~

Joey tried to put on a brave face as she walked in to the church where the service for Mitch would be held. But this was the same church she had been to for her mother's funeral.

She hung her coat in the small cloak room at the back, remembering how she'd hidden there with Dawson when she couldn't bare to sit near her mother's casket any longer. Hoping she could find Pacye and sit down quickly she entered the sanctuary. The stained glass windows looked the same but the faces in the pews weren't.

"What are you looking for?" Bessie asked as she pulled her sister out of the aisle so that a group of students from the high school could get by.

"Pacey asked to sit with me."

Bessie raised and eyebrow, it was becoming an annoying habit with her lately, "Bodie and I are going to sit over there with Jen's grandmother. Are you coming? Pacey will find you."

"I'll just meet you at the car afterwards okay?" Joey replied. Bessie and Bodie left her standing at the back of the church. Where are you Pacey? Don't make me do this by myself. She was cursing all the unfamiliar backs of people's heads when Pacey walked up and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Sorry I'm late."

It's one of those annoying things I love about you. "We should sit down."

He led her to pew near the middle filled with more students.

Joey sat down quietly and tried to concentrate on the minister's pulpit at the front. A tape player was playing a tune she remembered Mitch always used to hum.

A door opened on the sidewall, Dawson came out followed by his mom. Gayle was holding on tightly to Lilly and wiping her eyes at the same time.

"Pacey," Joey started to whisper. "I forgot—"

Pacey smiled and pulled three Kleenexes out of his pocket. "I've got you covered."

Joey mouthed 'thank you' and smoothed the white cotton out on her skirt. She wasn't crying yet but it wouldn't be long.

The service started, the minister spoke about heaven and life and death. Gayle could be heard crying softly in the front row. Joey looked in her direction and noticed that by then Dawson was holding Lilly.

One of Mitch's bothers stood up to give the eulogy. Joey remembered the week she'd gone with the Leery's to stay at his cottage, she was eight at the time. Mitch was having trouble lighting the barbecue and singed one of his eyebrows.

Let the waterworks begin, she thought as her eyes welled up and the first tear fell down her cheek. As Mitch's brother told stories about his lifetime she sniffled and wiped at her eyes. Only two tissues left.

"You okay?" Pacey asked softly. She shook her head. He took her left hand and stroked it with his thumb like he used to… before.

What are you trying to do? They're going to kick me out for disturbing the peace! Joey's tears came a little more steadily. She balled up the second tissue and put it in her purse.

Determined to make the third one last longer she bit her lip and started to breath slowly.

"Almost done," Pacey whispers as he squeezed her hand.

When it was over Joey tucked the last Kleenex, still fresh in to her purse and followed Pacey outside. She was holding on to him for dear life. Outside she caught Bessie's eye and waved her away.

~

As they pulled up to the Leery house for the small reception there were already a lot of cars parked there. Joey walked ahead of Pacey to the front porch, she wasn't exactly pleased to be there. She knew she ought to be. Mom always said, 'Sometimes there are things you just have to do, no matter how hard it might be.' Here we go.

Inside there were a lot of relatives and people from town milling around. "Where's the best place to hide?" Joey said under her breath. When in doubt, eat. They migrated towards the kitchen.

Unfortunately so had Dawson he was sitting on a stool at the counter, trying to ignore one of his aunts as she uncovered plates of food.

"What are you doing here?" Dawson asked coldly.

"Same as everyone else," Pacey answered.

Dawson scowled at Pacey. "Joey I think you should leave."

Joey frowned and bit her bottom lip, "If that's what you want."

"It is."

Pacey stood back and watched the interaction, having no idea what was going on. "I'm really sorry Dawson." She turned towards the door and stopped, "For everything."

~

"I'm not ready to go home yet," Joey said after they rushed back outside to Pacey's car.

"Alright then," Pacey drove downtown to a small café on the water that neither of them had been to before. "Let's get something to eat. And you can tell me about whatever happened between you and Dawson back there."

Her face dropped but she followed him inside like a puppy anyway. Joey faked interest in the menu to stall but after the drinks showed up Pacey wasn't going to wait any longer.

Pacey cleared his throat and looked at her expectantly. Joey sipped her iced tea trying to get a few more seconds. "When I said I hadn't talked to Dawson in a while, I meant it. After he showed up at my room and all that, he was mad at me. He kept calling me and yelling at me." She paused, "He was being totally immature about it. I wanted to wring his neck."

"Yea he has that effect on people."

"Anyway, I was absolutely miserable," Joey started playing with the salt shaker so she wouldn't have to look at Pacey. "The last thing I wanted was to deal with his bullshit. So when he said it was either you or him—"

Pacey interrupted her, "Wait. He wanted you to choose?"

She nodded her head, "I told him he was being ridiculous but he said I had to pick one of you."

"What did you say?" Pacey asked quietly as if it wasn't plain to see.

"Obviously I didn't pick him. He got all bitchy again." She added, "So I told him to go fuck himself. He made this weird little noise and hung up on me. I haven't talked to him since, well until today."

~

Joey closed the front door behind her. She'd spent the rest of the afternoon with Pacey at the café talking. After she explained the whole Dawson thing to him they brought each other up to speed on everything that happened in the month that they hadn't talked.

Of course when Bessie swooped in like she always did Joey snapped back to reality pretty fast.

"Are you back together then or what?" Bessie asked immediately.

Joey's smile broke. "I don't know."


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