Just Breathe (sequel to The Favor)

by Kaytee

During a camping trip, Joey gets pissed when Pacey forgets to pack a few key items. I'm not talking about the marshmallows.

Just Breathe by Kaytee

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note: This is set a few weeks after "The Favor", but doesn't necessarily have to be read to enjoy this. As always, for my beta baby bijal who puts up with tons of crap.

Distribution: Ask and ye shall receive.

Rating: P/Jo NC-17

Spoilers: Well, yeah. So?

____

"So, Bessie's cool with you spending the weekend with your boyfriend in a small tent in the middle of the forest, just the two of you?" Jen Lindley asked casually, not looking up as she flipped through the pages of her English textbook from where she lay sprawled across the bed.

Joey Potter, sitting cross legged against the headboard of her bed, snorted rather indelicately. "Of course not. But she's not saying no, either."

"I guess it helps that you've already lived with him for three months in an enclosed space," Jen reasoned, taking out a hi-liter and streaking it noisily across a sentence in her notebook.

"I mean, she already thinks we're having sex," Joey pointed out. "I can't convince her that we're not."

"And she's letting you go anyway?" Jen asked, surprised.

Joey shrugged. "She says she's not really in any position to point fingers, but that she wants us to be extra careful, and to look at her and Bodie as an example of what can happen when you have unsafe sex."

Jen nodded, adding her own experience-based advice. "I'm a firm believer in safe sex. Sober sex, too. You don't ever want to wake up and wonder if he used a condom, trying to remember if you took your pill every day last week."

"Things haven't progressed to the point where we need . . . prophylactics," Joey said, a small blush tingeing her cheeks. "But I have the feeling that this weekend . . . "

Jen slammed her book shut, having waited all night to have this conversation. Grinning up at Joey, she said, "Are you hoping to get a little action, Joey?" she teased.

"Yes!" Joey exclaimed, tossing her own book aside. "God, you don't have any idea how much I want a little action. No, not a little action. Lots of action. Action packed."

Jen laughed appreciatively. "So what you're telling me is this weekend isn't really about communing with nature and appreciating the great outdoors, right?"

"Well, I don't know," Joey said. "Maybe that really is what's on his agenda. What if he's hoping to get a little fishing done before it gets too cold?"

"Pffft," Jen said, shaking her head. "You know better than that."

"I want to be sure, though."

"So ask him," Jen told her reasonably, shrugging a delicate shoulder.

"I'm sure I could, but how embarrassing would that be?" Joey laughed. "I can see it now. Hey, Pacey. This weekend, I was hoping we'd go on a nature hike. Appreciate the changing leaves. Have a little sex? Do some fishing."

"Joey! You lack imagination," Jen scolded, laughing. "There are ways to find out what he's expecting. And there are ways of letting him know what you're expecting, too."

"How?"

"Be creative!"

Joey thought for a moment, her brows knitting, and she was about to say something when there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in!"

"Look who showed up, begging for some work to do?" Bessie asked from the doorway.

Pacey Witter laughed as he walked past the older woman into the bedroom. "You totally misinterpreted me when I said, "Is Joey home?"

"I must have, Pacey," Bessie agreed as she began to shut the door behind her. "Because I could have sworn you said, "Please, can I take another look at the wiring in the Nautical Room for you, Bessie?"

"You know, maybe I did say that," Pacey said thoughtfully. "While you're gone, I'll try to remember exactly."

Bessie laughed and left, and Pacey turned his attention to Jen and Joey. "How are you two lovely ladies doing this evening? Discussing anything interesting?"

"Nothing more interesting than Macbeth," Jen lied in an obvious way, gathering up her things. "I should go now, anyway."

"You don't have to leave on my account, Lindley," Pacey grinned, placing an hand on her back and ushering her toward the door as she laughed.

"Hey Joey, call me later, okay? We'll finish that discussion we were having," Jen asked while Pacey shut the door behind her. Joey barely had the chance to agree when the door was closed firmly between them.

"Such a shame that she felt she had to go," Pacey commented with a grin, walking over and flopping across the recently vacated space on her bed. "Don't you think?"

Joey uncapped her pen and opened a notebook, flipping through the pages until she found what she was looking for. "Oh yeah," she said with a smile. "A tragedy, really."

"So . . . " Pacey trailed off, toying with cuff of her jeans absently. "Did you get permission?"

"Yeah," Joey nodded, taking a drink of her soda. "I mean, she's not thrilled, but she's not really upset, either."

Pacey took the soda from her fingers and took a long swallow, emptying the can and tossing it into her wastebasket. "She doesn't have to be happy about it, she just has to stamp it with her seal of approval."

"She did, don't worry," Joey said. "Have you gone shopping for the supplies yet?"

"No, I thought I'd do that tomorrow. Why? Did you make a list?" he teased. Joey loved her lists, would rarely shop without one, a fact he'd discovered over the summer and added to his own list of quirks to pick on her about.

"I did make a list of the things I want, as a matter of fact," Joey said, and handed it to him, poking him in the shoulder for mocking her propensity for lists.

Pacey read through the list out loud. "Grape soda, ice, hot dogs, bread, marshmallows, graham crackers, Hershey bars, Doritos, bubble gum, and a book we'd both like. Is that all?"

"No," she said quietly, and he noticed her bite her lip nervously.

"What else do you want me to get?"

She said something so quietly he couldn't make it out. "What?"

"Condoms!"

Pacey blinked in surprise as she blushed furiously, catching her lower lip between her teeth, a smile spreading over his face as he looked up into her eyes.

"Yeah?" he asked, his tone going for casual and ending up somewhere between amused and eager.

"Yeah," she said, grinning sheepishly.

____

"Well, that was very creative of you, I must say," Jen said, laughing.

Joey cradled the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she sat writing in her notebook as she half-heartedly read through Macbeth. "And then there was some making out but Bessie knocked on the door around 9:45 for our fifteen minute warning and he went and looked at the wiring in one of the guest rooms. He's still there, for all I know."

"See, what did I tell you?" Jen said rather smugly.

"Oh, shut up," Joey said, her laughter trailing off into a sigh. "I'm not going to absorb any more of this damned play tonight. Why is Lady Macbeth seeing ghosts? Are they real? Who cares?"

