Alone together for the first time that day, absent of familial or genial distractions, Joey was able to finish her confession about rediscovered feelings and a friend's dying wish. "I didn't come to Capeside a week ago searching for this," she said. "And yet maybe in some cosmic way, I did." "Are you going to let the cosmos take credit for your being attracted to me?" Pacey asked. "Well, something other-worldly has to explain it, Witter. Sea creatures from the deep aren't usually my type." "I was always your type," he nuzzled her. "You just didn't want to admit it." "Mmmm," she responded, nuzzling him back. She stopped.

"You're right, Pace, I wasn't ready before. But this…" She gestured between the two of them. "You and me. This is it, I can feel it," she stated adamantly. "This time I've made a decision free from fear." She turned her face to him and looked directly into his devilish blue-hazel eyes. "This time," she promised, "it's for real…for keeps… forever."

You don't have many of those butterfly moments, Doug Witter once said. This was definitely one for both Pacey and Joey. "So what'll we do now, Jo?" She looked down at the gold band now illuminating her finger and began toying with it. "I don't know. I guess I have some calls to make. First, I have to see if I can get my apartment back. And then…" "And then?" "I don't know, Pace. You tell me. I don't have all the answers."

"Neither do I. But I don't want you to have any more doubts either. Being as we're in the season of discovery…" He took her hand and pulled her away from the table. She looked at him curiously. "C'mere. I have something to show you."

Pacey led her back to his office. Taking out his keychain, he found a small brass key and unlocked the lower drawer of his desk. Joey caught a glimpse of the book on top and immediately recognized some of the mementos scattered in the drawer: more memories hidden away—these were from the True Love. Pacey grabbed what look like an aged document from the drawer's side, undoing the piece of yarn around the velum exterior and carefully unrolling the small canvas contained within. Joey's heartbeat quickened.

"I thought I…" "You didn't think I ever did the laundry, did you?" he winked. He presented the canvas to her. It was one of the paintings she had been working on their senior year. A pointillistic depiction of that moment outside Gwen's cabin when she stopped Pacey from walking away, the moment she kissed him back without reservations. "I thought I lost it," she said in hushed tones. "That I lost everything."

"I know I wasn't supposed to look," Pacey said, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You were being so damned secretive about everything. Then one day when you went to work… I meant to surprise you by washing and ironing everything. You know, impress you with my domestic prowess as well." Joey arched a brow. "Needless to say, I'm the one who got the surprise. This little homage to Georges Seurat was the only one you hadn't mounted in the book."

She looked away. "I was going to frame it, keep it separate. It was special." He turned her head back toward him. "Joey…" "Thank you for keeping it safe, Pace. It means a lot to me," she said. She kissed him briefly, then lingered a mere breath away with her lips enticingly close to his. It was the first kiss they had shared since Pacey took the liberty of using her to foil the advances of Maddie Allen at the wedding party—the kiss that awakened Joey to the possibility of their re-coupling.

She kissed him again, longer and fuller this time. Before either had time to process it, they moved toward each other for a third time. Passion quickly rekindled in them both as the kiss grew deeper and more intense. Third time lucky. Third time…magic. Pacey felt the goosebumps crawl up his arms as Joey's tongue slipped into his mouth to tease him. She purred softly, drawing herself further into his embrace as her hands combed through his hair. He placed one hand in the small of her back and the other across her shoulder, growling as he began to dip her.

She pulled away gently. "Jo?" "We just buried a friend this morning, Pacey. What are we doing?" "What she wanted, I think." Joey scowled. "No, you're right. We shouldn't rush this. God knows we've waited long enough." She smiled. Thank God. "I should go," she said.

"You're not running away, are you?"

"Of course not, Pace. I told you that—I'm finished running. I just think you're right. We need to sleep on this…and not rush things."

He caressed the gorgeous length of her neck with his lips. "What do you say I keep a promise to you this time?" He turned her around and lowered himself in order to look directly into her eyes. "Ms. Potter, would you like to go sailing with me tomorrow?" "Surely you're not asking me to join your dubious list of conquests on that godforsaken boat." Pacey grinned, making note that the lilt of her voice was tender not mocking.

