A/N: Thanks so much for the overwhelming support with this story! I can never state enough how much your reviews, alerts, favorites, etc. mean to me! I hope to have the next update for "Dreams, Devotion, and Fulfilling Forever" posted either tonight or tomorrow sometime. I'm going to try and get back on a schedule with updates so I don't leave you guys hanging for so long anymore, so look for updates at least once a week on one of my stories. Again, thanks for reading! You guys are amazing!

-Misty-

-Chapter Eleven-

Her eyes twinkled in the moonlight as she looked up at the sky, one hand resting softly over the child nestled inside. She shivered once as a cool breeze filtered through the boat and she held onto her shawl more tightly.

A girl. A little girl. She was going to have a daughter. It was a scary concept, thinking about becoming a mother, but the fact that she was going to have a daughter brought an unexplained comfort to her body. Like now she felt as if she had a purpose in life that she hadn't considered before. No longer could she think of her baby as a mistake. No. Her child was a miracle and it would only be a few more weeks before she would get to see this baby who had changed her and Pacey's plans irrevocably.

She felt the boat shift on the water and heard his footsteps as he climbed onto the boat.

"Hey Potter," he grinned as she turned to look at him. "Look what I brought home."

"Money?" she teased, although secretly hoping it was true.

He shook his head, "Not until next week. But it should be a nice check with all the extra hours I've been putting in."

She smiled and watched as he discarded his coat and set a brown paper bag in front of her. The spicy aroma filled her senses and immediately, she knew what was inside. Her mouth began to water in anticipation…

"Mmm," she moaned with pleasure as she opened the brown paper bag to find her favorite brand of enchiladas inside.

"God I love that sound," he murmured next to her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You have any chocolate and you'll be hearing plenty of those noises tonight."

"Is that a promise?" he teased, turning her away from her food so he could give her a proper kiss.

She accepted his lips with a brief peck, before turning to get back to her food. His needs could wait. She had more important things to consider. Namely, feeding his daughter.

"Oh I see how it is," he bantered, throwing his arms up in the air for emphasis. "You take my food, you take my money, and I don't get even the simplest kiss in return."

"I kissed you," she challenged, settling on the couch with the food in her hand.

"Ha! My grandmother gives better kisses than that."

Joey winced, "Thanks for the image, Witter… Appreciate that…"

"No really," he continued, ignoring her last statement. "They have names for women like you-"

"-And if you ever call me one of those names, Witter, you'll be in a world of misery where death would never look so good."

"You wouldn't…" he mocked, moving close to her with confidence.

"Just try me Pace…"

"You'd never hurt me," he stated with arrogance, sitting close to her, and wrapping an arm around her.

She glared at him. "And how can you be so confident?"

"Because our daughter needs a father."

"Pshht," she laughed. "If that's all you think that's saving you, you can think again! Any man could be a father to our daughter…"

He raised an eyebrow, suddenly looking hurt, "Really?"

Immediately, Joey saw her mistake as the bright sparkle in his baby blues disappeared and a mask of insecurities showed through.

"No, no, no, Pace…" she answered quickly, taking his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "I was just teasing."

"I know Jo, but it's true. Any other man could be a father to my baby…" Joey shook her head, but he continued. "You know, any other man would probably be a better father to her than I could be. I'm a screw up. I'll probably end up dropping her or forgetting to feed her or something. Not to mention when she's older…"

"Pacey, stop it!" she pleaded. "You know that's not true! It was a joke… I shouldn't have said that."

She quickly grabbed his hands and placed them on her protruding stomach. "She loves you, Pacey. No one else could love her like you do. She needs you as her father and no one else."

He sighed and rubbed his hand over his child. She could tell her words still weren't sinking in.

"You have to promise me something."

He lifted his eyes to meet hers. "What?"

"It's not going to be easy when we go back to Capeside. The comments aren't going to be pleasant… I should know…" She thought of Bessie. "But no matter what happens, you'll be a father to our little girl. No matter what the others say about how young we are-"

"-Or what a screw up I am," he quickly added.

"No matter what," she said firmly, "you have to promise me that you'll be there for her. She doesn't just need a father… she needs you."

"I told you a long time ago I wasn't going anywhere, Potter. And I'm not."

"You promise?" she pushed.

"Yes, Jo. I promise."

She smiled and relaxed in Pacey's arms as he continued to stroke her stomach, slowly letting it glide to her side above the hip, and over to her arm. Another sensation was beginning to take over and Pacey never looked so appetizing.

"Good," she purred unexpectedly.

He raised his eyebrow, recognizing that look in her eye. She stopped his hand from stroking her arm and moved to straddle his legs. She smiled wickedly at him as she placed her hands on his shoulders, giving them a firm squeeze.

"Potter…" he asked, a smile curling his lips, "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"Maybe…" she said shyly, biting her lip, and looking down. "Is it working?"

