~Please Read And Review!~

Pacey wiped his brow as he took a step back, dropping the roller in the paint tray. He took a good hard look at the four walls of the second bedroom which were covered with two coats of a soft, sunny yellow paint. He smiled with pride but was quickly interrupted by the smell of coffee and his wife's voice.

"Pace, it looks great!" Joey exclaimed as she walked in the door with a cup of coffee in each hand, extending one to him, her prominent belly leading her into the room. She was a couple weeks from her due date and it was becoming very obvious.

"It does look pretty good, doesn't it? Thanks, Jo," he said as he took the cup as he took a sip.

"Oh," Joey gasped as she brought her hand to her stomach.

"What? What is it?" Pacey asked with a worried look on his face.

Joey smiled which quickly relieved Pacey's worry. "It's the baby, Pacey. The baby just kicked," Joey responded, "Feel this." she took Pacey's hand, touching it to her stomach and placing her own on top of it.

"Wow! I think you have a little soccer player in there," Pacey said proudly with a big smile.

"As for this room, now that you finished the walls, you can start on the crib," Joey said with a wink and bumped her hip into his, "and you better hurry or our baby will be sleeping on the floor."

"Yes, dear," he replied, "How is the baby proofing coming?"

"I've got the kitchen pretty much covered. I've child-proofed anything we don't want our child eating or playing with, which ended up being just about everything," Joey said with a laugh.

"You laugh, but you won't think it's so funny when you're hungry and I can't make dinner because you've locked every drawer and cupboard in the kitchen. I'm okay with you baby proofing the house, but I draw the line at Pacey proofing," Pacey responded, sharing her laugh.

"Well, I'm going to the hardware store to get those little plug thingies to keep our baby from sticking his or her cute little fingers into the sockets and getting electrocuted," Joey informed him.

"Sounds good, Jo. I'll take a stab at this monster. Wish me luck," Pacey added.

"Good luck, darling. I'll see you soon. I love you, Pace," Joey said as she began to walk away.

"I love you, too, Jo," Pacey called after her.

He stared intently at the opened box that had been pushed off to the side of the room. He walked over to the box and pulled out the instructions. He began to regret agreeing to put together this crib especially seeing how many parts there were. After plopping down on the ground, he set to work assembling the crib. He worked for what felt like hours and made quite a bit of progress but he had no idea if any of it was actually assembled correctly. Taking a break, he leaned back against the wall. As he wiped his hands, he rested them on his knees when he caught a glimpse of his wedding ring. A smile appeared on his face as he thought back on one of the moments that got him there.

After most of the guests had left the funeral, Joey found her way back into the Ice House following her visit with Dawson. Everyone said their good byes as Pacey began closing up. Before they knew it, Pacey and Joey were the only ones there.

"So where did you run off to, Jo?" Pacey asked.

"I had to go talk to Dawson. Don't worry. He and I aren't getting back together or anything. My relationship with him is a part of my past but it isn't meant to be part of my present or my future," Joey answered.

Pacey nodded with a reassuring smile which Joey reciprocated. She helped him wipe off the tables and stack the chairs on the tables. After a while, Joey broke the silence.

"Hey, Pace?" Joey began.

"Yeah, Jo?" Pacey responded, pausing after he lifted a chair and inverted in on the table.

"I'm done," She stated plainly.

"Done with what, Jo?" He asked hopefully, as he put another chair on the table. He paused completely to give her his full attention. He rested his chin on his forearm which was leaning on the table.

"I'm done being afraid. I'm done running," She answered with the confidence in her voice growing with each word.

"Are you sure?" Pacey said standing up straight

"Positive." Joey said, smiling.

Pacey stepped closer to her, removing the distance between them. He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. "I love you, Jo," He whispered as a smile overtook his face.

"I love you too, Pace," Joey replied as she came up for air.

After a many more kisses, Joey piped up, "You know you have Jen to thank for this."

"And why is that?" Pacey said catching his breath.

"It was her dying wish that I stop running, once and for all. Honestly, I could never thank her enough. If it wasn't for her I might have never stopped running," She answered.

"I, for one, am so glad you did," Pacey replied in between more kisses.

He was snapped back to the present by his wife's return to the room. "What are you smiling about?" She asked inquisitively.

"Oh nothing, just thinking back on when we got back together," he replied as he rose to his feet and pulled her into his arms, though this proved much more difficult with her very pregnant belly. "You must have been tired after all that running," he teased her.

After a few jabs she responded, "I'm just glad you were worth it." She kissed him before adding, "Before you know it there will be three of us."

"I can't wait," Pacey responded with a smile, "but I better get back to work. Why don't you take a nap while I work?"

"Okay, Pace. I can't wait to see it when it's done," she said patting his chest as she walked away.

He resumed working on the crib. It really began taking shape and before he knew it he had finished.

"Pace," Joey said as she appeared in the doorway before he could come and find her. Pacey, with his back to the door, quickly turned his head at the sound of his name to see his wife holding her belly with pain in her eyes.

"It's time!"