Thanks for all of your replies! I really appreciate them!

Oh and as far as I know, there is no such place as Hamley Vermont… I made it up, along with everything in the town…

Snowie

Chapter Six: Hope

Joey was drifting.

The cold concrete floor was far away.

As was the darkness and pain.

It was warm.

The sun was shining high in the sky, it's rays bringing comforting heat to her limbs.

The grass was a soft cushion beneath cotton blanket that had served as the table for their picnic.

A wonderful combination of fried chicken, potato salad, watermelon and chocolate cake.

It now served as the perfect bed for a nap in the sun.

She cuddled closer to Pacey's side and he hugged her tight to him. Her head was resting against his strong chest and she could hear his heart beating.

Beating in rhythm with her own.

It had been a perfect day.

Of course, nothing so perfect could last…

"Pacey?" She asked uncertainly, a sense that there was something slightly off rising in her.

"Hmm?"

"Where are we?"

Pacey laughed, causing Joey's head to jostle slightly.

And she smiled.

"Does it matter?" He asked, his voice warm… comforting.

Joey shrugged slightly. "I don't know… I just… sort of wonder sometimes."

"You're safe here, Joey. That's all that's important. And you know, that no matter what happens, I'll always be here, if you need me."

"Pacey…" Joey started.

But the heat of the day had already started to fade.

The warmth of Pacey's chest against her cheek turned to the cold concrete of her cell. The fresh breeze and softly buzzing insects became stale air and the cold hum of a generator.

She didn't open her eyes.

She didn't have to.

She knew that the room would be dark, that she wouldn't be able to see anything anyway.

And she wanted to hold on to those moments, in a field so very far from here.

Pacey had been right.

Your mind would do drastic things to keep you alive, keep you sane.

She had asked him once, a lifetime ago, how he had done it. How he had survived for so long with Sally Anderson.

He had smiled slightly and said simply.

"I went to a safe place. I'd tune her out, tune out the world that was and lose myself in the world that used to be."

A simple idea, really. Innocent, even childlike.

But then, Pacey had been a child when he'd been taken.

And it worked.

Sometimes Joey was amazed by how well it worked.

She started slightly when light blazed throughout the room, hurting her eyes even through closed lids. She forced herself to lie still, to remain limp. Forced away all the tension from her limbs…

Remembered the warm summer day of her dreams.

It was Sally Anderson.

She could tell from the distinct clump of the woman's shoes on the stairs.

Still she didn't react, not until the bucket of cold water was thrown, drenching her motionless form.

Joey opened deliberately unfocused eyes, fighting back a defiant stare.

Instead, she looked at Sally with a hazy, confused expression.

As if the water had forced her to consciousness.

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Sally Anderson smiled down at the broken form on the floor. So confused, so pained, so tortured… so broken.

Her boy was coming home, and no matter what happened when he got there, she had already won.

Because his girl was gone, and there was nothing that Pacey would be able to do to get her back.

His Mama had broken that little girl.

Would kill her, before he got within 20 feet of her.

And finally, he would be hers.

Her creation.

Her wonderful, broken, terrifying creation.

The man she had always dreamed of him being.

"He's coming, girly," Sally whispered softly. "I don't know if you even know what that means anymore, but he is."

"Pacey." Even the girl's voice was broken. It was beautiful. Wonderfully, terribly beautiful.

And Sally smiled.

"That's right girly. Pacey's coming. Coming to save you. But don't get your hopes up. You're going to die anyway."

Joey said nothing, remained still as Sally's footsteps retreated to the stairwell and up the stairs.

Hope bloomed deep in her chest.

He was coming.

Finally, he was coming.

And with the hope came fear.

Fear that Pacey wouldn't make it…

Fear that he would…

She was scared of what might happen when he got there. What he might do. What might be done to him.

But she wanted him to come and save her.

She wanted that more than anything.

Besides, she knew…

Somehow she just knew.

They would both get out…

Or they would both die.

He was her only hope.

And saving her was his.

Somewhere Outside Capeside…

Pacey didn't look at the envelope until he was a mile outside of Capeside. Forced himself to wait till he was out of town. Away from prying eyes.

Alone, so if he needed to lose it, he could.

The envelope was thick and slightly heavy.

He knew that it would only be the most basic of clues…

And it was…

A map of Vermont with a town circled in bright red ink.

What appeared to be a locker key with a number on it.

Three hundred and ninety five.

The significance wasn't lost on Pacey.

He gritted his teeth, spitting out an unintelligible curse.

Three hundred and ninety five. 3-95. March of 1995.

When Meg had died.

The bitch was playing with him.

Not that he had expected anything less from her.

Well, he'd be sure to give her a lot more than she was expecting from him. He checked the map, quickly noting the quickest route between where he was and his goal of Hamley Vermont.

As he pulled away from the curb he watched his rearview mirror carefully, starting out slowly so that the car that had followed him out of Capeside wouldn't lose him. As soon as he saw it clearly in his rearview mirror he accelerated up to the speed limit. It was roughly a two and a half hour drive to Hamley. He was certain that he would make it there before nightfall.