"What is it?"

"Well, I'm going to be fairly busy with this movie I'm writing, and my dad told me he knew someone in Boston that was thinking of having another contest for young film-makers. They're having a convention this weekend."

"But Dawson, that's wonderful."

"I won't see you until Monday. That's more than 4 days away." She grinned to herself, curling a leg up underneath her.

"It's alright. Just go and have a good time. I'll see you when you get back."

"You sure? Because if you want me to stay, I will."

"Yeah, and you'll be miserable, moping around for weeks, silently telling yourself it was me that made you stay, and secretly you'll resent even asking me, my answer, and me for telling you I wanted you here." She took a breath, trying not to laugh. "So I want you to go, and have a good time." Joey heard him chuckling on the other end. "So what did you want to ask me?"

The laughter stopped and she could feel his tentative smile as he spoke.

"Well, the dance is next week...and I was just wondering if you'd go with me." She rolled here eyes.

"Dawson, of course I'll go with you. You didn't have to ask you know."

"Yeah, but I thought it would be more romantic." Joey burst out in peals of laughter.

"This is really weird, you know." She closed her eyes as a breeze blew through the restaurant. "I never would have imagined that you'd do something like that. At least not with me." She heard the smile in his voice.

"Well, things change." She grinned and brought her knees to her chest. Joey looked up at the cloud-filled sky and blinked, the cold wind blowing over her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two people approaching. Her teeth tugged at her lip and she stood up, walking to the counter.

"Dawson, I have to go. We're gonna be closing up in a few minutes."

"Alright, come by and say goodbye tomorrow morning."She nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see her.

"See you then, goodbye."

Her eyes were glued to the stairs, to the couple coming up the stairs, and she uttered under her breath, "yeah, Dawson...things do change..."

"Joey!" She turned slowly, willing the owner of the voice to disappear, but to her disappointment, Pacey was still standing there when she looked.

"What do you want?" He grinned and looked at Andie who was waving to her brother.

"How about a steak, well done, with a side of ..." He broke off as her eyes narrowed.

"We're closed. You can have water and that's it for tonight." As she slid onto the counter top, she saw him raise his gaze follow Andie as she went over to Jack. Joey thought it'd be awkward around Pacey, after the night before, but she found him just as annoying and obnoxious as ever...possibly more. In fact, she thought, I'm pretty much unaffected...

And then she saw the way he was looking at her.

Be cold...be strong. Don't look at him...

She shifted her gaze to his ear, trying to break the tension she was feeling. But now, he was walking toward her, disregarding the pair at the table across the floor. He sat on a stool, arms folded on the counter, his sleeve touching her bare leg as he rested his chin on his hands and looked at her.

She clenched her jaw, glancing quickly at the twins and then looking at Pacey.

"Go away," she hissed, bending down, so he would hear her. He brought his face up, level with hers, and she jerked away.

"We need to talk." He turned away from the counter, looking across the room, giving Andie a little wave. She smiled and continued talking to Jack. "Can you meet me after you get done here?" She glared.

"I can, but I won't." He frowned at her and reached up to take her hand. She pulled away the second his fingertips made contact with hers. "Don't do that. Leave." He sighed.

"I'm not leaving until you talk to me," he whispered. They both sat up a bit as Jack and Andie walked over, Andie talking a mile a minute.

"Pacey, I'm gonna catch a ride with Jack. I'm not really all that hungry anyway. Thanks, though, Joey." Joey looked up and smiled slightly.

"Don't worry about it. Are you sure you don't want something to drink, or anything?" She caught Pacey's look, and knew that he knew she was stalling, trying to get them to stay.

Jack shrugged."None for me. I think it's time I got home anyway. I've been here for a little bit too long." The corner of her mouth turned up as Joey nodded in agreement.

"Have a good night then." She slid off the other side of the counter as Pacey watched them walk down the stairs and across the street.

Joey untied her apron and pitched it into the closet, her mind screaming. She walked into the kitchen and swung around the doorway.

"Bes, I'm leaving. I'll see you at home." She got an affirmative grunt for an answer and she felt a pang of guilt for leaving her sister up to her elbows in greasy dishwater, but in the end, walked out of the room, past Pacey, and down the steps. She'd gone a block when she whirled around and slammed into him.

"I don't want to talk to you right now, and I don't want to listen to whatever pathetic drivel comes out of your mouth, so just leave me the hell alone!" She turned away, but he grabbed her elbow and pulled her back.

