A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I'll try to have an update for "From Here to Eternity" soon. Hopefully, by Thanksgiving, if not sooner. Enjoy:)

Tricks and Treats

- Chapter Seven -

It was only six o'clock that mid-December evening and the smells of a light snow falling from the dark night sky made Pacey's predicament all the more painful. As soon as he reached his home in Capeside, he was banned to his room in the basement, only to come out for school, work, and meals.

This kind of punishment wasn't unusual and happened quite often throughout Pacey's life. But this time, it was different. It was more cruel and isolated.

Usually, during times of punishment, Pacey would sneak out the window and ride his bike over to Dawson's, where they would check out the latest Playboy's and watch dirty movies. Most of the time Joey would wonder in through the window and then they would end up watching a boring movie and discussing why or why not Dawson should get together with Jen. And then of course after hours of bantering and analyzing, he would leave Dawson's house by midnight and return to the hell that was his home. But he was always thankful for the friend he had in Dawson.

But now, nearly a month and a half after Armageddon took place, Pacey was more isolated and lonelier than ever. Dawson refused to speak to him, much less look at him. He still didn't know they actually had sex that Halloween night, but was just mad that Pacey would think to do something like that with his soul-mate and best friend. But at this point, he really didn't care what Dawson thought. He had more important things to worry about. Specifically, Joey.

Joey hadn't been in school as regularly as she usually was. And on the days she did go, she avoided Pacey like he was a bad disease. Ironically, he noticed that she avoided Dawson as well with the same fervor, if not more so. He noticed Jen was more isolated too and wasn't nearly as welcoming to Dawson as she had been before Halloween. A couple times he even caught her trying to talk to Joey, but she just seemed to pull away.

This bothered Pacey beyond belief. Joey was hurting and he could see it in her eyes. That fire that once burned in her spirit was gone and all that was left was Joey's depressed remains. He wanted to talk to her, to find out why she was acting this way, but he didn't. To be honest, every time he tried to go near her, his heart felt like it was going to be ripped from his chest, so he chose the safe route and stayed away.

But now, lying in bed, staring at the blank white wall that was his ceiling, he knew he had to talk to her. He couldn't take this isolation from her anymore. She needed him. He needed her. They were going to make this work. If he had to fight with her the whole time, he would do it, because he knew that their fighting was what fueled their passion, their lust, their love

He wasn't ready to give up on her just yet. Now he just had to figure out how to get her back.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Joey was working hard on the Biology report that was due in two days as she sat at her desk in front of the window. She was trying to focus on the reproductive system of the Great White Shark, when her mind kept drifting to thoughts of Pacey. His hands on her skin, his lips sucking and biting along the curve of her neck, his heart pounding fast against her chest. All these thoughts and feelings made it impossible to concentrate. And especially when she was supposed to describe the fierce mating rituals of such vicious creatures. Because when she had sex, it was most definitely not fierce. Pacey was not fierce.

Whenever she was at school, he would walk up to her, looking like he wanted to say something. But then he would turn away at the last minute, making her feel awkward and desperate. She felt weird whenever she was around him. He was right. They couldn't go back to the infamous love/hate relationship they once had. And it wasn't because they had sex. It was because she had made love to him. Love being the key term in that overused, overrated and sometimes very scary phrase.

But she shouldn't think of such things. She needed to make her mind focus on the hormones of the female Great White Shark.

As she examined the pictures through wary eyes, she heard a soft tapping sound on her window. She glanced up and looked out into the darkness that was framed by the window in front of her and rubbed her eyes. She didn't see anything. She sighed, figuring it was just the bush that sometimes gets too tall and the branches occasionally tap her window when the wind picks up. She made a mental note to tell Bodie about it in the morning.

She looked back down at the books in front of her, her pen steady against the paper, and then she heard it again. That soft rapping noise against the glass of her window. This time it was a bit louder and when she looked out, the snow was falling down at a steady pace and the wind wasn't blowing it at all, so it couldn't be the bush...

She stood up and looked all around the front yard and towards the dark creek. She saw nothing that could possibly explain the noise she heard, so she closed the books in front of her and decided that it was time for bed.

She took a deep breath and walked over to the old white dresser where her pj's and underwear was stored and pulled out a pair of long flannel pajama bottoms and a matching blue t-shirt. She pulled out the ponytail holding her hair back and gently ruffled her hair with her hands, trying to rid that tight feeling against her scalp.

As she began to lift her shirt up over her head, she heard a much louder tapping on the window. Only this time, she saw Pacey Witter on the other side with a pleading expression on his face. She nearly screamed.

She quickly put on her shirt and with irritation, she walked over to the window and opened it up, "Trying to get a free show, are you Witter?"

