Firstly many thanks to those who reviewed and favourited. Thanks for trying this fic out. It is mostly planned in my head but only this and chapter five are written. School is out so motivate me to write rather than slump into a crumpled, shattered heap whenever I have five minutes to myself lol. Thanks guys!

Chapter Four

It had taken him a while to find it in his parents loft, but he'd eventually located his incredibly old, but still functioning, standing heater. He'd cleaned it up and loaded it into the back of his squad car. It wasn't charity and it wasn't weird because they were friends, or so he kept trying to tell himself. It was one friend helping out another friend. He parked the car close to the mobile home and banged on the door. Bodie answered, all bundled up in coats with the baby strapped to his chest, which Pacey could only tell because the kid was screaming.

'Fuck,' he looked somewhere between unsurprised and almost fearful to see Pacey. 'Where is she?'

'I don't know,' Pacey frowned.

'Then why are you stood at my door with your squad car?' Bodie glared at him.

'I found my folks old heater,' he stated somewhat lamely.

'How the fuck you know about our broken heater?' Bodie took a step towards him. 'I mean really?'

'I...uh...Joey told me?'

'Joey? Joey told you?' His mocking tone did not indicate that this was the correct answer, nor the correct name. 'Shouldn't you be calling her Potter? And when did the eighteen year old school girl tell you about our broken heater?'

'I uh... saw her when I was on patrol?' he hated how everything was coming out as a question.

'Did you?' Bodie gave a wry half laugh because he clearly didn't believe that.

'She said the baby was cold,' he attempted and Bodie's eyes narrowed.

'She's sorting it, so we don't need anything from you,' and he slammed the door in his face.

As the month ended and December dawned the weather got colder, harsh winds and snow that never seemed to stop. He couldn't remember the world ever being so white, for so long. He had a lot to deal with. There were so many fender benders, old people isolated by snow and ice, and other snow related incidents. He shovelled more drives than he cared to think of. There wasn't any serious crime, nothing to speak of anyway. Pacey figured it was because it was too damn cold. Nobody in their right mind would be out purely to do wrong. It wasn't the snow and ice that was so debilitating but the sub zero temperatures that persisted week in and week out. More than once his mind would turn to Joey and her badly insulated mobile home and broken heater. As he was driving down Water Street, slowly of course so that he didn't slide the car, he thought about Joey, thought about their promise to be friends six weeks earlier. If you could call it that. For him it was a promise not to fuck her, through promising to befriend her, because he couldn't stop thinking about her which was scary. He couldn't deny the fact that he'd enjoyed her company. She was funny, sassy and sweet, even if she could be hard as nails. He also couldn't stop thinking of her sat by her record player, choosing different songs for him to listen to, all because they meant something to her. With any other girl the whole record player thing would have felt pretentious but Joey wasn't showing off for anyone - she didn't have anyone to show off for. Owning the records wasn't about impressing a boy, or making friends, or becoming a DJ, they were about the crackle of the needle on vinyl and about how that made her feel, about how each song sounded different, had more to it when it was pulled from a record sleeve, placed on the player and the needle was lowered to just the right place. They were accompaniments to her loneliness and there was nothing pretentious about that.

Pacey's stomach grumbled which wasn't all that surprising given the hour. It was lunchtime and he was supposed to be meeting Doug and Jack at Munchies Diner. Despite its ridiculous name, the food was wonderful and on a freezing December day it was warm and festive, like a big warm hug welcoming you in.

He was a half an hour early but he had his radio on him so it didn't really matter. Not with the crime dive as it was. He sat at the usual booth he shared with Doug and Jack and waited for Maggie the waitress to notice him. He pulled out the menu even though he knew what he would be ordering - a burger with salad and no fries, followed by cherry pie. When it came to Munchies he was a creature of habit. He'd been ordering the same thing since he'd come in for family meals years earlier. When Maggie didn't come over within five minutes he looked around the crowded diner. There were even a couple of groups waiting for a free table - apparently the warm, welcoming glow of Munchies had wide spread appeal. Finally he spotted Maggie at a table in the corner. She seemed to be having something of an argument with the occupant, though he couldn't hear what was being said. When Maggie banged her hand on the table sharply he immediately stood and moved to the corner, surprised to see Joey sat defiantly at the small table with the baby on her knee.

'Everything ok Mags?' he asked gently.

