font size="6"New Life/font br
font size="5"Part 9~Waiting For You/fontp

pOceans apart day after daybr
And I slowly go insanebr
I hear your voice on the linebr
But it doesn't stop the painbr
br
If I see you next to neverbr
How can we say foreverbr
br
Wherever you gobr
Whatever you dobr
I will be right here waiting for youbr
Whatever it takesbr
Or how my heart breaksbr
I will be right here waiting for youbr
br
I took for granted, all the timesbr
That I though would last somehowbr
I hear the laughter, I taste the tearsbr
But I can't get near you nowbr
br
Oh, can't you see it babybr
You've got me goin' crazybr
br
Wherever you gobr
Whatever you dobr
I will be right here waiting for youbr
Whatever it takesbr
Or how my heart breaksbr
I will be right here waiting for youbr
br
I wonder how we can survivebr
This romancebr
But in the end if I'm with youbr
I'll take the chancebr
br
Oh, can't you see it babybr
You've got me goin' crazybr
br
Wherever you gobr
Whatever you dobr
I will be right here waiting for youbr
Whatever it takesbr
Or how my heart breaksbr
I will be right here waiting for youbr
~Richard Marxbr
~Right Here Waiting For You/i
/center
pThe week was almost up, and she would have one day alone before Noah
came home. She missed him so much some times. But Jen and Nick were there to
help occupy her time, but seeing the two of them being cute together only made
her resent them, and she reminded herself that there was nothing she could do
about it.

pShe stood in her kitchen and looked out the back windows at the pool. The
fading sun danced over the water, casting shadows onto the ceiling of the kitchen
in the house. She just stood there, her arms crossed over her chest, staring out at
the sereneness of the water floating in the pool.

pJen stepped next to her, and neither said a word. They both just looked out at
the water. Jen then turned to her friend and noticed the sad look on her face.

p"Joey Potter, what are we going to do with you?"

pJoey looked over at Jen, not knowing what she meant, "What?"

p"You can not mope around all the time. Especially not when he is coming
over here for dinner. You have to learn to let go a little. Don't be so afraid of
him."

p"I'm not afraid of him."

p"Then why are you always so uptight around him?"

p"I'm not."

p"You are. You need to learn how to let go, and just enjoy that he's here."

p"Thank you oh wise one."

p"Honestly Joey, you can't mope around all the time. You can't force him to
love you."

pJoey sighed, "I know." She turned away from the window and walked over to
her stove to stir the alfredo sauce. "Jen, am I completely pathetic?"

p"No. Not at all. You are a very stong woman who is raising a man. A good
man."

p"Unlike the piece of shit his father is."

pJen sighed, "But you know...you are doing better now than you ever did with
him. You are your own person now Joey Potter, and you should be very proud of
that."

p"I am." she said with a smile.

pJen nodded and smiled at Nick as he walked into the kitchen. "When do we
eat?"

p"When the food is ready, Nick."

p"Come on Joey, can't I have a bite?"

pHe picked up a spoon and walked over towards her alfredo sauce. Joey
snatched it out of his hand, "Listen here, you stay out of my sauce. I know Jen
doesn't mind sharing germs with you, but I do not care to have that experience."

pHe poked his bottom lip out and looked up at Joey, "You know, you aren't a
very nice person."

p"I am nice."

p"On occassion."

pJoey cut her eyes at Nick, "Look, boy, I would hate to stab you in the head
with this spoon but I will if you do not get out of this kitchen."

pNick looked over at Jen and smiled, "Did you hear that? She just threatened
your husband."

p"Somehow, I don't think it was a threat as much as a promise."

pNick shook his head and moved to sit at the kitchen table. "You know, I
would say that you are possibly the meanest host ever."

p"At least I'm the best at something, huh?" she said laughing.

pJen smirked at Nick, "Poor Nicky got his feelings hurt." She moved across the
room to sit in his lap. She ran her fingers through his blonde hair, the leaned in
and whispered something that obviously peaked his interest.

p"Uh...excuse us Joey."

pJoey nodded as Nick and Jen left the room and went upstairs, she sighed and
then heard the front door open. Joey tried to hide the smile, knowing that it was
Pacey. He'd gotten into the habbit of walking in instead of knocking.

pHe walked into the kitchen and she noticed the black silk bowling shirt he was
wearing. It clung to his arms the same way his blue jeans clung to his rear. He
smiled at her and walked over to the island in her kitchen. He leaned over, looking
into the pot, propping his elbows on the counter.

