Rating: R

"Hey, Dawson, hi Jo," Andie replies. Jack just shoots Dawson a dirty look and walks ahead of them, tugging on his sister to keep up with him. Dawson and Joey exchange confused glances.

"What was that about?" Joey asks. Dawson just shrugs, having absolutely no idea.

"You got me."

"I thought you and Jack were friends now."

"I thought we were too," Dawson says, watching Jack head down the hall away from them, a bit hurt. "But I guess not." Andie glances back a few times, but Jack keeps towing her along.

"Andie, I still can't believe that you would-"

"Jack, don't say it," Andie hushes him quickly. "I don't want to talk about that in school."

"Yeah, well, I just think you should stay away from Dawson for the time being," Jack warns her. "Maybe spend some quality time with your *own* boyfriend for a change? I know that's a novel idea, but it would probably be a good idea, don't you think?" Jack is clearly not in the best of moods, and is obviously not playing the supportive brother any longer; his initial reaction when Andie told him was concern for Andie, since she was clearly upset, practically hysterical. But now, all he felt was anger. Anger for Jen. Should he tell her that Dawson cheated on her with Andie? Was that the right thing to do? Andie looks at Jack, miffed.

"Thanks for being so understanding, Jack," Andie replies, bitingly. "Glad to know that I have you to count on when I'm having a tough time." Andie turns down a different hallway quickly, eager to get away from him.

"Andie-" Jack starts, wanting to say something to repair the damage. But he can't think of anything, so he lets her go. Should his loyalty lie with his sister or his friends? Pacey and Jen had a right to know what was going on behind their backs...but could he really betray his own twin?

"So, Joey, what's up?" Jen sits down next to her friend, purposely trying to act as friendly as possible. Joey just gives her a mere glance, not bothering to reply to her. Jen sighs. "Joey, come on, I'm sorry about Friday night." Joey just settles back into her work, as if Jen's not even there. "Joey, please? I didn't mean to be so harsh before."

"I'm sorry, was there a reason you cam over to talk to me?" Joey asks rudely. "Because I really have to get this ditto done." Jen looks at Joey, hurt.

"Joey-"

"Okay then, I'll just talk to you later," Joey continues, giving Jen an overly-sweet smile.

"Jo, will you please just listen to me for a second? I'm sorry that I got on your case so badly about Pacey-"

"What about Pacey now?" Dawson grins, plopping down next to Joey. Joey looks Jen in the eyes for the first time since she had sat down, and Jen is momentarily silent, trying to decide what to say.

"Nothing," she finally replies, with a forced smile. "Just the usual Pacey and Joey at each other's throats type of thing."

"You two guys are insane," Dawson laughs, taking solace in the fact that no matter what in his life changed, the fact that Pacey and Joey would forever be insulting each other seemed a comfort. He looks at Joey affectionately, leaning over her shoulder so he's facing Jen. Jen looks from Dawson to Joey, her heart suddenly panging with jealousy. Why did Dawson have to be so close to Joey again?

"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say those two only fought because they're denying the obvious," she says, a little bitingly.

"Which is?" Dawson asks.

"Oh, that they're helplessly attracted to one another, of course," Jen replies, with a small knowing smirk. Joey's eyes widen to the size of saucers, and her mouth falls open in surprise. She can't believe Jen just said that, but can't find any words to protest; her mouth suddenly felt like it was filled with cotton. Luckily Dawson finds the idea preposterous.

"*Pacey*? And *Joey*? This Joey?" He laughs hard, finding the idea just too amusing for words. "I mean, god - Pacey had that little thing for Joey after that bio project, but really. I think Joey has a little better taste than Pacey."

"What's wrong with Pacey?" The words are out before she can stop them, and Dawson gives Joey a very strange look. She quickly tries to make a save, pretending her statement was meant to be sarcastic. "Besides the fact he's an immature, under-achieving, mindless loser, of course."

"Well, I'm sure Pacey must have his redeeming qualities," Jen says. "Or at least *Andie* seems to think so." She points across the cafeteria, to where Pacey and Andie are fawning over each other. Dawson and Joey both turn to look, pained expressions fleeing across their faces at the sight.

"At least they didn't sit with us today," Joey remarks, trying to cover her hurt with snideness. "Or else I might have to puke." Dawson nods in agreement, and then changes the subject.

"Want to go to the movies tonight?" He is looking at Joey, and then, as an afterthought, looks to Jen. Jen crosses her arms in front of her chest, clearly not happy.

"Oh, I can't," Joey replies, shaking her head. "I have another volunteer thing at the hospital tonight. Entertaining some of the older patients, you know, reading some stories and stuff like that...and then I get to do some cleaning - I'll be there until ten. Should be loads of fun."

"Should be tons of it," Dawson states. "Too bad - they're showing An Affair to Remember." He turns his attention to Jen. "What about you, you interested in going?" Jen frowns.

"I can't either," she says, not offering a reason. Dawson shrugs.

"That sucks - maybe tomorrow night then?"

"Maybe." She doesn't sound too enthused, but Dawson doesn't really notice. He stands up from his chair and glances toward the lunch line.

