A/N: Ok, this chapter starts out sad and depressing, but please read until the end! I think you will be very pleased!

Intuition

Joey hardly slept at all Friday night, after she returned home from the restaurant. Jack offered to stay with her, but she wanted to be alone.

When she walked through the house and entered their bedroom she broke down. Everything in the house was a painful reminder of what she was losing.

She looked at the bed that Pacey had built, with the beautiful quilt her mother had made on it, and she felt a painful shiver go through her body. That is where she would completely lose herself to Pacey's tender touch: whether they were just sleeping or not…

There had to be a mistake. Maybe there was a simple explanation to what she had seen in his office… Pacey couldn't really want to leave her. Not now... Not like this…

Joey decided she couldn't take the agony of not knowing his motives towards her anymore and embraced the idea to call Pacey and find out. When she went to pick up the phone, she saw that there was 1 new message on their answering machine.

She held her breath, praying it was her husband, as she hit the 'play' button. Joey heard a woman's voice:

"Mr. Witter, this is Mr. Howard Langston's office, attorney at law, and I am calling to confirm your appointment on the 5th of August at 1:30 in the afternoon. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us back at 535-0911. Thank you."

That was all she needed to hear. She knew that Pacey wasn't coming home...

She glanced down at the three-stone, square-cut diamond wedding ring that was placed on her left hand and began to cry again... All she could see in her mind, as she closed her eyes, was Pacey's deep ocean eyes filled with tears of joy. He was holding her left hand so affectionately and she not only heard, but felt him state so devotedly on their wedding day:

"And with all that I am… And all that I have… I honor you… With this ring, I thee wed…"

Joey hadn't taken off that ring since Pacey placed it on her finger nearly two and a half months ago; not even when she was cleaning or even taking a shower… She still felt the power of its symbol entwined on her hand. It was Pacey's promise…

Joey regained her composure as best as she could and went into her closet and searched far in the back… Joey found Pacey's large, brown jacket that he used to wear many, many years ago, when they were in high school. She had found it a week before their wedding, when she moved into the house from New York. Pacey wanted to get rid of it, but Joey secretly kept it, because it reminded her of how loving and safe his arms were when he had held her so close, all those years ago.

She sobbed and put the warm coat around her devastated body. It still had Pacey's scent… If she was losing her husband, at least she could have this jacket to remind her of the love they had once shared. But that might not be the only reminder…

Joey finally laid down on their bed, with the jacket still around her, and curled up in a ball. Her left hand, with the wedding band on it, intuitively caressed her abdomen as she cried herself to sleep...

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Saturday

"Dougie?" spoke Pacey, hoarse, after going through several rounds of interrogations by the police in New York.

"PACEY!" yelled Doug, "Where are you?! And what the hell is this that I hear about an annulment?!?"

Pacey flinched not understanding, "Annulment…? Doug I don't know what you're talking about, but I really, REALLY need you to bail me out of jail… I got into this dispute with Jacobson in New York and-"

"JAIL…?! NEW YORK…?!?" interrupted Doug, alarmed.

"Yeah…" Pacey answered a bit ashamed. "Look, if you could just send the money, I'll reimburse you later. I would have called Joey, but she isn't exactly aware that I'm even in New York…"

"I don't know what's going on with you right now, Pacey, but if this is your latest attempt at revisiting your rebellious years in hopes of-"

"-ARE you going to send me the money or NOT?!" demanded Pacey, irritated at the stupid accusation Doug had just made.

He heard Doug sigh into the phone. "I promised Jack I would stay out of this, Pace… And after what you did to Joey, I really shouldn't-"

"WOA! Stop right there Doug!!" Pacey shouted. "I didn't do anything to Joey… WE had a difference of opinion and-"

Pacey couldn't finish his sentence because the guard tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at his wrist.

"Look Doug… I can't get into this right now. Would you just send the money?"

"New York right?"

"Right…"

Pacey hung up the phone and was escorted back to his cell.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

When Joey woke up on Saturday morning, she looked around her bedroom and was reminded of why she felt so horrible. She still had the warm brown jacket around her body and felt a moment of security.

Joey slowly sat up in bed and grabbed her stomach. She trusted that this nausea wasn't going to be a reoccurring theme every time she woke up in the morning.

She walked out into their large, but empty house, and the silence was deafening. Joey chose not to spend another second in this lifeless atmosphere… She went back into her bedroom and packed some of her belongings in a suitcase.

When she had packed all the things she needed to get by for a few days, she realized that something still didn't feel right… She looked down at her wedding ring and realized that it burned her skin.

