January 1. They had gathered in the Leery's living room for an impromptu New Year's party to watch the ball drop in Times Square on the TV. Mitch poured champagne for everyone; Dawson and Gretchen grabbed the plastic cups and helped carry them from the kitchen.

"Here we go, everybody," Jen shouted from the living room. "Jack, hurry up!" Her best friend rushed back into the room. "I can't believe you were almost gonna miss the ball drop because you had to take a piss."

"Hey, I wasn't gonna miss it," he replied, taking the chair next to hers. "I timed it perfectly."

"Thanks, man," Pacey said to Dawson as he handed him a small cup filled with champagne, before sitting down on the couch. Joey smiled beside him as she also took a cup.

Gail followed her husband and son into the living room. "All right, it's about to start." Jack stood up from his chair, offering her the seat. "Thanks, sweetie," she told him, holding onto her belly protectively as she sat down. "I can't believe I stayed up this late. Me and this baby should be in bed right now."

Mitch smiled. "We'll head up to bed in a few minutes."

Pacey turned to his girlfriend and brought his mouth close to her ear. "You know, I'm not superstitious," he said quietly. "But they say whoever you kiss at midnight on New Year's will be with you all year."

"Is that right?" Joey replied, her eyes twinkling. "Maybe we should be a little superstitious tonight."

"Yeah, maybe we should," he grinned.

They all watched the ball begin to drop on the television screen. "10, 9, 8, 7…"

"Happy New Year!" they all shouted in unison, raising their cups of champagne.

Kisses, hugs. The blasts of noisemakers and a pink kazoo that Gretchen trumpeted around the living room furniture. "Happy New Year, Pace," Joey whispered with a kiss. "I love you."

"Happy New Year, sweetheart," Pacey said, returning her kiss. With his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her closer. "I love you, too."

"Okay, bed time," Gail announced and started to waddle toward the staircase. "You kids try to get home at a decent hour, okay?" She gave Dawson one more hug and kiss on the cheek before ascending the stairs with Mitch.

Gretchen collapsed on the couch next to Pacey and Joey. "So, what are everyone's New Year's resolutions?" she asked cheerfully.

"Oh, geez. What's with this voice of doom, this hideous reminder of real life and restraint, when we're all trying to have a good time?" Pacey snarked dramatically. His sister rolled her eyes. "Well, I think the whole thing's a bit stupid, to be honest. It's just another day."

"Yeah, it's not like people actually stick to New Year's resolutions, anyway," Joey added. She did have a New Year's resolution, though. It just wasn't the sort one brought up in polite conversation.

"I don't know about you, but I'm hoping to lose the five pounds I gained sophomore year," Dawson joked. "I'm really going to stick to it this time."

Gretchen folded her arms. "You guys are such cynics! I have a feeling this year is going to be amazing." The others mumbled unintelligibly. "You're all just stressed about the last half of senior year and your college applications. I'm sure you're going to end up at the school of your dreams and you'll all be just fine. You've got absolutely nothing to worry about."

Everyone scowled at her.

An hour later, Pacey was helping Joey into her coat by the front door when Gretchen joined them, following by Dawson. "Thanks for coming," he told them. "I'm glad you guys came."

"Thanks for inviting us," Joey said, beaming.

Pacey nodded, offering a smile. When Gretchen opened the door and walked out, he placed his hand on his girlfriend's lower back and turned to follow, but stopped when Dawson addressed him.

"Uh, Pace, are you busy next weekend? You have any plans?"

Swallowing, he stared for a moment. "Um… nothing planned, no. Why?"

Dawson smiled, his posture relaxed, his voice casual. "I was wondering if you wanted to do something. You know, uh, hang out."

"You… and me?" he asked, nonplussed.

"Yeah, me and you," Dawson laughed as if in disbelief of his incredulity.

Joey squeezed his hand, silently pleading with him to take Dawson up on his offer. "Um, yeah, sure. I have to cook at the B&B, but other than that I'm not busy. What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know… You wanna go fishing? The weather should be pretty mild."

