PART 2

As Joey unlocked the door to her dorm room, she pondered her predicament with Pacey. She knew she'd hurt him last night by going back to Eddie, but she didn't expect to have this much of a fight on her hands to convince him she had made a mistake and wanted another chance. The ride from his place to her dorm had been less awkward than the one last night from the dance, but there were still uncomfortable silences and hesitancy. But, when she asked if she could call him later, Pacey didn't say no, so she was taking that as a positive.

Joey opened the door and stepped in the room without looking up, so she was shocked by a very loud and very perky, "Bunny!"

"Audrey?! You're back." Joey swallowed. This was one complication in her potential reunion with Pacey that she had buried in the back of her mind.

"Yep! Got back early this morning." Then she eyed Joey curiously. "And where have you been, Ms. Potter?"

This was, in a way, a moment of truth. She could lie about where she was in an effort to save Audrey's feelings, but she'd essentially be repeating history if she did that. If she wanted a future with Pacey - or even the chance for one - she needed to be honest. Joey unbuttoned her coat and shrugged it off slowly, which revealed her dress.

"Is that last night's dress?" Audrey asked coyly.

"Yeah," she admitted as she hung up the coat and then turned back to face her friend.

Audrey plopped down on her bed and tucked her hand beneath her chin. Expectantly she said, "So spill. Who's the lucky guy? And was he any good?"

Joey took a deep breath. "I was at Pacey's."

At first Audrey's eyes narrowed, but then she shook her head and chuckled. "There you go getting my hopes for nothing." When Audrey went to get up and go back to unpacking, she was stilled by Joey's voice.

"We're trying again, Audrey." At least Joey hoped so.

"What?"

"I'm still in love with Pacey. And I know deep down that he still loves me. We're trying again."

Audrey jumped up and began pacing. "I knew it. You both thought I was crazy. That I was imagining you were still hung up on each other. But I wasn't, was I?"

"No."

"How long has this been going on?"

"About a month."

"And when were you two planning on letting me and Dawson in on this new development?"

"Honestly, Audrey, I can't tell you. Right now I'm not even sure if there is anything worth telling."

"Trouble in paradise already?" she asked snarkily.

Joey, out of energy and bravado, sank to her bed. "I screwed up and I'm not sure if he'll get past it."

Audrey sighed and sat down next to her. "What happened?"

"Eddie came back."

"And you dumped Pacey for him only to realize you made a mistake, right? But Pacey hasn't been as forgiving as you thought he would be?"

Joey let the tears she'd been holding back begin to fall.

"I can't lie to you and say I'm not upset over being kept in the dark about your little reconciliation. But, that said, I only want you both to be happy. I realized in rehab that Pacey and I were never meant to last with or without your involvement. So, my advice to you is to fight for him."

"That's what I've been doing all morning," Joey admitted between sniffles.

"One morning isn't going to fix this. He needs to know you'll be there for the long haul. That when shit hits the fan, you won't push him away. You're running a marathon, Bunny, not a sprint."

When Joey looked at her confusedly through tear-blurred eyes, all Audrey said was "Think about it."

~zzzzzzz~

Since Pacey didn't get to work until nearly eleven thanks to his conversation and detour with Joey, he ended up staying until after eight. He unlocked the apartment door with one hand while he held his briefcase and Chinese takeout in the other. "Jackers!" he shouted, "I've got Chinese."

"Jack isn't here. He went out with David. He said not to wait up."

Pacey froze at the sound of her voice. "Joey, what are you doing here?"

She came over to him and grabbed the takeout bag from his hand and then went over to the kitchen island to unpack it. "I came over earlier and Jack said I could wait."

"Why?"

"So we could finish our discussion."

"How long have you been here?"

"About three hours." When he frowned, she added, "But it's okay. I got a lot of studying done for my finals, so the peace and quiet worked out. Especially now that Audrey's back."

"Audrey's back?" He asked as he moved to the living room to put down his briefcase on the coffee table and shuck his suit jacket.

"She knows."

He froze mid-sleeve roll. "Knows what?"

"About us. About the past month. And that I'm hoping for a future."

He finished rolling up his sleeves and loosened his tie. "And how did she take it?" he asked warily.

Joey shrugged. "Better than Dawson."

"You told Dawson?" He couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice.

"Yeah." Joey didn't elaborate. All she did was scoop out the food for each of them onto paper plates and brought them over to the coffee table.

"And…" he prompted.

"What do you want to drink?" she asked lightly as she headed back to the fridge.

"There should be some sodas in the fridge. I'll take one of those."

"Still hungover?"

"Yeah, a little."

She brought the sodas back and sat next to him on the couch. Pacey waited impatiently for her to continue with the Dawson explanation, but she didn't.

"Jo, what did you say to Dawson?"

She looked over and smiled triumphantly. Shit. He did it again.

"I took the train to Capeside this afternoon and we went for a late lunch. I told him I'm still in love with you and want you back."

"What did he say?"

"That I'm setting myself up to be hurt again. That it will be a colossal mistake. And that he won't be there to pick up the pieces this time."

At that, Pacey got angry. He said nothing to Dawson over sleeping with Joey while he had a girlfriend. "Where the fuck does he get off?! You have barely spoken in months because of what he pulled on your birthday. But yet he feels like he has the right to dictate what we might do?"