"I'm gonna go get some ice cream or something, I really packed myself a crappy lunch today," he smiles. "Anyone want anything?" Both girls reply no, so Dawson leaves them to go get himself his snack. As soon as Dawson is out of earshot, Joey whirls around to Jen, anger flaming in her eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she exclaims. "You're supposed to be my friend, why would you say something like that?"

"What's wrong with me?" Jen stands up, furious. "It's anyone is betraying our friendship, it is you."

"What is *that* supposed to mean?"

"It means stay the hell away from my boyfriend, Joey. I think we both know you can't be trusted to keep your hands of someone else's guy, now don't we?" Jen says lowly, her voice harsh and tight. Then she turns and stalks out of the cafeteria, leaving Joey speechless.

Andie slips her hand into Pacey's as they head toward study hall together, stopping in front of his locker first. Pacey has been acting wonderful toward her all day long - it was as if whatever had come between them had been magically lifted away. He had picked her up for school, given her flowers, and has been kissing, hugging, and touching her ever since. It eased her mind completely, all the worries she had that choosing Pacey wasn't the right decision faded. Pacey smiles at her as he opens his locker, trying to convince himself that this is exactly the way things should be. Andie loves him, he knows - unlike Joey, who decided that their affair was based solely on lust and desire, not on any deeper emotion. His eyes glaze over slightly as the pain of her words surface, and quickly turns away from Andie, focusing his attentions on the mess in his locker.

"You want to go out tonight, Pace? Maybe out to dinner?" Pacey just nods to Andie's question, staring at the frayed binding of his math book. Mustering up another spurt of composure, he finally turns to her with a charming smile, taking his book from the shelf.

"Sure, that sounds great. What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know...nothing too expensive."

"Why not expensive?" Pacey exclaims, wrapping his arms around her. "What is too expensive for a date with you? 100 dollars? One thousand? One million?" He kisses her playfully on the cheek. "I'll pay anything for the pleasure of your company." Andie giggles, smiling giddily. How could she have ever wanted to be with Dawson when she had Pacey? What had she been thinking? She had almost destroyed it all, and so easily too. She squeezes Pacey's hand and turns to him, and brings her lips to his for a long, lingering kiss.

Joey stops in her tracks, almost getting knocked over by the person who was walking behind her. The person mutters something rude to her and passes by, but she doesn't even notice. Everyone else in the bustling school hallway had disappeared, except Pacey and Andie. How could he do this? Didn't she mean anything to him at all? Joey closes her eyes for a moment, and tentatively begins walking again, looking down at the ground. "Of course he can do this," she mutters inwardly. "I'm the one who broke it off, he has every right to go back to Andie." But her rationalization didn't stop the splitting, body-numbing pain in her heart. She could feel hot tears stinging in her eyes, and bites her lip to keep them from falling. Not watching where she is going, she walks right into Andie as the petite blonde breaks away from Pacey's kiss.

"Sorry," Joey mumbles, trying to escape before Andie turns and sees her. It's too late.

"Joey, hey!" Andie smiles, her spirits so high that she's almost vibrating with perkiness. She links her arm around Pacey's back, and Pacey wraps his own arm around her shoulder affectionately. Joey glances up at him, but his eyes are cold and harsh as he stares back. His anger didn't come as a surprise, but it cut her as sharp as a knife.

"Hi," Joey replies faintly to Andie, averting her gaze to the ground. Andie can tell something is wrong, but before she can speak her concerns, Joey is already off an down the hall.

"Did Joey seem strange to you at all?" Andie asks Pacey. He isn't listening, his mind still processing the look in Joey's eyes. Andie nudges him a little. "Pace?"

"What?"

"Joey seemed upset." Andie's concern for Joey made Pacey feel angry. Joey didn't deserve anyone's pity, especially not Andie's.

"Joey's always upset about something," he says, obviously not caring. He guides Andie down the hall to their next class, changing the subject quickly. Joey Potter is nothing to him. Not anymore.

"Did you hear about Dawson's movie?" Chris Wolfe invites himself to sit down next to Joey on the front steps of the school, and the look Joey gives him makes it clear that his company is not desired.

"What about Dawson's movie?" Joey murmurs, not really caring about anything. Chris smiles at her, attempting to be charming.

"Well, it just so happens that Mr. Gold asked Dawson to show his movie."

"I know that," Joey is not amused.

"To the whole school. This Wednesday." Joey hears him, but doesn't respond. She knows she should care. She knows she should be happy, and proud of Dawson, but she simply didn't have the energy. Her lack of reaction surprises Chris. "I figured you'd be thrilled with the news, seeing as how you and Dawson are buddy-buddy again." Joey shrugs.

"I am happy. How did you find this out?"

"Let's just say I'm on the inside track of all the happenings at this school. Mr. Gold asked Dawson's permission during film class fifth period, and of course Dawson said yes. Which is to be expected - I think the boy has an ego problem." Chris laughs, but Joey rolls her eyes.

"Shut up, Chris. If anyone needs to put their ego in check, it's you." Chris ignores her, continuing on.

"While you were out here pouting, the principal announced the *fabulous* news over the loud speaker...I'm sure Dawson is looking all over the school for you now, eager to celebrate."

"I think not. Dawson and I agreed to meet out here to walk home together, so he's definitely not searching for me. And I'm not *pouting*."

