Joey was exasperated with Pacey, who was sitting next to her. He insisted on waiting until after the brunch to tell Dawson about them, so she had to act like nothing had changed for the duration of the meal and the socializing. As they shared details of the funeral and their fond memories of Jen, Joey longed to hold Pacey's hand and lean into his side. But, every time she tried to touch him, he pulled away. He was determined not to ruin the day for their makeshift family. While she respected him for it, she also hated him a little bit, too.

When he went back into the kitchen to grab a new pitcher of orange juice, Joey followed him.

"Pace, why are you avoiding me?"

He shrugged. "Because if you touch me, I won't be able to stop myself from touching you back. And then everyone will know."

"And, why is that a bad thing?" Joey asked.

"Because Dawson needs to know first."

"Fine, then I'll go get him." Joey said as she turned on her heel and walked to the door. "Wait here."

Pacey reached out to stop her probably to ask her once again whether or not she was sure, but she evaded his grip and left the kitchen. When she reached the table with all of their friends, she said, "Hey, Dawson, can I see you in the kitchen for a minute?"

He smiled amiably and got up. "Sure." Then, to the table, "I'll be back."

Dawson asked Joey what was up as they walked to the kitchen, but she kept silent. Once they got to the swinging door, she motioned for Dawson to follow her.

Inside the kitchen, she saw Pacey visibly gulp at their entrance.

"So what do you need to talk to me about, Joey?" Dawson asked as he walked through the door. Then he looked up. "Oh, hey, Pace, I didn't realize you were in here, too."

Then, "What's up? Is everything okay Pacey? You look upset."

Joey walked from Dawson's side to Pacey's. "He'll be okay. He's just nervous."

"Why?"

Joey grabbed Pacey's hand and held on even though he tried to take his hand away. "To tell you about us."

There was silence as Dawson looked from Joey to Pacey and back again. Then, "Congratulations."

"Congratulations," was the absolute last thing Pacey expected to come out of Dawson's mouth when it came to him and Joey, so he couldn't help it when an involuntary, "What?" escaped his lips.

Dawson smiled. "I said 'Congratulations.' Are you getting hard of hearing in your old age, Pace?"

"Um, no. I just, ah, didn't expect that to be your response. Given our history and all."

"No, I guess you wouldn't."

"So, you aren't angry?"

"No," Dawson said as he glanced at Joey, who was smiling brightly. The two exchanged an almost imperceptible nod.

"Um, why do I feel like I missed something here?"

Joey chimed in. "Because it doesn't matter who ends up with whom. Right, Dawson?"

"Right," he agreed. Then, he walked over and kissed Joey lightly on the forehead.

When Dawson extended his hand to Pacey to shake, he nearly fainted. This was not the reaction Pacey expected.

They shook hands and Dawson turned to walk away. Before he exited the kitchen, he said, "But break her heart again, Pace, and I'll break your face."

Once Dawson was gone, having rejoined the table, Pacey looked at Joey. "What the hell was that?"

Joey smiled up at him. "You and I aren't the only ones who reached an understanding yesterday, darling. Dawson and I finally accepted that just because we're soulmates doesn't mean we're meant to be a couple."