'They've been here all morning without ordering anything but a cup of coffee and having free refill after free refill,' Maggie was clearly quite exasperated and angry, very angry.

'I'm just deciding what to order,' Joey stated flicking through the menu.

'You've been saying that for over an hour,' Maggie glared. 'I have customers waiting for seats. Actual paying customers and it's time you moved on to somewhere else.'

'I...maybe I'll have the...um...'

'The um what?' Maggie glared. 'Maybe you can pay for the coffee before you disappear too.'

'Ladies,' Pacey stepped between them, putting a hand on Maggie's shoulder.

'Please, it's so cold out,' Joey, for the first time since Pacey had met her, lost some of her sass, some of her defiance. She was actually asking Maggie to take pity on her. Unfortunately people don't always hear cries for help and Joey's was ignored,

'So go home. It's not my job to keep you warm,' Maggie growled and Pacey knew it was decision time as Joey began to wrap the baby in some elaborate material baby sling, tugging on the most inadequate looking leather jacket he'd ever seen.

'You know I can solve all this. I was on my way over to ask Joey to join me for lunch, so problem solved.'

'Really?' Apparently Maggie didn't buy it, and Joey flushed red.

'How about it Jo?' he asked and she raised her eyebrows at the use of Jo.

'It's fine I'll go,' she shook her head and he winced at the sound of her stomach rumbling, a sound even he could hear. She picked up a blanket and wrapped it around the baby, tugging a hat on his head and pushing past both he and Maggie as she left the diner. Pacey was hot on her heels.

'You never called,' he shouted after her, watching her shake in the bitter cold.

'I never called!' she gave a bitter laugh. 'I'm eighteen. You're the guy. I was never gonna call and you know it. I mean why would you want to be friends? I'm not going to pursue that only to have you laugh in my face. And you never gave me a number.'

'I meant it, about being friends I mean,' he told her. 'Come on, let me give you a ride home before the baby freezes?'

She hesitated, clearly uncertain about this and whether it was an act of charity or not, or perhaps whether she cared, but at length nodded.

'I don't have a car seat,' she told him and he shrugged.

'I have one in the trunk. I have a lot of nieces and nephews who occasionally require being carted around.'

'Oh,' she nodded still not approaching. Taking that as tacit agreement he moved to his cruiser and popped the trunk grabbing the seat and fixing it in the car before holding out his hands for the baby. Still wrapped in the blanket Joey handed him over.

'Hey Alex, my man. Aren't you just the cutest,' he babbled as he sat him in the seat, clicked the straps and then covered him over with a blanket. 'Ok. You're all set. You got your seat, you got your hat, you got your blanket. Now all we need is your aunt,' he looked to Joey who sighed and got into the car, as quiet and sullen as he'd ever known her.

Silently he got in the car and started the engine, flushing with embarrassment as the Elliott Smith album he'd bought after his evening with Joey started playing. She looked at him and laughed softly, but then she began to cry, leaning forward and pressing her face into her knees. Her shoulders shook even though they weren't great heaving sobs, more tears of pain or of something far more fundamental that he didn't understand.

'Oh hey,' he pressed an uncertain hand to her shoulder and rubbed it softly but she sat up and stared at him with vacant, glassy eyes. 'It'll be ok,' he attempted but she just shook her head,

'No it won't.'

'Tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help?' he was surprised at the thickness in his throat, the words sincere but somehow throttled by a heaviness,

'Fix our heating,' she said too quickly, the words shrill and tight as she held back tears. 'Bodie...he's looking for work and I'm with Alex. We can't stay at home. The baby would freeze so we...we just bum around from place to place ordering free refill coffee. I don't even like coffee. I can't go to school and I'm gutted. I hate that place and yet I'd love to be there because I could be warm for nearly eight hours a day. Fuck,' she swore, and turned to the car window pressing her face to the glass. 'Just take us to the Walmart out on the strip. That'll do. We can't go home,' her voice was dull and lifeless and he wanted to help. He really wanted to help. It was a deep and powerful urge because he really felt for her and in a way that was pure, as one human to another.

'Let me take you for lunch,' he pleaded.

'No,' she didn't look up.

'You're too thin,' he protested looking at her tiny wrists and her impossibly small waist under her ridiculously inadequate coat.

'S'what happens when you don't eat,' she deadpanned.

'Look we're friends right? We agreed to be friends? You said you'd like that,' he reached out and took her hand, needing her to hear him.

'So?'

