"Pacey..." Joey moaned, closing her eyes. Pacey smiled lightly, watching as her body moved against his touch. He could watch her lay in bed for hours upon hours, she just looked so wonderfully beautiful. But this morning he had other things on his mind.

"Come on, Joey," he pleaded, his hands gripping the covers. She grunted loudly and grabbed a nearby pillow and smacked Pacey upside the head with it, pushing him away.

"Five more minutes. Just five more minutes."

"Jo, this isn't a negotiation. Will you please just get up?"

Joey sat up in bed and gave him a glare that would rival Medusa's in deadly power.

"Pacey, in case you've failed to notice as of yet, this is supposed to be our vacation. Vacations do not entail getting up at six in the morning, In fact, just by the meaning of the word vacation I shouldn't have had to deal with your incessant whining until oh, at least ten o'clock." Joey flops back down into her pillows, disgruntled. Pacey just grins, amused. It was a rarity that he was dragging her from the sheets; usually it was the other way around and she was the one in his position. Even if he was ready to wake up, he always wanted a little early morning snuggling before facing the world.

"Oh, I think that the actual standard as set by the rule book is eight in the morning. If you wait until ten it cuts into your time to do other vacation-like things such as sight-seeing and wasting loads of money in cheap souvenir shops designed specifically for fools like you who believe vacations require certain things like cheap t-shirts, decorated shot glasses, and a certain amount of sleep required."

"I wanted that t-shirt, Pacey, I liked it. Get over it already," Joey's muffled reply comes from underneath the blankets. "And I haven't bought any shot glasses."

"Then you've already broken the vacation rules already so there's no need for you to follow them now," Pacey points out and pulls the covers away from her again. She lets out a half-shriek, half-yell, becoming angered.

"Pacey!"

"Josephine!" Pacey mocks good-naturedly. Joey crosses her arms in front of her chest and stares at him coldly, unamused. Pacey gives her a loveable puppy-dog gaze and sets his hand on her bare knee. "Sorry, Jo, I just wanted us to have as much time as possible together and to stick to our plan for the day. We only have two or three more days until we get back to Capeside."

"Well, if you don't leave me alone we're not going to have any time at all, because I will murder you and toss you overboard and you'll be fish food."

"Your attitude is hardly complimentary, Miss Potter. If anyone else heard you talk like that you'd be in a great deal of trouble," Pacey grins, a mischevious twinkle in his blue eyes. "In fact, I think threatening someone's life is a punishable offense." His presses his lips to hers, his tongue immediately sliding inside her mouth. He tugs the blanket from her fingers and moves it off of her body and presses closer, half laying on top of her by this point. Joey tries to summon the will to push him away with a degree of righteous indignance but finds herself enjoying it too much to care about maintaining the agrument that they had been having. Pacey slips his hands underneath her skimpy tank top, knowing that she never wore a bra to bed. Joey lets out a tiny groan of pleasure as his fingertips brush her breasts.

Pacey breaks his mouth from hers and slides his lips down her smooth curving neck to her right shoulder, nudging the loose strap of her top down. His hands forget their upward journey and instead he opts for a different route; without hesitation Pacey moves his deft fingers into Joey's loose boxers. Smiling slightly when he realizes she's not wearing any underwear underneath them, he takes advantage of the absence of a barrier.

"God, Pacey!" Joey cries out, taken by surprise as his fingers slide inside her body. Pacey smiles fully this time, taking in her graceful body as she arches toward him. Seeing how she is responding, Pacey stops and moves off of her, climbing up off of the bed. Joey sits up immediately, stunned. "Where are you going?" She asks, adjusting her tank top. Pacey looks at her for a minute, then turns and walks up the ladder to the main deck without uttering a word of explanation. Feeling a mixture of worry, confusion, and frustration, Joey clambers off the bed and hurries after him.

"Pacey, what's the matter? Is something wrong?" Joey calls as she climbs up the last few steps, wincing as the bright sunlight assaults her eyes. She glances around the deck and sees Pacey standing on starboard, leaning against the railing. "Why did you leave?"

"Oh, look who has arisen from her deep slumber! Guess you were more awake than you thought, eh, Jo?"

