Hi All,

I think this is it. Maybe an epilogue, we'll see what you think of this;-)

Thanks for the reviews - truly they make it worth while especially when you're time poor and posting is tricky!

A couple of people mentioned the Joey / Dawson scene. Most of my stories tend to be from Joey or Pacey's view point, so in this story I was kind of strict with myself about writing it only from Pacey's view point - as in what he thinks and feels, how he judges the situation. As he didn't see the fight, neither did we!

This is M - for obvious reasons:-)

Enjoy, please review, happy holidays and happy 2015!

Tab:-)

Chapter 9

'You know you're like the best girl in all the world,' Pacey murmured into the silky skin of Joey's shoulder.

'Because I gave you a blow job?' She shot him a scathing look, hiding her amusement.

'You know it wasn't that, though that was wonderful.'

'It must have been the clearing up I did then,' she teased, shuffling down beside him in the bed,

'Well I did really appreciate the way you managed to remove that vomit from the cracks in the floorboards.'

'I've learnt some useful tricks during my internship so far,' she nodded wisely.

'But it's not just that.'

'So what is it then?' she shot him a suspicious look.

'You know Dawson really hurt me yesterday,' he stated and she nodded, still suspicious, though she ran a finger gently across the bandage on his cheek and he frowned, 'oh no, that didn't hurt so much, I'm talking about the food - he squashed my mince pies Joey. He stood on them. It was horrific.'

'You poor baby,' she laughed softly but then immediately straightened her expression at his look of reprimand.

'I need to remake them Joey. My conscience can't take it.'

'And?' she looked at him expectantly.

'Well you'll help right?' he fluttered his eyelashes and she giggled,

'Oh Pace I love you but I'm like instant death around food prep,' she ran her hands through his hair, 'as you well know.'

'I'll teach you,' he murmured. 'And you're a doctor Jo. I wouldn't go around muttering "instant death" too often - it doesn't exacty inspire faith.'

'Haha, so funny,' she slapped him gently on the chest, more of a caress really. 'And sure, you can try and teach me.'

'This was a bit of a fantasy huh?' Joey asked from where she was stood inside Pacey's embrace, his hands on hers, as he "demonstrated" how to roll the pastry.

'Maybe,' he ran his nose up the column of her neck and then pressed a warm kiss there.

'I can feel exactly what you think of standing like this you know,' she wiggled her bum against him and he groaned.

'You're hot,' he kissed her neck again, 'really hot.'

'And apparently these little pastries were extremely important to you,' she responded primly reaching for his pastry cutters, her butt pressing in to him. His hands moved to her hips leaving big floury hand prints on her leggings. Joey pressed a cutter in and pulled out the round circle and flopped it into the tray Pacey had put out. 'Your turn,' she pulled his left hand from her hip and pressed the cutter into it, watching as he cut out the perfect neat circle and moved it and its perfection to the tray. 'Ok, and the rest,' she encouraged. Pacey couldn't resist pressing against her, the imagery in his head nothing to do with the mince pies he was making.

'So how come your circles remain all perfect and mine look all stretched?' she pouted. Kissing her quickly, Pacey moved to the fridge to retrieve the mince meat he'd made earlier in the week.

'All I can say is I know nothing about medicine,' Pacey shrugged with a grin.

'Now there is definitely no meat in there?' she frowned.

'I promise,' he smirked, sidling up behind her again, a whisper of a moan on his lips as his body fit so well against hers. 'Now just spoon a little in to each pie and we'll cut out a star for the top.

'Well I can't get that wrong,' she smiled and began spooning in mixture, too much if Pacey were honest but he didn't care because she was making pies with him.

'Ok, more pastry rolling,' he slid his hands past the curve of her chest to take the rolling pin and putting her hands under his, they rolled out the pastry again before cutting out stars.

'Well I think we can tell which ones I made,' she sighed.

'They'll all taste good,' he reassured.

'I know that, trust me,' she turned in his arms and pressed a kiss to his mouth.

'Pies in oven, then more kissing?' he suggested and she nodded.

'I'll go light the fire.'

'Hmm, ok,' he couldn't seem to stop kissing her, but at length pulled away and watched her walk through the dining room and into the living room. Pulling his eyes from her he put the pies in the oven and turned on the timer before heading through to join her.

'Movie?' he asked and she nodded,

'Something Christmassy.'

'Love Actually?'

