Author's note: Thanks for your thoughtful reviews! They make this process even more fun. This is my first multi-chapter story. I started it without any real plan other than I really liked in the show when PJ helped each other with the B&B and True Love. Just as a heads up, I've decided that this is not going to be completely canon. Some of the events from the show may happen, but with a twist (e.g., different sequence). Some may not happen at all (e.g., there is definitely no Eve here). My goal is simply to stay true to the characters. And, of course, to continue my love affair with Pacey J. Witter. ;)
Joey turned on the radio in the Witter Wagoneer. "You know that's breaking the rules, Potter," Pacey said eyeing her in the passenger seat. Ignoring his statement, she switched the station and turned up the volume when she heard a familiar song. "No way," Pacey said shaking his head. "We are not listening to Hootie & The Blowfish."
"Oh hush. It's Monday, my day to choose to music," Joey replied.
"What are you talking about, woman?" he asked with feigned indignation.
Joey shrugged and answered, "Last week, you bet me that I couldn't chug your Mountain Dew. You lost, so I get control of the radio one day per week." Pacey smiled recalling the alarming speed with which she had downed his pop. He knew that she was capable of doing it, years of movie nights with Dawson had proven that, but he had mistakenly banked on the fact that she hated Mountain Dew. "I choose Mondays," Joey said easily. "Now be quiet, so I can hear my song."
"Nope, quiet was not part of the deal. You can put whatever you want on the radio, but doesn't mean I have to actually listen to it," he replied. "I'll just channel my inner Joey and talk incessantly," Pacey added with a smirk.
"Cute Pace, real cute," she retorted while turning the volume up louder.
"What does this Hootie guy really have to say anyway?" he asked with disinterest.
"His name is not Hootie, its Darius Rucker," Joey corrected.
"Wrong again, Potter. It's definitely Hootie," he said knowing that Joey Potter had a need to be right. A need that was especially strong where Pacey was concerned. Examining him carefully, Joey decided not to take his bait. She merely bopped her head along to the beat. "Oh, so now you're going to ignore me? Very mature, Jo," Pacey proclaimed.
Joey began to sing, "Sometimes you're crazy, And you wonder why."
"Sorry, Jo. I'm not one to go back on my word, but I can't take this," he said as she began to sing louder. Pacey moved his hand toward the tuner in an effort to change the station. Not looking at him, Joey placed her hand over the knob and continued to sing.
"I'm such a baby, 'Cause the doggies make me cry," she sang proudly. Pacey started laughing. She tried to ignore him, but finally relented and asked, "What? What is so funny?"
"You. Did you really just sing, 'the doggies make me cry?'" he questioned through his laughter.
"Yes, those are the words. Darius Rucker loves animals," she responded. "It's like those ASPCA commercials." As Pacey laughed harder, Joey's argument grew more ardent. "Some people have a heart, Pacey. Those commercials make me cry every time," she defended.
"I'm sorry, Jo," he managed between laughs. "They are sad commercials, but those are definitely not the lyrics." Joey shook her head refusing to believe him. "I've seen the video for this song. It has Dan Marino in it," Pacey said.
"So? Maybe Dan Marino loves animals too," she suggested. Joey gave Pacey a look of confusion and frustration. She pushed out her bottom lip as Pacey continued to laugh.
"You're cute, Potter," he said reflexively. As soon as the words left his mouth, Pacey wished it hadn't been such an automatic response. He hadn't intended to say that, but Joey was adorable when she pouted. Not wanting to allow her time to absorb his words, Pacey continued. "Dan Marino is the quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. Maybe Hootie is a lover of animals, but he's definitely a fan of the Dolphins," he said.
Joey considered his words for a moment. "Ugh. Football? That's dumb," she said with disappointment. "Whatever, I like my version better," she added with authority. Joey then leaned forward to change the station.
"That's enough, m'dear. No more ladies choice for today," Pacey stated.
"What? It's still my day," she protested.
"We're here, Potter," he responded putting the car in park.
"Fine, but I get to pick after school too. A gal can only handle so much classic rock," Joey said as she gathered her backpack. The two exited the car and before he could argue, Pacey noticed Andie approaching. "Want me to run interference?" Joey asked following Pacey's gaze.
"No, that's OK," he responded quietly. "I can handle her on my own."
"OK," Joey stated as she began to walk toward the school building.
"Hey, Jo?" he said.
Joey stopped to look at him. "Yeah, Pace?"
"Thanks, for the offer," Pacey said with a small smile. Joey smiled back and continued her quest. She nodded at Andie as she passed by ignoring the questioning look the blonde had given her.
"Good morning, Pacey," Andie chirped.
"Hey, Andie. What's up?" Pacey asked as he turned to lock the car door. He then began walking toward the school building. Andie looked slightly disappointed that he hadn't stopped to talk to her, but persevered walking along side him.
"Well, I know we have that big math test coming up this week," she began. "Thought I'd offer for you to come over and study," she explained with a smile.