"We need to talk. And we're going to do it now. So give up...I'll follow you home and sit on your porch all night if I have to get you to listen to me." She sneered.

"I'll go inside and lock the door." He raised an eyebrow.

"I do know where the extra key is. Don't fool yourself, Josephine. This is going to happen." With her free hand, she shoved him. To her dismay, he began to laugh.

"Is it seriously going to kill you to spend ten minutes with me?"

"It might at that." He shrugged and towed her across the street. Then they came to a halt, looking at each other indifferently.

"I can't make you be reasonable about this...but we are going to talk about it. If not for our well-being, for the well-being of our friends." She stared at him, eyes narrowing even more, nails digging into his arm.

He looked back at her, eyes locking, his arms at his sides.

After a while, she forced her eyes away, shoving her hands in her pockets and walked down the street. Pacey matched her stride and when she turned at the pier, he walked along side her. Finally, they came to a stop, sitting on the end, wood scraping Joey's bare legs and wind pitching her hair into Pacey's face.

He closed his eyes briefly as he caught the sweet scent of peaches. She folded her arms, rubbing at them to warm them against the chill. The sun was hidden behind the clouds, the sky was a dark gray, covered by white feathery whisps and what looked like huge scoops of dark blueberry ice cream. In the distance, thunder sounded, and Joey could see the rain coming. At last, she turned to him, hands tight around her elbows, legs swinging against the pier.

"So, now what?" He opened his eyes and looked at her. For an instant, she didn't dare breathe. His eyes were the color of the water at that exact moment. And they were shining; she could see her reflection in them. After a second, it was gone as he turned away.

"I'm sorry about last night." Joey pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them.

"Good." He looked at her and frowned.

"I'm sorry you ran out like that. I didn't mean to scare you like that." She leaned her cheek against her arm, facing him.

"I wasn't scared." He shrugged and looked out over the water.

"Fine. Startled then, or whatever. I'm sorry at any rate."

"It was a mistake." He turned to her, eyes catching her own. After a second, he nodded.

"Yeah, I guess it was." She swallowed hard. The wind was beginning to blow harder, she could smell the dampness in the air.

"I wish I could promise you that, but I can't." She tore her eyes away, shivering violently. Ignoring her resistance, he pulled her closer, an arm around her shoulders. He bent his head down and whispered into her ear. "Don't be afraid of me. I'm just trying to keep you warm. We could go back to my house if you don't want to stay out here." She looked up at him sharply and seemed to shrink inside her clothes.

"No. I like the rain. We can stay." He nodded.

"I don't want to hurt anyone, least of all Dawson, but this has gotten too hard. And last night, I saw it in your eyes." Joey watched as it began to sprinkle, spots of wetness landing on the dock. "You were looking at me like Dawson had never been born. I'd forgotten all about Andie, and things were perfect...just for a few minutes." She closed her eyes, sighing quietly. When she opened them, her eyelashes were wet.

Joey sat curled up against Pacey, his arm tight around her, damp from the rain. Her feet were tucked under her, her head pressed against his shoulder. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be here, but she knew she didn't want to leave. When she raised her eyes, she found Pacey looking at her, his eyes reflecting a tenderness she'd never seen before. His hand reached up and rested on her head, fingertips stroking her hair gently. She tried to speak over the huge lump that had formed in the back of her throat.

"I can't hurt him. I can't. I'd rather die..." He was closer now, she felt his breath on her cheek. She half-closed her eyes, feeling his fingertips slide down her neck and under her chin, tilting it up. His thumb passed over her lips once, and she breathed a barely audible, "No...".

The rain was coming down now, the drops hitting the pier hard, making tiny pools on the wooden slats. She turned her face up to his, lips brushing roughly against his. Seconds later, his mouth was on hers, a clash of lips and teeth and tongue. She leaned up, kneeling beside him. Pacey took her face in his hands, kissing her first gently and then, pressing her against him, he kissed her harder. She sat between his legs, arms around his neck. The rain was pelting now, but neither of them felt it. Joey's hair streamed down her back, her shirt was soaked through.

Across town, Dawson packed a picture of Joey, Pacey and himself into his suitcase. Across town, Andie was curled up on the couch, thinking of how wonderful her night had been. On the pier, two figures sat tangled in each other's arms, lips swollen and clothes soaked with rain and sweat.