Chapter 7

'Evening all,' Jen stalked into the lounge where Jack and Andie were shooting some pool, and Dawson was as ever hunched on his computer.

'What we doing tonight?'

'Pacey mentioned something about a barbeque, a beach fire… the girls in the house next door.'

'And where is Mr Witter now?' Jen and Jack locked eyes.

'Out with Joey,' Jack frowned at her in question and she shrugged her response.

'They offered to go get the food and to try and buy some beers,' Dawson interjected shutting up his laptop.

'They're nice like that, huh?' Jen murmured looking at Jack.

'Real nice like that… hey Dawson can you finish this game with Andie for me, Jen and I need to… um… go locate the barbie…'

'Sure,' Dawson smiled at Andie and took the cue Jack proffered.

'Are we really going to go sort out the barbeque?' Jen whispered under her breath to Jack.

'Hell no,' he tugged her out the front of the house and pointed to the fence and shrubbery. 'Jo and Pace walked, I say we hide and spy.'

'Whatever you suggest Inspector Holmes,' Jen gave him a mock salute and made herself comfortable in the bushes.

'They left like an hour ago so they should be back soon…' Jack whispered in her ear and as if on cue they heard the rustle of bags and the faint hum of voices causing both to peer eagerly at the property entrance until they swung into view, Pacey in shorts and some hideous Hawaiian shirt, Joey in a sarong and casual halter top. They each carried two bags and were deep in conversation.

'… and that's always been your problem…' Pacey was saying.

'Not all of us see that kind of thing as a problem,' Joey argued back.

'Trust me Potter, there are more people in this world like me than like you.'

'I think it's a good way to be Pace, don't get me wrong, provided it doesn't make you unempathetic,' she jiggled her bags.

'Here Jo, give me the beer… you take this one,' they did an awkward bag shuffle.

'What are they talking about?' Jen mouthed at Jack.

'God knows,' he mouthed shrugging.

'I'm empathetic,' Pacey reminded her.

'I know, I know… but sometimes, if you're totally confident with who you are and what you're doing, and i mean the royal you, you lack the empathy to understand those that aren't or those that do things differently…'

'Well there you go Potter… I never said I was totally confident, just that I was trying to care less about what other people think… I want to have confidence in myself and my choices is what I meant… I agree - total confidence isn't really all that an appealing characteristic…'

Jen feigned death by boredom.

'Talking of confidence in myself,' Pacey paused and Joey turned to look at him. Jack thwacked Jen and they both stared in avid interest.

'What's up?'

'Well… I've been doing a lot of thinking…' he looked at his toes and then in her eyes causing Jen to pinch Jack's arm in glee. 'And well… I know I was thinking about teaching but I kind of… you're gonna think this is dumb,' he looked down again.

'This is me Pace…'

'Well I want to go to college, and I was thinking of switching to something like nursing… because well… I'd really like to become a fireman…'

'Why are you so worried about saying that? I think that's perfect,' Joey smiled at him. 'Really perfect and there is always the added bonus that a fireman's uniform is very sexy,' she was teasing.

'You don't think people will make fun of me for wanting to train as a nurse first? I just wanted something else behind me and I figured that could really help with an application to the fire brigade and would actually be helpful in the line of duty.'

'If they do they shouldn't… nursing is really hard work and hardly an easy profession. Of course there are the idiots that always assume it means you didn't get into medicine, but they don't know anything,' she shrugged, 'I think that it would be amazing.'

'I can always talk to you about stuff like this,' Pacey gave her a kiss on the cheek.

'That's because I've got the confidence to kick your ass if you do have a stupid idea,' she teased and Pacey chuckled.

'So you think a fireman's uniform is sexy, huh?' he winked at her.

'It'll help with the ladies I'm sure,' she winked back and they disappeared into the house.

'That…' Jen began.

'Was wholly disappointing,' Jack agreed.

'Surely if they were jumping each other wherever and whenever, that would have been a good opportunity.'

