Joey sat down on the queen size bed of the hotel as she picked up the phone and began to dial her sister's number. Bessie would kill both her and Pacey if she had known the real reason and their location but Joey had come up with a plausible lie on the way to the hotel. She watched Pacey watch her from across the room as she explained to Bessie why she hadn't shown up to her post-lunch classes and why she wouldn't be returning until tomorrow. She said good-bye before she hung up the phone.

"She seemed a little doubtful, but I think she bought it."

"When does she expect you back?" He asked from the desk he was leaning against, his arms crossed over his chest.

"A few hours after whenever we wake up tomorrow morning," Joey told him sliding over to the middle of the bed and sitting Indian-style. "You want to call your parents?"

He arched an eyebrow at her, "Do I want to live to see eighteen??"

"Wouldn't you get in more trouble by not mentioning the fact that you won't be in at all this evening?" She asked him.

"I think skipping the country with my--with you, will get me in a hell of a lot more trouble than if they just think I slept over at Dawson's."

She nodded, "Speaking of sleeping, I need your shirt."

"To sleep in?" He arched an eyebrow at her.

"No, to make it easier to rip the rest of your clothes off," She said dryly. "Yes, to sleep in. I know I have a history of sleep overs that included me wearing my day clothes, I'm just not in the mood for it tonight."

"Yeah, sure." He shrugged, and tugged his shirt over his head. He threw it across the bed, leaving him bare-chested. "You tired already?"

She shrugged, picking the shirt up, and trying not to look up at his half naked body. "A little, it was a long car ride and all. You want to order some food while I go change?"

"Sure, pizza ok?" He headed for the phone, and sat on the edge of the bed and shifted through the drawer for the phone book.

"It's fine," She told him as she headed into the bathroom, "Don't forget to order something to drink too."

He nodded and watched her disappear into the bathroom, then turned his attention to the phone book. After ordering the pizza and a 2-liter of soda he flopped down over the bed, his arms folded behind his head. This was probably the stupidest thing he'd done, driving to Canada on a whim, with Joey...after telling her he loved her, no less.

Joey pulled the shirt Pacey had given her over her head; it reached just a little bit under her thighs. She took out her ponytail and ran her hand through her hair. She felt as if she was insane, she had gone to Canada with Pacey. She had practically flirted with him the entire way here and now they were going to be in a hotel room, containing only one bed, while they were both half-naked. Not to mention the fact that he admitted to her and the entire school that he was in love with her. It was a little overwhelming to say the least. There was no doubt about it--she was insane. She pulled at the hem of the shirt, trying to get it down further before she reentered the room.

"All ordered?"

He tilted his head to answer her, but felt his mouth go dry. His eyes trailed up her long legs and over the hem of her shirt. The top two buttons were un-done, revealing an ample sliver of her skin. He swallowed thickly, thinking he'd never seen anything sexier than Joey Potter wearing his clothes. He rolled over onto his stomach and finally met her eyes, "Uh, yeah."

She circled around the bed, and sat next to him, "So how much longer?"

"Um," he cleared his throat, "The girl said half an hour."

She stretched out, lying next to him, "So what do you want to do until then?"

He tore his eyes away from her, "What I have in mind would take longer than half an hour. So, um, TV?"

She turned on her side looking at his face, once again tryingg to ignore the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt, "What'd you have in mind? Looking at buildings that are for sale so you can open up your own replica of The Paradise Lounge"

"Hmm...wouldn't it make more sense to rob the bank first?" He arched an eyebrow at her. "I was thinking maybe Bonnie & Clyde...pick up a few pointers, y'know."

"Oh right, forgive me for forgetting part of our grand plan," Joey told him. "The rumor mill would be so disappointed in me."

"I don't think so. You managed to provide them with plenty of gossip material. Between the two of us, we've provided consistent sources of gossip for the last three years. We're gonna go down in history."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh, how your words comfort me so."

"That was the point though, to get us far away from them?"

"Partially."

"And the other part?"

She shrugged, "It's not that important."

