him and tell Bessie she's fine. Then you better explain everything to me."

"Right," he nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Want me to call you back?"

"Yeah...Fine. Give me an hour."

"Done."

She smiled. "Okay good. Bye. I love you," the words were out of her mouth without a second thought and she hung up the phone.

Pacey could feel the blood drain out of his face at her innocent words. 'I love you.' He listened to the buzz of the phone against his ear. She wasn't supposed to love him. That wasn't the way things were supposed to turn out. It was just supposed to be an experiment... a test, to see if they'd even be compatible after so many years. Love wasn't supposed to be a part of it.

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