"We did make a pledge," he reminded, rolling her back into his arms. "And don't call me Shirley." "It's not even your boat!" she laughed. "It will be, my kitten." Joey smiled again. She rocked back and forth in his embrace, the way she used to whenever she got excited. She consented. Of course she remembered her promise. "As if you had to ask, Pace," she said, noting that she would have to call the office and postpone her flight back to New York by a day. Tomorrow would be theirs alone to spend together.

With these plans in motion, she announced that she wanted to see Dawson again. "He seemed a little lost today," he empathized. "Your soulmate has drifted away." "Now that's where everyone always got it wrong," Joey declared. "Dawson Leery is the boy I grew up with, the boy who knew 13 year-old Joey Potter better than anyone else. But my soulmate?" She took his hands in hers. "My soulmate is the person standing with me in this room." Pacey stared at her, amazed.

zzzzzzzzzz

"I still can't figure out the ending," Dawson told Joey as she approached from dockside. He had been staring at his computer screen for ages without typing a word. "I was so sure the story was going one way…and it didn't. But I think you're right. It doesn't matter who ends up with who…"

"It's you and me together, always. Every Thursday night," Joey said, kissing him on the cheek. "No more life ennui." The couple renewed their pact for lifelong friendship and spent the rest of their time together content to watch Alex and Lily play on the lawn. As the turmoil of their youth was forgiven and forgotten, the memory of Dawson and Joey and who they were to each other had begun to resemble its TV incarnation. As Sam and Colby, they were eternally innocent and blissfully unaware of the future. Their happy ending would play again in reruns. A remembrance of things past seen through the next generation nipping boisterously at their heels.

They were on different paths now. She wasn't his appendage in a stereotypical Hollywood fantasy, and he remained the center of his west coast universe. Her universe was firmly rooted on an eastern coast.

zzzzzzzzzz

The following day was a beautiful spring day, warm but not too hot; a moderate breeze pushed the schooner out into the bay with ease. As Pacey concerned himself with boat matters, Joey had more time to contemplate the events of the past few days. It wasn't long before she was again in tears thinking about Jen. "I wish I had been a better friend. After all the grief I gave her as a kid, she still managed to be open and real and honest. She had the most generous spirit."

Pacey comforted her. "Yes, she did. She understood the rules of our little clique better than we did sometimes. But she liked you, Jo."

It was obvious from Joey's reaction that she had never been entirely sure of this. "She talked about you a lot in the hospital. About how unfair it had been to both you and Dawson to lock you into this idea of destiny and soulmates. That the expectations of your friends and family made it pretty much impossible for you to pursue anything else without feeling guilty, as if you let us all down. I think she was the only one who believed you and I belonged together."

"I never got a chance to tell her…" "She knew." "Pace, you're going to make me cry again." He paid no attention to her. "Of course, that was on her good days. On her bad days, she still hated your guts." Joey couldn't help but smile. "That's more like it," Pacey said as he wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

"Okay. Sad and morose has left the train station. Why don't you bring up the libations and let's get this party started." Joey went below deck and brought back a four-pack of imported beer along with a bowl of chips and salsa. Pacey was momentarily taken aback. "I thought you didn't like beer; I brought some nice wine and cheese more suited to your delicate palate."

She handed him a chilled bottle. "An acquired taste, to be sure," she admitted. "But I thought it was time for a change." She kissed him sweetly on the lips. "What was that for?" he asked. "Just 'cuz," she said with the hint of mischief in her tone.

"Do you remember Buzz Hartfeld, the kid I was mentoring?" Joey nodded affirmatively. "I ran into him the other day. He's not a kid anymore, he's 17 and crazy about this girl he met at a Science Fair…" "…of all places," she added, finishing his sentence. "Really." "Yeah, well, he had a little confession to make after all these years. Seems he was a witness to a private tête-a-tête you and I had over at the Harrison schoolyard many moons ago. Says you became his feminine ideal that day."

"Really?" Joey responded, suggestively straddling the deck bench as she moved closer to Pacey. "Was that before or after the picnic at the tidal pool?" "I don't know. We were both so giddy then—who can remember the timeline? No, it was before…before."

"Giddy? Is that what you call it?" Joey laughed. "You, Mr. Witter, were beyond giddiness. You had crossed that realm into…"

"Okay, okay. I get what you mean. But, if memory serves correctly, we were both a little excited." "Mmm hmm," she growled, slowly moving her hand across Pacey's groin. "That much hasn't changed." She continued fondling him; the electricity between them was palpable.