"Not me, that's for sure," Jen replied. "I have to get off the phone now, anyway. See you tomorrow, Jo."

"Yeah, bright and early. Bring me coffee and I'll bring you donuts," Joey offered, closing her school books.

"Deal," Jen agreed. "Bye."

"Bye," Joey said, and placed the receiver back in the cradle and standing up, tugging her shirt over her head and tossing it to the laundry basket in the corner, followed quickly by her bra.

She was unzipping her jeans when the door opened.

"Hey!" she yelped in surprise, turning instinctively away and glaring over her shoulder at the intruder.

Pacey entered her room and quietly shut the door behind him, a grin plastered across his face.

"Hey yourself," he said in a hushed tone, stepping up behind her.

"Let me put something on," she said, reaching for the nightshirt she'd laid out on her bed.

"No," he said quickly, gripping her upper arms lightly and pulling her back against him.

"Bessie will kill us both if she catches us," Joey whispered, tilting her head back against his shoulder as his hands slid along her smooth belly.

"Not if we're quiet," he whispered back, his hands finding her bare breasts and kneading them, the nipples hardening against his palms as his mouth began to trail open-mouthed kisses along her neck.

She let out a high, keening cry and he clamped his hand over her mouth and lifted his lips from her warm skin to whisper in her ear. "What was I thinking? You couldn't be quiet if your life depended on it."

Joey licked his palm, a surefire way to get him to release her, but instead he seemed more turned on. He kept her head tilted back against his shoulder, his hand covering her mouth firmly but not the least bit painfully. His breath whispered across her ear lobe as he whispered, "You can scream all you want this weekend, in fact, I'd venture a guess and say that you're going to be making all sorts of interesting noises."

Her eyes closed as his free hand toyed with her stiffened nipple, teasing her. "But it's a pity," he continued, his voice hoarse, his breath hot. "That you couldn't be quiet just now, because as soon as I saw your body, I had plans on pleasing it. On licking it, and sucking on it, maybe even taking it. I'm going to leave you now with that thought, and hope you take the lesson to heart and fully comprehend the importance of silence in certain circumstances."

Pacey released her then and stepped away from her quickly. "Hey," he said, and she turned to face him, the lust he saw clearly in her eyes mixed with the desire to cause him physical pain. Lots of it.

"What?" she demanded, bringing her hands to her hips.

He let his gaze travel her body from head to toe and back again, imprinting on his brain the image of her standing there, half naked in undone blue jeans and white cotton panties, beautiful in her frustration and desire.

"Nice tits, Potter," he commented casually, ducking out of the room before a stuffed animal could hit him in the head.

____

"And do you think I got any sleep last night?" Joey demanded, handing Jen a bear claw donut. "No!"

"He is a wicked boy, I agree," Jen commented as she handed Joey a styrofoam cup of cappuccino.

"Boy?"

Joey glanced over her shoulder at Pacey, who'd come up behind them while the two girls had been walking toward the high school. "You're always going to be behind me when I least expect it, aren't you?"

"Oh, I don't know, Joey," he grinned cockily, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm all for being in front of you, under you, or on top of you, if that's what you'd prefer, Potter. Not just behind."

"God," Jen muttered, veering away from the two. "I'll see you in English, Joey."

"Well, you've driven her off. Proud?" Joey said rather snarkily.

Her tone caught him by surprise and he looked down at her, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit," he said. "Have I done something?"

"I didn't exactly have the most restful night, you know," she grumbled.

"Are you mad?" he asked, concerned.

"Just frustrated," she admitted.

Pacey read the truth of it in her eyes, but he also saw a gleam that never ceased to make him nervous, no matter how many times he'd seen it. "You're going to make me pay, aren't you?"

Joey nodded. "I see sleepless nights in your future."

"Saw that in your crystal ball, did you?"

"Of course," she said, and he was relieved to see the lop-sided smile. "Along with visions of how you're going to make it up to me."

"Oh yeah?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow and bumping her with his hip.

"Long, drawn out visions. We're talking technicolor, surround sound quality here," she informed him.

"And in these "visions", do you forgive me for frustrating you on purpose, oh Merciful One?"

"Of course," she reassured him. "After the things you're going to do to me with your mouth, how can I not?"

"Still love me?"

"Always," she sighed. Before they had to split and go down opposite halls to their respective homerooms, she said, "But I was wondering something about your macho little display of dominance last night."

"And what, pray tell, could that be?" he asked, taking a bite out of her donut.

"There were other ways of preventing me from making noise," she said, leaning against him on her tiptoes, linking her wrists behind his head, careful not to spill her coffee. "For instance, I'm surprised you didn't realize that if I'd simply had something in my mouth, something to suck on, shall we say, the only noise I'd have been able to make wouldn't be any louder than a hum."

His mouth dropped open and she fluttered her lashes demurely.

"You - you're - oh, you are so - Joey!"

"Yes, Pacey?" she responded sweetly, licking her lips.

His eyes were drawn to the tip of her pink tongue as it swept her lower lip. "You're evil! I've always thought it, but now I'm damn sure of it!"

"No, not me," Joey said, laughing. "I was referring to a lollipop! What were you thinking of?"

"Believe me when I say you're going to find out," he said, pulling her closer to him.

"Someone's feeling all manly today," she commented with a grin, rubbing the fuzz of his hair.

"Go to class, little girl," he laughed, kissing her swiftly as the warning bell rang.

"See you later, Pace," she said, smiling, letting him take her coffee with his free hand.

"Love you, Potter," he responded, reluctant to let go of her hand as he turned toward his class.

"I kind of like you, too, Witter," she replied, her fingers squeezing his as she let go, turning away.

_______

"This is so going to suck. I bet she gives a pop quiz," Jen said grumpily, peering at her reflection in the mirror of the girl's bathroom.

"I know," Joey groaned. "And I can't concentrate!"

"Of course you can't," Jen mumbled as she reapplied her lipstick.

Sighing, Joey leaned her hip against the sink and crossed her arms. "I had problems keeping focused on Macbeth before his little stunt last night, but now . . . oh my God, I'm so . . . "

"Horny?" Jen guessed, rolling her eyes.

"Yes!" Joey cried, covering her eyes. "He says the raunchiest, most chauvinistic and crude things with that voice of his and I just want to jump him. God, I'm one of those girls I always hated, whose life revolves around their boyfriend."

