Six years Of Love - By Ashley

6 Years of Love

Pacey looked out his window and sighed. Another dreary day in the boring town where nothing interesting ever happens Capeside. Another hurricane was supposed to come in a few days, but by the look of things, Pacey thought it might even come tomorrow. Pacey, figuring today might be his last day for awhile to get out of the house, decided to 'borrow' his dad's truck again. For awhile, he drove around aimlessly. But there is only so long that a person can drive around a town like Capeside before he starts to get bored. Again, Pacey sighed and looked around. He was near Joey's house. He drove up to her drive and rang the doorbell.
"Pacey? What are you doing here? Did the zoo let the test animals free?" Joey asked.
"Maybe they did. I see you here," Pacey retorted. "But I came here in peace, so lighten up with the insults, ok?" Joey saw Pacey wasn't exactly in the best mood. She sighed.
"Ok, I'm sorry Pacey. Do you wanna come in?" she offered. She looked at Pacey expectantly.
"Actually, I came by to see if you wanted to come to the beach with me before the hurricane hits."
"Is this a trick? Because usually you don't ask me anywhere unless another girl is involved, or your reputation," Joey said suspiciously.
"No trick, no catch, Jo. See, it's just that Dawson's out with his parents today on some trip to strengthen their family bonds, and Jen's visiting her parents this weekend, and I don't exactly have anyone else to invite," Pacey finished lamely.
"All right, but only because I'm starting to feel sorry for you."
"Thank you, Joey. I think." Pacey opened the passenger door for Joey, and shut it when she got in. Pacey ran over to his side of the truck and put the key in the ignition.
"Pacey?" Joey asked.
"Yes?"
"I… nevermind," she sighed, turning slightly away.
"No, what is it?" Pacey kept glancing at her as he was driving.
"Just drop it. It's not important." Before Pacey had a chance to answer that, she changed the subject. "Where are we going, Pacey? This isn't the way to the beach." Joey asked, confused.
"Yes it is."
"No, it's not. I'm sure of it. I went to the beach last Tuesday with Bessie, Bodie, and Alex!" Pacey chuckled.
"Well, you must have gone to a different beach then the one I'm heading to."
"The beach all along Capeside is the same! If we aren't going to the beach here, where are we going? Pacey!" Joey shouted, getting angry and even more confused.
"Ok, ok, don't get so mad! I'm going to the beach, but I'm taking a different route. Calm down. This is going to be a surprise," Pacey said, laughing. She was going to be surprised, all right. Pacey wondered if she even remembered the place they were headed too. Pacey sure did. He had had so much fun with Joey there. It was the place where he had begun to fall in love with her.
As they neared the small coves, Joey's face lit up like a Christmas tree. She had remembered it! How could she forget? Joey remembered all the fun she and Pacey had there the summer when they were nine. Dawson had been away all summer with his family on a big vacation, visiting aunts and uncles and such. Joey slowly got out of the truck. Now that she was older, she understood the beauty of the place. Apparently Pacey did, too, which surprised her.
"I love this place! Thanks for bringing me here, Pacey. It's beautiful," she said, still admiring the beach, and water, and birds, and the sun, and everything around her.
"Yes. Beautiful," Pacey said softly. Pacey was standing behind Joey, so she didn't notice he was staring at her when he had said that. Pacey snapped out of his daze. "Come on, let's go inside the caves!" Pacey pleaded excitedly, just like a little boy. Joey smiled at the memory of the caves. Once, she and Pacey had played there for hours, and there had been a cave in. They were trapped for almost two days.
"Only if you promise there won't be another cave in," Joey warned.
"Yeah, yeah, I promise," Pacey answered, not thinking there would be a chance in the world of that happening again. As they raced each other to the caves, Pacey noticed a few dark gray clouds come into view over head. He decided not to worry about it. There were always rain clouds that time of year.
After awhile, Joey and Pacey rested on a nearby rock.
"This has got to be a world record or something," Joey said, out of breath.
"What has to be a world record?" Pacey asked, confused.
"You. Me. Not fighting. For about… three hours. It's a miracle we haven't slit each other's throats!" Joey exclaimed.