p"You know, that almost looks edible."

pShe smiled, "You aren't eating this. There's a can of dog food in the pantry
that you will be eating."

pPacey laughed, then looked around. "Where are the love birds?"

pJoey sighed, "Upstairs."

pPacey raised an eyebrow at her, "Really?"

p"Yep. Right before you got here..."

p"Are you okay?"

p"Yeah...I mean...they're trying to have a baby, so..."

p"You miss it don't you?"

pJoey looked at him oddly, but she knew what he meant, "Miss what?"

p"Having someone."

pJoey shrugged. "I guess. Don't you?"

p"All the time."

p"So it's not that unusual for me to miss having someone to talk to, or listen to,
or miss kissing and holding or just..."

p"Love."

pJoey sighed, "Yeah."

pPacey looked at her with those blue eyes that turned her insides to mush. "I
understand. Better than you think."

p"It just...it gets lonly."

p"You have Noah."

p"Yeah. I have Noah. But there's only so many topics you can carry on with a
five year old. Cartoons, toys, swimming and then you run out of things. I miss
having an adult conversation..."

p"And what am I? Chopped liver?"

pShe smiled, "You're about as slimy."

pPacey chuckled, "Thanks Jo. You know just how to make a person feel
loved."

pJoey smiled at him, taking the chicken out of the oven. She set the pan on two
awaiting pot holders then moved back to stir her sauce. "So, do you need any
help?"

pJoey looked up and once again got lost in his eyes. She quickly diverted her
eyes and tried to regain her thinking. "Uh...yeah. Can you set the table, please?"

pPacey nodded and moved to get the things out of the cabinets. After spending
months at Joey's for various reasons, he had soon realized that she didn't mind if
he just made himself at home. As a matter of fact, she told him to. The two
worked silently around the kitchen.

pAs Pacey moved to get the silverwear he turned and bumped in to Joey.
Neither moved for several seconds, just standing in the middle of her kitchen,
staring at one another. Joey could feel his warm breath on her face and longed to
pull him in to kiss her. To quelch the ache she was feeling from being so close to
him. He raised his hand to her cheek, lightly brushing her skin, but pulled away
when Jen and Nick walked into the kitchen laughing. Joey blushed as Pacey
moved away, his back to all of them as he took a deep breath. He felt something
so electric in her eyes. Something that sent his blood boiling. God, he didn't think
he would ever need anyone as badly as he needed her in that tiny space of a
second. He shook his head and turned back to his friend.

p"Nick, can you get the wine out of the fridge?" Joey asked softly, still trying to
recover from her moment with Pacey.

pJen propped herself on her elbows next to Joey, leaning in to whisper to her
friend, "What has you all flushed?" smiling slightly.

pJoey shook her head. "Nothing," Joey said back softly.

pJoey put the food in bowls and plates, then turned to the other three, "Let's
eat."

phr

pDinner was rather uneventful, just the four of the eating. They moved into the
living room where a conversation began about Noah and Sam. Pacey pulled out
his wallet and handed Jen a picture of his daughter.

p"Pacey, she's beautiful."

pHe smiled, "Yes she is. I'm afraid that when she's 16 I will have my hands
full."

PNick nodded, "She has your eyes."

p"Yeah. And I think she has my nose," he said with a short laugh.

pJen nodded. "She's not like you is she? You know...annoying?"

pPacey smirked, "Not hardly. Although...she has my stubbornness."

p"Noah got that from Joey...didn't he Jo."

P"I am not stubborn."

pThe three looked at her, Jen was the first to speak, "Let's move away from her
before lightening crashes through that window and strikes her down."

P"Okay..so maybe I am a little stubborn."

P"That's an understatement," Nick said with a smile.

p"Why are all of you picking on me? I didn't do anything to you."

p"Because, Joey, you are an easy target," Pacey said smiling.

pJoey smirked, "Watch it Pacey."

pJen looked over at Nick then back over at Joey and Pacey who were staring at
each other. Jen was still kicking herself for interrupting Pacey and Joey earlier.
She'd see Pacey's hand on her cheek and hated that she and Nick had interrupted
their little moment. But she played dumb, hoping to see what Joey's reaction
would be. And it was just what she thought; Joey's face flushed and had ignored
her questions. But now, looking at the two of them, she realized that if she wanted
to make it up to Joey, she and Nick should leave the room and give them the
chance of making something happen.

pJen grabbed Nick's hand and stood, "If you will excuse us, we are going to
bed."

