Pacey leaned against the back of his car, watching as Jen opened her front door. "Your chariot awaits."

"Yeah? I don't suppose the footman could help me haul all my bags out, huh?"

"Footman?" Pacey headed toward her. "I always thought of myself as a breast man, but I can adopt a new fetish."

"I don't want you to suck my toes, Pace. Just grab a suitcase or two."

"Damn." He lifted her two suitcases, leaving her with her make-up case and purse. "How much did you pack, Lindley? We're going for a week."

"For a wedding, Pacey." She reached back into the hallway and grabbed her garment bag, hooking it over her shoulder. "Which requires multiple pairs of shoes, at least three dresses and a present."

"Yeah? What's going to be your excuse for the full suitcases on the way home?"

"We're going to New York, Pacey. That's all the reason any girl needs." She smiled as he set her suitcases down and grabbed his garment bag out of the trunk, hitching it over the edge before sliding his one small suitcase over. "But most of that I'll ship home."

"Thank goodness. Because I'm not buying a new car for a few extra feet of cargo space." He gave her a suggestive smile. "And the backseat of a Mustang is really only to be used for one thing."

Jen ignored his comment, watching him lay his garment bag down before taking hers and placing it on his. "Like I said, I can ship. I'm sure I don't want any of my nice, new purchases mixing with any dubious substances on the 'Stang's upholstery. And I'm almost positive that he's good enough to sign for a few boxes."

Pacey glanced at the house she rented, noticing movement in the kitchen. "When is he moving out?"

"When does he say he's moving out, or when will it actually happen?" She slid into the passenger's seat, smirking up at him as he closed the door behind her.

"You really need to be more of a hard ass, Lindley."

She laughed as she snapped her seatbelt. "That's classic coming from you, Pace. Who's at your place right now?"

"She's watching the dog."

"Right. And is that what she's been doing for the past two months since you split up? Or have you been watching her kitty?"

Pacey gave her a dirty look. "She doesn't have…"

"Anywhere else to go." Jen nodded, hiding her smile. "And you're not charging her rent because if you did, she'd never get back on her feet."

"You know, you keep mocking me and you're going to find out how long it takes to walk to New York."

"I'm just saying you've got very little room to lecture me." She reached over and rubbed his thigh lightly.

"Yeah, yeah." He reached down and squeezed her hand. Jen smiled sadly and settled back into her seat. Pacey glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "What's wrong?"

Jen looked over, startled. She wiped away the tears that stood in her eyes, threatening to fall. "Nothing."

"Oh, come on," he sighed. "Don't try and bullshit a bullshit artist."

Jen laughed, the sound milky with unshed tears. "Okay, not nothing. But I couldn't actually tell you what the something is."

"I can tell you what it is," he sighed, the sound bitter. "You're heading to their wedding. And you don't have a soulmate."

"What?"

He shrugged his head and started the car, trying not to notice as Jen's tears started falling, slipping down her cheeks silently. "Nothing."

Pacey sighed as he looked over at Jen's tearstained face, reaching over and taking her hand in his. He squeezed it lightly then released it, grabbing the steering wheel again.

She turned just enough to see his knuckles whiten, and she sighed softly. She reached over to him, her shaking hand resting on his thigh. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm such a wreck."

He gave her a weak, lopsided smile. "Don't apologize. It's completely understandable."

"It's so ridiculous. I mean, the whole situation is just…laughable."

"And our combined reactions are utterly out of line."

"Exactly." She watched her hand, gently rubbing his thigh. "We're just being ridiculous about it. It's a happy situation and there's no reason whatsoever that you and I should be reacting this way at all."

"Right."

She pulled her hand back and chewed the pad of her thumb, warm from where it had rubbed his skin. "So…"

"So. You hungry?"

"I could eat."

He nodded. "Great." He flipped on his blinker and headed for the exit, not saying anything more.

The silence that had begun in the car carried over as they sat on opposite sides of the table. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but she wasn't crying anymore, for the first time since they'd left Boston. "You okay?"

Jen looked up from her slice of pizza and shrugged. "Depends on the definition of okay."

"Okay as in you're not going to cry the rest of the way there?"

She shrugged again. "I refuse to promise anything. Since I really don't know exactly why I'm crying."

"I told you before, it's because you don't have a soulmate."

She smirked at the light venom that laced the last word. "I'm sure that's it."

"I'm not being bitter and cynical." Pacey took a bite of his pizza. "Well, not completely. Just think about it. For the past 13 years, we've pretty much had the concept of soulmates shoved down our throats. It's bound to affect us. I mean, if Dawson who, let's face it, is not the most…" He picked at a piece of pepperoni, choosing his words carefully in acknowledgment of her past relationship with him. "Dawson's not the kind of guy you think would deserve a…" He pulled the pepperoni free of the cheese and popped it into his mouth, giving up all pretense of being nice. "Dawson's a shithead."

"You're not just saying that because he's about to marry the love of your life, are you?"