"You sure look like you are. What has little Miss Potter so down in the mouth?" Chris grins at her, laughing lightly. "Must be something pretty bad if you skipped class for it."

"I didn't skip study hall," Joey protests. "I signed out to go to the library."

"And instead went outside and sat around. That's called skipping, Josephine."

"Did you have a point in talking to me or are you just here to plague me to death?" Joey's temper finally flares up, and Chris grins even more widely.

"You look sexy when you're angry," he says, and Joey gets up.

"You're a pig."

"Oh, I am?"

"Yes. In fact, all men are pigs!" Joey starts heading back into the school, but is halted by Chris' voice.

"And why are all men pigs, Joey?" Joey pauses momentarily, and glances back at Chris. "Come on, tell me, I'd really be fascinated by your explanation. I mean, I compliment you, that makes me a pig. What other great reasons do you have for condemning all of my sex? We're not all bad you know. We're really quite good at some things." He smiles at her knowingly and Joey shivers in disgust...she could almost tell that he was mentally picturing her naked. Which in reality, he actually was.

"You want reasons?" Joey says, angrily. "Fine, I'll give you some reasons. Because men don't think. Men don't know their own emotions. Men lead you on, break your heart, use you, discard you, they tell you they love you when they obviously don't-"

"You speaking from experience, Jo?" Chris teases. Joey tries to calm herself down, knowing she was already agitated enough that anything Chris Wolfe does will get to her. He had already gotten to her. The events of the day, having to watch Pacey and Andie together, was like torture, and she didn't have the strength to wittily fend off creeps like Chris. She doesn't trust herself to answer him, feeling as if the moment she opens her mouth her whole tormented story of her and Pacey would come spilling out for no reason other than she was ready to break. Chris watches as Joey Potter's face crumples up, her chin quivering as she tries to stop herself from crying. What the hell was going on? His teasing grin flees his face - seeing Joey like this was completely un-nerving. "Joey?" His voice sounds different from normal, and Joey notices. The teasing, taunting, evil edge of it had softened into a tone of almost...concern. Her eyes meet his for a fleeting second before the school doors open, almost knocking her over. A few people begin to exit the school, talking and laughing, oblivious to the situation they had just interrupted. Chris stands up, and takes a step toward Joey, not sure why.

"Hey, Jo," Dawson greets her, walking out. "You ready to go home?" He sees Chris standing nearby, following his gaze back to Joey, and looks at Joey strangely. Joey turns to Dawson, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Where's Jen?" Dawson shrugs.

"She said she had to stay after school for something," he explains. Jen had been acting strangely all day long, as if he'd done something to offend her. He wished he knew what it was so he could fix it, but she wouldn't even say she was mad at him or anything. Kept blaming her detachment on being tired.

"Oh," Joey replies, and starts walking down the school steps. "Well, then, let's go." Dawson follows her down the walkway and catches up with her, not noticing her glancing back at Chris once or twice. Chris just stands on the top step for a moment, feeling a bit strange by what had just occurred. Shaking it off, he turns his mind back to his and Abby's plan - if it was going to work, he couldn't waste any time.

"No, no, no!" Andie exclaims, frustrated. "Jack, you have to grease the pan first, before you put the dough on. Or else the cookies will just stick right to it!" Andie steps in front of her brother, shoving him out of the way. "Didn't they teach you anything in home ec..?"

"Andie, I never took home ec.."

"Well, maybe you should've. Then at least you would know how to do a simple thing like make cookies!" she cries, taking the two scoops of cookie dough that Jack had already put on the pan, and then beginning to grease it. Jack just shrugs off her complaints, turning to the oven to check on the batch that was cooking.

"You have to relax, Andie. They're just cookies."

"I am perfectly relaxed," Andie mutters.

"Well, you should be, considering how things went today with Pacey," Jack replies. He had been waiting for a chance to bring Pacey into their conversation - he didn't want to confront her about the whole Dawson issue out of nowhere. They had come home after school and Andie had the wild idea she'd bake cookies - some for their friends, some for their mom, some for Pacey. He glances down at his flour stained apron as he sits down on a stool behind the counter. Andie grins and starts scooping the cookie dough back onto the greased surface.

"It's so great to be back to the way we were, Jack, you have no idea. I feel all warm and mushy."

"*Warm* and *mushy*? Andie, *please*, get a grip on yourself."

"I can't help it. I'm just lucky that things are back to normal. For awhile there it seemed like Pacey and I were existing in to different universes."

"Well, when you're off kissing his best friend, it tends to put a strain on things," Jack replies. Andie's smile collapses and she looks down at her hands.

"Let's just not talk about that, okay?"

"Are you going to tell him?" Jack asks. Andie is silent. Then the phone suddenly rings, interrupting the intense quiet. Jack looks around for the towel to wipe his hands, and can't find it. Andie tosses it to him, and hurriedly he cleans his hands off and rushes to the phone, trying to get it before the machine picks up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, you've reached the McPhee residence..." The machine starts to play, and Jack patiently waits for it to finish.

"Hello?" he tries again. There is light laughter on the other end of the line.

"Hi, Jack? It's Jen."

"Jen? Hi! Sorry about the machine."

