A/N - On with another chapter of Chasing Fire. Not sure when the next chapter will be posted as I am working through it. But if you want to offer some reviews it may just encourage me to work much quicker !

Chapter 4

In my defense, all my intentions were good

And heaven owns a place somewhere for the misunderstood

You know I'd give you blood if it'd be enough

Devil's on my doorstep since the day I was born

It's hard to find a sunset in the eye of a storm

But I'm a dreamer by design and I know in time, we'll put this behind

For what it's worth, I'm sorry for the hurt

I'll be the first to say, "I made my own mistakes"

For what it's worth, I know it's just a word and words betray

But sometimes we lose our way

For what it's worth

Behind the lens is a poison picture you paint

And let's not pretend you were ever searching for saints

'Cause I've been crucified for just being alive

Somewhere in the crossfire of this whispering war

Seems that I forgot just what I was fighting for

But underneath my skin there's a fire within

Still burning

For what it's worth, I'm sorry for the hurt

I'll be the first to say, "I made my own mistakes"

For what it's worth, I know it's just a word and words betray

Sometimes we lose our way

For what it's worth

The first bird to fly gets all the arrows

Let's leave the past behind with all our sorrows

I'll build a bridge between us and I'll swallow my pride

For what it's worth, I'm sorry for the hurt

I'll be the first to say, "I made my own mistakes"

For what it's worth, I know it's just a word and words betray

But sometimes we lose our way

For what it's worth

For What it's Worth - Liam Gallagher

The temperature had drastically plummeted to well below freezing temperatures, the frigid air surrounded them, mimicking the cold dead fingers of impending doom. Pacey glanced every so often to find the scowling brunette casting icy stares in his direction within the rear view mirror as she sat within her throne made for the Ice Queen herself, namely the back seat of Pacey's mustang. Jen sat in the passenger seat trying to ignore the tension in the air within the confines of the car as they drove along the highway toward Capeside.

The occasional argument would ensue between Pacey and his blonde companion, bickering over the radio station. They eventually settled on classic rock, Jen having acquiesced seeing as they were in Pacey's car and he was driving. Joey rolled her eyes.

"What's that look for Princess?" Pacey's eyebrows shot up.

"I don't know what makes you delusional enough to think you are god's gift to women that you need to get your way all the time." She snorted. Pacey chuckled at her and shook his head.

"Hey, it's no delusion." He said smugly. Now Joey chuckled although with bitterness as she caught Pacey's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah and I bet that's why your women cheat on you." She smirked. Jen's eyes widened, she looked to Pacey, his jaw clenched and his knuckles grew white as he gripped the steering wheel.

Jen opened her mouth to say something before..."Pacey Witter; friend to women. Did I strike a nerve?"

Uh-Oh. Jen could see it, this was not going to go well.

Pacey pulled on the wheel fiercely, the car skidded to an abrupt stop on the side of the road.

"That's fucking it!" He seethed, throwing the door open and pushing back the seat. He leant in and grabbed Joey by the wrist and dragged her out of the car.

"What the hell?" She yelped. Pacey flipped the seat back, got in and slammed the door. He glanced over his shoulder and put his foot down, leaving a shocked and now abandoned Josephine Potter stranded on the side of the road, coughing and spluttering in the dust.

"Pacey, what are you doing?" Jen shouted at him. "You can't leave her there."

"Yes I can, sure I can." He said. "I can not stand that bitches attitude for another minute Jen. I'm sure she'll find a ride in no time with that sweet and loving personality of hers." Pacey settled into his seat as he drove the rest of the way to Capeside.

Joey stomped her way toward Capeside, the heat leaving her skin wet with perspiration, she pulled her hair up away from her neck as she made her way along the quiet road. Joey had stood there for half an hour thinking Pacey would come back to get her, no one was that heartless right?

Yeah right!

She had begun walking half an hour before, her movement now losing the urgency and anger from before, now she was tired and exhausted. Joey looked up to hear the familiar rumbling noise of a car up ahead. Pacey turned the car around and pulled up beside her.

"Get in the car." He said. Joey stood and crossed her arms across her chest.

"No!" She continued to walk. Pacey rolled his eyes and crept the car forward.

