"I do."

"I do."

Joey discreetly dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
She wasn't even sure why she was crying; tears of
happiness weren't generally her thing. She sniffled
in what she hoped was a delicate, oh-so-ladylike
fashion and slipped the tissue back in her purse,
hoping no one had noticed.

The officiating judge cleared his throat. "Then,
without further adieu, I now pronounce you to be
bonded in name and in spirit. Go forth and allow
your family and friends to share in your love."

Jack and Doug leaned in for a kiss to the muted
applause of the small gathering assembled on the lawn
beside Potter's B&B. The intimate, tasteful ceremony
was more in keeping with Doug's taste than Jack's, but
even Jack the former party animal had wanted to keep
things simple. It had been nearly a year since Jen's
death, but no one was quite ready yet for a blow-out
celebration.

Joey watched Pacey sidelong as he beamed at the happy
couple from his spot on the dais. He looked dashing
in his rental tux, dashing and proud. He'd been the
only one surprised when Doug had asked him to stand
up for him at his wedding. Pacey played it all down,
but she knew that beneath that understated veneer he
was practically beside himself with joy and satisfaction.

Her gaze shifted to his fellow attendant. It was odd
to see Pacey standing up there with Andie, who'd flown
in from Europe to stand up for her brother. Andie had
grown into a truly stunning woman, her shoulder-length
blond hair gleaming in the sun, her subdued tan giving
her a healthy glow next to the rose-colored satin sheath
she was wearing. They made a beautiful couple, Joey
thought, watching them.

"Capeside's first gay wedding," Dawson said from beside
her. "I'm surprised the news crews stayed away."

"Let's just be glad they did," Joey murmured. "Besides,
it's not like Jack and Doug exactly publicized this,
you know."

"I know. Still..." He trailed off, looking back a couple
of rows at where Gale sat with her new husband and Lily.
"I wonder if Mom pulled a few strings with her old news
buddies."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Joey said. The newly-bonded
couple headed down the aisle, followed by Pacey and Andie,
arm in arm. Joey bit her bottom lip.

"It's weird seeing Andie again, isn't it?" Dawson asked,
echoing her thoughts.

She dipped her head. "I guess. Not that weird, really.
Okay, maybe a little."

Dawson grinned. "You're not jealous."

"Never," she said, meaning it.

***

"Hey, beautiful."

Pacey's warm growl of a voice filled her ear as his arms
wrapped around her from behind. "Hey." The reception
bustled around them, people mingling to and fro and
sipping cocktails and lemonade underneath the spring sun.

He dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder. "Are you proud
of me? I remembered the rings and everything."

"Pacey, you remembered them because I handed them to
you before we left the house this morning." She turned
in his embrace, placing her arms around his neck.

He smiled down at her. "Yes, but I had them available
when the judge asked for them, didn't I? Do you know
how easily I could have lost them in between here and
the B&B?"

She looked over at the B&B, approximately twenty feet away
from where they were standing, and rolled her eyes at him.

"You know, someday your face is going to freeze that way,
and you'll only have yourself to blame."

"I'll take that under advisement." She pulled him closer,
breathing in his cologne, his anti-perspirant, his skin -
the entire scent of him, mixed in with the heady fragrance
of the blooming flora around them. "You smell nice, Pace."

"I do my best. And you," he said, nuzzling his cheek
against hers, "look good enough to eat."

"There'll be plenty of time for that later," she whispered.

His eyes met hers and she suppressed a delicious shiver.
"Count on it, Miss Potter."

He was leaning in for a kiss when Andie interrupted them,
tugging at Pacey's sleeve. She was still holding on to the
bouquet of daisies she'd carried during the ceremony. "Sorry
to break this up, guys, but Doug's looking for his best man.
Pacey, I think he's worried about what you're going to say
in your toast."

"As well he should be," Pacey said. "Don't worry, I'll go
lie to him, assure him I would never say anything potentially
embarrassing about my formerly closeted freak of a brother."
He kissed Joey on the forehead and sauntered off.

Andie watched him leave, opened her mouth, then shut it.
"Right."

"He can be a bit much when you haven't seen him for a while,
can't he?" Joey asked lightly.

"Five years is a long time to go without that Witter charm,"
Andie conceded. She flashed a broad smile. "It's so
wonderful to see you guys," she said for what had to be the
tenth time in the past twenty-four hours.

"Same here," Joey said. They started walking toward the
bar, where one of the bartenders from the Ice House had
been drafted into service.

"What can I get you, Joey?" asked the burly redhead.

"Hi Mike. I'll take a white wine please."

Andie ordered a glass of the fresh-squeezed lemonade Doug
had requested be available. "How *does* Pacey manage to
live in New York and still run the Ice House?"