With trembling hands, she slowly pulled off ring that had become a part of her soul… She placed it neatly on the table beside the bed and turned around to leave the room.

She picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialed a number.

"Bessie… Can uh… Can you come and pick me up?"

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Pacey sat in his cold jail cell, on the hard board they liked to call a 'bed,' and thought about Joey. It was still pretty early on Saturday morning and he knew that Joey was probably upset that he hadn't called her yet…

It had been almost two days since he had stormed out of their house, early Friday morning. Pacey had no idea it would be this long before he would get to talk to his wife again… Really, he had no idea it would be this long before he would get an adequate amount of sleep again…

When he closed his eyes, to try and rest, he heard the guard scrambling with the keys to unlock his cell gate.

"All right Witter. You've made your bail and someone's out front waiting for you.."

Pacey got up and eagerly followed the guard to the front office. To his amazement he saw a short, blonde woman, with a scowl on her face, glaring at Pacey. It was Anne.

"Well you're the last person I'd expect to see here," exclaimed Pacey with a surprised smirk.

"Well, you're the last person I thought I would be bailing out of jail at this moment." replied Anne with a raised brow.

Pacey gave her a questioning look, not sure if he understood her sarcasm. "I thought you were in LA with Dawson… What are you doing here?"

"I just happened to be in the city, doing some training for the show, when Dawson calls me with the disturbing information that you are getting an annulment from Joey-"

"-WHAT?!?"

"Yeah… And you have no idea, Pacey, how hard it is for me, right now, to resist the urge to do some permanent damage to your body!"

Pacey looked at Anne in shock. Why would she believe that he was getting an annulment from Joey?

"Doug mentioned that earlier when I called him.." Pacey began, "But what I would like to know is how everybody seems to know this piece of information except ME: the person you all are accusing?!??"

Anne studied Pacey, not sure if he was being honest. "Well, Dawson told me that Jack called him and said that he saw where you were looking for lawyers-"

"-for the LAWSUIT against the RESTAURANT!" roared Pacey, angry that his friends would think he would do something like that to Joey.

"Apparently I've missed a lot…" clarified Anne.

"Apparently you're not the only one…" exclaimed Pacey, praying Joey didn't think that too. "I say we get out of here and figure out what exactly is going on around here."

Anne nodded and they walked out to the busy streets of New York.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Late Saturday evening, Joey settled in one of the empty rooms at the Potter B&B. She hadn't told Bessie why exactly she wanted to stay there, just that she needed to get out of the house for a few days. She wasn't going to admit anything to Bessie until she absolutely had to.

Joey tried not to sulk in her room too much. She feared that Bessie would become even more suspicious than she already was; so she spent most of the afternoon, in the living room, editing manuscripts, trying to act like there was nothing wrong. The editing proved to be unsuccessful, because it was too hard to concentrate on the reading, while her heart was in so much misery…

By nightfall, Joey decided she couldn't put off the inevitable forever, and went into the bathroom to check her destiny.

Joey held the white box that contained a pregnancy test, firmly with her right hand, and scanned the directions on the back. It was almost pointless to take the test because Joey already knew the answer; this test was really just to confirm what she was feeling.

She was late and she could feel the changes happening, rapidly, in her body. It was like nothing Joey had ever experienced before. She was growing an attachment to something she couldn't even see… But she could definitely feel it…

Joey really didn't want to do this by herself again. She hesitated with opening the box, longing for Pacey to be there with her, to support her, to tell her everything is going to be ok…

And just as she built up the strength to open the corner of the box, she heard the front door slam and Pacey's voice talking outside.

Joey held her breath, not sure if she was imagining things… She pressed her ear against the bathroom door to listen.

"Bessie, where's Jo?" Pacey exclaimed, panicked.

"Well… She was in the living room…" Bessie explained as she looked around the house.

Joey closed her eyes and felt her heart beat faster as she heard his footsteps come closer to the bathroom door. She didn't want him to see her like this: so vulnerable. Especially if he was here to tell her he wanted out of their marriage…

She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from underneath her eyes. She quickly grabbed the test and threw it in a bag, before shoving it under the sink. Joey looked at herself in the mirror and knew what she was going to have to face. She quickly opened the bathroom door and stepped out abruptly.

Joey stumbled into Pacey, who was walking in the hallway towards the bedroom. He grabbed her shoulders to prevent her from falling. She looked away feeling embarrassed.

