"Bessie I'm leaving!!!" Joey shouted to her sister. Before she could shut the door she heard Bessie's reply.

"Before you leave can you bring Alex back inside Joey, he keeps walking out the door. Well, trying to!" Bessie yelled to her sister. Joey sighed and picked up the little boy standing right outside the door. She put him in front of the TV and ran outside before Bessie could ask for another favor. She quickly walked up to the dock but before she could reach her rowboat she heard her name being called from her yard. She spun around in a hurry to see who was calling her. It was... Pacey.

"Joey! If you are not busy, can I talk to you for a minute?" Pacey asked. She took a deep breath before replying.

"Look Pacey, I am in a real hurry so can we talk about whatever is on your mind later?" Joey pleaded.

"Please Jo! It will only take a couple of minutes, and it is about Dawson." Pacey started to explain. Joey rolled her eyes but nodded her head for Pacey to continue.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I'll try and be quick. Last night I ran into him and he told me about the contest for the film festival, and the trip to New York."

"Yeah so?" Joey had no clue where this conversation was going.

"Then he told me rather bluntly that he was taking you. And well, it kind of hurt. I thought me and him were best friends, and well..." Pacey trailed off. Joey was beginning to get kind of annoyed now.

"Pacey, I'm sorry but I have no idea why you would want me to hear all of this. I had nothing to do with Dawson asking me to join him on his little trip! I really have to go." Joey began to walk past Pacey and to her boat at the end of the dock. He caught her arm as she walked by so that she was forced to stop and look at him. She shook free of his grasp and gave him a look before he continued.

"To cut right to the chase, I was a little rude last night and felt kind of bad about the whole thing this morning. I mean, I know Dawson would never intentionally hurt me, and even though it stung at first it's not that big of a deal." Pacey explained.

"I will ask you one more time: why are you telling me this??" Joey questioned confusingly.

"I knew you would probably see him today and I just wanted to ask you to tell him I am sorry. And if we could just forget the whole thing." Pacey told her sincerely. Joey softened a little when she saw Pacey was being completely honest and truthful.

"Sure Pace. I will tell him as soon as I see him. But if you want me to deliver this message you have to let me go!" Joey reminded him. Pacey grinned and nodded.

"Sure. Go. And thanks again." Pacey spoke while walking off. Joey jogged quickly to her boat and began rowing in the direction of Dawson's house.

"Oh and one more thing Joey!!!!" Pacey screamed from her yard. She held up her hands in confusion to show she was listening. "Tell Dawson to be sure and pick up lots of hot girls in the city. And to ask them if they have any friends!!!!!!" Pacey yelled jokingly. Joey grinned and shook her head. By the time she looked up he was gone. Well, Pacey had changed a little over the years. But somethings always stayed the same.

When Joey arrived at Dawsons house she realized that something was missing. She only actually realized it when she walked onto the dock. It was... Dawson. The night of their one year anniversary Dawson had met her out on the dock, later telling her he KNEW that she was coming, that he could always sense her. But, this time he wasn't there. Joey climbed up the ladder alone like she used to. As soon as she walked in to the room she realized that Dawson wasn't home.....or he wasn't in his room at least. She would just wait for him. Joey flopped on the bed. She was so excited from the news from her date that she was up until late last night dreaming about New York.

Lying comfortable on Dawson's bed now, she drifted off to asleep. About 20 minutes later Dawson walked in to his room to find her lying on his bed. He smiled as he pictured how romantic it would be if he woke her up just like the prince did in 'Sleeping Beauty,' with a nice kiss. As he crept closer to the bed he stepped on a crack on the floor. Damn it, Dawson thought.....Joey was stirring and beginning to wake up from her nap.

As soon as Joey realized he was sitting right on the bed her first words were, "Where were you? You weren't outside waiting for me when I came out of my rowboat."

"I am sorry Jo, my mom was going over the arrangements with me downstairs and reminding me what to pack." Dawson said sincerely.

"Understandable.....Bessie had nothing to do last night so she lay everything out for me to pack also. Amazingly, she picked out that pale orange dress that you are always saying you like so much!" Joey said suspiciously, wondering if he had anything to do with that. The look on his face gave him right away.

"Guilty....I told Bessie that you had no choice and that you had to take that outfit. It is my favorite!" Dawson said remembering the night she wore that dress for the first time. It had been this year's Holiday Dance, and Dawson had arrived at her house to escort her to the high school.

"It was a great night, wasn't it?" Joey commented, picking up on what Dawson was thinking about. He smiled: he loved how she had always been able to do that, it showed how close they were.

"Yeah, it was," Dawson said. The night seemed like it was just a few days ago...

*The Night of the Dance*

Dawson stood anxiously waiting in Joey's front hall while Bessie went upstairs to get Joey. Tonight was not only a special night because it was Homecoming, but it meant something else to both of them. Tonight was the night they first kissed. Well, not out of their own free will... It had been during a Saturday afternoon when the whole gang had been stuck in detention for various reasons. Someone had suggested playing Truth or Dare, and being the joker that he was, Pacey had dared Dawson and Joey to kiss. They did, and it was then that Dawson had realized that he had more than just "friendly" feelings for Joey. He kept them a secret for a little while after that, but it was only a matter of time before the truth spilled out.

