Joey pulled her arms around her legs and rested her chin on top of her knees. She was huddled by the head of Jen's bed, weeping silently, and not particularly caring how out-of-character this was for her. Jen had been a wonderful friend to her, especially as of late, and as her tumultuous relationship with Pacey had managed to pull her away from Dawson, Jen effectively became her new confidante.

"I just... I don't understand how they can fight like that," Joey mumbled with a slow shake of the head, "I mean, they've been friends for so long - and Dawson! - he's not normally... not that Pacey is, but you know what I mean."

"It was as much Dawson throwing the punches as it was Pace, Joey," Jen decided, "Dawson just has this Golden Boy persona going for him."

"Huh," Jack entered the room uninvited, "Some Golden Boy. I help hold Pacey back and I get it in the eye from the pair of them!"

Jen turned her attention to him, and patted Joey's arm before pushing herself up from the bed. She opened her arms to her best friend for a platonic, sympathetic hug. He moved towards her willingly and rocked her gently, "Neither of them meant it Jack." He nodded in agreement, "They both just saw red."

"No, Pacey just saw red," Joey was quick to reprimand, "He leapt across the table for him! For his best friend!" Her hands flew to her face in a blind rage. "I could just kill him. Dawson could have kept his snide comments, all Pacey had to do was smile and walk away and maybe salvage the friendship when they both calmed down. Be the better man. I could just kill him."

"Why should he have to?" Jen tested. Joey glared up at her, willing her to elaborate. "Dawson was egging him on and even regardless of their little scene during lunch today, neither of you have done anything wrong. You're in a healthy loving relationship."

"Not so loving anymore," Joey joked despite her mood.

"Dawson will just have to learn to accept things as they are now. I'm not glorifying Pacey here, not in the least, but I just think you're excusing Dawson because you can."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Joey argued, "I call him on things all the time. Always have."

"We know you're not one to hold back that infamous Potter tongue," Jack teased, still nursing his eye, "But Jen's right. Things are complicated with you and Dawson, right?"

"No more so than me and Pacey right about now."

"Right?" Jack drawled.

"Right," She sighed with reluctance.

"So you don't want to rock things any more than what's been done already," Jen cut in, "That's fair enough, but that and the fact that you're his girlfriend doesn't exactly give you free reign over Pace here. You can't pin it on him. Dawson will just have to come round."

"What if he doesn't?"

"He will."

"But what if he doesn't?" Joey repeated, almost pleading with her friends as if they held the cards. "What if I lose him?"

"If you lose him then you lose him," Jack shrugged, "Are you prepared to lose Pacey as well?"