"She wasn't the love of my life."

"They why are you so upset?"

He shrugged, tossing the uneaten portion of his pizza back on his plate. "Because I don't have a soulmate either."

"You're going to think I'm insane."

He jerked slightly at the sound of her voice. It seemed loud in the small car. "Most likely. But I've thought that off and on since I met you, Lindley, so there's no big change there."

She flipped him off then shifted in her seat so that she was looking at him. "I've got the perfect plan to get us through this ordeal."

"Okay."

"Lots of our friends and relatives and such are going to be at this wedding, correct?"

"Correct."

"And they're going to be looking at us with the abject pity that everyone seems to have for people in their mid to late twenties who haven't found the person they're supposed to spend the rest of their life with, right? Especially given that we're the exes of the loving bride and groom, right?"

"Also correct."

"Well, what do you say we cut them off at the pass? What if we turn the tables? What if we…"

"Stop using clichéd phrases and actually tell me what the heck you're talking about?"

She smiled, sighed and nodded. "Sorry. I was just thinking that the last thing I want to experience on top of this weird sense of melancholy is the looks that Dawson and Joey are going to give us. That 'Oh, I feel so sorry that I wasn't able to be the love of their life, and how they've never managed to move on past me and find another' look."

"Given this some thought, have you?"

"Tell me truthfully, Pacey, is that the look you want to get from Joey? Is pity what you really want to see shining in her eyes?" When he didn't respond, she kept talking. "I don't want to see that look in anyone's eyes. The last thing I want to see is people pretending they're not looking at me, wondering if 'poor little Jennifer' is going to find herself a strapping young man who might ease the pain of not being the woman Dawson Leery wanted."

"I think I know where you're going with this, but why don't you tell me what exactly you're proposing."

"You and me, Pace. We tell Dawson and Joey we don't need separate hotel rooms. We tell them that we started hanging out and we got closer and now you and I are practically inseparable. We tell them that we've mostly kept it a secret because we didn't want to take anything away from their special day."

"Oh, they'll eat that last line right up."

"And we show them that the last thing we're doing is pining away or wasting away or, even worse, waiting for them to give a shit about us." Jen smiled and leaned back against the car door. "And what's particularly brilliant about this, if I do say so myself, is that just the thought of us not needing them?"

"Is going to make them insane." Pacey gave her his first honest grin of the trip. "You're right, Lindley. This is a completely crackpot idea."

"Does that mean you love it?"

"It." He nodded his agreement, reaching out to take her hand. "And, apparently, you."

Pacey opened Jen's door and held it for her, glancing at the house. "Well, darling, here we are."

She laughed and climbed out, taking his hand and raising an eyebrow. "Can we pull this off, Pacey?"

He pulled her into his arms with one quick tug, holding her body against his. "You mean can I convince Joey and Dawson that I'm so deeply in love with you I can barely walk?" He touched his nose to hers, rubbing softly. "I think I can manage that."

She grinned widely and ran her hand down his chest. "Is anyone watching?"

"Curtains are rustling."

"Good." She kissed him, her tongue pressing against his lips until he opened his mouth, fitting it over hers. They pulled apart slowly at the sound of someone clearing their throat, Pacey looking up over Jen's shoulder at Dawson, standing a few feet away with his arm around Joey.

"Hey."

"Pacey." His gaze went to Jen as she turned around, leaning back against Pacey's much larger frame. "Jen."

Jen smiled. "Hey guys. Sorry we're a little late. We stopped for lunch."

"Lunch?" Joey's eyebrow lifted suspiciously.

"Lunch." Jen's smile widened. "But now that we're here, I'm all yours." The girls headed for the house, Jen's arm linked through Joey's. Dawson continued to watch Pacey, whose eyes were focused on the girls.

"We got you rooms at the Hilton."

"Room."

"What?"

Pacey shook his head, forcing his eyes to Dawson's. "We just need one room. Jen said she called and told Joey."

"No. She didn't. I think I can safely say this whole relationship of yours is something of a complete surprise to both of us." Dawson unhooked his cell phone from his belt and pressed a few numbers, his eyes on Pacey the entire time as he cancelled one of their rooms. Hanging up, he snapped the phone shut and smiled. "Done."

"Great." Pacey ran his hand through his hair. "So, while the girls are embroiled in various bridal emergencies, what do you say you and I go get a beer at the hotel? I'll check in and drop off our stuff and the girls can meet us there for dinner?"

"Sounds great." Dawson's voice was tight, his whole demeanor irritated. "I'll let Joey know."

Jen glanced over at Joey, a small smile on her face. They'd spent the past two hours talking of nothing but the wedding, even though she'd seen the questions in Joey's eyes. As they rode the elevator up to the hotel room so Jen could change clothes, she leaned back against the wall, taking pity on Joey. "Just ask."

"Ask what?"

"Okay, Joey? You're no good at the innocent act. Well, no. I take that back. You can fool all the men in the world with the innocent act, but you're never going to get past me with those big doe eyes. So just ask."

