June 6. On Wednesday night, Joey drove the truck to the other side of the creek, parking in the familiar drive. She walked around to the back of her friend's house, climbing the steps and opening the door to the screened-in back porch. After knocking on the door and being let inside, she walked right up the stairs to her friend's bedroom. She knocked on the partially open door, stepped inside the room, and flopped down on the edge of the bed with a huge sigh.

"I didn't know you were gonna be visiting me today," her friend smiled.

"Jen, this speech is driving me nuts. I… I must have some sort of a block or something."

"And I bet you that block has a name: Pacey."

"Yeah, so, he has been known to occupy my thoughts… every hour of the day."

Jen smirked at her. "And seeing him forced to leave his own graduation rehearsal this afternoon? That was painful."

Sadness welled up, and she pouted. "Mr. Leery wouldn't even tell me what the problem was; said he wasn't at liberty to discuss matters involving other students, and that I should just ask Pacey. I called him right when I got home from school, but no one answered the phone. I told him to call me back, but…" She shrugged weakly.

Jen chewed on her lip, remaining quiet a moment. "So, what you got there?" she asked, nodding at the folded paper in Joey's hand as she got up from her desk to sit down next to her on the bed. "Is that your speech?"

"No, um... it's actually a letter written to me from my mom. She wrote it before she died, and Bessie's been saving it ever since to give to me when I graduated."

"Wow. That's intense. Uh... have you read it yet?"

"I tried, and, uh... every time I go to read it... I remember what she was like at the end. You know, so... still and, um... so much pain and suffering. I just kind of freeze up. But that being said, um... I still have to know what's in the letter, so... I was wondering if you would read it for me?"

Jen's face lit up with surprised smile. "Me, really? Are you sure? Wouldn't you rather have Pacey or Dawson read it to you? I didn't even know your mom."

Joey heaved another deep sigh. "Well, admittedly, I did go to Pacey's house before coming over here. He still wasn't home. I had gone over earlier when I had called and he never called back, but he wasn't home then either. Then I went to the marina. He wasn't down by the docks. I even drove over to little Buzz's house and asked him if he'd seen Pacey, but he told me not since last week. I think I'm turning into the stereotypical neurotic girlfriend."

"Well, it's kind of understandable right now. I mean, you're worried about him."

"Yeah. Well, I'm glad you're actually home and not out galivanting with Jack."

Jen chuckled. "We've scheduled some galivanting on Friday. Tonight, we're studying for finals."

"He didn't want to study with you?" she asked, surprised.

"I believe Tobey offered to help him study, and Jack gladly took him up on the offer. I told him that he doesn't take anatomy class this year, and he hung up on me."

Joey laughed. "Well, I'm happy he's so happy."

Smiling, Jen nodded. "Me too. Anyway, what about Dawson? I'm sure he's home. Why not ask him to read the letter for you? He knew your mom."

"I'd rather not see Dawson at the moment. Not until after I can talk to Pacey about some stuff… if he'll even want to talk about it. He didn't want to earlier. Dawson called me on the phone like an hour ago, wanting to know if I'd made a decision, which I haven't."

"About the money for Worthington?" Jen replied perceptively.

Tears pricked her eyes. "I don't know what to do. What do you think I should do?"

Her friend shrugged her shoulders. "Well, you said yes to Pacey's offer to help you, right?"

Joey stared for a moment. "So, I take it you know about Pacey's savings? Dawson told you?"

"Yeah, he told me and Jack while we were at the diner this afternoon. We felt so bad. I mean, we already felt bad about his savings getting wiped out, but then we felt worse when Dawson told us what the money was for. I'm so sorry, Joey. Were we not supposed to know? It's not his fault. I mean, he didn't volunteer the information. We asked him to tell us."

She closed her eyes. When would the world give Pacey a break? Maybe that whole being cursed thing was right. She pursed her lips, shaking her head. "Well, I suppose it wasn't exactly a secret."

"Well, if you want my opinion, I honestly can't see much of a difference between Pacey helping pay your tuition, and Dawson helping to pay."

"Dawson doesn't see a difference either, but I'm almost certain Pacey does. What that difference is, I don't exactly know. He just told me to make my own decision and walked away."

