Spoilers: If you can find one, you know more than I do.

Rating: if there was such a thing as a “smut police” I would have a rap sheet as long as my arm...or longer.

FAR AND AWAY
Part 3
He Said, She Said
By Kit

“Dawson, Dawson, wake up,” Pacey pounded on the door. Joey sat straight up in bed, clutching the sheet around her naked chest and squinted in the sunlight that splayed across the floor of the old fashioned bedroom.

“Joey, you look so *cute* with your hair flying every which direction,”

Dawson kissed her neck, and sighed as Pacey banged again. Joey pulled her clothes back on.

“I’ll meet *you* after a shower,” Joey kissed him again and opened the door.

She smiled at Pacey sweetly. Dawson pulled up his khakis and zipped them up as Pacey strode in.

“Dawson, my man!”

“Pacey, you look way too excited for...” Dawson picked up his watch off the bedside table and glanced at it, “...seven A.M. What’s going on?”

“Oh, man. Last night, after Andie fell asleep, I went outside, you know, just to think. And lo and behold who should come out the front door rounding midnight but...”

“...Mrs. McPhee,” Dawson finished, eyes widening. Pacey grinned back.

“Pa-cey!” Andie called from outside Dawson’s door.

“I knew something wasn’t right about that woman!” Dawson hissed.

“Dawson? Pacey!”

“She looks around and jumps in her car and just takes off,” Pacey looked like a rabid dog.

“So, of course, there is only one thing we can do,” Dawson rationalized.

“Tonight.”

They all trooped down the stairs like toy soldiers. Mrs. McPhee was standing in the dining room, waiting.

“The pancakes are almost ready,” she acknowledged each of the youths with a slight nod of her head.

“How lovely all you ladies look this morning. Andie--looking rested, as usual. Joey, my my, I must say, you seem to be glowing this morning. And Mrs. McPhee--did you sleep well?” Pacey was starting something, and he knew it.

Andie grimaced and Joey glared.

“I slept fine, young man. Thank you,” Mrs. McPhee answered brusquely, “I think I will go see what is taking Emily so long with those flapjacks,” she excused herself, walking swiftly to the kitchen.

As the swinging door swung back in to place, Joey, Dawson and Andie turned to look at Pacey. All they got was a guileless reply.

“What?”

“Oh, way to not be obvious, there, Pace,” Dawson said through clenched teeth. They were standing on Mrs. McPhee’s back porch,waiting for the girls in order to go to the beach.

“Why are you so interested? It’s not like she gave you the third degree about your honorable intentions,” Pacey retorted.

“No, but Joey and I were arguing earlier when I mentioned....” Dawson was cut off when Joey stepped out on the back porch, dressed for a day of boating in white pants, a blue oxford loosely tied over a white tanktop and canvas shoes.

“Thank you, L.L. Bean,” Pacey shot an unwelcome look in Joey’s direction. Joey gave it right back.

“Dawson, why were you talking about me?” Joey asked, as soon as Andie had stepped out of the back door, proving a most useful decoy for Pacey.

“We have some dirt on Mrs. McPhee,” Dawson snickered.

“Dawson--drop it. The woman’s as clean as a preacher’s sheets!” Joey hissed.

“No--we have solid evidence,” Dawson assured her, reaching out to help her into the sailboat.

“From who? HardCopy?”

“Pacey saw her sneak out of the house last night,” Dawson whispered, conspiratorially.

“You’re gonna believe *that* dumbshit?”

“I told you so, Joey. And you *will* believe me by the time we leave,” Dawson promised.

“Oh, yeah?” Joey asked, raising her eyebrows, “you willing to wager on that?”

“Anything,” Dawson answered.

“If I win, you have to agree to take me to the Annual Young Artists Awards convention and banquet in New York in the spring. If I lose, you still have to take me to the banquet, but I promise you a night of love you will *never* forget,” Joey whispered the last two words, and left Dawson standing with his jaw around his ankles.

