Joey cradled Alyssa in her arms as she listened to last minute instructions from Jack and Paul, rolling her eyes at Paul's anxious look. "I have experience with children you know. It's not like I've never taken care of a baby before."

"Well, yeah, I know," Paul sighed, a tall nicely built blond with green eyes framed by wire glasses, and a killer dimple. "But she's our baby."

"She'll be back to home soon enough," Joey smiled down at the blue-eyed beauty in her arms. "She can use a little girl time."

"Are you sure you guys brought enough stuff?" Pacey eyed the mountain of baby things in the living room. "She's only staying for the weekend, not moving in."

Jack brushed his thumb against his daughter's cheek. "Nah, Paul and I couldn't bear to stay away from her that long. We're picking her up tomorrow."

"Yeah, didn't I tell you?" Joey said, too enraptured with the baby in her arms to glance away. "She's only spending the night."

"No, you didn't tell me." He replied, watching Joey coddle Alyssa in her arms. He shifted his gaze to Jack and Paul, "Are you sure you don't want the weekend? I know you could both use it, and Joey and I don't have any better plans."

Jack looked to Paul and then they both shook their heads. "Nah."

"Okay," he gave them a half-smile. "I'll see you two...?"

"Tomorrow night." Jack replied, bending to kiss the top of Alyssa's head as the little girl waved her arms, gurgling happily.

"You have our number," Joey said walking with them to the door. "Feel free to call anytime."

"Oh, we will." Paul grinned, as Alyssa wrapped a hand around his finger, he lifted to his lips and brushed a kiss across the back of her hand. "Believe me, we will."

"Come on, guys." Pacey smiled, ushering them to the door, "You know you're desperate for some time alone."

"Yeah, yeah." Jack smiled, threading his fingers through Paul's. "We're going."

Joey smiled. "She'll be fine."

"Okay, just remember, she likes her bottle when she's in her blankie. And she can't sleep without her bunny." Paul called reminders over his shoulder, "And nap time is one o'clock."

"I got it," Joey said with a nod. "And if anything, I have the list you left."

"Oh, and there's a copy in her baby bag. And another in with her diapers!"

"Jack," Pacey lifted an eyebrow, "Do something with him."

The brunette grinned, "We're leaving," he pulled the door closed, leaving Pacey and Joey alone with Alyssa.

Joey shook her head in amusement. "Can you believe those two?"

"Very parental." He nodded his agreement and lifted the crib that was folded up in the middle of the floor. "I'm going to go set this up."

Joey nodded, walking over to the couch and sitting down with Alyssa. "Okay." He watched them a moment, and then disappeared into the bedroom.

Joey grinned down at the baby, lightly fingering a blonde curl. "You were such a good idea."

Twenty minutes later he emerged from the bedroom, "Well, it put up a fight." He announced, "But in the end, the superior being won."

Joey raised an eyebrow. "So you couldn't put it together?"

"Cute, Potter." He side stepped the mountain of baby things and moved to the couch to sit beside them. "So what exactly are we supposed to do with this munchkin for the next twenty-four hours?"

"We're just supposed to take care of her. Want to hold her?"

"Yeah, why not?" He shrugged, sliding his arm under Joey's, supporting Alyssa's head as he settled her into the crook of his arm.

"She's so cute," Joey gushed with a wide grin.

"Cute," he looked down at the baby, who met his gaze wide-eyed. "Yeah, I suppose she is."

"She's adorable," Joey sighed, running her thumb lightly against Alyssa's arm.

"Wait till she makes a mess in her diaper, then tell me she's still adorable."

Joey frowned, finally removing her gaze from Alyssa. "What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem," he shrugged, turning his eyes to the baby and tickling her tummy.

"If you don't want to hold her, just give her to me then."

"Did I say anything about not wanting to hold her?" He arched a curious eyebrow at her.

"You just don't seem like you really want to."

His confusion grew, "What is going on here, Joey?"

"Nothing."

"You’re really starting to confuse me, woman."

"You just don't seem like you want her here."

"Honestly? I don't. I had other plans for us this weekend." He pinned her with his eyes, "She's a beautiful baby and a great kid, and I know Jack and Paul deserve a little alone time, but so did we."

She bit the inside of her cheek. "It's just one day."

"I think it was probably all for the best," he stood up, Alyssa gurgling in his arms. "I have a feeling the trip would have been a serious let down." He headed for the bathroom, grabbing Alyssa's baby bag as he passed, "Come on, kiddo. It's just about time for your bath."

Joey sighed tiredly and began to put away Alyssa's baby things. She pressed her hand against her stomach. "I just need some more time, sweetheart," she murmured. "He’s just being more difficult than I thought he’d be."