Pacey appeared flustered, trying to give her a valid explanation for standing in front of her window as she exposed her top, but he kept stumbling on his words. He was currently too affected by the vision of her undressing in front of him.

"Look pervert, I don't have all day and its cold, so what do you want?"

Pacey smiled. She was bantering again. This was a good sign.

"Do you always leave the blinds up when you change, Jo?" he tried to ask smoothly, but it came out rather high pitched. He coughed slightly trying to make his voice cooperate and failed to notice Joey pulling the window down in front of him. Luckily, he was able to stop her.

"Oh no, Potter!" he said quickly, holding the window up so he could do what he came here to do.

"What do you want Pacey?" she inquired in annoyance, starting to shiver from the cold air seeping into the room. "I'm not really in the mood to discuss which playmate you found appealing this month…"

Pacey smiled, "Good, because I wouldn't know which ones to choose from since I haven't seen this month's issue."

Joey sighed, "You've got ten seconds before I start screaming bloody murder, now explain yourself…"

Pacey rubbed his hands together and gave her a mischievous smirk, "There's nothing to explain here, Potter. You're just going to go get your blue hooded sweater and that adorable gray hat that I've always been fond of, and then you're going to join me out here for the rest of the night."

"But Bessie-"

"-No excuses, Potter," Pacey interrupted as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the window.

"But if she finds out, I'll-"

"-Jo," he interjected again, "You've faced a mass murderer and lived to tell the tale, yet your innocent and compassionate sister scares you?"

Joey gave him a stern look and pulled her hand away from his. "She can be more viscous than any murderer I've seen so far... And that includes the mad man with the knife!"

Pacey laughed as Joey continued, "Besides, the murderer you so fondly speak of is still roaming the streets of Capeside as we speak, looking for his next victim and the heart he can cut out. So if you'll excuse me now, I'd much rather stay in the meager safety and shelter that is my home."

Joey reached up and tried to pull down the window, but again Pacey's arm wouldn't let it shut.

"I figured you would be unreasonable," he declared as he wrapped his arm around her tiny waist with one arm and held up the window with the other.

"Pacey! What are you doing?" she said angrily as he pulled her through the window.

"I told you. You're coming to spend the night with me," he answered, matter-of-factly.

"I'm not having sex tonight, Pacey!"

"Good, because I would hate to think you'd cheat on me, considering I wasn't going to have sex with anyone tonight either…"

"You low-life, obstinate, Cretin!" she exclaimed as she squirmed in his arms.

"Hush, Sweetheart," Pacey whispered close to her ear, effectively sending chills down her spine, "I know you love me, but we mustn't wake the elders."

Joey tried to kick her feet, but the feelings of his strong, yet gentle arms around her waist was making it impossible to breath, think, or scream. Not that she really wanted to at this point.

He gingerly pulled her out the window and set her down on the snow in front of him.

Joey hissed when she felt the cold snow burn her bare feet.

Pacey quickly grabbed the blue bag behind the bush and pulled out a pair of fluffy pink slippers along with a large black sweater.

"Here, put these on," he instructed her as he handed the items over.

Joey did as she was told as Pacey looked around the yard for any signs of a disturbance.

When Joey was marginally warmer, she examined the fluffy pink slippers on her feet more closely. They were a size bigger than she was used to wearing, but fitting nonetheless.

"Uh, Pace?" she asked suspiciously, looking down at the shoes. "Pink slippers? Is there something you need to tell me or has Doug finally converted you to play for his team?"

"Potter…" Pacey growled in a low, threatening tone, "They're my sister's and I thought Halloween proved which team I play for…"

Joey blushed and quickly looked down with the mention of Halloween night. She hugged her stomach as the over-sized black sweater hung loosely around her top. She didn't need to know whose sweater she was wearing either for she already knew. She could smell his addictive scent on the fabric and that alone was making her feel dizzy.

"Let's go Potter!" Pacey said quickly as he grabbed her hand and started dragging her towards the creek.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he led her to the small boat which was tied up to the dock.

"We're going for a ride."

"You're stealing my boat?!?" she asked angrily, watching him untie the rope as he got in.

Pacey smiled, "Well I prefer to call it, 'borrowing,' Potter…"

Joey gave him a disbelieving look as he took her hand and helped her inside.

"Besides, you never steal from the ones you love."

"Pacey…" she said in warning tone. That was the second time he said he loved her. She couldn't deal with hearing those words. They were too powerful to just let them roll off your tongue as Pacey was.

"I mean it Jo," he continued as they settled into the boat and Pacey started rowing. "I love you and if you don't feel the same for me after tonight then I'll leave you alone and we'll just drift apart as most teenagers do in high school…"

Joey didn't know what to say. For a girl who was feeling so much in that moment, not one word could possibly describe it.