Suddenly he heard someone running down the stairs and he broke out of his trance. It was Bessie, saying that Joey would be down in a minute. A few seconds later he heard soft, light footsteps coming down the stairs. He made himself wait until she was in full view before looking up. When he did, he was amazed. Joey looked breathtaking. She was wearing a sleeveless pale orange dress, that was fitted tightly and stopped right before the knees. Her hair was pulled up in a French twist, with one strand hangingloose. She had on matching high heels, and a pair of very modest, but beautiful pearl earrings. Dawson tried to pull himself together and came forward as Joey reached the main floor. He pinned on her corsage and gave her hand a light kiss. As he bent down, so only she could, hear he whispered sounding choked up, "Jo, you are so beautiful."

Joey smiled happily. Dawson certaintly seemed to appreciate the extra time she had spent on getting ready: it wasn't like she looked this way everyday! He took her hand and they said goodbye to Bessie and walked out the front door. They walked just enjoying each others company until they reached Dawson's Jeep at the end of the drive way. Before Dawson could open the door Joey pulled him close and whispered softly, "You don't look that bad yourself." Dawson gave her a bashful look and they got in the car to go to the dance. Dawson remembered thinking later that evening that Joey had never looked more stunning that night, and he would always remember the way she looked standing by the stairs: perfect, beautiful, unique, and glowing with happiness.

*Back to the Present Time...*

"Anyways, so did you have a good time last night?" Dawson asked her coyly, tickling her sides just enough to make her laugh.

"You know I did!" Joey said flirtatiosly. She laid down on his chest, and he bent down to give her a kiss on her head.

"Oh I almost forgot to tell you! Guess who I spoke with this morning?" Joey questioned.

"Who? It is only like 10:00! What else have you done today?" Dawson asked teasingly.

"I was just about to get in my boat to come on over here, but Pacey showed up and asked to talk with me for a sec," Joey began, feeling Dawson stiffen at the mention of Pacey's name.

"What did he say?" Dawson inquired, his voice sounding strangely tight and cautious.

"Well, he explained the overview of what happened last night at the Ruins, after I left. And he told me to tell you he was sorry for making such a big deal out of it, and that he hoped you guys could just forget the whole thing." Joey clarified. She lifted her head slightly to see what Dawson's reaction would be. His face was completely unreadable. "Hello?" Joey said, wondering what Dawson was analyzing about now.

"Sorry Jo. Well, that's good. I felt terrible about the whole thing, but I had no clue what to do about it. I didn't think Pacey would react so strongly as he did." Dawson admitted. Joey looked at him in amazement.

"Dawson, let me try and explain something to you. You are DEFINITLY not as clueless as you used to be, but you still must be pretty blind if you couldn't see where this whole thing was gonna end up. I mean think about it: this is the normal teenage anxiety... choosing between the girlfriend and the bestfriend! I am surprised even you didn't see that Pacey would be hurt by this." Joey commented. Joey thought about this for a moment, she could almost see the wheels turning inside his head.

"Joey let me ask you something, and answer me honestly. Just out of curiousity, this is theoretical let me remind you... how would you have reacted if I had asked Pacey, instead of you?" Dawson asked tentitavely. He knew he was probably treading into some territory where you were NOT supposed to go to concerning relationships, but he wanted to know how Joey would answer.

"Seriously Dawson, I hate to admit that I would be as protective and jealous, but I probably would be a little pissed. I don't think I would have acted as outspoken as Pacey would have, but I think this is one of those can't-win situations." Joey said slowly, choosing her words carefully. Dawson sighed depressingly, running his fingers in frustration through his golden-brown hair.

"Dawson wait. I am not finished yet. The reason I would not have acted as harshly as Pacey did, was because, if you have forgotten I have been there before. I hate to bring this up after all these years, but after we broke up the first time and I was, um, going out with Jack... there were plenty of times that I had to choose between my best friend and my boyfriend. I know how hard it was, but how it must be 10 times harder for you, because you are closer to me and Pacey, then I was to you and Jack... You know what I mean." Dawson looked at her confused. "I am trying to say that your relationships with us are BOTH stronger than when I had the situation with Jack." Dawson nodded in understandment.

"Thanks Joey. I just hope that Pacey really is OK, and that he isn't just saying that he is, ya know?" Dawson said. Joey curled up next to him and he put his arm around her. He sighed.

"I think that if Pacey was really still upset, he would make it known. He is not exactly one to lie." Joey told him reassuringly. She laid down on his chest once more and stayed like that for a long time, his fingers stroking her hair, lying there in silence.

That's all for Chapter 3! Hope you all enjoyed it! Sorry it took so long to finish.... but we were both away on vacation for a week. If you have any questions or comments PLEASE e mail us because feedback is what we live for!

Chapter 4 should be out pretty soon! ~Debra and Amy

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