"I lost my Teddy bear, can I sleep with you instead?" A chorus of groans rose from various corners of the kitchen.

"I got one," Jen lifted her spatula in the air, dripping bits of cornmeal across the dining room table. She deepened her voice, "I lost my Rubber Ducky, will you take a bath with me instead?"

"If I followed you home, would you keep me?" Andie joined in; she stood over the stove, a large pot of water in front of her. She added salt as she waited for the water to reach a boil.

"I'm sorry," Jack chimed in from the kitchen table in Dawson's house, "I'm an artist and it's my job to stare at beautiful women." Dawson, Jen and Pacey laughed.

"You must be wearing space pants because your butt is out of this world." Pacey added loudly, dipping his finger into the pie filling on the counter. "Ehmm, needs more sugar." He wiped his hands across the apron he was wearing and crossed the kitchen to riffle through cupboards.

"I think I'm a candle because you light my fire and I just melt." Dawson added.

"Congratulations! You've been voted most beautiful man in this room. The grand prize is a night with me!"

"If beauty were a tree, you'd be a forest."

"I must be in a fairy tale, because I'm looking at a princess."

"You remind me of a parking ticket, you have fine written all over you."

"Honey, you're so sweet, you're giving me a toothache."

Their playful game interrupted only by laughter and short conversations on what temperature the turkey should be at, and how many place settings to put on the table. Their first set of midterms of senior year was finally over, just in time for Thanksgiving break. Since Mrs. Ryan had hosted the event last year, the six teenagers had agreed to host it at Dawson's house that year, there last ever at home. They had kicked Mitch and Gail out at noon, forbidding them to come home until five o'clock that evening. It was three thirty now, and Joey had yet to show up. Bessie was keeping her busy at the Bed and Breakfast, but she had promised to come and make her famous sweet potatoes.

"Hey baby, is your name Gillette? Cause you're the best a man can get!" Pacey declared.

"I lost my phone number... can I have yours?" Andie recited the old standby.

"That was weak, Andie." Jen laughed from across the room. Her friend shrugged and rolled up her sleeves as she tossed potatoes into the boiling water.

"Can I be a thief and steal you away?" Dawson suggested, he was met with silence.

Jack burst out laughing suddenly; his friends paused in their work to look at him funny. He was in the dining room, setting the table. No one trusted him in the kitchen, "I just remembered one," He came to stood in the doorway, "If you were a booger, I'd pick you first."

"Excuse me, but can you help me find my way 'cause I'm lost in your eyes." Jen announced when the laughter died down.

"Do you have a quarter? My mom said to call her when I fell in love."

"Do you have a library card? Cause I wanna check you out." Dawson burst out.

Pacey shook his head in disgust; "You call those pick-up lines? They're weak! Child's play," he scoffed. Stirring the pie filling one last time before pouring it into the prepared piecrusts.

"Oh, really, grand master?" Dawson raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm running out of ideas." Andie said.

"Me too," Jen agreed.

"And you call yourselves teenagers." Pacey shook his head.

"Well, Pace, hit us with your best." Dawson challenged, his arms folded across his chest, a challenging smile across his face.

"Okay," He rubbed his hands together, "Jen, you're going to have to play the woman in this."

"Like that'll be a stretch," she said sarcastically.

"Do you drink milk?"

"Yeah..." Jen answered, with a shrug of her petite shoulders.

"Well, it's sure done you're body good." He leered.

"What's so great about that one?" Jack scoffed, returning to collect more plates.

"You remind me of an ice cold Pepsi... I just gotta have one." A wolfish grin crossed his face.

"Somewhat better," Andie conceded.

"If I followed you home would you keep me?... Did the sun come out or did you just smile at me?... Do you have any raisins? Well then how about a date?" He grinned at his friends. "I never run out of 'em."

"Well, by all means, continue then." Jack called from the dining room.

"Hmmm, You know what would look good on you? Me... Is there an airport nearby, or was that my heart taking off?... "My name's not Elmo, but you can tickle me anytime... Do you believe in love at first sight, or do I have to walk by you again?... "Your Dad must be a baker, 'cause you have an amazing set of buns." His friends were cracking up, it was more than just the words, and Pacey actually acted like he was trying to pick up some random girl. He made it believable, which just added to the humor.

Joey smiled just outside the back door leading to the kitchen. With the door open she could hear the sound of her friends laughter. She took a moment to truly give thanks that she had them in her life. Over that last two years, there had been days where she'd fully believed they'd never gather in a group again. Yet, three years later, they were gathering a family in the Leery/Ryan backyard for the second time. She shook her head; things had changed in the last year, for the better, she thought. But still, very different.