"I imagine his life has been turned upside down. It's only been one day since the arraignment. He probably has a lot on his mind, a lot more than this situation with Dawson's money. Anyway, Pacey's a level-headed guy. I'm sure once he has time to think about it, he'll be fine. If the primary goal is to get you to Worthington, when it comes down to it, he probably won't care that much about how you get there."

She wanted to believe that was true, but she frowned all the same.

"Look, Joey, both Dawson and Pacey want you to go to Worthington, right? They both made generous offers to help you get there. One unfortunately didn't work out, but thankfully you have another friend who can help. I'm sure Pacey will eventually see it for how simple it is. It's only as complicated as you make it."

"I wish things could be that simple between the three of us. I miss the days when things had been simple," Joey said, and then Jen gave her a pointed, disbelieving look. She shrugged in defeat and sighed. "Okay, so, I suppose they were never really simple."

"I'm sure everything will work out. You have practically all summer to decide."

Her brows furrowed. "Somehow I don't think Pacey would appreciate a summer of indecision."

Jen chewed on her lip, hesitating. "So, um, did you find out what happened with him at the graduation rehearsal?"

"No," she sighed. "Mitch wouldn't divulge, and Pacey is AWOL right now, so I haven't been able to talk about it with him."

"Dawson told me."

Of course, he did. She fought hard not to roll her eyes. The look on Jen's face made her stomach turn. "What? What is it?"

Her mouth curved into a sad frown, and she gazed at her with sympathy. "Because of Pacey's conviction, Principal Peskin might not let him attend graduation on Sunday. According to Dawson, Peskin basically ordered his dad to kick Pacey off school grounds."

Joey felt like she could burst into tears. "That's so unfair," she choked.

"I know."

"He's worked so hard—harder than anyone else this year."

"I know."

Tears welled up and brimmed over, and she quickly brushed them away with. "How can one person be put through so much? And what's worse, I feel so completely helpless. There's nothing I can do. I can't help him, and when I try, he gets angry. He doesn't want my help. I don't want to push too hard, or he'll just end up resenting me for it. He's done so much to help me—my whole life. But what can I do for him? I can't fix this. The only thing I can think of doing, to show him how much I care, is to let him go away this summer on that sailing job in the Caribbean because I know that's where he'd be the happiest right now. But I don't think he sees it that way."

"Just give him some time, Joey. This has all happened so fast. He probably hasn't even processed how he feels about everything."

She nodded and stared down at the folded letter in her hands. Her stomach tightened, but she had to get it over with. She'd put it off long enough. And maybe Bessie was right. Maybe it would provide some inspiration for her speech, and maybe it could help push her worries about Pacey from her mind, if only for a few minutes. "Anyway, can you read this?"

"I'd be honored."

"Thank you."

Jen opened the letter and began to read:

"'My darling Joey,

I know if you're reading these words it means you've graduated from high school. Congratulations, sweetheart. You didn't have a lot growing up. You even have been shortchanged one mother. Still, I want you to be proud of your family. Your father is a good man with a good heart. He's the best man I've ever known. And he loves you very much, just as he loves Bessie, just as he loves me. I know the strife between your father and I has caused you pain, but remember it also makes you strong. Bessie is strong, and I'm sure she's taking good care of you.

Of all the things my illness has robbed me of, I count the greatest of them watching you grow up. You're barely thirteen now, still a young girl. And so, I'm left to imagine the woman you will become. Strikingly beautiful, I'm sure, and equally unaware of it. Quick-witted and strong-willed. Possessing the deep, soulful eyes of an artist, and a shy smile that regularly betrays that tough façade you do your best to keep up. If any of this sounds remarkably on the nose, it's because it's the girl you always were, Joey. And while I hope it's the woman you'll always be, I also hope that you'll find a way to soften the tough façade you hide behind. That perhaps in time someone special will come along who will show you how to be the best version of yourself, who will help you open your heart and come out of your shell.

And so, I still want you to take risks and live your life in the moment. I want you to live with no regrets. I want you to embrace life as the adventure it is, to take those leaps of faith, and follow your heart. It won't lead you astray. Remember, there are no mistakes in life, only lessons learned. Whatever you decide to do with your life, I know your future will be luminous. Wherever you decide to go if you leave, remember your days in Capeside fondly, and keep close those two boys who shared your childhood. They will always love you in a way no one else can, perhaps especially the one who drives you nuts and is most in need of love himself. And they will always be with you. Just as I love you and will always be with you.

Love, Mom.'"