Pacey cringed at the implication that he needed her help to be successful. "I already have a studying plan actually," he responded simply. "Besides, I'm babysitting tonight," he added.
Andie raised an eyebrow at his response. "Babysitting?" she questioned with disbelief. "You know what, Pacey? If you don't want to come over, just say so. You don't have to make up some lame excuse," she stated in frustration.
Pacey stopped walking and turned to face her. "There is no reason for me to make up an excuse, Andie. I'm helping Joey babysit Alexander tonight. That's the truth." He took a deep breath recognizing the weight of what was to come. "But here's the thing. You cheated on me, remember?" Pacey hated that she was forcing him to be so blunt, but he saw no way around it. "Do you know what teenage boys often do when faced with that devastation? I do because I've actually taken a poll on this one." He paused before continuing. "Some say terrible things to their ex; call them names like 'slut' or 'whore.' Others spread despicable rumors about them. Some guys actually vandalize their ex's home. We're talkin' full on, middle school teepee action. I haven't done any of that. I would never do any of those things. I respect you too much for that.," he said meeting her eyes. "I meant it when I said we could be friends, but we're not going to be the friends who do things alone together. We aren't best buds anymore. That doesn't make me a bad guy. I loved you, Andie. I did. With a few exceptions, I feel I've handled this whole situation pretty well actually. I can be proud of what I've done. I will always care about you, and I want the very best for you. There just has to be limits to what I have to offer."
Andie stared at him in disbelief. She opened her mouth to respond. Then sensing the tears fighting to surface, she decided to keep her response brief. "I get it, Pacey," she said swallowing hard. "I guess I'll see you around," she added. Pacey watched her walk away. He let out the breath he did not realize he had been holding. Resisting the urge to escape school, he turned to go to homeroom.
"So how did things go with Andie this morning?" Joey asked. They were back in the car after school. However, the mood in the Witter Wagoneer was more subdued than it had been seven hours earlier.
"Fine, I guess," Pacey responded. He then chose to elaborate in the hopes of finally ending the drama that had been his life since homecoming that year. "I think she finally understands that we aren't going to get back together. I was explicit in telling her that we can be friends, but not necessarily the type of friends who do things by themselves. Group things only," he said clearly.
"I see. And she seemed OK with that?" Joey questioned.
"Not really, but she seemed to accept it," he suggested. Joey nodded her head and continued in silence for a moment.
"So what kind of friends do things by themselves?" Joey asked him bravely. "Because you and I often do things alone," she added swallowing hard. "Most of the time we really don't include other people these days."
Pacey fought the urge to look at her. He found himself painfully aware that one look into those big, brown eyes, would likely lead to his undoing. His heart swelled with possibilities: "The kind of friends who are slowly becoming more. The ones who seem to look at each other differently than they used to. The ones with sexual tension and unexplainable chemistry." Instead, he stared intently at the road ahead of him. His mind voiced a response, "Yeah, I suppose we have been a bit exclusionary these days." Pacey chuckled. "I guess we're the kind of friends that are comfortable with each other. It's easy for me to help you with B&B stuff and you seem pretty OK with working on True Love with me. I mean, let's face it. Our other friends have their merits, but they are certainly not accustom to manual labor." Having safely let the words out of his mouth, Pacey allowed himself to look at her. He saw what he thought might be a look of disappointment covering her face.
"Well, that's true," Joey said with a slight nervous laughter. "So I assume you remembered to bring your math materials?"
"What do I look like, Potter?" he asked rhetorically. "I am nothing, if not a well-mannered and prepared pupil. I just happen to need to stop at my house before coming over. That's all."
Joey rolled her eyes at him. "Right, you're the most focused person I've ever had the displeasure of working with. You better drop me off first, ya loser, that way Bessie can head out."
"Hey, Potter, I'm here!" Pacey hollered as he entered her house. "Now before you yell at me, I'm aware that it took a little longer. My delay was for good reason though," he said defensively. Joey joined him in the room, Alex on her hip, staring at Pacey expectantly. "I wanted us to have some brain food, so I stopped to get a pizza," he offered gesturing to the box in his hands.
"Pacey, pizza is in no way brain food. Now, wash your hands," she ordered. "We'll eat while the pizza is hot and then dive into studying … assuming Alex let's us."
"Goodness, woman. Why are you always commanding me to wash my hands? If I'm honest, you seem a little obsessed with them," he suggested waving his hands in front of her. "I admit that they are capable of magic," he said with a shit-eating grin.
"Could you please keep your perviness to a minimum in front of the baby?" Joey demanded clearly unimpressed with his innuendo.
"Your loss," Pacey responded. "May I submit a slight modification to your plan?" he stated without waiting for a response. "Eat, play with Mister Man here, then study," he proposed. Pacey reached across Joey to gather Alexander in his arms. "You like that idea, don't you, buddy?" he said with his singsong voice. Alex smiled broadly and began to giggle as Pacey blew raspberries on his belly.