'So friends buy each other lunch. I was going to meet my brother and my buddy for lunch, my brother was buying, friends do that.'

'It's charity,' she muttered.

'It's survival.'

'You can buy me a bag of chips at Walmart if you're that desperate,' she wouldn't look at him and he hated it.

'You need more than a bag of chips,' he stated and started the cruiser heading out of town towards the strip, hoping he wouldn't get a call and be forced to leave her there.

'People wonder why I steal. This baby would be dead if I didn't,' she murmured after a couple of minutes in silence. 'I know the welfare state isn't always such a big thing for the more right wing American, but sometimes I think we could do with a little more humanity. America has a poverty issue. How can I break the cycle when I can't go to school because I'm too hungry, because I have to look after a baby so his dad can find work. I'm never going to escape this life,' she brushed at her eyes, and his grip on the wheel tightened.

'You'd take more welfare from the state?' he asked.

'At this point yes. To keep from starving yes. To be warm again, yes.'

'I work for the state, my money was theirs. Let me help.'

'Why do you care?' she asked and he felt put on the spot, unable to come up with something he deemed appropriate because he didn't know why he cared so much, just that he did. It wasn't right. Whatever the reason that made him so personally involved, on a more superficial level, it just wasn't right.

'He's a baby,' he offered, gesturing to the backseat where Alex had fallen asleep. 'He needs heat and he needs food. So do you. It's called human decency.'

'How come you're the first decent human I've met then?' she asked, her words coming out half strangled, constricted by a thickness in her throat.

'I can't be. All I know is I'm not taking the two of you back there without food and heat.'

'You can't stop us going home,' she pouted. He wanted to suck that bottom lip she stuck out into his mouth.

'I could arrest you. You admitted to crimes,' he challenged and she glared, but when he pulled up at Walmart she got out of the car with him, sullen and silent, watching as he removed the car seat but left the sleeping infant inside. They walked together and he got a cart which the car seat could go on, ensuring it was safely clipped on.

'You know that kid ain't yours,' some teenager quipped as they walked through the entrance and Pacey glared at him. He wanted to shout back, "what would I care - look at her," and gesture at Joey, or some other equally smart retort, but he was a cop and he couldn't lose his shit over things like that anymore, so he put a hand on Joey's shoulder and pushed the cart, leading them up the aisles.

She remained silent as he led her up the bedding aisle.

'Would you like a proper duvet?' he asked and she turned her head away, her eyes glassy. He could only think that if he were freezing all the time he'd like a proper duvet instead of her old blankets. He looked at the covers and picked up the two prettiest ones.

'Green leaves or blue...rectangular things?' he asked brightly and watched as a tear leaked out of her eye. 'The blue one is nicer I agree. Makes me think of sailing on the water. I own a boat you know?' he threw in a pillow without asking, and pushed the cart to the baby section.

'He need anything?' he waggled the foot of the sleeping baby and Joey sighed deeply. It was unfair really because he couldn't see her refusing anything for the baby, it just wasn't going to happen if she was willing to steal for the child. With gravitas she reached for a thick baby sleeping bag thing, that looked all kinds of weird to him, but he took it she knew what she was doing. After a second she grabbed a box of diapers, a can of formulae, and a set of sleep suits.

'I'll pay you back,' she whispered so quietly he couldn't hear.

'Huh?'

'I said I'll pay you back,' she said it louder.

'Sure,' he shrugged good-naturedly and she seemed pleased he'd conceded, even though he had no intention of accepting any money. With a quick appraising look at him, as though checking for deception she reached for a warm snowsuit. 'Good thinking,' he smiled, 'have fun Jo,' he offered but she just shook her head.

With a sigh he pushed the cart to the women's clothing and stood in front of the coats.

'No way,' she spoke clearly for the first time.

'Do you have any idea how much paper work is involved in discovering hypothermic bodies in the snow?' he asked and when she gave him a defiant look he continued unperturbed, 'a lot. You choose or I choose for you,' he picked out a horrible, puffy, plastic thing.

'Fine,' she grumbled and grabbed a thicker, more stylish jacket and tried it on, sliding it on with ease over her thin frame, and her useless leather jacket.

'That looks really good,' he smiled warmly, because it did. She looked a little older in it, and definitely more suited to the weather. 'Oh,' he grinned and grabbing her hand pushed the cart with the other over to the shoes. 'Boots! Please let me get you boots,' he immediately zeroed in on a pair of real leather, lined winter boots that weren't dissimilar to her awful, old boots. 'These,' he stated triumphantly. 'Size?'