'Perfect,' she nodded, running a hand up under his top and across the muscles of his stomach.

'Yeah,' he mused looking at her nestled into his side. For the first time in years, excepting the time he'd had with Sophie, life felt right.

'Pace?' she murmured.

'What's up?'

'I was wondering about sex,' she admitted and he turned to look at her.

'What about it?'

'Well what if...what if it doesn't work? I mean, I want it to work but I'm scared that if it doesn't...you'll...'

'I'll what? Leave you?' he chuckled, 'that just will not happen. Do you have any idea how thrilled and ecstatic I am to have you?'

'I have an inkling...you haven't let go of me since last night,' she gave him a soft and affectionate look.

'Well no, and I'm not planning to,' he tugged her impossibly closer just to emphasize his point,

'But Pace...' she trailed off biting her lip.

'Tell me what it is Jo, you know you can.'

'I want you to want to have sex with me,' she admitted with a frown.

'Well rest assured that I really, really want to have sex with you. I just have to think about it and I get hard. I have fantasies of sex, of fucking, of all of it, but what you need to understand is there's no pressure. The biggest turn on for me is turning you on and it's so much fun discovering what does turn you on. Besides which you're really good at blow jobs and dry humping,' he gave her a wicked grin enjoying her embarrassed laughter.

'So if there's no pressure, how will it ever happen?' she frowned.

'Is this a boyfriend girlfriend conversation or a friend one?'

'A friend one I guess,' she wrapped her fingers around his.

'Are you on the pill?' he asked softly, aware that it was a personal and slightly presumptive question.

'Yeah,' she waited for him to continue.

'I'm clean Joey. I have always use condoms - always - and I have been tested.'

'Since Audrey?' she arched her brows.

'Yeah... When I realized I only wanted you, I got tested.'

'That's sweet. Responsible, a little gross, but very sweet.'

'It gave us potential. I am so turned on by you Joey that I was worried that if things ever happened I wouldn't be thinking about condoms, or much of anything except you,' he tried to explain.

'That's kind of a turn on,' she admitted her nose wrinkling adorably.

'What it means is it can happen naturally which I think is important for you. I am a massive believer in safe sex, don't get me wrong. I've never had unprotected sex and like I've said I've been tested, so if you're on the pill sex will be safe and we don't need to think about anything else. I feel like I'm sounding like a guy. We can use condoms, I'm more than happy to do that but I figured maybe the stopping to put one on might make it less natural, give you time to over think it...and you know if you over think it, there might be pressure...'

'I understand what you're trying to say here Pace. I don't think your some horndog out for no condom sex, I don't. I also trust you. I think that takes a lot of pressure off knowing that when it's the right moment, it can just happen.'

'Ok then,' he breathed a sigh of relief.

'I'm so in love you Pacey,' she said it softly, 'it's the kind of love which shows up how I only loved Dawson but wasn't in love with him. He's a nice guy, but you're, well you're wonderful.'

'Like music to my ears,' he murmured softly with a huge smile on his face.

'I can sing along to this terrible song if you want music,' she gave a cheeky smile and gestured to the TV where Bill Nighy was singing Christmas is All Around.

'Just change the words to "I'm in love with you Pacey" and you can sing it forever.'

'Cheeseball.'

'Unsentimental wench,' he challenged back.

'At least you've moved off prude!' she arched her brows.

'Well I know first hand that you're not a prude. You're far to fond of my cock for me to call you that,' he grinned, watching her flustered blush,

'Pacey, you can't say things like that,' she protested burying her face in his shoulder.

'He's very fond of you too,' Pacey put on a silly voice and face rewarded by her laugh,

'You referencing your penis as a separate identity is so not a turn on,' she smirked.

'Fine, I'm very fond of you. Of touching you with all bits of me,' he phrased as delicately as he could making her laugh again.

'Just shut up and kiss me you goof,' she grumbled and lay back on the couch pulling him on top of her. She gasped at the feel of him hard against her,

'I did tell you,' he told her happily.

'Well it's more of a turn on now,' she moaned softly as he rocked against her.

'Hmmm,' he agreed, claiming her mouth with his and rocking against her again with deliberate intention.

'Pace,' she moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist.

'We should be doing this naked,' he kissed her again, the feel of her legs tight around him, pushing his body against hers undeniably sexy.

'Yes,' she agreed as the oven buzzer went off, and seconds later her pager.

'Well that's a double no from the powers that be,' he grumbled not shifting.