"Okay...but we've got an entire evening to kill. So if you have something in mind..."

She bit her lip, smiling up at him mischievously, "I don't think you'd be that interested."

"You think you know me that well?"

"Well, it's not something I like to brag about, but yeah."

"Really?" He gave her a skeptical look, "Because, really, Potter. We've only really become friends in the last four months. And before that...well, you know what we were like."

"Yeah, but Andie use to go on and on about you," Joey pointed out.

"And that means you know me?"

"It means I know you well enough."

"We'll see. Now what is it that I'm supposedly not going to be interested in?"

She shook her head, "Nuh-uh, not telling you."

"Potter, I think you owe me a confession or two here..." he said, "Make things a little more even?"

"Confessions here, huh? Well, I secretly love General Hospital and,"She thought for a second as there was a knock on the door, "The pizza's here."

"Ok, first off, General Hospital, Potter? And secondly, announcing the pizza guy is here, doesn't count." He rose from the bed and grabbed the Canadian money he'd laid out before answering the door.

She sat up, trying to decide how the most appropriate way to sit would be. She gave up and sat Indian style, placing a pillow on her lap.

"Hey, no one else knows the General Hospital thing, you should feel very privileged about that."

He exchanged the money for the pizza and soda and closed the door. "If you say so. Personally, I'd rather know what you sleep in at night."

She rolled her eyes, "Tank top and boxers."

"Okay, never mind." He put the pizza box in the center of the bed and flipped the lid open. "I thought it'd be more interesting than that."

"Well, I alternate between that and a lace nightie," She commented picking up a slice of pizza from the box.

"That's what I'm talkin' about." He smirked before disappearing into the bathroom to get the two plastic cups that sat beside the sink.

She shook her head, "You're too predictable, Witter."

"Still doesn't mean you know me." He replied returning. "And you still haven't told me what I wanted to know."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, "I really do sleep in boxers and a tank top."

"Hmm," he arched an eyebrow, his mouth full of pizza. "The other reason we're in Canada?" He reminded her after swallowing.

"Oh, that," She said, taking a sip of the soda, "I haven't told you that because I'm not going to."

"I kinda gathered that. But, see, you obviously don't know me well, because if you did, you'd know I'm not gonna let it go."

"Oh, I know you're not," She said, "But that's not going to stop me from not telling you."

"I have ways, Potter." He said warningly.

She raised an eyebrow, "What kind of ways?"

"I happen to know your most ticklish spots."

"Not with pizza and soda on the bed."

He shrugged, taking a bite of the pizza, "I'll wait."

"I'll lock myself in the bathroom while you're eating then," She warned.

"You gonna sleep there too?"

"Well I bet the bathtub is rather comfortable."

"Isn't that a little dramatic?"

"Aren't you being a little obsessional about the thing?"

"No...we're in Canada. A place I never really pictured myself traveling to. Mexico, sure. France, maybe. Tahiti, defiantly. Canada? No. I'd kinda like to know why we're here, and, for that matter, why you'd rather sleep in a bathtub than tell me the reason."

"It's really not that big of deal," She said. "Can we just go to bed?"

He eyed her silently. "Yeah. Sure," He gave in, taking the nearly empty pizza box and moving it to the desk.

"'Kay," She said, putting the pillow back, she pulled the blankets back going under the covers, and lying on her back. "Night."

He stood and grabbed the other pillow and threw it to the floor.

She sat up in bed, "What're you doing?"

"Going to sleep." He pulled off the top blanket from the bed, "What's it look like?"

"Not on the floor."

"Is that an order?" He asked, his eyebrows rose as he undid the fly of his jeans and kicked them away.

"Yes, it is. Sleep in the bed, Pacey," She told him.

"You sure that's a good idea?" He asked, standing over his makeshift bed wearing only his boxers and socks.

"Of course it is," she said, "Just get into bed."

"So, you can't tell me what's on your mind, but we can sleep together?" His brow furrowed as he spread the blanket back over the bed haphazardly.

"It's just sleeping Pacey."