'Ten,' she was staring at the boots and he could see she wanted them, but didn't want to accept them. 'They're too much. These,' she held up cheap, plastic boots.

'Nope. You can earn these off working on my boat next summer, but you need proper boots. And size ten? Seriously? How big are your feet?' he teased and was rewarded with her blush and a slap to his shoulder,

'Watch it,' she told him but slipped off her old boots and pushed her foot into the new boot he placed ready. 'Oh, those are nice,' she almost whimpered and he grinned happily,

'And the other one.'

When at last they were done with shoes, he led them to the electrics section. He knew they needed three heaters because they slept in three different rooms. He grabbed midrange ones for her and Bodie, pushing the thought of that mans reaction out of his head, then chose a slightly pricier one for the baby, one with thermostatic control so the little guy didn't overheat. She stared at him as he explained why when she'd tried to protest, but had then stood on tip toes and kissed his cheek.

Pacey could still feel where she'd kissed him. The skin tingled slightly in a very good way and his heart felt stretched and kind of sore. He hadn't even cared about the giant bill at the checkout, especially once they'd added tinned goods, pasta, rice and some fresh fruit and vegetables. When they'd finally reached her place it was empty and inside was as cold as outside. In silence he'd set up all three heaters and turned them on. He was mortified.

'Jo, the power is out,' he stated reentering the frigid living room where she was feeding the baby a banana.

'What?' she frowned. 'Try the fuse box. It's in the hall closet.'

Of course the fuse box didn't work when the electricity was off for failure to pay the bill.

'Where is Bodie?' he asked sitting beside her and taking the baby, bouncing him gently on his knee.

'He's in the city,' she admitted, 'but only for a few weeks. A buddy got him a job on a building site - people have been quitting big time due to the weather. He doesn't care. He gets paid at the end of next week. He's looking for something nearer but...

'So until he gets something what? You and his kid freeze? Your education goes on hold?'

'Don't take Alex, please,' she turned panicked eyes on him. 'Please. He's all I've got and we know it isn't ideal. When we get our welfare cheque I'll get the electric back on. It's the first thing I'll do...'

'Hey, slow down,' he put a hand on her knee and left it there even though he should have removed it. 'Look, is Bodie a good worker? Is he decent and hard working and all of that?'

'He can be,' she hedged.

'If I vouch for him is he going to screw me?'

'No, no of course not. He wouldn't.'

'Ok. So the medical clinic needs an janitor. Can he clean? Fix crap?'

'Yeah, yeah of course,' she looked so optimistic that it hurt him.

'Well let me talk to my sister. She's a nurse there. I'll see what I can do. She might put in a good word for him. You know the best thing about it?'

'A regular income?' she smiled a small hopeful smile, one that told him how much something he took for granted would mean.

'No. There's childcare on site for employees, meaning...'

'I could go back to school,' she smiled, a brilliant smile then and he realized the truth was she didn't hate school. As if reading his mind she clarified her joy, 'if I'm going to do anything with this life I need school right? I hate everyone in that place but it's a free education...'

'Right,' he nodded. 'Listen, this place is an ice block. I'm going to drop you and Alex at my house, you can stay for a few days, and when the electricity is back on you can come home.'

'Really?' she stared at him, her eyes running over him, taking in the baby on his knee and the sincerity of his expression. He flushed under the scrutiny but nodded.

'Ok...' she agreed, 'for the baby,' she justified and he smirked,

'Exactly,' he bundled the baby back into the car seat. 'Lemme help you pack,' he offered, straightening up as he clipped the last buckle on the car seat. As he turned he found himself face to face with her, a strange expression on her face, one that held him transfixed in place. For several long moments they stared at one another then she pulled his head to hers and kissed him fiercely, her tongue plunging into his mouth, her hands rough on the hair at the back of his neck, her body pressing against his. He must have gasped, or made some ridiculous noise because he was surprised and his whole body reeled with twist in his stomach, the tingle or whatever it was at the contact. For maybe thirty seconds he couldn't think, could only kiss her back. Tangle his tongue with hers and grasp her closer. Then her fingers found the gaps between the buttons of his uniform. Of his work uniform.

'Joey, Jo,' he wrapped his palms around her beautiful face and stared into eyes that reminded him of dappled leaves waving in the wind. Her lips were parted and she broke free of his grip.