"Well," Joey shrugged, "I just didn't realize you and Pacey had gotten to be such good friends."

"We're not friends, Jo. We're lovers."

Joey's jaw tightened. "That too."

The elevator stopped and Jen followed Joey out of the elevator, a small smile on her lips. She waited until she'd slipped her key in the lock before speaking. "No more questions?"

"You're serious? About each other?"

"You mean is this more than some sort of high school sex pact?"

"I'll admit that I thought you guys gave up on being anything more than friends back then."

"Right. Because you never change your mind about people." Jen grabbed her suitcase from the bed where Pacey had left it. "Well, I guess you don't. You're still with Dawson. Or with Dawson again."

"I thought he was still living with Bianca. And you were still with Tom."

Grabbing a clean shirt from the case, Jen shrugged and headed for the bathroom carrying it and her toiletries. "We were trying to keep a low profile. We figured it was easier to let you guys believe our previous doomed romances were still in full swing than to try and explain everything."

"I see."

"Besides, you and Dawson were in the middle of the planning for this. And we didn't want to distract you." Jen leaned out the bathroom door and smiled. "And we didn't want to take anything away from your big day, but we figured everyone would be so focused on the two of you this week that no one would even notice the two of us slipping off together."

"When he's practically feeling you up in front of my house, it's a little difficult not to notice."

"It was you and Dawson." Jen shrugged again as she came out of the bathroom, smoothing her pale green shirt over the waistband of her black jeans. "We didn't figure you guys would mind. Besides, it might be our last chance to let go this week. We thought we'd better take advantage of it."

"Did I hear someone offer to take advantage?" Pacey walked in the door of the room, Dawson behind him. "Because I'm all about that."

"I know." Jen moved easily into his arms. "Don't I know."

"Because you've never once taken advantage of me." Pacey's voice lowered as he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple.

She shook her head, lifting up on her toes to kiss his lips, prolonging the contact as she slid down the length of his body, settling back on her feet. "Not that I'll ever admit to in public."

"Well." Joey cleared her throat. "Pacey. It's nice to see you again."

He pulled back from Jen's embrace and met Joey's gaze. He offered her a small smile as he moved toward her. "I guess I didn't really say hello back at the house, did I?"

"No. You lured Dawson off with the promise of alcohol and, no doubt, the opportunity to be wedding free for two hours."

"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, Jo." He hugged her tightly then pulled away, surveying the soft blush of her cheeks. "Impending marriage appears to agree with you."

"Yeah. I guess." She bit her lower lip then looked past him to Dawson, leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest. "So, where are we going for dinner?"

Jen leaned to her side, resting her head on Pacey's shoulder. "Joey keeps looking over here."

"She does." One corner of his mouth lifted. "Do you think she suspects that we're faking it?"

"Give that she looks torn between ripping my head off and jumping your bones? I don't think so. I think she's taking it all at face value." Turning her head slightly, Jen ran her tongue along Pacey's jaw. "Tell me when you start to see smoke come out her ears."

He turned his head, tasting her tongue on his lips. "Dawson spent the entire afternoon asking me about you and us. If Joey hadn't called, I think he would have asked if you still liked the same things in bed."

"And what would you have said?"

"I don't know." He ran his thumb along the side of her face, tracing her hairline. "Probably something about how you like them much better now that they're done right."

Jen giggled. "Dawson wasn't horrible in bed."

"That's a ringing endorsement."

"Given that you and I never made it that far?" She chuckled again, turning her head to kiss the palm of his hand. "I'd say it is."

"You guys act like this is a new thing." Dawson helped Joey slide her chair back under the table before taking his seat next to Jen. "Pacey said you've been dating for a while."

"We have." Jen nodded, careful not to look at him. "We just happen to really like the honeymoon stage of the relationship."

Joey stirred her drink absently, watching as Pacey caught Jen's hand and held it on the table. "We haven't gotten that far…" She blushed realizing how her comment sounded. "I mean, we have, just not…literally." She took a long sip of her drink as Dawson glared at her. "It was a joke. Since we're about to get married." She sighed. "Forget it."

Pacey smiled at her, shaking his head. "We got it, Jo."

"Yeah." She blew out a long breath and gave Jen a pointed look. "I'm going to go to the restroom."

"And I," Jen stood and kissed Pacey on the top of the head, "am going to go dance with a few strangers and make you all jealous."

"Mmm," he purred. "Promise?"

Pacey looked at the bed, then at Jen. "Okay, so I've come to realize there's a flaw in our cunning plan." He looked over at the chair and sighed. "I'll take the chair."

"Pacey," Jen shook her head. "We're both adults here. I think we're both perfectly capable of sharing a bed without losing all control, don't you?"

You sure, Lindley? I'm pretty irresistible."

"I'll find the strength, somehow." Jen yawned. "I'm going to bed, Pace."