"It's no problem," she replies. "What are you up to?"

"Baking cookies with Andie. Er...rather, she's baking cookies and I'm just getting in the way."

"Got that right!" Andie calls out loud, so Jen can hear.

"Well, you interested in maybe getting out of Andie's way?" Jen offers. Jack smiles slightly into the receiver, glancing over at his sister. She has already gone back to her cooking, so he takes off his apron and wanders into the living room.

"Sure...what do you want to do?"

"I don't know, anything, really," Jen replies, her voice unsure. "I just need to get out of the house."

"You can come over here, if you want to," he suggests. "We can just hang out, watch a movie or something. Andie walked Pacey to Screenplay today and picked up a movie."

"What movie?"

"I don't remember, but I remember thinking it was good when I saw that she rented it," Jack laughs. "She and Pacey are going out to dinner or something, and then coming back to watch it. We can watch it while they're gone, if you want to."

"Sounds like a great idea. What time should I come over?"

"Seven?"

"Seven is okay be me. See you then?"

"Yep, see you then."

"K, bye."

"Bye." Jack hangs up, smiling faintly to himself. Maybe his night wouldn't end up being a total loss after all.

"Pacey..." Dawson laughs, shaking his head. He goes behind the counter and finds his nametag, pinning it onto the left side of his vest. "I am surprised that Joey hasn't launched a formal protest, however. I didn't think she'd appreciate having everyone see her damsel in distress routine." Pacey just shrugs, not wanting to even let thoughts of Joey into his mind. Dawson doesn't know that though, and continues talking about her. "But I guess she understands how important this is to me."

"Does she." Pacey responds, his voice flat.

"We're really getting this friends thing back together, you know? Having her back makes me realize how much I've missed her."

"Really."

"It's like I've found a missing piece of the puzzle that is my life."

"Aren't you lyrical."

"Pacey, you are being particularly bland today, what is up with that? I thought with the way things have been going with Andie, you'd be bouncing off the walls with happiness." Dawson presses the slight tinge of envy out of his voice, making it sound thoroughly sincere.

"I am bouncing off the walls. Inside," Pacey mumbles. "I'm not one to verbalize my every emotion when it comes to my relationships, unlike you. Speaking of which...you haven't said much about Jen lately. Things okay in Lindley-land?"

"Of course things are okay," Dawson replies, a bit too quickly.

"'Of course things are okay', he responds, his expression clearly showing otherwise," Pacey quips, and Dawson rolls his eyes. "Spill, Dawson."

"There's nothing to tell."

"Liar."

"Fine...Jen's just been a little distant for the past few days. She says she's not mad at me but I get the feeling she is. When did women get so confusing?"

"Haven't they always been confusing?" Pacey replies, earnestly. Dawson sighs.

"True." He circles the counter, handing Pacey his nametag. Pacey takes it, mumbling thanks. "Anyway, what are you up to when you get off of work?"

"I'm going out with Andie."

"That's cool," Dawson mumbles. "I think I'm just gonna hit the theater by myself tonight. I asked Joey to go but she's at the hospital." Pacey looks at Dawson, surprised.

"At the *hospital*?"

"Not at the hospital as in *in* the hospital, Pace. She's volunteering. from 5 until 9 or 10 or something. I dunno."

"Oh," Pacey replies, his heart calming. For a second Pacey thought something had happened to her or something, but he almost laughs, realizing how silly that was.

"Yeah, so it looks like everyone is off doing something except for me."

"What's Jen doing?" Pacey asks.

"I don't know, to tell you the truth. She just said she couldn't go," Dawson says. He goes back behind the counter as a customer walks into the store. He smiles at her and says hello, and then turns back to Pace. "Where are you and Andie going?"

"To dinner."

"Sounds like fun."

"It should be," Pacey states, shrugging slightly, his mind wandering back to Joey. Why did it always have to do that? He almost slaps himself, but then he thinks about how he would explain *that* to Dawson and stops himself. "Joey says it's over, it's over. She never loved me, she said so herself. What we had was just stupid." Pacey repeats this thought again and again, but he can't believe it. He just couldn't understand how she could say a thing like that. He felt it...in the way she kissed him, in the way she felt in his arms...she loved him, even if she didn't want to face up to it anymore. Well, he wasn't giving up until Joey faced it - he was going to make her realize what she threw away.

Joey smiles as Horst, the old man she is reading to, smiles his toothless smile at her, his eyes twinkling happily. He struggles to say something she can't understand, and she replies with the safe strategy of smile and nod.

"It's time for Mr. Heinz to get his rest, all right?" A nurse steps into the room, and Joey nods. He reaches out and pats her hand as she stands up, closing the book lightly and setting it on the table next to Mr. Heinz's uncomfortable looking bed.

"See you next week," Joey waves good-bye as she leaves and the nurse takes her place at his bedside, and then steps out into the cool hallway. Sighing from exhaustion, she walks down the dim corridor, her shoes clicking against the linoleum floor. It seemed strange to her, how much she likes it here. But she had spent so much time with her mother here in this hospital, it felt like home, memories around every corner. Sad ones and happy ones alike. Turning to go to the main reception area of the floor, she pauses, not sure that what she's seeing is indeed reality.

