Joey sighed as she pushed the drawer of the china cabinet back into place. Nothing. But at least she was one room closer to having completed her search. Plus, she hadn't seen Pacey all day. Part of her was kind of hurt he hadn't sought her out. The other, more logical part, knew she was better off with him staying out of her hair.

A low growl sounded from her stomach and she finally acknowledged that she was hungry, having had nothing since her piece of toast at breakfast. The scent of something tangy and sweet wafted from the kitchen as she approached.

She paused in the doorway, finding him up to his elbows in flour, kneeling in front of the open oven. His dark jeans were smoothed taut over his ass, and Joey couldn't help but lick her lips. "Hmmm..."

Pacey heard the sound, and turned, flashing her a suave smile, "Hungry?"

She flushed under his gaze, "Yeah, kinda." She tried to act as unaffected as possible as she moved into the room. "I didn't know you cooked."

He tilted his side in a gesture that tugged at her heart, "I don't really. Just baking."

"It smells delicious. What are you making?"

"There are coconut lemon bars in the oven right now," he turned to the cookbook dusted with flour sitting on the counter, "And I'm trying to decide between Peach Pie and white chocolate cookies."

"Add a frilly apron and you'd make the picture perfect house-wife." She teased lightly.

"Laugh all you want, Potter." He scoffed, "But just you wait, some man is going to domesticate you one of these days."

She sighed, and drew patterns in the flour dusting the table. "You certainly managed to make a mess."

"Why on earth are you in Capeside, Jo?" He hadn't meant to ask the question, hadn't even realized it was weighig on his mind.

She looked up at him in surpise, "I-It's as good a place as any."

He wrinkled his nose as he cleared the table of dirty bowls, putting them in the sink. "You hated living here."

She shrugged shoulder, "It's not so bad." He arched an eyebrow at her. "It isn't. I like living here. The people are...well, not nice, exactly, but familar. It's safe. Bessie and Bodie are here. I have a good job, which gives me time to paint. It's on the coast. I-"

"You still paint?" Pacey interupted her.

"Yeah," she grinned, "I've had a few pieces go to show."

He smiled simply because she did, "That's great, any of them sell?"

"A few." She blushed faintly.

"How many?" He gave her a knowing smile.

"Eighteen"

"Impressive." He pulled out a clean bowl from the cupboard next to the sink. "Where are you working in the mean time?"

"I teach art and a little bit of art history at the community college."

"Yeah," a curious smile crosses his face as he started pulling out incrediants. "You know, I never pictured you as a teacher. But I can see that. I bet they adore you."

He was charming her again, but that knowledge didn't stop the warmth from uncurling in the pit of her stomach. "Some do. Some don't." She stood and grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table.

"But you enjoy it. And there's the bonus of summers off."

"Yeah," she smiled, this was nice. Just talking to him, no sexual innuendos. "So what's being a movie star like?" She took a bite of her apple.

"First of all, I'm not a star." She gave him a skeptical look as she chewed. "Maybe in my home town, but as far as Hollywood is concerned, I'm a nobody."

Rolling her eyes, she swallowed, "Please Pacey, I know for a fact you've got three movies lined up, not to mention a film being written specifically for you. You're the most desired actor there is."

"You've been following my career?" He measured out two cups of flour and added them to a bowl.

"You thought I wouldn't? Everyone in this town knows everything there is to know about you, Pace."

He shrugged, "They haven't got anything better to do with their time."

"So what's the second thing?"

"Huh?"

"I asked what it was like to be a star, and you said first thing, that you weren't a star. So what's the second?" She slid onto the table top next to where he was working, taking the last bite of her apple.

"Oh," he shrugged, mixing in sugar, a touch of cinnimon and three eggs, "There isn't really a second. It's kinda surreal to watch myself on screen. Or have complete strangers know me by name." He shrugged again, "It's a good kind of surreal though."

"You're amazing on screen," she said quietly, almost hesitant to give him a compliment.

"I like to act." He started mixing in the incrediants. "It's more comfortable being someone else sometimes," he said gruffly.

She dipped her finger into the batter, "You look pretty comfortable right now." She attempted to lighten the mood.

He chuckled, throwing a pinch of flour at her. "You're mocking me."

She dipped her hand into the flour and threw it at his chest, a pleased smiling gracing her face at the mess it made. "I think you deserve it after all the teasing you've done."

He arched an eyebrow, "I haven't teased you once, Potter. I plan to follow through on everything I've said."

"Save it, Pace," She commanded with a mischevious smile. "It isn't gonna happen."

He grinned, "I've always loved a challenge."

"Oh, bite me, Pacey." She flicked a piece of egg shell at him and giggled when it bounced off his nose.

"That's it." He threw down the spoon in mock anger and threw a handful of flour at her.

"Oh!" she opened her mouth in shock, her laugher eching through the warm kitchen. She giggled, rubbing a handful of flour into his hair.

"That was cheap," he retaliated, sending the white flour across her chest.

"It was no more than you deserve," she teased, cupping a handful of the heavy white power and blowing it in his face.

Pacey laughed, dipping his finger into the halfmade cookie batter he flicked the dough at her, sending sweet flecks across her cheek.

"You did not just do that."

"I think I just did," he grinned at her. She smiled mischeivously, glancing from him to the bowl of dough. "Noooooo...whatever it is you're thinking, don't you dare."

Her lips curved wickedly and she picked up the bowl, weighing it in her hands. "You know, I've heard cookie dough is good for the complexion." He chuckled attempting to take the bowl from her, "Oh, no. This has Pacey's face written all over it."

His hands covered hers, attempting to loosen her grasp on the bowl. The touch was electric and their eyes met, it was only a second before his lips found hers, but it felt like an eternity.