Alyssa looked up at Pacey with wide eyes as he carefully rinsed the Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo from her little blond curls, his large hand smoothing over her head. "Don't give me that look, munchkin. This is my first time bathing anything as small as you, give me a break, 'kay?" Her eyes got shiny and her lower lip started to tremble. "I know, I know, the water's getting cold, we're almost done."

He lifted her out of the pink baby bathtub that Jack and Paul had delivered. He held her wet body away from him for a second, glancing left and right for a towel to wrap her in. "Ah, hell," he cradled her against his chest, the water soaking through his gray T-shirt, and turned to look in the cupboard for a clean towel.

Finding one, pink no less, he wrapped her up in it, using the corner to dry her hair. "There, see, Uncle Pacey isn't completely hopeless."

"No, he's not." Joey grinned softly from the doorway. "You're good with her."

"You sound surprised." He glanced down at himself. "I think most of the water ended up on me."

"It's okay." She grabbed another towel from the closet and handed it to him. "You're very cute all wet."

"That's the closest thing to a come on I've heard from you in weeks." He traded Alyssa for the towel.

She sighed and glanced down at the straining baby in her arms. "I'm going to get her dressed."

"Yeah," he nodded with a sigh. He pulled the wet shirt up over his head, and then ran the towel over his damp skin. "I'll make dinner, I guess."

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember what time she's supposed to go to bed?"

"No. Check the list." Pacey shrugged, "They left us three copies."

"Ah, right." She nodded and, before heading out of the room, "I'll be sure to do that."

He slipped into the bedroom and exchanged his shirt for a dry one before leaving to start on dinner. Having decided on spaghetti and garlic bread, he set to work, adding garlic and onions to the meat in the pan he had heating on the stove.

"You are the most beautiful little girl," Joey said, leaning over Alyssa as she dressed her. "But I think I'm going to have a boy. Wouldn't you like that? Someone to play with?" She tickled Alyssa's stomach after she'd pulled on a small t-shirt and grinned as the baby giggled. "Trust me. Boys can be fun to play with until they reach puberty. You'll just have to promise me, right now, that you won't fall in love with him." She lifted Alyssa in her arms after the baby had her pajamas on. "Okay, I know it'll be hard, because he'll be a Witter, but those boys are nothing but trouble, believe me. I have the scars to prove it." She rocked Alyssa in her arms and placed a kiss on the top of her forehead, whispering softly. "But he's a keeper."

"Jo," Pacey called from the kitchen, "I made her bottle, so whenever you're ready. Dinner'll be another fifteen minutes or so." He slathered butter over a piece of french bread, then sprinkling it liberally with fresh garlic.

Joey walked out to the kitchen, Alyssa still in her arms. "Thanks."

Sliding the bread into the oven he closed the door, and then checked on the water, waiting for it to come to a boil. "Well," he caught Alyssa's hand. "Don't you look beautiful?"

Joey sighed. "Doesn't it make you want one of your own?"

"A baby?"

She nodded. "Yeah, they're so cute."

"I wouldn't want a baby because it's cute," he kissed Alyssa's forehead, and then Joey's turning back to the stove.

Joey grit her teeth and forced herself to speak calmly. "Would you want a baby at all?"

"Aren't we getting ahead of ourselves? We're not even sleeping together anymore, so I think we have more important things to consider than whether or not we're going to have kids."

"It's just a question."

"Then yes, I want you to have my baby. Eventually."

"I'm going to put her to bed." Joey grabbed Alyssa's bottle and left the room.

"I am at my wits end," Joey muttered under her breath as she cradled Alyssa in her arms. "I don't know how much more I can take of this." She held the bottle to Alyssa's lips as she rocked her on the chair. "I bring up marriage and he gets all crazy and you heard me mention the baby, did you see what happened? Eventually," she mimicked with annoyance. "Eventually, because that's what has to happen next after we get married, because you know he has to marry me eventually." She lifted the baby in her arms and rested Alyssa's head on her shoulder, patting her back lightly. "You know if it weren't for this baby…I am this close to leaving him."

"...I am this close to leaving him." He cleared his throat, catching the very last of what she'd said. "Then I’m going to make it easy on both of us and be the one to leave," He entered the room and moved to the closet, not looking at her as he pulled out a bag and threw it on the bed. He crossed to the dresser and began taking out clothes, "Dinner's on the table, whenever you want it."

Joey set Alyssa down in her bed, the baby just moments from sleep. "What are you doing?"

"I really don't think I could stand you leaving me," he replied, haphazardly throwing clothing towards the bed. "So I'm really not left with much of a choice now, am I?"

