Joey woke up with a terrible headache. Drinking was fun but it had its downfalls.  I won’t drink again…for the next two months, she promised herself smiling.

She realized she didn't hear Jen.  Where could she be?  She shook her head and decided to make some coffee for herself.  Thank God it was Saturday.

The kitchen was a little bit cold.  Joey shivered as she remembered what had happened yesterday in this very room.  Of course "remember" was not exactly the right word because all that she could recall was images and emotions.  The images made her feel somewhat embarrassed.  The emotions did not.  However, they made her feel confused. Was she still in love with Pacey?  The only certain thing was that she was in lust.  After she left him in the kitchen last night, she was dizzier than before.  It wasn't just the drink. It was what he did to her.

She felt a hand grabbing her arm and suddenly she was dancing with Drue. She liked that.  She liked dancing with anyone in that moment and Drue was cute.  She vaguely remembered him complimenting her and then a slow dance.  A little afterwards she was in Pacey's arms.  Was it the same slow dance or another one?  Being held by Pacey sure felt great.  She remembered smelling his aftershave once again and then… a blur.  Next thing she knew, she was in her bed and a figure that looked a lot like Pacey was putting a blanket on her.  She smiled as she remembered this.

Drue sat up on his bed abruptly.  Why was he awake?  A familiar sound coming from the other side of the room reminded him.  His roommate's snore could wake up the dead sometimes.  Strangely enough he didn't feel sleepy.  He sadly smiled as he thought that he, who was considered the "bad" boy by his co-tenants, was the only one that stayed sober last night.  Joey on the other hand… she was almost drunk.

He suddenly felt thirsty.  The memory of Joey in his arms made him get up and head to the kitchen.  There she was herself.  Wasn't that a sign?

"Hey, how are you doing?"

Joey rolled her eyes.  "I've got a terrible headache but generally, I'm ok.  Want some coffee?  I've made plenty."

Drue nodded.  He couldn't take away from his head Jen's voice.  You’re in love with her, aren’t you?   He hadn't thought about that before, but he could be.  Why wouldn't he?  He poured some coffee to his cup.  He had his own favorite cup and didn't let anyone else touch it.  He then went to the fridge and searched for some milk.  "Damn!  There's no milk!" he remarked.

"Really? I think I saw some."  She always drank her coffee black.

She stood next to him and bent a little to look better into the fridge.  Drue didn't let her continue.  He gently pulled her closer to him and he kissed her.

Jen started feeling cold.  December in Boston was not a thing to joke about.  Surprisingly it hadn't snowed yet but she was pretty sure they were going to have White Christmas. She and Grams would spend Christmas in Boston and she wanted to make it special.  It was the first holiday that Grams would spend away from Capeside for years.  But Jen could not concentrate on her loving grandmother.  Her mind was constantly returning to one subject.  Drue; or rather Drue and Joey.  Jen could not ignore the irony of the situation.  It seemed that all the men in her life, with the sad exception of Henry only, preferred Joey to her.  Even Jack had dated her.

She found herself in front of their apartment building.  Maybe it was time to get home. She couldn't keep her hands warm by blowing on them anymore.

When Jen opened the door, she was surprised to hear noise from the kitchen.  She had tried not to make any noise as she entered, because it was still so early in the morning and didn't think that anyone would be up.  She started pulling her gloves off, when she froze. From where she was standing, she could clearly see a corner of the kitchen.  Drue and Joey were kissing.

Jen felt angry, although she knew she had no right to be.  She blinked back the tears in her eyes and turned around.  Without making any noise she opened the door and got out of the house.

Pacey opened his eyes trying to understand why he had woken up.  Suddenly he knew it. It was an unbearable thirst.  He tried to sleep again but he knew better.  The thirst wouldn't go away.  And he was lucky it was only that and not a hangover after the amounts of beer he had last night.  He smiled.  He had to admit that Joey was something.

Pacey got up and decided not to turn on the light.  He didn't want to wake up Drue.  He didn't notice that his roommate was not in the room.

He half opened the door and saw light in the kitchen.  He blinked to see clearer.  That couldn't be right.  He just thought he saw Joey and Drue kissing.  It took him some time to realize that the image was true.  Silently he closed the door again.

