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So, I've been absent from this board for a very long time now, which means I have no idea if anyone will ever end up reading this story or not. But I've been watching the show on DVD recently (and also reading Juliet's stories, which are always amazing), and have been struck by a plethora of new ideas. So, I'm going to be slowly writing all these ideas into stories. Maybe someone will read them, and maybe not, but either way, I'm having fun.

This story is a missing scene, something that really should have been present in 'Love Bites,' because I have always felt that the breakup between Pacey and Joey (and the re-emergence of Eddie) was just lazy writing, to give the writers the eternal triangle for the finale. This is one way that I would have fixed it.

sarah

~**~

"Hello?"

"Hey Jen."

"Joey, hey. What's up?" Jen asked, mildly surprised by the voice on the phone.

"Do you have a minute to talk?" Joey's voice was soft and controlled, but Jen knew there was far more lying beneath the surface.

And she wanted to get to the bottom. "For you, honey, always."

"Okay, because I have a big problem here," Joey declared, some emotion already seeping through.

"Don't you always. Lay it on my sister," Jen smiled, wondering what could possibly have happened to propel Joey to call her, out of the blue like this. It had to be something to do with boys, or she would have called Pacey.

"So, I know I haven't really caught you up on the latest developments in my life, so I should probably do that. Umm…Pacey and I are back together," Joey began.

"What!? That is amazing news," Jen squealed, suddenly much clearer on why she had received this phone call. "I can't believe you've been holding out on me."

"Okay, but there's more," Joey cautioned. "Eddie came back."

"Oooh, this story just keeps getting better."

"Jen!" Joey exclaimed.

"Okay, sorry, I'm listening," Jen apologized, still smiling a little.

"So, Eddie showed up last night at the bar, just as I was closing. I told him there was someone else, and he left."

"So, then what's your problem?"

"Well, now I'm just not sure."

"About…"

"About whether being with Pacey is really the right thing. We're here chaperoning a semi-formal for Harley and the whole thing just seems too much like déjà vu. Really, he showed up with a corsage and it felt almost exactly like prom. Which was two years ago now. I mean, being with Eddie was moving forward in my life. Is being with Pacey just me going backwards? Hiding out from the world , falling back into my past completely?" Joey babbled, not even fully aware of what was causing the knot of fear in her stomach.

"Joey, before I dispense any advice, I have to know if you want complete, total, brutal honesty, or if you're looking for me to placate you in a decision you've already made?" Jen inquired, needing to know if she could go full out in her revelations.

"I'm pretty sure that I want brutal honesty. But I might hate you for a while if you give it," Joey acknowledged, mildly apprehensive of what her friend was going to lay on her.

"Fair enough. I think our friendship has survived a few attacks of hate brought on by honesty," Jen noted, thinking back on some of the more turbulent times in their friendship. She was glad Joey had come to her with this problem and wanted to keep their friendship in tact.

"It's true. And I like to believe that I've matured to the point that when the ire fades, I realize that you love me and just want what's best for me."

"That I do," Jen agreed. "So here it is. Stop letting your insecurities run wild, walk back to Pacey, tell him you love him, and kiss him. I mean, really kiss him. Pour everything you know you feel, deep in your heart, about him into that kiss."

"But how do I-"

"Joey, right now, shut up and listen," Jen cut her off, "because if you don't do this, you are going to regret it forever, and I am not kidding. I was there, Joey. I was there when you fell in love with him, I was there when he broke your heart, and I was there that summer when you tried to piece it all back together again. You did a pretty impressive job, and you managed to eventually get yourself back into a positive frame of mind about college. But I remember how many different ways you tried to justify staying in Capeside, entirely and purely so you'd be there when he got back. Some of those excuses were patently ridiculous, and yet you tried them out on me. You know and I know that you were ready to give up college if you could find even the flimsiest reason to follow after Pacey.

"Don't get me wrong, I like Eddie. I think you had a good run with him and I think he was good for you. But I mainly thought he was good for you because of how much he was like Pacey and because I didn't think there was a chance you and Pacey could really get back together. I know you trained yourself to think of Pacey as only a friend, especially once he and Audrey got involved, but you've really just been hiding your feelings for a long time.

"I realize that your previous experience makes it seem like getting together with Pacey is just all too easy, but the thing is, Jo, it's not," Jen told her. "Last time you did it, it was just way too difficult. I think it's skewed your concept of what you need or what it has to be like to be with him, but let me ask you this: have you ever regretted loving him? Don't think, just answer."

"No." Joey needed no thought to answer this question.

"And truthfully: do you love him now?"

"Yes." Her love for Pacey had never been the question.

"Finally, not to get all schmoopy, but when you look into his eyes, what do you feel?"

"Like I'm finally home." The words spilled from Joey's lips without thought, just as Jen had asked. Hearing them out loud allowed Joey to really feel what her heart had been trying to get through to her for the first time since she'd shaved off a goatee and been surprised by her future.

"So, back to the beginning of the conversation. What's the problem?" Jen asked, knowing that Joey would need to have a few rounds of convincing, even for what she really wanted.

"I guess it just all feels so perfect," Joey confessed. "And I don't trust perfection."

"Oh, is that all? Well, I have no idea how you could be expected to cope with perfection. It's such a burden," Jen laughed.

"I mean it, Jen."

"I know you do, sweetie," Jen replied. "I feel the same way about C.J. sometimes. Like, nothing worthwhile in life comes without a price. But I think you and I have both come to expect an unreasonably high price for everything. It's not going to be perfect with Pacey. You know that. You've done it before. You two are going to fight, you're going to have past issues to work through. But honestly, have you ever let anyone so far into your heart as you let Pacey?"

"No," Joey answered truthfully.

"Do you trust that you can both keep going through the hardships of a relationship and still keep loving each other?" Jen asked again, hammering home the point.

"Yes."

"Then hang up this phone and go kiss that boy," Jen commanded.

"Thanks, Jen," Joey replied, already looking forward to following the instruction.

"And call me back later," Jen demanded.

"To give you all the juicy details?" Joey laughed, mildly giddy from the release of fear.

"Naturally," Jen smiled, happy to hear the joy in her friend's voice.

"I love you, Jen."

"Love you too, Joey."

End.