Jo takes the last step toward him and smacks him as hard as she can in the stomach.

"You're such an ass!" She follows that hit up with another one to his arm. Pacey ducks away and laughs. "That was all a big ploy to get me out of bed, wasn't it? That's sick. It's completely underhanded and wrong, Witter!" Pacey just crosses his arms and looks at her, raising an eyebrow.

"What, you didn't like it?"

"You're such a tease." Joey glares at him. Pacey leans in toward her and brushes his lips against her ear.

"I never made any promises that I don't intend to follow up on, Potter," he whispers huskily, tracing a finger lightly down her neck. Joey involuntarily shivers at the sound of his voice, so heavy with lust and desire. He lingers close to her for a moment and then pulls back. "And now that we're both on the same page, Josephine, and only a half hour late from our initial starting time...why don't we get going?"

"All right...next stop, Virginia Beach?"

"Yarrr, 'tis true, matey." Pacey jokes and heads down the deck. Joey follows him, trying not to smile at his lame joke, but she can't help it; he just looked too damn cute while saying it not to smile. She honestly didn't know how she could've gone so long without truly seeing Pacey for who he was. How much time had she spent staring dreamy-eyed at Dawson while Pacey had been right there? It almost seemed criminal that it took her so long; sometimes she wondered how different her life would be if she had accepted Pacey's very first attempt to kiss her, way back in the fall of 10th grade. Almost two whole years ago.

Joey catches up with Pacey and wraps her arms around him from behind, just having an urge to hug him tight. The past few months Joey Potter was finally happy to be Joey Potter. She felt lucky, in fact, for maybe the first time in her life. And she owed it all to him.

"I love you," Joey murmurs, feeling him smile even though she can't see his face. "Even if you do have the nerve to wake me at ungodly hours of the morning."

Pacey watches as Joey slowly tiptoes her way into the ocean, dipping her toes into the water and then jumping slightly back.

"It's really cold!" She calls back to him as he lounges on his beach towel. She runs back toward him through the crowd of sun bathers and Pacey grins.

"Nice Baywatch impersonation," he tells her. Joey kicks some sand onto his bare legs with a playful glare. Pacey shields his eyes with his hand and looks up at her as she stands above him.

"Baywatch, hmm? You're comparing me to a bleach blonde breast implant bimbo who couldn't even get an acting gig save the one of a lifeguard in a soft porn disguising itself as a television show?" Joey sets her hands on her hips, gazing down at him. Pacey sits up straight and purposely gives her a thoughtful look up and down, as if he has to ponder an answer.

"No, you're better than Baywatch." He says, leaning forward and wrapping his hands gently around her ankles and running them up her shapely calves. "I like my girls with an IQ above fifty. Blondes don't do much for me either."

"Oh really?" Joey replies coyly. "Andie and Jen were both blondes."

"Andie wasn't a natural blonde and Jen couldn't turn me on no matter how hard she tried," Pacey shoots back. Joey sits down next to him, stretching her long legs out in front of her. She tosses him a crooked smile, then bites her lip.

"And here I was thinking I'd have to have my own blonde ambition tour to keep you interested, Witter."

"Josephine..." Pacey shakes his head, making a tsk sound with his tongue. "All you have to do to keep me interested is exist. Just looking at you makes my heart race." Joey blushes deeply, evident even in the glaring sunlight. Pacey leans closer with a wicked glint in his eye. "In fact, if this beach weren't so crowded-"

"Oh, don't even say it!" Joey puts her hand to his face and gently pushes him away. "If you put those thoughts into my head, Pace, I don't know how long I'd be able to hold myself back. I doubt that mother of three over there would appreciate her all-under-the-age-of-10 brood witnessing a pair of horny teenagers make it on the beach."

"Well, since she's a mother of three I doubt she has much time to get some action herself these days...she might appreciate a little show." Pacey slips his finger underneath the shoulder strap of Joey's bikini and tugs it up lightly. Joey tilts her head to watch as he slides it halfway off of her shoulder. "And whose horny?" Joey bursts out laughing.

"You can't be serious."