"Right. I should go too. As heading down to the hotel bar might very likely end up with drinking and late night phone calls and other embarrassing things that would make our charade difficult to pull off."

Jen shook her head at his rambling. "I'm going to change." She grabbed her t-shirt and disappeared into the bathroom. Pacey watched the closed door for a second before kicking off his shoes. He glanced at it again before unfastening his jeans and pushing them to the floor, then stood nervously for a moment before sitting on the edge of the bed and tugging off his socks. A few minutes later, Jen opened the bathroom door and stood there.

"So," Pacey stretched the word out, standing up as he spoke, trying not to stare at the way her long t-shirt seemed to pull taut over her breasts, how the darker skin of her areoles and nipples seemed to stand out against the nearly threadbare cotton. "Is there a side you prefer?"

"The right, I guess."

"Right. Good." He sat back down and tapped his fingers nervously on his knee.

"This is ridiculous."

"What is?" He got to his feet, sighing in relief. "You want me to sleep in the chair?"

"No. I want us to both stop acting like idiots. We're wearing more than we ever did at the beach. We're both tired. Let's just go to sleep." She gave him a sly grin. "Unless you're afraid that you can't resist me."

"I think we proved way back in high school that when it comes to you and me, we're a veritable textbook case of restraint."

"Exactly." She lifted the covers on her side of the bed and slid beneath them. "Night, Pacey."

He pulled off his t-shirt and scratched his stomach, the dark hairs on his skin rasping beneath his fingers. Clearing his throat, he climbed into bed as well. "Night, Jen."

The soft light of morning filtered in through the partially open blinds as Pacey opened his eyes. He started to stretch, stopping when he noticed three things. Jen was still asleep, snuggled against his chest. Her hand was resting across the lower portion of his stomach, and he had a raging hard-on she was dangerously close to touching.

He closed his eyes tightly and swallowed hard before placing his hand gently on her shoulder and shaking her softly. "Lindley."

She mumbled something into his chest and snuggled closer, her hand moving down, fingers grazing the waistband of his boxers, digging into his skin slightly.

His whisper was a little sharper, his grip not quite as gentle, his cock even harder. "Lindley."

Her mouth was hot on his chest, her tongue brushing over his hardened nipple. Her hair was fanned out on his skin, warmed by the sunlight. Her body shifted and she wrapped one leg over both of his, her hand moving under the boxers, thumb pressed down at the base of his shaft while her fingers curled around it.

"Lindley!" He pulled away from her and got out of the bed, grabbing his shirt off the floor and holding it in front of him. "Wake up. Call. Wake up call." He couldn't help watching her as she woke, her shirt bunched up just below her breasts, the soft, pale skin of her stomach smooth as it stretched down to her pale blue panties. "We need to wake up."

She blinked and stretched, her back arching, pulling the material covering her breasts tight. He pressed his shirt tighter against his cock, holding it against his body. She smiled lazily, sexily, her hair falling in a rumpled cascade around her face. "Mmm. Morning, Pace."

"I'm going to shower. Now." He dodged around the bed and headed for the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He leaned against the counter and stared at his wide-eyed expression in the mirror, mentally berating himself for a few seconds before he walked over to the toilet, raised the lid and closed his eyes, giving a completely different ending to the morning.

"So," Joey ran her fingers lightly over the material of Jen's bridesmaid dress. "You and Pacey."

Jen leaned in from the bathroom, toothbrush in her mouth. "Wha bow us?"

"I guess I'm just finding it all a little hard to process."

Jen rinsed out her mouth and came back into the room. "Why's that? Pacey and I have been friends for a long time. We have a lot of stuff in common. He's funny. He's smart. He's well off. And you have to admit," she grinned knowingly at Joey, "He's incredibly sexy."

"I just…I never pictured you two together. You don't seem to fit." Joey sat on the edge of the bed, picking up Pacey's t-shirt that lay beside her, toying with the worn material.

"We fit just fine. You want details?" Jen leaned against the bathroom doorframe, trying not to smile.

Joey shook her head, refusing to look at Jen. "I'm just curious. How long have you guys been dating?"

"Why the interest?"

Joey shrugged casually, pulling the shirt into her lap. "Like I said, I can't seem to see it. Besides, you guys are my friends. I just want to make sure you're happy."

"Mmm. Very happy."

"How did it happen?"

Jen smiled and sank down onto the opposite side of the bed. "We ran into each other at a party of a mutual friend about six months ago and started hanging out."

"And when did hanging out become…"

"Sleeping together?"

Joey's flinch was almost imperceptible. "Dating was actually what I was going for."

"About a month into it, we realized that we really enjoyed the time we spent together. One thing led to another," Jen shrugged. "And the rest is history."

"And things are…good?"

Jen watched as Joey pulled her legs up onto the bed, bringing her knees to her chest. She rested her chin on her knees, pillowing it with Pacey's shirt. "Very good. You know how Pacey is. The perfect boyfriend."

"Yeah." Joey sighed. "Well." She bit her lower lip, chewing on it. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Jo."