'Face facts Jen… they didn't even kiss, unless you count that small little peck on the cheek, and there wasn't a lot of familiarity beyond best friends,' Jack smiled.

'Why am I disappointed?' Jen asked.

'Because Joey had you half convinced?'

'Maybe,' Jen sighed. 'I say we have another spy session… after all they had their hands full.'

'You should know when to quit lady,' Jack rubbed her hair affectionately.

As carefully as possible Pacey opened the door to Jen and Joey's room. The window was open and the curtains were rustling softly in the breeze. He looked at Jen first, watched the deep rise and fall of her chest that told him she was asleep and then he turned to Joey and watched her, moving carefully closer. She was on her side, her face turned towards the window, her hair spread like melted chocolate across the pillow. Her vest was taut across her body, the thin sheet barely covering her. Carefully, very conscious of Jen across the room, he knelt down beside the bed. For several moments he watched her, her eyes dancing under the lids, her breathing deep and perfect. Her lips were gorgeous - a pink, delicious invitation.

'Hey Jo…' he whispered in her ear, his lips tingling the nerve endings. 'Pretty girl…' he smiled against the smile he could feel on her cheek.

'Pace… what time is it?' she opened her bleary eyes.

'I can't sleep,' he murmured. 'I missed you.'

'Jen's just there,' Joey indicated with her eyes.

'I know… but I needed to see you…' Pacey gave her the puppy dog eyes.

'Oh god but I'm a sucker for you,' she rolled her eyes holding open her cover so he could crawl in beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her face into the crook of his neck.

'This is better.'

'Mmmmmm.'

'Thanks Jo,' he kissed her hair.

'Sleep now,' Joey sighed inhaling deeply.

Jack and Jen were lying on their bellies in the dirt on top of the garage flat roof. Tiny pin pricks of gravel were denting Jacks skin.

'Tell me why we're here before I throw a tantrum and leave?' he practically cursed the words.

'Shhh…' Jen pointed just below the roof they were lying on.

'Oh,' Jack peered over the edge and into a secluded spot in the yard where Joey and Pacey were sat chatting.

'Listen,' Jen prompted.

'…that's totally moronic,' Joey proclaimed although there was a playful note in her voice.

'You think everything I say is moronic,' Pacey seemed unfazed.

'If the shoe fits Pace,' she gave him a cheeky smile.

'You used to say I was the king of the morons,' Pacey chuckled.

'Hmmm, sometimes I think you still are,' she flashed a megawatt smile.

'And yet you hang out with me,' he prodded her.

'Well I have been under a lot of stress lately,' she sniffed.

'Ha ha,' Pacey wrapped an arm around her and gave her a fake hug of sympathy.

'Anyway, to return to what started this - I'm giving up on it.'

'Quitter.'

'Jerk,' Joey flustered.

'Poor comeback Potter, you can do better.'

'Maybe if you were a better teacher I wouldn't need to quit.'

'Well you keep distracting me,' Pacey defended and Jack and Jen nearly fell off the roof. 'You know "stop" signs say STOP and are painted red for a reason.'

'I do stop.'

'Yeah, in the middle of the junction.'

'That's because I have the irritating sound of pseudo rock blasting in my ear from whatever dead beat station you've chosen,' Joey rolled her eyes. Pacey opened his mouth to come back at her with some jibe about alternative but Joey interrupted, 'anyway I'm off to see Jen and Andie to tell them we're going out without you idiots tonight,' and with that Joey stood and walked past Pacey ruffling his hair affectionately. Jen and Jack sighed in defeat then hit the deck as Pacey and Joey looked up. Luckily they escaped unseen.

The two girls sat on the porch laughing. It was late… or early depending on how you looked at it. The sun was burning on the horizon, desperate to begin the day even though they were just ending it. They hadn't done much, gone out, had a dance, crashed a beach party, had some drinks and then sat, tipsy in the moonlight until the light began to seep across the black velvet. Andie had gone to bed when the sky was still dark but the others couldn't stand to let go of a perfect day.

