. Summary: Who doesn't love the episode 'Four to Tango'? This story is an alternate version because that episode deserves to be relived in as many ways possible. This begins in the classroom scene right after Pacey starts talking to Joey about his casual sex pact with Jen. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7| Part 8

School had just ended recently, not soon enough for most of them. Jack and Jen were sick of being the mediators of the group, Joey despised Andie for getting back together with Pacey and Pacey despised Dawson for getting back together with Joey. But their relationships weren’t the same as the first time around. They both seemed distracted, lost in another world.

“There’s this party tonight,” Joey began pacing back and forth along the length of Dawson’s room, “I was thinking we could go.”

“Why would you want that Jo? You hate beer guzzling future frat guys of America mauling you,” he pointed out.

She shrugged still standing in front of his bed, “It could be fun, everyone from school will be there and it would be nice spending some time with them before summer begins.”

“When you say everyone you mean Pacey don’t you,” he corrected.

“It’s not all about Pacey, Jen’s going out to Long Island this summer and I’d hate to miss her before she left.”

“I think what you’re really trying to do is avoid spending time alone with me,” Dawson huffed falling back against his bed.

“What do you mean by that?” She inquired leaning against his desk folding her arms over her chest.

“Why won’t you sleep with me Joey?”

“Is that what this is about? What our entire relationship is based on? Whether I’ll sleep with you or not?” She furrowed her brows incredulously

“You slept with him,” he countered.

“That was different,” she shook her head standing from the desk.

“Jo where are you going?”

“Out,” she muttered climbing out the window.

~*~

Pacey cradled his drink in his hand slumped in a chair on the beach as hundreds of high school students ran around him in bikinis slurring the words to the latest pop songs. He wasn’t sure why exactly he had come; it was mainly because he wanted to drink, to get so drunk he wouldn’t wake up with a hangover because he would still be deliriously drunk. He couldn’t get wasted at home because his dad was home and he couldn’t go to Andie because she would just want to snuggle or screw around or some sort of couple thing that he really didn’t want to do, at least not with her.

Chugging down the rest of the contents he headed back to the bar by the bon fire they had started by the water. “Get this chick off of here!” A guy yelled out gesturing to the girl wildly grinding on top of the makeshift bar knocking off bottles as she moved.

Pacey sighed immediately recognizing the swerving brunette as Josephine Potter, “Pacey!” She called out excitedly jumping off the table and stumbling a bit to re-catch her balance. “Pacey’s here!” She announced to nobody in particular throwing her arms around his neck, “Have I told you lately how much I love you Pacey Witter,” she slurred leaning all of her weight against him.

“Hey, Joey you seem a little drunk,” he replied light heartedly trying to ignore her comment.

“I’m not a little drunk,” she corrected, “I’m very drunk.”

He steadied her placing his hands at her waist as she continued to giggle at his presence, “What are you doing here?”

“Dawson was trying to get into my pants again so I came here and look! I found you!” She explained her voice practically yelling.

“Where’s Dawson?” He asked concerned for her well being walking around wasted at a party with a bunch of horny high school guys.

“I don’t know if he’s even here, but it shouldn’t be hard to find him, he’s the one with the enormous cranium and the forehead the size of Guam!”

“That wasn’t a very nice thing to say about your boyfriend,” he replied finally realizing just how close their faces were.

“It’s true!” she defended. She sighed the alcohol strong on her breath, “Sometimes I wish I could just run away, where nobodies controlling me, where I can be free.” She almost sang leaning back abruptly, Pacey caught her and she arched her back against his hands swaying back and forth her hair tracing along the ground.

“Don’t we all,” he grunted whipping her back up her body connecting with his fiercely.

“Pacey,” she said confidently and for a moment he forgot she was drunk, “take me home with you.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good—.” But before he could finish her lips were hot against his, her tongue delving sloppily into his mouth while her fingers wove through his hair pulling his mouth closer to hers. “Joey you know I can’t resist you,” he whispered his voice thick and husky.