"I am. Horny implies I'm just looking for a little release of pent up sexual tension."

"And you're not?" Joey scoffs, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Pacey replies matter-of-factly. "Being madly in love with someone and wanting to be close to them is much deeper and special than overwhelming feelings of lust. It's better. I wouldn't ever degrade what we have here by saying it's all hormones." Joey tries to keep herself from melting entirely right there and barely succeeds. Waiting a few moments to steady her emotions, she turns to him.

"Well. I don't know about you, but now I'm hornier than ever." She grins as Pacey looks a little confused, trying to decipher if Joey is implying she loved what he had just said or if she was demeaning it by saying she really is just horny. "That was the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me, Pacey. I always said I'd never 'belong' to any guy, but really, you have me. All of me. And you know that I would never say anything like that without meaning it with all of my heart."

They stare at each other for one long, loving and intense moment, the humor which laced their conversation fading away when they realize they have stumbled onto a more serious subject.

"You don't belong to me, Joey. I wouldn't want to possess you, because your individuality and strength is what makes you you. We're a part of each other; separate people but always connected. I think that's what's so amazing about us," Pacey replies honestly, caressing Joey's cheek softly. Joey can see her own reflection in Pacey's crystal clear blue eyes as she gazed at him, and she tried to imagine what she must look like through his eyes. She didn't know why Pacey had fallen for her, but she knew that for whatever reason, that love was steadfast and true, hot and intense, and different from anything either of them had ever experienced. She didn't want to know the reasons why or how it had happened; for once in her life she didn't want to deconstruct or analyze. There was no need to wonder, because she'd never felt more sure of anything in her entire life. And looking at Pacey, she knew the same was true for him.

And she never wanted him so badly as she did at that moment.

Suddenly feeling hot all over, Joey lets out a long deep breath and tries to calm herself down a little. Feeling a bit on the hot side himself, Pacey smiles and takes Joey's hand.

"Maybe we should go in the water for awhile...it's a little crowded on the beach," Pacey suggests. Joey nods in agreement very quickly and stands up, pulling Pacey with her. They make their way down to the water, pausing for a moment and letting their feet sink into the wet sand. "You're right, the water is really cold. That's odd for this time of year, isn't it?"

"I suppose so," Joey shrugs, not really knowing or caring. The colder, the better. She giggles to herself. If Pacey knew the thoughts running through her head, he'd be shocked. Joey glances at her boyfriend. Okay, maybe he wouldn't be shocked. His mind was capable of fathoming any sexual situation. Nevertheless, she was surprising herself.

Joey takes tentative steps into the water, trying to slowly adjust to the change in temperature. Pacey runs right in, kicking up large splashes as he goes. Joey shrieks as the water splatters all over, the spray mostly wetting her bathing suit.

"Jerk!" She screams at him, splashing him back violently. The tension of their previous exchange is broken, their ease returning. "Why'd you have to do that?"

"You get used to it so much faster if you just bite the bullet, Jo," Pacey explains with a charming smile. "Wading in is just silly. You should get it over with as quickly as possible, that way you spend less time getting adjusted and more time having fun." Joey shakes her head.

"I would think that'd just shock the body even more. It'd be like if 90 degree weather suddenly changed to 32 degree weather in one day. No one can handle that."

"I could," Pacey smirks, his voice joking. Joey gives him a smug smile back and walks further out into the water.

"If you say so," she replies. "You could use a little cool down right now." Joey shoots him a suggestive look downward and Pacey gives her a mock scornful look back.

"Drag your mind from the gutter, Potter."

Joey saunters over to him, swaying her hips ever so slightly. The water level hit her about mid-thigh and her movements sent delicate ripples flowing toward Pacey. She approaches him slowly and gently sets her hand on his bare chest. Licking her lips, Joey looks up at Pacey with a coquettish and dreamy smile.

"You really want me to?"

Pacey meets her gaze, becoming deeply aroused just by the emotion he could see building within Joey's large brown eyes.

"No," he says, his voice cracking the word.

"Cause if you want me to I can stop thinking dirty thoughts and picturing you naked. It wouldn't be a problem." Joey murmurs, edging closer to him, moving her feet between his and feeling the sand wash over and envelop them.