"Would you just get in the car Ivy League, please." Jen had yelled at Pacey the entire way to Grams' and once he had walked into the house one look from Grams and he had turned around and came straight back. He was not scared of a woman but Grams, well no one messes with Grams'.

"You know what, this is me Pacey Witter, act first, think later. You did hit a nerve and I reacted. Badly. So get in the car."

"No"

"Princess, it's at least another six miles to town, it is hot out and if you don't get in i'm just going to do this the whole way back" Pacey was slowly driving the car, keeping with her stride. Joey groaned, stopped and turned to Pacey who shot a hopeful eyebrow up at her.

"Alright" She said, opening the passenger door and throwing herself into the passenger seat. Pacey reached around his seat to grab a cold bottle of water and offered it to Joey.

She muttered her thanks before opening the bottle and taking a large drink. Pacey pulled back onto the road.

"Look, Princess. I'm sorry." He said, Joey only glared at him. "I take it from your angry silence you are not speaking to me anymore, not even an insult?"

"Nope"

"Great and how long to you plan on keeping that up?"

"How does 'indefinitely' sound?"

Pacey rolled his eyes at her. "Fine."

"Fine" She replied curtly and they continued on the road in silence.

Jen looked up from her magazine to see Joey make her way into the cool kitchen of Grams'. Jen looked past her and noticed Pacey's absence she looked to Joey.

"Where's Pace." Joey scowled at the name but gestured out into the garden.

"Mrs Ryan asked him with some help." Jen nodded and looked back down to her magazine. Joey frowned. "What's wrong with you?" Joey asked her, noting the irritation on Jen's face. Jen sighed and dropped the magazine to the table, looking to her friend.

"You must be really flexible Jo." She said to her. Joey's eye brows knit in confusion.

"Huh, why?"

"Well it's really quite astounding, to be able to put your foot in your mouth and your head up your ass at the same time." Joey's eyes dropped to the floor in shame, she let out a breath before looking back up.

"I'm sorry Jen."

"Hey, no need to apologise Joey, at least not to me any way." She said before standing up. "I'm going to go and see Jack, maybe I can convince him to come out with us for dinner, all four of us Joey. I suggest you do something to assuage the issue between you and Pacey, can you try to be civil with one another?" She asked, Joey nodded. "Despite what you think of him, Pacey is the sweetest guy I know." Joey only snorted in utter disbelief, Jen was right though, they did need to at least try to get along for their friends who had to be around them.

"Okay Jen, i'll apologise. I'll try and talk to him without wanting to stab him with something."

"Thank you Joey." Jen smiled.

Joey emerged from the cool kitchen to find Pacey leaning over the railing of the dock, staring out over the sparkling surface of the water. Joey took a breath and made her way with deliberation to stand beside Pacey, she leant over, matching his posture and stared out over the water. A soft summer breeze tugged at the loose strands of hair. Joey slowly tucked the wayward strands behind her ear as she tentatively eyed Pacey, trying to decide on which approach to take with him. Without taking his eyes from the creek Pacey spoke wearily.

"Out with it Princess." Joey scowled at the remark.

"Stop calling me Princess." She spat at him, unable to stop the bitterness in her voice. "and Ivy league" She added before he could switch to it. Pacey smirked and offered a sidelong look.

"Fine then. So, what is on your mind this time Potter?" Joey sighed and looked back over the water, feeling his eyes on her she spoke.

"I'm sorry Pacey." She said, hoping he would accept the apology, they'd arrange some sort of temporary truce for the time being and simply agree to ignore each other for the foreseeable future. Pacey regarded her for a moment before speaking.

"Whatever Potter." He said, his voice spoke with defeat, the truth was he was exhausted with his need to distance himself from her. He was sure he had never argued with someone this much in his life. Joey let out a breath. This was not going to be a simple fix she surmised.

"What's with that?" She asks, Pacey shrugs and shakes his head.

"I don't understand" He said. " You apologised and I guess I am saying it's okay, whatever." Joey groaned, this man was truly irritating her beyond all belief.

"Fine then Pacey, whatever." She huffed and pushed her body away from the railing. Pacey watched her as she turned and made her way back up the dock toward Grams' place. Pacey let out a sigh and turned back to his position, looking over the water in silence.