Andie jumped from one leg to another trying to warm herself.  This must have been the coldest day of December yet.  She hoped she didn't have to wait much longer.  She grinned as she recognized the red car that stopped in front of her.  Her brother waved at her and she run to the other side of the car.

"Thanks for coming, little bro."

"No problem, little sis," he retorted.

Jack started the car and turned to his sister. "So, had a good time last night?"

"That's none of your business, mister.  I'll tell you that.  It was a good thing that Ben didn't get his car last night at the party because we both drank too much.  I don't even remember how we got a taxi and went to his home."

"You know, they say that drinking releases you from your taboos and restraints."

"So, it's true.  Tell me which restraint did you release at Tobey's last night?"

Jack blushed and didn't answer directly.  "What's the big news you said you'd tell me?"

His sister giggled.  "You can't guess.  Dad called and guess what he suggested for Christmas!"

"You just said that I couldn’t guess."

"Hawaii!"

"He wants to go to Hawaii for Christmas?"

"Yeah, if it's alright with us.  What do you think?"

"Are you kidding?  Tell him to book a flight!"

Joey put her hands on Drue's chest and gently pushed him off her.

He looked at her half smiling, half-serious.  "I'm waiting for my punch."

"I'm not going to hit you, Drue, I just want to know something.  Did you feel anything?"

“Sincerely? No."

"Me either.  Nothing.  Nada."

"Ok! I got the point."

"Isn't that great?  We can still be friends and this can be behind as forever.  I'm not for you and you're not for me.  Friends?"  She raised her hand.

He took her hand and shook it.  "Friends."

He walked towards the open door but he turned to face her.  "Just consider something. Maybe you didn't feel anything because you already have feelings for someone else?  Just a thought."

Joey looked around at her remaining dinner company and smiled tersely.  The last week had been pure hell.  Everybody had been busy studying for exams and now that they had finished their exams, Joey thought it was high time to sit down to a nice meal together and discuss all the tension in the house.  Jen and Pacey had been downright ignoring Joey...and Drue for that matter.  She figured that a 'house meeting' would put everyone on the defensive, so she decided to bring everyone together under the guise of a long-deserved, quiet dinner at home.

Jack and Andie had finally divulged their secret.  They had been preoccupied with their Christmas vacation plans.  Andie didn't want to say anything on the off chance that Mr. McPhee might have to cancel due to work obligations.  But everything was set to go and the siblings were planning to leave in 5 days.  After they had told the gang about their plans, they made themselves scarce.  It was easy to sense that their roommates were needing private time to work out their own issues.

Drue cleared his voice and spoke first.  "I feel that I've done something to piss you off, Pacey.  I'm not sure what that was and it's not like I care, per say.  But we do room together and it's been tense...to say the least."

When Pacey refused to reply to Drue, Joey stepped in.  "I think what Drue is trying to say is we've all been under an extreme amount of pressure, but we don't know why you two have been giving us the silent treatment.  What's going on?"

Pacey watched Joey glance at Drue and laughed sarcastically.  He leaned forward in his chair and rested his forearms on the table.  "I don't get you, Joey.  Don't you remember Anna?  The way this slime ball treated her was pathetic.  I don't understand why you would want to hooked up with someone like him?"

Joey furrowed her brow and studied Pacey's face.  "Hooked up?  What are you...oh my God.  You saw us, didn't you?"  Pacey wouldn't answer, but the expression on his face was giving him away.  "And you told her?"

"No," Jen retorted.  "He didn't have to."

"You saw us kissing?" Drue questioned them both.

"Why do you think you can get away with this, Joey?  It's like every guy you lay eyes on, you think you can have.  It's the wonderful Joey Potter, ladies and gentleman, she bats her eyelashes and men come running," Jen seethed.

"Lay off," Pacey said softly.

"Humph.  It figures.  I am out of here," Jen shot out of her chair and took off towards her room with Drue right behind her.

Pacey pushed back from the table and moved to the patio door.  He gazed out over the city and regarded Joey's reflection approaching him.  He began to speak but he refused to face her.  "You don't owe me any explanations, Joey.  I'm not your boyfriend.  I've been pushing you away since last spring.  I'm not surprised that you wanted to be with someone else.  I just didn't think it would be Drue."