"I thought you were for not rushing into anything," Pacey asked, though he was far from discouraging her. "You know, trying this relationship back on for size?" "I was, I am." "Sweetheart, if you keep doing that I have to warn you there will be consequences." "Finally," Joey said, clearly ready to move forward. "Something we agree on."

They kissed passionately, their ardor returning in waves as two pairs of arms encircled one another in a gigantic embrace, their bodies melded together as firmly as their lips. She pulled herself away briefly and began unsnapping his shorts; Pacey stopped her. "I wasn't planning on this," he warned, brushing his lips under her ear. "It's not my boat and I'm not sure if we have any protection onboard." "Pacey, not to sound like a cliché, but it is true: I am a woman now—I've been on the Pill for years," she said, tossing her head back. But she was also an adult who knew better than to act on every single impulse. "Do you think we have anything to worry about?" she asked.

He moved his lips down the column of her neck. "No," he stated without hesitation. Pacey looked up. "I uh…" Now he was a little embarrassed. How did she manage that? "About other women…" Joey stopped him, silently acknowledging his discomfort. "Pace?" "Jo, you know that I've always been big on protection. Especially after what almost happened our senior year."

She hadn't expected to hear that. Not now. "So you did know," she said quietly after a considered pause. "About the close call? I guessed. Then a few years ago Bessie pretty much confirmed it with an off-handed comment; I'm sure she didn't think I'd heard it."

Joey should have been more uncomfortable about such a disclosure, but she wasn't. It was water long under the bridge and they had been wrapped up in other things at the time, namely a disintegrating relationship. "My perfect boy," she said simply, combing her fingers through his hair. "You took way too much on your shoulders without telling me. Is it possible we can change our history, Pace? Can we be honest with each other this time? I mean really honest." "You drive a hard bargain, Potter, but as far as I'm concerned, the answer is yes."

He caressed her cheek and she leaned closer, boldly slipping her hand inside his shorts. She remembered this. He was slick and hard and fully aroused. "Are we anchored?" she inquired huskily against his mouth. "Of course," he whispered back. Noting the sailboat headed in their direction, Pacey grabbed her hand and led her below deck to the small bedroom in the bow. He undressed her slowly, his fingertips cherishing the feeling of her silken skin—and, as he laid down with her, the warm touch of her body against his; a touch remembered, a feeling no longer denied. They made love tenderly, as if for the first time, yet with the added sweetness of two lovers' intimate knowledge of each other.

"I can't believe you feel this good," Joey said as she moved her hands across his chest, supporting him as he thrust deeper inside. "Pacey," she moaned deliriously. "Yes?" he purred in her ear. "Nothing. I'm just…savoring…the sound of your name." He smiled. He was savoring the sound of her saying his name. "Pacey!" she exclaimed as he rubbed his thumb across her aching sex. Her hands wandered down his back and filled themselves with him. She remembered this, too—that need to guide him in deeper. His long, slow thrusts began to quicken. "Joey," he snarled. "Yes?" She licked around a nipple before grabbing it lightly with her teeth. Another memory reawakened. "Joey! Ahhh…" Her lips now suckled on his breast as she shifted her hips beneath him.

"Jo?" "Mmm hmm?" she sighed into his chest. He pulled away from her, brushing the hair away from her glistening brow. "Look at me." Their eyes locked in admiration as they shifted their rhythm simultaneously, filling each other with their warmth, their tongues mingling, and mirroring, their physical joining. "I could stay like this forever," he murmured, brushing against her now-swollen lips. "Ah, but you won't," she said mischievously as she wiggled back toward him, provoking his orgasm. She trembled in love-abounding sympathy.

When Pacey opened his eyes, he nearly lost himself in the look of satisfaction on Joey's face; her eyes unfocused and lidded, her cheeks flushed, her mouth now curling into a slight smile. She groaned in disapproval when he disentangled himself from her, moving to her side as he gathered a chenille blanket around them. Not quite ready to go back on deck, they cuddled and laughed and kissed like this day was the day they'd been waiting for all along. It was the tomorrow they had earned.

"See," Joey said as she lay in Pacey's arms, "we fit together. We always did." "You purloined that gem from a four-hanky flick," he kidded her. "Who cares?" she responded. "It's true and it's real and…I've missed it." "Me, too," he said, kissing her forehead. "And, as long as we're stealing our hokum from the celluloid firmament, I would just like to say that you, Ms. Potter, complete me. You complete me. I am a much better man with you than with anyone, anywhere else."