pNick looked up at her, "We are?"

pJen winked at him, "We are."

pThe two watched as Jen and Nick went upstairs. Pacey smiled over at Joey
then settled back on the couch. Joey picked up her glass and finished her wine.
Pacey lifted the bottle and she shook her head.

p"I've had enough. I won't be able to make it up the stairs if I drink anything
else tonight."

pPacey laughed which brought a smile to Joey's face. Pacey cocked his head to
the side and poked her in the arm. "What's up with you?"

p"What do you mean?"

p"I mean...how's your life?"

pJoey nodded, "It's good. But I mean, you see me every day, so you would kind
of know, Pacey."

p"Yeah, but, I'm talking about your love life."

pJoey snorted, "What love life? My life consists of a five and a half year old
little boy and a restaurant. I have no love life."

pPacey raised his eyebrows at her, "You sound bitter Joey," he said, downing
his wine.

p"Bitter? Me? No..." she said sarcastically. "What I really want is just for one
guy to sweep me off my feet. Literally. I mean, I want the fairy tale."

p"What fairy tale?"

p"Any one that ends up the damsel in distress being rescued by the prince and
they life happily ever after. That's what every little girl wants from the first time
she watches Cinderella. That's the dream that they all chase."

pPacey stared at her. He never knew that. In some way he knew it was true,
but he never actually heard any of them say it before.

p"Do you think that's what Sam wants?"

p"Good chance of it. The only thing is she's too young to realize that is an
impossible relationship," she said as she stood and walked into the kitchen.

pPacey followed, eager to hear more about this. It wasn't every day you got a
look into the female psyche. "Why is it impossible?"

pJoey turned and looked at him, "Because, no one can really be happy all the
time, which is what they are leading you to believe."

p"You don't believe in happily ever after?"

pShe let out a slight giggle, "You sound surprised."

p"Well, you just said that's what every girl wanted."

p"It is. But that doesn't mean that it will happen."

p"Because no one is happy all the time. I know."

pJoey sighed before she continued, "And no one needs to be rescued all the
time. You can't always be the damsel in distress and you can't always be the
knight in shining armor."

pPacey looked down at the floor, then back up at Joey. "So are you losing all
hope that you will find your prince?"

pJoey caught his eyes in a gaze that almost knocked her off her feet. She gave a
slight half smile and whispered, "No."

pPacey nodded, never breaking his gaze with Joey. The intensity in which she
was looking at him made him want to hold her more than he already did. "Joey."

p"Yeah."

p"You can tell me if I'm way out of line here...but I am...going to explode if I
don't kiss you."

pPacey moved across the little space between them as Joey stared up at him.
"You want to kiss me?"

p"Is that not okay?"

p"No..it is."

pPacey pulled on a whisp of her hair, then moved his hand to her cheek,
smoothing his thumb over the pink flesh. He leaned down, placing his lips to hers
and feeling her melt under his lips. Her hands snaked around to behind his neck,
pulling his mouth closer to hers. She was surprised to feel his tongue against her
lips and she willingly opened her mouth and met his with her own. His hands
moved from her face down to her back, feeling the skin exposed by her dress.

pPacey pulled away, kissing down her jawline. Joey sighed as she ran her
fingers through his thick brown hair. She began pulling him by the shirt into the
living room, and the two fell onto the couch, Pacey continued to kiss down her
neck, his hand sliding under the sundress she was wearing.

p"Oh God, Pacey."

pSuddenly he pulled away, looking horrified. Joey stared up at him, more
confused than ever. "What am I doing?" he whispered.

p"Pacey..."

pHe shook his head, then rested his elbows on his knees and put his head in his
hands. Joey sat up, trying to hold back the tears that she knew were coming to the
surface. They had just messed everything up.

p"I have to go," he said standing quickly. She nodded, and didn't turn to watch
him leave. She heard the door close and shut her eyes, forcing the tears not to
stream down her face, but she quickly lost that battle. Hot tears fell from her eyes
as she saw the headlights of his car on her ceiling. She went upstairs and into her
bedroom, shutting the door behind her and sank to the floor. That was it, she had
lost him and any hope she could have for their future together.

phr

pPacey's drive home was filled with visions of a confused Joey. One minute he
was telling her that he would explode if he didn't kiss her and the next he is
running out the door the second he realized that he wanted her more than he
thought he could. Not only that, in those few minutes he was kissing her, he had
forgotten about Veronica. He'd forgotten what she looked like, what she felt like,
he couldn't even remember the sound of her voice.