"Uh… sure. Fishing sounds great."

Dawson flashed a friendly smile. "All right. Well, I guess I'll see you guys at school on Tuesday." He glanced at his watch. "Which is now tomorrow, technically."

After saying goodbye, they left. As the Witter wagon made its way to the B&B, Pacey glanced in the rearview mirror to see Joey leaning back against the seat, staring out the window looking overjoyed. Gretchen sat beside him, relaxed and seemingly unsurprised by this recent turn of events. However, he thought back to the scene at Dawson's front door. While it was true that his former best friend no longer displayed any anger or even dislike towards him, that over the past couple months Dawson had begun to tolerate his presence with increasing civility and sometimes even outright friendliness—and this progression appeared to be genuine on the surface—Pacey couldn't help feeling a little hesitant and suspicious.

January 5. On Friday at lunch, as he and Joey walked hand in hand into the cafeteria, Dawson walked up to them carrying a tray. "Mind if I sit with you guys today?"

Joey smiled, obviously very happy. "Sure, Dawson."

They were soon joined at their table by Jen and Jack. "So, Dawson, what brings you down to sit in the cafeteria with us plebes?" Jen said. "Aren't you usually in the A/V room or the student lounge with the other geeks?" She gave him a teasing smile.

"Ha. Ha." Then he shrugged. "I just felt like having lunch with my friends."

It dawned on Pacey that they hadn't all sat at lunch together like this since last winter. He also remembered that someone was missing. "So, Jackers, how's Andie doing?" he asked, trying not to think too much about Dawson's sudden desire to let bygones be bygones.

"She's good," Jack replied with a smile. "Very happy. Soaking up the culture, meeting new people, learning Italian. She's having a great time."

"That's good to hear," Pacey said.

"She misses you, though." Joey frowned into her yogurt, and Jack quickly amended. "All of you guys. She says she'll be back for prom and graduation."

Jen twisted the cap off her bottle of Snapple. "It'll be good to see her."

After taking a spoonful of his chocolate pudding, Jack spoke again. "Oh, so, Pacey… Andie wants to know how many colleges you've applied to and which ones."

"Of course, she does," he chuckled. "Well, you can tell her I took her up on her advice about community college. I applied to Bunker Hill in Boston. I also applied to Boston University, and Newbury College in Brookline, which is just twenty minutes outside the city, but both those schools are honestly a long shot. Ms. Watson said I should go for it, but I can't imagine being accepted. There's a lot of competition for spots at colleges in Boston, so she also encouraged me to apply to places a little farther away. Uh, I applied to Massasoit Community College in Brockton and North Shore Community College in Danvers. Both schools are only a half-hour from the city, so that's not too bad. But I also applied to Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Bristol Community College in Fall River, and Holyoke Community College. I applied to a few out-of-state schools just in case, but…" He glanced at Joey.

She gave him a small smile. "I kind of have my heart set on Boston," she told them. "It's just far enough, but also not too far." She turned to Dawson. "So, where did you end up applying? USC? NYU? The American Film Institute?"

Dawson smirked. "Yes, I did. And I also applied to UCLA, Columbia, Emerson, Pratt… and Boston University."

"We applied to Boston University, too," Jen said, tilting her head at Jack. "And Boston College, Boston Bay College, Suffolk, Tufts, Williams, Amherst, Bentley…"

"Gretchen goes to Bentley… or, well, she did. Don't know when she plans on going back. So, you guys don't feel like venturing out of Massachusetts either?" Pacey said.

Jack shook his head. "Staying close to Grams is probably near the top of our requirement list, but we also applied to Vassar, uh… Bowdoin College in Maine, Middlebury College in Vermont, and Wesleyan University in Connecticut."

"There's no way in hell we're getting into Vassar, Jack," Jen said. "I don't know why you insisted we apply there."

He shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to shoot for the stars."

"Depends on how hard you crash back down to earth," she quipped.

"I'm still kind of surprised you haven't applied to any New York schools, Jen," Joey told her.

"Vassar is in Poughkeepsie," Jack offered.

