Mr. Wonderful

 Part 3

by Jade

Disclaimer: Dawson's Creek and its characters are the property of Kevin Williamson, Tristar-Columbia Television, Sony Pictures Entertainment and the Warner Bros. Network.

Author's Note: I know, loads of flashback scenes so far...hope no one's too confused. Thanks to Courtney, Jenn, Kilby and everyone else who has written to let me know my work's appreciated. Oh yes, and Laura too J

Drawers were left open and clothes flying about the room as Pacey watched Rachel in a panic. She had just received a phone call from the editor of the magazine she was working for and they wanted her to fly out to Paris the next morning to photograph a fashion event. The original photographer had pulled out of the assignment due to an unexpected death in the family.

"Whoa, careful," Pacey said as he caught one of her bras before it hit him in the face.

Rachel looked back and grinned. "Sorry, dear."

He caught her by the waist and pulled her toward the bed. She slipped onto his lap.

He smoothed her long hair. "Why are you rushing? We've got plenty of time."

"I always forget something at the last minute." She held his gaze for a minute. "I love you, you know."

He kissed the tip of her nose. "I know."

"Do you have to go? Stay with me."

"All right," Pacey agreed.

"No, I don't just mean tonight. I want you to be the first person I see when I get up in the morning and the last person I see before I go to bed at night." As usual, she noted his hesitation whenever she broached the subject of them moving in together. "Forget I said anything," she said hastily and moved off his lap, ready to continue her packing.

He gently grabbed her hand and turned her around. "Rachel, give me some time."

"Pacey, I've given you three years of my life," she reasoned. "I've never pushed you. I've never asked for more than you could give. I just want-," she paused, "-something." She squeezed his hand and he let go. "Let's just drop the subject, okay?"

As she packed a few more blouses into her suitcase, Rachel remembered their earlier conversation over the telephone. "Was there something you wanted to tell me, Pace? You said we had to talk."

Pacey faltered for a second before he replied, "It was probably nothing. I don't even remember it now."

Joey glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside table. So, he's staying with her tonight, she thought. She had been tossing and turning half the night and finally accepted that she wasn't going to get much sleep. She tossed her blanket aside and got out of bed. She padded her way into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea. Kicking off her bedroom slippers, she put her feet up and turned on the TV. She kept switching channels until she came upon a Cary Grant movie. "Now those were the days when people knew how to be in love," she quoted Meg Ryan in Sleepless In Seattle out loud.

She dreaded being dateless for a major company event. Two other subsidiaries of "Manhattan Gazette" were invited as well and there were going to be hundreds of men to avoid. She just wasn't ready for another Steve, her latest failed relationship.

"Pacey, you feel like doing me a favor?"

"Joey, it's not like you to be wishy-washy. Spit it out."

"You fancy attending a party with me?" she asked hurriedly.

Pacey turned back to his computer. "And I thought it was going to be something interesting."

"Oh it is!" She kneaded his shoulders. "Come on, you need the break anyway!"

"If you think strangling me's going to help convince me, you're wrong."

She pressed her cheek to his from behind. "There will be loads of single women out there, queuing to fall for your irresistible charm," she tempted.

"Flattery would work on the old Pacey. I'm a changed man now."

"Oh come on, Pace!" She straightened and stood in his view of the computer monitor. "Just help me out this one time."

He tried to push her gently out of the way but she refused to budge. "I've heard that one before."

"Please?" She summed up the most pathetic expression she could muster. She sensed his resolve was about to break.

She was right.

"Oh okay! But this is absolutely the last time I do this. Every time this happens, I end up being proposed to by half-drunk married women and muscled men or something worse. Remember the last time? You got tipsy and made me dance in the rain with you."

"I never!" she replied defensively.

Pacey raised his eyebrow. "There were people watching. A hundred witnesses, at least."

"Oh well. You got to admit it was pretty fun though," Joey said, with a hint of nostalgia. She started to laugh.

Pacey tried to look stern, but he couldn't stop a smile from spreading. "We're both definitely destined to remain single."

Pacey lay awake beside Rachel, one arm thrown over his head, as he listened to her breathing quiet down until she fell fast asleep.

He could never say no to Joey, that was his problem. When it came to her, his protective streak never failed to surface. He was most afraid when she wasn't sober herself and didn't have a clue as to what she was doing. He grimaced as he remembered his encounter with Warren -something- in high school. The time would probably be about right, when he first realized..."

Rachel fidgeted in her sleep and turned toward him. He put his raised arm around her and she snuggled closer to him. 

He made his decision.

"I've never seen so many arty-farty people in one room at a single time before," he whispered to Joey as he plastered a fake smile and nodded to an attractive woman he had bumped into earlier in the hallway.

"I need another drink," Joey replied and grabbed a glass of champagne as a waiter hurried by. 

"Slow down, Jo. I don't want to have to drag you home."