pWhen he'd slid his hand up her dress, he remembered the dream he'd had of
Veronica screaming at him that he'd never loved her. He couldn't hurt her like
that. He couldn't do that to her memory.

pBut God, he'd wanted to forget everything going on in life right then but her.
Her skin was so soft and her kisses were so needy and he never wanted that
moment to end, but reality reared it's ugly head.

pHe'd arrived home, but didn't get out of his car. He just sat there, staring up at
the dark house. He pulled back out of his drive way and drove towards the beach.
He just needed to think. He needed to be on neutral ground and think about what
he did and why he did it.

pHe parked across the street and climbed out of the car. He walked across the
street and stared out at the dark night sky. He walked down to the sand and took a
seat, just looking out over the ocean and thinking.

pWhat happened tonight scared him to no end. He didn't know what to do or to
think any more. When he was kissing Joey, he wasn't thinking. Everything had
just disappeared out of his head, she was the only thing that mattered then. But
not so long ago, it had been another woman that he'd given his life to had made
him feel the same way.

pHe put his head in his hands and tried to clear his mind of the image of Joey
laying beneath him, kissing him with such intensity it nearly took his breath from
him. He could still taste her lips, her tongue, and he quickly shook his head, trying
to erase all of that from his head. But it kept drifting back to how she felt, her
body crushed against his. He'd felt that familiar ache he'd been feeling recently in
regards to Joey. The scariest thing of all, he didn't think he's ever wanted anyone
as badly as he'd wanted her. Not even Veronica. And that hurt. He didn't want to
feel this way for anyone again, least of all Joey. She was his best friend and he'd
probably just ruined that by running out of her house after they'd...he felt the
onslaught of tears but he refused to let them spill. He didn't want to cry. He does
that too often.

pBut he had to figure out how he felt about Joey. If he didn't, he would go
insane. As much as he didn't want to think about it, the more it echoed in his ears.
Why did he have to kiss her tonight? Why couldn't he have just left things the way
they were? He'd probably sent her mixed signals and made her feel rejected
tonight, and that's not what he did. He didn't want to reject her, as a matter of fact,
he initiated the whole thing and wanted her, just the emotions of wanting her made
him forget Veronica and for that he was a horrible person. How could he forget
someone that meant the world to him? How could he forget the mother of his
child?

pAnd Joey. God he'd probably proven to her that he was a world class dick. If
only she could know how much he wanted her, how much he had needed her...but
she was probably angry at him for leading her on, for ruining their friendship
because of some...what kind of feeling was it? Was it pure lust? Was it love?
Was it an overwhelming attraction? He knew what it was. It was a mixture of
understanding, want, attraction, and...love. He did love her. But he'd never
thought of it in any way other than friendship, but the events of tonight lead him to
re-evaluate his feelings for her.

pOver the last three months, Joey has done nothing but help him. She's been
there to listen to him, to help him with Sam, to just talk to him when he had no one
else. She's been his friend and his confidant, and that meant more to him than
anything. But he was sure that this had ruined all of that. He closed his eyes and
took in a deep breath. He's probably thrown away his relationship with his best
friend and it was tearing him apart.

pHe couldn't help but feel like the lowest human being in the world. What if
she didn't feel the same way about him? Of course she wasn't in love with him,
but what if she'd wanted him just as badly as he'd wanted her? Was it possible?
Could she had needed his touch as much as he'd needed hers? He stood up and
walked back to his car. He needed to sleep. He needed to sleep and think and beg
Joey for forgiveness after he ruined their friendship.

phr

pThe shrill ringing of the phone woke her up. She looked up from her place on
the floor and remembered the events of last night and a new set of tears began
streaming down her face. She quickly swiped them away and reached for the
phone.

p"Hello?"

p"Joey I need to talk to you."

piOh now you want to talk instead of running out like someone lit a fire
under your ass/i, she thought. "What about?"

p"I'd rather talk to you in person."

piI really don't want to see him right now./i "Whatever you have to say to
me you can say it on the phone."

pHe seemed to stall a bit, not expecting the harshness in her tone, and she didn't
mean for it to sound the way it came out. "I just...I want to appologize."

pJoey thought for a minute. iHe's appologizing, which means that it never
should have happened and that he didn't just panic. I can't believe this./i

p"Joey?"

p"Yeah...I'm here."

p"I'm sorry."

