Disclaimer: I don't own Dawson's Creek or any of its characters.
Author's Note: Thanks to the following for reading and reviewing my story: Gypsy, Giuliana, justagirl, alysa, Aubrey, Abagail Snow, Cesare, roundin3rd, Molly, kelcb26, annie, dwscreekfreak, Vale, *~)TINK(~*, Vera, Annie and Pacey-Luver. I appreciate the comments and constructive criticism. You guys rock!!!
"Jen, I'm bored," Joey whined as she tossed her magazine aside. "You said girls night was gonna be fun."
"Hang on, I'm learning the 459 ways to look great in only ten minutes," Jen replied from behind her magazine.
Joey snatched Jen's magazine away from her. "I wanna do something besides read teen magazines," she complained.
"Fine! What do you want to do?" Jen asked.
"I don't know," Joey answered.
"I know! Let's play truth!" Jen suggested.
"Don't you mean truth or dare?" Joey corrected.
"No, I mean just plain old truth where we reveal secrets to each other. Come on, it'll be a good female bonding experience," Jen said.
Joey thought about it for a minute, but gave in. "Alright," she said.
Jen smiled. "Okay. Joey, how far have you gone with Pacey?" she asked.
Joey immediately began to blush. "Jen!" she exclaimed.
"What else did you think I was going to ask? Come on Joey, give me details!" Jen said.
"No!" Joey replied.
"Why not?" Jen asked.
"Because what me and Pacey do is private, okay? It's not like I'm going to ask you how far you've gone with Jack!" Joey exclaimed.
"Okay. If I tell you about me and Jack, will you tell me about you and Pacey?" Jen bargained.
Joey realized that there was no getting around this situation, so she gave up. "Fine," she stated.
"Okay. Jack and I haven't gotten past second. Yet," Jen said.
"What do you mean by yet?" Joey asked.
"Well, we've been getting more physical lately. I think it's going to happen soon," Jen answered.
"Already?" Joey asked.
"Yeah. I was holding back at first, but it just seems right with Jack. So, if the opportunity would arise in the near future, I would want to," Jen replied. "Now. You and Pacey."
"We haven't gone all that far," Joey said.
"As in?" Jen prompted.
"We haven't gone past second either," Joey said as she started to blush a bit again.
"Do you think it's going to happen soon?" Jen asked.
Joey thought for a minute. "I'm not sure. I mean, I love Pacey, but I don't think I'm ready just yet."
Jen nodded her head. "I understand."
"What if he becomes impatient?" Joey asked.
"Joey, Pacey's in love with you. He'll wait for as long as it takes," Jen responded.
"What if I become impatient?" Joey asked.
Jen made a face. "What do you mean?"
Joey sighed. "I want to do it, but I know I'm not ready yet. I just don't know why I'm not ready. Pacey and I have been dating for almost four months now, and I just think that I should be ready by now, you know?"
Jen nodded. "But, if you're not ready, then you're not ready. And Pacey will understand that. Listen, it sounds like you're worried that you'll mess up your relationship by waiting until you're ready to have sex. And I think you should talk to Pacey about it. He's the only one who can re- assure you. Now, it's your turn to ask me a question!"
***** The next day... *****
Pacey whistled as he walked down the street, holding a small bag in his hand. He surveyed the sidewalks for a familiar face. He quickly noticed Dawson heading up to Screenplay. "Dawson!" he called out.
Dawson stopped walking and turned around and saw Pacey jogging over towards him. "Hey!" he responded.
"I thought you didn't have to work today," Pacey said.
"Aaron called in sick," Dawson explained. "Why were you at the drug store?" he asked as he noticed the bag that Pacey was carrying.
"Oh, um, I just had to pick up a prescription for my mom," Pacey stumbled. He clenched the bag tighter, hoping that Dawson would drop the subject.
"Oh. Cool, well, I've gotta go, so I'll talk to you later," Dawson said before he headed off to Screenplay. Pacey let out a sigh of relief. There was no prescription in the bag. Instead, there was a box of Trojans. He wanted to be prepared for when the time came with Joey, so he had decided to stock up on some goodies. He started to think of the perfect hiding spot for the condoms. He didn't want Joey to feel pressured into having sex with him just because he bought condoms. Lost in his train of thought, he didn't notice Jack walking up the sidewalk.
"Whoa!" Jack said as he and Pacey collided. "You okay?" he asked as he reached down to help Pacey up.
"Yeah, I'm fine man," Pacey said as he brushed himself off. He looked for his bag, and saw it by Jack's foot. However, the condoms had fallen out.
"Hmm, 'Ribbed For Her Pleasure'?" Jack asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Pacey felt his face turn a little red. "Um, yeah," he muttered as he snatched the box away from Jack and placed it back inside the bag.
