~*~ Chapter 6 - A Long Way To Go ~*~
Three months after Katie was born, Pacey and Joey had settled into the routine of parenting. Pacey had been given another moth off for the wedding, which was in 8 days. Pacey was packing - they were leaving for Capeside tomorrow. They were going to stay at the B&B, except for the two nights before the wedding, when Pacey would stay at Doug's.
Pacey was startled when Katie started crying.
"Pacey, can you get her? I'm too busy," Joey called.
"Sure babe," he called back. He went into the nursery. "Hey, Katie baby, what's the matter?" He picked her up and bounced her. "Oh, I bet you're hungry, aren't you?" He carried her downstairs and into the kitchen. "Hey Jo, is there any milk in the fridge?" He called.
"There should be," she called back.
He fed Katie then went in search of Joey. "Hey, are you packed?"
"Yep, I'm as ready as I could possibly be."
"Good, me too."
"Ok, I won't be seeing much of you before the wedding... actually, that's something I wanted to talk to you about..." Joey started chewing on her bottom lip. Pacey noticed this and said,
"I'll put Katie back to sleep, and then we'll talk ok?"
"Ok." Joey looked relieved.
Pacey smiled reassuringly at her, than disappeared upstairs. He came back down a couple of minutes later, and found Joey sitting in the lounge room. "Jo, what's up?" he asked concernedly.
"Oh, boy, um... would you be ok staying with Doug for the whole week? It's just that I have so much to do, and I have things that I want to surprise you with..."
"Like what?" Pacey asked curiously.
"Like if I told you, they wouldn't be surprises."
"Will I get to see you at all?"
"Not until the actual wedding."
"OK... what about Katie? Who's gonna take her?"
"Uh, we swap. Like, you have her one day, I have her the next."
"Right, how are we gonna swap her without seeing each other?"
"Uh, get Bessie to do it?"
He looked at her pleading face. "Ok. I don't know how I'll survive without you, but I'll at least have Katie half the time. I hope you realize that I'm only doing this because I love you," he stated grudgingly.
Joey smiled her famous smile. "Thank you! Oh, Pacey, thank you so much!" She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big kiss. "Do you want Katie tomorrow? Because that would be easier for me."
"Of course, that fits in with my plans really well."
"Great! I'll call Bess and Doug and tell them about the change in plans."
"Ok... you're not freaking out are you?" He asked anxiously.
"No! No, I can hardly wait!"
"Good. Me neither," Pacey grinned.
Joey grinned back, then went to call Doug and Bessie. She returned ten minutes later, saying "It's fine with them. Doug said he's gonna borrow stuff for Katie from your parents.:
"Ok... Jo, are you having a hen's night?"
"Yeah, two nights before we get married, why?"
"Uh, that's my bachelor's night. What are we gonna do with Katie? Everyone we know and trust enough with her will be at the parties."
"Oh, you're right... no, not everyone. Mrs. Ryan doesn't like to go to those kinds of things, I'll ask her if she wouldn't mind."
"Good, that's solved. I better not get drunk, I have Katie the next day."
"Wow, you're right, I get to go wild."
"Not too wild, Jo," Pacey warned.
"Pacey, have I ever been as wild as you?"
"No, but now's not the time to start either."
"Look, do you want me to ask Gale and Mitch if they would mind Katie the day before the wedding? I'm sure they wouldn't mind, and that way we can both go wild."
"Are you sure?"
"If you are."
"Sure! Why not?"
~*~*~*~*~*~ The Next Day ~*~*~*~*~*~
"Jo, hurry up! We're gonna be late, and you know what Bess and Dougie are like!" Pacey yelled up the stairs.
"Well, if you would be ever so kind as to help me with my stuff, we might not be late!" Joey called back.
"I'll be there in a minute!" He called. "Now you, little miss, are going in the car. Daddy will be back soon, and so will Mommy." He grudgingly put Katie in her car seat with the air conditioner going, then ran up the stairs to help Joey. "God Jo, how much of this do you actually need?" he cried when he saw the two suitcases and three duffel bags lying on the bed.
"All of it!" came the muffled reply from the bathroom.
Pacey lugged the suitcases outside and into the car, and went back inside to grab the bags. "Jo, can you get one of these?" He asked as she came out of the bathroom.
"Sure!" She said, and kissed him before taking a bag from him and walking down the stairs.
He sighed good-naturedly and followed her, making sure everything was locked as he went. When he got outside, Joey was buckled in her seat, but had turned around to play with Katie.