'I gotta go to bed,' Joey murmured breaking the silence they had fallen into. 'I'm so tired I'm almost not tired anymore.'

'Me too,' Jen agreed and so Joey pulled her friend to her feet and they stumbled into the house and up the stairs, quickly going through the bathroom to wash and do teeth before heading to their bedroom.

'What?' Joey stared at her bed in confusion looking at Pacey's sleeping form. Jen shrugged in fatigue slipping gratefully into her bed. Joey sighed debating what to do. Every atom in her body wanted to just climb in beside him and curl up in his arms to sleep but Jen was right there, still awake getting herself comfortable and so she turned and headed for Jack and Pacey's room. Pushing open the door she saw Jack and a young, very attractive, dark haired guy both asleep, Jack on his bed, the other guy on Paceys. Joey was smart enough, and knew Pacey well enough, to realise that Jack had met someone at the party next door and had needed space. Sighing again she returned to her room, and slid her body in next to Pacey's, loving that even in sleep his arms wrapped around her, he leant down to kiss her and seemed to relax just being near her.

Joey was awoken by the sunshine burning her lids pink. It was a delectable feeling to wake up in Pacey's arms. It always had been. They felt just right however they happened to be around her (in this occasion possessively encasing her in a close embrace that afforded her the luxury of his chest as a pillow.) He always smelt good, a touch of morning breath aside, his aftershave, deodorant and Paceyness seeming sharper and more pleasurable in the morning. And he always awoke wanting her, and wanting her badly - something she loved. She snuggled further into him and slid her hand under his wifebeater, her leg pulling him closer, pressing him against her. A small noise escaped him and his hands ran down her back to her butt and pulled her even closer to him making her smile and press her lips onto his chest. She opened her eyes and saw him looking at her.

'Hey,' she smiled dreamily.

'Hey gorgeous,' he leant forward and their lips connected and for several moments they kissed on instinct, until Joey realised they weren't in her room at the B&B but in their beach house, which meant Jen was about 6 feet away. Reluctantly she broke the kiss and pushed him away, something Pacey and his wondering hands were distinctly unhappy about.

'Jo…' he beseeched in a deep voice, his lips seeking her neck and his hand wondering to touch her in just the right way. Biting her lip Joey pushed him away again.

'Pace,' she whispered, 'Jen is just there,' she pointed over her shoulder. Rising up on an elbow Pacey looked over.

'She's asleep,' he announced sleepily and pulled her toward him again.

'I'm not doing that,' Joey shook her head.

'Joey,' he grumbled with his wide eyes on her. Unfortunately for him the eyes had anything but innocent intentions and Joey had to resist.

'You need to leave,' she gestured.

'I don't want to… want to stay,' he buried his head into her.

'Oh for gods sake,' Joey muttered but didn't really have the inclination to force him, 'stay then.'

'Mmmm, good,' he proceeded to allow his hands to re-wonder.

'Pacey,' she admonished in a low voice but couldn't muster the will power to force his hands away from their destination. With his lips pressed against the skin at her throat his hands sought the warmth between her legs knowing just what to do to slowly bring her to the point he knew she so desired to be at. Just when she was about to crash into a delicious orgasm he moved allowing the tip of his cock to brush against her entrance causing a strangled moan and an unbearable ache of desire to fill her. So basic was her need at this point that she was the one to make the necessary movement for him to move inside her. It was agony being forced to move slowly and silently but it made her orgasm all the more powerful when she finally came and it was with a small amount of satisfaction that she watched Pacey struggle to be silent with his own.

'You're so bad,' she whispered.

'Only around you,' he acknowledged. 'Besides I think the short term trigger in that situation was you.'

'Not my fault,' she refused to take the blame. Pacey raised himself onto an elbow and peered over her. 'Jens still asleep,' he pacified. Oh no she's not, Jen thought to herself, struggling to keep her eyes closed unable to believe all that she had just heard and fortunately not witnessed. She couldn't tell if they had done it or not and she severely hoped they'd just been messing around. One thing was for sure - she couldn't wait to tell Jack.