Joey smiled her thanks at Mike and took a sip of wine
before answering. "Well, to say he =runs= the Ice House
is a bit of an exaggeration. He's still the primary owner,
and he comes up here for a few days every other week to
keep an eye on things. But between his manager and his
bookkeeper, he's able to spend most of his time in New
York. We've been lucky."

She followed Andie to a nearby table, where they sat down
and Andie finally relieved herself of her bouquet. "So what
does Pacey do while you're at the office all day? Eat
bon-bons and watch the soaps?"

It was so easy to picture just that; Joey had to bite back
a laugh. "Actually, he does some freelance cooking, if you
can believe that."

"Freelance cooking? There is such a thing?"

Joey grinned. "Only in New York. He hooked up with a small
catering company that uses him occasionally when they have
an especially big job. So he might get a call on Wednesday
asking him for 500 mushroom caps by Friday. It's not exactly
steady work, but it's extra money and he seems to enjoy it."

"And it keeps him out of your hair," Andie said knowingly.

"Exactly." Joey looked at Andie, feeling suddenly odd about
the two of them sharing Pacey information. I'll take women
that Pacey deflowered for $200, Alex...

Andie seemed to sense her discomfort, for she leaned forward
and covered Joey's hand with her own. "I'm so happy for the
two of you. Pacey is obviously blissfully happy and...well,
I'm happy that he's happy. And that you're happy, too."

"Well, then, it's a good thing we're all happy," Joey joked.

Andie laughed. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah. I do."

***

"So how was I?"

Joey grinned at Pacey as he sat back down at their table and
pushed a plate of hors d'oeuvres out of his way. She glanced
over at their tablemates - Dawson, Andie, and a couple of Jack's
friends from NYU - all of whom were still snickering. "It
was certainly one of the more original toasts ever given at
a wedding," she said blandly.

"Commitment ceremony," Pacey corrected her. "If Doug hears
you, he will be sure to correct you on that point. It's
just one of the many things he's unnaturally obsessed with
today."

"And that justifies your telling the entire assemblage just
now that Doug used to wet the bed?" she asked.

"No, the years of torment Deputy Doug showered on me throughout
my childhood justifies that." He swiped a canape and popped
it into his mouth. "Turnabout is fair play," he said with his
mouth full.

"Just remember that the next time you get a speeding ticket,"
Dawson advised.

"As if my dear brother would ever do anything as untoward as
fixing a ticket for a family member in the first place," Pacey
retorted.

"Good point."

A screech of feedback from a microphone pierced the air,
making them all wince.

"Why did Jack ask Audrey to sing, anyway?" Pacey asked,
wiggling his finger in his ear.

"He didn't ask her, Audrey bullied him into it," Joey
explained.

"She's only singing a couple of songs, then the regular band
will kick in," Andie assured them. "It was the only compromise
that kept Jack and Doug from coming to blows."

"Oooh, catfight," Pacey said, raising his eyebrows.

"How you doin' everybody?" Audrey screamed and raised her fist
in the air, causing her off-the-shoulder dress to fall even
further off of one shoulder. "You ready to rock?"

Joey buried her face in her hands.

***

"This is much more like it," Pacey observed as they danced
to a slow, jazzy standard. Following Audrey's Capeside debut,
a more traditional band had taken the stage, much to the relief
of everyone over the age of 30. And anyone with good hearing.

Joey murmured her agreement, leaning closer into him, playing
with the hair at the nape of his neck. "I like dancing with you,
Pace. I'm so glad you've managed to conquer your two left feet
syndrome."

"You feel so good right now that I think I'll let that little
comment slide," he said. His hands swept over her back, her hips,
trailing fire through the thin silk material of her dress.

She closed her eyes as he gently kissed her neck. "Are we
making a scene yet?" His breath was hot on her skin.

"I'm working on it." He cupped her face with one hand and
covered her lips with his.

Joey returned the kiss, a little self-conscious but not
really caring too much. She consoled herself with the fact
that everyone already knew Pacey was a sex maniac. The kiss
deepened as he bent her body back, dipping her slightly, and
she flashed back to when he had kissed her at Gale's wedding,
re-igniting the spark between them all over again.

"How," Pacey asked breathlessly when they parted, his thoughts
following the same line as hers, "did we manage to stay apart
for so long, Joey Potter?"

"Fear," Joey said simply. "Fear, stupidity, stubbornness,"
she started ticking off her fingers, getting warmed up,
"cowardice, nervousness, your immaturity and your preoccupation
with the opposite sex, dating my roommate..."

He shut her up by kissing her again, hard and deep. "Are
you thinking what I'm thinking?" she whispered against his
lips.

Pacey moved his mouth to her earlobe, nuzzled his nose against
her hair. "A quickie in your old bedroom before they cut
the cake?"

"Precisely."

"Then what are we waiting for, woman?"

***