Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, lines from the episodes, storylines or settings. I have no affiliation with the WB network. So don't sue me 'cause you won't get anything!

A/N: Sorry for not updating! School was being evil so I couldn't do it on Monday. Anyway… I hope that you all enjoy my fic. This chapter should be very interesting… lol. Yes… Joey has to break the news to Dawson… wonder how that's gonna go. lol. Just letting you know. At this point right now I haven't begun to write yet so I'm just as curious to see what happens as you are! - ENJOY!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ch.6 – Never An Easy Way Out

Joey awoke the next day right where she wanted to be… in the arms of her love. Pacey. That's the only place she ever wanted to be. If she could she would crawl up into a ball and stay here in bed with him forever.

She watched him sleep for the longest time… just thinking.

What am I gonna do about Dawson?

That was the ever impending question on both their tongues. What about Dawson? How would he react? Joey didn't know how to tell him that he was no longer her number one. Someone had taken his spot and he would never leave that spot vacant.

She thought as she watched his chest rise and fall. She watched as he began to mumble things in his sleep. She couldn't quite figure out the words that were coming out of his mouth until she heard him say one word. One word that made her blush like no one ever had.

"Joey…" he turned a bit from his back to his side as a small smile crept onto his lips.

She tried to hold back the urge to plant kisses all over his face. She didn't want to wake him up now, he was obviously having a good dream. But then he began to stir again, but not in a pleasant way… in a distressed way. She watched him intently as more words came spilling out of his mouth. She had tried to decipher them but to no avail… until she heard the one word that had been haunting her thoughts for the past few weeks.

"Dawson…" his face scrunched up and he began rolling around uncontrollably, she knew that he was having a nightmare. She wanted to wake him up and tell him that everything was okay but she wasn't sure if everything was okay… which scared her.

She began to feel tears come to her eyes as she watched him squirm. She wanted the stinging to go away but she couldn't deny that she was afraid of how to tell Dawson. She didn't know the right way to approach the subject.

"No… no!" She was a bit startled by the outburst that came from a sleeping Pacey beside her. She decided that now would be a good time to rip him out of his nightmare.

She began planting kisses across his face until she finally landed on his lips. His eyes opened suddenly at the feeling of her touch. He quickly responded to her actions as he pulled her down to him and held her tightly as he kissed away his fears. He was glad to be awoken from his dream by Joey.

They parted after a few minutes breathing shallow and quick.

"Good morning."

Pacey breathed out. He looked at her with so much love. She leant back down to him and brushed her lips across his as she returned the hello.

"Good morning Pace… sleep well?"

She saw his face change a bit at the mention of his dream. She knew that he didn't sleep well but she had to ask anyway.

"I did. Until I kept getting bombarded by images of Dawson yelling in my ear saying that I could never love you as much as he did… I could never treat you the way you needed to be treated… that I could never make you feel as good as the way you feel with him…"

Joey began to feel hot tears trickle down her face as she listened. She knew it wasn't true, but at one point in time he couldn't have been more correct. That was the thing that hurt her so much. She hadn't totally given that up yet. It was a long process for someone… to give up the only thing that is a constant in their lives. She was taking it slowly and delicately. But it seemed that her only option was to just let it all go in an instant. That won't too easy.

She got ripped out of her thoughts as she heard Pacey's voice again. It was more shaky than before. It must have still haunted him…

"Then… then I saw you Jo. I saw you and I started to run for you. But then he came. He draped his arm around you and told me that you were his. You… you looked at him…" he was struggling with his words… this last part was very hard for him to recollect… out loud anyway…

"You looked at him with so much love and adoration. Then you turned to me…" she saw the tears well up in his eyes as the climax of his dream came to a head.

"You looked at me… you looked at me like I had no right to be there… like I had no right to be in your presence… that I was just a toy for you to use… a scratching post for you while Dawson was busy 'finding himself'. You looked at me like you wished I never existed Jo…"

She saw the tears stream down his face as he buried his head in her hair. He stroked her brown locks gently, taking in the scent of her… just making sure this was real… that she was really here with him…

She raked her hand threw his hair and the other on his neck while she whispered to him…

"Shhhhh Pace… shhhhh it was all a dream. I'm here. I love you and I'll never leave you. I could never give you up… I need you too much…"

She began to choke up as Pacey's hand came to her check and stroked it softly… trying to comfort her as well.

They laid in each other's arms for hours… just needing the feel of one another around them. They finally broke apart and decided that they should get read for one of the hardest days of their lives…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pacey looked over to Joey… a question stabbing at his mind. Joey could feel his eyes on her so she turned to look at him

"What is it Pace?"

He looked at her and then swallowed hard… getting ready to talk about the taboo subject.

"I was just wondering… how are you gonna tell Dawson?"

This question came out of nowhere. She had finally forgotten about Dawson and her huge dilemma but Pacey just had to bring it up.

"I don't know yet Pace. I don't know…" she walked over to him and placed her hand on his cheek. His eyes closed at the sign of affection.

"All I know is that I love you and I need you and not even Dawson is going to stand in the way of me being with you."

A single tear escaped his eye as Joey leant up to kiss it away.

They were at the apartment for a few more hours until Joey decided that it was time to tell Dawson the shattering news.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a hard walk for Joey; one that she hadn't taken in a long while. Well at least none since that night… since he came up with that stupid ultimatum.

She approached the side of his house and stared at his ladder. The ladder that harbored so many memories… good and bad. No matter how much she wanted to just climb up into that room and tell Dawson everything she couldn't get herself to touch that piece of metal.