The snow started to come down a little faster, a little thicker, as Pacey rowed the boat down the creek in the opposite direction of Dawson's house. Joey looked up at the moon which was barely shining through the purple clouds in the sky. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged herself as she watched Pacey concentrate on his rowing.

They sat there in silence as the boat made its way down the creek. The occasional grunting noise escaping Pacey's mouth from the rowing.

When they finally reached a rocky area that was one of the more deserted places in Capeside, Pacey rowed the boat closer to the shore.

Joey looked around the vacant area suspiciously. There were only a few trees in the area and of course Old man Reiner's cave. The place where legend has it that the old fisherman, William Reiner, waited out the violent hurricane Hugh way back in the mid 1700's. The same place where it was rumored that he stashed his gold from the many expeditions he had sailing the open seas for the King of England.

"Why are we here Pacey?" she asked as he got out of the boat.

He took her hand and helped her get out of the boat too, as he answered, "Look Potter, I don't regret anything we did on Halloween night. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that was the best night of my life… But this isn't about sex to me, Potter. You're way more than a friend could ever be at this point and I only want to fight with you if it entails some sort of making up ritual."

Pacey paused and boldly wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to him, leaving her no doubt that what he was saying is the truth.

"So what are you saying, Pace?" she asked softly as his eyes seemed to be drawing her in.

Pacey smiled, "What I'm saying Potter is that I want to be more than just friends. I want to be more than enemies. And quite frankly Potter, calling you my girlfriend and you calling me your boyfriend is just too simple to express what I want to be for you. What I want this relationship to become."

Joey had never felt more light-headed in all her life. Thank god Pacey was holding her because she knew in that moment she wouldn't be able to stand.

"And according to the latest Cosmo, this is how I'm supposed to go about creating such a relationship with the woman I love…"

"Cosmo Pace?" she smirked.

Pacey nodded with confidence, taking a strand of her wavy chocolate hair and tucking it behind her ear. "Oh definitely Potter. My sister swears it should be a man's bible…"

Joey laughed.

"Plus, if you promise not to tell anyone - for the sanctity of my manhood could be at stake if this ever gets out – but they had this really great article about a girl and her puppy… I cried for hours…"

Joey started to laugh harder, "Oh god, Pacey!"

Pacey smiled completely enthralled in making her happy. "Hey don't laugh at me Potter, you would've cried too if you would have read how that little Spunker sacrificed his life to defend that little girl."

"I swear Pacey Witter, I don't know whether to hit you or hug you…" she said trying to catch her breath.

Pacey brought his hands up to her cheek and asked softly, "How about I kiss you?"

Joey suddenly felt weak again as his lips eased closer to hers. The moment they touched all time was lost and the only thing she could do was feel. And oh was she feeling a lot too. The ways his thumb gently stroked her cheek, while his other hand brought her waist closer to his. The smell of his aftershave mixed with the fresh scent of snow still falling all around them. Not to mention the minty taste of his kiss where he had obviously been chewing on some spearmint gum.

Yes, she felt everything when he kissed her. The world that was once gray, suddenly filled with numerous beautiful colors and she knew this was the man who was her true love. No other man could possibly make her feel this way, she was sure of that. Not Anderson, not Cliff, and not even her soul mate Dawson Leery. This was where she wanted to be for all eternity. Lost in this moment and completely consumed in his touch, scent, and kiss.

Pacey pulled away first this time with his hand still placed delicately on her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. His eyes remained closed as a smile formed against her lips.

"You taste good, Potter…" he whispered softly against her lips, slowly opening his eyes to find hers still shut tight. "So you like cinnamon before bed, huh?"

Joey opened one eye and looked at him strangely. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I could taste the cinnamon, Jo…" he explained.

Joey blushed and looked down, "My mom always gave me a piece of those cinnamon hard candies at night after she got home from the bar. They always had so many down there and it just became her tradition. I guess it just stuck…"

Pacey smiled, watching the life fill her eyes as she confided in him about her mother. He loved that she trusted him enough to share something so sacred to her heart with him. He realized that there was so much he didn't know about her. But he wanted to find out. He wanted to know everything there was to know about one Miss Josephine Potter.

"Come on Jo," Pacey said rather abruptly, taking her hand and leading her to the large boulder where a cave was inside.

Joey grasped his hand tighter as she followed him through the vivid darkness. When they reached the entrance to the cave, Pacey stopped.

"Close your eyes Potter and wait here," he instructed with a sparkle in his blues eyes. "I'll be right back."

Joey hesitated and looked around, "You're leaving me? Alone?"

Pacey smiled, "Just for a second Potter… I promise I'll be right back."

Joey sighed, but gave in and closed her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her middle, trying to maintain some heat that went missing once he left her side, and listened as the leaves crunched ahead where Pacey was clearly walking away from her. She heard several swift switching noises echo in the cave and was tempted to take a peek, but she didn't.

