September 25, 2006

Joey knocked on Pacey's door to see Pacey in his PJs and Daisy next to him. Daisy was already however she knew Pacey had to work today so it was odd for him to not be ready today.

"You're not ready?" Joey said as she bent down to kiss Daisy's head and then kissed Pacey.

"Oh no, I am not working today," Pacey said as he nervously shifted. Joey eyed him but her question was soon answered by her daughter who said.

"Daddy quit his Joey, Mommy."

"You what?!" Joey exclaimed but then she saw the look on his face and stopped short.

"Daddy, can you come with Mom and me to school?" Daisy said as she pulled on his pants.

Pacey looked at Daisy and then look at Joey. "As long as mom is ok with it."

Daisy looked at Joey who smile with a shrugged. "Why not? It's not like you have to go to work, today." Joey said and Pacey couldn't help but give a fake teasing laugh to this.

When Pacey and Joey dropped off Daisy, there was an unsaid system. Joey kissed Daisy from the driver's seat while Pacey handed her backpack to Daisy.

"Bye baby," Joey said as she watched Daisy run up to one of her friends that were in kindergarten with her. Joey sighed as she turned the car back on, and she was starting to drive to Pacey's apartment when Pacey told her to pull over. She did and she looked at him with a gleam her in eye. He kissed her lips down to her neck but she thought about how he quit his job and quickly pulled back.

"Uh, Pacey. Aren't you forgetting to tell me um what the heck happened to make you quit your job?" Joey asked and watch carefully as he pulled away and stared at her for a minute.

"I bought the icehouse." He said quickly.

Joey laughed but when she saw his expression she stopped. "You are serious?"

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it for months. I mean I had so many ugly bosses or teachers in my life I think I could make a change. I want to be someone else and I know if I start my own restaurant I could do that."

Joey pulled him in for a kiss and rubbed her thumb against his cheek. "What was that for?" He asked in a whisper.

"I just really love how you said that." She said in a whisper as she put her forehead on his.

"Do you think I am crazy?" He whispered and Joey who was quick to shake her head.

"No. I don't think you are any more insane than you normally are." She whispered as he let out a low chuckle. It had been four months since the lockdown in k-mart and with every minute she fell more in love with the way he did things. She knew things were going to change but suddenly the thought of change made her more nervous.

If he was in Capeside how would that work with Daisy? Joey wanted her whole life to get out of Capeside and Pacey was now going back to Capeside to build a restaurant there. Now, that they were a couple again what did that mean for them too? Would Joey have to go back with him?

"So, what does that mean for us?" Joey whispered and Pacey put his head back on the head seat and shook his head. "I don't knowi mean you are done with college now. I was uh… well I was thinking…maybe you could move in with me?"

Joey felt her face turn red as she repeated the question in her head and then she felt as if she didn't hear him.

"What?" She whispered.

"I know it's crazy and trust me I didn't even think I would build a restaurant in Capeside when we got back together. But Jo, I talked to Bessie about it, and your Dad. And I know I should have come to you but I just… I don't know if I was scared of all the old memories there. Well, You wouldn't like that idea and we would just dismiss it. But I believe the icehouse could be worth something if we have fully given it a chance. You know?"

Joey crawled over to him and sat on his lap. She rubbed her fingers through his hair as she smiled at him.

"Thank you." She whispered and started to kiss him. Pacey started to move the seat back where they were laying down. But Joey stopped and sat up.

"What, what is it?" Pacey whispered in concern as he watched her face.

"I um… I need to tell you something." Joey whispered.

"Okay… What is it, Jo? You are kind of scaring me."

"I got this writing job for New York and they said they want me to stay there for a while to get used to the job so they can see if I am ready for the job."

"How long are we talking for?"

"A year…" Joey said as she crawled back to her seat.

"A year!?" Pacey said.

"I know, I know. It's not the best but New York isn't that far away."

"About four hours…" Pacey said.

"And I'll be down for the weekends or you and Daisy can. But if you don't want me to take it, Pace. I won't."

"No, Sweetheart. You have to take this."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am." Pacey said and reach out to her hair and rubbed it with his fingers.

"You need to take it, We can explain together tonight," Joey whispered as she put her forehead on his.

"Hey, Potter?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Joey was short to take the job and happily quit the waitress job that she had since Daisy was a baby. When Daisy got to Pacey's apartment she was quick to drop all her things on the floor. Her backpack, coat, water bottle, and her shoes.

"Daisy, we talked about this. Stop dropping your things on the floor." Pacey said as she walked to the living room.

"Maybe if you had a place where she could her things down she wouldn't do that," Joey said on the phone with Jen.

"What?" Jen said through the phone.

"Hmm…" Pacey said as he sat next to her and started to wrap his arms around her.