Blotting her lips with a folded tissue, Jen wiped away a small smudge. "You just need to get some," she answered.

"And I intend to," Joey declared. "I'm getting tired of talking about it, having him whisper in my ear all about the way he's going to take me. This weekend, I thoroughly intend to be ravished."

"That's my girl," Jen laughed.

"I'm so tired of having a hymen, Jen," Joey groaned.

Jen dropped her mascara wand, she laughed so hard. "Oh my God, Joey!"

"I'm serious!" Joey exclaimed. "He talks about how he's going to make love to me. How we're going to have mind-blowing sex. How he intends to . . . fuck the breath from me," she finished, blushing profusely. "I just really, really want to stop talking."

A toilet flushed, and Joey and Jen both froze as one of the stall doors opened, and Andie McPhee walked out.

Joey was sure she'd never have a more embarrassing moment in her life, feeling the heat of her blush spread upward from her chest.

The blonde girl calmly washed her hands with brisk movements, the slight tremble of her fingers the only indication of emotion. Plastering on a smile, she glanced at Joey as she dried her hands. "Your vocabulary sure changes when you discuss him."

"Yeah . . ." Joey managed around the dry lump of embarrassment in her throat, noticing Jen bristling beside her. "Andie, listen . . ."

"No explanation necessary, especially to me. I mean, after all . . ." Andie trailed off, her smile brittle. "He's a very talented lover."

Before the door closed with a soft hiss, Jen muttered, "Bitch."

"Damn straight," Joey agreed. "I don't want to go to English. I think I'd take her head off."

"So let's not."

"What?" Joey asked in surprise as she felt the heat begin to leave her face.

"Let's skip it and go have coffee or something and finish this discussion," Jen suggested. "Because I don't think you've fully grasped something."

"What?"

"The differences between making love, having sex, and fucking," Jen smiled.

"You driving, or am I?" Joey asked as the bell rang, signaling the beginning of fourth period.

"You didn't bring your truck, remember?"

Joey reached into her backpack and pulled out a keyring. "We can take his car."

_____

Resting his head in his hand, he closed his eyes as his calculus teacher began to take attendance. Immediately his mind went where it always went when he closed his eyes lately: to the mental image of Joey, naked and writhing beneath him.

Sitting up straight and blinking to banish the sight, Pacey sighed, wondering how he'd get through the next forty-five minutes. There was no doubt in his mind that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on differentials and derivatives.

"Pacey," he heard a controlled voice say from behind him.

"Yeah, Dawson?"

"Isn't that Joey and Jen?"

Pacey looked out the window toward the parking lot to where his station wagon was parked. He watched as Joey unlocked his car and climbed in, leaning over to unlock the passenger side for Jen.

"Yup," Pacey answered, grinning as he watched Joey pull out of the parking space.

"What are they doing?"

"Looks like they're skipping class to me. Maybe she's taking Jen home or something. I don't know."

"She just took off in your car with Jen and you don't know where they're going?"

"No clue."

"Do you care?"

"She'll come back," he said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Doesn't it bother you that she just took off in your car without asking?" Dawson persisted.

"Why would she have to ask?"

"Because!"

"Why, Dawson? I trust her."

"She's got you whipped," Dawson commented snidely.

Pacey just shook his head and brushed him off. "We haven't gotten to whips yet, but hey . . . we're young."

____

"We have to watch our time, I can't miss Chemistry," Jen said as they sat at a tiny, round table by the window of the trendy little coffee shop, placing their over-priced lattes on obnoxiously intricate wooden coasters.

"That's fine, I shouldn't miss Psychology anyway," Joey replied, trying to get comfortable on the fashionably high stool.

"So how embarrassing was that thing with Andie? And wasn't she being suspiciously nice to you two in the first place?"

Joey nodded, stirring her coffee absently. "I thought she was just trying really hard, you know? I didn't think she had an ulterior motive or anything. I still don't."

Jen raised her eyebrows and didn't comment.

"I don't believe me, either," Joey sighed. "But, oh well. Even if she was out to get him, I'm not worried."

"Never underestimate the insane," Jen replied rather snippily.

"Jen!"

"I'm sorry! She pissed me off, saying that. Anyway," she continued smoothly. "We're here to discuss our favorite subject."

"So, what's so hard to figure out about the difference between the three?" Joey asked. "Seems pretty obvious to me. Making love is nice and slow, having sex is quicker, and . . . fucking is rough. Right?"

"Essentially yes. But there are nuances missed in that explanation," Jen said, warming to the subject.

"Go on," Joey encouraged, sipping from her styrofoam cup.

"Well, for one thing, making love is more than just being slower and, um, "nice," Jen said. "It's what the name implies - about expressing the love you have for one another. It's a physical expression of the two of you, and it's a beautiful thing to share. In all my experience, I've only made love once. And that one experience wasn't necessarily the best sex I've ever or will ever have, but he touched me in a place I thought no man could. My heart."

"Henry?" Joey guessed gently.

An expression of sadness washed over the blonde's face and then it was gone again. "Yeah. Henry."

Henry Parker, Jen's boyfriend, had broken up with her a few weeks into the new school year because he now attended a private school a state away and he'd decided that he didn't want to pursue a long-distance relationship. Jen had been heartbroken, and Joey had spent long hours consoling her, which had further cemented the burgeoning true friendship between the two.

"Have you heard from him lately?"

"No," Jen said briskly. "Anyway, making love is more of an emotional experience than a physical one. I'm not saying the physical aspect of the act isn't beautiful or unsatisfying, I'm just saying that with making love . . . it's more about what's in your hearts."

Joey nodded in understanding, not knowing what to say.

"Moving on to the "having sex" portion of our discussion," Jen continued her lesson.

Joey listened attentively, sipping her latte.

____

"How's my favorite juvenile delinquent? Do anything interesting during your English class? Say, engange in grand theft auto with a little blonde accomplice?"

Joey smiled as she glanced at Pacey, closing her locker door and slipping her bookbag over her shoulder.

"I have no idea what you're referring to," Joey replied innocently, her fingers entwining with his when he took her hand.

"So when I was sitting in math and I saw you take off in my car with Jen, that was just a figment of my imagination?"

"You should really seek therapy for those pesky mental lapses," Joey said as they made their way down the front steps of the school.