She heard him rustling around with a plastic bag and then more footsteps back to her. She shivered with pleasure when she felt his large hands take her waist and his warm breath tickle her nose.

"Okay, keep your eyes closed and I'm going to guide you into the cave. Alright?" he whispered softly into her ear.

Joey simply nodded as she felt him get behind her, his hands still holding her waist as he guided her through the falling snow and into the shelter of the cave.

She felt his warm breath on her neck as he said softly, "Open your eyes Jo."

She opened her eyes and the shimmering light from nearly a dozen candles invaded her vision. They were spread all around and at different heights. Some up high on the indentions of the cave, while others were lower on the ground.

In the middle of this beautiful display was a large blue blanket, where several pillows and two extra blankets were placed neatly on top, against the side of the cave. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

"Oh Pacey," she gasped as she started to find her voice again. She let go of his hand and walked closer to the blanket, to examine everything more closely. "I can't believe you did this," she continued, finally turning to look at the smile on his face. He quickly walked over and wrapped his arms around her middle from behind.

"But Pacey I can't do this," she exclaimed, suddenly scared as she shoved his hands away from her stomach. "I can't do this again!"

Pacey stepped back completely confused, "What Jo? You can't do what?"

"I can't have sex with you. I mean this is a beautiful, beautiful gesture," she explained as Pacey sighed and then began to laugh. "But I'm just not ready, please understand…"

Pacey chuckled and took her hand. He led her to the blanket and urged her to sit down with him.

"I'm not expecting you to have sex with me Jo. That's not why I did this. That's not what I have planned…"

Joey looked at him in bewilderment as he continued to explain, "I told you before, I want to show you that I take this relationship seriously. This, whatever it is between us, could go anywhere Jo and I want to experiment."

"You want to experiment sexually?" she asked, the fear in her eyes more prominent.

Pacey laughed, "Good god woman… Is sex all you think about?"

Joey blushed and looked down.

"Besides, might I remind you who the guy is in this relationship? We can't have both of us thinking about sex or we may never leave this cave…"

Joey smiled as he put his arm around her back, making her relax in his arms.

"So if you didn't take me here to have sex, what exactly did you have planned? What is it you want to experiment with?" she asked, watching the light dance on the walls around them.

"I'm glad you asked that Potter," he said quickly, reaching for a blanket and unveiling three different hardback books. "You see, I figured that since we can't exactly make this relationship public knowledge just yet - due to your friend Dawson and the bastard I so fondly refer to as my Pop - we could keep it here, at night, when the elders are sleeping."

"But what about school?" she interrupted, liking the plan, but afraid of letting her academic record suffer.

"Well I can't have my girl missing school, so we'll just keep this for the weekends," he explained, clearly having everything planned out in advance. "I'll pick you up on Fridays and Saturdays at midnight and we'll come here. Then at dawn, I'll take you back. How does that sound?"

Joey smiled and boldly leaned in for a kiss.

"Okay Potter," he said rather abruptly, tearing himself away from her warm lips and caresses. "I seem to have a weakness for your touch, so we better stick to my original plan unless you want a repeat of what happened on Halloween night."

Joey took a deep breath and swallowed hard, "Right…"

"Okay so back to my brilliant plan," he continued as he handed her the three books again. "I thought we would combine my favorite activity with yours. We'll take turns reading as I hold you in my arms."

She took the books and examined them closely. They were old and plain, but the gold lettering on each book read, "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," and "Jack and the Beanstalk." She let her hands trace the hard velvet on the cover and listened intently as Pacey explained.

"I know these are fairytales you've probably read over and over again, but it was all I could find in my sister's room… I could go to the library, but I'm afraid I would stir up suspicion, seeing as though I usually avoid that place with a vengeance."

Joey smiled and handed Pacey a book, "I've always had a thing for this fairytale…"

Pacey studied it, "Aww, so Miss Potter likes Cinderella, huh?"

Joey blushed as Pacey took a blanket and covered them up. He fluffed up the pillows behind them and wrapped his arms around Joey, letting his hand rest on the flat of her stomach.

"All right Jo," he whispered intimately into her ear, opening the book and turning to the first page. Joey rested her head on his chest and placed her hand under her cheek, ready to get lost in a world where there was no Dawson, no Bessie, and no fear to love someone unconditionally and without reprimand.

Pacey smiled taking in the scent of her flowery shampoo and kissed the top of her head with affection. He cleared his throat and started reading aloud: "Far far away, in an enchanted land where kings ruled and the castles were so high they kissed the sky, a beautiful blonde princess was born. Her mother called her Angel, her father called her Cinderella…"

XOXOXOXOXO