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, Pacey-Luver, FinallyPJ, SmOgLoViNg, MDSWitter26, Cila, meli dav, patcreekgirl, and sunydee2. I appreciate the comments and constructive criticism. You guys rock!!!

Joey straightened out her shirt as she walked up the steps to Doug's place. It was 7:00, a little later than Joey had planned on seeing Pacey. She walked up to the door and noticed that it was still open a little. She let herself in and looked around for Pacey. "Pacey? Pace?" she called out. She took another step forward and saw Pacey lying on the floor. "Oh my god! Pacey!" Joey said frantically as she quickly ran over to him. She began checking him for bruises and bleeding the best she could. She felt Pacey shake a little as he began to come to. "Pacey! Are you ok?" she inquired.

Pacey felt like his head was spinning. He kept hearing someone calling his name. He slowly shifted around until his eyes fluttered open. "Joey?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm here. Are you okay?" Joey asked yet again as she took a hold of his hand.

"Um, I think so," Pacey said as he tried to get up. He winced in pain and quickly settled back down on the floor. "Okay, maybe not," he said.

"Do you think anything's broken?" Joey asked as she rubbed his forearm softly.

"Uh, probably not. I'm just a little sore," Pacey answered.

"What happened?" Joey asked.

"Let's see... my father came over and we had a bit of an argument. He wasn't too happy, so..." Pacey replied. "Whatever. I'm fine."

"Pacey, you have to do something," Joey said.

"Listen, Jo, that's not gonna happen. I don't want anybody to know about this," Pacey said. "Look, I need to get some ice or something for my eyes," he said as he pointed at his two very swollen eyes.

Joey just nodded as she walked over to the refrigerator to get him some ice. She returned to his side and carefully placed the ice over his eyes. "We're going to a hospital," she concluded as she lifted up Pacey's shirt to reveal some heavy bruising.

Pacey tried to sit up and see, but he quickly settled his head down after realizing how dizzy he was. "No, we're not," he argued.

"Pacey, why not?" Joey asked.

"Because, Joey, they're going to ask what happened, and I already told you that I don't want anybody to know!" Pacey exclaimed.

"Then make something up. I don't care. I really think you should get these bruises checked out. Make sure that you're okay," Joey reasoned.

Pacey smiled as he took Joey's hand in his. "Okay. But, I think I'm gonna need you to drive me there cause I can't really see straight."

"Sure, whatever you need," Joey said as she put her arm around Pacey's shoulder in an attempt to help him up. Slowly, Joey helped to pick Pacey up off his feet and together they walked out to the Witter wagoneer.

At the hospital...

Pacey quietly tapped his foot on the hospital floor. It was now 9:00. He and Joey had been waiting in the hospital waiting room for almost 2 hours now. He had already given up icing his sore eyes, and both his stomach and his head were pounding. He turned and looked over at Joey, who was sitting quietly next to him, reading a magazine. "You don't have to stay here any longer Joey," he said. "I've got some money on me, I can take a cab."

"Nope. Look, Pacey, you better stop wasting your time trying to get rid of me. I'm not leaving this hospital without you. I already called Bessie, and she told me that I could stay as long as I wanted, just as long as I attended school tomorrow. And besides, I'm sure that you'll get looked at in a minute," Joey replied.

"But..."

"No buts! Pacey, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't stick around and make sure that you're okay?" Joey said. Pacey opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't really know how to respond to that. He sighed and wrapped his arm around Joey and pulled her closer to him. He kissed the top of her head. "I'm not going anywhere without you Pace," Joey finished. They sat in silence for a few minutes before a nurse entered the waiting room.

"Witter? Pacey Witter?" she called out.

Pacey struggled to get to his feet. Joey got up with him and gave her his arm in attempt to steady himself. Together, they slowly made their way over to the nurse. "The doctor will see you now Pacey," the nurse said. "Do you think you'll be able to make it there by yourself or do you need this young lady here to help you?"

Pacey smiled a bit. "She's coming with me," he answered. The nurse nodded and held the door open for them as they slowly made their way to the examination room.

Later on...

Joey slowly sipped at her coffee. She hadn't been allowed to accompany Pacey in the examination room, and she had been waiting for him for two hours. She closed her eyes and leaned back against her chair. She had been putting on a strong front for Pacey all night. She was scared to death about him. She couldn't leave him. She got up from her chair and walked over to the pay phone. She slipped in some money and dialed her number. She waited anxiously for Bessie to pick up. "Hello?" said the voice at the other end.

"Hey, Bess," Joey said.

"Joey! Where are you? It's almost 11:00 and you have school tomorrow morning! Are you at Pacey's?" Bessie inquired.

"Look, Bessie, we're still at the hospital. The doctor's examining him right now. Listen, would it be okay if I stayed with him tonight, maybe tomorrow?" Joey asked.