"Look, it's okay man, it's not like I'm going to go run and tell Joey or something," Jack said.
"I know, it's just that I don't want her thinking that just because I bought condoms, that means that she has to sleep with me," Pacey replied. "I don't want to send her the wrong signal because I really love her."
"Aww," Jack teased.
Pacey punched his arm softly. "See you man," he said with a chuckle as he took off.
***** Later on that night... *****
"Hey Pace," Joey said as she walked up the steps to the Witter home, where Pacey was outside working on his truck.
Pacey looked up. He hadn't been expecting Joey for another half hour. "Hi," he said walking over to her and kissing her. "Wasn't expecting you for awhile."
"Alex was being a nightmare, so I thought I'd get out of the house for awhile," Joey replied. "Sorry that I came early."
"I'm not complaining," Pacey said with a grin. "You look fantastic."
"Thank you," she said as she blushed.
"Okay, you wanna come in? I'm gonna need to shower," Pacey said.
"Um, sure. Is anybody home?" she asked as she followed Pacey into his house.
"No, just me," he answered. "Care to join me?" he asked, wiggling an eyebrow.
Joey smiled. "Sure!" she exclaimed.
Pacey's eyes grew wide. "Really?" he asked in disbelief.
Joey laughed. "I'm kidding. Go on, I'll just sit and watch some tv."
"Okay. Give me five minutes," Pacey said as he walked into the bathroom. Joey sat down on the couch. She turned on the tv, flipped through a few channels, and then turned the tv off. There wasn't anything good on anyway. She got up to head into the kitchen for a glass of water. She went to reach for a glass from the cupboard, but she accidentally hit a small white paper bag with her arm. She bent down to pick up the bag. She stopped midway. The contents of the bag had fallen out onto the floor. Joey was a little stunned when she saw a small box of condoms on the floor before her. She picked up the small box, and stood back up, reading the writing on the box. 'Ribbed for her Pleasure?' she thought to herself.
"Alright, I'm ready to go..." Pacey said as he walked into the kitchen. "Before you say anything Jo..."
"Pacey, how long have you had these for?" she interrupted.
"I bought them this morning," he answered. "Let me explain..."
"There isn't anything to explain here Pace. You bought condoms, what's the big deal?" she asked, shrugging off his explanation.
"Can we at least talk about this Joey?" Pacey tried.
"What's to talk about?" she asked.
"Look, I know we haven't talked about sex since that study session a few months ago. Why don't we at least talk about it?" he asked.
Joey nodded. "Okay," she said.
Pacey took a deep breath. "I don't want you to think that I'm becoming impatient with you, Joey. I told you already that I was willing to wait, and I still am willing to wait. You know that right?"
Joey nodded. "Yeah," she replied.
"I also don't want you to think that now that I've bought condoms, that means we have to rush into something. We've got all the time in the world," Pacey continued.
"I know, Pacey, it's just," she started, her eyes already filling up with tears. "What if I'm not worth the wait?"
Pacey walked over to Joey. "Jo, how can you honestly think that?"
"Because I'm not as experienced as you are, okay!" Joey spat out.
Pacey shook his head. "How can you think that your inexperience makes you any less desirable to me? Listen, Joey, I know that if and when we decide to have sex, it's going to be amazing. I'm not concerned about that."
Joey looked into his eyes and knew he was telling the truth. "Then what are you concerned about?"
"I'm concerned about what you're thinking," Pacey said.
"What?" Joey asked confused.
"I don't want you to think that you have to rush into sex. When you're ready, you'll know. I don't want you to think that you're going to lose me because we haven't had sex yet. I'm not going anywhere," Pacey answered. "And I don't want you to think that you're going to disappoint me, sexually speaking. Joey, you're probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. You never cease to amaze me. You could never disappoint me in any way, shape or form. It's just not possible," he finished. Joey smiled and looked at the ground. Pacey kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Wow, Pacey," Joey said.
"What?" he asked.
"I think for the first time in my life, I'm speechless," Joey replied. She studied Pacey's face as he chuckled. "I love you," she said.
Pacey smiled. "I love you too," he replied as he leaned in to kiss her softly. "Come on, Miss Potter, your chariot awaits," he said. They walked off hand in hand, both falling more in love with each other by the minute.
***** Later on that same evening... *****
Dawson was walking up the steps to the Witter home. He had come to give Pacey his math textbook that he had forgotten the other night when he had dropped by. He rang the doorbell. There was no answer. He rang the doorbell again. He stepped back and looked at the house. There were no lights on, so he figured that nobody was home. He tried the door and found it to be unlocked. He let himself in, deciding to leave the book in his kitchen. He flicked on the light switch and placed the book on the counter. He noticed a small white package on the counter, half open. Curiosity got the best of him, and he snuck a peek inside. His jaw fell open as he saw the condoms. Flustered, he dropped the bag and stormed out of the house.