“You’re on.”

“Are you guys ready to go back?” Pacey asked, brushing crumbs off his lap.

“No...” Joey looked up from staring into Dawson’s eyes, “I think we are going to...er...take another look at that river back there.”

“C’mere, Pacey,” Andie called from down the beach. As Pacey came closer, he could see her hunched over some sort of nest, “look--sea turtle eggs!”

“Oh, look!” Pacey pointed as one of the eggs began to wiggle.

“Oh, God! This is like a Discovery Channel moment, and we’re here to watch it!”

Andie fell to silence as one by one, the small creatures started breaking out of their shells and slowly crawling towards the water. Andie leaned back onto Pacey’s chest, and watched as they scuttled along the sand towards their new home. Soon her body became more and more limp, and Pacey had to work to keep her sitting up.

“That was absolutely...” Andie was at a loss.

“Amazing,” Pacey finished for her, as she dropped down to the sand, staring up, wondrously, at the perfect blue sky.

“Pacey, that was life. Real life--wow,” Andie watched as Pacey pulled himself onto one elbow and leaned over her, pressing his body to hers softly. He kissed her lips, and she smiled as he placed fluttery kisses on her neck and throat.

“Can we sleep here, please?” Andie’s request was simple, and yet, satisfyingly erotic.

“Absolutely,” Pacey grinned, “on one condition.”

Andie looked at him with an eyebrow raised in incredulity, “I’m listening.”

“Can we play a friendly little game of ‘Do you trust me?’”

“How do we play?” Andie asked, justifiably suspicious.

“Well, first, do you trust me to do this?” Pacey reached under her tank top and found her white cotton bra. He slid one finger under the soft fabric to lightly brush the underside of her breast, and then paused, “feel free to say ‘yes’ any time now.”

“Yes,” Andie agreed.

“What about if I did this?” Pacey pulled the bra clasp apart, and let her breasts expand out of it.

“Yes,” Andie said hoarsely, passion competing for her self control.

“And this?” Pacey felt her up, passing the calloused pads of his palm and fingers over the cool, soft flesh of her breast.

“Yes.”

Pacey proceeded down her stomach until he came to the waistband of her short skirt.

“Yes,” Andie said timidly, waiting for him to proceed.

“That’s enough,” Pacey said, withdrawing his hand.

Andie let out a frustrated sigh.

“Try not to look so disappointed, McPhee.”

“Pacey!” Andie warned.

“We can finish this later,” was his whispered promise in her ear, as he kissed her neck.

“Hmmm, tonight?”

Pacey got a rather odd look on his face, which Andie didn’t even notice.

“Oh, I suspect we’ll be rather tired, don’t you think?”

“Is something wrong?” Andie asked, quizzically.

“No, it’s just...I...promised Dawson we would talk tonight. About Joey...since we both...know her,” Pacey smiled weakly.

“Okay, Pacey,” Andie replied, becoming standoffish.

Pacey knew he had to do something quick, so he pulled her close for one last kiss. A kiss so passionate, and so torrid, both imagined their tongues were on fire and their faces aflame. Andie broke it off, gasping for air.

Pacey smiled sweetly. “Besides, my dear: all good things to those who wait.”

Pacey tuned to look at his girlfriend as she hopped off of the sailboat and onto the dock. He was starting to see more on a unfinished puzzle, and it was very clear he still had a lot to piece together. He didn’t know how many pieces Mrs. McPhee would require in that puzzle of Andie’s past, and her pain; but he was pretty sure she had a lot to do with the heartbreak Andie so rarely spoke of. But if he was looking just the right way, when Andie was off in her own little world, he could see some of that past, and some of the pain it brought to her bright eyes. And he swore to himself he would never be a part of that puzzle.

Think of it this way: if I was Santa, feedback would be my milk and cookies. I would love to hear from you, flames as well as praise: I take it all, kiddies.