She nodded and looked down at her feet.

Jen got up and moved over to the table. "But really, we should be talking about you. You're getting married in three days."

"I know."

"You must be so excited."

Joey nodded. "I am. I'm excited and happy and everything is just a little unreal." She smiled nervously. "I mean, everyone keeps saying that they've been waiting for this day forever. That's just the teensiest bit of pressure."

"I can imagine. Being a part of soulmate destiny has to be wearing after a while."

"You've got no idea." She laughed as she lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, the t-shirt held against her chest. "If I get one more card with the phrase 'meant to be' on it, I'm going to scream."

"I'll scratch that right off the card then." She didn't look at Joey. "But you're happy, right? You want to marry Dawson, don't you?"

"Oh yeah." Joey nodded and, as if noticing she was holding it for the first time, set Pacey's shirt back down on the bed. "I do."

"Good." Jen smiled and stood up. "So, shall we head out to the bachelorette party?"

"Sure." Joey stood up as well, stopping and giving Jen a searching look. "You didn't get me a stripper, did you?"

"Nope." She grabbed her purse and headed for the door, glancing back at Joey as she gathered her things. "You know, Pacey did a little stripping."

"You're kidding."

"Nope." He did some office parties and bachelorette parties." Jen shrugged. "He made good money."

"Weren't you jealous?"

"Not really. We weren't quite dating at the time, and Pacey was always the consummate professional. No hanky-panky."

"Is…was he good?"

"Well, the boy's got no rhythm." Jen smiled slyly. "At least when it comes to dancing. But he was always…enthusiastic."

"I just can't see Pacey stripping."

"Uh, Joey? This is the guy that bagged a woman twenty years his senior, not to mention who was his teacher, at the tender age of 15. And you can't see him taking his clothes off for a group of appreciative women?"

"Sometimes it's hard to reconcile that Pacey with the guy who waited patiently for nine months until I was ready to have sex."

"He's different with the women he loves," Jen shrugged. "But that doesn't stop him from being Pacey."

"Does he still…?"

"Strip?"

Joey nodded. "Yeah."

"Only for me."

"Oh."

"I thought about asking him to do one last show tomorrow night, but then I realized that Dawson would probably notice his best man missing from the bachelor party.

"Yeah." Joey nodded. "Probably."

Pacey/Jen scene - Jen awake/Pacey asleep

Joey downed the rest of her drink and grabbed another one off the table. Jen reached over and took it out of her hand, setting back in its spot. "Come on and dance."

"Don't wanna."

"Joey, this is a party. A party for celebrating the fact that you're about to be married to the guy of your dreams. The love of your life." She poked Joey in the ribs. "This is what you want, remember?"

"I want another drink."

"Nope." Jen stood and grabbed Joey's hand, pulling her toward the dance floor. "Not until you sweat off a little bit of the alcohol already in your system." They moved into the crowd, Jen holding tightly to Joey's hand until they reached the circle of friends that had taken over the center of the floor. Jen released Joey to her sister and closed her eyes, letting the music slide over her, smooth and warm like a lover's hands. Her eyes popped open as the image of Pacey flooded her head, blushing as she looked over at Joey.

"Hey."

She turned, the soft voice surprising her. Pacey's arms slid around her waist, pulling her body against his. "What are you doing here?"

"Dawson wanted to see how his lady love was faring in the wilds of New York." He nodded to where Dawson was looking disapprovingly at Joey. "She seems like she's faring well."

"With the help of her buddy Tom Collins." Jen smiled as she realized they were moving, dancing. "How'd you find us?"

"I have my ways."

"Called Bessie?"

"Doug did."

"Ah."

"It's much more official coming from an officer of the law."

"Mmhmm." She traced the collar of his shirt. "Where'd you guys go? And what was her name?"

"I think it was Odessa, but I can't be sure."

"The bar or the stripper?"

"The stripper. There was no bar. We trapped Dawson in his living room, tied him to the chair and subjected him to pasties, sequined underwear…"

"He was watching, not wearing, right?"

"Yes," Pacey nodded vehemently. "And thank you, my dear, for that horrifying image now burned into my brain."

"And how did Mr. Leery respond to said things?"

"Well, either the guy's fiercely loyal or he has no sex drive whatsoever."

Jen shrugged noncommittally. "Does that mean you got the hard on and he didn't?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe you have different taste in women." She stopped, realizing what she'd said, and laughed. "Or maybe not."

Pacey pushed an errant curl away from her face then bent his head, his breath warm on her lips. "They're watching us."

"I told Joey you used to be a stripper."

"I'm not nearly drunk enough, Lindley." He traced her lips with the tip of his tongue.

The music died in the club and the DJ's voice boomed out of the speakers, Pacey's name reverberating through the club. "I might have also mentioned it to Bessie."

"I might hate you."

His name came out over the speakers again just as Joey walked up to him, Dawson's arm around her shoulders. "What's going on, Pacey?"