Joey shook her head as she entered the kitchen, Grams sat at the table with a pitcher of iced tea and glasses on a tray. She looked to Joey expectantly.

"Perhaps we might enjoy this out on the porch" She suggested, standing up to lift the tray, Joey stilled the older woman

"Please, let me." Grams smiled and stepped aside for Joey to take the tray outside. The two women sat, looking out over the yard and the creek beyond. Joey's eyes drifted over to Pacey as he stood on the dock, not having moved from where she had left him. Grams watched Joey carefully before allowing her eyes to rest on Pacey.

"That young man has been through so much over the years. Jennifer told me about Audrey, I thought he might finally have found someone, after Andrea he was never the same, never wanted to love again." Grams sighed, Joey looked to Grams, her eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Andie?" She asked. Grams nodded.

"Yes, Pacey once told me she was the love of his life. I guess it wasn't meant to be though." She frowned, watching as Pacey turned to slowly head back toward the house.

Joey realised she knew nothing about Pacey, she didn't even know what he did for a living. She only knew he didn't go to college, her other friends never talked about him, maybe on occasion they had but not much. She had no idea he and Andie once dated, she wondered what happened.

Pacey smiled at Grams and sat down in the chair beside her, she poured him a large glass of tea and he smiled in appreciation. Joey watched the exchange between them, to she the love for dear Mrs Ryan evident in his eyes. Maybe Jen was right, maybe Joey had him figured all wrong. They sat, Joey mostly listening to Pacey and Grams converse over the few tasks he said he was only too happy to help with her which included cleaning out the gutters and replacing a few rotting boards on the dock.

"Thank you very much Pacey." She said. "I know you have a few days off and I didn't really want you to spend them working around here." She said, Pacey only shrugged and stood up, he leaned down to place a soft kiss upon Grams' forehead.

"You know me Grams, I am incapeable of sitting still for very long and always need something to occupy me." Grams nodded knowingly.

"Well thank you very much." Pacey simply nodded and moved into the house.

Pacey leant up against the doorframe of the bathroom, watching as Jen stood at the mirror applying her makeup. She glanced at Pacey in the mirror. Pacey offered her a quizzical look and lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't know why you hate her so much Pacey." Jen said. Pacey crossed his arms and shrugged.

"I don't hate her Jen, she just." He frowned. "I don't know, it's something I can't explain. She's as much to blame in this too Jen." He spoke. Jen frowned as she placed her cosmetics back in her bag and turned to Pacey.

"Joey and I are good friends Pace, can you at least try to get along with her. You might actually like her if you got to know her." She said. Pacey rolled his eyes, he didn't need another friend to be honest.

He had enough friends and even then some of them caused him enough grief, why would he willingly open himself up to more drama. He looked into Jen's pleading eyes and smiled.

"Alright Lindley, I guess I can make an effort. For you." Jen grinned and linked her arm in Pacey's

"Good, thank you Pacey." She smiled. Pacey shook his head at her smug expression, knowing he would do anything for her.

"If this ends badly I am blaming you Jen."

"Okay." She grinned and they made their way down to the kitchen.

Jen, Joey, Jack and Pacey all sat waiting for their dinner to arrive, while Pacey and Joey had an unspoken agreement between them to stay as civil as they could possibly to one another, Jen and Jack were both aware of the tension between the pair. Jack looked to the pair with curiosity not sure what was going on between the two. Jen had mentioned they were continually insulting one another or ignoring each other when it go too much. This was the first instance where he was privy to their interactions with each other. He'd hoped Pacey and Joey could have got along with one another, but after the conversations with Jen he wondered if it was at all possible.

"So Jack, what's happening with college?" Jen asked her friend, he offered a smile and nodded, while the death of his sister still hurt more than anything he had endured, Jack knew he couldn't keep living this way because it's not what Andie would have wanted for him and while just after she died Jack had hated her, hated that she would take her own life and leave him here. He had lost Tim and now her, that was not fair. He thought she was the most selfish person he had known, but after the funeral, once he was a lone to think he felt the anger disappear and he felt guilt. Maybe if he had been there for her more, he might have known something was wrong.

"I'll be there, after the summer to start the new year." He said, Joey's eyes brightened at the news, happy Jack had decided not to give up seeing at they only had one year to go.