Joey felt her heart doing flip-flops again; she could barely contain herself and couldn't stop smiling. "WE are much better together, Pace," she added, reaching back and pulling him into another long, leisurely kiss.

zzzzzzzzzz

"Do you remember the first time you kissed me?" Pacey asked. They were still cuddled in bed, his arms wrapped around her as one hand lightly traced imaginary tracks down her right arm; she was on her side with her head resting peacefully on his chest, lulled into blissful serenity with the mere sound of his heartbeat. "At the side of the road?" she responded after a lazy pause. "No…" "Don't tell me it was on some dare when we were, like, seven." "Doesn't count," he said, kissing her hair. "But how nice of you to remember, Potter." She slapped his stomach in jest.

"Ouch!" She rubbed her hand sensually across his rippled chest, then peeked her head up to gaze again into those gorgeous eyes. Suddenly, she remembered and a look of recognition spread across her face. "You filed it away as some weird fantasy, didn't you?" he smiled. "I…I…" She saw flashes of the club in Chatham. The loud music. The tab someone gave her in the little girl's room. "I wasn't myself that night." "No, you most certainly were not! What were you on anyway?" "Nothing…" "Jo-o-o-o," his voice urged her on. "E," she said reluctantly.

Pacey started laughing. Unable to control his mirth, the physical effect of his laughter overtook his chest so completely that Joey was forced to sit up. "What's so funny?" "Ecstasy? You mean, X? Potter, you never cease to amaze me."

"I didn't do it intentionally! I went into the bathroom to clear my head—which turned out to be a really bad idea because daddy's business was being conducted everywhere. My head was pounding and when this girl handed me what looked like a plain white tablet, I took it…" Pacey bit on his fist trying to suppress another convulsion from coming on. "What? I thought it was aspirin!" "Yeah, sh..sh..sure," he chortled. "Just because I got straight A's in school doesn't mean I was always thinking correctly." "I think we established that a long time ago," Pacey added good-naturedly. He pulled her back to him and wrapped the blanket around her.

"So when I walked out into the hall…" "…and saw me standing there. You couldn't wait to jump my bones." Joey blushed. "Jo, you were coming on to me long before you went into that bathroom." "Okay, so it wasn't one of my finer moments. Damnit, Pacey! I had forgotten all of this!" "Conveniently forgotten." "It was the first time I'd gotten out to do something fun since…" "The showdown at OK Corral. Yeah, that was the point. We wanted you to let loose and have some fun. Probably should've said no to the bootlegged liquor, though." "YOU brought the beer!"

"That I did. Though being a responsible driver, I did not participate." "It was a good thing, too, Witter. Imagine the consequences if you had." "We probably would've taken that little makeout session out to the Witter Wagoneer," he said as he brushed his lips against her cheek. "You were hot." "And you were with Andie. It was wrong, Pacey." "I know." Both were quiet for a moment. Joey continued with some hesitation. "Do you think…I mean, was that in any way in your head when you broke up with her?"

"Joey! No, of course not." "I know we apologized to each other and everything, and as time went on…Well…I think it did get mixed up in my dreams and I honestly can't say how much it affected me, subconsciously. Did I spend the next few months holding out for Dawson—or you?" "Jo, I never thought of it that way. Andie and I had this pure, decent relationship and what she went through before, during and after that hospital stay made me realize that we meant different things to each other; we had different needs. I wasn't her knight in shining armor after all."

"You're my knight in shining armor," Joey said triumphantly as she kissed her way from his breast to his lips, where she planted herself to stay. Their arms tangled as both struggled to maintain the kiss without drawing another breath. "God…" she sighed at the inevitable release. "Ditto," Pacey said, panting for air. "So," he queried as the headiness evaporated, "you used to dream about me, eh?"

She grinned naughtily. "Don't get ahead of yourself, slick." "You're right," he whispered in her ear. "I used to dream about you, too. I still do."

zzzzzzzzzz

After an hour or so, the couple finally returned topside. Pacey fetched the wine and cheese in preparation for a late afternoon luncheon. "I'm starving," Joey admitted as she put together an attractively laid out plate of fruit, cheese and biscuits. Pacey smiled when he observed that, reminiscent of days of old, Joey remained topless and walked around the boat seemingly without a care in the world.