"Did you have fun?"

"Lots more than if we'd gone to English with Andie," she replied.

"And why's that?" Pacey asked curiously, swinging their joined hands as they walked toward his car.

"Cause I would have beaten her senseless," Joey replied promptly. "We're talking WWF worthy violence here."

"What?" Confused, he asked, "Why?"

"Jen and I were in the restroom before class and we thought we were alone and we were discussing . . . well . . ."

"Me?" Pacey guessed.

"And sex," Joey added quietly.

"I figured," he grinned. "What happened?"

"Well, Andie flushed and joined us at the sinks. And then she added her own experience-based insight to the conversation."

"Ohhhh . . . don't even know what to say . . ." Pacey trailed off as they reached his car, his expression screaming the magnitude of his discomfort. "What would be the response you're looking for here?"

"Undying love and endless support because it's your job as my boyfriend, sympathy for the embarrassment, and boundless pride because I didn't yank off your ex's arm and beat her with it."

"Okay, then," Pacey said, and stopped her from moving around the car to the passenger side.

Taking her chin in his hand, he tilted her face upward and took a deep breath before plunging right in. "Since it is, as you pointed out, in my job description as your boyfriend to love you and support you in all that you do, I'd like to inform you that I worship the ground you walk on and I'd back anything you said or did with full knowledge of the fact that if you ever did fall, you'd take me down with you. I'm sympathetic to the embarrassment of the situation and I hope you never experience anything of the like so long as you live. Although I'm proud of you every day of your life for every thing you do, I'm extremely proud of you for not dismembering my ex-girlfriend and bashing her with her own bloody limb."

Kissing her forehead before releasing her with a little push toward her side of the car, he asked, "How'd I do?"

"You get a gold star," she proclaimed as she got in and shut the door.

"That's it?! I had to pull that whole speech out of my ass, on the spot, and all I get is a gold star?" he asked incredulously.

"How about a cookie?"

"Joey!"

"Pacey!"

"I demand a better reward than a sticker or a cookie," he said firmly as he pulled out into traffic.

Joey rummaged around in her backpack, muttering, "I know I have a granola bar in here somewhere . . ."

"You know what I mean, Jo."

"You don't want a granola bar, either?" she asked with a mockingly dismayed expression.

"There's a whole list of things I want, Potter," he told her as he drove toward Main Street. "I want to bury my face between your thighs. I want to feel your hands on my cock. I want to be deep inside you with those mile long legs of yours wrapped around me. I don't, however, want your damned granola bar."

She sat stunned for a moment, staring at his grumpy profile as he drove. "Is that all?"

"I could go on."

"You don't need to, you've proven your point rather . . . effectively," she said, her voice husky.

"Oh really?" he asked gruffly, the twitching at the corner of his mouth giving him away. "I don't believe you.

"Really, you should."

"I need evidence that I've driven the point home," he said, glancing at her as they pulled up to a red light. "So prove it, Potter."

Understanding passing between them, she unbuttoned her jeans, unzipping slowly and exposing a pair of white cotton bikini briefs. Scooting her hips forward, she leaned her shoulders back and took one of his hands.

Sliding his fingers inside the elastic of her panties, he cupped her mound and she pressed against him.

"Green," she murmured hazily.

"What?" he asked as a questing finger slipped between her folds and she arched against the seat.

A car honked behind them and he yanked his hand away as if he'd been shot.

The station wagon burst forward through the intersection and Joey laughed, her cheeks reddening as she refastened her jeans. "I can't believe we just did that at a stoplight in the middle of town! What the hell are you doing to me, Pacey?"

Bringing his hand to his lips, he licked the finger that moments before had touched her deep inside. Grinning as she watched, enthralled, he said, "Anything you want me to."

"You're going to be the death of me," she murmured as he pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store.

"What a way to go, though," he replied as he turned off the engine.

Shaking her head as if to clear it, Joey said, "Okay. We need to be quick in here and go home long enough to pack our stuff so that we can be there before dark."

"I'm not the one who dawdles in the tea aisle," Pacey remarked as he got out of the car.

Joey shut her door and walked around the car to join him, their hands joining naturally as they walked toward the store.

"Well, I'm not the one who stands around the magazine rack endlessly," she retorted.

"Did it ever occur to you that I have to amuse myself while I wait on your slow ass?"

"Why am I dating you? Why do I put up with this? With you? Why?" she demanded.

"Well, you love me, for one thing," he replied easily. "For another, you want me. Even when I irritate you."

"Whatever," she snorted.

"Case in point, it's a nice, mild temperature. Seventy-five degrees, I'd say."

"And?"

"And that means it's not the cold that's got your nipples hard, honey."

Glancing down, she realized that he was right. Her breasts, braless beneath a burgundy tank, were indeed hard-tipped. Her shirt strained across her stiffened nipples clearly, and she dropped his hand in order to fold her arms across her chest. "Smart ass," she muttered, her face warming.

"True," he laughed, slipping an arm across her shoulders. "But I'm also right. Aren't I?"

"You never know, I could indeed find the weather a bit nippy."

His tone pitched for her ears only, he said, "I'll grant you that one, but the chill in the air doesn't account for how wet you are. You're soaked, Josephine, because you want me."

"You know what, I wouldn't give you my granola bar now if you wrote a damn soliloquy about how wonderful I am," she snipped, embarrassed.

"You'd give me anything I wanted," he said assuredly.

"Oh? Is that right?"

"That's damn right. If I decided to have you, right here, right now, against the lovely display of canned green beans in the middle of the store, you wouldn't say no to me. In fact, you'd probably be screaming "yes" over and over."

"Go do your part of the shopping and leave me alone before I take you up on the offer and we become an even bigger scandal," Joey ground out, knowing the truth in his words and wanting to kick him for it.

Knowing when to push her and knowing when to back off before she decked him, he kissed her quickly and took the list she offered.

"I'll meet you at the magazines," she said, her irritation dissipating. "Be good."

"Damn. . . "

"I know it'll be tough, but try, okay?"

Walking toward the snack aisle, Pacey grabbed a basket on his way and began filling it with the chips and soda she wanted, along with the s'more ingredients. After stopping at the refrigerated section to pick up a bag of ice, he continued on to the drug department. Turning the corner, he stopped and felt his heart tug the way it did whenever he laid eyes on her.