'I hate this thing,' she gestured to the pager as she looked at it. 'Dr Green which means I have to go,' she scowled and instead of moving kissed him.

'Our mince pies will burn,' Pacey murmured into the kiss, feeling no inclination to move except against her,

'Keep doing that,' she encouraged her hands shoving at the combats he was wearing and pushing them down and off so all that was between them was his boxers and her leggings which felt so much better.

'I wanna touch you,' he grumbled because the warmth and wetness on his hand was a huge turn on. His hands pushed at her leggings and her panties until they were off but instead of touching her he moved back between her legs with his body, 'just for a moment,' he begged, desperate.

'Yes,' she encouraged lifting her hips towards him, her hands diving down the back of his boxers.

'I wanna be in you so bad,' he breathed into the heated kiss, shifting off of her and running his hand down her stomach and plunging one then two fingers into the slick, tight space between her legs imagining it was his cock. Her back arched off the bed rewardingly, as she gasped and writhed under his determined ministrations, his thumb rubbing tight circles on her clit.

'Pacey,' she cried out his name as she came but he didn't stop, couldn't sliding down the couch to use his mouth and his hands until he pushed her crashing over the edge a second time, her hands tugging almost painfully at his hair, her thighs which had tightened around his head finally falling lax.

'I want you so badly,' he kissed her one last time before shimmying up her body so he was pressed between her legs.

'Take me, please,' she moaned softly, her hands wrapping around his neck.

'You were paged,' he grumbled.

'Yeah,' she didn't seem inclined to move, but then her pager went a second time. 'I don't think I can walk let alone work.'

'I figured the multiple orgasm was an important experience, especially for one so new to the art of coming.'

'It's an art form now is it?' she smirked and he chuckled.

'I like to think so,' he looked at her adoringly.

'I want to do something for you,' she looked at him, her eyes wide, pupils dilated.

'Next time,' he told her easily.

'Now,' she pleaded, rolling him off of her and sliding her hand down the front of his boxers to grasp hold of him. 'Now,' she pushed at his boxers until they were off and rolled him onto his back in one move before she was hovering over him. 'I want you in me, I really, really want it and I never have before, but the thought of feeling you against me, it makes me feel crazy.'

'Jo, you keep talking like that and I'm gonna not be able to resist.'

'Don't resist,' she urged and pressed her naked heat against him. He groaned, his hands flying to her hips, rocking her against himself. 'Oooh, that feels good,' she gasped and he opened his eyes to look at her lying above him, getting herself off at the feel of him between her legs, at the feel of his cock pressing against her slick centre. Her head was tilted to one side, her eyes pressed tightly closed, her expression one of utter pleasure, her dark hair a mass of silky curls. Tilting his head he pressed a kiss to her lips, his chest colliding with the softness of hers making them both moan. Then she reached a hand between them, holding him and running his cock over herself and he nearly came, it felt amazing, but more than that, he could tell she was letting go, not worrying or over thinking, and that was utterly attractive to him. 'You feel so good,' she crooned.

'Fuck Joey, so do you,' he felt so close but it had to be her move. Just like the first time he made her come he realized she had to really want it, enough to take it. And just like that she did, she used her hand to position him and then pushed her hips down, just a little but God it felt wonderful, her eyes opened and she looked at him. He kissed her, a heated, slightly messy kiss filled with desire and longing, a kiss to stop her thinking, and it worked because her hips pushed down closer to his.

'Help me,' she moaned into the kiss, and using his hands on the hips he pulled her down until he was entirely, blissfully inside of her.

'Joey,' he breathed her name, his heart racing and every part of his body thrumming.

'That feels...nice,' she was looking at him, suddenly her analytical self. He wasn't exactly going for analytical but he would take it.

'Lie close to me, and kinda shift up me and then down again,' he told her softly, 'it'll feel good,' he promised. She tilted her head to the side and smiled before doing as he suggested, her expression morphing to one of relaxed enjoyment.

'Ohhhh,' she sighed, 'that's so good.'

'Again,' he begged and she smiled widely before complying again and then again, her chest brushing his like silk, or feathers it was so soft. 'Oh god,' he muttered, his hands helping her move, a movement that grew faster as his pelvic bone continued to rub on her clit, as she got closer and closer, her head thrown back, her eyes squeezed shut until she shattered around him, letting out a moan that was closer to a scream, her body squeezing around him, her orgasm creating a fluttering sensation around him that sent him over the edge as well, his hips lifting off the bed as he cried out, burying his face in her neck and holding her tightly to him.