Jen shook her head. "I think the first fifteen years of my life were a sufficient amount of time to spend there. What about you, Joey? I'm surprised you don't want to go to New York."

Everyone now turned to look at her. Finding herself the center of attention, she felt her face grow warm. "Well, New York would be a dream come true, but… I don't think I'm ready for that. Maybe when I'm older."

"So, where did you apply?" Jack asked.

"Um, I didn't apply to nearly as many places as you and Jen. I… I guess I didn't want to waste my money on application fees." They were all still looking at her expectantly. "Well, I applied to Worthington, of course, Boston University, Williams, Wellesley, and Smith."

"Why would you want to go to an all-girls college?" Jen looked dumbfounded. "I know Wellesley and Smith are two really good schools, Joey, but… four years of just women? What's the college dorm experience without guys around? I could never."

"Yeah, that would suck," Jack agreed, and Jen smirked at him.

"Hey, don't discourage her," Pacey remarked. "An all-girls school is just fine by me."

Joey and Jen exchanged looks, rolling their eyes.

Dawson's face contorted with confusion. "Joey… you didn't apply to any Ivy League schools?"

"Yes, she did," Pacey cut in. He noticed his girlfriend looked embarrassed. "Go on, tell 'em."

"Well, I'm never going to get in, so…" Joey tried to shrug it off. They were all still staring at her. "Okay, well I applied to Brown, Penn, and Cornell. I thought those were the three I actually might have a shot at, even if it is a shot in the dark. But let's say I was accepted to any of those schools, then I think I'd still decide to stay closer to home instead of going to an Ivy League."

"Then what's your number one?" Jen asked. "The one you're just dying to get into?"

Joey sighed, memories from her disastrous performance at that party last month vividly playing out in her mind. "Worthington. It sucks that we have to wait until March to find out whether we've been accepted or not."

"The wait is a killer. And on that note, enough about college," Jack said, taking a swig of his orange soda. "Dawson, how come you're not going on the senior trip?"

Thoughts of Worthington immediately fled from Joey's mind. She glanced at Dawson somewhat uneasily, remembering their conversation about the ski trip a couple months ago and his desire to not be around to be a firsthand witness to any evidence of her and Pacey's physical relationship.

Dawson shrugged. "Almost everyone I know who's going will be coupled up. Also, I have no interest in skiing or getting wasted in a hot tub or…"

"Come on, Dawson. Live a little. There could be some cute girls on the trip who you could have a good time with," Jen said.

"None that I'm interested in."

Pacey couldn't help but think of his sister and wondered if Dawson would've been keen to go on the trip if it had been at all possible that Gretchen could go. Later, after the bell rang and he was walking hand in hand with Joey out of the cafeteria, Pacey turned to see Dawson had appeared on his other side.

"So, Pace, are we still on for fishing tomorrow?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, Dawson. What time?"

"How about six-thirty? My house?"

He thought for a moment. "You mean in the morning?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, yeah, okay. I'll just be sure to get to the B&B early to have breakfast ready before I come over."

"Great, I'm looking forward to it," Dawson smiled. "Well, see you guys later."

They watched him walk ahead and round a corner, disappearing from view. Beside him, Joey flashed a brilliant smile and squeezed his hand, clearly happy the two erstwhile best friends appeared to now be actively mending broken fences. Yet Pacey couldn't help the suspicious feeling that again rose up in the pit of his stomach.

Later that night when he picked Joey up from work, they were standing in line at the movie theater in time for the nine o'clock showings. "How about Shadow of the Vampire?" he asked.

She frowned. "You said I could pick the movie this time, Pacey."

"Okay, okay. So, what do you want to see?"

"Miss Congeniality gets my vote. It's honestly the only thing that looks good enough to spend my money on."

"You mean my money," he grinned.

"I'm perfectly capable of paying for my own movie ticket, thank you very much, or even for both of us. It's… what? Twelve dollars for two tickets?"

He shook his head. "You're forgetting the snacks. Anyway, you're saving for college, Jo."