She stood in front of the prophylactic section, reading the back of one package of condoms after another, concentration kniiting her brows as she endeavored to make an informed decision. He walked up beside her and waited for her to notice him, not wanting to startle her or more importantly, annoy her.

Joey had known the moment his eyes had found her, and didn't feel the need to look and make sure it was him before speaking quietly a moment later. "I have a dilemma," she confessed, glancing between the two boxes she held in her hands.

"What is it?"

"Which do we want?" she asked, holding the packages so he could see his choices.

One package of Trojans proclaimed the thin design was made for maximum sensitivity, while the other box contained condoms "ribbed for her pleasure."

"That one," he said, tapping the box in her right hand, the ribbed design. "But uh, in a larger size."

"I - I um, I know you're uh . . . big . . . but I don't really have anything to compare you to so I uh, wasn't sure," she stammered out as she put the two boxes back on their pegs and reached for a magnum sized version of the latter choice.

"And that just breaks my heart, Potter," he smiled as they walked toward the checkouts.

"Yeah . . . shut up."

"I love how eloquently verbose you are, Josephine."

"You know, keep it up and there's a distinct possibility we won't even need the condoms," she teased, bumping his shoulder with hers.

"No, no, no. We've been over this. You wouldn't hold off on me. Do we need to have this conversation again, young lady?"

"Maybe I need a little reminder," she grinned up at him, a compelling combination of innocent and vixen "But not here. Later."

Their cashier turned out to be a classmate of theirs, and Pacey was proud of the way she remained outwardly calm throughout the purchase, holding her head high and looking the smirking girl in the eyes. The only indication of her unease was the way she toyed with the ring on his pinkie, out of the cashier's line of vision.

"You two have fun this weekend," she drawled with a sneer that made Joey want to smack her.

Instead, she simply smiled as she traveled the high road. "I'm sure we will."

Walking out to his car with their supplies, Joey checked her watch. "We need to get a move on, Pacey."

"Anxious, are we?"

She threw him an irritated glance as they reached the station wagon and began loading their bags into the back. "Pacey! It's a two hour drive and I'd like to be there while it's still light so we can set up the tent before dark and get a fire going! We have to hurry, okay? You do have your stuff packed and ready to go by the door, don't you?"

Pacey sighed as he walked around the car and unlocked the passenger side, going around to the driver's side. "Yes, dear."

"Did you remember your toothbrush? Deoderant?"

"Yes, dear," he sighed, turning on the ignition and pulling out of the space.

"Clean socks?"

"Joey, I have actually camped before."

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice contrite. "I guess I'm just . . . anxious."

He glanced at her and smiled. "Forgiven."

____

Joey shifted in her seat and laughed. "Oh, this position looks like it would be fun."

"Which one?" Pacey asked, taking his eyes off the highway to look at the diagram she pointed to in the latest issue of Glamour. "What the hell do I look like, a gymnast? That would kill me, Jo. At the very least, I wouldn't walk straight for weeks."

"That's not one we'll be trying out, then?" she teased.

"I don't think so."

"Damn," she sighed wistfully. "And I was so hoping you'd see my naked body from that angle."

Pacey laughed as she continued to flip through the magazine and they lapsed back into a comfortable silence, listening to the soft radio.

After swinging by Doug's to grab his gear, they'd gone to Joey's house so she could change into shorts and get her own belongings. It had taken them nearly forty five minutes to get away from Bessie who had, along with last-minute warnings, a few odds and ends around the B&B for Pacey to check out before they'd left.

As he drove along the open road, Pacey noticed the clouds gathering in the sky ahead of them, and wondered how badly it was going to rain, hoping the apparently on-coming storm would pass quickly.

"Some of these are really weird," Joey continued after a few minutes.

"And back-breaking," he added, glancing over at the new page of illustrations.

"I mean, Jen and I were looking through Cosmo the other day and it was basically the same article - "How These Five Fantastic Positions Will Knock Your Nookie Up A Notch" with detailed diagrams and explanations of positions that just look . . . odd," she said, her nose wrinkling slightly. "And I hope we never get to the point where I need to hang upside down and bounce to retain excitement in our relationship."

Resting his hand on her warm bare thigh, he shook his head, chuckling gently. "I don't think you need to worry about that."
"I didn't think so," she admitted with a sweet smile, covering his hand with her own.

Turning his attention back to the road, he turned the radio up when he heard the newscaster introduce the weather reporter.

" . . .stay inside for a few hours while the storm blows over, Steve. Winds up to 20-25 miles an hour from the north, looks like it's going to be chilly night, with lows in the upper forties. Tomorrow, expected sunshine with a few clouds, highs in the seventies."

"Are we going to be okay?" Joey asked, alarmed. "Should we go back?"

"Nah," he said. "We'll be fine."

"Are you sure, Pacey? Because he sounded like the storm is going to be somewhat serious."

"It'll be just for a few hours and then it'll move on. No big deal. Stop worrying, Jo," he said gently.

"I'm not worried."

"It's going to be a beautiful weekend," he promised, squeezing her thigh and smiling reassuringly.
_____

"This blows, Potter."

Joey looked out at the pouring rain from where she sat hunched over her drawn up knees, her chin resting on her folded forearms. "That it does."

They'd gotten to the deserted campground a few hours beforehand and had eaten a dinner of ham sandwhiches in the car, waiting for the rain to let up. When it looked like it had and the storm was moving on, they'd gotten out and began setting up the tent.

A second downpour began when they were halfway through, and by the time it was completely set up, they were soaking wet and cranky.

While she'd changed into some dry clothes, he brought in the rest of the supplies and when she laid out her sleeping bag, they discovered that he'd forgotten his.

For the last few hours they'd been playing cards by the light of the lantern and waiting for the rain to let up. Seeing that it was nearly ten thirty, she sighed.

"This isn't going at all like I pictured," she said quietly a few minutes later.

"How did you picture it?" he asked from where he sat cross legged beside her.

She was silent for awhile and he wasn't sure she was even going to answer when she said, "Well, for one thing, I pictured good weather."

"Can't do anything about that one, Jo," he said with a teasing smile.

"I pictured a fire and toasted marshmallows and your arms wrapped around me, keeping me warm," she continued softly, biting her lower lip.