She opened the screen door in time to hear Pacey finish his sentence, "...she stole the stars and put them in your eyes."

She giggled, "Okay, whose Pacey hitting on this time?" He turned around to smile at her.

"It's about time, Potter," he moved around the island to meet her, his arms out stretched to hug her, intending to cover her with the flour covering his apron, shirt and arms. "Did you really think you could abandon us poor souls to slave away over Thanksgiving dinner in this insane heat all alone?"

"One step closer, Pacey, and you won't live to see graduation." He dropped his arms to his sides and returned to the pies. He was right about one thing, she thought, pulling an apron from the linen closet. It was insanely hot in the kitchen, even with all the windows and doors open the heat from the two ovens and stove had invaded the stuffy room completely. Andie and Jen wore thin tank tops and shorts; their hair pulled up away from their necks and shoulders. Jack wore his old tattered football jersey over his jeans; the cloth exposed a large portion of his tanned skin. Dawson wore a thin white T-shirt that clung to his skin and shorts. Sweat glistened on his forehead. Pacey was walking around the kitchen in a white wife-beater, the moisture condensed on his skin glistening in the bright afternoon light, accenting his muscular physique.

She grinned, three men in various stages of undress... "I'm a lucky girl," she mumbled to herself.

"You give the girl eleven roses, then say, 'When you hold them, it makes a dozen.'" Pacey said with a smile.

"What disaster are you cooking up, Witter?" Joey asked joining him and Dawson at the island in the center of the kitchen.

"What's it look like?" he gestured to the pie in front of him as he laid strips of crust across the pie, leaving spaces for steam to escape.

"Cherry?" He nodded; she dipped her finger into the empty bowl beside him. "I wasn't referring to what you were cooking. It sounded like you were giving Dawson tips on pick-up lines."

"No, not really. We were all having a discussion on pickup lines earlier and it escalated into a little contest over who could come up with the most." Dawson explained, wiping the counter down. "Pacey won."

"I am the King of Pick-Up Lines." Pacey attempted to look modest but wasn't quite able to pull it off.

She snorted, "Yeah, right." She took the bowl next to Pacey and moved to the sink, adding soap to the bottom and began to wash it out. "I've heard them all, Pacey. I used to work at a restaurant. I bet I know some you've never even dreamed about!"

"Is that a challenge I hear?" Jen perked up.

"I do believe it was, Miss. Lindley." Jack joined them, standing behind Jen's shoulder as she turned to watch the events unfold.

"I agree." Andie nodded, poking a fork into the potatoes to see if they were done.

"Was that a challenge Miss. Potter?" Dawson inquired, turning to his best friend.

She shrugged, "You might say that it was," She smiled down at the dishes, biting her lower lip.

"Mr. Witter, do you accept this challenge?" Dawson eyed his other best friend.

"A Witter never backs down from a challenge." He smiled.

"Then, let the games begin," Jack announced, he pulled wineglasses from the highest counter and began adding them to the table.

"Since Pacey's defending his crown, I think he should start." Andie declared, poking at the potatoes once again.

"All right," He bent over, his jeans pulling taut against his butt. All three women took the opportunity to enjoy the view as he slid two pies into the oven. He straightened, "Is your dad a pitcher? Because he threw you some nice curves."

"You know what? Your tan would match my sheets perfectly." Joey countered without a blink.

"You must work for UPS. Because I know I saw you checking out my package." He leered washing his hands next to Joey as she rinsed the bowl.

"Humph," She scowled, "Are your legs tired? Cause you've been running through my mind all day." She batted her eyelashes at him comically, eliciting laughter from the four on-lookers.

"If I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?" He grinned wickedly at the blush that climbed Joey's neck after a few moments. "Didn't get that one right away didya?" He chuckled.

She shook her head, her grin widening. "That shirt is very becoming on you." If he wanted to play dirty, so could she, "Of course, if I were on you, I'd be coming too." She shot him a sidelong look as her friends laughed. His eyes were wide in shock.

"I didn't think you had it in you, Potter."

"There are a lot of things in me that you don't think I have." She winked, drying the bowl with a dishtowel.

He raised an eyebrow at her candor, "Wasn't it supposed to be my turn again?"

"That wasn't a come-on, Pacey."

"Sure sounded like one."

"Get on with it, Witter."