Pacey rises from his chair in the waiting room, glancing at his watch.

"Hey..." he murmurs, his eyes locking onto hers. She allows herself to stare back for a few moments, and then shakes herself away.

"What are you doing here?" she asks harshly, still angry at him for his display with Andie earlier in the day. Pacey sighs.

"I don't know."

"Are you visiting someone you know? Are you hurt or injured or something?" Joey inquires, her tone biting.

"No."

"Then you shouldn't be here," she turns to walk away.

"Does having your heart broken count as an injury?" Pacey suddenly asks, loudly. Joey's steps hesitate for a moment, wanting to turn back. But she doesn't. He follows her as she turns down another hallway, not about to give up. "Joey, I asked you a question."

"I heard you."

"Then why don't you answer me?"

"I have things to do, Pacey. I'm only gonna stay here until nine and I have ten rooms to change the linens in."

"Forget about the *linens*, Jo."

"I was assigned those rooms, I will not forget them." She still is walking ahead of him, consistently picking up her pace every single time he catches up with her. She looks straight ahead, not dignifying his presence by looking at him. Her indifference infuriates Pacey. He grabs her arm and pulls her into the nearest room ; to his luck, it's empty.

"Do you think this is a game, Joey? Do you think it's okay that you can just tell me that everything we had was a lie?" The room is dark, but Pacey makes no move to turn on the lights. "I'm supposed to be at dinner with Andie right now, and instead I'm here. Why do you think that is? Because I have no idea, I truly don't."

"And I'm supposed to know why?"

"I thought maybe you'd be able to enlighten me."

"You're the one who couldn't keep your hands off her all day long. I have no idea why you would pass up the chance to spend the evening - oh, maybe even possibly the night - with her too," Joey bites back.

"You're jealous, you are so freakin' jealous," Pacey snaps.

"How am I supposed to feel? Yesterday night you were ripping off my clothes and today you're kissing her like she's the only person on earth."

"What else am I supposed to do, Joey? Am I supposed to push her out of my life just like that? She's all I have left. She would never *lie* to me about being in love with me."

"And I would?" The words are out before Joey can stop them.

"You did, Jo. You said that it was all just hormones and attraction. You basically said that I was nothing but a good screw." Joey winces at the tone of his voice; when he spoke to her like that, her made her blood run cold. His anger had an effect on her like nothing else did. He moves closer to her, his voice tight. "And that's all I was, right?" Joey looks up at him, and then backs away.

"It doesn't matter if what I said was true or not. You're still going out with Andie. Part of you wants her and I can't live like that. It's not about her mental problems, Pacey, that's pathetic. You're just afraid that your world will crumble if she leaves it. She's holding you up, if you kick her down you're just going to hang yourself."

"I don't love Andie."

"You're dependent on her. And she's dependent on you. Whether you like it or not. And that's why you won't leave her and that's why I don't want to see you again. I'm sick of being your on the side slut." Joey says this forcefully, and Pacey knows she means every word of what she's saying. It hurts him, piercing him like a thousand arrows and hitting him like a ton of rocks.

"You're not my..." Pacey starts, then trails off. "It was never about the sex, Jo."

"Oh, then what was it about? The passion? The romance? Making it in your bedroom whenever the parents weren't home was hardly a romantic scenario, Pacey," Joey is purposely being nasty, all her defenses up. "Everything was about 'the sex'. And I'm sure that eventually Andie will fill that void for you too, so then you'll barely even remember that I'm gone." Pacey doesn't reply, her words stinging him again. Joey regards him coldly and opens the room door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." She leaves, and Pacey stands in the darkness of the hospital room alone.

"Don't be such a dork, Jack!" Jen giggles, slapping his hands away from her as he jokingly starts to tickle her. "I hate being tickled!"

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Ha ha, very funny," she replies, pushing his hands away. "You're such a little comedian, McPhee." He shrugs as he relents and lets Jen sit back up on the couch.

"I do what I can."

"Next time keep the physical humor to a minimum," Jen warns half-heartedly. She smiles at him, showing she's not really upset over it. "Being tickled makes me laugh so hard that I feel like I'm going to puke."

"We certainly wouldn't want that," Jack replies, looking at her. She gazes right back, her smile fading on and off her face as she tries to interpret the look in Jack's deep eyes.

"No, we wouldn't..." Jen murmurs, not knowing what else to say. A silence falls between them, and Jen shifts slightly. As the silence continues, she begins to feel a bit awkward. "Anyway..." she mumbles, breaking the gaze. "We should watch the movie now." Jack nods uneasily, not sure what that moment had just been. Why hadn't he been able to look away? He felt entranced by her blue eyes, as if under a spell. He climbs up off the couch as his sister walks into the room, looking forlorn.

"Andie? Pacey still didn't pick you up yet?" Jack asks, disbelieving. Andie frowns, shaking her head no.

"Nope," she replies shortly.

"Did you try calling him?"

"His mom said he wasn't home." Jen looks at Andie, her mind going straight to suspicions of Pacey's true whereabouts. So much for trusting Joey that her and Pacey's affair was over. Jack invites Andie to come and sit down, and she does. Plopping on the seat next to Jen, she lets out a deep sigh, and then stands up again as she remembers what she had rented. "Oh, I am so totally not in the mood to watch an action flick. The only reason I picked it out was so Pacey would watch it tonight...which obviously he's not going to do so..." her voice wavers a little, and Jack rubs her shoulder reassuringly.