"Sorry Jo, I didn't see you-" Pacey apologized, still holding her shoulders. He smiled affectionately and said, "We need to talk… I have something I need to tell you…"

Joey stepped away from Pacey's arms and swallowed hard. She wasn't sure she was ready to hear him say he wanted out of her life… Joey reluctantly nodded and Pacey took her hand and led her outside: to the dock, by the creek.

Joey began to speak, but Pacey stopped her. "Joey I know what you are thinking right now and you're wrong… I would never want to get an annulment, separation, divorce, or anything else that would force me to never see you again. There is an explanation to what you saw..."

Joey felt an intense amount of pressure leave her body and embraced Pacey for support. He welcomed the embrace and gently stroked the back of her hair. Joey felt so safe in his arms and didn't ever want to let go… Then she remembered the phone message, on their answering machine and stepped back again.

"Then why did an attorney's office call last night to confirm your appointment in August?" she asked him, accusingly, with her arms crossed.

Pacey smiled, then let out a deep sigh, "It has been a long two days Jo, so let's sit down and I'll explain everything."

Joey started to kneel down, to sit on the edge of the dock, but Pacey stopped her. "First, Jo, I would like to place this back on your finger…"

She looked up and saw her beautiful three-stone, square-cut diamond wedding ring in a black velvet box, in his hand. Pacey took the ring out of the box and said, "I found this by the bed before I came here. May I place it back on your finger, Mrs. Witter?"

Joey smiled and nodded. Pacey lovingly placed the ring back on her finger and she felt like her soul was complete again. She placed both of her hands on his cheeks and gave him a lengthy, passionate kiss. He put his arms firmly around her waist and pulled her closer.

When they finally parted, Pacey tried to catch his breath and exclaimed, "That wasn't fair… Now I'm disoriented and can't remember what I was going to tell you…"

"Well, you could start by explaining to me the message that was left on our answering machine and continue to where you were the past two days…"

Pacey sighed, "Right… That… Let's sit down and try again."

They sat at the end of the dock with their feet dangling high above the water. Joey listened carefully as Pacey explained everything from the lawsuit and Jacobson, to the trip to New York, and finally the fight he had in the hotel bar and the jail time… By the time he was finished the only thing Joey felt was a tinge of pain.

"-So let me get this straight," Joey stated once Pacey was finished, "You didn't tell me about any of this because you didn't think you needed to concern me with it? The thought that maybe I could help you never crossed your mind?"

"It wasn't exactly like that either," Pacey explained. "Just seeing you deal with the West Nile and after how you reacted to Audrey, I didn't think it was right to give you any more stress-"

"-I reacted like that with Audrey because she carried your baby, Pacey!" Joey interrupted, "How would you have felt if I would have told you on our honeymoon- of all places- that Dawson and I had conceived a chil-"

"-Alright…! Alright!" exclaimed Pacey, putting up his hands up to stop her, while trying to get that image out of his head.

"But it was never like that with Audrey, Jo. I guess I never thought about her like that. Even she knew I could never love her like I love you… And the baby… Well, that was just a mistake. Something that neither one of us wanted at the time…"

Pacey paused and looked at Joey, hoping she was finally understanding that Audrey meant nothing to him. He finally put his arm around her and pulled her close to his body. He was comforted by the sweet scent of lotion on her skin and realized how much he had missed her...

"You're wearing that awful smelling lotion again, aren't you?" teased Pacey, sarcastically, as he kissed her cheek.

"Actually Pace, lavender is the only scent that doesn't make me go running to praise the porcelain gods!"

"How have the gods been treating you lately Jo? Hopefully they haven't given you much trouble since I've been gone…"

Joey smiled slightly and unconsciously put her hand on her stomach. "Actually Pace, I was meaning to talk to you about that… I think we are gonna need to stand up for this…"

Pacey looked at her skeptically, but then stood up. He reached for Joey's hand and helped her up as well. Joey tenderly entwined both of her hands in Pacey's and faced him.

"You remember Friday morning, during our fight, I told you that I needed you Pace?"

He looked deep into her chocolate eyes, not sure what she was getting at. "Yeah… but-"

Joey interrupted and moved even closer to Pacey and put her hands on his shoulders. She looked into his beautiful ocean eyes as he began to delicately caress her back. She leaned in for a kiss and just before their lips touched, she whispered softly, "I think we're gonna have a baby…"

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the last part of this chapter! There will be many more happy chapters to come! And a special thanks to Elisabeth, Ticklesnowflake, BuggerLover, and PaceyW'sgirl for all the awesome comments! They were very inspiring when I had writer's block... I hope you guys like the new development in their relationship and I will be sure to update ASAP!! Again, thanks for reading!! ;)