"Come here, Jo," he said gently, opening his arms.

She crawled into his lap and he gathered her close to his chest, resting his head against hers. "I can't give you a fire or marshmallows at the moment, but I can get you warm at the very least," he said.

She leaned against him and listened to the rain beat down on the canvas of their tent, felt his body so close to hers and wanted him closer.

Running her fingers over his buzzed hair, she brought his head down to hers, brushing her lips tantalizingly against his. "I pictured us making love."

He kissed her slowly, lingeringly, his tongue slipping between her lips and tangling with her own. Shifting in his arms, she tilted her head and deepened the kiss even further.

His hand was beneath her shirt, caressing her breast when she said, "Now, Pacey."

"Now?" he whispered against her mouth, and she opened her eyes, which were cloudy with lust.

"Yes, now," she answered with a small smile, nervous and hopeful.

He planted a kiss on her forehead and picked her up off his lap, settling her on the opened sleeping bag, then turned away from her toward their gear.

"What are you doing?" she asked, watching as he dug through the grocery bags at a pace that became more and more frantic with each successive bag.

Pacey sat back on his heels, letting out a frustrated grunt. "God damn it."

Alarmed, she sat up and reached out to touch his shoulder. "What's wrong, Pacey?"

"Joey, you have to promise not to be angry."

"Just tell me!" she demanded, knowing instinctively that she wasn't going to like this, and having a pretty good idea what "this" was going to be.

"You know the bag with the s'mores stuff and the gum? The one that also has our condoms in it?"

"Pacey . . ."

"I left it," he admitted in a quiet voice.

____

Twenty minutes later, he only wished she'd yell at him, scream at him from the top of her lungs, berate him with biting sarcasm. Anything was better than her silence.

After his confession to leaving the all-important items not only back in Capeside but on her dining room table, she'd simply stared at him for a few moments.

Then she'd changed clothes as if he weren't sitting there watching her in the lamplight, and crawled into her sleeping bag and turned her back to him.

He couldn't stand it any longer, her silence rubbing his nerves raw. "You have to talk to me," he said finally.

"No, I don't," she responded calmly.

"Joey. You can't do this to me. It's just not right."

"I'm not doing anything to you."

"You're closing down," he snapped. "I can't take it when you cut me off like this, Jo, and you know it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she responded airily over her shoulder.

"The hell you don't. You know damn good and well what you're doing," he said.

"Cry me a river, Pacey," she said in an indifferent tone.

He was quiet for a moment, stung. "You know how much it hurts me when you refuse to talk. Especially when I could never stop talking to you, no matter what mindless thing you do."

"I'm just upset," she said, something of an apology in her tone.

Pacey snorted in agreement, adding sarcastically, "Really? I couldn't tell."

"Look," she snapped. "I just want to go to sleep, okay? I'm tired, and I'm cranky, and I just hope the rest of the weekend goes even a little bit better."

"Will you let me sleep with you?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

"That was the point of the trip, wasn't it?"

"I meant, sleep with you in the bag," he sighed.

"Don't be ridiculous, Pacey, of course you can sleep in my bag with me. Just because I'm angry doesn't mean I want you to freeze your ass off while I'm nice and toasty," Joey told him, unzipping the bag and moving to allow him room.

"You're all heart, Potter," he said, the words dripping with sarcasm as he stripped off his clothes and scooted in behind her.

He struggled in vain to get comfortable, spooning his body up against hers, unsure what to do with his arms and finally just wrapping them around her waist.

"I can't breathe, Pacey, let go of me," she snapped, tossing her head and causing her hair to hit him in the face.

"I'm so sorry!" Pacey bit back, releasing her immediately.

Turning over in the tight space, her knee bumped his groin and he barked out a curse. "Watch what you're doing, okay? God damn."

"I barely touched you, you big baby," she said, brushing him off as she searched for a relatively comfortable position.

"Could you get your feet off me? Please?" he asked, making a mockery of being polite. "Your toes are freezing and I'd like to keep as much body heat as I can, all right?"

"Oh, please forgive me for deigning to touch you with my offensively frozen feet, Pacey!" Joey exclaimed incredulously. "If you don't like it, why don't you go sleep in your own sleeping bag? Oh, that's right! You forgot yours!"

"God, let it go, Joey! There's nothing I can do about it now, okay? I'm just an irresponsible moron."

"I'm fully aware of that, Pacey."

Turning on his back, Pacey sighed and linked his hands under his head, staring at the top of their tent in the dark. Frustrated, irritated, and exhausted, he stopped himself from saying something that would leave him walking back to Capeside, limping and bloodied.

She held herself rigidly as far away from him as possible until, inch by inch, she shifted slightly and rested against him, using his chest as a pillow since he'd taken over hers.

His anger ebbing, he caught the scent of the hair that had so irritated him and began to feel foolish. He began to rub her back in broad strokes, hoping she wouldn't snap at him, relieved when he felt her body begin to relax against his.

"I'm sorry I left the bag, Jo. You have no idea how much," he said, pressing a kiss on the top of her head.

She snuggled closer to him, sliding an arm across his stomach and letting him hug her tighter. Her legs tangled with his and their limbs found the homes they'd been searching for, and finally, they were comfortable.

Listening to the beat of his heart, she said, "I'm sorry I gave you the silent treatment. I know it's effective, but I didn't realize it hurt you that much."

His hand idly caressed his hair, his voice rough as he said, "Well, it does hurt me that much. You don't realize how much I love how open you've become to me. How much it means to me when you let me in a little more every day. Shutting me out is the absolute worst thing you could ever do, and I hate it, Potter."

Joey was ashamed of herself for her behavior, ashamed of herself for causing him pain. She hated fighting with him, hating herself afterwards for reverting to behavior a three-year-old wouldn't be proud of, and tonight was no exception.

"I'm not really mad at you, Pacey."

"Yes you are," he said with a small laugh. "Don't try that "I'm mad at the situation, not you" crap, Potter. You're pissed at me because I left it, and you're especially pissed I left it where I did."

"Of course I'm pissed at you, oh my God," she responded immediately. "I could kill you with my bare hands and they'd never, and I mean never, find the body."

He laughed and she could hear the deep sound rumbling in his chest beneath her ear, and she smiled.