"Ready to go?" Pacey asked.
"Ready!" Joey turned and smiled at him, while Katie gurgled and waved her arms and legs.
"I take it you're ready too!" Pacey laughed at her, "so let's get going!"
They had been driving for about ten minutes when Pacey and Joey's current favorite song came on - "Sk8er Boi" by Avril Lavigne.
"He was a boi, she was a girl, can I make it any more obvious?" Sang Joey, while Pacey smiled - he loved listening to her sing. He considered singing to be one of her many talents, but she disagreed. Like with almost anything she did, Joey didn't think she was very good at it, but she knew Pacey liked it so she did it mainly to please him.
"Sorry girl but you missed out, well tough luck that boi's mine now, we are more than just good friends, this is how the story ends. Too bad that you couldn't see, see the man that boy could be, there is more than meets the eye, I see the soul that is inside. He's just a boi, and I'm just a girl, can I make it any more obvious? We are in love, haven't you heard, how we rock each other's world?" Joey stopped singing suddenly, and said to Pacey, "that sums us up, doesn't it?"
"Hell, it sure does," Pacey replied.
~*~*~*~*~*~
They arrived at the B&B on the dot of 4:00. Bessie came running out to greet them.
"Pacey!" Bessie cried, enveloping him in a hug.
"Hey Bess, how you been?" He asked, returning the hug.
Bessie then went to the car and waved at Katie through he window.
"Uh, hey, Bess," Joey said.
"Hey Joey! Don't worry, it's just that I'm not going to see them for a while."
"As long as you haven't forgotten me," Joey joked.
"As if I could forget you!" Bessie exclaimed, obviously not getting it.
Joey looked at Pacey and laughed.
"Well Bessie, as always it was lovely to see you, but Katie and I should get going before Dougie gets worried," Pacey cut in.
"Ok Pace, have a safe trip, that's me niece in that car!" Bessie joked, hugging him again. He laughed and went over to Joey.
"God, all jokes aside, I'm gonna miss you so much!" he said.
"oh, me too, but they say absence makes the heart grow fonder."
"Is that really possible for us?" He reached out to hug and kiss her. "I'll see you at our dock."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." She smiled and kissed him one last time.
He got into the car and drove away, but not before staring at Joey for what seemed to be an eternity.
Three months after Katie was born, Pacey and Joey had settled into the routine of parenting. Pacey had been given another moth off for the wedding, which was in 8 days. Pacey was packing - they were leaving for Capeside tomorrow. They were going to stay at the B&B, except for the two nights before the wedding, when Pacey would stay at Doug's.
Pacey was startled when Katie started crying.
"Pacey, can you get her? I'm too busy," Joey called.
"Sure babe," he called back. He went into the nursery. "Hey, Katie baby, what's the matter?" He picked her up and bounced her. "Oh, I bet you're hungry, aren't you?" He carried her downstairs and into the kitchen. "Hey Jo, is there any milk in the fridge?" He called.
"There should be," she called back.
He fed Katie then went in search of Joey. "Hey, are you packed?"
"Yep, I'm as ready as I could possibly be."
"Good, me too."
"Ok, I won't be seeing much of you before the wedding... actually, that's something I wanted to talk to you about..." Joey started chewing on her bottom lip. Pacey noticed this and said,
"I'll put Katie back to sleep, and then we'll talk ok?"
"Ok." Joey looked relieved.
Pacey smiled reassuringly at her, than disappeared upstairs. He came back down a couple of minutes later, and found Joey sitting in the lounge room. "Jo, what's up?" he asked concernedly.
"Oh, boy, um... would you be ok staying with Doug for the whole week? It's just that I have so much to do, and I have things that I want to surprise you with..."
"Like what?" Pacey asked curiously.
"Like if I told you, they wouldn't be surprises."
"Will I get to see you at all?"
"Not until the actual wedding."
"OK... what about Katie? Who's gonna take her?"
"Uh, we swap. Like, you have her one day, I have her the next."
"Right, how are we gonna swap her without seeing each other?"
"Uh, get Bessie to do it?"
He looked at her pleading face. "Ok. I don't know how I'll survive without you, but I'll at least have Katie half the time. I hope you realize that I'm only doing this because I love you," he stated grudgingly.
Joey smiled her famous smile. "Thank you! Oh, Pacey, thank you so much!" She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big kiss. "Do you want Katie tomorrow? Because that would be easier for me."
"Of course, that fits in with my plans really well."