He grabbed a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear, then moved his thumb to trace the outline of her lips. "Very much so…"

His sensual caress on her lips was her undoing. She eagerly kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him closer. A satisfied groan escaped his lips as he let his hands drift up and down her back, enjoying the affection she was showing him.

"I missed you today," she exclaimed between kisses.

Pacey was too focused on his task at hand – specifically, nipping at her ear – to answer. A throaty grunt was all she could get in response. This irritated her until his hands began to work under her shirt, gently teasing her warm skin with his fingertips. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensations his touch was providing. She was in a blur of lust and desire when it hit her – or rather jolted her.

"Ow!" she tensed unexpectedly, making Pacey stop.

"What? What'd I do?" he murmured frantically, coming out of his haze.

She couldn't breathe and reached for her lower stomach.

Pacey watched her for a few seconds in mild curiosity before it finally registered. He looked from the pained contortion on her face, down to where her hand gripped madly at the pain in her body. He stopped breathing too.

"Oh god…" his voice cracked, as he tried to get out from under her. His mind was racing so fast he could hardly keep up. "Breathe Joey, breathe!"

She opened her eyes and the look she gave him made him shrink back against the couch.

"I AM breathing Pace… That's the problem!"

She winced and closed her eyes again, succumbing to the pain.

He didn't say anymore until her face returned to it's normal color.

"Are you okay?" he asked weakly, suddenly afraid of her; afraid of what her body was capable of in that moment.

She nodded and opened her eyes. "I think so."

"So will you let me up so I can take you to the hospital?"

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Megan Franzen had come in immediately to examine Joey. She hadn't had one of those pains again, since the first one, but it was painful enough that she didn't argue with Pacey when he told her they were going to the ER.

"Alright Joey, how are you feeling?" she asked, once the intrusive exam was over with.

"Hungry," she mumbled honestly.

Megan chuckled, "Well, I think it would be okay if you stopped by the cafeteria on your way out. I'm sure Pacey wouldn't mind."

Pacey nodded, "Yeah, that's no problem… But she's not having the baby?"

Megan shook her head and smiled. "Nope. Braxton Hicks. Sorry Joey."

Joey actually looked relieved. "So that shouldn't happen again until it's real, right?"

"No… Not exactly. You can get these contractions off and on until the big day."

"So how do I know if it's real?"

"Well, if they happen more than 5 times a day, I want to see you. Alright? Otherwise, you're just gonna have to work through it."

Joey groaned, "Ugh… Just what I wanted to hear..."

"Just a little longer, Joey, and then you'll have your little girl."

"You promise?"

Megan smiled, "Yes. Now you two better get going to the cafeteria before it closes."

Joey nodded and reached for her clothes as Megan left to give them privacy.

While Pacey waited by the door so Joey could grab some food to go, an interesting conversation found his ears.

"I dunno Nickels… I need the extra space for these sailors coming in. I'm sorry, but I just can't."

"I'll pay double."

"That hardly seems fair…"

"Don't make me triple it."

"Can't they go on to Bridge Port? Surely the storm will miss them there."

"I want my men here when the storm hits and I want them at your hotel."

"But I thought you booked up the Lariat too? Where will the incoming sailors stay? Chester doesn't have anywhere else for these latecomers to stay safe."

"Well that's James's problem, now isn't it?"

Pacey turned sharply when Joey lightly touched his shoulder. "Pace, are you ready?"

He nodded and escorted her out of the hospital. He put his arm around Joey as they walked and couldn't seem to kick the conversation he had overheard.

He knew all about the storm coming in, his boss had told him all about it, but he didn't think it would be anything to worry about. However, listening to that man try to book up the only two hotels that were in this small Podunk town, told him he was underestimating this storm.

He knew how these large fishing outfits worked when they were playing dirty with other companies. They'd fill up the places on shore where sailors could find last-minute shelter, forcing them to go back to the only place they could - their boats – which was pure suicide with the right storm.

"Well you're awfully quiet for what just happened," Joey teased, when they reached the True Love.

He smiled and kissed her forehead, "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Well I hope you can clear it to get some sleep tonight. You have to work tomorrow."

Pacey nodded. Sleep was not something he could do at this point.

"I'm gonna check a couple things on the boat, I'll be right back."

Everything appeared secure at first glance. They had been through several storms on this boat. Some scarier than others, but the True Love held up nicely. He had no doubt that she would survive a hundred more storms. It's just he had a family to consider now. And with Joey having these fake contractions, he felt the urge to reconsider how safe their boat was.

"Pace? What are you doing?" Joey asked, stepping up to check on him.

"Nothing," he answered quickly, going back down to her side. "Let's go to bed."

Joey nodded and followed him to bed. She snuggled in to his side as best she could at this far along in her pregnancy. Pacey put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head, inhaling the intoxicating scent of lavender and hairspray.

"Goodnight, Jo."

"Night Pace," she yawned.

XOXOXOXOXOXO