"Maybe he got a flat tire or something. He'll be here."

"He was supposed to be here an hour ago," Andie says, looking at her watch, and getting more angry than sad. Jen opens her mouth to say something, but Andie continues. "If he gets here, tell him I went to the movies. It's classics night, and I might as well go..." she grabs her jacket off the coat rack.

"You want us to come too?" Jack offers. Andie shakes her head no and opens the door.

She sees that is has started to rain and groans. "Oh, great, what a great way to end the perfect day." She searches the coat rack for an umbrella she knows is there and takes it out.

"We're more than willing to keep you company, Andie," Jen says.

"No thanks, I really just want to be alone right now," Andie replies, and leaves, letting the door fall shut behind her. Jack and Jen exchange looks, both having their own worries and thoughts about why Pacey isn't there.

Joey steps out of the elevator and into the lobby of the hospital, looking forward to leaving but not looking forward to returning home to Bessie. The last thing she needed right now was for Bessie to get on her case again, especially after all that had happened during the day. She heads outside, and realizes that it's pouring.

"Oh.....fuck!" she exclaims, stomping her foot on the ground and turning to go back inside. Her frustration was at a breaking point. She goes to the payphone by the doorway to the stairs and feels her pockets for a quarter, knowing she has one in there somewhere. Right pocket. Left pocket. Back pockets. Jacket pockets. "Damn it!" she mutters, finding every one to be empty of change. She could've sworn she had had a quarter. "Guess I'm walking..." she reluctantly heads back out into the rain, cursing her luck. Maybe she was forever damned to have the worst life imaginable. What else could go wrong?

She walks out into the freezing rain and lets out a small shriek as it hits her. She jogs for awhile to try to get home as fast as she can, but the ground is just too slippery. Within minutes she is soaked to the bone, her lips turning a faint shade of purple as she begins to shiver. The urge to just give in and cry was overwhelming - she'd been holding it back all day long - but she tries to go further, wanting to stay strong. Thunder claps in the distance, and she jumps a little. The streets were dark; she'd never felt so alone in her life.

Suddenly a familiar truck pulls up along side her, and Pacey rolls down his window.

"Joey?" She glances over at him, but her pride prohibits her from stopping. She starts walking faster. "Joey, do you want me to drive you home?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you."

"Joey, don't be an idiot. Will you just get in the truck?"

"I'd rather walk all the way home and catch pneumonia than get in that truck with you, Pacey." Pacey rolls up his window, and for a minute Joey thinks that he's just going to drive away and leave her there. Immediately she wishes that she had just gotten in. Instead, he pulls the truck over to the side of the road and turns off the engine, hastily climbing out into the cold rain.

"I love you, Joey, please stop!" he yells over a roll of thunder, and Joey does stop, not sure whether or not to turn around. Should she keep going? Pacey doesn't give her a choice; he runs up to her, already drenched. His clothes cling to him, his wet hair dripping into his face. "I don't care what you think, I love you. It's not lust. It's not passing attraction. I may be only a sixteen year old guy but I know the difference between love and lust. I experienced lust before, and this is not it, I can guarantee you that." Joey looks away from him. "I don't need Andie. I don't depend on her, she's not the one who gives me a reason to live every day, to try to be a better person," he says, and turns Joey's face toward his. "I need *you*, Jo."

"I need you too," she replies, finally letting the tears slide down her cheeks. The rain washes them away quickly. Without another word he pulls her close and kisses her passionately. Joey gives in for a moment and then pushes him away. Pacey laughs nervously as the thunder rolls around them, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Why can't we?"

"That...what just happened...shouldn't have happened." Joey says, her voice on edge. "I...I..."

"Just let me take you home, Jo," Pacey replies, not wanting to get into another discussion about their relationship - he just wanted to *be* with her. Just be able to sit and look at her for hours upon hours...just because he could. Not to turn every moment they spent together into a confession of their guilt and shame for loving one another. Pacey gestures toward the truck and Joey nods, getting the message.

Joey climbs into the dark front cab of the Witter family truck and lets out a sigh; the night was so strange, and she couldn't place her finger on exactly what about it felt weird. Something about all that had happened seemed surreal, like she was detached from it and watching herself go through the motions. She glances out her window at the pitch black night sky as the rain continues to fall in torrents. She notices that the sky isn't filled with storm clouds - it's just flat, sleek black. And it seemed more threatening to her than any stormy gray clouds could've ever been - it's simply unnatural. She is startled from her thoughts as Pacey opens the driver's side door and gets in. A bit of the worry in her heart subsided as he smiled at her, running his hands through his sopping wet hair. He looked so cute and boyish, yet delectable and sexy at the same time.

