a/n: Thanks to the reviewers. Once again, I ADORE you :) Keep those comments coming, please!

Also, lets all keep in mind that Pacey is, after all, the perfect man. Please stop the worries about his and Joey's world going down or anything of that order. This is AU and fluff, so it's all full of sweetness.

Read on and don't forget to let me know what you're thinking...

Chapter 7 – Meant To Be

Joey woke up, her back to Pacey's chest, his arm around her. She lift her head to look at the alarm clock. 6am. She had to get up, get dressed and pick up Dawson. She had told him the day before that she would drive him to the airport. She turned around slightly to look at Pacey. He was sleeping peacefully, a small smile on his lips. She wondered what he was dreaming about. She didn't even remember him coming home last night. She was probably sound asleep. He was working so hard. She couldn't wait for things at the restaurant to get settled so they could spend some time together. But then again, she had also been busy with Dawson and the kids during the past week, so she wouldn't have been around that much anyway. She was happy about the way the week had played out. Spending all this time with Dawson, in Capeside, brought back tons of good childhood memories. It would have been better if Pacey had been there as well. She sighed and rolled out of bed, slowling slipping from underneath Pacey's arm, careful not to wake him up.

She walked into the bathroom, turned on the water and shed off her clothes, leaving them scattered on the floor. She tested the water with her foot, making sure it was warm enough. She couldn't stand anything but warm water in the morning. She yawned and stepped under the water, closing her eyes and letting it run down her head to her feet. She stayed there for a few minutes, almost falling asleep again. She opened her eyes when she heard the bathroom door open. She pushed the curtain back to see Pacey standing there, a confused look on his face.

"Did I wake you?"

He rubbed a hand on his face. "No. What are you doing up? Are you alright?"

She smiled. "Yes. I'm fine. I'm driving Dawson to the airport."

"Oh. Well that's nice of you." His eyes lingered down her body and the only coherant thought that ran through his head at this early hour was that she looked beautiful. He took his boxer off and stepped under the water with her. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Pace… I don't have time for this." She closed her eyes as he bent down to place a kiss on her collarbone. "Pace…"

"Shh. Just skip breakfast. Then we have time if you skip breakfast".

Joey smiled softly before placing a small kiss on his lips. He ran his tongue against her lips and she opened her mouth slightly, letting his tongue slide inside. He ran his hands down her back and rest them on her hips, caressing her skin. She moaned in his mouth. He smiled, kissing her. She stepped back, running her hands up his back, resting them on his shoulders, looking into his eyes. "I'm not even that hungry." He laughed and kissed her again.

XXX

Pacey parked the car and they all got out. Dawson grabbed his bags in the trunk and they walked toward the departure area of the Boston airport. Joey and Pacey walked behind him, holding hands. He registered at the airline counter and walked back to them.

"Thanks a lot, guys. It's been a great week." He smiled at both of them, looking at their joined hands.

Joey stepped forward, letting go of Pacey's hand and gave Dawson a hug. "You better not wait another forever before coming back. I'm going to miss you, Dawson."

He hugged her back and kissed her cheek. "I'll miss you too. And I'm going to try and make it back for Thanksgiving. If the show allows it…" She frowned and he smiled. "Ok, ok. I will make it for Thanksgiving. It's a promise."

She smiled at him. "That's better. Take care, Dawson".

She stepped back to let Pacey say goodbye. He gave Dawson a typical 'man hug' with a pat on the back and all. She smiled at the sight. Those two had come such a long way…

"Take care, man."

"You too, Pacey. I would add to take care of Joey as well, but the way I see it, you're already doing that. And quite well." Pacey smiled at that. "Thanks".

They stepped back and Dawson grabbed his carry-on off the floor, putting the strap on his shoulder. "See you, guys".

"See you, Dawson". Joey smiled at him. He turned around and walked to the security gate, waving one last time before passing through.

Pacey looked at Joey. "Are you okay?".

She half-smiled at him. "Yeah… I'm just going to miss him."

"I know". He wrapped her in a hug, kissing her hair.

XXX

They were on their way back to Capeside from the airport and Joey had been awfully quiet. Pacey kept glancing at her while he drove, but she seemed lost somewhere in her thoughts.

"I missed you this week, Pace." She looked toward him after a good half hour of silence and smiled a litle, testing to see how he was really feeling. She had this feeling of worry in the pit of her stomach. He turned to her briefly, before setting his eyes on the road again.

He smiled and put his hand on her knee, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "Missed you too. But you look like you had a lot of fun with Dawson and the kids."

"I did. It's just nice to get the not-akward friendship back, you know?"

"Yes, I know."

Joey looked at him, still trying to evaluate whether he was really okay. She put her hand on top of his on her knee. Pacey saw the ocncern on her face and something that looked like guilt. What did she have to be guilty about? Then it hit him. She still, for reasons that were sometimes beyond him, felt that she had to be careful and watch how she acted or what she said when it came to him and Dawson. She was afraid, still after all these years, that how she felt about one of them might end up hurting the other. Wow, he thought. The immature crap they had pulled in high school somewhat ended up scarring her for life.

"Look, Jo…"

"What?"