They laid entwined together, listening to the rain pitter-patter loudly agains the tent.

"I don't think you're an irresponsible moron, Pacey," she told him in a small voice.

"Well, the way I figure it, I have my stupid moments, we all do," he said. "But I can't be that much of a screw-up, I can't have that many insurmountable character flaws. Do you want to know how I know this?"

"How, Pace?"

"Because you belong to me, Jo," he told her. "And I can't be a loser if I have you, can I?

Joey thought she'd never be a woman who would ever "belong" to any man, but she realized his words, simply and honestly spoken, were true. She was his; she'd given him her heart, given him her soul, and soon, she'd give him her body, too.
____

Bright sunshine and the sound of birds cheerily chirping woke her and she smiled slowly, shifting slightly in his embrace.

They'd entangled even further in their sleep and she lied there wrapped up tightly in his arms, his hair-roughened legs intimately entwined with her smooth ones. Her body rested mostly on his, her face pressed against the warm skin of his shoulder. Joey inhaled deeply, his familiar scent mixing with the fresh forest air and she felt him begin to stir.

Pacey moved against her as he woke, and she felt his erection press against her thigh. Feeling adventurous, the hand that rested on his chest began to slide slowly down over his flat stomach but when she slipped her fingers into the waistband of his shorts, he gripped her wrist and stilled her.

Bringing her hand back up to his chest, his voice was scratchy and deep as he said, "Don't start something we can't finish, little girl."

"Damn it," she sighed, moving her head back to look up at him. Smiling ruefully, she touched his face with her fingertips. "Hey, you."

"Hey, Potter," he greeted her just as warmly, smiling sleepily down at her and tenderly tucking a wayward strand of silky hair behind her ear.

"How ya doin?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

"Well, let's see," he said, caressing her smooth cheek with his knuckles. "I've been awakend to this beautiful, sunshiney day by my gorgeous girlfriend who happened to be sliding her hand into my shorts. On the other hand, I had to stop her before she became to adventurous because I'm an ass who left very important items at home and if she had continued on her downward journey to my nether regions, I wouldn't be responsible for what happened. So, all in all, from the three or so minutes I've been awake, I'd say this day is going to be wonderfully frustrating."

"Are you always so verbose first thing in the morning?" Joey laughed, shifting against him and inadvertently brushing him with her thigh.

Pacey tilted back his head and groaned. "Jo."

"Yeah?"

"One of us is going to have to get up."

"Why? I like it where I am," she said, snuggling closer against him.

"Because I'm hard as a friggin rock and you're in a precarious position," he answered, feeling her warmth against his hip through the thin cotton of her panties.

"What position would you like me to be in?"

Her eyelashes fluttered coyly and she licked her lips slowly, teasing him.

"Joey, go away," he groaned with a chuckle, kissing her forehead and unzipping the bag, letting a cold rush of air wash over them. "Or better yet, I'm going to go away."

Gently disengaging himself from her, he groaned as he got to his knees, crawling slowly to the bag at the side of the tent. His joints and muscles screamed in protest after a night spent on the ground as he slipped on a pair of jeans and a faded red t-shirt.

"Where are you going?" she asked as she watched him pull on socks and shoes.

"Away from you and that clingy nightshirt," he said, leaning over her to kiss the tip of her nose before leaving their tent.

Joey smiled, and turned over on her stomach, not wanting to leave the warmth of the bag just yet. She reached over to her backpack to get her book, and blinked in surprise as she pulled out a small box instead.

There was a Post-It note stuck to the variety pack of Trojans, and Joey nearly died as she read it.

"Just looking out for you. And don't thank me, I don't want to know. ~Bessie"

____

When he walked back to their campsite a little while later, he was pleasantly surprised to see her cheerfully cooking eggs and bacon on their little Coleman stove. She was wearing jeans and a green knit sweater, her hair braided and a smile on her lightly made-up face.

"You're just in time," she said, smiling brightly as she fixed a small plate for him.

"Awww, you cooked!" he grinned.

"Don't get used to it, Pacey. Where'd you go?"

Pacey sat down on one of the camping chairs she'd gotten out of the car, and bit into a hot piece of crispy bacon. "Ow."

"It's hot."

"Yeah, thanks," he nodded. "I walked around the entire campground."

"Ah," she said, handing him a bottle of water from the cooler and sitting down beside him.

"It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day," he said, staring up at the cloudless blue sky.

She watched him as she said, "Yes, it is."

They ate in companionable silence, enjoying the fresh, scrubbed clean quality of the forest after the rain, enjoying simply being with each other.

"While I walked around I was thinking," he said, wiping his mouth off with the napkin she offered him. "You know, this isn't the end of the world, my leaving the damn things behind."

"I know," she said. "I mean, there are tons of things we could do. We could go swimming in the river."

"Or hey, I saw this nature trail while I was walking. We could go hiking," he suggested.

"Yeah!" she said, smiling. "We could spend some quality time together, away from everyone else."

"We could play some cards, read to each other, just hang out," he said, a smile on his face.

Joey nodded, grinning. "Or we could make love."

The plate dropped from his fingers. "What?"

"While you were gone, I discovered that Bessie had added something to my backpack," Joey said, reaching down to the other side of the fire and tossing him the package.

He stared at the box and Bessie's note for a moment, seemingly dumbfounded.

"Still want to play cards?" Joey asked, taking a drink of his water.

"Get your ass over here," Pacey said, grabbing her hips.

She straddled his thighs and laughed as he pulled her down against him. "When were you going to tell me that? You just let me babble on."

"You're so cute when you're floundering," she said, resting her hands on his shoulders. He grinned up at her and leaned in to kiss her, and she moved her mouth just out of his reach.

"You're an evil little thing," he told her, pretending to pout.

"So you keep saying," she said, taking his face between her hands.

Leaning down, she brushed his nose with hers and kissed him, her lips gentle and teasing. Tilting his head and opening his mouth a little wider, he deepened the kiss as she stroked his tongue with her own.

Pacey's hands slid to her jean-clad ass and he pulled her tighter against him as she broke the kiss for air, tilting her head back as he took the opportunity to kiss her throat. She could feel him stiffening against her and ground her hips against him instinctively.

"Here, let me get out of this thing," she panted, and leaned away from him just long enough to tug the sweater off her head and toss it to the earth.