"My god...my dad is going to kill me for getting his upholstery wet," Pacey says, chuckling. Joey just smiles a little, not really sure how to handle how she is feeling. Half of her feels like leaving now, while she has the chance. She doesn't belong here with him - the two of them, alone on the side of the road...she should be going home and trying to forget him at this very moment. But instead Joey feels like she's in her own little world, the rain acting as a curtain to protect them from reality. All she wants to do is reach out and touch him; but she stops herself. They look at one another, not really knowing what to say. Joey opens her mouth to speak, but instead Pacey cuts her off. "Don't, Jo. I know how it has to be." Joey relapses into silence. Pacey goes to start the ignition, his heart sinking as he realizes he really does know that this is the way it has to be, if that's what Joey wants. He starts to turn the key, and then stops, turning to face her. "Just tell me that you really don't love me, Joey. Tell me that you don't love me back." Joey meets his gaze, his eyes full of passion and urgency. "Just tell me that what you said the other night was true and I'll believe you." She looks away, unable to answer. The lie was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't force herself to say it. How could she pretend not to love him? There was no way she could manage to tell him that her heart wasn't his. So she doesn't. Pacey gets the idea and nods to himself, sighing. "I thought so..." he mumbles to himself, wishing things were different. His hand goes to his keys again, but suddenly Joey's hand is on his, stopping him. He looks to her, surprised. She looks as if she's weighing a decision, torn. Her heart is already pounding in her chest as she covers his hand with hers. The moment is electric, and a surge of desire runs through her body like fire, enough to make her wet, cold clothes feel warm. Joey lifts up her other hand and runs her fingers through his soaked hair slowly, moving closer to him. Pacey closes his eyes for a moment, treasuring the feeling of her touch. Letting her body take over, Joey pulls back a little and begins unbuttoning her top. "Joey..." Pacey whispers a word of protest. What was all of this night for? All the arguments and the harsh words...she said it was over and now...his mind is racing, trying to force down the urge to pull her to him. She peels off her shirt very slowly, the fabric clinging to her skin, and then leans over and kisses Pacey lightly on the lips.

"One last time, Pacey..." Her faintly spoken plea lands on Pacey's ears as she presses him down onto the seat gently, her hands travelling downward to unsnap his water-soaked jeans. He doesn't move to touch her, still trying to summon up enough will power to tell her to stop. She tugs his jeans down inch by inch, slowly making progress - it was hard, since the wet material clung to his legs. Her mind was clouded over - her only focus was to feel near to him again, like she had so many times before. Their last chance to be together before they put everything behind them. As she begins to caress his body, Pacey finally finds words.

"Joey...are you sure you want this? I thought..."

"I want this, Pace," she murmurs huskily. Pacey sighs and closes his eyes as he feels her begin to undo his shirt, knowing he wants this too, though he knows it shouldn't happen.

Dawson walks into the movie theater, feeling more alone than ever. No Jen, no Joey, no anyone. Even his mom declined his invitation to the movies, that's how desperate he had become. But he hadn't wanted to spend the evening by himself. When he was alone his thoughts dwelled on his confusion and indecision, his situation with Andie and what was going on with Jen.

His heart jumps as he sees her, sitting down in the front section of the theater...she is alone too. The rest of the theater is empty. Is it fate? Is this some sort of sign? Or is it merely coincidence? Clutching his bag of popcorn nervously, he slowly walks down the aisle toward her.

"Andie?" his voice cracks as he says her name, making him sound like Kevin Arnold from The Wonder Years. He grimaces slightly. She looks up at him, her surprise evident in her expression.

"Dawson...Hi..."

"I didn't know you were going to be here."

"I wasn't planning on coming or anything...I mean...I didn't know you were going to be here either."

"Where's Pacey?" Dawson asks, and Andie frowns.

"I have no idea. We were supposed to go out tonight but he didn't show up." Andie looks down at her pop, sadly.

"That's not like him."

"I don't know what's like *him* anymore...he's a mystery to me. One minute he's my boyfriend and the next I feel like I don't know him at all." Dawson takes a seat next to her and she musters up a small smile. "I just don't know why he would stand me up."

"Neither do I. I don't know how anyone could a thing like that to a girl like you. Pacey's my friend...but he's an idiot for acting like this."

"You would never do this to me." Her comment throws Dawson off completely, and it takes him a minute to think of an appropriate response.

"No, I wouldn't," he replies, and Andie knows that he means it thoroughly. Andie looks at him, debating something inwardly. Decidedly, she sets her pop down in the cup holder and leans toward him. Her lips meet his in a sweet kiss, again catching him off guard. When she pulls away, Dawson looks at her, stunned.

"I'm sorry," she mumbles, embarrassed. "I don't really know where that came from, I really don't." Dawson doesn't say anything, his mind clearly still reeling from the effect of the kiss. She peers over at him, blushing slightly. "I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's okay."

"No, it's not okay. I can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?" Dawson tries to sound innocent.

"Toying with your emotions like this. I told you that we have to stay apart and veer away from all this but I keep coming back to you."

"Andie, really...it's all right. I just..." Dawson shakes his head, trying to get his thoughts together. What did he want to do now?

"We agreed that-"

"You know what, Andie?" He looks at her, for once feeling like he simply didn't care about consequences.

"What?"

"Agreement's off," Dawson tells her, and presses his lips against hers once more as the lights go down and the opening credits of the movie begin to roll.