"Oh shit!" Joey turned around so fast, she nearly spilled the rest of the contents in her glass on Pacey's tuxedo. "Did that woman see me?"

Pacey looked. "I would think so. She's waving in our direction." With that, he plastered another smile on his face and waved back. "You go ahead and socialize. I think I'm going to stay here." And then, he pushed her slightly forward.

"Please come rescue me," she practically begged.

"Ten minutes."

"Five."

"Seven."

"Okay. You promised." With that, she drained her glass and practically hauled the nearest waiter to a stop in order to consume another.

Pacey watched her and couldn't help grinning. Joey never had a thing for rank and status. She thought it stuck-up. That's why he was so sure she was going to end up editor-in-chief one day.

He decided to take a breather in a quiet corner of the huge room. He had been standing there a few minutes, watching Joey struggle to look interested in the conversation around her, when a voice rang out beside him.

"A bore, isn't it?"

He looked to the source of the voice and was visibly bowled over by what he saw. A sweet-looking blonde, dressed in a demure silver gown, was sipping her wine and waiting for his response.

"I've smiled so much, I think my teeth are going to fall off."

Her laugh had a nice ring to it.

Joey went back to bed, trying her best to fall asleep. But her mind refused to shut down.

"Damn it Pacey! Of all times to revert back to your old self!" she gritted her teeth and muttered under her breath. She had been trying to get his attention for the last five minutes. Obviously, the blonde appealed much more to his senses.

A colleague of hers had joined the group and was speaking to her. She tried to concentrate on what the former was saying to her.

"You know that guy you're with? He's yummy."

That got her attention. "Yummy?"

"Yeah, you know, gorgeous, good enough to eat," she noticed Joey's blank look, "Cute?"

"Cute?" Joey repeated. "Pacey? You mean him?" she pointed.

"Yes! Isn't he your boyfriend?"

"I've known him since forever. He's my roommate," Joey said, slightly dazed.

"Well, he's sexy. He's not gay, is he? The girls and I were talking about him when you walked in. What does he do anyway?"

"He works as an analyst for some consultant firm on Madison Ave." Joey was still trying to comprehend what she had just heard." And no, he's not gay. Definitely not," she mumbled as an afterthought. She must be stranded in some other dimension. Yummy? Cute? Sexy? Pacey? She observed him from a distance. His hair had lightened a shade over the years and it was styled differently now. She had always been tall, even more so in heels, so Pacey never did tower too much over her but she can see how people might be in awe of him, just standing alone. His broad shoulders filled out his suit nicely and even she had to concede, his butt was all right.

I must be going crazy, she concluded.

I must be going crazy, he concluded.

This was too good to be true. He actually did have much in common with this woman, who just seemed perfect. Her name was Rachel McGillis and she was a photographer.

"Who did you come with?

"Hmmm?"

"Your date?"

Oh shit, he thought. He had forgotten about Joey. Looking her way, he saw that she was temporarily occupied by a colleague and seemed deep in thought.

"She's over there. The one in the blue dress."

"Her? She's gorgeous. I saw many of the men turning when she walked in."

"Yes, she is, isn't she?" he mumbled. He had to admit that he had been stunned when she had walked into the living room, ready to leave for the party. After all these years, he was still constantly amazed by how beautiful she was.

He watched as a man approached Joey.

"I hope you don't mind my asking but you two don't seem-"

"Oh no! We've known each other too long. I'm doing this as a favor," he smiled briefly at her and then turned back to watch Joey. "I'd better go rescue her. She hates these things."

"Can I call you sometime?"

Pacey was flattered. "You sure are direct."

"I don't believe in wasting time, especially when I like someone." She asked again, "So, can I?"

He smiled. "I'm in the book."

Joey didn't bother to hide her annoyance when Pacey finally came to her aid. She tried to cover up the reason for it by complaining, "Why did you do that for? We were having a perfectly fine time."

"With Mr. Muscle Man?" He broke into a wide grin. "Joey, I know you."

Joey was taken aback by the intensity of her reaction to his disarming grin. Had his eyes always been that blue, she wondered. Desperate to hide her feelings, she retorted, "You only *think* you know me."

Pacey didn't feel a need to justify himself. "You want to go home?"

"Bye, honey." Rachel had given Pacey a long kiss good-bye in the midst of the morning crowd at JFK. She reluctantly moved out of the circle of his arms. Pacey pulled her right back.

He held her gaze. "Let's do it." Seeing the puzzlement in her eyes, he further explained, "Move in together." 

Rachel was caught off-guard. First she was surprised then the corners of her mouth lifted bit by bit until she broke into a wide smile. "You sure?" she couldn't help asking.

Pacey smiled just as widely. "Yes," he confirmed.

She let out a short shriek of excitement and hugged him tight. "Thank you," she whispered, "thank you for making me so happy."

At seeing her so, Pacey was more certain than ever that it was the right thing to do.

With the easy part over, Pacey mentally braved himself for the difficult task that lay ahead: telling Joey.

To be continued...

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