"Yeah, and it's also just talking," he pressed putting the pillow back and climbing in beside her.

"There's a difference," She told him, "Go to sleep."

"What's the difference? This is far more intimate that just talking."

"Sleeping is?"

"Sharing a bed is."

"I shared a bed with Dawson for years, it didn't mean anything," She told him, "Why should this?"

"Because, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not Dawson."

"Trust me, I noticed that eons ago, Pacey."

"Then you know it's different."

"Fine, it's different," She said with a sigh, "Night."

"Do you have any idea how stubborn you are?" He asked with a sigh, turning on his side, his back to her.

"About as stubborn as you," She told him.

"Fine."

She sighed, closing her eyes. Maybe making him sleep in the bed wasn't such a good idea, having him so close, both of them wearing so little. The shirt smelt of Pacey. She groaned as she unknowingly rolled over, finding herself faced with Pacey's back. Why did he have to be so stubborn?

He felt her roll over and he stared unseeing across the room. He could sense her beside him so acutely; the heat of her body just inches away was wrecking havoc on his senses. There was little doubt in his mind that he'd be getting very little sleep that night sharing the same bed as Joey and not be able to touch her.

She stared at his bare back for what seemed like ages. She knew she should turn away, but she really didn't want to. She just had this urge to fall asleep in his arms. Without knowing what she was doing, she wrapped an arm around him, and pulled herself closer to him.

Pacey's breath caught in his throat as she pressed settled against his back, her arm curved over his chest. He smiled softly to himself and covered her hand with his own. "To stubborn for your own good," he mumbled quietly.

"I heard that," She whispered in his ear. She leaned over slightly, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "We okay now?"

He turned on his side, to face her, a soft smile on his face. He brushed a few stray stands of her hair away from her face. "We were always okay, Potter." He thought for a moment, and then made a face. "Okay, so maybe not always. Hell, not even for all of today...If you really consider it, we've really only been okay since we left Capeside. Maybe that's the answer," he rambled, "we should just stay out of Capeside. Think about it, has anything good ever really befallen us in that town? The place is a hell mouth for angst. Granted, we've never lived anywhere else, so what kind of basis for comparison do we have? I'm just saying, anyplace el-"

She grinned as he rambled; it was amusing to say the least. She leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth, he went on for a few moments before he kissed her back, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her on top of him. She moaned in pleasure as his hand rode up her shirt. She ran her fingers through his brown hair.

He broke away from her for a moment to catch his breath. "This the other reason we ran away?" He asked his fingers sliding under the shirt he'd given her, caressing her smooth skin.

"Good guess," She breathed.

"And you thought I wouldn't be interested. Hah!" he breathed before kissing her hungrily, his tongue sliding into the warm recesses of her mouth as his hands working on removing her shirt.

Pacey smiled tiredly as he drifted into awake. He felt utterly and completely content. It took him a few minutes to remember that the warm weight beside him, the leg hooked around his and the arm draped over his chest was Joey. His smile widened and he nuzzled his face into her neck, cherishing the ability to do something so simple.

She opened her eyes, looking down at him. She smiled rookedly, "Mornin'."

"Hmm," he pulled away from her to kiss her deeply, "I think I'd rather it still be night."

"Well, that's rather impossible," She told him, "Sorry."

"Oh well, can't have everything, I suppose." He murmured cupping her face and pulling her lips back to his.

She pulled away reluctantly, "We need to go. Or else we'll never be able to run away to Canada again due to the fact that Bessie and Bodie have murdered us."

He frowned, "Probably right." He paused, "So...there will be return trips to Canada?"

"Yeah, well, Bessie and Bodie are planning to bring Alexander to see his grandparents this weekend," Joey said. "That might be a good time to arrange such a trip."

"You do want to make another visit then?" He asked, a sly smile forming on his face.

She nodded, "Wouldn't dream of not revisiting."

"Then this weekend seems like the perfect time for another visit." He brushed his lips over hers, his eyes alight with amusement.

"So we're in agreement then?" She asked him.