"My darling girlfriend here," he gave Jen a dirty look, "has decided I need to show off a few of my non-cooking related talents. Just remember, darlin', revenge is sweet."

Jen tugged Joey's hand, the resistance to following her considerably less than it had been. Dawson, upon hearing what was about to take place had opted for the bar, leaving both of them to wind their way closer to the stage as the lights in the club dimmed further, only a slowly pulsing spot lighting the stage as a quick bass line came up from nowhere.

The music grew louder, the crowd clapping in time with the throbbing beat as Pacey stepped into the spot. He'd borrowed someone's coat and tie, the annoyance that had narrowed his eyes given way to desire, the dark blue shining in the bright spot. Jen's eyes raked over him, the bowtie at a rakish angle over his t-shirt, the thin material of which was pulled tight over his flat stomach. His blue jeans seemed too tight, too revealing in the blinding glare as he grabbed the mike from the DJ.

"I understand we have a bachelorette or two." He twirled the microphone on its cord before catching it, smiling in Joey's direction, his eyes locked on hers. "All these lovely ladies taking that final step, opting for love and honor and commitment rather than the random hook-ups with sleazy guys they meet in bars." He shook his head sadly. "Which is a pity." His slow chuckle filled the room as he turned his back to them, walking back to the DJ's stand. "But I'll give you one last hurrah." He glanced back over his shoulder, blue eyes black in the consuming light. "If you think you can handle it."

The spot died and the music filled the void it left. Jen felt Joey move restlessly at her side and glanced at her. Joey had her arms wrapped around her chest, lifting her breasts, the nipples hard and clearly visible through the tight tank top she wore. She could sense more than feel the shiver that ran through the brunette as the spot came up again and silence filled the room.

He stood there, frozen, his head bowed, the jacket pulled tight over the muscles of his shoulders. A few screams came from girls in the audience. Jen looked quickly at Joey, watching her chew her bottom lip methodically, her eyes trained on Pacey as he looked up just as the music started.

He moved fluidly, playing the crowd as he slowly pulled off his jacket. It was tight on him, too small, as he eased it over his biceps, shrugging it off his shoulders several times before letting it fall down the length of his arms. He whipped it between his legs, catching it, rolling it over the visible bulge of his erection before tossing it in Joey's direction.

Joey ignored it, her gaze locked on Pacey. Other girls next to her scrambled for the black fabric, shoving Jen to the side as they reached for it. Pacey glanced her way quickly, winking as he lifted his hands to the bowtie.

She smiled up at him, the act familiar. She remembered the first time he'd practiced it for her and Bianca and the look of pure lust his girlfriend at the time had given him. He hadn't even made it past his shirt when Bianca had stood and very politely escorted Jen to the door. She'd looked back, only to see Bianca's shirt hit the floor as she walked back to where Pacey was waiting.

The bowtie hung loose around his neck as he worked the crowd. Joey reached over and grabbed her hand, tightening it around Jen's. Jen looked at her, watching Joey's avid eyes as she followed Pacey's movements around the stage.

The second time she'd seen him, she'd gone to a party at some office at his invitation. He'd asked her along as cover just in case his suspicions about one of the attendees was true. She'd stayed on the outskirts, not wanting to have to explain her presence there. He hadn't moved as skillfully then, but she'd been mesmerized, as had all the women there.

He pulled off the bowtie and held it out to Jen. She grabbed it out of instinct and tugged, smiling as he let her pull him down to his knees. "Show-off."

"You set this up." He kissed her softly then turned to Joey. "Potter."

She didn't say anything as he leaned closer, her lips parting instinctively as he licked the tip of her nose. Standing, he freed the tie from Jen's grip and flung it out into the crowd, ignoring the diving mass of bodies as he moved into the next stages of the routine.

Sweat glistened on his stomach as he lifted his shirt free of his jeans. The dark hairs stood out in sharp relief against his bronzed skin. The morning rushed through her mind and she blushed, freeing her hand from Joey's to press her fingers to her cheeks. He'd been so warm and smooth and soft, just like waking up, but then she'd let herself notice the tight muscles beneath his skin, the insistent, slow pulse of his cock beneath his tented boxers. She'd been fascinated as she'd watched it, touched it through the silk.

"Oh." Joey grabbed the shirt as it nearly hit Jen in the face, pulling it tight against her chest. Pacey gave Joey a look, his eyes locked on hers for a long time as he moved toward the opposite side of the stage, his fingers easily undoing the fly of his jeans. "Is he…?" Joey whispered.

"Watch and see," Jen replied, wondering herself. At the office party, he'd gone down to a tight thong, the little tuxedo-styled pouch made of some restrictive material to keep any excitement he might feel from showing while, at the same time, enhancing all of his assets. But here, without any special equipment, other than his own, her brain reminded her, she wasn't sure what he'd do.