"You know…if I knew you were always going to look this good without a top, I would have banished clothes on my boatsa long time ago," Pacey kidded as he walked past her, lightly gliding his hand across her waist.

"What? And give up the opportunity to undress dozens of women in your mind when they take you up on your suspicious offer to 'go sailing'?" she laughed. "Besides, I thought it was a fair exchange. I've been tormented by those rock-hard abs for long enough. When did you start working out?"

"When Dougie gave me a card to the gym and told me it was a good place to meet women."

"Chauvinist pig."

"That I am—and don't tell me you don't love it."

Joey grinned. As long as she was the object of desire, she didn't mind it. She didn't mind it at all. She walked back toward the galley, brushing her hand across Pacey's groin as she passed. "Hussy!"

With the banquet prepared, both sat down on the deck to bask in each other's company…as well as partake in some fine wine and cheese. Pacey became contemplative. "Do I make you happy?" he asked sincerely. "Of course you do," she replied without reservation. "Why would you even ask that?" "I mean sexually. Do I satisfy you?" Joey seemed puzzled. "It's just that you're always so quiet when we make love."

"Quiet? Really? I don't remember that." She gazed at him with a look of unadulterated love. "Of course you make me happy, Pacey," she declared. "You make me very, very happy." She pulled him toward her and they shared a kiss. "Well, then. I'm happy you're happy," Pacey retorted with a touch of his former glibness. Pouring a glass of chardonnay for them both, he proposed a toast to the True Love…and a lifetime of insane happiness to follow.

In no time at all, Pacey had to retrieve another bottle of Stagsley from the galley. As the weather began to get cooler, he put his shirt on Joey's shoulders and they huddled arm in arm under a large tartan blanket. Banks of clouds drifted together to create a herring bone sky, illuminated in pinks and oranges by the sun. They watched the sun set over the hills of Capeside and talked about the future. Their future. Pacey announced his plans to buy the boat and re-name it True Love II. "It's the happy ending sequel," he enthused. "We could sail the Seven Seas. Who knows what trouble we could get into?" "Sounds fun," Joey responded, melting into him. "It'll look great on the resumé: editor slash buccaneer." "Or wanton knave," he said, kissing her.

It was getting late, though neither one wanted to acknowledge it. "We should go back," he said finally. "Yes, I guess we should," she agreed with begrudging resignation. Neither moved. Pacey looked at the woman before him, her long brown hair pulled back into a disheveled bun, his maritime shirt draped on tanned shoulders, covering but not hiding her, her long runner's legs tucked to the side—and her gaze focused completely on him. There was a profound sense of hesitation between them.

Without another word, he scooted behind her, surrounding her with his muscular arms and legs. He brushed her hair aside and began kissing the back of her neck. "Feel like a little twilight entwine instead?" he asked. Joey turned around and cupped his face in her hands. "I thought you'd never ask."

With the added inducement of wine chasers, this makeout session soon evolved into something more than tonsil hockey. This time, it was Pacey's hand that wandered across Joey's inner thighs, slithering inside her shorts and spreading open the delicate area between her legs. He moved his long fingers slowly up and down, in and out. Joey locked her arms around his legs and settled back into him, taking him in as long as she could stand it.

"Pace?" she whispered in a distinctly raspy tone. "Hmm?" "I want…it…ah…I want it back." "What darling?" "Mmmm. The painting. I want it back. Pacey!" "No, no, no, no," he growled in return. "It's mine." "That's…a matter of opinion," she sighed.

"Possession is nine-tenths of the law. Besides," he said, adding his other hand to the mix; Joey groaned. "You were giving it to me anyway, right?" "But I never…never did. Oh my God. You stole it." "Semantics, Joey. I just honored your original intention." She licked her lips and pushed back into him, inciting further arousal.

"Okay," Pacey said, taking his hands away. "Hmm?" she whimpered, perplexed by the sudden loss of touch. "I'll make you a deal. First one to say 'uncle', loses." "What?" Joey said as she sat upright and gathered his shirt around her. "You heard me." "You're serious? This is so juvenile." "But so much fun, my lassie" he said, brushing his hand across her breast. Her nipple was hard. "And, by the way, you love it." This is going to be so easy, he thought.

