Dislaimer: Not mine. Frog people's.



"Never there."

"Excuse me?" Pacey turned around, startled. The girl standing in front of him was solemn and, well, angry.

"You're never there."

"What are you talking about?" Pacey was quickly becoming annoyed, but also guilty.

"You leave her alone in that house by herself while the rest of us go out. You make her stay there. And why? Do you even have a reason?"

"She's going to get hurt." Pacey shifted uncomfortably, and quickly went back to his inventory. "She's just a girl." It wasn't a sexist remark meaningfully, just a statement. Joey could not take care of herself.

"No one's worried about this guy hurting her, Pacey." Jen glared at him, ignoring the 'just a girl' part. "We're worried about you hurting her."

"I have to work." Pacey said lamely.

"24/7?!" Jen shrieked. Pacey winced and ran his finger over a row of tapes. Jen composed herself, and spoke through gritted teeth. "Listen to me, wise ass. Joey's in love with you, and right now you're tearing yourself away from her. You're never there when she wants to talk, or when she just wants to be held. So who ends up doing it? Dawson!" Pacey turned quickly, his eyes wide and his breath catching. Jen nodded satisfactoringly. "See. I knew you'd get jealous. Frankly, I'm jealous too. My boyfriend is there taking care of your girlfriend, something you should be doing."

"I just need time to think."

"Your thinking is going to cost you everything you want." Jen shook her head in disgust. "Good bye Pacey."



Pacey looked down at the beautiful woman laying sleeping on her bed. His bed. Their bed. Pacey sat down softly, so as to not disturb her. He couldn't believe how she'd grown up from the gangly girl he'd loved to this slender, georgeous woman before him. And she was his. She wanted to be his. But he kept pushing her away.

And he was going to do it again.

Pacey stood up and walked to the door to their room. He'd be camping on the couch tonight.

"Don't leave me." The soft voice from the bed whirled him around as if he'd been physically spun. Joey's bright eyes burned into his. "I need you."

Pacey hesitated. "I think it would be best if I sleep on the couch."

"Do you?"

The way that she said it hurt.

He forced himself to speak. "Yes."

Joey's eyes closed and opened slowly. "Then go." She said softly, simply. She watched him as he slowly shut the room to their door and left her.

Alone.



Pacey entered the bedroom at 11:30. He quietly took off his shoes and socks, and then stripped out of his shirt.

He looked lovingly down at Joey, and gently kissed her. She responded as if she was awake, kissing him sweetly.

Pacey was startled, and at first just stood there. Then he sank down onto the bed next to her, still kissing her, and pulled her into his arms. He pulled away, and found her bright eyes wide open.

He opened his mouth to answer, but Joey didn't want to chance him saying something and leaving. She couldn't handle it again. So instead, she placed her mouth over his again.

The kiss went on for several minutes, but again Pacey broke it. He stood up and faced her, while she sat up and stared back at him soulfully.

"If I kiss you, you'll end up thinking I'm only using you for sex Jo, and that's not right." Pacey put his hand on the doorknob of the outside of the door. "I should go."

"Pacey!" The desperation in her voice turned him back. Her eyes were filled with tears, pleading with him. "Don't leave me."

Pacey paused. "Good night Joey."

"Pacey?"

He turned back to her again.

"I don't want you to come back." She said it plainly, as if she didn't care.

He nodded. "I won't. Good bye Joey."

And then the door was closed and he was gone.



Pacey stared down at the letters scattered on his bed. Each with different words, but the same message:

There were pictures too, god were there pictures. Pictures of Joey and Pacey together in some… well… compromising positions. Fully clothed, of course, but still! There were pictures of Joey crying and Pacey holding her, and there were pictures of Joey after she'd been raped. The only thing there weren't pictures of was Joey actually being raped.

Pacey had moved into his own apartment, getting the same great deal he'd gotten when he'd first moved in. The nice woman actually gave him back his same old room so he wouldn't have to get used to a new one.

But he was far from happy.

Joey refused to talk to him, a good thing really, but it still hurt. Dawson was completely avoiding and ignoring him, and Jen was just trying to put things back the way they were before. But no one except her and Joey wanted that, and Joey wasn't admitting to it.

Pacey sighed miserably and signed online. He had to keep checking his mail. This guy was dangerous in the worst way.

Sure enough, the hacker had left another letter. Pacey opened it.

The doorbell rang. Pacey left his computer and went to the door, curious. He hadn't told anyone that he'd moved back here.

"Pacey Whitter?"

"Yes."

The man handed him a clipboard. "Sign here."

Pacey scribbled his name and handed it back.

"Here ya go." The man picked up a bouquet of red roses and handed it to Pacey, who took it by the vase in surprise.

"Thank you." Pacey's delighted smile didn't escape the warm eyes of the deliverer. Pacey shut the door and searched for the card, which he found.

"Keep staying away."

Pacey dropped the vase on the ground, smashing it into pieces. He grabbed his keys, threw his shoes on, grabbed something from his desk, and ran out the door, card in hand.

"Read this!" Pacey thrust the card in front of Joey's surprised face. Something like shock registered across her face, to be replaced with a dawning of recognition.

"What's going on?" Dawson asked, coming up behind Joey. Pacey's sharp eyes didn't miss how his hand went on her shoulder, and she leaned back against him.

"You tell me." Pacey sounded distant, a bit off as he glared at Dawson. "I'm gone for a few weeks, and already you've stolen my girlfriend?"

Dawson looked slightly startled, but then grim. "So what if I did, huh Pace? What are you going to do about it? She's not your girlfriend anymore."

"What am I going to do about it? I'll show you." Pacey grabbed him by the shirt collar and dragged him outside while Joey screamed at them to stop and for Jen to hurry. Before Joey reached them in the yard, Pacey had already swung and Dawson was on the ground. The boys fought for several seconds until a hand caught Pacey's fist and pushed back.

Pacey had to take a step to keep from falling over, and he glared at Joey.

"You think this is going to solve anything?!" Joey demanded furiously. "You want to fight someone Pacey Whitter, you fight me. I'll be happy to kick the crap out of you for how you've treated me."

She produced the card, waving it in front of his face. "But if this is the reason, if you've been scared for me, then why should I be angry?" She shoved him on the chest, and he went flying backwards onto the grass. "And what right do you have to be? Looks to me like everything went as you planned!" She kicked him in the side then. Not hard, but enough to make him open his eyes a little wider. "Youplanned Pacey! The way that you planned!"

"So what? I should feel guilty for trying to save your life?"

"No, you should be a martyr for trying to save my life! You're an ass because you hurt me!"

"It was the only way!"

"No, it wasn't." Her voice took such a dramatic fall that it was almost louder than their shouts. "Because I want you to stay away from me. We really are breaking up, Pace."

She took a step back.

"And that's the end."