"Yeah, a miracle. It's actually kinda nice. We should do stuff like this more often." Joey smiled back at him.
"Yeah, we should," she answered. Just then, she heard a clap of thunder. Then, it started to hail.
"Oh, shit! Come on, we have to get to the car!" Pacey yelled above the noise. He pulled Joey's arm as he ran. When they got to their destination, Pacey started the truck up. Or he tried to. "No no no! This can't be happening!" Pacey shouted, trying to start up the truck again.
"What? What's wrong with the car?" Joey asked. She was starting to get more than a little scared. The wind was blowing strongly, and even more hail was coming down. It was coming down with so much force, it almost broke the glass in the windshield.
"Ah, we better get out of here, and soon," Pacey told Joey. He didn't tell Joey this, but he was beginning to get scared. Only God knew how bad the storm could get. They were right by the beach, and there was now no chance of someone to come by to get them. Pacey had to think quickly. "Joey, come on, we'll be safe in the caves."
"Are you sure? We could be ok in here," Joey said.
"Uh-uh. We are going, now. No ifs, ands, or buts! It's dangerous in here, Jo! Look how fast the hail is coming! It could come right through the windshield. Now, on the count of three, we are gonna both jump out of the truck and run to that cave right by the big oak tree, ok?"
"Pacey, I… Ok, on your count."
"One…" Pacey started. He looked at Joey reassuringly. "Two… Three!" They both ran out of the truck, and towards the caves. About ten feet away from the truck, a big piece of hail hit Joey in the arm. She fell, surprised, to the ground. She was about to call out to Pacey for help, but he was right by her side, pulling her up, and helping her the rest of the way to the caves.
"Thanks for helping me out, Pacey." Joey said, breathing heavily.
"Don't mention it. Besides, I'm the one who got you into this mess in the first place," Pacey said, apologetically.
"Oh, don't talk like that. It wasn't anyone's fault. Not yours, not mine, and not the weatherman on television, ok?" Pacey looked at Joey.
"All right." Pacey said. He still felt guilty. But on the bright side of things, he was stuck in a cave with an incredibly beautiful woman… Pacey told himself to snap out of it. She could never be his. Her heart belonged to Dawson, and it always would. Dawson would never realize how incredibly wonderful Joey was. He'd always take her loyalty for granted. Dawson was so blind.
After about an hour later, they became quite bored. The hail wasn't letting up, and it was getting cold. Seeing that Joey was shivering, Pacey offered her his jacket.
"Are you crazy? You'll be colder than I am. It won't do either of us any good if you get sick," Joey said rationally.
"Joey, I didn't know you cared," Pacey answered, teasing her. Joey looked at him seriously.
"Well I do, Pacey. I do care about you, even though I don't always act like it. I guess I always take my anger out on you because you're the only one I can do that with. I mean, I don't want to get Bessie mad and then she'd kick me out, and I can't take my anger out on Dawson; he'd take it the wrong way. And… well, I'm sorry Pacey. I've been kinda a bitch to you lately."
"It's okay, Joey," Pacey said. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I guess the same goes for me, too. Although I wouldn't mind too much if my parents kicked me out," he said, flashing his million-dollar smile. Just then, they heard a clap of thunder.
"Pacey, we better get farther into the caves. This is getting really bad." Pacey agreed with Joey, and they moved farther back. It was darker back there, and they couldn't see a thing. Pacey sensed Joey a little behind him. Since he couldn't see anything, he knew she couldn't, either. He turned around quickly, and grabbed her shoulders.
"Boo!" Pacey shouted.
"Ahh! Stop it!" Joey glared at Pacey. "You scared me."
"I got that idea already, Jo." Pacey said. Even though Joey couldn't see him, she knew he was grinning.
"Laugh all you want, Pacey Witter, but you just wait. I'll get you back." Pacey laughed out loud.