'Don't even say it. I know, ok?'

'We can only be friends,' he said it anyway,

'It's just that you're being so nice, and I just thought maybe I could repay you...'

'Repay me?' he asked in utter horror, 'God Joey, never kiss someone because you think you owe them...'

'I didn't,' she stated but then continued staring at her feet, 'but isn't that what guys expect? Sexual favours for helping?'

'I don't,' he balked.

'Probably why I actually want to kiss you,' she sighed. 'So how can I repay you?'

'Just be my friend,' he suggested.

'Even though I know you want to have sex with me? I just be your friend?' she grabbed a plastic bag from the kitchen and then pulled open a drawer in the living area and dragged out a selection of fancy bra's and panties. He arched his brow and gave her a look, 'they were Bessie's. She spent all her money on sexy underwear. It's not like I can afford anything new,' she shrugged and opened the next drawer shoving in jeans and leggings, skirts, tshirts and sweaters.

'I might want you,' he admitted slowly, 'I mean you're a freakin' goddess Joey,' he breathed heavily, 'I mean you're really, really beautiful, but you're in school and I'm a cop.'

'I'm a criminal and you're a cop,' she added, stuffing everything in the bag more firmly, before grabbing extra bags and putting in things for the baby.

'I could also never do anything if I thought you were under the impression that you owe me in some way, that you had to pay me back in...in...'

'Sexual favours?' she filled in with a smirk and he nodded. She stopped for a minute,

'So what you're saying is, if I wasn't at school, if I wasn't a criminal, and if I didn't owe you like...massively, then you'd have sex with me?' she stared expectantly and his mouth gaped uselessly,

'Yeah?' if came out as a question.

'But I'm free to test your willpower, right?' she looked at him under lowered lashes and his heart began to boom in his chest.

'We should be friends,' he repeated.

'We should,' she agreed.

Pacey's place was small, and an extra girl and a baby soon took up what spare space there was. The baby's pack and play fit in his study, along with her assortment of bags. So long as they were far from the crib it would be ok he decided, checking nothing was within arms reach. Joey watched him set up from his office chair, fiddling with his stapler and looking at photo albums he had on the bookcase. Her eyes flicked from the album to his movements, the baby snoozing yet again in the car seat.

'This is you?' she asked pointing to a kid in a rowboat that was indeed him.

'Yeah, we went camping down the coast. Caught my first fish,' he smiled.

'Your dad take you?' she asked kind of wistfully and he nodded,

'Took, me, Doug - that's the Chief to you, and my sister Gretchen. Mom, Kerry and Anna opted out.'

'You have three sisters and a brother?' again she had something in her tone, almost longing.

'Yep. Anna is a lawyer in Boston, Kerry is a nurse at the medical centre in town and Gretchen is a cop in Boston. Doug you know all about.'

'The Chief.'

'My pop used to be Chief,' he informed her and she looked at him sharply before laughing a little. 'What?'

'Just that your dad probably arrested my dad. And here we are a few years later... You always trying to arrest me.'

'I only try and arrest you 'cause you keep breaking the law,' he couldn't help the flirtatious tone and she responded,

'I don't recall doing anything wrong when I was painting my wall and yet there you were, lights flashing, trying to arrest me.'

'That was a...misunderstanding,' he took a step in her direction, the thought of her in handcuffs entering his head and sending adrenalin coursing all through his body.

'You haven't actually managed to successfully arrest me yet though,' she stood and her fingers were once again playing with the buttons of his uniform shirt.

'I hope I never have to,' he stated honestly.

'I don't want to go to prison you know?' she looked up at him and he was snared in her trap, those eyes like magnets.

'Who wants to go to prison,' he shrugged.

'I don't commit crimes for attention either,' she took his hand, threading their fingers together and Pacey could have sworn she had some sort of electric orb embedded in her palm because his body sang its approval at this move. She dragged them through to his living room by their joined hands and pulled them down on the couch.

'I should be patrolling,' he half whispered, because she was curled up tight into his body,

'It's important you know that I don't do it for attention...'

'So when you're drunk in the centre of town...'

'Have you never needed to escape?' she looked at him and he considered the question before nodding.

'Yes, I understand that.'

'Sometimes... Well I guess the realization that this is my life, that this will probably always be my life to an extent...you know poverty, petty crime, lack of education...it makes me feel like I'm in a hole and I'm trying to climb out, except I never get anywhere. Kinda like a hamster in its wheel,' she pressed her face into the warmth of his neck. 'You smell really, really good,' her voice was low and intimate.