"Good to hear it Jack" Joey smiled at him.

"Yeah Jack, you've worked hard to get there man. Andie would kick your ass if she knew you were slacking off you know." Pacey said and slapped him on the back good naturedly, Jack nodded his head knowing Pacey was right.

They had enjoyed their meal together and eventually stood to leave, as they had all enjoyed a few glasses of wine over the course of the evening they all decided it would be best for Pacey to lock his car up and they would walk back to Grams'. They walked along the docks, Jen and Jack talking animatedly about their plans for the summer. Jen was working in the Whistling Kettle Cafe she had been at for the last year, Jack had decided he might get a job too, something to keep himself occupied over the summer.

Joey glanced behind her to find Pacey slowly making his way, hands in his pockets shuffling his feet. Joey took a breath and fell back to walk with him. Joey slipped her hands in her back pocket, choosing to walk alongside Pacey in silence. Pacey glanced at Joey briefly, not saying a word. After a hundred yards or so Pacey glanced at Joey once more.

"Out with it Potter." He spoke finally, Joey looked to him her eyes widened.

"What?" She said.

"Well, clearly there's something on your mind." He said. "You have that look" He offered her. Joey's eyebrows furrowed.

"What look?" She asks him, Pacey shrugged.

"That look like you want to say something" Said Pacey. Joey smiled, a small smile but Pacey noticed it. It wasn't a fake smile she reserved for him but something more genuine, he smiled back at her. They walked a few steps in silence until Joey turned to Pacey.

"We don't really know anything about each other, I think we seem to be judging to other off of our own assumptions, do you think maybe things could be better between us if we knew something about each other?" Pacey sighed at her question.

"I don't know, maybe." He said. "Do you think if you knew more about me you'd think differently?" Joey shrugged.

"I might, maybe the same would be if you you knew more about me you might see me differently."

"Like i'd think you weren't the bitch you seem to be?" Joey frowned at him, she let out a small chuckle.

"I don't know, I have to admit I can be a bit of a bitch Pacey." Pacey shrugged.

"And I can certainly be an asshole, and a huge flirt too." He laughed. Joey nodded as they walked along the road which Grams house stood on.

"Do you think maybe we could just sit somewhere and talk?" She asked him. Pacey thought about it for a moment, biting on the inside of his lower lip. One of his habits Joey had noticed and found incredibly endearing.

"Okay, I think we could do that Joey." He said, allowing her through the gate before him. Joey smiled and nodded. "How about I go grab us a beer each and we head down to the dock." Joey glanced out to the water and looked back to Pacey with hesitation.

"You're not going to push me in the creek are you?" Pacey chuckled and shook his head. "Okay then." Pacey nodded and left her to go inside to retrieve the drinks, Joey slowly made her way dow to the dock and sat down on the end of it, her legs swinging over the edge. A few minutes later, Pacey lowered himself beside her, opened a beer and handed it to her. Joey thanked him. They both stared out at the water, the moon hung low, it's reflection danced over the surface of the water as the creek moved. Pacey waited for Joey to begin, deciding this was her idea so she should be the one to begin.

"I'm not one of those ivy league brats that comes from money you know." She said finally. Pacey nodded, swinging his legs and taking a sip from his bottle.

"Yeah I kind of figured that seeing as you actually have a job." Joey smiled and nodded.

"I'm at Worthington on a scholarship, I worked hard for it too." Joey looked to Pacey. "I never had too many friends growing up, so I threw myself into school." Pacey nodded.

"So that explains your anti social behavior then" He bumped her shoulder with his good naturedly. Joey smirked and nodded, he was probably right.

"What about you?" She asked him. "I know you don't go to college but I have no idea what you do, you work a lot is about all I do know." Pacey nodded and leant back on his hands.

"I was never good at school, I actually dropped out my senior year and left for Boston." Joey's eyes widened at him, he nodded. "My older brother had a few contacts in Boston so I was able to get a start with the Boston Fire Department." Joeys smiled, the lopsided half smile Pacey had noticed when he'd first met her, he found it completely adorable.

"Wow a firefighter?" She asked, Pacey nodded. "Must be very demanding job Pacey, very honorable and. Dangerous." Pacey nodded his head and took a drink.