"Sure you will, Joey. Sure." Just then, as they were walking, Pacey's hand brushed slightly against Joey's. Joey felt an electric charge, and her body tingled all over. That was odd. She had never felt like that with anyone except Dawson. She hadn't even felt that way with Anderson. It made no sense that she would feel this way with Pacey, of all people. But exactly what way did she feel? All Joey knew was what her heart told her, but her mind sometimes over ruled her heart. But maybe it wasn't the perfect time to think about this. Or perhaps it was…
"Joey?" Pacey asked quietly.
"Yeah?"
"He doesn't deserve you."
"Who?" Joey questioned, although she was sure she already knew the answer.
"Dawson. If he can't see whats right in front of him, he doesn't deserve your love." Joey was surprised at Pacey's bluntness. She remained quiet for a few minutes.
"Why are you doing this, Pacey? Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Don't change the subject, Jo." Joey gave a small sigh.
"I'm not. I think my question might fall into the category," Joey said quietly.
"Wha...What do you mean?" Pacey asked slowly.
"I mean, I want to know where we stand with each other, Pacey. You and I both know there might be a little something between us, and I want to know how you feel about it." Pacey and Joey's eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and although it was still hard to see, Joey could tell Pacey was looking up at her the way she'd always wanted Dawson to look at her. That look was the only answer Joey needed. Pacey was about to speak, but another, louder bolt of lightning hit outside. For a moment, they could see around them, but then the flash was gone. Although it was gone, its effect wasn't. It had hit a nearby tree, causing it to crash. It crashed on the outside of the cave.
"Pacey, what's that noise?" Joey asked, getting frightened.
"It's a cave-in, Joey! Come on we gotta go farther back, now!" Pacey yelled. Joey ran in one direction, Pacey in another. After a few moments, Pacey realized Joey wasn't with him. He knew not to call out to her; it might cause another cave in. Instead, he tried his best to retrace his steps, and think about where Joey would have gone. He thought he heard something ahead of him.
"Pace? Is it you?" a voice called out softly behind him. Pacey whirled around. It was Joey.
"Joey, you're okay!" Pacey whispered happily.
"Yep, I'm here. Disappointed?" Joey joked. Instead of responding verbally, Pacey embraced Joey in a solid hug.
"I don't suppose you happen to have a match or a lighter?" Pacey asked.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Pacey. I sure did pick a hell of a time to quit smoking."
"You what?" Pacey sat down in shock.
"Oh, you are so gullible! I was kidding Pacey." Joey sat down beside him.
"Good. Because no friend of mine is ever gonna start smelling bad." Joey again remained quiet.
"Is that really all we are, Pacey? Friends? Because I think we should do something about all this now." This was the perfect opportunity for Pacey. He had another chance to actually get the girl. He had been in love with Joey for six years now. He had dreamed of this moment almost every night. But now he was afraid he would screw it up. But then he remembered an old line from some movie he had seen as a kid-"Follow your heart, kid, and you can never go wrong." He decided to do just that.
"Joey, I brought you here for a specific reason. I've wanted to tell you this for six years now, and I thought this would be the perfect place to tell you." He glanced up at Joey. She nodded at him.
"Go on."
"Well, I guess I'll start from the beginning. When we first discovered this place, and we had been trapped in that cave-in, I really admired how you took charge of the situation. Then I started to realize other things. Like how beautiful you were." Joey blushed, flattered by his compliment. "And for six years, I've been unable to tell you, because you were always off after Dawson, and it seemed… it seemed the harder I tried to get closer to you, the closer you and Dawson got. I was… I was afraid that you hated me, Joey, and that scared me. It scared me that the one person I loved so much could actually hate me. My parents thought I was so depressed, they almost put me on prozac."
"You…you love me, Pacey?" Pacey gave a silent nod. He was terrified at his point. He was trying to prepare himself for the big let down. "Pacey… that is the best thing anyone has ever told me, in over a year. I go through my life every day thinking there's no one in the world who loves me…"
"Really, Jo? I've wanted to say it to you everyday. I really have. Because when you love a person as long as I've loved you, it's really hard to stop… But now I want to know how you feel."