Author's Note: Thanks to the following for reading and reviewing my story: Gypsy, Giuliana, justagirl, alysa, Aubrey, Abagail Snow, Cesare, roundin3rd, Molly, kelcb26, annie, dwscreekfreak, Vale, *~)TINK(~*, Vera, Annie and Pacey-Luver. I appreciate the comments and constructive criticism. You guys rock!!!
"Jen, I'm bored," Joey whined as she tossed her magazine aside. "You said girls night was gonna be fun."
"Hang on, I'm learning the 459 ways to look great in only ten minutes," Jen replied from behind her magazine.
Joey snatched Jen's magazine away from her. "I wanna do something besides read teen magazines," she complained.
"Fine! What do you want to do?" Jen asked.
"I don't know," Joey answered.
"I know! Let's play truth!" Jen suggested.
"Don't you mean truth or dare?" Joey corrected.
"No, I mean just plain old truth where we reveal secrets to each other. Come on, it'll be a good female bonding experience," Jen said.
Joey thought about it for a minute, but gave in. "Alright," she said.
Jen smiled. "Okay. Joey, how far have you gone with Pacey?" she asked.
Joey immediately began to blush. "Jen!" she exclaimed.
"What else did you think I was going to ask? Come on Joey, give me details!" Jen said.
"No!" Joey replied.
"Why not?" Jen asked.
"Because what me and Pacey do is private, okay? It's not like I'm going to ask you how far you've gone with Jack!" Joey exclaimed.
"Okay. If I tell you about me and Jack, will you tell me about you and Pacey?" Jen bargained.
Joey realized that there was no getting around this situation, so she gave up. "Fine," she stated.
"Okay. Jack and I haven't gotten past second. Yet," Jen said.
"What do you mean by yet?" Joey asked.
"Well, we've been getting more physical lately. I think it's going to happen soon," Jen answered.
"Already?" Joey asked.
"Yeah. I was holding back at first, but it just seems right with Jack. So, if the opportunity would arise in the near future, I would want to," Jen replied. "Now. You and Pacey."
"We haven't gone all that far," Joey said.
"As in?" Jen prompted.
"We haven't gone past second either," Joey said as she started to blush a bit again.
"Do you think it's going to happen soon?" Jen asked.
Joey thought for a minute. "I'm not sure. I mean, I love Pacey, but I don't think I'm ready just yet."
Jen nodded her head. "I understand."
"What if he becomes impatient?" Joey asked.
"Joey, Pacey's in love with you. He'll wait for as long as it takes," Jen responded.
"What if I become impatient?" Joey asked.
Jen made a face. "What do you mean?"
Joey sighed. "I want to do it, but I know I'm not ready yet. I just don't know why I'm not ready. Pacey and I have been dating for almost four months now, and I just think that I should be ready by now, you know?"
Jen nodded. "But, if you're not ready, then you're not ready. And Pacey will understand that. Listen, it sounds like you're worried that you'll mess up your relationship by waiting until you're ready to have sex. And I think you should talk to Pacey about it. He's the only one who can re- assure you. Now, it's your turn to ask me a question!"
***** The next day... *****
Pacey whistled as he walked down the street, holding a small bag in his hand. He surveyed the sidewalks for a familiar face. He quickly noticed Dawson heading up to Screenplay. "Dawson!" he called out.
Dawson stopped walking and turned around and saw Pacey jogging over towards him. "Hey!" he responded.
"I thought you didn't have to work today," Pacey said.
"Aaron called in sick," Dawson explained. "Why were you at the drug store?" he asked as he noticed the bag that Pacey was carrying.
"Oh, um, I just had to pick up a prescription for my mom," Pacey stumbled. He clenched the bag tighter, hoping that Dawson would drop the subject.
"Oh. Cool, well, I've gotta go, so I'll talk to you later," Dawson said before he headed off to Screenplay. Pacey let out a sigh of relief. There was no prescription in the bag. Instead, there was a box of Trojans. He wanted to be prepared for when the time came with Joey, so he had decided to stock up on some goodies. He started to think of the perfect hiding spot for the condoms. He didn't want Joey to feel pressured into having sex with him just because he bought condoms. Lost in his train of thought, he didn't notice Jack walking up the sidewalk.
"Whoa!" Jack said as he and Pacey collided. "You okay?" he asked as he reached down to help Pacey up.
"Yeah, I'm fine man," Pacey said as he brushed himself off. He looked for his bag, and saw it by Jack's foot. However, the condoms had fallen out.
"Hmm, 'Ribbed For Her Pleasure'?" Jack asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Pacey felt his face turn a little red. "Um, yeah," he muttered as he snatched the box away from Jack and placed it back inside the bag.
"Look, it's okay man, it's not like I'm going to go run and tell Joey or something," Jack said.