"I am not leaving you."

"Then what the hell is going on here, Joey?" He demanded, his eyes flashing with frustration and pain. "I just heard you say you were that close to leaving me? Why? What the hell have I done now?"

"Nothing."

"So what? You just don't love me anymore?" He kept his voice low so as not to wake Alyssa.

She shook her head slowly. "No..."

"Then what the hell is going on?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"There's nothing going on."

"Bullshit. I know I may look it, but I'm not an idiot."

"There's nothing wrong," she repeated firmly.

"Really? Because it's completely normal for us not to have sex. And it's common place for me to overhear you saying you want to leave me. How could I forget?"

"Geez, I didn't realize sex was that big a deal."

"You haven't told me you love me, either," his eyes darkened. "You avoid touching me. You pick fights."

"I do love you and I don't pick fights!"

"You have a horrible way of showing it. You keep bringing up our future, but don't you think we should fix the present first and make sure there's a future to be had?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure there will be. Eventually."

"Fine," his eyes narrowed and he moved back to the dresser and dug through the sock drawer. Finding what he was looking for, he unrolled a pair of socks. "Fine," he turned back to her, tossing a small velvet box at her. "You want a future? There's your future, Jo." His eyes were dark, as he moved to the crib, picking up the now crying Alyssa, who'd woken up with the noise. "Let me know how it turns out," he left the bedroom, murmuring soothing words to the baby.

Joey tentatively fingered the box in her hand before going after him. "Is this what I think it is?"

He turned a slow circle, Alyssa's head resting on his shoulder as he rubbed her back soothingly. "I don't know. You seem to think I'm absolutely incapable of planning for the future."

"Actually, I thought you didn't really want to think about the future."

"Well, you thought wrong. I've had that for a year."

"A year?"

"Yeah," he continued to pace with Alyssa. "You know when I asked you to move in with me? Well, that was me chickening out on asking you to marry me."

Joey glanced down at the ring in her hand. "Do you still want to?"

"Why do you think I spent three months planning that weekend trip to Florida?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

He froze mid-step and turn around to face her, "With a baby?"

She laughed in disbelief. "Yes. With a baby."

"Huh." He grinned widely, pleasure in his voice and in his eyes. "Guess that would explain the erratic behavior."

She bit her lip, and lowered her head, embarrassed. "I was trying to get you to propose before I told you."

"You were what?" He repeated in confusion, approaching her slowly, Alyssa settled quietly against his shoulder.

"In retrospect, it was kind of stupid," she conceded.

"Kind of stupid?" He shook his head, "I think that takes the cake, Potter. I actually...you made me think there was someone else."

She shrugged. "I'm sorry?"

"You want this baby?" He asked quietly, standing just in front of her.

"Of course."

"Then," he smiled slowly, "I guess I'd better make an honest woman out of you."

She grinned. "You should."

"You wait right here," He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and hurried to the bedroom to put Alyssa back to bed.

Joey nodded. "Not planning to go anywhere."

He returned a moment later, closing the bedroom door behind him. Giving her a small smile, he held out his hand for the jewelry box, "I want to make sure I do this right."

Joey tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hmm...I just got this. I'm not sure if I want to give it up so easily."

"Hand it over, Potter," he took the hand that held the box and took it from her. "You'll get it back, I promise." Still holding her hand, he sank down to one knee.

Joey bit her lip, regarding him wearily. "I can't promise that I won't cry. It's a hormone thing."

"Cry to your heart's content, sweetheart." He smiled up at her, brushing his thumb over her hand. "You know, I had this all planned out on the boat...memorized and everything." His smile was self-deprecating, "But it seems to have escaped me."

She smiled at him tearily. "I love you."

"That's a good place to start, thanks." he smiled up at her. "I love you too, Potter. Every day I'm with you, I wake up thinking how damned lucky I am to be waking up beside you. Then, at night, I think how lucky I am to be going to sleep beside you. I must have done something *really* good in a past life, cause God knows it was nothing I did this time around."

Her eyes watered and she chuckled, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. "What did I tell you?"

He grinned up at her, "You've already made me the happiest man alive, Potter, just by being with me. I want to spend the rest of my life making you and," his eyes drifted down, and he touched his hand to her flat stomach reverently, "and our child, as happy as you've made me. So...Josephine Potter, will you be my wife?"

"Yes."

Grinning, he slipped the ring out of the box, and slid it on to her finger. "So."

She smiled down at the ring and then at him. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Thought you weren't in the mood?" he arched an eyebrow. "It's okay, Jo. I know what pregnancy does to a woman's sex drive."

She threw her arms around him, pressing kisses across his face. "It's been an incredibly long two weeks."