"Pacey, I thought I was in love with Dawson for such a long time, but now I know it isn't love. Well, it's love, but I'm not in love with Dawson. I'm in love with someone else, it just took me six years to realize it. And Pacey, I'm the one that doesn't deserve someone. I don't deserve you. I mean, you've always been there for me. Even when Dawson wasn't. I feel really stupid. But I finally broke free of my own stupidity today, and I realized that… I love you, Pacey. With all my heart." Pacey sat there silently. He was shocked. He had actually gotten the girl. He had gotten the best girl in the entire world!
"Well, aren't you going to say something, Pacey?" Joey asked. Pacey thought for a second.
"No." Then, he leaned over and kissed her. And she kissed him back. They kissed very passionately, for what seemed like hours. Feeling safe in each other's arms, both Joey and Pacey knew everything would be all right.

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Epilogue

"Mph…" Joey broke away from her kiss with Pacey. "Pacey, I think it would be a good idea if we try to find a way out of here. It sounds like it stopped hailing, and no one knows we're here, so now is as good a time as any to rescue ourselves."
"You're right, as usual." Pacey said. Joey just smiled. They walked blindly to where the cave in was. There were a bunch of big rocks, stones, and small pebbles wedged together.
"If we pull out the right rock, all the other rocks will fall down, and we can get out," Joey said happily.
"Right, except all the rocks are going to fall down on us. Then we'd be dead as these rocks. I suggest we pull out one rock at a time starting from the top." Pacey suggested. Joey was about to argue, but she stopped herself. She wasn't going to argue with him as much. She loved him too much to do that. Instead, she agreed with him.
About an hour later, they could almost get out. Just a few more rocks, and they would be through. Pacey almost wished they could be trapped in there together longer. It would be interesting to see what might happen. Then, Pacey pulled down another rock, and he saw he could fit through the opening!
"Joey come on, we can climb up a little here and get out. And look, It's a beautiful day! Perfect for a beautiful woman like you," Pacey said smiling. Joey kissed him. When she broke away, she looked at a surprised Pacey. "What was that for?" he asked her.
"For you being you." Pacey leaned in again, and kissed her again, longer, for what seemed like days, but only lasted for seconds.
"Hello? Is anyone in here?" a voice called out from the entrance. Pacey broke off the kiss. He knew that voice. He knew it very well, in fact. All of a sudden, a gun poked over the wall of rock. Pacey realized that Doug couldn't see them, and he didn't realize who they were.
"Doug! Put down the gun, will ya?" Pacey said, rather annoyed his brother has broken a very tender moment between him and Joey.
"Pacey? What are you doing here? Did you know that dad reported that truck as stolen? You are such a loser. It will be so embarrassing for dad to have to tell the entire police force that his son stole his car. You-" Doug was interrupted by Joey.
"Now let me tell you something, Doug. Shut up! No one listens to your crap. We didn't in middle school when you came into class for career day! And no one listens now! SO, just go away, or help us out of here. And you know, I find it sick you would rather yell at your brother than see if he is hurt after you find him trapped in a cave-in!" Joey shouted. Both Pacey and Doug looked at Joey with shocked expressions.
"You go, Joey!" Pacey whispered in her ear. Doug wasn't amused.
"Listen, young lady. You could be arrested for yelling at a police officer-" Doug was again interrupted by Joey.
"I'm not talking to Deputy Witter. I'm talking to Doug. I don't care if you are duty right now. I'm talking to Pacey's brother, not some guy yelling at Pacey. So you can't arrest me. What are you staring at? Help us out!" Joey yelled. Doug stared at her dumbfounded. Then, he started pulling away rocks. A minute later, Pacey and Joey were no longer trapped.
Doug drove them to the police station so they could straighten things out about the missing truck. After that was all cleared out, Pacey walked Joey home.
"So, you feel like going out tomorrow night?" Pacey asked.
"I'd love to, Pacey," Joey smiled. "Good night, Pacey." Joey walked inside her house, not really listening to Bessie screaming at her, or the baby's wailing. She was humming to herself. She didn't know the tune, and she didn't really care, either. She was in love. Joey thought about what she would tell Dawson. Joey decided that Dawson would just have to accept the obvious. The obvious being that Joey Potter and Pacey Witter were in love.

THE END