'I have to go back to work,' he stood, aware that it must be obvious how much she affected him.

'And you trust me here?' she asked with big, innocent eyes, eyes that hid so much personality that he didn't know whether he did or didn't trust her.

'I do,' he as were more surely than he felt. 'Here's the tv remote,' he handed it over, 'the heat is on and there's food in the fridge.'

'Thank you Pacey,' she pulled the blanket he had on the back of the couch off and put it around her shoulders.

'Are you cold?'

'No. Just relishing being warm,' she smiled.

'Of course,' he chuckled.

When he arrived home the TV was on and Joey was sat playing with Alex on the floor. She looked at him and smiled widely as he walked through the door,

'I love your apartment,' she told him. He took in her wet hair, her make up free face and her attire - a tshirt and some leggings. She looked very much at home.

'You do huh?' he unhooked his holster and taking his gun put it in the lockable box he had for when nieces and nephews visited. He then put it on top of the kitchen cupboards, Joey's eyes tracking his every move.

'Should I be worried about you watching all that?' he asked with a frown and she blushed, surprising him,

'Oh I'd never go near a gun. You're just really thoughtful.'

'I didn't exactly start out as Mr Conscientious but I guess the job is rubbing off on me...'

'A family of cops,' she scooped the baby into her arms and opening the fridge grabbed him a beer and handed it over, with a sideways glance she took one for herself but he gave her a pointed glare and so she put it back.

'Pretty much,' he flopped into his chair and putting the beer beside him he reached for the baby. She gave him a quizzical, appraising look but handed him over. 'Kid like this is therapy after this afternoon,' he sighed.

'Your day wasn't good?' she frowned.

'My day was great until I left here. Some punk decided to lick my squad car when I was dealing with a fender bender. And yeah I mean lick it with his goddamned tongue when it's minus ten out. Idiot got his tongue stuck, what with the ice that was on it.'

'Guy named Grant Bodine?' she asked and he laughed loudly,

'How could you possibly know that?'

'Guy try's to stick his tongue everywhere,' she said and he didn't like the insinuation but he smiled regardless,

'Well he looked like a complete tool.'

'Doesn't he always?' she frowned sourly.

'Not a fan?'

'Actually one of my official warnings was for breaking his nose,' she sniffed and he tilted his beer at her,

'Unofficially, let me say good job.'

'Yeah he deserved it,' she murmured darkly and Pacey had no doubt at all that the guy had indeed deserved it.

'How do you and bubs like your new digs?'

'Did you not hear me say I love your apartment?' she smiled widely. 'It's warm and comfy and clean.'

'There's a swimming pool and gym in the building as well,' he picked Alex up and blew a raspberry on his tummy rewarded by giggles. 'I could take ya swimming,' he crooned to the baby who was adorable. 'Would you like to swim little guy?'

'Like he's been anywhere near a swimming pool ever,' Joey rolled her eyes.

'Well then that needs to be remedied,' he watched the baby yawn widely. 'You want me to feed him and put him to bed? It's kinda late.'

'I was just about to when you came home,' she flustered and he caught her hand,

'Hey, there was no judgement. I don't have a say in when you put the kid to bed.'

'Ok,' she nodded and moved to the kitchen, before frowning like she didn't know quite what to do once there

'I'll make us all dinner,' he stated at her wary look around the kitchen. 'You can help!'

Alex had been put into bed an hour earlier, with a tummy full of pasta and sauce. Pacey had tried not to feel too proud at Joey's exclamations about how much the baby was eating, her surprise at him eating something other than jarred baby food. He had to remind himself that she wasn't the kids mother, that she wasn't much more than a kid herself and what experience would she have of these things. Thanks to nieces and nephews he had some sort of clue. His sister Kerry had always mashed and whatnot before giving up and feeding them what she was having, which was all stuff she'd actually made and not jarred. So he knew the kid would eat more than just jars baby food without thinking on it too much. Joey had mentioned that Bodie used to cook, but he didn't think that it was something the guy did anymore. He surreptitiously turned and looked over Joey. It was strange but when she was dressed normally, with her dark clothing and her overbearing makeup she looked tough, like an obvious piece of trouble - everything too cheap and too warn out. However, without any makeup on, her dark hair in a messy bun and simple clothes she looked more stunning than ever, like she was made of sunshine and not the darker more foreboding stuff he'd assumed.

