I need to apologize for this long break. I have been incredibly busy so I haven't even had time to think about writing. My last chapter seemed to be very well liked so that also pushed me off as well. How can I compete with that chapter? Anyway, I'm writing again. Yay! Guys, I know that everyone likes this story but it's coming to an end. A few more chapters and that's it. I've run out of ideas so I'm just going to work with what I have and call it a day. Let's not think about that now. Let's talk about this chapter. :) So, Dawson came back and caused a big ol' mess. He was shot and Joey was raped. This chapter mainly focuses on what happens afterwards. Oh yeah, It's like February already in the story. I swear I'll update quicker next time. On to the story…

She was all alone again. The steel table below was cold against her bare skin. The man assigned to the case, Officer Caminsco, put her into the room a half-hour ago but she had been at the station for the past few hours. Pacey stood next to the door and kept his eyes on Joey through the small window.

"How long is she going to be in there?" Pacey asked the approaching Officer Caminsco.

Caminsco squinted his friendly hazel eyes. "Only a few more minutes," he replied. "I need to take you into the next room for questioning."

Pacey turned to him and gave him a blank stare. "Me? Why do I need to be questioned? What about Joey? I'm not leaving her alone."

Caminsco smiled and put a hand on Pacey's back as he lead him into the other room. "Don't worry, Mr. Witter. We just want to know what you know and Ms. Potter will join us when she's ready."

XXX

Pacey couldn't concentrate. He wanted to look beyond that bright yellow light and into the face of Officer Caminsco. He tried hard to but his thoughts kept going back to Joey. Pacey knew he shouldn't blame himself but he felt it was his fault about Dawson. If only he would have made Joey let him drive her home or if only he told Joey to stay over then maybe none of that would have happened. Where he went wrong kept playing in his mind like a bad record. The sound of a paper cup hitting the metal table brought Pacey back into reality.

"Are you okay, Mr. Witter?" Caminsco asked not liking the face on the kid in front of him.

Pacey nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Please, call me Pacey. Is Joey going to be in here soon?"

"She'll be in here soon, Pacey. Let me just ask you a few questions while we wait."

Pacey took a deep breath and sat back. His blue eyes had become the empty color of ice with a soft hint of blue. He was torn up inside and he looked it.

Caminsco was pained every time he received a case like this. The pain in the faces of the victims those who love them sometimes became unbearable. This case was no different. Caminsco took a deep breath as well before he started speaking.

"Pacey, do you know Dawson Leery?"

Fire sparked in the young man's eyes. "I know the ass," he simply replied.

"How so?"

Pacey grew a disgusted face. "He and I go way back. We were best friends from the time we were eight until about two years ago. We haven't been friends since Joey and I first started over a year ago senior year in high school."

"Did Dawson have a problem with you being with Joey?"

"I would say he did. Joey was still dating Dawson at first when we got together."

Caminsco lifted an eyebrow. "So Joey was cheating on him with you?"

Pacey nodded.

Caminsco picked up a pencil on the table and wrote some things down on the pad of paper in front of him.

This made Pacey curious. "What are you writing?" he asked.

Caminsco smiled and stopped writing. "Just some notes that might prove useful towards you case. Now, Pacey, did Joey and Dawson's relationship seem like a close one?"

Pacey shook his head and chuckled. "Quite the opposite. Dawson had been sleeping with another girl right after they had begun dating that spring. Joey knew about it so they kept their distance."

Caminsco began writing again. "When did Dawson first learn about your relationship with Joey?"

"Joey would remember better than me," Pacey replied.

As soon as Pacey said that, the door opened and Joey walked in with Karen the social worker behind her. Joey's hair was a mess. It was still tangled from being held down by Dawson. The black around her eyelids from her running makeup was gone but it was replaced with red. She had been crying. Her tears had finally stopped but Joey still hung her head lower than usual. As soon as Pacey saw her, he flung out of his seat and took her in his arms. She was tense. Joey's breathing became choppy and she shifted away slightly. Pacey let her go and just stared at her. She stared back with a sad face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Pacey could feel the tears forming in his eyes. He said it was okay even though it wasn't, and wouldn't be for a while. Pacey wanted to hold Joey tight in his arms and make all the pains go away but he couldn't do that.

She was afraid of him.

Pacey could only move back to his seat while Joey sat in hers. He was helpless to her now and everyone knew it. That was why they gave him a sad smile. It pained Joey as well. She didn't want to feel like this. Pacey was not the one who raped her. He didn't hurt her and he never tried to. Still, she jerked. Joey used to embrace him with as much love as he embraced her; but now she jerked at his touch. She wanted to hug him, she wanted to kiss him. All she could offer was her hand to hold. Even as he stroked her hand lovingly with his thumb, Joey had to fight the urge to pull away. They both needed this small contact.

Karen the social worker told Joey that she would be asked some difficult questions but she needed to answer them. Joey still could stop when she needed to. Caminsco tried to give the young woman in front of him a smile but it seemed useless.

"Joey, I have been getting some information from Pacey but we're at a road block. If you're not ready for some of these questions then just tell me to stop and we will okay?"

Joey nodded slowly.

Caminsco picked up his pencil. "Joey, when did Dawson first find out about the affair you were having with Pacey?"

Joey felt a sting at the mention of his name. She had to fight through it. She wouldn't let him take her over again. "Last January. Pacey and I had just come back from a weekend trip at Harvard when I found out Dawson was in a car accident. I went to go see him when he confronted me about Pacey. I told him that I knew about Bethany, she was the girl he was having an affair with, and we broke up. He wanted to try and work things out but I told him I wanted to be with Pacey." Pacey gave her hand a squeeze.