Joey turned to face him now but he continued staring through the glass.  "You're right.  I don't owe you any kind of explanation.  But I want to tell you what really happened."  She paused and took in a deep breath.

"What you saw..."

"Was none of my business.  I have no right to act like a jealous lover."

"Then why are you?"  Joey didn't give him a chance to answer.  "I have never been more confused about my feelings than I am right now."

"Of course you're confused.  You're in love with Drue."

"I'm not in love with Joey."

“You're not?  Then why did you..."

"Kiss her?  It was because of what you said," Drue explained.  He edged closer to her bed and took a seat at the opposite end from where she was sitting.  She had her arms and legs crossed and was glaring at Drue.

"You kissed her because I accused you of being in love with her?"

Drue ran a hand through his thick black hair.  "Yeah.  I mean, I started thinking about how I felt about her and I just wanted to see how she felt about me."

"Did she hit you again?"

"No.  But we both admitted that there was nothing between us.  It was a mistake.  And I'm starting to think it was because we both have strong feelings for other people," Drue explained.

"Well, I'm sure Joey does, but you?"

"Hey. Anything's possible."

"How could you ever think that I would love Drue Valentine?"

Pacey turned to face her and his eyes bore through her.  "It's easy.  You and Valentine have been chummy ever since we moved in here.  Plus, I know all about that 'bad boy' complex of yours."

Joey couldn't help it.  Her mouth turned up into that lopsided smile of hers.  Pacey regarded her for a moment.  "What are you smiling about?" he asked, mildly irritated.

"I'm just...I'm glad that this is what you're mad about...Drue and I.  I was starting to think it was about..." she trailed off.

"What we did in that kitchen?" Pacey asked suggestively.  "No.  What we did in there was the first thing we've done in a long time that actually felt normal.  The fighting, the banter, it was like we were..."

"Our old selves?" Joey finished.  Joey took Pacey's hands into hers and gazed into his serious blue eyes.  "Nothing happened.  Drue made a mistake.  I don't feel anything for Drue Valentine other than friendship.  It was an impulse.  And not something we're planning on doing again...ever."

Pacey sighed and pulled one of his hands from her grasp.  He lifted it to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.  He let his fingers linger there for a moment and then began running his thumb along her jaw line.  "I really don't know why you put up with me.  I'm indecisive, I'm rude and obnoxious.  And I jump to conclusions."

"That's true," Joey agreed.  "But I know that we're going to make it through this.  You know, there's one other thing I wanted to do with you in that kitchen."

"What's that?" Pacey breathed.

Joey used both hands to run her fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck.  She pulled him into a sweet embrace and whispered in his ear, "This."

Pacey buried his face in her hair and smelled the scent that could only be defined as Joey.  "Hmmmmm."  Pacey continued holding her in his arms.  He never wanted to let her go but he had to tell her.  "Joey.  I have to tell you something...about Christmas."

Joey pulled back to look into Pacey's eyes.  "Whatever it is, it doesn't matter.  As long as we can be together for Christmas, then everything will be perfect."

Pacey pulled Joey back into his arms.  "Okay, Jo."
Pacey was feeling lost in Joey's eyes.  He had waited so long for her to look at him like this again!  He lowered his eyes to her lips and his impulse to bite them was so hard, he ached.  She moved under him, making herself more comfortable and put her arms around his neck.

"So, what now?" she whispered to his ear.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.  He could just stay there, smelling her perfume forever.  He bent a little and started making small circles with his mouth to her neck and then moved down.  She sighed and started unbutton his shirt.  She put her hands on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.  She couldn't stand it anymore.  She kissed him.  She licked his lips with her tongue and then sucked them relishing every minute of it.

He slowly released her from his arms and started pushing her blouse upward with his mouth.  She giggled and pulled it off.  He immediately saw her breasts, having a white triangle from the bathing suit, which was in striking contrast with the rest of her tanned body.  He felt her hands trying to unzip his pants.  The room was moving.  "I must be very dizzy," he thought.  No, the room was really moving.