"Well, aren't you, too?" she challenged, arching her brow.

Pacey hesitated. He wanted to tell her about his savings account, the money he'd saved all those years working at the video store, and now the money he'd been saving with the B&B job, but was still nervous about allowing it to be known. Part of him didn't want to tell anyone about it until he was safely away from Capeside. "Well, yeah, but… I'm pretty sure any school you get into is gonna cost way more than any school I get into."

Rolling her eyes, Joey grasped his hand and pulled him closer to the ticket booth. While in line at the concession stand, he turned to glance at her. "The usual?" he asked, and she gave him an enthusiastic nod. "A large popcorn with extra butter, some Goobers, and a small Cherry Coke. And… uh, a small Sprite and some Twizzlers."

After handing over the cash and receiving their order, he passed her the popcorn and her soda. She started heading towards their theater. Before walking away from the counter, he quickly stuffed some napkins in his pocket. Inside the theater, Pacey and Joey sat in the back row, candy in one hand, drinks in the other, and the popcorn between them. They leaned back, waiting for the lights to dim and the previews to start.

When the popcorn was finished, Pacey set the bucket down on the floor. From the corner of his eye he saw Joey's hands moving down toward her thighs to rub the greasy butter from her fingers. Amused, he shook his head, quickly pulled the napkins from his pocket, and held them out to her.

"Oh, thanks," she whispered, taking the napkins. "I always forget."

"I know," he said, and she smiled.

Once her hands were wiped clean, Joey wove her arm under his and around the crook of his elbow, her fingers sliding down to entwine with his, and slid closer. A tingling warmth ran up Pacey's arm and spilled over into the rest of his body, filling his chest. There was no real way to express just how much he loved her, how she made him feel. No words that existed in the English language held enough meaning. No gesture was grand enough, or romantic enough.

Halfway through the movie, Joey leaned over and whispered, "Do you think I'm like her?" She tilted her head toward the movie screen. "A tomboy in desperate need of a makeover?"

A breathy laugh of disbelief escaped him. "Are you kidding me, Jo? What do you need a makeover for? You're a freaking goddess."

"Don't you think Sandra Bullock is prettier than I am?"

"No, I don't, and she's not. Besides, didn't you try something like that sophomore year? That beauty pageant, remember? And all just to get Dawson to wake up and notice how beautiful you are. At least Sandra Bullock is doing this for a real cause—trying to stop the bad guys and save some lives."

"You entered that same beauty pageant, too, Pacey Witter. Like you're one to talk."

"Hey, I was taking a moral stand for equality among the sexes… and I admit the potential prize money was appealing."

She laughed. "I needed the money, too. Well, I did love your Braveheart impression." The tone of her voice was wistful. "It was the highlight of the pageant, honestly."

Smiling, he kissed her forehead, and she snuggled closer.

After the movie ended, they exited the theater still hand in hand. The air had become noticeably colder, and Joey shivered. Pacey wrapped his arm around her, pulling her against him, and she smiled into his neck. When they arrived at the B&B, he walked her up to her front porch. The lights were still on in the house and they heard the sound of the TV in the living room. She sighed and moved closer to him, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I wish I could invite you inside, but…"

The way she tilted her head towards the door was eloquent. With some guests right inside on the couch, they really couldn't get up to much of anything. But that didn't mean he couldn't kiss her goodnight. Pacey drew her into his arms and she lifted her face, eagerly accepting his kiss. He kissed her until he was forced to come up to breathe.

"Be careful," she said with a small laugh. "We're going to scar poor Mr. and Mrs. Campbell."

He glanced over her shoulder at the door behind her, their silhouettes behind the sheer curtain in the small window. "I guarantee that is not the first kiss they've seen on this porch."

"Is that right?"

"You seem to forget that we spent a good deal of time on this porch yesterday afternoon before I cooked dinner. They noticed, trust me."

"They're probably scandalized and will never come back here again. I don't think what's happening on this porch is typically part of a cook's paid duties at a B&B, Pace."

"Well, that's extra."

"Oh yeah? And how much is that gonna cost me?"