Jen stopped reading, and Joey turned to look out the bedroom windows, the Leery's house and the creek in full view, silent tears streaming down her face.

It was almost midnight when Andie was pulling into his driveway to drop him back off at home. While she shifted the gear into park, Pacey unbuckled his seatbelt and smiled. "Thanks for helping me study."

"Anytime. And it was nice to get on the phone with Will for a while."

"Yeah, it was good to talk to him."

"So, do you feel prepared to take on your finals tomorrow?"

"I do."

"Then I did my job," she said with a bright smile.

He chuckled. "Well, thanks again, McPhee. It's the first time today that I haven't felt like a complete and utter worthless failure."

Closing her eyes, she shook her head and then turned the car off. She turned in her seat and looked at him seriously. "You need to stop doing that, Pacey."

"What?"

"Being so mean to yourself."

He scoffed. "Andie, look at the state of my life right now. Of course, I'm a failure."

"There are no failures in life, only lessons to be learned."

Pacey recognized the ring of truth to her words, but still he frowned, not looking at her.

"You're not a failure. You're perfect."

"Me? Perfect? Did you forget to take your meds today?"

Andie smirked, fighting a smile. "I took them with breakfast, Witter. Thanks for asking." She smacked him playfully on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry. That was in poor taste."

"It's a good thing I have such a good sense of humor and have learned to put up with your glib comments," she said, grinning. "Anyway, yes. You're nothing less than fucking perfect."

"Andie, I got arrested, convicted, lost all my money. Hell, I might not even gradu—"

She threw her hand up to stop him. "Pacey, those are just things that have happened to you. It's not who you are."

He sighed, shaking his head, staring at the back of Gretchen's Land Rover parked in front of them.

"Pacey, look at me," she said, waiting until he turned and met her gaze before continuing. "Other than my brother and my dad, there's no one on the planet who knows me better than you. And you've seen it all. My highs and lows. The ugly side of my illness. You know just how bad it can get. You know what life was like for me in the psych hospital. You know I've made bad decisions in my life and done things that I'm ashamed of, things I seriously regret. That I made huge mistakes. Huge. That I hurt people I cared about and betrayed their trust. Isn't that right?"

He pursed his lips and nodded. "Right."

"And you know I've been mistreated because of my illness, misunderstood, judged, from the kids in school to the people in this town. And look, I'm still here, standing tall. I know I'm gonna be all right. I'm determined to be happy, and I know I will be. I mean, I am happy. After all the things I've done, if I can forgive myself and like myself, then you, Pacey J. Witter, have no reason whatsoever to not like yourself. What's not to like? Seriously. You're fucking perfect to me, and I bet Joey thinks so, too," she concluded with a kind smile.

Joey. His stomach knotted at the sound of her name. He had no idea what to do about Joey, or how to feel. Everything seemed to ride on whether or not she was going to accept Dawson's money, and even then, he wasn't sure what either choice would mean for them. While neither would be a good one, he knew which one would make him feel worse.

Andie reached over and grasped his arm, giving him a gentle squeeze. "You need to change those mean voices in your head and make them be nice to you. Can you try to do that? At least for me or Joey, if you can't do it for yourself?"

A couple minutes later, Pacey was unlocking the front door and walking into the kitchen. All was dark inside except for one lamp in the living room. After he shut the door and locked it, he turned to see his girlfriend getting off the couch. Surprised to see her, his eyes went wide. "What are you doing here?"

As Joey stepped closer, she felt a complicated mixture of emotions—anxiety, relief, sadness, annoyance. "I didn't know I needed a reason to come over and see you."

She hated that this was how they reacted to each other. She hated the tension between them, and had no idea how to go about diffusing it. There was one sure way they had always relied on before, but she didn't want to bicker and fight. They'd grown so far beyond that, hadn't they? They were different people now; their relationship was different.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked, softening her tone, her voice full of worry and concern. "I stopped by around five, and you weren't home. I tried again at eight. I came back at ten o'clock, and you still weren't here, so I waited. And now you come walking in through the door at midnight. I called you after school and left a message. You never called me back. I had no idea where you were."

"I was with Andie," he said, and he strongly suspected she would not be happy to hear that.

Joey stared at him. Something inside her chest clutched at her. She felt her throat tightening. "You were with Andie. All this time."

"Yeah. She was helping me study."

