Pacey looked over at Joey; she stared blankly in front of her, biting her lip.
He cupped her hand in his own, and then raised it to his lips, kissing her smooth skin sweetly; and he realized she was shaking.
Joey looked over at him, but couldn't manage a smile, only an expression like a deer trapped in headlights.
"Right turn here" Pacey said to the cab driver, and they pulled up outside of Grams's house.
Joey got out, and Pacey paid the man; when he got out he stood beside her, looking up at the house.
He felt her hand grope around for his hand, finding it, and squeezing tightly.
Joey turned to face him, a worried look on her face.
"Pace, lets just buy two plane tickets and get away from here" she said, anxiously.
Pacey looked at her seriously "and make a repeat of true love?" he asked her, smiling faintly.
But Joey only gave him a nervous, serious glare "please, Pace-" her voice began to quiver again "-I don't want this- I cant do this-" she began pulling at his jacket "lets just get away from here, buy a house in a little village in England and live there for ever" she said, pleadingly.
Pacey pushed her arms down, and embraced her with his own "no, we're not going to run away like last time Jo" he said, soothingly.
Joey began to sob into his chest "please say you love me" she said quietly, so much so, that Pacey wasn't even sure of what she'd said.
He softly pushed her away from him, so her could see her face "you don't even need to ask-" he said lightly "I've always loved you", and he kissed her giddily on the lips, stopping them from shaking for a moment.
Once they parted Joey stared into his eyes "but you said you didn't always-" Joey began, but Pacey stopped her with a kiss.
"Jo- you will always be the girl who could boil my blood- who could get my so angry and worked up at times that I think I'm going to burst! But you are also the girl that stops my heart, and takes my breath away-" he cupped her face with his hands "I look at you, and I know, instantly, that there is order and meaning to the universe" and he kissed her again.
This time when they parted, Joey had a smile on her face, beaming back at Pacey.
"You have always stayed with me-" he brought one hand to lay upon his heart "right here, you took a huge piece of this. And I never, not even for a moment, stopped loving you" he smiled at her.
But then she looked at him quizzically "when I told you I never stopped loving you, you said you couldn't say the same about me" Joey said, staring into his eyes.
"Jo, first loves- they never die. And true love? Well, true love always finds itself in the end- I realized, not so long after you told me what I wanted to hear, and what I know you wanted to hear from me- I realized that I never stopped loving you. Because Ms. Josephine Potter- you are impossible to get over!" he said, smiling, and bringing ease to Joey's questioning face.
But before Joey could reply to his romantic answer, she heard the front door open, and she turned her head, staring right into Dawson's eyes as he looked at them from the porch.
"Oh no" Pacey muttered, as he lowered his hands from Joey's teary face.
"Dawson-" Joey began, but Dawson simply glared at her, tears beginning to bubble over.
"No, not again" he said, as he turned and ran back inside.
Joey turned and looked at Pacey "first loves-" she said softly, and then turned back to where Dawson had fled to "your right, it never dies- but true love is stronger" she said softly, and grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the house.
As they stepped inside they were unwelcomed by Dawson, sitting on the second step of the staircase, glaring at them.
Jen, who had heard Dawson slam the door, was at the top of the staircase, looking down at him, and then seeing Pacey and Joey walk in, hand in hand.
"Oh Jesus, not again!" she said quietly, and walked behind the banister, sliding down the wall, out of sight- but within earshot.
"Dawson please you have-" Joey began, but Dawson rose to his full height "let go of her," he said, staring, through tears of hatred, at Pacey.
Pacey looked at him in the eye, but didn't flinch.
"No Dawson" Joey interrupted the standoff stare the two were giving one another.
"Please don't do this again Jo-" Dawson begged, turning now to look at her face "I love you too much now- I need you-" he walked down to the lowest step, and stood in front of Joey.
"Dawson, you have to listen to all that's happened" she begged him, but he only groped at her hand, tears spilling over his eyes.
"We were going to be together forever-" he began, and Joey had to release her hold on Pacey, to wrap her arms around Dawson.
Pacey watched as she tried comforting him, and as he grabbed at her back, trying to engulf himself in her hug.
And then it hit him; how did she know the baby was his? It could very well be Dawson's.
But instead of feeling relieved, Pacey felt jealousy, and said a silent prayer- hoping that the child Joey carried was his.
"Dawson, you need to sit down" Joey said softly, and pulled Dawson off of her, walking him towards the lounge room.
Pacey followed, and took a seat next to Joey, as Dawson glared at him, he sat in the armchair opposite them both.
"Dawson" Joey said softly "I never meant to hurt you ag-" Joey began, but Dawson cut her off, not taking his eyes from Pacey's.
"When? When did it start again?" he asked, and Joey looked down "the night we went out for dinner" she said quietly.
Dawson shot a look at Joey, shock covering his face "no" he said "no" again, not believing her cruel, stabbing words.
He cupped his head in his hands, the hurt too much.
"I'm-" Joey searched for the words, but before she said them, found Pacey's hand, and grabbed it tightly "I'm pregnant" she said.
As Dawson looked up, he could only stare at her hand holding Pacey's.
"Is it mine? Or Pacey's?" Dawson asked.
Pacey was shocked, as Joey very calmly said, "I don't know"; he thought that she would be taken aback, suddenly realizing that there were two possibilities.
But she knew, and he supposed that she presumed he understood that the father of her child could be him or Dawson.
Dawson looked down at his own shaking hands; the world was a different place now "did you ever allow yourself to love me?" he asked.
Joey was a little shocked at his heartfelt answer; "I always love you-" she said sweetly "but it's Pacey I need" she added, and she saw as the words tore at him.
Joey didn't take her eyes off of Dawson's tormented face; instead she squeezed Pacey's hand tighter.
Pacey watched, as Joey did, while the full realization of what was happening hit Dawson harder and harder again as the seconds of silence between the three of them drew on.