"The kids are home," Joey told Jen through the phone. Joey was telling Jen about New York while Jen was updating her on how Grams was. She was doing good now she was going through treatments but the doctors said Grams will be alright. "I got to go, Jen," Joey said as Daisy went over to Joey and sat in her lap.

"Can I talk to Aunt Jen?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah, just for a minute," Joey said hanging the phone to Daisy. Pacey rubbed Joey's shoulders as they waited for Daisy to be done.

After Daisy was done, Joey and Pacey told Daisy that they needed to talk to her. Joey suddenly realized that Daisy has been lucky to have her parents not that far away from each other and she could see each parent whenever she wanted to. And lately, Pacey and Joey have been basically living at Pacey or Joey's apartment together most weekends.

"Am I in trouble?" Daisy asked as she sat in the middle of Pacey and Joey.

"No, baby," Joey said as she brushed Daisy's brown hair with her fingers.

"Are you guys breaking up?"

"No." Both Pacey and Joey both said at the same time.

"Then what is it?"

"Um, sweetheart. Do you know where New York is?"

"No."

"Well, it is a whole another state, and Mommy got a job there."

"So, we are moving to New York?" Daisy asks.

"Not exactly, bug," Joey said and look at Pacey as if to say is this really a good idea. "Mommy got a new job there and I need to live in New York for a while."

"How long do you have to go there?" Daisy asked.

"For a year," Joey told her daughter as she noticed herself getting emotion.

"A year?!" Daisy said as he stood up and was completely shocked by what she had just heard. "But do I have to go away from Daddy, and my friends for a year?"

"No, baby," Joey said and took Daisy in her arms.

"You are going to live with me for a little bit, and then during the weekends or breaks either Mommy will come down here or we will go to New York for a little bit," Pacey told her.

"And we can talk on the phone whenever you want," Joey says

Daisy started to cry as she realized what this will start to mean. Joey wiped her daughter's teachers from her cheeks. "You promise?" Daisy asked.

"We promise." Joey and Pacey both say to her.

"And we have a project ourselves we can do," Pacey told Daisy.

"And what's that?" Daisy said as Joey watched another tear fall down Daisy's cheek.

"Well, we get to build a restaurant. You get to help me rebuild this Icehouse that Mommy, Aunt Bessie, and Grandpa Potter ran while your Mommy was little."

"What happened to it?" Daisy asked. "Why do you need to rebuild it?" Daisy wondered.

"Well, it burned down a long long time ago. But we will save that story for another day, okay?"

"Okay," Daisy said as she rested her head on Joey's chest while Joey rubbed Daisy's back.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"You promise you will come back?" Daisy asked as she looked up at Joey with her big blue eyes that just look like the man she has loved for so many years.

"Yes, baby. I swear."

"I think that went well," Pacey said as he went to his side of the bed as Joey was getting dressed in Pacey's boxers and T-shirt.

"You think so?" Joey asked as she got on her side of the bed.

"Didn't you?" Pacey asked.

"Not really…" Joey said as she cuddled up against Pacey's chest.

"I mean, she understands that she will see us as much as possible and she knows we love her. I think that's the only thing we can really ask for, right?" Pacey whispered.

"Right," Joey said as she reach over to Pacey and turned off the lamp on his nightstand. "Goodnight, Pace."

"Goodnight, Potter. I love you."

"I love you, too," Joey said as she went back to her side of the bed. But Pacey was quick to wrap his arms around her body.

A few minutes went by of silence til Pacey heard Joey sniffing. He then turn on the light to see if she was crying but Pacey couldn't tell because she wasn't facing him.

"Jo, honey," Pacey said as he rubbed her back. "Are you ok?" He whispered gently.

Joey didn't say anything but Pacey got up and went to her side to get a closer view of how Joey was feeling. "Sweetheart." He whispered as he wiped a tear away from her cheek just as Joey did to Daisy earlier. "What's the matter?"

"What if we don't work out long-distance? I mean we have barely been apart since Daisy was born. What if we fall apart again or what if Daisy hates me for separating her family."

"She could never hate you. She knows you love her so very much."

"But a year is a long time."

"I know but we will call every day if you want. Daisy will be busy with the icehouse with me or playing with Alex or Lillian. She will be okay and if she isn't we will find a way to work it out. As for me, I am planning on going anywhere for anything I plan on going wherever you go."

"You think so?" Joey asked in a weak voice.

"I know so," Pacey said and then kissed her forehead softly and slowly. "I love you, Potter. From now and always. And I don't plan on having a life without you in it. Ok?"

"Ok…" Joey whispered in a weak voice.

"What do you want from me?" Pacey asked as he pushed her hair back.

"I want you to hold me," Joey told him.

"I can do that."

And that's what Pacey did. He took her in his arms after turning off the light and held her until they woke up the next morning.