Pacey turned again and caught Joey's eye, carefully easing his jeans down his hips. She held his gaze as they dropped as gracefully to the floor as he could manage and he moved closer. Her hand curled around the waistband, the money disappearing in the dark blue boxers as he turned around and grabbed his jeans, the smooth curve of his ass the last sight they saw as the song ended and the spot light went out.

"Well, that redefined completely embarrassing," Dawson snapped as Joey and Jen rejoined him at the table. "You realize we can't ever come here again."

"We've never been here before, Dawson." Joey's hands were tangled in Pacey's shirt, stuffed in her lap now that they were back with Dawson. "Besides, it's a party. It's supposed to be fun."

"Fun."

"Don't tell me you didn't have a stripper," she smirked. "After all, Pacey's your best man."

"Exactly. Which one would think would preclude him from actually taking off his clothes in front of my fiancée."

"It's not like he hasn't done it before, Dawson," Joey snapped then quickly pressed her lips together. Silence seemed to settle over the table despite the music once again pounding out from the next room. "I shouldn't have said that."

"I don't know why not, Joey. It's not like it's any secret that you and Pacey used to fuck." He grabbed the shirt from out of her lap and tossed it at Jen. "I'd just appreciate it if you'd act a little less like you wished you were doing it still." He stood up, glaring at Pacey as he joined them. "Do me a favor, would you, pal?"

Pacey accepted the shirt Jen held out to him, wiping his chest before pulling it over his head. "Yeah?"

Dawson grabbed Joey's arm and started out of the club. "Try and keep your clothes on from now until the wedding, okay? At least while you're in public. Or with Joey?"

Jen helped Pacey into the room, shutting the door behind them. He winced at the sound, leaning against the wall she'd propped him up against. "Ow."

"Loud?"

"Too loud. What'd I drink?"

"It's not what. It's how much."

"I can handle my liquor."

"Yeah." She wrapped his arm around her shoulder and helped him toward the bed. "However, considering I think you drank everyone else's…"

"Shit. I fucked up, didn't I?"

"No. You didn't. You didn't even focus on her that much. It was just Dawson seeing what he wanted to see."

"He wanted to see me parading around in my boxers in front of Joey?"

"Well, I think it had more to do with the money he saw her shoving down your pants."

"Oh. Heh." He unbuttoned his jeans and stuck his hand down his pants, fishing around in them for a moment before withdrawing a bill. "I wondered what itched."

"You are drunk."

"I think she fondled me."

"I'm sure she did." Jen took the bill. "Wow. Fifty bucks."

"You think she wants to sleep with me?" He fell back on the bed as Jen pushed him, bending down to slip his shoes off his feet. "Joey, I mean. Not Dawson."

"I figured that. Since, you know, Dawson's not a she."

"He's not? Hmmm." He scratched his stomach where his shirt rode up. "Well?"

"Do I think Joey wants to sleep with you?" Jen moved between his legs and grabbed his jeans, tugging on them. He attempted to lift his hips, finally succeeding enough that she could pull the denim off of him. "I don't know. She didn't say."

"Didn't, huh? Well, Potter always likes to play it close to the vest. Was she wearing a vest?"

"No."

"Hmm. IT could be more complicated then." He sat up as she pulled on his arms, leaning into her as she reached behind him to pull on his shirt. "Wow. You've got soft tits."

"Thank you."

"I mean, except the poky bits. But I guess they're supposed to be that way." He laughed, the sound thick and soft. "God, you smell good."

"I'd appreciate the compliments more if I didn't know you so well and if you hadn't been talking about sleeping with Joey a few minutes ago." She pushed him away, catching him before he fell back on the bed. He held her gaze with his liquid one. "You're still in love with her."

"I am?"

"I think so."

"Hmm." He reached out and touched her hair, playing with the silken strand between his thumb and forefinger. "Then how come I want to kiss you?"

"Because you're drunk."

"You think that's it?"

"Yeah."

"Then how come I kissed you earlier?"

"Because if you'd kissed Joey you would have gotten decked. Or worse."

"Yeah?" He let her lay him back against the bed, his eyes closing.

Jen sighed in relief, glad to be away from the penetrating gaze. "Yeah."

He caught her hand and pulled her down on top of him, her surprised eyes meeting his. "I think you're wrong." He kissed her, the soft movement of his tongue over her lips parting them.

Rehearsal dinner

Jen/Dawson scene

Pacey/Joey scene - end ambiguously

Jen looked up as the lock clicked, closing her finger in her book to hold her place. Pacey shut the door behind him and leaned against it, giving her a half-smile. He looked her over, noting the long t-shirt she was wearing.

She looked at the clock and smiled back. "What have you been up to?"

He shook his head and moved over in front of her, sitting on the edge of the coffee table. "Kissing Joey."

"Oh." Jen nodded, not meeting his eyes. "So, are we calling off the wedding?"

"Well, she might be." Pacey shrugged. "Probably should if she can be kissing another man the night before she's supposed to tie the knot." He watched Jen stare down at the arm of the chair, her nail scraping the fabric. "But if she does, it's got nothing to do with me."