As Pacey's anger rose, Joey's smile widened. "What?!"

"You said 'we'." She paused when he gave her a look, but then continued. "And I said the exact same thing to him."

"Good for you."

She stood up and walked over to where he was standing. "So, now that it's just you and me, the question is whether we can work it out."

"I haven't made any decisions yet, Joey. I need some time."

"I can wait. In the meantime, there's Chinese to be eaten."

~zzzzzzz~

Joey felt much lighter after revealing her intentions regarding Pacey to Audrey and Dawson.

While Joey was riding the honesty train with Pacey and concerning Pacey, she had purposely left out that they had actually been trying again when she talked to Dawson. Given his reaction to the idea of them as an item again, which she thinks stemmed more from him wanting and not getting another chance after their one night stand, she didn't want to deal with the meltdown that was bound to ensue over the actuality of it. Not that there was much of an actuality at this point. She was here with Pacey, but that was it. He was definitely keeping his distance both physically and emotionally.

She'd gotten him to agree to let her stay overnight, but that was it. He stayed as far away from her on the bed as possible. But, as far as Joey was concerned, proximity was a good thing. She had packed a bag but purposely 'forgot' pajamas, so she had to wear her panties and his t-shirt. He had always liked everything she wore, but nothing had turned him on like seeing her in his clothes. She was capitalizing on that fact.

After they ate, he worked on paperwork while she studied for her lit exam. She did occasionally glance up at him as he concentrated on his work. It was only then that Joey realized just how much of Pacey's life she hadn't been privy to lately. Seeing him so dedicated and determined was amazing, but it also saddened her because she could tell his heart wasn't into it the way it was into cooking and sailing. Would the respect he craved come at the price of his soul?

Pacey told Joey he was going into work again around ten for a half day, so she decided to cook him breakfast. She got up earlier than him and snuck downstairs only to come face-to-face with Jack and Jen munching on pastries at the island.

Feeling self-conscious at being caught roaming the apartment in only a t-shirt and her panties, she gave a shy, "Hey, guys," as a greeting.

"Joey? What are you doing here?" Jen asked curiously.

"Did Pacey crash at the office again?" an unsurprised Jack interjected between bites. He looked at Jen. "She came over yesterday afternoon, but Pacey was still at the office."

"Ahh," Jen nodded in understanding. Joey assumed she assumed Joey crashed in his room - alone.

"Does he often crash there?" Joey couldn't help but inquire.

"Yeah. Between his crazy-long hours and all his dinner meetings, I barely see him."

"Does he like it?"

Jack just shrugged and Jen grimaced.

"I take that as a no."

"I think he tolerates it because it's part of the job. He and Audrey used to fight about it all the time." Jack volunteered. "Even Emma gave him a hard time over it."

"Oh," Joey said as she poured herself some coffee. "I didn't know."

"You were busy with Eddie." This from Jen. "It's understandable."

Before anyone could say anything else, Pacey came down the spiral staircase. "Hey, kiddies. How was your double-date?"

At this new development, Jen and Jack gasped and stared at Joey in amazement and confusion.

"Good," Jack eeked out. Pacey replied with a "That's nice," as he finished packing his briefcase.

"What, no jacket today, Pace?" Joey joked as he came to the island and grabbed a muffin.

He tweaked her nose. "It's Sunday, Potter. I get to dress down."

"Lucky you," she said sarcastically as she poured him some coffee into his travel mug. She tried not to jump from the current she felt when their hands brushed as he grabbed it from her. "What time will you be home?"

"I have a conference call and then a meeting with Rinaldi about the new trainees coming in next week plus commissions to approve and client accounts to review, so probably not until three or four."

"That's a half-day?"

He laughed half-heartedly. "Considering I'm working six to six tomorrow, yeah." Then he patted her upper arm affectionately. "I'll see ya, Jo." He turned to Jack and Jen to say his goodbyes and left.

When the door closed behind him, Joey sighed sadly. "He's miserable. I wish I'd seen it sooner."

"How do you know?" Jen asked. "He seems fine."

"Because I know him better than anyone."

"He won't quit." Jack stated. "We've all tried, but he doesn't listen. He's determined to stick it out."

Joey took a sip of her coffee. "Maybe he just hasn't had the right incentive to quit."

"And what kind of incentive do you plan to offer him, Joey?" Jen inquired with her 'I'll get to the bottom of this' face.

"Whatever it takes."

"What's going on, Joey?" Jack asked.

"We're trying again."

At that Jen and Jack both jumped up and ran around the island to hug her. When they released her, they began pounding her with questions until they realized her excitement didn't match theirs.

"What happened?" Jen asked.

"I'll save you the story, but suffice it to say that I screwed up and pushed him away on Friday night. He hasn't been as quick to forgive me as I hoped. So I'm giving him some time to come back around."

"I saw Eddie's car outside the bar on Thursday night after Pacey came in. Would that have anything to do with Pacey's reluctance to forgive and forget?" Jack asked protectively.

"Yeah."

"Oh, Joey," Jen leaned in to hug her again, but Joey pulled back.

"No, it's okay. I'm fighting for him. And I can wait. Even if it kills me."

Jen winked at that. "He's been hands-off, huh?"

"What you saw down here has been the extent of things."

"Don't worry, you'll break him. He never had the willpower to resist you," Jack offered reassuringly.

"I hope you're right."