Pacey was spent. It was after 11 pm on what had literally become the longest day of his life. If Jen's death, her impromptu wake, and his supremely confusing - and unfinished - conversation with Joey over their feelings wasn't enough to do it, dealing with a full dinner crowd was. Pacey had closed the restaurant over lunch so that Jen's friends and family could start to process her loss by gaining comfort from each other. It was during this event that he finally decided to let Joey off the hook. He loved her. He always would love her. And his life would be brighter with her in it. But losing Jen made him realize that he can't depend on Joey to make him happy. He had to do it himself - for himself. When he finally told her how he felt, that simply loving her whether or not he was with her was enough for him, Joey had shocked the hell out of him by refusing to be let off the hook and telling him that she still loved him, too. Unfortunately, they were interrupted before he could find out what she was trying to tell him. Although Pacey was dying to corner her and finish their conversation, he never got the chance because she snuck away and he had to prepare the restaurant for the dinner rush.

By the time he'd ushered the last of the customers out of the restaurant and finished up the paperwork he needed for his vendor deliveries in the morning, it was too late to go to Joey. Since he didn't have the energy for a long discussion over what her confession of love - which was, of course, given to him along with one for Dawson, too - meant for them, Pacey decided to close up and head home to bed.

He had just turned around to face the boardwalk after locking the doors when he was surprised to see Joey standing there.

"Hey," he mustered in a tired voice.

"Hey," she replied.

They stood there awkwardly for a moment just like they had at Aunt Gwen's when they were teenagers. Then, he asked, "What are you doing here so late, Jo?"

"We never finished our conversation."

Pacey took a step forward. "Yeah, I know. I was planning to call you tomorrow. I'm pretty wiped out and I assumed you were in the for the night."

Joey closed the distance between them. "I was. But this is too important. I didn't want to wait."

"So…" Pacey ventured. "What are you trying to say here, Jo?"

Pacey held his breath. If Joey was about to say what he thought she was going to say, this may very well turn out to be both the worst and best day of his life.

Joey had nearly killed Bessie when she interrupted their conversation earlier. She was finally ready to stop running only to literally be pulled away from the man she loved before she could tell him of her decision. Ever since Pacey kissed her that day on the side of the road, it had always been him. Not Dawson. Nor Charlie, Eddie, Christopher or any other man she'd been with since. She has always known who she was meant to be with, but she was too scared to admit it. At first it was because of what loving Pacey would mean for both of their friendships with Dawson. Then it was because she'd known that their love for each other not only had the power to make them happy - it had the power to destroy them both. She'd barely survived losing Pacey once, so she'd pushed him away six years ago for Eddie, not because she wanted Eddie more, but because she couldn't bear to have it all fall apart again.

Joey knew that Pacey was devastated by her rejection, which, ironically, was the first of a series of events that destroyed the life he'd worked so hard to build for himself. In a matter of days, he lost his job, his home, his car, his money, and the tenuous friendship he'd managed to rebuild with Dawson, whose money had gone up in flames along with his. When the shit hit the fan and Joey was once again caught between the two of them, it was Pacey she chose to comfort. He needed her. And she needed to be there for him. Ultimately, when she left for Paris, they'd parted as friends.

Joey hadn't planned to come home for Gail's wedding, but she accidentally learned Christopher was going to propose and she couldn't handle it. While Bessie, Grams, and Jen assumed her reluctance to take the next step with Christopher, who was, by all accounts and purposes, perfect for her, was because of Dawson, Joey knew it wasn't. She loved Dawson, but she was still in love with Pacey. If she married Christopher, she would have to let go of that love. And she didn't think she could.

Everything that happened since returning home - their banter during drinks, their "fake" kiss at the wedding, their comforting food fight, and Jen making Joey promise to make a decision as her dying wish - had all brought her here to this moment.

Joey lifted her hand to caress his cheek. "It's time that I stopped running from the best thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life. I love you Pacey J. Witter and I want to be with you."

At that, Joey saw the tension leave his body, but could still see disbelief in his eyes. She knew he wanted to be with her more than anything, but he was hesitant to get his hopes up only to be crushed later, given their last attempt at reconciliation. Joey lifted her other hand to his other cheek. "You once told me that decision over whether we'll be together has always been mine. Well, Pace, I'm making it. And I'm not going to change my mind. Not this time."

At that, Pacey relaxed, smiled, and pulled her toward him for a searing kiss.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I have the first 12 or so chapters written, so they'll be posted fairly quickly. Reviews are welcome and appreciated! And remember...there's a method to my madness when it comes to plot ;)