She nibbled on his earlobe until he released a horse groan, “Then don’t.”

He backed away, “I’m not going to do this, not while you’re drunk, and especially not when you’re with Dawson.”

“Don’t you get it? I don’t want to be with Dawson, I don’t want him, I want you!” She cried reaching for his hand.

“You have a funny way of showing it,” he countered bitterly.

“What about you?” She asked tossing an accusing finger at him, “You’re the one who got back together with Andie first! I was coming back to you, I told Dawson off and everything!”

“I waited nearly three months Jo,” he pleaded and by this point they had collected a crowd around them. She shook her head, her eyes glossy with unshed tears and she couldn't think of anything to say, anything to make this better.

“I want to go home,” she finally mumbled.

“Fine let me take you,” and with that they staggered down the beach leaving numerous disappointed party goers behind.

“I can’t go home like this,” she realized, the affect of the alcohol beginning to ware off.

“Where do you want me to take you?” He asked protectively guiding her by the small of her back.

“Wherever I don’t care,” she muttered running her hands through her hair.

~*~

By the time they reached his boat she had stumbled a few times threw up in the grass and climbed back to her feet. After the third time he swung an arm under her legs and carried her the rest of the way. And when they finally settled into True Love she was fast asleep.

He had tucked her into the lower hammock afraid that if he put her in the top she would wake up in the middle of the night and fall roughly to the floor. After listening to her mumble a few incoherent statements including “Tarter sauce, table four,” he had settled on the bench next to her watching her sleep peacefully. The rise and fall of her chest, the fluttering of her eyelashes against her cheek, he must have sat there for hours before finally dozing off filled with thoughts of her.

~*~

She woke up to the worst head ache she had ever experienced and didn’t quite recognize her surroundings at first. Glancing next to her she realized exactly where she was when she saw Pacey’s slumped form next to her leaning against the wall of True Love for support.

She chewed on her lip watching him sleep for a moment before woozily climbing from her hammock. Dropping a kiss on his forehead she allowed her fingers to linger in his hair for a moment before she climbed up the steps towards the deck and headed home.

~*~

It was dark now and she found herself heading down the dock hoping she would find him there, “I wanted to say thank you,” she explained finding him on the deck of his boat reading a book.

“It was nothing really; I have this horrible white knight complex which draws me towards damsels.”

“Well thanks anyway,” she sighed extending her hand, “Permission to come aboard?”

A smile of nostalgia tinted his lips, “Permission granted,” he said grabbing onto her hand and helping her onto the deck.

“So what are you doing this summer?”

“Fulfilling the dream, sailing along the coast,” he explained.

“All by yourself? Won’t you get lonely?” She asked settling next to him and hugging her knees to her chest. They always had this sense of familiarity no matter what the circumstances.

“Andie’s coming with me, it's always been a dream of mine sailing around the world with the woman I loved. Just the two of us on the open waters, making love under the sunset until the stars came out twinkling in the ocean sky, but as they always say you can’t make a dream into a reality, so you settle for the next best thing.”

“Well there are no happy endings,” she shrugged trying to ignore his previous statement.

“Guess not,” he sighed setting his book to the side.

But then everything clicked, every emotion that had been swirling around in a pool never quite making sense coming together, and she knew exactly what she had to do, what she wanted to do. Abruptly, she stood up and it startled him, “Pacey let’s go, tonight you and me.”

He furrowed his brows, “What do you mean?”

“Let’s stop doing things for other people, let’s be selfish for once let’s leave tonight, you and me sailing into the sunset.”

“It’s not that simple Jo,” he explained standing up to her level.

“Pace, I want to be with you, to lie under the stars pointing out constellations to jump out into the free ocean waters to have you to keep me warm at night. I’m tired of living my life for other people and I’m ready to do something for me.”

“There are going to be consequences, Dawson and Andie may not speak to us for a very long time,” he warned making sure she was serious this time.

“Let them be mad at us, we’ve been miserable for long enough.”

“Are you absolutely sure Jo? There’s no turning back,” he said.