"Joey?"

Joey turned around to find Mr. Leery there looking at Joey skeptically… wondering why she wasn't at least half way up the ladder by now.

"Oh… hey Mr. Leery. How are you?"

"I'm fine Joey. How are you?"

"I'm just fine. Thanks for asking."

"Good. Dawson is up in his room if you're wondering. He's hasn't left there for a couple of days. Do you know anything about that?"

Mitch looked at Joey pleadingly wondering what was eating at Dawson so much that he couldn't even come out of his room. Joey looked at him and just shrugged her shoulders at him before climbing out of the that awkward situation and into the next…

She crawled in through his window, as Dawson turned around surprised.

"Joey… what are you doing here?"

The truth is he had been expecting her since he had left her with her choice. He knew that she would never give up everything that they had… least of all for someone like Pacey.

"Dawson I've come to a decision."

Joey looked at him seriously… trying to prepare herself for what was about to come… trying to get herself strong so that she wouldn't give into to Dawson's manipulations.

"You know I love you right Dawson? Because I do… like a brother… I don't think I could ever have made it this far without you but…"

But? He was a little worried by her words.

"But I choose Pacey. I love him like I've never loved anyone before. He makes me feel beautiful and sexy and loved and needed and wanted and cherished… like there is no comparison to me."

Joey looked at Dawson with watery eyes… she couldn't help the tears demanding to make it to the surface. He looked at her in disbelief as she came to a close. How could this be happening? We're soul mates!

His look of disbelief turned to disgust and hatred… a deep-seated hatred for someone by the name of Pacey Witter. He did this to him… he stole his love away.

"So… you're sure about this? He's gonna expect things from you. He's gonna pressure you into doing things that you're not ready to do yet… He' gonna—"

"Will you stop it already!"

Joey screamed at Dawson furious…

"Will you stop trying to manipulate me and make me think what I'm doing is wrong? Will you stop trying to make me scared into choosing you. Why don't you just tell me why I should choose you instead of why I shouldn't choose Pacey."

Joey now had her hand on her hips looking at him expectantly. He looked at her bewildered before he moved closer to her…

"You wanna know you should choose me huh?"

She nodded at him before he moved in so close that they were mere inches apart from each other.

"How is this for an answer?"

He asked before his lips found hers. It was a short kiss but held a lot of passion… for both of them. Joey pulled away first. She touched her fingers to her lips before she turned away and disappeared through the window…

Dawson sighed as he watched here leave and collapsed onto his bed. A small smile crept onto his face as his plan was now in motion… the rest would be left up to Joey. He stayed up the rest of the night thinking about Joey and how much Pacey had betrayed him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joey rushed home as quickly as possible not wanting to stop for anything. She still had her fingers on her mouth as she kept walking along the road, not even noticing the car approach her.

"Joey? Is that you?"

She knew that voice… Why'd it have to be him? Why now?

Joey looked at him with the same shocked face.

"Pacey…"

Joey was very quiet. Pacey could tell by the way that she had her fingers by her lips that something must have happened with Dawson. He parked the car and got out to see what happened. He reached out for her but as soon as she felt his touch she pulled away from him. He was a little concerned but wasn't about to give up.

"What happened Jo?"

Joey, finally noticing Pacey's presence turned around to say the only thing that came to mind.

"He… he kissed me."

Joey whispered as tears came to her face. He saw the horror there and went to embrace her only to be ripped from her grasp once again. He looked at her once more before moving his hand to her cheek. She flinched but didn't make him move away. He cupped her cheek in his palm as he turned her head to him. He was looking into her eyes seeing all of her fears. When he looked she knew that he could see her doubts. That kiss had sparked some hesitations; some hesitations that couldn't be over looked.

"Did… did you feel anything?"

Joey moved her focus from the creek to his eyes. She looked at him with such sadness it killed him. Tears started to well again as she tried to find the right words to describe how she felt.

"At first I was shocked. But then… I don't know… the part of me that will always love him took over. I mean… I love you Pacey… but for so long he's been everything to me and I can't just dismiss his kiss like it meant nothing… because I did… I felt something Pace. But…" she sighed as she couldn't find the right words to express herself.

"I don't know anymore Pace. I mean… god… I love you so much… you make me feel things that no one had ever made me feel. But Dawson's my foundation. I can't just let that all go."

Pacey was looking at Joey with a blank expression. She couldn't read him which made her so frustrated.

"Well say something!"

Joey yelled at him as more tears fell. She felt his hand leave her face as he began to retreat from her…

"Well… all I have to say is this… when you figure out what that kiss meant how's about you call me and tell me. Just so I know where I stand with you. 'Cause I never can… I never know what I am to you. You're a mystery Jo. So just… just tell me when you figure things out."

He looked at her. She could see the coldness coming from his eyes as he glared at her. He couldn't believe that this was really happening to him. His face began to soften as he whispered…

"Until then Jo…"

He backed up and opened his car door and started up it up and sped away as Joey whispered back…

"Until then…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Reviews are very much appreciated! If you have any questions or anything I'll answer them in the begging of the next chapter! Also I would really appreciate some constructive criticism (if you have any that is). THNX FOR READING MY FIC!

That's the longest chapter I've written so far (by far!). I hoped you enjoyed it… cuz I know I did! That was a very interesting chapter. I hope you guys like it. And like I said early on… DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED. THIS IS A PJ FIC! Anyway… review PLZ! Thanks so much for reading my fic! I hope you liked the longer chapter!