"Get out of this, too," he mumbled as he kissed her delicate collarbone, his fingers fumbling with the clasp of her bra.

Pacey pulled the straps off the white cotton bra off her shoulders, revealing her full, rounded breasts. Cupping their weight in his hands, he took a hardened nipple between his lips and suckled her hard as he kneaded her other breast.

Her hands were busy between them as she scooted back just enough to unfasten his jeans and reach into his boxers, freeing him. "Not gonna stop me this time, huh?"

Pacey bit her nipple in response as she wrapped her hands around his hard cock, stroking the length of him.

"Joey, I'm not gonna last too long if you keep doing that," he said, his fingers toying with her wet and aching nipple as pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck.

"I want you now, Pacey, we've waited so damn long," she panted, gasping as he twisted the peaks of her breasts.
Pacey needed no further encouragement and stood up, lifting her as if she weighed nothing. He walked the short distance to their tent with her half naked body wrapped around him, and laid her gently on the sleeping bag.

Joey laughed breathily as he moved to lay down beside her. "You left something out there."

He looked at her quizzically for a moment and she simply watched him until the bulb lit above his head. Dashing outside, he grabbed up the box of condoms, silently thanked Bessie once again, and ran back to the tent to find her peeling off the rest of her clothes, kicking her panties off her ankle and stretching out.

Her voice was husky as she looked up at him. "You're overdressed," she said, and watched as he tugged the shirt over his head and tossed it, followed quickly by his pants and boxers. She laughed as he got frustrated because he hadn't taken off his shoes first.

Finally, he knelt down at the foot of the sleeping bag and leaned over her, trailing kisses along her body as he made his way upward. He kneeled between her thighs, noting how they trembled around him.

"You're doing good, Jo," he whispered, looking down into her eyes as he reached between them to touch her.

"I'm trying," she said with a tremulous voice and a smile to match.

"Just breathe," he said, watching her face as he caressed her intimately, his thumb sweeping over her hard little clit as he slid two fingers into her damp heat. He felt her muscles clench around him with a vise grip and he knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"I want you," she said, her hips pushing against his hand as he fingered her with shallow thrusts, stretching her. Her body felt as if it were on fire and the touch of his fingers did nothing to alleviate the ache she felt deep inside.

"This is going to be a little painful, Jo," he said, teasing her clit with stroking fingers. Her hips bucked up against his hand and she nodded.

"I know," she said. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters, Jo," he whispered, easing his hand away from her and opening the box he'd dropped beside the sleeping bag. He tore open a packet and she watched through heavy lids as he pinched the tip and rolled the condom down over himself before settling between her thighs, positioning the head of his cock just barely inside her tight opening. She was tense, and a little afraid, and so wet for him he could barely stand it. But he wanted her to be sure.

"I don't want to hurt you," he said, bringing his hands to her face and brushing away a few wisps of hair stuck to her sweat dampened skin.

Joey spread her thighs a little wider, and raised up a little to plant a kiss on his lips. "I know. I trust you."

Pacey pushed into her body slowly, the exertion of control evident in the way he grit his teeth, in the beads of sweat that appeared on his brow.

Her smile trembled, her touch feather light on the bunched muscles in his shoulders. "Pacey . . . I won't break."

"I just - I don't want to hurt you," he repeated.

"I know, Pace," she whispered, her eyes reassuring him.

He kissed her then, passionately, and when his tongue plunged into her mouth, he pushed and broke through her body's resistance in a single slow thrust that made her wince and gasp into the kiss.

"Are you all right, Jo?" he asked, using control he wasn't aware he had as he remained still within her, giving her body time to adjust to his size, to the feel of him.

"Yeah, it's just . . . " she stammered, trying not to let him see the pain on her face, closing her eyes. "You're so . . . big, and it stings."

"I'm sorry, Jo. It'll pass in a minute, I promise," he said, feeling her tightly clenched muscles give him a little more room as they relaxed somewhat. In an effort to ease her discomfort, he readjusted her hips and then slid his hands along her upraised thighs.

The pain was just beginning to ebb when he pushed her legs back a little farther, and he sank even deeper into her tight warmth, the sensation sending shockwaves of pleasure throughout her body.

"Oh . . ." she breathed, and he felt her hips move slightly against him. Her thighs hugged his waist as he began to move slowly within her.

Pacey stared down at her, saw how tightly shut her eyes were, and he pressed light kisses to each eyelid and then her nose. His thrusts were slow and deep as he brushed his lips across hers, caressing her mouth with his own as she began to whimper.

"Open your eyes, Jo . . ."

Her eyes remained tightly closed for a moment longer, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

Then her thick lashes swept upward, revealing hazel eyes so clear and teary, he knew he could see into her soul. And what he saw there was trust, and more love than any man deserved from Joey Potter.

"I love you," he said, his thumbs sweeping away her hot tears as they spilled over.

Her hands swept over his back as his hips began to move a little quicker, and after a few moments she matched his pace, her body seeking release to the heat building unbearably inside.

Reaching down between them, he touched her clit, stroking it with firm fingers as he pushed himself into her body over and over. Lust and tension coiled tighter within her and distantly she wondered how much more she could take. When he started to thrust harder and deeper, his own climax approaching, her inner muscles began to clench tightly around him in spasms as wave after wave of pleasure began to wash over her.

Pacey looked down at her face, her mouth dropped open in a suprised O, her expression one of astonished pleasure as she came, staring up into his eyes with her soul laid bare.

Her orgasm triggered his own and he thrust deep inside her tight body, leaning his head down and kissing her as his body shuddered with his release.

They held each other close afterwards, touching and talking and laughing and dreaming, wrapped up in each other and more in love than ever before.

As the sweat on their bodies cooled, Joey laid her hand on his face and he nuzzled into her touch, his eyes closing briefly at the tender caress.

"I don't want to sound cliched, but . . . how was I?" she asked lightly, but he heard the anxiety she tried to hide.

"You get a gold star," he smiled, kissing her palm.

Relief evident in her voice, she played along. "That's it?"

"How about a cookie?" he teased, idly fingering a lock of her silky hair.

Joey smiled, staring into his eyes. "How about forever?"

His heart tugged painfully in his chest and he fell a little more in love with her, not believing that was even possible.

"You can have that, too."