Unexpected feelings of possessiveness had now added themselves to the mixture of emotions she was already feeling. "I had told you that I could help you study."

"You didn't have time, Jo. You were busy with your graduation speech."

"I wasn't that busy, Pacey. You didn't honestly need her to help you. It's not like you're struggling in your classes."

He scoffed, unable to help the sudden rise of resentment inside him. "At least she had time for me."

Anger now added to the mix and she glared at him, crossing her arms in front of her. "So, you spent eight hours at Andie's house to… what, prove a point?"

"She offered her help. I wanted to get out of the house. That was it. I don't need to prove anything. We both know she was there for me this week, and you weren't."

Joey gaped at him, her stomach twisting. She knew it. She knew he'd been upset about this. "If this is about the night you were arrested and you wanted to stay up and talk about your dad, and I left… or if it's about your arraign—"

Unable to contain it, the anger, the resentment, boiled over. "My life fell apart in that courtroom, and you couldn't even bother to show up!"

She shook her head, at a loss. "Pacey, if I had come with you to your arraignment, then I would've gotten a zero on three different finals. And that would've been sent to Worthington on my transcripts. I can't afford to start out there like that."

"At least you got your priorities straight," he replied, his tone full of biting sarcasm.

"Pacey, you of all people should understand! With how hard you worked all year. And if I had gone with you to court, then I wouldn't have been in school to talk to Mr. Kasdan and Dr. Rochford, ensuring you could still take your exams so you wouldn't flunk out!"

He had no reply to that. He knew she was right. It didn't change how he felt at the moment.

Awkward silence filled the room. Emotion threatened to overwhelm her. "Pacey, can't you see that I am on your side? My heart breaks for you, for what's happened to you. You didn't deserve any of it. I don't know what else I can do to help you. Tell me, and I'll do it. I'll do anything."

"What did you decide about Dawson's offer?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"I haven't decided anything, Pacey."

"Oh, so you're still debating. So, I guess that means there isn't one clear answer." He could still hear the bitterness in his voice, and it nauseated him. It was unfair to her, but he couldn't shake it.

"You know, it would be nice to discuss it with my boyfriend, but he doesn't seem all that interested in telling me how he feels about it," she snapped, her eyes narrowing.

Pacey heaved a deep sigh. "Because it doesn't matter how I feel about it! That's not the point. As always, the point is not how I feel—it's how you feel! The choice is yours to make. You're the one who will be attending Worthington. It's the next four years of your life. So, do you wanna go in the fall, or do you wanna wait until next year? Just answer the question."

Something told her that wasn't the real choice she was being asked to make here, that it wasn't about the money at all. It was something else entirely, but Joey didn't know what. The feeling was dreadfully familiar all the same, as though they'd somehow transported back to spring of last year.

Tears pricked her eyes. "You know I want to go in the fall, but I—"

"Then there you go. You want to go to Worthington in the fall, and now you can. You made your choice. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Pacey's voice was cold, detached, and he could barely look her in the eye. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She didn't know what to say. Joey now felt an indefinable shift that hadn't been there before she had told him about Dawson's offer. It was as if Pacey was now pulling away from her, instead of pushing her away. It suddenly felt as if she had already lost him. As if he was already gone. He'd emotionally packed his bags and was preparing to leave her, and this time there would be no hastily-written message on a wall, no reaching out for her to change his mind.

And she filled with gut-wrenching fear.

Then they heard a door opening and the sound of familiar footsteps coming down the stairs. Gretchen appeared, popping the tension like a pin pricking a balloon. "What the hell is going on?"

"We're just talking," Pacey answered.

"Talking?" His sister gawked in disbelief. "You were yelling." Gretchen turned her sharp gaze from him. "Are you okay, Joey?"

Still unable to speak, she could only nod.

"All right. Well… you can always come stay in my room if you need to, Jo. Okay?"

Swallowing against the lump in her throat, she nodded, unable to look Pacey's sister in the eye.

Gretchen turned her hardening stare on her brother, her eyes narrowing. "You and I will talk tomorrow."

"Great. Looking forward to it," he snarked as she walked out of the room.

Silence once again filled the space between them. When he heard Gretchen's door close upstairs, Pacey sighed with exhaustion. "Look, I don't wanna fight anymore. I'm going to bed. It's late and we gotta be up early for school."