"Yeah, it is but I can not imagine doing anything else. My family have always seen me as the eternal loser, they one that screws up everything." Pacey shrugged. "I've always been the black sheep of the family."

"I can't imagine they would Pacey, isn't that a bit melodramatic?" She asked him. Pacey shook his head.

"Nope, they have all said it, and often. I mean when does a person start believing the general consensus about themselves."

"When it's right." She spoke softly, "You seem to be doing really well for yourself, hardly constitutes a loser Pacey." Pacey nodded his head.

"How about you, what's your family like?" He asked her, Joey dropped her head and sighed. Pacey watched her carefully, wondering if he had struck a sore spot. "You don't have to answer if -"

"No, it's okay." She took a breath. "It's just me and my sister, she has a son. My mother died when I was twelve." Pacey's face softened.

"Oh, I'm sorry. How?" He asked her.

"Cancer." She replied, it had been a long time ago and while the pain of losing her mother was still there, she no longer felt as though it consumed her as it had for quite some time. Pacey turned to Joey.

"What about your father?" He asked her, his voice softer. Joey let out a sardonic laugh and took a sip from her beer.

"He is currently in prison for drug trafficking." Joey looked to Pacey, his eyes widened.

"Wow. Looks like i'm not the only one with a dysfunctional family."

They both stood in companionable silence for a beat, both surprised that once they had dispensed with the insults they could actually get along. Pacey found he might actually like this woman, he certainly couldn't see them getting close enough to be best friends but at least the urge to toss her in the creek wasn't as strong now. He was seeing her in a different light.

Joey glanced at Pacey, seeing him differently. She realised he may not be the asshole he first appeared, they might even be able to get along. She was prepared at the beginning of the evening to fake niceties but after their talk, while not a huge amount of information was divulged to the other it was enough to peek into his life for a moment.

Pacey glanced at his watch and gestured behind them.

"It's getting late, I think I'm going to get some sleep." Joey nodded.

"Yeah, looks like you'll be busy for a few days with Grams' chores." Joey smiled.

There it was again, that adorable smile. He felt a small flutter in the pit of his stomach and grinned at her.

"Yeah, well can't rely on Jack." He said, Joey lifted an eyebrow.

"Why's that?" She asked him, Pacey laughed.

"He's not very, hands on. Let's just say our days would be spent in the emergency room if he were to take on any chores." Joey nodded knowingly and chuckled. They made their way back up to the house, the front porch light was on and a hallway light illuminated part of down stairs. Joey looked around unsure of the sleeping arrangements. Pacey jerked his head up the stairs.

"I think grams put you in Jacks old room" He said. "Jack and Jen are in together." Joey followed Pacey to Jacks room, Pacey flipped the light on. Joey's bag sat at the end of her bed. She smiled gratefully at Pacey. He moved toward the door before turning back to her.

"Night, Potter." His smile caused Joey's heart to skip, she smiled back at him and said good night. Pacey closed the door quietly behind him and descended the stars to the living room.

Joey woke early the following morning and silently made her way downstairs, the house was quiet. Joey sat at the kitchen table and pulled her sneakers on, preparing herself for her early morning run. She didn't know Capeside at all and hoped she wouldn't find herself lost. It wasn't a huge town so she decided she would be able to make it back without too much issue. After pulling her hair back into a pony tail she moved to the door. She caught sight of Pacey's sleeping form on the sofa, a light blanket covering him to his waist, his bare chest exposed, Joey took an sharp intake of breath of the sight. While she had always thought him to be incredibly attractive, it was his naked chest which had caused a warmth to travel through her body. His body was well defined, muscles sculpted by Donatello himself. Joey could feel herself blushing despite nobody seeing her as her eyes roamed his body in appreciation. She quickly left the house, taking a deep breath and shaking off the haze of desire. Joey began out at a slow jog, shaking her head and berating herself for her less than innocent thoughts concerning Pacey Witter, a man up until twelve hours before she was ready to hammer a screwdriver to the temple.

Joey made her way though the picturesque streets, Capeside was a beautiful town, the faint smell of salty air was refreshing and she soon found her way by the beach. Joey made her way along the sand to a jetty a few hundred yards away. Joey took the time to take in her surroundings as she jogged along the docks.