Her look darkened before a grin returned to her face. She was aching all over and felt she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. But as she leaned against him she'd discovered that he was already hard and if he was up for it, she was. "Okay, Pacey Witter, friend to women. You're on." He didn't like the sound of that. "Are you sure?" he asked. "Yes," she stated. "Below deck. Now." "But…" "Now, Pace!"

Joey made it as far as the galley before taking off her shorts and offering herself entirely to her unsuspecting prey. Her shirt was unbuttoned but not completely off; he pulled it further open, running his hands down her breasts and admiring how, though she was thin and trim, her breasts remained full and beautiful. And soft. "Don't tell me you don't want it, too," she said knowingly.

Pacey lifted her up onto the table, carefully suckling her breasts, ringing the tip of his tongue around her sensitive nipples, brushing across her chest as his hands continued to knead her breasts. He licked the outside of her belly button, then slowly marked a fleshly trail down her abdomen to settle between her legs. He spread them apart and she moaned in anticipation, arching toward him. He placed his hands on her bottom, massaging and supporting her as he moved in and began to assault her fiery core. Joey moved her hips in concert with his delirious tongue thrusts, which, in turn, were magnified by the gentle rocking of the boat. The sensation was hot and vibrant and electric all at once. He's really getting into this, she marveled.

Suddenly, she maneuvered away from him. "Your turn," she said as she finished undressing him, his khaki shorts and boxers slipping to the floor without a protest. She pulled him onto a padded bench, kneeling between his legs as he sat down. She teased him with her fingernails, criss-crossing his chest with seductive kisses in all his most tender places—she still knew how to drive him wild. Her tongue followed the wayfarer's path from navel to groin, stopping just short of his throbbing sex. He groaned, she smiled; she wasn't through. She blew warm air across the tip of his penis, her mouth scarcely touching the length. Cupping his testicles in her right hand, she began sucking on them, varying the touch of her lips as her left hand began to satisfy him.

He was damned if he was going to let her know how much he wanted her in that moment. Sensing this, Joey removed hands and lips and slid a bit forward. "Not ready to say 'uncle', Pace?" "Nope…" he started to say before he realized that his erection was now firmly between her breasts as she moved up and down. Damn. She had gotten even better.

But so had he. He coaxed her back up to a waiting mouth, as each tasted their desire on the other. His tongue made a sensuous journey to the shell of her ear, lapping around the canals before plunging deeper. She shuddered, knowing that he would soon be inside her, filling her in ways that made every nerve ending tingle just thinking about it; it was all she could think about now. She got up and he pinned her against the counter, holding both hands as he moved against her. "How about it, Jo? Uncle?" "And what constitutes a submission?" she sighed. "Me inside, you quivering. "Now?" "Now."

"How about a truce?" she queried as she moved against him this time. She could feel him tensing up. "How about a mutual surrender with honor?" he retorted. "Wuss!" "Whatever." "Can I have my hands back?" she chuckled. He let her go and she caressed his penis. "Let's go to bed," she commanded, pulling him along. "Ay, ay, captain!"

They returned to the bedroom and made love with abandon. It was mad, passionate sex unlike anything either had experienced before, the difference not being sexual positions but the intensity of their desire, and love—the need to please and express that love definitively, physically, being the greatest desire of all. With no one around for miles, Joey felt free to vocalize her pleasure and climaxed with such an audible release that Pacey shook in equally resonant ecstasy.

They fell asleep as they were, waking hours later in an awkward yoga-like entanglement that left both of them hurting. Pacey's arm had gone to sleep and, when Joey attempted to get up, her knee refused to cooperate. "Oh, no," he insisted, tugging her back into bed. A mutual massage session ensued.

When the kinks had been worked out, Pacey and Joey went back on deck to make love under the stars. They felt more alive than ever, imagining themselves the passionate protagonists in a Van Gogh painting. "This is so beautiful," Joey exclaimed as she looked at the vast blanket of stars shimmering back at them. "Pacey. You…must…see this," she said, riding the waves of rapture flowing through her. "I can see it," Pacey said, placing his hand firmly on her cheek. He saw the stars, clear as a summer's eve, reflected in her eyes.

Thank you, Jen, Joey mused, tilting her head into her lover's palm. Thank you for challenging me, for never giving up. For wanting our happiness even when denied your own.

Tears filled her eyes. "Is something wrong?" Pacey asked as he hovered above her. "No, Pace," she said as she lured him back to her, reveling in his warmth. "I'm just so goddamn happy."