"Great! I'll call Bess and Doug and tell them about the change in plans."
"Ok... you're not freaking out are you?" He asked anxiously.
"No! No, I can hardly wait!"
"Good. Me neither," Pacey grinned.
Joey grinned back, then went to call Doug and Bessie. She returned ten minutes later, saying "It's fine with them. Doug said he's gonna borrow stuff for Katie from your parents.:
"Ok... Jo, are you having a hen's night?"
"Yeah, two nights before we get married, why?"
"Uh, that's my bachelor's night. What are we gonna do with Katie? Everyone we know and trust enough with her will be at the parties."
"Oh, you're right... no, not everyone. Mrs. Ryan doesn't like to go to those kinds of things, I'll ask her if she wouldn't mind."
"Good, that's solved. I better not get drunk, I have Katie the next day."
"Wow, you're right, I get to go wild."
"Not too wild, Jo," Pacey warned.
"Pacey, have I ever been as wild as you?"
"No, but now's not the time to start either."
"Look, do you want me to ask Gale and Mitch if they would mind Katie the day before the wedding? I'm sure they wouldn't mind, and that way we can both go wild."
"Are you sure?"
"If you are."
"Sure! Why not?"
~*~*~*~*~*~ The Next Day ~*~*~*~*~*~
"Jo, hurry up! We're gonna be late, and you know what Bess and Dougie are like!" Pacey yelled up the stairs.
"Well, if you would be ever so kind as to help me with my stuff, we might not be late!" Joey called back.
"I'll be there in a minute!" He called. "Now you, little miss, are going in the car. Daddy will be back soon, and so will Mommy." He grudgingly put Katie in her car seat with the air conditioner going, then ran up the stairs to help Joey. "God Jo, how much of this do you actually need?" he cried when he saw the two suitcases and three duffel bags lying on the bed.
"All of it!" came the muffled reply from the bathroom.
Pacey lugged the suitcases outside and into the car, and went back inside to grab the bags. "Jo, can you get one of these?" He asked as she came out of the bathroom.
"Sure!" She said, and kissed him before taking a bag from him and walking down the stairs.
He sighed good-naturedly and followed her, making sure everything was locked as he went. When he got outside, Joey was buckled in her seat, but had turned around to play with Katie.
"Ready to go?" Pacey asked.
"Ready!" Joey turned and smiled at him, while Katie gurgled and waved her arms and legs.
"I take it you're ready too!" Pacey laughed at her, "so let's get going!"
They had been driving for about ten minutes when Pacey and Joey's current favorite song came on - "Sk8er Boi" by Avril Lavigne.
"He was a boi, she was a girl, can I make it any more obvious?" Sang Joey, while Pacey smiled - he loved listening to her sing. He considered singing to be one of her many talents, but she disagreed. Like with almost anything she did, Joey didn't think she was very good at it, but she knew Pacey liked it so she did it mainly to please him.
"Sorry girl but you missed out, well tough luck that boi's mine now, we are more than just good friends, this is how the story ends. Too bad that you couldn't see, see the man that boy could be, there is more than meets the eye, I see the soul that is inside. He's just a boi, and I'm just a girl, can I make it any more obvious? We are in love, haven't you heard, how we rock each other's world?" Joey stopped singing suddenly, and said to Pacey, "that sums us up, doesn't it?"
"Hell, it sure does," Pacey replied.
~*~*~*~*~*~
They arrived at the B&B on the dot of 4:00. Bessie came running out to greet them.
"Pacey!" Bessie cried, enveloping him in a hug.
"Hey Bess, how you been?" He asked, returning the hug.
Bessie then went to the car and waved at Katie through he window.
"Uh, hey, Bess," Joey said.
"Hey Joey! Don't worry, it's just that I'm not going to see them for a while."
"As long as you haven't forgotten me," Joey joked.
"As if I could forget you!" Bessie exclaimed, obviously not getting it.
Joey looked at Pacey and laughed.
"Well Bessie, as always it was lovely to see you, but Katie and I should get going before Dougie gets worried," Pacey cut in.
"Ok Pace, have a safe trip, that's me niece in that car!" Bessie joked, hugging him again. He laughed and went over to Joey.
"God, all jokes aside, I'm gonna miss you so much!" he said.
"oh, me too, but they say absence makes the heart grow fonder."
"Is that really possible for us?" He reached out to hug and kiss her. "I'll see you at our dock."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." She smiled and kissed him one last time.
He got into the car and drove away, but not before staring at Joey for what seemed to be an eternity.