"Okay, fine, you asked for it." he thought for a moment. He stood straight and deepened his voice, taking on a serious demeanor, "I'm sorry to tell you this but you're under citizens arrest."

"Why?" Joey played along.

"Well, it's got to be illegal to look that good and let me tell you you're in for a stiff penalty."

"Oh, ewwww," Andie said bringing the pot of potatoes to the sink and draining the water.

Joey pouted her lips in Pacey's direction and whispered in a sultry voice loud enough for their friends to hear, "If I were a flashlight, would you turn me on?"

"Wanna see something swell?" He countered wagging his eyebrows so they would catch the double meaning. Pulling out a large bowl from the cupboard, he placed it on the counter and pulled out the can opener and two cans of cranberries.

Joey snorted again, "Try this one on for size, Pace." She maneuvered around the four people in the kitchen to get the potato peeler. "Do you enjoy math?"

"No?" he answered hoping that was the response she needed to continue the line.

"Do you want to know how to enjoy it?" She began to peel the sweet potatoes.

"How?"

"Add a bed, subtract our clothes, divide my legs, and let's multiply."

"Where do you hear these, Joey?" Andie asked mystified.

"Oh, here and there." She smiled. "Your turn, Pace."

"Oooh, this is a good one. If you are what you eat, can I be you?" He wagged his eyebrows.

"There's a party in my pants, and you're invited."

"Hey, baby, Come and sit on my lap, and we can talk about the first thing that pops up."

"The word of the day is legs, how about we go back to my place spread the word."

Dawson laughed to himself as he tossed the salad on the island next to Joey and Pacey. "I'm no Fred Flintstone, but I can make your Bedrock." This elicited laughter from the rest of the group.

"Do you sleep on your stomach, Pacey?" She asked stripping the peal from the last of her sweet potatoes.

"No, why?"

"Then can I?" She grinned at him, her eyes twinkling in merriment. "You haven't heard that one before, now have you?"

Pacey looked down at his wrist, where his watch used to be he'd removed it when they'd started cooking. "My magic watch says you aren't wearing any pants."

"Huh?"

"Oh, that's right," he slapped his forehead, "My watch is set an hour fast." Dawson and Jack laughed at that one; the girls shot each other sarcastic looks.

"Pacey, do you ever want to have kids?" He gave her a weird look, "Well, then could we practice?"

"Joey, did you know there are 265 bones in your body," he paused, "Would you like another one?"

"Okay, that was just distasteful." Andie said, mashing the potatoes with a fork.

"And the math one wasn't?" Jack added from his spot at the table where he was folding napkins.

"Point taken." She conceded. "Whose turn is it?"

"Mine," Joey answered, "Pacey, you look just like my third lover."

Pacey nodded with a grin, he knew this one and played along. "And how many lovers have you had?"

"Two."

"If I were a battery and you were a bag of chips, I would be ever-ready and you would be free-to-lay." He watched her reaction; he could just picture the gears in her mind moving.

"Maybe we should shy away from the dirty one's for a while. It's liable to get even hotter in here." Jen suggested, shifting her gaze from Pacey to Joey out of the corner of her eye.

"Hmmm... God must be missing an angel, because you're here on earth." She groaned as she said it, she hated that line. She'd heard it one too many times.

"Where are they?"

"Where are what?" Joey asked in response.

"Your wings. I know an angel when I see one." The group groaned at the cheesy line. "What? She can say an angel line and I can't?"

"Did it hurt?"

"What?" Pacey responded.

"When you fell from heaven." She added marshmallows on top of the sweet potatoes. "Duh." She added as an after thought as she put them in the oven.

"You're name must be Visa, cause you're everywhere I wanna be."

"I may not be Dairy Queen, but I'll treat you right." Joey replied in a heartbeat.

"You must work for Snapple. You're the best stuff on earth." He responded instantly.

"If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put you and I together." She answered without looking up.

"I've got a present for you." he put the salad into the refrigerator and his head popped up from behind the door, "Me."

"Ha," she scoffed, "I don't accept cheap gifts."

"Ouch!" Dawson laughed.

"Does that count?" Jen questioned, looking up from the stuffing she was mixing on the stove.

"Should it?" Jack asked.

"I don't think so." Pacey answered.

"I donno..." Dawson smiled at Joey, "The rebuttles are almost better than the lines themselves."

Joey smiled smuggly back at Pacey. "It doesn't matter. I can counter his and come up with new ones. Pacey, if you were a tear in my eye, I wouldn't blink for fear of losing you."