"Joey, come on. Why would I let you stay home from school just so you could sit around with your boyfriend all day?" Bessie asked.

"Because there isn't any one else there for him!" Joey exclaimed.

"What about Doug? Or his parents?" Bessie asked.

"Doug's been pretty much living at the station lately, and as for his parents...look, I don't want to get into this right now. Can I stay with him or not?" Joey answered.

Bessie paused. "How badly is he hurt?" she asked.

"He's got a lot of bruising, and he was feeling really dizzy earlier. I'm more afraid that something could be broken or internal bleeding or something," Joey replied as strongly as she could. "Listen, Bessie, he needs me right now. I can't just leave him now."

Bessie sighed hard into the phone. She knew how much Pacey meant to her little sister. "Fine. I'll call the school tomorrow. But, you owe me," she said.

Joey smiled into the receiver. "Thanks Bessie. I'll talk to you later," she replied.

"Yep. See ya," Bessie said as she hung up the phone. Joey hung up and walked back to her chair. She looked up and heard a door opening. She saw Pacey slowly walking out with a bag in his hand. She got up and walked over to him. "Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, no concussions or internal bleeding. Just bruised ribs and contusions," Pacey answered. "Sorry it took so long in there."

"It doesn't matter how long you were in there for, all that matters is that you're okay," Joey replied as she took his hand in hers. "Let's get you home."

Doug's place...

Joey led Pacey into Doug's dark apartment. "Jo, you don't need to stay with me tonight if you don't want to," Pacey protested as she led him into his room.

"Pacey, how many times am I gonna have to tell you that you're not going to get rid of me so quickly?" Joey said as she took his medication from him and placed it on his dresser. She focused her attention on his shirt. "I'm not going anywhere," she told him as she quickly worked through the buttons. She took his hands in hers and looked intently into his eyes. "I want to be here with you," she said as she moved to his neck, placing soft kisses there. She released his hands and slowly pushed his shirt off his shoulders. "And right now, we need to get you to bed cause it's been a very long day and I can tell that you're tired," she continued.

"I'm not that tired," Pacey protested as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her shoulder.

Joey shivered as she felt Pacey's lips on her shoulder. "Pace," she said as she pulled back a little, giving him a knowing look. "You were almost asleep in the car," she stated.

Pacey sighed, giving her a small smile. "Small technicality," he replied as he stroked her back. "Fine. You win. I'm tired, and all I want to do right now is get into bed with the woman I love and go to sleep. Satisfied?"

"Yep," she answered as she ran her hands up and down his arms. "Can I borrow something to sleep in?" she asked.

"Like you even needed to ask," Pacey replied as he stepped over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He tossed them over to her and turned his back so that she could change. "Hey Jo?" he said.

"Yeah?" she answered as she removed her shirt and bra and put on Pacey's t-shirt.

"Do you think it was worth all this?" Pacey asked.

"What was worth all this?" Joey said as she removed her jeans and put on Pacey's boxers.

"Standing up to Peterson. Was it worth getting suspended for or getting the crap beaten out of me?" Pacey asked as he rubbed his aching eyes.

Joey walked over to his bed and sat down. "Pacey, don't blame yourself for what your father did to you. It wasn't your fault," she said as she tried to stroke his back.

Pacey pulled away before she could reach him. "Yeah it was," he said dejectedly. "If I hadn't of done anything, none of this ever would have happened. Jack wouldn't have had to read his poem, I wouldn't have gotten suspended and my dad wouldn't have gotten angry. Don't you get it Joey? I deserved what I got," he continued.

"Pacey!" Joey exclaimed as she tried to grab his arm. He shrugged her off. She got up and walked over towards him so she could face him. "I'm not gonna let you blame yourself for this! What your father did to you was not right! Parents should under no circumstances hit their kids. Even if he was upset with your suspension, he had no right to come over here and send you to the hospital!" she said. When Pacey continued looking at the ground, Joey kneeled down in front of him. "Pace... you're a good person. You're kind, and you're selfless, and you care so much about everyone around you. If I were to start from scratch, and try and create the perfect boy, I would end up with you. You do not deserve to be getting this from your father. Do you hear me?" Joey said a bit more calmly.

Pacey slowly nodded his head and wiped at his eyes, trying to hold back the unshed tears. "What about the whole Jack thing?" he asked.

"That wasn't your fault either. What Peterson did to Jack, forcing him to read his poem, was wrong. I don't think that Jack is angry with you. I don't know exactly what his poem was about that caused him to have such an emotional reaction to it, but I do know that it wasn't your fault," Joey replied. Pacey slowly lifted his head to look at Joey. She was looking at him intently, hoping that he would believe what she was saying. He looked back down at the ground as he felt a few tears splash onto his face, he quickly tried to wipe them away, but as soon as he did, more tears took their place. Joey stood up and sat beside him on the bed. She put her arms around him and brought his head to her shoulder. She placed a kiss on the top of his head and did the best she could to comfort him.