She wondered what it would have been like to grow up in a town like Capeside, it was different to the small town of Bellston where she had lived her entire life. A smallish town that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere, the only body of water was a large lake in the centre of the local park. It had it's own charm but was very different to Capeside. Joey meandered her way through the streets back to Grams', she had been out for a couple of hours and the morning sun was beginning to heat up considerably.

Making her way through the gate Joey noticed Pacey on the ladder clearing out the gutters. He was shirtless and wore a pair of camouflage cargo shorts which hung low around his hips. Joey watched as the muscles moved beneath his skin as he pulled out leaves, twigs and other unknown objects from the gutters.

Pacey could feel eyes on him and he looked down to discover a pair of truly remarkable brown eyes on him. He lifted an eyebrow and smirked at her.

"There you are, I was beginning to think you'd gotten lost, given females inability when it comes to directions or navigation." Joey snorted at him, raising her hand to shield her eyes from the sun.

"I really don't think you can say anything Pacey, given that you didn't even graduate high school." Joey grinned, her tongue peeked between her teeth. Pacey felt the fluttering in his stomach once again.

"Oh, that's cute." He said as he made his way down the ladder.

"What, suddenly teasings out of the question?" Pacey chuckled and shook his head.

"Oh, no, tease away you little hussy." Pacey swiped at the beads of sweat at his brow, Joey extended her bottle of water to him, he smiled and took a large drink before handing it back. "So, what do you think of Capeside?" He asked her, she smiled and looked around.

"It's beautiful here." She said " I can see how someone like you would like it here especially in the summertime." Pacey turned to her.

"Yeah, whys that?" He asked. Joey shrugged.

"All the half naked women prancing about in their bikinis." Pacey frowned at her, quickly looking away before she caught his expression.

"Yeah well I guess you have me figured out huh Potter, I only go off after the mindless sexy women with the hot bodies. Don't worry, you're safe then aren't you?" He said with a small amount of bitterness in his voice. He turned to move the ladder along the gutter before ascending the rungs. Joey's face fell, she could feel tears stinging at her eyes.

"You're a fucking jerk" She spat and quickly left, storming down to the docks. Pacey shrugged and went back to his chore of cleaning the gutters.

Pacey finished with the gutters and made his way down the ladder, he found himself face to face with the hazel eyes of a pissed off blonde. Jen stood, her eyes narrowed and her hands on her hips.

"What the hell did you say to her?" She asked him.

"Why?" Pacey moved to grab his shirt, he tugged it on roughly. Noting the anger in Jen's eyes Pacey dropped his to the ground below.

"Why? Well Pace, she's down there crying that's why." Pacey's head snapped up, his eyes widened. He looked down towards the dock and could see Joey sitting with her head in her hands. Pacey let out a low growl and ran his hand over his face.

"Ah Fuck!" He said, feeling his insides twist at the thought of upsetting Joey. "I'll go and..." Jen nodded.

Pacey made his way slowly down to the dock, his hands pushed into his pockets as he made his way, once he was closer he could see her shoulders shaking and soft sobs coming from within her. Pacey closed his eyes briefly, feeling like a jerk for what he had said.

"It came out wrong, what I said." Pacey began, Joey looked up. Her face was blotchy and her eyes red from crying, Pacey felt his heart constrict at being the one to upset her.

"What, so basically saying that I was unattractive and undesirable was not your intent?" She scoffed. Pacey frowned at her and shook his head.

"That's not what I meant at all." He said. Joey only shook her head and moved to stand up. "But you think you are the only one hurt here?"

"What do you mean by that, I said-"

"You implied I am only lead by my hormones, hey you know what. Maybe you're right. I mean i never graduated high school so I couldn't possibly engage in an intelligent conversation right?" He snapped. "Maybe that's all I am hey Potter, some dim wit who goes after the bimbos eh?"

"Pacey I-"

"No, that's fine Joey. That's fine you can think that if you like and that's what I meant. You are safe because if that's all i'm attracted to I wouldn't be interested in someone as intelligent and beautiful as you, that I don't want something deeper. Just sex right?" Pacey turned his back and started off "There you go again Potter, with your fucking assumptions." He tossed back over his shoulder and left her to stare after him wondering what had just happened.