Closing off the distance between them she kissed him squarely on the lips her motions tender and soft while she held onto him tightly, “I love you,” she whispered as she backed away.

“I can have her ready in twenty minutes; you should get some things together because we won’t be stopping for another few days.”

She smiled widely climbing off the boat and heading home, “Twenty minutes,” she confirmed.

~*~

It had taken her five minutes to pack and thankfully Bessie wasn’t home to question her, she had decided to stop at the grocery store to pick up some snacks knowing that Pacey’s taste in food wasn’t quite her idea of fine cuisine.

“Joey hey,” she stopped sharply wondering if she didn’t move he would go away.

“Dawson,” she turned with a fake smile.

“Look I wanted to apologize for last night, your choices are your choices and I shouldn’t try to push you into anything, I’ve grown up since February and am going to start listening to you.”

“It’s no big deal, I just went to the party went to bed early it was all rather boring actually.”

“Oh,” he replied surprised by her reaction, “well I was wondering if you wanted to come over for a movie night, like old times, it’ll be a long summer we can probably rent out all of Screen Play before September.”

She chewed on her lip for a moment hoisting her backpack higher on her shoulder, “Um, I think I’m going to do something for me tonight. I mean we’ve all been walking on egg shells trying to make each other happy, when sometimes you just need to take a step back. But not really back,” she corrected, “because in reality you’re moving forward trying something new making yourself happy.”

“Okay,” he nodded confused.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, goodbye Dawson,” no matter all the things he did to her he was still her best friend and she couldn’t turn her back away.

“Goodbye Joey,” he replied turning back towards his own shopping not realizing the weight of his send off.

She glanced at him one more time before heading to the checkout and back to the docks.

~*~

“Hey Pace,” Andie asked walking up to the boat, “I was thinking maybe we should just leave tonight, I mean the anticipation is killing me.”

He glanced up at her and he couldn't tell her the truth, he couldn't turn her away, "Um, I was just listening to the radio and there's a storm brewing off the coast," he lied, "wouldn't want to get caught up in that now would we."

She shook her head, “Well what are you doing now?” She asked watching as he tightened and untied numerous ropes.

“Just getting her ready for her voyage,” he explained grunting as he pulled a rope tighter.

There was a long uncomfortable silence, “It’s amazing what you did with her,” she stated for no reason but to keep conversation.

“Sometimes dreams come true,” he shrugged quickly shifting his attention back to his boat.

“Yeah,” she whispered not sure why this moment seemed so strange, “Well I should get home then,” she said heading back down the dock.

“See ya Andie,” he called after her but she didn’t turn back.

Joey came out from the boat house choosing a different path to the docks, “I ran into Dawson,” she began her eyes following Andie’s retreating figure.

“Did you tell him?” He asked removing a rope from one of the posts that kept the boat from floating away.

“Did you tell Andie?” 

He shrugged, “Good point.”

“I think it was good to say goodbye though, there was more closure that way,” she sighed stepping onto the deck. "Even though he didn't quite understand, to tell him I was leaving would make him suspicious, and I'm sure he would manage to manipulate me out of it."

He nodded bitterly still not quite over what his former best friend had done. “What’s that?” He asked gesturing to the paper bag she carried.

“Real food for our voyage so we aren’t forced to live off cheese balls,” she explained settling the bag into the cooler.

“I always knew this boat needed a woman’s touch,” he chuckled setting the last rope free as they began to float away from the port.

“So this is it,” she sighed settling onto the deck next to him.

“That it is,” he agreed steering the boat away from shore carefully, “but it’s only the beginning because endings can’t be happy.”

“Right because there’s nothing after the ending so how could that be happy? When technically the true ending is death and how could that possibly be something joyous, especially in a love story.”

"I was just thinking that this story was finally getting interesting." He chuckled and she nodded in agreement about to add to that but he cut her off, “Shut up and kiss me, Potter.”

“Why would I do that?” She asked leaning back on her hands challengingly.

“Because you want me,” he replied simply as they sailed out into the dark horizon the whole world ahead.