"Didn't she confess her love?"

"Yeah. She pretty much did."

"But it has nothing to do with you?" Jen scoffed. "Come on, Pace. This is what you wanted all long. What you've been hoping for."

"Yeah. That's what I thought."

"What changed your mind?"

He didn't speak for a long time, pausing as if weighing every word. "I realized I'm not in love with Joey. I don't think I've been in love with her for a long time. I think I've been in love with the idea of her, the memory of her."

"And what made you come to this realization?"

"She was kissing me…touching me, and I realized that I didn't want to be there. Not with her." He shrugged, his smile a little more genuine, a little less confident. "I realized that what I felt for her is nothing compared to what I feel for you." Jen gave him a long look, curious, hopeful, disbelieving. Pacey raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Okay, that sounded extremely cheesy. And you probably think I stole it from that smutty romance novel you're reading."

"I'm reading the autobiography of Dorothy Parker."

"Right. Whenever you're in public. But honey, Garden of Lies ain't anything but thinly…very thinly disguised porn."

"And how would you know?"

"You left the damn thing in the bathroom after your bath." He laughed and reached out to touch her lightly on the knee. "So?"

"So what? Am I okay with you reading my semi-erotic literature?"

"Yeah," Pacey nodded. "Because I'm pretty sure that's the crux of this conversation." His thumb slowly brushed her bare knee. Jen watched his movements, her breath hitching. "How would you feel about me not loving Joey?"

"I suppose I'd be okay with it."

"And how would you feel about me loving you?"

"You're really not my type."

He nodded sagely. "True."

Jen moved in the chair, uncurling her body. She sat up across from him, her chest rising rapidly as she faced him. Her hands trembled on her knees. "But you know, I'm a rebel."

"Also true."

"And you are marginally hot."

"I wouldn't kick you out of bed."

"I appreciate that." Jen moved closer, her knees now touching his, her hands light on his jeans. "So…you think you love me?"

"Pretty much." Pacey tilted his head slightly, moving forward so that one of his knees slipped between both of hers, leaving hardly any space between them. "Do you have any sort of feelings about that?"

"About you loving me?"

Pacey smiled. "Yeah. About that."

"Well, I'm not exactly opposed to it."

Pacey took one of her silky curls between his fingers and played with it. "So I have your permission to pine away unrequited?"

"Did I say anything about unrequited?"

"No." He looked at her, his eyes dark with promise as he leaned in to her. "But you haven't been exactly," he paused, his breath on her lips, "forthcoming with any declarations of returned affections."

"You want something more tangible than me telling you that you look hot?"

"Not necessarily more tangible." Pacey shivered, closing his eyes as she licked her lips, the pink tip of her tongue moving over his as well. "But maybe a little more heartfelt."

"Oh." Jen's hand slid up Pacey's leg and settled comfortably at the top of his thigh. "So," she pulled his lower lip into her mouth and sucked on it, releasing it reluctantly, "you want me to do something like tell you I love you?"

"That." He cleared his throat as his voice broke. "That would be good."

"And that I've been sitting here all night on pins and needles, not reading my book, and waiting for you to walk through that door? Afraid that you were going to tell me that you and Joey had reconciled and I was going to have to be the one to tell Dawson tomorrow that he wasn't ever going to hear 'Here Comes the Bride'."

"Are you apt to say something like that?"

She moved completely off the chair, sliding onto his lap. Pacey's hands looped around her waist and he held her lightly. Her fingertips traced his lips gently. "I've read the first sentence of that page over a hundred times tonight. I still couldn't tell you what it says." She took a deep breath. "I lay in that bath last night, listening to you undressing outside the door. I didn't need the soft-core porn, Pacey. All I needed was to imagine you naked, in bed, waiting for me."

"So," he kissed her softly, his lips brushing over hers, feeling the soft sigh as she parted them, "that's a yes then?"

"Well, it's a little early in our relationship for me to be telling you I love you." Jen pressed her chest against hers, her nipples grazing his chest. "But it's certainly not to early for you to carry me into the bedroom and show me exactly what you feel for me."

"So we're settling for mind-blowing sex right now?"

"Right now," she nodded. "Though it's not your mind I was considering blowing."

He stood up, scooping her into his arms and heading for the bedroom. "Can I bring up the love part after I've made you come so many times your brain's a big pile of orgasmic goo?"

"That'd probably be the best time."

He laid her down gently, standing back just enough to see all of her. Her legs shimmered in the moonlight that came in through the window behind the bed, and the seemed to go on for miles before they reached the bottom hem of her oversized t-shirt that rode up her thighs just enough to give him a glimpse of the dusky rose of her panties. He shook his head, chuckling softly as he sank down to his knees, kneeling in front of her prone body.

Raising up on her elbows, Jen looked down on him, watching as he brought his hands up to rest on her knees where he began rubbing small circles, letting them slowly make their way up her thighs.

5/15/03