Joey watched him turn to walk out of the living room. The fear rose up to choke her. Her vision became blurry with unshed tears. "Do you want me to spend the night with you, or do you… want me to leave?"

"You can do whatever you want, Jo," he said wearily as he kept walking away.

She wanted to follow him; she didn't want to let him push her away; she didn't want him to pull away from her. Yet she couldn't stand the rejection, the feeling that he didn't want her there. To go home, she'd have to go upstairs anyway and ask Gretchen to move the Land Rover so she could get her truck out.

Feeling helpless, the tears fell from Joey's eyes as she collapsed on the couch. Her pain, hurt, and confusion were too much to bear. She felt as if her heart was about to break into a thousand pieces. Why was he acting like this? Treating her this way? What had she done to deserve it?

Pacey came to a stop in the hallway near the stairs, pausing. He heard her sniffling and felt terrible for being so cold to her, for losing control of his anger. He had never wanted to take it out on her. Then he heard her crying, really crying, sobs. In his emotional state he could certainly understand it, and it probably wouldn't take much for him to join her, but he wasn't sure what would have caused such an intensely emotional reaction in her. Listening to her broke his heart. There was no way he could just leave her like this.

He quickly returned to the living room. Joey sat on the couch, head bowed, weeping. He sat down next to her and gently pried her hand away from her brow, pulling her up to look at him. Her red, tear-stained face gazed back at him. "I'm sorry, Jo. I'm sorry. I'm a horse's ass."

Looking at his beautiful face only made everything hurt worse. "No, you're not," she cried.

"Yeah, I am. We both know it. But… why… why are you crying like this?" he asked, holding her hand in his. He'd never seen her so distraught.

She couldn't speak at first. Every time she tried to answer the question her throat closed up. The sobs wouldn't stop. She finally was able to take some deep, calming breaths. "Because… because… you're scaring me."

"I'm scaring you?"

"Yes, Pacey, I'm afraid."

"What are you afraid of?"

She wept for a moment. "The one thing in the whole world I'm terrified of." When he looked at her with brows furrowed in confusion, more tears fell from her eyes. "You leaving me. And I don't mean for a summer job. I feel like if I make one wrong choice, everything's going to fall apart, and you're going to walk away."

Pacey shook his head with a sad smile, sighing, and reached up to tenderly wipe the tears from her face. "You know, Potter, just because you and Dawson always dropped each other at the first sign of crisis, doesn't mean that's going to happen with us. I'm not Dawson."

"I know you're not. But… well, are you saying we're having a crisis?"

"That's not exactly what I meant, Jo."

"I just… I need you to tell me that everything will be okay, no matter what I decide. That even if I do take the money and go to Worthington in the fall, that you'll still go with me. I need to know that I'm not going to lose you over this, Pacey."

More tears welled up. "Worthington is just a school. It's replaceable. I can always go somewhere else if I have to. It won't be the end of the world. But you…" She swallowed against the tightness in her throat, tears brimming over, her voice choking with emotion. "You are not replaceable. Do you understand that? I told you that I wasn't going anywhere without you. I'm not. I won't."

This was exactly why he didn't want to talk about the money, why he'd wanted her to decide what was best for herself, and keep his feelings out of it. The fact that she would be willing to give up on her dream school just to keep him happy…

He wasn't worth it. Her future was so much more important.

"And I promised you that I was going to be wherever you are. If you're gonna be in Boston, then that's where I'm gonna be, too. It's a promise I intend to keep." He sighed. "Even if you do take Dawson's money and go in the fall. Where else am I gonna go? I don't have anything if I don't have you. You're all I have. You're my whole world, Jo. The center of my universe."

She filled with relief, buried her face in his neck, and broke out in a fresh wave of tears. "Please just hold me." She hated that she sounded so needy and clingy, but she couldn't help it.

Pacey pulled her into his lap and held her close, wrapping her in a tight embrace and whispering words of comfort until her tears subsided. Then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the living room. She clung to him as he climbed the stairs to his bedroom. He set her down once they were inside his darkened room, and wiped the tear stains from her cheeks. An awkward silence rose up as they stood there, as if neither knew what to do next.

She hated this tension that kept springing up between them, and wanted things to go back to the way they were before the arrest. God, had that only been two days ago? It felt so much longer. She wanted to lift her hands to Pacey's chest and unbutton the blue bowling shirt, ease it off his broad shoulders, and lift her mouth for a kiss that would lead to the lovemaking that would heal the tension that had appeared like a sudden virus in their relationship. She wanted to make love to him and show him how much she loved him, how much she cherished and adored him, how much she needed him.