"Did Dawson try other times to reconcile?"

"Yes, but each time I told him I did not want to be with him or that I wanted Pacey."

"Okay, Okay," Caminsco said softly as he wrote. He looked back up at her. "Has Dawson been in contact with you before tonight?"

Joey froze up and nodded a bit. "Yes. I went home to Capeside, Massachusetts for Christmas. I was at a party by Jennifer Lindley's house and I went to take out the trash. That's when I saw Dawson. I told him he needed to leave me alone but he followed me. I threatened to call the police if he didn't leave me alone but he gave me this…glare, and left. I should have called the police about the restraining order."

Pacey didn't look at Joey but furrowed his eyebrows. It was obvious that he didn't know about the order.

Caminsco picked up a piece of paper from a file on the table. "I have the order right here but it doesn't give a detailed description as to why you put the order against him. Can you tell me why?"

Joey swallowed hard. She didn't want to relive this. Joey looked from Caminsco to Karen, but made sure she didn't look at Pacey. She didn't want to see his face as she told this tale. A tear ran down Joey's face. "Um…it was early this past August. I was waiting for Deputy Doug Witter on the docks like I always did. Before Doug got there…um…Dawson showed up. He wasn't acting strange at first. He told me he wanted to help me but I told him he couldn't. Dawson grabbed my wrist and started professing his love for me and tried to kiss me. I slapped him. Dawson got upset and he…" the tears began to flow down, "…pushed me over the edge and onto the lower deck."

Caminsco didn't even write. He was too disgusted by the male who would hurt this poor girl so many times…and intentionally. "Did he hurt you?"

Joey nodded through her tears. "Umm, hmm. I went to the hospital and I needed surgery."

"What was the surgery for, Hun?"

Joey quickly looked at Pacey but looked down. "They had to remove my baby," she said barely above a whisper.

Pacey looked at Joey with his mouth open. Tears had finally fallen and he didn't even bother to wipe at them. "Jo, you were pregnant? He killed our baby? That son of a bitch. I can't believe he killed our baby."

So much pain this couple had to go through. All because of one man. Caminsco's phone went off. "Okay, we'll be right there," Caminsco said into his phone before he hung up. "We're done here. Joey, your sister is here so you two can go."

Pacey and Joey walked out of the room hand in hand. As soon as Joey saw Bessie, she let go of Pacey and hugged her sister. For some reason she didn't jerk with Bessie.

"Oh Joey! Everything is going to be okay. I'm here now," Bessie said as she cried with her sister.

Pacey stood behind the two and watched.

XXX

Pacey sat at his kitchen table, running his fingers up and down his glass. He was lost in space but the click from his bedroom door closing brought him back.

Bessie walked over to the table and sat down. "She's asleep now," she said softly.

Pacey nodded. "Good," he replied. He looked up at Bessie with tears in his eyes. "I didn't even know that Joey was pregnant before he killed our baby, Bessie. I was going to be a father. It's all my fault."

Bessie held his hand. "Don't blame yourself, Pacey. You did nothing wrong."

Some tears fell from his whitened orbs. Yes I did. If I would have not been so stupid and realized that Dawson was lying about Joey then I would have stayed then our child would be alive right now."

"What did Dawson say to you?"

"He told me that Joey and he were back together. I didn't believe it at first but when I called your house and you said that Joey was at his house, I believed him. I was so stupid."

"Is that the reason you left her? Because of Dawson?"

Pacey wiped at the tears. "I loved her, Bessie. Joey was everything to me and she still is. I'm lost without her. I never meant to hurt her."

Bessie stood up and took Pacey into a hug. She tried to sooth him and Pacey tried to calm down but the tears kept coming. "She jerks whenever I touch her, Bessie. Joey could only hold my hand and even then I could tell she was fighting the urge to pull away. I don't want her to be afraid of me," Pacey said as Bessie stroked his head.

"Pacey," Bessie began, "Joey was just raped and she's still frightened. She's not afraid of you, she's afraid of males right now. It's been a traumatic experience for all of us and it's not going to get better any time soon. Joey needs to get some help, Pacey. I know this place right here in Boston that helps with Women who have just been raped. It's a month long program and I think that she will really benefit from this. She has already agreed to this. What do you think?"

Pacey, who just gained composure, sat up straight and nodded to Bessie. "I want all of this to go away. I just want Joey to be okay."

XXX

3 days later…

Pacey was the last to say goodbye to Joey. They stood hand in hand in front of the clinic and looked at each other. Both exchanged sad glances. Joey was still pale and her eyes had become a darker brown. Pacey's eyes were still ice color. Joey tried to give her famous half smile unsuccessfully and a tear drop, causing Joey to wipe her face.

"I'm going to be okay, Pacey. I promise things will get better. I'm so sorry," Joey softly said.

Pacey could feel his heart breaking into a million pieces. "You don't have anything to be sorry about, Joey. You just try and feel better. Don't even worry about me. When you get out of here I'll be waiting."

"I'm going to call you everyday," she said.

"Anytime you want," he replied.

Joey let go of Pacey's hands. She put her hands on his face and kissed him. She didn't even jerk. "I love you, Pacey," Joey whispered.

"I love you too, baby," Pacey whispered back.

Joey gave him one last soft kiss before going into the building.

It would be a month until Pacey could see Joey again.