"I think the turkey's done." Andie said, pulling open the oven. "The little red thingy popped." Jack joined her at the kitchen and helped her remove it from the oven.

"I hope you know CPR, because you take my breath away.

"Then I've done the world a favor." She grinned maliciously.

"How are the pies?" Pacey asked ignoring her rebuff. He opened the other oven that had the pies and potatoes in it. "The potatoes are almost done. The pies will be another 15 minutes at least. "

"Can I get directions to you heart, because I got lost in your eyes."

"Cheese alert," Dawson snorted, leaning against the table.

"It's still count's, no matter how sappy it is."

"My name is Chance, do I have one?"

"The name's Hell, and there's not a Chance in Hell." She grinned giving him a sidelong look. "Is it hot in here or is it just you?"

Pacey looked decidedly uncomfortable as he racked his brain for more lines. "I'd go to the ends of the earth for you."

"But would you stay there?" She laughed as he glared at her. "There must be a rainbow today, because I've found the treasure I've been looking for."

"Corn-y." Jen sang, removing her apron and collecting the dishes she'd used.

"Hey, baby, what's your sign?" Pacey asked.

"Do not enter." Joey answered with a wave of her hand. "You must be butter, because you're on a roll."

"Uhhh..."

"Uh oh... Pacey's struggling." Jen teased.

"You may lose your crown anyway, Pace." Jack teased. Andie whispered into Pacey's ear and he grinned.

"If McDonalds named a sandwich after you, it'd be McGorgeous."

"And if they named one after you it'd be McDoofus." She smiled sweetly, tilting her head to the side.

"I think you're out of luck Pacey."

"Hey she still has to come up with another one. I could steal retain my title as King."

Joey scowled and tried to appear as though she couldn't think of one. "There must me something wrong with my eyes, I can't take them off you." She finished smuggly.

"Agh, I'm out." Pacey grumbled.

"What, Pace? I didn't hear you."

"I said," he hissed, "I'm out."

"And....?"

"And?" He repeated.

"And I am the Queen of Pick-up Lines..."

"And you're the Queen of Pick-up Lines," he grumbled, removing his apron from around his waist. He stalked out of the room and up the main stairs to Dawson's bathroom.

"Well what crawled up his butt and died?" Andie asked.

"His ego was wounded. He'll get over it." Joey anwered, her eyes still trained on the stairs.

"Can we come back in now?" Mitch's voice called from the front room. The five remaining friend eyes shot to the clock hanging from the wall. Quarter to five.

"Yeah, Dad. We're just cleaning up now." They finished cleaning as the rest of the guests arrived. Pacey joined them as they convened in the dining room, and settled into the table, digging into the mountains of food.

"Pacey."

"Hey Jo." She joined him on the front steps. She puller her sweatshirt tighter around her body to ward off the chilly Novermber air.

"Are you going to look at me?"

"I was thinking 'no'," He answered, staring off across the creek.

"You're being a big baby, y'know." She said following his gaze.

"Hey, I just lost my crown. I think I have a right to mope."

"No, you don't have a right to mope. Just because your girlfriend out performed you gives you no right to ignore her. I don't care how wounded your ego is."

"Yeah, you're right. But if you continue to beat my ego into unconciousness, you better get used to a brooding boyfriend."

"I always beat you up, never bothered you before."

"We weren't dating before." He looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"True." She conceded, they fell into silence. "None of that changes how I feel about you though, Pace."

"Yeah, I know." He put his arm around her shoulders.

"I did have fun though. And you should know by now that in a battle of wits, you're always going to lose to me."

"I guess I'd better get used it, if you're going to kick my ass like that again."

She grinned, "I did perform well, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you were commendable." He smiled and snuggled up next to her and watched the stars twinkle in the night sky.

"You know, Pacey. I meant most of what I said."

"Huh?"

"The corny one's at least. The sexsual ones... I only meant one or two of those." She teased, slipping her hand into his.

"Really?" He grinned at her.

"No." She kissed his nose.

"That's what I thought," He chuckled deep in his throat.

"As the Queen of Pick-Up Lines, then there's no one else I'd rather have as my King."

"I love you, Potter." He looked down into her eyes.

"Love you, too," She breathed against his mouth as their lips met in a searingly sweet kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The End. Hope you all enjoyed. The point of this story was to make you smile, that's ALL I was aiming to do, I wasn't even going for quality. Let me know if I got a smile out of you! RinJJ61178@hotmail.com