"I know, it's just that I don't want her thinking that just because I bought condoms, that means that she has to sleep with me," Pacey replied. "I don't want to send her the wrong signal because I really love her."
"Aww," Jack teased.
Pacey punched his arm softly. "See you man," he said with a chuckle as he took off.
***** Later on that night... *****
"Hey Pace," Joey said as she walked up the steps to the Witter home, where Pacey was outside working on his truck.
Pacey looked up. He hadn't been expecting Joey for another half hour. "Hi," he said walking over to her and kissing her. "Wasn't expecting you for awhile."
"Alex was being a nightmare, so I thought I'd get out of the house for awhile," Joey replied. "Sorry that I came early."
"I'm not complaining," Pacey said with a grin. "You look fantastic."
"Thank you," she said as she blushed.
"Okay, you wanna come in? I'm gonna need to shower," Pacey said.
"Um, sure. Is anybody home?" she asked as she followed Pacey into his house.
"No, just me," he answered. "Care to join me?" he asked, wiggling an eyebrow.
Joey smiled. "Sure!" she exclaimed.
Pacey's eyes grew wide. "Really?" he asked in disbelief.
Joey laughed. "I'm kidding. Go on, I'll just sit and watch some tv."
"Okay. Give me five minutes," Pacey said as he walked into the bathroom. Joey sat down on the couch. She turned on the tv, flipped through a few channels, and then turned the tv off. There wasn't anything good on anyway. She got up to head into the kitchen for a glass of water. She went to reach for a glass from the cupboard, but she accidentally hit a small white paper bag with her arm. She bent down to pick up the bag. She stopped midway. The contents of the bag had fallen out onto the floor. Joey was a little stunned when she saw a small box of condoms on the floor before her. She picked up the small box, and stood back up, reading the writing on the box. 'Ribbed for her Pleasure?' she thought to herself.
"Alright, I'm ready to go..." Pacey said as he walked into the kitchen. "Before you say anything Jo..."
"Pacey, how long have you had these for?" she interrupted.
"I bought them this morning," he answered. "Let me explain..."
"There isn't anything to explain here Pace. You bought condoms, what's the big deal?" she asked, shrugging off his explanation.
"Can we at least talk about this Joey?" Pacey tried.
"What's to talk about?" she asked.
"Look, I know we haven't talked about sex since that study session a few months ago. Why don't we at least talk about it?" he asked.
Joey nodded. "Okay," she said.
Pacey took a deep breath. "I don't want you to think that I'm becoming impatient with you, Joey. I told you already that I was willing to wait, and I still am willing to wait. You know that right?"
Joey nodded. "Yeah," she replied.
"I also don't want you to think that now that I've bought condoms, that means we have to rush into something. We've got all the time in the world," Pacey continued.
"I know, Pacey, it's just," she started, her eyes already filling up with tears. "What if I'm not worth the wait?"
Pacey walked over to Joey. "Jo, how can you honestly think that?"
"Because I'm not as experienced as you are, okay!" Joey spat out.
Pacey shook his head. "How can you think that your inexperience makes you any less desirable to me? Listen, Joey, I know that if and when we decide to have sex, it's going to be amazing. I'm not concerned about that."
Joey looked into his eyes and knew he was telling the truth. "Then what are you concerned about?"
"I'm concerned about what you're thinking," Pacey said.
"What?" Joey asked confused.
"I don't want you to think that you have to rush into sex. When you're ready, you'll know. I don't want you to think that you're going to lose me because we haven't had sex yet. I'm not going anywhere," Pacey answered. "And I don't want you to think that you're going to disappoint me, sexually speaking. Joey, you're probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. You never cease to amaze me. You could never disappoint me in any way, shape or form. It's just not possible," he finished. Joey smiled and looked at the ground. Pacey kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Wow, Pacey," Joey said.
"What?" he asked.
"I think for the first time in my life, I'm speechless," Joey replied. She studied Pacey's face as he chuckled. "I love you," she said.
Pacey smiled. "I love you too," he replied as he leaned in to kiss her softly. "Come on, Miss Potter, your chariot awaits," he said. They walked off hand in hand, both falling more in love with each other by the minute.
***** Later on that same evening... *****
Dawson was walking up the steps to the Witter home. He had come to give Pacey his math textbook that he had forgotten the other night when he had dropped by. He rang the doorbell. There was no answer. He rang the doorbell again. He stepped back and looked at the house. There were no lights on, so he figured that nobody was home. He tried the door and found it to be unlocked. He let himself in, deciding to leave the book in his kitchen. He flicked on the light switch and placed the book on the counter. He noticed a small white package on the counter, half open. Curiosity got the best of him, and he snuck a peek inside. His jaw fell open as he saw the condoms. Flustered, he dropped the bag and stormed out of the house.