Joey hesitated. "Yeah." She answered slowly. "Yeah I do."

"Great." Jen began looking through Joey's clothes to find something. She tossed the items to Joey. "Put these on. I'll be waiting outside."

"Okay."

Joey sat on her bed, thinking hard about the movie. It was incredibly, tragically, romantic. The boy and girl had never gotten along, and then they finally hooked up, more in love than anything. And then the boy had died, and the girl was left alone, haunted by the memories of her deceased lover. She died 30 years later, miserable and alone. Then the screen flashed: 10 years later, and there was the same two people, only they were young again, and they were going through the same movements they had so many years ago.

That got Joey thinking hard. She hoped that the cycle could be broken. She prayed that it would be. The two people, so obviously in love, deserved to be happy.

It wasn't fair.

Life, wasn't fair.

Joey started to cry.

Without knowing it, Joey was reaching for the phone next to her bed and dialing a number she'd stolen from Dawson when he wasn't paying attention.



On the other side of the city, Pacey woke up to hear the phone ring. He tried to focus in on the blurry digital numbers of the clock next to his bed. It was 2:30 in the morning. Pacey groaned and stood up, picking up the phone.

"Hello?" He asked groggily into the phone.

He was greeted by crying that he knew all too well.

"I'll be right there Jo." Pacey promised, and shut off the phone. He grabbed his clothes and ran out the door.



Pacey simply stared back at Joey when she finished the story about the movie. He closed his eyes, thinking hard, and then opened them to find her studying him.

"What do you want from me Jo?" Pacey asked softly. He gestured around the room, looking for words to express how he felt. "I-I did everything you asked. You said jump, I said how high? You said stay away, I did. You said come, I did. But it's-it's getting harder Jo. The lion can be smacked only so often with the whip before he fights back. I can't keep going and coming."

"I want you to be my friend again." Joey whispered. "I want us to be like we were before we were best friends and dating. I want us to be back to our old enemy best friend routine. I miss fighting with you and you bugging me."

"I can't Jo." Pacey's voice broke. "I-I can't, can't go back to that. I can't purposefully hurt you, and I can't fight with you anymore. I can't do it. I can't look at you, and not remember what it was like to hold you, and kiss you, and love you." He stood up and turned his back to her, looking out the window through a crack in the curtains. "When I look at you, I see your face smiling back at me. I see you laying next to me in our bed, looking at me with eyes that are so trusting that it hurts. I see every good time we've ever had." He turned to look at her, his voice low. "So you'll forgive me if I don't fight with you anymore."

"I miss being your friend Pacey." Joey's voice was soft. "I miss you."

Pacey swallowed, his eyes looking up around the room as he took a deep breath, trying to block tears. "You don't get it, Jo. I can't be your friend. I'll try to kiss you, or hold you, or do something else."

"You're not now."

Pacey shook his head. "This is different."

"Why? This is all I want from you."

Pacey stopped moving. "Was it always?"

Joey stared at him. "No. No! Of course not."

"Are you sure Jo? Are you sure you weren't always subconsiously using me to get at Dawson?"

"What? Pacey, where is all of this coming from?"

"No place." Pacey turned away from her again. "Are you okay now?"

"No. I'll never be 'okay' Pacey." Joey sighed, and stood up. That got Pacey's attention. She wore one of his old jersies and a pair of boxer shorts. She walked over to him, standing directly in front of him. He looked ready to take a step back any second. "I'm probably kidding myself," Joey began softly. "I can't be your friend either." She laughed slightly. "It was a pathetic attempt to keep you in my life without being actually with you." She paused.

"What are you saying Jo?" God, his voice was so sexy when it was low like that.

"I do want to be with you Pacey, but I think we need some time apart. I think you should have told me why you were avoiding me instead of hurting me for so long. But at the same time, I know you did it to protect me. So I think we should stay away from each other... To figure things out." She took a deep breath. "When we come to a conclusion, we can tell the other, and we can figure things out from there." She looked down. "I'll understand if you want to date other people while we're separated."

"Will you?" He almost choked on the words.

Her dark eyes locked with his green, and she shook her head. "I couldn't."

Pacey almost laughed with relief, but the only thing that happened was a smile that came to his mouth. "Me either."

Joey smiled back.

"I should go." Pacey said softly, taking a step back.

"Oh. R-right."

"Bye Jo." Pacey hesitated for a second, then lightly kissed her. "I'll be in touch."

"Me too." Joey tried to grin.

Pacey gently stroked her cheek, and then he was gone.

Leaving Joey much happier.



"Joey, you look positively happy." Jen commented with a smile. "Thank God."

Joey giggled, astonishing Jen and Dawson. "I'm gonna go get a movie. You guys wanna come?"

"Sure." Dawson shrugged, and he turned to Jen.

"I'll stay here." Jen kissed her boyfriend sweetly, and then watched them, waving, as they walked through the woods.

"So does this sudden mood swing have anything to do with Pacey's?" Dawson teased as they walked. "When is he moving back in?"

"When we reach a decision." Joey smiled and slipped her arm through Dawson's. "We agreed to figure some things out before we thought about getting back together."

"Really." Dawson eyed her. "Why?"

"Because I'm still hurt, and I think he is too."

Dawson shook his head, deciding not to try and argue that. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

Joey took a deep, shaking breath before breezing into the video store with a careless ease that Dawson knew she wasn't feeling.

"How can I-" Pacey broke off as he saw who it was. He grinned. "The English Patient is third aisle, left side, four movies in."

Joey strolled easily up to the counter. "Well it just so happens that I'm not here for that movie Pace. I'm looking for a nice bloody one. You know the type. Where the girl gets together with the guy, they break up, and she kills him with a butcher knife."

"I believe it was a spoon." Pacey teased.

"There's more than one?" Joey mocked interest.

"Yeah, but not in this small place." Pacey winked at her, and she rolled her eyes but grinned as well.

"I'm looking for a classic." Joey sighed, leaning against the counter with her elbow on the top and her chin in her hand. "Something incredibly romantic."

"Tragically?"

"Of course."

Pacey ran his finger over a row of movies and pulled one out. "Here ya go." He handed it to her. "Free of charge."

Joey eyed him with mock suspicion. "What do you want?" She asked warily.

Pacey put a hand over his heart. "Jo, you wound me. You really do."

Joey giggled, and he grinned back at her.

"We'd better go. Bye Pace."

"Bye Jo. See ya D."

"Bye Pace." Dawson eyed the two warily as he and Joey exited the store. He immediately started in on Joey.

"What was that all about?"

Joey smiled slightly. "What's left to lose Dawson? There's no where else to hide. You gotta learn to say goodbye sometime. Pacey and I did so, just now."

"What?" Dawson was confused.

"Dawson, Pacey and I are through." Joey smiled sadly. "We just broke up."



Joey walked along the beach barefooted. Her shoes were casually discarded several yards ago, forgotten and not missed. Joey was enjoying this. This wonderful feel of the cold night air mixed with the water gently lapping at her ankles.

"You're gonna get hurt if you stay out here for too long." Someone said.

Joey turned around. "Excuse me?" She studied the stranger for an instant, getting scared.

"There's some wacko killing people, and you're out here in the dead of night in the middle of no where. No one's going to hear you if you scream." The man shook his head. "Forgive me if I'm a little worried."

"Who are you?" Joey was throughly confused.

"Do you really want to know?"

Now Joey was throughly scared. "Yes."

He laughed. "I'm your science teacher."