p"What exactly is it you're sorry for? The kissing me part or the leaving part?
Because, to tell you the truth...the kissing part was fine with me. In fact, I rather
enjoyed it, but I didn't enjoy the part where you left a Pacey size hole in my door
from your speedy retreat." He was silent, "I'm not mad that you kissed me," she
said softly, "I'm not. I'm not mad at all...just hurt that you left without even saying
so much as why. And I don't feel like talking about this anymore."

pShe hung the phone up. She looked up at the ceiling, wondering how she ever
got her self in this situation. She climed into her bed and pulled the covers around
her body. She cried into her pillow, trying to muffle the sound. All she wanted
was him, but she was angry.

pThe knock on her bedroom door caused her to wipe her face and try to
compose herself. Jen opened the door an noticed the red streaks down her face
and the large bags under her eyes.

p"What happened?" she asked, closing the door behind her.

pJoey sighed and rubbed her face. "Pacey kissed me last night."

pJen looked at her friend, "Well, that's obviously not the reason you've been
crying, so why don't you tell me what happened."

pJoey sat up, her comforter wrapped around her shoulders, "We were standing
in the kitchen talking, he told me he wanted to kiss me, he did, we moved into the
living room on the couch and the next thing I know, he's freaking out and leaving
so fast it would make your head spin."

p"So that's why you're so upset. He left."

p"No only did he leave...he didn't even say why, Jen."

pJen noted the irriatation in her voice. "I take it you are angry."

p"No...yes...kind of. Shouldn't I be? I mean, he kissed me...he was groping
me..."

p"And I'm sure you screamed 'no' the whole time. Honestly Joey, are you angry
at him for leaving or are you angry because you actually, somewhat, gave in to
how you feel about him?"

pThe tears rolled down her cheeks, "It just hurts, that's all."

p"I know."

pJen embraced her friend, giving her the shoulder to cry on that she so
desperatly needed. Joey's body heaved with her unsteady breathing as Jen
smoothed down her brown hair.

p"I can't help that I love him Jen..." she said through broken sobs.

p"I know, Joey. But, it hasn't been that long since his wife passed away..."

p"I know that. But he...he shouldn't have..."

p"Would you have kissed him if he hadn't beaten you to it?"

pJoey shook her head, "No."

p"You would have eventually. Maybe it's good that the two of you go through
this now...instead of down the road, when your children are here and could have
seen that. What would they think if they had seen the two of you kissing and then
see Pacey freak out about it?"

pJoey shrugged and pulled away from Jen. "He called me this morning."

p"What did he say?"

p"He said he was sorry."

p"See."

p"I blew up at him."

pJen sighed. "That's the Joey Potter I know...respond first, think later. What
did you say to him?"

p"I asked him why he was sorry. If it was for the kissing or the fact that he
left."

p"Well, what did he say?"

p"Nothing. I hung up on him."

pJen rolled her eyes, "You know...your temper is going to get you into deep
trouble one of these days."

pJoey wiped her face, "It already has."

p"Maybe you need to start thinking of ways to fix this."

pJoey looked up at her quickly, a scowl quickly forming, "Why should I try to
fix this? I'm not the one who left. He did. He ran out of here after he innitated
the kiss in the first place. The only thing I will appologize for is for blowing up at
him...but other than that...I will not say 'I'm sorry'."

pJen nodded her head, "Way to compromise there, Jo. You have to talk to him.
If you don't, you could permanetly ruin things between you. And you don't want
that, do you?"

p"No. But...I'm...I'm hurting right now."

p"You have an entire day today to spend thinking about this. Besides...you
have to drive Nick and I to the airport in about an hour. So get up, get dressed,
we'll grab some breakfast, go to the airport, and you come home and think."

p"You know the worst part of the whole thing, Jen?" She shook her head and
Joey continued, "I can still feel him. I can still feel his lips and his...his hands."

p"Don't do this to yourself."

p"I can't help it." New tears streamed down her face.

p"Okay, Joey...you throwing a pity party for yourself is NOT helping. You
have at least realize that if he kissed you...he wanted you. Don't you see that. So
whatever happened after that, you can at least know that for those seconds he was
kissing you...you were what he wanted."

pJoey wiped her face and looked at her smiling friend. "You're right. You are
so right."

p"I know."

p"Don't let this go to your head though."

p"Oh...of course not."

pJen hugged Joey again, then left her friend in her bedroom. Joey looked over
at the large window next to her dresser. She climbed out of her bed and took a
peak out, not expecting what she saw.

pPacey.

phr
center
To Be Continued...
/center