He got out of bed and ran to the door.  When he opened it, he saw the huge waves coming all over the boat. 'True Love' was in danger.  He must save her.  He must save Joey.  He must save all of them-
He opened his eyes and noticed the dim light coming from the window.  He blinked to get used to it.  Those damn nightmares were tormenting him for the last couple of days. He knew what it was all about.  He just didn't know how to tell Joey that he couldn't spend Christmas with her, in Capeside. "I have to tell her," he thought.  "It's not like it's my fault.  Why am I making such a big deal of this thing?"

He quickly folded his blankets.  He had late shifts, the last few days, and Joey had early classes.  She was gone when he got up, but he wanted to catch her up this time.

When he got to the kitchen, he saw only Drue.   "Where's everybody?" he asked.

"Joey had to leave.  She'll be back by three, though, so you'll probably see her before you leave," was his answer.

Pacey smiled and didn't comment on the fact that Drue had limited his answer to just Joey.  He didn't mind being obvious and he didn't dislike Drue at all anymore.

"I wanted to ask you something," Drue continued.  "I know you don't have a car, so how will you travel to Capeside?  You can come with me, you know."

Pacey nodded.  "Thanks, but I won't go to Capeside for Christmas.  I have to stay here.  If I work during holidays, I'll get extra credits and it'll help me to pass a test.  Could you imagine?  They make us take a test the first day after the holidays."

"That sucks, man!"

"Yeah, I know."

Pacey wiped his hands from the water.  He hated doing the dishes, especially when there were eggs involved, but he had to do it.  You just can't avoid this stuff when you have roommates.  He heard the door and his heart jumped.  It had to be Joey.  She entered the kitchen and greened broadly when she saw him over the sink. "Hey, stranger!  Long time no see, " she joked.

"I'm glad you came back soon today," he commented.

"Why is that?  Aw, my hands are cold!"  She took his hands and started rubbing hers with his.

He stopped her and took her hands in front of his mouth, blowing softly.  She felt a warm, fuzzy wave all over her body.

"I wanted to tell you something."

"Hmm-hmm?"

"I'll stay here for the Holidays because…"

"What?" she interrupted him.

"Joey, listen to me. I have to stay…"

"Does everybody in your class stay?"

"No, but…"

"Then you don't have to!  I don't believe this!  I thought that you wanted to make a fresh start just like I did, but I guess I was wrong.  I don't want to talk about this anymore."  She paused but she didn't let Pacey respond.  "I wanted to wait till tomorrow so we can leave together, but I'm leaving right now!"

She stormed off slamming the bedroom door after her.  Pacey didn't know what to do.  He had to leave for class.  He shook his head and decided to leave.  Joey would understand if she thought about it a little and if she didn't… he didn't want to think about that.
Joey paced around her room and stared at the clothes on her bed.  She yanked the suitcase down from the top shelf of the closet.  Her eyes brimmed with tears when she thought about the phone call that Bessie had made to her yesterday.

“I have some news for you Joey.”

“What?  You finally got me that Mercedes I’ve been asking for?”

“No, Doofus.  It’s about Dad.  He’s been paroled and he’ll be home in time for Christmas.”"

Silence.

“Joey?  Are you still there?  I know that this is a shock, but you knew that he would get out eventually.”

“It’s okay, Bess.  I don’t even care.  I have news, too.  I think that Pacey and I are heading towards getting back together.”

“Oh, Joey!  I am so happy for you.  This is great!  You have to bring him over for dinner on Christmas Eve.”

“I will.  And you know what?  Don’t worry about Dad and me.  As long as I have Pacey with me…I know that I can handle anything.”

"Dammit!"  Joey decided to stop being so childish and talk things out with Pacey.  As she left her room, she noticed that his bedroom door was open a crack.  She tapped on it lightly.  "Pacey?"

The door opened and she found Drue, not Pacey, standing there.  "He left, Potter.  And he seemed pretty pissed.  What did you do this time?"

Joey sighed heavily and slumped down on Drue's bed.  "I screwed up...again. Why do I do this?"

"Don't ask me.  I've got my own dramas to deal with."

Joey rose from the bed and shook her head.  "I'm packing my bag now and I'll be ready to soon.  How about you?"

Drue furrowed his brow.  "But we were going to leave tomorrow.  I mean, you could still talk to Pacey...when he gets back."

"No.  Forget it.  I've done enough damage for one day.  I'm just going to have to face him on my own," she called as she exited the room.

"Face who?" Drue wondered.