"Oh yes, completely," he nodded, brushing some hair away from her face.

She kissed the top of his forehead, "Good. But we should still get going. I need to get the work I missed from Jack."

"Ever the practical one, huh Potter?"

"Somebody has to be here," She teased. "Besides, you wouldn't want to miss those dance lessons from Miss Penny Pretty, would you?"

He arched an eyebrow, "Are you kidding? This is me here you're talking about. Dancing is not going to be an incentive to get me out of this bed."

"Not even if meant it would help me greatly in achieving my goals?"

He groaned and made a face, "You had to go and use that against me, huh?" He gave her a petulant look, "When did you get to know which buttons to push?"

She grinned, "Pretty much. If that didn't work I would've used death threats."

He sighed, "I really don't wanna go back, Jo."

She frowned, "I don't want to go back either, but it's not like we can just stay here forever."

"Yeah, I know." He relaxed into the warmth of the covers. "Well, maybe I can stay here forever...you however must return."

She shook her head, "Sorry, Pace. If you do that, you'll force me to stay here and pursue my stripping career to support the both of us."

"You know," he looked thoughtfully at her, "That idea is becoming more and more appealing verses the prospect of returning to Capeside."

"Okay then," She sat up. "I believe we passed a strip club on our way here. We'll get dressed and go get me an interview."

He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back beside him. "Not so fast there, Demi. I thought I told you, no one gets to see you naked but me."

"Well, it's either that or Capeside."

"I suppose, given the options..." He released her, "I can stand to have men oggling you."

She picked up a pillow and hit him with it, "Get up, and get dressed Pacey. We're heading back to Capeside."

"As you wish, oh violent one." He replied, blocking her assault and sliding out from beneath the covers, undaunted at being buck naked in front of her. "You care to join me in the shower?" He offered, a sly look in his eyes.

She tilted her head, looking thoughtful. "I'm not sure if I have the energy for that Pace, I mean after I had to pull out all the stops to get you to come home with me. It does tire a girl out."

He leaned over the bed and pulled at her hands, "Think of it this way, we shower together, we save time and you get home to Capeside that much faster."

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"Thought so," He grinned and kissed her warmly before pulling away and walking to the bathroom.

Joey ran a hand through her wet hair as she reentered the hotel room, Pacey following glumly behind her. She turned to look at him.

"So do we have everything we came with?"

"Jo, we're wearing everything we came with." He reminded her, glancing around the room once more to make sure they'd cleaned up all the trash.

"Right. Just making sure," She told him. She cupped his chin with his hand, "You know it's going to be okay, right?"

He didn't say anything and looked into her eyes despondently. He shrugged a shoulder, trying not to show her how unsure he was.

"You know why it's going to be okay?" She asked him. He shrugged again."Because we're going back together, and in love. And that's all that matters."

"Hmm," the corner of his mouth turned up faintly. "Love, huh?"

She smiled back at him, "Yeah, love."

His lips broke into a full-fledged smile, "And that's all we need?"

"It's what the song said, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but Paul McCartney didn't have a murderous ex-best friend, betrayed ex-girlfriend, broken hearted whatever Jen was, and a school full of classmates who either want to have him castrated for playing three women at once or beat him to a pulp on behalf of their girlfriends."

"Pacey, by the time we get to school tomorrow, there will be different gossip. Which will not involve you playing Jen, Andie and me," Joey told him. "Though might include us eloping, but you know, I think we can handle that."

"Okay, gossip we can handle. But our friends?"

She sighed, "We all ready told them the truth, we can tell them it again. But if they choose to listen to the gossip above us, then there's not much we can do."

He frowned, "Jo, it's not the gossip that hurt them, it's the truth."

"We screwed up, Pacey," She told him. "But, we've all ready apologized for it. It's their choice if they want to hold a grudge to us."

He nodded, "I just...really wish it hadn't happened this way."

"Me too. But there's no going back now," She told him, "The only thing we can do now is move on with our lives."

He touched her hair reverently, "Together."

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