"I'm sorry Jo," he said into her shoulder.

"For what?" she asked as she clung onto him a little tighter.

"You shouldn't have to be here, watching me have a breakdown," he answered.

Joey pulled back a little and wiped the last few tears away. "Pacey, I don't mind being here for a breakdown. How many times have you been my shoulder after a bad day? When will you get it?" she asked.

"Get what?" he asked.

"That I want to be here with you, any time, all the time. And don't go and say that you're not worth my time, cause you are. I already told you that I'm not going anywhere. I just wish you could believe that," Joey replied.

"It's hard to believe that the most amazing girl in the world would want to spend her time with me," Pacey said.

Joey blushed a little at Pacey's comment. "Well, I find it hard to believe that the most amazing boy in the world is in love with me," she admitted. She saw Pacey smile a little and she kissed his forehead. "Come on, you need to get to sleep," she said as she got up and started to get underneath the covers.

Pacey walked over to the other side of the bed and got in. He took Joey in his arms. "I love you Potter," he said as he closed his eyes.

"I love you too," she said as she snuggled under his embrace.

The next day...

"Pacey, Jack's here to see you," Joey said as she entered the living room.

Pacey looked up from the tv. He and Joey had spent the entire day together, just enjoying the time alone. He struggled to get up from the couch. The only visible evidence of his father's assault were his eyes, which were improving after having some ice on them. Joey went over and helped him up, softly kissing him after he was on his feet. He walked over to the front door. "Hey Jack," he said.

"Hey Pace," Jack replied. "What happened to your eyes?"

"I, um, fell down the stairs at home yesterday. Um, how's it going?" he asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"It's alright. Look, I just came by to give you your homework and stuff, and to say thanks for standing up for me," Jack said as he handed Pacey some papers.

"No problem, man," Pacey said as he forced a smile. "How are the masses handling what happened?"

Jack sighed. "People are thinking that I'm gay. And I know that my poem could easily be interpreted like that, but it's not like that."

Pacey nodded. "Then what is it about?"

"It's about Tim's death. Before I sat down and wrote the poem, I was going through a photo album that Andie had. And I came across a few pictures that we took before he died. And I don't know man, something just triggered. I realized that I hadn't really dealt with his death. I also got to thinking about my dad. It's tough living with the fact that your own father doesn't think anything of you, that you'll never be good enough for him," Jack explained. "It just sucks that people won't see that in the poem, you know? And now people are going after Jen, about having a gay boyfriend. I really hate having to put her through this. I'm thinking of letting her go."

"Come on Jack, you don't mean that," Pacey said.

"I'm dead serious Pace. This is my battle, not hers. She deserved better than getting dragged through my mess. So, I'm thinking that I should break it off before she gets hurt," Jack replied.

"Jack. I know Jen. She's crazy about you. This is going to break her heart," Pacey said.

"It's breaking my heart too, Pace," Jack said. "I love her."

"Then don't let her go. Look. Jen's not the kind of girl to ditch someone she cares about when times get rough. She's gonna stand by you through all of this. Let her be there," Pacey replied. "If you try to push her away, when this situation dies down, you're gonna want her back. But she's not going to forget that you left her before."

Jack sighed. "So what do I do Pace?" he asked.

"Stay with the girl. Let her be there for you Jack," Pacey answered.

Jack smiled a bit. "Thanks Pace," he said as he got up to shake Pacey's hand. "For everything."

Pacey grinned. "No problem man. I'll see you later," he said as he shook Jack's hand. He turned around and went back inside. He took his place beside Joey on the couch. "You know, you should really head back home now Joey. I mean, you need to work tonight, don't you?" he asked.

"Yeah," Joey said, a little distracted.

"Joey? What's up?" he asked.

Joey sighed. "I heard what you told Jack," she said.

"And?" he asked.

"I need you to promise me something," she replied.

"And what's that?" he asked.

"That you let me be here for you," she said. "I need you to promise me that not only will you acknowledge that you know that I'll always be there for you, but you will let me be there for you when you need me to."

Pacey smiled. "I think I can do that," he said as he reached over and gave her a hug. "Come on, let me drive you home."

"Okay, just let me grab my shoes," Joey said as she got up to retrieve her shoes.

"And Jo?" he said.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"Thanks for being here. I really needed you today, and yesterday," he said as he walked over to her. "You don't know how much I needed you here."

Joey smiled. "You're welcome Pace. Just remember, I'm always here for you."

Pacey grinned. "I know. Come on, let's get you home."