And so that's what she did.

Once they were both undressed and lying on the bed, Joey rolled him onto his back and covered him with her love. She covered his body in kisses and nibbles, and whispered words of affection. She licked his nipples, tasted the soft skin of his belly, and still she went lower. Taking his hard arousal in her mouth, she enjoyed his moan of pleasure as she took him to the back of her throat. Being filled by him, in any way, was exquisite. She breathed in his unique scent. He consumed her senses.

"God, Jo, I can't believe how good that feels."

Pacey remembered the very first time she'd ever put her mouth on him, and while that had been an incredible much-longed-for experience, it couldn't compare to the skill she had now. That had been the same night he'd put his mouth on her for the first time, something she'd never experienced before. He would never forget the feeling of bringing her to orgasm with his mouth. It was all so new and thrilling. She'd bucked beneath him like a wild stallion, called out to him, called out to God. It had been so exciting that he came all over himself inside his jeans. It was a night he wouldn't ever forget.

And tonight, Joey quickly drove him to the brink. Everything exciting him caused his arousal to surge, making him even harder, which encouraged her. He often told her how much he loved her responsiveness. She moaned around him, wanting to give him no doubt that she loved his as well.

His hips were now arching off the mattress and he was warning her that he was close, but she didn't stop what she was doing, pleasuring him until he climaxed in her mouth, taking in every drop of his orgasm. She loved the salty-sweet taste of him, so much like the ocean, yet richer and definitely more tantalizing.

Joey kissed her way back up his body, culminating in a passionate kiss when she captured his mouth, and then straddled his hips. He lifted his hands to caress her skin. His hands were on her legs, the insides of her thighs, stroking her, gently squeezing her flesh in his palms. His hands went higher, caressing her hips, her belly, up to her breasts. He cupped her with his large hands, reveling in her softness, the comfort of her. She whispered his name.

He was hard again, and she lifted her hips. Pacey didn't think twice about pulling her down as she guided him inside her. Her eyes rolled as she sank down on him with the weight of her own need, until she was flat against his groin. She felt so full, so complete. Nothing in the world would ever feel this good.

She slowly began to move on him, and his moans of satisfaction filled her with confidence. His hands gripped her, pulling her down to him as his mouth covered hers. He held her body against him, skin to skin, wrapping her in his arms as her hips moved over his. His emotion was overflowing. He didn't want to ever let go. He sensed the same feeling in her as she answered his kiss with passion, giving all that she could, holding nothing back.

Their kisses were full of comfort and love, and the need to regain a sense of security, to feel safe in a hostile world that seemed determined to curse them. Their lovemaking was slow and tender as their hands relished the pleasure of touching skin and hair and muscle, only quickening toward the end when carnal need made their bodies take complete control. Then once again they were feeling the spiraling sensations that rocked them and filled them with sweet relief.

Afterwards, they lay gazing at each other, basking in the blissful afterglow. Despite being enveloped in a fog of satisfaction and contentment, guilt began to churn Pacey's stomach.

"I'm very sorry, Jo."

"For what?"

"For scaring you."

She frowned and took a deep breath. The past two days surely had been hell for him, and she had to go and make it about her insecurities. "It's okay."

"No, don't do that. It's not okay. I never meant to make you doubt my commitment to you. I love you, Joey. Nothing would ever—could ever—change that. Okay? Nothing."

She caressed his face as she looked into his ocean-blue eyes as tears pricked her own. "I love you, too, Pacey."

He knew she needed his love and assurance, just as he needed hers. "Everything is gonna be okay. Do you remember what I told you that morning in the ski lodge? I ain't ever lettin' you go, Potter. Never. You're stuck with me. This horse's ass is gonna bug you for the rest of your life."

She laughed breathlessly.

Then they were back in each other's arms, kissing and holding one another fiercely. Their love bloomed stronger than ever, filling their hearts and strengthening the bonds that joined them together. As Joey watched Pacey drift to sleep, the naïve girl in her hoped that her love was enough to fix whatever was broken inside of him, was enough to heal the wounds inflicted on him by the very people who'd been supposed to love him, but the pragmatic girl knew that sometimes love just wasn't enough.