"Pacey..." Joey whispers his name lightly, trying to make him see that she needed him. She slips her bra straps off her shoulders, and then unsnaps the back clasp and slides the piece of clothing slowly down her arms. Pacey's breath catches in the back of his throat, trying to contain his arousal as his eyes travel over her exposed skin. He averts his eyes, wanting her but not sure of what they're doing. "I'm sure of this," she murmurs again, running her hands down his bare chest.

"Joey, we can't..." Pacey's protest is interrupted by his own groan, as her hands move down to feel him through his boxers. She leans down and kisses the flat tightness of his stomach; he presses himself against her touch though he tries not to. As her fingers begin to pull down his underwear, Pacey finally sits up, circling his hands around her wrists to stop her. Her brown eyes open wide in surprise. "It can't be one last time, Joey...It's like telling a thirsty man in the desert he can only take one sip of water." Joey is taken aback, and moves away from him, feeling very confused and lost. Pacey immediately regrets being so harsh. "God...I just..." Pacey sighs, trying to redress himself and not finding it easy. Joey picks up her own discarded, sopping wet clothes from the truck floor and covers herself, embarrassed. "If we do this now, Joey..."

"Fine. I mean...yeah. I understand what you mean." She purposely doesn't look at him, feeling ashamed. What had she been thinking? She was the one who had demanded their affair to end, and here she was, right back with him all over again. Of course he didn't want to ; he's probably more confused about everything than she is. "We should just go."

"Yeah..." Pacey turns the truck on, exhaling deeply and trying to clear his mind. He glances over at her as she buttons her shirt up and then looks out at the rain, trying to keep his thoughts away from how much he wants her. Joey takes his silence to mean that he's upset.

"Look, Pacey, I'm sorry that I just did that. I had no right to-"

"It's okay, Joey," Pacey interrupts her. "It's more than okay. I...it's not like I don't want to do the same thing. Believe me, I do. I just know that if we do it this time, there will be a next time. And a next time after that."

"You're right."

"I know I'm right."

"So..."

"Yeah..." They gaze at one another longingly, both knowing they should be going home but not willing to move.

"So why aren't we driving away?"

"Because I don't want to. Do you?"

"No." With that they quickly move to one another, kissing with unparalleled passion. Within seconds they're right back to the point they were a minute earlier, except this time they don't stop.

Abby bounces onto Chris' bed after she climbs up off the floor, looking bored. Chris is at his desk, fiddling with a computer program, trying to edit different shots together.

"Aren't you done yet?"

"Abby, if you ask me that one more time I'm going to throw you out the window, and I'm perfectly serious about that."

"Well maybe if you weren't so freakin' slow I wouldn't have to keep asking. How long can it take to put this thing together? I thought you've been working on this for about a week now," she rolls onto her back, gazing up at the plain white ceiling.

"Look, if you want me to get this thing done, you better just shut up," Chris replies bitingly. She's grating on his last nerve. He hits a button on the keyboard and a montage of shots run through the small video window in the corner of his screen. Abby just rolls her eyes and sits up again, restless.

"So...the plan is, when Dawson's movie comes to an end, and everyone thinks the ending credits are going to roll, they get our movie instead."

"Precisely. And as an added bonus, everyone is going to see this and assume it's Dawson's handiwork."

"I wouldn't go that far, Chris," Abby smirks. "I don't think anyone would think Mr. Angelic Leery to be capable of taping his two best friends and then putting it in his movie for the whole world to see." Chris just shrugs.

"Who knows. People might think it was his way of getting revenge on them. We'll have to wait and see. But if Dawson gets in trouble with the school for this...what an added bonus that would be, huh?" He taps another key and then swivels on his chair toward Abby. "It's going to be pure delight." Abby climbs off the bed and walks over to the computer screen, watching over Chris' shoulder as he tweaks the brightness of the picture. A slow grin spreads over her face as she thinks of how wondrous the effects of their diabolical plot will be. Chris looks up at her, sharing her happiness. Hitting another few buttons, he pushes his chair slightly away from the desk and turns on his television, pressing play on the VCR. Then he turns back to the computer and types another few commands. "And there we go." He gestures for Abby to look at the TV screen. "Now all we have to do is think of a proper title." Chris says, jokingly. They both watch as the finished product runs on-screen, amazed that they had actually been able to pull it all off.

"Andie and Dawson aren't going to know what hit them," Abby laughs, her eyes glistening merrily as she pictures the turmoil that she's going to cause. "I can't believe I ever thought this school year would be dull..."

Joey lays quietly in Pacey's arms as the rain continues to beat down outside, not wanting to speak and ruin the perfect moment. This could possibly be the last time she would ever have to lay in his arms, listening to his hear beating, feeling the heat of his body so closely pressed against hers. The only light inside the truck was the faint glow of lights on the dashboard, dimly illuminating the truck enough for her to see him and only him. She sighs contentedly and turns slowly to move herself on top of him, pressing her lips gently to his, treasuring each kiss and storing it in the back of her mind to remember forever. He responds to her lingering and sweet kisses, running his hands up her bare back softly.

Suddenly their peace is shattered.

Joey gasps and quickly climbs off of Pacey and they grab for their clothes as someone knocks on the window, shining a flashlight into the front cab of the truck.

To Be Continued...

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