'Why are you staring at me?' she asked abruptly, turning to look at him, his eyes unable to move from hers, somehow fixated.

'You're really pretty, you know?' he offered up, 'without all the makeup, just like you are.' He watched her cheeks redden the compliment, aware that he had to stop telling her she was beautiful, and then she snarked back,

'I smell like you though. Like a boy.'

'Huh?' he frowned.

'I used your shower stuff, so I smell like you,' she wrinkled her nose, sniffing her own arm indulgently and he grinned.

'So listen, about tomorrow. My sister has agreed to look after Alex. She isn't working and she loves babies. Her kids go to the local elementary school, so she can hang with the baby. She's going to talk to the clinic about the janitor job and an emergency week of daycare until Bodie can start.'

'Oh no, that's not fair,' Joey shook her head. 'She doesn't have to look after him. He's not her responsibility.'

'Of course it's fair. You can go to school, get an education and change your future. You said you'd never escape but that's how you escape, which you know.'

'It's how other people escape and how I pretend there's hope,' she drew her knees up to her chest. 'You don't understand how it is.'

'Try me,' he moved to the couch so he was sitting next to her, 'I told you already that high school wasn't all that great for me...'

'You wanna know the first time I realized I was different?' she asked and he nodded,

'I was in grade two I think. I had these friends, other girls in my class. We'd play together at recess and lunch and I bumbled along thinking school was wonderful because people were kind to me there. Then one Monday morning I go back to school and I realize the girl I was closest to, she'd had a birthday party and all my friends had been to it that weekend - bowling, pizza and a movie. I remember that feeling of standing there, that sudden insane hurt as my insides turned over and I realized that I wasn't one of them, that I hadn't been included, invited. They had parties, trips to the beech, movie outings, pizza nights and I was never invited. I felt like I'd been kicked in the teeth because it kept happening, more and more until they didn't play with me at school anymore. It was just me,' she rested her cheek on her knee and he found his hand resting in her hair, his fingers brushing through the strands because he could so easily picture a little girl version of Joey, and how awful it must have felt to be faced with something like that.

'Being excluded never feels nice,' he attempted to verbally understand, so she'd known he'd heard and taken it in.

'It feels like I've been excluded my whole life. Except for Jen.'

'I'm your friend now,' he told her.

'Sure,' she rolled her eyes.

'I like you Joey. Sure you might be at school but you're funny, and...'

'Criminal. I know this is your good deed or whatever, and that's fine. I needed to be somebody's good deed or I would have frozen to death. I'm drifting through this life you know. I don't have a hope of graduating because I've missed so much school, and so my marks are always poor. You're just trying to stop me drifting too far...'

'Maybe I am, but it doesn't mean we can't be friends,' he insisted.

'It does. You'll only achieve so much before my life takes over. People like me, we don't thrive, we survive, get by. School realistically probably won't get me anywhere.'

'You're still going,' he insisted and she gave him a scowl and a mocking salute,

'Yes sir.'

'Surely you enjoy art?' he asked and she looked a little sheepish,

'Art and English, but they're not going to do me any good.'

'Maybe I can help?'

'You wanna be my tutor now?'

'I could tell you there's no more...whatever this crap is you're watching,' he gestured to the TV, 'not before school work, revision and homework. You know make some rules?'

'Yes dad,' she amended.

'I'm not your dad, I'm just an ex crappy student trying to help out.'

'I'm not stupid you know,' she looked at him, 'I did excellently on my SAT's, but I don't have time to work and I don't have patience for teachers who expect nothing from me.'

'Prove them wrong,' he told her, 'prove them all wrong.'

'That what you did?'

'By becoming a cop, yeah,' he chuckled a little.

'Fine, I'll try,' she huffed. 'And don't call Pretty Little Liars crap. Give it a chance. This is only episode three, and I heard it gets good.'

'Who told you that?'

'Girls gossiping in the rest room,' she giggled.

'Wow, the circles you inhabit,' he teased and she whacked his arm. 'Look, it's late so we start tomorrow with a new study regime. You sleep in my room. Luckily I changed the sheets this morning, so you're good. I'll sleep on the couch...'

'No sharing?' she looked up at him with positively wanton eyes and he wanted to, badly.

'Nah, couch is fine.'

'Your loss,' she muttered turning back to the television.