Joey watched a small red headed girl, with bouncy pigtails slip down the giant red slide.

Joey smiled to herself as the girl stood up, a little shaky, and then as a smile emerged on her face, she ran back up to the top of the slide for another round.

Joey bought her hot, foam cup, of coffee to her lips, and sipped tentatively.

It was nice to be out and about, rather than being cooped up in the dorm room or library all day. She'd almost forgotten that there was a big wide world aside from College.

She took another sip of her coffee, now emptying it; she reached over and dropped it into the bin beside her.

"Hey"

Joey snapped her head around, and saw Pacey, wearing baggy jeans, a brown shirt and a denim jacket.

"Hey" Joey replied quietly.

Pacey cautiously walked in front of Joey and sat himself beside her, but kept an even amount of distance between then, knowing that was what she wanted.

He didn't look too great, Joey thought. He had slight bags under his eyes, his hair was ruffled, as were his clothes and he seemed drained.

Joey couldn't help but think who he was losing sleep over- her or Audrey?

"You look-" Joey began, but Pacey turned and looked at her with a stern face "awful, I know" he said, trying to manage a smile.

Joey looked away, staring once again, at the children in the playground in front of them.

"Why here?" he asked, now focussing on where her gaze was aswell.

Joey sighed, but didn't look into his eyes as she said the stinging words "I had a pregnancy scare-" she said, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw his head turn and stare at her "when we were together" she added, and she heard him let out a small sigh.

"When? And why didn't you tell me?" he asked, frowning at her, urging her to look at him. He went to put his hand on hers, to make her look at him, but she pulled away before their flesh met.

"When Doug took you away on a fishing trip, to get you sorted out." She said, deciding to leave out the part about him being arrested.

Pacey turned back to the playground, running a hand through his scruffy hair "why didn't you tell me? Who else knew?" he asked.

Joey sighed, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear "Gretchen guessed- but apart from that, no one" Joey replied softly.

There was a long silence before Pacey spoke again "why are you telling me now?" he asked.

Now Joey turned and looked at him, her soft face smiling at him slightly, but a single tear rolled down her cheek; and as he looked at her, he regretted all he'd ever done to make her cry, and he wished with all his heart that he could make it all up to her. But the past is the past-

"When you left me, I thought about all the things I could have done to make you stay. And, for a little while, I wished that I had been pregnant-" she said, and Pacey winced as he listened to the next part "because I thought, that if you had a reason to stay- a reason to make us work, then everything would be ok, and I could have you in my life forever" she said, and began to choke up as a few more tears escaped her.

"Jo-" Pacey began, staring into her beautiful, wondrous eyes; those eyes that could speak a thousand words, and cry a million tears.

"Pacey!" Joey cut him off "we are in the past, do you see that? We have to be in the past, because there are too many people we can hurt this

time-" Joey said, but suddenly couldn't talk anymore as tears began to flood her eyes.

"But why did you tell me now Joey?" Pacey asked, tyring to ignore the pain her eyes were screaming at him.

Joey brought her hand to her eye and swiped away the tears "because last night, I couldn't help but think, again, what would have happened if we had become a family- you, me and a baby-" she replied, with a croaky voice "but I wasn't thinking about it because I wanted it to happen…..I was thinking about it because it's something we now have to face" as she said the words Pacey felt his head spinning and his heart thumping within his chest.

He looked at her blankly for a moment, only seeing the tears roll down Joey's cheek.

"You are pregnant?" he said, shakily.

Joey nodded solemnly, and then cracked into a guilty smile "God- I told Audrey I would come and meet you to see if I could 'patch' things up between you two-" Joey began, now with a serious face "-but I've just gone and torn you both apart even more" she said, and the tears came gushing out, she cupped her face in her hands.

Pacey reached his arm out tentatively, only millimetres from touching her shoulder, he hesitated, and then brought both his arms around her- holding her closely to him, and whispering sweet comforts In her ear.

"I'm so sorry" she whimpered through tears.

"I'm not," Pacey said lowly.

Joey detached herself from his hold, sitting upright and staring him in the eye "how can you say that?" she said, a little spitefully "think about Audrey- Dawson- think about me having to pull out of Worthington Pacey!" she spat back with fury.

Pacey rubbed the back of his neck "you don't want it?" he asked her, not meeting her gaze.

Joey looked down at her hands, they were shaking "I don't know- but I cant make that decision for the both of us" she said, her voice calm now.

Pacey smiled slightly, and brought his hand to her chin, lifting it slightly "maybe this is a sign- the universe throwing us back together once more" he said smoothly.

Joey looked at him, with a blank face "why is the universe so set on making my life miserable?" she asked, and with that Pacey brought her head to rest on his chest, as she let out more tears.