"Another kiss."

They lost track of the minutes they spent on the porch kissing. Joey felt relaxed and sated in his arms, wishing she could pull him inside with her and spend the night with him wrapped around her. Soon he pulled away and nodded toward the door. "Time for sleep," he said.

She yawned. "I think you're right."

Pacey held the door for her and bid her goodnight.

The next day dawned bright and clear, although a bit chilly. At least there was no snow and the remnants from the Christmas snowstorm had since melted away. Pacey drove over to the Potter B&B and began fixing breakfast for the guests. Once everything was cooked and keeping warm on the stove and in the oven, he went out the door to the porch, where Joey stood in her robe and holding a cup of coffee.

"I'm so happy you're going to spend time with Dawson," she said, bouncing on her toes. "I think things are finally going back to normal."

"Yeah, seems like it," he shrugged.

Her brows arched questioningly. "You don't seem too thrilled about it, Pace. Don't you want to be friends with Dawson again?"

"Well, yeah, sure I want to be friends again…" I think. "I guess I just don't know why he wants to be friends with me all of a sudden."

"Pacey," she said, her hand going to her hip. "It's not all of a sudden. You were his best friend for like twelve years. You had a rough patch, that's all. I mean, maybe he's realized that he's just not angry anymore and he misses your company."

"Yeah, maybe that's it," he agreed. Yet something inside him doubted it.

Then he kissed Joey goodbye and drove around to the other side of the creek to the Leery's house. Grabbing his fishing pole and tackle box from the back of the Jeep, he walked around the house to see Dawson setting two folding chairs down on the dock. He felt nervous in a way he couldn't quite grasp or explain, and momentarily wondered if coming here was a mistake, but after a brief pause, he continued towards the dock.

Back at the B&B, the telephone rang while Joey was getting ready for her shift at the yacht club. She heard Bessie answer in the kitchen, and then after a moment her sister called out her name. Wondering if Pacey was calling her from Dawson's house, she opened her bedroom door and stepped out.

"It's Susan Witter," Bessie said quietly as she handed over the cordless.

Why was Pacey's mom calling her? Feeling nervous and confused, she took the phone from her older sister. "Hello?"

"Hi, Joey. How are you?"

"Oh, hi Mrs. Witter," she greeted, surprised at being addressed by her proper name. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm good, honey. So, listen, I was wondering if you had any plans for Pacey's eighteenth birthday?"

Oh, no. "Well, I was—"

"Because we'd like to throw him a surprise party on Monday night."

Oh, God. "Um, really?"

"Yes, yes, of course! My baby boy only turns eighteen once. Amy decided to stay up here with us for another week so she could be at the party. So, she'll be there with the kids, even though Steve had to go back to North Carolina."

"Oh, she did?" There was no way Pacey would want a party, let alone a party at his house with his family. But how could she say no to his mom? She was being so sweet, and actually didn't call her Joanne or Joanna for once. Not to mention his sister changed her plans and stayed behind to be there. Oh, God!

"Yes, she did. So, the whole family will be there. I'll cook and we'll get a cake and we'll make sure there's lots of presents. I'll even invite his other little friends, like Dawson and… you know, Dawson's neighbor girl and the football player."

"Jen and Jack?"

"Yes, them. I'll leave it up to you to keep Pacey occupied after school. Be sure to have him here at the house by six o'clock. Okay, sweetie?"

A knot of dread formed deep in her belly. "Um…" She heaved a sigh. How could she say no? "Okay, Mrs. Witter. I'll make sure Pacey gets to the party."

"Great. And don't tell him! We want to surprise him!"

"Okay, I won't."

"Okay, buh-bye, Joey."

"Bye."

She placed the cordless down on its base and frowned. Pacey wasn't going to be happy, which was an understatement. He wasn't an angry person, and he'd never gotten so mad that he'd yelled at her or threatened to end things between them, but she supposed there was a first time for everything. For the rest of the morning, while rushing from table to table serving the busy Saturday brunch crowd, nothing she did could make the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach go away.