'Ooh, I can feel that,' she whispered.

'Fuck Joey,' his hands smoothed at her hair, across her back, everywhere. 'We just had sex.'

'I know,' she smiled broadly. 'And it was good.'

'It was amazing,' he clarified.

'Yes amazing,' she agreed, but then her eyes filled with tears as she awkwardly shuffled off of him and pressed herself into his arms,

'Hey Jo, baby, what's up, I'm sorry...' his words tumbled over themselves, he hated to think she wasn't happy about what had just happened.

'No, you big lug, don't be sorry,' she sniffed, 'I'm just so relieved. I thought I must have metal doors up there or something but I don't.'

'Joey,' he couldn't help but laugh at her description.

'Seriously, it's been like the cave in Aladdin except no ones managed to open sesame except you, you wonderful, amazing, gorgeous man,' she snuffled into his chest, 'oh god, you've given me verbal rambling disorder, multiple orgasms and taken my virginity. I love you,' she kissed him again.

'I love you,' he agreed into the kissed as her pager beeped.

'Oh crap, I'll lose my job if I don't go. I have to go,' she huffed. 'I want to stay and do that again and again and again.'

'Really?' he couldn't help the big smile.

'Really. Pacey you just fix me,' she sighed, pausing in her scramble to put on her clothes.

'I did not,' he did not find that amusing at all. 'You have never needed fixing. Just because all the other guys have been too crap to turn you on hasn't meant you needed fixing. You are wonderful. Sometimes you'll come and sometimes you won't. Sometimes sex will be crap and other times it'll be amazing, but that's just the way it is. You will always be wonderful.'

'You are just the best,' she pulled on her hoody and straddled his naked lap to kiss him. 'I have to go,' she didn't pull back.

'Or stay,' he urged, 'I mean go,' he frowned.

'We'll do this more when I'm back, when I see you. I'll come see you at Sophie's.'

'Ok, please do,' he willed his hands to release her.

'Pace,' she arched her brows at him.

'I'll throw on my clothes and drive you,' he told her and she laughed but nodded.

Joey had been true to her word and had come to see him at Sophie's, where they'd disappeared into his office and christened his desk, his chair and up against the door. Joey apparently loved sex just as much as he did and she grew confident and experimental quickly. Pacey loved having sex with her. Loved having her in his bed each night - well each night that she wasn't working. He adored waking up with her, more often than not their limbs entwined. With equal measure he loved taking her on dates - dinner, the movies, hikes, and as the months passed and the weather warmed picnics and boating, walks in the park. He adored having Joey in his arms as they hung out with Jack, Jen, Doug and Drue. Drue who had wheedled his way into Jen's heart and bed. Whether it was throwing a barbecue, game night, getting drunk, going dancing, or simply hanging on the couch Pacey was happy. They inevitably fought, Pacey would have been worried if they didn't. But it was feisty and barbed, and when it wasn't fun, because sometimes arguments weren't fun like the one where she asked to meet his dad, and the equally awful one when he begged to meet hers, they found their way back to each other, a way to compromise. They both conceded during fathergate, and met each other's fathers. He preferred her sister, Bodie and Alex to the weak man in the state penitentiary, but at least he knew. She loathed his father. She found certain traits redeemable but his negative opinion about the man she loved meant that she'd never really warm to him. It only made him love her more.

He took her to Sophie's grave and then to meet Gretchen. Gretchen was happy he was happy and seemed to like Joey. He'd wanted her to understand that his happiness didn't mean he didn't miss Sophie, that he didn't still love Sophie. Gretchen had told him it was her goal to be happy again one day too, that she now dated. Gretchen told him she understood, better than anyone, that the loss they had suffered would never go away. That night he'd told Joey he didn't plan to have kids and she'd nodded her head in understanding.

'That's fine,' she'd said, 'I understand completely. If you change your mind I'll also understand completely. I would like to be a mom, but I'd rather be with you.' That had nearly changed his mind. The truth was he loved kids and so did Joey. The truth was he thought they'd have really cute kids. The truth was because she didn't apply pressure he had room to change his mind and he realised that one day he might.