Joey laughed, "Fine, we can do that. But don't go thinking you're getting out of this night without opening that book," she said sternly.
"I would never!" Pacey responded his mouth agape with shock.
They successfully completed the first two steps in Pacey's revised plan. Joey then headed to Alex's room to put him to sleep. In her absence, Pacey glanced nervously around the house. His thoughts began to race: when had he become nervous to be alone with Joey? Should he sit at the table? Deciding that was too studious of a behavior for someone who really did not enjoy studying, Pacey moved into the living room. Now, should he sit on the couch? Noticing the pillow in one corner of the couch, he nixed that idea because he did not trust himself to sit with Joey on her bed; even if it was just the couch in the living room. Pacey finally decided to sit on the floor. He opened his book, spread out his materials, and waited for her to return.
Ten minutes later, Joey entered the living room. She smiled at the scene in front of her. "I'm ready to work, Miss Potter," Pacey said innocently. Joey grabbed her textbook from her backpack. She put a pencil behind her ear and sat down on the couch beside Pacey who was still sat on the floor.
"Let's start by doing the practice test. Then we can go over the answers in the back of the book," Joey declared.
"OK," Pacey nodded. "May I borrow a pencil?"
"Seriously, Pacey? Why can you never manage to bring your own pencil?!" she questioned. "I'm done loaning you pencils. You either don't give them back or you return them with bite marks all over. Plus, you erase like a crazy person, so they often have no eraser left when I get them," she complained.
"C'mon, Jo. You are seriously crazy about your pencils. I get the highlighting stipulations 'yellow highlighter only'" he mocked, "but this is ridiculous.
"Nope, I told you, I'm not giving you one," Joey stated stubbornly.
"I'll just steal one from your bag, if I have to."
Her eyes narrowing she said, "You wouldn't dare go into my things uninvited."
"You're leaving me no choice here, Potter," Pacey responded.
"Not my problem, Witter." Joey opened her book to start the practice test.
"Fine," Pacey said. Then he leaned in close to her face, and slowly reached his hand up to her cheek. Her eyes followed the movement of his hand, her breathing quickened. His hand closed on the pencil behind her ear. "I'll take this one," he said holding the pencil up in front of her face. Her cheeks reddened and she quickly broke his gaze.
Joey said nothing for a moment while Pacey smiled at her inches away from her face. "Get to work," she managed. Pacey held her pencil and turned toward his book. He suddenly felt that was the only safe place to look; Joey's eyes certainly were not safe. Feeling her presence next to him, he decided it wasn't safe to look to his left either; where her long, bare legs were draped over the couch. Not knowing what else to do, Pacey followed her directions and started his practice test.
He managed to complete three problems before again becoming distracted. Joey had shifted on the couch; her legs and bare feet were now impossibly close to him. Pacey tried to force himself to make a quip to relieve the tension he felt. He considered joking with her about how big her feet were, but decided against it. He was aware that if he said any of the smart-aleck things that were in his head, he might lose the privilege of having her this close to him. Pacey suddenly knew that he was back to being "confused and attracted." He was less surprised this time around, but that really was of no help to him.
Pacey resolved that this must be some sort of hormonal glitch. He was a teenage boy, who had previously had an active sex life. She was a good-looking girl. Pacey forced his thoughts to turn to Jen and the agreement they had made during the trip to Witch Mountain. He merely needed to spend more time with Jen and less time with Joey, lest he act on this inexplicable attraction he seemed to have to the absolute worst candidate. Pacey took a deep breath settling that a little distance from the beauty beside him would probably be well advised.
The two worked in silence for a while until Joey finished her practice test. Noticing that Pacey was yet to complete his, she went into the kitchen and returned with a bag of chips. "You read my mind, Potter," Pacey said upon seeing the bag of chips in her hands.
"Yeah?" she asked pulling a chip out of the bag and slowly putting it into her mouth. "They are pretty good. Too bad you can't have any," she teased.
"Potter," Pacey warned with a low growl.
"Is your test done?" Joey asked in seriousness.
"Yep, all done," he replied quickly closing his book.
"I don't believe you. Let me see it," she ordered.
"Give me a chip," he challenged. Joey shook her head no and pulled another chip from the bag. "Potter, you know better than to stand between a Witter and snacks. I will take them by force if necessary."
"No you won't," she said calmly. Her eyes dared him to approach. Pacey's face hardened in a look of warning. Joey, clearly not heeding his warning, ate one more chip. Pacey sprung from the floor. Finally recognizing his intention, she squealed turning to run toward the kitchen. His right hand grabbed at her hip. Joey tried to get away, but she was no match for the strength of Pacey's arms. He pulled her into a bear hug. The moment his arms closed around her body, Pacey felt a surge of electricity. Ignoring the fear that she may actually feel his racing heartbeat through her back, he held her tighter until he heard a crunch. "Good job, Pace," Joey deadpanned. "Now all you get is crumbs," she said. Reluctantly, Pacey released her from his hold. Yes, he definitely needed to spend more time with Jen, and fast.