He turned the hand that was still on her knee to intertwined his fingers with hers, brushing his thumb against hers. "It's been years and I truly believe that we really did reach the point where you can be best friend slash soulmate with Dawson and", he smiled before adding, "in love with me. And Dawson and I will both be happy about it."

"Ok." She smiled but still didn't look too confidant.

"What is it? Did Dawson say something different?"

"No, no. He told me pretty much the same thing. It's not about Dawson. It's just…" She was staring at their joined hands.

He wished he could just stare into her eyes and read in them what was bugging her, but she was looking down and he did have to keep his own eyes on the road in from of them. The Saturday traffic was heavy and he was driving with only one hand. "Jo?" He squeezed her hand.

"I haven't really seen you this week. You've been out all day almost everyday, from early morning until after I went to bed and… I know, for a fact, that you could not have been at the restaurant all this time. I'm just…"

"Ok. Stop with all the worries, Jo. Please, you're scaring me. You're right. I wasn't at the restaurant all this time. Look, I love you and I need you to trust me here."

She raised her eyes to meet his. "But I do trust you…"

"Ok, then…. Hmm. What I've been doing was supposed to be a surprise for a while still, but seeing as you did not buy my very, I realize now, lame 'restaurant' exuse, I'll have to reveal my little secret."

Joey let go of the breath she didn't know she had been holding, relieved that there was a, what she suspected, good reason behind the distance of the past week. "Then, what is it?"

"Ah. Not yet. What do you say you and I have a nice romantic dinner tonight?"

"Are you going to let me in on your secret life?"

Pacey chuckled. "Secret 'life'? I would not call what I've been doing a 'life', but sure. I'll explain."

Joey smiled. "Then dinner sounds like a very good idea."

He brought her hand to his mouth, kissing it.

XXX

Joey looked through her closet, trying to find the perfect outfit. She sighed. She wished Jen were there. Jen would know right away which skirt and which top to match together to create something perfect that would make Pacey's jaw drop when he'd see her. She was nervous about tonight. She knew that whatever was going on was good, she had sensed it in the way Pacey had stared into her eyes and sqeezed her hand. She just wasn't too fond of surprises and she felt that this one was big.

XXX

"How about we go sailing for the summer?" He had one of his I-know-something-you-don't smile on his face.

"On your imaginary boat?" Her eyebrows went up, questionning.

"No. On the 'Meant To Be'. It's like the second 'True Love'."

"What?" What on Earth was he talking about?

He looked into her eyes, a smile on his face. "The 'Meant to Be', Jo. It's my boat."

"What? You own a boat again? How? When did that happen?" She was beyond puzzled at this point.

Pacey smiled. The look on her face was priceless. He wanted to kiss her. She was always on top of everything and he found it thrilling to do things that startled her. "I bought her a few months ago and restaured it. I wasn't going to sail very far with it, but then…" He took Joey's hand across the table. God, she was beautiful. "…then the woman I love came back into my life and I just have to sail away with her. What do you say?" She smiled at him and her eyes actually swell up with tears. "You don't even have to ask, Pace".

He pulled on her hand and she got up from her chair and walked to him, sitting on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and she put her hands on each side of his face, smiling. She pressed her forehead to his and looked into his eyes before kissing him. His hands went from her waist up her back and settled in her hair, pressing her to him and deepening the kiss. Her hands moved from his face and her arms circled his neck. Never leaving his lips, she moved from his lap to straddle him on the chair, literally wrapping herself around him. Their hands were everywhere, Joey was moaning against his lips and Pacey thought that if she were to stay on him like that, he could very well remain seated on this chair forever.

Joey broke the kiss then, gasping for air. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were dark and he read in them all the lust, passion and love he was himself feeling at that moment. She stared at him again, running a hand through his hair and resting it on the back of his neck, where she brushed the skin lightly with her thumb. "Oh God, Pace. I love you so much. You have no idea." Her other hand went to his chest where she fumbled with his shirt's buttons, mindlessly unbuttoning them. Pacey's breath caught in his throat as she touched him. He had no words to describe how she made him feel. Her skirt had ridden up her legs, exposing the skin that he lightly brushed, moving his hands to the inside of her thighs. He heard her gasp and brought his eyes up from his hands to her face, travelling up her body and admiring it in the process. She was… perfect. And even that word didn't seem to measure up to what she really was to him. It had taken them so long to get where they were, not just physically but also at that place where their feelings were free, honest and true.

He kissed her mouth and she moaned again. She pulled back a little, but kept her lips just a small distance from his, whispering:

"Pacey?"

"Hmm?" His eyes were still closed, waiting for her to kiss him again.

"Bedroom.Now"

He opened his eyes and stared into hers, a smile dancing on his lips. She raised an eyebrow at him, moving out of his arms to stand up before him and taking his hand his hers to pull him from his chair. She turned, blew the candles out and literally dragged him across the apartment to their bedroom, where she let herself fall back on the bed, bringing him down on top of her. Her hair was sprawled around her face on the pillow and he stood inches above her, just starring at her. He moved a strand of hair out of her face and she looked back at him, smiling. "It's going to be one awesome sailing trip… just the two of us".

He kissed her and smiled against her lips. "I can just imagine…"

xxx

thanks for reading!

There is more to come...