The notion of Dawson in general had caused an argument. As an ex he meant little to Joey and she encouraged him fix the friendship which because Pacey knew he needed to do, he resisted all the more. He hated the stupid jealousy that hung over his head because Dawson had always been better at everything, more wonderful, more amazing. Joey would gently point out that Pacey was a better man, in her eyes anyway. That he could make her happier than Dawson ever could. That he gave her a sex life, that he gave her all she'd ever wanted and that she loved him, was wildly in love with him and would happily follow him into any sunset he should wish it lead her into, and he would smile, a small satisfied smile and concede that he would call Dawson soon.

By the following Christmas Pacey had bought a ring. He hadn't even felt the need to discuss it with his brother, with Jen, Jack or Drue, he merely chose a ring he knew was perfect, told his friends and brother to bugger off for the weekend, baked a mince pie and left it sitting on a stool under a sprig of mistletoe between the dining room and kitchen, right where he had first kissed her. He put the ring under the pie. He toyed with the idea of putting it inside but knowing Joey as he did and how hungry she always was at the end of a shift he decided it wasn't worth risking the love of his life choking over his proposal.

His decision not to put the ring in the pie was the right one. Joey had come in from her shift, yawning but smiling to see him warming wine on the stove,

'Hey gorgeous,' she'd murmured and then spotted the pie. 'That one pie waiting there to be kissed?' she asked with a laugh.

'It was more of a trap to lure you under the mistletoe so I could kiss you.'

'Hey you daft boy, I thought it would be fairly obvious by now that you don't need mistletoe to kiss me,' she smiled at him edging towards the pie, 'I mean let's face it you have kissed me a lot this year and there's been no mistletoe in sight.'

'It's the anniversary of our first kiss though,' he told her with a move in her direction.

'Is it now,' she gave him a look.

'Yes.'

'I was told men don't remember things like that,' she gave him a coquettish look from under her eyelashes.

'Oh I remember everything,' he told her with a wink.

'You do huh?' she smiled warmly. 'Can I eat my mince pie now?'

'If I can have my kiss,' he shrugged.

'Well I'm under the mistletoe,' she gave him an affectionate look. With a slow smile he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, and then one more. Unlike the first time Joey's arms slunk around his neck and she pulled his mouth to hers for a deep kiss, the kind of kiss that gave his hands a life of their own and had him leaning into her for more. She disengaged her arms though and placed her hands against his chest. 'I want my mince pie,' she mumbled against his neck. 'Especially if it's freshly baked which, judging by the smell, it is.'

'It is,' he grinned, kissing her hair. 'Help yourself,' he gestured and her hand swiped out and grabbed the mini mince pie which she popped in her mouth whole. 'That's attractive,' he laughed but she just chewed and smiled at him. 'I think you left a bit on the stool,' he told her and she frowned.

'I'm pretty sure I'd never be so stupid,' she supplied with a serious face.

'Well you did,' he reached across to the stool and nabbed the ring. 'See?' he held it up to her watching her eyes widen and her little shy smile flit across her face as she stared at the simple gold band with its inlaid diamonds, the ring he'd chosen as she hated jewellery with sticking out bits that got caught in her hair or clothing, those she said were hard to wear when she was working.

'That doesn't look very edible,' she said looking up at him from under those eyes of hers in a way that always sent his heart fluttering.

'Well I was hoping you'd wear it not eat it,' he stated, aware that his voice seemed to have dropped an octave.

'You were?' her eyes dropped back to the ring and her fingers reached out and touched it.

'I would really, really like you to marry me Jo. I want to marry you. I love you. You make me happy and I really, really hope I make you happy. We don't need to get married but I really, really want to marry you because I think it's romantic, because it is then you and I against the world, you and I as a family. You and I forever, and forever with you can never be long enough. So this is me asking.'

'And this is me saying yes,' she smiled and held out her finger so he could slip on the ring.

'And now we can fight about the wedding,' he smirked.

'I happen to think we'll agree on most things,' she told him firmly, tapping at his chest with her finger.

'You mean I'll agree with you,' he grinned.

'That's what I said,' she grinned back.

'You want some warm wine with spices and stuff in it?'

'You mean mulled wine?' she rolled her eyes, staring at the ring on her finger, a fact that he didn't miss because it made him happy. Indeed, his eyes were drawn to the band of gold too.

'Ok, you want some mulled wine and more mince pies?'

'I want a shower,' she smiled, 'with you and then mulled wine, mince pies, a fire and more you.'

'Anything you want,' he granted kissing her softly, then smiling wildly as she took his hand and led him upstairs.