"Well-" Pacey begins, but Joey takes his hand and leads him out into deeper water. He shivers, not sure if it's the temperature of the water or for various...other reasons.

"I mean, it'd be no big deal, Pacey. When you think of all the time I waste imagining what these hands could do to me," She lifts his hands up and puts her palms to his. "And what you would taste like...what pleasure your lips are capable of bringing on..." Joey brushes her lips against his teasingly then pulls back. "The feeling of your weight on me, your hips crushing and grinding against mine..." She stands on tiptoe to whisper into his ear, purposely brushing her breasts against his chest. "The sounds you'd make as you would come, buried deep inside of my body..." A smile plays on Joey's lips as Pacey bites back a moan, his eyes falling closed. She abruptly backs away from him and quickly begins walking away. "You're definitely right. I should stop thinking about things like that and do something more productive with my time."

Pacey stares at her as she begins to swim further away from him, surprised by her lascivious whisperings and so turned on that any body swimming by could see how horribly his trunks were tented. Going underwater, Pacey is quickly in hot pursuit of Joey, finally catching up with her a great distance out from shore.

She stops and looks at him innocently, the water now up to her shoulders.

"What's the matter?" Her tone is guileless, which drives Pacey even more crazy.

"What do you think is the matter?" He asks. Joey shrugs.

"I wouldn't have any idea." She turns away from him with a knowing smile, but Pacey doesn't give her a chance to get away. Overwhelmed with attraction and lust, he comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. Immediately feeling his hardness insistently pressing against the small of her back, she moves up and down slightly, trying to agitate him further. "I have an idea now," Joey murmurs throatily.

"Are you just getting me back for this morning?" Pacey inquires.

"Revenge is sweet."

"I think it's time to call a truce," Pacey whispers, snaking his hand around Joey's stomach and down to her thighs. Not giving her time to reply, his searching fingers easily slide underneath the elastic of her bathing suit to find their destination. Joey arches back against him involuntarily, wanting more.

"I hardly call this a truce," Joey breathes as his finger eases inside of her body. "Doesn't a truce require both sides actively pursuing one common goal, that being the end of the social, political or economic battle in which they were previously embroiled?" Pacey responds to this statement by adding a second finger and pushing into her harder.

"I must not be doing this right if you still have enough mental clarity to get out a sentence like that, Josephine."

"Oh no, you're doing fine," Joey replies. Pacey steps away from her and turns her to face him, not sure if she was being truthful or sarcastic. Seeing the intense look in Pacey's eyes, Joey feels her legs almost collapse underneath her. She's two seconds away from grabbing him and tearing off his trunks and wrapping herself around him. "Maybe we should get back to the boat. This isn't the best place for this."

Pacey glances toward shore; the nearest swimmer in the water was twenty or so feet away.

"You're right, it's not." With that, Pacey covers her mouth with his. "If anyone asks, I can tell them I'm giving you mouth to mouth." Joey giggles lightly and accepts his kisses.

"How will you explain my hand down your shorts?" Joey asks, taking that action as she speaks. Pacey kisses her harder, his tongue surging into her mouth.

"You'll have to think of a way out of that one," he mumbles against her lips, moving to touch her again. A loud groan escapes Joey as Pacey touches her between her legs with one hand, his other eagerly groping her breast through the thin material of her bikini top. She tugs at the elastic of his waistband, finding the wet material hard to move. After a few tries she grunts, frustrated.

"Pacey, we need to go back to the boat." She pleads.

"Why?" He starts to kiss her neck, but she pulls away.

"Because I want you naked and I want you now, and I want you in a way that we just can't manage right here, a few yards away from throngs of seven-year olds who we could possibly scar for life if their parents have to take them home tonight and explain why some poor girl was screaming and moaning and clinging to that brown-haired boy."

"Screaming and moaning, eh?" Pacey gives her a charming smile. Letting out a long deep breath and trying to settle herself down, she shakes her head.

"You're encouragable, Witter."

"Come on, let's go home," he replies, taking her hand. "There's a nice room waiting for us below deck where you can be as loud as your little heart desires."